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

It was nighttime. A lonely dirt path went through the fields of grass as the grass slowly moved by the cold breeze. A few trees were there, dotting the place. Several flowers were there, adding their own colors to the vast sea of green.
Under the stars and the moon, a lone carriage was being pulled by a burly stallion. He wore a hat that covered some of his brown mane.
The wheels creaked, although the stallion charged on.
The pony looked at his passengers—two changelings, both of them looking around at the wonderful sights that the nightscape offered.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" the pony asked. "We're out here alone. There's that calmness."
"Yes," Eucalypti said. "It's beautiful." He paused as he went on seeing the outside.
"Quick Fast," Hexapod said, facing the pony as he pulled the carriage, "do you always have passengers who want to go to Starlight's village at night?"
"Believe it or not," Quick Fast answered, "there's always somepony who wants to visit the place. I don't know why—their reasons are different. One pony is there just to visit, another wants to go there because of the historical value the place holds for Equestria. What if I end up carrying a group of ponies who want to study the place, then?" He laughed at what he just said. "I'm not sure if the ponies who live there would be ready to have their place suddenly studied like that."
"Well, there's our home," Hexapod said. "Some adventurous ponies keep asking us questions about what it's like there and how everything is there and how the food is there and if we're growing anything there and if we want to add more things to do there and if we have books and other kinds of art there."
"I cannot blame them," the pony replied. "You are...unique, to say the least."
"Let me try to guess. Ponies go to the griffons of Griffonstone and griffons slowly but surely accept friendship. Ponies go to the dragons of the Dragon Lands and dragons slowly but surely accept friendship. Ponies go to the yaks of Yakyakistan and yaks slowly but surely accept friendship. We changelings?" He pointed a hoof towards himself. "One of our own kind was changed by the ponies to show us the way, to show us that friendship is what we must have. And, while the other creatures I mentioned are accepting friendship slowly but surely, we accepted it quite, well, fast."
"As could be seen by you being, well, different."
Hexapod smiled. "I know what you're trying to say, Quick Fast."
Eucalypti placed a hoof on his friend's shoulder. "Do you know that this time of the night presents the perfect chance, the perfect time, to reminiscence about the days and the weeks and the months and the years before?"
"Uh, that was sudden," Hexapod commented.
"Actually," the pony spoke, "I would like to know how you two became such close friends. Judging from what I've seen of you, you seem quite, uh, close to each other. It's as if that no problem and no trial is strong enough to destroy the bonds of friendship that are between you." He paused as he observed the reactions of the two—Hexapod and Eucalypti were just looking at the pony. "If Princess Twilight Sparkle saw you right now, she would be very happy about the progress she and her friends have made."
"Oh, it's a pleasure for us to tell you!" Eucalypti responded. "So, where do we start?" He faced Hexapod. "Do you want to suggest to me a starting point?"
"We could start with what happened right after everything changed for us," Hexapod replied, turning to face Quick Fast as he pulled the carriage. "Or, we could tell you some stories about our time before that happened. Maybe we could tell you some of our thoughts as we went through our plans to steal love from others."
The pony arched an eyebrow. "And, that's a good thing to tell because?"
"It's not exactly a good thing to tell, but—" Hexapod sighed "—we did steal love, we did disguise ourselves as other ponies to masquerade, to pretend, all while the ponies around us didn't know."
Eucalypti placed a hoof on his friend's shoulder. "Don't worry about the past too much, Hexapod! We could always start with something good! We could tell the past later if we feel like it!"
Hexapod sighed again. "Well, OK." He looked at the pony.
"I'm eager," Quick Fast said.
Hexapod glanced at the beautiful, calm outside at night. The grass still moved by the cold breeze. The trees swayed a little. There was no sound but the sound of the breeze and the sound of the pony's hooves on the ground and the sound of the creaking of the wheels.
"So, let's begin with what happened soon after we all decided to share our love."



