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Arrival at Canterlot (Private)


TheOne

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Steady hoofsteps could be heard on the pavement as a gray pony slowly went through the gates of Canterlot. His green eyes were looking around with great curiosity that matched the one of a young colt. Many years passed since Gray's last visit in his hometown, Canterlot. He remembered this place a bit differently, but it didn't change much. It never did. The same old buildings, guarded by the same guards. In one way it made this place feel a bit... boring but put a sense of security into this stallion's heart.

 

On Gray's back a simple coat could be visible, covering him a bit and atop it sat two pouches, filled to the brim, barely closed due to the contents almost spilling out. Signs of usage could be seen from afar as slight rips and torns that were unprofessionally sewed together stood out quite a bit on the brown surface of the pouches.


After a minute or so of just walking around and looking at the buildings Gray stopped and breathed in with a smile on his face before quickly taking off his pouches to quickly place his coat aside. This revealed his bright gray fur along with a yellow shield that was visible at his flank with a slight scar just above it. The stallion took out a small purse out of one of the pouches before stuffing his coat in its place, stretching the pouch to its limit. After a second a couple of coins of various colors and flew out of the purse, surrounded by a yellow aura as Gray's horn lit up the same way. 
"This should be enough..." He muttered under his breath before placing the coins back into the purse, keeping it close to him. With a quick move, using his magic  Gray got his pouches back onto his back before looking around once again, searching for something specific this time. A flower shop. And fair enough, there was one. Without even reading the name of the shop he quickly made his way towards it, opening the doors quickly before entering. 


Gray looked a bit out of place. His messy mane with a few white hairs here and there along with a fur that definitely didn't saw a broom in quite some time made him stand out in the noble nature of Canterlot. Some could maybe call him homeless if it wasn't for the full pouches on his back and the purse that was levitating slightly next to him. But Gray was used to that.

The stallion slowly made his way to the counter, taking his time to look around carefully before turning to anyone that was on the other side of the table "Good afternoon. I would like a small bouquet." His voice was slightly hoarse but had this hint of kindness in it and his eyes had a slight blink of joy mixed with tiredness inside them.

 

 

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The florists was a quaint little shop, the interior all soft pastel colors of pink and gold trim, with a floor of smooth, cream stone tiles. Various displays along the walls and hanging from the ceilings showed off the flowers that were being sold here in various colors and arrangements- most of them could be noted to be roses. The large display windows at the front of the shop let in a lot of light, while a small golden chandelier hung overhead to provide light in the darker hours.

 

The florist herself was at the rear of the shop, behind the counter in a simple dress of muted reds that was outside her usual, dark choices. Her back was to the front door as she fussed over a few arrangements, ensuring that they looked proper enough to be seen by any potential customers. Her ears twitched, the soft ding of the bell hanging over the door alerting her to one such pony.

 

Rose smoothly turned and paused when she caught sight of who had wandered into her shop, sharp green eyes picking up on every little disheveled detail with a cursory sweep. Something ever so slightly changed in her expression as she made a few assumptions about the stallion just from his appearance alone.. but he seemed to be a paying customer, if the cloth purse being levitated by his magic was any indication. If they could pay, she wouldn't turn a pony away.. even if they did look like they spent a lot of time sleeping outside. Although.. the stallion didn't look dirty, only disheveled.

 

"Afternoon.. A small bouquet?" Rose echoed, her voice low and rich with the hint of an accent. "Of course. What sort of bouquet are you looking for? Standard red roses seem to be a.. common.. choice among ponies, but I have plenty of others in colors as rich as the red roses. White, blue, violet, pink.. I can even make an arrangement of a few different colors, if it's desired." Rose leaned on the counter with her forelegs crossed on it as she cut to details she often had to ask of customers. There were quite a few choices, after all, and she'd hate to guess. A hoof idly toyed with a red lock of her mane in the ensuing silence, her eyes never shifting away.

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The shop looked quite pleasant to the stallion as he slowly made his way to the counter. Those pastel colors and all the flowers that were laid out for display made the whole place look almost magical in a sense, which made staying here a pleasure. Somepony defenietly had to put in a lot of work to maintain such a nice look to the shop and it was quite impressive.

