Society as We Know It

by Comma Typer

Manehattan

Long Winded looked out the window.

The great, sprawling blue sea moved in its calm fashion. A few boats were floating about.

"I wonder where's Manehattan, Nastic," he asked, still seeing the blue sea. "Can this train get any faster? We're already on one of the bridges and yet there's no city to be found!"

"You're on the wrong side of the train," Nastic replied while he was reading his newspaper. "Look at the windows on the other side—as long as you don't rile up anypony."

And Long Winded flew his way past the green carpet, past the middle way between the seats, and up to the one of the windows there.

"Hey, don't you know how to be careful around other ponies?!" the stallion on the seat yelled at the hovering changeling.

Long Winded only opened his mouth as he saw what was there.

The blue sea was still there and there were a few more boats and ships there floating about, too. However, there indeed was a city—a sprawling metropolis filled with tall buildings, skyscrapers creating a sense of grandness to the city. There were the buildings made out of the traditional bricks, there were also the buildings made out of metal and out of sleek glass—both and those in between combined to make up the wonderful, distinct Manehattan that Long Winded was beholding.

At the streets, dozens and dozens of ponies filled even the shortest of sidewalks, providing a lively and restless atmosphere to the city. Carriages filled the streets and the roads.

And, near Manehattan itself, there was a huge statue residing on its own island which itself was populated with threes, bushes, and other foiliage. The blue-green statue depicted a mare in a robe, holding rather proudly a thick piece of paper and a torch—the torch she held highly with a raised hoof. On her head was a crown, on her face was a smile.

"Do you mind?" the stallion asked, irritated at the whole ordeal. He adjusted his white glasses and the orange collar of his green shirt. "Don't you know who you're ignoring over here?!"

"Wait," Long Winded said, extending a hoof at the stallion. "I'm just admiring and cherishing this great city that some of the ponies have been hyping about!"

"They probably made you too excited, then. Now, can you please leave? The buzzing sound of your wings are too loud."

Long Winded turned to the stallion. "Don't worry—Trenderhoof?!"

Nastic smacked a hoof on his face. "Not again." He returned to the newspaper, covering his face.

"I heard Rarity talk about you!" Long Winded shouted, hovering excitedly over the floor. "You're this great journalist, the trend-setter and the trend-finder! Is it OK if you go with us, Trenderhoof? Maybe you can lead us to the best places in Manehattan! And then, we can eat together—"

"I'm also on a schedule," Trenderhoof replied sternly. "I was just trying to collect my thoughts and preparing myself for Manehattan until you started to go crazy about it!"

"Who can not go crazy about Manehattan after they've seen what I've just seen?! Maybe you are secretly crazy about it."

Trenderhoof extended his own hoof at the changeling. "Some ponies have the ability to restrain themselves when necessary—I'm excited myself, but you don't see me jumping around and screaming 'Manehattan' wherever I go, do you?"

"That's a great idea!"

Trenderhoof looked astonished and then defeated. "Oh, no. What did I just do?"

And Long Winded jumped around, screaming "Manehattan!" wherever he went inside the train carriage. Several ponies were covering their ears, others resorted to their newspapers, their books, or just their side windows. A few ponies stood up and left the passenger car to transfer to another one. Most of them gave the ecstatic changeling a mean look before they went back to what they were doing in order to protect themselves from the troublesome threat of Long Winded.

---

The front side of the Manehattan's train station stood out from the rest of its neighbors—while its neighbors sported a drab brown or gray, the train station showed a white-yellow. Its green windows gave the station a feeling of antiquity. The clock at the top middle of the building delivered the time to all the ponies passing by who managed at least a glance towards it.

Among the many passengers going out of the station and onto the white steps leading to the sidewalk, there were the two changelings. Nastic looked up from his newspaper and smiled a little, beholding the beauty and the magnificence of the city with its towering buildings and its hurrying inhabitants. Long Winded was already looking up and his smile was wide and optimistic.

They walked down the stairs, making their way through the busy crowd.

Several ponies were pulling bags and baggages, others were carrying backpacks and bags of their own. Still, there were others that carried no bag or container. Some scurried off, others were walking around admiring the city.

