Fictional

by Meteorite Shower

Rating: teen
Tags: Slice of Life, Applejack, Drama, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rarity, Self Insert, Profanity
Length: 140373

Meteorite recalls her experiences in Equestria over the years, from the day she came into existence as a self-insert character.

A lot has happened to Meteorite over the years since she was unceremoniously thrown into existence by her author. Even if she has spent a lot of that time trying to both stay out of the way and undermine said author...

Fictional retells the original story of Meteorite as she recalls her experiences to her now marefriend, Rarity. Her first days in the world of Equestria, her encounters with the other ponies around her, and her desires to ruin her author because she's clearly up to something nefarious because oh my god who even seriously writes self-inserts?!

Fictional was started back in 2011, but had been abandoned since. Eleven years later, I'm determined to finish it, even if I have to release it in parts at a time.

And as a sequel.
That's actually a prequel.
That's actually the original story.

Published 2022-05-17 17:10:00 UTC
Last updated 2024-01-28 23:27:37 UTC

Chapter 1

No, no, no, no, nononononononoNO!

Meteorite cradled her head in her hooves, trying to wrap her mind around the new thought. I can't- This can't be a fanfic! She lowered a hoof and stared at it. Not only that, a self-insert fanfic?! W-Why would I do that?! Don't I know that just leaves you open to ridicule?! Don't I have any self-respect?

She paused on that thought as her gaze drifted listlessly off to the side. "Let's just not focus on that last one…" she muttered under her breath. She refocused back on her hoof.

"But… if I am in a fanfic… then I'm a fanfic character and… the ramifications of that implication…" she swallowed, "oooh. I don't think I'm ready to comprehend that…" She put her hoof to her chest focusing on how it felt, though not so much the texture of her fur, although that was a factor, but rather just the sensation of touch itself.

"I… don't feel like… just a bunch of words," she finally concluded quietly, imagining herself and her actions being written out, word by word. "But… what would that even feel like, anyway?"

Meteorite slowly turned her attention skywards, her focus trying to look past the sky itself. Hm, if I am just in a story… then logically somewhere out there there's the real me, writing it. Right? She coughed loudly, addressing whatever lay beyond the sky.

"Uh… heh, um… h-hey… me."

Meteorite instantly felt silly and her cheeks reddened with embarrassment, but she pressed on.

"S-So! Um, threw yourself into Equestria, huh? That's… neat." She exhaled slightly. "Well. I'm assuming you did, anyway." She swallowed and paused for a moment, trying to refocus her line of thinking. "So, um… okay, look. I… don't really know why you're doing this… actually, I don't even remember considering writing myself into My Little Pony." She frowned, staring at her mud-stained fur. "I don't even remember designing this. Good colour choice though, by the way. Not sure why you went with red hair, but whatever I guess. Your call."

"Anyway," she continued after a beat, "as I was saying, I don't know why you're writing this story, but I'm sure you have a very good reason for doing so… but uh" –she rubbed her foreleg with her other hoof– "j-just so I know, do you- could you, y'know, give me some sort of sign? Just to let me know you're there, and I'm right about this whole fanfic thing?"

Exhaling, Meteorite relaxed her posture. She hadn't realised she had tensed up, but she supposed trying to contact another you who essentially controlled your existence was a fair enough reason to be tense. She looked about her for the sign she asked for, even getting up and turning around in a circle, just in case it was behind her, but nothing seemed to stick out. She sucked in her cheeks, considering her next step.

"Okay, so, nothing?" she eventually asked the empty air. Slightly unnerved, she forced a smile before continuing. "Look, heh, i-it doesn't need to be a big sign or anything, just something that'll make me go 'ahhh, I gotcha'. Wink." She winked to demonstrate.

Satisfied she got her sense of urgency across, she patiently stared at the fields and at the critters inhabiting them for roughly ten seconds before becoming agitated.

"Okay look," Meteorite said firmly, still staring at a group of rabbits, "I'll help you out. All I need is for that rabbit there" –she pointed at one that was peacefully grazing under the shade of a tree– "to just run across to that other tree there. Nothing fancy, perfectly within the realms of possibility, and I'm the only one around to see it. Please? I- I need this, okay?"

She sat down while staring intently at the rabbit from afar, waiting for it to make its move. Meteorite perked up when the rabbit stopped grazing to look around itself, but her enthusiasm deflated when it went back to nibbling at the grass. Annoyed, she got up again and wandered around a bit, considering what to do next.

"Okay…" Meteorite said finally, "so that didn't go anywhere." She paused, frowning up at the sky. "…Are you ignoring me on purpose or something? What, are you trying to make me think you're not there? I mean… I'unno. Why? Come on, just own up to it, alright? I fucking called you out on it; it's the least you can do."

It occurred to her that she might be totally wrong on the whole fanfic angle and that worried her. She didn't have many other options available, and none of them sounded either appealing or plausible. Not that being in a fanfic did either, but it was something she could deal with. Possibly.

Shaking her head clear, Meteorite cast a glare upwards. "I don't know if you're trying to be funny or whatever, but I just need to know, okay? I'll be your stupid fucking pony character; just let me know what's going on."

Every muscle in her body tensed as she stood her ground, ignoring everything but the sky. Orange and reddish hues were starting to creep across it as the sun slowly descended towards the horizon. Meteorite estimated she'd only had a couple hours left before night settled in, so she needed a response from herself fast. …If she was right, that is. She tried to swallow her uncertainty and made a point of sitting down firmly, while crossing her arms. Forelegs. Whatever, she didn't care.

"Okay, fine. You won't fucking do anything, neither will I. Have fun writing your dumb little story without your main character." She paused as she considered her last sentence. "Y'know, I shouldn't even be your main character anyway. Go write about someone else, like Rarity… Or Trixie! Yeah, go write about Trixie."

Not sure what else to do to drive her point home, Meteorite closed her eyes and waited. She didn't know what would happen next, but if she provided enough of a blockade it might push her as the author to make something happen to get the story going again. Orrr… I might give up on the story altogether. Actually… that's probably the more likely outcome…

Perturbed, she slowly reopened her eyes, staring off into the distance. What if that's what happens? Would I just… stop existing? Would everything just freeze in time, until I feel like picking the story up again? Which… knowing me, would be never… A cold shiver ran down her spine as she grimaced, trying to forcibly eject these thoughts from her head. Existential crises were not something she wanted to deal with right now on top of everything else. She decided to redirect her focus elsewhere.

"You know, you're being a real asshole right now…" Meteorite muttered under her breath. "This could've been a fun little story or whatever you had planned, but no, instead you're not going to do jack shit to help me out and so I'm just sitting here being tormented by my own thoughts." She paused for a moment, reflecting on her tirade. "Actually no, you're tormenting yourself by letting this happen; holy shit what is wrong with you?"

She decided to let her other self stew on that for a while and, with nothing else to say, resumed her protest of inactivity.

Meteorite was starting to become concerned.

She felt she had put up a remarkable resistance to do anything of note so far, but she couldn't help but notice it was definitely approaching sunset, and she could feel the night air settling in with it. Much as she'd like to stubbornly sit in one spot to stick it to, well, herself, it was becoming very apparent that soon she was going to be all alone in the dark, in the wilderness—the Equestrian wilderness—and in a body she was only very basically aware of how to move in.

I don't have anywhere to go, she solemnly thought, her breath caught up in her throat. I'm all by myself, no home, no nothing. I don't even know where Ponyville is. She turned to look at the forest that she emerged from. She had moved away from it a fair distance, but the shadows beneath the trees were getting darker, practically pitch black already. As if on cue, a wolf's howl sounded in the distance. Meteorite shivered and quickly stood up, her fight or flight response kicking in as she unconsciously lifted a foreleg, ready to run.

Okay, okay! I need to get out of here! Quickly glancing around, she turned and started to walk briskly towards an open field. She may not have known where she was going, but she knew it was definitely away from that forest.

I mean, I'm probably being silly, she thought in an attempt to convince herself, each step taken instilling more bravery in her. I mean, it's… not like I'd let anything happen to me, right? I wouldn't get hurt or anything, or die. I don't do that, right? I don't do 'dark'. She paused in her thoughts as she continued walking. I also don't do self-inserts. So… fuck me, I guess.

Assuming it is a fanfic to begin with, she then considered. I don't even know that for sure. Hell, it might as well be a coma. In which case… I probably should try to stay alive? For all I know, stubbornly not doing anything back there was hurting me. Meteorite slowed to a stop, reflecting on her last thought.

"…Fuck," she said quietly, looking about her. "I've got two possibilities and I don't like either one." She sighed. "I really don't want it to be a coma. For one thing-" she stopped herself and gave an anxious chuckle. "I was going to say, it'd be really cliché, but if it was a coma, well, can't really help that…"

"But I also don't want it to be a fanfic… it's just… embarrassing, really, being in my own story." She paused, looking at her hoof, flexing it slightly. "I wonder if Author Me knows I'm saying all this…"

Looking up from her hoof, Meteorite spotted a small clump of trees, maybe three or four, a short distance away. Swallowing, she made her way over, and slowly circled them, inspecting them for anything dangerous nearby, or failing that, gross-looking. Fortunately, they appeared to be normalish, so she sat down in front of one with a heavy sigh, resigned to the fact that this was to be her shelter for the night.

"Great story so far…" she muttered to herself. "'Come read my story. Chapter one, I'm a pony and I don't know what the fuck I'm doing where the fuck I am also I might be insane'."

"Hooo."

Meteorite sharply looked up, and her expression softened when she saw an owl sitting on one of the tree branches, looking down at her. It reminded her of Owlowiscious slightly, though this owl had more white feathers on its body.

"Heh, hello there Mr Owl," Meteorite said softly with a helpless smile, "You'll protect me during the night, right?"

"Hoo?"

Meteorite held her gaze with the owl for a moment before slowly dropping it, her smile fading with it. She eventually forced herself to lower herself onto the ground amongst the trees, settling in for the night. She glanced up one last time at the sky, it now losing the orange hue it had as the sun set. She spotted what looked to be a star, and giving a cursory glance to make sure she couldn't see any others, she quietly whispered to herself.

"Star light, star bright, wish I may, wish I might, I wish I knew what the fuck was going on…"

Night came and went without any disturbance; a fact unknown to Meteorite, since she was still asleep by the time the sun was already on its journey across the sky. She had somehow twisted around in her sleep and was now lying on her back, her forelegs folded and slightly raised in the air. She also was snoring, which luckily did not attract any nearby curious animals of the morning, if only because they either scurried or hopped away, covering their ears.

The sun however had no qualms about intruding on Meteorite's sleep, and shone a beam of sunlight directly across her face. Stirring, Meteorite groaned as she tried to block the offensive light with her foreleg.

Ughh, did I leave my light on last night? Meteorite thought to herself as she fought to open her eyes. A blurry purple hoof came into her view, causing her to blink in confusion. A quick glance at the treetops beyond her hoof, and the past day came flooding back to her. Groaning again, she awkwardly shifted onto her side and laid there, placing her forehooves under her head.

"Maybe I can go back to sleep and pretend this isn't still a thing…" she muttered sleepily, yawning afterwards. "That'll be nice..."

Her valiant effort at returning to sleep lasted a few moments however, as it was interrupted by a short but demanding rumble from her stomach. She tried to ignore it but eventually she reopened her eyes, now concerned.

"I'm gonna have to find food, aren’t I," she quietly realised. "No shops, no freezer or fridge… I'm gonna have to hunt down food in the wild." Swallowing, she rolled over onto her back, staring up at the trees.

"Jesus Christ… I'm really in over my head here, aren't I? All alone in the wilderness… and I haven't got the faintest idea how to survive." Meteorite raised a hoof and stared at it, her fur still marred by dry mud and dirt. "Not to mention I have to adapt to being a completely different species as well…"

She let her hoof drop down next to her as she continued staring upwards. "Ssssshit… I don't know what to do…" She shifted her attention slightly, deciding to address her other self once more. "Didn't think this through, did you, huh?"

A few bird songs from nearby trees filled the air as Meteorite contemplated her next move. Another rumble from her stomach eventually prompted her to twist about, trying to get to a standing position. Once she had done so, she began making a few futile attempts to brush away the dirt from her coat all over, trying to clean up just a little.

That's when she paused, mid-brush on her barrel.

Meteorite hadn't paid much, if any, attention to her body beyond what she could see just by looking down in front of her. But without a doubt, on the side of her body was a wing, if somewhat matted and ruffled. She blinked, disbelievingly.

"I'm sorry, what?"

She reached back and lightly touched the wing, trying to make sense of it. A moment later, she forced herself to stop staring at it, just so she could double-check her other side to confirm that, yes, there was another wing there too, in a similar state of dishevel. She opened her mouth, but it took her a while to process her thoughts into speech.

"…I'm a pegasus." She repeated this a few times, trying to wrap her head around the fact. "I… guess that explains why I couldn't get comfortable lying on my side last night…"

She turned her attention to the sky, puzzled. "Really? You… made yourself a pegasus? I mean… sure, I guess? I just… figured, if anything, we'd be a unicorn, because y'know, magic." She thought back to her usernames online, nearly all of them incorporating a user of magic. Heck, her favourite ponies were unicorns. Even when she discovered she didn't have a horn, her natural assumption was that she was simply an earth pony, and nothing more. The idea of being a pegasus by choice, considering she didn't like heights to begin with, was utterly bizarre.

She decided to sit down, now fully aware of the sensations her wings were giving her. "I'm a pegasus…" she repeated again quietly, trying to figure out exactly what that meant. That means… It means…

"I can fly…" she said in a hushed awe. She looked up at the sky again, but this time the sky itself.

"I- I can fly," she proclaimed, nervously trying to hold back her excitement. She glanced back down at the landscape, a tiny grin on her face.

"I could survey the land, and figure out where to go…!" She nervously got to her hooves, and took a stance. She considered her fear of heights, but decided heights be damned; she had to at least give this a shot. Breathing deeply, she counted down silently and when the time felt right, she arched her back, her thoughts filled with taking off the ground with grace and style… only to realise a few seconds later she wasn't leaving the ground.

She then also realised she actually didn't have the faintest idea how to move her wings.

She looked back, trying to focus all her muscles into moving them but there was no response from either of them, not even a twitch of a feather. She strained as much as she could but no matter what, her wings stayed as they were. Panting, Meteorite sat down, glaring in no particular direction.

"'Oh! Yeah! Cool!'" she mocked angrily, "'I'll make myself a goddamn fucking pegasus! Gee! I sure hope I'll just automatically know how to fly! It's not like my body will need to know how, because y'know, it's not like it didn't fucking have any wings to begin with!'"

She eventually turned her glare upwards. "Is this-!" Meteorite shrilled before cutting herself off, shutting her eyes tight. "No. No, don't… don't get upset." She reopened her eyes, with some composure.

"Is this 'part of your plan'?" Meteorite scoffed, shaking her head afterwards. "I… just don't get it! I'm a pegasus but I can't fly?!" She paused for a moment. "Oh. Wonderful. You turned yourself into Scootaloo. Way to go, me! You're the best." She proceeded to slowly clap her hooves together a few times before going quiet for a few minutes, silently fuming about the injustice put upon her. Eventually, she shook her head clear.

"Okay," she muttered to herself, "forget the pegasus thing. It's all part of-" she waved a hoof in the air, "-whatever. Don't- Don't let it get to you. That's what you want, apparently." She sneered slightly. "Fanfic or coma, whatever it doesn't matter, it's still you doing this to yourself, so… just ignore it." She let loose a derisive chuckle. "Yeah, cool. I'll just ignore myself just being… a total-" She bit her lip, trying to calm down.

"Just… let it go," she muttered while getting up and continuing her path from last night, "you're not going to get anywhere sitting around yelling at the sky."

"Although, maybe someone will hear me!" Meteorite said brightly. A moment later, the wolf howl from the previous night echoed through her mind, and she quickly became less enthused. "…Or something…"

She hesitated, glancing aside, before hurriedly trotting onwards.

"Okay, never mind."

Meteorite pressed on in her travels across the plains, scanning the scenery and horizon for any sign of civilisation, even something as simple as a dirt road. At least then she'd have something to follow. But there was nothing to be seen, and it only served to further remind her of her situation.

No food… no idea where I am… she paused momentarily to look at her hoof, and let out a sigh. And I'm still questioning my sanity. Really checking everything off the list, aren't I?

Meteorite took another look at her surroundings, taking in the sunshine and the cool breeze, the birds chirping as they flew from tree to tree, and the sound of water from a nearby brook. Y'know… this would actually be kinda nice, if I wasn't hopelessly lost…

Trying to take her mind off her situation –something her stomach wasn't letting go of any time soon– she forlornly looked back at one of her wings and awkwardly poked it with a hoof, in case that was the magical touch it needed to start moving. It wasn't.

It was then she did a small double-take as her gaze drifted beyond her wing. Through the dried mud, she noted a patch of grey fur on her flank. Bemused, she twisted herself around before sitting down and brushing away most of the mud. Afterwards, she couldn't help a small silly smile from forming as she stared at her cutie mark.

Okay, got a cutie mark, heh. Suppose that was a given, really. Can't quite make it out though… She stood up and turned around a few times, trying to get a better angle and failing. Looks like a rock though? Why would my cutie mark be a rock though?

Meteorite frowned in thought, trying to puzzle out the answer. In doing so, she noted something else accompanying the rock in question, something that looked a little bit like a vapour trail. Her face fell into a deadpan only a moment later, having figured out the apparent joke that was played upon her.

"It's a meteor isn't it. God dammit, of course it'd be a meteor," she tutted, shaking her head.

The truth was that over her years online, the meteor had become something of a private gag between her and her friends overseas. The actual significance behind it had been pushed aside as time moved on, but by the end it had become her own little running gag where the simple utterance of the word 'meteor' would act as a miscast spell, sending a meteor crashing down upon her. It was a very silly joke in her online chats, but it was her silly joke. It was almost as good as a personal signature. And now that signature was stamped on her flank.

Okay, so I guess this sorta proves I'm not imagining wild theories about what's going on, maybe? She bit her lip as she continued onwards. At the very least, it's almost a surefire sign I'm behind this, right? Heck, maybe this is the proof I was asking for? Still, I'd like something a bit more than… y'know, a wink wink nudge nudge kinda thing, I guess. She sighed. Oh well, still. At least, I got something, even if it is a stupid meteor gag-

Meteorite froze mid-step. A horrible realisation struck her, and she frantically prayed that'd be the only thing to do so. If she was right about everything being a fanfic, then she had done something very stupid.

She had said the 'M' word. Twice.

Her hooves dug into the ground as she wildly scanned the skies above for her impending doom. She quivered as fear and hopelessness left her whole body numb. She couldn't run; she couldn't hide. That was the joke. She was going to be hit by a giant space rock, and it was going to be funny. The apparent clear blue skies did nothing to calm her, as that only meant it was going to strike when her guard was down, right?

Out of options, Meteorite did the only thing that came to mind and dropped to the ground, covered her head with her hooves, and softly but desperately pleaded to whomever was in charge.

"Please don't kill me please don't kill me please don't kill me I don't wanna die please don't I wanna live please please please!"

She continued for some time before slowly realising that the usually imminent death rock was apparently taking its time to make itself known. Cautiously, she opened an eye but everything around her seemed normal, apart from a few nearby bunnies tilting their heads in confusion at the strange pony. Carefully letting her guard down, Meteorite sat upward, mildly embarrassed but more importantly, alive. She warily watched the sky one more time, before exhaling a relieved sigh.

"Okay… so I… guess I was wrong about that?" Meteorite muttered quietly. She then instinctively flinched and braced herself, just in case she wasn't wrong after all. When nothing still happened, she allowed herself to relax once again.

"Which I'm very thankful for… I just…" she continued, pausing to hold a hoof to her head, "I just don't know what to think anymore. Is this real, where am I, is this just a story, am I trying to fake myself out, I… I don't know. I just… want answers…" she whimpered, before her stomach loudly interjected with a rumble.

"Also, food. I want food…"

Taking in a deep breath, Meteorite got back to her hooves and continued walking, hoping to find something soon.

'Soon' wasn't coming fast enough.

The day was wearing on with the sun again making its journey downwards, and Meteorite's hoofsteps had become slow and staggered. Head down and making sure she didn't topple over with each step, she had been weakened by a vicious combination of hunger, stress, and prolonged exercise in an unfamiliar body. The desire to stop and rest beckoned at her dreadfully, but in the back of her mind she knew she couldn't give in because she had to find something to eat, so she persuaded herself to keep moving, refusing to stop for any reason.

That was until she lifted her gaze and saw the ground before her rising up in the form of a small hill, upon which she slowed to a stop, a look of defeat on her face, and allowed herself to gently collapse to the ground. Any reason but a slight incline, it would seem.

"Fuuuck…" Meteorite quietly groaned as she lay on her side, "I can't stop now, but-" she gave a small whimper, slowly giving in to her body's plea to take a break. She could do that, right? She could rest for a bit, yeah?

Her stomach protested once again, the emptiness within now becoming bouts of pain.

Meteorite groaned as she slowly forced herself to her hooves. She stared vacantly at the ground for a while before regaining the strength to take a step or two, making her way up the hill. However, about halfway up, she spotted something on the ground and stopped.

Well, not so much on the ground, but in the ground. There was a small white flower growing out of the grass a few paces ahead, gently swaying in the breeze. Meteorite didn't know much about flowers, but she guessed it was a daisy. She blinked slowly, looking from the flower to one of her hooves, which she carefully flexed as an unpleasant idea took root in her mind.

I am a pony right now… ponies eat flowers, right? I… should be able to eat that… right?

Her stomach grumbled in agreement, making her frown as she stared down the flower. Taking in a deep breath, she hesitantly lowered her head down towards it.

It's food, it's edible, I'm hungry… it… can't be that bad, right?

One more mental push and Meteorite found herself biting the stem in half, her body tensed up as she cautiously chewed. She waited for the terrible taste to kick in to make her retch, but it never came. Admittedly, the texture felt weird and the petals tickled her slightly, but all in all, it wasn't wholly unpleasant in taste. She relaxed a bit as she scanned the hill for more flowers.

Well, hasn't killed me. That's a plus. Can't believe I'm fucking grazing though, she thought as she swallowed, taking a few more steps up the hill towards another flower near the top. Still. Whatever. It's food, right? Meteorite bit down on the next flower, and slowly chewed as she casually surveyed the land from the top of the hill.

And stopped mid-chew as she saw rows of apple trees a short distance away, stretching into the horizon.

Pausing for a beat, Meteorite spat out the half-chewed flower on the ground and haphazardly scrambled down the hill. Slowing down only when she felt off-balance, she eventually reached the apple trees, and the wooden fence before them. She awkwardly stood up on her hind legs, and leant on the fence gazing longingly up at the apples. Unknowingly, her eyes sparkled at the sight.

If her mind had been clearer, she would've noted that the fence meant civilisation had to be nearby, but right now the fence only served as an annoyance barring her from the food she desperately wanted. Dropping her gaze to the ground, she was further annoyed at the lack of any fallen and easily obtainable apples. Of course it wasn't going to be that easy, she scowled slightly.

Regardless, the sight of the apples inspired renewed strength within her, and she clumsily pushed herself up to climb over the fence. She lacked any sense of grace though, so she ended up tumbling over the other side, her backside crashing up the side of a tree.

"Ow," she muttered, not really hurt. She rocked side from side, righting herself up and stared upwards at the apples, frowning. "I'm gonna have a rough time getting these apples… maybe. I'm not really sure… how to…"

Meteorite trailed off, looking down at the trunk of the tree. She knew applebucking was the way to go, obviously, but she was still skeptical she could actually do it. It looked easy enough though, so she had to at least try.

Turning around and planting her front hooves firmly on the ground, she lifted her rear end upwards and toppled over. She sighed in annoyance.

Undeterred, she got back to her hooves and lined up for another attempt. And another. And another. Eventually she managed to not only keep her balance, but make contact with the tree as well. A few more successful hits later, and a few apples wobbled enough to fall.

"YES, HAHA, GOTCHA!" Meteorite cheered as she unsteadily pumped a hoof in the air. She eagerly pounced onto the nearest apple, scooping it up between her hooves and began noisily gnawing away at it, savouring the taste of real, actual food. It wasn't long before she was discarding her fifth apple core, already onto her sixth apple, and that's when a voice spoke up suddenly from behind.