 

Gray looked at the mare that made her way to the counter and smiled a bit hearing her voice. To him she seem mostly like a usual pony in Canterlot. Tidy, elegant, neat. It did remind him of his old days here, in Canterlot when he used to be a bit like her. Maybe not as slick but defenietly cleaner then he was now

Hearing the questions that were directed towards him made him think. He wasn't sure what he wanted to buy."Maybe you could advise me?" He asked with a bit of a nervous smile appearing on his face. "Those floweres are for an elder mare. She defenietly loves roses and I was thinking about buying something in a bit lighter tones..." He said after a second of two. "It doesn't need to be anything fancy. Just an ordinery bouquet" Gray added shortly after. This stallion had almost no knowlage in floweres and such things alike so asking for some help was probably the best idea.

 

 

 

 

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A thin brow arched and the corners of her mouth twitched, a smile that she was resisting to show. It was mostly amusement she was trying to hide. An older mare? Well, it could be anypony and mean anything to this grey stranger. Whatever the case, she wasn't sure what exactly she found so amusing about the answer. "Light colors? I think I have an idea what this older mare of yours might like." Rose flicked away the lock that she'd been toying with and slipped away from the counter, moving to peruse the various roses she had on display without another word.

 

Seeing the colors she thought of, the pegasus carefully gathered a few of each from their displays and brought them back to the counter, using both hooves and the wrists of her wings to carefully arrange them. Roses of soft blue, white, and sunny yellow. They were bright, pleasant colors an older mare might appreciate decorating her home, if that was the intention. "Whether it's a 'fancy' bouquet or not, it should at least look nice for her." Rose stated it as if it were the most obvious fact as she slowly wrapped the flowers' cut stems; the ends of them were cut at a sharp angle to help them last longer. "So, who is this older mare of yours?" Some curiosity edged into her voice as she ventured to ask the question, allowing herself to be a little nosy. Most ponies liked to speak freely about many things, especially those of Canterlot with their penchant for gossip. However, she wasn't sure if this stallion was from Canterlot.. mostly because of her own assumptions about the state of him.

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The Green eye of the stallion looked carefully at the pegasus not noticing the smile the mare was trying to hide as she told him she might have an idea and went away from the counter. Gray learned a bit on the table, slowly sliding his pouches off of his back as the stallion though it might take a while and it is always better to have his back rest at least the slightest bit. They quietly landed on the ground next to him and Gray stretched his back a bit. It already was numb.

Seeing the mare put the roses in front of him and skillfully put them together was rather interesting. She seemed as someone who has some this many, many times before. When the bouquet was finished Gray looked at it with a smile "It definitely looks nice" he said as he looked at the Mare in front of him.

When the mare asked him about who those flowers were for he looked at the flowers once again. From her voice, Gray could work out that she was Actually interested in his answer instead of it being just a typical question to make the customer feel a bit better in the shop. "It's for my mother. I rarely come here to visit so I figured it would be nice to buy her some flowers" he answered before moving his gaze back to the mare "How much for the bouquet?" he asked before opening his purse and waiting for her to answer

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Rose made a soft noise in her throat and gently settled the newly made bouquet on the customer's side of the counter, within easy hoof-reach. There was a slight, proud lift of her head after she'd heard his compliment. "As it should," she replied. "I'd be doing a bad job if they didn't." Crossing her forelegs on the edge of the counter, Rose leaned against it, lending an ear to the stallion's answer. His mother. Her head tilted as she considered a few different questions to ask, knowing the possibilities behind the visit. Was his mother dead, buried in a graveyard? Or was it a simple visit? What was a real mother like?

 

This last question was clamped down on tight before she could find herself tempted to ask it. Why, of all times, would she let herself get sentimental now around a stranger? In Canterlot? It would be a weakness, and nothing that she'd want to be a source of gossip. "How nice of you. So, you don't live around here?" she queried, carefully phrasing her question to avoid making her assumptions about him obvious. She could presume from the fact that his mother did meant he used to, but hadn't stayed. Nonetheless.. Her eyes flicked to his unbrushed mane for the briefest moment.

 

"Eight bits," Rose stated the price. Canterlot wasn't cheap, and neither was her shop. She put a lot of time, and admittedly love, into growing these flowers to be sold as decorations, or gifts. She wouldn't under price herself for anything.

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Gray noded a bit as the mare took his compliment. She definitely was a perfectionist. Or at least Gray though so. But what could he actually know about her? She was just a stranger behind a counter. But to be honest, he has met quite a lot of ponies in that way, which turned out to be great friends or even companions so he wasn't the kind to shy away from a casual conversation. Plus, it always is nice to chat with someone, even for just a minute or so.

