It was a clear day outside of the train car, the sun shining bright and the clouds white as they can be. The grass was the color of lush green. This was all that could be seen through the window of the train car that Regard was in. He was in his own little quarter that was stocked with a bed, a desk, proper lighting and facilities. It may have sounded fancy but he was coming from Manehatten and was traveling to Canterlot himself. Regard was sitting at the edge of his desk scribbling away at a notebook he had brought with himself from Griffinstone.
Regard was a Griffin, one of the more "stranger ones" as his peers would call him as. His coat was a a white color and his wings were just like the ones of a Snowy Owl's. His tail shared the same colors as his coat and at the very end though his tail feathers were a color of a deep purple. His beak was black and was quite short compared to other Griffin beaks for most of genes come from the Owl. His body was smaller than expected of the Griffins. Though it was as large as a normal female unicorn's body size was. His eyes were the color of a deep sea blue and in front of his eyes were reading glasses that looked quite fashionable with it's gold frame around the lenses that were round in shape and were cut off near the top of where normal glasses would reach.
Regard had an ink pen and was scribbling inside his book various compounds of plants that are native to Equestria that could prove to be very helpful with providing cures to his future patients. Although Regard was proficient in medicine in Griffinstone and had cured many Griffin's diseases and sicknesses he felt that if he would come to Equestria he would have a much more successful career in the field of medicine. He also hoped that he would be able to share ancient Griffin Methods of practicing medicine. In return, maybe he could learn some new ideas from Equestrian doctors and pharmacists and apply them to his methods creating even more effective and powerful solutions for various illnesses. This was one reason why he wanted to leave Griffinstone and start new in Canterlot, education.
The second reason was the limited resources, facilities, and abilities within Griffinstone. Griffinstone was an absolute disaster in his eyes, the place was rundown, had improper facilities and was very hard to receive resources for that the city was based on a mountain. Thus limiting his ability to create potions and cures for the high altitude did not present many useful ingredients compared to the fabled "Everfree Forest" which had a variety of special plants that could assist him in aiding others. With these advanced facilities and resources at his disposal who knows what he could discover.
Inside his journal he wrote about the mysterious flower known as "Poison Joke" where it had the capabilities of changing one's appearance for only a couple days but were said to make ones appearance hysterical if the flower touches the coat or skin of an organism. Regard knew that if you handled it properly and don't get it onto your coat it could be applied for medical purposes. Or as he hypothesized. If the flower makes one laugh on sight of seeing one infected by the flower then he proposed if you use rubber gloves and mash into a powder and mix it with a thick substance such as honey it would relax the users muscles and create a relaxed feeling all the while smelling nice. The only drawback was the honey would stick, this he would have to find another solution. He kept scribbling until he heard a knock on his door and turned his head towards the door and spoke in a high tone, (for a Griffin) "Come in!"
Followed by him speaking the door slid open and in came a cabin attendant. Her coat was the color of a soft blue and her mane a light turquoise color. She was carrying a tray that contained a cup of coffee and a small carafe of water with a glass next to it. She placed it down beside him and said, "If you don't mind sir, what are you writing there?"
"I suppose I could chat a little." He turned around in his chair and the mare and was looking at him. "Well, you see here I'm from Griffinstone and-"
"Whoa you're from Griffinstone? Oh I-I'm sorry," she interrupted.
"It's okay. Anyways I am what you would call a 'pharmacist' or 'doctor' or both to be honest. I specialize in creating various medicines and remedies to cure Ponies and Griffins alike of their illnesses. I was just creating a hypothesis about the flower 'Poison Joke' and how it may be able to cure athletes of extreme cases muscle soreness. If handled properly and mixed in with the right ingredients."
"I always thought Griffins were not usually intellectual as you are sir." she replied hastily, "no offense to your species."
"None taken, I am just the exclusion of the species." He gave a slight laugh and smiled a little. It was silent for a brief moment, "I have a question, how far away are we from Canterlot Ms. um~."
"Ms. Diamond and we are just about thirty minutes away from Canterlot. I would recommend packing your bags up, but I see it is clearly organized and ready to go. It was also very interesting to hear about your hypothesis on the 'Poison Joke' ! Have a good day sir!" As she said this, she exited the cabin and slid close the door behind her leaving Regard alone for himself.
"Ms. Diamond- pretty name that is." He stood up from his chair and began to stretch and grunted loudly in doing so. Eventually he finished and exhaled. He picked his coffee up from the tray and made his way towards the window and looked out and sipped his coffee. Only to find that it burned his beak and tasted extremely bitter. "Oh, wasn't expecting this turn of events when drinking this 'coffee'!" he rushed over to the tray and placed down the coffee in it's respective place. He contemplated what the spoon, cream and sugar was for though. He had never seen coffee before, but he had heard of it when he was in the Manehatten train station. He finally figured out that the cream goes inside the coffee to cool it down. He placed a good amount of cream within the coffee and then tried it again to find it nice and smooth. The only problem was that it was too hot for him to drink. He contemplated how to cool it down immediately but eventually figured that he should let it cool as if it were a fire through the night.
