Elderflower

Welcome welcome welcome! I hope you have a lot of fun and good times here! Also, that OC design is kickin'! You've done some awesome arting~

Trottingham had been a great city for the drifter Riff Run, but she was finally ready to move on to the next town. The vagabond jazz mare was a restless one and she hated to stay in one place for too long. Only her home in Corralwood Corral was dear enough to tempt her to stay longer than a week. The sun-soaked beaches, the steady rhythm of the ocean, the scent of chocolate and coffee wafting through the lazy streets…its many charms tugged at the charismatic earth pony’s heartstrings with impressive strength. Oftentimes, she would feel homesick for her island paradise, but every time she returns her hooves start itching for adventure and music yet again.With a bounce in her step, Riff trotted through the crowded streets of the metropolis and hummed some hard bop with her eyes closed. Of course, with her eyes closed she had a tendency to bump into other ponies, but would that knock any sense into her? Unlikely. Riff Run was a mare on a mission – she wanted to hit the dusty trail again as soon as possible, and nothing was going to stop her wanderlust. At least, that’s what she thought until the smell of fresh coffee smacked her in the face. Normally she would appreciate the unique perfume and continue on her way, but with thoughts of home flooding her mind the jazz mare couldn’t help but follow her nose. The familiar smell and the sun beating down on her was just too nostalgic to resist, and so without even looking up for the name of the place Riff found herself heading into the café with the tantalizing smell of coffee wafting from it. THUNK. Riff, having been walking with her eyes closed, had trotted headfirst into a walking muscle. At least that’s what it felt like. She opened her golden/brown eyes and peered up at the towering pegasus before her. He was large, muscular, and brooding. Totally scary. And his clothes looked really darn expensive! Oops! Hopefully she didn’t wrinkle it up too bad. [colour=#daa520]“Sorry, kitten! Mare on a mission!”[/colour] was all she offered as an apology. To make matters worse, she rubbed her hoof on the stallion’s mane and charged on into the café. [colour=#daa520]“Gooooood afternoon!”[/colour] she called cheerfully to the mare behind the counter, [colour=#daa520]“Gimme the strongest, most unforgiving brew ya’ve got, you bodacious barista you! Preeeetttttyyy please!”[/colour] A wicked grin cracked Riff’s mouth wide open, showing off her pearly whites as she neared the counter. ​ Lume blinked once. Then he blinked twice, and then a third time just for good measure as he stared down at the rather…oafish mare who had run into him. He tried to back away from her once he noticed she was barrelling forwards with her eyes closed, but it was too late. By the time he had seen her the collision was inevitable. He had to question if she was steam-powered! Such force!He didn’t even have a chance to reply when she offered up a meagre apology, and instead found himself alone in front of the entrance to Three Lakes, brushing off his immaculate bespoke clothing and adjusting his spectacles. With a sigh, he entered the establishment and got in line behind the very…enthusiastic mare. Despite their collision, Luminous Charge was still determined to sample the café’s menu. He was in Trottingham for the opening of one of his own exhibits, and a few fellow artists had recommended this spot to him. Quiet, unobtrusive, with great service and quality coffee and food. When his turn in line came, the stallion approached the counter and loomed for a moment before making up his mind. [colour=#800000]“Good afternoon,”[/colour] he said, his deep voice a little flat and much less friendly than he felt he was being. The sculptor is gentle as a lamb but carried himself like a stern son of a gun, unfortunately [colour=#800000]“I would like the roast pumpkin soup and a long black if you please. My colleagues speak highly of your establishment.”[/colour] ​