 

The second question of the mare made him chuckle a bit as he looked at himself "I guess you could have already guessed that I don't really fit in here." He said before turning his eyes back to her "But I used to, which you could probably tell as well" Gray said, getting a slight breeze of nostalgia sweep over him. "Right now I come here once in a while. Pay a visit to some friends. And my family of course. It's a sort of tradition at this point." He added before looking back at the flowers which laid on the counter. Without hesitation, Gray grabbed the bouquet with his magic and raised it slightly, waiting for the mare to name the price of these decorations. As he heard the amount he squinted a bit but quickly went back to his previous state, trying to not show that this price hurt him quite a bit. Of course, he had enough, but he wasn't expecting to spend so much on this. Well, he was already too far into the transaction to cancel. And so, eight coins flew out of the stallion's purse before landing on the counter.


"So. You've asked me a couple of questions so I figure it would be my time to ask something as well" He said with an ever so slight smile present on his face. "This shop is quite something. Does it belong to you or are you just a clerk here?" He asked, slowly retracting the rest of the purse back into his pouch, squeezing it in between all his stuff. Looking at all those things inside that were currently laying on the floor already made his back hurt. But it was the best way he knew to get everything he needed with him during his travels.

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"I have, and I can," Rose answered simply, picking up the change in the stallion's expression over the price. Maybe it was pricey, but it was Canterlot.. and the time and effort she put into growing such flowers made it worth it. In her opinion, anyway. Her tail slowly swayed behind her while the stallion mentioned how frequently he visited Canterlot while he took his flowers and paid. One of her dusky pink hooves swept the eight coins towards her and Rose went about putting them into the register. It'd all be collected later, after the shop closed.

 

"I'd hope this place would be 'quite something.' I'm the owner," Rose purred, settling back into her previous place against the counter. "I sank a lot of time into ensuring this place stood up to the ah.. standards Canterlot places on so much. It's quite high, but I think I've managed well enough." Her tone was matter-of-fact. Rose wasn't an arrogant mare by any stretch, but she was terribly proud of how far she'd managed to come in a country like Equestria as a foreigner. And, foreigner she might be, she was here to stay with her acquired citizenship and all. Her observant eyes idly watched the stallion squeezing his bit purse back in with the rest of his belongings. "Do you travel often, or.. ? You're carrying quite a lot for somepony who's passing through Canterlot on a visit," she mused, returning her gaze to his face. If she was going to carry on an extended conversation with this rare customer, she might as well find out who he was..

 

"So, what's your name, by the way?"

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Gray knew that the prices in here were rediculously high but he seems to forget it from time to time. Luckly he has a habit of saving money so it isn't a lot of trouble, but still every stay here hurts his purse a lot. Especially if he decides to stay here for longer than two days.

Gray nodded to the answer of the mare that was standing in front of him. He figured that keeping up to the standards of Royal capital was a hassle at least. "You did a great job" he said taking a look around the shop once again. He wasn't a hard pony to impress but wasn't the easiest either since he have seen a lot of places before "There is nothing to complain about" he said with a small smile towards the mare.

Gray chuckled a bit on Her question. It was quite easy to guess he was traveling a lot. If not from the pouches than his overall state. Used clothes, messy mane. "Yes. I travel quite a lot. I can't even remember how many years have passed sinced I left this city." He said with a Small sight of nostalgia "It's the way I live. From town to town, traversing Equestria far and wide." He added as he looked at his pouches with a smirk. They never let him down.

"I'm Gray Shield. Pleasure to meet you" he said with a slight bow "And what about you?" he asked with his eyes focused on her. Gray met a lot of ponies during his travels and tried to remember as many as possible so he did his best to embed every name in his memory. It usually didn't work, but who knows. Maybe he will remember this one.
 

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A small smile finally managed to break the neutral, if slightly bored, expression on Rose's face. Even though she knew that he wasn't used to the high standards of Canterlot, and didn't hold the same, she still knew she had plenty to be proud of- any bit of attention or praise given towards something she'd put effort into was well received by her. "I'm glad to hear it."

