Many ponies have wondered why Vinyl Scratch wears her glasses twenty-four seven but have never asked her why. But three young fillies will discover the truth and it will blow everypony away.

Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were both sitting in chairs as Feather Weight analysed their latest photos and findings for the paper as the crusaders looked on with smiles. Feather Weight announced a few days ago that he commissioned Miss Cheerilee to add a new article in the paper that he called a “Tabloid”. He said it would deal with the unexplained and the mysterious mysteries of Ponyville which Cheerilee thought would be a fresh and fun edition to the paper so she gave the green light. Feather Weight then informed the staff that if somepony brings him a scoop that he would name them the shutterbugs of the article to which the CMC were all over immediately.

After Feather Weight examined the pictures he smiled, “Very nice. Congratulations girls you’ve got the job.”

The CMC squealed with joy as Scootaloo approached his desk confidently, “What’s our first assignment boss?”

In response to the question, Feather Weight pushed a CD case toward them depicting a pair of glasses on top of a record much to the confusion of two of the fillies.

Sweetie Belle picked up the case, “The newest DJ Pon-3 CD?”

Feather Weight shook his head, “Nope. It’s Vinyl Scratch who I want you to investigate.”

Applebloom scratched her head, “Ah thought her name was DJ Pon-3.”

Scootaloo shook her head, “It’s a stage name dumbo.”

Applebloom looked at her friend, “Don’t call me names!”

Sweetie Belle then groaned, “Can it you two. What’s the mission?”

Feather Weight looked from side to side, “Rumours are that Vinyl never takes her glasses off for any reason. Ponies want to ask her why but nopony has come forward so it’s your job as Tabloid reporters to debunk this mystery. Can you three handle it?”

Scootaloo nodded with a determined smile, “YOU BET! One question…what does debunk mean?”

Sweetie and Applebloom both facehoofed.

*

The sun rose on a magnificent day as the birds chirped and the animals awoke form their slumber. Up in a tree staring at a house from their perch sat the CMC armed with their cameras and determination. A few more minutes ticked by until the front door opened revealing Vinyl Scratch chatting to her roommate Octavia before she departed.

Scootaloo took out a notepad, “Subject seems to wear glasses indoors and wears them even when preforming errands. Alright let’s follow her Crusaders!”

Applebloom noticed the ladder they used was lying on the ground causing collective sighs of annoyance from all three.

*

Vinyl was examining a tomato for freshness as two small mustachioed ponies wearing dress suits and bowler hats watched the DJ through eyeholes in a paper they were supposedly reading. Vinyl walked over to a kiosk selling needles and standing beside the kiosk was an orange pegasus filly wearing an over coat and a fedora that were both two sizes too big for her.

Vinyl noticed her and smiled, “Digging the outfit little dude.”

Scootaloo spoke in a gruff voice, “thank you.”

Scootaloo looked to the side, “Uh…could I maybe get a picture with you?”

Vinyl smiled and nodded, “A fan of my work? Sure thing, always love meeting a fan.”

Scootaloo produced a camera, “The camera is pretty old and has a tendency to burn the picture if the flash hits anything reflective.”

Vinyl nodded thoughtfully, “Then we can take it by that tree.”

Scootaloo spoke a little more insistently, “WHAT I mean is ANYTHING reflective.”

Vinyl’s eyes widened behind her shades, “OH…so we should take the photo facing the wall then.”

Sweetie Belle then yelled out, “OH COME ON!”

Applebloom silenced her immediately as Vinyl looked at the clock tower, “Oh horseapples I’m late! Listen maybe we can pick up on this later?”

Scootaloo reluctantly nodded, “okay.”

Soon Vinyl left the market at a gallop as the CMC ditched their disguises and converged in the park nearby.

Applebloom sighed, “Were never gonna figure out why she wears her glasses at this rate.”

Sweetie Belle raised a hoof, “Not necessarily. Before we came here I bumped into Pinkie pie and asked her from some info on Vinyl and her habits. She told me that on Tuesdays every three months she visits Rarity and walks out with newer looking glasses.”

Scootaloo smiled, “Time for a game of investigative reporting.”

*

Sweetie Belle walked behind her sister with a frustrated look, “WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN’T TELL US WHY SHE NEEDS NEW GLASSES?!”

Rarity looked behind her, “Sweetie watch your tone. And the reason I cannot tell you of Miss Scratch’s buying habits is because of a little something called “customer confidentiality” and I uphold the principle.”

Applebloom looked at Rarity with pleading eyes, “But ya got tah give us somthin to work with Miss Rarity.”

Rarity sighed, “I suppose you can have a look in the bin I put the old glasses in. But no more than that.”

All three fillies ran to the bin and grabbed the most recent looking glasses out of it and ran off with them.

*

After acquiring their prize the CMC retreated to their club house and began to examine the glasses. Aside from a few cracks on the lenses and the frames being slightly bent there was nothing out of the ordinary.

Scootaloo observed the wall of photos depicting Vinyl in various situations and rubbed her chin in thought only to be interrupted by Applebloom throwing the door open, “GIRLS! GIRLS! You’ll never believe what ah found!”

*

Applebloom had been walking around Ponyville after she and the other crusaders had left the boutique and wanted to see if she could find more leads until she stopped near Vinyl’s house at the sound of raised voices.

