The Small Shop On Elder Street

by SirEcho


A Small Stroll [E]


The leaves had begun to settle from an early fall, littering the cobbled streets of Canterlot to form a motley brown and yellow fall blanket. Many ponies bundled up in cozy attire to combat the cold chill that had arrived with it early in the morning. Celestia herself numbered among those ponies as well, wandering the streets in the early hours of the day, donning her guise of a regular unicorn by the name of Sunflower Daze, with an appearance not-so dissimilar to that of her normal self. Though, with the help of some crafty spell work, instead of the towering six-foot figure she normally struck, Sunflower Daze was a mere five feet and a few inches. She bore the same pure white fur, but her hair and tail were simply a light shade of pink rather than its usual resplendent rainbow. Her cutie mark, although concealed under several layers like everyone else’, was instead a simple sunflower rather than the very sun itself. The attire she had chosen for today was a loose sweater, jeans that complimented her larger figure well and a large-knit beanie on her head, through which her shortened horn poked through.

A thorough disguise indeed.

She walked alongside the other ponies as they went about their morning routines. Unlike those beside her, however, she had no particular destination in mind. She was content to simply watch her little ponies pass by, enjoy the after-scent of last night’s rain which still lingered in the air, and to admire the rustic neighborhoods of the lower districts, the true heart and soul Canterlot, where centuries of character coalesced into close-knit communities. Suffice to say, Celestia was sick and tired. Not just of the castle she resided in, but of the overstated opulence displayed by the 'nobles' that lived in the upper districts - who improved their homes in eccentric fashions in a bid to outdo said castle. A grimace crossed her face, the mere thought of nobles causing her head to ache. Celestia let out a long sigh, rubbing her temples. However, this was why she took these walks in the first place; to escape from it all.

For it was Sunday, her day off from court and a day of rest for the other ponies as well. This was her day to unwind from all the pent up stress from court. As her tradition went; she purchased a few Parisian pastries at her preferred Prench patisserie, munching on the confections while watching life in the city roll onward, only to eventually end up browsing whatever she found interesting on Market Boulevard, one of the main roads where colorful shops of all kinds had settled; not only the shops, but in the many stalls lining the street as well, placed by ponies and other species from lands abroad. The boulevard crowded with customers, all buying the fall trinkets and treats as they passed through.

Being long lived, Celestia could safely say she had seen most of them before. So, as time passed, it became harder to find novelties that were actually, well, novel to her. Instead of giving it up, she decided to turn it into a game. Her goal; to find something special before she went home and bring it back as a souvenir. As she walked through the crowded boulevard, she decided to head down an offshoot street off the main boulevard. She glanced up at the sign as she walked past its post, it read 'Elder Street'.

Now there was something peculiar about this particular passage, and it hadn't struck her until this very moment. There was a rather... “unique” resident living in one of the shops. She remembered reading the report about it some years ago, despite the many strange documents that crossed her desk. Something about a tall creature who had come from a foreign land seeking to immigrate. She had left the decision to the officials there, as she had been busy with more dangerous matters and ultimately they had deemed him safe to enter. She recalled that when he had filled out his paperwork, he had called himself a human and had a skilled craft of some sort. Some rumors had spread about the new immigrant - the usual diatribe of scary nonsense that her subjects are susceptible to whenever something unknown comes along. Though one inkling of truth had shifted to the top, that he had decided to live in Canterlot, just off of Market Boulevard.

Celestia knew where her next stop was.

She continued at the comfortable pace down the now smaller and less crowded street. She noticed that this street was in a bit of disrepair as the cobble became more uneven to walk on. The buildings sagged in their old age, their colors more muddled and muted in comparison to the bright boulevard she had left. Even her sun did not fully reach into the street as the tall buildings choked the light to a small sliver that provided only a muted glow like blinds on a window.