 

Leaning forward, she lifted a leg to curl it under her chin, at rest and quietly attentive to her lingering customer. It was nice he'd decided to stick around a little while longer. She rarely had anypony who came in for a lengthy conversation. Maybe a little gossip here and there, and the usual back and forth of questions and answers to find out what a customer might want, but no real conversation- in Rose's view, anyway. "Oh? I've yet to see most of Equestria, though it's quite green and pleasant. And the way it changes colors in the fall is enjoyable." In time, perhaps, she could hire somepony she could trust to care for her flowers and run her shop so that she could take a much-needed tour of Equestria, and see its various locations for herself. How long had he been away from Canterlot, she wondered, and how old was this pony? His eyes made him seem young, but the rest of him.. Rose wasn't certain.

 

"What is it like, to live the life of a nomad like that?" she asked curiously. There was a small pause after the stallion, Gray Shield, introduced himself. Rose almost offered her hoof as she replied with her own, torn between shaking his hoof as Equestrians often did, and refusing to be touched. "Ophelia Rose, though I prefer merely 'Rose'."

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The smile that appeared on mare's face was rewarding. Gray knew that someponies in Canterlot would try to never smile no matter what. And that was one of the reasons that Gray left this city behind. It was just... Too proud of itself and its higher class. So the little curl up on her lips was rather... warming.

Gray noticed the attentiveness of her and enjoyed it. The fact that someone could actually listen instead of just pretending was definitely welcome. Especially since he didn't really talk to anyone in quite some time. Traveling from one place to another without flying or using trains was both tiresome and time-consuming. But there just was something that Gray enjoyed about it. Maybe it was the freedom, maybe something else. Not even Gray was sure. "It definitely is worth it. Of course not everyone has time for such things and usually, it is quite costly, but if you can, you should definitely go on a little trip here and there" He answered a bit more lightened up and lively. "If you ask me, it's better to travel during late summer. It's still warm and pleasant, plus you can see the shift in color over a couple of days." He added smiling a bit.

"What is it like?" Gray tilted his head a bit, thinking about the answer for a second "Tiring... Definitely tiring. But it has its pluses" He said and chuckled a bit "You get to see the world, meet   a lot of interesting ponies..." He started to list, his head tilting from side to side with each thing "But of course there are also drawbacks." He said with a slight smirk "For one, I rarely have time to take care of myself" He said looking up at his messy mane "Plus money can be a problem as well. Without a stable job, you have to rely on luck. And often you end up starving through a day..." He said and shrugged a bit "I don't mind, though. It's all worth it in the end. At least for me" He said with a note of enthusiasm in his voice.

Hearing the name of the mare he nodded his head a bit forward. He was used to not shaking hooves, especially here, in Canterlot. "Rose. I will try to remember" He said with a slight smile towards the mare

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Rose took Gray's answers into consideration with a soft noise in her throat, quietly expressing that she was listening to him still rather than letting her attention drift from his voice. "I've been considering it. I've been in Equestria for six years now, and yet I've never tried to see what all there was beyond the city I arrived in, and Canterlot. The view this city provides on its mountainside perch is quite wonderful throughout all four seasons, but.. it's not the same as experiencing something first-hoof. Like pictures. You don't get the same experience." She tilted her head, some of her lengthy red mane pooling on the edge of the polished counter. "Perhaps once I find somepony who knows how to take care of my shop, I might see.. It's been ages since I've spread my wings."

 

The pegasus wasn't sure how strong her wings would be for flight- at least prolonged flight. It wasn't as if she flew all that often, as though not doing so meant she could preserve her dignity as one of the higher class. Well.. It was entirely possible she was limiting herself for a silly reason, something that had been in the back of her mind on occasion- the conversation she was having with this near-stranger reminded her again.

 

"Seeing the world and meeting new ponies sounds.. interesting, though the lack of self care is not. I am not one to worry about money, so that will not be an issue." Briefly, a few suggestions swarmed her mind to give to Gray about his money problem, but if he didn't mind.. Her unwarranted attempt to help would be a waste of both their time. "I'll try to remember your name, too," she replied, a corner of her mouth twitching up in a smirk. As something occurred to her, she found it tempting to find somepony to travel with.. Just not so soon.

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The view from Canterlot that mare mention was indeed something, but exactly like she said, getting the closer look was always better. "Yes. To be honest, this whole adventure, if you can call it like this, started because of these sights. That's why I decided to leave Canterlot and head towards some of the nearby forests and towns that I never been able to go to before, just so I can finally experience the beauty of them for myself" He said, going back in memory many years back. When Rose mentioned her wings Gray quickly looked at them with a bit of interest "I always wondered what is it like to fly... Never had a chance to." He said before going back with his eyes to the mare "I heard that there are spells that do that, but I don't think I will be able to learn them any time soon" He smirked a bit. "And I would love to help you with that. The only problem is that... I don't know anything about the flowers" He said with a bit of a smirk on his face.

