//------------------------------//
// Donuts 
// Story: Society as We Know It 
// by Comma Typer 
//------------------------------//

It was a normal day for Joe. Wake up in the morning, walk to the donut shop (and occasionally meet the fancy unicorn dressed in the best of clothes but not in the best of attitudes), turn on the equipment and stand behind the counter.
The sun was normal. Out the windows of his shop, the morning sunlight colored the checkered floor with a bright yellow tint.
The donuts themselves were normal. There were chocolate donuts, strawberry donuts, donuts with sugar glaze. Some had the colorful sprinkles. There were also little donut balls with sugar on them. All these were displayed on the shelves behind the glass, lit by bright lights so that everyone would see what's on stock and what's not.
The smell of heated bread and sugar wafted through the shop. Joe had smelled the smell enough times already, but it was stronger this time. The glazer, as Joe had called it, was shiny with no rust at all. The plain donuts went slowly on the conveyor belt to the barrier of sugar glaze. When the donuts went out, they were covered in liquid sugar. The glaze soon dried and the donuts were now officially ready to sell.
Joe let the donuts fall off into the tray below the glazer. He bit a dowel and grabbed the donuts with it, placing it nicely into the shelves. He looked back up at the counter.
"Ah!"
There was a strange blue bug-like creature in front of him with strange eyes and a bag.
"What's wrong, sir?" the creature asked.
Joe stared at it for a few seconds, still bewildered. Then, he calmed down with a sigh.
"Sorry, there," Joe said. "I keep forgetting that you're the changelings now, with new forms and all."
"I'm used to that," the changeling said. "A couple of ponies were still terrified at seeing me on my way here."
"I guess not everyone could forget...the wedding."
The changeling frowned. "Yeah, I think that's why. I should have thought this through."
Joe laughed. "Don't worry about it. The Princesses already declared you friends of Equestria, so I bet it's just habit."
The changeling laughed back. "I hope so."
"It is so!" Joe looked at the donuts. "So, how about a donut?"
"A what?"
Joe looked surprised. "You don't what a donut is?"
"So those holey things are what 'donuts' are?" the changeling asked.
"Yes, they are!"
The changeling eyed the shelves of donuts. He seemed to ignore Joe's ramblings of donut flavors, types, toppings, whatever else there was about donuts. The changeling just looked at the donuts. He went from one line of donut to the next, his face showing interest but not emotion.
"Uh, what are you doing?" Joe finally asked.
"I'm...curious about these donuts."
"Why, exactly?"
"It's...the first time I'm going to eat something."
"Well, it is just morning, changeling."
"My name is Blue Alarm."
"And why are you called Blue Alarm?"
Joe looked around. There was nobody in the shop except him and Blue Alarm who was still staring at donuts.
"I'm from a line of changelings who specialize in alarming the Kingdom of any threat to us. When it comes to fighting, we're usually part of the scouting teams, seeing where the enemies are. We then alarm the rest of the changelings about where they are." And Blue Alarm kept on looking at the donuts.
"That's...interesting," Joe said. "So, why are you staring at donuts?"
"I told you already, it's my first time eating something," Blue Alarm said.
"Well, usually, the ponies and the griffons and the occasional baby dragon who go here don't stare at donuts even if they have new flavors." Joe looked around again. It was just him and the donut-staring changeling.
"It's not that it's the first thing I'll eat in the day," Blue Alarm answered. "It's that it's the first time I'm eating something at all."
"What?!" Joe yelled.
"Yes, what," Blue Alarm replied. "Surprise to you, I guess. We used to feed on love, remember? That meant that we don't eat anything else because that wouldn't satisfy us. Now that we're not constantly hungry for love, we can eat food without worrying about it being a waste of time."
"OK..." Joe said. "Do you know how to eat?"
Silence was in the shop.
The yellow mare with white facepaint took a seat on one of the chairs. Dressed in gaudy and colorful clothes, she smiled and waved a hoof at Joe.
"Who's that?" Blue Alarm said, still not looking away from the donuts.
"That's Silence, the local Canterlot mime." He smiled. "I know her usual order: three chocolate donuts with three strawberry donut along with one whipped cream donut."
"You sound proud about that accomplishment," Blue Alarm said.
"Well, wouldn't you be proud of remembering most of your customers' orders?"
Blue Alarm said nothing as he kept on looking at the donuts.
"Uh, buddy—"
"I'm still looking at these nice donuts."
"There are other ponies who want to eat donuts here," Joe said. "So, may I have your order?"
"I'll have one donut."
Joe smacked a hoof on his face. "Can you tell me what donut you want? A plain one? A chocolate one? A whole donut?"
"Don't they all have holes?" Blue Alarm asked.
"Not all of them have holes!" Joe shouted.
Silence gasped silently. Blue Alarm kept staring at the donuts.
Joe looked at Silence. He looked back at Blue Alarm. "Uh, OK. Just tell me what donut you want." Joe chuckled nervously.
"I want the plain one," Blue Alarm said. No emotion, just inerest in donuts.
"A plain donut or the bagel? They look very similar." Joe pointed at the lines of plain donuts and bagels. The plain donuts looked like beige pieces of bread with holes in the middle and the bagels looked like pieces of bread with holes in the middle.
"The donut one," Blue Alarm said.
Holding the dowel with his mouth, Joe got the plain beige donut. A plate glowed and magically levitated to the counter. He slid the donut to the plate and nudged the plate closer to Blue Alarm.
"That will be three bits...sir."
Blue Alarm still stared at the donuts.
