Syko put his saddlebags in the dresser provided. He then jumped on the bed and sunk in. Being your own boss certainly had its own benefits, he mused. This bed was comfier than his own bed back in his apartment in Canterlot. He hugged one of the fine pillows and drifted off to sleep, visions of a Ponyzter dancing in his mind.
----
Rarity was in her workroom, absentmindedly stiching while worrying about how to broach the subject of the article with them. Pinkie Pie would do it no problem, she figured, seeing as how this would be a chance to make all of Equestria smile. Rainbow Dash shouldn't be an issue either, being quite the glory-hound.
"She probably has her own subscription," Rarity snorted to herself.
That would leave Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, and Applejack. Twilight shouldn't be that hard, with a little goading she might see it as giving a Friendship Report to all of Equestria. Fluttershy would be a bit harder. She was just, well, so shy. And after that debacle with Photo Finish, she tried to stay out of the limelight as much as possible. She'd be a tough sell. But not as tough as Applejack.
Applejack was a salt-of-the-earth good ol' pony. She worked her field harder than Rarity worked her dresses. Exactly the kind of mare who would stick her nose up at being published in a gentlecolt's magazine, dismissing it as mere pornography. She would need the most convincing, not to mention a stroke of pure luck. Rarity finished her sewing and placed the dress on the ponyquin and headed up to bed, first checking in on her sister, who was sleeping peacefully. She then checked on her guest, who was sleeping with a goofy grin on his face. She then went to her own room, stealthily slipping under her covers, and sleep overtook her.
----
Syko woke up to the smell of pancakes. He threw his sheets off of him, following his nose to the kitchen, where Rarity and a filly with a white coat and a pink and purple mane were sitting at the table, eating pancakes. He noticed that there was a place setting for him.
"Please, Syko, do sit down and join us," Rarity said between bites as she magically motioned with her fork at the empty seat, "no guest of mine is going without eating."
Syko nodded dumbly and sat down at the table and magically grabbed the fork, cutting the pancakes with the side, and took a bite. These were delicious! He took a few more bites, noticing the quiet at the table. He decided to break it.
"So, you're Sweetie Belle?"
The unicorn with the pink and purple mane looked up, "Yeah, and you must be Syko! Rarity's talked about you!"
Syko raised an eyebrow, "Really? What did she say about me?"
"She said you work for a magazine and that you live in Canterlot!"
"Those things are true..."
"So what magazine do you work for?"
"Well..." Syko started before Rarity gave him a glare that would melt a volcano. He started again, "Ponies. I work for Ponies."
"What do you write?"
"I write media reviews."
"But isn't that stallion named-"
"Pen name."
"Pen name? What's that?"
"It's like Gabby Gums, but without the scandal," Rarity interjected.
"Wait a second...YOU'RE Gabby Gums!?" Syko exclaimed.
"Well," Sweetie Belle murmured, "me and my two friends...wait, how do you know about that?"
"They reprinted the articles in the Canterlot Post. I stopped following after a bit, but the rumors about Gabby Gums being a filly appear to be somewhat true. Boy do I have a story to tell my friends, meeting Gabby Gums!"
Sweetie Belle blushed at being so popular. "Th-thanks, I think." She muttered while rubbing her neck with her hoof.
"That's enough chatter for now, Sweetie Belle," Rarity chimed in, "if you're done with your breakfast, you should be heading off to school."
Sweetie Belle groaned, grabbed her saddlebags, and headed out the door. Syko was finishing up his pancakes when Rarity grabbed her plate and fork and started washing it, "So, Syko, first on our itinerary is Twilight-"
"Princess Twilight Sparkle?" Syko intoned as he felt a lump in his stomach.
"Well, yes, do you know any other Twilights?"
"I did a piece on Twilight Velvet when I was working on Hub magazine-"
"You mean Twilight's mother."
"Very nice mare, was promoting a children's charity, but that's not important." Syko took a breath and exhaled. "Do you have any Whiskey?"
"Why yes I do, in fact. Applejack's cousin Braeburn sent us some Appleloosian vintage, I believe it's right...here!" Rarity said as she grasped the bottle of whiskey along with a glass, levitating them over to Syko, who grabbed them with his own magic as he unscrewed the cap and poured out an entire glassful, "What is this about? And more importantly, why are you drinking hard liquor before 4 o'clock, let alone 9 AM?"
"Picked up the habit when dealing with high-powered ponies," he said as he slammed the entire glass down, sucking in as his face scrunched up, "calms my nerves. Never thought I'd meet royalty in my life."
