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The Solution To Stress (Open to all)


Aisede

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Regeneration. It was regeneration, it had to be! The key, the cornerstone- the door! 

 

Rose Compass narrowly avoids needing a new nose, so lost in thought was the anxious mare. Backing up a step and jingling the everpresent bags on her hips that mark her as a medicine mare, she properly opens the door to the... Spa. Right, a spa. She'd heard of those back in Andalusia; a place to relaxation, using a range of aromatherapies and other such strange but effective tricks.

 

If she was being honest with herself, she was less curious of what they did, and more curious how they did it. She supposed she'd find out soon enough as she entered the establishment.

 

"Hello?" She called our in her foreign cadence, surveying the area with a passing glance. Like every other sugarcoated building in this strange town, this place exuded an aura of cartoonish joy, albeit of a muted degree compares to, say, Sugarcube Corner.

 

She'd set her packs down by her side as she waited to be attended, idly taking count of her tools and jars. Regeneration... she'd pick out three jars in particular, all of them labeled with a sticker, but one of them empty. 

 

Axelotl dust: a dark iron-colored powder made from the blade of an axelotl stirred in its encasing. She nearly lost a limb trying to get this stuff.

 

Noot horn: a small tuba shaped horn. She shivered thinking about what it was attached to. 

 

Leap frog extract: empty. She had yet to find any leap frogs, and she was beginning to question if she even needed to now that she had found the former two regeants. But her research must be complete before trials can begin, so she needs to find one... And soon. 

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Aloe smiled brightly as she was moving through the back rooms of the spa. Every since Applejack had fixed the leak that was going to the steam room it made things run so much smoother. It also opened hey and hey sister's eyes as to start doing more frequent inspections during their down time. Said inspection is what she had just finished doing and was just starting to make her way back to the lobby.

 

The lobby itself had gone through a few changes... Mainly a rather extensive remodel after Rockhoof sent Bulk Biceps exploding through the front door and ripping the frame out. Still. The basic coloring oh the blues, violets, and pinks decorating the walls. Brochures and different pictures of some of the difference procedures that they did here we're shown. Of course nighty her nor her sister displayed any of their massage techniques. Those were a more personal trait for them and want something that was replicable. There were also a plethora of their homemade lotions, shampoos, and conditioners on an assortment of shelves. 

 

When she heard a pony come into the lobby and speak up, she smiled. "Oh 'alo there," she said in her own Trottingham accent. Though hey accent had slowly started to level out now after living in Ponyville for so long now. She spotted the mare with a few jars of her own looking like she was checking her own supplies or something. "Welcome to the Ponyville Say Spa. My name is Aloe. Are you here for a treatment?" she asked.

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Rose's head shot up as the previously unseen mare spoke up, eyes wide and posture just a bit too stiff as she repeated "treatment?" She then shook her head, remembering what these ponies were. 

 

Right, treatment as in treating her nerves. Of which she had plenty of.

 

She deflated after a long sigh, her mane frazzled after so much time outside in the woods. "Oh, yes, I am. Uhm... " She looked around, finally taking note of the depictions detailing their various services. All of them seemed to involve the mare's getting hoovesy, and that ironically just made her tense up more than last time- but with another sigh, she gave the pink mare a wavering smile. "What all is included in the basic treatment? I'm kind of new here... And new to spa's."

 

She quickly placed the vials back in her bags before closing it up.

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~~~Aloe Blossom~~~

 

 

 

Aloe didn't even need to touch this mare to see the amount is tension that was stored in her. That works definitely take a lot to work out of her, and might even take more than one visit! The mare seemed to be startled just by saying hi. It was almost like she forgot for a moment that she was in a spa. She could see her tense up a bit more when the mare looked around before she took a deep breath. Aloe just presumed that this was the first time she'd ever been to a spa. As if on cue the mare asked about their basic treatment and what it included. That she was new to the town and to spas.

 

"Oh! Well let me be the first to welcome you to Ponyville. Here at the Ponyville Day Spa, our basic package includes a thirty minute steam, and then a combined forty minute bath in our volcanic ash mudbath, and our hot spring mineral bath to cleanse and exfoliate you skin and enhance your coats glimmer in the light. After that we offer a massage of your choice and with some scented oils for your mind to relax as well as your body. It's the best basic package around," Aloe said with a smile.

