It's Always Sunny In Baltimare
It’s Always Sunny In Baltimare
My twin brother Storm Runner and I have been close for as long as I can remember. Save that I was born a filly and he a colt we were almost identical too; same yellow coat, navy blue manes and brilliant azure eyes. We shared and did almost everything together. So when the day came that we got our cutie marks, it was somewhat disappointing to us when we discovered that was something we wouldn't be able to share as well, Many twins get identical cutie marks, but though ours were both cloud designs, his came with a pair of lightning bolts, and mine with a pair of raindrops.
It was disturbing enough that we feared it would drive a wedge between us, but luckily our parents reassured us that it was not a flaw or mistake. Feeling relief over that, we accepted that despite everything, even if we would never be exactly the same, our devotion to each other would be stronger. That we vowed.
Flying was in our blood, and we always loved to soar through the skies, no matter what weather was scheduled, even nearing eighteen we still could be caught frolicking among the clouds. Though I was more often skybound than he was. One day I found myself lying on a fluffy white cloud enjoying the warm afternoon sun which would soon be interrupted.
“Hey, little sis! There you are!” I heard the teasing voice of my brother, call out and I immediately tensed up, preparing myself for the inevitable. He would either jump me or bust my cloud while diving under me.
As I predicted, he dove straight on top of me just as I managed to roll over onto my back, and the next moment we became a furious ball of wrestling hooves and flailing wings. Roughhousing was another one of our routines that we greatly enjoyed. Never too serious of course, but I will admit that I tended to be more rough on him than he ever was to me.
Then I saw an opening and snagged a hold of one of his ears with my teeth and yanked his head to the side by twisting my own away, making him wince and nicker loudly in complaint. “Ow! Cloud, not the ears!”
Releasing the sensitive appendage I gave it a nudge in apology yet snickered at him. “Or else what, brother? Going to cry about it?” Then tried to lift and fly up some.
He didn’t let me, of course, and grabbed my tail, pulling me back down while I whinnied at him defiantly. I was no match for his strength, and he quickly wrestled me against the cloud again and pinned me down.
Grinning up at him, I snorted, “Dirty trick!”
“Says the ear-biting filly” He scoffed, and glared playfully before a smirk crossed his features that made me blink. I didn’t like the look of that, what was he up to?
Then his forehooves moved to my ribs and I began to struggle as I realized what he was about to do. “Please, Stormy, not tha—” but before I could finish my sentence, he dug in and began to tickle me without mercy, my words turning into squeals and helpless laughter.
“What was that, Cloudy? I couldn’t understand you at all with all that squealing. More?” he snarked while I desperately tried to protect my ribs and sides with my wings.
Tears streaked down my face while I writhed under his assault and managed to squeak some words out. “P-Please stop, Storm, b-before I completely embarrass myself.” I would lose control of my bladder if he kept it up for much longer.
Thankfully he nodded and let up on the tickling, smiling down at me. “Aw, all right, but only because you beg so cutely when you’re losing.” Then he got off of me and stepped back.
I quickly rolled onto my belly and folded my wings tightly against my sides, giving him a pouty glare. “Jerk, what if I wet myself?”
He laughed and leaned down to nuzzle my cheek. “Nah, Cloudy, I know just how far I can push you.”
I snorted at him, but did return the sign of affection. Jerk or not, he was my sibling, and I loved him despite the tickle tortures and his ego the size of Equestria. And woe to anypony daring to lay a hoof on him.
Helping me to my hooves, he nickered kindly, “How many days off do you have left, sis?”
“Until after the weekend,” I replied, having been given a few days off because I had taken over a few shifts from colleagues who had been sick these last weeks. Both me and Stormy worked for the local weather team to take care of the rougher weather. He usually started earlier than me, but even so, our work day often ended at similar times. Admittedly, I could be a bit lazy.
Another point was the fact that we were expected to split the chores at after work since our parents were often on business trips to Manehattan, so when one of us was home earlier or had a day off while they were gone, that pony would take care of cleaning or groceries, and the other would help as soon as his or her shift ended. But more often than not we ended up taking care of the chores together.
He nodded. “Alright, do you have any idea for dinner?” he asked, and his stomach growled in response.
