Inside Scoop

 Leading Story muttered under her breath in my Equestria Dreamscape as she made various editors marks on a proof for the morning edition of the Manehattan Herald. It was after 9pm and if this edition was going to make it to press in time it would have to be ready soon.  

 
  Finally she signed off on the edition and sent it down to the typesetters in the basement of the building. The earth pony mare rewarded herself by pouring a small glass of blackberry mead from a decanter on her desk. She closed her eyes and took a long sip of the sweet, fruity elixir. 

  
  Her moment of quiet reflection was interrupted by the sound of a window suddenly unlatching and blowing open causing the sounds of the city below to come pouring into her little temporary island of tranquility. Rising from her seat she trotted over and closed the window that had swung inward. She found it odd because she was positive that the window had been latched before. 

  
  She turned back to her desk only to find herself staring into a pair cat eyes that were as brilliant as newly minted gold bits. A coat of deep crimson red kept the eyes company. A short wild mane of black hair framed the face. 

  
  "Boo!" Said the face with an impish grin. 

  
  A couple minutes later Leading Story's heart had finally stop pounding and the bat pony's laughing had finally subsided. In the meantime the Leading Story had poured herself another glass of mead. She didn't offer any to the smart-ass mare.

 
  "Damn it Sundown!" Growled the earth pony. "You can learn to use the blasted doors around here like every other pony! Sun and moon!" 

  The bat pony yawned showing a mouth of very pointy teeth, then she looked at the editor with a deadpan expression. 

  "Boring." Said the thestral. "Come on Leading. You know I don't fly with the flock. I travel the path unseen by most ponies. That's why you buy my stories. They're interesting, adventurous, titillating and your reader eat them up!" 

  The bat pony had draped herself across small couch that occupied a corner of the editor's office.  She now did a slow stretch and spread her crimson bat wings in the process. She then looked back at the earth pony. 

  
  "So. I should have a first draft of my latest article for you to review by tomorrow night. I just got back in town from a boring, oh so boring journey to Hoofington and I was checking to see if anything important had arrived in the mail for me?"

 
  Leading Story grunted and proceeded to rummage through a drawer in her desk. Sundown had her own postal box but many ponies just sent their letters for her to the Manehattan Herald's address since she was regularly published writer with them.  

 
  The batpony kept no permanent address. Instead she seemed migrate constantly from one address to the next. Always find some bed and a place where she could set up her typewriter amongst the numerous writers, musicians, artists, and other members of Manehattan's rather bohemian art community.   

      It was this intimate, very intimate, connection to the arts that made her such a valued reporter and writer about Equestria's art scene, and why Sundown's articles were eagerly snatched up by newspapers and magazine across the kingdom. Although Leading Story had gotten Sundown agree to a contract that gave her paper first right of refusal to any story, article, exposés, or works of fiction that sprang from the fertile mind of this batpony, and my, my was it fertile.      

      Leading Story finally retrieved and deposited a fat stack of letters on her desktop addressed to the mare. Sundown rose from the couch and sauntered over to the editor's desk. With a sleepy expression she began tossing various envelopes into either a pile she was interested in reading or unopened into the trash can alongside the editor's desk.   

  She was almost done with the process when a particular envelop from Ft. Trotterdale caught her attention. With a quizzical expression she tore the envelop open and proceeded to read the contents there on the spot. As her eyes scanned the writing an impish grin returned to her face and mischievous twinkle formed in her eyes. 

  
  Leading Story had long ago learned that this twinkle meant something had captured the mare's attention, and things that captured her attention usually made for articles that ponies would pay to read about.  

 
  "So." Said the earth pony as she poured herself and Sundown a glass blackberry mead. "What in Ft. Trotterdale has gotten your attention?" She passed the glass to the mare.  

 
  Sundown took a swig of the mead and swished it around in her mouth before swallowing it.  

 
  "Scratch has invited me down to a new estate she's purchased in Ft. Trotterdale." The batpony grinned at the editor. "She wants to know if I want to hang out with her for a couple weeks while her crew prepare for her next tour, and she's giving me first rights to write about it!"

 
  Leading Story's eyes were now twinkling as much as Sundown's. Scratch and her crew were rewriting and pushing the boundaries of popular music in Equestria. She was revered and reviled by the musical establishment with equal passion, but either way her concerts were sellouts, and publications carrying first run articles about her had no problem selling out there print runs or getting advertisers willing to pay top bits to get their ads in those issues.  

    Also Scratch was constructing her own financial, marketing empire as quickly as she was building her dominance in the music industry. The unicorn had an almost insatiable interest in being aware of who, what, and where mattered in the kingdom. She had cultivated connections not only in the art community, but also in areas as diverse as the, sciences, financial, and industrial, along with local and national government. 

  
  Containing her enthusiasm the earth pony swirled the contents of her glass and took a slow sip. "Are you going to take her up on her offer to visit?" It was an entirely rhetorical question. Both mares already in the answer.  

 
  "Oh yeah. If nothing else hanging out with Scratch is great way to unwind, and she always has the most interesting ponies hanging around at these pre-tour gatherings. It's a great way to see what other ponies I should be keeping my eye out for! And interesting ponies are.." 

  
  "Are ponies worth writing about." Leading Story finished her sentence. 

  Sundown slugged back the remainder of her mead. and grinned at the editor. 

  "Exactly!" 

 To be continued.