Out with the Old (Open)

[Ambrosios]

Hawthorne was walking quietly through the streets of Royal Rocks, the hustle and bustle of other griffon-folk going on around him. In his bag were a quill, some ink, and a stack of papers that needed to be graded. The griffon was off to one of his favorite spots in the capital. Royal Rocks was a cliff city, and finding somewhere on the outskirts that had more than rock and cliff-face to offer was difficult at best. Finding such a place within the city was even more of a challenge. Luckily though, Hawthorne knew of such a spot.

Within the maze of streets and buildings, there was a small, undeveloped lot on which sat some trees and grass. It wasn't much, but it was a pleasant break from the rest of the city and a place where Hawthorne could feel at peace. It was also one of his most visited locations, the perfect place to go when there wasn't time for a full excursion to the land below. Hawthorne always felt most at home outside the city when he was surrounded by nature, but this location made for a nice home-away-from-home.

The griffon's jaw dropped when his destination finally came into view, however. He had to stop to make sure he hadn't make a wrong turn, but no, there was the bakery, and the fabric shop across from it. The little lot with the trees was gone though. In it's place were several piles of dirt and a few griffons laying down a foundation. A sign nearby read "BANGLES BROTHERS' FURNITURE STORE! COMING SOON!"

"Wha-... what?" Hawthorne stuttered, still trying to grasp his mind around what he had just read. "They can't put up a store! This lot has been around since I was a chick! And now they decide to put something here?" The griffon took a second to calm himself, taking in a breath and letting out a sigh. "Fantastic. There goes one of the last oases in this desert of rock," he thought to himself.

[neon]

N E O N  S P L A S H

She had heard of the city, but she had never been there! In fact, she had heard of the whole kingdom, but never had a chance to go. She had only explored equestria, but now, words of a new kingdom have come up about in ponyville. She was so excited! She popped out of bed and straightened out her already naturally spiked mane. She hadn't made a second thought about her coat color. Normally other ponies give her a second glance, after all, she didn't have normal colors. 

She ran downstairs, today was a slow day anyway. She hung up a sign on the door announcing it was going to be closed for the day. She turned around and spread her wings. Off to the magnificent griffon kingdom! And just like that she took to the sky.

She asked for directions here and there. She knew she was getting close as she saw more and more griffons flying two and from. And just like through through a clearing of clouds she found it! It looked so much different that equestria. Excitement bubbled inside of her. She didn't know where to go exactly, so she settled on the one place that had caught her attention. A hustle and bustle of griffons were around her. She wasn't quiet sure where to go. Until something caught her attention.

 She looked down as a griffon was yelling at a construction site. It had caught her curiosity. She fluttered down to the ground with a few feet away from the upset creature. She smiled sympathetically. "I'm sorry your... Favorite place is being torn down..." she wasn't sure what that would do or where it would lead to. But she meant the apology in complete sincerity. 

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[Ambrosios]

"Thank you," Hawthorne said, still looking at the soon-to-be furniture store, "But I really should of known it wasn't going to last forever. To be honest, I'm surprised they hadn't put up something sooner." The griffon let out another sigh, continuing to watch the construction workers before continuing. "It's just a shame that this was one of the last of its kind in this city. The griffons here spend too much time in the sky, and they learn to forget about what's below them. They could care less about trees and the like. All they want is a place to buy their armchairs and sofas."

Hawthorne then turned to look at the voice that had spoken to him, raising his eyebrows in surprise upon seeing who it belonged to. "Oh, sorry, I didn't... um..." He fumbled over his words for a moment after looking at the pegasus, clearing his throat before continuing. "You must have had a long trip here. It's rare to see a pony around these parts." Her mane and pelt were certainly different than what Hawthorne had seen of her kind. But then again, he knew that they came in a wide variety of colors. "My name is Hawthorne. I teach natural history at the university. What brings you to Royal Rocks?"

[neon]

N E O N  S P L A S H

She closed her eyes and listened as the griffon spoke. She loved to fly herself, but she would never replace the ground with only the clouds. Some ponies are like that, only living in cloudsdale. Some griffons seem like it too. She couldn't bare the thought of loosing a memory to a furniture store. It was like a smack to the face. She wished she could feel the emotional pain of the half lion creature. But it's been a while since she has even returned home. Maybe she was even afraid of the changes since her last staying there. 

When she heard some surprise in his voice upon seeing her, she blushed. Then as he stumbled upon his words she realized she was a pony and ponies were rare to find here. The distance definitely far, the trip had made her wings a little heavy upon landing here. She smiled as the griffon introduced himself.  "Hello Hawthorne! It's wonderful to meet you!" she gave him a warm smile, "my name is Neon Splash!" her ears stood up straight as she spoke with confidence. She was always a confident pony when meeting others. After all, isn't confidence the key to unlock friendships?

