Elderflower

The dark, towering pegasus blinked. Being one accustomed to short, clipped conversations (unless they revolved around the topic of art), he found himself rather taken aback by Pocket Change’s rant. It was much more personal than he would expect to hear from a stranger, but all the same, the pale stallion was friendly enough.

[colour=#800000]“Oh, no worries,”[/colour] he replied, waving a hoof as he did, [colour=#800000]“I’m rather poor at conversation myself, so perhaps it’s for the best that the other party rambles a little. Blacksmith turned stone-carver, hmm?”[/colour]

The winged stallion’s expression went a little blank for a moment as he tapped his chin with the same hoof he had been waving. A name wasn’t coming to mind, though the background did familiar.

[colour=#800000]“I believe I’m aware of her work and her past, though the name is escaping me at the moment. But yes, I am a sculptor. If you are from Canterlot it’s quite possible you’ve seen my work in at least one of the parks. Large and elaborate sculptures they are - abstract representations of whimsy and other similar themes. They are tubes of polish or unpolished sand glasses that I create and compile in a highly controlled environment – and they’re exhilarating to make!”[/colour]

And then, seemingly out of nowhere, something hit him. Luminous Charge’s expression went from light hearted (or as light-hearted as he could manage at least) to something akin to shock.

[colour=#800000]“Earlier…did you say ‘kiss?’ Somepony about to kiss me?”[/colour]

There was also something about a kissing booth…it just hadn’t registered until this moment!

It seemed like their little troupe was growing with every moment! Being totally comfortable with large crowds, Lilac Briolette found that she was not only at ease in this situation – she was actually positively thrilled! If there was one thing she loved to do it was dazzle, and in this case she knew she would feel nothing but pride for her home (which had undergone so very very much in her lifetime) that was sure to stun the tourists. How could it not? A sprawling crystalline metropolis that was absolutely radiant with sunshine and warmth and a spectrum of colour so vibrant it seems alive? She was sure that the world outside her Crystal Empire home was nowhere near as lovely – or was that her ego talking? Oh well!

[colour=#dda0dd]“Greetings to you as well!”[/colour] Lilac replied, dipping her pretty head politely towards the stranger. She was about to speak up once more when a towering stallion (also with wings!) looking quite striking despite his age and lack of crystal was added into the group. Lilac was always fond of a pony in uniform – the austerity held a beauty that, while different from her own marvellous elegance, was very pleasing to the eye in its own way. Now she had a Crystal Guard and a Colonel (as the reporter had addressed him) from outside the Empire to treat her eyes! Lovely!

[colour=#dda0dd]“And a warm welcome to you as well, Colonel,”[/colour] the ballerina added without missing a beat, batting her eyelashes perhaps a little too noticeably.

Apparently the silvered stallion had distracted her a little too much, however, for as soon as she stopped contemplating the aesthetics of uniforms she realized that she had failed in deflecting another of the kooky winged mare’s bizarre rambles. And she was hoping to spare the Crystal Guard!

The moment the Crystal Guard spoke, Lilac’s attention was immediately plucked in her direction. She did a quick one-over of the silver armour and found herself nodding. Though the winged Colonel’s uniform was very visually impressive, there was no doubt about it – the Crystal Guard’s uniform would always be superior!

[colour=#dda0dd]“Oh no, the pleasure is all mine!”[/colour] Lilac replied enthusiastically, batting her eyelashes once more, [colour=#dda0dd]“And how refreshing it is to hear that! It is always lovely to know one’s passions are appreciated, and I find I do agree with you. I may not look the type but I have always admired the jousts! It is a little less delicate, but equally as graceful in its own way, as you said. Oh, and the suspense!”[/colour]

And the uniform! So striking! Especially to one who is so mindful of appearances.

[colour=#dda0dd]“My, but I’ve been prattling on! I’ll let you take the reins from here,”[/colour] she finished, smiling widely at the lovely Guard, Alexandrite Tilt. She had the sneaking suspicion she would get along swimmingly with this one!

