//------------------------------//
// Part IV, Chapter 12 - Kindness, Part 1 
// Story: Fitting In Is Hard To Do 
// by origami 
//------------------------------//

The lines outside the Van Hoover Expo Center were long, and contained nearly every kind of pony imaginable, except for a lack of alicorns.  Stallions and mares stood together as couples, with some having a foal or two standing nearby.  Some ponies were in groups as friends, talking about what they wished to see and where they would go to have a bite to eat afterwards.  There was even a thestral or two among the crowd, identified by either their yawning mouth displaying the small fangs in them or sipping at what one could assume to be a strong brew of coffee.

Standing in one line of ponies was a pegasus mare that most ponies would overlook.  Her soft mane was a pink color, and her coat was a yellow like fresh butter.  Adorning her flanks were a trio of pink and blue butterflies, a cutie mark she earned upon discovering her ability to communicate with any animal as if they were a long lost friend.

The pegasus looked up to a nearby clock, and then back towards the front of the line she was standing in.  Seeing how little it moved since she had last looked at the clock, she sighed.  While not normally impatient, she had been standing here for quite a while, and wanted to get inside so she could meet up with a friend of hers.

"Fluttershy?"

The pegasus jumped, caught off guard by a voice suddenly calling out to her.  After a moment to calm herself down, she began looking around, trying to identify the pony that had just spoken to her.  After a second or so, she identified her mystery caller.

It was a young colt.  He was a grayish-blue color, with a mane and tail that were a darker shade of the same color.  Adorning his flank was some type of ceramic pottery, like a vase or a jug.

While those features were fairly mundane for a pony, it was the fact that he was a kind of pony she hadn't seen often in Equestria before - a crystal pony.

"I'm sorry, but, who are you?"

Almost immediately after she said that, she became very apologetic.

"I-I'm sorry!  I didn't mean for that to sound so mean."

The crystal pony chuckled.  "It's okay.  I should've known you wouldn't recognize me.  After all, I look completely different than the last time we met."

Fluttershy was trying to remember where she had met this colt before, but something about what he said caught her attention.

"You look completely different?" she parroted.  "Do you mean you got a new mane style?  Or do you have contacts that make your eyes a different color?"

The colt chuckled again.  "No, nothing quite like that."

He then moved forward so that he could speak more quietly to her.

"Princess Twilight introduced me to your friends, and I told you all about the journey I had through Equestria.  Do you remember me now?"

Fluttershy thought over what the colt had just told her, then realization crossed her face as the puzzle pieces slid into place.

"Y-You're...?" she asked, her voice shaky and face now one of worry.

Thorax saw this and did his best to calm her down.

"Yeah, it's me.  Please don't panic!"

Fluttershy was still quite nervous.  She remembered her first encounter with the changeling that wanted to live with and share love with ponies.  Back then, he was restrained with a ring to suppress magic, a band around his barrel to pin his wings down, and a muzzle to prevent him from biting anypony.

The sight had made her feel a good bit fearful of him, but then she and her friends had started talking to him, learning about how he had endured bullying and torture in the changeling hive, and decided to leave it after he had seen her and her friends fighting back during the attempted invasion at Princess Cadance's wedding to Twilight's brother, Shining Armor.

As all the thoughts came back, she eventually calmed down.  Once fully calm, she elected to address the "pony" in front of her in a more polite way.

"Umm, Thorax, right?"

The colt nodded.  "Yep.  I'm glad you remembered."

"What are you doing here?  I thought you wanted to live in the Crystal Empire?"

"Oh, I do, but I wanted to come back and see Equestria."

Thorax went into the set of saddlebags he was wearing and produced his passports and the letter from Princess Celestia and Luna.

"I talked to Princess Cadance and told her I wanted to come back, so she talked to Princess Celestia and Luna, and they all worked out a way for me to be able to see Equestria without there being too many headaches.  All I have to do is let the commanders for the guards posts of the cities and towns I visit know that I'm there and follow the rules while in town.  When I leave, I just let them know where I'm going next."

Fluttershy looked at him, and then back to the documents.  "They're letting you visit Equestria... alone?"

