//------------------------------//
// Talking with Ponies 
// Story: Society as We Know It 
// by Comma Typer 
//------------------------------//

"Isn't it hard to avoid or to thwart it?" Blue Alarm asked Lyra Heartstrings over the metal table.
Lyra looked over at the other ponies eating at the other tables. "To avoid what?"
"To avoid, well, talking about dice?"
Lyra blinked, staring at the changeling with a face that conveyed confusion. "Why dice? What's so special about dice? Isn't it that thing you throw to make a board game run? Besides, I haven't mention the word 'dice' for, well, how long? I don't even know when was the last time!"
"It could be a nice conversation starter," Blue Alarm proposed, tapping his head. "Sooner or later, maybe we'll talk about dice."
"And what's the point?" Lyra asked.
"That I just want to talk," Blue Alarm said. "I know that it might be awkward for you because you talk with your friends everyday. I talk with my friends everyday, too. But, what I'm trying to tell you is that we create memories when we talk to others, and, honestly, I would like to make more friends."
"So, you're asking me to be your friend."
Blue Alarm nodded.
"Uh, probably?" Lyra shrugged, giving him a nervous face. "We're done with breakfast, and I've been here for twenty minutes!" Lyra stood up. "It was, uh, nice talking to you, but I have other things to do. Gotta go, bye!" Then, she scurried off.
Blue Alarm looked at the running mare. Then, he looked at the rest of the ponies seated at the other tables, talking with each other and chatting over food.
He flew away.
He hovered over the streets of Ponyville. The general mood of the place was profoundly happy and light—there were no fights, there was no complaining, there were only ponies happy with each other whether they stood or walked. Inside and outside, there were cheerful ponies cleaning their houses, cleaning the streets, selling their produce, carrying some things. Earth ponies were carrying buckets and baskets of food from apples to carrots and oranges. Pegasi in the sky arranged the clouds, pushing the clouds here and there. Unicorns were levitating various things, some of them beautifying their abodes, others performing simple magic tricks to entertain their friends.
"Seems like a busy yet not-so-busy day," Blue Alarm commented as he observed the ponies around him.
"Ooh!" a female and posh voice cried out. "Do I remember you?"
Blue Alarm turned around mid-air.
"Rarity?" Blue Alarm said.
"Why, of course, darling!" Rarity said in her fancy accent. "You're Blue Alarm, am I correct?"
"Yes, Rarity," Blue Alarm replied. He looked over both of his shoulders. "Why are you outside? I thought you were inside your boutique, trying to create some clothes."
"It would be unthinkable for me to spend all day just working!" Rarity answered in an exaggerated way, throwing her hooves around here and there to enhance the histrionics of the talk. "A pony like me deserves well-needed and well-earned rest! I was hoping to go for a quick trip to the Hay Burger—"
Blue Alarm silently balked a little.
"What? Were you expecting me to eat at a high-class restaurant? I decided to try my hoof at something else, even if it is a bit...messy." She flinched. "I don't know why Twilight, out of all the friends I have, would want to go there, at a messy, horrible, and uncouth eatery like the Hay Burger!" Then, she straightened up and calmed down. "But, if she insists, then I'll be there. Although, I'd have to muster up all the strength that I have to resist running out of there screaming."
"What's wrong with the Hay Burger, anyway?" Blue Alarm asked. "Wait, don't tell me. It's just...not clean enough for you."
"If it isn't even clean enough for me, I understand that cleanliness isn't probably what the Hay Burger aims to achieve. It aims to give fast food to ponies and the ponies who want fast food usually care less about how neat a restaurant is."
"So, you're going?"
"Maybe I should invite Sweetie Belle to join me!" Rarity yelled. "She would love such a place! Also, she could help me stop myself from overreacting there."
Blue Alarm looked over his shoulders again. "Do you have anything else for the day?"
"No, Blue Alarm," Rarity said. "However, you could join us. It would be lovely to have you with us! We could talk about how your life is and how our lives are!"
"I'll pass," Blue Alarm replied. "Thanks for the offer, though."
