The smell inside was filled with flavor—the smells of sweet delights coming out of the displays and bringing ponies inside. The ponies looked around, beholding and taking in the interior of the building—the inside. Ponies were attending the customers at the counter, all wearing smiles and sounding happy. The customers, holding the food with their hooves, were also happy as could be seen on their faces.
Zephyr Breeze sat on one of the chairs in front of a table. He munched on a cookie as he looked out the window and saw the busy street beside him. "Canterlot is quite the place!" he exclaimed, stretching out his free hoof. "It's unimaginable to think that my sister has a window in one of the royal places." He then frowned. He looked at his cookie and turned it around, inspecting it. He sighed. "Oh, Fluttershy. Always Fluttershy. The better sibling—not really better, just more popular. Getting adored by ponies around Equestria, going out with her friends to save Equestria, and being an Element of Harmony, having ties to one of the most rudimentary forces of magic or friendship—or, I don't know. Do I really know what I'm talking about?" He took a bite out of the cookie.
The door opened.
A changeling landed on the ground and stood in line.
Zephyr looked at the newcomer.
Then, he turned back to look at his cookie again. "And, it's just Fluttershy that ponies remember. Only close friends and surely my family knows me. I get appreciated there—but, outside? If I tell them that I'm her brother, they're always going to talk about Fluttershy, Fluttershy, Fluttershy, Fluttershy." He eyed the changeling who was now closer to the place to order food. "Where were the old times, the good old times, when we were all OK just to be siblings, the best of friends? Nopony was there to elevate one over the other. We were just...siblings, brother and sister."
The changeling approached the pony at the counter.
"And, I've already seen it," Zephyr went on in his sad voice. "Did she teach me a lesson? Did Fluttershy teach me something, a lesson? Yes, and there was also Rainbow Dash as well. The lesson was good—to never be afraid of failing. That was good. But, there's still the truth that Fluttershy is still getting all the attention."
The changeling happily received the food and have the pony at the counter his bits.
Zephyr followed with his look the changeling. He was walking towards his table—and the changeling was eyeing him.
"Oh, Fluttershy's brother?" the changeling said. "What's your name? Zephyr Breeze—is that correct?"
"Ah, yes," Zephyr said, adopting a confident tone of voice and extending his hoof, smiling as he did so. "Why don't you take a seat...uh, what's your name? I don't recognize you."
"You can call me 'Arthro,'" the changeling said as he sat down, still holding his food. "Used to work at the changeling library back in the kingdom, now I'm...just going. Enjoying whatever I find, whatever I see, whatever I could, well, do. If it isn't bad, that is."
Zephyr looked at the food that Arthro was holding. "Well, what did you buy?"
"Bought myself some apple pie," the changeling said. "Can you believe it? Sugar Belle is selling her apple pies as far as Canterlot!"
"She sure is climbing up the ladder," Zephyr expressed.
Ponies passed by their table, on their way to their own tables as they held their food with their hooves. The chatter of the many ponies at their tables filled the air.
"Have you ever been to their town before?" Arthro asked. "Starlight's village?"
"Not really," Zephyr said. "I've never been there. What's nice about that place, anyway? It's just one street with a few ponies living there."
"I've never been there, too," Arthro said, "but the place is actually a cool place to be in. The ponies there are quite friendly and are very accommodating. There are tourists there who like the place and it's nice to be there. I would want to go there, but I have a lot of things to do."
"What things?"
Arthro took a bite out of the apple pie. He munched on it and chewed on it.
Zephyr looked on at the eating changeling. He sighed.
Arthro gulped his food down. "I have to go to places. I have to attend events."
"What about being specific?"
"There's this Daring Do convention they're preparing here," Arthro said. "Even Rainbow Dash is helping out!"
Zephyr sighed.
"What's wrong?"
"Oh, there's not much to worry about," Zephyr said. "It's just that..."
"Just that what?"
"What about..."
"What about what?"
Zephyr sighed again as he held his cookie. "You just reminded me of..."
"Of what?"
"Fluttershy."
"That amazing pony?" Arthro asked in a surprised tone. The changeling smiled. "It's great to have Fluttershy as your sister, isn't it?"
"Well, it is great," Zephyr said. "It's just...when ponies give all the attention and the adoration to your sister, what are you left to do? She gets to do all these adventures, these amazing adventures, with all of her friends. Does she think and care for me? Of course, she does. What about me? I also care for her. But, when it gets to the ponies outside of the family, it's just...they just focus on Fluttershy. Fluttershy the Element of Kindness. Fluttershy of Equestria, a heroine to all ponies and even more than just ponies—you have Spike, you have the dragons, you have the griffons, you have...the changelings, changelings like you!" He pointed a hoof to himself. "What about me? What do I do? I bet you don't even know what I do for a living."
