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Arrival at Canterlot (Private)


TheOne

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Rose shrugged, uncertain. It was going to take her a while to mull over a question like that once she had some downtime. She liked Canterlot. Even though there was some parts of herself that, if she were honest about herself, the others might shun because she didn't fit in. There wasn't much of a celebration of individuality in Canterlot among the elite, and that was a very sad thing indeed. It was lonely here, too, but this city was where she had her shop, a goal that she had finally achieved for herself. If she gave it up.. what then?

 

Her line of thinking left her uncertain about the future. Where could she go if she tired of Canterlot? Would she even be able to open herself up and be herself around ponies like the others were around each other? The stallion before her was unafraid to do that, but he didn't have the same life experiences that she'd had.. or perhaps he had, in some ways, he'd just managed to break free of it all a lot sooner. In a way, Rose wished she'd had the opportunities Gray had.

 

"Sometimes they are excited by something grand, sometimes not. They joke, they talk.. though many of them, they still look to the best of their group to tell them or show them what they should favor and what they should disregard." A heavy sigh escaped the mare through her nose, her nostrils flaring. "I do know that, though. Roses have always been my joy," she answered, something in her expression and her body language softening up.

 

"So, ah.. about what you'd mentioned, I'm not really certain about what I could do. I don't ask for advice, since it's my choice to make, but I find myself.. torn about such a weighty decision. I've set down my roots here, but what you've talked about has managed to make me yearn for something more. I just don't think it's something that's in my reach quite yet, let alone something I'd dare to do. To leave this place, to branch out and try to be something more.. true. It'll take me a lot of thinking." Rose couldn't believe she was admitting it, but her mouth seemed to have taken on a temporary mind of its own.

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Gray nodded a bit, hearing her agree with his observation about her and roses. That was defenietly something he enjoyed in ponies. Seeing them take fun out of those little things in life. And sometimes, looking at ponies like that, this old stallion though to himself that maybe it is time to settle down, stop chasing after something that is out of his reach and just... focus only on the smaller things. "Well. The ponies here are weird... At least for me. Well..  to be honest I am quite a weird pony myself, so I am not sure if I can really judge" Gray shrugged a bit and smirked slightly. He didn't mind being different and standing out. As long as not too much attenction was drawn to him, he was all right.

 

Hearing the mare torn Gray couldn't help but chuckle a bit "I am glad I managed to make you think about that. And I think you don't need any advise, even if you wanted to." Gray said and looked around the shop "I don't know you too well so I am not sure what values you truly have, but... I hope whatever you chose will be a right decision for you." Gray smiled towards her with a warmest smile he could "The life of a nomad is not easy but it has its pluses. If you will choose to go into the world and leave this place behind... Maybe I can help you somehow. Its not hard to find me."

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"Perhaps you can't," Rose put in smoothly. "We're all unusual in our own ways, putting on fronts to convince others we aren't and end up with this weird sort of.. conformity, and those who don't confirm are judged for it. I hate to sound.. like this, but maybe there is no such a thing as normal. Or rather.. every 'weird' little aspect of ourselves is normal." Her eyebrows rose and she gave a little shrug of one shoulder.

 

"Not that I would ever admit to anything.." Rose added, lowering her voice but not quite muttering. "Unless I were convinced in just the right way." A small smile briefly flashed across her face and she pushed herself back from the counter, letting herself drop back onto all four hooves. Standing the way she had was starting to get uncomfortable, and her elbows ached a little from leaning on the counter's surface for so long. Stretching her legs, she sauntered around one side of it and leaned against it, fixing Gray with a green eye again. It was strange, that he should come in only to buy flowers for his mother only for them to end up having a conversation like this. He certainly did stand out from most ponies. As it was, he wasn't the least bit uppity. Not like herself or most of Canterlot who refused to show any amount of genuine personality.

 

"I hope so too. Mind you, I have no intention on becoming a nomad. I still like the thought of having a home to return to whenever I wish, whenever I need the time alone to rest and recover from all that traveling and seeing new things." There was something of a joke to her words, but she was entirely honest as she said it. Rose wanted to keep her home and what she'd built for herself. The life of a nomad was not for her, but.. her life could stand to see something new, new experiences.. some change. "I'll be certain to keep you in mind, Gray."

