[Awkwardness Intensifies]
"As soon as I have someplace to hang it, I'm going to have this framed and mounted on my wall."
Fluttershy giggled at the changeling's good cheer as Cricket held up the certificate that proclaimed him to be a (probationary) citizen of Equestria. He looked as happy as anypony (or anybuggy) could ever be. They were riding back to Ponyville, having had a brief, but exciting, stay in Canterlot. Twilight had been right, there was a list of conditions he had to abide by, and it was, in fact, exactly as long as he was tall, but he'd found them all to be a lot more fair than expected (although one, admittedly, he had some concerns about). Celestia had, in fact, met them at the train station in Canterlot, and after, with surprising tact, even for a princess, made certain that Cricket was not a threat to anypony, had graciously granted the changeling an audience.
Things had gotten a little... tense, when Princess Cadance and Shining Armor arrived that evening, and insisted on being part of the interview as well, but Mole had made a surprisingly good impression on both the princess and the knight. While they did have misgivings, Twilight was able to convince them that the changeling at least deserved a chance. If he succeeded in living by the conditions set by the princesses for a full year, he'd be made a full-fledged citizen of Equestria, with all the rights thereof.
His mood was contagious, as even Twilight couldn't help but giggle a bit herself. Part of that may have been the fact that Miss Cuddlewumpus was sleeping atop the grinning changeling's head. "Well, be sure to save some space for when you get your full-fledged declaration of citizenship," the princess said, smiling. "A year can pass a lot faster than you think."
Cricket seemed momentarily stunned, but after a moment, he smiled, and said, sounding genuinely grateful, "Thanks for the vote of confidence, your highness." He looked thoughtful for a moment, and for at least the hundredth time, said, "I do kind of wish they'd left condition one off that list. That one's going to cause a lot of headaches."
Condition One: He was not allowed to change his appearance anymore.
Yes, there was a list of sub-conditions to that: he could change appearance for the purpose of entertaining others, or if he needed to do so as a form of self-defense, or even to defend his fellow citizens. He could not, however, change his appearance for any purpose outside of those reasons. Those sub-conditions were very important to him: He'd argued, no, practically begged to instead be allowed to at least just keep a single disguise going all the time, and never take any other appearance. When Shining Armor had questioned why he was making such a fuss about it, Mole had asked, in a surprisingly friendly tone, how the knight would feel if he was asked to walk around shaved completely bald for a year. The knight had blushed, sputtered briefly, and admitted he hadn't thought of it like that. That had gotten more than a few laughs from all assembled, but it had also made his point clear: being able to change his appearance was a part of who he was, and forbidding him from doing so without any leeway would be unreasonable. He had relented, after the sub-conditions had been added, admitting that the sooner ponies got used to the sight of a changeling, the better off he'd probably be.
As he watched the scenery go by, Fluttershy said, smiling, "Well, look at it this way: At least you'll only have to abide by it for a year. After that, you can change how you look however you want, whenever you want, and nopony can say a thing. Um... not that there's anything wrong with the way you look right now, of course." Stupid, Fluttershy, now you've gone and hurt his feelings...
Rather than being offended, Fluttershy was surprised to see he was blushing, and after a moment, he mumbled, "Thanks..." His cheeks turned a bright blue when he blushed. It was actually kind of cute...
"We're almost to Ponyville," Twilight said, placing a hoof on Cricket's shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll fit right in."
The changeling smiled and said, "Well, I certainly hope so. I'm just glad I'll have a couple of friends there with me." Twilight Sparkle smiled at that, and Fluttershy couldn't help but smile herself, although for some reason, she felt twinge of... something she couldn't put into words, at the word "friends". She would have to think about that later...
Once the train pulled into the station, everypony got up, and got ready to disembark. Fluttershy could see Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie all together at the train station, holding a big banner with "Welcome Back" written on it. Fluttershy smiled, happy to be back home. Cricket pulled out his "Emergency Pack", and strapped it on his back. It contained everything he felt he'd need to make a fresh start in Ponyville, and what little he had left behind could be sent for, or easily replaced. Miss Cuddlewumpus yawned, then sat up, awake for the first time since the train ride started. She was such a cute little thing, she wondered how she and Angel Bunny would get along...
