Can you believe Featherweight
got his cutie mark?
Featherweight! Before us!
Great cutie mark, Featherweight!
Looking good!
I give up...
I've got it!
The answer to all our problems!
The Foal Free Press?
How's the school paper
gonna get us our cutie marks?
Move your caboose!
That's Granny Smith. Gotta run!
Maybe there's something
to this newspaper idea.
Guess it's worth a sh*t...
Apple Bloom, your newspaper idea
was nothing but a big bust.
We tried everything, from papier-mâché
to making birds nests and nothing worked.
What's so funny?
What I meant was,
we should write for the paper!
We can get our cutie marks as journalists!
Okay class, see you tomorrow!
Oh, and for those of you who want
to join the newspaper staff,
stay here because we're meeting right now!
Cutie marks in journalism!
Such a good idea.
Welcome, everypony.
Now, as you know,
our editor-in-chief graduated last year.
Yes?
What's an editor-in-chief?
Good question, Sweetie Belle,
I like those reporters' instincts.
The Foal Free Press
is a student-run paper.
I'm only involved as an advisor.
So the editor-in-chief
is the pony in charge.
From choosing the stories,
to making sure it gets to press on time.
Now, as I said,
we have a new editor this year!
Diamond Tiara?!
I'll leave you alone now to discuss
everypony's assignments.
Have fun!
Alright, listen up.
The Foal Free Press is a joke.
Yay!
First things first,
where's the staff photographer?
Get out there and document everything.
I'll decide what's important.
The rest of you, I want hard-hitting news
and interesting thinkpieces.
No more namby-pamby stories
like last year's editor.
But Namby-Pamby was a great editor.
Well, there's a new regime now,
and I want juicy stories.
The juicier the better!
Now get out there and report!
Let's get out of here, girls.
Maybe we can try packing boxes again.
But this could be our last chance
to earn our cutie marks!
If we really are supposed
to be journalists,
isn't it worth a little grief?
I guess you're right.
We can take a little bit of Diamond Tiara
for a lifetime of cutie marks.
C'mon! Let's go get those marks!
My first story's gonna be
an exclusive interview.
I saw a brand new nest
of baby birds the other day.
I bet our readers would eat up
a sweet story like that!
Granny Smith has all sorts
of great stories!
I reckon I'll do a piece
on the history of Ponyville.
I hope you've got something,
because everything so far is unusable.
"Baby Birds Born...?"
"Rarity's Hot New Hat...?"
"Ponyville, The Early Years...!?"
I don't know what you call this,
but it sure isn't news!
We just... thought...
Get something else on my desk
by the end of the day,
and it better be juicy!
Now what? Do you know what
I had to do to get that story?
Oh, you don't even wanna know
what I had to sit through.
Get it off me, Snails!
Yeah, you get it off me, Snips?
Stop it! You are making it worse!
Oh, great.
I'll get it.
Get it off! Get it off!
Hey, Featherweight, c'mere!
Take a few pictures of this,
then meet me during lunch.
Girls, I have our story.
Snips and Snails in bubblegum fails!
"And that's when the biggest jokester
in school really stuck his hoof in it..."
"... literally!"
The Foal Free Press is usually
just boring news and stuff.
So funny!
Our mothers always told us
we'd end up in the papers someday.
Yeah, and look!
We finally got the gum out!
Your column is a sensation!
I don't want you doing news anymore.
I want more columns like this.
Columns about ponies
and their private lives...
The things they do when
they think they're alone...
You three are my new gossip columnists!
And I love the way you signed it!
Gabby Gums...
that was a stroke of genius!
We couldn't fit all of our names.
So we decided to create one
for all three of us.
Well, I want more Gabby Gums!
Nice work, girls.
But we sure seem
to have a gift for gossip.
If we can write a few more
of these Gabby Gums columns,
we'll earn our cutie marks for sure!
Scootaloo...? Do you have anything?
Nope.
Apple Bloom?
Sorry.
Let's face it, nothing very juicy
happens at this school.
We're doomed.
Sweetie Belle... was she raised
in a barn or something?
You really shouldn't be snooping, Rarity.
Oh, but it's so much fun, Rarity.
Hello... what's this?
Gum on their bum!
Too rich!
Can you please keep it down
with all the laughter?
I'm trying to- hey!
I was just...
Are you snooping through my saddlebag?
How dare you!
Oh, but this Gabby Gums
column is so funny!
You actually like the school paper?