"What in tarnation?!"

Meteorite froze, mid-chew. She slowly turned her head, and saw looking back at her the very familiar orange earth pony, Applejack, wearing her large Stetson hat, a couple bushels of apples at her sides, and a look of apprehension on her face. For the pony before Applejack was a terrible sight; muddy from head to tail, mane matted against her coat, and hunched over apple cores with apple mush smeared around her mouth. At that point, Meteorite looked less like a pony and more like a Diamond Dog, especially with her wide-eyed stare.

Holy crap it's Applejack! Meteorite thought very calmly as possible. It's Applejack it's Applejack it's Applejack it's Applejack it's Ap-

"What do ya think yer doin'?" Applejack cautiously demanded, interrupting Meteorite's infinite thought loop. It took Meteorite a few more seconds to realise Applejack was talking to her. She nervously swallowed her mouthful and tried to speak.

"I…" she croaked, before abruptly becoming at a loss for words. Getting more out would have to take some time.

Chapter 2

A teacup gently clunked against a saucer as Rarity set them down on her kitchen table. She shook her head as she dramatically put a hoof to her chest, and fixated her glare on the mare sitting across from her.

"Goodness gracious," Rarity exclaimed firmly. "Don't tell me that's how Applejack found you."

Meteorite went silent for a moment as she stared into her own cup of tea that Rarity had prepared her earlier, failing to hide a playful smirk when she looked back up. "Okay, I won't tell you."

"Ergh," Rarity tutted in mild disgust. She took a sip of her tea before composing herself. "Very well, so what did Applejack have to say?"

Meteorite flicked back an ear as she thought about it. "Well… she was all, 'What the hay do ya think you're doing?' and I… I think I was just in shock, y'know? Like," –Meteorite shifted her posture to look more surprised– "'Oh my gosh it's Applejack!'"

Rarity raised a curious eyebrow in response, causing Meteorite to quickly shift back to her normal sitting position, mildly flustered. "B-Because y'know, back then, i-it was kinda a big deal an' ever'thing," she mumbled quickly.

"It's quite alright darling," Rarity said, not bothering to hide her own little smile at the beginnings of blushing on Meteorite's cheeks, "I understand it must've been quite the 'big deal'."

"So," Rarity continued, "what happened next with Applejack?"

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Applejack.

The fact she was standing a few feet away from Meteorite was sending the pegasus' mind into a tailspin, trying to both cope with and understand the situation at hand… er, hoof. It should've been something she expected and it was to a point, but seeing Applejack now, staring her down and looking exactly as she appeared in the show but live, it was a little too much to comprehend all at once. Especially after the ordeal the past couple days had been.

Applejack's demeanor slowly changed as she became concerned by, and possibly for, the strange silent pony before her. However, by this point, enough gears started turning again inside Meteorite's head as she slowly remembered the half-eaten apple in her hooves.

Dude, her brain eventually pieced together, you're stealing Applejack's apples. Not cool.

That was enough to shock her out of her state with a yelp as she immediately dropped the half-eaten apple and automatically started apologising profusely before Applejack.

"OhgodI'msorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! I-I-I-I was just so hungry I'm so sorry!"

Applejack exhaled, relieved that she wasn't going have to try and wrangle words outta this pony. "Well now, Ah ain't mad at ya for just trying to fill yer belly," she said, now standing with more authority, "but this here is our farm, and ya shouldn't go about taking somepony else's property."

Still unable to think clearly, Meteorite nodded vigorously.

"Yes yes you're absolutely right I totally agree I'm sorry I-I just… I hadn't eaten anything in days! I-I've been completely lost I'm so sorry I really am I'll make it up to you I promise!"

Applejack blinked, trying to take in the fountain of words being thrown at her. "Ah well, Ah reckon ya can just pay me back for the apples and we can call it fair's fair."

The nodding continued until Meteorite processed what was being said. She looked away, "Uh, ah… um. I… I kinda don't have any money."

"Now now," Applejack chided, waving a hoof downwards as she eyed the apple cores on the ground, "It ain't gonna be much. Ah reckon these six apples here oughta be about nine bits. Ah would let 'em go for six, but these were good ones."

They were, actually, Meteorite thought guiltily. She swallowed and spoke again. "No, I really mean I don't have any money. I have no way of actually paying…"

"No bits?" Applejack questioned, and got a head shake in response. "No job or anythin'?" Another head shake by Meteorite, followed by an awkward and sheepish smile.

"Would you believe me if I said I literally just came here after crawling through the wilderness?"

Applejack looked her up and down, slightly scrunching up her face. "Actually, Ah probably can…" She scratched her head before tapping her chin thoughtfully. "But no money, huh… Well if that don't just take a bite out of the corncob. Or apple, in this case." She looked from Meteorite to the tree, an idea forming in her head. "Ya done any farmwork before?"

Meteorite shook her head. "No… why?" she asked warily.

"Well, if ya can't pay, Ah figure you can work it off."

Meteorite's mouth felt dry. Oh… I was afraid of that… "T-That, uh… sounds… fair enough."

"Darn tootin'," Applejack firmly replied, though her expression softened as she noticed how concerned the pegasus looked. "Aw, don't ya worry; it won't be anything rough. Listen, we got a small group of farmhooves living here on the farm. Nice bunch, they can help ya with most anything on the farm."

Meteorite didn't respond, only blinking as her mind immediately got side-tracked. She hadn't heard of any ponies besides the Apple family being part of Sweet Apple Acres. It… made some sense though, she reasoned. Applejack continued, putting a hoof on Meteorite's back.

"Hm… ya say yer've been lost in the… 'wilderness'?" Applejack glanced at the seemingly peaceful hilly fields on the other side of the fence, but shrugged it off. "Ya got a place to hunker down to?"

Meteorite shook out of her thoughts, her ears involuntarily falling flat. "Uh, er… no, I don't…"

Applejack frowned. "Shoot, that ain't right. Though ya might be in luck. Ah'm pretty sure there's a spare bed in the farmhoof cottage. Yer welcome to stay there until ya get back on yer hooves, if ya like."

"R-Really?" Meteorite responded gratefully, her eyes lighting up, "Th-Thank you, I… I didn't even think about that…"

"It's fine," Applejack began, walking ahead, "but don't go thinkin' Ah'm soft, missy. Ah expect ya to pull yer weight, understand?" Applejack turned back and saw the pegasus lost in her thoughts, apparently not hearing her. Applejack cleared her throat, making the other pony sharply look up, her pupils shrunken.

"Oh! Y-Yes! Yes of course!" Meteorite shrilled, with a lopsided grin. "Absolutely! Of course! No problem!" She clumsily saluted with her left hoof, flinching with pain at the sudden, and hard, impact. "Ow…"

Applejack studied her for a few moments, before shaking her head and gesturing down through the trees.

"C'mon, let's go get ya cleaned up."

Meteorite had so many new questions flowing through her head as she silently followed Applejack, though her thought process was easily disrupted each time she stumbled trying to keep pace. Eventually her focus rested on Applejack, and grew uneasy with each line of thought that fell into place.

As exciting as it was to actually meet Applejack… was that actually the case, though? Meteorite considered the facts as she knew them, and she wasn't happy with any of it.

First of all, there was the underlying fact that none of this was actually possible, so that meant that this version of Applejack wasn't really Applejack, just… well, either a figment of her imagination, or… a… deliberate figment of her imagination, neither of which she could pinpoint as the one she felt the most uneasy about as being true.

Her stomach gurgled, reminding her of the apples she'd taken, and she began to wonder if that had been planned. Drive her to the brink of starvation, then suddenly 'oop here's Applejack's farm lol'.

No… she tried to convince herself, I… wouldn't do that, right? Right? She cast an uneasy glare at Applejack, if only to serve as the only author representation she could fixate on. She shook her head, trying to clear away the thoughts eating away at her.

"Ya alright there?" Applejack asked, having looked back at the sound of Meteorite's mane rustling. Meteorite briefly froze, her brain instinctively kicking into panic mode at having been caught doing something mildly embarrassing.

"Uh! Yep! Just… y'know! Clearing away the mess, and stuff. On my face."

Applejack cocked an eyebrow, but shrugged it off. "Well, if ya say so suga'cube." If she had left it there, Meteorite would've felt a small amount of giddiness at being called 'suga'cube', but Applejack soon followed that up with, "Say, what's yer name, anyway?"

…uhhh… uh-oh. I need to think of a name, fast!

"Uhh…?" Meteorite stalled, as she simultaneously tried to think of both a suitable name, and a way to stall for more time. "What…? What…'s in my mane?"

Okay, uhh-! Cutie mark cutie mark, meteor something to do with-

Applejack shook her head. "Naw, Ah asked ya yer name."

"Oh!" Meteorite grinned. "Heh, I thought you asked me what was in my mane!" Meteor… what goes with meteor?! Smash? Crash? Mash?! "Is… there something in my mane?"

Confused, Applejack gave it a cursory glance and shook her head. "Not that Ah can see, pardner."

"Okay good…" Allowing a few precious seconds to pass, Meteorite quickly spoke up again. "Oh, right! My name! It's uh, Meteor-" Anything, anything, ANYTHING! "-ite. Meteorite." She felt herself deflate mentally. Oh god, that's a stupid name, isn't it.

Regardless, Applejack seemed pleased, and tipped her hat with a smile. "Well, good to meet ya then, Meteorite! The name's Applejack, by the way."

Taking a moment to pretend to treat this as new information, Meteorite perked up as she glanced around at the apple orchard. "Oh! Well, it… certainly is a fitting name!"

"Don't ya know it!" Applejack beamed as she paused at a small junction, with a narrower path leading off to the side. She gestured at a white cottage off in the distance before heading towards it. "This way."

As they approached, Meteorite silently studied the cottage. "So, is this where I'm… staying?"

"Sure is," Applejack replied. "It's no Canterlot Castle, but it'll keep yer head dry. An' speakin' of that..." Applejack trotted over to a nearby faucet fixture, with a hose attached to it. With a sweep of a leg, she picked up the head of the hose and tossed it in Meteorite's direction. "Hold that, would ya?" she asked her.

Meteorite hesitated as she looked at the hose with concern. "Uhh, okay…?" She sat down in front of it and tried scooping up the hose with her forehooves, failing to do so as it kept sliding off between her legs. Eventually after a few attempts, she managed to trap the hose firmly between her hooves, much to Applejack's bemusement. Satisfied that it wasn't going to slip away, Meteorite looked up at Applejack expectedly.

Who didn't say anything, and simply turned the faucet. Meteorite heard a hiss as the water started to flow through the hose.

"Uhh-! Wh- Wh-Wait, what am I suppo-Agh!" Violently springing to life, the hose started spraying water at the nearest target, which happened to be Meteorite's face. Dropping the hose from shock, Meteorite awkwardly reached for it in an effort to pin it down, shrieking each time the hose scored a direct hit on her during its flailing.

After a while, Applejack took pity on her and turned the water off. Soaking wet, Meteorite stood over what was clearly a water snake demon in disguise, although she was now a lot less muddier than before. She hacked up some water.

"Faster an' feistier than a bath!" Applejack proclaimed, walking over.

"Oh god, it went in my mouth," Meteorite complained as she spat some more water out.

"Aw, don't be a-fussin'. Ah bet it washed down all them apples, don't ya reckon?"

"I… suppose," Meteorite said guiltily, unsure if Applejack was intentionally trying to remind her of her crime or not. Trying to avoid thinking about it, she refocused on trying to dislodge the excess water off her. She momentarily considered trying to shake like a dog, but didn't know if that was considered poor etiquette. She settled on sitting down and flicking a foreleg carefully. Meanwhile, Applejack had turned her attention back to the cottage, knocking on the front door.

"Shoot," Applejack muttered to herself after a while. Sighing, she turned back to Meteorite. "Ah was hoping one of the farmhooves would be around to take ya off me, but ah guess they're still finishing up."

"So… what now?" Meteorite asked, moving onto straining the water from her mane.

"Hm, hard to say," Applejack said, scratching under her hat, "Ah'd stay here to see ya off, but Ah have mah own things to do, and Ah'm already behind schedule as it is."

Another sting of guilt.

"Oh, wait!" Applejack said suddenly, looking out through the trees. "Ah think Ah see one of 'em now, no, two of 'em! Perfect!"

Meteorite turned her head to look, and saw two stallions approaching along the path. Noting their colours -dark blue, while the other was silver- Meteorite soon further noted that she didn't recognise these two as characters she knew. As they drew nearer, it also quickly became apparent that they were taller than both her and Applejack, a fact that unnerved her. In the past people taller than her had merely caught her off-guard, but now, something about it being ponies taller instead made the pit of her stomach unsettled.

Either that or it was the hose water.

"Good afternoon, Miss Applejack," the dark blue stallion began, quickly flicking a glance over at Meteorite before refocusing on Applejack. His tone had the air of refinement, and each word was spoken with purpose. "To what do we owe this unprecedented visit?"

Don't like him, Meteorite immediately assessed. He seemed… smarmy. Enough to warrant a reason to be wary of him.

Meanwhile, Applejack rolled her eyes slightly before speaking up. "Howdy fellas. So…" Applejack gently slapped Meteorite on her back, prompting her to stand up quickly and awkwardly, "we here have somepony who's gonna be helpin' out on the farm for a while, as a favor, ain't that right?"

Meteorite blinked briefly in confusion. "Huh, wha- oh uh, yes! Yes."

The blue stallion silently and sternly appraised Meteorite. "How capable is she?" He asked, still staring Meteorite down. Applejack worriedly looked Meteorite over.

"She… probably needs some trainin'."

The stallion straightened up, drawing in breath as he did, and for all intents and purposes looked about ready to protest. However, he appeared to have a last second reconsideration. "Very well. As… you wish, Miss Applejack."

"Right!" Applejack beamed, turning to Meteorite. "Let's get ya introduced!" She gestured to the stallion she was talking with. "This here is Steel Gaze! He'll be the one trainin' ya, an' everything. If ya need something, he's the one to go to!"

Great, Meteorite thought bitterly as she stared back at Steel, whose dark grey eyes seem to pin her down with his stare. It was easy for her to tell how he got his name. Apart from that, the only other thing she noticed about him was his short, and jet black, mane.

"And over here," Applejack continued, indicating the other stallion, "is Silverfire! He does a lot of the heavy duty work, ain't that right?"

Silverfire seemed momentarily caught off-guard, but responded with a cheery "Yup!" whereupon Steel pointedly nudged him with a hind leg, and Silverfire quickly followed up with "uh, Miss AJ! Ma'am! Sir! ...Ma'am!"

Applejack rolled her eyes as she turned back to Meteorite. "Ya'll get used to them," she muttered sotto voce. "Good stallions, really."

I'll bet, Meteorite continued to think sarcastically. Admittedly, Silverfire did appear to be friendlier than the other one, even now giving Meteorite an awkward wave as she looked at him. His mane was a burnt orange -again, easy to pinpoint how he got his name- and appeared to be styled like a mullet, a hairstyle Meteorite hadn't even considered to be compatible with ponies before.

"And, uh…" Applejack glanced about before addressing Steel. "Ya two know where Sunny is?"

Silverfire shrugged while Steel thought for a moment.

"I do believe Miss Flora's last task for the day was tending to the pigs, so she ought to be finishing up soon."

"Ah, right then. That's a shame," Applejack said as she turned to Meteorite, scratching under her hat, "Ah was hopin' ta get y'all introduced at once. Ah well, ya meet her eventually. Anyway," -she turned back, facing the stallions- "this here is, uh, ya said yer name was Meteorite?"

Meteorite blanked for a second before quickly agreeing. "Yup! Yup, that's it!" Yup, that's… that's my name. Gonna have to get used to that real quick.

"Right!" Applejack said brightly, "So welcome ta the team, feel at home an' all that, but Ah'm expecting ya ta work hard, got it?"

Meteorite felt a chill down her spine as she fell under Applejack's gaze. Her mouth felt dry again. "Yeah… got it."

Applejack beamed. "That's the spirit!" Straightening her hat and setting off down the path back to the orchard, she turned around. "Well, this is where we part ways for now, pardner. Ah'll see how yer handlin' things later, alright?"

Meteorite nodded carefully, watching Applejack leave. As she disappeared from view, Meteorite suddenly felt very alone, alone with two stallions she didn't know a thing about. Despite facing away from them, she was very aware of Steel approaching her on her right.

"So. Miss Meteorite, was it?" Steel began, to which Meteorite nodded solemnly. "Follow me, if you would," he told her, already walking to the cottage's front door. Meteorite turned around, carefully watching him and reluctantly started following. Silverfire joined her side, which didn't help her apprehensiveness.

Opening the door, Steel waited for Meteorite to step inside, who only did so once Silverfire casually walked onwards and stepped in first. Steel rolled his eyes at Silverfire, but said nothing of it and followed the pair.

As all three ponies stood in the cottage's entryway, Meteorite desperately scanned the area in order to familiarise herself with the layout, and any possible emergency escape routes. Currently, there were two passages off to the sides. Meanwhile, Steel ignored her and addressed Silverfire.

"Silverfire, you're preparing dinner tonight, correct?"

"Yup," Silverfire said after a moment's consideration.

"Right. Remember that we have a new member of the team to feed now," Steel told him, side-glancing over at Meteorite, who momentarily stopped studying how the windows opened to pay closer attention to the conversation.

"Sooo," Silverfire mused, "more of everything, yeah?"

Steel appeared to swallow some of his pride and murmured, "Yes, Silverfire. More of everything. I'll… assist you so you don't get the portions wrong."

"Ah cool, thanks!" Silverfire responded, apparently not offended as he headed off to the right, and into what looked like a dining room, if the table and chairs Meteorite saw through the archway were any indication. Steel crossed her view and headed to the left.

"But first," he began, regaining the confidence in his voice, "follow this way, Miss Meteorite."

Meteorite eyed him warily, but was feeling less high-strung and so wordlessly followed after him, down a hallway which led to another hallway at the end. Steel stepped to the left, in front of a door.

"This shall be your room," he told her as he opened the door. "Do keep in mind that you'll be sharing with Miss Sunny Flora though. We shall inform her of your arrival."

Meteorite nodded solemnly as she cautiously stepped inside the room. The first thing that jumped out at her were the two beds off to the side, at opposite corners of the room, with an open window between them. The bed closer to the door was very neatly made, with dark brown bedding, while the other bed was merely a bare mattress on a wooden frame.

"Uh… so that one's mine then, I take it?" Meteorite asked, pointing at the mattress.

"Very astute," Steel replied flatly. "You'll find bed linen in the closet down the hall, opposite the laundry. Your task for now is simply to make your bed. However, I will not accept sloppiness. A sloppy home leads to sloppy work, is that understood?"

Meteorite inhaled. Well I'm fucked. "Yeah," she said, resigned.

Steel nodded. "Very well, I shall leave you to it. I expect you to be finished by the time dinner is ready." When he left closing the door behind him, Meteorite exhaled.

Her body threatening to collapse under all the tension she was feeling, Meteorite slowly approached the unmade bed and carefully slumped against it, letting herself relax by virtue of avoiding doing anything strenuous, such as moving. She sat on the floor and stared up at the ceiling, contemplating the rush of events that had led her here.

"I think…" she very quietly whispered to herself, "I preferred it when I didn't have to interact with anyone."

Sighing, she let her head tilt to the side, now fully taking in her surroundings. To her left were two more doors, the left one being ajar and revealing what looked to be a basin vanity. Meteorite guessed that was the bathroom, and the other door was probably a closet. She focused back onto the basin, or more accurately, the mirror above it.

Taking a moment to collect her wits about her, Meteorite got to her hooves and carefully approached the door, slowly pushing it fully open. She stood in the doorway, not wanting to rush the moment because even as stressed as she currently was, she knew how to appreciate a dramatic build-up.

She also noted the mirror was surprisingly higher than she expected.

The basin itself also seemed unusually tall, until Meteorite reasoned that she was most likely going to have to stand on her hind legs to use it which, upon glancing down at herself, she quickly and worryingly realised she no longer felt safe attempting to do so.

Balancing on three legs, Meteorite slowly lifted a foreleg to prop it on the basin, making sure to get a good hoofhold before even daring to lift up her other foreleg. Once she felt secure enough to do so, she lifted herself up, focusing on her balance to make sure she wasn't about to fall and hit her head or something. This was also a good reason to avoid looking at the mirror.

"Okay…" she muttered to herself, staring intently into the basin, as well as the small assortment of toiletries set aside nearby. "Okay… dunno how I'm gonna take this but here goes…"

Closing her eyes, Meteorite lifted her head up and after some deliberating, opened them again. She had expected to see a purple pony looking back at her. What she didn't expect was how terrified the pony looked.

"Oh shit…" she softly exclaimed, unable to look away as she stared into her now grey eyes, transfixed by her new face. Gingerly, she lifted a hoof and gently touched her snout, watching her reflection mimic her actions. Spotting her ears poking up through her large and floofy mane, she curiously reached up to feel one, and was surprised when it instinctively flicked away from the touch. She went back to staring herself down.

"So, you're me, huh…" she whispered, putting her hoof back down. She continued to study her face in the mirror and, after a while, other parts of her body, as she glanced down at herself for comparison. Deciding to go for a profile, she made a daring attempt to turn to the side, firmly holding the basin with one hoof.

"Shit…" she muttered as she studied her tail in the mirror, "I really am a pony, huh…" It wasn't anything she wasn't already painfully aware of, but having a clear mental image of herself helped cement the fact in her head. Her eyes passed over the wing on her side and she frowned, albeit mostly from confusion as she wondered why they didn't work. Meteorite made another attempt at moving either one, but she still wasn't getting any sort of response from them.

Taking a deep breath, she decided to move on and turned to face the mirror again. After a minute or two of staring, she tentatively waved at her reflection, with a very timid smile.

"'H-Hey there,'" she began, focusing on her reflection saying her words, "''m… I'm Meteorite. Good to meet you.'" She frowned again.

"No… that doesn't sound like me." She cleared her throat and tried again.

"'Hey, how's it going,'" her reflection said with a faint smile; far too casual for her liking, but better than her last attempt, at least. Meteorite turned her attention onto her lingering smile, tilting her head slightly as she appraised herself.

Y'know… I'm… actually kinda cute. I mean, -she paused to brush away a few loose strands of her mane- yeah okay, ponies are cute by default and all, but…

Meteorite looked down into the basin, quietly reflecting on how she felt about herself. She glanced behind her, and frowned upon seeing the unmade bed in the other room.

"Oh, right, got that to sort out," she muttered as she turned back to her reflection. She put on a smile once more, to try and cheer herself up. It helped a little.

Okay, I may be in way over my head, I don't know what's going on, for sure, I'm a whole other species now… but… She paused as she looked herself over once more, and cleared her throat.

"Hi, I'm Meteorite."

Her smile became a little more genuine in doing so, and she exhaled, feeling a bunch of stress leave her.

Okay, I think I can deal with this, she told herself as she dropped back onto all fours, purposefully ignoring how much safer she felt doing so. She turned to head back into the bedroom.

I can do this.

For now.

Chapter 4

Sleep came easier to Meteorite that night, thanks to the inviting comfort of her new bed, as well as being inside a house once more, and oddly enough, the comfort of knowing someone was nearby if she suddenly needed help. Even if said someone was probably not real.

Although, Sunny Flora was feeling very real the next morning as she gently nudged Meteorite awake.

"Hey," Sunny said with a hushed voice, "Meteorite, it's time to wake up."

Meteorite sluggishly aroused from her slumber, immediately lost in the darkened surroundings. She peered around, trying to pinpoint exactly where she was again, and make sense of the brown and yellow form before her. Eventually her vision cleared and she recognised Sunny, then the darkened room, and the fact she was still in Equestria. She yawned, and grumbled as she tossed to her other side, pulling the sheets up close for warmth.

"Come on now," Sunny said more firmly, shaking Meteorite's shoulder. Meteorite groaned loudly as she turned back over.

"Iss still dark…" she slurred, fighting to keep her eyes open. Sunny took a moment to pity her roommate, before turning about and heading to the bathroom.