I gave a stern look and nickered, “You skipped lunch again today, didn’t you?” The guilty look on my brother’s face told me enough for me to roll my eyes at him. “Stop starving yourself Storm!” I bristled and swatted him with my wing.
“Sorry! Sorry!” he responded while attempting to escape my righteous punishment. “It was just super busy at work, and I lost track of time and forgot.”
Staring him down, I huffed and dove off the cloud. “Come on featherbrain, let’s eat outdoors today.” I soared down towards the city, knowing he was not far behind.
The streets of Baltimare were bustling with ponies at this hour, coming back from work or shopping, a lot of ponies also headed to one of the swimming pools or other places to cool off on a hot summer day.
The beach was a crowded area most times of the year, which wasn’t all that surprising. The warm sand and clear blue waters attracted tourists from all over Equestria, some even hailing from far away places like the Crystal Empire and Zebrica.
Landing on the wooden boards of the promenade, I gazed out over the sandy dunes towards the ocean, and a smile crossed my muzzle. “You know, brother? We could go swimming tomorrow.” Why had I not thought of that earlier? It was a great pastime in this heat but instead I had spent all my time above the clouds as usual.
“Sure,” he said. “There wasn’t any rain or storms planned for the rest of the week right?”
I shook my head. “No, clear skies for the rest of the weekend, and you only need to work for half a day tomorrow, right?”
He smiled falling into step with next to me. “Yup, I’m all yours in the afternoon, sis.”
I flashed him a smile of my own and snorted bumping my hip into his. “Don’t say it like that; ponies might be getting the wrong idea. I love you dearly, but we’d never hear the end of it.”
He sputtered a laugh and kissed my cheek with a horrible grin on his muzzle. “Is that how my little sister thinks about me? I would never had thought you the type, Cloudy, but if that is what my sister would like…”
I stared at him, feeling my cheeks flush, blinking a few times before trying to form words. “W-what? No! Storm Runner, what the hay?” Sweet Celestia, how could he say things like that so casually?
“I’m kidding! I’m kidding!” Storm laughed, and drew me closer with his wing. “But yes, I love you too.” I nodded and leaned against him. He was an oddball at times, but in the end he knew I would forgive him anyway. Then we headed out looking for a place to have dinner.
Baltimare is a big city, over the years it has really expanded thanks to tourism, mostly due the warm beaches and sunny weather I mentioned before. As for our population, that is really a mixed bag. Of course many ponies live here, this being Equestria and all, but griffons, minotaurs and even the occasional Saddle Arabian can be found here as well.
And if the old grapevine is to believed, even a few changelings that have gotten sick of their life in a hive.
Well I didn’t really mind all that, I was not a discriminating pony at all. If you lived in harmony with the rest of us and were good to those around you, I would be okay with you, even if you were a changeling or a former monster.
But soon we found ourselves trotting into a nice little place, and sat down at a table. The interior was mostly wood and a lot of seafood was on the menu, like so many places here. Yet it looked comfy and caught our interest.
A lanky sea blue unicorn mare, approached us and offered a warm welcoming smile. “Hello and welcome to The Shifting Tides; I am Ocean Song. Are you ready to order?”
My curiosity got piqued by a dish called “the seaweed special”, which was apparently a meal made with a variety of steamed vegetables wrapped into small rolls of seaweed, and I had never tried seaweed before.
“The seaweed special for me please,” I nickered kindly and smiled in return.
Our hostess nodded and turned to my brother, who ordered the same. We often tried new things together, and new kinds of food were no exception. Ocean Song trotted off to prepare our meals and I whinnied quietly at Storm Runner to get his attention.
“What is it, Cloudy?” he asked in a low whisper himself, offering a smile.
“Well, Storm, what do you think seaweed tastes like? I never had it and am suddenly wondering if I was too hasty with my choice,” I answered, fluttering my wings a little before setting them neatly against my sides again. “What if it tastes horrible?”
“Then we politely ask if we can take the rest with us and subtly throw it away later.” He shrugged. “And if not, we do it like we did back home with mom and dad, I guess?”
“Just eat it and make disgusting faces?” I offered helpfully.
“Yup, but don’t let it be noticed by our kind host, of course.” Well, that was a given. That would be very rude and Ocean Song did not deserve that.