"Well, what did you expect when you wanted to meet my friends?" Rarity scolded as she took the whiskey away from Syko, "I'm friends with a Princess. Now get up, we need to be there before it opens."
Syko stood up uneasily and nodded, following Rarity out the door and to the library.
----
Twilight was triple-checking her double-checked checklist when she heard a light rapping on her door. Strange, she thought. Nopony should be here, the library doesn't open for another hour! Who could it be? Pinkie Pie would be baking, Applejack's applebucking on the farm, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash would be asleep, and she herself was in the library, so barring any time travel exemptions, she trotted to the door and opened it, letting out a big grin, saying, "Hey Rarity!"
"Hello, darling. I have someone I'd like you to meet," and Rarity stepped away to reveal a pony with a green mane and orange coat, slightly wobbly.
"Is he drunk?" Twilight whispered.
"Nonsense, Twilight, he just had a drink to calm his nerves," Rarity whispered back. Rarity then cleared her throat, "Twilight, meet Syko, a freelance journalist with a reputable magazine," Rarity then faced Syko, "Syko, this is Princess Twilight Sparkle,"
Syko bowed deeply.
"Get up, Syko. I hate groveling." Twilight grumbled, "Come in. Would you like some tea?"
Syko got up and cantered in. "No thank you, Princess."
"Call me Twilight," Twilight said, a noted tension in her voice, "Now what do you want?"
Syko cleared his throat. "Well, Twilight, I'd like to do a piece on friendship, your friendship, in particular, seeing as how it literally saved Equestria on several occasions-"
"Let me cut to the chase," Rarity interjected, "basically, he would like to interview the six of us in a roundtable format, to get all of our perspectives on friendship,"
Twilight planted her chin in her hoof. She turned most journalists away because they wanted an interview with The Princess Twilight Sparkle, but this seemed different. This seemed doable. She lifted her head.
"Ok. I'll do it."
"Pinkie Promise?"
"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," Twilight intoned, "So what magazine are you publishing this for?"
Syko spurted out, "Did I mention I interviewed your mother?"
"That didn't answer my question."
"Playcolt," Rarity said crisply.
Twilight nodded. "Sounds nice," and trotted over to the kitchen to pour herself some tea. A loud crash was heard which was obstenibly the teacup crashing, which Twilight didn't notice due to shock. "PLAYCOLT!?"
Twilight rushed over to Rarity and grabbed her by the scruff. "That magazine is filth! I caught my brother clopping to that once! I'll never-"
"You Pinkie Promised..." Rarity winked with a cheshire grin.
Twilight sighed and let Rarity down. She sat on her haunches. "Is the article really about friendship?"
"Yes it is," Syko replied.
"Will we be...exposed?"
"Rarity demanded that you all wear clothes."
Twilight sighed again. She then levitated a quill and parchment over to her and started writing furiously. She finished writing.
"SPIKE! SEND THIS!"
"Geez, Twi, you don't have to be so loud," a boyish voice said walking down the steps, revealing a baby dragon cleaning an ear with his pinky claw. He then breathed on the letter and walked back up to bed.
"What was that?" Syko asked.
"She just sent a letter to Princess Celestia..." Rarity uttered in shock. They then heard a belching sound as a scroll was flung from the upstairs bedroom. Twilight grabbed it with her magic and read it, her face becoming more surprised with each line.
Dear Twilight,
I think it's a wonderful idea to participate in an article about friendship in Playcolt, as long as you're dressed. I happen to know Hugh Heifer personally and I think he'd be delighted to know that one of his staff took it upon themselves to contact you. Tell this Syko that he's got a good head on his shoulders! I'll have to purchase a few issues of Playcolt to evaluate his journalistic integrity for myself, though if Rarity thinks he's above board, I think it would serve you well to trust your friend's judgment.
Your teacher,
Princess Celestia
"She...she...look, Rarity!"
Rarity grabbed the letter from Twilight with her magic and read, a smile forming on her face as she showed it to Syko, who looked upon it in shock.
"You know what this means, Twilight?" Rarity squealed.
"That I have to do it," Twilight muttered dejectedly.
"You were thinking about breaking a Pinkie Promise?" Rarity asked with a shocked look on her face.
"Well, I asked Celestia about it, but as you can see, she's all for it!" Twilight groaned exasperatedly.
"Well, now that you're on board, I suppose it's time get Pinkie Pie," Rarity mused, "seeing as she's the only awake mare I want to deal with."
"Fine, let's go to Sugarcube Corner," Twilight moaned as she picked herself up and ushered everyone out the door.