"I can guess, right?"
Zephyr groaned and placed a hoof on his head. He groaned again. He closed his eyes. Then, he opened his eyes. He looked at the changeling in front of him, seated and holding his apple pie. The changeling ate some of his apple pie.
"I don't want to talk if you're going to be like that, Arthro," Zephyr said. "If you're just going to tease me, then it's best that you should just stay silent and eat your food. If you're unwilling to listen to what I have to tell you, then just eat your apple pie."
Arthro gulped down his food. "I'm willing to listen."
"As long as you don't interrupt me or do anything like that?" Zephyr pointed a hoof at him, having an irritated face.
"I will pay attention!"
Zephyr placed his hoof on the table and his irritated face changed to a sad one. "Thanks, Arthro. At least you're OK." He sighed.
"I think I told you a lot," Zephyr went on. "But, maybe there's still more to tell you, Arthro. When ponies think of me, they only think of me as just Fluttershy's sibling, the sibling of one of the Elements of Harmony."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
"It's a good thing," Zephyr replied. "But, after that, they focus on Fluttershy."
"So, you feel..."
"I don't feel that nice, to be honest," Zephyr said. "Everypony wants to talk to Fluttershy—not a lot of ponies want to talk to me outside of my family and my friends."
"Well, you have your friends," Arthro said.
"Flutteshy told me that many times. I know that she's trying to comfort me, that she's trying to tell me that I'm a unique, one-of-a-kind pony. But, everypony still goes to her for advice on how to be kind, everypony still asks her and her friends for friendship advice and how to be better friends. What do they go to me for?"
"Whatever you're good at?" Arthro answered.
"Fluttershy told me that, too." He sighed. Zephyr looked at his cookie. Then, he looked at the changeling in front of him. "If Fluttershy were to be here, everypony would be happy to see her, to greet her, to talk to her. Everypony would just be with her, not minding anything else. And, what happens when I'm here?" Zephyr gestured towards the many ponies at their tables. "Look for yourself. They don't pay much attention to me. Several ponies are going to tell me, 'Oh, you're Fluttershy's brother. May I shake your hoof?' And, those ponies are good ponies—at least they acknowledge that."
"And, are you asking me for advice on your problem?" Arthro asked.
"Not really," Zephyr said. "All I wanted was somepony or some changeling else other than my sister and my family to hear what I wanted to tell, what I wanted to express. At least you wanted to listen to how I am."
"What about I try to cheer you up?" Arthro asked, extending a hoof. "We could go to the Daring Do convention today. They're going to open the doors at sunset, and it's not that far from sunset."
Zephyr looked out the window.
The sky was yellow and orange.
Zephyr looked back at the changeling. "Well, it's not a bad idea."
"A Daring Do convention is never a bad idea! Now, let's just finish the food and get going!"
The night sky had the moon and the stars. The lights of the buildings on the streets brightened the street. Ponies were crowding one sidewalk—they were all going towards one building. There was a poster on the building that declared, "The Official Daring Do Convention!"
All the ponies on the sidewalk were smiling as they approached the building. Some were talking to each other, some were laughing, others just looked on at the building.
"So, are you ready for the convention?" Arthro asked as he and Zephyr neared the main entrance. "Many fans are going to be here! I don't know what they're going to show in this convention!"
"Is Daring Do going to be here?" Zephyr asked.
"Certainly!"
"Then, I am definitely ready for this convention!"
"Now you're happy!" Arthro yelled.
Zephyr laughed a little.
Then, the two creatures entered the building.
"I don't know what is going to be here," Arthro said, "but I will not be disappointed, that's what I am sure of!"
"I am sure of that, too, Arthro," Zephyr said.
The room was large and spacious, having lots of stalls and many ponies walking around. Ponies were talking to each other, having a good time. Daring Do books were on several tables throughout the room.
"Now, where do we start?" Arthro asked.
"No, not now," Zephyr said. Then, he looked at one stall with the books. "Maybe now."
Arthro and Zephyr went to the stall, past several ponies.
The pony at the stall grinned at the two creatures. "Welcome! How may I help you?"
"Do you have any special edition books?" Zephyr asked. "I and my friend here are interested."