"Better get used to it! This is normal waking hours here, being a farm n' all. Gotta lot of work to do!"

Meteorite blurrily watched Sunny disappear into the next room, and flopped her head back down on her pillow as it all sank in.

"Aww, fuck."

Meteorite eventually found the strength to leave her bed. Unfortunately she needed coordination after that.

Through half-closed eyes, she awkwardly made her way over to the bathroom after Sunny had left, swaying as she stumbled her way to the basin and fumbled her way around the faucet. Some part of her brain put forth the quandary of how to cup water with hooves, but her lack of energy pushed that issue aside and decided the best method instead was to flick the water up at her face with one hoof.

It was not the best method.

Regardless, it was enough to help her focus a bit more and soon after, she found herself stumbling slowly through towards the dining room. Silverfire was already seated, eating a bowl of something. Mouth full, he waved when Meteorite groggily located a chair that was probably her spot and climbed up on it. Taking a few full seconds to finally register Silverfire's greeting, Meteorite limply waved back with her own greeting.

"Ngh."

"Wow, you look tired," Silverfire said, swallowing his mouthful.

"Pr'bably because I am," Meteorite mumbled back, failing to hold back a yawn.

"Yeah," Sunny's voice called out from beyond the kitchen doorway, accompanied by the clinking of cutlery, "she completely slept through my alarm clock this morning."

Meteorite squinted, trying to focus on her thoughts. Unfortunately, this only served to make her look even more tired. "There was 'n alarm clock?"

"How did you not hear it?" Sunny responded, with a quite audible air of bafflement. Meteorite lifted a hoof to cover a huge yawn, which quickly became a leaning stand on the table, propping up her head as she rested some more.

"I'unno… always been a heavy sleeper."

There was no response to that, at least not any Meteorite heard. Shortly after though, Sunny came in from the kitchen carrying a tray in her mouth. With careful precision, she placed it on the table between her and Meteorite, the sounds prompting Meteorite to open one eye to see what was going on. The tray contained several items, the prominent ones being two bowls and a pot of coffee. Catching a whiff of what smelt like strong black coffee, Meteorite opened both her eyes, and sat up slightly.

"I made some coffee if you want any," Sunny explained as she took the pot off the tray. Meteorite numbly nodded, to which Sunny silently poured a mug for her. Without much thought going into it, Meteorite took the mug in both hooves as soon as it was offered to her, and proceeded to down the entire mug in a few gulps. Sunny and Silverfire watched in disbelief.

"Uhh," Sunny ventured, "I guess you really needed that, huh?"

Meteorite blinked, now fully alert as the coffee warmed her insides, and gently placed the mug down on the table. Still holding onto it, she stared into it as she contemplated what she had just done.

"Uh, I guess I did…?" Did I really just… that's not possible though. That coffee oughta be scalding, I know it was. So how-

Meteorite interrupted her train of thought as she looked up at Sunny's concerned face, and quickly shifted gears.

"Oh! I'm sorry, that was rude, wasn't it? I didn't mean to drink it so quickly! It just kinda hap-"

"It's fine," Sunny cut in with a wave of her hoof, "I was just worried, that's all. I don't think it's healthy to drink coffee that fast."

"I mean, agreed!" Meteorite nodded. "I... can honestly say I've never done that before."

Sunny's tension seemed to loosen. "Well, okay. As long as you're fine."

"I… think so?"

That seemed to placate the other two ponies at the table, though Meteorite herself was still perturbed. Carefully pushing her mug away, she gave it one last glance as she carefully mentally filed away what just happened for later consideration.

Breakfast consisted of a bowl of oatmeal, which Sunny had prepared an extra bowl in addition to her own as well as a gesture of goodwill. Meteorite hadn't had oatmeal before, and discovered upon her first taste that she wasn't that keen on it, but it was at least passable. She also withheld the terrifying urge to remark 'Oatmeal? Are ya crazy?', as she was reasonably sure both of her breakfast companions would definitely not get the reference, so instead it remained her own inner source of amusement.

A short while later, Steel Gaze entered the dining room, already looking ready to start the day. He nodded an acknowledgement at Silverfire, and turned to greet Sunny, purposefully ignoring the fact Meteorite was currently holding her bowl up to her face, trying to finish up the last of her oatmeal.

"Good morning Miss Flora," Steel began, followed by a pause and a clearing of his throat. He stood by Meteorite's chair, still purposefully not looking at her. "Miss Meteorite," he announced, "once you're… finished, you will be… assisting me today."

Lowering her bowl, Meteorite turned her head and quizzically looked up at Steel. An afterthought later, and used her foreleg to wipe the oatmeal still around her mouth.

"Uh, okay. I'll do what I can."

Steel deigned to look at her, and simply remarked, "You have an oat on your nose, Miss Meteorite."

"Oh sh-!" Meteorite half-swore, hoof already on her nose.

Meteorite shivered as she followed Steel out of the front door. It was still pre-dawn, and the occasional breeze bit away at Meteorite through her fur. It occurred to her at this point that technically she wasn't wearing anything, an embarrassment cut short by currently being too cold to care about being embarrassed.

"Bloody hell," she muttered under her breath, before speaking louder. "Is it always this cold in the morning?"

"Usually," came Steel's curt reply as he set off down the path. "Follow closely now, Miss Meteorite. We're here to work, not chit-chat about the weather."

Meteorite's eyes narrowed as she silently obeyed, glaring at the back of Steel's head. I really don't like you. Her mind flashed back to last night's assessment of her situation, and quietly mulled things over.

Alright. Let's say this is just one whole dumb little story I'm writing… did I come up with Steel here? Did I purposefully make him annoying as fuck? Why would… oh, fuck, is he the antagonist? Do I have to overcome him or some shit like that? She considered the possibility for a moment before dismissing it, shaking her head. No, I can barely overcome walking as it is. And, it doesn't seem like the kind of thing I'd want to write about. I think.

If Meteorite had to be honest with herself, it was exceedingly difficult to determine just what she'd be willing to write about. As far as she could tell, she was a self-insert currently taking part-time work on a farm as a pony, all things she had thought to be well out of the bounds of her expertise and willingness to commit to text. And considering events so far, certainly more than any amount of commitment to any story she had attempted thus far in her life. It was beginning to become more than a little unsettling.

A loud yawn interrupted both her thoughts and her pace, as she stopped to bring a hoof to cover her mouth. She looked out over the horizon, squinting as she spotted the sun peeking through the trees and casting light over several patches of flowers, lighting them up in vivid hues of purple, orange and yellow.

"Oh hey," she murmured dully, "the sun's coming up. Wasn't expecting that for another five hours."

She looked over at Steel, and frowned as he showed no apparent reaction to her, just continuing along the path. Meteorite hurriedly caught up, lest he chastise her for falling behind.

Okay, I know I would've enjoyed that sarcasm -well of course; I fucking said the fucking thing- okay, whatever. So, if I am writing Steel, I'm really not going to break character it seems. I mean, commendable, I guess. I just wish it wasn't a fucking struggle just to figure out what's going on.

Meteorite sullenly continued following Steel in silence for a while, until she noticed something about her surroundings, taking her out of her thoughts.

"Hey," she called, "I noticed we're not anywhere near the apple trees. Where are we going, exactly?"

Steel slowed as he looked back at Meteorite. "We're going to the cow shelter. We'll be doing our duties there today."

"Cow shelter?" Meteorite queried.

"Yes. Ponyville has a few herds of cows that roam nearby. Though they prefer their nomadic lifestyle, they also enjoy protection from the elements at night. So, the Apple family refurbished an old barn into a shelter for them to use occasionally."

"I guess that makes sense," Meteorite uttered absent-mindedly, as she tried to recall any scenes she remembered having cows.

"Glad you approve, Miss Meteorite. In any case, we're nearly there, so if you have no further questions, let's be on our way," Steel said as he stepped his pace back up.

Meteorite held her tongue as she followed. Yeah, I've got a question: why do I wanna fucking deck you one? Yeah, no, nevermind. I already know the answer to that.

The cow shelter looked like a typical barn to Meteorite, at least from the outside, when it came into view. Only the herd of cows that were exiting the building tipped her off that this probably was it. As they drew nearer, one of the cows at the forefront spotted them and eagerly waved as she called out.

"Hellooo! Good morning!"

Steel picked up his pace, with Meteorite apprehensively following as closely as she could.

"Good morning ladies," Steel greeted, "I trust you all slept well?"

"Oooh, like a dream," came the reply, as several other cows from behind murmured in agreement. "And don't worry, we'll be out of your mane soon enough!"

"It is of no trouble, Ms Annabelle. We can wait."

Annabelle became quizzical for a moment, before spotting Meteorite lurking partially behind Steel. "Ooh! Well then, who do we have here?"

Meteorite nervously stepped out from behind and stood beside Steel, looking up at Annabelle. With Annabelle and the other cows being nearly twice as tall as Meteorite, the height difference felt staggering, causing Meteorite to feel like a child being told to say hello to her parent's friends.

"Um, I'm… I'm…" Meteorite managed to mumble before Steel stepped in.

"This is Miss Meteorite. She is…" Steel paused to briefly consider Meteorite, "a new worker for the time being. She'll be assisting me today."

"Oh, how lovely!" Annabelle replied with a flop of her hoof, "Well, don't worry, we left the place exactly how we found it!"

"Much appreciated, ladies."

A few light farewells from the herd later, the cows eventually dispersed into the fields with an assortment of titters and light chattiness. Meteorite watched them warily before following after Steel into the barn. The barn itself had two entrances, at opposite ends for each other, and a light breeze carried a musty odour with it from the stalls lining the wall. Meteorite did her best to not scrunch up her nose in disgust, but failed.

"This is what I want you to do," Steel began, surveying the stalls, "Our job for today will be to ensure this shelter is ready for tonight, for if and when the new herd of cows come in to stay." A few moments of assessing the situation later, he turned to face Meteorite. "You will not need to worry about the finer touches; for now, your task will be to remove the hay bedding that has become old and brittle."

Meteorite gave a disdainful stare at the hay-strewn floor of each stall, some of it spreading out into the main area.

"Uhhh… how?" she asked, already feeling overwhelmed.

"There's a pitchfork, Miss Meteorite," Steel stated, indicating one leaning against the wall adjacent to an entrance, "I believe that'll be a good starting point."

Meteorite frowned with worry as she carefully walked over to the pitchfork, glancing down at her forehooves with each step. Oh god, how am I going to hold this? There's no fucking way. Tentatively, she reached out with a hoof, but left her hoof hovering as she froze, not knowing how to proceed.

"Miss Meteorite," she heard Steel sigh behind her with all the weight of the world, "what are you doing?"

"Um. I'm- I'm just- I… never held a pitchfork before," she whimpered lamely. "I'm not sure how to go about it."

The ensuing silence was terrible, and Meteorite did not dare to look anywhere except at the pitchfork.

"Well," Steel eventually replied. "I think you'll find the most efficient way would be to hold it in your mouth, Miss Meteorite."

Oh… yeah, Meteorite quickly realised. Ponies do… hold things with their… mouths, don't they. A grimace crossed her face as she realised what was expected of her.

"I'd… rather not…"

"And why is that?" Steel asked sternly. Meteorite could feel his short fuse burning away with each word.

"I… have… a fear of germs?" Meteorite said quietly. More silence came.

"I see," Steel said flatly. "In that case, follow me please."

Meteorite sharply turned her head to see Steel heading back outside. "Whoa, w-wait, where're we going?"

Steel halted in his path. "We are going to go see Miss Applejack, and tell her you are unfit to work here."

Panic swelled up inside Meteorite's chest, and she leapt into a trot towards Steel.

"Whoa, no no no, wait! I have to- I mean, I have to work here! I… owe… her!"

Steel fixed Meteorite with a glare. "You are unwilling to perform the simplest of tasks, Miss Meteorite. Whatever it is you 'owe' Miss Applejack, I am quite sure that is not it."

Meteorite felt a lump in her throat as she sat, pinned down by Steel's eyes and words. "Please…!" Meteorite found herself uttering, words flowing out of her in a desperate attempt to grasp any solid ground to stand on, "I've got nowhere else to go! I-I-I can do this, I just- I need time to adjust! Please, don't…! Don't do this, I-I'll do what I can, p-please let me have a shot… I promise I'll try..."

As Steel listened to Meteorite's pleas, his expression softened and turned away, silently debating inside his head. Meteorite sniffed as she awaited his judgement.

"Very well," Steel said calmly, turning back to face her. "If you can show me you're serious about working here, I'll forget this exchange happened. But you have to be serious, understood?"

Meteorite nodded hastily, whereupon Steel turned about face, and headed towards the pitchfork.

"But we will not coddle you, Miss Meteorite. You will be expected to do everything that is asked of me and the others, is that clear?"

"I- I'll do what I can," Meteorite echoed, "I honestly don't think I'll be able to do everything."

"Hm, very well. We'll discuss it further when such a time comes then. But for now… pick up the pitchfork, Miss Meteorite. Everypony on the farm has already, it's not going to kill you."

Meteorite unsteadily approached the pitchfork, staring at it glumly. "C- Could I at least… wipe it down first?"

Steel resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "If you must."

Meteorite was not happy.

Certainly, having an old and weathered pitchfork gripped between her teeth was not helping her mood, regardless of how vigorously she rubbed the side of her foreleg against it beforehand in order to 'cleanse' it. There was no way she would be truly happy with the state of the pitchfork but as she mentally prepared to hold it in her mouth, she directed a few threatening thoughts towards the potential author version of herself, with the claim that if she were to die from simply handling a pitchfork in her mouth then she was an awful person, and a fucking shitty writer.

That made her feel a little better about her situation.

Still, temporarily overcoming her germaphobia did not help with her current mood, as moving hay about with the pitchfork meant repetitive muscle strain in her neck and jaw, bobbing her head about in an attempt to work with the alien movement. It was a miserable experience, but she'd be damned if she let it get to her now.

Steel was on the other side of the barn, presumably preoccupied with whatever task he didn't want Meteorite to handle, which suited her fine. Her mind had been preoccupying her by continuing to replay their earlier conversation as she worked, causing Meteorite to cringe internally at how she had reacted. However, the more she thought about it, there was another worry lying within.

If there was another her in charge, then she just had her newfound home and source of food threatened to be taken away. By herself.

A shiver ran across Meteorite's spine. Granted, this was very much preferable to just being handed everything on a silver platter through virtue of being a self-insert. But even so, she couldn't help but feel just a little intimidated. By herself.

Frowning, she clenched her teeth, reaffirming her grip on the pitchfork. Maybe Steel wasn't her antagonist after all.

Maybe she was.

"You may stop now, Miss Meteorite. I think you've done enough."

Meteorite looked up from the last stall she was cleaning out, with a worried look. Steel was briefly inspecting the other stalls.

"Mm?" she queried, muffled by the pitchfork.

"Yes, this is acceptable," Steel replied, giving one last glance over the stall Meteorite was at. "We should have our appointed break now, don't you think?"

"Ng," Meteorite agreed with a short nod. She stepped over to the wall and carefully placed the pitchfork up against the wall, grimacing as she let go of it.

"Blegh," she gagged, her tongue hanging out. "Ugh, somehow the taste is worse afterwards!"

"I recommend you don't 'taste' the pitchfork in the future then, Miss Meteorite."

Meteorite turned to glare at Steel, but the sound of a large bang in the distance suddenly cut through the air, quickly followed by a tremor through the ground underneath them.

"Wh- What was that?" Meteorite croaked, turning her attention towards the window.

"I'm… not sure," Steel admitted with a frown, looking in the same direction as Meteorite. "It sounded like it came from Ponyville."

Giving Steel a quick worried glance, Meteorite went back to looking outside. "Should we… do something?"

Steel remained silent as he continued to sternly study the outside. "No," he finally said, "we're too far away to be of any considerable use, and besides, we still have our jobs to do."

Meteorite frowned as she looked away, down at the floor. "Yeah, I guess," she conceded.

"Best we can do is to remain alert," Steel continued. "Now come along, we-"

Steel was cut off as another tremor could be felt growing, but this time accompanied by the sound of multiple hooves hitting the ground. Both Steel and Meteorite turned towards the northernmost entrance, and watched as multiple sheep stampeded by, bleating in fright. When the stampede petered out, a half-exhausted Silverfire slowly followed, pausing to catch his breath.

"Silverfire!" Steel called out, startling him. "What's going on?"

"Uhh…!" Silverfire stammered, turning to face Steel. "T-The sheep I was rounding up for AJ got like, super spooked. Didja hear that loud noise just now?"

Both Steel and Meteorite nodded. "What was that?" Meteorite asked.

Silverfire shrugged. "Dunno. Sounded like… like a tree exploding, or something."

"Fascinating theory," Steel muttered drolly. "What of the sheep?"

Silverfire rubbed the back of his head. "Well, uh, they kinda ran all over the place. I went after a bunch of them, but they're going the wrong way."

"Unsurprising," Steel said dryly. "They're in a panic right now so they're not thinking straight, which is why you have to." Steel punctuated by tapping the younger stallion on the forehead with a hoof, causing him to flinch. Meteorite was a little surprised by Steel's actions, but said nothing as she continued to pay attention.

"Does Miss Applejack know about this?" Steel asked. Silverfire shook his head.

"She got called away to Ponyville earlier this morning."

Well, at least whatever's happening in Ponyville, Applejack and the rest of 'em will probably take care of it, Meteorite mused idly. Her attention snapped back to Steel as he looked back at her thoughtfully.

"What?" she asked abruptly, though decided that might've been too rude and amended her question, with a softer tone. "What is it?"

"Hm…" Steel mused, his face betraying his uncertainty. "Silverfire, where is Miss Flora now?" He asked while still studying Meteorite.

"Dunno. Think she's still on the other side of the farm."

Steel inhaled sharply through his nostrils. "So it's just us three then…" he muttered under his breath. Squaring himself up, he approached Meteorite.

"Miss Meteorite, I am afraid… we may need your help rounding up the sheep."

Meteorite hesitated at the suggestion, instinctively drawing up a foreleg. "I don't- I-" She stole a glance past Steel and at Silverfire, who readily agreed with a few quick sharp nods. Meteorite let out a sigh.

"You'll have to tell me what to do," she said quietly, giving in.

"Of course," Steel said softly, before turning about. "This way, Miss Meteorite. I have a fairly good idea where they'll be heading."

With the two stallions leading the way, the three of them cut through the farmland and past the fence at the perimeter. Eventually they slowed to a stop by the edge of a steep incline heading down. Steel firmly gave Meteorite a signal to stay where she was and remain quiet as he carefully looked over the edge, with Silverfire joining him.

"Is that all of them?" Steel whispered. Silverfire furrowed his brow as he tried to mentally count the flock of sheep in the field down below. They were slowly milling about in groups, nervously looking around and offering quiet bleats as they did so.

"Think so," Silverfire whispered back. He made another recount, using his hoof to count off each sheep one by one. "Looks about right, yeah."

Steel gave a nod of acknowledgement and the pair backed away from the edge, back over to Meteorite.

"Okay, good," Steel said quietly, addressing Meteorite. "They've found their way to the field down there as I'd hoped they would."

"They've gone there the past couple times they've broken loose. They seem to like it," Silverfire explained.

"Yes, I'd imagine the cliff face feels like protection. Now, we still have a rather tricky situation here, Miss Meteorite, but the three of us should be able to herd them back to their pen."

Meteorite nodded with uncertainty, as something in her memories of the show bothered her. "Why don't we just, y'know, ask them to come back?"

"Ideally, that is exactly what we would do," Steel replied, "but they're only just now recovering from a blind panic. Even approaching them with caution at this point has the potential to set them off on another panicked frenzy."

"Ol' Steel here learnt that the hard way the first time we had to deal with this," Silverfire grinned, ignoring the glare Steel was shooting him.

"Yes, thank you, Silverfire."

Meteorite bit her lip to stop herself from smirking, as Steel cleared his throat.

"Anyway. As we have learned, our best course of action right now is to use that panic to our advantage, and that would be by herding them." Steel glanced around at the ground and picked up a small but sturdy stick, and began drawing in the dirt.

"At the moment there are three groups of sheep segregated down below," Steel explained, drawing a few circles in a larger half-circle. He marked three spots on the outer perimeter with crosses. "This will be where we'll position ourselves. The main group we'll be targeting will be this one at the back here. One of us will drive them from this angle, which ought to push the surprised group into the other two groups, both of which should start running with the flock out of confusion. One of us will be ready here," -he pointed to another cross- "and will drive the flock away from the open lands and towards where we need them to be. Finally the third pony will be waiting over here to further direct the crowd, maneuvering them as we please. Everypony follow?"

Silverfire gave a hearty "Yep!" while Meteorite was still studying the crude tactical plan before her, growing unsettled.

"I think so…"

"This is not a good time for 'think so's, Miss Meteorite. I need you to be ready."

Meteorite looked up and met Steel's stare, feeling unable to move from where she stood. Swallowing, she looked down at the plan once more for a moment before returning to face Steel.

"Yeah… got it," she replied hoarsely.

Steel's gaze lingered for a moment as he indicated the marked spots. "Right. Given our options, I feel you and I, Silverfire, would be best positioning ourselves here and here, directing the flow of the herd."

Silverfire slowly turned his attention from the plan to Meteorite. "So that just leaves…"

"Leaving Miss Meteorite to drive the initial group forward."

"You want me to what?!" Meteorite panicked, a little shrilly.

"It's arguably the easiest part," Steel told her matter-of-factly.

"But what if I screw things up?"

"Don't."

"Oh yes, that's real helpful," Meteorite muttered, lowering her head.

"He's right though," Silverfire cut in. "All you gotta do is run at them from the other side of where you want them to go."

Meteorite lifted her head to look at Silverfire, remaining thoughtful for a moment before turning back to Steel.

"Do you really think I can do it?" she asked timidly. "Wouldn't it be better if we wait for Applejack instead?"

Steel looked back at Silverfire in silent inquiry, who shrugged in response. "We do not know how long it'll be before Miss Applejack makes her return, and anything could further startle the sheep in the meantime, even now as we dither in place, Miss Meteorite." He gave her a stern and disapproving look. "I thought you were serious about working here, Miss Meteorite. It seems to me you've gone back on your word."

Meteorite gasped, the air getting caught in her throat. "No! I-I'm serious! I'm just… scared of messing up. I'll- I'll do it."

Steel gave her a thoughtful stare before blinking slowly, his expression softening afterwards. "Good," he said, sounding a bit kinder. "Do not fret, Miss Meteorite. I wouldn't trust you with this important task if I didn't believe you could do it."

That helped ease Meteorite's tension, although not by much as doubts about her capabilities in this new body was very much at the front of her mind. Steel turned away to face the edge once more, pointing off to a side path heading downwards.

"Right. With that settled, Silverfire and I will head down this way to our positions, and you Miss Meteorite can fly over to your spot. Give us a few minutes before starting."

There was an uncomfortable silence, punctuated by an awkward cough from Meteorite.

"Um. About that… I… can't fly."

"Now's not the time for jokes, Miss Meteorite," Steel told her, looking back with a stern glare. However, when Meteorite unwaveringly stared back at him, his expression slowly faded as it dawned on him. "You're… serious, aren't you?" Meteorite nodded, and Steel sighed as he rolled his eyes to the skies.

"Right. Well. There goes most of the tasks I had been planning for you."

"Sorry," Meteorite said, looking apologetic. "I should've mentioned it sooner."

"No, no…" Steel sighed, before reconsidering things. "Well, yes, actually. It would've been nice to have known that ahead of time." Shaking his head, he turned and pointed to a second path heading down on the other side. "But that's for a later discussion. For now, head down that path. Silverfire, go with her and make sure she gets to her position safely. You'll be able to reach your position from that side as well."

Silverfire gave him a very casual salute, and waited with a smile for Meteorite to join him. The group split up, and Silverfire and Meteorite made their way down the long winding path ahead of them. About halfway down, Silverfire broke the silence.

"So uh… can't fly huh? That's gotta suck," he started, sounding uneasy.

Meteorite tensed up. "Uhh… yeah," she replied, sounding noncommitted. "Yeah, it's uh… yeah."