It's so much juicier than anything
in the boring old Ponyville Express.
Could I borrow this to show my friends?
Your friends would wanna read
the Foal Free Press?
Oh, they'd just love Gabby Gums!
Who is she, anyway?
I've never heard of her before.
Is she a new-
We gave up too quickly, girls.
Forget trying to squeeze stories
out of this school.
We need to expand!
We can find all kinds of great gossip
out there in Ponyville!
We'll need to tell Featherweight
to start working overtime.
Sweetie Belle, you're a genius!
"Pound and Pumpkin Cake trip
to the store ends in tears."
Gabby Gums comes through again!
The Ponyville news stand
wants to carry the Foal Free Press!
Ponies keep coming by and asking for it!
Send 'em twenty copies,
and if they run out of those,
we'll send 'em twenty more!
You three are doing
a great job for this paper.
Keep those columns coming!
This is great!
Oh, this is the life, isn't it, girls?
The best hooficure I've ever had!
You said it.
I don't know if I've ever been
so relaxed.
You guys!
The new Gabby Gums just came out!
"The Great and Powerful Trixie's
secrets revealed!"
We already read that one, Rainbow Dash.
Come on, relax, have a hooficure,
it feels amazing.
Did you forget who you're talking to?
The day I get a hooficure
is the day I turn in my daredevil license.
Besides, I haven't read
this Gabby Gums yet.
Well, do it quietly, will ya?
Some of us are trying to unwind!
I like Gabby Gums too, but don't
you think she can be a little mean?
She's not mean, Twilight, she's a hoot!
"Celestia, just like us?"
Gabby Gums doesn't value
anypony's privacy.
Oh, lighten up, Twilight,
there's nothing but harmless gossip!
Yeah, Twilight, I mean listen to this one.
"Mayor, not naturally gray!"
"The Mayor in a mane dyeing scandal?"
Who wouldn't wanna read that?
I just can't help feeling sorry for
the ponies featured in her columns.
It's gotta be a little embarrassing.
Are you kidding?
Do you know how awesome it is
to get your name in the paper?
Rainbow, why don't you join me
in one of these delicious hooficures?
It's that good, huh?
Well, maybe just one little hoof.
Forget it, I don't like ponies
touching my hooves.
Man... I'd love it if Gabby Gums
did a story on me.
She did one on me.
What?!
"Exclusive! Local dragon tells all."
"Spike opens up about Canterlot,
naps, and his favorite jams!"
It's our best column yet!
More like your worst column yet!
Gabby Gums didn't become
the biggest thing in Ponyville
with namby-pamby stories like this!
Yeah, she's right.
This column is a little softer
than our usual gossip.
Were you guys feeling guilty
about all the gossip too?
Like... maybe we could be
hurting other ponies' feelings?
Yeah, I didn't wanna say anything because
everypony loves Gabby Gums so much,
but... I was sorta hoping we could start
writing more stories like this one.
Me too.
If we're gonna get our cutie marks,
we've got to give the ponies
what they want.
"Applejack, asleep on the job!"
Can y'all believe this?!
And this one:
"Big Macintosh, what's he hiding?"
Who the hay does this Gabby Gums
think she is?
Listen to this one.
"Twilight Sparkle, I was a Canterlot snob."
"A well-placed scaly source
close to the prissy pony says..."
"Twilight Sparkle thinks Ponyville
is nothing but muddy roads..."
"... and low-class rooves."
Spike!
How could you say such a thing?
Well, I didn't! Gabby Gums made that up!
I never said anything like that!
Everypony, please!
She's just a harmless schoolpony
engaged in a little idle gossip.
You're really making too big a deal
out of this.
But it's all lies!
Gabby Gums prints whatever she wants.
She doesn't care whose reputation
she destroys!
"Fluttershy has tail extensions!"
"Pinkie Pie is an out-of-control
party animal!"
What?!
It's true! I do have a problem!
Oh look! According to this one,
the Cakes are breaking up!
We are?!
Well, my life is officially... over.
Gabby Gums has made it to Cloudsdale.
"Rainbow Dash,
Speed demon or super softie?"
I grabbed as many copies as I could,
but it was too late!
I'm a laughing stock!
See, Rarity?
Your so-called 'harmless gossip'
can be very hurtful!
Honestly, you ponies
have no sense of humor.
So she tweaks a few ponies
every now and then,
maybe they deserv-
I'll destroy her!
"The drama queen diaries."
