• 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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Magic Show

"So, how are the changelings?" Starlight asked Twilight as they arranged the books in the library with their magic, placing each and every book precisely where they ought to be. "It's been a few months now, and...let's say that it's something with a lot of questions to ask about. I mean, I heard about the changelings, but to see them actually change is, well, something."

"I know what you're trying to say, Starlight," Twilight said. She placed another book on the shelf. "For much of our history, changelings have always been portrayed as bad, evil, because they were doing evil things. Now, ponies are still scrambling to add in this new information that the changelings are good."

Starlight giggled, covering her mouth while she did so. "Still taking them a long time to finish everything, I guess."

Twilight sighed, looking upon the books being levitated by magic into their respective places. "It's only been a few months, but that wonderful optimism the changelings have for life is astounding, to say the least. They're always so excited about this, so excited about that. A couple places in Equestria have seen an influx of tourists because of the changelings!"

"Those tourists are changelings, right?"

Twilight nodded. "And, I think that's the last book!"

The two ponies stepped back.

The massive shelves were finally filled with books.

Twilight wiped the sweat from her face. "Now that we're done with our work, we can talk about this comfortably!"

They walked towards one of the tables and sat down.

Starlight looked at the bookshelves. "You really love reading, don't you?"

"Mm-hmm!" Twilight nodded, grinning widely.

"Back to the changelings." Starlight placed a hoof on the table, pondering. "The changelings have an awful lot to learn, don't they?"

Twilight frowned. "Yes, they do. They were always focused on stealing love from others to the point that they don't mind anything else! I asked a changeling a while back about what was their entertainment like when Chrysalis was ruling and he told me that there was no entertainment! There weren't just any books to read or any music to listen to, but all they did was just sleep and train and talk about what to do next in order to steal love."

"That's...boring," Starlight said.

"Then again, you wouldn't care about comforts like books and music if you were starving for love everyday, would you?" Twilight asked pensively, narrowing her eyes down on Starlight.

"Oh, I get it. But, now they have all the love they need. They can pursue other things." She paused, pondering and wondering. "What about Thorax?"

"All the acclaim he's getting from his citizens?" Twilight asked.

"Well, I wasn't thinking about that, but OK."

"The changelings have always been under oppression from Chrysalis. So, to have a ruler that allows his citizens to be free and to do whatever they want—that is something the changelings have never experienced before."

"What about the changelings being too excited about us?" Starlight said, pointing at herself, worried. She shifted her eyes here and there. "Whenever I encounter a changeling, it's very likely that he would just hug me and shout at me about all the heroic deeds I've done for the changelings. It's kind of nice at first, but now it's getting annoying." She pouted.

"I know that it can get to your nerves, Starlight," Twilight said. "But, let's think about it for a moment. The changelings would surely thank the creatures who saved them from Chrysalis. You were one of them. It would make sense to keep on thanking you for a long time."

"Not to the point where they end up replacing my alarm clocks!"

Twilight became surprised. "Uh, what are you talking about, Starlight?"

"One time, I woke up to the alarm of a brand new alarm clock! I didn't remember buying a new one!" Some beads of sweat rolled down her face. "Then, I thought it was probably a gift I forgot about from one of my friends. Maybe it was Trixie's, maybe it was Maud's, I didn't know. Then, when I went outside the castle, a changeling was there and offered me a box of alarm clocks!"

Twilight snickered.

"What's funny about that?!" Starlight roared, smacking the table with her front hooves.

"That's an unusualy way to show your appreciation to somepony!" Twilight replied. "But, I don't see how that's annoying!"

"Twilight, he insisted that I get all of those alarm clocks for free!"

"Why didn't you take the bargain?" Twilight said. "It's actually a nice deal."

"I was thinking about what he might do if I did accept it. What if he would come back and offer me a box of, I don't know, books because he wants to thank me for accepting his box of alarm clocks?!"

"At least he's not going to bother you with excessive thanks," Twilight said, smiling. "Other changelings are so excited about you that they want to spend a lot of time with you, at the expense of you spending time with the rest of your friends."

Starlight sighed. "Any other things you have in mind about the changelings, Twilight?"