Lilac craned her slender neck backwards to look at the Colonel while he spoke (having sandwiched herself between the kooky one and the guard), a task that was quite easy for a flexible dancer! It seemed as if her little rescue plan would die with the silvered stallion’s statement. She was hoping to come to the aid of Alexandrite, but the Guard was obviously capable of handling this situation, and the ballerina had to step back now, anyhow! It would no doubt leave a poor impression on the Colonel if she made it seem as though a civilian were taking control of this situation…harrumph! Well, in any case…

[colour=#dda0dd]“Well, Colonel,”[/colour] the prima ballerina piped up, hoping to catch the stallion’s eye from over the crowd of other ponies,[colour=#dda0dd] “Though you are obviously busy with official duties, if you have any interest in getting to know the Artists’ distract then by all means, allow me to give you a more in-depth tour at some point during your stay. As a prima ballerina, I know the area quite well!”[/colour]

[colour=#dda0dd]‘And I would like a much closer look at the tailoring of your uniform. If I can get a good sketch out of this I may be able to make an adaptation of it for my show! And of course it doesn’t hurt that the company would be handsome.’[/colour]

Lilac found that she was in an incredibly good mood. She had been a little miffed and being forced away from rehearsal, but the day was turning out to be very exciting! Her only concern was that it would get a little too exciting. The kooky one seemed harmless for now, but if she did try to get her boring, plain hooves on the Crystal Heart...well. The results would not be in her favour - not if the crystal ponies had anything to say on the matter.

Elder's Flower Bed!
Thanks to River for the title suggestion!

Sugar Star

Pegasus - Young Mare -Profile

Pesky Potions and a Doki-Doki Daze! - x - Active
Warming Hearts and Bellies - x - Active?

Art: Original, By ivi.

Frostlace

Unicorn - Mare - Profile
I forgot to include it in her app because I'm

a total donk, but Frostlace is a Countess. Oops.

Art: Original. Original.

Riff Run

Earth Pony - Young Mare - Profile

Of all the Clubs in all the Towns - x - Hiatus
Nightlife in Ponyville - x - Active
Five Hundred Miles High! - x - Active

Art: Original.

Elderflower

Unicorn - Young Mare - Profile

Cold Days and Warm Tea - x - Active


Art: Original, By Rosewind.

Crystal Moon

Unicorn - Young Mare - Graphic Novel/Comics Creator

Profile - List of Published Works

Art: Original

Luminous Charge

Pegasus - Stallion - Profile

One Hundred Country Kisses - x - Need to post.
The Art of Making Art is Putting it Together! Art isn't Easy. - x - Active

Art: Original.

Lilac Briolette

Crystal Pony - Young Mare - Profile

The Trillion Ballet Company Presents La Bayamare! The Afterparty - x - Needs Revival

Dance Lessons, Charm School, and the Old Meets the New in Class Galore! - x - Active

Wearable Art - x - Active

Art: Original.

Ryx

The answer you've all been waiting for is finally here: She's twice the size of your average gryph. See: Celestia-sized.

Gryphon - Adult - Profile

Ylva

Caribou - Cow - Profile

Lulavi

Changeling - Mare - Profile

Art: Original.

Cygnus Flare & Vela Breeze

Brother & Sister Unicorns

Stallion - Profile

Young Filly - Profile

Art Original

Hi and welcome! I've got a problem with making characters, too. I've been telling myself to cut back lately but every time I do more character apps seem to show up in my post history...what can ya do?

I hope you enjoy your time here! Have a bow~

Hi hi hi and welcome!! It's always good to see another new face on Canterlot! I'm partial to vanilla bean or chocolate / sea salt ice cream myself, it's such a nice treat for the summer~

I hope you enjoy yourself here! Have a bow!

Hi there and welcome to Canterlot! It's always great to see another new roleplayer, the community here is excellent and we love having new faces! I hope you grow to love this place as much as I have! :3c

And from me to you, here's a bow!

Yeah, that's my bad for not making it more clear. No worries! And thanks much~

Luna shook her head gently and touched her horn to Cadence’s, letting a gentle wave of baby blue light wash over the Princess of Love. Her magic was no replacement for the comfort and rejuvenation of sleep, but it would at least energize the mare and lift her from the sorry state she was currently in.

[colour=#6699ff]“You needn’t worry, Cadence. You don’t have to face any of this on your own. We may not know each other well, but we are still family. I understand how difficult it is to face one's nightmares alone…”[/colour]

The Princess of the Night trailed off, a twinge of hurt and regret curling a tight fist around her heart. Truth be told, Luna was moving along with her life quite well. She refused to dwell in the past and let her time as Nightmare Moon define her, but seeing Cadence so defeated and lonely brought back very familiar feelings to the Guardian of Dreams. Her expression grew even more sombre as the last of her energizing magic soaked its way into Cadence’s arcane aura. Despite burning nausea of regret that building within her, however, Luna refused to succumb to her emotions. Instead, she wielded them to work for her, to remind her just how important it was to make sure Cadence knew she was not alone.

