Broken Photofilly

--INTRODUCTION--

-Lunch-

Photo Shop took a sip of his latte as he waited for Tracy Flash, one of his close friends, to join him in their weekly get togethers at one of Manehattan’s many cafes. He was currently looking over the latest revisions he had made to a cover page for a well known Equestrian glamour/gossip magazine, known simply as “Ponies”. It had been a difficult piece requiring him to make use of some of his own patented photo manipulation techniques. Glancing at his watch, the navy blue unicorn with three paint splotches as his Cutie Mark saw that it was nearly quarter to nine, meaning the convention Tracy was attending was nearing to a close.

He had first met Tracy during their first Summer Flight Camp in Cloudsdale. A loud BOOM! and a giant rainbow colored shockwave caused them to collide during a speed test. They had been best friends ever since. Now she was a high class photojournalist for the Equestrian Enquirer, a prominant tabloid of odd stories and bizarre conspiracy theories and he was a professional photo manipulator who worked for various companies and law firms. The two of them would often collaborate on a project whenever they could. "It was a match made in a tumble drier" or so his mother said when she found out about Tracy.

A shadow flew over him and a yellow Pegasus pony with a blue and white mane and camera Cutie Mark landed nearby. She was wearing a baseball cap and a Hooferton camera hung from her neck.

"Tracy!" Photo Shop exclaimed upon seeing his long time friend.

"Hi, Photo," answered the mare, trotting over and giving her friend a hug. She took a look at the magazine and said, "Nice work on the cover, by the way."

"Thanks, it took a bit of effort to get the lines to match up," admitted Photo Shop as his friend took a seat near him.

"Well, a good cover is a good cover no matter how fabricated it is!" Tracy said with a small chuckle.

"So, how was the convention?" Photo Shop asked.

"Many high profile celebrities were there," said Tracy, "including the exec of the John Jose Co.!”

"Heh," chuckled Photo, "I bet he was trying to get pictures of all the mares."

"And a few of the stallions." Both of them had a good laugh at that. The sen. executive of the John Jose Co. was a notorious playboy who had a soft spot for the effeminate young stallions of Equestria.

"Anyway," continued Tracy, still smiling, "I think I have found my next big story."

The photofilly took her hat off and fished out some notes with her mouth. Photo Shop looked over them and saw that the most prominent note read: "the Elements of Harmony".

-Case 325: the Elements of Harmony-

"The Elements of Harmony?" asked Photo Shop, "What sort of dirt are you expecting to pick up about them?"

"I was wondering that myself when I read a book in the Canterlot Library that said that each bearer had to make a sacrifice of some sort," said Tracy, "It didn't say what sort of sacrifice was required which is what I want to find out."

"What sort of sacrifice do you think they would need to make?" asked Photo, "I don't really see how one can make a sacrifice to something like Honesty, or Generosity."

"Honestly, I don't know," admitted Tracy, "I tried to get some information from the relatives and friends of some of the bearers but they didn't have a clue either."

"Sounds like something up you alley," said Photo, "Do you have a plan of action?"

"First, I'm going to straight up ask each bearer," said Tracy, "Then I might snoop around their workplaces and homes for more juicy tidbits. Lastly, I'll need to make an audience with the princesses to get a better view of the whole picture."

"How do you plan getting an interview with the princesses?" Photo asked, "They're very busy and would need a good reason to take time out of their hectic schedules to talk to somepony from the tabloids."

"I'll be asking Twilight Sparkle to see if I can arrange a time with them," said Tracy.

"Looks like you have this all thought out," said Photo. He then added, "Just try not to over do it this time. I don't want to see you caught up in another scandal."

"Hey, that last time wasn't my fault," said Tracy indignantly, "Sen. Hogswine was just trying to find a scapegoat and he just happened to read my article about his puppy dog getting hit by a stampede of mad cows. You should have seen how angry those cows were!" Tracy shuddered at the memory.

"Still, he almost put an end to your career," said Photo Shop, remembering the fiasco. Tracy had nearly been fired from her job because of it. Luckily for her, she was so effective at her job that her boss, Mogul Pennypincher, decided to keep her on his payroll. Otherwise she would have been forced to work out on the streets of Manehattan selling her body to make ends meet. Sure, Tracy was a fairly attractive young mare and she could have definitely made a killing being all "artistic" for various clients but it was something that Tracy just refused to find all that appealing. Her fetish was capturing stories, not becoming them. Just the thought of it was a major turn off for her.

"Don't worry," reassured Tracy, "I know full well who I'm dealing with here and I plan on only getting the information I need. Then I'll come right back and write the article. After that, I'll start work on the next project."

"If you insist," said Photo. He gave a sad sigh as he watched his friend fiddle with a ketchup packet only to have it explode in her face. Chuckling quietly, he whiped the ketchup off Tracy's face with a napkin using his magic.

"Thanks," Tracy said with an embarrassed smile, "Hopefully that will be the only accident I have during this investigation."

"We can only hope," said Photo Shop. "We can only hope."