Cultural Differences

Risata was excited. Her first day in Equestria and a party would be thrown in her and her friends' favor! The only problem was that she had no idea where her friends were right now... they'd been separated on the way in. A volcanic eruption knocked the two griffins off-course, and a forest with bizarre inhabitants scattered the others. The likelihood that all of them had made it to Equestria like Risata did, she now realized, was slim. Still, if she were to find them at all, she must search!

Finding Pietas didn't take long though. Two zooming blurs in the sky, one belonging to Pietas (yes, she'd seen Pietas race before) and the other a weird blue color followed by a rainbow, caught Risata's attention. She made an attempt to follow the two blurs, but quickly ran out of breath trying. Stupid bird keeps trying to be like Hermes, Risata thought to herself. At least she knew Pietas wasn't injured by the eruption... now if only she'd stop racing everything she came across! Before Risata could pursue Pietas further, though, she overheard the excited yelling of Caritas talking about fashion. This would be an easy round-up. Pietas would return soon enough.

Risata trotted over to the building the yelling was coming from. Before she got to the front door, however, it flung open to spew several articles of clothing. They were almost certainly togas, but with... gems? What? Caritas never used jewels in her designs. Risata peered inside the door to see a white, incredibly small unicorn with a well-groomed purple mane arguing with Caritas.

"Look, you said the toga was _traditional_ attire in your home land!" The unicorn must have just become upset. Risata hadn't heard her just moments before. "I was making it different! Unique! 'Not mainstream'! Isn't that what hipsters wear?"

"Please. Gemstones are _so_ mainstream. They're all over royal garb and they absolutely _infest_ jewelry." Caritas would soon regret that comment.

"INFEST!? You take that back!" The unicorn at this point started forcing Caritas out of what must have been her work studio. "Gems are my trademark! You insult gemstones, you insult me. Now. Get. OUT!"

Risata sensed an urgent need to defuse the situation. "Um, allow me, unicorn." She turned to Caritas. "Caritas. Only royalty wears jewels. No one else. Unless something changed on our way here, you're not royalty. Why not wear them ironically? You usually just do that."

"Not with sparkly things, Risata. Though that _would_ be ironic, now that you think of it..." Caritas considered the jewel-encrusted toga carefully. She turned to the unicorn. "My apologies, Rarity. I still have a lot to learn about fashions... and counter-fashions."

Rarity calmed down. "Hmm. I'm not fond of this 'counter-fashion' thing, but I accept your apology. Just don't insult my fashions again. Without them, you wouldn't have anything to avoid wearing!"

"You are not the first to say that. You have much to learn about hipsterism, though for one who dislikes it you seem ready to accept it." Caritas was interrupted by a Risata who just remembered why she stopped by.

"Hey! Carrie! A pink pony said she'd host a party on our behalf! Isn't that wonderful! We've been here less than a day and we have a PARTY!" Risata's excitement didn't last long; Caritas turned furious.

"WHERE ARE YOUR FORMALITIES?! I know we only have one, but is it too much to ask to actually STICK TO IT!? What business do you have calling me pet names in front of foreigners? Have you no shame!?"

"H-hey now Carrie, um, Caritas... what's all this about? All she did was shorten your name." Rarity stood aghast at what she was witnessing. This made twice the satyr had burst out in anger. That could prove to be problematic, especially in a peaceful land such as Equestria.

"I shall forgive your mistake, Rarity. You are unfamiliar with Attican etiquette." Caritas shot a quick glare at Risata before she could let out any sort of amused expression. "Atticans only use shortened names among each other, and only in our homeland, and only when no foreigners are visiting. To shorten one's name in front of a foreigner is forbidden. And before you ask, the rule is so sacred that not even a hipster would dare challenge it."

"But I was just excited..." Risata's cheerfulness gave way to dread. Caritas's tone and the look on her face told Risata that this would not end well.