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Her ears perked up instantly at the mention of 'volcanic ash', seeming to shed coats of anxiety and replace it with an enthused interest. "Volcanic ash mudbath? How do you collect the ash, and what beneficial properties does this substance have when combined with mud?"

 

It was a curious thing, and Rose loved curious things. Ponyville also didn't appear to be built on a faultline, so how did they have a hot spring? Was it artificially created? If so, how? So many questions, so few answers! The mare radiates an aura of inquisitiveness, a small booklet flying out her packs, accompanied by its faithful companion, the mighty pen.

 

"I would also like to inquire as to how you operate a hot spring away from any natural fault lines... If you don't mind my inquiry, of course." She paused, looking at Aloe expectantly.

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~~~Aloe Blossom~~~

 

 

 

 

Aloe couldn't help but smile when the point started asking questions about some of the procedures that they did and how they acquired some of their resources. "Well, we used to get our volcanic ash from the Epponinne Mountains, but now that ponies and dragons are on speaking terms and Dragon Lord Ember is visiting Ponyville more frequently, we've been getting it directly from them. As to it's properties it's volcanic ash so it's more of a rock based mud instead of clay, although there is a little bit of that in it to. The ash helps deep clean the skin under the coat and cleans out pores. It really helps with annoying ingrown hairs on your coat," she said with a smile. 

 

"As far as the mineral bath though, your correct. It is an artificial spring with waters imported still from the Epponinne. Though we use different waters and different minerals depending on the treatment desired. We have one that uses real gold, but that requires us to mix it the day before. Believe it or not, gold in small amounts is a really good detoxification agent. Of course I could stand here and explain it all day, but to truly get a feel for how everything works," Aloe smiled and pulled the curtain back to the interior of the spa. "Is to come on in and try it out for yourself. First one on the house," she smiled.

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Epponinne Mountains. She'll have to go there sometime, and perhaps become aquainted with this 'Ember' character. However, Aloe's... Description of its functionality left much to be questioned by the experienced alchemist, a frown slowly forming on her muzzle.

 

"Clay is a rock, but I'm not too sure if I want ash in my coat." Not that she couldn't get it out rather easily. "How would I get it out? And I don't recall the element aurum to possess any detoxifying agents... " Is she just not as experienced as she thought, or is this mare mincing words?

 

Shaking her head, she decided she might as well try. It seems she got lucky and was being offered the full experience first-hoof. She'd be a fool to decline a chance to study these things up close. "I digress. I would love to experience all your spa has to offer. Please, lead the way ~"

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~~~Aloe Blossom~~~

 

 

 

It has been a long while since she heard gold called by it's elemental name. In fact, she hadn't heard that since she left school. Still, she couldn't help but smile. At the very least this pony would get along with Twilight. When she continued her questioning Aloe nodded. "The gold when mixed into the mineral bath will actually tighten up your skin, remove blemishes, sun damage and fading on both your skin and coat," she started as they walked back towards the steam room. 

 

"For the ash it's actually pretty easy to get out as long as it's mixed properly. It also helps with natural pain relief for minor aches and pains, although if you had an open wound of any kind I'd advice against it and opt for one of our disinfecting baths instead. We used a combination of yarrow, willow oil, tea tree oil, and a dash of chlorine. That will deep clean any small cuts you might get during your workday, although it does sting a bit at first," she said as they stopped in front of the steam room and grabbed the mare a warm towel and then checked the pressure to make sure it was where it was supposed to be. "Alrighty, everything is set! Just step into the room when you're ready and the treatment will begin," Aloe said with a smile. 

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Rose listened carefully as Aloe defined each treatment and the mechanics behind them, ears perked in rapt attention as she silently followed along. "Hehe... I could have used that ash in my early life, and the other one to boot! Scrapes and bruises were pretty par for the course in my previous occupation- but thankfully, now the most dangerous things I have to deal with are the monsters living in the local forest.