"I'm just eager to see what the changelings will do," Twilight said. "Now that they are free to do good, I wonder what they might do and create? I'm looking forward for the day when the changelings start producing things other than food. What about all the literature they will make?!"

"Twilight, your enthusiasm for books is getting to you," Starlight reminded, snickering.

"Oh, yes, right, Starlight!" Twilight said, smiling nervously.

Starlight glanced at the bookshelves before looking at Twilight again. "There's this one thing I've thought about. The changelings were under Chrysalis for a long time, right?"

"Yes. What are you trying to tell me?"

"Well, I noticed that the changelings, before they were free, were all the same. They looked the same. The only thing that differentiated them from the other was the occasional armor they wore. Now, they're wildly different from each other. They have different colors from each other, that's one example of it. As I interacted more and more with the changelings, I realized that they also had different, unique personalities. They had different motivations and reasons for the things they do."

"And, why are you telling me this?" Twilight asked, hopeful.

"Because, the changelings are now trying to live the lives they want to live. They have enough love to keep them full since they now share it between not just other changelings but even with ponies as well, so they're free to just do whatever they want to do, to try to have fun, to see what they can achieve on their own, and to enjoy the times together with their friends—not just the pony friends, their changeling friends."

Twilight nodded. "That's the magic of friendship spreading!"

Starlight lightened up, smiling. She stood up from her seat. "Now, let's go outside! I'll bring Trixie along to the train station!"

Twilight was shocked. "The train station? Where are you going?"

"I got a great idea for the changelings! As long as we can actually find some on the way!"

Then, Starlight hurried out of the library.


A group of changelings gathered around beside the train station. As the train left and made a noisy whistle, the changelings looked at it. They talked to each other, all standing in front of a small, wooden stage with a big curtain on it.

Then, the curtain opened, revealing Trixie in her magician's outfit and Starlight Glimmer. They were smiling.

The changelings cheered and stomped on the ground.

Some of the ponies on the train station hurried their way out of the train station, trying to escape the rumbling vibrations of the stomping.

"Yes, changelings!" Trixie said. "I know that you are all very delighted to behold and to witness the Great and Powerful Trixie perform her latest and greatest magic tricks!"

And lots of magician items levitated around her, giving her a magical spectacle. Cards, streamers, magic wands—Trixie levitated all of them around her.

The changelings cheered again, shouting their approval and admiration for her. A few even went to flying over the ground to shout at her.

"But, the Great and Powerful Trixie must thank her greatest assistant, Starlight Glimmer!" She gestured a hoof towards Starlight.

She bowed.

The changelings roared happily.

"Without her help," Trixie went on, "we wouldn't be able to wow you and to amaze you with tricks and wonders that would make you be...amazed!"

And the changelings once again cheered.

At the train station, Twilight looked on.

She smiled.

"For my first trick," Trixie announced, "I would like Starlight to bring in a table!"

Starlight's horn glowed and a table appeared on the stage.

"Who wants to be regaled with an illusion?!"

The crowd collectively gasped.

"Starlight, bring in the handkerchief!"

Starlight's horn glowed and a blue handkerchief appeared on the table.

Trixie levitated her handkerchief and brought it close to the audience. "Now, this is a normal-sized handkerchief. Nothing spectacular about it, just a handkerchief to wipe your mouth with when your mouth gets dirty while you eat."

The handkerchief levitated close to each of the audience members. The changelings eyed the handkerchief as it moved from one changeling to another.

"Don't touch it!" Trixie warned. "Or else, you'll ruin the magic inherent in it!"

"Magic?!" a changeling cried out.

"Ah, because I didn't tell you everything about this handkerchief!"

The changelings gasped.

"This handkerchief has a magical property! 'What is that magical property?' you may ask." She giggled. "Well, soon, you shall behold the wonders of this handkerchief!"

The handkerchief levitated back to the stage.

Trixie turned the handkerchief around.

Then, she stretched it.

Another part of the handkerchief appeared out of it. This part was red.

The changelings cheered.

"Oh, that's not all!" Trixie shouted. "There's more to this handkerchief!"

She stretched the handkerchief again and another part appeared out of it. It was a green part. She stretched it again, revealing a yellow part of the handkerchief. She stretched it another time, bringing the purple part of the handkerchief to view.

Now, the extended handkerchief floated above the changelings.

The changelings looked at it.

