All Is Calm

by Cranberry Muffin

The Streets of Canterlot

Gusty had beat a strategic retreat from the kitchen when Cupcake’s eyes became wide and sparkly.

She didn’t doubt that the other mare would want to pump her for information about Razzle Dazzle, who was a very well-known party planner –or, as she called it, a ‘social affairs liaison’- there in Equestria. Everypony who was anypony knew that the only affair worth attending in high society was one that Razzle Dazzle planned; she organized the best parties in Canterlot and that was something the usually disagreeable socialites actually all agreed on.

And unlike most high-class ponies, she wasn’t unapproachable. Though she could be discerning in her tastes and spoke with a certain flair, Razzle Dazzle was a genuinely friendly, warm mare who rarely forgot a name or face. It was her attention to detail and love of her friends that really had other ponies clamoring to attend her events; they all wanted even a hint of a chance to make it into her social circle.

Gusty didn’t begrudge her mother her lifestyle; Razzle Dazzle had always been a loving, supportive mother. It was just that they were very different types of ponies and the younger unicorn didn’t –couldn’t- understand how her mother lived. Gusty was more like her father, who was a quiet, almost-shy stallion who had somehow enchanted the gregarious Razzle Dazzle, capturing her heart in a romance that was still going strong.

But though she loved her mother, that didn’t mean she wanted to talk about her.

And so she hightailed it out of there, stopping only long enough to fetch her scarf and saddlebag from the guest room before taking to the streets.

-

Outside, it was cold and snowy, the quintessential winter’s day.

Gusty paused a step beyond the door, cocking her head and looking up at the sky, letting the winter wind wash over her. Her fur prickled and the breeze tossed about her mane, fine turquoise and maroon hairs tickling across her nose, causing her to sneeze.

For a moment, she just listened, letting her body attune itself to the flow of air around her and heeding the whispers of the windsong.

Then she set off, trotting swiftly with the currents, rather than against them.

Cupcake and Graham’s house was far enough from the business and shopping areas to be located in a quiet neighborhood, though it wasn’t quite as posh as Neighbury Park, where her own parents lived. When she first stepped into the street, Gusty had only seen a couple of city employees, hard at work removing slush from the sidewalks.

She paused, watching them and wondering if anypony else even bothered to think about those who did such menial jobs. She doubted that anypony living in the neighborhood even gave them a second thought; they did the kind of behind the scenes work that wealthier ponies would assume was just done. None of them would ever think about the hard-working earth pony shoveling the slush into neat piles, or the unicorn busily melting the ice on the sidewalk with a wash of shimmering green magic.

The kind of work they were doing, however, struck a chord with Gusty, who sometimes performed similar tasks in the park.

Despite the fact that their work was hard and thankless, they were laughing and chatting amongst themselves, choosing to enjoy each other’s company rather than grouse about their jobs. The unicorn mare pranced through the snow, kicking up a slushy spray as she went, and quickly clearing a path others could safely traverse. Both her tail and the ends of her scarf flew behind her as she trotted down the sidewalk, twisting in the wind. The stallion followed behind her, shoveling the melted ice and snow into the gutter and whistling, his breath coming out in little puffs of white.

They looked so happy, cheeks rosy, eyes sparkling in the pale sun of the winter. For a moment, as she watched them, Gusty wished she had somepony to work with; somepony to make her job seem more fun. She was appreciated for what she did, but –for the most part- she worked entirely alone.

That thought fled quickly, however; she was not an overly social individual and there was only one pony with whom she would have wanted to spend all of her days.

Shaking her head at the frivolous thought, she stepped past the hard-working duo and trotted on, not really sure of her destination, but suddenly intent on getting there all the same.

-

The further into the heart of Canterlot she ventured, the more ponies she encountered.

The royal city was a hub of activity with ponies of all shapes, sizes and colors bustling about. It wasn’t like the folksy Ponyville, where everypony knew each other and called exuberant hellos to one another; Canterlot was much more subdued, though still noisy and crowded. The buzz of the city was that of a different kind, primarily the clatter of hoofsteps and the sound of carriages, city workers, and quiet, dignified conversation.

Despite the fact that she’d grown up in Canterlot, Gusty had grown accustomed to the warm, open atmosphere of Ponyville. Though she herself was quiet and socially awkward, and the familiarity of the other ponies usually only annoyed her, there was something comforting about being in Ponyville, something magical and unlike the cold sophistication of Canterlot. She had grown accustomed to the little country town’s charm and felt far more at home there than in the royal city. There in her hometown, she just felt even more out of place.

At least nopony in that part of town knew her; she was able to roam freely through the shopping district without worrying that anypony would tease her about her lack of magic as some of her neighbors in Neighbury Park had done.

She’d had no real plans when she set out, other than maybe getting ideas about what she could give Gingerbread for a Hearth’s Warming present. They didn’t often get too elaborate with one another on holidays or birthdays; Gingerbread was a simple pony who didn’t ask for much and Gusty’d had her fill of all things lavish when she lived with her parents.

