//------------------------------// // Subject 32: Lesson Planning // Story: Interviews With Equestrians // by Jmaster49 //------------------------------// “And that’s...basically all I know regarding hooded figures near here. I saw one yesterday, and another this morning.” I wrote it down in my notes. The appearances of these hooded individuals around these parts lined up properly with Ghost’s suspicions. But the problem that I needed to know just who among my team was capable of such a thing. “Right...I would devote more time to studying what’s going on here, but I need to prepare myself for the trial. Let’s see…” That’s when a familiar face swooped in with her mechanical wings. “Yo, sir! I bring news and I can serve, sir!” Guttersnipe and her naturally gravelly voice came down to greet us with a salute. “Snipe? What’s going on?” Her left wing produced a pocket that she pulled a letter out of, and she offered it to me. “This is from the Mayor of Ponyville, sir! Said it was an important document and both Quick Draw and Corkscrew were busy with other business, so I decided to bring it to you myself, sir!” One thing I had forgotten was the fact that this explosive mare was that she was an extreme fan of military movies. Every night, she and Flash Drive would watch at least one. Whether it be Saving Private Reins, Full Metal Jockey, or some other thing. That was the reason for the constant use of ‘sir.’ “Thank you, Snipe. You’re more than at ease right now, though,” I took the letter, and opened it up to read it. ‘Pale Vestige. This is the Mayor of Ponyville. We would like you to return as soon as possible. There is something we need to discuss between I, Cheerilee, and Spoiled Rich. Thank you.’ “Huh. Something to do with the Earth Pony school I’d bet. Though I’m not sure why they’d feel the need to ask for me…” Guttersnipe stood ready to move, hooves pattered the ground beneath. “Gimme an order, sir! C’mon, c’mon! I’ve got your back!” I tapped my hoof as I thought about it. “Ah. I know the perfect thing you can do. Watch over this town. Report any suspicious activity to Flash Drive and have him come down here. Alright?” “Ooh, ooh! Perfect! I know Mayor Night Glider, personally. This’ll be easy-peasy-fo’-sheezy.” “Night Glider? Oh her! Wait, she runs this place now?” Snipe scoffed, and pointed up to a nearby billboard, “Pff. Didn’tcha see?” I looked up and saw the blue pegasus mare’s face being advertised as, ‘The Best Leader Our Town Has.’ I chuckled, “Wow. Guess things really have changed these past few years. I suppose I’ll get a move on. You know your objectives, Sniper?” “Yes sir!” she said with another salute with her hoof. “To the Mayor’s Office!” And she flew off towards a large building at the end of the Town. Must have been Town Hall. I hadn’t realized that Ember was standing there the whole time and took notes of my interaction with Guttersnipe. “Mm-hmm...show respect...and respond with enthusiasm.” I blinked once, twice. “Were you...standing there this whole time listening to us?” “Of course I was,” she said in between scribbling another line down, “I told you I wanted to learn as much as I could about pony culture, didn’t I?” “Yes...you did. Though now, I have to head back home thanks to this summon from the Mayor. Looks like I’ll need to catch the next train.” But Ember wasn’t about to have that. “Pff. Is that all? C’mon, let me help you.” “I don’t think I--” Before I could say anything else, she grabbed me and flung me onto her back like a schoolkid’s bookbag. “Here ya go. I’ll take you there myself.” “Um...is this safe?” With her claws, she grabbed my hooves and placed them upon her pectorals. “Of course! Just hold on tight, and let me do all the work, okay?” “But wait--yee!” Yet again, I was unable to finish. The dragon had taken off into the air. I held onto her as tight as I could for dear life with my front hooves upon her upper abdomen, and my hind hooves wrapped around her waist. “I was not expecting this at all!” And yet, she flew without a care in the world. “Hey relax, buddy. I told you, I’d handle everything, didn’t I? Though, I’ve always heard legends about the bigger dragons being ridden by tamers and legendary fighters. And I’ve always wondered what that felt like. So today’s your lucky day!” “Lucky my ass!” My pupils shrank as I looked at the ground below us and the way it shifted around. Being so high up was...not something I usually did. However, over time, I came to enjoy it. The dragon’s scales were actually much softer along her backside. Maybe this wasn’t so bad… “Hm...I guess.” “Admittedly I’ve never been ridden before,” Ember explained with a laugh, “So this is actually pretty fun. Maybe I should do this more often. That could be one of my new hobbies; letting pony friends ride me! Hmm…” I wanted to explain why that wasn’t a very good idea, but it seemed like the former Lord was happy. So I didn’t dare object. Especially not now when we were about dozens of meters into the air. The flight was terrifying at first, but became more relaxing over time. In fact, it was only about fifteen minutes before we would begin to see Ponyville. I had to admit, it was a bit quicker than the train. But that does not mean I would be willing to do it again. “Hey Mr. Vest. Is this your home?” she pointed to the town. I nodded. My hooves still locked onto her upper body as we neared the ground. There was no way I was going to risk taking another fall now. “Yeah.” “Here we are!” And she finally landed. I let go, and felt the sweet, sweet earth beneath my hooves once more. While the little flight wasn’t a bad thing by any means, I was just glad to not