ZBS News Special Report

by bobby165324

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, My Little Pony: A New Generation, Original Character, Comedy
Length: 2453

It was supposed to be a normal day at work. Do a few live shots from the castle, then host the ZBS News broadcast of the Royal Celebration. But then the earth pony and unicorn showed up. So much for a "normal" day.

My name is Stratus Skyline. I work as a reporter for ZBS News in Zephyr Heights. If you've ever tuned in, chances are you've seen me reporting on various stories around the city. From new stores opening, to the latest smartphone model, I've reported on a lot of things here.

Tonight is going to be a very special night for me, as I am hosting the live broadcast of the annual Royal Celebration, headlined by a performance from our beloved "Princess of Pop" Pipp Petals! As long as nothing goes wrong, everything should run smoothly today.

Huh, wonder who those guards are escorting? It's too early in the day for the VIPs to be arriving at the castle. Did one of those ponies have a horn? Surely not...

This story is my first time in many years writing a fan fiction of any kind, so apologies if I'm a bit rusty. Having worked in the news industry in real life, I was curious how the reporters of ZBS handled the sudden appearance of Sunny and Izzy. This story shows the perspective of the pegasus city after our heros arrive, and subsequently reveal the royals can't fly.

Published 2022-10-16 04:20:00 UTC
Last updated 2022-10-25 05:33:47 UTC

Prologue: Meet Stratus Skyline

Stratus Skyline is a reporter at ZBS News, specializing in entertainment and the latest trends. You might also see him fill in on the evening news.

1) Who are you? Hi, I'm Stratus Skyline! I'm one of ZBS News' entertainment reporters.

I graduated from the University of North Zephyr in 2016 (Go Mavericks!) with my degree in theatre arts, and a minor in broadcast journalism. I've been fascinated with the entertainment industry ever since I first started taking theatre classes in middle school. I first fell in love with theatre when I saw my first musical Maretilda. I was captivated seeing the ponies on stage, singing and dancing and telling a story. From that day on I wanted to be involved in theatre.

I've been in a few musicals while I was in school, I even got to play the leading role in Trotting in the Rain! At the same time, I started to get interested in television news as well after taking a tour of the ZBS Studios during high school, so I decided to study both in university, and here I am.

2) What are your interests? Other than theatre, I also enjoy playing some video games. I really enjoy puzzle and platformer games like Portal 2 and Super Mare-io Oddyssy. I've also played a hoofful of VR games, such as Beat Wings, this really fun rhythm game.

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3) What do you like about working at ZBS News? I honestly have so much fun here at ZBS. I get to report on some of the latest trends and go behind the scenes of TV shows, theatre, and more. I've even gotten to interview Pipp Petals a few times, and we keep in touch, which is cool to think about. Everypony is really friendly and I can tell they love working here as much as I do.

4) What's one thing ponies would be surprised to learn about you? I've always wanted to be on a game show. Not as a contestant, but as the host. I feel like it would be so much fun to ask trivia questions, or give away prizes to lucky ponies. Some of my coworkers say I certainly have the energy for it, so who knows?

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Copyright ©2018 Zephyr Broadcasting Service, Inc.

Author's Note

If you couldn't tell, I tried to make this chapter look like you were reading it off the ZBS News website. I might do this format again later in the story.

1: I'm Not a Morning Pony

The sun was just starting to rise through the mountains of Zephyr Heights, the light shining through the low lying clouds casting rays of orange light throughout the usually bustling city. A few ponies were already up, some jogging through the relatively empty streets, others on their way to work. Restaurants began to open, and the city started to come to life.

And then there was Stratus, sound asleep with the covers halfway on the floor, wings unfolded and splayed across the bed, and a plush dragon cuddled gently against his chest. Sure he wasn’t the most graceful sleeper in the world, but that didn’t stop him from getting the rest a busy newspony deserves. Soon enough, his phone that was sitting on the bedside table began to vibrate and started blasting that dreaded alarm sound.

Stratus slowly stirred and rubbed his eyes, reaching over to his phone and tapping the “Stop” button. After sitting up and stretching his wings, he glanced over to the home assistant sitting on the bedside table. The screen dimly displayed “7:30” in large digits, the other features disabled since it was still in night mode. “Starlight, turn on the bedroom lights.” Stratus said groggily. The home assistant responded with a digital voice saying “Okay!” and a second later he was blinded by all the lights in his bedroom turning on. After recovering from the sensation of the sun suddenly appearing in his room, the pegasus sighed and slowly crawled out of bed, nearly falling onto the floor as he got to his hooves.