"It is a little sad you aren't going, but I respect your decision. Goodbye!" Then, Rarity walked away.
Blue Alarm hovered on.



Blue Alarm hovered over the neat and shiny floor inside the Castle of Friendship. Around him were the tall, crystal walls that shimmered brightly and elegantly. Hoofsteps echoed through the long hallways adorned with the huge windows.
A green stallion walked up to Twilight.
"Uh, Twilight," Wensley said. "I was wondering about Ponyville and its place."
Twilight raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure what you're trying to talk about."
"Well, you're a Princess and you live in this big castle—"
"And I don't plan to tell other ponies about that," Twilight interrupted. "Just because I'm a Princess doesn't mean I want all the attention that other ponies might give me. It's very distracting, I think."
"Oh, that's a good point, but I wasn't focusing on that, Twilight. Rather, I was thinking about Ponyville's place as a center of...something. I mean, having a Princess here is already something prominent about Ponyville, something that makes Ponyville stand out from all the other towns and cities in Equestria. Don't you think ponies and citizens of other kingdoms are going to be flocking here?"
"What for?" Twilight asked. "To visit me?"
"That would be one good reason," Wensley went on, "but what about the fact that the Elements of Harmony live here, that the Cutie Mark Crusaders live here, and that Discord also lives here...to an extent. What do you think about that?"
"I know it's going to attract visitors and tourists to the place, but I'm honestly not ready for that."
"Oh, that's a good enough anwer for me. When's the next book club time? Tonight?"
"Tonight," Twilight answered, smiling.
"I'll be around in Ponyville," Wensley said as he trotted his way towards the double doors. He looked at the hovering changeling. "Oh, a changeling. That's nice. Hope you have a good day!" Then, he opened the doors and exited the castle.
Blue Alarm turned around to see Twilight. "Hi, Twilight."
"Oh, Blue Alarm!" she greeted, walking towards him. "Why are you here? Do you have a friendship problem?" She smiled. "Do you have a squabble or a quarrel with any of your friends? I have Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie already inside, so we can settle the issue once and for all!"
"Uh, I was just here to talk," Blue Alarm said. "I have no problems with my friends."
Twilight leaned closer to the changeling, still smiling at him. "Are you sure you have no friendship problems?"
"I'm very sure, Twilight."
She frowned. Then, she smiled again. "That's OK. It's an indicator that your friendship is going smoothly! Aren't you proud about that, Blue Alarm?"
The changeling smiled. "Actually, that's something nice to have."
Twilight nodded. "What do you want to talk about? Do you want to talk about it with my friends or do you want to talk to just me?"
"Either way is fine," Blue Alarm replied. "I just like the experience of talking. It shows more and more of who you're talking to. Plus, it gives you good times to remember."
"Perfect for a friendship," Twilight added.
And, the two walked through the hallway. Their hoofsteps echoed.
"Anything about the Changeling Kingdom?" Twilight asked. "You seem to be out quite a lot lately. Don't you miss your homes there?"
"The truth is, Twilight, when you see the same thing everyday, there's that need to go out and see something new. We still do our part in helping the reconstruction and rebuilding of our place, but we really like to go out because we want to see more than just the Changeling Kingdom everyday."
"Mm-hmm. How does Thorax feel about it? Isn't he getting mad about changelings wanting to go out, even if it's just for a few days or so?"
"He's actually very happy about it," Blue Alarm replied. "He says that it shows that the changelings genuinely want to visit other places, most especially Equestria, and that they really want to make friends. As long as they contribute to the rebuilding, then Thorax is OK with it."
"I understand, Blue Alarm, but I'm concerned about changelings, well, not spending enough time in their own kingdom. They might end up travelling too much and then they might desire a place somewhere else and they might move to a house that's not in the Changeling Kingdom. That would upset Thorax, not to mention the other problems that might cause for the Changeling Kingdom such as loss of changeling power, less changelings to produce goods, and so on."