have to be afraid of falling anymore. The dragon looked at me, eyes full of wonder, “So, where are we going first?” “Well…” I rubbed my head to relax. I felt a bit disoriented from the flight, so I needed a moment to gather myself. “Okay, I need to head to the Mayor’s office. I suppose you can observe more pony interaction there. But please don’t interrupt. We’ll be discussing important things.” She nodded, and gave a salute. “Don’t worry, sir. You won’t even know I’m there.” “Uh-huh...watch outside by one of the windows.” Was she a dragon-shaped sponge? Whatever. I didn’t have time to question her actions. I made my way to the Town Hall, and subsequently into the Mayor’s office. The Mayor herself along with Cheerilee, and Spoiled Rich were all discussing something at a table. “You called?” “Ah, there he is now,” the Mayor pointed at me upon entry. “We were just discussing the final details regarding the Earth Pony lessons that Cheerilee plans to teach.” “Yes! It’s gonna be so much fun!” the teacher exclaimed. Spoiled had a chocolate candy stick in her mouth as she looked through some files. Was that meant to be an alternative to smoking? “I’m sure everything will be covered by the budget once we start to add the new lessons to the curriculum. Tree Hugger will assist in the lessons for the morning, and Limestone Pie will help with the afternoon ones. If possible, we may have guests appear who are skilled in a particular subject. Such as Applejack for bucking trees.” Huh. Everything seemed to be going rather well. If that was the case, I wondered just exactly what they needed me for. “Oh wow. Sounds like everything’s falling into place. But if you don’t mind me asking, what did you three need me to show up for?” The Mayor spoke next. “Well, before anything related to education gets approved, we must first pass it through the Equestrian Education Association. Or EEA.” “That’s right,” Cheerilee added, “And we wanted the head of the EEA to meet the pony that inspired us with this idea. You!” Shit. I smiled and put on a face of excitement. “That’s great!” But in reality, there were two very big problems with this. The first, and least damning was the fact that this wasn’t really my idea. I don’t know. Something about taking credit for something this large when I had the smallest impact...it felt wrong. I didn’t deserve such praise. These three mares made it happen, not me. The second, and most obvious problem; holy shit the EEA. I had completely forgotten about them in all this time. That could only mean one thing, and one thing alone. The pony that was going to be here was… “Alright, let us make this quick.” Neighsay. He entered the room, aloof as ever, and took a seat at the meeting table. “What’s this about Earth Pony lessons? Magic? The letter was rather insufficient regarding the subject. Please tell me more.” I couldn’t tell if he noticed me or not. But that old stallion didn’t drop his stern gaze for a second. He wanted to legitimately listen to their pitch regarding Earth Pony-related lessons and magic. It was a straightforward process. Cheerilee began with an opening regarding the fact that EP magic was extremely passive. “Only those with keen levels of perception can pick up on it,” she said as she used a pointer to tap a skeletal diagram of an Earth Pony that sat upon an easel. “But what if there was a way to help them unlock these powers and channel them? Earth Ponies make up a great chunk of the population, yet not even a quarter of them realize how much magic they truly have. As a result, many have felt inferior to their Pegasus and Unicorn friends whose magic is much more apparent. However, if we assist them in understanding what kind of magic they have, we’ll have a generation of strong Earth Ponies that can rise up and fight the toughest of monsters like Star Swirl The Bearded used to. Even without horns!” Spoiled Rich removed the candy stick from her mouth and spoke next. “We’ve already procured the necessary funds to begin the lessons. As well as expert Earth Ponies who understand their own special sort of magic already,” she flipped the diagram over and showed a graph that had bars that increased from left to right. “You can see here that Ponyville isn’t exactly hurting for money. This will barely make a dent in our financial budget.” Well, that was a shock. For as much as she fooled around and flirted with me, Spoiled really knew how to get down to business. I should’ve expected this. But when I witnessed her speak so curtly, I found myself colored rather impressed. That’s what I liked to see. The Mayor was last. “Chancellor? Is this agreeable to you?” He tapped his hooves together and weighed what he had just heard. “Hm. Get it done. Either I or other EEA members will be in attendance on random days to ensure the lessons are being taught well.” “Eee!” the teacher mare cheered for a moment, then quickly quieted herself. “Ahem. Sorry. But one more thing.” She looked at me with a smile. “I just want you to know the name of the pony who helped me achieve this.” With a mental sigh, I rose from my seat and stood next to her. “Yes, I sorta helped Cheerilee with the idea of establishing Earth Pony lessons in her school. But she deserves most of the credit, not me.” Neighsay glared at me. His eyes like cold daggers. I knew that look. The look of someone who wanted their target to break under the pressure of intimidation like a submersible that had sunk to the bottom of the ocean. “Oh? Well that’s a fabulous little talent you have there, sir. Able to inspire others with little effort. Almost fantastical...how quaint.” Savvy. The geezer played it off with a