Scoop Story looked to his boss hopefully. "I feel it in my cutie mark, it's tingling! There is something big here!" The dun-colored earth pony was almost bouncing in the uncomfortable chair across from his boss, the editor of Canterlot Daily.
"Another conspiracy theory? Scoop, I love your fictional pieces, but you are asking me to reserve the front page, I need real proof this time. We cannot run with 'Princess Steals all the Cake' again, and although she did have a lot, she purchased it all." Perfect Copy rubbed her forehead, her horn always ached when she thought of what had happened. She had set up a little fund, now, that made sure a nice slice of cake was sent to the princess every Friday. "How about this, you get me proof, real proof, that there is a changeling conspiracy in the castle and I will give you front page rights."
The pink maned stallion nodded along to the mare. He just needed proof… that something wasn't right about the changeling invasion… that Celestia was covering something up… "Yes boss." Scoop didn't let it get him down, he had this!
Bouncing from the stiff and uncomfortable chair, he trotted from the room, infused with a new energy.
Perfect gave a sigh and got up, stepping around she checked the chair, twisting a few knobs. "This thing looked far too comfortable, gotta be a better way to discourage ponies from comin' in here."
"Oh, Snap!" Scoop reached a hoof out and curled it around the young mare's withers, pulling her along. "Got a job, we need to take a little trip, but first we gotta find out what the princess has in her dungeon, I bet there are changelings in there!"
Snap Shutter curled her wing up to protect her precious camera. "Scoop, last time I did a job with you we ended up actually tarred and feathered. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get tar OUT of feathers?" The bright purple pegasus shuddered a bit at the memory, her blue mane swishing to one side. "Tar is meant, specifically, to stick to feathers, that is why-"
"This will be different, you will see! I just know there is something going on and we can get to the bottom of it." Scoop raised a hoof and gestured to the castle. "Now, I am pretty sure they blocked up the way I got into the dungeons last time, and I know they blocked up the tunnel I used the time before that. I have heard there is a way into them from the crystal caverns under the castle, but I will need somepony that can fly and carry a rope…"
"No." Snap tucked her wings in tight, instinct making her want to protect them. "No no no…"
"I said no dammit!" Snap had the rope over her shoulder and spread her wings. "So why am I here?"
"The truth needs to be free!" Scoop used his normal battle-cry, pointing up to the high ledge. "If you can get up there I am pretty sure that is where the loose stones are."
Snap leaped into the air and started circling up toward the ledge. "Wait, pretty sure? How did you find out about this?"
"Oh, a thief told me. He spent a whole night drinking on my tab before he finally admitted he couldn't work out what else to do with the info." Scoop watched the mare land and tie the rope off on a thick stalagmite of crystal. Grasping the end that was tossed down, he started to climb. "I really think he was just happy getting a free night of drinks out of it."
When Scoop got to the top there was a more-angry-than-usual Snap waiting. "So we are here, breaking into the castle, because you got some information from a drunk criminal?"
Scoop tilted his head, a hoof rising up to tap his jaw. "Uh, yup!"
Anger, pure rage, Snap couldn't work out why she was even here and, if it wasn't for the infuriating stallion being pretty much stuck here without her help she would just fly off. She closed her eyes, started counting down. Five. Four. Three.
A piece of masonry fell on Snap's head and had her seeing stars. "SCOOP!"
But when she looked all she could see of the stallion was his plot squirming through the hole he had made, just above them. A wicked grin crossed the mare's snout and she jumped, using her wings to twirl her in mid air and landed a swift kick to Scoop's flank.
The thump as Scoop landed inside was accompanied by a, "thanks!" Scoop looked around, he was in what he knew to be the lowest part of the dungeon. It was empty. This really wasn't right, clearly there must be a new extension with the changelings all in it. "Snap, can you squeeze throu- oh, there you are."
Snap had tucked her wings tight and easily made it through the hole, the problem was there were voices coming, one of them was Celestia's!
Scoop looked around, then spotted the unlocked cell and, grabbing Snap with a hoof, darted in and hid in the darkness.
"… changelings all sorted? Good, good. Don't want any loose ends this time, it all needs to be sorted and squared away." Celestia was walking along with another pony at her side, one Scoop didn't recognize. There was the softest click from beside him as Snap held up an odd-looking camera in the dim light and took a photo. "Well, nothing else for it, lets go see that Chrysalis is dealt with…" the words trailed off as the princess and her stooge walked off.
"You got that, please tell me you got that." Scoop was bouncing from hoof to hoof.
"Scoop, you are the worst journalist I have ever worked with, but somehow you have stumbled onto something. Yes I got it, my little nighteyes camera was worth every bit." Snap leaned in and kissed the stallion on the cheek. She hated to encourage him so much but darned if he wasn't right this time.
They stalked the princess, following her and her companion as silently as an earth pony and a pegasus could. They at last saw them enter a cell and disappear from sight. "Okay, if we want to know what is going on we need to get a look in there. If we need to…" Scoop took a deep breath. "I will charge in and distract them and you get out with your cameras… tell my story."
Snap looked a little shocked, it was genuine sentiment from the stallion and a little sweet, too. She gave his command a sharp nod and a little salute. Slowly, carefully, the pair of journalists worked their way along until they came to the edge of the… empty cell.
"What? We got all worked up for nothing?" Snap trotted out and then noticed a glint in the cell. There was a big mirror. "Hay Scoop, what's this?" The gate of the cell gave way easily, it wasn't locked.
Scoop trotted past the pegasus and lifted a hoof up to touch the surface of the mirror. It felt like something grabbed his hoof and started pulling. "Snap, uh… help?"
The stallion's words sounded so small from the usually fearless pony and Snap reached out to grab his tail and pull back. When something pulled really hard, however, the mare wasn't ready for it and with a cry she was dragged into the mirror with him!
"Well well well. By the pricking of my hooves. Something wicked this way moves." The voice sounded strange to Scoop as he slowly came back to his senses. He looked forward and saw hooves. Black hooves. Black hooves with holes in them.
"Scoop, what happened?" Snap's voice sounded shaky and Scoop reached a hoof to her, accidentally poking her in the eye. "Hay, that hurts!"
The deep gasp from above them was followed, swiftly, by both ponies being picked up in glowing green magic. "Oh drat, that looks bad, here let me get a cold compress!" Scoop finally worked out which way was up and looked at who was carrying them, or more to the point, what.
Chrysalis.
"Oh Celestia please don't hurt me, please don't hurt me, please don't… hurt… me?" Scoop and Snap had been set down on a soft couch and the pegasus mare felt something cool pressed over her sore eye.
"Uh, thank you…" Snap's other eye worked, and the great queen of the changelings stood before her, fangs on display, her eyes filled with wrath… wait, that isn't wrath. Snap blinked her good eye a few times. Concern?
"Oh trust me, I know how much that one hurts. One time, Princess Celestia was meant to raise her hoof and call down the sun to send me packing and, instead, she got me right in the eye. Her shoes are really solid. Oh, hold on." The changeling queen coughed and held her hoof up, revealing the dangerous-looking fangs were removable. "You know how it is, sometimes you just gotta play dress-ups! Oh, look at that, both asleep again."