[Canterlot] Final Day in Canterlot

[CrossStitch]

En Garde closed the final suitcase on his bed with a tad bit of difficulty. After much pressing though, the locks eventually snapped shut, and the suitcase closed. He stepped back from it and looked around at all of his other bags and suitcases, all matching of course, that were also filled with his necessities.

You may ask why he was packing to begin with. Well, today was his last day in Canterlot. Tomorrow, En Garde was Ponyville bound. He had already found a very nice house and was really eager to begin giving fencing lessons in the town. The sight of all of his bags almost made him tear up after seeing everything come together. He felt older, wiser... Better.

His parents were the opposite though. They were torn up, sad, upset, and every other words which generally meant 'bad mood.' But who could watch their only child go without so much as a care? It was the role of a parent after all. En Garde was happy though, and this in turn made them happy. For is it not also the role of a parent to be happy for your child?

En Garde stepped outside of his house, feeling a breeze pass through the streets of Canterlot. It tossed his mane around, and caused his tail to sway, and it felt nice. It was a beautiful day out, almost as if the city itself was begging him to stay. He could not though, as fate had other plans for him. This would be a perfect final day though.

He began trotting to his first destination, somewhere that was always close to him. It was a grocery store that sold the most delectable of fruits. He fondly remembered his foalhood when his mother would buy him an apple every time they passed by. The apples were always the sweetest and juiciest apples of course, and in his mind nothing compared. Though the apples from Sweet Apple Acres could compete with them easily.

There was a jingle as a bell placed atop the door alerted the customers, and the owners, to En Gardes arrival. The scent of all the delicious fruits filled his nostrils as a wave of nostalgia came over him.

En Garde eagerly went to browsing the selection, contemplating about bringing some with him to Ponyville. Lost in though, he ended up accidentally bumping into another customer.

[Conor Colton]

Colton Cloudkicker the travelling pegasus pony was on a stroll through the streets of Canterlot on a personal errand; well not soo much a 'personal errand' as a favor for a friend. This friend was his pet sparrow and travelling companion Sparks, the bird had insisted in going out to pick up a snack, but not just any snack; the birds favorite snack, what was this you ask?....Blueberries. The bird had dragged the pegasus out of bed in hopes of him picking him up some of the bird's blessed fruit, however the pegasus was not amused by this' and it was very noticeable.

"I honestly don't believe you Sparks.....of all the things, you drag me out of bed just because you had a blueberry craving..." Colton stated as he let out a very discontented sigh, "I still don't get it.....what is it with you and blueberries?" He stated as he knew he was only delaying the inevitable.

That 'inevitable' was the bird catching the smell of fresh fruit in the air, as he did he began to tug on Colton's hair from his perch on the pegasus' head, "Ow.... watch it up there, I'm not in the mood for thi-" Colton was interrupted by the bird flying forwards a nearby store, leading Colton along the route the sparrow's sense of smell laid out, "....Fine...." Colton stated in defeat as he followed the sparrow to the nearby grocery store.

Colton heard a jingle as he entered and began to look around the quaint store, and Sparks ran off looking for the blessed blue fruit. Colton decided to make the best of it so he took the opportunity to get some things he needed; he searched about the store for the items he needed, but the pegasus as very tired and couldn't help but stumble and accidentally bump into a nearby pony; knocking over both their bags in the process, "Oh Celestia...uhm....I'm soo sorry buddy....you need any help with that?" He said, trying to mend any bad impressions.

[CrossStitch]

En Garde stumbled backwards, but quickly regained his balance. He ran a hoof over his chest, reorganizing any bits of fur that became out of place. "Well, that's one way to make an introduction." He said, a bit annoyed. He began to calm down the more he began to realize the incident was slightly his fault.

"Not to worry, twas no trouble at all, friend." He began to pick up his belongings quickly and gracefully, all traits that were burned into his mind over the years. Everything about him screamed 'Canterlot Pony.' He finished collecting his things and then put the bag down, making sure it wouldn't tip. "Ah, there we are." He had a heavy Canterlot accent when he spoke, his tone was very gentlemen-like, and his posture was one of envy; Again, traits and habits that were engraved in his very beings over the years. "But where are my manners? I am En Garde. And who might you be, my good sir?"