[colour=#6699ff]“And please, don’t apologize. We all need help to face our nightmares, sometimes. And yours are quite worrisome. I have witnessed the scene every time it played out in your dreamscape. It is…a very vivid horror.”[/colour]

She would not go into further detail aloud, but the images were very much alive for the Guardian of Dreams. Shining Armour kidnapped by changelings, Cadence facing Chrysalis in a cave filled with muck and swamp ooze and losing. Then, she was overwhelmed by minions while her husband was stolen from her by the insectoid queen. It was such a grim nightmare, and it was haunting the young princess.

[colour=#6699ff]“Tell me, Cadence – is there anything you know of that could cause these nightmares? Do you miss Shining Armour? Are you still concerned about Chrysalis?”[/colour] the Princess of the Night cut herself off from asking more questions, then – she did not wish for her niece to feel as though she was being interrogated.

[colour=#6699ff]“Whatever it may be, I am here. However long it takes, I will remain in the Crystal Empire. For now, I can stay with you in the æther while you sleep – your nightmare will stand no chance against me.”[/colour]

Hi hi hi! And welcome to Canterlot! May your time here be full of bows and sunshine!

Hey Davroth, considering the thread is still moving pretty slowly at the moment I'll accept your request, but for future reference for anyone who happens to be following this thread I'd like to refer back to my original post and remind folks that unless the title of the thread states that I'm open for business then I am not ready to take on new requests. Even if a vacancy shows up because I've completed something, that doesn't mean I'm prepared to take on another request just yet. I have updated the original post to be more specific and apologize for any confusion this may have caused.

That said, this is going to be a pretty busy work week and I apologize if it takes me a while to get to your request. Sorry in advance if it takes a while!

Hi! I'm not staff but I'd like to offer you some friendly advice. This board is for posting character applications and not OOC discussions. If you want to start a crossover roleplay, you will want to go to this board here: http://www.canterlot.com/forum/301-ooc-discussion/

Hey hey hey! Like others have said, roleplay is a great way to develop your writing skills! I hope you consider joining us roleplayers and have as much fun as I've been having since I joined. And I'm looking forward to seeing some of your art! Soooo... Welcome!! Welcome welcome to Canterlot!

Hi hi hi!! Welcome to Canterlot! I hope you have a lot of fun and make a lot of friends and enjoy this place a bunch! It's a swell place to be~

I haven't drawn a gryph since the 11th grade. This will be interesting and possibly horrendous to behold. If it comes out looking like an abomination, I promise you will get a pony freebie. xD

This sounds awesome! I look forward to it.

Guest 1: Princess Luna

Guest 2: Riff Run

Guest 2: Sugar Star

Edited my post to include two new guests. :3c

Eee! Thanks~ :3c

Elderflower let out a nervous yelp as she was shepherded through the massive doors of Canterlot Castle. The crowd pouring in was just as huge as the one that had gathered for the recent coronation, and El was no more comfortable here than she was back then. She simply wasn’t used to these massive throngs, despite being a Canterlot native. The last few years of her life revolved around traveling alone to find the best plants to breed for her teas, then constructing and running the Elder Tree Teahouse. The biggest “crowd” she was used to was the afternoon rush that came into her shop. Truth be told, she would have skipped out on the ball entirely – not out of a lack of support for the Royal Equestrian Army, but simply because she knew she’d be uncomfortable in such a massive gathering of ponies. Her parents, however, had other plans for her. Just like they coerced her to go to the coronation, they had harassed her until she agreed to attend tonight’s celebration.

So here she was, spiffed up (the result of her mother’s deft hoof for beauty) and completely at a loss for what to do next. She would admit, though, that the music drifting in from the dance area was catchy, and seeing the foyer lit up by glowing arcane energy was absolutely enchanting. El allowed herself to relax a little, pushing a small wisp of pink mane out of her eyes with a hoof. Despite being a little bitter that she was forced into coming here tonight, she did enjoy getting a bit of a beauty treatment from her mother from time to time. For tonight’s event, El’s mane had been woven into a loose but elaborate braid that hung down to her knees. Little crystal drops that looked like dew and elderflowers preserved in beeswax dotted the hairstyle. Her tail was in its usual bun-loop, though the hair that hung down was braided like her mane (and adorned with crystal drops and elderflowers to match as well). Her dress was a somewhat simple affair – golden silks in a flowing, breezy style with a cream band wrapping around the neckline and then running down her left side to the bottom hemline of the skirt. It felt nice to be dressed up! It didn’t happen often. And with the beeswax-dipped flowers, she didn’t even need perfume. The wax itself had a divine, floral-honey aroma.

