"About a week off." Nick's checking his phone to be sure. 'Meeting with buds,' is what they labeled the event as. If you didn't already know what it was, guessing the true meaning of it would be out there. "You're all situated, so what's next on our exploration?"

"Well, to be honest." You put a hand on the dashboard. "Since I'm one of these, maybe you could tell me what one of these does? Like, seriously, do we just exist, but oddly?

"For one part, yeah." Nick hikes a thumb at the clothing store you're still parked in front of. "Living is a part of it. Still got bills to pay unless you go urban foraging. Don't suggest that. But you mean past that. We got elements, as you must have noticed by now. Kindness, honesty, etc? They aren't just specialties."

"So what are they?"

"Callings. They are what we want to see more of in the world, and making more of it is a pony's 'job', besides the one that makes rent." He hikes a thumb at himself. "Any time I take time out of my day to help out a friend in need, I get a nice dopamine splash."

Wait... "So basically all of today?"

"Basically," he admitted without guile. "Even the really boring parts, I felt like I was doing my part, and it felt good. I was being an example of loyalty, and that's what loyalty ponies do. Now, if I want a serious hit, then I get someone else to show some loyalty in a serious way. That's the real stuff, and what we're made for, spreading the good around a dank and miserable world."

He snapped his fingers suddenly. "Another way to get some harmony too. The harder you work for it, or the more you inspire, the better the hit."

Helping you isn't entirely a selfless thing then, even if you get the idea he would have done it without the reward. "So..."

"So when you healed me, it felt good doing it, I bet?"

You think back on that moment. It had felt... kinda good yeah. "I wanted to chase away all the hurt."

"That's kindness." He turned the key in the ignition and started piloting the car away. "It's more than that though. Physically tending someone is just the most obvious. Seeing their perspective, someone who's hurting, and helping bridge the divide. Talking someone out of lashing out at someone else and cooling hot heads, be it out of anger or even... like a bully." He shrugs with a non-committal grunt. "Not my specialty."

"But it's mine now," you finish for him. "No wonder it took so long." That hadn't been your specialty before! Maybe the mixup was why it took decades for you to finish being a magic horse? "So... Now that I've joined this club, I should... What, volunteer with a homeless shelter and help people there?"

"Could." He didn't sound that eager. "Probably get a nice steady little trickle that way, and make the world suck just a little less for some people. Now, you could, and I don't personally recommend it, go for something big. I hear there are really big prizes for something big. Like, for kindness, securing world peace or solving cancer or something... Beyond the pale." He taps at the steering wheel as he powers down the road. "Something like that. Never knew a pony that managed something that huge, so couldn't tell you the specifics. Not even sure what a world class loyalty event would be."

You can't help but think of the other elements and their world touching events. "I can imagine some of them. Maybe honesty would be rooting out some super deep state conspiracy that had been hurting entire nations?"

"You got it, that's the level we're talking. And, you can imagine, you could end up super dead trying to do that. Or spend your whole life trying and not getting there. This is why most of us set our eyes a lot lower. Helping out a homeless person won't change the world, but it'll be world changing for them, and sometimes that's enough, right?"

"Right." And you are kindness. Empathy. Caring. It was so soft sounding... And you had to become a girl in the process, as if to emphasize it all. "I'm going to paint in the details. A lot of ponies probably don't go through this. They just show up for the meetings, get the easy hit, and call it a day."

Nick let out a suffering sigh. "Wow, got that in one... I can't say I'm innocent there. Helping you get your feet under you is the busiest I've been for a while. I try to be a good friend, but I'm not really 'out there'. I should be, right?"

"Even that's a little tainted. Helping your new babygirl--" Wow, you're one of those. Life can be so odd... "--get presentable isn't as much of a bold showing of support as it could have been if we weren't connected."

"Who's teaching who?" he spat with some acid, but looked emberassed right after. "Sorry. No, you're right. Guess there are perks to age, but I figured 'fast to pick things up' wasn't one of those things."

Did he just throw an age... joke? saying? Whatever it was, you didn't like it. "I'm old enough to see what's in front of me. And young enough to get into trouble anyway, apparently. Now, part of me really wants to get out there and do my new thing... I was retired, and now I'm not, and that would have sounded really tiring a week ago, but it's exciting today."

He pulls off the highway into smaller streets. "That's the spirit! I know this'll sound odd, but I had a really good feeling you'd like this. I didn't know about the girl part, but... Look, sorry... How do you even start to ask about that?"

Hey, wanna be a magical horse? That would have gotten a strange look at the least... "There has to be a nicer way than how we ended up doing it."

"That's an extremely kindness kind of answer." He doesn't sound upset by it, more amused really. "You made it this far, it's lunch time." He pulled into a new parking lot. "Mexican, Chinese, or Korean? Pick your ethnic treat!"