"How… uh…" Silverfire continued, unsure of his words. "How did… it… uh-"

"Look," Meteorite cut in, uneasy herself. "Don't- Don't worry about it. It's uh, just something that's… always been the case. It's not a big deal."

The moment she said it, Meteorite realised she was lying. Some part of her, deep within her, was upset that she couldn't move her wings. As much as heights bothered her, being given the opportunity to explore new perspectives but denied for no apparent good reason, it tore at her. She was a pegasus, yeah? She had a right to be able to fly so how dare-

"You okay?" Silverfire asked with concern, jolting Meteorite out of her mood.

"Huh, wha- what?" Meteorite shook her thoughts clear. "Oh yeah, I'm fine. Just… was thinking."

"Right," Silverfire nodded.

They continued down the path in silence, mostly due to the awkwardness of not knowing each other, but in part to not alert the flock of sheep as they drew near. Reaching a suitable spot behind a tree and some bushes, Silverfire turned to Meteorite, speaking lowly.

"Okay. Well, this is your spot." He paused, peeking over the bush. "You see the sheep there?"

Meteorite peered round the side of the bush before pulling her head back behind cover. "Yep," she quietly replied.

"Okay, give me-" Silverfire gestured with his hoof haphazardly, "-five minutes or so to get to my spot, then leap out and run straight at 'em."

"Just run?"

"Well, make some noise or something, I guess. Just get them running scared."

"Hmph. Noble," Meteorite muttered under her breath.

"Hm?" Silverfire queried, confused.

"Nothing. Just muttering to myself."

"Oh okay," Silverfire said dismissively, albeit slightly confused. He tilted his head towards the path around the bend. "I'm… gonna go then."

"Yeah yeah, go," Meteorite whispered, shooing him off with both hooves. "Thanks, by the way. For bringing me here."

"Yeah, no problem."

Meteorite silently watched Silverfire cautiously trot away, and let out a sigh of relief at being by herself again. Even if it was to be for only five minutes. Or so. She didn't exactly have a way to track time.

She sat down by the tree, her back up against its bark as she stared up at its leafy green foliage. Her forelegs hung to her sides as for the first time in days, she sat relatively human-like. It wasn't entirely uncomfortable.

Okay, she half-thought, half-mouthed to herself, What's the plan here? Run out, scare the living shit out of the sheep… day is saved, huzzah. Closing her eyes, she ran a hoof through her mane, flinching only when she bumped into one of her ears, flicking away from the touch. She paused in that position for a few moments, her shoulders eventually shaking as she let out some hushed nervous laughter. Gasping, she tightly shut her mouth and opened her eyes, trying to force herself to calm down.

Okay, no, don't. Don't lose it. ...any more than you already have.

She looked back and around the tree, spotting the sheep through the gap between the tree and the bush. You've gotta stay strong and do this. You gotta do this for them. She made a disinterested face at that, so another approach came to her. Applejack needs you to do this for her.

That thought struck a chord with her, and she calmed down considerably as she mulled on it.

You'll let Applejack down if you don't do this.

"Huh…" she muttered softly. "That's… quite the sentence." Blinking a few times, she groaned lightly as she clambered to her hooves. "Alright," she muttered, moving to the other end of the bush, "Job first, nervous breakdown later, I guess."

Peering intently at the sheep through the leaves of the bush, Meteorite decided to crouch as she got into position, waiting for the moment to pounce. It occurred to her that she was acting like a cat stalking its prey, and an involuntary soft chuckle escaped her lopsided grin, and she briefly glanced back at her rear end, and gave it a slight wiggle, the way she'd seen cats as they prepared to pounce.

It furthermore occurred to her that that was probably sending a very wrong message to anybody watching and she promptly stood up normally, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. As she did though, her head rustled the leaves and branches of the bush, alerting a few nearby sheep, who nervously bleated in her direction.

Well fuck now or never I guess, she thought very quickly before leaping into full view, making a strangled yell as she did so. Her hooves had barely touched the ground when the sheep had already begun to flee, panicked baas becoming deafening as the flock turned in on itself, sheep bumping into each other as they tried to escape this sudden new purple menace.

Luckily, as Steel had predicted they started to run in the opposite direction, and as Meteorite stood watching them go, she quickly realised she ought to be chasing them. Without much thought, her hooves sprang into action and she ran after the fleeing flock, causing a few of the stragglers to pick up pace when they looked behind and saw she was still there.

Meteorite would've liked to see where she and the flock were headed, but it was all too apparent that she wasn't tall enough to look over the top of the sheep. Nevertheless, she soon heard Silverfire on the right hand side, shouting directions at the sheep. Still running, Meteorite drifted slightly to the right and saw a bunch of new sheep trying to run away from both Silverfire and the other group of sheep stampeding towards them. They quickly did the only thing they could do and ran with the new flock, Silverfire running with them on the right, keeping them in line.

Oh my god, Meteorite thought to herself as a grin slowly formed on her face, we're actually doing it! I'm actually doing it! I'm helping herd the sheep!

A brief moment later she heard Steel over the cacophony of noise from the stampede, and noticed the flock turning. She turned with them running down what looked like a clear path for days. Eventually she heard a sharp whistle from her right, and assumed it to be Steel, but when she turned her head to look she saw Applejack up on a ridge, running parallel with them. Sunny Flora was behind her, struggling to keep up.

"Yee-haw!" Applejack hollered, waving her hat. "That's the way t' do it!" Meteorite allowed herself to grin wider as she felt amazing, being cheered on by Applejack.

And then one of her hooves came down the wrong way on a rock in the road.

Everything currently happening was forgotten in an instant as Meteorite shrieked while tumbling forward, the momentum flipping her over a few times as her vision briefly became a blur of purple and red, before finally skidding to a halt, face down in the dirt. She was minutely aware of shouting, but disorientation and sudden awareness of pain shooting through her took precedence.

Regaining her senses for the briefest of moments, Meteorite forced herself to get to her hooves to resume chase, but the sounds of the stampede was already fading, along with the sight of Applejack taking Meteorite's position behind the flock. Applejack gave a worried glance behind her as she ran, but when she locked eyes with the barely standing Meteorite, she gave a knowing nod and returned her attention to the stampede. The adrenaline in Meteorite's veins dissipated and she collapsed back to the ground, defeated and bruised.

"Oh my gosh!" Meteorite heard Sunny cry out, getting closer with each word. "Meteorite! Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"I think I hurt my hoof…" Meteorite plaintively moaned into the dirt.

"Meteorite, you were standing just now."

Meteorite lifted her head, seeing Sunny standing over her. "That doesn't prove anything," she said stubbornly.

Sunny looked at her, unsure. Nevertheless, she got on the ground and tentatively reached out and held Meteorite's hoof. "Does that hurt?" she asked, giving it a light squeeze.

"No…" Meteorite admitted, watching Sunny let go of her, carefully moving onto her other forehoof.

"And this?"

"No…"

"Well, I'm no doctor, but I think you're going to be okay," Sunny smiled warmly. She got up and circled Meteorite, inspecting her. "Yeah, you look alright. A few scrapes and bruises, but you'll survive."

Meteorite had to admit, the sharp pain from earlier was already fading to a dull ache. Slowly, she pushed herself up to a sitting position.

"Ow," she grumbled.

"You're fine," Sunny reiterated firmly.

Meteorite woozily turned to look at Sunny. "I just did a highspeed seven-twenty or so with a perfect landing on my face. I think I've earned the right to whine if I want to."

Sunny grimaced, and smiled apologetically. "Alright…" She cleared her throat. "It… uh… It was an impressive fall."

Blinking and shaking her head lightly, Meteorite tried to clear her vision as she looked back at the rock she had tripped over, several feet away. Her eyes ran along the path to where she had landed, and finally where she had stopped moving and was currently sitting.

That hadn't just been an impressive fall, it had been a cartoonish one.

Troubled, she turned her head back towards Sunny, when she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her neck.

"Ahh-!" she hissed through her teeth, instinctively reaching to the base of her neck with a hoof.

"What- What is it?" Sunny asked quickly, moving in closer. "Move your hoof, let me see."

Meteorite obeyed, and Sunny moved aside Meteorite's mane to get a better look. "Ohh…" Sunny said lowly. "Yeah, you've got a small cut back here. Nothing a bandage can't take of."

However, Meteorite was currently preoccupied by the small red stain on her hoof to pay much attention. "I'm… bleeding," she uttered.

"Only a tiny bit, come on, we've got bandages back at the cottage."

Sunny turned and left, but stopped when she realized she was alone. Turning back, Meteorite was still sitting in the middle of the path, staring at her hoof.

"Meteorite!" she called urgently. "You coming?"

Meteorite snapped out of her thoughts and looked up at Sunny. "Uh! Yeah, coming!" She glanced down again at her hoof before vigorously rubbing it into the dirt, scrubbing it free of blood.

"Coming…" she repeated quietly, standing up and following after Sunny.

"Annnnnd there! All done!"

Back at the cottage, Meteorite sat on the floor of their bathroom as Sunny carefully cleaned up and put a plaster over Meteorite's cut. Sunny walked around in front of Meteorite. "How do ya feel?"

"Better," Meteorite swallowed. She slowly lifted her hoof and stared at it. She had washed off the remaining blood when they arrived home, but the memory was still there. "Better…" she repeated, quieter.

"Okay, good!" Sunny chirped, putting away her first aid kit. After she had done so, she stretched her body. "Okay… well. I reckon it's almost lunchtime, so I think we should just have lunch now. You want me to make ya anything?"

Meteorite blinked as she looked up, surprised by but appreciative of the hospitality. "Uhh, sure! Sandwich, I guess?"

Sunny nodded. "'kay, what'll ya have?"

Meteorite hesitated, her primary option of 'meat' unfairly stricken from her internal lifetime menu. "Um… Tell ya what, surprise me. I'm… open to anything, at this point, I guess."

Sunny gave a soft giggle. "Well, alright!"

As Sunny left the bathroom, Meteorite fell back into her solemn demeanour as she closed her eyes, envisioning the blood on her hoof. She hadn't remembered blood being shown before, not that there would have been on a show like that, but nevertheless it made for a startling sight. It also made for a powerful statement, that she could get hurt. She could die.

"Well, at least the pain definitely rules out the dream theory…" she muttered. She never really took much stock in the 'you can't feel pain in dreams' myth, but at this point she wanted any reason to rule out options, just to be able to focus on only one.

Unfortunately, she was still stuck with the two options of 'this is real' and 'this isn't real, but alternate me really wants me to think that it is'. She was determined to stick with the latter though, if only because it possibly annoyed her other self.

She sighed and opened her eyes, staring up and past the ceiling. "Alright," she muttered, "you've made your point. I oughta be careful." At that point, she thought she heard voices drifting in through the window, followed by the front door swinging open.

Meteorite glanced towards the doorway and out towards the hall, her ears swivelling as she heard what sounded like Applejack's voice. She gave a swift return glance upwards before getting to her hooves and heading towards the hallway.

She rounded the corner to find Applejack, Steel and Silverfire in the entranceway. Applejack spotted her and trotted up to her with a big grin. "Hey, there she is!" she touted, slapping Meteorite on her back and making her stumble. "Ah gotta say, Ah was surprised t' see ya out there today, but ya did good!"

Meteorite stared back at Applejack with an uneasy grin, suddenly uncomfortable with standing this close to her. "A-Aha, uh heh, thank you…" she eventually got out. She had wanted to call Applejack by her name, but even that sort of familiarity with her felt uncomfortable as well. Besides, something else bothered her, and she hung her head. "But I tripped…"

Applejack shook her head. "Aw, don't let that bother ya. Everypony trips up once in a while. But that, that was some nice herdin'."

Meteorite felt herself blush. "A- I only did what they told me to do," she said, pointing towards Steel and Silverfire. Applejack looked at them, and Steel nodded.

"Well even so, y'all saved me and mah family a lot of headache by roundin' up those sheep, and Ah reckon that's good enough."

Meteorite felt some pride at that and lifted her head up as a result. Applejack beamed as Sunny walked in, hearing the commotion.

"Oh good, y'all here," Applejack said, noticing Sunny. "Now, Ah'm not here just t' congratulate everypony on a job well done, Ah'll be out of town fer the rest of the day, so if any more issues pop up, y'all see mah brother about it, y'hear? Ah don't doubt yer capable of handlin' it yerselves, but it's best if everypony knows what's happenin'."

"You're going away?" Sunny asked.

"Yeah… one of mah friends is in a bit of a tizzy about a test she has t' take in Canterlot, so me and the rest of our friends are going along fer moral support."

That definitely has to be Twilight, Meteorite considered.

"Oh, well, I hope she passes!" Sunny said brightly. There was a mumbled agreement from Silverfire, and Meteorite found herself quietly half-nodding. Applejack winked at them.

"Ah don't doubt she will."

The rest of the day went by surprisingly smoothly. Steel had led her back to the cow shelter, where they focused on finishing up for the day. Steel had given her more simple tasks to do, which she followed up on without much fuss, if only because she was still riding the high of being praised by Applejack.

And it seemed that Steel wasn't going to get any further on her case, so that also was a big plus.

But the day came to a close, and everypony made their way back home to the cottage. Sunny was still excitedly talking about the herding, asking the others questions about what happened, but during a lull where Meteorite wasn't being talked at, she slunk off to her room in order to collapse onto her bed, face first into her pillow.

After a while, she heard soft clip-clops come into the room. "Oh hey," she heard Sunny say, "there you are. Was wondering where ya got off to!"

Meteorite wearily shifted her head towards Sunny and faintly smiled at her. "Heey… sorry, I'm just exhausted."

"Mm!" Sunny agreed. "It has been a lot of excitement for one day, hasn't it?"

Oh god she's still talking. "Uh huh…" Meteorite decided to return to firmly planting her face into her pillow, hoping that'll send the message. It sort of did, but now Meteorite was acutely aware of the awkward silence that hung in the air, at least until Sunny spoke again, softer this time.

"Uh… are you alright?"

Meteorite sighed into her pillow and turned to face Sunny again. "I'm tired, Sunny. I'd like to get some rest now, before I have to go and embarrass myself again later tonight eating dinner."

Sunny swallowed, hanging her head slightly as she turned to face the door. "Okay…" she said, sounding dejected. "I'll leave you alone…"

Meteorite felt her heart being stabbed as she watched Sunny leave the room, but she gritted her teeth and hardened her soul, just to finally have her alone time.

Besides, Meteorite thought to herself, it's not like she's even real or anything, right? It's just me trying to annoy me.

Admittedly, she wasn't entirely happy with that assessment, but she doubled down on it as she closed her eyes, settling herself into a more comfortable position.

I will not be intimidated by myself.

Chapter 5

Meteorite actually heard the alarm clock this time.

Stretching and yawning, Meteorite swung her hindlegs over as she groggily sat on the edge of her bed, smacking her lips as she slowly fought to open her eyes. Opposite her in the darkened room was Sunny, also sleepily rising from her bed.

"Mornin'," Meteorite muttered.

"Oh, uh, good morning," Sunny replied, sounding a little surprised in her own grogginess.

Meteorite acknowledged the reply by slowly closing her eyes as her head drooped. She began to sway and heavily flopped to the side, head back down onto her pillow.

"I'll… wait until ya're done in the bathroom…" Meteorite mumbled, already snuggling herself back under her covers.

Sunny looked on doubtfully but proceeded to get up, wiping the sleep from her eyes.

Meteorite staggered into the dining room, catching a sudden yawn with her hoof. "G'mornin'," she greeted the room of ponies, followed by haphazardly climbing onto her chair.

"Good morning," Steel replied flatly. "I hope you are ready for another day of training, Miss Meteorite?"

"'m still here, aren't I?" Meteorite replied groggily.

"Indeed."

Before Steel could add any more, a sudden and firm knocking came at their front door. As Meteorite forced herself to remain alert enough to wonder who that was, Steel had already gotten up and left to answer the door. The voices were muffled, but Meteorite's ears perked up as one of them sounded distinctly familiar, despite being rarely heard.

When the door closed Meteorite tried to look out the dining room windows, but the pre-dawn lighting made it difficult to make anything out. Steel came back into the room, addressing everyone there.

"That was Mr Macintosh," he explained, flicking his glance towards Meteorite. "Miss Applejack's brother. It would seem that Miss Applejack has not returned from her trip to Canterlot yesterday, so we are being asked to tend to a few of the crops in her absence."

That's… worrying, Meteorite thought, now more alert by the news. "Is she okay?"

"We have not been told, but this is not the first time this has happened so I wouldn't worry just yet."

"Myeaph," Silverfire said with a mouthful of toast. He took a moment to swallow and then followed up with, "There was that whole thing happening a while back with the royal wedding."

"Oh!" Sunny exclaimed, putting her hooves on the table and leaning forward. "I remember reading about that in the papers before I came here! There was some sort of attack, right? By… uh… by…"

"Changelings?" Meteorite cautiously offered. Sunny excitedly pointed a hoof at her.

"Yeah, yeah!" Sunny then shivered. "Brr, creepy."

"M'yes," Steel agreed, returning to his seat. "In any case, Silverfire and I had to take care of extra tasks here while Miss Applejack was unexpectedly detained."

"Wait, Applejack was at the wedding?" Sunny asked.

Steel nodded. "Yes, I do believe she was hoofpicked to be the head chef."

"Oh wooow," Sunny beamed with jealousy. "Lucky!"

If you call 'being attacked by changelings' lucky, sure. Meteorite thought to herself, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. Still… I guess Steel's right. I shouldn't worry about Applejack and the others. They're the main characters, after all. ...heh, 'mane' characters.

With breakfast out of the way, Meteorite silently followed behind Steel through the orchard, her head down as she remained deep in thought.

Okay, so… this is obviously after Season Two has ended. Okay, good, so I don't need to pretend I don't know certain episodes while I'm here. ...Oh, no, wait. I do need to pretend that; I just got here, so I definitely shouldn't know some things that I do. I think… big things like the wedding is fine though.

So… is this Season Three now? Applejack and the others being caught up in Canterlot certainly sounds like a season premiere… but I mean… Season Three isn't coming out for some time next year, so it shouldn't be… but… who knows. Maybe it's taken me a little while getting started on writing this and the season's already started. Meteorite's eyes lidded followed by an eyeroll. Yeah… that totally sounds like something I'd do.

Meteorite's thoughts came briefly to a still as the sounds of grass crunched under her and Steel's hooves as he made a turn through the trees.

Oh god, I'm not in the episode, am I? I didn't just write the episode script and went 'lol here's me lol' did I? Meteorite exhaled softly as she reconsidered things. No, wait. Applejack and the others are in Canterlot, so whatever's happening oughta be with them. I'm probably good here in Sweet Apple Acres then. That calmed her down, but she was still feeling iffy about being here at all if the show was currently running. "Hm," she mused.

"Something the matter, Miss Meteorite?"

Surprised, Meteorite jerked her head up, seeing Steel casually looking back at her. "Huh- uh no, no! Was just… lost in my thoughts."

Steel looked away, eyes ahead as he continued walking. "Very well."

Meteorite briefly took in her surroundings, trotting forward slightly to catch up. "Actually, where are we going today?"

"As I had said, we are assisting with the crops today. Do you know how to buck trees, Miss Meteorite?"

Memories of her frightful attempt the other day came through. "Not… reeeeally, no."

"Well, that shall be your training for today."

"Great…" Meteorite muttered. When Steel gave her a side-glance, Meteorite put on a forced smile. "Uh- aha, I mean, great!"

"Hm."

The first light of the day broke over the horizon, shining across Steel and Meteorite as they stood at the base of one of many apple trees lining the path beside them. Steel turned and gave Meteorite an appraising look.

"We'll split up and work on one half of the trees each, going further down along the line," he told her. "But first, show me your form."

Meteorite stared at him, knowing full well that he didn't mean something like a powered up form, but unfortunately that mental image was now stuck in her head. "Uhh- uh, what?"

Steel sighed. "Your form, Miss Meteorite. Show me how you kick the tree."

Meteorite's expression brightened as she understood. "Ohhh, rightrightright." She gave the tree a wary glance before turning away with her forehooves planted on the ground, and kicked out at the tree with as much strength as she could muster.

Silence fell, and unfortunately was the only thing to have done. Steel drew in his breath.

"Right," he said finally. "Stand aside Miss Meteorite."

Meteorite looked up at the tree with disappointment, but obeyed and awkwardly shuffled to the side as Steel took up position where Meteorite had been standing.

"Watch where I'm putting my hooves, Miss Meteorite," he instructed, firmly putting his forehooves on the ground. Meteorite couldn't exactly tell the difference between Steel's stance and what she had done though.

"Now," Steel continued, getting ready to kick. "Watch how my hindlegs move when striking the tree."

Meteorite silently flicked her attention towards Steel's flank and, in the moment, was momentarily distracted by his cutie mark, which was a single lit white candle in a golden candle holder. It then occurred to her that she hadn't paid much, if any, attention to her co-worker's cutie marks. Meteorite was snapped out of her thoughts by the sudden crack of Steel's hooves against the tree trunk, followed by several apples falling around them, many of which piled neatly into the basket underneath the tree.

"Did you get that?" Steel asked. Meteorite felt a panic rise within and stammered, not wanting to test Steel further with her behaviour, nor wanting to admit that she had been staring at his flank.

"Uhhh, I think I did? I'm really not sure though…"

Steel's expression hadn't changed, but Meteorite could just feel the annoyance radiating off him. "Hm. Well, you can try again with the next tree."

Meteorite quickly nodded and hurriedly shuffled over to the next tree, with Steel following. As she got into position, Steel steel in front of her, frowning as he stared at her hooves.

"Move your hooves back, Miss Meteorite. You'll get no leverage with them this far forward."

Surprised, Meteorite shuffled her hooves backwards a bit, followed by looking back at Steel for approval.

"Alright," Steel nodded, moving to her side. "Let's see you try it now."

Meteorite gave a nervous smile as she focused on her front hooves' new position, and as she kicked her hindlegs up into the air, she very suddenly felt very off-balanced, and with a panicked cry of "Nononono!" she slowly toppled forward onto her face. Steel ran a hoof down his face in frustration.

"Are you alright, Miss Meteorite?" he eventually asked, looking over the hoof still on his face.

Not responding right away, Meteorite rocked and tilted her body slightly in order to fall onto her side so she could get back to her hooves. "Yeah…" she eventually muttered, shaking her head clear. "'cept my pride."

There was a small moment of quietness before Steel responded. "Fortunately, that is a wound that will heal quickly. Take up your position again, Miss Meteorite."

Meteorite did so, less enthused this time however. Steel got up close to study her, which unfortunately didn't make Meteorite any more relaxed. Even less so when she felt Steel grab her hindleg and lift it up, and she yelped as she temporarily lost her firm footing on the ground, flailing slightly to refind it.

"Hold still and pay attention, Miss Meteorite," Steel told her sternly. Meteorite nodded curtly and obeyed, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Thank you," Steel continued, mildly annoyed but let it pass as he started to gently move Meteorite's leg back and forth towards the tree. "Do you feel how your leg is moving, Miss Meteorite?"

"Y-Yeah," Meteorite said shakily, feeling a sense of overwhelmness beginning to wash over her, and her breathing quickened in pace slightly.

"I want you to repeat that movement by yourself," Steel instructed as he let go of her, and backed away. "Just with one leg this time. And don't put all your strength into it this time. Applebucking isn't about how hard you can hit the tree."

With her leg still poised in the air, Meteorite closed her eyes, trying to calm herself down and focus on what was being asked of her. She gave her leg a few slow practice kicks, just to reaffirm the movement, and then taking a slow deep breath, she swiftly kicked out and struck the tree with her hoof. A few seconds later she heard a few soft thuds on the ground nearby.

"Very good, Miss Meteorite," Steel said, moving past her. Meteorite cautiously opened her eyes and looked around to spot three apples lying on the ground. Incredibly pleased and excited, she turned to face Steel who was now watching her from the other side.

"Now, repeat that with your other leg," he told her. Swallowing, and now feeling nervousness shake through her, Meteorite lowered her leg and cautiously raised her other hindleg. She repeated the same slow practice movements, when Steel cut in.

"Stop. Raise it further up, Miss Meteorite."