Bright, silver moonbeams were slanting into Luna’s bedroom, casting a cool sheen across the onyx floor tiles. The Princess of the Night was just waking from a brief cat nap after a day of performing her royal tasks and she couldn’t resist smiling at such a friendly greeting from the moon. Taking a few seconds to enjoy the comfort of her bed, she snuggled down a little further into the sheets, her long mane spilling over onto the floor to make it appear as though her room had been cracked open to reveal the cosmos. Despite how much she enjoyed her small moments alone and comfortable within her chambers, however, the princess had meetings to attend and appearances to keep. That meant dragging herself away from her bed, no matter how comfortable she might currently be. Finally, reminding herself of a rather important personal appointment, she slipped out from between the sheets and gave her head a slow, gentle shake to remove any major and unwanted knots from her mane. As she made her way towards the dressed where she had laid her royal emblems, a small breeze that was oozing in from a crack in her garden door. Luna took a deep breath, closing her eyes; the air was balmy and thick with the scent of flowers for the gardens outside her room were starting to come into full flower, and their perfume was quickly becoming overpowering – even for an alicorn princess! Smiling serenely, Luna’s attention returned to freshening up. A soft blue light gathered around her silver shoes, which she lowered to each hoof one by one. Next, she donned her tiara and necklace. The latter felt extremely cool to the touch at first; even on a warm night, the metal-and-onyx combinations always gave her a slight chill at first. Her brush was the next target for her magic. She began smoothing out her mane and tail with it as she approached the tall garden doors. She suspected that her guest would be arriving any minute, supposing things were running smoothly. She had sent off two of her personal guards pulling her chariot to fetch Rarity from Ponyville long before her nap, and from what she had gathered the unicorn was a perfectionist. That meant she was likely to be very punctual, which suited the princess perfectly. Once she had finished smoothing out her appearance, Luna opened the garden doors fully with her magic and stepped out into the warm evening. The small, fenced-off gardens outside her room were very lively tonight! A gaggle of small birds were in a tall, marble bath that had been placed out near the hydrangeas, chirping away in conversation while they spruced up. Near them, the Princess of the Night could hear the skittering of the rats that had moved in recently – one of which was terribly clever and often graced Luna with visits to her room in the morning. She wished to take more time to check over things in the outer ring of her garden, since the new gardener was fairly new to the castle, but an eagerness began to spread through Luna’s long body like a wildfire. There was something precious waiting for her in the core area, the large dome of tangled bushes and flowers with an open roof that created something of a small tent within her backyard. Was it delivered? She had asked her hoofmares to deliver it to the gardens for her meeting with Rarity, right in the centre of her cereus dome. With giddy delight that was only slightly visible behind her cool demeanour, Princess Luna took quick, long strides towards the centre of the gardens. She passed by thick patches of colourful flowers and lattices leaning over beneath the weight of healthy vines, a few bird feeders and baths, and even a tiny city of bat boxes. Finally, she reached a dome that was three times her own height and wide enough to fit at least fifteen ponies snugly. The entrance to the dome was a wooden arch made of clear-stained wood from an aspen tree carved into the shape of three comets with their tails curling around each other. The Princess stepped in and was greeted with an intense wave of delight. There, bathed in moonlight and the shadows of spider webs was a pile of silk propped atop a wooden stand. It made quite the picture! Here, where the inner walls were lined with white night-blooming cereus flowers and silver webs woven by her collection of orb-weaver spiders, anything would look dazzling sitting in the wash of light coming down from the night sky through the dome’s opening. The slippery, shimming pile of silk that was draped before the princess was totally stunning. Luna felt absolutely thrilled at the prospect of fashioning the silk into a royal ensemble. She beamed brightly up at the dangerous-looking spiders that inhabited her inner garden and opened a wing so one of the golden orb-weavers could come to rest on her shoulder. It was a little bizarre having such large predatory arachnids living in such close quarters with each other, but Luna’s magic was a great aid in helping them live together peacefully and as of yet she hasn’t had a single hitch with them. [colour=#6699cc]“Thank you for the lovely silk,”[/colour] she said quietly to the industrious critters, [colour=#6699cc]“You have worked very hard!”[/colour] And so did the ponies who wove all of their silk into the supple sheets of fabric. They would be well-rewarded! With the yellow-banded beauty resting on her shoulder, Luna returned to the entrance of the cereus-dome to await Rarity’s arrival. She wondered, idly, if the fashionista had a fear of spiders. If so, she would have to erect a magical shield around the walls of the garden to keep any of her curious critters from dropping down to say hello. [colour=#6699cc] [/colour]

