• Published 4th Jan 2017
  • 2,902 Views, 70 Comments

Society as We Know It - Comma Typer



While the Changeling Kingdom is being rebuilt under the rule of King Thorax, many changelings are finding it hard to fit in to their new lives. So, some of them take off to travel Equestria on their free days.

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Behavior

Soarin, in his blue and yellow coat-tight uniform and wearing his blue and gray goggles, flew in the sky. The pegasus pierced through the clouds, rushed through the open expanse, basked in the sunlight, and felt the wind coursing by him.

Below, there were the great fields of grass with their trees blowing and swaying in the wind. The cottages of Ponyville were slowly moving away from his sight.

The hills and the mountains were yet still a great distance away from him. Down below, their peaks reached high but not that high.

The ponies that walked on and flittered above the ground seemed tiny from this altitude.

But Soarin looked ahead of him. There was not only him but several of the Wonderbolts as well, flying side-by-side; Spitfire, with her fiery mane flowing in the speed, led the airborne group as the rest followed her a short throw away.

The adrenaline ran, the sweat flowed, the smile appeared—on Soarin's face, there was that face of exhiliration. A grin, an expression of pleasure as he experienced that exciting journey, that electrifying run through the sky. Though the clouds appeared ever more abundant in this sunny day, Soarin raced through them, he and his pegasi friends.

"Wonderbolts!" a changeling yelled as he appeared right in front of them.

And then the pegasi fell. Disorganized, one crashed into another. That another crashed into yet another. Now, pegasi left and right were dwindling and spinning down towards the ground, not a few flailing their hooves and their wings while screams were heard.

Soarin was now falling. He aimed upwards towards the sky.

He kept falling.

He flapped his wings and aimed towards a nearby cloud slipping away.

He kept falling.

Soarin focused on the fast-approaching ground and attempted to steer himself upwards.

He kept falling.

The pegasi breathed heavily and quickly, almost hyperventilating. The clouds were now far up in the sky.

He took a quick look at all that was around him.

More pegasi were falling. There were more screams and shouts. "Help!"

The nice, dainty grass was coming closer and closer.

Soarin rapidly flapped his wings. He closed his eyes and grunted.

The pegasus screamed.


Soarin gasped open his mouth.

"Soarin!" Spitfire yelled, already wearing her Wonderbolt uniform. "You've overslept!"

"Wha—what?!" he sputtered out, scrambling out from his bed.

Spitfire eyed him. "Having nightmares?"

He turned his head. There were the many beds, aligned in two neat rows. There were the purple wooden chests at the foot of each of the beds. There were the tall windows that brought in the sunlight. There were the ceiling windows that brought in even more sunlight. There were the pictures of ponies, framed with elegant yellow frames. There was the yellow statue of a pegasus zapping out of a cloud, looking at the sky with his goggles.

He sighed. "I guess so, Spitfire."

Spitfire threw a suit and a pair of goggles. Soarin caught them.

"You've got no time to waste! Everypony else is outside! We've got to be on schedule for our first show at the Changeling Kingdom!"

Soarin stood there, staring at Spitfire, mouth open.

Spitfire looked at him with peering, worried eyes. "Anything wrong?"

Soarin slapped a smile on his face. "Uh, nothing!"


"Look, Nastic!"

"What is it?"

The two changelings walked slowly among the many that flew and ran in swarms, all cheering and smiling.

At one of the open gates of the kingdom, Thorax stood in front of a group of pegasi wearing blue and yellow uniforms. They took a short bow.

Thorax groaned.

Spitfire opened her eyes, inching up just a little bit. "What's the matter, King Thorax?"

"Uh, sorry, guys!" Thorax placed on a nervous smile. "I just...get uncomfortable with ponies and changelings bowing down to me all the time."

The Wonderbolts stood up.


