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

“Try to imagine it,” Humerus said as he and Blue Alarm and Red Noise and Neon Guard sat on a grassy field. Across the river, the bustling city of Manehattan resided, its urban noise indicating the rush of activity and business and entertainment to only be found in such a metropolis. “If Princess Celestia controls the sun, and Princess Luna controls the moon, and Princess Cadance is the Princess of Love, and Princess Twilight Sparkle is the Princess of Friendship, then what would happen if they went to a restaurant together?”
“Not much?” Blue Alarm replied, looking at Humerus.
Around them, ponies sat down. Some ponies took out picnic blankets and brought out baskets of food and drinks. Others took out cameras and took pictures of the beautiful city, spouting out words that only showed their amazement of being so near to Manehattan. Still others took out telescopes, trying to see various ponies in Manehattan. A few balloons went up. A pony called for other ponies to go to the train station. Another pony called for others to take a boat trip.
“Why?” Humerus asked. “They’re the Princesses!”
“The Princesses don’t want to relish in their royalty,” Blue Alarm said. “Haven’t you seen Twilight lately? She’s gotten irritated by all that she has to do.”
“But, shouldn’t they have to serve the Princesses something special and spectacular and simply something that nopony else would eat unless they had lots of money?” Humerus replied, trying to counter Blue Alarm.
“It’s the Princesses’ decision if they would have that over something regular ponies can buy and afford like a burger.”
“Why would a Princess want to eat that?”
“Why would Twilight not eat that?”
“OK, you win!” Humerus yelled.
“But, this isn’t a compeitition.”
A breeze blew by them, bringing a cool wind.
“So, let’s go to Manehattan already?” Red Noise asked. “I wanna go there already!”
“Let’s just take some more time to just relax,” Neon Guard said. “Look at all the ponies around us.” He gestured towards a group of ponies, a family, on a picnic blanket. They were laughing. They took bites out of their apples and their vegetables. The stallion rubbed the mane of one of his children.
“Why don’t we just get back here again after the Manehattan trip?” Red Noise said. “I don’t wanna be here on the fields just waiting for the next train!”
“We could derive joy from just observing the ponies like I do,” Blue Alarm said. “I could ask questions like, ‘Where is that pony going? Why is he carrying that briefcase? Why would he be going where I think he is going to?’”
“That’s for you to enjoy, not changelings like me!” Red Noise retorted. “We’re missing out already on a lot of things in Manehattan! No matter how many trips we can take to Manehattan, we could never really fully enjoy all of Manehattan’s, well, activities! Imagine all the food that they’re cooking there!”
Humerus licked his lips and smiled. “And, we’ve already tried a few restaurants there some times, and I don’t think that was enough for me!”
“As long as we don’t throw away our money,” Neon Guard said. “Besides, we still need bits for the Changeling Kingdom. We don’t wanna spend too much on just having fun.”
“I’m fairly certain that we won’t spend a lot,” Humerus said.
“Really?” Red Noise asked. “Because, I’m not going to wait for you to spend all of our money away to sneer at you for being wasteful.”
“OK, I promise that I won’t spend all of our money away,” Humerus said. He was silent for a while. “Is that enough?”
“Just prove that it’s enough, that you’re not going to be wasteful,” Neon Guard said. He took a glance at Manehattan. “If we spend hours there, it wouldn’t be enough to see all of Manehattan. The many stores that they have there, the many eateries they have there, the many other things you could there in Manehattan is, well, many.”
“And, you’re afraid of the money we could waste?” Humerus said. “Don’t worry, Neon Guard! I’m a responsible changeling!”
Red Noise laughed, almost rolling to the ground.
The other changelings looked at Red Noise as he laughed and cackled, almost exaggeratedly.
Then, he straightened himself and calmed down from his laughter. “Responsible? You, Humerus, responsible?!”
“I can give him a chance,” Neon Guard said. “He can become a responsible changeling.”
“Alright. Let’s see if he’s really a responsible changeling. Because, I also wanna go to Manehattan already.”
“But, what about the time we can have here?” Blue Alarm said.
Red Noise sighed, placing a hoof on his face. “Why can I not protest against that successfully? Manehattan is over there!” Red Noise pointed a hoof at Manehattan. “All the great things about Manehattan are there, not here!”
“What about we try thinking about something else?” Humerus suggested, raising a hoof.
His friends looked at him.
“So, what if Thorax and his friends from Ponyville—Starlight Glimmer, Trixie, and Discord—were to go to Manehattan and then went somewhere else after that?”
“What’s your point?” Red Noise said, annoyed.
“What would they have during their trip from Manehattan to that somewhere else?” Humerus said. “Like, what about Starlight’s old village!” Then, he gasped. “That would be great to visit again! I would be visiting one of the places that one of our heroines used to rule over! I could meet the ponies there again and I could eat some of their baked goods there again, and I could tell those ponies about my dancing skills!”
“I don’t understand,” Red Noise said. “What were you trying to tell us again?”
“Actually, I changed my mind!”
Red Noise groaned. “Why can’t we just go to Manehattan already?! I don’t wanna just relax here! I wanna join in in the fun and the energy of Manehattan!”
“OK, well, the train is still there,” Neon Guard said. “I guess I’ve had enough relaxation and rest for now.”
“Yeah!” Humerus yelled. He flew towards the train station. “We’re going to Manehattan again! We’re going to eat lots of food again! We’re going to see the busy streets again!”
Blue Alarm, Red Noise, and Neon Guard followed the excited changeling.



“Think of all the celebrities that we can meet there!” Humerus said. “I mean, think of all the celebrities that we can meet there again!”
“Would you stop rambling about the things that we’re going to do in Manehattan and the word ‘again’?!” Red Noise complained from his seat in the train.
They went past buildings.
“Red Noise is right,” Neon Guard said, looking at Humerus with a stern look. “Besides, there are other ponies in here. We don’t want to disturb them.”
“But, I just cannot hold my excitement over Manehattan, Neon Guard!” Humerus complained. “We’ve been there a few times already, and I just want more!”
“Is there something wrong?” Neon Guard asked. “Or, are you just that excited for Manehattan?”
“I’m just that excited, Neon Guard! Everything about Manehattan is amazing, undeniably amazing!”
“Just don’t try to hurt other ponies while you’re excited, Humerus,” Red Noise said.
“Uh, Red Noise?” Blue Alarm said, looking at him. “Let’s not bring that incident up about Humerus almost hurting that pony.”
“Uh, you’re both not helping Humerus,” Neon Guard said.
Blue Alarm and Red Noise looked at Neon Guard. “Sorry,” they said in unison.
Humerus still had a smile. He looked out the window, seeing the wonderful city of Manehattan.