The scent, actually, was reassuring. It reminded the wisp of a mare of her garden and her teahouse, something that was guaranteed to soothe her spirits. She was actually beginning to really relax when a boisterous and loud-mouthed old mare moved out of the crowd to find a friend and accidentally bumped into her. In turn, El was shoved forwards and found herself colliding with something solid and warm. The mare that bumped into her charged off without so much as an apology, and El backed up, fixing her hair nervously with a hoof, her cheeks blushing violently.

[colour=#ffa07a]“S-sorry about that,”[/colour] she said quietly to the stallion. A look of horror struck her as she realized she had messed up his bowtie. Eep!

[colour=#ffa07a]“Sorry! I can fix that,”[/colour] she apologized again, her horn glowing a pale gold as she fixed the stallion’s bowtie with her magic. When it was straight again, she gave a little nod as if to say “Perfect!” and offered the stranger a small smile.

[colour=#ffa07a]“Well, this is certainly an interesting way to meet somepony new. My name is Elderflower. And you are?”[/colour] Despite her nerves, El hadn’t lost her touch as a conversationalist. It came with running your own teahouse! She gets great practice with her customers.

...I am shocked, hurt, and ready to leave Canterlot forever. How dare you speak such cruel words against bows! They're lovely! They're spectacular! They're perfect and you should feel ashamed!

:3c :3c Thanks Bellybutton~ *Throws a million bows at*

Luna nodded to the butler and eventually drifted towards the Lapis lounge, flanked by her guards who were still marvelling at the crystal structure, though they now had their slack-jawed awe under control. She could still catch the twinkling of wonder in their eyes, however. As the Princess of the Night made her way into the Lapis Lounge, she had her breath stolen once more by the luxuriant beauty of the place. Firelight warmed the room and cast gentle orange glows around the surface of the blue crystal, looking almost like liquid fire was contained within. It would almost have been too much, having a fire at this time of year, but the heat was cut by a clear, cool breeze that slipped in through open windows and grazed the flanks of the ponies gathered within, stirring manes and tales and bringing the temperature down to a comfortable level.

Luna’s gaze narrowed on Cadence as soon as she entered the room, her wings hanging so heavily they had to be held aloft by hoofservants. The cheer that she had felt upon entering the Crystal Empire was immediately replaced with a mixture of the concern she was feeling before and stern disappointment. How could Cadence have allowed herself to reach this point? She was the Princess ruling over the newly awakened Crystal Empire, which was finally free from the grip of evil, of malice. Her subjects needed a figurehead they could look up to and admire, one that would let them know the hatred and pain that King Sombra had inflicted upon them would never return again. Instead, they had an exhausted alicorn who could not even hold herself up without assistance from her hoofservants. What sort of message would this convey to the crystal ponies?

[colour=#6699ff]“Cadence,”[/colour] the Princess of the Night began, her mouth set in a frown. Immediately, however, she trailed off and felt a pit growing in her stomach. Though she was correct in her assessment of the situation, she could not bring herself to criticize her niece so harshly. She had seen her nightmares, and then her consequent disappearance from the dreamscape. She knew Cadence was suffering. But most importantly, Luna was still all too aware of her own past misdeeds – actions which held much greater consequence than simply letting oneself fall victim to sleep deprivation. This was not a time to criticize, but a time to guide and assist the young Princess.

[colour=#6699ff]“Cadence,”[/colour] she repeated, her voice much gentler as she nodded to her personal guard and to the hoofservants to leave. It was time for a personal conversation between an aunt and her niece. She approached the slight mare, loaning her body for the Princess of Love to lean on once her hoofservants stepped away. With gentle, baby blue magic she cushioned Cadence’s wings to her side and guided her towards the nearest couch, keeping her pace slow to help her exhausted body stay upright.

[colour=#6699ff]“I have seen your nightmares in the dreamscape and they have been…troubling at best. And now these past few nights I have found your presence lacking there. I have even been monitoring dreams during the day, hoping to find you there briefly – but you have been scarce in my domain. I came here as quickly as I could, for I am very worried. Tell me, Cadence, what has been causing you so much stress that you cannot sleep? A Princess needs her rest – it is all too easy to run oneself into the ground without it.”[/colour]

When she finished speaking, they had reached the couch. Moving slowly, making sure Cadence remained balanced against her side, Luna lowered the two of them to the couch and then settled in, stretching one of her dark wings over her niece. Whatever it was that was bothering Cadence, she would support her. She would provide for her the comfort that she had often yearned for when she was suffering so much over one thousand years ago. This was a time for gentleness and warmth, and even though Luna’s domain is darkness and cool, silver light, she was determined to bring Cadence warmth to rival the light of day.