The voice of the pony known as Octavia was heard, “Vinyl! Why did you do this!?”

Vinyl responded almost way to calm, “It’s no big deal. He was SO annoying anyways.”

Octavia sounded completely exasperated, “But you ruined the rug.”

Vinyl sounded like she waved the comment off, “Just throw it out.”

A few seconds later a rolled up rug flew out the back door near the street. Applebloom approached the rug and unrolled it to gaze at a blackened spot that spanned a sizable portion of the rug with what looked like fleshy matter in the center of it.

*

Applebloom was already showing the ruined rug to her friends as Sweetie Belle spoke frightened, “Maybe she’s a…Vampire!!”

Scootaloo just stared flatly at her, “A vampire…really?”

Applebloom nodded, “She wears glasses all the time in the sunlight so she won’t go blind. Plus she has really erratic behaviour.”

Scootaloo poked the blackened spot with a stick, “But this spot takes up half of the rug and it’s burned, so it’s NOT blood.”

Sweetie Belle groaned in frustration, “We find the answer to one question and it makes more questions!!!”

Applebloom looked at the glasses, “Then ah think it’s time we look to someone who is smarter then all three of us for answers.”

*

A few passing minutes later and the CMC had arrived at Twilights who was very curious about their escapades but none the less agreed to help.

After an hour of analyzing the glasses she turned away from the machine she was currently at, “This is both fascinating and confusing.”

Sweetie Belle asked with intrigue in her voice, “What is it?”

Twilight looked at her read out, “It says that the lenses are made out of a type of quartz that has been refined and reshaped. But whatever is causing it to crack like this is beyond me.”

All three crusaders smiled and thanked Twilight before rushing out with the damaged glasses in their saddle bags. All three then came to the agreement that if they wanted results they would have to get the glasses off her face the easy way or the hard way.

*

Vinyl was napping in the park on a bench in silence as the CMC were perched in a tree above her as Scootaloo listed of another theory, “Maybe she’s a killer robot that can shoot fire from her mouth and the glasses hide her robot eyes.”

Sweetie Belle pulled out a fishing rod, “We’ll figure it out soon enough.”

Sweetie Belle began to slowly lower the hook toward Vinyl’s face as she gently snored on the bench. Sweetie narrowed her eyes in concentration as the hook missed its mark and caught the side of her mouth pulling it into a smile. Scootaloo snatched it from Sweetie and began to fish for the bridge of the shades only to snag a nostril causing Vinyl to snort and smack the hook away like she was swatting a bothersome fly. Applebloom tried to get her hooves on the fishing rod only for the sudden shift in weight to cause the branch to break and cause all three fillies to drop onto a completely surprised Vinyl Scratch.

Vinyl stood up immediately, “What the hay is going on here?”

All three of the CMC covered their heads as Sweetie Belle yelled, “PLEASE DON’T SUCK OUR BLOOD!”

Scootaloo then quickly added, “OR BURN US WITH YOUR ROBOT FIRE BREATH!!”

Vinyl looked at all three fillies and began to laugh, “What are you three talking about?”

Scootaloo stood up and looked a little ashamed as Vinyl noticed the fishing rod and became skeptical, “Well truthfully we’ve been following you trying to figure out why you wear your glasses all the time.”

Vinyl just looked really confused as she raised an eyebrow, “You could have just asked me.”

Sweetie Belle stood up immediately and yelled, “WHAT!?”

Vinyl nodded, “Yeah it’s no big deal.”

Applebloom looked at her, “Well could ya show us?”

Vinyl looked around to make sure no one was around then nodded, “But you can’t tell anyone, alright little dudettes?”

All of them nodded as Vinyl turned her head to look at the water. Her horn glowed as she lifted the glasses from her eyes which were closed. She smiled and opened them…only for two massive red colored beams to shoot from them and into the water. She then closed her eyes and placed her glasses back on her face as steam rose from the water.

She looked at the shocked expressions of the crusaders, “ I've been able to shoot these optic beams since I was a filly. But I have to keep these glasses on or my eyes closed or else they’ll keep firing and I have to think of the safety of Ponyville and my reputation. Worse part is that the crystals that filter the beams and suppress them can only take so much exposure before cracking and that's why i have to replace them every three months. But please don't tell anypony about this.”

The CMC picked their jaws off the floor as they all smiled and said in unison, “We won’t tell.”

Vinyl smiled in thanks, “Thanks little dudettes.”

*

Feather Weight printed the headline the next morning which read, “Vinyl Scratch Wears Glasses All the Time Because That’s How She Rolls.”

*

Vinyl walked into the house as Octavia sat at the kitchen table with drawers in front of her, “Hey Octy what are you doing?"

Octavia looked over her shoulder, “I’m just getting rid of the old cutlery and metal knick knacks.”

Vinyl raised an eyebrow, “How?”

Octavia answered with levitating a small metal statue which immediately bent and crunched into a small metal ball which spun in the air, “How do you think.”

Vinyl just chuckled as she levitated a glass to her lips, “Grand cellist and mistress of magnetism.”

Vinyl then noticed a cockroach on the ceiling and lifted her glasses blasting it into oblivion only for Octavia to yell out, “VINYL THE ROOF NOW?!”

*

Outside the DJ's house sat Rarity who was reading a fashion Magazine depicting star model Fleur De Lis modeling one of her dresses.