Interviews With Equestrians

by Jmaster49

Subject 53: The Remorseful and The Reject

So, to recap: Flim and Flam were former agents that somehow managed to not only redeem themselves, but are still active within their Las Pegasus resort front in order to watch out for corrupt businessponies who tried to swindle people in the city. I never would’ve expected that. Not in a million years. But you know what? I’ve seen far crazier things happen around this place.

We discussed our plans for a bit longer before we left the room. It was a simple scenario. Flim would watch over the surrounding area from the front desk like usual while Flam observed everything he could through the cameras in the security room.

“This is insane,” I mumbled to myself as I trotted through the massive indoor resort. “I’m actually working with two of the world’s biggest former con artists...what is this life coming to?” No matter. I needed to stay focused.

“If it isn’t the world’s most dangerous detective.” The familiar blue-green pegasus with the fiery orange mane. “What’ll it be, dawg?”

I tilted my head. “...Ms. Dust. So it’s true? You were doing well and they decided to upgrade you?”

The pegasus shrugged and flexed her wings. “More like a transfer,” she invited me to look closer. I could see there were still tracking devices on her wings as well as one on her hoof. “But I like it here. Appleloosa’s too damn loud for me.”

Seriously? This place was just as bad, if not worse! “Um...are you sure?”

“Absolutely. At least here, I can start thinking about what I wanna do next with my life. Being a famous flier...is beyond me now.”

I tilted my head. “Are you sure you want to give that up so readily?”

She raised her hoof and scoffed at the idea. “Peh. You honestly think anypony’s gonna trust me with anymore stunts? My parents are completely ashamed of me as an individual, so I can’t face them. Can’t blame them, honestly…” With her head hung low, she trotted behind the bar where she worked, and sat down on the floor.

I didn’t know how to react. Such a complex topic was beyond my understanding. In truth, she was a lot like Suri, and other people that I came across in my life. When a criminal finally comes to understand and regret their actions--whether it’s something as low as plagiarism, or something and deadly as endangering the life of a foal--when the recognition finally comes to a head...it hurts. Guilt sets in. And once you walk down that divergent path, you will walk it for the rest of your life with no way to return or to figure out how the other path would have turned out.

Heh. Mutual exclusivity was a bitch.

“Well....as long as you understand where you went wrong, you can change the path you currently walk on.”

Lightning burned some scented sticks with a nearby torch that she mainly used for the drinks. Wait, was that legal? I think it was. “Yeah, yeah…” she mumbled while she put the torch away. She took a massive sniff of the scented sticks and the smell slowly filled the air. Pinecones? “Ahhh...that’s better. Anyway, don’t worry about me. I paid the price for what I did. I just hope my parents...gah. What’s the point? They don’t give a damn about me.” She placed her hooves upon the bar counter and rested her head sideways on them.

Oh hell no. I wasn’t going to stand idle and allow another relationship between parents and children go down the drain. “Listen. You may be at rock bottom, but the only place you can go from here is up--or something like that. I don’t know. The point is--if your parents truly care about you, they’d welcome you happily.”

“Ugh, really? I wouldn’t bet on it, but thanks.”

Yeah, that didn’t work. Gah, what was I doing? I had a job to do and I was frolicking with the villagers up in the clouds. Back to the investigation. “No problem. Hey. Have you seen a gray earth pony stallion with a vermillion mane?”

“Verm-what-now?” she asked and lifted her head up.

“Oh, it’s a shade of pink,” I replied, and showed her the hair within the evidence bag. “Recognize it?”

She tapped her chin with her hoof. “Hm...I think I recall....yeah he’s probably one of the regulars. Can’t tell you if he stays in the suite or what, but he’s here.”

Alright. Now I was getting somewhere. The time was just about to line up with the exact moment Suri had described she met the guy. If her words were true, then I would finally find out just who set her up to unknowingly assist in framing Cozy Glow. Part of me felt that I was walking into a sticky situation, but there was still more to it. “I see. Thank you, LD.”

“Yeah yeah, sure. Just be careful…”

With that in mind, I went back to work. I surveyed the area, and even asked around for information from the other patrons. No luck, though a few have managed to catch a glimpse of him, so it wasn’t an entirely lost cause just yet.

Hm...half an hour had passed. Things weren’t exactly looking up for me right about now. If only I could. Wait...aha!

Hook, line, and sinker. The pony that matched the description I was given had shown up. He had on a pair of glasses and a floral polo. But instead of sitting down to eat, he walked right on through the food court and towards the hotel rooms. But somepony had followed him. A Kirin--one of those special pony types with a singular horn and flamboyant tails. A blue one. Huh. I never expected to find one way up here in Las Pegasus. The race had an affinity for silence and this was one of the loudest places in Equestria.

