A quick peek through the curtains the next morning revealed that the front yard was no less crowded. If anything, it seemed like they had called in the cavalry, newsponies were starting to set up cameras on mounts. At least a pair of paths were carved through the horde by the usual daytime hoof traffic. It looked like anyone that didn't have a camera on a mount was shoving it in the faces of passerby, trying to suck out any bits of trivia or scandal they could from whoever didn't just ignore them outright. The whole sight was unsettling for a number of reasons, the least of which being the voracity of the journalists present. I got dressed and went downstairs, working out the stiffness in my leg. Twilight had already gotten breakfast set up, smiling sweetly at me when I stepped in,
"Morning."
I smiled back at her,
"Morning."
I sat down across from her, just looking at her for a moment. Her mane still slightly mussed from sleep, sipping a cup of tea, that scent of lavender and old books, oh it was so good...
"Heel, Boss, heel. Aren't we forgetting one tiny detail?"
Yeah, I knew. It could still be an issue, but I'd cross that bridge when I came to it. For now, I suppose looking and holding was good enough. I glanced at the now-covered window, absently munching on some fruit,
"Say, Twi, what would you say is the most reputable news source that's out there right now?"
She sat, thinking for a moment, "I'm pretty sure I saw a crew from EBS set up, they're well-known and respected. Why do you ask?"
"Well, I figure the only way to get these guys to go away, if only for a little, is to grant an interview with one of them. And if I'm going to do that, I'm at least going to make sure that I'm getting interviewed by someone reputable."
She nodded thoughtfully, "Well, how do you plan on getting to them? There's quite a few ponies in the way."
I thought about the problem for a moment. There was no way I was just walking out through that mess, a disguise isn't likely to work, either, "Well, what about a paper airplane? Write down that I'll give them an interview, toss it out the window in their direction."
She looked at me for a moment, "Well, Noram's Razor does state that the simplest solution is usually the best. Just make sure to actually address it to EBS in specific."
I nodded and quickly wrote out the message and folding it up. Another peek through the upstairs window gave me a target. I tossed it out in the right direction and just hoped that they got it. I walked downstairs and looked at Twilight, "It's done, all we can do now is wait."
She grabbed the book that she had been reading and sat by the fireplace, "So, what exactly did the note say?"
I sat across from her, "The long and short of it is; Only after I perform an interview with EBS will I consider appearing in any other outlets. I told them when I was available and to respond as soon as possible."
She nodded thoughtfully and cracked open the book, finally giving me a clear view of the title: Interspecies Relationships: How to Make it Work, "Well, hopefully that'll get the message across to the rest of them. We certainly don't need them here, preventing either of us from leaving the library and harassing everypony else around Ponyville."
Fail and Safe appeared and clambered onto either arm of my chair. I looked at Twilight, "Well, why would they stop you? They're here for me."
She looked up at me from her book, "Because you're living with me. I'm sure they'd squeeze me for every bit of information I had on you if they got the chance."
Fail laid back on the chair arm, "And I'm sure they're going to ask if you two are fucking at one point or another."
I nodded acknowledgingly, "Yeah, probably. So, how long did it take you to start looking for that book, Twi?"
She buried her nose into the pages, trying to hide a blush, "Um, m-maybe a day or two."
I reached over and tugged the book down, smiling at her teasingly, "Really, my first impression was that good?"
Her blush deepened as she nodded quickly, "Y-yeah."
I tipped her chin up, "Aww, I'm flattered."
She tried to look indignant, "It's not funny."
I kept up my smile, "I never said it was."
I slipped the book out of her hooves and kissed her lightly. She practically melted into me, nuzzling my chest as I picked her up, "No fair."
I ruffled her mane, "It's only cheating if I use pheromones, and I don't have any of those on me."
Soon enough, there was a knock at the door. Twilight hopped off and checked through the peephole,
"It's them."
I got up, Fail and Safe disappearing again,
"There still a whole lot of them out there?"
She turned back to me, "Still a lot, but not as many, and it looks like they're still clearing out."
I started to walk to the door, "And how many EBS guys are there at the door?"
She passed by me, going back to her book, "Just one."
Another knock, "Who is it?"
He sounded by a decent enough guy, much more honest-sounding than the average journalist,
"Mr. O'Connor, I presume? My name is Velvet Voice, I'm with EBS news."
I unlocked the door and opened it, stepping away from the doorway to block any cameras, "Ah, please come in."
Velvet Voice was a bit taller than average, lanky, chocolate brown coat with a short blonde mane and tail, and dull green eyes. Nearly bleached-white teeth, bared in a greeting smile. I closed the door behind him and led him over to the armchairs. Twilight seemed to have relocated upstairs. We sat across from each other, Velvet studying me, fascinated, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. O'Connor."
He stuck out his hoof, I shook it, glancing at him up and down, "I've been told that EBS is well-known for its honesty and integrity, Mr. Voice, that's why I contacted your network specifically."
He smiled proudly, "Why, thank you, Mr. O'Connor, out network's been around for close to half a century, and we're proud to say that we've stayed loyal and true to the stories we're given that whole time."
"He seems like he's honeying his words a bit, but he at least seems to be mostly honest."
I folded my hands in my lap, "So, what would you like to do for this interview?"
He quickly snapped to a professional tone, "Well, we want to know about you, where you're from, how you got here, things like that. We don't ask any of those pointless questions that some other networks would ask in interviews. You will be allowed to pass any question that makes you feel uncomfortable, we'll just cut that out. Now, we will ask some personal questions, just so we and our viewers can get to know who you are, not just what you are. The interview will be pre-recorded here and aired the night after recording. And that's about it, any questions?"
I sat motionless for a moment, considering everything about the interview,
"It certainly seems like a good deal, and I imagine Twilight's word is more than enough for their credibility. It's likely that they don't want to take any chances that could make you reject an interview. I say go for it, Boss."
I looked at Velvet, "Alright, Mr. Voice, you have a deal. How does Monday afternoon, say around 1 o'clock sound?"
He smiled ear-to-ear, "That sounds marvelous, Mr. O'Connor, we will see you then."
I escorted him out, glancing outside when he left. It looked like the majority of the press had cleared out, only a few desperate scavengers still hanging around, but they left when they saw Velvet's victorious grin. I shut the door and slumped back in the armchair, just relieved that I could go outside unharassed again. A few minutes later a sweet purple mare nuzzled up against me. I opened my eyes slowly and smiled at Twilight,
"Done and done. They'll be coming Monday afternoon for the interview, it'll get aired Tuesday night."
She smiled softly and kissed me on the cheek,
"I'll free up my schedule for Monday."
I shook my head, "No, you don't have to, it sounds like they'll be largely asking questions about me, anyway."
She climbed on top of me, resting her head on my chest, "Then I'll just stay for moral support."
I scratched her head, "Okay, okay, you can stay here. Don't know why you want to, though."
She nuzzled my hand, "The more time I get to spend with you, the better."
For a guy who has no pulse, it was amazing how close she came to making my heart explode from that statement.
"You know, maybe this place isn't half bad, after all."