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Gray agreed with what Rose said. There definitely wasn't something that was truly a norm. But ponies still tend to make fun of someone that wasn't up to this... norm. The stallion looked up, pointing his gaze at the falling stripes of his messy mane. "True... That doesn't stop others from judging you, though" He said before shrugging a bit and going back to his cheerful expression. He did hear her saying that she would never admit to that but didn't reply, giving only a very brief chuckle as a response. The smile that sprung on mare's face once again proved to Gray that she wasn't quite like other ponies he met here. But, as they established earlier, he was not the one to judge.

"Oh. I actually have a house as well. It's on the outskirts of hoofington." The stallion stated as Rose mentioned her home "I don't go there quite often, but it is still standing and still mine... I think" He smirked a bit. Quite a lot of time passed since Gray went to his house, but it wasn't because he didn't like it. He just felt that spending there too much time was just... a waste.

When Rose told him that he will keep him in mind Gray chuckled a bit and smiled "Well thank you. Not many do. You know... Since I come and go"  He said as his eyes directed towards the bags, that were lying on the floor.

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Rose couldn't help the sigh that left her and nodded. It was very true. Ponies would never fail to judge anypony else for some small difference, a small quirk, that set a pony apart. It was sad, but she didn't allow herself to fall too deep in thought over it. Gray was talking about his home.

 

"I'm surprised to hear you do have a house," Rose idly remarked, her small smile still playing around her painted lips. It was evidently a joke, but there was some truth to what she'd said. She'd expected that he didn't have one, considering his apparent nomadic ways. "Maybe you should rest there once in a while, or something, if it's still yours." Her eyes followed his to the heavy bags Gray left on the floor and she became thoughtful. It was nice that he'd decided to stick around and engage in some friendly conversation with her, but she felt she was keeping him from visiting his mother, or whoever it was that he intended to visit.

 

"I wouldn't want to keep you too long. I'd be afraid of your flowers starting to wilt by the time you reach your destination," Rose hesitantly put in, her brilliant green eyes returning to Gray's face. It'd been nice, but.. she wasn't sure what else she had to talk about. Gray had certainly given her enough to think about.

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Gray chuckled a bit at her joke and smirked "Well. I was surprised at first as well" He answered with the hint of the joke in his voice as well. Gray liked his house and spend some time in it every month or so, but that wasn't what he truly wanted. The stallion used the building for more of a stash, where he would keep some souvenirs, old items or just weird things he found on his way "Well, I do. Just as I am resting for some time here, in Canterlot" He answered and shrugged a bit "Honestly, I rest quite often, spending even weeks sometimes in one place. It is not I am proud of, but I guess my good old days are gone" His voice bore a bit of nostalgia and disappointment. The fact that his life was probably mostly done wasn't a fun thing to think about.


"Oh! You are right! It would be a waste!" he said as his memory flashed back. Flowers. The reason he was here. He almost forgot "Well. I will be going then. Thank you for the talk! Maybe we will meet soon" He said as he gave her the warmest smile he could and with a quick intense look on his bags, that were lying on the floor, Gray placed them on his back and slowly went towards the doors, giving his last wave towards Rose

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Rose was visibly amused by the response, and as Gray continued, some of it faded. It sounded as if Gray was disappointed that he seemed to be running out of time to wander Equestria after having done so for so long. Some part of her was pained to see this, something that she found odd to feel empathy for a pony so soon. But he'd made an impression on her, which was saying something.

 

"I'm sure you have plenty of time. Make the most of it," Rose thought to put in, curling one foreleg around the other and rubbing at the side of it. She felt bad to feel as if she was just shooing him out of her store, though she had the flowers to think about. If he turned up at his destination with them beginning to look sad and wilted, it wouldn't look good for either of them. Then again, perhaps she was just worrying about appearances as always.. "A shame you'd have to leave so soon, but I'll definitely still be around here," Rose replied with another little smile offered to the gray stallion. "I'll hope to see you around again, I enjoyed our talks. Be safe," the mare managed to bid as the stallion gathered up his bags and made for the door. One of her wings was lifted in farewell and dropped back to her side.

 

It really was a shame that things should come to an end so soon, but there was always another time. Rose reflected on this as she returned her attention to her roses, and the upkeep of her shop.

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