Some time later Ocean Song returned to our table, balancing two plates on her back while levitating two glasses and a bottle of water with her telekinesis. The scents wafting from our meals were new but certainly not unpleasant, and after placing our plates in front of us, the older unicorn mare gave us an expectant look.
“Well I hope you enjoy your meal, dears.” She smiled, then waited patiently to see if we needed something more before moving back to the counter.
I nodded gratefully and took a bite from one of the seaweed rolls. Much to my surprise and delight, my mouth exploded in a variety of flavors. The blend of steamed vegetables and the salty taste of seaweed were delicious, my eyes widening in surprise while a content groan escaped me.
Storm Runner’s reaction wasn’t any different, and we looked up at Ocean Song simultaneously, simple awe undoubtedly on our faces. “No disgusted faces or take-out requests then?” she chuckled subtly, and our ears immediately flattened in embarrassment. Apparently she had excellent hearing.
I swallowed the bite and gave the mare a meek smile. “We’re so sorry, Miss Ocean Song.” I muttered while watching my brother slowly scoop a second seaweed roll into his muzzle, Sneaky mule, letting me do all the awkward apologizing.
She trotted a little closer and gave a short joyful laugh. “That is alright, my dear; most ponies that try the dish are sceptical at first. But I’m glad that you two like it though.”
Nodding, Storm then asked, “Do you harvest this seaweed yourself, Miss?” Also being curious about that, much like my brother, I too tilted my head at our host.
“Yep! Every morning I head out into the reef to collect a few fresh batches. It also helps that I know a few spells that help me breathe and see underwater, mind,” she answered. I admit that I was impressed. She seemed like a hard worker.
She then sat down and flicked her ears a little. “You kids from around here?” she asked us kindly.
We nodded again, to which she chuckled. “Yes Ma’am,” I nickered. “Born here and part of the local weather team. I’m Cloud Dancer and my brother is called Storm Runner.”
“I see, nice to meet you both. I have a daughter around your age living in Ponyville but she rarely visits.I don’t see siblings that look so similar very often though,” Ocean Song replied.
“Not surprising,” Storm snarked. “My sister is hidden above the clouds most of the time.”
I snorted, giving him an annoyed glare. “Not all the time! Just frequently. I like it up there. Besides, you’re one to talk, Mister I-visit-Game-Stable-all-the-time.”
Ocean Song laughed merrily then tutted at us. “Now, now, kids. No fighting at the table; you’re both pretty.”
We both huffed, but quit arguing. “Well I’ll leave you two to your dinner then, would you like more water?” Ocean Song asked.
Shaking our heads got another chuckle out of Ocean Song. We resumed our meal while she headed back into the kitchen.
It didn’t take us long to finish however, and after paying and saying goodbye to Ocean Song, we headed outside. Then Storm Runner nuzzled my cheek. “I’m sorry Cloudy, you’re not really mad at me, are you?”
I shook my head, I had not been all that agitated. “No I’m not, but sometimes you really try my patience with your antics.” then snorted. “But we should go and eat there more.”
He nodded. He even took seconds and I rarely saw my brother take seconds when we tried something new for dinner. “That we should, sis. Did you want to want to go somewhere else by the way? Or are you ready to head home?”
Seeing as I yawned right into my brother’s face that very moment, my decision seemed clear. I always got a little drowsy after a fine meal. “Home please. The food left me feeling full and a bit sleepy.”
He smiled and nodded, following me as I lifted off and headed out towards our home. Our cloudhome was reached soon enough. And I swiftly unlocked the door before making a beeline for the living room and my current best friend, the sofa.
Storm closed the door and made his way to the kitchen. “Want something to drink before your nap, Cloudy?” he asked me while I heard him open the fridge, knowing I often couldn’t manage to stay awake once I found a comfy spot
“No thank you, dear brother,” I answered somewhat drowsily as I flopped down onto the aforementioned sofa. Today had been good— I had a nice afternoon in the clouds, wrestled my brother and then discovered a very tasty new dish to boot.
So all in all I was a very content pegasus. Soon I heard Stormy stumble in kitchen a moment before hearing him head my way, and after he settled in behind me on the sofa I just snuggled into him before drifting off into a pleasant slumber.
At that time I didn’t pay much attention to the strange rumbling outside...
Author's Note
After a time of absence, here is my newest work. Enjoy!
-Snow