I suppose that’s why this kirin had on a cloth facemask of sorts that kept their mouth from being visible as a way to stay silent. Well now. Turns out that I had two targets to get after at this point.

I decided to wait it out, and focused on the kirin’s magical signature first. Hers was much different from a pony’s due to the kirin’s hidden alter ego--the nirik. I wondered if this one still had the capacity to become one despite not being within her home of Kirin Grove. But that was less important. It was time to act.

So I slipped into the hallways and tracked the trace amounts of aura that the kirin’s hooves left within the carpet. They were pale and a bit hard to read, but I just about was able to make it out. I followed the tracks which led through the hotel hallway and up the stairs. I made a mental note and took the trail upwards to the second floor.

I was led all the way to a door. One of the various spa rooms of the resort. “Hm…” I couldn’t sense much beyond it, so I slowly pushed the door open. A hot tub and pool that overlooked the beautiful mountains below the cloud city. Not a bad look. But just where did that kirin go? No one was in the room.

Once again, my abilities went to work. I closed the door behind me. The room had a somewhat thick sense of confusion within. I could almost taste it. It led me towards a more secluded area around a corner near the window. At the end of that corridor, I found a door that likely led to a steam room. This is where she went. I was sure of it.

I knocked.

No response.

I called out. “Hello?”

No answer.

I pushed the door inwards which caused it to creak ever so slightly.

No reaction.

Well then. That settled it. Either my trail ran cold, or the kirin had masked her presence. I stepped inside and closed that door behind me as well. I guessed correctly. At the far end of the room, the blue kirin mare was on her own in the solitude of the quiet room. No need for the steam since I suppose she had her own fire. But wait, where did the gray stallion with the vermillion mane go?

Well, I was looking for answers wasn’t I? Though, how would I obtain them from a mare whose race preferred silence? Only one way to find out.

I walked up to her. “Excuse me...would you happen to know where a gray earth pony stallion with a pink mane is?”

No answer. In fact, the kirin pony turned away from me. She seemed completely uninterested. With that mask over her face, I couldn’t tell what expression she made, so she was especially hard to read. Still, I wasn’t about to give up so easily.

“Ma’am, this is an important matter of security.” I took another step closer, and continued with a more stern tone than before. “Someone that matches the description I just gave is currently involved with a dangerous incident involving grand theft and defamation of character. If you know anything about him, anything at all--it would be in your best interest to provide any information that you can.”

Still nothing. The kirin’s tail flicked as a warning. I could feel the temperature in the air around the room increase slightly. This subspecies of pony had control over the fiery elements that came along with the emotions of rage and vengeance.

My eyes scanned the room. Okay. I planned multiple escape routes within a manner of seconds. With that established, I continued my interrogation. “Ma’am. Please. Even if you’re not a part of it directly and you’re aware, that makes you an accessory. You don’t want to be involved with something like this if you’re not ready to have your life damaged.”

At last, she turned to face me. The mask now removed, she finally decided to speak. “Leave. Now.” Her lips barely moved, and her voice did not sound like she spoke aloud. It was more along the lines of a hushed whisper from the deepest end of a cave. Her tail lit up with a blue and red flame, which made the air around me even hotter.

Alright. Maybe it was time to get out of here. I didn’t want a fight, and hopefully those unicorn brothers had actually managed to catch as much footage as they could in order for me to use evidence. Yes, I still needed to find my target, but I wasn’t going to do something foolish. Not here.

“My apologies. It seems I’ve made a mistake. I suppose framing someone like Cozy Glow would be beneath you after all,” I said with a tip of my hat, and turned to leave.

But I was stopped dead in my tracks with a flaming blue and red wall--it didn’t burn through the building, but it kept me from crossing the door to leave. The kirin would speak once more with an ethereal voice that sounded like several voices at once with a low echo. “So you do know.” Or rather, she was no longer a kirin, but a Nirik. The antithesis to the race that came out whenever they were upset. “I should have known. You’ll never escape once he gets here.”

I turned around to face the jet-black pony creature. “‘He’?” I asked, “And just who might that be?”

From outside of the steam room, I heard a voice. “Now what in the hay is going on in there?! Open up right now before I call security!”

The flames went away, and the nirik turned back into her kirin form. She ran to the door and flung it open with her magic. “Hun! We got trouble! He’s a narc and he knows our plans!”

As soon as the door opened, I finally saw who I had been looking for. “Ahahahaha! What?! You?! Is this real?” I couldn’t help but laugh aloud. Never in life would I have pegged this individual for a threat. He was a joke to many, and feared by none. One of the most overbearing and unlikable individuals to ever grace Equestria with his controlling, manipulative ways.

Svengallop.

He lacked his suit and simply had a towel around his neck. “Is that so? And just who are you?”