She's reprinted my diary!
How could Gabby Gums possibly
get access to my private diary?!
We've got to put a stop to this
once and for all!
Sweetie Belle's on the newspaper staff.
Maybe she knows who Gabby Gums is!
My sister would never associate
with anyone as beastly as Gabby Gums!
I resent you even suggesting
such a thing, Twilight!
Why, she's the most innocent,
most lovely...
... most evil pony in Equestria!
My own sister steals my private diary.
How could my own sister be...
Gabby Gums?
Et tu, Gabby Gums?!
You know?! How'd you find out?!
The gilded pages of your betrayal!
Oh yeah.
How could you do this to me?!
You stole my secret diary and published it
for all the world to read!
Gossip can be a very hurtful thing.
It is an invasion of privacy, just like
when I snooped through your saddlebag.
You didn't like that much, did you?
No...
What is important is that you understand
how your column makes the ponies
that you're writing about feel!
I do understand,
and we've all been feeling guilty.
But we just want our cutie marks so badly!
Do you really think that
writing nasty things
and making everypony feel horrible
is your destiny?
Well, when you put it that way...
No!
I won't let you quit!
But the gossip we've been printing
is hurting everypony's feelings!
Feelings? I don't care about feelings!
Gabby Gums is my bread and butter.
And I'm not gonna let you
goody two horseshoes
take that away from me!
We're sorry, Diamond Tiara,
but we've made our decision.
Yeah, you can't force us
to keep gossiping.
When you see these...
You may not want to quit after all.
I told Featherweight
to document everything...
And that's exactly what he did.
Gimme those!
Sorry, girls, property of
the Foal Free Press.
And if Gabby Gums really
does go into retirement,
I'll need something to fill
that empty column space.
Now get out there
and bring me more Gabby Gums!
We'll find a way out of this, girls.
Maybe Rainbow Dash
will have a story for us.
She's always good for some gossip.
Rainbow Dash! Hey, Rainbow Dash!
Well, if it isn't Gabby Gums.
You heard too, huh?
Are you kidding?
Everypony in town knows it's you three.
Don't suppose you'd let us
write a column on you, huh?
Oh, hi Angel, is Fluttershy home?
Hey, what gives?
Twilight thought you might try
to show your faces around here,
so she put up a force field.
Aw, c'mon, Applejack!
You're not mad at us too, are you?
Yup.
You're not even gonna talk to us?
Nope.
You should be ashamed of yourself,
humiliatin' your sister 'n' me like that.
We don't wanna talk to
any y'all right now,
so take your little gossip column
and your embarrassing photographs
and just go away!
We've ruined all of our friendships
and we still don't have our cutie marks!
This is the worst day ever!
Oh yeah? Wait 'til tomorrow.
Our most embarrassing moments
are about to be published
for everypony to laugh at.
So, what do we do?
I don't know.
We're not leaving this clubhouse
until we think of something!
That's it, Gabby Gums is out of time.
Run these instead.
I want this paper on every
street corner in Ponyville!
Yes, ma'am!
Stop the presses!
Uh, they haven't started yet.
We have a Gabby Gums column!
You're lucky I'm nice.
This better not happen again, or else.
Well done, Diamond Tiara.
You've averted yet another crisis
with your amazing diplomatic skills.
"An open letter to Ponyville
by Gabby Gums"?!
What is this?!
They're not gonna get away with this!
I'll publish those photos tomorrow!
They messed with the wrong pony!
To the citizens of Ponyville.
For some time now, you've been reading
this column to get the latest dirt
and the hottest buzz.
But this will be my final piece.
We want to apologize for the pain
and embarrassment we've caused.
Y'see, I'm actually three little fillies.
Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo.
As the popularity of our column grew,
we got swept up in the hype.
We knew that what we were
doing didn't feel quite right,
but we ignored the guilt,
because everypony
seemed to want to read
what we were writing.
From now on, we promise to respect
everypony else's privacy.
and we won't engage
in hurtful gossip any more.
All we can do is ask for
your forgiveness, Ponyville.
Signing off for the very last time,
XOXO, Gabby Gums.
Well, staff, I guess I gave
a little too much authority
to a first-time editor.
I'm sorry, Diamond Tiara,
I have to strip you of your title.
And for the next editor
of the Foal Free Press...
Here's your new editor-in-chief,
Featherweight!
Oh, him? But what about me?!
Here ya go! I've been promoted
to staff photographer!