Luminous Charge returned to his saddle bags and strapped them back on, and just as he was tugging on one of the buckles to make sure it was sturdy, a bizarre white stallion approached him. The large pegasus straightened himself up and quirked a brow at the stranger, scrutinizing him a little. He seemed to be a bit of a foolish character – whispering as he was about the “Lady Applejack.” Peaking around the lineup, Lume spotted the mare handing out apples and assumed that was who the unicorn was talking about. In regards to his body odor, he was under the impression that this character was exaggerating the smell. He knew he was sweaty from flying long distance on such a hot day, but he was a rather good judge of whether or not his scent was offensive. There was no doubt in his mind that somepony would be able to recognize by his smell that he was sweaty, but it certainly wasn’t a sour or unhygienic sort of thing. Certainly it wasn’t out of place on a farm for one to be in his state! [colour=#800000]“Well,”[/colour] Lume began, his brow still quirked and his voice at a normal conversational volume, [colour=#800000]“I apologize for being sweaty, but I’ve been traveling. Cast your glamour if you must, but if your condition is for me to stop stretching then I am not interested. I’ve been flying for some time and I intend to take good care of my muscles.”[/colour] And that was that. The unicorn could either cast his spell or he could return to the lineup, but either way Luminous Charge wouldn’t care. Peacock though he is, the stallion recognizes that there are more important things to life than being impeccably well-groomed all the time and he wasn’t going to skip out on pre or post-flight stretching just because some frou-frou pony was feeling smitten. Not bothering to wait and see if the foolish stallion would go ahead with his glamour, Luminous Charge strolled to take position at the rear of the line yet again when something skittering about in the breeze caught his eye: it was the note! He was just leaning over to pick it up again when he noticed the energetic young filly was completely unfazed over losing her paper again. With a sigh, the sculptor ignored the note and went back to waiting.

[colour=#a52a2a]< “I'm simply offering investment... So what do you all think?”>[/colour] [colour=#000080]< "Pray tell, Mr Foalfellow how it is you have the funds to invest in this shop?">[/colour] El kept quiet as her patrons spoke, her eyes unblinking and betraying her intense curiosity. She felt very much on the same page as Copper. The moment he questioned where these thousand bits would be coming from Elderflower’s gentle gaze turned sharply towards Foalfellow. It was an excellent question, and one she was keen on having answered considering her own discomfort with “easy money.” [colour=#0000cd]<"I could help. I mean, you know I love to help people relax, so maybe I could run the other shop? As long as it's okay with you Ms.El." >[/colour] [colour=#daa520]<"On the topic..for the new Teahouse..I could do the mail deliveries...if it is needed."[/colour][colour=#DAA520]>[/colour] The others seemed less curious with the investment, however, and more focused on the idea of a second teahouse. She smiled warmly at Peace Keeper; he was a very gentle and kind individual, somepony she enjoyed having in her shop. Once Care had also said his piece, the mare allowed herself to speak yet again. [colour=#ffa07a]“If you are interested in running your own teahouse with Foalfellow’s help, Peace Keeper,”[/colour] she said softly, giving him an encouraging smile, [colour=#ffa07a]“I will help teach you a few things. However, this teahouse will have no association with myself or the Elder Tree Teahouse aside from our friendship. This will be your project. And it seems like Care is willing to help you expand certain things.”[/colour] She nodded at the mailpony in a friendly manner, and then turned her attention towards the other two stallions once more. [colour=#ffa07a]“I have to say that I am just as curious as Copper here in regards to your investment offer, Foalfellow.”[/colour] She gave the grubby stallion in his overalls a nod of understanding and awaited the business pony’s response to the inquiries. The longer this situation dragged on, the more she felt as though she was being overly suspicious, but having been raised by two entrepreneurs on the Canterlot coffee scene Elderflower had seen how easily somepony could get caught up in shady business deals that ultimately led to trouble. Easy street was riddled with booby traps, and she preferred to avoid it.

Planetary is such an adorable pony! Welcome! :3c I hope you enjoy here as much as I do~

Welcome to Canterlot! I'm sure you'll find the community fun and friendly and all that good stuff!

Lilac Briolette would love to join in as a runway and dancing model! Luminous Charge could also help with the conceptual side of high fashion as well as creating environments for the runways or just setting up runways in general. c: This sounds like a lot of fun!

I'm up for some RP! The characters I have that you'd be able to find in Canterlot are Elderflower, Riff Run, and Luminous Charge if you have a preference of who to interact with. Pick a pony, any pony! Then maybe we could work out an idea for what the circumstance could be, heh.