 

Speaking of..." Her tone shifted, and a certain... Gleam entered her eyes, sharp as a knife's edge. "Why hasn't it been cleared out yet? I can undetstand wildlife preservation and faunistics, but some of the creatures lurking beyond that foliage can pose a serious danger to the laypony." Such as the land-leviathan, as she prefers to call it. A bunch of heads and the tendency to regenerate... wait.

 

Rose slowed to a near stop as she realized what the real prize is. Those creatures have the most extraordinary affinity for regeneration she's ever witnessed, she needs to collect a sample from IT if anything!

 

"Heh, Aloe, was it?" She said as she focused on the steamy room, instantly feeling a sheen of sweat begin to collect on her coat as she entered the humid chamber and graciously accepted the towel. "How much do you know about the local fauna, and is there anything in that forest that you particularly need?"

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~~~Aloe Blossom~~~

 

 

 

Yup, this pony was definitely new here if she was asking that question about the Everfree Forest. She asked about the threats and stuff that they posed to the general pony. "Honestly for the most part Ponyville has a special relationship with the forest. We leave it alone, and it leaves us alone. Even the two sisters have tried to tame that forest and have failed to do so. The only thing that keeps it at bay right now are the elements of harmony. Otherwise the innate magic in the forest would cause it to endlessly expand and consume Equestria," she explained. "The short version, it's a magical force of nature," she said.

 

Then the mare asked about the fauna around here and if she knew of anything in the first that she particularly needed. "Hmm.... Well, some Cardamom would go along way to help with the antiseptic disinfecting bath that we have. We could use that to replace the chlorine so that the water is a little bit less abrasive on sensitive skin," Aloe commented. This pony certainly seemed to know a good bit of sciency stuff. If course she supposed that she did to. After all, in her line of profession she had to know exactly how all of their lotion, shampoo, conditioner and oil ingredients worked together so that it wouldn't have any adverse effects. After all, for all the good properties that planted had when used properly, they had just as many bad if you didn't watch what you were doing.  She smiled as the mare entered the steam room and remained closer by in case she had more questions or just wanted to talk some more. It was a show day today so as long as she listened for the bell she'd be okay here for a few minutes.

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Rose.png

 

Compass Rose still wasn't all that used to being out in broad daylight, but she'd made a commitment to check out at least one of Ponyville's businesses while it was open, for once, each couple days. Today, she decided the spa was a great option. She'd seen it many times at night, and even once when it was just being closed for the day (that was an early night for her). But she grew tired of seeing places and not getting to meet anypony. She'd already mapped out Ponyville rather exhaustively, and even mapped a vast majority of the Everfree Forest, mostly from the sky, but not always. But she needed to put all that aside, today. She was going to make the most of her first visit to a spa.

 

She frowned. She wished she could fly over there like she did at night, but the day's sun was too hot for her wings to spread comfortably. She was already getting uncomfortable from the sun as it was. She looked in the general direction of the sun with a little contempt. She wished she had some way to make the daytime more comfortable so she could meet ponies more often.

 

As she approached the spa, she sighed in relief. Indoors would definitely be better, she mused. She almost knocked on the door, but remembered that kind of courtesy wasn't expected at a business during hours.

 

She walked inside and looked around. It was nice enough. Cozy. Warm, but not hot. Best of all, the sun wasn't beating down on her sensitive, nocturnal skin, anymore. As she examined her surroundings, committing it all to her near-perfect photographic memory as always, she noticed a coat and hat rack tucked in a corner. Perfect. She shed her protective sun hat and sun glasses and hung the hat on the rack, slipping the glasses into the hat's band.

 

Now comfortably exposed, Rose went to the reception desk and rang the bell, eager to meet her fifth pony since arriving in Ponyville months ago.

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"Cardamon. The next time I am out and about, I will be sure to aquire some if able. In return, I'd like for you to show me just how this stuff is made." Magic force's of nature. Bah! They think a forest with some toothy beasts is a force to be reckoned with? There are a million things on the sea that trump it both in size and magnitude. She'd like to see how this Aloe takes a true leviathan

 

Compass' ears perked at the sound of the bell, tensing up yet again but with the alertness of the damned. She has to remind herself this isn't a dangerous place, and breathed in the steamy air to calm her nerves. "You'd best attend to your next patron. I will be fine here, I believe." Soaking up humidity and moisture until she feels cooked alive. If that was the intention, then they were executing it well. 

