[Flare looks like she's had better days, honestly, her mane frazzled and the lack of sleep obvious in her features. She's in town square, lit faintly by the streetlights late at night. Her scroll is obviously put up somewhere so she can pace as she talks, needing to get this out.]

Alright, Ponyville. What I have to say to you today isn't in fear of the most recent unfathomable evil to cross our doorstep. We all know what to do in a situation like this. No matter what, we have to defend ourselves, and those we care for. I'd ask you all to refrain from using deadly force, try to negotiate if possible... but I trust your judgement in the heat of the moment.

No, I come to you today because I know how we've acted in the past year or so. I know the fears and worries eating at some of you right this very moment. I won't lie to you; the creature who we saw is powerful. Unnaturally so, if he could harm the princesses the way he did. We may not win this fight cleanly, but I assure you, I have full faith that we will drive this creature back. How well we do that... well, it depends on us.

All of us.

[At that, Flare sighs quietly, stopping in her tracks and speaking more firmly, definitively.]

That's not to say you should immediately dive for your superpowered trinkets or your ancient forbidden magics. Certainly, we have a fair share of ponies - and non-ponies - here who are well ahead of the rest when it comes to power, and their job is the most obvious; the job to confront our adversary head on.

But if you don't have those powers, or if you have them but can't trust your control over them? I urge you, please. Trust in those who do. All of us have roles we can fill. This is going to be a war, I assure you, so we'll need ponies assisting our medics, helping keep the wounded out of harm's way and on the road to recovery. We'll need fast, nimble runners to keep supply lines moving. Scholars, this is not an evil unknown to Equestria. I don't know his name, but he's been in my world's legends, so I'm sure there's something about him here in native books. We'll need you working to try to predict these movements, to find weaknesses that we can strike at.

Those of you who are able-bodied but unable to contribute to the fight on the front-lines? Group together and start warning others. Send out words to other towns as to what is going on here, lead those who cannot fight to safety. Otherwise, you can stay here alongside me - this town will be our base of commands, and we need to protect it with everything we've got.

Remember how we took on Nightmare Moon a year and a half ago, how ponies banded together for a united cause and brought her down, freed Twilight from that infernal possession. Remember the way that Cálice tore us apart by her slightest appearance, and left us unable to connect with each other, unable to form those bonds again, striking out at each other out of pain and fear. We can work together, and all play our part... but we have to try.

I assure you; each and every one of us is important here. Even those neighsayers who would rather turn tail and run, or who think this is another trick - don't be afraid of being yourself, of speaking against this! A regime that promotes peace and togetherness only works as long as there is opposition on the outside pointing out the flaws. Otherwise, the belief becomes a farce as the system corrupts itself from within. As twisted as it may seem... without conflict, we cannot have harmony. Without the occasional fight, ponies cannot truly be friends. We are all good people, and the only way for evil like this to triumph is for all of us to do nothing.

Just remember, alone we are but single souls, but together, we can achieve anything, stop anyone!

Are you with me? Are we with each other?

[And with that, Flare awaits, to see if others will speak up.]

[Oh look, it's Zecora, whose hut has taken on a distinctly Nightmare Before Christmas aesthetic thanks to a few Hearth's Warming decorations being mixed in with her masks, cauldrons, and supplies. But Zecora herself looks sinister and ominous in the green light of a bubbling brew, and deeply serious indeed.]

I believe the time has come
To give you all a message from
A sinsiter place to us:
The depths of Tartarus.

For those of you who heard the story
That Celestia in all her glory
Told to us of the Pale Pony,
This may clear up uncertainty.

The Pale Pony -- the true one,
Not she who captured us for fun,
But the true figure of which legends speak
Is somepony we ought to seek.

For her existence may indeed be fact.
This new knowledge that we have lacked
May explain many mysteries
Littered throughout our histories.

She may be the one who hid the Tree
Which bore the Elements of Harmony.
So she may not be quite on our side
But against one foe, we may be allied.

Keep this in mind and seek more clues.
This fight is one we must not lose.

What ho, what ho, Equestrians all! [Here's a bright yellow pegasus doing his best to smile brightly with the season.] Bertram Wooster, here, for all who might not know me. I thought I might put a bee into the proverbial bonnet with all this festive whatsit carrying on. Now, I know we've all got to be frightfully busy around this time of year, but there has to be an hour or two for fun, eh? On the counsel of my dearly adopted sister, young Nephenee, I'd like to propose a day or two of sledding.