The line was moving along slowly, and Luminous Charge was taking advantage of the lazy pace to give himself a good stretch. Gingerly, the stallion removed his saddlebags and continued his routine, moving from his legs to his wings. He’d been doing quite a lot of flying, and had missed his morning stretches – something he’d no doubt be paying for the next day. He wasn’t quite as young and limber as he once was, unfortunately. He was really starting to get into his stretches, surprisingly apathetic towards the fact that he was presenting an image that served as the total antithesis to his character: sweaty, unkempt, and totally uncouth with his exercises! Shocking. In any case, Lume felt that his behaviour was forgivable considering he was on a farm, and long distance flying was tough stuff! If his muscles said stretch, he would be sure to listen, lest he risk putting a wing out of commission and delaying his plans. The sculptor was so into his little exercises that he was hardly aware of anything but the seconds he was ticking away in his mind as he shifted positions to work one limb or another. He was very nearly in a state of total relaxation, in fact, when his peace was totally interrupted by the shrill voice of an enthused little filly. With a sigh, Lume stood up normally and brushed dust and dirt from his sides with his wings, promising himself that he’d finish his little routine later. [colour=#ff0000]<"No, come back! Land's sakes!">[/colour] The stallion blinked. A small slip of paper had been whisked away from the young earth pony and she seemed to be rather disgruntled. He looked behind himself to see there were only two other ponies behind him in the line and let loose a little sigh. Getting shoved back two spots in line wouldn’t be too bad; if he left a filly upset like that over something he could fix easily, he’d be terribly ashamed of himself! [colour=#800000]“Watch my saddlebags, please,”[/colour] he said to the filly. Without waiting for a response, he shot off into the air and rode a speedy little wind that was heavy with the scent of fresh apples towards the direction the paper had gone. Luckily Lume had been watching with a keen eye when the note had descended into the orchard, and with such a quick wind to ride he had found it in no time, tangled up in the sagging branches of fruit-laden trees. Very carefully, so as not to disturb the orchard at all, he reached down for the paper and grabbed it between his two front hooves. The winged stallion managed to maneuver himself without knocking down too many apples – it sounded as if one or two fell to the ground, causing him to wince a little all the same. It may not have been the whole tree-full, but he still felt guilty. Flying back took Lume a little longer as he had to fight against the wind, but he at least made a smooth landing. [colour=#800000]“I might have knocked some apples from the tree this was in,”[/colour] he said matter-of-factly to the filly, tossing his head to keep his windswept mane away from his eyes, [colour=#800000]“Three at the most – I am sorry.”[/colour] Though his very small smile and curt speech painted a somewhat unfriendly picture, Luminous Charge was relaxed as he offered the all-important piece of paper to the filly and hoped his actions would speak louder than his stony exterior. At least then he wouldn’t have to worry about scaring the youngster!

Lilac Briolette found herself locked outside of her dance company. The nerve! She was the prima ballerina! With an indignant harrumph, the dainty little thing turned on her hooves and trotted away, the sheer pink-and-lavender fabrics of her dress bouncing with her mane as she made her dramatic exit. ‘Take a break,’ they said, ‘You need to rest sometime too,’ they said! What do they know! She could dance until her hooves fell off and she’d still shine the brightest in all the Crystal Empire! Still, though, if she was being forced into a little free time, there were things she could do that were actually quite interesting. The first thing that occurred to the crystal mare was, of course, the Crystal Gate. A train track had recently been built to connect the Empire to the rest of the world, and though it was causing quite a stir in the districts Lilac hadn’t seen any of the ponies from the outside due to keeping herself cooped up in dance studios. Though she’d much rather be rehearsing, she supposed it couldn’t hurt to go and investigate what all the hubbub was about. Her answer came quickly as she neared the train station – a small gathering of three locals and two outsiders had already amassed within the gates. The dancer hung back to investigate a moment – two curious crystal bystanders, one grump of a guard, a reporter with a horn protruding from his forehead, and a rather…kooky…winged mare. The prima ballerina could tell that the winged one would be a bit of a handful and that the crystal guard seemed put off by her attitude. Honestly, Lilac couldn’t blame her – the winged mare had her hooves all over the company gathered around her and seemed to lack a sense of personal space. Well, if she couldn’t dance then she could help out here! Being a stunning and incredibly talented dancer made her quite used to the spotlight, after all – if she could handle adoring fans, she could definitely handle a strange outsider and spare the grumpy guard from having to take the brunt of it all. [colour=#9966cc]“Greetings, strangers!”[/colour] she finally called out, her voice lilting in a sing-song fashion as she trotted forwards. She held her head high as she moved, making sure her entrance was positively dazzling by stepping where the sunlight shone brightest. The golden threads in her braided pink mane and tail shimmered brightly in the light, reflecting off the sheer pinks and purples of her dress (which matched her lilac coat, of course!). Her appearance was set off by her pink pearl and kunzite-riddled necklace which she wore about her neck with pride. [colour=#9966cc]“My name is Lilac Briolette, and I am a prima ballerina from one of the many ballet companies in the Crystal Empire. If you’re going on a tour of our beautiful home, I would love to join in.”[/colour] With all the grace of a dancer, Lilac slipped in between the crystal guard and the Pegasus to spare her from being totally mauled. [colour=#9966cc]“I haven’t seen the Crystal Heart since the Crystal Fair, myself – it would be perfectly wonderful to see it again today!”[/colour] The ballerina paid little attention to the others – it’s not that she was ignoring them, but she simply didn’t know what to say at the moment! Perhaps they would take it the wrong way, but for now that was something Lilac would simply have to deal with.