She looked round the supposed "royal rocks", she smiled at the name. It was so regal. "The fly was definitely far from home. I started early this morning. Flying when it's cool out is the best!" she giggled lightly as she finished speaking. Other griffons were starting to take notice of the strange colored pony, but she didn't mind at all. "I had heard of the griffon kingdom but I've never seen it. It sounded beautiful!" she must have sounded like such a tourist. "When I was a young mare I had explored all of Equestria. I settled in ponyville a little while ago. Opened my own paint shop and have a wonderful business going! I guess I wanted to take a break and fly somewhere new!" she cheerfully explained her back story to Hawthorne.

A group of young maturing griffons came up and stared at her with bewilderment. She blushed lightly, "so you mentioned ponies are rare here? I hadn't noticed..." she giggled as they scampered away. She had been talking way too much, but she hadn't noticed. "How often do ponies come here then?" her tail flickered a little bit. Something she usually did as a nervous habit. Maybe she should settle down for a bit and let him talk for a second. Or minute. Whatever he would like is fine with her.

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[Ambrosios]

"Rarely, if ever," Hawthorne said, answering Neon's question. "I suppose they're about as common a sight here as griffons are in Equestria. Then again, I wouldn't know first-talon." Shrugging, he took a moment to glance at the young griffons staring at Neon. The group quickly scampered off upon realizing Hawthorne was looking back at them, embarrassed to have been caught gawking. "As you've probably noticed, seeing a pony isn't a daily occurrence for most of us."

"Tell me, Ms. Splash, was there anything in particular you wanted to see while you were here? Any sites or scenery?" It was certainly a long flight here from Equestria, and Hawthorne was interested to hear what if anything Neon might have heard about the Griffon Kingdom, what at all might have incited her to come in the first place. Or perhaps she had simply come here on a whim. That was another possibility. "I'm sure viewing construction sites wasn't on your list of things to do in the Griffon Kingdom," he joked, letting out a short chuckle.

[neon]

N E O N  S P L A S H

She went back in her memories to try and remember a griffon in her past. When she was a little filly she vaguely remembered a griffon. But she hadn't known what creature it was at the time. But other than that, she couldn't remember seeing one. She shook her head, "griffons aren't a very common sight... How funny!" she thought the switched lands were funny. All ponies and rare sighted griffons. Now it's all griffons and rare site for ponies. How backwards! She enjoyed this.

As for hearing about the kingdom, she didn't know much. "All I know about the kingdom is that is full of griffons! Other than that I don't know much..." she stared fixated to the ground. It was her thinking habits. Of course it made her vulnerable for ridicule. But she didn't mind. She looked up at him, "thankfully I didn't have many sights in mind so construction doesn't bother me!" she giggled lightly. She hold he would get the humor. 

She turned around from the site and looked around the city. "I haven't really known anything of griffon culture. It would be interesting to learn it!" she had always wondered of different species customs. Could they be different from ponies? "I wonder if to guys have different customs than the earth, unicorn and pegasus ponies! We all have different ways of doing things..." she looked around. The griffons looked the same, except for coat and feather colors. "Griffons just have wings... Are there different customs in different parts of the griffon kingdom?" her stared curiously at her newfound griffon friend. Well, she thought he was anyway.

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[Ambrosios]

"Yes and no," Hawthorne responded. "Like you said, aside from appearance, there's no distinct difference from one griffon to the next. Unlike ponies, differences come down more to skill and ability rather than natural limitations. In this sense, there's nothing really keeping one griffon from living in the same location as another or anything of that matter."

"However, as I'm sure is the case in Equestria, there are differences between the individuals living in varying locations and their lifestyles. We all share the same culture in the sense that we are all part of the griffon kingdom, but there are deviating nuances dependent on who the griffon is and where he is from. The griffons here in Royal Rock have distinctions from those that live elsewhere. In other words, yes there are differences depending on location and background, but there is no drastic difference in customs between us."

Upon finishing, Hawthorne quickly realized how long he had been talking. "Um, sorry. Didn't mean for that to turn into a lecture. In any case, Royal Rocks is an excellent place for you to begin your cultural journey of the Griffon Kingdom. There are certainly worse places to make a first impression."

[neon]

N E O N  S P L A S H

She smiled as he spoke, her tail flicked once or twice. It was a sign of her interest. So griffons didn't have too much of a difference with types and species. Or culture. Ponies have different accustoms here or these, depending on the pony type. But other than that, the two species weren't far off. She liked that!

She giggled as he finished speaking. "It is quiet alright! You are a professor!" in her mind she thought she was lucky. She had a feeling she would learn quiet a bit on her trip here. "I feel Ike I'm on a field trip! This is so exciting!" incase one didn't notice she didn't care where she was at, as long as she was around friendly company. 

She then remembered him mentioning other cities and locations. "Are the other cities not like... Royal Rocks?" she imagined it wouldn't be that much different from equestria. The cities and towns are different. Some poverty stricken where the residents have to work more than others. From the way he was speaking, Royal Rocks was the griffon kingdoms Canterlot.

