8 AM, Monday morning, Canterlot Conservatory Radio Bunker
Sunlight streamed in through the open curtains in a horrifically cheerful and joyous manner, before deciding that it wanted to spread its happiness to my eyes. Oh Celestia, why must you raise the sun so early? I hate mornings, though not as much as I hate Mondays. There is something about waking up on a Monday morning - you just want to go back to bed because you’re exhausted from presenting radio all night, then right as you're falling asleep, you realise what day it is and that you have lectures to get to. It’s not like I need to go to them, I already know everything they’re teaching us, but I still have to attend the mandatory ones. Unfortunately for everypony involved, music theory, the most boring part of any course that there is, starts at 9:30 in the morning. On Monday. Did I mention how much I hate those?
As I pulled myself to my hooves, I realised that I was not, in fact, sitting on my bed in my comfy, safe apartment but that I had actually been sprawled on the floor of my radio room. Soon enough, the consequence of spending the entire night in such an uncomfortable position caught up with me. My whole body felt like somepony had dropped a raging minotaur on me. I stretched out the cricks in my neck, legs and back before taking off my headset which had somehow remained in place all night. Sound rushed back to my ears as I wiggled them to try and regain feeling in the tips of them, the blood supply having been cut off by the headphones. There were birds tweeting outside, the low rumble of carriages, and all the sounds of an early morning in Canterlot.
I stiffly walked around the broadcasting room before opening the door into my tiny lounge/kitchen area. Blossom was nowhere to be seen. Guess she must have left last night... That caused my paranoia to kick into high gear. I ignored my aching muscles as I ran to the front door to check the four locks I use. They were all locked. I shook my head, trying to break the spell of fear that descends over me when I feel unsafe in my own home, not a particularly nice feeling I can tell you. I went back to the cupboards on the wall, pulled out a mug, and reached for some teabags. None left. I’d forgotten about my new routine again. Dratted early mornings.
I put the mug back, grabbed my coat and hat with my magic from where they were lying on the sofa, and walked out into the fresh morning air. I closed the door behind me and quickly set up my defence wards, which was as easy as breathing to me, thanks to years of practice. After double-checking the locks, I began trotting off down the busy street to Sunbucks. To be honest, I’m actually starting to get used to going there, and as Shrike constantly tells me, it helps me “get out more”. It’s also the reason I haven’t bought more teabags recently, it’s just a reminder for me to go and get my morning caffeine from Sunbucks. The ponies there are great, it’s close to the Conservatory and it adds a bit of exercise into my regime. All in all, it’s good for me.
A few minutes later, I was greeted by the friendly and welcoming front of the coffee house. As I turned to push through the glass doors, I spotted a flash of electric blue out of the corner of my eye. I rushed in, a few ponies glancing up at the slight disturbance. Berry Punch waved at me from behind the counter.
“Hey Signal, what can I get you this morning?” she asked in a cheerful tone of voice. I may never know how she manages to act so cheerful at this time of day.
“No time Berry, none at all. Just saw her coming down the street. You’ve got... I don’t know, maybe a minute?” Berry’s eyes widened as she nodded at me. I went to sit down at my usual table and watched the door. A couple of other ponies looked up, and 52 seconds after my warning to Berry, the door exploded inwards with the force of a meteor impact.
“GOOOOOD MORNING SUNBUCKS REGULARS!” Vinyl Scratch is nothing if not predictable, I’ll give her that. Every day, like clockwork, she arrives for her extra caffeinated morning coffee. If any other pony were to drink it, I think their heart would give out from trying to beat so fast. For Vinyl on the other hoof, it's only enough to keep her awake for the day.
“GOOD MORNING VINYL!” (Well, we regulars have to remain on good terms with Sunbucks' best customer, don’t we?)
The crazy blue and white pony trotted up to the counter and put her hoof up in a nonchalant manner. “Hey Berry, how about a...” Vinyl didn't even get to start ordering her ridiculous drink, as Carrot Top swiftly placed it on the counter top. “Aw shucks.” A cheer rippled through the coffee house. This was one of the few times I’d actually seen Berry Punch and Carrot Top beat Vinyl. Bits left hooves grudgingly and were willingly accepted into others. One old unicorn didn’t even look up from his paper as he caught the small pouch of coins tossed at him, before chuckling into his beard.
This by itself is one of the major reasons I keep coming back to Sunbucks, it’s just a great atmosphere, and Vinyl is a huge source of entertainment before the tediousness of lectures. Shortly after the earlier spectacle, Carrot Top came over to my table with my usual cup of tea. I reached for my bits bag but was cut off by her soft voice. “This one’s on the house Signal, for the Vinyl warning you gave us.” She smiled, amused at what I couldn't tell.
“Thanks Carrot Top, you’re too good to me,” I replied.
“Nonsense, it’s good for you to be out around other ponies, rather than being locked away in your radio room. Speaking of which, last night’s broadcast was great, you and Blossom make a great team!” Carrot Top beamed.
“Uh, thanks, I guess... I can’t really remember what happened last night though; I just woke up on the floor this morning,” I admitted as I sipped on my tea.
“Oh, well Blossom left at about midnight and then you just stopped talking about a couple of hours later," Carrot Top explained. "You probably just collapsed from exhaustion. You really shouldn't push yourself like that every night. Still, it was a great show.”
As I drank the rest of my tea, Carrot Top began to fuss about me in general, complaining about my habits being too stressful and my need to loosen up a bit and just chill out. I suffered in silence for a minute or so, with a few ponies turning to see what Carrot Top was going on about now, before speaking out about my currently embarrassing situation. “Carrot Top, can you stop that please? You’re not my mother!” She looked taken aback at my sudden outburst. “I’m sorry, I didn't mean that. It’s just that everypony always worries about me. I can take care of myself. Thanks for the tea, by the way, it was wonderful,” I said as I cracked a smile purely for her benefit. That cheered her up again, before she remembered that she was employed to make coffee, and not to talk to the customers. A look at the clock confirmed that it was time to get going, it would take me about ten minutes to walk to the Conservatory from Sunbucks and I had to meet up with my friends before then.
As I left I nodded my thanks to the two baristas, and waved at Vinyl. The hyper DJ replied in kind, looking slightly annoyed that she wouldn’t be able to talk to me today. It was unfortunate, I quite enjoy our heated discussions as well, but I simply had no time today. I pushed my way out through the glass door of the coffee house and into the street. Sighing to myself as I looked across to the tall domed structure that was my school, I resigned myself to the fate of death by lecture and started the short walk to that great institute of musical ability, the Canterlot Conservatory.