"The Elements of Harmony are very good ponies," the pony said as he walked on the sidewalks of Canterlot, passing by many windows that displayed fancy items such as watches, bags, and clothes. He looked at the changeling he was walking beside. "They saved Equestria many times already—they ought to be respected more."
"I see," the changeling said as he nodded. "I agree with that, Fancy Pants."
"It is not a good thing that these nice ponies are just getting ignored, treated as normal ponies when they should at least be given somewhat better treatment." Fancy Pants looked at the changeling again. "When you think about it, there is also the case of Starlight Glimmer and her friends, among them being your very king, am I right?"
The changeling nodded.
"Thorax, your own king. Actually, he is an exception—in the Changeling Kingdom, he is given the treatment that he deserves because of his royalty and because of his good deeds. However, in Equestria, we also give him good treatment, good talk. Of course, he is a king, a leader of a kingdom. Starlight Glimmer, Trixie, and Discord are different—they follow the Elements of Harmony in that they are also not given the treatment they deserve. We gave them their cheer, but after that, there were some medals, but after that—we don't give them much attention or time in our minds." Fancy Pants stopped in front of a clothes store which had lots of luxurious suits on display. He looked at the changeling. "Would you mind if we dropped by here? Maybe I could give you one, if you like."
The changeling placed a hoof on his chin as he hummed. "Can I afford any of this?"
"I'll be the one to pay for the suit."
The two creatures entered the clothes store.
The cool air of the inside only brought the two creatures into a cooler place. The style of the interior with its fancy looks and its grand and fancy tastes made the suits fit in. The floor was made up of black and white tiles, the mirrors made the store look even fancier, and the pony wearing a suit smiled as Fancy Pants and the changeling approached him. "Good morning, Fancy Pants! It's nice to see you again! And, you brought a changeling with you!" His smile turned into an asking look. "I don't know what I can suggest for the changeling, but I'll do my best!"
The pony rushed to one of the suits on display and grabbed it with his magic. The unicorn then brought the suit in front of the changeling. "So, what do you think about this one? It is black and white and blue and red—I think that's going to be a good color combination for you!" Then, he eyed another suit. He grabbed that with his magic. "Or, in order to make you stand out more, here's a white suit with black highlights! Nopony wears white suits these days because their coats are already bright, but what about you? I bet that you will astonish everyone with your fashion taste!"
"You're the one who's suggesting the fashion taste here," the changeling said.
Fancy Pants looked at the changeling. "Uh, is that what you intended to say?"
"Oh, don't worry!" the other pony said, placing the suits back to where they used to be. "I am just too excited to give my first changeling customer a suggestion when it gets to fancy clothing. To be honest, I am not quite ready when it's like that, but I can always try!" He took another suit magically and showed it in front of the changeling. The suit was just like the first one except that it was now just black and white. "What about this one? Simplicity is sometimes one of the artisitic ways to express—"
"What about the cost?"
"Oh, well, uh—"
"I already said that I will be the one to pay for it," Fancy Pants said. "You don't have to worry about the price."
"What about—"
"Oh, don't be so worrisome!"
The changeling looked around inside the store. The many suits there had different variations to them—some were normal-looking with black and white and a color here and there, others were more odd with strange color schemes, still others were just between normal and odd. There were also hats and shoes on display.
"All of it is made with the highest standards in the fashion world!" the pony advertised. "Everypony that I've met has recommended these clothes to their friends and to other ponies! This store has made it to a dozen fashion magazines in Equestria, making it one of the most fashionable fashion stores on the land! You must buy one of these suits—your friends will definitely envy you!"
"But, isn't that a bad thing?"
"I don't mean the bad kind of envy, I mean the..." His smile turned into a serious look as he placed a hoof on his chin. "Wait, I can't say that there's a good kind of envy, since envy is still bad. What about if I say 'neutral' instead of 'good'?" Then, his face lightened up as he held his hoof into the air. "Alright! I mean the neutral kind of envy!"
"What's a neutral kind of envy?"
"It's neither good nor bad!"