"There's so many places to go to!" Long Winded said, jittery. "I don't know where to start in Manehattan! Maybe we can take a taxi and quickly see the buildings and the places!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Long Winded," Nastic said, grabbing a hold of his friend. "Let's take our time. We have more than enough money to enjoy Manehattan. Not a lot, but I think more than enough."

And the two walked the sidewalk.

Carriages sped by the changelings and the other ponies that walked beside them. The reactions they've garnered from the ponies were varied—some turned away in disgust, others did not mind and continued on in their walk, and still others smiled at them. Yet, the crowd of ponies and two changelings went on.

Then, there was the road in front of them. A pony in police uniform blew his whistle and made a gesture towards the crowd.

The crowd moved along on, crossing the road as the carriages beside them stood in their places.

"We're walking on Manehattan road for the first time!" Long Winded excitedly proclaimed.

"Shh!" Nastic then covered his mouth as they kept walking on. "You better stay well-mannered here! I'm trying my best, too, you know!"

Then, they were at the other side of the road.

The pony in police uniform blew the whistle again.

The carriages resumed their transportation.

"Do you have a map of Manehattan?" Long Winded asked.

Nastic looked surprised. "Wow. I haven't thought of it before."

---

The double doors were purple and pink. The walls were a brown-yellow—exuding elegance. The wall lights and the rest of the lights were on for now. The seats were simple wooden benches—yet, despite that, a great many ponies were seated there, containing and displaying such diversity as a lot of them talked to each other while a few others were just looking at the curtained stage and then back at whatever they were holding—a book or a newspaper.

One of the double doors opened, letting in a faint stream of light from the room before, giving two long shadows. The changelings closed the door.

The loud yet sophisticated chatter of the ponies there flooded the theater room.

Nastic eyed and checked the place, specifically the benches. "This looks like a full house. Where's the empty seats when you need one?"

"We can always just stand here!" Long Winded answered. He grabbed some of the popcorn from the striped bucket he was holding. "The popcorn's more than enough for me to stay here, be happy, and watch 'Hinny of the Hills'!"

"We're not going to look fit with the rest of the ponies here," Nastic said. "Besides, we need somewhere to sit."

"Then, we'll just find some when we find some!" Long Winded took several pieces of popcorn into his mouth. His smile grew wider, and his eyes opened wider. "I love the salty-cheesy flavor!"

"Good thing you didn't waste any more bits by trying to add any more flavors than that," Nastic said. "The powdering they infuse into popcorns these days—heh, and I'm talking like I know popcorn at all. Ponies and their culinary concoctions." Yet, he smiled as he took a glance at the popcorn bucket.

Long Winded gave him a hoofful of popcorn pieces. "Wanna have some?"

Nastic forcibly grabbed the popcorn pieces from Long Winded's hoof and stuffed them into his mouth. Nastic smiled as he chewed. "Actually, it's not that bad."

"It's the best food ever!" Long Winded screamed.

And everypony shushed him. Then, they quickly went back to whatever they were doing.

"Let's not get carried away like last time with Trenderhoof, hm?" Nastic acutely whispered into his friend's ear. "You need to know the meaning of sarcasm."

"That sounds like a pretty complicated, complex word you made up."

"Check the dictionary—it's there."

The lights dimmed. The spotlight was on the still curtained stage.

"Mares and stallions!" a booming, professional voice declared through the speakers. "We are only ten minutes away from the showing of 'Hinny of the Hills,' the most popular theater show on Bridleway! Amassing critical acclaim from over a hundred professional and seasoned theater critics along with garnering tons of Equestria-wide approval, 'Hinny of the Hills' is best-known for its classic story that has spawned hundreds of successful other shows, both in the theater and beyond!"

And the crowd of ponies and two changelings cheered.

