[Ponyville] What the Wind Blew In (Open, Inkwell)

[selphie_trabia]

For a wanderer pony, Jambalaya was surprisingly unenthusiastic about travelling. One might even say that she hated it. She'd breeze into a town, do some odd jobs for a few bits, then breeze out again, never managing to make more than a few friends and spending most of her time out on the road.

So, when her long-time friend and penpal, Inkwell mentioned his new apartment in Ponyville in his letters, she couldn't help but envy the young fellow.

When he asked her to visit, Jambalaya couldn't get to a quill fast enough to take him up on his offer. She immediately got back on the road, her nose pointed towards Ponyville.

As she trotted into Ponyville, her cart hitched to her on the outside of her dress, Jambalaya kept her head held high, excited to meet her old friend once again. She'd prepared plenty of gifts for him during her part-time applebucking job in Appleloosa.

The young mare checked the address that she'd written down once again, then looked around to see if she could spot any landmarks.

[Inkwell]

Inkwell hadn't been a very social pony when he was young. Most of the opportunities he'd had to make friends in his early foalhood had passed him by. I'll get the next one, he always said. We probably wouldn't have been that great as friends anyway. It was an insecure lie that he'd gladly rid himself of as soon as he left Trottingham.

Jambalaya had been one of the rare exceptions to the rule. She was a nice filly who didn't have anything bad to say about him, and before long both of them had managed to open up to each other and talk among themselves. Then, of course, her family had to leave. They'd barely spent any time together before then, and Inkwell was heartbroken. If it weren't for the suggestion that they write letters to each other, Inkwell might have given up on friendship altogether!

But write they did, and Inkwell took refuge in writing, being able to fully compose his thoughts on paper instead of being put on the spot with real-live conversation. Even after he got more sociable, he still enjoyed every letter from Jambalaya relating how she grew and developed into a fine young mare, just like she did for him. When he got the opportunity to invite her to Ponyville and see her in person, he was ecstatic!

Now if only he could find her. This was the right day for the meeting, and he'd given the right address, but he forgot to give her directions to navigate an unfamiliar town! He headed to the town square and looked around for several minutes until he saw a familiar mare wearing a nice dress and pulling a cart. "Jambalaya?" he asked her, giving her a genial smile.

[selphie_trabia]

The town square was fairly busy for a weekday. Ponies were trotting about and it seemed that a lively market was going on. Not wanting to block the traffic, Jambalaya carefully parked her cart and stood by the sidewalk. She examined the letter in more detail, trying to figure out where on earth Inkwell actually stayed. There were apartment buildings, for sure, but she wasn't exactly sure which one was his.

"Jambalaya, ye doofus. Ye forgot the instructions to get there." she muttered to herself. "That en ye lost again!"

It never occured to Jambalaya to ask for directions. The white mare just stood by the side of the market looking rather lost.

After a few moments in her own thoughts, Jambalaya found herself interrupted by an unfamiliar voice. She looked up, her head tilting in the direction of the sound. She stared at the beige pony in front of her, until a glint of recognition came to her.

"Oh my stars! Issat you, Inkwell! My my my ye put on weight! Why, I say ye doubled in size since-a last time I saw ye!" she giggled, winking at the young colt. "I've gitten biggah alla 'round too."

She trotted over to Inkwell, pulling the cart behind her.

[Inkwell]

Yep, it was her, alright. Nopony else Inkwell knew talked with an accent like that. He smiled and prepared to talk more until Jamba mentioned that he'd gained weight. That one statement made him blush, backing up a bit and turning his head to look at his waist. Did... did she just say he got fatter? It didn't look like he'd gained weight. Maybe he put on a few pounds since he arrived in Ponyville, but surely it wasn't that bad! He supposed he hadn't really been exercising all that much lately.

Oh. She just meant that he'd grown up since they last met as foals. Comprehension dawned on his face as he chuckled nervously. "I-I'll say you have! You've grown into a fine young mare!" He looked down at the ground and scratched at the dirt with his hoof. Did she really have to put it in such an awkward manner?

"So," he said, trying to get things moving again. "That's your cart, huh? I have one too. Recent acquisition. It's better for selling my paintings and stuff than just using my saddlebags." He shook his back and jostled around the large bags at his sides to emphasize his point. They looked spacious, but barely big enough to fit a single painting and easel in each.

[selphie_trabia]

Jambalaya grinned at Inkwell, missing the younger colt's discomfort entirely.

"Bless ye fer sayin' so. Ye a pretty good lookin' catch yeself." she smiled at him, "Dis cart is a fine ting. See's sturdy and dependable, good for all weather and 'ardly ever gets stuck inna road! I wrote ye about it, no? Mamma and Pappa give it me when I left-a caravan."

A slight flash of sadness crossed Jambalaya's face as she mentioned leaving. In all honesty, she'd been kicked out of the caravan rather than left. She put the thought out of her mind and continued her conversation with Inkwell.

Jambalaya eyed Inkwell's saddlebags warily, "I bet dey don't 'old much. But ye must 'ave a fine cart on accounts ye work so 'ard. Dis cart 'as all my tings in it and some gifts for ye and ye friends ye wrote me."

[Inkwell]

Inkwell shrugged, the motion barely moving his saddlebags. "Well, yeah, they don't do much for paintings and materials for more salable works, but it's a great fit for my sketchbooks and pencils. Plus it's really comfy, you know? I kinda feel naked without it."

Now that he thought about it, Jamba wasn't exactly naked herself. She wore a very conservative dress that barely exposed an inch of her coat. It looked great on her, he admitted, but did she actually travel while wearing it? It looked like too nice a dress to wear on the open road. "Where'd you pick that up?" he asked her. "Looks like a nice find."

He remembered that Jamba had her own cart and glanced at it, then remembered that she brought him gifts in it! "You did?" he exclaimed. "Oh Jamba, you shouldn't have! I would've been happy just to see you again after all these years!" Without thinking twice, he embraced her in a friendly hug. "And I didn't get you anything at all! Can I take a rain check or something?"