 

... Compass peered over towards the entrance, squinting to make out the new mare's features. A thestral, here? At these hours? This town is strange indeed.

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~~~Aloe Blossom~~~

 

 

 

Aloe smiled. "I suppose I could show you some of it, so as long as you don't use my own recipes against me later," she says with a giggle as she heard the bells on the door ring. She nodded when the mare in the room told her to help her next patron.

 

When she made her way out into the lobby and what she saw had shocked her. It was a thestral. They usually only came out at night because the sun would almost literally cook them alive. She wore a large hat that covered most of her tan colored body and a pair of sunglasses covered her green eyes. The leathery wings also stood out to her. Honestly the creature before her was quite alluring. 

 

"'Allo! Welcome to the Ponyville Day Spa. My name is Aloe and I'll be taking care of you today. If there anything that catches your fancy today? Everything except for our gold treatments are available for same day services," she said with a smile. "Might I have your name for the log book?" she asked with a smile before she realized that she didn't get the other mares name either. "Oh, I'll have to get hers to. How forgetful of me," she said as the Thestral shed hey harry and glasses revealing get face and mane.

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// lol guys she's an Aerion (aka batpony) I don't even know if Thestrals are an accepted race on Canterlot. Tho that would be pretty cool. Her name (the first one) on her introductory post is a link to her character application if you want to check it out. //

 

Compass-Rose.png

 

Rose smiled "My name is Compass Rose." she introduced "You can call me Rose." she glanced at the pamphlets she'd seen earlier but decided she didn't need them "As for what I would like, um..... I don't know. I've never been to a spa, before. I just see this place at night a lot and thought I'd come try it out during the day." she realised she hadn't thought ahead about this part. She'd never been to a spa before, and she didn't know what she might want here. "What would you suggest?" she asked of the spa pony. She figured she knew their treatments well enough, and probably had something she would suggest for a newcomer.

 

// oh also i thought Thestrals were hairless? //

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//most people in the Fandom call them thestrals or bat ponies. Peeps who read Ausaeoh may call them sarosians. Never heard of Aerions.//

 

Compass studied the brightly colored mare for a long while, her horn briefly lighting up in aqua hues as she covertly scanned her over for any illusionry or mutations. 

 

Nope, this is 100% a bat-pony, and in the daylight. This ought to be interesting.

 

"Might I suggest the steam treatment first?" She called out to the mare from afar, ensuring her voice would be heard. "It does wonders for easing stress, and I could go for a good conversation, if you would be so kind to ablige."

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~~~Aloe Blossom~~~

 

 

 

Aloe clopped her hooves together when she heard the bat pony say this was hey first spa visit and what Aloe recommended. She nodded as well when she heard Rose say that she just had to come during the day and try it out after seeing it at night so many times. "Well, I certainly hope to make you happy you did! For somepony that's never had a spa treatment before, I recommend our basic package," she says as she heard the other mare speak up from the steam room. She seemed eager to have company herself so that was a double win! She just hopped that hey sister would finish whatever errands she was running and get back soon so they could give three two of them proper attention. "Indeed, the steam room is the best place to start any show treatment. If you'll follow me, I can lead you to it," Aloe said with a smile. 

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// sorry i should've linked the page earlier. That's the Canterlot.com canon for bat ponies //

 

Rose was honestly relieved. This was the first time she met somepony new and they didn't so much as mention her race. Normally, by now, she'd be explaining herself to them and answering questions. She didn’t mind it, really, but it was nice to just be, for once. She smiled as the spa pony talked about the service she recommended, when somepony in the back called out.

 

She thought about the invitation for a second, and laughed a little. "It'll be nice to have somepony to talk to." She decided. She happily followed the mare into the back, excited to meet this other pony who'd invited her to join. "Thank you." she offered with a smile as the spa pony lead.