Birdy kept tapping out a rhythm until her new friends hopped up on stage with her, and as soon as Dissy had the piano cracked open and ready to go the coffee-coloured mare reared.

[colour=#daa520]“Alright, fillies and gentle colts,”[/colour] she said in a low, smoky voice, [colour=#daa520]“Now that everyone’s here let me share a little lesson I learned when I was just a little filly.”[/colour]

She winked a golden-brown eye at the audience before turning back to Timbre and Dissy with a devil’s grin, her mouth still pressed to the microphone.

[colour=#daa520]“I don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing,”[/colour] she purred, then kicked a hoof into the air to give the other jazz ponies the hint – let’s kick it off with a classic!

[colour=#daa520]“It makes no difference/ if it’s sweet or hot,/just give that rhythm/ everything you’ve got./ It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing./ It don’t mean a thing all you gotta do is sing.”[/colour]

It was no trouble to slip into the song once things got going. For the most part, Birdy found her energy and eagerness driving her to lead the music. Once they were through with It Don’t Mean a Thing, she slow things down – played a little Black Coffee. Once she had been satisfied vocally though, she started switching things up - sometimes leading the others into vocal pieces where she could shine, sometimes stepping away from the mic to let the crowd hear what the pianist and the contrabass (plus scat!) hot shots could do. Birdy felt like she was on fire – something that always happened with hot jazz, and she was a veritable fireball on stage! Whether she was singing or not, the vocalist was swaying and bopping her body, moving along with the rhythm of the music all the while maintaining a mad grin.

While she was up there, more than once she glanced down to where the Mustache was speaking with the mare that Dissy had claimed they needed to put a show on for. She winked at the two of them from time to time as if to say [colour=#daa520]“How’s this for a show? Should we turn it up?”[/colour]. And then, just like that, she would be prancing over to the piano to belt out a few lines of scat. She’d prance right up until she was next to the pianist, rising up on two hooves to press up against her and dance with the purple mare while she played (careful to let her lead the movements and not to bump her shoulders or legs, lest she mess the gal up)! And then, after a few brief moments with Dissy she’d dance her way over to Timbre – though considering how much of a grip he needed to keep on his instrument she was even more careful not to jostle him. Instead she shoved her head close to his, still singing scat (and urging him to join in of course)! Nothing quite like harmonized scat to kick up the energy!

Birdy was in a mad dash across the stage like that the whole time they were up there! Singing, dancing, prancing, just going absolutely wild! One had to wonder where she found all that energy! Finally, though, she reached a point where her chest was heaving, her muscles burning, and she was burning so hot she was sweating! They had been on the stage for quite a long time (exactly how long she wasn’t sure), and it seemed like a good point to cut things off – for her anyways. So, panting, Birdy grabbed her mic and pulled it into her chest.

[colour=#daa520]“Well, jazz cats, that’s it for now!”[/colour] she said right into the mic as she hugged it, [colour=#daa520]“This little Birdy’s gotta stop her singing for tonight.”[/colour]

If the others wanted to keep on playing, they could go right ahead – but Birdy was pooped! She pranced to the end of the stage and leaped down, choosing against using the stairs simply because it seemed like a waste of time. She stuck her landing with a flourish, tossed her mane from her eyes, and immediately trotted up to Mustache and the weirdly-familiar-stranger.

[colour=#daa520]“Hey there, kittens!”[/colour] she called as she approached, nodding to the barkeep for another shot of whiskey – her throat was parched! [colour=#daa520]“How’d ya find the show? Hot enough for ya? Do I have t’redeem myself?”[/colour]

She laughed, then extended a hoof to the stranger before giving either of them a real chance to respond, “Heya stranger, the name’s Riff Run – but friends call me Birdy. I hope the lovely Mustache here has been good company while we put off our little show!”

:3c My pleasure~

Added you to the list, Dio.

Trekker is done:

Thaaaaanks, and you're welcome! :3c

While I was waiting on more specific information from Swirly, I finished Wind Walker for Tacobob. It's a little out of order, but here she is! One down, three to go c: