Society as We Know It

by Comma Typer

At the Daring Do Convention

Outside, a crowd of ponies, some of them wearing similar-looking clothes and hats, were walking in.

Around these ponies was the tall, sleek skyscrapers of Manehattan. The noise of a myriad of ponies of various shapes and sizes surrounded the crowd. On the wide roads, countless carriages, including taxi carriages, filled the space, with several ponies hailing and whistling at any moving taxi that had no passenger yet.

Yet, to these ponies, that did not matter. They knew that inside, there was something more important than all the general chatter of the many outside.

Past the guard ponies, the cool breeze of conditioned air swept and was sweeping through the rooms.

The talk of many ponies inside was indeed louder and more sensible than the many more ponies talking outside.

There were booths, there were pictures, there were costumes, there was no music, but there were a lot of books on some tables.

On the floor were red carpets. Beige-white columns went down to the floor, several balloons were floating around aimlessly, the booths were of many colors and materials, from the hastily-prepared cardboard lot that was presentable enough to the professional mini-establishment that claimed that its bunned carrots were not only the best in all of Equestria but that they were approved by A.K. Yearling—if she were there to begin with.

Although there was a diversity of ponies smiling in the place, what united many of them was the familiar and the similar costume—a dark green vest and a beige pith helmet.

Amidst all the noise and the talk and the exchanges and the smiles, many images of a dark gold pegasus mare wearing also a dark green vest and a beige pith helmet were displayed, some on paper, some on cardboard, some on book covers—on all the book covers.

In front of a covered table with many books, a unicorn, with closed eyes, levitated a book towards the customer in front of her.

She opened her eyes and screamed a little when she saw the blue insectoid thing in front of her.

Some ponies looked at the screaming pony.

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and opened them.

"Sorry to scare you, ma'am," Blue Alarm said. "The bits are on the table, if you forgot." He opened the book and flipped through the pages. He closed the book on its other side.

"Heh-heh-heh, yes, I get it..." With a face of annoyance, she gathered the bits to the open drawer in front of her. She smiled. "So, enjoy your day...what's your name?"

"Blue Alarm."

She waved her hoof at the changeling. "Have fun in the Daring Do Convention!"

Then, he walked away.

---

Standing off the carpet, he examined the book in his hand. On the cover, there was a picture of that dark gold pegasus mare—Daring Do—wearing her famous clothes, hanging or swinging on a vine while holding a statue of some sort and escaping the mouth an alligator. The title of the book was written on a pictured scroll—"Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone."

"First book of the Daring Do series by A.K. Yearling," Blue Alarm whispered to himself as he gazed at all the ponies there walking and chatting with each other. There was a photo booth with a jungle theme. Several ponies, of earth pony and unicorn, were wearing cardboard wings on their sides, somehow completing the costumes that they were wearing. There was the smell of steamed and fried carrots.

He looked at the big paper list on the wall. On it were written in big, bold words the many titles of the books in the Daring Do series. "Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone" was up at the top.

"That's a lot of adventures the she has," he continued whispering. "But, doesn't that mean that Daring Do might get stressed out over her adventures? That also means A.K. Yearling has a lot of ideas about what Daring Do could be up to, what artifacts to recover, what villains to defeat—"

"At least they make money."

Blue Alarm looked at the pony standing beside him. The earth pony was wearing a set of Daring Do clothes—same-colored vest, same-colored pith helmet. His cutie mark was a speech bubble. His mane was an array of grays. There was a smirk on his face.

"Well, to be honest, I've never seen a changeling read a Daring Do book. It must be nice to be able to get here, isn't it?"

"Yes, it's very nice," Blue Alarm said. "I was just speaking my thoughts, observing and making observations."

"Oh, I forgot, my name's Quibble Pants!" He held out a hoof.

"Blue Alarm," the changeling said.

They shook hooves.

"So, you're new to the Daring Do series, aren't you?"

Blue Alarm nodded. "Let me guess, I can't just go in and read a book, right?"

"Depends on what book you're starting out with." He gazed at the book Blue Alarm was holding. "It's always a great start to read the first book, of course. The original trilogy was—"

"Why is it great to start at the first?" Blue Alarm asked.