Months ago

Thorax walked on the dry ground along with many other changelings. He turned towards them. "Changelings," Thorax said, "I think we've done enough talking about who we are now. Who's ready to rebuild?!"
And the rest of the changelings cheered. Many changelings went to the sky with their glittering wings.
"Alright!" Thorax shouted. "Let's get moving!"
The rest of the changelings followed Thorax. Many carried materials and tools—there were even power tools among them. A few changelings wore helmets.
A blue changeling looked around.
Many had already taken initiative. There were some who brought wood and bricks and concrete and began mixing them together—to no effect. There were some who discussed with others about what to do, all while having smiles on their faces as they then went on towards an empty space and began throwing building materials at it to see if it would somehow work and make a formidable building. There were some who looked at pictures of ponies' houses and looked at the empty space in front of them—where they imagined a new house would be.
But, the blue changeling just looked around, caught up in the rush of reconstruction and enthusiasm. Thorax was happily carrying a bucket of paint beside another changeling carrying a bucket of paint.
"Should I ask Thorax? Hexapod nervously said. "This is all so fast. What should I do? What am I even supposed to do? Did I even listen enough?"
Then, a hoof was on his shoulder.
"Agh!"
"Wait, wait, it's me!" the green changeling said, waving a hoof in front of him. He was wearing a helmet. "Don't you remember me, Hexapod?"
"Uh...Eucalypti?"
And Eucalypti hugged Hexapod.
"Aww, and now, we're together again!" Eucalypti yelled as he continued hugging his friend. "Remember all those missions where we infiltrated ponies' towns and cities and stole love from them? Remember when we did those things together?!"
"Uh, are you sure you're phrasing that correctly?"
"Remember when Queen Chrysalis would teach us about what to do?"
"Eucalypti, I think you should—"
"Anyway, now, we're here! We've seen what is right! So, are you ready to be friends?!"
"Uh, are you—"
"Yes, I'm asking you to be my friend, Hexapod!" Eucalypti said happily. "We've been through many things together, but that was only because we were there together. Now, we can be through many things together because we are friends! The future ahead is going to be great! We can go around and eat together, do some fun activities together, and we can take those things that ponies have that are somehow able to get that visual thing without the audio of it or the sound of the thing and it looks like some kind of telescope but it's a lot smaller and you could bring that mini-telescope around and—"
"That's a camera you're describing," Hexapod said. He let go of the hug. "Well, this is...very, very fast. A few days ago, if you'd ask me to be friends, I would've just lashed out at you for even suggeesting such a thing. Now...well...I don't know..."
"Well, you must know!" Eucalypti responded, bringing his friend closer with a hoof. "I've been enamored—no, we've been enamored by what Thorax showed us a few days ago! Who knew that sharing love was better than stealing love? I thought that if I shared love, I would get nothing! But, now, you realize that—just look!" He turned his friend around to make him face a group of changelings smiling and laughing as they worked together to build a house. "We are living proof that changelings can be friendly! So, are you ready to start an epic friendship?! Are you ready?!"
The sounds of laughter and cheery chats flooded the air. Changelings helped each other, giving materials and tools to each other, exchanging jokes and stories with each other, uniting to help rebuild with each other. The general feel of the place was that of pure friendship.
Hexapod nervously shook his friend's hoof. "Well, this is the start. The start of an epic friendship." He eyed Eucalypti whose smile was trembling. "You seem really excited about this friendship thing, are you? Not that I am rejecting it or criticizing it or anything, but...I need some time to just comprehend and understand all of this."
"You can comprehend and understand all of this with a friend!" Eucalypti shouted happily. Then, he hugged Hexapod again. "We can understand friendship together! I heard that Princess Twilight Sparkle is planning to host some friendship events, to teach all of us about friendship! We can attend those events together! Even if they're far away in Canterlot, we can travel there together! We can be there as friends! The greatest friends! The best friends! The most friendliest of friends that friends have ever seen!"
Hexapod patted Eucalypti as he then cried tears of joy.
Hexapod smiled.



"That was a very happy start," Quick Fast said. "Goes to show the emotion you two felt at the time."
Eucalypti was sniffling. "Well, it's such a good story that I still cry whenever I hear it! Who knew that so many happy memories would stem from that one moment where you were just standing? OK, maybe it was more than just one moment, but it all happened on the same day!"
Quick Fast giggled. "Well, Hexapod, the trip is still long. Any more things to tell?"