"Well, the guard are shadowing me so they can make sure I'm not causing anypony trouble, but they're also supposed to keep anypony from attacking me if they figure out what I am for one reason or another."

"And they're not causing you trouble."

"None of them have so far.  In fact, the commander here in Van Hoover has given me the best treatment so far.  Did you know he's actually a member of Applejack's family?"

"No, I didn't."

"Yeah, it's a small world, huh?"

Fluttershy let out a chuckle, her nerves finally starting to subside.  "I guess it is."





Thorax and Fluttershy continued talking as they waited in line to get into the expo center.  Once in the building, Thorax had to look on in amazement at what lay before him.

The lobby of the expo center wrapped around the perimeter of the building, and was wide enough that ten ponies could walk side by side and still not rub against one another, even if they were all pegasi.  A map nearby showed the layout of the expo center itself. there were two large rooms, with one being the main expo hall, where vendors were set up, and another with a stage built against one side, where seminars and meetings were held.  Besides the two large rooms, there was a sub-level, where other activities took place.

As Thorax marveled at the sight before him, Fluttershy let out a chuckle.  "I know.  This place took me by surprise the first time I saw it."

"It's something else," Thorax said in agreement.

"Come on," Fluttershy told him with a hoof wave.  "I'm heading into the vendor hall now.  There's a pony I was planning on meeting there, and I want you to meet them too."

Excited at the prospect of getting to meet a new friend, Thorax followed close behind, a noticeable bounce in his step as he went.

As he followed behind, Thorax looked around at some of the displays set up in the lobby.  Most of them were for registration for different events happening at the expo.  Some of the highlights included: a seminar for dog training, a dog show, a cat show, a veterinarian-only seminar about new procedures to treat cancer, and a cooking seminar on preparing healthy food for a variety of pets.

"So, how has your journey through Equestria been for you so far?" Fluttershy asked him.

"It's been... interesting.  The previous guard commanders weren't too keen on me being in their cities, but I didn't have any major problems with them.  I did have some fun experiences in both places."

"Both places?  Which cities did you see?"

"Well, Detrot, you know, since that's where the train to and from the Crystal Empire is located.  After there, I went to Whinnyapolis, and then I came here."

"Did you do anything fun?"

"I did.  I went and saw a carriage factory in Detrot; that was neat.  Then I went to a hockey game in Whinnyapolis."

"Hockey?  I wasn't sure if you liked sports at all, especially one as violent as that one."

"It was pretty rough, but not the worst I've ever seen.  Honestly, the atmosphere of the crowd was something else.  They were really into the game."

"Did you enjoy it?"

"Mostly.  Like you said, I'm not much for violence in general."

"Well, I'm glad you had fun, and I hope you'll have fun here too."

"I'm sure I will."

Fluttershy smiled as she turned to walk into the vendor hall.  Thorax followed close behind, and what he saw made his mouth hang open.

As far as he could see, the vendor hall was full of, well, vendors.  Organized in rows with only some fabric dividers separating them, ponies were selling a variety of items, ranging from pet food and collars to terrariums for housing lizards.

"This place is amazing!" Thorax said as he scanned the large room.

"I know, but we can look around in a second.  I wanna go find my friend now.  She should still be at her booth."

Thorax gave a nod and followed the pegasus through the veritable sea of vendor booths.  The two ponies navigated between groups of ponies and vendors offering samples of pet treats or demonstrations of products they sold.

After turning down one row, Fluttershy turned and gestured for Thorax look ahead to another pony at the the end of another row.

"There's my friend right there."

Thorax looked and saw a pony standing behind a table of various pet items.  She was a green mare, with reddish-brown mane and tail that looked like it was made to resemble cords of rope.  A yellow bandanna, decorated with daisies, was tied around her head, and on her flanks was a cutie mark of a tree with its red leaves forming the shape of a heart.  Most peculiar, the pony's purple eyes also had a slight rosy tint to them.

Fluttershy paused for a moment and turned to face Thorax.  "Um, I don't want you to get in trouble, so what was your pony disguise's name?"