Twilight exited the train first, and seeing their friends at the train station, smiled and rushed over. Fluttershy left next, and was about to introduce the others to Cricket, when a great many things happened at once.
Rarity screamed, Pinkie Pie's jaw dropped, and Applejack started shouting. Rainbow Dash, as always, was the quickest, and her reaction was simple: she attacked.
She leapt high into the air, then with a flap of her wings, launched herself into a fierce flying kick, yelling all the way down. Fluttershy turned, shocked, tried to warn Mole, but the changeling was already reacting. He rose up on his hind legs, crossed his forelegs in front of himself... and blocked the kick.
Fluttershy was stunned, to say the least. She'd seen Rainbow Dash break bricks with that kind of kick, but Cricket had taken it head on, without even flinching, and with a motion so smooth and well executed, it could have been choreographed, rather than a spontaneous reaction. The force of Dashie's kick seemed to have no effect on the changeling...
But the wooden floor beneath him was not so lucky.
The floorboards collapsed beneath him, and he fell out of sight. Rainbow was about to say something, probably something about running to the guards for help, when suddenly, Cricket's voice boomed out of the hole, shouting, "AND JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT WAS, MAGGOT!?!"
Fluttershy was shocked, hearing that tone of voice again. It was the same tone, but at much higher volume, that Cricket had used when he had berated her for her fangs showing, thinking she was a changeling. All of her friends stopped what they were doing, stunned. The effect it had on Rainbow Dash, however, was... surprising. She stopped, mid-flap, and fell to the ground at full attention. As Cricket began climbing out of the hole, he continued, at a slightly more reasonable volume, "Because that could NOT have been a surprise attack." Cricket finished climbing out of the hole, and then, his face a bare inch from Dashie's, he said with a growl, "You know why? Because the only thing that surprised me was how sloppy it was."
Rainbow Dash didn't try to argue, didn't even visibly react, except to lean her head back slightly, and suddenly, Fluttershy understood why: that voice, no, that tone... that was a commanding officer's tone. Dashie was acting as if she was getting a dressing down from somepony like Spitfire, rather than a changeling she'd never met before. This wasn't Cricket, or even Mole Cricket, it was Commander Mole Cricket doing the talking right now...
The Commander, now in full drill sergeant mode, continued, saying, "First off, you never launch a surprise attack from the front, because your target will see it a mile away! Attack from the back or sides only! Second, yelling at the top of your lungs gives away your position to the enemy, even if you are attacking from the back, and if you take the target by surprise, great job, now every enemy in earshot will know where you are, and be ready to do something about it! Third, and this is something that really ticks me off when I see it: DON'T LAUNCH AN AERIAL ATTACK WITH THE SUN AT YOUR BACK! What, you think that the enemy won't notice the great big shadow you're casting? Even if they can't see you clearly, they will know something is coming, and from where, and can just step out of the way! Now," Cricket said, his voice now icy with anger, instead of burning hot, "What have you got to say for yourself, maggot?"
Dashie, as if she only now was able to move her lips, stammered out, "S-Sorry sir, wasn't thinking sir."
Cricket growled out, "Well, I can believe that. NOW, DROP AND GIVE ME FIFTY!!!"
Rainbow Dash saluted, shouted "Sir, yes sir!" then started doing pushups, counting as she went.
"Ummm, Cricket," Fluttershy said, when she found her voice. The changeling turned to face her, and she said, as gently as she could, "Your fangs are showing." Cricket raised a hoof to his lips, and for a second, he seemed confused, then he laughed as he realized what she meant.
Your fangs are showing: You look like a monster, instead of a pony.
Cricket nodded and, his voice more reasonably toned, said, "Right, sorry, I really should know better." He put a hoof on Rainbow Dash's back and said, "You can stop, miss. Sorry. I kinda lost my temper for a second."
