"Who has the confidence?" the changeling asked the mare.
The mare had a brown coat and a blonde mane and a blonde tail. She wore a simple and cheap-looking hat. She held a camera with her hoof. Her cutie mark was a currency symbol.
"Who has it?" the changeling asked under the night sky. "I don't want to say about who has it. I'm just here to talk about who has the confidence."
"The confidence to do what?" the mare said. "I'm trying to relax here. It's the time when I can just stay in the place where I have to go and record anything interesting for ponies to scoop up in the newspapers and magazines by tomorrow. I've already done more than half of the work and you're here telling me that you want me to answer a question that's very general, very unspecific, and very unprofessional—there's not going to be an answer from me if you're going to be questioning me like that!"
"Uh, sorry, Long Shot," the changeling said, holding up a hoof in apology. "I'm just here trying to enjoy Ponyville at night. I mean, just look at it all." He stretched a hoof and pointed at the sky. "First, you have Princess Luna making a beautiful night sky. Look at the moon and the stars."
"We see it all the time," Long Shot said. "Besides, you changelings have been living under the same sky for centuries. You're probably going to get bored about it after a long while, and I mean a very long while, changeling!'
"But, I just want to stop and see it again."
"What? Have you not been seeing it? Have you been sleeping before sunset?"
"Not really," the changeling answered, smiling a little. "I just want to admire the beauty that Ponyville has when it's dark, when the moon is up there, shining calmly and with no frills and no thrills."
"What are you trying to be, a poet or somepony?" Long Shot asked. "If that's the kind of conversation that I'm going to have with you, then you better make it quick and hurry it up!"
"I assure that you're not going to waste your time!" the changeling pleaded.
"Well, give me reason!"
The changeling took in a deep breath. "First, look at all the buildings that you see here. Look at all of them. What do you see?"
"That they're buildings?"
"They're not just buildings!" the changeling said. "They can also house ponies!"
"What are you getting at?" Long Shot asked in an exasperated tone of voice.
"I'm getting at the fact that ponies can shape their houses whatever way they want it to!" the changeling said with much enthusiasm.
"So?" the mare asked with a questioning and annoyed look. "Don't leave me here trying to guess what you're trying to say! Are you trying to insult me or what?"
"No, I'm not insulting you or anything like that!" the changeling said, a bit hesitant in his words. "I'm just telling you my thoughts about how I'm just in awe of what you ponies have done!"
"Good for you, then," Long Shot off-hoofedly said. "You can stare at our houses all you want—at a certain point, it all becomes mundane and normal for us. What isn't mundane and normal for me? That's what I take pictures of and that's what I write about and that's what makes headlines and that's what makes ponies coming back for more and more scoops. What you're telling me here? It's boring or, if it isn't boring, it's not going to make ponies talk about it."
"Because you ponies live in houses everyday?" the changeling asked.
"Exactly. Why would I write about something that is just a part of everyday life? I'd rather bring in the interesting tales, the amazing stories, the wonderful adventures of this or that pony. Well, not really adventures since I am working to bring out newspapers to the crowds, but you get what I mean, do you?"
"Yeah," the changeling said, acting somewhat shy.
Long Shot looked around. "What about we get out of here and go to, I don't know, the Hay Burger? It's better there—if you want other ponies to hear us talk, why not? I don't understand why I'm so enamored with whatever you're talking about but if it's good enough, then I'm in. Plus, I'm hungry." She smiled.
The changeling smiled as he walked. "Well, I wanted to try my first ever hay burger."
The mare's smile went away and a look of astonishment replaced it. "Wait, have you tried food before?"
"Yeah," the changeling said, looking at the mare who was now walking beside him. "Are you going to ask me how it felt to try food for the first time as a changeling? Well, it was a nice experience. I haven't really tasted anything with my tongue ever before. The only thing I could do about your food was smell it. Was I able to eat it? Yeah, but we always thought that love was tastier than your boring food. Then, I realized that maybe being so bad dulled our senses, even our taste senses! So, when I tasted my first food other than love—I think it was somewhere in Manehattan because I wanted to have my first time eating food in some big place to celebrate the occasion—"
"I wouldn't be surprised," Long Shot said. "Manehattan is fit for anypony who wants to make lots of money and other things like that. Now, what were you saying again?"