But she felt like this year was different; like she needed to do something special. She knew she’d been unbearable lately and wanted to show Gingerbread how much she cared, something she had a difficult time doing because she was so incredibly awkward when she tried to express her feelings.

Upon entering the shopping district, she glanced around, taking in storefronts and peering curiously through windows at displays. Everything there in Canterlot was so expensive and frivolous; so impractical. Though she had the money to purchase an expensive gift, it didn’t seem quite right.

What would Gingerbread want with any of the things stuck-up ponies bought? She didn’t need perfume; the warm, sugary smell of her baking was much more appealing than some overpowering floral scent. A fancy dress or hat or any of the city’s innumerable baubles were utterly impractical. They never went anywhere that Gingerbread would need to wear such a thing. And there was no reason to buy her any of the gourmet sweets or treats available for purchase, not when the earth pony made the best goodies Gusty had ever eaten.

Turning down another street, Gusty paused to look at a window display full of snow globes, wind chimes, music boxes and other delicate keepsakes. She cocked her head, pondering the beautiful knickknacks; would any of them be good gifts? For other ponies, probably. But not for Gingerbread…She couldn’t imagine giving the baker such a thing as a present. Who needed something like that, anyway?

How would she come up with a decent gift, one which would let the earth pony know how much Gusty loved her? In past years, she had given Gingerbread practical gifts: a new rolling pin, cookie cutters, a heart-shaped baking pan. Things she could and did use in her everyday work. But none of those things seemed really right, either.

Gusty sighed, stepping away from the window and its display of frivolity. There was nothing here…Nothing perfect for the mare she loved.

“Look out below!”

A harried voice startled her from her thoughts, just as Gusty stepped off the curb to cross the street. She froze mid-step, looking around for the source of the voice. Before she located the pony in question, however, something solid and yellow came careening towards her, landing in a heap of dirty snow piled in the gutter. Gusty quickly backpedaled, but couldn’t avoid the spray of filthy slush.

“What the hay!” She squawked, giving herself a shake and attempting to wipe the cold wetness from her coat. “What in the bucking-”

“Awesome!” The thing turned out to not be a thing at all, but a leggy pegasus mare with a buttery yellow coat. She rose inelegantly from the snow, giving herself a rough shake and sending little bits of melting ice flying, unconcerned with the passersby who were watching the scene unfold with a mixture of disapproval and curiosity. “I thought that was you and I was right!”

Gusty frowned deeply, ceasing in her futile attempt to clean mud from her scarf and taking a second to really look at the other pony. Her mane and tail were a darker almost-golden yellow, both bound back in tight braids, and her eyes were a salmony-pink color, wide and sparkling. She was tall, and whipcord thin, seemingly all legs. A bright, familiar smile stretched across her face and she pranced in place a little, beaming and eager.

“…Lofty?” Gusty squinted at her; if this was indeed her old friend, something had changed about her. She didn’t remember the pegasus being so tall and lean. Lofty had always had a softness to her that this pony did not, something that was likely a holdover of her being a mother and having never burned off baby weight. But then…Wait. Oh. “Baby Lofty?” She tried again, lifting her head to meet the younger mare’s eyes.

“Right!” The yellow pegasus clapped her front hooves together excitedly, the smile stretching even further, “I was just flying along and I saw you and thought to myself ‘wow, that pony looks an awful lot like Gusty!’ I thought you’d left and never came back! But I totally couldn’t help checking to see if it really was you and I was right!”

“You’re not really much of a baby anymore.” Gusty commented, uncertain what else to say. It was true, though; the last time she’d seen the pony standing before her, Baby Lofty had been much, much smaller, though just about as exuberant and, well, annoying.

Not-such-a-baby Lofty grinned again, puffing out her chest, “You’ve been gone a long time! I’m all grown up.”

Five years probably was a long time, to the young mare. And it certainly felt like a lifetime ago since Gusty had left Canterlot. Her life there in the royal city had to have belonged to somepony else; many memories of those days were faded and dim, like something out of a book she’d read long ago. “How’s your mom doing?” Gusty asked, stepping back on to the sidewalk and out of the way of the flow of both foot traffic and carriages.

Lofty shrugged, hopping up next to the unicorn and folding her wings with a rustle of damp feathers, “I dunno. She took off with Paradise last year and I’m lucky if she remembers to send me a postcard now and then.”

“’Took off with Paradise’?” Gusty cocked a brow, giving the younger pony a curious look. Paradise was another mare she knew from the old days, the quintessential Canterlot pegasus who had grown up in luxury and spent her parents’ money traveling Equestria and lands beyond its borders. “Like…on an exploration expedition?”

