Fillydelphia Morning at Sugar Blooms [Open]

[StrawberryBlossom]

Raspberry Blossom trotted in from the back garden just as the birds really started singing, stifling a yawn with a hoof. Ugh - this was one of the downsides of her sister heading off to Ponyville. Someone had to tend her garden, someone had to bring the fruits in early so they could be used for the day's pastries, and that someone, somehow, was Raspberry.

Oh well. Fresh berries meant more for her to work with, and she was sure the extra work would show her what she was supposed to be doing. Raspberry had outgrown the stage of checking her haunch every few minutes for evidence of a cutie mark (sidelong glances at reflective surfaces she just happened to pass did NOT count), but that didn't mean she wasn't still waiting and hoping.

Setting that aside for now, she swung her full saddlebags onto the counter, absently catching and eating a raspberry that went rolling for freedom. Hm. Raspberry tortes could be the special of the day - she could arrange fresh berries in the shape of raspberry flowers, and use candied mint leaves for the raspberry leaves! Satisfied with her plan, she went straight to work; she knew her parents wouldn't mind this bit of initiative.

A few hours later, just as the streets outside were beginning to fill, the first batch of tortes was ready to go. Raspberry gently nudged one last mint leaf into place before stepping back to admire her handiwork.

"Beautiful," she said aloud, beaming at the treats. Almost a shame to eat them! Ah well, beauty is fleeting. She picked up the tray and headed out to the main shop area, setting the tortes on the display counter. Then, with careful steps (dainty like a pegasus or some other properly delicate filly, not clodding around like some overgrown monster), she walked to the front to turn the sign to 'OPEN'.

Her parents were already in the back working on fresh bread; the day was ready to begin proper.

[Chonico]

As Clay flew towards Fillydelphia, his heavy satchel tightly strapped onto his back causing him to constantly re-adjust his altitude, he could not help but be painfully aware of how early it was… again. He had run into a pony two days ago in Fillydelphia who was rather interested in his earthen wares, specifically his larger pots and asked if he could bring 5 of his best pieces to sell to her. He was more than happy to agree but was surprised when she set-up such an early time to meet. Well, early by his standards anyway, something he constantly reminded himself of. He was, by this point, completely sure that most ponies woke up before the crack of dawn. Something he lost the desire to do some time around entering colt-hood…

As he tried to stifle a yawn, his stomach suddenly reminded him of something he constantly forgot to do. *grumble* 'Yes, I know, I know!' He addressed his stomach with a somewhat miserable look on his face. The extra effort of flying with a heavier than usual load only made him regret forgetting to eat breakfast even more. 'Maybe I should make a sign and put it on the inside of my door… Breakfast! Eat! Now!' A slight tone of irritation crept into his voice as he suggested this idea to himself, realizing just in time that he was about to hit the top of a tree and pulled up to avoid it. Luckily for Clay, Fillydelphia was now visible in the distant. If he kept his speed, he'd be there earlier than he had planned or hoped for.

'I'm gonna get there early!? Oh, YES! I can get something to eat before I meet my client!' Clay's miserable expression suddenly gave way to glee as he forgot his argument with his stomach and began to imagine what goodies he would find in town. He could hardly contain himself as he increased his speed, his wings beating as fast as a humming bird. When he put his mind (stomach) to something, his wings always made sure he got there as fast as lightning.

As he entered the town of Fillydelphia, he began to scan the ground below, looking for a place to grab some grub. 'Hmm… Don't believe I've tried that place before.' He said to himself as he hovered over a pastry shop *grumble* 'Well, I guess that settles it!' Clay began to slowly descend and promptly landed in front of the pastry store. 'Sugar Blooms' read the sign outside the pastry store as Clay eyed the store-front and finally spotted what he was searching for. 'Look stomach! It's open!' The smile on his face only grew wider as he made peace with his stomach and made his way to the door.

Just as he was about to place a hoof on the door, he stopped as he remembered something. Letting out a somewhat resentful grunt, he shook his tail and stomped his feet. No matter what his plans were, he always found his way into the clay he kept at his workshop. One of these days though, he would remember to wash up before heading out. But that day wasn't today and, content with making sure he wouldn't be leaving pieces of dry clay or a mess on the floor of the pastry store, he pushed the door open and went inside.

[StrawberryBlossom]

Raspberry perked her ears as the door opened, smiling at the young stallion entered. Time to put her customer service skills to the test!

"Good morning, and welcome to Sugar Blooms!"

She trotted around the counter to greet him - still careful and dainty as she could manage.