"Oh. So, we were there—I was with my friends. We went to this place where they sold apple pie. Now, you might be thinking that I should've gone to Ponyville—I should've known that Applejack was a pony who made the best apple pie. But, the pie wasn't made by her. It was made by somepony else. Anyway, it didn't matter. What mattered was that we bought some apple pies and I took a bite into one of them. And it was an awesome experience—to be able to truly taste what apple pie was!"
Long Shot smiled. "You're one optimistic fellow, aren't you?"
"Who wouldn't be when we realized that you ponies made great food?!"
Long Shot giggled and looked away from him. Then, she looked back at him. "Don't try to make me blush!"
"Wait, you're a cook, too?"
"Not exactly a cook," Long Shot said. "It isn't my talent, but, let me tell you, I make some real good breakfast when you need one!"
"What kind of breakfast?"
"Just the usual—maybe some carrots roasted. Fritters? It depends. It depends on the fruit. Or does it? I'm not sure, anymore—it's been a long time since I've cooked a fritter."
Then, they stopped in front of the Hay Burger.
They went inside.
It smelled smoky and the sound of frying food filled the air as ponies around them sat on their chairs and ate their hay burgers and their horseshoe fries with their softdrinks at hoof. A few stallions were around a table, laughing; one stallion was laughing so hard, he slammed the table with his hoof.
Long Shot and the changeling looked at the group of stallions. "I don't know what they're trying to be funny about. Then again, I haven't heard the joke at all."
"Do you want to take pictures or something?" the changeling asked.
"That's not how my job works!" Long Shot answered angrily, giving him a mean stare. "I don't just take random pictures of anything that doesn't look normal. You have to consider if it's something that will make ponies buy lots of copies of newspapers and magazines. Instead of just filling the newspapers with lots of riveting stuff, you're just filling the newspapers with many things that are just out of the ordinary—nothing to get excited about."
"Maybe this is one of those times where it's riveting stuff you're in front of."
"I'm an expert," Long Shot. "And, even if I'm not, I still know what's riveting and what's not just by taking a glance at it. So, no." The mare walked to the counter and placed several bits on it. She faced the cashier. "I want two hay burgers, please."
The changeling watched the conversation.
"Is that all you want?" the cashier asked. "Do you want maybe a drink or fries?"
"Yeah, I want drink and fries for two," Long Shot said.
The cashier took the bits. "Alright."
The changeling looked away and sat on a chair. He looked at his surroundings and heard all the noises he could hear—bits being placed on the counter, talks over the table, cooking machines doing their work. A few ponies went inside, those ponies talking to each other as they entered.
Outside, the night remained beautiful. The moon shone along with the stars, giving the sky a comforting feel. There were a few ponies passing by on the street. One glanced at the Hay Burger before looking back at the pony beside him.
Then, he turned to see the mare walking towards him, carrying a tray of food and drink. She placed it down and sat down. "OK. Now, enjoy the food."
The changeling looked at the hay burger. He grabbed it and inspected it—he turned it around, placed it closer to his face.
The mare grabbed her hay burger and immediately took a bite off of it. She gulped it down. "What are you trying to do now, changeling? Are you trying to tell me that that's how you treat every food you will eat for the first time? We have customers waiting!"
"But, it isn't full!" the changeling complained.
"It doesn't matter if it's full now," the mare said, "what matters is giving room to ponies later on. We don't want to stay here for one hour. Not even half an hour!"
"But, just let me take my time and let me make this first time eating a hay burger the best time," the changeling said. "I don't want to miss such an opportunity!"
"What if the opportunity was insultingly bad?"
"It isn't and I know it!"
"This is the first time you've eaten a hay burger, changeling. Why should I trust you?"
"Just let me eat the food when I want to eat it!"
The mare groaned and placed a hoof on the table. "Fine! Take your time! Just don't take too long!"
The changeling smiled in glee. He kept inspecting the burger, turning it around.
The mare sighed.