[Conor Colton]

Colton began to lift up his things and putting them into the appropriate saddlebags before observing the pony infront of him work away at his dropped goods. He was shocked to see that even after such as stumble, and at this early in the morning that the pony could easily and gracefully gather and quickly reorganize his things. He also noticed that this pony had a particularly think Canterlot accent; this was rather jarring as Colton didn't usually get along with ponies who he saw as rather 'eccentric' but regardless he treated the pony the way he would treat anypony else.

He tried to stand up proud and poised just like the pony infront of him as he responded to his inquiry, "Well....pleasure to meet ya En Garde." He stated as he extended a friendly hoof.

"My name's Colton, Colton Cloudkicker..." He said as he noticed his pet bird landing on his shoulder, carrying a small bag in his beak practically bursting with blueberries, "And this is Sparks.....sorry we didn't get the chance to meet under better circumstances En Garde."

[CrossStitch]

The pony's accent didn't sound very Canterlotish, and his poise seemed a little off, but it was a very bold effort. En Garde smiled and extended his hoof as well, shaking Colton's in a friendly manner.

"Well then, it is a pleasure to meet you Colton. Ah, and you as well Sparks." The pet robin was adorable, and it made En Garde slightly envious. Through his life he was always told that he couldn't have a pet, that they were too rowdy. But now he would have a house of his own, and he could have any pet he wanted, the thought made him even more excited for tomorrow. He kept his composure though, "Do not worry about the less then substantial meeting either my friend."

"Though, I must ask, what bring you to Canterlot? Do not take this the wrong way or anything, but you don't seem to be from here." He raised an eyebrow, but tried to keep a friendly tone of voice.

[Conor Colton]

Colton completely understood En Garde's final statement, it was true that he didn't exactly carry an 'aura of class' with him. He promptly responded to the ponies inquiry however, "Yeah your right, I'm not from here.....I actually came here on business and....uh....I've been staying on account of...personal matters..." Colton said as Sparks made a small heart shape with his wings, "Knock it off!" Colton whispered as he shook the bird off of his shoulder.

"Well.....Yeah I guess I shouldn't really worry, it's not the first time I've had a rather odd first meeting with somepony..." Colton said as he remembered just how many times his introductions in the fair city started with a stumble; he counted four but he might have been off on that assumption.

The pegasus noticed En Garde had bags with him that weren't like the bags in the store, not wanting to sound too invasive he decided to ask politely, "I uh...saw your suitcase there En Garde...you going somewhere?" He said, genuinely curious as to the incoming answer.

[CrossStitch]

En Garde looked down to one of the bags he had with him. It was a personalized saddlebag with his cutie mark sewn into it.

"Oh, this? Well, yes actually. I'm just gathering a few fond memories. I'm moving you see, to Ponyville." He gestured to his bag as he mentioned it. The thought of moving to Ponyville slid of his tongue in a manner that excited him. He felt like he was truly breaking free and making a name for himself. But to break free meant to be alone, and to be alone... Wasn't exactly happy. En Garde's look faded for a split second before he recomposed himself, shaking off any dreary auras. Today was a day of celebration after all, not one of glum.

"Business? For your business to bring you to Canterlot, you must travel a lot. Tell me, have you ever been to Ponyville?" He asked, wondering what others impressions of the fair village was.

[Conor Colton]

Colton nodded slightly as he responded, happy that his assumption was correct, "I thought that was the case, and Ponyville? Nice choice, trust me." The pegasus stated with a smile as he began to recall all the times he had visited the charming little hamlet, about more times than he could count as a matter of fact; Colton and Sparks had been on soo many adventures in the village that they couldn't even remember them all....