Surprised, Meteorite glanced back at her leg and moved it up slightly, now feeling the similar slight strain on her muscles having her other leg up in the air did. Steel nodded in approval, and Meteorite continued with her practice swings until she felt ready. Another deep breath, and once more she felt her hoof smartly connect with the tree, two more apples falling down this time.

"Good," Steel said, moving further aside. "Now, I want you to try applebucking with both hooves again, with what you've learned."

Meteorite looked at Steel fearfully, immediately doubting her abilities. One leg at a time was fine; she could practice those kicks, but both? There was no way she'd get it right this time, and she was going to fall over again and and- it was almost certain, wasn't it? Yeah, there was no way this was going to go well, because that's how these stories go isn't it? It was like with the sheep yesterday; slowly build up her confidence and then wham it all goes to shit and-

"You can do this, Miss Meteorite."

Meteorite blinked, almost daring to disbelieve what she just heard. Steel didn't just… encourage her, did he? She shook her head; she knew this was just another trick, just to lower her guard-

"Miss Meteorite, I am not-" Steel paused suddenly, considering his words. He continued, this time softer in tone. "I am not saying this on a whim. At the very least try. If you fail, we'll... keep trying."

Meteorite hesitated as she started doubting her doubts. She glanced back forlornly at the tree before staring down at her hooves. "Just… keep trying," she muttered to herself under her breath.

Drawing in a deep breath, she stomped her hooves firmly into place and closed her eyes, trying to feel how her legs ought to move when the time came. "I can do this," she whispered, and barely a moment after her confidence came back she kicked out, causing a resounding smack to echo as she connected with the tree.

Her eyes flew open as her hind hooves dropped back down to the ground, followed by numerous apples, many missing the basket, but Meteorite suddenly had too much adrenaline flowing through her to care.

"I did it-!" she cried out hoarsely, grinning as she looked around her.

"Don't celebrate yet, Miss Meteorite," Steel interjected quickly. "There are still apples left in the tree, so do it again if you would."

Meteorite's head shot up, spotting several apples still in the tree. "Oh, right right-!" she hastily said, excitedly getting back into position with a determined look on her face.

"Not too hard, remember," Steel cautioned.

Meteorite blinked out of her concentration, sheepishly realising she was about to dial up her kicking power. "Right…" she agreed, and focused as she delivered another kick to the tree. More apples fell haphazardly, and as far as Meteorite could see, none remained in the tree.

"Very nicely done, Miss Meteorite," Steel said as he approached her. Meteorite spun around to face him with a broad smile.

"I did it! I applebucked a tree!"

The corner of Steel's mouth twitched slightly, threatening to become a smile. "Yes… yes, you did," he said, his tone ever so slightly betraying his amusement. He glanced around at the fallen apples, becoming more serious. "Before you move on to your next tree however, I'd suggest you gather up all these apples into that basket there beside the tree."

Meteorite looked around, spying at least a couple of dozen apples that needed picking up. "Right… yeah, of course," she said, her excitement deflating slightly. Pointing at the basket, she turned to Steel. "How do I get the apples to fall directly into the basket?"

"Ahh…" Steel uttered, sounding uneasy. "It's… a skill that most earth ponies can tap into. Though I'm sure most anypony can do it, I'm afraid I wouldn't know how to begin to teach you."

"I see," Meteorite frowned as she glanced back at her wings, somehow once again hindering her just by being there.

A few hours passed by, and Meteorite was still feeling giddy over having learnt an actual skill she could use here on the farm, slow as she was doing it. Steel had moved onto his own group of trees and by occasionally checking, Meteorite noted that Steel was working about three to four trees to her one. That left a bit of a damper on her mood, especially since she always had a larger group of apples to gather off the ground, by carefully rolling them towards the basket and scooping them in. Occasionally she'd have to bite the stem of an apple in order to place it gently into the basket, which she hated doing but she had very little other options open.

Still, the applebucking was cool. It kinda hurt her hindlegs after a while, but she figured it was just the burden of physical exercise.

As she was finishing up the last tree she was working on, Steel came up to her, baskets of apples by his side.

"How are we doing back here, Miss Meteorite?"

Meteorite exhaled, wiping her brow as she looked around. "Uh... slow. But y'know, getting there." She smiled, hoping that'd ease any tension in the air.

Steel looked at the trees Meteorite had covered, then at the ones she had left. "Yes, mm." Taking a moment's thought, he turned back to face her. "I shall be transporting apples back to be collected by the Apple family. Can I trust you to continue working unsupervised?"

Meteorite straightened her posture, wide-eyed. "Yes, yes absolutely!"

Steel nodded. "Excellent. I shall be back shortly."

Meteorite beamed as Steel moved on past her, and she proceeded onto the next tree with a spring in her step.

A few trees later, Meteorite started to slow down again, feeling a little exhausted. Still, she pushed onto the next lot of trees, pausing only to briefly admire the scenery beyond the fence, with the sun shining down on the grassy hills waving in the wind, and fluffy white clouds dotting the blue sky. She faintly smiled to herself before moving on.

She positioned herself before the next tree, still feeling very proud of her learned stance, and gave it a good solid kick. As the apples fell, she prepared herself to kick the tree again for any stubborn apples, but as she did, she heard a heavier thud behind her, combined with a sickening crack.

Confused, she turned around and immediately froze, her eyes widening in fear, as on the ground lay a damaged beehive.

"B-B-Be-Bee-" she stammered to herself, her ears falling flat as she backed away quickly. She had a fear of bees, well, any sort of insect or creepy crawly that could hurt you if threatened, but at least while human she knew if she left your ordinary, everyday bee alone she'd be fine.

The trouble was, she quickly realised as a low ominous buzzing began to deafen the area, alongside the dark swarm spilling out of the large crack in the hive, that these were not ordinary bees.

These were cartoon bees.

Hyperventilating, Meteorite nearly fell over herself as she turned around on the spot, screaming for help as she ran for dear life. Though she dared not look back as she ran through the orchard, the buzzing was still loud in her ears, and as much as she knew she was being chased by the swarm, most likely in the shape of an arrow. In the forefront of her mind, she knew there was only one solution: find water.

Unfortunately, there weren't any lakes or rivers about, and Meteorite had no idea where she was running to. She began to pant, her morning's efforts catching up to her, threatening to slow her down.

Rounding a tree, Meteorite spotted a pen in the distance. Getting closer, she saw a few pigs within, enjoying the mud. A few seconds later she spotted a trough to the side, and making a snap decision on the spot she, unintentionally, made a beeline for it.

Gulping in air, Meteorite leaped as high as she could. She actually had no idea if she could clear the fence of the pen or not, but she wasn't about to stop and try climbing a fence with a swarm of bees bearing down on her.

Surprisingly, she was able to jump high enough, but one of her hind hooves caught onto the fence, and she fell clumsily into the trough with a panicked shout. She crashed into the side of it, and the trough as a whole began to tip over, spilling water into the muddy pen along with Meteorite herself, as it further flipped over and fell upside-down on top of her. Frightened, Meteorite lay in the mud and the darkness of the tipped over trough, hearing only the sounds of curious oinks, the buzzing swarm and her own panicked breathing.

Outside, the swarm of bees hovered over the pen, the tip of the swarm poking at the base of the trough, trying to understand where the hive destroyer had gone to, before the swarm as a whole decided they had no idea, briefly formed a ?, and moved on.

Although the buzzing had gone, Meteorite stayed underneath the trough for a further few minutes, holding her eyes tightly shut as she desperately tried to calm down her frantic breathing. Once she felt brave enough, she gingerly pushed up the trough and was immediately met by an orchestra of oinks and snorts from curious snouts poking through the open gap. Meteorite gave a startled squeal, and dropped the trough back down suddenly.

Fuck! Fuck! Come on! she scolded herself. They're just pigs! Why am I so fucking scared?! Calm the fuck down! Please…

Gulping, Meteorite put her hoof on the wall of the trough and leaned in slightly. "U-Uh…! Hello?" she cautiously called out over the oinking. "Ca- Can you hear me? M-Miss a-and or mister pigs? Do you understand me? I'd like to come out now, so if you all could just... back away a bit please?"

Meteorite admittedly didn't think that would work, but she was surprised to hear some shuffling and the oinking getting further away. Cautiously, she lifted the trough again, enough to see the pigs sitting in a half-circle a short distance away, looking at her. Giving a bemused chuckle, Meteorite carefully slipped out from under the trough, spotted from head to tail in globs of mud.

"Uh, um… thank you," she told the herd of pigs with a nervous smile. Glancing at the upturned trough and the extra muddy ground surrounding her, Meteorite then grimaced as the mud squelched under her hooves. "Eugh. S-Sorry about this..."

The pigs gave her a few curious oinks as she futilely tried flicking mud off her hoof, only just to have to put her hoof back down into the mud. Sighing in disgust, she looked around the fence for a way out and her eyes fell upon the upturned trough again, then a further glance back at the pigs.

"Can't just leave it like this…" she muttered to herself. Taking in a deep breath, she dug her hooves in the mud under the lip of the trough and flipped it back over, shuddering as she finished. As the pigs crowded past her to check out what was in the trough, she backed away quickly.

"Oh god, I'm really gonna need a shower after this. And… probably every last bit of soap in our bathroom…"

Stepping carefully, Meteorite searched the fence perimeter until she found the gate. She tugged on it, and found it surprisingly easy to open. It also made a loud rusty screech, which made Meteorite flinch as it hurt her ears, and caused the pigs to squeal somewhat panicky.

"Whoawhoawhoa!" Meteorite called out softly, holding a hoof out. "Easy easy! I'm just leaving, it's alright!"

Making sure the pigs weren't going to rush anywhere, Meteorite slipped through the narrow gap and carefully pulled the gate closed behind her. Sighing, she shook mud off her hooves before looking around and seeing a faucet by the side of the pen, occasionally dripping into a full pail. Turning her attention to her muddy body, then back at the pigpen, she sighed once more in resignation.

Steel was, to say the least, not happy.

Quite cross, in fact.

He had returned to the orchard for more apples to take with him, and while Miss Meteorite had been moving slower than he had hoped, she at least looked to be putting the effort into things.

And now she was gone.

He squared his jaw as he surveyed the scene before him. Apples were scattered about a half-finished tree, which struck him as an odd time to just up and leave. He frowned while looking up at the tree as he circled it, when his hoof bumped into something that felt larger than an apple. By the side of the tree was an empty beehive, and it looked freshly cracked as well.

Now slightly concerned, he looked around as he put the pieces together. Nearby were some hoof scuff marks that lead away at a gallop's pace.

"Oh dear me, Miss Meteorite," he muttered as he followed the trail.

Steel didn't know what to expect when he reached the end of Miss Meteorite's trail, but he most certainly was not expecting to find her trudging around the pigpen with a pail of water in her mouth.

He wanted to be cross with her for wasting time here, but… at this moment, he was just mostly confused.

"Miss Meteorite," he called sharply. "What… are you doing?"

With the handle of the pail still in her mouth, Meteorite gave Steel a weary look and continued walking around the side of the pen, before carefully standing on her hindlegs, using the fence to steady herself and gently placing the pail on top of the fence. She then used her forehooves to steady and pour the pail over the fence and into a half-full trough. She took a deep breath.

"I got chased by a swarm of bees, fell in here, knocked the trough over and now I'm refilling the trough," she explained monotonously.

Steel cautiously approached as he watched Meteorite take the pail back to the faucet and awkwardly struggle with both hooves to turn the faucet on.

"Who… told you to do this?" Steel asked.

"No-one," Meteorite said flatly as she watched the pail get filled. "I just didn't feel right leaving the pigs with no water."

Another struggle that left the faucet dripping, and Meteorite carefully nudged the pail's handle with her snout until it was in her mouth.

"You seem to be coping well with your apparent fear of germs, Miss Meteorite."

Meteorite shot him a glare as she walked past. As soon as the pail was out of her mouth, she responded. "I'm covered in pig water and mud. At this point, I'm well beyond caring. Also, turns out my fear of bees is far stronger."

Steel sucked his teeth thoughtfully as he watched the pail be emptied out once more before being taken back for another refill. However, as Meteorite moved to fumble with the faucet again, Steel stepped forward and placed his hoof on hers, stopping her.

"Why don't you let me take care of this, Miss Meteorite?" he said softly. "You may head back home and clean yourself up. Once you have, come back to the orchard where we can finish off."

Meteorite didn't turn to face Steel; she just stared at his hoof on hers, and frowned slightly. "Am I in trouble?" she asked quietly.

Steel inhaled sharply at that, and slowly pulled his hoof away. "No Miss Meteorite, you are not."

"'kay," Meteorite uttered, getting up and turning to leave.

Meteorite stepped up to the front door of the cottage, staring it down. It felt… off-putting, being here all by herself, like she didn't belong here.

Which, in her honest opinion, was absolutely true.

Still, she glanced down at herself, and put the welcome mat to very good use by kicking and brushing the mud off her hooves. Once she was satisfied -well, okay, acceptable by other people's standards- she tackled the door handle with both hooves.

The door swung open which, frankly, was another off-putting factor. Just… being unlocked for all to enter at will. Still, she had to be thankful for small mercies; trying to operate a key with hooves in all honesty would have driven her mad.

She stood there in the entranceway, taking in the silence of the cottage, save for the ticking of a nearby clock in the living room.

It still felt strange. She shouldn't be here. Yes, her room was down the hall at the back of the cottage, but… this was a stranger's home, that she just happened to currently live in.

She sighed heavily, and headed down the hall.

Water hissed through the pipes as Meteorite turned the shower on. She stared glumly into the bathtub that made up the bottom half of the shower, waiting for the water to heat up. After a while she tried climbing into the tub, but fumbled her step and ended up falling into it, sliding down to the bottom. She lay there silently, letting the water fall onto her and pool around the bottom of the tub.

After a while, she deigned to push herself up to a sitting position, slumped forward slightly as her mane lazily hung around her neck, dripping wet. She slowly turned her head, spying a bar of soap in a nearby soap dish. She hesitantly raised a hoof towards it, pausing inches away. She already knew it wasn't going to go well.

Biting her lip, she very gently laid her hoof upon the bar of soap, causing it to suddenly shoot out from underneath her hoof and fly across the room, leaving a small trail of bubbles in its wake. Her hoof still hung in the air as she stared at the now distant bar of soap, and slowly began breathing heavily before burying her face into her hooves, and letting out the frustrated scream that had been building up inside her.

"Ican'tdothisIcan'tdothisIcan'tdothisIcan't DO THIS!" Meteorite cried out in despair. "This is too much! Too much, I- I- fuck!" Lifting her head, she stared upwards in angry desperation. "What do you want from me?! Why can't things ju- just go right for once?! It's fucking bad enough I'm-" -Meteorite looked down at her body, gesturing towards all of it with her hooves- "I'm- I'm this! But I can't even go one fucking day without something happening?!"

Mentally exhausted, Meteorite slumped back against the side of the tub and under the flow of water, causing the fringe of her mane to now run streams of water down her face as she vacantly stared ahead. Seconds passed -though they might've just as well have been hours at this point- and Meteorite blinked in a brief moment of lucidity. Carefully, she sat up again, and rested her hooves on the lip of the tub as she warily stared upward again, her line of sight once more blocked by the ceiling.

"You're… trying to break me, aren't you?" Meteorite accused, amidst a few maddening giggles. "You are, aren't you?"

Meteorite turned up her hooves and stared at them, her mind racing. "Yes, of course," she hissed softly. "This has just been one… giant game for you." Sharply putting her hooves back down, she snapped her attention back upwards, the irises of her eyes shrunken to pinpoints.

"Well, guess what? Game's up! I'm onto your little game now." Meteorite let loose a wild chuckle before continuing, hunching closer to the edge of the tub. "And, I'm not gonna let you win. Nope! Sorry! You're not going to break me, and… And!" -she sat upright suddenly- "I'm gonna survive… I'm going to fight back."

"And what's more…!" she said suddenly, with a far too broad grin, "What's more! I am not going to play along with your 'story'! Sorry fuckwit, you just lost control over your precious little story, because I'm deciding what I'm going to do from now on!"

Her irises normalised slightly as she blinked a few times. "I mean… not that I haven't… already been doing that… but you know what I mean!" she hissed.

Continuing to breathe heavily, her gaze slowly dropped down to the floor as she contemplated her tirade. Her shoulders eventually sagged as she began to regain her grasp on her sanity. "Ssshit…" she whispered, "I was actually kind of manic just now, wasn't I? Jesus Christ, what's wrong with me…?" Frowning, she gradually lifted her gaze upwards. "Times two, actually… What's wrong with both of me?"

The walk back to the orchard was a slow and contemplative one. Meteorite frowned deeply as she hung her head, quietly muttering to herself.

"Okay… it's okay, you just had a little freakout. It happens, perfectly normal, especially considering. Of course you lost the plot for a moment, who wouldn't?" After a moment's beat, she softly chuckled derisively. "'Lost the plot', hurr, good one, me."

She cast a wary eye skywards. "Speaking of me… well, the other me… don't think you're off the hook. I meant what I said earlier." She snorted. "Assuming you were even paying attention."

She waited as if for a response, but as she expected, none came. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

As Meteorite entered the orchard, she ran into Steel who was on his way out with more apples at his side.

"Ah, Miss Meteorite, I was starting to wonder what was keeping you." He took a few seconds to note that her expression seemed to bore through him, as if she wasn't really looking at him, and he softened his tone slightly. "How are you feeling?"

You're just me, Meteorite thought. You're just me, but you're playing a role. A few seconds later she recognised she'd been asked a question, and cleared her throat. "I've been better," she answered dryly.

Steel silently acknowledged the answer, and turned his head towards the rest of the orchard. "There are several trees left unfinished, Miss Meteorite."

Meteorite slowly drifted her gaze to the tree where she had left in a panic, and set hoof towards it. "Yeah sure. I'll get onto them."

As Meteorite wandered past Steel, he carefully watched and took note of her demeanor. He cleared his throat.

"If it helps Miss Meteorite, I've taken the liberty of quickly scanning the trees, and I do not see any more hives to worry about. I believe we were just unlucky this time."

Meteorite stopped, half-turning her head. "...Thanks," she eventually muttered.

Yeah. Sure. 'Unlucky'.

The day continued as it had begun, though now Meteorite spent her focus lost in her own thoughts, busy scheming on how to overthrow the tyrannical author of her life. Sometimes she kicked the trees harder than she intended, fueled by the injustice she had suffered thus far, and needed a moment to calm down.

The issue here, she told herself as she moved onto the next tree, is that I have no idea what idiotic story I'm planning. I mean, it obviously revolves around me, unfortunately, but beyond that I've no clue.

She mindlessly kicked the tree a couple times, and waited as the apples finished falling. She continued onwards, rounding up the apples.

Okay, let's try to establish what we know so far. First thing we know, I woke up in Everfree Forest, why? What possible reason would I have to put me there to begin with?

Placing the last apple into the basket, her movements came to a standstill as she furrowed her brow.

Okay. Can't answer that yet; we'll come back to it. Second. I'm a pegasus, but can't fly, why?

She gave her wings one more glance, frustrated at them still staying put.

Again, we'll come back t- no. No no, let's actually focus on this. ...Gag, maybe? Might just be a bad joke, just to fuck me over. ...Yeah, that's probably it.

Third thing, I'm here on Applejack's farm, why?

She glanced up at the tree she was about to kick, frowning.

Well. I have to be here, to pay off my debt to Applejack. She mulled on that thought for a moment. Doesn't really scream 'interesting storyline'. Maybe… I didn't plan for this though? ...Huh. Maybe- Meteorite let out a tiny gasp as her eyes lit up.

I did break out of the Everfree Forest, after all! Maybe I wasn't meant to! Maybe I was meant to continue down the path back in the forest! Then that means… That means… I really can change the story! And I can't be railroaded by myself! Maybe I'm waiting for me to be done here on the farm before the story continues!

"Interesting…" Meteorite said quietly under her breath, allowing herself a tiny smirk. She hunched down and gave the tree a kick. Her mind flashed back to the movie Labyrinth and slightly giggled to herself. "'You have no power over me…!'"

"Did you say something, Miss Meteorite?"

Meteorite sharply looked over and spotted Steel a short distance over, walking back through the orchard. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she straightened up.

You heard. "Uh… I was just-" Meteorite paused, choosing her words carefully, before putting on the most polite smile she could muster up. "-motivating myself."

Steel blinked. "Oh. Well, good. Carry on."

Meteorite watched slyly as Steel returned to his duties, and she went back to hers.

"I shall."

Later that night, Meteorite retired to her room after dinner, which had been a rather silent affair, as she would give very curt responses towards attempts at drawing her into a conversation. Whenever possible, she would sneakily eye the other three ponies, trying to determine their agenda for being there. She didn't have much luck coming up with anything decent though.

Still, since she probably wasn't even meant to be here anyway, they might've just been last minute additions to the story, and not worth worrying about. Which would've been just fine by her, if Sunny didn't keep trying to talk to her. Like now.

"Hey uh," Sunny began as she entered their bedroom, looking at Meteorite with a concerned look. "You've… been kinda quiet tonight. Is everything okay?"

Lounging on her bed, Meteorite gave her a weary look. "I'm fine. I've… just got a lot of things on my mind. Okay?"

Sunny was caught off-guard by Meteorite's snippy tone. "A- Y-Yeah… that's- that's okay… I- I get that." She hung her head slightly, looking towards the bathroom door. "Um. I'm just going to…" Sunny didn't feel like finishing and silently entered their bathroom, closing the door behind her.

Meteorite felt a pang of guilt, but shook it off as she twisted herself about to lie on her side. Don't… Don't let it get to you. You're trying to guilt yourself with her. That's all she is, a pawn being used by you. They're all just… pawns…

Meteorite swallowed, feeling more guilty about her behaviour by the minute. She heard a low hiss in the pipes, the shower now running. She held a hoof against her head, frowning at herself.

Fuck. No, I can't feel bad for them; they're not real! None of this is! It's just me being an asshole to myself for no fucking reason! She inhaled deeply at that. Okay, no. I… I must have a reason.

She lay still for the next few minutes, staring blankly at the night sky through the window that was between her and Sunny's bed. Suddenly, bright streamy waves of red, blue and yellow streaked through the sky, seemingly going on forever. Meteorite's eyes went wide, and sat up straight. She considered the sight for a few moments, before trotting out of the room, heading outside the cottage.

Finding a decent spot to sit round the side of the house, roughly outside her window, Meteorite stared upward at the unusual phenomenon, a little in awe at the sight.

Well, this is new. The fuck does this mean? she wondered. She'd never seen anything like this before, in real life or the show, but it was oddly memerising all the same. A few seconds later, she smirked.

"Maybe it's Aurora Borealis," she giggled before continuing. "'At this time of day? In this part of the country?'" Meteorite grinned to herself as she carried on watching the sky, but gradually her grin faded away as her expression turned to worry and fear mixed together.

"I'm… never gonna go back home, am I?" she said softly with grim realisation. "Everything I know… TV, the internet… I… I'm never going to see it again, am I? Because I'm already there, aren't I? You're still there. ...and I'm not."

Her gaze fell to the ground, her voice shaken. "There's no point in me going home because I'm already home… writing this. I'm… I'm stuck here…"

Her thoughts then quickly turned to the very close group of friends she made over the past decade, and a few tears formed in her eyes.

"I'm… never going to see them ever again either. And… they're not even going to miss me… because I'm still there." Her hooves flew to her face as she desperately fought the urge to cry. "Oh fuck… I'm… I'm all alone…" Losing the fight, Meteorite began to hiccup a few sobs into her hooves as tears started to run down her cheeks. "Fuck fuck fuck, no…! You can't do this to me…!"

She heaved a few more sobs and whimpers into her hooves, feeling utterly crushed and defeated by her realisation. A few minutes later, she was barely aware of the sound of grass under hoof behind her.

"Meteorite…?"

Still distraught, Meteorite spun her upper body around, fearfully seeing Sunny a few paces away. Sunny was apprehensive with one foreleg lifted up, and looked on with extreme worry.

"Meteorite, what's wrong?" she asked, momentarily glancing at the sky for a second.

Still heaving breaths, Meteorite stared wide-eyed at Sunny, with a thousand thoughts running through her head as she tried to stop crying, come up with an explanation, and focus all her hatred onto the façade of a pony before her. She failed on all accounts.

Though uncomfortable, Sunny braved a few steps towards Meteorite and sat down by her side, facing her. She said nothing, but patiently waited. Meteorite reeled back slightly from her, but was starting to breathe steadier as she hastily wiped away tears.

"I… I don't wanna talk about it…" she whimpered.

Sunny regarded her sadly, but gave a small nod and shuffled around to be sitting in the same direction as Meteorite, forcing herself to look away and settling on looking upwards at the colorful night. Amongst tears on her cheeks and some sniffling, Meteorite decided to do the same, trying to avoid feeling completely lost.

Minutes passed, and Meteorite wasn't feeling any better. Against her better judgement, she chanced a glance aside at Sunny, who was still admiring the waves in the night sky, although she wore a sad expression on her face. Meteorite felt terrible, and couldn't bear it any longer.

"H-Hey," she said suddenly, surprising Sunny as she turned to face her. "Um. I… I'm s-sorry, for… being rude to you earlier."

Sunny blinked as she was pleasantly taken aback. "Oh! Uh, it's okay…" she said softly, before warming up with a slight smile. "But thank you."

Meteorite tried to smile back but her heart wasn't in it, and looked away with her head hanging down, trying to focus on her thoughts. Sunny swallowed, and gave things another shot.

"Ya know, if… you need somepony to talk to…"

Meteorite cut her off with a slow shake of her head, still looking down.

"I don't think any… anypony would understand."

"You won't know unless you give it a try…"

Meteorite simply silently shook her head again, closing her eyes. Sunny's confidence fell, accepting another defeat.

"Okay…" Sunny whispered, looking back up at the sky. She sighed silently, unsure of how to reach out to this mare. Eventually, she turned back to Meteorite, and tried again.

"Meteorite…?"

"Yeah?" Meteorite responded, her eyes still shut.

"I'm… not going to pretend I know what's the matter, and if you don't feel like telling me, that's fine too…" Sunny paused, drawing more confidence into her words. "But, if you just need somepony, anypony, to be there for you… well…"

Meteorite slowly turned her head towards Sunny, opening her eyes as she did. Things were still slightly blurry from her crying, but she saw Sunny holding an upturned hoof out to her, along with a hopeful smile that was still tinged with sadness. Sunny tried to continue speaking, but the words got caught in her throat for a moment.

"I- I… know what it's like to feel alone…" she admitted, the words stinging her. "But… you don't have to be. Whatever it is you're going through, you don't have to face it by yourself…"

Meteorite stared warily at Sunny, alternating between her face and her hoof. In the moment, she wondered what kind of devious trap she had set for herself. But, in a bid of desperation and weariness, she forced that thought out of her mind and gradually extended her own hoof, placing it on top of Sunny's. Weird as it was holding hooves, Meteorite felt comforted by this and she began to relax, the tension in her body slowly fading away. Sunny gave her a small smile and looked back at the sky, with Meteorite following suit.

"What do you suppose that is?" Sunny asked.

"No idea…" Meteorite responded, slightly breathless and trying to not think about anything else. "I thought maybe you'd know."

"Nuh-uh."

The two mares sat quietly for a while longer, until Meteorite slightly shuffled closer to Sunny, the night air starting to chill her. She gripped Sunny's hoof tighter, not really knowing or caring how.

"Sunny…?" she eventually whispered, still looking up. Sunny glanced back at her, curious.

"Yeah?"

"...Thank you."

Sunny's only response was a warm smile.

Chapter 6

Meteorite was slow to rise the next morning.

Sleepiness was a factor certainly, it always was, but Meteorite now carried with her an alarming amount of apathy. She would've found it rather amusing that she felt that way about being in a magical land of colourful ponies, only if it wasn't so goddamn fucking depressing.

Currently, she was taking her time in the bathroom, just staring intently at her reflection, hoping to find some purpose and reason for her existence. It was odd, she considered after some thought, that being here in Equestria should have been exciting, fantastical and filled with wonder. And given a chance to be here, she would've found it hard to refuse such an opportunity.

And yet… here she was. Feeling trapped. Her heart aching at being alone.

The worst part, she further considered, was that technically this was her own doing. She put herself here, to experience Equestria firsthand. Firsthoof. Whatever, it doesn't fucking matter.

But also, technically, she had no say in the matter. She just… found herself here. Separated from everything and everyone she cared about. Against her will. Forever.

She wanted to hate herself for doing this to her, but the last few days had just left her… emotionally drained.

Closing her eyes, she faintly mouthed the words, 'Okay, you win.'

Meanwhile, Sunny Flora was preparing her breakfast, quietly musing on the events of last night.

"I've been thinking…" Sunny said suddenly, addressing the two stallions sitting at the dining table, although it was mostly directed at Steel. "Maybe I could work with Meteorite today?"

Steel paused, toast halfway to his mouth, and raised an eyebrow. "Why is that, Miss Flora?"

"Well… I don't really know her that well, and I'd like to have more time to try and get her to open up."

"We are here to work, Miss Flora, not engage in chit-chat."

Sunny rolled her eyes as she stirred her coffee, taking a light sip. "We can still do both, Steel. Besides, I… think she needs somepony right now."

"What do you mean?"

"You two didn't hear her last night?" Sunny asked, lowering her voice slightly.

Steel and Silverfire glanced at each other, with Silverfire shrugging cluelessly. Steel turned back to Sunny. "No, I'm afraid we didn't."

"She was really upset," Sunny continued, stopping to glance behind her into the hallway. When she didn't see or hear anything, she turned back around. "As in, crying."

Steel frowned as he considered the fact. "I see," he mused quietly. "Yesterday had put a damper on her mood… I was unaware it had gotten that bad however."

"What's she upset about?" Silverfire asked, and Sunny shook her head in response.

"I don't know."

Almost on cue, sounds of slow hoofsteps were heard approaching, and a few moments later Meteorite slunk into the dining area, lost in her thoughts and deaf to the conversation prior. Steel cleared his throat.

"Ah… Good morning, Miss Meteorite. How are we today?"

Steel only received a vague noise of acknowledgement as Meteorite found her seat and got up on it, not really paying anyone any attention. Sunny pointedly stared at Steel, and he subtly nodded.

"Miss Meteorite, you shall continue working in the orchard today," Steel informed her, pausing for any sort of reaction. He got none, so he continued. "However, today you shall be accompanied by Miss Flora."

Meteorite blinked a few times, looking at Steel briefly before turning to face Sunny, who gave her a polite smile with a small wave of her hoof. She turned back to Steel with a confused look, and he carried on.

"I'd like to see how well you work with others. Is that understood, Miss Meteorite?"

"Uhh…" Meteorite droned slightly, before her mind caught up with her mouth. "Yeah. Yeah- I… I can do that. Sure."

"Very well. I have my faith in you two."

"We'll do great," Sunny responded, beaming softly. "Won't we, Meteorite?"

"Uhh, yeah?" Meteorite said uneasily as she looked at Sunny, before staring down at the table before her. "Yeah, I guess…"

The two mares walked in silence to the orchard, the early morning sky lit by the still-present ribbons of light from last night. Sunny tried to approach some level of conversation but every time she looked over at Meteorite to do so, Meteorite had been just staring glumly at the ground, and Sunny lost her nerve. Eventually though, Sunny forced herself to say something.

"So… h-how are you holding up?" she asked softly. Meteorite turned her head to face her, but was still lost in her thoughts and didn't respond right away. "Y-Ya know, since last night."

Meteorite inhaled deeply, thinking. "Not… the best," she finally responded.

"Right…" Sunny nodded, unsure where to go from here. "Do… you wanna talk… abou-"

"No," Meteorite interrupted, quite firmly.

"Oh… okay…"

Sunny frowned to herself, not knowing how to proceed. They continued walking in silence for a while before she made another attempt.

"A-Are you sure?" She then flinched when Meteorite rolled her head at her, glaring out of the corner of her eye. "I-It's just that, it's not good to… keep things bottled…" Sunny's perseverance faded as she fell under Meteorite's withering stare, and she glanced away. Feeling a hint of guilt, Meteorite slowed her pace as she studied Sunny, growing confused at her behaviour.

What am I playing at? I know I don't respond well to this kind of pressure, so why would I even bother?

"You're trying too hard," Meteorite eventually said, making Sunny stop and turn to face her.

"E-Eh?"

"Whatever… this is," Meteorite said, flourishing a hoof up and down in Sunny's direction. "You're trying too hard."

"A-Am I?" Sunny replied with concern, and hung her head slightly. Meteorite frowned, further confused.

"Yeah, you are. Look, I… appreciate… you trying to make me feel better, but it's not gonna do any good, alright?" Meteorite paused before letting off a puff of air. "Why are you even bothering with me, anyway?"

"W-Well!" Sunny stuttered, taken aback. "You were upset! I wanted to make sure you were okay. And-" Sunny hesitated, pawing at the ground with a hoof. "I… thought maybe… we could be friends?"

"Why?" Meteorite asked bluntly. Sunny looked hurt in a flash, but covered it up with a struggling smile.

"Y-Yeah… you're right… Sorry to bother you."

Sunny hastily trotted ahead, leaving Meteorite momentarily confused about what just happened. Guilt building up inside her, Meteorite chased afterwards.

"Hang on! Wait!"

Catching up to Sunny, Meteorite cut in front and rounded about to face her.

"L-Look! I didn't mean it like that, I-" she began breathlessly before hesitating, trying to piece together her thoughts. "I mean, why would you wanna be friends with me?"

Regaining her confidence, Sunny looked Meteorite in the eyes. "Why not?"

Meteorite furrowed her brow, trying to come up with a suitable answer.

Because you're me. Because you're just a character. You're not real. You don't exist. Y- Meteorite paused for a moment as her thoughts began to drift slightly. ...Technically, I don't exist either, do I? … No, I don't like that. I don't like that line of thought.

Meteorite stared down at her hooves, lifting one up and flexing it slightly. She looked back up at Sunny, who was watching her with a hint of concern in her eyes.

"Y'know," Meteorite said softly, "I can't really think of a rebuttal to that."

Taking a moment's deliberation, Sunny sighed inwardly and looked aside.

"It's fine," she said dejectedly, "you don't have to pretend to want to be friends…"

"W- I didn't say that," Meteorite sighed. "Look… I've- I'm trying to sort through a lot of shh...tuff, right now, so I'm not really thinking straight… If you wanna be friends, I'm… not gonna say no."

Sunny looked at her with a little bit of skepticism. "But you're not saying yes either."

Fine... Inhaling deeply, Meteorite swallowed her pride. "I'm saying yes."

Sunny's face brightened a little as she softly smiled. "Really? You really wanna be friends?"

"Y-Yeah," Meteorite weakly returned the smile, "I mean I- ...if I have to be honest, I… really could do with a friend right about now…"

Sunny began to beam but soon fell into apprehensiveness. "Do you… still don't want to talk about it?"

Meteorite shook her head. "No… but, thank you for asking…"

Sunny nodded in understanding, as she stepped forward. "Okay, I'll stop… but I'm here if you ever need somepony to talk to, alright?"

Meteorite silently nodded as she turned and carried on walking with Sunny. "Thank you…" she choked out.

Sunny gave her a small pitying smile but said nothing as they walked on, the sun peeking over the horizon.

The morning passed by without further incident as the pair went to work. Sunny was far more chattier on the job than Steel, unsurprisingly, and though the uninvited constant distraction from her thoughts initially irked Meteorite, she eventually found herself leaning into the idle conversation.

Around noon, Meteorite did a light double-take as she noticed an all too familiar orange pony trotting up the path towards them. It wasn't fair to say that Meteorite had forgotten about Applejack, but there had been more pressing things on her mind.

"Howdy y'two!" Applejack called as she marched up to where Sunny and Meteorite were working.

"Oh!" Sunny chirped cheerfully, breaking away from her tree to meet Applejack. "Good to see you, Applejack! How was Canterlot?"

"Canterlot?" Applejack questioned, before her eyes lit up. "Oh, right! Yer two wouldn't believe where Ah ended up the past couple days."

"Oh?" Meteorite uttered as she reluctantly joined the conversation. Applejack half-turned and pointed in a direction.

"Turns out there was a whole lost city way up north, called the Crystal Empire. Real fancy-looking place; everything's made outta crystals, even the ponies!"

Meteorite frowned. "Wait, how does that work?"

"Beats me," Applejack shrugged. "Some sorta crystal-y magic, Ah reckon. Kinda tingly, actually."

"Sounds exotic," Sunny beamed.

"Heh, yeah, Ah reckon it was. Ain't my kinda place, but it was rather pretty t' look at. Anyway!" Applejack said suddenly, pausing to study the apple trees being worked on. "Enough about my trip; how's the farm been holding up while Ah was gone?"

Sunny and Meteorite glanced at each other, before Sunny spoke up. "Farm's been going well so far, Applejack. We're harvesting the apples like we were told to from Big Mac."

"That's what Ah like t' hear," Applejack nodded, before turning to Meteorite. "And what about ya over 'ere, uhh… Meteorite, right?"

Meteorite perked up at being addressed, standing to attention. "Uh! Yes! That's right!"

"Right. How're ya handlin' things so far?"

"Uh, good, good!" Meteorite trilled, turning towards the trees. "Steel taught me how to applebuck the trees, so I've been doing that!"

Applejack looked to the trees, studying them. "So yer been workin' these trees here?"

"Uhh…" Meteorite uttered hesitantly, looking about. "Well, these trees here. Sunny's been doing the rest."

"Hm," Applejack mulled. "Not bad… A little slow though."

"I'm doing my best!" Meteorite protested, a little louder than she intended. Applejack looked at her curiously.

"Didn't say ya weren't. Anyway, Ah should get goin'. Ah'm gonna go see how the boys are gettin' along, then Ah'm comin' back here t' help ya two, alright?"

Satisfied with the chorused murmured agreement she received, Applejack nodded and headed off down through the trees. Sunny watched her go before turning to face a now downtrodden Meteorite.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"I dunno…" Meteorite said wearily as she looked towards Sunny. Getting a faraway look in her eyes, she sighed and continued. "I just… I guess I'm just feeling utterly lost at the moment."

"Lost?" Sunny asked, concerned.

"Yeah," Meteorite answered with an air of finality. Sighing again, she turned and headed back to the tree she was working on. "Anyway. Doesn't matter I guess."

"Of course it matters!" Sunny exclaimed, bounding over to her side. Meteorite glanced at her.

"You don't even know what I'm talking about."

"That doesn't matt-!" Sunny shrilled, abruptly cutting herself off as she realized her poor word choice. "What I mean is, whatever's bothering you is important even if I don't know the details."

Meteorite considered Sunny for a few moments, and then gave her a tiny smirk. "You really want me to be happy, don't you?"

Sunny blinked, taken aback somewhat. "Well, yeah? Everypony deserves to be happy. What kind of question is that?"

The orchard fell silent, save for the sound of leaves rustling in the breeze. Processing what Sunny had just said, Meteorite bit her lip in thought.

"...Huh," she finally responded. She met Sunny's eyes with her own and gave her a determined, but genuine, smile. "You know what? You're right. That was a stupid question."

"Uh, that's not what I-" Sunny faintly protested.

"I know I know," Meteorite told her, waving her off with a hoof. "The point is… well, I'm actually not sure on the point yet… Maybe that's the point though?"

Sunny simply regarded her with equal parts confusion and worry. Meteorite smiled awkwardly.

"Uh… that was me trying to be funny."

"Oh!" Sunny exclaimed, looking abashed. "Uh, um-"

"It's okay, I know. It was bad," Meteorite said softly, swiftly shifting gears to mull things over. "I think… I need to keep trying."

"With your sense of humor?" Sunny said unthinkingly, before gasping and covering her mouth with her hooves in horror. "I'm so sorry!" she shrilled from behind her hooves, "I didn't mean it like that, that was rude of me!"

However, Meteorite only raised an eyebrow in amusement. Preparing to get back to work, she shot Sunny a sly smile.

"Heh. Don't worry about it. I actually kinda liked that."

Sunny frowned in confusion as she calmed back down, following afterwards. "You're hard to figure out, Meteorite."

Meteorite's smile shrunk slightly, tinged with a bit of sadness.

"Yeah, I know."

As promised, Applejack returned later on to assist with the applebucking, although with her speed and precision, it swiftly turned into Sunny and Meteorite assisting her instead. Still, at the end of the day, Applejack was pleased with the results.

"Alright y'two," she called, wiping her brow. "Ah reckon we can call it fer the day!"

Slightly out of breath, Meteorite looked back at the trees and baskets of apples still to be carried away. "So, we're done?"

"Ah reckon so," Applejack nodded, idly tapping a basket with her hoof. "Don't worry 'bout these; Ah'll take care of 'em. Ya two just head on back fer the day. Ah'll see y'all later, alright?"

"Got it!" Sunny beamed, trotting by Meteorite. "Come on Meteorite, let's go get cleaned up. Steel's cooking tonight!"

Meteorite watched Sunny trot away before turning to glance at Applejack, who was silently watching her.

"Ya alright there, suga'cube? Ya were pretty quiet today."

Meteorite contemplated her answer before responding softly. "...Y-Yeah. I'm just… it's been… overwhelming, the past few days, a little bit."

Applejack chuckled lightly. "Heh, Ah can imagine."

No. No, you really can't. Meteorite feigned a smile. "Heh."

"Well," Applejack continued, "Ah still hafta talk to ya about ya repaying yer debt, but that can wait until later today. Fer now," she paused, smiling, "ya did good today."

To her surprise, Meteorite felt the warmth of pride within, and she subconsciously straightened her posture in response. "...Thank you, A-Applejack," she replied. She turned towards where Sunny had left and spotted her standing still a short distance ahead, apparently waiting for Meteorite.

Not wanting to keep her waiting however, Meteorite shot a quick glance of uncertainty at Applejack before breaking into a trot after Sunny.

Walking back to the cottage, Meteorite allowed herself a moment's peace by not thinking about anything in particular. It had been a very odd day; she had all but given up on everything, and yet, thanks to Sunny and Applejack, she currently felt a sense of… purpose, yes, that was it. Purpose.

She didn't know what that purpose was exactly, but at that moment, she didn't really care either. She wasn't about to question a good mood any time soon.

It was perhaps for this reason that she took interest in Sunny as she made idle chatter on the way back. Not as a character, OC, author's puppet or anything else… but as Sunny herself.

Maybe it was the fact that Sunny wasn't recognisable as a character, be it from the show or any of the toys, or maybe it was just the fact Sunny wanted to be friends, but Meteorite found herself feeling more relaxed being by her side. Deep down, a part of her told her she'd really ought to stay skeptical, and for the most part she agreed with the sentiment.

But she also really needed someone to lean on.

The past few days had firmly demonstrated to Meteorite that no matter how strong she may attempt to stand, she can and will fall. It was a lesson she knew well before, but she at least had some form of an outlet for her grievances should things get too much for her. Here, only days into Equestria, she had nothing. Nothing but the brown earth pony beside her.

And… maybe it was intentional, Meteorite had thought dourly. Perhaps it was by her own design that Sunny would be the way she is, so that Meteorite would have no choice but to accept her friendship in exchange for some semblance of sanity.

The way the past few days had gone, it only made sense that there would be something off about today as well.

Squaring her jaw and her eyes hardening at the thought, she glanced off to the side at Sunny, who caught her glance and instinctively smiled. However, her smile wavered slightly underneath the cold stare, which caused Meteorite herself to immediately soften her expression and offer up a smile back at her. It seemed to help as Sunny's smile brightened, and slowly Meteorite turned away, returning to her introspective thinking.

Actually, no, Meteorite thought harshly towards her other self, fuck you. She doesn't deserve this. Fuck with me all you want, but Sunny's innocent in all this. And if it turns out she isn't, then fuck you again.

The thought passed as swiftly as it came, which is why it took Meteorite a few moments to properly process it. Once she had, she blinked a few times in surprise but smiled inwardly at the realisation that her fighting spirit had come back to her.

She hadn't lost the fight against herself just yet.

Later on that afternoon as the sun was setting for the day, Applejack arrived at the cottage wearing a saddlebag. The four workers had gathered with her in the dining room, although only Meteorite was mildly at a loss at what was going on. That was, however, until after the informal (and formal in the case of Steel) greetings and Applejack reached into her saddlebag and retrieved three pouches. From the bulges in the fabric and slight jingling within, Meteorite guessed they were filled with bits.

"Another week of hard work from y'all!" Applejack beamed, handling the pouches out to the other three workers, before coming face to face with Meteorite, seemingly sizing her up with a look.

"As fer ya, suga'cube," Applejack continued with a hint of sternness in her tone, putting Meteorite on edge. "Ah reckon ya did more than enough to repay yer… 'favor', don't ya think?"

"A- Ah… Ah…" Meteorite stuttered uneasily, braving sharp glances behind Applejack at the other three ponies, staring back at the two of them in differing states of puzzlement. "...yes? Maybe?"

"Thought so," Applejack nodded, fishing about in her saddlebag. Seconds later, she pulled out a fourth pouch, smaller than the others but still noticeably filled with bits. She held it out with a bright smile. "So Ah reckon ya earned yerself a little somethin'. Ain't much, but it oughta be enough t' see ya on yer way for a few days."

Astonished, Meteorite stared at the pouch resting in Applejack's hoof, then Applejack herself. "Really?" she asked in hushed awe.

"Mhm," Applejack nodded, still smiling. Almost as if in a trance, Meteorite instinctively reached out for the pouch, before snapping to her senses and jerking her hoof back suddenly.

"Wait," she asked, now taking in Applejack's words, "What do you mean, 'on my way'?"

"Well, Ah imagine ya'd be heading out now, right?" Applejack said, tilting her head in thought. "Since yer done workin' here n' everything."

There was a subtle hitching of breath from behind Applejack. Meteorite didn't need to look over to guess it was Sunny. With a heavy pause, she solemnly leaned over and bit down on the pouch, taking it from Applejack. She looked down in thought as the pouch jingled faintly with each head movement.

"Yer welcome t' stay the night though," Applejack went on, Meteorite absentmindedly nodding as she continued thinking. Applejack turned to the other three ponies, and adjusted her hat. "Well, time fer me t' get on back home. Ah'll see ya three later."

While the two stallions were largely indifferent to the proceedings and simply nodded, Sunny however was fixated on Meteorite with a worried stare. Noting where she was looking, Applejack turned back to Meteorite.

"And hey," Applejack addressed her brightly, "maybe we'll see ya around sometime, eh?"

Meteorite looked up to face Applejack, pouch still clamped in her mouth. She gave one more look at Silverfire, Steel and then Sunny, her gaze lingering just a bit before looking back at Applejack. Carefully balancing on three hooves, she lowered the pouch into an upturned hoof before clearing her throat.

"Actually…" she croaked. "Um, actually…"

"Hm?"

"I was wondering… if it was at all possible… if I could, maybe… continue working here?"

All eyes fell upon Applejack as she considered the sudden request with a troubled frown.

"Ya sure about that, suga'cube? Ah mean no offense of course, but it ain't exactly pegasus work."

Yes, of course, Meteorite realised as she gritted her teeth. She lacked the natural advantages earth ponies had, but there wasn't anything else she felt she could do in her current state.

"Yes I- I know, but…" she paused, casting a glance outside the window. "I don't think I'll be able to find any sort of suitable work out there…" or a place to stay… she added mentally.

"Oh right!" Silverfire blurted out, before Steel had a chance to shush him. "Because you can't fly and all that, yeah?"

Both Applejack and Sunny turned to Silverfire in shocked surprise, before turning back to Meteorite.

"Is that true?" Applejack asked.

Meteorite swallowed nervously as she nodded. "Y-Yeah. I'm… kinda grounded. Literally." She offered a timid grin at her pun before continuing. "I- I know I'm not exactly… great at the stuff I've been doing these past few days… b-but! I at the very least know I can do them, an- And! And, you know I can do it, which… is probably the more important thing to push here…"

As Meteorite's words trailed off, Applejack rubbed her chin in thoughtfulness as she mulled the situation over. The silence growing, Meteorite rapidly became fearful of being rejected and uttered a soft, pleading, "Please…"

"Well," Applejack began, her eyes now meeting Meteorite's wide and worried own, "Ah ain't one t' turn down anypony in need. And ol' Steel here did tell me ya showed a willingness t' learn. So…" Applejack extended a hoof with a grin, "Ah reckon that means yer hired."