“I’m sorry...ahem,” I cleared my throat, “Pale Vestige. Nice to meet you and what I can only assume to your brother’s girlfriend--not yours.”

She looked at me with utter contempt as she held onto his neck with her hooves around him tightly.

He stepped in front of the kirin mare. “Funny. Really funny. Explain yourself.”

“Well, you see…”

Then again, I certainly did not see this coming. It was always the least threatening ones you had to watch out for. A cornered cat lashes out in its final moments.

Comments

[GamePlayer64]

When a criminal finally comes to understand and regret their actions--whether it’s something as low as plagiarism, or something and deadly as endangering the life of a foal--when the recognition finally comes to a head...it hurts. Guilt sets in. And once you walk down that divergent path, you will walk it for the rest of your life with no way to return or to figure out how the other path would have turned out.

That may be true but giving their criminal system is corrupt. Only good citizens get forgiveness and those with strong connections get a slap on the wrist (Discord with Fluttershy, an Element of Harmony) while the worst are still hated, can get framed and force to go back to crime by the society of harmony (Nearly anyone who believes Friendship is Magic). Also that Singer's ex-manager? I thought his mane was salmon and he was a pale white.

[Jmaster49]

10465411
Yup. Nepotism is a bitch.

And if you look on the wiki.
https://mlp.fandom.com/wiki/Svengallop
His colors clearly and explicity state his mane is vermillion while he's an extremely faded shade of gray. Surprise!

Fun fact: Svengallop's name is based on Svengali which is a name given to a character in a novel by George de Maurier called "Trilby." in 1894. In that novel, Svengali manipulates and...does terrible things to a young Irish singer named Trilby who he claims he's trying to help make famous. The writers really did their homework since Svengallop did the same thing to Rara.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svengali

[Neo4K]

As soon as the door opened, I finally saw who I had been looking for. “Ahahahaha! What?! You?! Is this real?” I couldn’t help but laugh aloud. Never in life would I have pegged this individual for a threat. He was a joke to many and feared by none. One of the most overbearing and unlikable individuals to ever grace Equestria with his controlling, manipulative ways.

Svengallop.

😟 I don't know, Pale. You might want to be careful around him. I agree that he's an unlikeable joke after the stunt he pulled with Rara, but it's like you said:

Then again, I certainly did not see this coming. It was always the least threatening ones you had to watch out for. A cornered cat lashes out in its final moments.

To the author: Whatever happens next, I hope he gets help to get out of it. And why the hell would a kirin species go into a life of crime with a scumbag like that? Aren't Kirins suppose to be a peace-loving race? You know, like Autumn Blaze and the ponies?

[asdtroi8895]

Nice to see Lightning have it better. Hopefully she can make up with her parents.

And hopefully Pale could finally solve this framing case now that the two culprits are stuck in a room with him. Maybe Flim and Flam can help. Still wierd to see those two actually being secret agents. I really want Applejack to somehow figure that out.

This place was just as bad, if not worse!

I guess more modern buildings would offer somewhat better soundproofing.

But I was stopped dead in my tracks with a flaming blue and red wall--it didn’t burn through the building, but it kept me from crossing the door to leave. The kirin would speak once more with an ethereal voice that sounded like several voices at once with a low echo. “So you do know.” Or rather, she was no longer a kirin, but a Nirik. The antithesis to the race that came out whenever they were upset.

Good job with making this kirin intimidating.

Svengallop.

Huh, I completely forgot about him.

She looked at me with utter contempt as she held onto his neck with her hooves around him tightly.

That is a surprisingly adorably image.

[Jmaster49]

10465421
Yeah the writers knew what they were doing too with that name.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svengali
Svengallop is based on "Svengali" a character from a novel called Trilby written in 1894 by George de Maurier. In the novel, Svengali dominates and grooms an Irish girl named Trilby under the guise of helping her become a famous singer. It's exactly what Svengallop did to Rara and I applaud the writers for using real world history for a pastel pony show.

He might get help, don't worry!

And not everyone of one race/species acts the same. You're going to find out why soon. But this kirin mare genuinely sees Svengallop as her "sugar" if you will. It's a really messy thing. Stay tuned!

[Jmaster49]

10465424
Don't worry. LD can redeem herself.

And the brothers actually were agents in the Agents of SMILE book but got kicked out. This is the timeskip, and they've grown to become competent gentlemen since then. So Bon Bon (the current leader) let them back in.

And yes. I hadn't forgotten about him, though. He's a really clever character based on an individual called "Svengali" from the 1894 Trilby novel.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svengali
Svengali manipulates Trilby into doing what he wants while he pretends to make her a famous singer. The writers really knew what they were doing.

This kirin genuinely loves him too. Stay tuned for what happens next!