Colton snapped himself out of his nostalgic daze though when En Garde inquired as to Colton's lifestyle, as well as Ponyville. He composed himself and responded to the question, "Well....yeah you are right there En Garde, I do travel a lot, I've sorta made it my lifestyle actually..." Colton said as he saw he was veering off topic.

"Anyway, yeah I have been to Ponyville quite a few times; it's a very nice place alright. The pony's there are pretty friendly and there's almost always something to do...It defiently beats big city living in my opinion....So you got nothing to worry about if your feeling slightly hesitant...Moving can be hard and all.." Colton said as he rubbed the back of his head.

[CrossStitch]

En Garde nodded, so Ponyville WAS accepted as a pretty friendly village. He figured it was the Canterlot lifestyle that caused a few ponies from here to look down on such a place. It saddened him a bit to think that any pony could think of the place as 'dirty' or 'cheap' or to think that they were any lesser then Canterlot ponies. They hadn't seen it yet though, haven't lived it, they didn't know Ponyville like he knew Ponyville.

"I see. Hesitant? Not I, in fact I'm quite looking forward to moving." He gestured once more to his cutie mark that was sewn on to his bag, "I even plan to set up a place of study for the fine art of fencing once I arrive!" He hadn't planned it out yet, but the vision was there. Gesturing to the bag made him realize that he still had things to buy. "Oh, but I am wasting your time, I apologize," He laughed lightly, not being too serious.

An idea came to mind though, "Pardon me Colton, but would you mind joining me for tea? I'd like to hear more about your time in Ponyville, if you don't mind."

[Conor Colton]

"Really?" Colton said with a rather taken back expression, "Well that's great En Garde.....I've never actually tried fencing before.....hmmmm" Colton said as he thought about the possibilities of having the ability to fence under his belt. His thoughts were interrupted though when En Garde asked if he would be up to sharing some more tales of his time in PonyVille.

Not wanting to seem rude, despite it being so early and Colton being so tired; he thought it would be best to accept the offer. "Sure, why not...I don't have any conflicting events....Especially since I was woken up so early.." Colton said as he gave Sparks a very unamused look. But before Colton could leave he had to deal with the matter at hand, that of the blueberries.

Colton approached the cashier and paid for the blueberries as well as his other necessities he had purchased and waited for En Garde as he held the door open patiently. He decided to inquire as to where exactly they were going however, "So....you know any good places around here?" The pegasus asked.

[CrossStitch]

"Fencing is a fine art!" He said as he finished purchasing his food, "It takes concentration, speed, and reflexes." His speech sped up and became louder, obviously signifying he was getting excited about the topic, "A true test of one's wit against another!" En Garde was mentally shadow-dueling in his head, thinking through his movements and strikes as he stared off into the distance.

A jingle snapped him out of his fantasy world, it was Colton opening the door. En Garde looked over to find Colton politely holding the door open for him. En Garde packed his things and walked out of the door, "Thank you, sir." He said, bowing his head. It was so nice to see politeness and kindness, it made his heart soar with joy. "You know what they say Colton, the early bird gets the worm! So to speak, of course."

En Garde put a hoof to his chin, looking around the town. "Hmm... I do have one place in mind." He said as he began to trot away, "It's not far from here, perhaps I could entertain you with some fencing tales?"

[Conor Colton]

Colton couldn't help but smile at En Garde as he drifted into his fantasy world, Colton couldn't say he had never had done that; so it wasn't his place to really judge. He continued to hold the door open until En Garde had fully left before closing the door behind the three of them. He responded to En Garde's rather ironic saying with a slight chuckle and a few words, "Well...I guess....But this bird been's too early....And now it's waiting around for the worm..." Colton said with a glare at Sparks, who was happily munching away on his newly purchased blueberries.

"Beak brain...." Colton said as he gave the bird a playful nudge.

As the two of them walked to En Garde's destination, Colton pondered the possibilities of hearing some entertaining tales, "Sure, why not...I got a few tales myself; But you work away..." The pegasus stated, eager to hear En Garde's stories about his rather interesting career.