Briefly shocked that things went her way for once, Meteorite was swiftly overcome with gratitude, and awkwardly dropped her money pouch onto the ground and grabbed Applejack's hoof with both forehooves, shaking it vigorously.

"Thank you thank you! I-I promise I won't let you down!"

"H-Heh, Ah don't doubt," Applejack grinned, holding onto her hat with her other hoof. In a burst of happiness Sunny trotted over to Meteorite's side and threw her hooves around her in a hug with a squeal of delight. Free of the hoofshake in the midst of the hug, Applejack took the opportunity to make for the doorway.

"Ah guess we can officially welcome ya t' the farm then, Meteorite," Applejack told her with a smile as she made her way past. "Yer part of the team now."

Meteorite nodded shakily, still somewhat bewildered by what just happened, but she still had a smile on her face. The hug was helping, even as she awkwardly tried to maneuver a leg around Sunny to return the hug. As Applejack said her final goodbyes for the night, the two stallions moved in closer.

"Nice," Silverfire beamed.

Steel let out a brief sigh as he rolled his eyes, while Sunny let go of Meteorite with a huge smile.

"Oh my gosh! I was so worried you weren't going to stick around just now!"

"I gotta admit," Meteorite responded, calming down. "I was pretty worried myself. That was the worst job application ever. I can't believe it worked."

"Mm," Steel nodded curtly, "are you sure of your decision, Miss Meteorite? It will not get any easier from here on."

Meteorite took a moment to consider the question, glancing briefly at each of the three other ponies before her in turn.

"Probably not," Meteorite admitted with a sniff. "But… gotta… gotta keep going, right?"

"Right," Sunny agreed brightly, while Steel seemed to be satisfied with the answer.

"Very well, I hope you continue to prove yourself, Miss Meteorite."

Meteorite exhaled, releasing some stress that had been pent up inside her.

"Yeah. So do I."

Later that night, Meteorite sat on her bed staring down at the money pouch before her. It felt odd to behold, that this was hers now. She had money, to do as she pleased with it. Here, in Equestria.

She blinked, glancing up at the room around her. She had a job, a place to stay -both now a more stable presence- hurr stable, and… ponies she could potentially call friends. Her gaze lingered on the closed door of the occupied bathroom where Sunny currently was, and she felt a knot growing within her. Unsure of why, and not wanting to fall back into the depressive state from earlier, Meteorite forcefully shook her head clear of any intrusive thoughts and intently refocused on the pouch.

Reaching out with a hoof to grab the pouch, she quickly realised her mistake, and rolled her eyes as she bit the pouch and tipped it over to spill the contents onto her bed covers. Sliding the bits around, she silently counted how much she had, despite quite literally not knowing the value of a bit. Still, it was worth knowing how many coins she had, she supposed.

Once she was finished she then realised her second mistake, as putting the bits back into the pouch was going to be a lot more difficult. Staring disdainfully at the gold coins, she immediately felt mentally drained at the thought of the struggle she was about to endure with this task.

Fuck… I can't do this, can I?

Another forceful headshake.

"No, I… I gotta keep on fighting…" she murmured to herself, like a mantra, carefully placing a hoof over a bit. "I… can't let this whole thing get to me… can't let me… get to me."

Slowly, she lifted her hoof but the bit remained where it was. Undeterred, Meteorite tried again, trying to clear her mind of her doubts and worry.

Lifting her hoof again, Meteorite suddenly felt the unmistakable feeling of additional weight being pulled up with her hoof. Shaking with trepidation, Meteorite stayed focused on the now empty spot of the bed where the bit was but now it wasn't and oh sweet Jesus I'm holding the bit! I'm holding the bit in my hoof! I don't kno-

The bit fell unceremoniously back onto the bed, softly clinking against the other bits.

Meteorite bit her lip as she stared at the pile of bits, hoof still raised in the air.

Okay. Don't get upset. You can do this. Just… keep trying.

She continued to gently place her hoof upon the bit, unsuccessful in budging it several times, until eventually she felt the bit under her raised hoof once more. Anxious, her hoof hung frozen in the air as she purposefully ignored it, focusing on her other hoof and the pouch. With slow, deliberate movement she pressed down on the fabric, dragging it across to force the pouch's opening to spread wide. Satisfied, she brought her first hoof across, still heavy with the coin's weight, but it barely made it across the bed a few inches before the bit once more fell free from her grasp, like a very rigged crane game.

Swallowing hard, Meteorite inhaled deeply and calmly resigned to scooping the bit into the pouch, nudging it in with the tip of her hoof. Her resolve only minorly shaken, she reached for the next bit and tried again.

Just… gotta keep trying.

Chapter 7

The following morning, Meteorite was rudely roused from her sleep by a beam of sunlight falling upon her face, causing her to grumpily toss over away from the window to face the wall, pulling her bedcover up around her shoulders in the process. Once she settled back into a comfortable position, she let out a satisfied sigh.

With a sudden realisation, her eyes snapped open and she jolted her head around to take in how bright it was. How high the sun was up already. How very neatly Sunny's bed was made.

Leaping into action, Meteorite awkwardly kicked the bedcovers off her and half-fell to the floor, where she immediately bolted out of the room to the rest of the house…

...where Sunny and Steel sat at the dining table, calmly having breakfast.

"Mo'ninf!" Sunny greeted with a wave, and a mouthful of toast.

Meteorite's wide-eyed stare frantically alternated between her co-workers and the sunny landscape through the open window. "Uh-! Sho- we- u-uh…!" Meteorite shook her head to gain focus. "Shouldn't we be… working?!"

Steel chose to remain silent as he calmly sipped his cup of tea, while Sunny took a moment to swallow her toast.

"Oh!" Sunny began. "Sorry, I thought you knew! Today's our day off."

The adrenaline within Meteorite began to fizzle out as her posture sagged almost immediately. "...Oh. S-So… we've… got nothing… today, then."

"That's right!"

"Aside from our usual household chores, Miss Meteorite," Steel interjected. "Which you'll be expected to partake in more now you're a regular part of this household."

"Oh, yeah, of course," Meteorite agreed offhandedly. "I just… it's been a rough week. Kinda forgot there's a weekend."

Sunny giggled lightly at that, followed by Meteorite covering a sudden yawn with a hoof.

"Don't suppose it's too late for me to fall back into bed, then?" she asked. When Steel simply gave her an unimpressed stare, Meteorite fought back a tiny grin.

"Yeah, didn't think so."

"So… whatcha going to do today?"

Back in their room, Sunny sat on the edge of her bed, watching as Meteorite fumbled with her own bedding, trying to make it somewhat neat. Turning to face her roommate, Meteorite paused as she took in the human-like way Sunny was currently sitting, but elected to not question it.

For now, anyway. Something to file away for later consideration, definitely certainly.

"I'm… not entirely sure," Meteorite admitted, adjusting her pillow. "It's been a wild ride since I got here; I haven't really considered what I'd do with free time to myself." She paused again, lost in her thoughts. "Almost feels like a foreign concept at this stage…"

Sunny frowned with concern at this last statement, though this went unnoticed by Meteorite.

"What about you?" Meteorite asked suddenly, half-turned towards Sunny. "What are you gonna do?"

"Oh!" Sunny gasped with pleasant surprise. "I've got a small garden going round the back, so I'm going to tend to it and weed it. Oh! Why don't you come help me? It'll be so fun!"

Oh god she's a gardener, Meteorite thought in despair. Her eyes flitted towards Sunny's cutie mark which was a shiny red-handled trowel. Yeah, that seems about right.

"Eheh," Meteorite chuckled nervously with a forced smile. "Ahh, doesn't seem like my kinda thing, to be perfectly honest."

"Oh," Sunny uttered, her ears folding with disappointment. A pang of guilt and sympathy shot through Meteorite, but she powered through it.

"Sorry," Meteorite said apologetically. Not even the sad pony look can win me over to something like gardening. Even if I was still human… Jesus, gardening with hooves? No thank you.

"It's fine," Sunny responded, though her tone made it clear she was still disappointed. Nevertheless, she pressed on. "So, what would be your 'thing'?"

"Hm. Good question…" Meteorite mused thoughtfully, turning aside and lowering her head in thought. All my old habits are essentially thrown out the window now… Internet, Youtube, games… A few thoughts later she jerked her head up, annoyed. Ah fuck, I'm gonna miss out on all the stuff I'm subscribed to! And my games! I'm not gonna be able to play them anymore! Fuck!

"Hm?" Sunny inquired, noticing the change in Meteorite's attitude. Meteorite turned to face Sunny, momentarily stuck for a response.

"Ah… ...don't worry about it," she eventually waved it off. "It's nothing. I just remembered a few… annoying things. Nothing major."

Sunny took a moment to wonder if it was worth asking, when Meteorite suddenly stamped her hoof on the ground with a sharp shout, startling her.

"Ah! I know what I can do!"

"W-What's that?"

"Explore!" Meteorite exclaimed. "I used to explore new areas all the time! Still do, actually… Anyway..." she continued, leaning into a hint of intrigue, "there's a town nearby, isn't there?"

"Ah, yes! Ponyville! Nice quiet place," Sunny responded happily.

You and I have seen very different episodes, Meteorite deadpanned in her head before publicly continuing the eager attitude.

"Right, Ponyville, cool. Reckon it's about time I go check it out," Meteorite noted as she laid her eyes on her money pouch lying on their dresser.

"Do ya want me to come with you?" Sunny asked hopefully. "I can put off my garden until later today, and I can show you around!"

"Umm…" Meteorite mulled hesitantly. "Maybe another time? I very much would prefer to go at my own pace today."

"Oh… okay, yeah," Sunny responded, with more disappointment, though Meteorite was now fully focused on her pouch, putting it back down on the dresser after a few seconds of picking it up with her mouth.

"Actually… probably should leave this here for now," she muttered to herself. "It'll be too awkward to carry around all day, and I don't even know what I can even buy with it yet…" Shaking her head lightly, she turned and flashed a brief smile at Sunny. "Well! ...dunno how long I'll be, but uhh… seeya later, I guess."

"Right," Sunny nodded, forcing a smile of her own. "Have fun."

"Will do," Meteorite responded automatically. At least, I hope I will.

It was an odd feeling, suddenly having the freedom to go wherever she pleased. The past few days had been driven by many things: A need for shelter, a need for food, a sense of duty. In a way, it kept Meteorite busy, both in mind and body. But now, she had nothing in her way, nothing to stop her from doing what she'd like.

Which is why it was even odder that she stopped in front of the gate leading out of Sweet Apple Acres.

Not that she couldn't operate the gate, no no. It was simple, even for her. She just… stopped in front of it, staring at the road leading away from the farm. Leading to Ponyville.

She was about to leave the farm and head to Ponyville. Ponyville.

It… was a terrifying thought, when she stopped to think about it.

Ponyville was the epicentre of the show. Everything happened there, with some exceptions. It would be fair to say that there would be a good chance of her being dragged into some sort of episode plotline once she got there. Hell, it was very likely that 'she' was waiting for Meteorite to enter Ponyville just to get the story rolling finally.

She had freedom alright, freedom to wander right into a trap set specifically for her.

Meteorite bit her lip, and sucked in air for a bit as she continued her line of thought.

"How much would it piss you off right now," she uttered softly, looking up at the sky, "if I just turned around and headed back home?" A few seconds later, she scoffed and smirked slightly. "Yeah, probably quite a bit."

Taking a deep sigh, Meteorite placed a hoof on the gate, swinging it open. Steeling her nerves, she took a few steps forward. "Alright, fine. It's not like I don't want to see Ponyville. Just… nothing crazy alright? I've had quite enough already."

It wasn't long before the outskirts of Ponyville came into view, along with the recognisable housing. Meteorite felt a nervous excitement within her, and she had to force herself to keep to a steady pace as she drew nearer.

Her eyes remained glued to her surroundings, flicking from building to building as she passed them, eagerly taking it all in as she mentally mapped the lay of the land, turning around occasionally to catch every last detail she could find.

And as she ventured deeper into the town, she saw them.

Ponies.

Many ponies were just going about their daily business, milling about. There were definitely some ponies she recognised, like the flower ponies, but there were many others she did not.

At this point, Meteorite found it difficult to not hyperventilate. Still, she closed her eyes, tried to remain calm, and more importantly, reminded herself to not stare at anyone.

Okay, okay! It's just Ponyville! It's just… everybody in Ponyville… Oh god. It's everybody in Ponyville. Okay, deep breaths… Don't panic. If you freak out, you'll have to explain yourself and ohh boy are we not going to do that. As far as everybody- aha, everypony knows, you're just a pony from out of town. Just… carry on, and be mindful of what you say and do.

Exhaling, Meteorite lifted a foreleg and opened her eyes while taking a step forward.

Which put her precisely in the path of somepony else bounding her way.

Meteorite hadn't seen who it was, although to be fair, she hadn't known exactly what happened as she lay sprawled on the ground, preoccupied with the pain of being knocked to the ground. Also, something heavy was on her back, but luckily they seemed to be moving off her.

"Whoops!" came a very familiar high-pitched voice from behind her, causing Meteorite to instantly freeze up. "Sorry about that!"

Meteorite's breath was caught up in her throat. She knew who that was. Her brain was currently tossing up trying to decide whether to either squeal in delight or run away in terror.

"Hey, are you alright?" asked the bubbly voice, laced with concern. Breathing deeply, Meteorite slowly got to her hooves.

"Y-Yeah," Meteorite squeaked out, purposely not turning around. She still needed time to mentally prepa-

"Oh good!" Pinkie Pie said brightly as she popped up in front of Meteorite from below, causing Meteorite to cry out in shock and fall back on her rear. Pinkie giggled in response.

"Hi!" she continued in a burst of excitement. "I'm glad you're okay! I feel real bad about accidentally landing on you, because I was coming over to greet you and that was a really rough way to introduce yourself to somepony!"

"'G-Greet me'?" Meteorite queried, still struggling with the fact that Pinkie was in front of her.

"Yuh-uh! I saw you standing there, and I said to myself, 'Pinkie-'" Pinkie paused briefly, holding a hoof to her chest. "That's me, by the way! So, I said, 'Pinkie?'" -Pinkie quickly sidestepped before responding- "'Yes, Pinkie?'" -Another sidestep back to her original spot- "'That is definitely a pony from out of town! We should go greet her!' So we did! I mean, I did! But then we kinda ran into each other, which is not what I wanted to happen, because that's not a fun way to be introduced to somepony! So I'm relieved you're okay!"

"Uhh…" Meteorite droned slightly, her mind still catching up with Pinkie's words. Eventually she shook her head clear. "Uh, well, th-thanks… Pinkie. It's… nice to m-meet you."

"Nice to meet you too!" Pinkie bounced back, but then gained a worrying glint to her eyes. "But, do you know what would be even nicer?"

Meteorite gulped. I'm afraid I do.

"A PARTY!" Pinkie cheered, throwing up her hooves, along with way too much confetti. "We have to throw you a welcoming party!"

Meteorite's heart sank as the confetti fell about her. She knew a party was inevitable; it's what Pinkie does after all. And Meteorite wasn't going to hold it against her; it's just that… well… Meteorite never really liked going to parties. She usually avoided the crowd and just… preferred to be by herself and avoid a lot of the awkwardness. Especially when she didn't really know anyone. Meteorite smiled weakly.

"Oh… good."

Meteorite felt a foreleg around her shoulder, and sharply turned to see Pinkie there before blinking and glancing back at the spot where Pinkie had just been a second ago.

"We'll start right away!" Pinkie announced excitedly. "We'll have cake, decorations, games… all kinds of amazing stuff! I'll introduce you to everypony and-" Pinkie cut herself off, her face briefly falling before breaking into a giggle. "Oh, how silly of me! I don't even know your name yet!"

"Ah, it's u-uh… it's Meteorite."

"Hi Meteorite! I'd tell you my name, but I already did! It's Pinkie! Well, actually, it's Pinkie Pie! Well, actually, actually, it's Pinkam- huh?"

It wasn't difficult to figure out why Pinkie stopped talking. As Pinkie looked behind her, Meteorite followed suit and saw Pinkie's tail twitching violently, sending vibrations through Pinkie, and by extension, Meteorite, thanks to Pinkie still having her foreleg around her. Meteorite went wide-eyed at the sight, though Pinkie simply frowned.

"Hmmm…" Pinkie mused, before looking at Meteorite. "Just a sec!" she told her, before getting up and pulling Meteorite to her hooves, and half-dragged her over a few feet. No sooner had she done so, a flower pot smashed into the ground with an almighty racket, exactly where Meteorite had been sitting.

"Ohmigosh!" cried a voice from above. "I'm so sorry!"

Meteorite looked up at the house they were in front of, and saw a worried-looking light blue mare holding a watering pail leaning over from a second storey window. Pinkie simply waved to her. "We're okay, Shoeshine! Though… your flower pot is a teensy bit broken, I'm afraid!"

Meteorite saw Shoeshine sigh in relief and head back inside, out of sight. Then Meteorite turned her attention to the broken pieces of the flower pot.

"You would not believe how many flower pots this town goes through," Pinkie said mournfully.

"That was right where I was sitting," Meteorite said, with a hint of an accusatory tone.

"It sure was!" Pinkie replied with too much enthusiasm. "You could've had a wicked headache!"

Meteorite frowned at that initially, but her thoughts drifted over to wonder that had she'd been hit, would it be cartoony, with stars circling her head? She guessed that might be the case, but she wasn't in a hurry to find out any time soon.

"Hm," Meteorite mused thoughtfully, turning a glare towards the sky. So, you're just throwing anything at me now, are you?

"What are we looking at?"

Startled, Meteorite stumbled back a few steps as Pinkie was by her side now, also looking up at the sky. "Ga-aah, nothing!"

"Hmm…" Pinkie frowned as she continued looking, rubbing her chin skeptically. Suddenly, she turned to Meteorite with a big grin. "Yup! Sure is a lot of nothing up there! Now, how about that party?"

Calming down between heavy breaths, Meteorite twisted a hoof into the ground. "Um, this is probably a dumb question, but do we need a party?"

The question caused Pinkie to blink a few times, seemingly not understanding it. "Well, of course we need a party! A party is the best way to have all kinds of fun and meet all kinds of new ponies and eat all kinds of goodies, all at once!"

"So… yeah. It was a dumb question," Meteorite responded sullenly.

Pinkie snorted a laugh, but the laughter died slowly as she stopped and looked at Meteorite, and suddenly grew concerned. "Don't… Don't you want a party?"

Oh fuck, Meteorite panicked internally, I've broken Pinkie! Oh fuck oh fuck oh f- "No! No no nononono! I mean, no, absolutely party yes! Just… not… right now? I- I want to… wander around town first? If that's okay? Y'know, see the sights, meet the locals, that kinda thing?"

Pinkie sat with a grim expression as she considered this, unnerving Meteorite by the second. Suddenly, she broke into a huge smile.

"Oh! Sure! In that case, we can have a Welcome-To-Ponyville-Earlier-Today Party instead!"

"Sure, that sounds great," Meteorite said, giving up.

"Annnnd…" Pinkie sang mischievously as she stood back up, "in the meantime, I can help you meet everypony!"

A sharp chill ran through Meteorite as she instinctively took a step back. Her ears swivelled as she began to take note of a soft refrain filling the air. She had barely looked around for the source when Pinkie bounced by, grabbing Meteorite by the hoof.

"Just follow me!" she chirped, pulling Meteorite along.

"Wai-Wait! Oh god, what's going on?!"

Unable to free herself from Pinkie's clutches, Meteorite found herself dragged to the centre of the street as Pinkie let go and leapt upon a nearby bench before her. As she stood up on her hind legs in a display of flair, the inexplicable music kicked in full volume. Paralysed from shock, Meteorite sat on the ground and watched as Pinkie began to sing.

"Welcome to our home you have found~"

Oh no, no no no, Meteorite thought frantically as she cringed, don't sing me a song, please!

"To Ponyville; a superb town~" Pinkie continued, her song in full force. Leaping off the bench, Pinkie began bouncing around Meteorite in beat to the music.

"With ponies of all kinds around~ they are sure to cure any frown!" To Meteorite's surprise, the music momentarily halted as Pinkie landed in front of her. "Theeeeeeerre's…"

In the blink of an eye, Pinkie dashed off to numerous ponies around them, the music starting back up, faster.

"Junebug, Daisy, Rose and Lily~ Davenport and Golden Harvest~"

Meteorite frantically turned about, failing to keep her eye on Pinkie as she dashed from pony to pony. She yelped and took a step back when Pinkie suddenly popped up in front of her, now wearing a pair of half-moon glasses.

"Some are serious~" Pinkie sang, before taking off the glasses and tooting a clown horn, "or silly~ But every one is the best!" she added, throwing her forelegs up in celebration. There was a short interlude in the lyrics as Pinkie placed a hoof on Meteorite's shoulder.

"Come on," Pinkie spoke over the music, "I'll introduce you to my friends!"

"Ah-! Uh, um!" Meteorite stammered, the music drowning out her thoughts. "I uh, don't kno-" But before she could finish, Pinkie had already started dragging her with her. Meteorite's vision began to blur, followed by a rush of colours as she shook her head trying to regain her senses. She blinked a few times before realising they were now inside the Ponyville library. Pinkie wasn't too far away, dancing around a now startled purple unicorn.

"This is Twilight," Pinkie continued in her song, "this is her home~"

Twilight calmed down considerably upon recognizing her home invader. However she wasn't fully relaxed, and continued to keep an eye on Pinkie, occasionally giving a glance at the new pegasus that seemed more preoccupied with her surroundings than anything else.

"Studying," Pinkie sang as she held up numerous textbooks, prompting Twilight to hastily unload the books from Pinkie's grasp using her magic, placing them back down on her desk safely. "She can't get enough~ if it's in a scroll, book-"

"Or tome!" Twilight continued, looking pleased. Pinkie stopped in her rhythmic bouncing and leveled her gaze at Twilight.

"Twilight, you can't just make up stuff."

"Bu- But it's- It's an actual w-" Twilight managed to get out, but Pinkie was already on her way out of the library, towing a startled Meteorite by the tail. Meteorite's vision blurred again, but this time rapidly becoming a shade of light blue. As it cleared, Meteorite realised she was looking at a vast expanse of sky, the only things in front of her was a sleeping Rainbow Dash on a white cloud, and Pinkie floating nearby, with a few balloons tied around her. Panic rising, she nervously looked down as saw the small puff of cloud she was sitting on. Fear instantly overtaking her, she collapsed to the cloud's surface, and hugged it tightly with her eyes squeezed shut.

"Out here is my friend Rainbow Dash," Meteorite heard Pinkie sing, "She's the very best at what she does~"

Fuckfuckfuckendthesongforgod'ssakeENDTHESONGFUCKFUCKFUCK!

"Clearing all the skies in a flash," Pinkie continued, unaware of Meteorite's plight. Meteorite thought she heard a yawn amidst the singing, but she wasn't about to check. "Everywhere ponies are abuzz!"

Suddenly, Meteorite felt another tug on her tail and hugged the cloud tighter to avoid being pulled off it, but all that accomplished was pulling the cloud with her. When the tugging stopped she braved opening an eye, and found herself back down in Ponyville, Pinkie still dancing about several more ponies, still singing.

"Ponies like~ Bon Bon, Lyra and Sea Swirl~ Lemon Hearts, Amethyst Star~"

Darting back over to Meteorite, Pinkie grabbed the cloud and spun it around with a flick.

"Fun to be with, give it a whirl! You'll have fun wherever you are!"

Meteorite queasily held a hoof to her chest, as the cloud gradually spun itself smaller until it poofed out of existence, unceremoniously plopping Meteorite onto the ground. It then took her a few moments to realise she was no longer outside, but inside another building. The regal and glamourous looking interior was practically a dead giveaway to where she was.