(Sorry, I meant to close this yesterday. You're welcome to join in on a pony alt but I'd like to keep Sonic as the only crossover element here.)

Hey! If you could draw my OC Heartwood that would be swell! Here is his app! :3c

I forgot to comment on the last spotlight! Ahhh! I really liked that one, hawk moths in general are beautiful fuzzbutts! And I'm so okay with fictional bugs and such. :3c Looking forward to it!

Riff Run jumped out of the train with a massive smile on her face, looking around at her surroundings excitedly. She was absolutely giddy! The coffee-coloured jazz mare had hopped onto the train with the intent of riding the rails for a bit and choosing her next town to conquer on a whim, and while she was drifting off for a snooze she happened to hear quite a few ponies going on and on about a convention just for the ladies happening in Ponyville! It seemed as though she wasn't the only one excited for a weekend of mares-only fun, which meant the charismatic jazz vocalist was going to make a lot of new friends whether they liked it or not! [colour=#daa520]“Let’s do this!” [/colour]she called out to nopony in particular, and followed some of the ponies she had overheard towards the EqGirlCon! When she arrived, the place was already starting to fill up and she was quite a ways back in the lineup. She occupied herself by singing quietly (quietly in her opinion, mind) to herself. “It don’t mean a thing if you ain’t got that-” and then a bit of scat slipped out! When it finally came to Riff’s turn to register, the mare lit up with a smile, her eyes shining. [colour=#daa520]“Riff Run’s the name, but friends call me Birdy! I’ll be roomin’ with Dissy, er…Harmonic Dissonance. She’s the maddest pianocat you’ll meet! I don’t think she’s here yet, but that’s fine, yeah?”[/colour] In all honesty, Riff had no idea if Dissy planned on coming to the convention. She had an inkling that the pianist would show up, however – call it the shared intuition of drifting jazz mares! In any case, she was about to find out! [colour=#daa520]“Say there, kitten,”[/colour] she added, putting her front hooves on the table and leaning in, eyes twinkling with mischief. She gave a wink to the baby dragon sitting next to the green pegasus and spoke, [colour=#daa520]“D’you have a piano in this joint? Dissy and Birdy the Travelling Jazz Mares Extraordinaire would put off quite the little impromptu show if you would give us the honour.”[/colour] Riff chuckled to herself - no doubt she sounded like a kook, but she was very fond of the silly name she had assigned to herself and her new friend. A dynamic duo needs a official-like title with pizzaz after all!

A question for Rarity: Do you have any tips on maintaining one's daily fabulosity?

Scientifically speaking, how did red pandas become so adorable?