 

Gray waved his hoof when she mentioned a lack of self-care "If you have enough money than you can have time to take care of yourself easy-enough. The problem appears when you have to look for a job on a daily basis. Then the lack of time strikes you." He said looking at himself once again "Also if you would ever consider traveling. Try not to stand out too much, especially as you get closer to Gryfonstone. They tend up to be nervous around there..." He said with a hint of a caring tone in his voice. He, himself has been through some tough times during his travels and now, at least he could warn someone else to not make the same mistake.

"If you ever exit Canterlot and go out to the world. Where would you head out?" He asked after a second as he leaned a bit on the counter. This was actually an interesting question to him. Sometimes the places that you want to visit can describe a bit of you. And also, it was just interesting to know a bit more about the mare that decided to take some of her precious time and talk with him.

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Rose took everything into consideration, her expression thoughtful and her green eyes looking past Gray's face towards the front of the shop. "It's wonderful. I do it so rarely, far less than I did as a foal once I first learned how to and took advantage of my new ability, but.. it is wonderful. Freeing. As well as fun." She spoke a little absentmindedly, only briefly reflecting on memories- some of which she didn't want to touch, let alone ever bring up to a stranger who she only knew the name of.

 

Her gaze refocused back onto the stallion and she made a noise in her throat, making a note of his tips and warnings. "I suppose I am fortunate that I'm so wealthy, hm?" Her lips twitched up in an amused smile, albeit faint; it was as if she didn't want to move her face, that she had to appear collected and reserved. It was long born of what she was taught, to be a 'proper' lady of her status. "I'll certainly steer clear of Griffonstone, then, though I don't intend on wandering outside of Equestria just yet. I've scarcely gotten to see this country as it is." Rose paused, her head tilting towards his question. It was a good one; where would she go?

 

"Hmm," she mused, lightly tapping a hoof upon the counter's marble surface. "I never considered it before. Perhaps one of its grand cities. I've heard Manehatten is lovely, full of things to see.. and there is Las Pegasus for vacationing ponies, from what I recall hearing about it. I've also heard it's rather.. exciting. I'm curious about it and I might want to see it for myself. As for the rest.. mm, there seems to be some yet untouched places in Equestria I might like to travel through to see what the wilderness of it is like. So, what places have you seen?"

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Hearing about her experience in flying made Gray smirk a bit. She did seem like she was day-dreaming for a moment there, and it was rare here, in Canterlot as everyone was chained to the ground and the reality since as they say, they are too busy to waste their time on dreaming. "It must be wonderful. Sadly I won't ever do it. But well, I have other things working out for me, so that's not that bad" He said knocking on his horn with his hoof a couple of times "It has its own pluses." 

When Rose mentioned her money Gray noticed her slight smirk and his eyes squinted a bit "Yeah. I guess you are" He said a bit slower. It seemed that for a second there the mare got on the wrong side of the stallion. He honestly hated people who waved around their money, showing off. Wearing nice things and living in nice houses was okay for him since if you have the money, no one can stop you from getting what you like, but when you start to show off with the money itself. Well, what is that good for?

Luckily the topic quickly changed back to traveling so Gray shrugged that off as a one-time thing and went back to his warm expression "True. One thing at a time, right?" He said with a slight smile as he continued listening to the mare, which was answering his question. "Where have I traveled?" His eyebrow raised as he pointed at himself. He couldn't help but chuckle a bit "Where have I not traveled? Manehattan, Applelossa, Griffonstone, Crystal Emire, I even have gotten to the edge of bad-lands. But quickly turned back. Those are no lands for ponies like us, trust me on that one" He said "But if I have to choose my favorite it has to be the one so close to home. Ponyville. It's such a tranquil place and everyone seems to care about each other. Unlike here, in Canterlot..." He said before tilting his head to the side a bit "No offense. Of course, there are exceptions." He said, quickly realizing his little mistake. But Rose seemed to be quite a warm pony. According to gray, she still had a bit of this ice that other ponies in here had, but was not so corrupted by money and had this warm feeling to her

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Rose quickly caught on to the way the stallion's mood briefly changed over her mention of money and took it as a sign that he found something unpleasant about it. Jealousy, perhaps, or he was simply- no, perhaps she'd merely offended him. Making a note not to bring it up as a topic of amusement, a small joke, she kept quiet, letting Gray move on to answer her question.