[CrossStitch]

En Garde talked as he continued his peace, "Let's see... How about I start from the beginning?" It was obvious that he was getting excited again.

"I started fencing when I was very young, my mother and father took me to a tournament. I instantly became engrossed in the art. I practically begged my mother for classes for a week, I'm sure," He laughed, these memories were obviously precious to him, "She eventually allowed me to try fencing, and I picked it up in no time. After just a month of practice, I was in my first tournament," He let out a sigh, longing for those days of youth, "I won with relative ease, and that was when I earned my cutie mark."

The story seemed to take no time, but by the end of it, the two had already arrived. "Ah yes, here we are." En Garde moved to the door and held it open for Colton, "After you, friend."

[Conor Colton]

Colton followed along with En Garde's tale with as much concentration as he could, given his current level of tiredness. Regardless of that however, Colton continued to follow along, feeling rather enthralled with En Garde's cutie mark story; it made him think of how he had obtained his cutie mark. Colton thought back on the subject for a few moments before he was brought back to the present by En Garde's announcement that they had reached their destination.

Colton was thankful for En Garde holding the door, similar to what Colton had done at the store. He gave the pony a nod along with some thankful words, "Thanks....Wow..." Colton said as he looked into the establishment. What triggered the "Wow" how ever wasn't this places extravagance, but rather it's simplicity, the curtains weren't hand stitched, the floor wasn't shag carpeted and even the doorknob wasn't gilded...something Colton wasn't used to in Canterlot; but it surprisingly worked.

The pegasus approached an empty table with two seats and awaited for En Garde to sit down, as well as a waiter. When the pony did so Colton wondered about En Garde's past more and more; so naturally he decided to enquire, "So....I assumed you've lived in Canterlot for a while now right?.....What makes you wanna move?" Colton said as he slyly swiped a blueberry from Sparks and casually threw it into his own mouth.

[CrossStitch]

"I've lived in Canterlot since I was born," He said as he took his seat, there was a menu in front of him, but he already knew what he wanted. "As for what made me want to move..." He said looking away, trying to think of where to start.

"Well, how about I continue my original story? Then you'll understand." En Garde took a breath in and let out a sigh, preparing himself for a lengthy story.

"I continued fencing ever since I got my cutie mark, you see. I won many tournaments, but in that time I began to realize why I was allowed to take the classes in the first place. My parents were using me for popularity since I was the top fencer in all of Canterlot." He looked down at the table, his eyes seemed a bit darker, "The matches stopped becoming fun. I was fighting for popularity now, not myself." He took another breath in and let it out, "So I quit." He said, quite bluntly. "I took a vacation in Ponyville during my 'hiatus' of sorts."

En Garde looked back up to Colton, his eyes seemed to be brighter now, "I had hear the town was itching with excitement and adventure with un-explainable things happening everyday!" His eyes lowered a bit again, "But nothing of the sort happened during my time there," He looked back up, "Except on the last day..." He seemed to be happy again, "While I was having a drink, a foal wearing a fencing mask approached me and challenged me to a duel. I couldn't help but to accept, seeing as deep down I still had a love for the sport." En Garde was lost in his thought again, imagining the day with perfect memory, "She was so skilled, almost as if we shared the same Cutie Mark. Of course, I was a bit rusty though, so I lost." He chuckled to himself, "It was fine though, because I had fun. She helped me remember the joy in fencing, and it made me want to share that joy." The waiter began to approach them, "So I decided to start a fencing school in Ponyville."

The waiter arrived, "Can I get you two anything?"

"The usual, please." En Garde said with a smile.

"Of course Garde, and you?" She turned to Colton.

[Conor Colton]

"Oh right uh.....I'll just have a coffee thank you" Colton said, still wanting to shake his tiredness.

"No problem sir." The waitress stated with a smile as she went about her business.

Colton ran his hooves down his face and shook his head slightly to try and stay awake. Sparks wasn't having this problem as it seemed the bird was under what could only be described as a 'Blueberry rush'. The bird was jumping up and down on Colton's head, and rather annoying the pegasus. He shook off the sparrow and responded to En Garde's previous statement.