They shouted and roared their overwhelming approval and cheer for Trixie, stomping on the ground again.

"How do you even do that?!" a changeling yelled.

"I've never seen anything like it ever before!" another changeling shouted.

"I'm going to tell my friends about you, Trixie!" yet another changeling cried out.

"Oh, changelings!" Trixie said. "That's just the first trick! I'm not even done with it!"

The changelings stopped their cheering. Now, they were looking at her, puzzled. Some of them were scratching their heads, thinking about what might happen next.

Trixie levitated the handkerchief back to the stage.

She let it levitate there beside her.

The changelings looked at it.

Trixie kept levitating it.

The changelings kept looking at it.

Starlight smiled from her place near the back of the stage.

Trixie extended the handkerchief. Now, it was very long, consisting of many different parts of different colors, all from one blue handkerchief.

The changelings cheered again, stomping on the ground, causing the stage to rumble a little and causing Trixie and Starlight to panic a little.

"Wait, stop that!" Trixie shouted.

The changelings stopped.

"Sorry for that, but the Great and Powerful Trixie cannot fully concentrate on her tricks if you keep doing that!"

"We're sorry, Trixie!" the changelings said in unison.

Starlight looked at her.

Trixie glanced at her. She smiled.

"Well, you are now amazed by that great display of magical ability!" Trixie paced on the stage, facing upwards and walking haughtily and proudly. "That is only a small part of my skill! Of course, with the help of Starlight!" She gestured a hoof at Starlight who waved at the audience. "Are you ready for my next trick?!"

The changelings clamored loudly, raising hooves of excitement and anticipation.

"For my next trick, I will—"

And smoke appeared.

Trixie could not be seen past the thick smoke.

The changelings gasped. They murmured to each other, asking questions about where she was right now. "Are you sure this is part of the show?" a changeling asked.

"I don't know," the other changeling whispered back. "I'm afraid a pony has decided to teleport her away!"

"Are you blaming Starlight? She cannot possibly do that!"

"Maybe it's only a pony who looks like Starlight but really isn't Starlight!"

Then, the smoke cleared.

Starlight was there, looking worried and concerned, her eyes darting here and there as her mouth shivered.

The table was also there along with the long handkerchief.

Trixie wasn't there.

The changelings gasped again. A few changelings went to flight and searched here and there for Trixie, looking inside the train station, looking at the horizons, looking at the trees, looking at Ponyville. Other changelings ran, trying to bring in more effort.

Starlight hurried to the backstage.

The backstage was cluttered with magician props and items, making it feel cramped.

"A very classic trick!" Trixie whispered, walking into view. "I'll just let them be for a few minutes before I come back on stage to surprise them with my appearance!"

Starlight giggled. "What if one of them decides to look for you here?"

"Which is why we have a door that we can lock for the backstage," Trixie said. Her smile went away, replaced with an annoyed look. "You didn't lock the door, did you?"

Starlight made an uneasy expression as her horn glowed and as the door was closed and locked.

"That's better," Trixie said. "Now, we have nopony else in the room but us! We can spend this time chatting with each other about what the next magic show is going to be like!"

"You're planning way ahead," Starlight said. "You're not even done with this magic show!"

"The Great and Powerful Trixie always plans ahead for maximum magic show efficiency!"

Starlight giggled again, covering her mouth to muffle the laugh. Then, she gasped. "Wait, what if some of the changelings decide to actually go to Ponyville!"

Trixie's confident smile was gone. "Oh, no!"


"Alright!" a changeling on the stage announced. "Trixie is gone! We've checked everywhere! Well, everywhere nearby, but still, that's a good type of everywhere!"

The changelings on the ground nodded.

"We have to do everything we can to rescue Trixie from whoever decided to capture her! We may not know the reason behind it, but rest assured, fellow changelings! We will not be deterred!"

"We will not be deterred!" his fellow changelings repeated loud and clear.

"We will not give up!" the changeling went on.

"We will not give up!"

"We will not rest, we will not sleep!"

"We will not rest, we will not sleep!"

"Until Trixie is saved!"

"Until Trixie is saved!"

"Will you keep it quiet?!" a pony on the train station's platform shouted at them. "I'm trying to wait for a train here!"