"Crystal Hoof," Thorax told her.

"Crystal Hoof.  Got it.  Let me introduce you to her."

Fluttershy and Thorax closed the distance between themselves and the mare.  Once close enough, Fluttershy called out to her.

"Treehugger!"

The pony turned and smiled.  "Namaste, Fluttershy."

The pegasus approached the mare and the two shared a hug.  After a few seconds, they separated, allowing Fluttershy a chance to introduce Thorax.

"Treehugger, this is Crystal Hoof," Fluttershy told her while gesturing to Thorax.  "Crystal, this is Treehugger.  She's a friend that I met when I went to see the breezies for the first time."

"Hello," Thorax greeted the pony with a wave.

"Namaste, my crystalline stallion."

"...Namaste?" Thorax parroted in confusion.

Fluttershy chuckled.  "That's just Treehugger's way of saying hello.  She's really knowledgeable about meditation and natural remedies.  She got her cutie mark when she figured out how to influence the growth of plants."

"I don't influence the plants, Shy," Treehugger responded.  "I just feel their chakras and help 'em all jive together."

Thorax looked at the new mare with confusion.  Not once in his life had he ever heard of chakras or how one could try to "get them to jive together."

"How have you been?" Fluttershy asked Treehugger.

"Groovy.  My hemp stuff is sellin' good, and ponies are really jiving with my remedies.  I just had an old stallion that said his fetlocks quit achin' after he rubbed my homemade salve on them."

"That's good to hear.  Are you still doing your seminar?"

"Yeah.  Doing that tonight.  Got all my notes and stuff back at my hotel."

"What's your seminar about?" Thorax asked.

"It's all about using meditation to get closer to your critters and understand 'em better.  Lots of ponies sign up to hear it, and everypony leaves feeling that much closer to their pets."

"It's a great seminar," Fluttershy told Thorax.  "I sat in on it last year, and it helped me so much with Angel Bunny and how particular he can be.

Thorax had to chuckle; he remembered the stories about the little white rabbit that at least two of Twilight's friends said came from the meanest and darkest pits of Tartarus.

"Either of ya wanna try my new brownie batch?" Treehugger asked while holding up a pan of brownies.

Before Thorax could say anything, Fluttershy put a hoof to his mouth.

"We're both good Treehugger.  Maybe some later?"

Treehugger rolled her eyes and smirked.  "Don't be such a square, Shy.  I'm sure Crystal Hoof wants to try one of these?"

She teased Thorax with the pan again, and he was very tempted to try one, but a hoof to his side brought his attention back to Fluttershy, who was subtly shaking her head no to him.

"Umm... They don't have walnuts in them, do they?  I... have an allergy."

Treehugger thought for a moment, and then put the pan away.  "Sorry, my new stallion friend.  I'll get ya one without the walnuts later."

"Okay," Thorax replied, mentally wiping the sweat from his brow.  Admittedly, he didn't like lying to a pony, especially one that could potentially be a friend, but it had been at the behest of Fluttershy, and in this instance, he trusted her judgment.

"There's some other stuff that I wanted to see here, Treehugger," Fluttershy told the mare, "but I will definitely bring Crystal Hoof back tonight so that he can listen to your seminar.  He doesn't have a pet right now, but he has been thinking about it for a little while now."

Thorax had to laugh at the fact that Fluttershy had unknowingly told a truth; he did actually think about having a pet in his room back in the Crystal Palace.

"Far out," Treehugger said in response.  "Catch me after the seminar and we'll go back to my hotel room and jive until Celestia puts the sun back up."

Fluttershy let out a nervous chuckle upon hearing that suggestion.  "Maybe.  I don't know what Crystal Hoof's plans are this evening and I wouldn't want to impose.  We'll talk about it after the seminar.  See ya later!"

"Stay groovy!"

Fluttershy began walking through some of the other vendors, Thorax following close behind.

"Umm... what was that all about?" Thorax asked her.

"I'm sorry about that," Fluttershy replied with an apologetic smile.  "You see, Treehugger's brownies are... different.  She grows hemp that she weaves into cloth and fabric that she uses to make some of the stuff she sells."