Countless changelings sat on the ground. Even more changelings hovered above the ground, flapping their wings and buzzing. Many wore their Wonderbolts merchandise, from caps and other hats through shirts and posters and all the way to full-out replicas of the Wonderbolt uniform. Cameras were at the ready, although some of the ponies present eyed the changelings who were borrowing their cameras.

Almost the entire changeling-and-pony audience was fenced off a large portion of the big grass field.

And five mares, three fillies, and one baby dragon were also fenced off from everyone else.

Earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns in their armor stood tall, surrounding the ponies (and dragon) inside, facing outwards.

The rowdy, deafening noise of the crowd blared through the air. Changelings dashed off towards Princess Twilight Sparkle and her friends, only for the guards to stand even sturdier and to glare at them, making the changelings quickly turn away. The changelings who were not fazed at this show of might and authority still dashed on. The guards were ready to pounce, watching the speeding changelings.

"I know we're the Elements of Harmony and all, but this party is a little too overreactive," Pinkie Pie said, looking at the nice fence around them. "Or was it 'overreacting?'" She shrugged. "I'm not sure." She pointed at Twilight. "Can you help me with this one?"

Twilight groaned. "This is not the time to think about what's the right word when almost every changeling wants to mob us for some reason!"

The rest of the ponies (and the dragon) within the fenced area faced Twilight who was taking slow breaths.

"Calm yourself, now!" Applejack yelled. With a nervous glance at the changelings looking at them, she said, "As long as we jus' enjoy ourselves here, nopony's gonna get stressed about anythin'!" She gulped. "Right, girls?"

Rarity twirled her hair with a hoof. "Like Applejack said, let us enjoy ourselves! Besides, I already adore all the attention we're getting!" She motioned her front hooves towards the riotous crowd in its Wonderbolt-merchandise decorations. "Everypony here just loves me!"

Everypony else looked at her with a suspicious look.

"Uh, I mean, everypony here just loves us!"

"At least we'll get to see Rainbow Dash perform," Fluttershy pointed out. "I think that's a good thing."

"Yeah!" Scootaloo shouted. She faced the rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. "The changelings are going to witness the pure awesomeness of Rainbow Dash on stage—in the sky! Who's not gonna love that?!"

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle continued clattering their hooves and their teeth as they saw the many changelings roaring and cheering not just at the Wonderbolts preparing themselves for the show but also at Twilight Sparkle, her friends, and the fillies themselves.

"I don't think I'm going to like it if half of the changelings in this kingdom is watching me like I'm a Wonderbolt!" Sweetie Belle complained.

"Now, now, there," Applejack said, "there's no need to be so worried about it! They're jus' excited to see us, that's all!"

Spike sat on the grass. "OK, now what?"

Twilight sighed. "We'll just wait until the show's over." She tilted her head up. "Seeing Rainbow Dash perform with the Wonderbolts would lighten the mood."


While they were fenced off in a conspicious spot, Thorax sat right beside two armored changelings with unmoving faces, placed amidst the crowd on the grand bleachers. Confetti, balloons, and streamers of blue, yellow were thrown into the air. The many smiles and the many cries were combined into a cacophony of ovation, but the Wonderbolts were still not yet ready. The event had not yet begun.

Thorax threw a popcorn from his filled and overflowing popcorn bucket. He chewed. "Flavorful!"

He did not smile when he looked at his own subjects again.

He observed them. The sheer amount of changelings that wore and had Wonderbolt clothing and merchandise, the overpowering approval and applause for the Wonderbolts, the concerning number of changelings that tried to get an autograph from Twilight Sparkle and her friends—all while several changelings flew to their king to thank him for allowing the event to happen and for letting all the Element of Harmony plus the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Spike to participate in this occasion.

Thorax sighed a slow, deep sigh.

"What's wrong?" Royal Escort asked. "Everyone else is so happy. Why aren't you?"

"Just thinking," Thorax replied. He turned his gaze away from the guard. "What happened to our library?"

"Not much, King Thorax."

Thorax gave Royal Escort a slighting look. "What do you mean, 'Not much'?"

