//------------------------------// // Subject 259: Plan Organization // Story: Interviews With Equestrians // by Jmaster49 //------------------------------// “...Pale,” Cheerilee tapped me on my shoulder, “There looks to be far more than what you might have thought to come help. Look up in the sky.” In the air, I could see various flying demons hunted down, and attacked by Ember, Smolder, and various other dragons. It was a whole swarm of them that gave chase in order to finish off the remnants of Tartarus-based spawn that didn’t deserve to draw breath. Cozy would offer her own comment. “Wow. It’s been a while since I’ve seen that many dragons. Especially not all in one place. And the fact that they’re fighting for the sake of others is also something I never expected. I always thought they were super greedy and only cared about themselves. What next?” That’s when I also--oh my goodness. I was in disbelief at what I saw-- “Wassup, mate?! Let’s give these blokes a run for their bits, eh?!” Neon?! And a swarm of batponies! Just how did he manage to rally them in such a short amount of time?! And from the West, I could see another familiar face. A red pegasus--Guttersnipe?! But she had some other flying friends at the ready--Griffons?! Just what the heck was happening?! This all went on so fast that I couldn’t keep up. “Wh-what?! But how…” I sputtered from disbelief, “Where did everyone come from? Why are they all here? What’s next? Is Flash Drive going to show up with Zecora and a bunch of zebras?” Beside me, I could hear both Cheerilee and Cozy giggle. Turns out, he had... “Pops…” the pegasus nudged me at my side, “Don’t you see? Everyone’s arriving to fight for the sake of our safety--because of you.” “Me?” I raised a brow, “Seriously? You mean to tell me that all of these folks were inspired enough to actually come down here and fight alongside us all? The batponies, griffons, dragons--you’re saying all of this was thanks to me?” Cheerilee rolled her eyes with a playful smile. “Silly colt. Who else started this entire campaign so that we could fight back against world-ending threats? Don’t you see? Everything you’ve ever worked towards is building up to this moment.” “It is, huh…” “Better accept it,” Cozy added, “You’re not gonna get away from Cheerilee until you acknowledge what you’ve done. That’s just how teachers are!” She paused to giggle. “But seriously….it’s because of you that I’m still standing here today, Pale. So I think you should be proud.” While that was all well and good, I’d find time to think about my accomplishments later. For the moment, I needed to get everyone’s attention. “Alright, you two wait here,” I said as I walked into the Town Hall, “I need to get ahold of the Mayor.” So I stepped inside, and to my surprise, the Mayor was already there at her front desk alongside Raven Inkwell. It was as if they had been waiting on me or something. “Ah, there you are, Pale,” the Mayor approached me, “Are you ready to make an announcement to rally everyone together for--what we hope--is the final battle?” I tilted my head. “...Yes, that’s exactly what I was coming to approach you about. How did you know?” The Mayor smirked at me, and adjusted her glasses with a sassy flick of her hoof. “My dear, Cheerilee and I are best friends. She tells me everything. Inkwell and I had already drawn up a plan, preparing for your return.” “Huh...weird, but I’ll roll with it. Here’s the plan…” And so, once I explained everything and talked it over with the mayor, we came to an agreement. That agreement would be transformed into what I could only describe as a mission that everyone in the town would have to adhere to. It was a bit daunting considering--well--I had to get the attention of absolutely everyone that was there at the time. I took a look over the words on the notated paper that the Mayor and Inkwell recommended for me to say. “Urm...do you think they’ll listen to all of this? From me no less?” I asked with a nervous gesture--rubbing my hoof against the back of my head. “I’m more of a doer, not a speaker.” Inkwell narrowed her eyes, and rolled them at me. “Seriously? Now isn’t the time to fret about that. If you’re confident enough to go through all of this, then you can surely rouse an audience with a speech or two. Or do you think you’re just not capable?” Dammit, she hit me home with that one. I wasn’t going to accept that as a reply. “What? Absolutely not! I can do this no problem. Just need a good pitch…” After that was done, I took the notes and went outside to the Mayor’s podium. As soon as I did, there was a loud… HRRRRRRRR! The siren from the Town Hall’s tower was sounded off. This caused absolutely everyone in the vicinity to stop what they had been doing, and slowly congregate towards me. I cleared my throat... “...” But then my heart sank. This crowd was huge.