Through Another's Eyes

It was a terrifying time for ponies in Ponyville, as the mass media seemed to be reporting on all of their terrifying and dreadful actions. No, it wasn’t a new journalist out to destroy the lives of everypony she knows, nor is it even in the town’s newspaper, the Equestria Daily. It was coming out… in the school’s newspaper.

Oh, how it sickened them.

The Foal Free Press was always such a boring piece of work, but the new journalist, a pony named Gabby Gums, seemed to be an extremely skilled journalist at gossip columns. Now, the newspaper had become an instant hit with everypony that reads it, but is instantly hated when said pony is featured in the column. I t was even worse for Gibby Gums, who just so happened to have a name almost similar to that of Gabby Gums.

Our tale begins with Vinyl Scratch, also known as DJ PON-3 to most ponies. She held up an article to one of her friends that she made when coming to Ponyville with Octavia, Berry Punch, who was enjoying a nice cup of tea at the restaurant. On it was a picture of Vinyl passed out on the floor, surrounded by other mares and colts as well as several bottles. The headline was even worse, “Party Turns Sour, Drunk Disaster”

“I did NOT spike that punch!” Vinyl yelled out loud, shaking the paper mercilessly in front of her friend’s face “I didn’t even know Ponyville HAD liquor!”

“Vinyl, I’m known as the town drunk” Berry reminded her “Don’t you think it was a little bit obvious?”

“Huh, never even thought about that” Vinyl said as she banged her head on the table “Anyway, how did those school foals even GET this picture?”

“Ponyhoof, or maybe iBrony” Berry stated nonchalantly

“A pony-say-what-now?”

“Nothing, nothing”

Vinyl shrugged off her friend’s action and looked at the paper again. On it, printed in black and white, was the obviously false story of how a party Pinkie Pie and Vinyl Scratch had hosted last night ended with everypony falling drunk on the floor. Apparently, somepony spiked the punch when nopony else was looking and made everyone drunk. Strangely, Vinyl’s view on the event was that the party ended at three o’ clock in the morning, and they were all too tired they fell asleep in Vinyl’s house.

Yes, house. Vinyl Scratch became real good friends with Octavia’s sister and decided to move to Ponyville. Octavia scoffed when the unicorn said that the cellist would miss her. Apparently, she was right. Octavia had come to Ponyville several more times after that, but didn’t dare to come now when the Foal Free Press crisis was still in tow. Obviously, the elder Pie had a few secrets of her own.

“Who the buck wrote all this?!” Vinyl cursed “I’ll slaughter them!”

“Pfft, take a chill pill” Berry joked as she put her tea down “The Cutie Mark Crusaders did nothing wrong”

“Wait, the CMC?”

“Yeah, you know. Those three fillies that run around destroying town trying to earn their Cutie Marks”

Vinyl’s striking crimson eyes widened as she heard this information. Quickly, she asked her friend how she came to this conclusion, or if it was just a rumour spreading around. With a giggle, Berry explained her brilliant theory.

“You could see it from their writing style. Apple Bloom’s is usually simple and straight to the point, poor little redneck. Sweetie Belle uses a dictionary to make things sound way too overdramatic. As for Scootaloo, she has grammar mistakes everywhere”

“Redneck?” Vinyl asked “Whazzat?”

“Oh, you won’t understand” replied Berry “Anyway, they’re being forced to continue writing the columns or else Diamond Tiara wouldn’t accept them in the newspaper team. Honestly, that kid’s worse than her father. I like that stallion; he’s not a total airhead like his foal. Anyway, they don’t even like that job anyway, so you should at least fell a bit of remorse for them”

“Are you on drunk philosopher mode again?”

“Last time I drank was last night. I just checked the story summary on MLP Wikia this morning on my laptop. No biggie”

Ponyhoof, iBrony, MLP Wikia, laptop; Vinyl didn’t understand a thing. In fact, she’s starting to feel worried for Berry. This must have something to do with Pinkie Pie’s Fourth Wall Awareness Club. Hey, Vinyl wanted to join it too but was having second thoughts on it. She put on her sunglasses and started spying on everypony else’s reactions, most of them shocked at the article.

Vinyl liked sunglasses, it was way too easy to spy on others.

“So, when do we break the news to everypony?” asked Vinyl with a sly smirk

“Well, according to the headline, RD’s manicure was yesterday. That means that Rainbow Dash should be flying around town trying to pick up everypony’s paper. The secret should be out in about… tomorrow”

Just as planned, Rainbow Dash zoomed past the two friends with her hooves full of today’s Foal Free Press. She grabs the article from Berry’s hoof and zoomed away. Vinyl Scratch lowered her sunglasses just enough to show her expression of shock and bewilderment.

“How did you… never mind. Hold on, you said you checked the “summary” on that wicky thing, but the events are happening right now. How’s that possible?”

Berry casually took a sip of her tea “I borrowed The Doctor’s TARDIS. Honestly, that guy never explains how it works, I’m sure even he doesn’t even know. Pfft, 49 years and the TARDIS functions are still a mystery”

“Just… forget I said anything”

“Will do”

“So… what now? I still need to save my reputation, you know”

“Simple, we borrow the TARDIS and cancel that party. Not too hard now, is it? In fact, I’m feeling kind of bored. I’ll go find Derpy and do that right now. See ya!”

As the plum mare trotted off, Vinyl only scratched her head in confusion. Still, this strange pony’s behaviour was the entire reason she was even friends with her at all. She had this strange personality that just made Vinyl want to scratch her head and laugh hysterically. However, she seemed to like to raise The Doctor’s name a lot, saying something about Doctor Who.

Just as she was about to leave, she slammed straight into Berry Punch, which was weird since Berry trotted off in the other direction. Stranger still, she looked messed up and pathetic, with an unkempt mane and dirt all over her coat. She seemed to be drunk as well, with her bloodshot eyes and wild stare.

“Have you seen me today?!” she screamed, rather loudly

“Uh… yeah? You just left in about ten seconds flat” was all Vinyl could say to the vague question

“Crap, missed me!” cursed the crazy looking Berry “Come on, V. We need to stop me from stopping that party!”

Just before things could get even stranger, The Doctor and Ditzy Doo appeared as well, both telling Berry that they needed to go immediately. The stallion, seeing Vinyl Scratch, told her that she might as well come and dragged her towards his big blue box.

What happened next was all a mystery, but all I could say is that Vinyl Scratch joined The Fourth Wall Awareness Club and gained her bass cannon. Of course, that is a story for another time.