"We've got in new batches of books from the Canterlot libraries and the library in the Tree of Friendship in Ponyville. Other than that, it's the usual—changelings borrowing, some of them buying."

All while the smell of popcorn and other steamed and cooked foods wafted through the air.

Thorax sniffed it. "Yes, who couldn't forget a changeling's first encounter with food and all that it can give you?"

Royal Escort gave a wide smile. "I won't foget it, Thorax."

Thorax smiled back at him. "At least you're happy."

And then he munched happily on his popcorn, observing the open field and his satisfied subjects enjoying the moment.


"Every...uh, changeling! Welcome to this wondrous, and no doubt signficant event in the entire history of Equestria and the Changeling Kingdom!" the voice blared through speakers both high and low throughout the kingdom.

The lively roar of the changelings grew louder. Their movements, more energetic and more desperate.

"Why will this event be significant?' you may ask." The voice took a pause. "That's because, for the first time in Equestrian history, the Wonderbolts will be performing outside of Equestria for the first time in...well, a long time! And, where else to display the wonder of the Wonderbolts outside of Equestria than at the newly-reforming and growing Changeling Kingdom!"

The changelings stomped, shouted, made loud their approval. It echoed. The ground shook.


There was a tap on Thorax's shoulder.

"Ember?"

Ember nodded, though there was no smile. "So, not at our place?"

Thorax gulped.

The changelings still cheered.

"Hmph. No one's noticing me in plain sight." She looked around. "Exactly what I wanted for now."

"So, why did you come to—"

"Well, I've got to stay 'friendly' in order to make the dragons seem reasonable enough to talk to." Ember sighed, covering a sinister laugh.

Thorax offered Ember a bag of popcorn. "What about—"

But she flew away.

Every changeling there was focused on somewhere else.


Rainbow Dash, donning her aerial uniform just like the rest of the squad there, flew.

And the beautiful sky was adorned with the beautiful, daring moves of the Wonderbolts.

They soared up. Gray clouds trailed. There appeared sparks of lightning.

Seven Wonderbolts in the air.

Pinkie Pie, on the ground with the rest of her friends, gobbled up more and more of her popcorn from her bag while she watched with everypony and everyone else.

The sound of the rushing wind got louder.

The Wonderbolts were aimed towards the bleachers with its occupants.

A few changelings screamed.

The Wonderbolts flew past them.

The wind blew the mane of the ponies that were there. Everyone there—both changeling and pony—tilted a little to their right with the gust.

The overjoyed uproar returned. Changelings ate even more popcorn and other delectable snacks as they beheld the Wonderbolts moving through the air in their professional yet fun fashion.


"Why are we not at the bleachers again, Nastic?" Long Winded asked, standing beside the tall, wooden bleachers that held many seats and benches containing many more changelings and ponies.

"They look better the farther away you are," Nastic replied.

"Don't you want to see them up—"

Nastic placed a hoof onto Long Winded's mouth.

"What about a change of topic? Like, for example—" He motioned a hoof towards all the happy changelings moving and jumping from their seats "—how that I cannot tell if they're changelings or ponies."

Long Winded stared at his friend with a confused expression. "Well, they're changelings because they look like us—we have carapaces, ponies have coats. Ponies have manes, we don't."

Nastic sighed. "I know the physical differences of changelings and ponies." He gazed up towards the Wonderbolts. "What I mean is—just look at their behavior. Just look at their mannerisms, their actions, their preferences, their—almost everything!"

A few changelings turned towards him.

Long Winded looked back at them.

The changelings resumed their glad cheers for the Wonderbolts.

"Think about it, Long Winded." He hastily grasped his friend's shoulders, his hat almost falling off. "Don't you know what this means? The ponies have good intentions, yes, but if we don't do something about this assimilation of culture, then we'll just become ponies that look different! There will be no other difference!" He shook his friend, Long Winded getting somewhat dizzy. "Do you understand the threat that this poses on all of us here!"