 

"Ah.. I've heard of this Crystal Empire's return through the Equestrian newspaper. It certainly seems like another possible place I can visit, though it's so far north.. At least there's the trains, which does reduce some of the travel time. Albeit, I've heard it still takes about a day to get there, even from Canterlot." Rose made a little mental list of locations, and added the Crystal Empire to it- it would be an absolute shame if she never got to see it, even once. Though she'd heard the stories about how and why it'd disappeared, it sounded like it was safe enough now.

 

"Ponyville?" Rose echoed, her attention caught. The little village some few miles from the mountain Canterlot was perched on? It was visible from the railings at the edge of Canterlot's marble platforms, with a darker patch of woods just beyond it that Rose had learned at some point was called the Everfree Forest. A place many ponies spoke of fearfully. As a foreigner, she was uncertain about what was so scary about it- but she had never experienced such woods for herself. Regardless.. "Perhaps one of these days I'll have to visit this Ponyville.." she mused, and lifted a hoof to wave away his apology. She wasn't offended. Even she saw the way many Canterlotian ponies acted. Full of themselves, even to her eyes, and for what?

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Seeing that mare ould be interested in visiting the crystal empire he smiled a bit. Rose did seem like she had something of an adventurer inside of her after all. And Gray definitely appreciated that. When she mentioned the traveling time Gray shook his head like he was shaking away a bad memory "Oh, don't even mention that. I still hate myself for thinking I will be able to walk that distance" He said with a smirk on his face as he thought about his way too painful travel through Equestria to get to Crytal Empire just to give up after some time. "I don't say that often, but I definitely recommend the train." Gray added.

 

"It's not that far so a weekend should be enough to go there. To be honest, it is quite a nice place, although it might just be nostalgia. I used to come there quite often back in my days in Canterlot." Gray said and sighed with relief when she waved her hoof, showing that she wasn't offended. "If you will ever go to ponyville I would say visiting the forest is a must. But maybe don't go alone" he added, learning from his past experience. Gray couldn't help but look back at his cutie mark for a second before going back to the mare "Also don't stray from the main road. Some ponies say the forest is hunted" The stallion added with a smirk, showing that he really didn't believe that.

 

"Well, since you know about me a bit, may I ask, how long have you been living in Canterlot?" He asked tilting his head a bit. Since they were talking Gray might as well get to know her a bit better.

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Rose softly scoffed, amused. "Better sooner than later to realize the train is the better option. I'm uncertain if I could even fly that distance, and when I am so 'rusty,'" she replied, another smile playing around the corners of her mouth again. "How long ago? It is my understanding that the Crystal Empire hasn't been back for terribly long. A few years at least.." What sort of things did Gray get to see, at what point in the empire's integration into a modern day? It's recovery? The stories that surrounded it's disappearance and King Sombra's reign had intrigued Rose, but not as much as stories of vampires did.

 

Not that she'd ever mention such a thing.

 

Stories of dark forces, and dark creatures, fascinated her greatly, but it was a topic she couldn't exactly talk about with anypony.. They might think she glorified evil. She didn't. it was as scary to her as it was to anypony else; it just had a certain charm to it that drew her attention.

 

"The forest? The Everfree Forest you mean? I'm not sure I would ever venture into those woods. I've heard many stories about how dangerous it is, and how wild the animals are within. Strange and territorial beasts. I wouldn't want to risk my life just to see some of it.." Rose mused and turned her attention to Gray's question. How long had she been living in Canterlot? Well.. hm. She didn't exactly keep track of how many years had gone by, but she'd first come to Equestria in the first year of her adulthood. "Six years, I believe.. ?" Rose had certainly been in Equestria long enough that it felt correct, or close to it. "I originally came here for some schooling, but decided to remain here rather than return home. It's.. far better here."

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Gray chuckled a bit at her comment on his slight mistake "Oh well.. What can I say. I am quite stubborn" He said with a smile on his face. This stallion defenietly didn't give up easily. He usually would rather travel for weeks than admit defeat and get into a train. But sometimes even this one stubborn mess of a stallion had to let go. But onlt sometimes. "How long ago?" He echoed her question. His memory was already failing him so he couldn't recall quite well "I think about an year or two... I am not sure, though. When I was there everything seemed alright. Beutifully alright" He said with a slight smirk on his face. Even though his trip there started up badly, he really enjoyed his visit there. It was... refreshing to this old stallion.