She neared the middle of the street and noticed that some ponies seemed to give one small building in particular a wide berth, the most likely suspect for his residence. As she approached, a sign came into view, it read 'Cliff's Crafts'. She walked up to the display window and peered at the wares. From there she saw many works of beautifully engraved leathers, from saddles to satchels and belts to holsters, all with delicately detailed floral engravings. Next to them were silver spoons that were crafted just as well with silver plates that had engraved depictions of the desert frontier. Behind the display in the shop were wooden chairs, tables, and even wagon wheels, some adorned with silver. Celestia was a bit overwhelmed by the expert crafts before her, and wondered why this shop wasn't more popular; especially among the Canterlot elite. She decided that she was going to buy something from here and entered the shop.

The door gave a jingle as it opened, and a gruff voice from the back of the store called out. "Gimme me a moment I'll be right with ya." Celestia continued to browse while humming a little tune to herself. She picked up one of the silver tea spoons and admired it carefully. "Can I help you?" Said a deep male voice from behind her. She yelped and dropped the spoon on the floor, but quickly recovered.

She picked up the spoon and turned towards him. "Ah, my apologies, I didn't mean to desecrate your craf-" But stopped partway through to gaze at the creature. He was a bit taller than even her original towering height, he had little hair on his body, save the loosely combed shock of brown on his head. He had a sharp jawline like marble and a large frame to match. He had blue eyes that held an intense gaze, that was entirely focused on her. He wore a simple white button up shirt and blue jeans, both were worse for wear with stains from his work.

"Don't worry too much about it miss, just bring that spoon over so I can give it a look." He held out a large hand, rough with callouses and weathered by years of work. She gingerly passed him the spoon, his hand gently grabbed it from hers and, for a moment, she felt his warmth and wiry strength. He took the spoon and gave it a quick look, then he pulled out a thin cloth and gave it a wipe. "Looks alright to me, you didn't cause no harm to it."

She nodded, though internally wondered why she was so meek all of a sudden. Something about him was decidedly different, even though they both stood on two legs and he had the same form as a stallion, something tugged at the back of her mind about that foreign aura he exuded. Perhaps it was his lack of expression, the way he carried himself, or the nakedness of his bare skin. It all coalesced into an enigma of an otherworldly stallion, one which she could not readily place her finger on, but it was there and it all made him seem completely alien to this world.

"The name's Cliff, so what can I do for ya?" Celestia shook her head and gathered her wits. She's a princess for goodness sake! So she steeled her resolve in the face of this oddity.

"I was thinking about buying that for my tea set." She said proudly.

"Sure thing, that'll be thirty bits." Cliff stated as he went behind the counter, upon which a register stood. Celestia was happy with the price; it was on the lower end for something this excellent but not bad for only one spoon. She pulled out the required amount and placed it on the counter, with a smile.

"Deal."

Cha-ching

The mechanical register rang out as it displayed the thirty bit total and the box opened. He placed the bits inside and closed the register. "Let me just grab the set real quick." He disappeared behind the counter with the spoon. Celestia wondered what he meant by-

He reappeared from the counter with an engraved box which held two silver spoons. " There ya go, set of silver spoons, you have a good day now." Celestia was shocked, did he not value his work highly? This was some of the best craftsponyship she has seen in Canterlot, yet, it was being sold at such a discount. No, this was not right, on her honor she would not allow him to get cheated like this.

"O-oh, it's a set? Is it possible that I pay more then?" She asked.

"Uh, Miss?"

"Sunflower, just call me Sunflower."

"Miss Sunflower, all sales are final. My prices are non-negotiable." Cliff leaned with his elbow on the counter. "And I'm aware that it's on the cheaper end, but I don't mind. I do this for the hobby now more than anything."

"Are you sure?" Celestia asked with a touch of charm. She batted her eyelashes and gave him a slightly bashful look. She was sure this would work, most stallions would falter at the sight of her feminine wiles.

"I'm sure, I appreciate it miss." He said without a second thought, before he disappeared to the back of his shop. Celestia huffed in annoyance - she wondered why he wouldn't just accept her gratitude, but stallions are a bit bull headed in her experience after all.

She wandered back out onto the street and began heading home towards the castle. With souvenir in tow, she looked forward to tea tonight with her sister. She promised herself; next Sunday she would visit again. The next time though, she would pay him properly, and she would figure out this strange anomaly that is Canterlot's only human resident.