 

// PS. I only know thestrals from the Harry Potter movie where they're introduced, so it just seemed like something totally different, to me haha //

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Compass patiently awaited their arrival and, when they reached her space, she moved aside to give them room. Although, to be fair, the action was rather redundant considering the size of the vaporous room.

 

"Aye, the name is Rose Compass," she helpfully introduced herself, her voice coming off with quite the thick accent before she caught herself, clearing her throat. When she spoke up next, it was in a much more Equestrian tone. "Pardons, I am still adjusting to area. I just moved here from far away, set up a potion shop at the edge of town called Rose Compass' Cure-All's And Curios. Mayhaps you've seen it in passing."

 

 

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~~~Aloe Blossom~~~

 

 

 

The comforting and pleasant attitude that the Aerion was giving off made Aloe smile. "Indeed! We often encourage socializing during the treatments. It's a great way to meet new friends and learn new ideas," she said almost done a double take where Rose said her name. This could get confusing... Compass Rose... and Rose Compass... both going by Rose... Oh well, she's dealt with tougher situations than a couple mares with similar names. See lead the Aerion to the steam room.

 

When Rose mentioned her own store, it piqued Allows Aloe's interest. "Oh, a potion shop? What kind of potions do you make? Judging by the name I'm presuming most of them have some form of healing property?" she asked before turning back to the Aerion. "Oh, and if you need me to adjust anything so that you're more comfortable just let me know. I've never worked with an Aerion before so I'm not familiar with your comfort ranges. So if anything is to hot or cold, or if something seems amiss don't hesitate to let me know. We're here for you after all," she said with a smile. 

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Compass nodded in agreement when Aloe talked about meeting ponies and making friends. She knew a lot of Aerion weren't as keen as she to making friends with ponies (especially her family), but she was always the friendly type. She was often a bit shy, at first, with new ponies, but once she got to know somepony, she just loved to socialize.

 

When she'd arrived in the steam room, she wafted the steam with her hoof to get a clear view. Inside, sat a Unicorn who made way for Compass to sit. She offered her hoof to shake when the Unicorn Unicorn herself. She gave a quick laugh and said "Oh my. I don't suppose you go by Rose?" she chuckled at Rose's response [which i hope it's okay i assumed would be some form of yes] "I'm Compass Rose. I usually go by Rose, but..." she chuckled a bit "I suppose you can call me Compass to help things be less.... interesting." she chose the word carefully.

 

Compass made a little smile when Aloe used the name "Aerion" to refer to her. It seemed most ponies took to calling her kind "bat ponies"— or, Celestia forbid, "Thestrals" —which she supposed she could understand, given her appearance, but... it just rubbed her the wrong way. She figured that was her parents' influence. "Oh this is just fine, thank you." she smiled. Tho she wasn't entirely telling the truth. It had been just a tad hot for her. but not enough that she could comfortably say and possibly ruin it for her new friend. "Although," she added "Um just... my skin may be a little more sensitive than you're used to..." she figured she'd better be safe on that front. Pony hides were toughened a bit by the sun, she'd found.

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Rose smiled and nodded at Aloe's inquiry, taking Compass' hoof in greeting. "You could say that. In truth, my specialty is more broad. I create remedies for various afflictions, and generally try to improve the health and quality of life of my patrons." She focused her attention on the aerion, then, looking her up and down with a distinctly analytic disposition. Most, if not all, of the... aerions... she had encountered in her past life bore coats that ranged from grey to brown, but this one was of a notably bright coloration. A subspecies, perhaps? Or a regional variant. She'd need to study this one more to realize the disparity between them.

 

"Pardon my inquiry, but I must know: you aren't part of the East Umbral Trading Company, are you?" In Andalusia, all bat ponies came from their company. It's her only frame of reference so far, even if it doesn't make much sense. 