[colour=#800000]<“Where in Equestria are my manners! ... Just imagine how useful another 1,000 bits would be! Not to mention, I am sure these stallions here would be utterly supportive of such an idea...”>[/colour] Elderflower let out a small sigh after Foalfellow spoke his piece. He seemed to flip his attitude with a great deal of ease, which was something the mare found utterly unsettling. There was no way his little act could be genuine – nopony went from mockery to sweetness that easily. She found herself immediately distrustful of the shady character; had he continued to mock her she would be irritated, but she could at least trust that he was being honest. That little switch of his, however, set in stone the fact that he was being conniving. It didn’t help that he was really laying on this “good guy” persona so thickly, either. Speaking so highly of one’s own charm and wisdom was hardly charming or wise. As for his offer, well…El was always taught to be suspicious of easy money. Perhaps that judgement was unfair, though. She herself had just switched from gentle to hard as stone and back, and that could also give others an unflattering impression of the mare. She hoped it was apparent that she truly was a gentle pony by nature, but she was also unwilling to allow others to push her around. The time she had spent traveling taught her very quickly that being a pushover was a surefire way to get yourself into trouble, as many would interpret that as an invitation to take advantage of you. She was not a helpless mare and did not want others to look at her as an easy target – especially pushy and two-faced individuals like Foxglove Foalfellow. She quickly searched across the faces of the little gaggle of stallions before her, pale golden eyes holding a note of inquiry. She would speak before hearing their opinions in order to send a clear message to Foalfellow, but El was indeed curious of what they thought. She genuinely hoped, however, that they believed in her and her teahouse as opposed to this false and shady individual. As she opened her mouth to speak, the unicorn noticed the last of her patrons from the garden exiting the teahouse and immediately felt a pang of guilt; hopefully they had not been disturbed by the little scene that had unfolded. If they returned, she would be sure to make it up to them with a few free pots of tea. [colour=#ffa07a]“Well, Foalfellow,”[/colour] she finally replied, her voice soft but firm. She did not state it, but her expression and tone of voice made it very clear that she was disinterested and unyielding. She would at least let the shady stallion finish speaking, however, for even in her foulest mood she has a hard time forgetting her manners, [colour=#ffa07a]“Please finish your proposal.”[/colour]

Oh my, your fabulosity is showing! Welcome to Canterlot! It's swell to welcome another fan of the lovely Rarity to our ranks. c:

