"Tavi?"

Vinyl Scratch walked into the apartment she shared with her fellow musician. Octavia and Vinyl were as different as anypony could be, but somehow, they were friends all the same.

It was six in the morning, and the apartment was perfectly silent. Vinyl had finished DJ-ing at a gig in Manehattan an hour ago and had caught the early train home. Today was Octavia's birthday, and Vinyl had hoped to surprise her by coming home and making her breakfast before she woke up.

Quietly, Vinyl locked the door behind her and crept into the kitchen. She flicked off her glasses and left them on the counter. Vinyl knew that Octavia would be awake in half an hour or so; it was routine, and the grey earth mare lived for routine. She tried to cram as many hours of cello practice in as she possibly could, and the rest of her time was divided between spending hours on end with her quartet, manager and other highly strung members of the Canterlot society.

In more ways than one, Vinyl was glad that the apartment she shared with Tavi was in Ponyville. Sure, Canterlot may have been more convenient for the both of them, but the only time the two musicians truly got to spend together was in the little town where they lived. They stole quick moments together in their busy schedules, sharing a coffee or simply brushing past each other in the hall. Vinyl usually came home to sleep when Tavi was getting ready to begin her day's work, but they always made sure that they stole a few minutes to be together.

There was some bread in the fridge, and Vinyl took it out gingerly. Toast mightn't be Tavi's favourite food, but it was about the extent of Vinyl's skills in the kitchen. She quietly heated a slice of bread in the toaster and made two cups of freshly brewed coffee. After draining the contents of one cup, Vinyl placed the breakfast she had made for Tavi on a wooden tray, and carried it in her mouth into the room she shared with the grey pony. Octavia was stretched out on the bed, a light purple sleeping mask covering her eyes. Gently, Vinyl slid the tray onto the bedside table and crawled into bed beside her, snuggling into the warmth Tavi provided.

"Happy birthday, beautiful," whispered Vinyl. And despite the coffee she had just finished drinking, the unicorn wasn't able to keep her eyes open any longer.