 

"Yes. That forest. It really isn't that bad. And it is really worth it. The forest contains things that cannot be seen anywhere else in Equestria" He said with a smile. Even though he had quite a past with that forest he still liked it. The wildreness dragged him towards it everytime he ended up on ponyville's streets. It was just so mesmorising. 

"Six years..." Gray's voice echoed Rose's reponse "That is already quite some time. I haven't been so long in one place since I left this city" He said as he tapped his hoof a bit on the table. It defenietly was quite some time ago. When he heard that she came here for schooling he looked up to her and smiled "Ah, yes. The famous academy. Seen it, but never attended. I used to be home schooled. Didn't teach me a lot though..." He puffed a bit at that memory. Those time could have been spend way better,

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"Oh, indeed. I've stayed in this city for that long so that I could gain some footing in its society, so to speak. Create for myself a space among Canterlot's elite, as well as settling myself in a new country with such a different culture. It's taken me quite a while just to get used to it all, not to mention finding myself a place here. Being able to start this shop was.. a bonus. It's something I've always wanted to do, to show off the result of something I'm so passionate about." Rose lifted a wing and gestured at the displays, her expression shifting to reveal some of her pride, her passion.

 

There was so much that she got out of tending to something and seeing it grow and blossom.. Roses were often difficult to grow- they could be best described as picky. Everything had to be just right. Her first experience raising a flower, and a rose at that, had been wonderful. It'd sparked her inspiration, and her love for them.

 

Rose lowered her wing, exhaling contentedly. "One of Canterlot's fine academies. Naturally, not Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, as I'm sure you can tell, I'm not a unicorn." Her wings were lifted to indicate them. "You might find worth in being taught by a real teacher, rather than a parent. Unless they hire a tutor, of course," she added, musing. "It might not be too late to learn, but that's your choice to pursue. It's not as if there's a lot in Equestria that really requires you to have a vast store of knowledge in that mind of yours." Rose tipped her head towards Gray, using a gesture to more fully point it out.

 

"So just a year or two ago? Huh. I was curious about what part of the Crystal Empire's recovery you were privy to see. What's it like there?"

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"I was wondering... Where were you living before you arrived to Canterlot?" Gray asked after she told him about how long she was here. The fact that she managed to start a shop here while being an outsider that came to Canterlot more or less recently. He defenietly wouldn't be able to do that even if he didn't like travelling so much. And lately he stared to like it a bit less, thinking about settling down and changing his life style. After all these years he still was empty, looking for his purpouse without any luck.

 

"Well, of course. To be honest I always though that the School for so called Giften Unicorns, was a bit... too posh. I mean, only the elite can get there and soemtimes it is not only becouse they are good at it." He said with his eyes squinted a bit. He really disliked the rich lifestyle of many ponies around here. And even more than that he disliked the ponies which bragged about

it. "Well, they did hire a tutor for me..." Gray said with a slight smirk of embarassment "However he was... Terrible" He added a second after "Let's just say he wasn't the most ambicious one".

 

Hearing the mare's comment Gray puffed a bit "Are you saying that I'm stupid?" He asked and puffed up in an obvious exagurated manner before laughing a bit and waving it off "Just kidding. I may not have learned a not, but that head..." Gray started and poked his forehead with his hoof ".. defenietly isn't stupid"

 

"Oh. Sadly I wasn't able to stay there for long. I was on time schedule and travel... took longer then expected" Gray chuckled a bit "So I only spend a couple of days there. But from I saw it is quite a beutiful place. And the ponies are... Well, weird. All crystal.... I felt like an outcast when I was there. But it is probably just me"

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"Another country," Rose replied a little vaguely and expressed her agreement with Gray over the School for Gifted Unicorns with a small nod of her head. There wasn't much that she knew about the school, but.. it did seem that way. What she knew of unicorns is not all of them were particularly gifted with magic, let alone with various skills in it, so she could fathom that the school didn't see very many students. Unless some bought their way in, rather than the potential student taking one of the infamously challenging entrance exams.