Now what we need, though, are actual sleds. Dashed difficult to have some sort of jolly down-hilling without the proper equipment. If anypony has a sled or two to spare... or might be able to build one, I'd love to hear from you. We'll be having hot cocoa and mulled cider for any sledders once it's all set up along with the standard sort of towels and blankets once you're ready to call the day.


( Private to Surprise )

 [This holiday season, the scroll feed is proud to present... a bleary-eyed sky-blue pony with white bed hair that encompasses his entire head. Groggily, he pushes himself semi-upright and smacks his lips, blinking off his sleep.]

...hhh...where...where in the world am I, do you suppose?...Archimedes? Archimedes, are you about somewhe- oh.

[Enough cognisance has been regained that he suddenly notices his hoof, and he examines it for a moment.]

...mm. That's odd. I don't remember turning into a shetland pony. Let's see now...

[Finally getting up, the old equine trots around a bit, giving himself a once over.]

Beard's still here, unusual, that. The rest seems OH! Oh, that had better not be a tattoo down there. Ngh... won't rub off. No, that won't do, I'm not going through that nonsense again. Now, where I w...Hmm. Glasses still there, that's good. Pointy hat? Yes, yes, that seems to be in good nick. Bit crumpled, but nothing a goo- ...by george, is that a horn on my head?!

[The scroll seems totally dark at first, with nothing more than a few whirring noises. Light appears as a small robotic race-car-like contraption rolls off of the scroll - unrolling those without limbs is rather difficult.]

Hello? No, that isn't it. Hell-o? Hello. [It starts as Echo's natural voice, for anyone who's heard it, but shifts into Pollo's as he works it out.] Ah...it's Pollo. I seem to have ended up in Echo's body - or, rather, the temporary one we've been housing her in until we get something a little more substantial built. Naturally, this happened before we got that done.

Well, I suppose it's better me than someone else. I've been robotic before.

[But he does not sound happy about it.]

Anyway, it seems as though her systems pick up people as amorphous forms of color, rather than with a traditional visual setup. I'm not seeing a clear correlation between that color and their actual physical color either, so...I'm having some trouble recognizing people even without all the switching. My apologies in advance for that.

...I really hope this ends when the holiday does.

[Unlike so many of the others, the first broadcast message Andrew sends out following the incident with the Pale Pony has little to do with the battle, or with the question of whether the princesses were right to withhold the information they did. He has his own opinions, of course, which'll like as not come out should anyone question his priorities and his reasons for not coming out of his workshop to help with the rest of the world's crisis. He looks haggard, like he's barely slept in a week, but relieved as he finishes setting up the scroll and sits back on his haunches to address it. There's a strange little machine by his side, all awkwardly big wheels and cheerful glowy bits.]

Everyone, there's somepony I'd like you to meet. Some of you who have been in the Royal Library Basement -- when we had a Royal Library Basement -- may have already met her. This is Echo. She was a guard there right around the time Starswirl started going batty, and he banished her physical body. And I, ah…fixed it. Mostly. The crystal I used to carry her mind out of the basement wasn't as stable as I'd hoped, so it's a bit of a rushed job.

[So that's what the machine next to him is. A complex array of crystals, wires, and other bits and bobs in a protective casing sits atop what looks almost like a homemade remote control car festooned with camera, microphones, and sensory plates. There doesn't seem to be a speaker anywhere on the thing, but nevertheless a full and boisterous version of Luna's Royal Canterlot Voice pipes up.]

WE GREET THEE, GOOD CITIZENS OF EQUESTRIA. THE DOCTOR ANDREW HAS GIVEN US A MOST PLEASING FORM OF WHEELED DELIGHT. WE CHALLENGE ALL TO A RACE FROM THE TOWN SQUARE TO THE WHITETAIL WOODS ONCE WE HAVE ACQUIRED THE 'OFF ROAD' VERSION OF THIS VEHICLE OF BRILLIANCE.

…Yes, thank you, Echo. Speaking of which, we can definitely do better than this. Pollo?

[He hesitates, briefly makes a face, then forces himself to say it. It's for Echo's sake, not his, he has to remember that.] …Doctor?