As though some kind of spell had broken, Dashie stopped, and asked, obviously confused, "What was I doing?"
A great many things happened at once: Pinkie Pie started laughing, Rarity started laughing, Applejack started laughing, Twilight Sparkle started laughing, Rainbow Dash flushed with embarrassment, and Fluttershy started laughing.
Twilight Sparkle smiled, and introduced the changeling to her friends. "Let me introduce you to my newest friend. This is Commander Mole Cricket, formerly of the changeling swarm. With Princess Celestia's, Luna's, Cadance's permission, as well as my own, he'll be staying in Ponyville for the time being. I hope you'll all join me in making him feel welcome." Cricket smiled sheepishly, and as personal introductions were made, Fluttershy ran her tongue over her teeth again, feeling for what she knew would be there. Yes, the fangs were back. They'd probably never go away completely, but she supposed she could live with that. It would never define who she was.
That night, she wrote in her diary the following:
A pair of sharp teeth doesn't make anypony, or anybuggy, a monster. Neither does a scary face, or anything else. Even the scariest looking creature in the world can have a heart of gold. It's who you are, not what you look like, that really matters.
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And chapter four, UP! And yes, this will be the last chapter... of this story. I may do a sequel later. I had a lot of fun with this story, to be honest with you, and I had originally planned on having the "hearing" take a couple of chapters, but I really couldn't think of a way to do it without losing the light-hearted and overall adorable feeling of the overall story. Still, I think it went pretty well, all things considered.
RAINBOW DASH! WHAT IS YOUR MAJOR MALFUNCTION!?
But yes, more please.
I hate how torn this story makes me. I have a very particular set of rules for when/if I comment. Two of them being:
DO Comment If:
Oneshot
Or
5 Chapters Minimum.
Special Exceptions:
Must be outstanding.
--------------------------------
Do I need to point out how this story destroyed my ruleset?
That said, I hope to see more from you.
Looks like Wonderboldts Training left a bit of an impression on Dash
3709449
Of course! If you recall, the pegasai have a long-standing military tradition that literally predates Equestria. I'm certain their DNA would stand up and salute if you put it in a petri dish and barked an order at it.
3709331
Your praise makes me feel good inside. No, seriously, I mean it. I needed that compliment right there.
Ah, and I added an author's comment in chapter 2, regarding Mole Crickets. I did include a pic of one, for those of you who have never seen one. Be warned, they make changelings look handsome in comparison.
How is it that nobody else has come up with "everybuggy" before now!? I've been wasting my life with "everyling" and "someling" and such, instead of that brilliance!
I really like it. I feel sad that I won't be seeing more of the character, but I understand if you don't want to spin it off beyond this.
3709556
Everybuggy? Really? That's in the story?
...Pure genius. My nonexistent hat off to you, good sir.
More of Mole Cricket, please! I absolutely adore this character and like the idea of him being a changeling in pony society. Also because I'm a hopeless romantic and want more FlutterMole/CricketShy shipping
.
I eagerly await your next story be it a sequel or not
... Though, I hope it's a sequel 
.
3709309
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA
Wow, at first I was like "Dafuq does KSP have to do with this?". Then I read the ship name.
I wholeheartedly approve this story.
Nothing to stop you doing one-shots including Cmdr Mole Cricket. They could be focused on certain events, and submitted as though friendship reports perhaps.
3709556
Well, you know, I never really considered that it could be anything except "everybuggy". I mean, it flows off the tongue much more smoothly than "everyling". I always figured that every species used something like that: Griffons probably use something like "everybirdy" when in the company of griffons, and minotaurs probably use something like "everybully". It should always sound at least a little like "everybody", right?
3710548
Relevant.
I am considering a sequel, one about the royal meeting mentioned in the story. We'll see how it turns out.
Ha! this was a great story! I hope you do make a sequel!
Wait, it's over? Dang, that was short, but in a way, just the right size. A sequel would be nice, though.
