The sun was just starting to rise through the mountains of Zephyr Heights, the light shining through the low lying clouds casting rays of orange light throughout the usually bustling city. A few ponies were already up, some jogging through the relatively empty streets, others on their way to work. Restaurants began to open, and the city started to come to life.
And then there was Stratus, sound asleep with the covers halfway on the floor, wings unfolded and splayed across the bed, and a plush dragon cuddled gently against his chest. Sure he wasn’t the most graceful sleeper in the world, but that didn’t stop him from getting the rest a busy newspony deserves. Soon enough, his phone that was sitting on the bedside table began to vibrate and started blasting that dreaded alarm sound.
Stratus slowly stirred and rubbed his eyes, reaching over to his phone and tapping the “Stop” button. After sitting up and stretching his wings, he glanced over to the home assistant sitting on the bedside table. The screen dimly displayed “7:30” in large digits, the other features disabled since it was still in night mode. “Starlight, turn on the bedroom lights.” Stratus said groggily. The home assistant responded with a digital voice saying “Okay!” and a second later he was blinded by all the lights in his bedroom turning on. After recovering from the sensation of the sun suddenly appearing in his room, the pegasus sighed and slowly crawled out of bed, nearly falling onto the floor as he got to his hooves.
“Starlight, what’s my flash briefing?” Stratus asked the device. “Here’s your flash briefing from ZBS News…” it responded, before a prerecorded voice familiar to him began to play.
“Good morning Zephyr Heights! From the ZBS newsroom, I’m Dazzle Feather. The day so many of us have been waiting for is finally here! Tonight, the annual royal celebration will take place at the palace, headlined by performances from some of ZH’s top talents, including the one and only Pipp Petals! Be sure to tune in to ZBS News tonight starting at 7:00 for our live coverage of the ceremony, hosted by our own Stratus Skyline.” Stratus couldn’t help but smile hearing himself mentioned in the recording.
“Pipp is preparing to debut a brand new song at tonight’s ceremony titled ‘Glowin’ Up’. Earlier this week, the Princess shared an exclusive preview of the song on her Ponygram, with the post receiving nearly a million likes within a few hours. Needless to say, I’m sure most of us are excited to hear the full song tonight. Finally, let’s get a check of the weather with our chief meteorologist Cumulonimbus.”
A different voice began talking, this one belonging to the peppy weathermare. “Goooooood morning! From the ZBS First Alert weather center, I’m Cumulonimbus! Today is going to be a perfect day weather-wise here in the big city! We’re looking at partly cloudy skies with temperatures reaching the mid-80s, but a slight breeze from the west will make it feel just a bit cooler. It’s going to be a lovely day, so get outside and enjoy it! Tonight, skies will clear up with a low around 62, perfect for the fireworks show from the palace for tonight’s celebration. Tomorrow will be about the same, though we are looking at a chance of scattered rain tomorrow evening, but only about a 20% chance. That’s all I’ve got here, have a great day, and let your heart shine as bright as the sun!” The briefing concluded with a short version of the ZBS News theme, then the smart speaker fell silent.
Stratus chuckled to himself as he made his way to the bathroom. He always enjoyed talking with Cumulonimbus. Her happiness was very contagious, and she loved cracking jokes at the station when the cameras weren’t rolling. A part of him was a bit sad that he wouldn’t get to see her in person today, but he had a much more exciting job ahead of him. Getting to host the royal celebration broadcast had been a goal of his ever since he joined the station, and tonight would make that goal come true. Stratus was a bit nervous about hosting, since everypony in the city would be watching, but he was more excited than anything. Still, having to wake up super early for the morning live shots he had to do wasn’t his favorite part of hosting.
After getting a quick shower, Stratus walked into the kitchen and poured himself a bowl of cereal. Sitting down at the kitchen table, he watched some PonyTube videos as he ate. Soon enough the clock struck 8:30, and it was time for Stratus to head off to work. Leaving the apartment tower he lived in, he started walking down the street towards the studio. Stratus gave a few flaps of his wings as he walked. No flight, as always. It was a shame, he thought to himself, flying would make this commute much quicker, and more fun. He was always a bit jealous that the royal family could fly, but at least that meant not everypony in the city was a flightless bird.
After about half an hour of walking and climbing a few flights of stairs (which was always the worst part of the commute in his opinion), Stratus finally got sight of his destination: ZBS Tower. It was quite a spectacular building, dwarfing the buildings around it with its sheer height. Multiple screens around the base showed advertisements, scrolling tickers with the latest news headlines, and an animation of the ZBS logo. Atop the building, a large ZBS logo was installed on the antenna. Walking through the large sliding doors, Stratus entered into the spacious foyer. Posters lined the walls with images of several shows taped here at the tower, while a floor to ceiling glass wall allowed natural light to brighten the area. Stratus scanned his badge on the turnstyle and walked over to the elevators, heading up to the newsroom towards the top of the tower. As the elevator rose, he began to feel some excitement for the day ahead. Hosting the royal celebration would be the biggest thing he's done in his career, and he was looking forward to when that camera would go live. The elevator came to a stop, and Stratus stepped out into the newsroom.