"I think all of us changelings adore our king enough to stay in the kingdom," Blue Alarm answered. "He's very friendly with us everyday and seeks to enjoy his free time with us."
Twilight smiled, her eyes somewhat watery. She blinked.
"Are you crying?" Blue Alarm asked, tilting his head.
"Uh, no, no! I wasn't crying! I wasn't about to cry, either! Heh-heh-heh-heh!"
Then, they entered the room where the Cutie Map resided. Three other ponies sat on their respective crystal thrones.
"So, it's like a cake but not really a cake?" Rainbow Dash asked Pinkie Pie.
"It's a fake cake!" Pinkie declared by screaming at her. "However, this fake cake is made up of all the ingredients that you would find in a real cake! But it isn't a cake!"
"My head's already hurting," Fluttershy said, rubbing her head.
"Come on, Fluttershy!" Pinkie said. "All you need to understand is that it's a fake cake! It's like a cake but not really a cake, just like what Rainbow said!"
"But, you said that it's made up of the things that make up a real cake," Rainbow argued. "Shouldn't you just call that a cake?"
"That's where you're getting everything wrong!" Pinkie said, giving her a mean face. "This fake cake is made up of sugar, eggs, flour, and all the other ingredients of a real cake, but what makes this different from a real cake is that you don't exactly follow the instructions!"
"You mean the recipe."
"Correct!"
"That just means that it's a different kind of cake," Rainbow reasoned. "It might not be the best cake, it might not even be a good cake, but it's still a cake, right?"
"No, it isn't!" Pinkie screamed.
"Uh, girls," Twilight joined in, "sorry to interrupt, but I was just talking with Blue Alarm."
"Hi!" the three mares greeted together as they went off their chairs and walked towards him.
"So, what's your side on the fake cake debate?!" Pinkie suddenly shouted at him.
"Pinkie!" Twilight yelled at her.
"I believe that the cake you're talking about can be called a fake cake," Blue Alarm said.
"Hah!" Pinkie shouted, pointing a hoof at Rainbow. "I knew it! I knew it all along!"
"What?! How?!" Rainbow protested, showing her utter shock by holding out her front hooves in bewilderment.
"We have to see how Pinkie defines a cake," Blue Alarm said, "but I don't want to be involved in that discussion any longer." He looked at Fluttershy who was a bit farther away from the rest of them. "So, what were you doing before Pinkie talked about what a fake cake is?"
"Oh, we were just hanging out," Fluttershy responded quietly and softly. She slowly approached the changeling. "It was nothing serious—it was all very casual and light-hearted, sharing our stories and laughing at each others' jokes."
"I was hoping that the Cutie Map would show us a cool, awesome adventure!" Rainbow spoke, imitating a fighting stance. "But, the Cutie Map didn't point us towards a place to solve a friendship problem, so we just sat here and talked. And then Pinkie talked about fake cakes." She pointed a hoof at her.
Pinkie was bouncing up and down. "If you want, we could discuss this further!"
"Nah, I'm fine with what I already heard," Blue Alarm replied, anxiously smiling. "I'm here to observe and to watch the ponies and to interact with them sometimes."
"So, you're like a researcher?!" Pinkie yelled.
"Not really. I just do it for myself. It's fun. It's interesting."
"Where's the fun in that?" Rainbow asked.
"The ponies that walk on the street—have you ever asked yourself why they're walking on the street now? Maybe they're going to buy some clothes from Rarity, or maybe they're going to eat at the Sugarcube Corner, or maybe they're going to the train station to catch a train to Appleloosa or the Crystal Empire or Canterlot. I see a wealth of information from just asking one question—or, at least, lots of speculation."
"That sounds...very cool," Fluttershy remarked.
"I know some ponies who engage in that once in a while," Twilight said. "You could meet some of them at tonight's book club session!" She leaned towards one of the changelings' ears. "I promise that it wouldn't end so late!"
Blue Alarm nodded and headed his way towards the doors.
"You're leaving already?" Twilight asked, stunned. Her friends were also looking at him.
"Yeah. Thanks for the time."