"Really?....A random foal came up and started fencing?" Colton said as he wondered if he had heard En Garde right, "....I've seen some pretty odd stuff before....but wow....Can't say I've ever seen that..." He stated as he once again swiped a blueberry from Sparks.

[CrossStitch]

"Indeed! It surprised me as well." He chuckled again, his laugh was warm.

He was noticing something though, something about Colton, "Forgive me for saying so, but you look positively exhausted, Colton." En Garde also began to notice the bird atop Colton's head. It was a sparrow if he wasn't mistaken, he also remembered Colton referring to the the bird as 'Sparks.' Perhaps a bird wouldn't be that bad of a pet. En Garde WOULD be alone in his new home, perhaps a pet was something he needed to help liven the place up, perhaps a hummingbird?

[Conor Colton]

Colton thought that the signals were too easy to read, he now had to explain why he was soo tired, "Well...." Colton said as he recalled the events of a few hours ago, "Sparks here woke me up because he had a craving for blueberries....Weird I know..." Colton said as he ran his hooves down his face again. "Anyway, he woke me up way too early...and I did have a late night last night..." Colton said as he gave the sparrow an unamused look.

"It was really bad because I was hoping to have a nice lazy relaxing morning with....." Colton stopped himself, as he was afraid he might have revealed too much, "Anyways uh....Nice weather isn't it?" Colton said as he realized how obvious his cover up was.

[CrossStitch]

"Ah, I see." En Garde said as he nodded.

In En Garde's line of work, reading moves was a necessary skill, one that he had mastered. He could tell that Colton was keeping something a secret. Late night without an explanation, a pony or thing that he hoped to spend the day with. If that wasn't bad enough, he asked about the weather, which was a dead give-away.

En Garde raised an eyebrow, but before he could say anything the waitress arrived with their drinks. "Ah, thank you madam." He said as his cup was set down in front of him. He took a long sip from it as he continued to look at Colton with a skeptical look, "You're not a good liar." He finally said as he sat his cup down.

[Conor Colton]

Colton needed a distraction....and fast, luckily the waitress had arrived with their drinks, "Thank you..." Colton said calmly as he took his coffee and took a long disgruntled sip; feeling almost instantly woken up. He felt normal again and was ready to move the conversation along....But En Garde wasn't.

He was in the middle of another sip when En Garde came in with his final statement, he almost spat out his coffee but managed to keep it back and hastily swallow it.

"Uh....I don't....know..." Colton tried to cover, but one look at En Garde's face told him it wasn't working. He sighed in defeat before responding, "Okay.....I was hoping to spend the morning with....A certain mare I've been spending some 'time' with now..." He said as he rubbed the back of his neck embarrassed.

[CrossStitch]

"Ahh, a day with the missus I see." He said with a hearty laugh.

He took a long sip of his tea and let out a sigh of pleasure, "I tell you Colton, nothing like a nice cup of tea in the morning." His eyes were closed but he still had a wide smile on his face, "I'm going to miss this." He said finally, seemingly from nowhere. His eyes were open now, looking down into his cup as the steam rolled up and past his face, caressing it with heat. He felt odd to suddenly change the subject, but it was a subject that was bugging him. He sighed again, blowing the steam away from his face, watching it dissipate into the air. "But...We all have to go out on our own one day, right?"

[Conor Colton]

"Well, I guess you could say that, yeah..." Colton said in response to En Garde's first point before taking a long sip of his coffee.

After he had put the cup back down though he was immedietly taken back by En Garde's rather sudden change of subject, he didn't want to say anything though, less he sound rude; so he just calmly listened. Colton wasn't always the best at reading pony behaviour but he could tell that En Garde was concerned about something and was looking for conformation from Colton that he had nothing to worry about.

"Right..." Colton said as he partially thought back to the day he had left home to start his adventures. But he wasn't about to leave this alone though, "Uh....En Garde....Is there something up with you moving?....Like....is there something wrong?" He said as he took another sip.