Roleplay Type: World of Equestria Name: Heartwood, Heart to friends and family. Sex: Male Age: Young stallion Species: Earth Pony Eye colour: Chartreuse Coat: Old gold in colour, Heartwood’s coat is very coarse and matte, and is almost always sprinkled with sawdust and wood shavings. This is a look he jokingly likes to call Carpentry Chic (which is accented well by his tawny coloured cowboy hat)! Mane/Tail: His mane and tail are milk chocolate in colour and very thick. The hair is coarse and rather unruly most of the time – Heart can’t be bothered by appearances. His mane is cut just short enough to keep it from being a nuisance to him and his tail is much the same. Despite the lack of care he shows towards maintaining his mane and tail, however, both are obviously very healthy. Physique: Tall and quite muscular from years of carpentry. He’s quite a sturdy fellow! Residence: Appleloosa. Occupation: Heartwood is a carpenter whose specialty lies in making furniture that ranges from practical to whimsical. He’s an absolute whiz when it comes to woodwork, and though the majority of his work is very basic and functional to fit his commissions he has a striking talent for intricacy and elegance when it comes to furniture. By word of mouth he has received a humble few commissions outside Appleloosa from ponies with more luxurious and indulgent tastes, though not nearly enough to satisfy his thirst for whimsy. Cutie Mark: The cross-section of a tree in the shape of a heart. Here’s a visual reference from alhovik of 123RH: Heartwood is the eldest son of a large family of agricultural ponies who have a penchant for growing root vegetables. Growing up, he learned to love and tend to the earth from their parents, who actually moved to Appleloosa from Fillydelphia when they realized they dreamed of a more hardy and adventurous lifestyle. From a very early age, Heart knew he liked working with his hooves – he loved to get down and dirty and never shied away from chores or hard work, and was always eager to help his parents around their farm. He did his best to share his passion and knowledge with his siblings (of which he had two during this stage of his life), whom he loved fiercely. Just like his family, Heartwood was always convinced that his cutiemark would come early for him and revolve around farming, but he was actually the last of his age group in town with a blank flank. This baffled his parents, who recognized that their son was a capable farmer and expect his mark to come early as well, since he was always working on the farm. When Heart graduated from small chores to real, hard labour his father had taught him how to whittle. Whittling quickly became a source of comfort for the colt: something he turned to when he was frustrated or sad to vent any of his negative emotions. Needless to say, the longer he went with a blank flank the more he turned to his whittling, creating vast arrays of small figures and settings. During this time his newest baby sister was being rather difficult for his parents – always waking up in the middle of the night crying. Neither he, his parents, nor his sister Taproot knew why, but Tulipwood seemed to grow increasingly stressed during the nighttime. It seemed the only time Tulip could be at ease was when she was beneath the tulip trees in their yard that she was named for. Seeing how drawn out his parents were from their lack of sleep, Heart concocted a plan. The colt had a basic understanding of carpentry from his father, as it was an extremely handy trade to grasp in an agricultural lifestyle, so he decided to take some of the tulipwood lumber from their yard to build a new cradle for his sister – one that smelled of her favourite spot that he would whittle into the shape of swaying trees. That was his plan, at least. What he made was a reasonably sturdy cradle with crude attempts at tree-shapes in the beams; it was very evidently crafted by a young pony, but Heart was proud of what he had made. He rushed to find his parents when it was finished, and though he was initially disappointed when they told him his cradle, despite how lovely and generous a gift it was, was not quite strong enough for them to be comfortable with it supporting Tulip. The loving couple did, however, help their crestfallen son disassemble his work in order to fashion it into decoration they could attach to the sides of their daughter’s cradle. When they did, the newborn foal seemed to feel at ease immediately, surrounded by the roughly-shaped forest of tulip trees. After mere moments she fell asleep, just as the sun was setting – something miraculous for the overtired family. In that moment, Heartwood’s cutiemark appeared, and his love for building and creating with wood has been growing since. History: Heartwood had a rather simple upbringing. His parents were always very gentle ponies, a trait which they passed on to most of their children. His earliest memories were of long days spent with his mother on the farm, where she balanced helping her husband work and teaching her son to love the earth. These early memories aren’t quite so defined, however; his mother told him where they come from, but all Heart recalls is the feel of freshly turned soil, warm from the sunlight as he pressed his hooves deep into it. Other small moments are in there as well – the sharp scent of a parsnip that he stepped on and cracked, the lonely clank of his father’s hoe striking a rock, and a bright pang from his first bee sting. In many ways, the carpenter feels as though these early memories were the guiding stars of his youth: tactile, humble, and very still. His life grew very busy as he grew older hower, from a combination of more siblings entering the family and his need to balance his carpentry apprenticeship with helping on the always-growing farm. In those years, Heartwood was always clinging to those early memories of his (as well as his woodwork) for comfort and patience. He wasn’t under constant stress, though. On the contrary, Heart loved and found great comfort in every aspect of his life – the chores, his learning, and guiding his younger brothers and sisters. He took every obstacle in stride and made sure to learn from everything that happened to him and his family. It was with great difficulty that he eventually decided to move away from the farm. Though he would still be nearby in Appleloosa, being with his family defined a great deal of who he was. All of his patience, charisma, creativity, and sense of fun and play seemed to come from the many hardships and joys of being an older brother. It was a choice that had to be made, however. The stallion was driven to push forward in his woodworking career. He wanted to build his own house and shop and make his name one that was respected in and beyond Appleloosa. So that is just what he did. With some of his siblings helping him with the grunt work, Heartwood began to construct his furniture store with a home attached. The exterior of his new home was very practical and fit the Appleloosan image quite well, but the interior was where his talents truly shined. A vast array of furniture from basic and practical designs to purely decorative pieces of whimsy lined his shop, which smells strongly of linseed and tung oils and wood. Heart is freshly moved into his new home, and is currently making a living off of doing construction work and commissions for folks around Appleloosa. Through word of mouth, a few commissions have begun to trickle in from more luxurious ponies outside his hometown who are interested in his artful furniture. He’s hoping to make pieces that truly shine, and make a respectable name for himself throughout Equestria. Character Summary: Heartwood is a stallion of simple tastes. He loves his work, his parents’ farm, root vegetables, his mother’s cooking, and his family. Being the oldest child in a big family, he’s a natural leader (and mediator) and has an endless reserve of energy and patience. He loves comedy, though his attempts at humour really leave something to be desired. Although he’s not an extremely chatty fellow, he has natural charm and charisma that make him a very personable individual. That said, he’s not just one perfect slice of sugar pie. Heartwood is extremely stubborn and set in his ways. On top of that, he’s got a terrible one-track mind: once he throws himself into something he is consumed by it. Though he loves his family, he is prone to immersing himself so much in his work that he will actually go days, sometimes even weeks without communicating with them, not realizing that any time has passed at all. Despite all of this energy he throws into his woodworking and trying to make a name for himself, though, Heart is bashful to a fault. He can’t stand the idea of praising himself or being arrogant, and as such he is limiting himself in how much he can sell his business to others. Though his work can often speak for itself, when it comes to trying to get business from outside Appleloosa, his shy streak can make him a rather unconvincing salespony. Understanding Heart is very easy: he is friendly, generous, and hardworking with a strong sense of loyalty. If you show him and his family respect, you’ll make a fast friend out of him. If you try to change his mind about something, well...good luck. You'll need it!