backhoofed sort of compliment. But I ignored it in favor of helping the situation go along more smoothly. “It was nothing, really. Just doing my job.” The unicorn stallion got up. “Well, if there is nothing else, I shall be on my way. Good day to you all.” And he exited the mare’s office without another word. Both Cheerilee and the Mayor let out exhales of relief. “Whew...dear me, that shouldn’t have been so nerve-wracking,” the schoolteacher commented. The Mayor replied with a grin, “Oh don’t worry. I’ve dealt with these types of ponies for a long time.” “You both are too stiff all the time,” Spoiled commented, and started to chew on her candy again. “If ya learn how to live loose, you won’t be so nervous.” Cheerilee looked at me. “And how about you, Pale?” “Hm?” “Were you nervous when dealing with Neighsay just now?” More than she could ever realize. But now was hardly the time to delve into more personal matters. “Nah, not at all.Like I told him, this is just my job. I’m used to dealing with hardflanks like that.” “Oh good. Hey wait, if you don’t mind...wanna go grab a Hayburger or something?” I realized I hadn’t eaten in a while so I shrugged. “Sure. It’ll be nice to relax with someone like you. I’ll meet you there in ten minutes, okay?” Cheerilee nodded. “For sure, Mr. Vestige! Ten minutes it is.” With a tip of my hat, I walked to the door to leave. “See you, Ms. Mayor. Spoiled.” “Goodbye!” the Mayor said with a wave. “See ya, hun,” Spoiled replied with a more casual sort of wave as she read her notes. I left the Mayor’s office. As soon as the door closed behind me, I was greeted with Neighsay’s familiar, dark aura. “Slick as a snake, aren’t you, Vestige?” “What do you want?” I asked, quite done with his nonsense. “Can’t you see I’m working here?” “I can. And you are doing...a rather interesting job. But know that you can’t escape the authority of those who have seen much more damage than you. Come the trial in a few days...we will see just how far your ideals go.” I raised an eyebrow. “And just how do you know about it?” He levitated a scroll from his robes. “I was summoned, good sir. As a member of the EEA, it is my sworn duty to appear before the Princess when called,” he explained before he put it away. “You may have all of your friends fooled. But not me or my subordinates. If you are afraid, perhaps it is best you do not show up at all. Someone so young couldn’t possibly pose convincing arguments to those a whole lot wise than himself.” I wanted to fling this bookbound cur out of the window. Perhaps it was a gross thought, even for someone like me. But I exercised restraint, and gazed at the unicorn with a fleeting smirk. “Heh...you’re not ready for what I intend to bring to the table. A quote from one of my favorite movies is ‘Age doesn’t correlate to efficiency.’ Just because you’re older, and more experienced, doesn’t mean you’re right all the time.” He scoffed and turned his nose up and away from me. “Hmph. We’ll see if the so-called ‘respect’ you have for your elders will remain true when you try and convince the world that Cozy Glow was innocent.” “I never said she was innocent,” I countered, “I’m fighting for her to have a second chance. And for the record, I do have respect for my elders. But you’re forgetting one minor detail regarding it.” “Ha! And what might that be?” “Respect is not for those who demand it. It’s for those who deserve it. And you are far from respectable in any capacity. I don’t even know how you still have a job,” I replied with a stomp of my hoof. Neighsay scoffed once more. “Tch. Skill and prowess are what determines one’s worth in a profession. If you can’t comprehend that, then you should hang up your badge and go home with your tail between your legs.” After that little chestnut of a rant, the unicorn started walking towards the exit of the Town Hall. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have more important things to do than lecture a child. Good day to you, sir. And take care to watch your back. Nopony else will do it for you.” “Good day yourself,” I responded as he left. Such a pathetic old man. Gah. What am I doing? Now wasn’t the time for negativity. I had to prepare myself for that trial that was going to occur in a few days. I took a few more moments, and left Town Hall. Upon exit, I was greeted with the happy trill of the former dragon lord once more. “Wow, that was amazing!” “Huh--oof!” She grabbed me up in another one of her crushing hugs. “The way you held that meeting with the Mayor was so professional. You have to show me more, please?” So she missed the bit where Neighsay and I had a chat. Good. With that established, I tried to push off of her, but the power of her hug was too strong. “Ngh...can you...look, I have to go meet with Cheerilee at the Hay Burger place soon and--” “Aha! I’ve always had an interest in pony food. It’ll be perfect!” Her beady eyes looked at me with a pleading gaze as she hugged me closer. “Pleeease? I won’t be in your way. I simply want to...observe.” I sighed. There was no getting this dragon off my tail. “Fine, fine. Just please try to stay covert.” At last, she let me go. “Oh, I’ve got the perfect thing.” She suddenly put on a vest and hat that were similar in style to my own, and a pair of glasses for good measure. “Now I’m gonna be super hidden and you won’t even notice me.” Huh. It wasn’t a bad look. As much as I wanted to deny it. “Okay, okay, you can observe us. Just do it quietly.” “Yes, sir!” she saluted again before correcting herself with a quieter tone. “I mean...yes sir. Eeee, this is fun!” I really made a mistake when I decided to wake up this morning.