Quibble Pants looked at him with no words. "Well, 'Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone' and the next two books, 'Daring Do and the Griffon's Goblet' and 'Daring Do and the Abyss of Despair' make up the original trilogy which are the best books of the Daring Do series by far. When ponies who aren't fans of the Daring Do series hear the words 'Daring Do,' the first thing that comes into their minds is adventure, action—and it's true that every book contains adventure and action. However, the first three books challenged all other popular so-called 'novels' out there by showing to all of Equestria that Daring Do is not just an adventurer—she was witty, she was smart and cerebral, even manipulative at times—for good purposes, no doubt. Unlike all the 'novels' that were being sold at the time, the first three Daring Do books were a celebration of those monthly adventure books decades ago—they weren't that popular, yes, and they weren't that well-respected back then, yes, but those books were more than just adventure stories—they were more realistic and more thought-out than the bestselling books of the day that were just series of non-stop action scenes that wow the reader but never make the reader think—and the first three Daring Do books combined all the good things about those old adventure serials, placed them into proper novel format, and proved the literary world that the average pony can take on more intelligent literature than the greedy selfish publishers of the day thought they could while still giving them an experience that excites them all the way to the end!"

"That's a lot, Quibble Pants," Blue Alarm said. "I guess you like Daring Do."

"Like? I love the Daring Do books—more specifically the first three."

"Why an emphasis on the first three? What's wrong with the other books?"

Quibble Pants laughed. "What's wrong with the other books? There are so many things wrong with the Daring Do books starting with book number four!"

"Uh, before we can get to what's wrong with those books...I see that you're a really dedicated fan of Daring Do."

Quibble Pants nodded. "Why, yes I am!"

"So, what would you suggest to me, someone who wants to get into the Daring Do series? What should I do?"

The pony beamed with a happy face. "Oh-hoh! There are lots of things you should get about the Daring Do series so let me fill you in!"

---

On the flat wooden table, the smell of cooked carrots was even closer and even stronger. The pony and the changeling sat, with more than a dozen books that featured the eponymous Daring Do on the cover. Around, there was the talk of the crowd and the noise of the many things that were happening in the convention—carrots cooking, pictures being taken, pages being flipped, fake arrows being shot, words being spoken through the speakers here and there.

Quibble placed three books in front of him. "The first three books consist of the original trilogy, the best and the most sophisticated of the series. A very casual fan would be allowed to read them out of order, but at the very least, read these books first before getting to the rest of the series." He stared at Blue Alarm. "If you want to, that is."

Blue Alarm raised a hoof. "So, what about—"

"The next three books—'Daring Do and the Trek to the Terrifying Tower,' 'Daring Do and the Many Faces of—'"

A red-pink unicorn stood between them and levitated down plates and drinks on the table—the plates and the cups being wooden after the jungle theme of the convention.

"Thanks, Carrot Bun," Quibble said with eyes closed.

Carrot Bun just walked back to her booth, a few ponies already waiting in line and looking at the menu that contained and displayed the flavors of the cooked carrots in a bun.

Blue Alarm followed Quibble's hoof as it moved, holding books and placing them in neat stacks.

"OK, to save you some time, this is just a classification of the books—the first three here are, as I said before, the original trilogy and the best trilogy. These three over here consist of the second trilogy, or what many self-proclaimed 'fans' would call it, 'The Cabelleron Trilogy,' which is when Dr. Caballeron, who, I must admit, is a better and more well thought-out villain then Ahuizotl who appeared back in the first book—anyway, Dr. Caballeron was introduced in 'Daring Do and the Trek to the Terrifying Tower,' and from then on, he becomes a consistent villain of the franchise. Then, after that, the next three books over here is what's known as the 'The Bright Trilogy,' and it's due to the lighter themes of the books here compared to the rest of the series—incidentally or not, this is where Daring Do's family and friends are brought up, although they won't be brought up again until several more books down the line. Then, after that, there's the 'The Finest Trilogy.'"

"So, it's a good trilogy?"

"Ehhh..." Quibble looked at his food awkwardly, gesturing with the other hoof.

Blue Alarm took a bite of the cooked carrot in a bun. He chewed loudly.

"You're listening, Blue Alarm? While you're eating, I mean?"

He nodded.

Quibble Pants took a deep breath.

"Actually, it wasn't always known as 'The Finest Trilogy.' They used to call it 'The Dark Trilogy,' because it showed a very stressed-out Daring Do and her success rate in those books wasn't really great. It was when the book after the trilogy came out that they started calling it 'The Finest Trilogy.' Because the five books after the trilogy, 'The Middle Books,' were completely awful." He groaned as he held up the first book of the "The Middle Books." "Just look at the title!"

"'Daring Do and the Secret of the High Cholesterol Test.'"

"Exactly!" He held up his hooves in desperation and anger. "Don't you see that it's an obvious sell-out? What does the title tell you? There's nothing adventurous about a high cholesterol test!" He slammed the table with his front hooves.

"Are you sure you wanna calm down?" Blue Alarm asked.