"There's this special kind called Sativa that she grows and uses in her medicine.  I tried some once, and... it made me act really goofy.  I mean, it was nice because it took care of my anxiety when I'm in unfamiliar settings with unfamiliar ponies, but some of the stuff I said and some of the stuff I did... I'm just glad that none of my friends were around to see it."

"Was it that bad?"

"The kind she gave me had some other medicine mixed into it.  It made everything feel really nice, and I mean everything.  I got feeling really comfortable and... I kissed a stallion."

"That doesn't sound that bad."

"It was a kiss like a colt and filly friend would have, with open mouths and tongues and all that."

"...Oh."  Thorax felt a bit uncomfortable now.  He didn't mean to make Fluttershy remember something like that.

"It was my first real kiss, and his too.  We had been talking a little bit before, and everything was feeling really good between us.  If it hadn't been for Treehugger, well..."

Fluttershy paused for a moment, not sure if she wanted to finish the story.  Thorax, being a changeling, could sense her discomfort.

"You don't have to finish," he told her.  "I don't want you to relive bad memories."

"It's not really a bad memory.  In truth, thinking back on it a bit, I did actually enjoy the kiss.  The only thing I regret is it took me being drugged up to actually allow myself to enjoy such a thing."

Thorax chuckled at her admission.  "Reminds me of a pony I know back in the Crystal Empire.  We're not really friends, barely acquaintances really, but he was drinking at a Hearth's Warming party and had a bit too much and ended up trying to woo a mare he had a crush on.  Nopony tried to stop him, and he made such a fool of himself that everypony was laughing.  It was pretty mean to let him do that in his state, but I do have to admit that it was quite amusing to see him trying to sweet talk her when he could barely speak at all."

Fluttershy giggled a bit, but elected to change topic.  "Well, at least you know to watch out for Treehugger's brownies.  If you do decide to try one, take my word for it and only a small piece.  A little goes a long way with those things."

"I'll be sure to remember that."

"Now, I think I know something that you'll just love to see.  Come on!"

The yellow pegasus picked up her pace, the disguised changeling doing the same so he didn't lose her in the crowd.





The pony and disguised changeling made their way back out to the lobby and to a set of stairs that led to the lower level of the expo center.  Once there, they saw a large set of fenced off areas with crowds of ponies gathered around each one.  A sign at the bottom of the steps informed the two of what was going on:


V.H.A.W.S. Pet Expo Dog Show
Happening Today - Registration,
Best of Breed Judging
Happening Tomorrow - Best of Group Judging,
Best of Show Judging


"I love everything at this expo," Fluttershy told Thorax,"but the dog show is a favorite of a lot of ponies that come here."

"I can see why," Thorax answered as he looked over all of the small rings where dogs were being looked over and paraded around.  "Just how many breeds are there?"

"Well, the society recognizes about sixty different breeds that get broken down into six categories, but there's more dogs competing here than I could count."

"Do you think we can see them all?"

Fluttershy giggled.  "Of course.  We have a good bit of time before Tree Hugger's seminar tonight."





Fluttershy and Thorax spent several hours going from ring to ring seeing all of the different dog breeds.  Some were so large that they stood at practically the same height as the pony judging them, and some were so small that they could fit in a tea cup and leave room to spare.

The ones that caught Thorax's interest the most were the Scotties: Small black-furred dogs that appeared to have large mustaches and beards, as well as long skirts around their legs.  They were very feisty with one another, but also exuded a great deal of affection for the ponies that cared for them.

Fluttershy was kind enough to give him a history of the breed - Scotties were first bred in Trottingham by a pony named Tartan Scott, where the breed's name was derived from.  Their purpose was to help control rodents that would get into the barns and grain silos of farmers, but their tenacity often leads them to taking on much larger threats; many owners have claimed that their dogs have went paw-to-paw with badgers.  While still more than capable of performing their intended purpose, modern spell-craft in pest control, the Scottie is now a common companion dog for many ponies, or at least the ones that have taken a fancy to their strong sense of self.