It was around five minutes later that he found that the coffee was able to thoroughly enjoyed at a warm temperature that wasn't too hot. As he was sipping away at his coffee, the train came into view of Canterlot. It was unbelievable how the ponies were able to construct a whole entire city off the side of a mountain and it has been like that for a couple centuries now. The city still growing every year with more and more housing and finding new ways to build off the side of that mountain. It was just simply an idea that Regard was not able to fathom himself.
But what stood out to him was the architecture. It appeared as if the architecture was modeled after Saddle Arabian architecture with its large domes that were various colors and had elaborate designs. The city also appeared to have the colors of a royal purple and gold within it's architecture theme.
The sight of building filled himself with joy, to know that you are going someplace else where you can flourish more than you can possibly imagine fills the mind with wonder and awe. Regard kept wondering about what life is going to be like in the future while living in Canterlot. The possibilities were endless, this was truly a place where he could call home and start a new life all over again. Leaving behind of what was the old town of Griffistone and welcome Canterlot into his world.
As the city got closer and closer into the view of Regard the train speaker went off and out came a voice speaking, "Fillies and Gentlecolts thank you for choosing Celestial Railroad Transportation Company. We are now arriving in Canterlot, home of the 'Canterlot Castle '! Thank you again for choosing Celestial Railroad Transportation Company and we hope you have a pleasant day, thank you."
After this Regard grabbed his suitcase, backpack, and his journal bag and made way towards the exit of the train. As he entered the lounge area of the cabin where many ponies were standing awaiting for the stopping of the train. He found a pole to latch onto and hung on from it. He made sure that he had gotten everything from his private quarter. He waited for a couple minutes and then eventually the train came to a stop at the railway station and the doors opened. Ponies went out the doors and Regard found himself initial rush of ponies getting out of the train. He eventually made his way out of the train and stepped upon the stone path. He eventually looked around and saw a sign saying "EXIT THIS WAY" with an arrow pointing towards the direction and he followed the path towards the exit. The station was extremely busy with ponies hustling around trying to get to their respective trains. Regard already liked the city, it was fast paced compared to the slow pace that was Griffinstone.
Eventually Regard found his way outside out of the busy train station and was exposed to the fall air that was cool enough to warrant a light jacket but yet warm enough that you could wear nothing to protect yourself against the cool air. Regard decided to not put on a jacket and pulled out a map from his journal bag. As soon as he looked at the map of Canterlot city, he realized that it was much larger than what it looks like on the outside. There were multiple districts and all of them were quite large. Regard looked around and eventually back down to the map and on his map there was a circle on it with arrow pointing towards it "Canterlot Real Estate offices" and puffed out some air and spoke, "Glad I reminded myself of that." He put the map away and back into his journal bag.
As Regard was making his way towards the offices he noticed that he was passing through a market. Ponies were lined up buying the freshest produce and commodities from all across Equestria. The sight of the market wanted Regard to jump into the action and browse all across the market but he realized that he first has to go get the keys to his new home.
Regard eventually came to the steps of the Canterlot Real Estate Office and then he entered it. He was greeted with luxury. There were wooden floors and at the ceiling there was a glass chandelier. The walls were a color of porcelain white. The walls were furnished with various paintings including various landscapes of Equestria, many of which he could not name. Right in front of him was a receptionist desk where a mare sat. She appeared to be writing down something on a piece of paper that seemed of some importance. He approached the desk and the mare looked up from her work and at Regard.
"Hello and welcome to Canterlot Real Estates," the receptionist had a gold mane, a tan body and was a unicorn, "You must be?"
"Regard, m'am," spoke Regard.
"Oooh, a gentle-Griffin I see, that's a rarity I'll tell you that." She looked down and retrieved a pen with her magic and began to write down on a separate piece of paper, "I'll tell Mr. Golden that you are here, please, take a seat." She got up fro her chair and made her way back behind the wall.
Regard walked away from the desk and made his way towards the couches on the left side of the reception area of the building. The couch was a dark brown color and it appeared to be leather but at the same time it wasn't leather. What mattered most that this was possibly one of the best couches Regard had ever sat in. The way he just sank into the couch incited ultimate comfort within himself. The couch he was sitting on was much better than the one he had at his home in Griffinstone.
As he was drifting off to sleep he was suddenly interrupted by the voice of the receptionist. "Mr. Regard. Mr. Bell is awaiting you in his office. Follow the end of the hallway and then take a left. His office should be at the end of the hallway."
"Thank you, m'am." Regard rose up from the couch and began to make his way towards Bell's office. He followed the instructions and found himself at the door of Mr. Bell's office which was open. Inside he saw a unicorn stallion that had a white mane and a gray body, writing upon some documents with a pen. Regard also observed that the unicorn stallion was wearing a single monocle over his left eye. Regard knocked upon the frame of the door and it suddenly caught the attention of the unicorn. Regard was unsure to call him by his name and so he simply let the unicorn do the talking.