“More like a honeymoon.” Lofty snorted, rolling her eyes. Her mother had been born and bred in Cloudsdale, but found the pegasus city boring and predictable. She’d longed for excitement and danger –that was how she’d wound up with baby Lofty- and had one day woken up, decided she could no longer bear life in the cloud city, and had taken off for a round the world trip that eventually ended in Canterlot, a hoofful of bits and her tiny foal tucked securely in a saddlebag for the long flight. She’d managed to make it in the royal city; rich ponies looking for excitement flocked to her for travel advice, lured by the tales she spun in the travel section of the Equestrian Daily.

It was how she’d met Paradise; the other mare loved a good story almost as much as she loved traveling to exotic locations.

It didn’t really surprise Gusty that much to hear that the two pegasi had taken up with one another. If there was ever a match made in heaven, it was those two. They were both flighty and dramatic and full of wanderlust. It surprised her more that it had taken them as long as it had to realize they were perfect for each other. “…She didn’t just leave you by yourself, did she?” She queried, almost afraid to hear the answer. Little Lofty may have grown, but she was still not an adult.

“Oh, no!” Lofty smiled again, a subtle blush creeping its way across her muzzle, “She kind of dumped me on Fizzy’s doorstep before she left and I’ve been staying with her until I head off to Cloudsdale next spring for my flight academy exams. It’s been awesome staying with Fizzy and I help her in the shop and stuff. It’ll be real hard to go to Cloudsdale all alone.”

“You can always come back after?” At the tone of her voice –wistful and longing- Gusty felt an uncomfortable twisting in the pit of her stomach; something was setting off her alarms and again reminding her how awkward she felt around other ponies. But then, Fizzy herself had always made Gusty feel incredibly awkward; she was an unusual mare, bubbly, loud and eccentric where most Canterlot unicorns were much more subdued. But Fizzy’s exuberance and touchy-feely-ness hadn’t made her feel uncomfortable in the same way as most Canterlot ponies had, but rather in a way that had made her feel warm and strange, a way she had never felt before.

It seemed Fizzy had Lofty under the same spell.

“I’m gonna come back after. Mom got me a private tutor here to teach me to fly,” She rolled her eyes again at the thought of the tutor, who was possibly one of the most boring, scientific teachers she had ever encountered, “but there’s no real flight academy here, so I gotta go to Cloudsdale for my exam.”

“I see.” Gusty replied, not really seeing at all. She didn’t know much about pegasi, other than the fact that they were in charge of the weather and the crew in Ponyville sometimes helped her with clean-up in the park after a particularly bad storm.

“And I-” Whatever Lofty was about to say next was cut off by the distant peeling of a clock tower’s bell. One of her ears swiveled in the bell’s direction and she listened, counting the number of chime’s as they signified the hour. “Aw hay!” She swore, springing to action, unfurling her wings and priming them for flight, “I gotta go or I’ll be late!”

Gusty blinked, startled by the younger mare’s frantic actions. When Lofty backed up a few steps, lifting her wings, the unicorn noticed for the first time the bulging saddlebag she wore, the contents of which clanked together as she took off. “You remember where Fizzy’s shop is right?” She called down to the unicorn as she headed off, “Come by sometime! I bet she’d love to see you!”

She didn’t wait for a response, just fluttered off in a kind of wobbly arc over the street, pumping her wings as hard as possible.

And Gusty stood on the sidewalk, watching her departure with a thoughtful frown on her face.

Then she shook her head again, trotting off towards another shop and trying to focus again on finding a Hearth’s Warming gift for Gingerbread, a task which suddenly seemed even more impossible than before, with her mind wandering a million miles away to Neighbury Park.

Comments

[Listie The Scribe Maid]

(Joke) Alt. Title: All Is Calm... Except For Defender2222 Over There Not Shutting The Buck Up About How Much He Hates Hearth's Warming Eve!

[Cranberry Muffin]

1804167

You know, you're not cute.

[Listie The Scribe Maid]

1804178
I'm not funny either. Yet here I am.

[Cranberry Muffin]

1804185

Well, I'd suggest if you have nothing to say about the story itself, you move along.

[Listie The Scribe Maid]

1804194
I could, but you keep replying, meaning I have to come back.

[Lucky424]

Fizzy.....hmmm, remembering your blog post picture......she has the same hair colours a Gusty.....

Does she have a sister???

And Gusty just buy something dammit, Gingerbread will understand!!

[Cranberry Muffin]

1805336

Nope; totally not related at all! And you know, I never even realized they have similar coloring!

And the present has to be something special! This is the pony she loves, after all!

[Lucky424]

1805387 Damn. That could've made things even more interesting.

And if it is for the pony she loves, surely it is the thought and intentions that count, not the actual physical gift?
But I suppose it would be nice. Not that I'd know anything about it, my last girlfriend was about 8 years ago!!

[Cranberry Muffin]

1805411

Of course Gingerbread would appreciate any gift (especially one that's a kitchen gadget), but Gusty really wants it to be something really special.

[derpyhooves15]

Why not get her a wedding ring Gusty? That would be special and you know she would be surprised.