"Hey!" Joe shouted. He looked at Silence. She was frowning, even glaring at Joe. Joe mouthed  a "Sorry!" at her.
"I think that means that you're done with the donut," Blue Alarm said. He opened his bag with his mouth and spat three bits at the counter. "Coins taste bad."
Joe opened his mouth but the sight of Silence stopped him from shouting at the changeling yet again.
"Thanks for the donut." Blue Alarm smiled.
"You're welcome, Blue Alarm," Joe said. "Enjoy the donut!"
Blue Alarm bit the plate and walked to a table. After sitting down, he stared at the donut.
"The plain donut looks more sugary than the bagel," Blue Alarm said. "The bagel must be healthier." He tapped the donut with his hoof. "Fluffy."
He gulped. Sweat was rolling down his face.
"I haven't eaten anything my whole life other than love." He held the donut with his two forehooves. "I've seen ponies do this all the time back in scouting. Eating a donut shouldn't be that hard, right?"
He slowly opened his mouth, his hooves now shaky. The donut was already in his mouth, but he still had to close it.
Joe looked at the changeling with the open mouth and a donut in front of it. A loud thump on the counter knocked him back. He looked back at Silence who was already there. Her expression was menacing.
"All right, all right, Silence!" Joe said. "I'll get you the usual order, OK?"
Blue Alarm, mouth still open and donut still not eaten, turned around. There was no one coming into the shop. The ponies outside just walked by. He turned back to the table. You can do it, Blue Alarm, he thought. Just bite the donut a dozen times after you let go.
And he let go and closed his mouth. He chewed. The sweetness of the sugar mixed well with the fluffiness and the ordinary taste of the bread. The heat of the donut added to the taste. The taste also became smell. A delicious thing. He smiled. "Mm-mm!"
So caught up in the experience, he did not notice Silence sitting on the table beside him. On her plate was a stack of donuts. On top of the stack was a donut topped with whipped cream. A donut levitated to her mouth and Silence ate the donut.
Joe looked at his first customers of the day. At least they were enjoying his donuts. At least he was getting his bits. The noise of Blue Alarm's loud chewing did annoy him, however. The donut pony walked to the glazer and grabbed a batch of donuts to place in the glazer.
"Joe!"
Joe looked back at the counter.
"So, how's the donut?" he asked the smiling changeling. "It was good, isn't it?"
"It's very good!" Blue Alarm shouted.
"That's nice to know that you're satisfied," Joe replied, dusting off the donut crumbs from his uniform. "Thanks, Blue Alarm."
"My friends would love to have their first eating experience if I told them about your donuts!" 
"That would be great, also," Joe said.
And Blue Alarm flew away out the shop.
"That was sudden," Joe said. And there was a noise. He looked at Silence. She was chewing loudly.
Joe went back to the glazer. He poured the donuts from their container into the conveyor belt.
There was yet another noise. It was louder than Silence's chewing. Joe eyed the glazer. Nothing seemed to be wrong with it.
The noise grew louder.
Joe looked at the store's doors.
The doors opened and a group of changelings were flying their way to the counter, cheerily buzzing along.
Joe gulped. He rushed back to the glazer, ready to grab a dowel at the right moment. He turned back to the counter.
In front of it was a row of changelings. A lot of changelings. Some were holding their bits in the air, others were talking to each other, and some others looked at the donut pony who they expected would give them the best donuts ever.
"Give me those donuts, now!"
"The donuts smell great!"
"I want one of each!"
"Blue Alarm said it was good! I want one, too!"
Joe bit the dowel and hurried to the donuts. Many plates were levitated on to the counter. He dropped the dowel on to the counter. "So, form a line so I can take your orders well."
The noise did not quiet down. They were still holding bits in the air, still talking, still shouting, still sniffing the smell of donuts.
"Will you form a line and be quiet?!"
The changelings stopped. They rushed to form a line.
"Good!" Joe said.
"You sound exasperated, sir," a changeling said.
"What about donuts?" another changeling demanded.
"I'll give you your donuts if you can just be patient, everypony," Joe said.
"But we're not ponies," Blue Alarm said.
"It's just an expression, remember?" replied the red changeling at the front of the line. "Not everything has to be literal."
"All right, Red Noise," Blue Alarm answered.
Joe chuckled at the fitting name.
"Who are you laughing at, donut pony?!" Red Noise yelled.
Joe straightened his face. "Uh, it's a nice name you have there, Red Noise. Now, what donuts do you want?"
"I want two of each donut you have here!"
"Really?"
"Yes, really," Red Noise replied. "Now here's my bits!" He dropped a bag on to the counter. The noise of coins rattling caught Joe's attention.
"Two of every donut coming up!"
Joe rushed to grab the dowel. Some donuts were on the dowel, other donuts were levitating to Red Noise's plate. One plate wasn't enough, so another plate floated to the counter. And then another plate floated to the counter. Then, three plates full of donuts along with bagels were on the counter.
"Enjoy your donuts, Red Noise!" Joe said. "Get to your table 'cause I'll have to carry your donuts there."
Red Noise ran to the table. The plates and the food glowed a magical glow and Joe levitated them to the changeling's table.
The changeling quickly grabbed a donut and threw it into his mouth. The changelings looked at the smile on his face. They looked back at Joe. They were back to shouting for donuts.
Meanwhile, Silence walked out of the shop, satisified with her order of donuts. She was still chewing loudly. The fancy unicorns walking by looked at her and laughed.
She was the local Canterlot mime, after all.