"Now, in order to maximize your enjoyment of 'Hinny of the Hills,' we would like you to follow our Bridleway Rules and Regulations: One, no loud talking throughout the show. You may whisper to the ponies around you, but that is the loudest you can get. Two, do not, in any circumstance unless it's an emergency, attempt to get on the stage. Applauding for the ponies on stage is OK and it is to be expected for such a wonderful show, but please show respect to the ponies on stage. Three, enjoy and have fun! As much as we want you to behave, we also want you to just relax and to be entertained by high-quality acts of entertainment! That's all!"

Long Winded became jittery again, jumpy, even. His bucket of popcorn almost spilled, sending a few pieces of popcorn to the clean carpet below.

"I'm excited!" Long Winded whispered in pure excitement. "I'm going to be watching my first Bridleway theater show in my life! I know that this will be completely unforgettable, especially with you, Nastic!" He hugged Nastic though Nastic had a concerned face on him as he was hugged. "Maybe I'll end up singing the songs, and then I can form a band, and then we'll sing the songs from 'Hinny of the Hills' and then we'll become famous!"

"We?" Nastic retorted.

"And then we'll get record albums, and record records, and record rewards, and record recognitions—"

"Can you please be quiet?!" a pony yelled from the benches.

"Sorry!" Long Winded yelled back.

Nastic groaned and adjusted his hat.

Long Winded returned to eating.

---

Outside, the sidewalks of Manehattan were typical—dozens of ponies walked and trotted onward to some place while carriages sped by on the streets with more ponies walking and trotting on the sidewalk at the other side of the street.

Inside, the brown and yellow interior of the place had an aroma—a delicious aroma that brought a hint and a whiff of energy to the ponies who entered. Various ponies sat or stood, all holding a cup of some kind of coffee. The talking was clear yet it felt natural. A friendly, homely, welcoming atmosphere that beckoned the ponies to join in the casual conversations even with the baristas behind the counter as they poured cups of coffee—and of various types, too, for there were some that had just coffee, and there were the cups of coffee with cream and sugar, and then there were the more radical cups of coffee like the cup of coffee with biscuits sticking out of the cup.

In spite of the mild and quiet mood of the coffee place, one barista stared rather anxiously at a changeling who was holding a cup precariously—he was a little shaky and he was spouting out sentences at a rapid pace.

"Sorry about my friend," Nastic said, keeping Lond Winded on his seat as he jittered about. "This is his first time drinking coffee. I want to tell you—the coffee here is great."

"Isn't this your first time drinking coffee, too?" the barista asked.

"I know, but it's OK. My friend on the other hand..." Nastic looked at his excited friend. "He really likes the coffee. Don't mind him—I can keep him under control. So, tell me about the history of coffee."

The barista looked surprised.

"A nice topic that you probably have much knowledge about, hm?"

"Well, about the history of coffee..." The barista looked at his fellow baristas.

They were serving and attending to the other customers, though even they and their customers were taking glances at the jumpy changeling holding a cup of coffee that still had substantial amounts of coffee inside.

The barista looked back at Nastic. "You see, coffee...is an unusual kind of drink."

"What do you mean that coffee is an unusual kind of drink?" Nastic asked.

"It's from another dimension," the barista answered bluntly.

Nastic opened his eyes wide. "This is a joke, right?"

"Consult the Canterlot Archives. The history's all there. The short version of the story is that, hundreds of years ago, Princess Celestia and Star Swirl the Bearded encountered a magical mirror and went to another dimension where Celestia is evil and things like that. It turns out that there was coffee in that dimension, so Star Swirl the Bearded got some coffee beans and then from then on, we've got coffee plants in Equestria, and now here's the coffee."

Nastic still had his eyes wide open. His mouth was wide open, too.

"Shocking, right?"

Nastic blinked. "So, you are sure that there's nothing dangerous about drinking coffee?"

"No." He brought up another cup of coffee and placed it on the counter. "Here's a free cup of coffee, by the way, since this is your first time over here."

Nastic studied the cup in front of him. "And you treat it like it's a normal part of everyday life here in Manehattan."

"Yes."

"Hmm." Nastic took a sip of coffee from the new cup. "I've read up about Manehattan and that a lot of the inhabitants here rely on their morning cup of coffee in order to cope with all the work and all the other activities and chores and errands they do in this big city."