"So, does it benefit me or does it hinder me or what does it do, really?"
The pony groaned. "Nevermind about the specifics and the details, the minute things about the envy and whether it can be good or not or that we should just leave it at neutral—just go pick one!"
Fancy Pants smiled. "Go on."
The changeling walked past the many suits on display, stopping by each section to inspect and to check each and every suit. Some of them he felt with a hoof, others he just looked and then moved on to the next one. Sometimes he hummed.
Fancy Pants and the other pony just stood there, watchin the changeling. "I have other customers," the other pony said. "You better make sure that you finish your selection quickly."
"Let him take his time," Fancy Pants said. "He's new to all of this, remember?"
"It's been a long time already," the other pony told.
"Or, maybe he's just one of those changelings that are just so amazed by the many choices they have in clothes stores that they just take the time to choose one suit. They were low on choices when they were under Queen Chrysalis."
"Don't tell me about history."
"It's important."
"I got one," the changeling announced.
The other pony smiled and rushed to the changeling.
The changeling was holding the suit with his hoof. It was a black and white suit but it also had highlights of green and yellow and orange.
"Hmm..." The other pony inspected the suit, felt it, and looked at the changeling. "I think that is perfect!"
The changeling sighed. "Finally."
"Now, these suits were made for ponies, but since you almost have the same body type as ponies, you will just be fine without any modifications."
Fancy Pants approached the changeling. "And, I think you'll look good with that suit."
The changeling smiled at him. "At least there's that."
"Yes, at least there's that."
"Let's get going with the moving of things!" the other pony yelled. "I need to see if it fits but if I think that it already fits, then we can move on to see if you really like this suit or not!"
"I thought you were OK with it?"
"Well, I can tell you all the details that are all about this suit, the fabrics and the other things!"
"I think I'm OK."
"That depends."
The changeling went out of the clothes store wearing the fancy suit. He smiled as he watched Fancy Pants walk out of the store.
"Let's move?" Fancy Pants said.
"Yes," the changeling answered.
They walked again on the sidewalk.
"Everypony has opinions about you," Fancy Pants said. "You can choose to be simple about it and think that everypony in certain places think the same thing. Or, you can try to see what each and every pony really thinks about you, you and your kind, I mean."
"That's good advice."
"It is. That made me realize that the world isn't all a simple thing. Everypony is shaped somehow by various things such as family life, schooling, friends. And then, there's friends."
"What about them?" the changeling asked. "I mean, why are friends so important to ponies, anyway? I know that friendship is good and that Equestria is resting on the friendships of all its inhabitants, but why friendship?"
"Because there's the magic of friendship," Fancy Pants said. "Somehow, the more friendships there are, the stronger we get. And, I don't think it's just ponies. I think it's on everyone."
"But, still, why friendship?"
"Equestria itself was a land that was built because of friendship. You remember the history of that, don't you? When the three ponies became friends and the fire melted the ice and the three other ponies were no longer stuck. That's when Equestria was established. Its entire history had friendship as a very important thing, as a thing that is not to be ignored."
"OK," the changeling said. "What about all the, I don't know, all the—"
"It's alright if you don't have the full question in your mind yet," Fancy Pants said. "Sometimes, you just need to take a look around and admire the beauty of Canterlot. Think about it—you're in the capital and its buildings tower over you with their royal colors. The ponies that walk on the sidewalks are quite fancy and luxurious, rich and famous. The Princesses themselves live here. So, why not just relax, take a break, see everything that Canterlot has to offer?"
"That would be nice," the changeling said.
"Of course, it's going to be nice," Fancy Pants said. "Everypony wants to visit Canterlot. It's a great place to be in."
"OK."
And, the pony and the changeling walked on the sidewalk as they looked around. The two passed by ponies as they walked. They turned around and saw the street. Then, they went back to where they were going. The two smiled as they walked.
"It's very good to be here," Fancy Pants said.
"Yes, it's very good."
The two kept walking.
"Do you have anywhere to go after this?" Fancy Pants asked.
"I'm thinking about that," the changeling said.