"You're in luck - I just finished the morning's special a few minutes ago. Raspberry tortes today. We also have lemon cake, if that's more to your liking, and a few other goodies - feel free to have a look around and let me know when you decide!"

[Chonico]

The smell inside Sugar Blooms took Clay completely off guard. The air was filled with a plethora of sweet, almost warm smells, the like of which could only be found at a pastry store with some of the finest freshly baked goods. Subconsciously, Clay brought up his hoof to his mouth, trying to make sure he wasn't drooling. 'Everything looks and smells so good!' He thought to himself, 'Remember Clay, true you didn't have breakfast, but don't let your eyes get too big for your stomach.' So engrossed was he in his task of scanning the store, trying to take in every smell and delectable, that he nearly didn't hear the filly welcoming him into the store. With a quick jerk of his head and perked ears, snapping out of his internal debate, he observed and listened as the filly trotted around the counter.

'A Clydesdale at a pastry store?' Clay cocked his head to the side a little as the thought came to mind. 'Interesting, reminds me of what my teacher said about a bull in a china shop but…' With a quick look around the pastry store, Clay looked back at the filly with a somewhat questioning look. 'She is either very talented and a fellow artisan, or she didn't make these and why are you judging, she just said she finished the morning special, you shouldn't judge dummy, you know better than… *growl* ' His stomach suddenly reminded him of his purpose and left those final run-on thoughts ringing in his mind.

With a smile on his face, he approached the filly that welcomed him into the shop. 'Hi! I missed breakfast and *growl*' Clay blushed a little as his stomach made an even louder protest than he would have preferred. Tightening his wings closer to his sides, in an attempt to perhaps muffle any further noises, he cleared his throat and this time around grinned ashamedly as he raised a hoof to the back of his head and addressed the filly again. 'Everything in your store looks delicious. Don't suppose you offer samples?'

[Sparkdust]

Starshower stepped into the store carefully. She felt mildly ashamed of herself, having never even been here, though she had lived in Fillydelphia since she was a foal.

As soon as she stepped inside, she was immediately uncomfortable. There were too many other ponies in here. She seriously considered retreating out the door - Luna forbid she ever have to deal with a social situation - but two things kept her from turning tail and dashing back out the door.

One was the thought of what these other ponies might think of her, after suddenly appearing and then disappearing in the doorway. Starshower spent such a small amount of time actually within the city she lived in that she had no idea what her reputation was like, or if she had one - but if there was a reputation to be stamped upon her, she had a feeling it wasn't a positive one, and if there wasn't, she certainly didn't want to cause one.

The other reason was that the smell in pastry store was absolutely fantastic. If it were her choice, she would spend all of her time in her study out in Saddleveil plains, but she had to return to town for food every once in a while. This store seemed to be a great choice for grabbing some fast breakfast. She just wished that it weren't so occupied at the moment.

"I'm sure they'll go away soon," she mumbled to herself, hovering nervously near the door.

[daftBLUE]

"Most of the stores I usually visit are closed now." Re-roll said to himself as he trotted down the street. He noticed another shop to his right that looked nice. The store appeared to be open, so Re-roll went for a closer look. "Sugar Blooms, huh? Might be worth a look." he said to no-one in particular.

Inside, the store seemed very nice. A few ponies were already inside the store. "Must be workers." Re-roll said to himself. Not to mention...the smell. It smelt so nice in there. He was suprised he hadn't discovered it earlier, as he'd lived in Fillydelphia for a while now. Maybe his regular excursions to Ponyille had prevented him from finding it until now.

Re-roll couldn't take it anymore. He needed some breakfast, now. He couldn't run the game store on an empty stomach. He noticed another pony dithering in the door, as if she didn't know whether she wanted to go in or not. Re-roll approached the door and went inside, looking around.

[Darkshine]

Artsybelle was supposed to be in Fillydelphia on business for her dad. He trusted her to pick up whatever supplies he needed, or drop off whatever he'd ask her to bring into town with her. She was also supposed to go visit her mother afterwards like she'd promised, even though she hated the long talks of how she should have focused more on being academic.

Instead, she was standing in front of Sugar Blooms practically drooling at the display of pastries, breads and pies laid in the window. She took a deep breath, and made a little squee noise of delight. She LOVED raspberries! She walked in, looking about at the different ponies that had gathered to no doubt enjoy the tasty smelling treats. She was grinning and humming softly to herself as she got in line to order.

"Mom and dad shouldn't be too upset with me if I detour a bit, especially if I bring them back something tasty to eat," she reasoned to herself. She knew full well her parents practically expected her to wander a bit, and even admitting she was a bit short-attention-spanned sometimes. But she liked where her eyes... or in this case her nose, lead her sometimes.