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[Ambrosios]

"Not really, no. Royal Rocks is a capital and that in of itself tends to bring prosperity. The standard of living is higher and the arts tend to flourish. That's not to say that all other cities and towns are in bad condition, but one can't expect every one of them to share Royal Rocks' level of well-being. For the most part, though, they do each offer something unique and worth visiting, some more than others."

"There are some I wouldn't recommend visiting on your stay in the Griffon Kingdom, however," Hawthorne continued, scratching the side of his neck. "The Hollow in particular comes to mind. Very crowded, very poor; it is what it is. Not much of a tourist trap and not much to offer either. It wouldn't exactly be the best place for you to get your first view of the Griffon Kingdom."

"But that's enough talk about places you shouldn't go. I don't want to waste all your time here talking, as there are probably plenty of places you would still like to see. I'm unsure of how long you were planning on staying in the Griffon Kingdom, but while you're here in Royal Rocks there is still plenty to see and do. Things far more interesting than construction sites and the like."

[neon]

N E O N  S P L A S H

She smiled as he ave her more information. He was nearly the ultimate tour guide! She thought for a moment, she wasn't really sure where to go. Again, she didn't know much about the griffon kingdom. "Well, I'm still not sure where I would like to go..." she tilted her head and swished her tail. "How about any place with  great view of the city?"  her eyes sparkled with the home of him saying it was okay.

She then thought if she was taking up any of his time. He was a professor after all. Her ears flicked back for a slight second. "Yu don't have to show me anything! If you have things to do, you can just point me in any direction! You are a professor, after all..." then again he was kind enough to tell her about the culture and brief history of the cities. 

[/size]

[Ambrosios]

"View of the city..." Hawthorne muttered to himself, tapping his beak as he looked at the buildings around him. There probably was such a place that Neon was looking for within the city, but Hawthorne had no idea what or where it was. A lot of the buildings were of about the same height, and he wasn't sure which of those that weren't had public access.

"Well," he said, turning back to Neon, "I can't recall a specific place where you could get a good view of Royal Rocks. However, I do know of a place that looks out right over the mountain side. Very scenic and would give you a great view of part of the Griffon Kingdom. It's known as Adler's Drop."

"And I would be more than happy to show you the way. I was going to get some papers graded here, but now that there's construction going, Adler's Drop would make a more suitable location. If I can't sit under a few trees at least I can look at them from afar."

[neon]

N E O N  S P L A S H

She smiled, as she usually always does. It was sometimes hard for her to not smile. She was such a friendly pony. She painted toy waited for him to decide on a location. For a moment she thought to herself, there is no way in celestias sake that there couldn't be A place for them to go. That would be ridiculous! Every place has their scenic views. For her, cloudsdale was the best place. It looked over equestria! Then there was the castle tower, it looked over the night life of canterlot.

When he finally made a decision she shook her head from her rambling thoughts. She smiled once more, even brighter this time. Adler's drop sounded like an interesting location. "Sounds like a beautiful place!" she fluttered her wings softly, anxious to get flying. Or walking, whatever he decided on how to get there.

Excitement bubbled inside of her. Nothing got her blood pumping like new locations and place! Which is why she went out and explored equestria in the first place. Her tail swished with anticipation, "let's get going!" her voice obviously was filled with excitement. She hoped the griffon didn't mind. Sometimes her hyperactivity annoyed others.

[Ambrosios]

It was clear to Hawthorne that Neon was very eager to visit the site, which was understandable considering from how far away she was visiting. Many griffins would likely behave the same way if they were to visit Equestria. The two kingdoms each offered many unique and interesting locations that could get any outsider excited. "Alright then," Hawthorne said, making sure his bag was secure. "Adler's Drop is on the edge of the city, so it's probably best that we fly the way there."

The griffin stretched out his wings before steadily flapping them to begin gaining altitude. He waited until he and Neon were a reasonable distance above the buildings before talking to her again. "It's going to be in that direction," he said, pointing out in front of them. "We're looking for a large, flat site on the very edge of the cliff-face. Griffon-made, almost like a large stone platform." Hawthorne then took off towards the direction he had pointed in, not going too fast as to avoid losing his new-found companion.

[neon]

N E O N  S P L A S H

After he decided to get themselves moving to the new location he spread his wings and began to take off. His wings were much more feathered than hers, they were magnificent! Griffon wings were not an everyday site for her. When he took off the ground she grinned and spread it her wings and lifted off. She flew next to him the whole way. Did griffons usually fly this slow? Her talent wasn't fast flying but this was a bit slower than what she was used to. Maybe he was being nice? Then again it seemed like there was a little more body mass for a pony than a griffon.

She flew up next to him and had a brilliant thought cross her mind. She flew a little outwards to avoid his wing span. She smiled as she turned her back towards the ground and she began to fly in circle around him. She giggled lightly as she avoided his wings, and even a few occasions where his feather tips tickled her back. "So do you guys have celebrations? Or does it vary by town?" she wondered if the griffons were as festive as the ponies were. The gala, garden party, nightmare night. She wondered if they had similar events here, too.