> 99.4 RD in the Afternoon > by overlord-flinx > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > 1: RD in the AM > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- My name... Seven in the morning in the sleepy town of Ponyville; a town with a really strange name that somehow fit the really strange kind of people that lived in it. Farmers, fashionistas, racers, philosophers, DJs, musicians; it took all kinds to make up the strange town of Ponyville. Everyone had a story -sometimes three or four- that made them original or special; no one was 'normal' you could say. Some men and women could even fly high up into the sky while some could even perform feats of 'magic'. To some, that would be strange or unnatural; but in Ponyville and all of the land in Equestria, it was as common as having a pinkie toe. But, that didn't make what they could do any less special. Seven in the morning in the sleepy town of Ponyville. Sun still just starting to rise, kids still groaning about heading to school, and some shop doors opening up. Seven in the morning was as good as any time to start town life, really. And, in Ponyville, you eventually start to get used to everyone else's schedule as much as your own. The town had always been a close-knit sort of place with only about ten thousand people living in the town. Sure, it wasn't the same quiet little mountain town it used to be; larger buildings being built, roads converted from dirt to concrete; but the feeling never left it. It always felt homey and natural. Seven in the morning in the sleepy town of Ponyville. While the town starts to stir awake, one building remains as lively as it had been yesterday at the same time. A place that never lost steam, that never lost energy: Equestria Studios. Sure, television or the internet were the biggest ways to get entertainment and news worldwide; but Equestria Studios -a radio station- put fuel in the tank of all of Ponyville day after day, night after night. It never closed its doors and never turned off a signal; always running and always bringing the voice of excitement to houses and roads alike however they could. Ponyville -Equestria- counted on Equestria Studios for that daily dose of a city-born human touch. Seven in the morning in the sleepy town of Ponyville. But, Equestria Studios wouldn't be what it is today without their top radio personality. The girl with her ear to the street, hair in the breeze, and finger on the pulse of society. A gal that runs the streets of Ponyville as much as flies the airways above it. The audience loves her and the spirit she brings wherever she goes. All of Ponyville tuned into Equestria Studios radio station of 99.4 to hear her every morning when she'd come on. Every day at seven in the morning to seven at night. Seven-oh-one in the morning in the sleepy town of Ponyville. She tossed against her sheets, cheek caked against her drool glazed pillow while her dark room was filled with a painful buzzing sound. A groan, she swung her arm out and swatted at the blinking red clock resting on her nightstand. Her lips pursed into a scowl, eyes still shut and hair draped in a rainbow waterfall over the top of her face. She blew a few strands out from her visage to give the still beeping alarm clock a stabbing glare. "Why don't I just unplug you...?" Her voice was groggy, filled with sleep. Her hips flopped down against her disheveled bed, causing the springs in her mattress to press and squeak. Slowly, cherry colored eyes flickered into sight under the haze of her loose hair, trying to make out the clock that was bothering her. "For Pete's sake... I work at seven... And it's only--" She paused her slurring, tired words a moment when the numbers blinking on the clock came into view. 7:01 AM. "...Fffffff..." Rainbow Dash threw her head up, tossing blankets, pillows, laying out clothes and all else around her into the air as she sprung awake. Sleep hung in her now wide open eyes, which she ignored as she combed her hair back with one hand and tugged at a pair of sweatpants with her other. Quick as she could, stumbling over this and that all over her disaster stricken room, she fought herself into a pair of blue sweats and a pair of finger-less gloves adorned with her "namesake" -lightning bolts made of rainbows. Pants and hands covered, she crouched down and picked up a wrinkly yellow shirt. A sniff of it told her it was laying there for at least a day, but it was better then nothing. And seeing as there wasn't a bra laying around, she'd have to be going commando today. She slipped the shirt on over her head, letting the fabric rest against her moderate chest. For a moment, she shifted awkwardly and gave a cringed look as she adjusted to the feeling. "Picking up bras after work..." She muttered to herself before scooping up off a nearby rack her hoodie. Personally, Rainbow Dash liked the style of clothes she wore to work. Her navel was left free to the air, and so was a bit of her back from two slits cut out into the back of the hoodie. Swinging the door to her room open, Rainbow Dash tossed on her hood and started off for the front door of her meager apartment. Before she could get to the door and leave, she spotted her roommate laying out in the kitchen floor. Dash gave a little smile and scurried herself over to kneel down next to them, placing a hand over their rough back. When she touched them, a little green head popped out from the hard shell and looked up at his master. "Hey, Tank. Why didn't'cha wake me earlier? Now I'm gonna be late. Crazy turtle..." She playfully swatted down on her pet tortoise's head, making a slow smile come across his scaly face. Tank watched as Rainbow Dash jumped back up to her feet and resumed leaving their house, leaving Tank to guard the house as he always did; like a true trooper. The moment Rainbow's feet hit the outside of her house, a flash of wings shot from her back. Blue feathers molted out as two beautiful wings sprouted out from her back and slid out of the two holes cut out in her sweater. Not a word more to say, Rainbow Dash jolted into the air and started flapping as fast as she could down the town streets of Ponyville, drawing a multitude of waves and greetings as she darted down roadway after roadway. Her hood flapped against the wind and her ears started to chill at the speed she darted, not