“Starlight, what’s my flash briefing?” Stratus asked the device. “Here’s your flash briefing from ZBS News…” it responded, before a prerecorded voice familiar to him began to play.

“Good morning Zephyr Heights! From the ZBS newsroom, I’m Dazzle Feather. The day so many of us have been waiting for is finally here! Tonight, the annual royal celebration will take place at the palace, headlined by performances from some of ZH’s top talents, including the one and only Pipp Petals! Be sure to tune in to ZBS News tonight starting at 7:00 for our live coverage of the ceremony, hosted by our own Stratus Skyline.” Stratus couldn’t help but smile hearing himself mentioned in the recording.

“Pipp is preparing to debut a brand new song at tonight’s ceremony titled ‘Glowin’ Up’. Earlier this week, the Princess shared an exclusive preview of the song on her Ponygram, with the post receiving nearly a million likes within a few hours. Needless to say, I’m sure most of us are excited to hear the full song tonight. Finally, let’s get a check of the weather with our chief meteorologist Cumulonimbus.”

A different voice began talking, this one belonging to the peppy weathermare. “Goooooood morning! From the ZBS First Alert weather center, I’m Cumulonimbus! Today is going to be a perfect day weather-wise here in the big city! We’re looking at partly cloudy skies with temperatures reaching the mid-80s, but a slight breeze from the west will make it feel just a bit cooler. It’s going to be a lovely day, so get outside and enjoy it! Tonight, skies will clear up with a low around 62, perfect for the fireworks show from the palace for tonight’s celebration. Tomorrow will be about the same, though we are looking at a chance of scattered rain tomorrow evening, but only about a 20% chance. That’s all I’ve got here, have a great day, and let your heart shine as bright as the sun!” The briefing concluded with a short version of the ZBS News theme, then the smart speaker fell silent.

Stratus chuckled to himself as he made his way to the bathroom. He always enjoyed talking with Cumulonimbus. Her happiness was very contagious, and she loved cracking jokes at the station when the cameras weren’t rolling. A part of him was a bit sad that he wouldn’t get to see her in person today, but he had a much more exciting job ahead of him. Getting to host the royal celebration broadcast had been a goal of his ever since he joined the station, and tonight would make that goal come true. Stratus was a bit nervous about hosting, since everypony in the city would be watching, but he was more excited than anything. Still, having to wake up super early for the morning live shots he had to do wasn’t his favorite part of hosting.

After getting a quick shower, Stratus walked into the kitchen and poured himself a bowl of cereal. Sitting down at the kitchen table, he watched some PonyTube videos as he ate. Soon enough the clock struck 8:30, and it was time for Stratus to head off to work. Leaving the apartment tower he lived in, he started walking down the street towards the studio. Stratus gave a few flaps of his wings as he walked. No flight, as always. It was a shame, he thought to himself, flying would make this commute much quicker, and more fun. He was always a bit jealous that the royal family could fly, but at least that meant not everypony in the city was a flightless bird.

After about half an hour of walking and climbing a few flights of stairs (which was always the worst part of the commute in his opinion), Stratus finally got sight of his destination: ZBS Tower. It was quite a spectacular building, dwarfing the buildings around it with its sheer height. Multiple screens around the base showed advertisements, scrolling tickers with the latest news headlines, and an animation of the ZBS logo. Atop the building, a large ZBS logo was installed on the antenna. Walking through the large sliding doors, Stratus entered into the spacious foyer. Posters lined the walls with images of several shows taped here at the tower, while a floor to ceiling glass wall allowed natural light to brighten the area. Stratus scanned his badge on the turnstyle and walked over to the elevators, heading up to the newsroom towards the top of the tower. As the elevator rose, he began to feel some excitement for the day ahead. Hosting the royal celebration would be the biggest thing he's done in his career, and he was looking forward to when that camera would go live. The elevator came to a stop, and Stratus stepped out into the newsroom.

Author's Note

This is my first time writing anything in nearly 10 years, so again, apologies if my writing style isn't that good. Hope you all enjoy what I have planned for this story.