"The train's not coming until ten minutes from now!" one of the changelings from the crowd answered.

"I'm here early!" the pony replied fiercely. "I don't want to be late at all!"

"OK!" The changeling turned back towards the stage.

"So, here's the plan: We split into three groups. Group One will go to Ponyville and scan every area of Ponyville for Trixie. Group Two will stay here and watch this area in case the capturer decides to come back. Group Three will investigate the areas surrounding Ponyville. If Trixie isn't found by thirty minutes from now, Groups One and Three will take the train to...somewhere, I don't know the train schedule. But, the capturer might have taken the train!"

The crowd gasped.

"Now that is something smart, something very crafty to keep us from having our magic show! It is too much for one changeling to do, but when we unite, Trixie will surely be found and rescued and the magic show will continue!"

"Hooray!" all the changelings yelled.

And smoke appeared again, covering the changeling on the stage.

"Oh, no!" a changeling cried out. "The capturer is getting Chitinous!"

Several changelings rushed towards the smoke.

The sounds of punching, kicking, and fighting blared out. More changelings joined in the unseen fighting as they battled the unseen character.

The rest of the changelings on the ground watched. One was nervously biting his hooves, anxiously hoping for the capturer to be captured.

Then, the smoke cleared.

Starlight was near the back of the stage again, now having a terrified look on her face.

At the middle of the stage, a dizzy Trixie was recovering from the battle.

The changelings gasped again.

"We're sorry, Trixie!" Chitinous said hastily. "I didn't know that you were there! We're really sorry for hurting you, Trixie!"

"Uh..." Trixie slowly walked towards the table. "I think...I need...to rest a bit." Then, she rested beside the table.

"Does that mean you're OK?!" Chitinious asked by shouting at her.

"No, it doesn't! The Great and Powerful Trixie is not OK!"

The changelings on the stage stepped back, some of them whimpering. They all flew back to the ground.

Starlight galloped to Trixie, worried and shaking. "Are you alright?! Do you need some medical supplies or anything?"

"Nah..." Trixie murmured. "I think...I'll be...better very...quickly. The...Great and Powerful Trixie never succumbs that...easily." She managed a smile. "At least...my outfit...is mostly unharmed."

Starlight smiled. "That's a good thing." She tilted her head. "Are you sure you don't need any help?"

"I'll...just...rest here. Give me something like...ten minutes."

Starlight grew restless, nervously glancing at the murmuring crowd of changelings. She looked at Trixie. "Wait here."

Then, she walked towards the front of the stage.

"Are you going to be the substitute magician?!" one of the changelings excitedly asked.

She sighed. She gazed upon the changelings in front of her—on their faces were eager smiles, waiting for the next thing to stun them with magical greatness and grandeur, with something that they truly have never witnessed before, with something that would not only dazzle them would also bring them to tell their friends about what they saw.

"I'm very sorry to tell you all this, but today's magic show is cancelled."

The changelings gasped again. "What, you can't do that!" a changeling cried out, shaking a hoof at her.

"Well, Trixie is not in a very good condition to continue the show. Let's also not forget who sent her into that condition in the first place." She glowered at them.

The changelings shuddered.

"But, you enjoyed what you did see right?"

The changelings straightened up, stopped their shuddering, and the smiles went back on to their faces. They all nodded.

"I'm glad that you were all amazed at the tricks and at the magical ability of the Great and Powerful Trixie!"

The changelings cheered again, stomping on the ground again.

"Just be there at Trixie's next show to get the full experience! Goodbye!"

Starlight waved at them as the changelings flew away from the stage and happily to other places.

She happily trotted to Trixie who was still unwell, struggling to get a hoofing on the stage. "I'm sorry that it did not work out so well, but you've made a great show for the changelings."

Trixie slowly smiled. "Thanks...Starlight...,but you didn't tell them...something."

Starlight raised an eyebrow. "And, what would that something be?"

"You didn't tell them...to really apologize to me."

Starlight frowned. "Oops. I might have forgotten about that one."

"It's...OK."

Trixie then slowly, with Starlight's help, got up.

"Can you walk well, Trixie?" Starlight quickly asked, glancing here and there nervously.

"I'll try," Trixie said. "But...like I said, I'll be...alright soon."

And, they walked off the stage.

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