"UNIQLO," read the bright sign over the store. People came and go, often leaving with bags of stuff, mostly clothing. Nick waves one hand at the place, heading that way at the same time. "Unless you have a fashion style in mind?"

A fine, middle of the road, choice. You'd shopped there before, just mostly picking up whatever was on sale and happened to fit, lately. Retiring meant you had a lot fewer people to impress. And then you became a magical pony girl. Maybe you're losing it, but dressing up the new you had an appeal to it. "Let's shop."

"That's the spirit." He claps his hands, rubbing them as he heads in. The doors slide open for him automatically, not requiring his hands for the task. "Now, just checking. I still have a job. You don't. Can you cover this or not?"

Ah, the glories of a fixed income... "I'm not that poor. I barely buy anything." You had grown pretty adept at living within your means, and you still had your cards. It was time to use... "Crap."

"What?" Nick stopped next to you inside the store. "Forget something?"

You dig out your wallet and flip it open. "This isn't me... anymore." There's your ID, showing your old self. "That isn't going to fly."

He casually flips the wallet closed. "It's alright. You got two things going for you."

You struggle to think of what those two things are. "You're covering it?"

"I could if you want, but I wasn't counting that." He put an arm around you, guiding you towards the woman's clothing section. "Wow, I don't have a lot of reason to visit here, usually."

"Nick!" A slender man comes closer, waving amiably's coming right for you. "And... someone I don't know, but that'll change I bet."

Nick releases you to put a hand out and met the new person with a firm shake. "Chris! Great to see you. I'm here for some fashion."

"What? You?" He peers at Nick suspiciously. "What have you done with Nick, and who's this?"

"Girlfriend." Nick waves in a light motion at you. "And who's the one who needs a wardrobe change. She's going through a lot lately, fell in with the bronies, hard."

"Hard? Hard hard?" He's looking at you with a new intensity. "I see..."

What strange code were they talking?! "Hey." You give your name. "So you're the local fashion expert?"

"Girl? It's the one talent I have." He waggles his brows. "Also, loosen up. You're with a friend. Two at least. This way," he half sings, leading you on a marvelous journey of tops and bottoms and all sorts of looks.

You suspect he may be gay. Was that unfair? Possibly. Not that it matters a lot. You're not even a guy anymore... Means he's not looking at you that way. Also, you're pretty sure he's half your age, in any event. "So... brony thing?"

He passes some clothes through the curtain of the changing room for you to try. "Brony thing. You know, fan of My Little Pony™️? Some people get really into it. They get all dudded up, drop their tails, all that?"

Oh! Oh... Well. Maybe he isn't gay, just a magical horse. There is a subtle difference! "Would it be rude to ask what sort?" You realize a problem, maybe a silly one. "This is going to sound really wierd."

"She wasn't a she a week ago," noted Nick quietly. "If you can hook her up?"

Chris laughs, a little laugh at the situation, maybe. "Sorry. Shoot... I'm not one of those... And asking a girl on the floor to help someone your age with that... Second. You keep trying things on." You can hear him walking away.

"Still here," notes Nick, on the other side of the curtain. "Alright in there?"

"Doing fine." You're busy trying different things. Funny thing, you didn't care too much before. If you looked 'alright', that was good enough. Now you do care. You have someone to care how they see you. You had someone like that before, married for quite a long while... But they just accepted you as you are.

Then again, Nick never complained either. What had changed? Well, you changed. The breasts you keep having to work around was a hint of that. "Is it alright to ask about that?"

"Not really." A pause. "I can ask when he's on break next."

"Sure..."

Chris came back. "Alright, some basics." Some things were slid under the curtain. "Feel free to try some of that, but not the other things."

Some of that was a thing you can try on. Some of it was clearly... not... Femenine hygiene products. If... You didn't need that, right? By the time you could need that, you'd be a guy.

Still, underwear! Underwear is good. You had been expecting some frilly girly thing, but no, boxes. 'gender neutral boxers', they reported as being. They cover you, which is really all you wanted out of those. "Coming out." You emerge, wearing new clothes. "How do I look?"

Chris snapped his fingers. "Looking like you're ready to hit the town."

Nick nodded firmly. "Looking good... How do you feel?"

"Better, somehow." You held the other things you weren't wearing. "Let's pay for this all."

"Speaking of that." Nick waved Chris closer. "She has her card, but ID doesn't match. Big deal?"

"Guess I'll just forget to ask for that." Chris headed for the registers and slid behind one like he owned the place. "Found everything you were looking for?!"

"Yes, I think." You put down the bounty along with the many tags of what you were already wearing. He dutifully scanned it all and ran your card, without checking the ID. Sure, your name wasn't exactly screaming 'check out this lady', but whatever. "Say, when are you off?"

"We can talk shop in..." Chris glances at the clock on the wall. "Fifteen minutes? I get a break then, about as long."