2: The Morning Rundown

Stratus stepped out of the elevator onto the newsroom floor, the large room bustling with activity. Ponies were typing away on their computers, writing up the day's reports for the various broadcasts throughout the day. Multiple television monitors suspended above the ceiling showed live cameras of the city, one was showing a replay of a Pipp Petals livestream, and another had the broadcast feed from ZBS. It was the same as it was everyday. A relatively easy job, all things considered. Other than an occasional fire or malfunction of one of the city's public elevators, there really wasn't much to report in terms of breaking news. The last major incident had been a few weeks ago when a pair of young pegasus colts got stuck on the mountainside while exploring beyond the city. Now, if their wings were working, that wouldn't really be a problem, but since only the royals can fly, a rescue misson had to take place. Stratus could remember watching the live report as the two colts were pulled up to safety. Now the guards had increased patrols on the outer edge of the city to spot any ponies in need of assistance quicker, and the city council was debating adding safety rails to the edge of the outer trail to prevent future accidents.

Stratus didn't reflect on this for long, he had a very busy day ahead of him. But before he got to any of that, he needed coffee. Stratus walked over to the break room just in time to see the two hosts of the morning show, Star Chaser and Blossom Petal, come out of the upstairs studio. The two were the face of Zephyr Height's mornings, hosting the popular “Wake Up ZH!” show that reported on the previous day's news, and featured upbeat entertainment and various guests. As Stratus made his way to the studio's popular coffee dispenser, Star Chaser trotted over and smiled his trademark smile at Stratus.

“There's the big man, what's up Stratus? Excited for tonight?” Star said in a cheerful voice, still having his energy from being on camera. Stratus nodded and gave a slight yawn.

“Yeah, I'm still waking up. I don't know how you two are able to get up so early for the morning show.”

“Well, I'll just say coffee is your best friend when you work the morning shift.” The two ponies chuckled as the dispenser started pouring Stratus' cup. Stratus got a whiff of the fresh coffee and seemed more awake from the smell alone.

“So, what's on the rundown today, double S? I bet you're super busy today since you've got hosting duties for the celebration.”

Stratus nodded as he took a sip of the coffee. “Oh yeah, it's gonna be a long day. I still need to check my email for the exact schedule, but I know I got some live shots for the mid-day show, an interview with Pipp Petals, the rehearsal, and the broadcast tonight.” He sighed. “Long day, but it's gonna be tons of fun.”

“Well hey, best of luck tonight!” Star said as he grabbed a bag of chips out of a drawer. “I know you'll put on a great show for all of ZH.”

“Thanks, Star. You have a good day.” Star nodded and trotted out of the breakroom. Stratus picked up his coffee and walked over to his desk in the newsroom. It wasn't anything fancy, just a cubicle in the middle of the newsroom floor, but it was good enough for him. Sitting down at his desk, he turned on his computer and logged in. While it loaded, he took the time to admire some of his cubicle decorations. There was a picture of his first day on the job, a copy of his diploma from UNZ, and even a signed photo from his first interview with Pipp. “Stratus, it was great meeting you. Hope to have more interviews with you! - Pipp” was written in a glittery marker on the back of the picture. He had done quite a few interviews with the princess since then, and they were good friends. Noticing that his computer had finished powering up, he opened his email and found the day's schedule.

RC Schedule - FINAL
From: Golden Feather (GFeather@zbsnews.eq)

Good morning Stratus,

Attached is your final schedule for the royal celebration. If there’s any changes I’ll be sure to let you know ASAP. Have fun tonight!

Golden Feather
Director, Special Event Coverage

11:00am - Liveshot from castle exterior for midday show (Segments A1, C4)
1:30pm - Interview w/ Pipp - Castle interview room (Call time 1:15)
3:00pm - Ceremony Dress Rehearsal
5:30pm - Mane & Makeup
6:00pm - Red Carpet Preshow (Dazzle Feather hosting)
6:30pm - Call time to broadcast position
7:00pm - Ceremony Start
8:50pm (estimated) - Fireworks Finale

Taking another sip of his coffee, Stratus checked the clock on his desktop. 9:23am, still enough time to relax for a bit. He sits back in his office chair and opens HoofTube. As an entertainment reporter, he’s one of the few ponies that gets paid to watch memes and other videos online to research for stories. Though today, he was just passing the time until he needed to head to the castle.

try not to laugh compilation

Stratus sat back and enjoyed the memes.

Author's Note

Sorry for the slow updates, real life and jobs and stuff.