"How's the clock tower?" a beige mare with gray mane and tail asked the changeling as they looked at the tower in front of them. "You could hear every single tick and tock that the clock makes. It's one of our great landmarks here in Ponyville. It has quite a history."
Blue Alarm just stood there, still looking at the clock tower.
The mare adjusted her glasses. "I held some speeches here. The crowds of ponies gathering on the dirt path and on the hill—it was a sight to see! And, here are some pictures of the clock tower from the past month or so."
She gave him some pictures.
Blue Alarm looked at the pictures, bringing them closer to his face.
The first picture was that of Twilight Sparkle and her five best friends and Spike and Starlight Glimmer posing behind the tower. Their smiles conveyed a joyful atmosphere, making the picture a happy one. The second picture showed a pony wearing a visor and a shirt, proudly showing off his camera as he stood behind the clock tower. The third picture was that of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, smiling at the camera.
"You might've noticed that the clock can be seen in the first two pictures," the mare told. "If you look closely, you'll notice what appears to be an inconsistency. In the first picture, there are twelve marks on the clock, each mark specifying the hour. In the second picture, there are only ten."
"Why is that, Mayor Mare?" Blue Alarm asked.
"We routinely change the clock, or, rather, the face of the clock every now and then. It gives the clock a sense of change. It also varies the town a little—although nopony would notice that on a normal day. What we do with the clock that we do take is that we clean it. That's it. After a while, when it's time to return it, we bring it back to the clock tower."
Blue Alarm hovered over the grass.
It was windy, the breeze cooling the air and lightly touching the pony and the changeling. The grass bended to the breeze, and so did the trees and the plants nearby. A few leaves flew.
And the ticking of the clock was there.
"Thank you, Mayor Mare," Blue Alarm said, offering a hoofshake to the pony.
"No, Blue Alarm, thank you."
They shook hooves.



The air smelled of tasty food. The beckoning fragrance brought ponies inside where more ponies sat on the chairs and ate the hay burgers and their horseshoe fries and drank their sodas. The chatter there was an easygoing one, composed of different ponies talking to each other and the occasional laugh. It was a pleasant environment, a pleasant restaurant, to be in. The chefs who also served as the cashiers would walk back and forth between the counter and the kitchen, talking with the customers heartily as if they were long-time friends. The chefs, too, would occasionally laugh.
Among the customers were Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Twilight Sparkle, and Blue Alarm, all seated around the same table. Rarity eyed her sister nervously while she sipped her soda. She frowned, gulping, and anxiously glanced at Twilight. Her face was sweating profusely. She placed a hoof on her face.
She looked at the changeling, eating the hay burger with his hooves.
She looked at Sweetie Belle, munching on her hay burger which she levitated with her magic.
She looked at Twilight Sparkle, sipping her soda rather loudly.
Twilight tilted the soda with her magic. "Whoops! It must be empty! Good thing I ordered another one!" She placed the empty soda cup aside and acquired another one using her magic.
Rarity looked at the hay burger in front of her.
It had two buns. There were pieces of fresh lettuce inside along with pieces of fresh tomatoes. Under the vegetables was the hay itself, steaming and fresh from the fryer. It was dripping with oil and had a crispy appearance to it. The smell emanating from the burger was that of a wonderful smell of fried food.
Rarity gulped again.
Her front hooves were shaking.
She placed them on the table.
She grabbed the burger with her hooves.
"Oh, no!" she whispered to herself. "How long shall I wash my hooves after this?!"
She slowly brought it closer to her mouth.
Now, it was right in front of her mouth.
She slowly opened her mouth.
Rarity took a bite of the hay burger.
She chewed the bite.
She placed the burger down.
She wiped her hooves with tissue.
"Are you enjoying your food, Rarity?" Blue Alarm asked.
Rarity screamed and almost fell.
She grabbed the table.
All the ponies inside were now looking at her.
Rarity blinked and looked away from the other ponies.
"Rarity!" Sweetie Belle said. "It's just a hay burger! There's nothing wrong with it!"