3713538
Well, it's going to be more of an interquel, I guess: it'll be the story of the, ah, interview Mole Cricket has with Celestia and the other princesses. It'll give me a chance to flesh out Mole's character. Afterwards, I might even write up a prequel.
Okay folks, I have posted the first chapter of the Interquel. Once it's approved, feel free to read it. I hope you'll all enjoy it.
This is a really cute story, and amazing as a "first attempt." Are you sure you haven't written before?
A few suggestions:
As others have said, put an extra space between paragraphs. It makes them easier to read.
If this is indeed the first part of a larger story, if you plan on continuing the story in this one, instead of making it its own story, don't mark it as "complete."
EDIT:
I am stealing this so hard.
Oh my gosh, that entire story was perfect and hilarious! I do hope you write more about Cricket's life in probation and the antics I'm sure will ensue XD
I vote sequel! It's a good story idea AND it was well written. What more motivation do you need?
Your story has earned a spot in the group Romance is Magic! What do you win? Absolutely nothing!
3717579
Thank you! I'll add this nothing to my nothing collection!
3715599
.
I may very well have created a meme
3717720 You're welcome! I knew you would like it!
I hope this isent the last we see of this story. It has so much potential.
3718609
I have a second story, one that goes between chapters 3 and 4. I kinda ended up separating the two since, if I placed this story between the two, it would kinda mess up the flow of the story here, not to mention it's focus. The events in the "interquel" are focused a little too much on Cricket, and not enough on Cricket AND Fluttershy, so it didn't feel right adding it here. I may compile them both later on, but for now, the two will remain apart, but linked.
3718812 Good choice, and good on you for writing more on this. Keep up the awesome work.
No more of this story? But it's just beginning! This is, like, the start of a story! Please continue it here, this is utterly adorable, and I want to actually see it go somewhere, rather than a micro-story that never finishes. I've seen it happen to often to simply watch a good story like this die!
Daaww! That was well written, well thought through, and adorable!
The only problem with it is that it's complete; I can't look forward to more
Aww, I wanted moar. :(
3710548
It seems so very incredibly obvious, when you put it that way.
SO WHY HASN'T ANYONE THOUGHT OF IT UNTIL NOW
Lovely story, good work~
My eyes says this is one of the most creative fics based on the events of "bats."
3724730
. Great work.
Great, now changelings are the new sparklepires
Question:
Does it surprise anybody that Flutters is into Xeno? I don't know why, it just makes sense.
What would the kids look like? Because amazingly attractive pegasis with butterfly cutie mark + changling = flutterponies.
At least in my book it does.
Maybe that's where they come from? I mean, the seasons aren't necessarily in the same order as we got them. Or the changlings are flutterponies that mutated somehow but only become infected in the womb.
You know, I was wondering, do you think my stories would get featured if there was a book-cover illustration?
You know, my favorite thing in chapter 4 is this: Cricket doesn't get mad about RD trying to kick him. Oh no, it's like he's used to it, like he can't go through the day without somepony trying to kick him. No, what cheeses him of is Dashie's inability to do it PROPERLY
.
This is cute. I like it.
Commander Mole Cricket, a.k.a. Commander Badflank
Great story, and even greater use of Fluttershy's new canon fangs.
3729392
Merciful heavens, someone's going to draw Cricket dressed like Commander Badass from Manly Guys Doing Manly Things now. I'd... actually kinda like to see that, now that I think about it.
3710006
i second this. greatest short romance fic ever
I made a title page in MSPaint (I'm not Andrew Hussie, but I get by), but I would love actual art for The Royal Audience. Feel free to make some, and if I like it, I will credit you in the story description.
This story has all of my d'aww.
3709309
An excellent story.
I'm surprised you've ended it so soon though, It feels very soon to finish it, not like the ending was rough, like the wasn't one.
Hoping to see more, currently reading 'The Royal Audience'.
Great job
Keep it up.
Honora Imperator
3709309 ...I don't get it