Quibble Pants was huffing, his eyes wide open, staring at the book with a look of disdain. Then, he closed his eyes, breathed in and breathed out, and smiled. "Let's just skip 'The Middle Books,' and move on to..."

He pushed into view another book. On the cover was the same Daring Do running away from a staired temple that emitted a white, glowing beam. The background was red and dark. Imposed on the sky were two yellow eyes and a nose, staring down on the adventuring pony. Beside her, a blue pegasus with rainbow mane was running, too. She wore a cap and a bag on her side.

"'The New Series!'"

"Why didn't they call every other book new?"

Quibble slammed a hoof on his head. "The reason why it's new is because, for all the books up until 'Daring Do and the Ring of Destiny,' Daring Do worked alone, even denying any help from her friends and other ponies. It was a staple of the Daring Do series for a long time—I thought that she would stay a lone until, maybe, the last book of the series. But, starting with this book, 'Daring Do and the Ring of Destiny,' she starts accepting friends into her adventures, starting with Rainbow Dash herself!" Quibble then frowned. "But, it's still not better than the first three books. Trust me." He waved his hoof, dismissing the rest of the books while keeping the original trilogy of books near him.

"But, what if I read the rest of the books and I like them?" Blue Alarm asked.

There was a grumble. Then, he calmed down. "Then, that's alright. I personally like the Daring Do who uses her brain and wits to get herself out of situations. Rainbow Dash herself—I met her once—she likes the Daring Do who does action moves and storms her way through the story. Do I think she's a true fan?" The smile on his face was shaky. "I think so."

"What if I read the books and I end up not liking it?" Blue Alarm took a bite from the cooked carrot.

"Then, heh, that's alright. Nothing wrong with it, right?" His eyes grew wide open. "Everypony's different, right?"

"Right?" Blue Alarm said, looking at the staring Quibble Pants. "Yeah, that's right."

Quibble then went back to his seat.

---

"Attention, everypony!" a muffled voice talked calmly and loudly through the speakers. "A.K. Yearling has arrived! If you want to get your book—or books—signed by her, now is the time! Meet her near the entrance! The A.K. Yearling open panel discussion session will begin in thirty minutes!" Then, a pause, as everypony rushed to form a straight yet rowdy line of loud cheers, screams, and sometimes a quiet pony just waiting and looking at the olive yellow mare robed with a purple robe or shawl and wearing a ribboned hat. She wore red glasses. "Oh, I almost forgot! We just got our supply of the new Daring Do book, 'Daring Do and the Amulet of Culiacan!' If you're willing to wait a few more minutes before getting into the line, you can get your hooves on the book for the set price of thirty bits! After that, you can get to the line and have A.K. Yearlings signature on your book! Don't forget—the A.K. Yearling open panel discussion session wil begin in thirty minutes!"

"What?!" Quibble shouted as he stood in line. In front of him, Blue Alarm stood quietly, holding his book.

Blue Alarm turned around. "The new book? I didn't know they were going to sell another one today."

"Don't you know?!" Quibble turned to look at him. "The book's out today!"

"Well, I'm just new to this Daring Do thing." Then, he looked back at the table and the mare.

A.K. Yearling smiled while she wrote her signature on the first page of the book. And then, the first page of each book that was placed in front of her. Many times, she said "Thank you!" Other times, she said "I hope you enjoy the book!" And yet, other times, she said "It's nice to meet you."

The line moved, Blue Alarm and Quibble Pants walked on.

"Don't misudnerstand me," Quibble said to Blue Alarm as they neared the table. "Personally, out of the books outside the first three, 'Daring Do and the Amulet of Culiacan' might be my personal favorite, and that's saying a lot, considering that it still doesn't hold up to any of the original trilogy books."

"Why is that?" Blue Alarm asked, turning around again. "You haven't read the book yourself. Or did they announce the premise of the book beforehoof?"

"You could say that...I've made my contributions to the book." He smirked.

"What kind of contributions?" Blue Alarm arched his eyes. "Did you give her some of your tips so that the book would be more like the first three?"

Quibble sighed while he smiled and looked up at the air. "As much as I would have done that, I think I got a better deal."

"What's that?"

"I got the new book!" a pony screamed and delcared to everypony around her. On the cover, there was a golden complicated key decorated with two sapphires. Daring Do, in her normal costume and fashion, was running. In the background, there was a jungle. Alongside her, there was not only Rainbow Dash but also an earth pony wearing a vest similar to Daring Do's and also had a mane colored the colors similar to Daring Do's. His cutie mark was a speech bubble.

"You're in the story, Quibble?!" Blue Alarm asked. "How much did you pay A.K. Yearling to place you in?"