Okay, I'm back and I've responded! I'm very very sorry, guys. It's been absolute madness here trying clue up the end of semester and I really thought I'd have more time to get some posting done, but the times when I did get a break I just didn't have the mental energy left to write anything. The fourth year show is tomorrow evening and after that all I have left is a goodbye celebration and then it's back to my normal routine of being a total hermit, heh! Er, that means I'll be on Canterlot more regularly again. c:

El had anticipated becoming so prickly she’d polymorph herself into a porcupine while the dapper stranger spoke. His little spiel had quite the opposite effect, in fact, and the more he spoke the more she drifted into the same figure of serenity her regulars were used to seeing. Indeed, even Blue seemed to have become disinterested in the loud character. [colour=#800000]<"…I don't want this place to change, I simply want more ponies to... as you say 'enter a place of healing, and not of profit'">[/colour] [colour=#0000cd]<"You mean a... another tea house! Another Elder Tree Teahouse.”>[/colour] [colour=#000080]<"The phrase you're looking for, Peace, is chain shop. I do believe that's what this stallion is suggesting. As you put it Peace, another Elder Tree Teahouse, perhaps several.”>[/colour] [colour=#ffa07a]“Even though you mock my attitude, sir,”[/colour] the quiet mare began, her voice once more even and gentle despite the arched brow which indicated that she cared very little for petty behaviour, [colour=#ffa07a]“I can appreciate your opinions and how much you seem to value my teahouse. But I am afraid you have come to the wrong place if you wish to turn my establishment into a chain. I apologize, but I will not attach my name to anything I don’t have a direct, hooves-on role in.”[/colour] The wisp of a unicorn lifted a long, slender leg and brandished it to direct attention to the shop around her – the dark wood, stained and gleaming in the rich sunlight of evening; the soft cushions inviting patrons to cozy-up; and the long counter that was beginning to bend ever-so-slightly under the weight of teapots, sweets, cups, trays, and lacquered vases filled with fragrant flowers. [colour=#ffa07a]“The Elder Tree Teahouse,”[/colour] she continued,[colour=#ffa07a] “is something I built from scratch, something I cultivated with a great deal of love, labour, and struggle. I had help and guidance from my parents and some unbelievably talent carpenters, but I was a part of every step of its creation. Even before it was built, I traveled Equestria seeking the best plants to make teas from and collected their seeds for my garden. This teahouse is as dear to me as a living thing, and I cannot duplicate my affections or dedication. That is why I will not make it a chain. I cannot dedicate the same love or effort to another establishment as I have with this – there will never be another teahouse I can connect myself to. I…am not an entrepreneur and have no desire to change that. However,”[/colour] the unicorn added, a smile settling back into place, [colour=#ffa07a]“If there is any sincerity in your wish to spread tranquility through a chain of teahouses across Equestria I am more than willing to aid you. If you go forward with your plans, you can send whomever you choose to run your locations to me. I will allow them to come here for an observation period so they may see how I work and I will speak to them personally on how I run things if they so choose.”[/colour] A bit sheepish at having made such a lengthy rant, El cast an apologetic glance towards the others who had gathered in her shop. Such a melodrama for them to witness…what a shame! She decided that she would have to make it up to them somehow – though that would be something to discuss once this episode with the savvy businesspony was concluded.