"They certainly do love their owners," Thorax commented absently, the aroma coming from the dogs causing his stomach to grumble a bit.

"They do," Fluttershy agreed, "but please don't feed on them, or anypony else."

"Oh, don't worry.  Besides it being ones of the rules I have to follow, I have somethnig Princess Twilight and Zecora made for me to help with that."

"You mean that pink potion?"

Thorax went wide-eyed and looked at Fluttershy in shock.  "H-How do you know about that?"

"Well, Twilight mentioned she was working on something with Zecora once, but she was being really hush-hush about it, but when I went to visit her one day, she was doing some research to help Starlight with something and I saw a bunch of notes on her desk.  I didn't mean to snoop, but when I saw the words love potion on a paper, my curiosity got the better of me."

Fluttershy paused when she looked at Thorax and saw how nervous he looked.

"Is it bad that I know that?" she asked, looking at him with worry.

"Not exactly.  It's just that, if she had her notes about it out in the open like that, and you were able to see them, then that means that another changeling could've seen them and reported it to Chrysalis."

"That would be kind of bad, wouldn't it?"

"As it is right now, changelings, even her, rely on love from ponies and other creatures as nourishment.  If Chrysalis ever got her hooves on the recipe and research for that potion?  Well, I don't think anypony would want to find out."

Fluttershy looked quite fearful upon hearing that.  "Oh, dear!"

"How long ago was it that you saw those notes?"

"Umm, maybe a month or so ago?  I don't remember for sure."

"Well, hopefully there weren't any changelings around to see it and she got all the information to the princesses in Canterlot so that they could seal it away in their vault or wherever they keep that kind of information."

"I hope so too, but for now, why don't we try to enjoy the dog show some more?  There's something I really want you to see, and I think you might like it as much as I do."

"Okay," Thorax agreed, and he and Fluttershy found their way over to another area where breed judging was going on.

This arena was quite different from the others.  It was much longer, stretching about halfway across the total length of the building.  In it were dogs nearly as tall as the ponies, having very thin bodies and long noses.

"These are greyhounds," Fluttershy told Thorax.  "I always stop by their ring to watch them being judged.

Inside the ring, a pony was examining the dogs, looking at their coat, opening their mouths gently to examine their teeth, and checking their paw pads and toes to make sure nothing was amiss.  Once he had finished looking at a dog, he gestured for them and their handler to move to a mark on one part of the arena.

"Watch this," Fluttershy told him as she pointed.

Inside the ring was a long rope that stretched for the length of a hoofball field, one end fed through a black tube, a pony with a hoof on a crank just behind it.  Attached to the tail end of the rope was a stuffed dog toy in the shape of a rabbit.

The judge approached the mark he indicated earlier, where another pony holding a clipboard and stop watch stood.  The judge gave the pony a nod and that pony turned and looked at the pony on the crank, giving them a nod as well.

The pony on the crank nodded back and braced themselves.

The judge then turned to the handler and asked if they were ready, to which the handler nodded and placed a hoof on the dog's back.

Satisfied that everything was ready, the judge called out "Reel!"

The pony on the crank began working it furiously, causing the rope to retract back and the rabbit toy to go zipping off.

The handler, who had their hoof on the dog to keep them in place, looked at the judge.

"Release!" came the judge's command, and the pony raised his hoof.

As soon as the hoof was gone, the dog shot off like a rocket, quickly closing the distance between itself and the stuffed rabbit.  Before it could catch up, however, the rabbit toy was pulled into the black tube.  Seeming to realize it wouldn't fit or be able to continue the chase, the dog then came around and ran back to the pony handling it, being rewarded with some kind of treat it seemed to enjoy.

"I just love seeing them run like that," Fluttershy told Thorax.  "It makes them so happy."

"They're really fast," Thorax commented, "and they do seem to enjoy it, but isn't that a predator behavior?"

"It is," Fluttershy conceded, "but most dogs don't actually hunt other animals.  For them, what they're doing now is more of a game for them to play."