"It was free." He smiled.

"Really?" Blue Alarm arched his eyes again at Quibble Pants. "That doesn't sound like a likely story."

"A changeling?" a voice called out.

Blue Alarm turned around.

He was now in front of the table and A.K. Yearling.

"Yes, I'm an actual changeling, miss A.K. Yearling." He bowed his head a little. "This is not a costume—I'm the real thing."

A.K. Yearling looked at the blue changeling with a gawk. "And you also read Daring Do?"

"About to, miss. Starting with the first book."

She placed a hoof to her chin. "That's interesting. I do know that the changelings are working hard in building the Changeling Kingdom again from the ground up. Are you sure you're not skipping any work?"

"King Throax gave us free days, miss."

"Would you get a move on?!" a pony shouted from way back in the line. He even flew up with his wings, looking at the changeling. "I don't know about you, but I got myself 'Daring Do and the Amulet of Culiacan!' and I want to read it immediately after it gets signed!"

"Get down, Zephyr Breeze," A.K. Yearling called out. She smirked. "You don't want me to contact your sister, Fluttershy, for interrupting a peaceful meeting, do you?"

Zephyr scratched his yellow beehive hair. He opened his mouth with a wide smile and chuckled a little. "Uh, sorry, A.K. Yearling, but this is important—Fluttershy doesn't need to know anything about this."

"She would be quite mad at you if she knew you were mean to somepony—and we all know, of course, that she's the Element of Kindness, so that wouldn't bide so well..."

Zephy clattered his teeth. "Oh, alright! I'll just stand quietly in line!" Then, he zipped to the floor and stood.

Yearling looked back at the changeling. "Sorry for that. What's you name?"

"Blue Alarm."

"Nice name for a changeling. It fits you. Well, again, sorry for the rabid fan. There really are some ponies who get so dedicated about the book that they end up in a competition to see who's first in getting the latest book signed." She sighed. "Oh well, might as well get on. May I have your book?"

Blue Alarm hoofed the book to A.K. Yearling.

She opened the book.

On the first page, she wrote her signature.

Then, she closed it.

She hoofed the book back to Blue Alarm.

"Enjoy your Daring Do experience, Blue Alarm," Yearling said. She smiled.

Blue Alarm also smiled. Then, he turned around and walked away.

"So, how was it?" Quibble said, still having that smirk. "A nice enough pony." He glanced at the writer. "I hope that, with the new book, she's coming back to her roots. There were more puzzles there than usual."

"Read the book in advance before the signing, I see."

Quibble closed his mouth. "Uh, it was just a hunch." He laughed anxiously. "It was just a hunch!"

Then, Blue Alarm observed the line of ponies.

The ponies there were wearing those vests and those pith helmets that all looked alike. All of the ponies there were holding at least one book. There was a pony who was holding a stack of books on his back. The ponies nearer to A.K. Yearling were a bit more uppity than the rest—they were jittery, trembling, smiling smiles so wide that it looked almost unnatural. Then, there was Zephyr Breeze way down the line, glaring at Blue Alarm. He huffed and looked up with his eyes closed, still holding on to the new book.

Then, Quibble Pants walked up to the table.

He placed down the book in front of A.K. Yearling. He smiled at her.

A.K. Yearling stifled a laugh. "Why, isn't it the rabid fan himself: Quibble Pants." She smiled and looked at him. "Hey, I thought that you said that the only good Daring Do books were the first three and that I was a sell-out starting with book four?"

"Well, I thought that I'll give 'Daring Do and the Amulet of Culiacan' a chance. Maybe the book's a call-back, a homage, to your first three books—and that's a good sign for the future of Daring Do."

"Well..."

Yearling gestured Quibble to come closer.

Then, she leaned closer to one of Quibble's ears.

"I heard Daring Do tell me that she wouldn't be here without your help with that puzzle."

Quibble Pants smiled.

Yearling chuckled a little.

---

Carrot Bun did not say a word. She levitated a cup and a plate of a bunned carrot and passed it off to Blue Alarm who was sitting on the table.

"Looks like you get hungry really quickly," Quibble said.

"It's not just that I get hungry." Blue Alarm held the bunned carrot and took a bite. "We changelings used to not eat anything physical at all—the only thing we ate was love, so we had no idea what the taste of food that you can touch with your hooves would be like."

Quibble stared at Blue Alarm as he took another bite and chewed loudly and noisily. The pony recoiled a little away from the changeling, trying to look away from the disgusting sight.

"Yeah, I can see that you are enjoying our food, Blue Alarm. Heh-heh."

Carrot Bun just looked on at the rude changeling, sighing and rolling her eyes.