"And I'm one of them." The barista smiled as he prepared yet another cup of coffee.

"So, you're telling me that the ponies of Manehattan need their inter-dimensional cup of coffee for a good, stress-free morning that would keep them awake and prepared for the rest of the day?"

"Why not?"

"And, you're telling me that one of the reasons why Manehattan is highly successful in terms of businesses that make a respectable profit is because of this inter-dimensional...coffee?"

The barista chuckled.

The glass door opened.

A young amber mare stepped inside. Her purple and violet mane was bundled with a green ponytail. Complementing her purple, fluffy scarf was a white and blue plaid shirt.

"Hi!" the mare happily announced.

"Plaid Stripes!" the barista said, smiling at her as he placed a cup of coffee on the counter. "Take a seat!"

Plaid Stripes took a seat beside Nastic.

"You know this pony?" Nastic asked.

"Why did I greet her by name, then?" the barista asked back. "Daughter of Mr. Stripes. She works at Rarity For You, though I keep on forgetting where that boutique is."

And Long Winded threw his cup of coffee to the counter, spilling the coffee onto the barista's apron.

The barista looked horrified at the changeling in question. "What did you do that for?!"

"Plaid Stripes works for Rarity?!" Long Winded shouted, leaning towards the barista.

"What're you worked up about?"

Long Winded faced Plaid Stripes. "Plaid Stripes! Where's Rarity For You?!"

She smiled, though she looked nervously at the barista. "I can lead you there, if you want—if you're done with your orders here, of course." She went on smiling somewhat awkwardly at the changeling.

Nastic groaned and placed a few bits on the counter. "This includes a tip. Sorry for the mishap." He glared at Long Winded. "If you make another event like this, we're getting out of here."

---

"We're not buying clothes! I repeat, we're not going to buy clothes!" Nastic grunted as he walked on the sidewalk, eyeing Long Winded and Plaid Stripes. "I'm not going to burn my money and my time by spending precious hours in a clothes store checking which hat fits my style!"

"What do you suggest then?" Plaid Stripes snootily asked as they still walked.

"I have two hats—one is what I'm wearing now, the other is for back-up, in case I lose this hat."

"But, you can't have the same boring style everyday!" Long Winded said. He pointed at a pony wearing garish, gaudy clothes. "What about something new for a change?"

"You know, there is more to Manehattan than clothes stores! I don't care if an Element of Harmony owns the store!"

A few ponies around them gasped.

And Plaid Stripes and the two changelings walked on.

"Hey!" Plaid Stripes approached Nastic. "Rarity's a good friend and a good boss. She even approved of my glow-in-the-dark teeth idea!"

"That's a ridiculous idea!"

"I'm wearing an experimental version of it right now!" She smiled.

"Long Winded!" Nastic yelled.

Long Winded faced his friend.

"Remember when you asked me about having a map?"

He nodded happily.

"It's probably the best idea to get one right now before we get to Rarity For You."

"But, I want to go there!" Long Winded complained. "I mean, we have Plaid Stripes right here! And, it's Rarity's store! And, it's in Manehattan! What more can you ask for?"

"I can ask for a normal trip around Manehattan. Seems better than staying in one place for a long time, don't you think?"

"Look!" Long Winded pointed a hoof.

Across the street, there was a wide, vast park filled with lush green grass, tall graceful trees, long streaming rivers, and nice cute bushes and shrubs. Ponies walked, trotted—they enjoyed themselves in the various activities in the park, from simple picnics identified by their mats and the food on display to kite-flying groups as can be seen by the several ponies galloping while holding the handles of their kites with their mouths.

Nastic sighed. "Better to relax there at the park."

"Uh, what about Rarity For You?" Plaid Stripes asked, nudging Nastic. "We're still going there, right?"

"We'll be going there when we'll be going there." Nastic looked at the park. "Now, let's get going to the park. We'll be thinking about that fashion shop sooner or later. Let's just enjoy ourselves in the park."

Comments

[Xanderfox]

Good grief... Nastic and Longwinded are going to be the friendship problem Rarity and Flutters are going to deal with.