"Uhh..." Long Winded said in a slurred tone, his eyes moving about.

Nastic pushed him away. "I'll take that as a 'Yes.'" He grabbed a comic from his bag. "Now, when this show's over, tell me. I want to read this new issue of 'POWER' but I don't want to give the pegasi there any disrespect." He took a glance at Princess Twilight and her friends. "And, considering royalty's here, I don't want to cause any problems here."

But Long Winded was already looking up at the Wonderbolts as they rushed and dashed past the audience and each other.

The smell of popcorn continued to drift through the air. The rush and the sound of the wind filled the sky. The ground sometimes shook again, both by the changelings' cheers and the Wonderbolts' performance. The taste of popcorn and the other snacks there made the changelings even happier.


Pinkie Pie yelled, "Hug!"

And Rainbow Dash was hugged by her five closest friends along with the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Spike.

"Wow," Twilight Sparkle said, "I didn't know you—"

There was a rumble.

"Wow, Rainbow Dash, you're amazing!" a gray pegasus colt shouted as he flew towards her. Flying beside him was an older, bigger black stallion.

Rainbow Dash broke out of the group hug. "Aw, Rumble!" She nudged the colt's mane. She looked at the stallion. "And, you brought your older brother, too!"

"Well, I didn't want to miss out on you performing for the Wonderbolts!"

Rainbow Dash crossed her arms, hovering over the grass. "At least you didn't excuse yourself with a sick leave, Thunderlane."

Thunderlane grinned nervously and scratched his thick and sturdy blue-white mane.

There was a rumble.

The ground was shaking again.

"Changeling stampede!" And Pinkie Pie bounced off.

Rainbow Dash looked up.

Swarms and swarms of multi-colored, shining and sparkling changelings, all with smiles on their faces, were fast approaching, were running and flying towards them. A dust cloud rose up.

The pony guards rushed towards them.

"OK, everypony run!" Rainbow Dash yelled.

She, Fluttershy, Thunderlane, and Rumble flew.

Twilight Sparkle's horn glowed.

Then, she and the rest of her friends were gone.

The guards were punched and kicked out as they were sent flying to the side.

The swarm of changelings broke down the fences. The dust cloud rose even higher.


It was now sunset. The sun's rays made the kingdom and its inhabitants gleam, reflecting the light. Already, several lights were turned on—both street lights and the building lights.

On the sidewalk, a group of changelings walked, chattering and laughing.

"So, Blitheful, how were the Wonderbolts?" one of the female changelings asked.

"Better than I expected!" Blitheful screamed. "I want to go to every one of their shows from now on! You're going to join me, Sunny Perky, right?!"

She giggled. "What about all the souveneirs I got?" From her bag, she brought out a few blue-and-yellow hats, signed pictures of the Wonderbolts, signed pictures of the Wonderbolts with her posing in the picture, and a few shirts with the image of the Wonderbolts on them—including Rainbow Dash with her rainbow-colored mane.

Long Winded smiled at the girls. "You're that excited, aren't you? What's the next thing you'll do?"

"We're going to the library to buy some more books about the Wonderbolts!" Sunny Perky replied, almost shouting at his face. "We'll check their history, memorize everything about them!"

"And, for what purpose?"

"Because they're so cool!" Blitheful chimed in.

"Heh-heh-heh-heh." Nastic looked up from his newspaper. "Anything else you're interested in, girls?"

"What about a trip to Pinkie Pie at the Sugarcube Corner?" Blitheful asked. "I want to meet everypony in Ponyville, starting with her!"

"And why?"

Blitheful stopped on the rocky sidewalk. "Because Ponyville is the best place ever in all of Equestria! Home to all the Elements of Harmony, plus Starlight Glimmer, the Starlight Glimmer who saved us from—"

"—the evil Chrysalis, yes, I already get that line," Nastic interrupted. "What about anything changeling-made, Blitheful and Sunny Perky?"

The two girls stopped moving. They gave a long look at Nastic.

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