 

Rose could only shrug to her thoughts and smiled faintly. "No, of course not!" she protested a little playfully. "Sometimes a student's struggles can be the teacher's fault, especially when they have no skill in teaching." The mare sniffed disdainfully. "I'm sure it's not your fault."

 

Gray's gesture to his forehead earned an amused snort, something that was surprised out of the prim noblemare. It was rare to do so, and rare still to find anypony with more of a sense of humor than most of the Canterlot elite. Some of their 'jokes' weren't very funny to her, but she had to make herself chuckle along anyway to avoid getting any questioning, or little sidelong glances if she failed to participate.

 

"Well.. I'm sure in any new, strange place among ponies different from what you're used to would make you feel out of place. But.. it won't keep me from visiting the Crystal Empire. I'd enjoy seeing what ponies of glittering crystal look like."

 

[OOC: i still haven't decided where rose is from, oops.]

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Gray nodded a bit, taking this vage response as a sign that she had her reasons not to tell him. And he respected that, not pushing her to answer his question. After all, he knew just how awful these type of questions could get if you didn't want to answer them. Pressing on wouldn't help anything. "I see... May I ask what brought you to Canterlot though? Out of all the places?" Gray asked, wondering. He, himself never found this city atractive in any way, but ponies tastes varied.

Hearing the mare agreeing with him, Gray smirked a bit and made a small bow "Well, thank you" He said playfully and chuckled slightly. The smirk that appeared on her face didn't go unnoticed by the stallion as he looked at her "You know. Here at Canterlot ponies rerly smile... But you probably already noticed..." Gray started "I always found that weird. Everything here is just so... stiff" He continued. Gray realised he sounded a bit like a rebel colt, who doesn't like his house, but he kinda felt that way. 

"It is defenietly worth it. You defenietly won't see as many crystals in your life as there are in Crystal Kingdom if you won't go there...." Gray said and then stopped for a second "When I think about it, it does sound kinda obvious... I mean, the name is Crystal Empire for something" The stallion smirked a bit. 

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Rose did have her reasons, and most of them amounted to her avoidance to think about her previous home. It hadn't been terribly happy for her. It wasn't bad either, not when she was more well off than most and she knew she was. Nonetheless..

 

"The school, for one, and I suppose I thought visiting the capital city of a foreign country was the best idea, and I couldn't help but find this city to my liking. The cleanliness, the architecture, the society.. It appealed to me. I thought it would be nice to settle here for a while, and I ended up staying," Rose answered with the little shrug of one shoulder. Her face took on a more thoughtful expression and she considered what Gray mentioned. While it was true most ponies in Canterlot preferred to keep up their appearances, to look graceful and dignified.. she'd seen the ponies she socialized with smile too.

 

"Their jokes may not be much to laugh at, but I've seen some of them smile. I've seen them enjoy themselves, too, during social gatherings and certain events like the Gala that Canterlot Castle hosts every year, and the races the Wonderbolts compete in," the pegasus thought to point out, speaking her thoughts aloud. "They -- we -- might hold ourselves highly for our status, but we're just as much ponies as everypony else. Even if many of us might think ourselves better. I admit.. even I come across such thoughts once in a while."

 

Rose made a soft noise of amusement over the Crystal Empire mention. If Gray hadn't have told her, she would've guessed that crystals were a big thing in the empire, if only because of the name. Why else would it be called such?

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Gray listened to Rose with his head tilted a bit. Now he understood her view-point. He, himself never though of Canterlot as anything great or even good, mostly mediocre. But when she mentioned all these things, it  kinda made sense for her to be here. But is it just everything she wants to do? Stay here foever? "Are you planning on ever moving away from Canterlot? There are plenty of other options" He said. The stallion kinda already knew the answer to that, since he knew Rose held the shop in high regard, but it was good to be sure. 


"Sure, they can enjoy themselves, but... It is just not the same thing." Gray shrugged, not sure what to exactly say "I mean... You need something grand to excite all those ponies, but sometimes it is better to just take joy from the smaller things." He said after a while of thinking. Gray raised his hoof and pointed at Rose "You probably know that, since you take care of the flowers. It can bring as much, or even more joy then attending a race, right?" He asked with a small smile. It did sound kinda weird, but Gray really believed that some ponies should just focus on their surrounding more.

 

Hearing the noice of amusment Gray rolled his eyes "It didn't sound so obvious before I said it..." He tried to protect himself before waving it off "Forget it. At least what I said was true" He chuckled a bit. 

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