helped by the cold weather of mid-winter that filled her airways. Still, she flew and waved to everyone she passed on her way to work... Smiling joyfully at each flap of her mighty blue wings. ...Is Rainbow Dash. And this is the twenty-fifth time I've been late for work. But -hey- who's counting? > 2: R-R-R-R-R-R-R... > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The studio was alive. Alive like it was yesterday and the day before... And the day before that, and the day before that, and the day before that. Suffice to say, the studio was always alive. Abuzz with news from the street, ringers busting over the lines, people yelling over the next guy which only makes that guy yell louder. But all of that was just the background noise, the side show to the main events. The main events that the president of the studio was pondering as he stood in the main hall of the studio. He dressed in a casual khaki suit and his dark hair was slicked back. Above him an "On air" sign remained unlit after the ten minutes it should have been switched on in the first place. His eyes roamed down to look at his wristwatch, huffing a little sigh as the seconds continued to tick by. For the moment, he stood in the hallway of the studio, listening to collective of noise bursting out from behind each and every door that lined it. Two-way soundproof walls aren't cheep; besides, who stands in the hallway of a studio anyway? Apparently the one that runs it. His fingers pressed to the crease of his nose, yet another groan coming out from him as the seconds added up to a minute. However, when he glanced back to his watch, in the time it took for the next second to tick by, the double doors leading into the studio's main hall shot open. A warm breeze swept through the hall and a blur of colors dashed across the open airway. As the breeze and colors met the present of Equestria Studios, a smile of acceptance crossed his mature face. Before him in the dash of glory she always came to work in, Rainbow Dash stood there with a salute to him, waiting for his acknowledgement. "On time as always, Rainbow Dash," He tapped his watch a little with one hand while stepping out of the way to Rainbow's broadcast room. "On time? Pretty sure I'm at least five minutes late, chief," Rainbow Dash brushed past her boss, swinging open the door to her personal room. The studio was small, cramped, and cluttered with everything Rainbow Dash decided she would need while on the job: coffee maker, a dozen or so racks of music, a bowl of expired bananas, and an intern cleaning her mic and wiping off the crumbs from her desk. "Yes, well, on time for most isn't the same as on time for you. You're on in three minutes ago," the president excused himself with a little chuckle. Dash slammed her studio door shut before throwing her arms up in a great stretch. The base of her shirt raised to meet the underside of her breasts, letting her bra breathe for a second before flopping her slender arms back to her sides. Still at Rainbow's mic and desk, her little intern snapped to attention with a quick salute; smacking his own forehead with a chop that sent him reeling back in pain. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes while having a little laugh at the poor little guy's fluster. She gave him a pat on the head, ruffling his already messy black hair while she slid into her chair. All at once, the feeling came to her. The cool of her leather swivel chair, the dust settling off from her mic; it was romantic in a way to her. "Kid..." Rainbow's intern jumped as she called to him, "You ready to rumble?" "Well... It is my name, ma'am..." He tried. "Heh. Keep it up and you'll be taking my job one of these days," her headphones snapped over her ears as she brought the set to her ears. At that moment, no sound existed except for her own voice. Rainbow Dash pointed to Rumble -her intern- to give him the signal. With the flip of a switch, the "on air" sign lit up inside the room as well as outside to the hall. The world was listening... Listening for those few sweet words. Rainbow's eyes scanned for her signal from Rumble. Sure enough, he held five fingers up for her. Each second, another fell and Rainbow's heart started to flutter with excitement. Five. Four. Three. Two. "Good morning Equestria. This is your mix-master in chief, Rainbow Dash, coming at you so live you should need to punch in your credit card to verify your age! That's a joke for all you fappers out there. Don't get the joke? Well, that sucks because we have to keep this train moving. This is the RD express and it has no brakes. Choo-choo! YEAH! We're back! Another cool night is gone and I have gotten my six hours of sleep. I do it all for you beautiful people; 'cause I like ya' a lot. Ehhhh, but enough warm up chat. Let's get down to the roster. "Today, we've got a few guests coming in. You know how we do things around here. They'll come in, talk you up, and I'll blast some music into your ears so you don't get bored. But I promise! RD Promise, that these guests are gonna blow your mind. And I don't mean like that time we had P.T.Sparks in here talking about how we could just blow up at any second. No. I mean some stuff that will just wow you. Scouts honor. That would mean something if I was ever a scout. But I wasn't... Because scouts are for nerd. "Alright, I've talked you up enough -again. Lets put some tunes on so I can get some joe in me. It's a long run for the rest of the day, and the fun hasn't even started yet. So let's warm you all up with something nice and smooth. Here's a song from a country boy I knew. It's called 'Mmm mmm mmmovin' along' by a boy named Brae-Brae. Enjoy." Rainbow Dash shot a snap at Rumble, making him fumble about with the case of disks until he whipped out a simple yellow one. Sliding it into the slot on Dash's desk, Rainbow's headphones suddenly had the slow, soothing country tune playing. She quickly picked the headphones off and spun in her chair to face the coffee machine specially ordered for her. With one click of a button, the thick liquid of her morning ichor was dispensed into a waiting styrofoam cup. The steam wafted up to her nose, bringing her the sweet, life-charging scent of her double shot coffee she loved so much. Getting through these days was always a trial... But it was a trial she loved to do.