"Ah, good to see you! It's quite surprising to see a Griffin here in Canterlot, especially one that plans to reside in the city itself!" The unicorn stallion's voice was booming yet it sounded quite refined and aristocratic. "You must be Regard, pleasure to meet you once and for all. If you don't know me, I am Mr. Bell, owner of this branch of the Canterlot estates."
Regard replied, "There are multiple branches of the Canterlot estate?"
"Yes, one for every district, and this one so happens to be the one in the scientific district."
"Quite nice if I do say so myself."
"We aim to impress here at Canterlot Estates." A brief moment of silence followed but was broken when Mr. Bell spoke again. "So, you've bought a house already and it's yours. You just need to finalize the paperwork and we will be out of your way."
"A little paperwork won't hurt. It's to be sure that I am buying it anyways."
"I like how you think," Mr. Bell looked under his desk and opened a drawer and then pulled something out with his magic and then placed it in front of Regard. The paper was about six pages long and included all the info Regard needed to know about buying his own home in Canterlot. Mr. Bell then moved his body back to place and then levitated the document up and used a pen to point at things and then spoke, "You will need to sign here, here, here, and here. It's just to prove that you have bought the house and agreeing to various conditions presented."
"I see, alright." Regard then proceeded to sign the necessary places with reading all of the documents themselves. Eventually Regard then finished the paperwork and was now officially a homeowner within Canterlot and a resident of the city.
"Welcome to Canterlot Mr. Regard!" Mr. Bell used his magic and placed some keys in Regard's claw.
As soon as the keys levitated into his hands Regard couldn't help but smile with all that he could. "Thank you very much Mr. Bell."
"No! Thank you for your business!" And with that, both of them said farewell and departed each other. Regard returned to the front desk and retrieved his lugage and made his way home.
"241 Celestial Street-- hmph, this a house with it's own tower." Regard was actually looking at his home. The house was actually accompanied with it's own tower where he could actually conduct experiments and do scientific research. The tower was almost the same as some of the towers seen on the Canterlot Castle, but definitely smaller. At ground level though was his home. A three bedroom with four bathrooms home, that actually looked nice. When comparing the house right in front of him and his old one, he realized that they're completely different in design. His home was basic white stone and had a hay roof on top of it. While this one, there was actual roofing and had windows. The layering of the white brick was masterfully placed and everything about this home was so much better than his old home in Griffinstone. Celestia really knew which homes to pick for Regard.
Regard walked into the front garden and realized that it had a plethora of flowers that came in the colors of blue, violet, and rose colors. A little pathway to the left of the path led to a small gazebo. Regard approached the door and then inserted the key into his home. As he opened the door he was greeted with absolute luxury. On first sight he looked up and saw that the house was tall and was very open. It all seemed as if it were one massive room. Back in Griffinstone the rooms were tight and compact, they weren't very open at all.
As Regard walked through his home he noticed trends within the coloring of the house itself, there were a lot of soft colors being used. The color white was the main color of all the walls that Regard had seen throughout the house. The furniture within the living rooms were mostly couches and some chairs. The color of the furniture pieces composed of a very deep and rich brown. Regard noticed the floor of his home was a hardwood flooring that was a more lighter brown than the furniture itself.
Regard continued around his home, looking at the bedrooms that followed the same color design as the previous rooms. But there was one thing that took Regard off guard was that the bathrooms next to the bedrooms had their toilets and showers in the same room. Back home, the toilets and showers were in separate rooms for the Griffins believed that it was wrong to do everything in one room, for each room had it's own purpose and needed to be divided. But this was something Regard could easily get used to.
One thing Regard didn't notice was that there wasn't any office or library for his needs and began pondering about trying to find it in his home. But then eventually after scouring the whole house he eventually realized that the library and his office are most likely in the tower that came with this house. Regard exitd the house and then went to the tower and ascended the stairs.
As soon as he opened the doors (which were actually unlocked) he was greeted by a large library and a desk sitting right in the center of the whole entire room. The whole top of the tower was massive and was actually one large room. The only other room was actually a washroom complete with a toilet and sink. But what amazed him the most was that this massive room that he was in, there was actually a library just for him and a work place. The only problem was that there was only one desk and no chemistry equipment to be seen on the table. But he did see a singular piece of paper on the table itself. It was a note from the princess herself. Regard picked up the note and it read the following:
"Regard, I see that you have seen your future laboratory. I hand picked varying encyclopedia's of herbs and other plants that can help you out in your studies. I've also ordered the proper equipment for your laboratory, by the time you read this, they will be here in about two days. I know you want to start working immediately but you should take these two days and explore Canterlot for yourself. It will be good for you. But before you do anything within Canterlot, I would like to see you at my castle. For I would like to actually meet you in person."
-Princess Celestia