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~~~Aloe Blossom~~~

 

 

 

Aloe nodded when she heard CRose mention that the temperature was fine but that her skin would be a bit more sensitive that most that she would be used to. In truth she was already kind of expecting that. She knew that Aerions were nocturnal because of their adversion to the sun. She understood it completely. "Alright I'll keep that in mind. And if you like or services, I'll talk to my sister about doing a few after dark appointments to help you be even more comfortable and not having to fight Celestia's sun just to get a spa treatment. I'm sure Lotus won't mind staying late some evenings to help," she said with a smile before turning back to Rose.

 

She listened as she explained how her potions worked. How she made remedies for various afflictions and for general health improvement and quality of life type thing. "Oh, those sound lovely. Depending on what some of them do, I'm sure we could find a use for some of those here as long as they could be mixed with a bath and still have the same effects," Aloe said with a smile as Rose asked the Aerion if she was party of a trading company. Aloe want so sure herself, but she was interested in hearing where she was from.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Compass was used to being asked all sorts of questions ponies have because of her race. It wasn't uncommon for her to need to explain her eating habits or her Semitic to sunlight; even the odd time ponies ask if she gets thirsty for blood. It usually makes her internally roll her eyes, but she takes those questions in stride. She tries to take them in the spirit of being genuinely interested in her kind. The question the mare asked her, tho, sort of took her off guard. She'd met some Aerion at the conclave who were from the East Umbral Trading Company, but she never really knew much about them. She had paused thinking, for a second, before she realised she hadn't actually answered the question out loud. "Oh, no. I have met some Aerion who were, but I'm not, myself. I'm just from Canterlot. The lesser known, older part of town." she remembered how her parents would refuse to move to the newer parts of Canterlot because they were just fine staying away from where all the ponies were, thank you very much.

 

When Aloe mentioned that her sister might be willing to run the spa later into the night to accommodate her, she blushed "O-oh, it's okay. You don't have to make special arrangements just for me. I can just make appointments on days that are scheduled to be overcast, or something." she didn't want to impose on them and make them have to stay open at abnormal hours just for her. She'd be lying if she said that it wouldn't be more convenient and comfortable for her, but she didn't like to make others do extra work on her account. She thought about how she would get the weather schedule, and figured that was a problem for when she wasn't trying to relax.

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Rose was surprised to hear that name was actually familiar around these parts. She's not sure just where she landed, but she had thought she landed far, far away from Andalusia and anything on it. Or... Perhaps this is a different organization with exactly the same name? All questions for another time, for now, she needed to secure this contact. All of the opportunities for research... 

 

Rose pretends to enjoy the steam for awhile- well, she does enjoy it, but her mind was elsewhere- with a relaxing sigh, ears pinning back, chin tilted up, eyes closed. Yes, this was turning out to be a very fruitful experience.

 

"So... Compass," she rolled the name around on her tongue, an alien taste to the familiar syllables. "Just what kind of 'aerion' are you? You don't bear the appearance most common for your race. One might say you have a... Sunny... Complexion ~" she giggled into her hoof, cracking an eye open to peer at her with mirth. 

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~~~Aloe Blossom~~~

 

 

 

 

Aloe was content to let the other two talk for a bit. She listened to the response that the Aerion had to Rose's question about if she was part of the trading company. She informed them that while she herself wasn't, she knew ponies that were. She herself was just a simple pony from Canterlot. When she said it was part of the lesser known part of town, Aloe gave her a small smile. "Well then, the next time I'm in Canterlot, I must have a tour of this portion of the town if that is okay? I would love to learn more about the old ways myself," she told her with a smile.

 

The following question that followed the first from her first guest was a little bit more... well, she couldn't really place it, but it just kinda didn't set right with her. It felt a bit... like a question that was tad on the derogatory side. Judging from the tone that it was asked it didn't seem that it was meant that way, but still. She would remain silent in this instance though as to not make a scene. If this pony would not be offended by such a question then it would be wrong of her to say anything out against it and make things awkward between them. As it was she simply smiled and nodded to the Aerion reply to her own question. "I suppose that would be the easiest solution, but if there comes a long stretch of bright weather and you need a chance to relax, please feel free. Plus we're also starting to get into the winter months where the nights are longer and start sooner. Here before long we'll actually still be open in the wee hours of the night anyway. So I'm sure we can work something out that will make you comfortable going forward," Aloe smiled.

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