"Or." You direct a finger at another option. "I'm feeling Cuban."

"Cuban it is." He dismounts the car and offers a hand, having hurried around to your side.

On one hand, nice of him, on the other. "You didn't do this before."

"I'm not going to pretend that you being my girlfriend doesn't change the playing field." He shrugged with a little laugh. "And you wouldn't have taken it before. Now?"

Now... Well, whatever. You took the hand and got to your feet, not that you needed his help, feeling as young as you were. "Let's eat."

"Words to live by."

Inside, you both got to fill that aching void that was your respective belly. On a whim, you change the focus of your vision. Life sight shows the people around you in vibrant living patterns. Your own is busy doing its thing. Your would-be child hasn't left its comfy home in that tube you didn't have not long before.

"Hi!" No sooner did you look into his world did he see you seeing him, which was kinda odd really. "I was wondering how long it'd take. Looking nice! Humans really love their clothes. I don't have any. Do they even make clothes for dragons?" He looks back over himself. "Not that I've seen, but I haven't been everywhere, so maybe there's some dragon clothing store out there for all I know." Sundown looks really happy to see you, to say the least, almost vibrating in place.

"Hey, Sundown." You wriggle a few fingers at him. "Want some?" You spear some of the pork on your plate and extend the fork towards the dragon.

"Ooo! You're so nice." Sundown snapped at the fork, cleaning it instantly. "Mmm, Mmm! Mmm... Different. Thanks."

"Your friend's still there?" Right, Nick could hear you chatting with something. "Tell him I say hi."

"Hi!" eagerly chirped Sundown, not really needing you to repeat that.

"He says hi," you repeat with a little laugh. But your smile fades as someone comes towards your table with a scowl and a blood red cap on his head, sneering at you and the dragon. "Hello?"

The draw a dagger, but nobody seems to care. That's not fair, Sundown cares. He cares enough to hide behind you with a whimper. "Afternoon," he greets with a rough voice that sounds like he gargles with gravel each morning to wake up. "You got interesting tastes in pets."

He could see Sundown? "I love reptiles." Alright, you didn't actually own any of those, but did he need to know that, whoever they were?"

Nick lifted his hands. "Hey, ease up. You looking for a dollar or something?"

Which meant this guy wasn't a chimera. Nick could see him. Why isn't he freaking out about the knife? "A dollar? I'm not that cheap." He tosses the knife from one hand to the other. It glints in the light, promising pain. "This isn't your business."

"This is exactly my business." He stands up roughly, sending his chair skidding back behind him. "Back away from my girl."

Eyes are turning, ignoring the knife, but paying attention to the conflict. You let your spirit vision drop and with it, the 'truth?' is revealed. The man is a vagrant, dirty and still scowling. He's holding an old-timey pen, not a dagger. "Not the place." The strange man tucks his pen away. "Not the place..." He turns and ambles out, chuckling to himself on the way.

One weighter hurries over. "I'm so sorry about that. Would you like a dessert, on us?"

Nick slowly sinks back down, drawing his chair back into place on the way. "Not your fault, but whatever she wants will be good."

Free dessert? Who says no to that?! You pick something tasty looking. Once they're gone, you slide yourself and your chair closer to Nick. "I think I just met my first... what do you even call them again? The things with chimeras?"

"You?" jokes Nick. "You mean changelings. Seriously?" He squinted at where the man once was. "I had no idea... Didn't like the vibe he was putting out though. Man, way to ruin an appetite." He worried his hands together, arms flexing with agitation and nowhere to put it. "Did your little friend say anything?"

Ah, right! You flick back to seeing Sundown, who is standing on the table in front of you, nose in your face. "Oh, thank goodness! That was scary..."

To your credit, you avoid yelping or jumping at the sudden dragon in your face. "Do you know anything about that guy?"

"Never met him." Sundown strokes at his chin. "Never met any of them, if we're honest. I'm yours, remember. He really seemed... mad. I wonder what he was mad about? We didn't do anything to him!"

There was little argument for that, but also he was gone. "Let's try to enjoy something sweet and get on with the day." The question was, what would you do? "Hey. You brought up that show. How related is that? Is it... spot on, or just a lucky coincedence?"

Nick rolled his shoulders. "It's alright. Some of it's close, some of it's not. They don't have elements like we do, but they do go through a lot of basic morality lessons, come in the basic types, and--" He trails off as the dessert arrives. "You know, that looks better than I thought."

He had regained his appetite? Good. You share with him, thinking about what came next.

Author's Note

One option was shunned. SHUNNED! Trouble could only be voted out so many times, however... But where to next?!

New poll! https://forms.gle/GPyU6dQHB4GdFEE99

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