"Thanks." Nick fires a thumbs up, helping to carry the goods out. You and he dump them in his car and wait until Chris pokes his head out of the store. He comes right to the car and Nick throws open a back seat. "Come on in."

Chris slides in with a smile. "Always time to meet a new member. Welcome to the herd!"

Herd? That was a horse thing. Right. You're one of those. Checks out. "Still very new to... everything, and getting tossed in the deep end."

Nick put a hand to his forehead. "She's already watched a scrap with a sucker, he lost. She was a he. Speaking of that! I'm being way rude. Are you a he or a she? I'll go with whatever."

"Really?" You wobble a hand at him. "We've kinda done things that only a guy and a girl do."

"Just giving the option... You'll be a guy again later. No promise you want to be called a girl right now." Nick raised a hand. "Back me up, Chris."

Chris shrugged. "Hey, you do you. Sounds like you don't have a problem being a lady right now, so going with that. Wow, I can barely imagine that. You must be so lost right now."

That was one way to put it. "About right. So... What kinda magic horse are we talking?"

"Magic? Nah." He made a little flapping motion with his hands linked together. "But I get to fly without a license, which is nice." Ah, pegasus? "Laughter."

He hadn't made you laugh even once so far!

"It isn't always literal." Crap, could he read minds? "We put smiles on faces. You're looking less stressed than when you first came in, so I'm doing my job." He leans back, hands behind his head. "A fine element for working retail, let me tell you. A lot of people in desperate need for a smile around here."

"Hey." Nick looked back over the seat at their visitor. "You know a damn thing about changelings?"

"Great at parties if you don't mind getting blackout drunk every time and remembering basically none of it?" Chris shrugged softly. "Couldn't say much more than that. Why?"

"Something related, just checking." Nick gripped the steering wheel firmly. "Still getting her hooves under her."

"You're good for that." Chris pats Nick on the shoulder. "And welcome, really. If you need a helping hand, I'm working here as often as not. No discounts though. I like this job."

You smile. "Now I know you're lying. Someone who likes their retail job?"

"Hey, sue me." Chris shrugged in defense. "I've had worse. I made a little hole for myself. Everyone knows me. It's my spot. Is she gonna be at the next meeting?"

"I planned to bring her."

What were they talking about? "Meeting?"

Nick huffs, tapping at his steering wheel. "Like the card game this started with, but with way more of us, and usually nobody but us, even the related ones."

"Alright..." More chances to meet ponies. "What do they go over at that kinda thing, or is it just a social thing?"

"There's that." Nick nodded back at Chris.

"Social," Chris agrees. "But also business. We get the run down on what's going on right now and how we're all involved in it. Sometimes that's as simple as just a touching of bases." He brought his hands together silently. "But sometimes it's a big deal. Either way, you want to be there to be in on what's going on. Besides, it's a great chance to top off... Do you know what harmony is?"

"Crap!" bemoans Nick suddenly. "I didn't cover that. This day's been something else."

"Harmony?" You'd rather find out what it is rather than bemoaning not hearing it before. "That a good thing?"

"Great thing," assures Chris. "It's what lets us be at our best, and do our best tricks. You can only get it when we get together, which is also when we're most vulnerable, since there are so many of us in one place, so... mixed bag. It's why we have a different spot each and every time."

Wait. "I've already been doing pretty cool stuff... How will this 'harmony' make it even better?"

Chris glanced at Nick. "Which element?"

"Kindness," he replies simply.

"Ah, you know how to fix people up? Spray some harmony on top and it's way faster. Instead of taking minutes, we're talking seconds. What are you again?" He repeated that hand-flap gesture. "Bird like me?"

"Uni," offered Nick without waiting for you to have a chance at it. "Already got the basics down, what we spent most of today handling."

"Well, at least you're not a magic unicorn. Those are something else... Bright streaks." He made a whooshing sound and flick of a few fingers. "Bright, and gone. You're better off as a kindness unicorn."

So was the impression you have been getting! "Are there any magic unicorns around, or are they just a myth, from the way everyone keeps talking about them."

Nick raised a finger. "I know one. He doesn't usually chat much. A shut in, but when the chips are down, he can be counted on."

"Sub? He's alright." Chris reaches for the door near him. "It's been solid meeting you. Let's do it again when I'm not just taking a quick break, alright?" He flees the car, heading brisky back to work.

"He seems nice enough." You watch him head back inside. "Wouldn't have noticed him before... all this."

"That's the best and worst part." Nick folded his arms over his chest. "You have no idea what baggage people are carrying. Any of them could just... go a bit nuts at any moment and you wouldn't know until it's already a problem. The vampire? He started with a plea to help support environmental things, then the claws came out. You can't tell just by looking."

Well, that makes you feel safe... "I'm all dressed now. When is that meeting they were talking about?"

Author's Note

You are all fairly unified this time. Over 50%? Well, can't argue with that, can I?

But new poll! https://forms.gle/zYLvZ3iPH9mariEC9

Join the special community of folks who like my stories and/or get your own written here at atreon!

Join my discord to chat!