Thorax nodded at her assessment.  Judging by the emotions in the air, the dogs did very much enjoy chasing after the rabbit toy, even if they couldn't actually catch it.

"Do you think you might want a pet now?" Fluttershy suddenly asked Thorax.

Thorax gave it some thought before answering.  "I don't know.  A part of me's afraid I'll end up draining it and hurting it, even if I don't really mean to.  Then there's what I said about having pets in the servant's quarters; that wasn't a lie."

"I'm sure if you talked to Princess Cadance about it, she could either permit you one, or move you to other quarters where you could have one."

"Maybe, but then there's also ponies that are allergic to pet dander.  I don't want to make them feel bad because I wanted to have a pet."

Fluttershy smiled.  "You're a good pony... Crystal Hoof," she told him, careful not to use his real name and possibly get him in trouble, "but you should think of your own happiness just as much as you think of others.  If you spend all your time trying to make others happy, you'll never get to be happy yourself."

"I know.  That's why I came back to Equestria.  I wanted to see what all I missed before, or never really got to appreciate because I was so worried about being captured."

"That's good" Fluttershy agreed, then frowned.  "I wish things between ponies and changelings weren't like they are.  Then you could've came here without having to be disguised and seen everything without fear of being caught and imprisoned."

Thorax nodded and then let out a yawn.  He looked at a nearby clock and saw that it was only about three or so in the afternoon.  "Wow, I'm feeling really tired all of a sudden."

Fluttershy looked at a clock on a nearby wall.  "Treehugger's seminar isn't until much later.  You have time that you can go back to your hotel and have a quick nap if you want."

Thorax thought over her idea before he nodded in agreement.  "That sounds like a good idea."

Fluttershy went into the saddlebags she had and produced a piece of parchment and a quill.  "Just write down the name of your hotel and the room you're staying in.  I'll come and get you in time to make it to the seminar."

Thorax took the parchment and wrote down the information, then gave everything back to Fluttershy.  After sharing a hug with the yellow mare, Thorax left the convention center and went back to his hotel.






Several Hours Later...






Thorax woke up from his nap suddenly.  Looking around, he saw he was still in his hotel room, and all of his things were still where he had put them, but something felt off to him.  After looking around the room again, he finally figured out why: the clock in his room told him it was ten minutes before Treehugger's seminar was to start.

"Fluttershy would've came and got me by now," he thought as he got out of bed and donned his Crystal Hoof disguise again.  Stepping outside, he looked around to see no sign of the yellow pegasus anywhere.  He quickly made his way to the front desk.

"Excuse me?" he asked the front desk pony as he approached.

"May I help you, sir?" The mare asked him.

"I was taking a nap in my room and was supposed to have a friend come and get me in time for a seminar at the pet expo.  Do you know if anypony came here looking for me?"

The mare thought to herself for a moment and shook her head.  "No, sir.  Nopony came to me asking about you or any other guest here in the hotel."

Upon hearing that, Thorax became worried.  The mare at the desk looked at him with concern.

"Is there something wrong?"

"I hope not," Thorax answered as he headed out the front door and into the streets.





Thorax headed straight for the expo center and into the seminar.  Once inside, he saw Treehugger up on stage, talking about how meditation helped her with a pet owl she had, and going over some benefits a pony could experience from practicing their own meditation.

As much as he did want to show interest, Thorax could only focus on the group of ponies in attendance, hoping that Fluttershy would be here somewhere, and something had only hindered her ability to come and get him on time.

Unfortunately, the mare was nowhere to be seen.

Now feeling more worried for the missing pegasus, Thorax left the expo center and began searching for her, hoping that she was okay and had simply gotten sidetracked by something.

As he passed a nearby alleyway, he was hit with a sudden wave of negative emotion: fear.

"P-Please!"

Turning his head, Thorax looked down the alley, and what he saw made the hairs on his disguise go on end.

There at the end of the alley was Fluttershy, cowering against a wall and hiding just behind a dumpster.  In front of her was a stallion, looming over her and radiating an emotion that Thorax was familiar with, and made his chitin crawl with the implications.

The stallion was radiating pure lust.