"Over here is Rarity, working hard~" Pinkie sang, posing amongst several mannequins on a staging area, "For everypony she makes clothes~"

That was another dead giveaway.

Rarity was between being startled and annoyed by the sudden intrusion, wanting to get back to the outfit she was working on. But she patiently waited for Pinkie to finish.

"They're super, and…" Pinkie faltered slightly, sounding troubled, "And…"

"Avant-garde?" Rarity offered hopefully.

"Nope, that's not it," Pinkie replied, waving it off. Perturbed, Rarity frowned as she turned back to her unfinished outfit, swapping out bits in an attempt to make it better.

"Ah well," Pinkie shrugged, "who knows!"

Meanwhile, Meteorite had found herself paying less attention to the song and more to Rarity herself, so it came as a surprise when Pinkie dashed past her, catching her across the chest and pulling her outside. Unsteadily regaining her senses, Meteorite could only watch as the whole of Ponyville began to speed away into the distance as Pinkie whisked her off to their next stop.

Sharply coming to a standstill, Pinkie grabbed Meteorite by both shoulders and sat her in front of a familiar-looking cottage, and an equally familiar-looking and doubly startled pegasus.

"Fluttershy's cottage is over here~ She's shy and timid you can see~"

The sudden loud singing made Fluttershy attempt to hide behind her mane, but Pinkie bounced over to her, and nuzzled briefly against her cheek as she continued to sing. Fluttershy regained enough confidence to brave the song, but she still cast a wary eye towards the wide-eyed Meteorite, who was doing everything in her power to remain as still as possible in order to not frighten Fluttershy further. It wasn't working that well.

"But animals from far and near~" Pinkie sang, popping out from the chicken coop in Fluttershy's yard. "Come to be as well as can be!"

As the two pegasi stared at Pinkie, they both yelped and leaned away as Pinkie then suddenly popped up between them. "Animals like…"

"Angel Bunny," she sang, holding up the frowning rabbit before dropping him into Fluttershy's cradling forelegs. She then somehow moved to a nearby tree branch with a green hummingbird perched on it. "And Hummingway!"

Jumping back down, Pinkie bounced through the yard. "Lions, tigers and bears!"

"Oh my…" Fluttershy murmured. Meteorite gave her a side-glance, but was quickly distracted as Pinkie landed and leaned in a few inches away from her face.

"You'll get to know them if you stay~ It's not that hard if you just try!"

I- I'll pass on getting to know the lions and ti- "Eep!"

Caught off-guard, Meteorite was whisked away to yet another location. As the colours settled around her, the sight of a very familiar-looking orchard and a very familiar-looking bemused Applejack stood before her. Pinkie stood perfectly balanced upon a nearby pile of apples, still mid-song.

"Applejack works with her brother~"

"U-Uh, P-Pinkie?" Meteorite half-heartedly called out, raising a hoof.

"Down here on Sweet Apple Acres!"

"Pinkie!" Meteorite called out with a bit more force this time, catching Pinkie's attention. "We've already met each other!" Meteorite uttered desperately, indicating Applejack with her hoof.

Applejack nodded in agreement with a smile, making Pinkie pause and rub her chin thoughtfully. The music in the air was still going strong, but Meteorite hoped that this would be the end of the song.

"Hm, in that case," Pinkie said suddenly, "let me introduce you to a special pair of bakers!"

"E-Eh?" Meteorite cried out, lifting a hoof in shock. As Pinkie took hold of the offered hoof, Meteorite gave Applejack a pleading look, who could only smile apologetically and shrug in return. In a blink of an eye, Meteorite was being rushed through Ponyville, and through a pair of swing doors leading inside Sugarcube Corner. As she was roughly seated at a nearby table, Meteorite caught glimpses of Mr and Mrs Cake behind the counter, exchanging concerned glances at the sudden intrusion.

"The Cakes run a really swell store~ With so many goodies and sweets~" Pinkie continued to sing, simultaneously thrusting a menu into Meteorite's hooves and piling countless pastry treats onto the table. "Really what more could you ask for~ Every day they bake the best treats!"

Luckily, the singing appeared to perk up the line of waiting customers at the counter, and the Cakes collectively sighed in relief. Meanwhile, Meteorite stared dumbfounded at the menu and Pinkie, confused by where the song was going.

"Treats like…" Pinkie paused dramatically, before swiping and holding up several foodstuffs, "Eclairs and chocolate muffins~ Cupcak-"

"Pinkie!" Meteorite shouted suddenly, trying to drum up as much authority as she could. Curious, Pinkie stopped mid-lyric and blinked innocently.

"Yes?"

Meteorite hesitated, caught off-guard by having Pinkie's attention so quickly. "You… don't need to introduce me to a chocolate muffin." Slowly, Pinkie glanced at the muffin in her hoof, then giggled.

"Oops, guess I got carried away!" she said, tossing the entire muffin into her mouth to the final beat of the song.

As the silence washed over Meteorite, she exhaled as stress began to leave her. The sounds of a busy store started to ebb in, accompanied by Pinkie noisily nomming her muffin.

Thank god, Meteorite quietly prayed, I was not ready for all that. She glanced aside at Pinkie, still sitting beside her. Jesus. Pinkie's… a lot to take in in person. Hell, that song was a lot just by itself.

"Well, that was… something," Meteorite remarked carefully, smoothing her mane back with a hoof. "T-Thanks for that, Pinkie."

Pinkie smacked her lips a few times before responding. "You're welcome! I hope you had tons of fun meeting everypony, because the party is going to be like, a hundred times more fun!" She folded her forelegs with an air of professionalism. "I've done the math."

Meteorite felt a smile threaten to break on her face, but fought it down. "Heh. Well, it uh, it sounds like it'll be fun."

"I certainly hope so!" Pinkie grinned. "It'd be pretty crazy if fun didn't sound like fun!"

Meteorite went slightly cross-eyed as she considered the thought. "Uh… yeah. Yeah."

"Hey, you hungry?" Pinkie asked, pulling a cupcake from the looming pile of pastries stacked on the table.

Meteorite stared down at the offered cupcake, topped with white icing and rainbow sprinkles. She shivered as a subtle chill flowed down her spine, thanks to the unfortunate combination of Pinkie and cupcakes.

"Ah heh, no, I'm good thanks, Pinkie," Meteorite said through a forced smile.

"Okie dokie then!" Pinkie said with a shrug, flicking the cupcake into her mouth, swallowing it in a single gulp. "Mmm, sweet!"

Meteorite let out an inaudible sigh as her body relaxed. Okay, I was just being paranoid, she half-rationalised, half-scolded. Probably. "Hey Pinkie?" she said suddenly, catching her attention. "Um, thanks again for… everything, but I'm gonna go out and wander about on my own, if that's alright?"

"Sure, no problem Meteorite! I'll find you when it's time for your party!" Pinkie grinned, beaming with absolute conviction.

Well… that's ominous, Meteorite thought, before shaking her head clear. Pushing down on the table, she roughly moved out of her seat. As she paused for a moment to regain her balance on all fours, she heard Pinkie cry out about her tail, and only had a few seconds to turn her head to see the towering pastry pile wobble and topple towards her.

And then, darkness. Sweet-smelling, fluffy darkness.

"Ohmigosh! Are you alright?" a very muffled Pinkie exclaimed.

Clamouring out of the fallen baked goods with Pinkie's help, Meteorite stood with as much dignity as she could, with pastry flakes and crumbs coating her.

"Uh. Yeah, I'm… fine." Meteorite admitted, giving the pile a disdainful look. "Though, it's not every day you find yourself in a foodalanche."

"Nope!" Pinkie giggled. "But boy, it sure would be great if it was though!" Meteorite cleared her throat, opting to decline to comment.

"Sorry about this, though," she apologised, indicating the pile. Pinkie waved a hoof, and scooped up the entire pile in a giant hug.

"No problem, I've got it under control!"

Well, I'm glad someone does… Meteorite thought sarcastically, making for the exit.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

"Wait a moment," Rarity interrupted, raising a hoof. "Was that the first time we met?"

Meteorite smiled shyly, and nodded. "Technically, yep. I dunno if it counts though. It was, what, ten seconds at most?"

"Even so, darling! Let's give the occasion the proper recognition it deserves!"

"We didn't even talk, Rarity," Meteorite sighed.

"Well, no, bu-"

"Or make eye contact."

"Phooey," Rarity pouted, folding her forelegs as she sank back into her chair. "You're taking all the fun out of this, you know that, Meteorite?"

Frowning, Meteorite fidgeted with one of her ears. "I'm sorry, but I just… I think the second time we met was much more… well, more."

"We met again?" Rarity asked, sitting back up, her interest perking back up. "When was that?"

"You… don't remember?" Meteorite said, sounding disappointed. "It was the same day."

"O-Oh, I…" Rarity replied, feeling abashed. After a moment of awkwardness, she cleared her throat softly.

"Please, continue. Perhaps, err… my memory needs jogging."

Meteorite remained unconvinced, but continued as asked.

"Well, okay. So, I remember after I left Sugarcube Corner…"

Chapter 8

Safely outside and away from Pinkie's clutches, Meteorite let out a sigh of relief. The whole encounter with Pinkie had left her high-strung for the entire duration, which was a shame because she liked Pinkie. Pinkie often made her laugh, but…

Meteorite paused briefly in her thoughts to look back at Sugarcube Corner as she walked away.

...but coming face-to-face with her and her antics was stressful, which made Meteorite frown worryingly at the realisation. Would she… not be able to enjoy Pinkie now that she was… part of the action, so to speak?

"Fer fuck's sakes…" she muttered under her breath. "If I can't even have fun with Pinkie of all ponies, why am I even here?" She fell silent for a few seconds, closing her eyes in the process.

"Why am I even here…" she repeated, almost inaudibly. Several moments later and inhaling deeply, she opened her eyes once more, and marched onwards down the street.

It was a question she didn't have an answer for.

By all rights, she should never have existed in the first place. Self-inserts were moronic, self-absorbed caricatures of the writer, blinded to the inanity of their character, touting how special and amazing they were. She had prided herself on knowing what not to do as a writer, even if she didn't exactly have a lot of stories to her name.

And yet, here she was. An affront to every ounce of sensibility she once held dear.

Why was she here?

Unfortunately, as she was once more lost in her thoughts puzzling out her existence, Meteorite wasn't paying much attention to her surroundings. In the past, she took pride in her ability to focus downwards on a book in her hands and walk around obstacles with enough context clues in her field of vision, but doing the same as a pony proved more difficult as she was far closer to the ground, and lacked sufficient early warning signs. As such, she walked straight into somepony else.

"Ah- sorry!" she apologised immediately, stumbling backwards. "I wasn't watching where I was- uh…"

"It's quite alright," the light brown stallion remarked, smoothing down his tie with a hoof. "I'm afraid I was in a bit of a rush myself, so-" He stopped as he noted Meteorite staring at him. "Is… everything okay?"

Oh fuck it's him! Meteorite thought as her eyes darted from the stallion's dark brown spiky mane to his hourglass cutie mark. I shouldn't I shouldn't I shouldn't-

"Miss?"

...aw maaan... I'm gonna embarrass myself, aren't I.

Meteorite forcefully swallowed, slowly building the confidence she needed. "Uh… I'm fine," she squeaked. "Um! I… I have to ask… but, are you… The Doctor?"

The stallion frowned in confusion. "No, I'm not a doctor. Are you sick? The Ponyville Hospital is a few blocks over that way."

"No no," Meteorite quickly protested, failing to combat the rush of embarrassment she expected. "I meant… like… time and stuff…" she finished lamely.

The stallion scratched his head. "Well, my name is Time Turner, but I'm not a doctor."

By now, Meteorite's cheeks were flushed red from making a fool of herself. "Okay sorry I thought you were someone else," she said hoarsely before scampering away. Time Turner watched her go, thoroughly confused.

"Well, that was odd," he muttered. Placing a hoof thoughtfully on his chin, a curious smile grew as he considered the mare's words. "Still… that's a fascinating idea, a doctor of time… Perhaps I ought to look further into that…"

Fucking idiot! Fucking moron! Fucking idiotic moron!

Meteorite was still in the throes of berating herself, even though the encounter was several blocks behind her.

'Herp a durr! Are you The Doctor??!' Way to go! What the fuck were you expecting?! 'Why yes, actually! I won't question how you knew that, so come join me in the TARDIS and we'll travel the universe!' Sure! Let's just check off all the dumb fanfic wish fulfilments! Why fucking not?!

Breathing heavily throughout her internal rant, Meteorite eventually calmed back down, albeit still feeling incredibly bitter about the entire thing.

...couldn't let me have that, could you? she ended up asking herself. Gallivanting about Ponyville as a pony is perfectly fine, but heaven forfend you go off travelling with the Doctor. That's too much, apparently.

A few more bouts of bitterness, it occurred to Meteorite that she might have reacted a tad selfishly, considering that she was in fact, a pony in Ponyville.

And that was proving to be tough enough to deal with, without all the dangers that the Doctor brings with him.

So. Okay, probably just as well then.

Still. Dick move by herself, having her run into the Doctor or 'Time Turner' or whatever garbage name she came up with for him.

She sighed, frustrated with all the emotional highs and lows she kept bouncing between, and plodded along the main road of Ponyville. She half-heartedly wondered if she should just head back to the cottage and call it a day… but then realised that'd mean skipping Pinkie's party, which felt like the biggest sin she could enact upon the cheerful pony.

"Okay..." Meteorite muttered under her breath. "I guess we're sticking with our 'Explore Ponyville' plan for now… Alright, so... where to then?"

In the distance, over the horizon, rose the leafy branches of a very familiar looking tree.

The library, huh… Meteorite thought sombrely. Kinda asking for trouble if I head there, what with Twi being the main main character and all. But then again… I am also working for Applejack anyway so… and I do kinda wanna check it out but...

Taking a moment's pause to consider her options, she breathed in deeply, taking a step forward.

…fuck it.

Meteorite stood in front of the library door, her left hoof raised and ready to knock. She had been ready to knock for the last half minute.

I shouldn't do this.

Her hoof inched closer to the door.

It's a terrible idea.

Her hoof pulled back slightly.

I have no business intruding on the Mane Six, much less Twilight.

Her hoof twitched, not knowing which direction to go. She exhaled the breath she'd been holding.

I… I should just leave. I'm just a dumb ol' self-insert. Hell, for all I know, 'I' probably want me to-

The door swung open, snapping Meteorite out of her thoughts. Standing in the doorway was Twilight Sparkle, wearing some saddlebags and looking quite surprised.

"Oh, hello!" Twilight greeted brightly.

Meteorite stared wide-eyed at her for a moment, before promptly slamming her hoof down to the ground.

"Hi!" Meteorite grinned forcefully. "I was just about to knock, actually!"

"Oh? Can I help you with something?" Twilight replied, smiling warmly.

"Uh," Meteorite shuffled slightly, craning her neck to look behind Twilight. "So uh, I… heard that this was a library?"

Twilight glanced aside at the walls crammed with books of varying sizes before looking back at Meteorite with lidded eyes. "Yes, yes it is. Oh! Are you interested in checking out a book?" she asked, her eyes lighting up. "I think you'll find I have books on several subject matters!"

Meteorite chuckled nervously as she rubbed the back of her head. "Uh heh, I… I don't know, I guess so, maybe?"

"Hm, well, do you have a particular subject in mind? Or genre!" Twilight added cheerfully, "I have several stories from a wide variety of genres as well!"

"Uhhhh…" Meteorite stalled, looking at the imposing section of books she could see from the doorway. "Well. I'm not really after anything in particular; I just… thought I could look around…?"

Twilight's enthusiasm deflated slightly. "Oh. Yes, you can do that." Pausing to adjust her saddlebags, she continued. "I was just leaving though, so if you find something, Spike can assist you with it."

"Right, sure," Meteorite nodded along, before remembering she shouldn't know who Spike was. "Uhhh, 'Spike'?"

Twilight blinked briefly in confusion before her eyes grew wide with realization, and her hoof flew to her chest. "Oh my gosh! I am so sorry! I've been terribly rude, and haven't even introduced myself! I'm Twilight Sparkle. Spike's my assistant."

"Ahh," Meteorite nodded, before noting the expectant expression on Twilight. "Oh! I'm- I'm Meteorite."

"Pleasure to meet you, Meteorite!" Twilight remarked, just as a flash of recognition crossed her face. "Say, you're that pony Pinkie was with earlier, aren't you?"

"Ah h-heh, yeah," Meteorite said with a hint of embarrassment. "She was uh, showing me around town."

"Well, good to see she hasn't scared you off," Twilight said, smiling sympathetically. "That pony can be just a little overwhelming at first."

"H-Heh, yeah…"

"Anyway," Twilight continued as she moved past Meteorite. "I hate to leave so soon, but I'm afraid you've caught me on my way out to run a few errands. You're welcome to stay and look around until I get back though. I hope you find something interesting!" With a wave, she turned around and headed down the street, leaving Meteorite standing in the open doorway to the library.

"And just like that," Meteorite half-muttered to herself, "she's gone. Just left a total stranger all alone inside her home." She paused, turning about to face the interior of the tree. "Well, library, I guess." Is Equestria just that trusting, or is Twilight just that naïve? ...could be a bit of both, actually.

Plucking up enough courage to step inside, Meteorite cautiously approached the centre of the library, slowly turning about as she took in every bit of detail before her. Spike wasn't anywhere to be seen, oddly enough, and the library stood silent. It gave off an odd sense of familiarity about it, appearing to be just as she'd remembered seeing it, as if she had been the one to spend the past couple years here rather than Twilight.

However, what wasn't shown in those couple years, or perhaps maybe she just hadn't paid that much attention to, was the sheer volume of books, neatly packed into every shelf. A few more piles of books still sat on the floor, strategically stacked in out of the way spots. She'd been in libraries before, but this one felt different. Overwhelmingly so.

So many books, she mouthed to herself, eyeing the books as she skimmed the shelves. This is all- This is all… pony literature, she realised. Oh my god, I could just spend days just read-

With a frown, her thoughts were interrupted by a more cynical thought. As she considered the new thought, she suspiciously eyed the library and its contents, slowly forming an idea. An idea that she intentionally avoided thinking about, so that her thoughts could not be 'read' by the author. She threw in some garbled meaningless thoughts as well, for good measure.

In addition, she casually wandered over to a random spot in the library, intentionally focused on the shelves. Standing still, her thoughts were entirely on the shelves in front of her and-

Suddenly she spun around to face one of the stack piles, and swiped her hoof across the top book, flinging it open to a random page in the process, and she stamped her hoof down on the book, holding it open as she glared at its words.

'overwhelm a pony's will and will need a counter to remove it from their aura. Sometimes the counter is built into the spell itself, but not always.'

Below the half-paragraph was a crudely drawn unicorn, apparently in shock, with spirals in place of their eyes. Swallowing, Meteorite carefully peeled back the page and read the other side. At the top of the page was a chapter titled, 'Curses, Magical Diseases, and other Magical Oddities'. The rest of the page served as an introduction to the topic, with the final paragraph on the page reading, 'Curses are not common, but they can appear in many forms, with spells being the most known. These kinds of curses can be cast upon others, but most are self-inflicted by an unwitting pony's actions, unaware of the spell's true results. They are most likely to'

Meteorite stared at the paragraph, and flipped the page back over, rereading the rest.

Fuck… she thought clearly as she skimmed the rest of the book. Okay, so all this looks like it actually makes sense. Shit. I… I wasn't expecting to get something that was actually readable.

She glanced up at the rest of the shelved books, towering over her.

There's… There's no way all these books have content in them. Because if they do… then… I can't actually be the one writing them…

Feebly resisting the rising panic she was feeling, her eyes flitted over the titles printed on each book's spine, silently reading each one to herself.

I must be cheating somehow, she reasoned, trying to convince herself. Yes, that's it. I must be finding a way around all this.

Eventually, her eyes passed over a series of books with a very prominent and recognisable name on the spines, and she hesitated.

Well, I know for a fact I didn't write the Daring Do books, she told herself. I wonder if these really are the Daring Do stories Rainbow Dash and Twilight go mental over…

Clucking her tongue, Meteorite stared down the collection on the shelf as she considered her next move. Eventually, curiosity took hold and she quietly stepped on over and carefully raised herself up to meet the books at eye level, using lower shelves as hoofholds to steady herself. The irony of feeling off-balanced on two legs was still not lost on her.

With careful movement, Meteorite reached out towards one of the books, presumably the first one in the series given its position on the shelf and the idea that Twilight would shelve a book out of order was absolutely ludicrous, and gently pawed at the top of it in an attempt to tip it over and out of its nestled location. It tilted, but was caught on the shelf above.

"Come on…" she lightly growled, as further attempts proved useless. Switching up tactics, she sidled over until the book was directly in front of her, and attempted to pin what little of the book was jutting out in-between her hooves. The book jostled slightly, but stubbornly refused to budge. She tried wriggling the book from side to side to loosen it and with a firmer grip on it, tugged hard on it.

It slid out quickly, surprising Meteorite as she awkwardly stumbled backwards, still holding the book. Panicked, she clutched the book to her chest with both forelegs, and awaited the ensuing crash.

However, to her surprise, Meteorite soon realised she was in fact not falling over backwards, but actually keeping her balance on her hind legs. She still felt unsteady, but nevertheless she was standing upright. Throwing a nervous glance down at herself and back up again, a tiny grin formed on her face as she took a gamble and lifted a leg to take a step.

Unfortunately, it did not pay off.

Immediately thrown off-balance, she fell backwards into a book trolley, which rolled violently into the wall. Sat with her back against the trolley, Meteorite grimaced as she nursed the numb stinging she got from falling down, and paused as she heard a slight tremor from behind her. Looking up too late, she gave a short yelp as a shelf's worth of books crashed down on top of her.

"Twilight?" came a young voice from upstairs, followed by a hurried pitter-patter as Spike came bounding down the stairs. "Is that you, Twilight? Are you back already?"

Confused, he scanned the library and stopped as he stared at the horrific mess of books, haphazardly piled upon each other, half-open with pages bent, and what looked like a purple hoof sticking out from underneath. Quickly scampering across, he began pulling books off the pile, and grabbed the hoof, trying to free the buried pony. He didn't have the strength to move them, but the action seemed to encourage the pony to get up anyway.

"You're not Twilight," Spike said apprehensively, confused by the sight of Not Twilight slowly climbing out from under the pile.

"No 'm not," Meteorite muttered as she purposely looked away, more embarrassed than hurt from being under the books. Clearing her throat, she found the courage to face Spike. He had his arms crossed, looking at her uneasily.

"So… who are you, exactly?"

"Ah, I'm… Meteorite," she said reluctantly, beginning to hate having to introduce herself to every new face she met. "I was uh, just looking around the library. I'm… new in town."

"Oh!" Spike exclaimed, dropping his suspiciousness along with unfolding his arms. "Neat! That'll mean Pinkie will be throwing a party soon. Her parties are the best!"

"So I've heard," Meteorite unenthusiastically replied. Before she had a chance to think about her next line of thought, Spike thrusted an open claw towards her.

"I'm Spike, by the way! I'm Twilight's assistant!"

Meteorite stared briefly at the offered claw, and gingerly placed her hoof in Spike's grasp. He gave her hoof a hearty shake. "Nice to meet ya!"

"Heh, likewise," Meteorite responded, a smile creeping on her face. "You're a dragon, aren't ya?"

"You bet!" Spike proudly exclaimed as his eyes lit up. "But don't worry," he said slyly, covering the side of his mouth with the back of his claw, "I'm one of the nice ones."

"I don't doubt that," Meteorite said as she giggled lightly. Spike beamed, but hesitated as his gaze fell upon the books lying about them.

"Ah, hang on a sec," he muttered as he set about picking up the books one by one. "If Twilight sees these books like this she'll lose it!"

Ah, yeeah, Meteorite thought guiltily as she silently watched. She instinctively wanted to offer help, but well, Spike was the one with hands. Claws. Still, she nudged a few books into a short stack on the pretense that she was actually doing something.

"Hey, thanks," Spike said as he jogged over to pick up the few books in front of Meteorite, taking them back to the shelves. Meteorite sighed quietly, but her expression brightened as she spotted the Daring Do book she was trying to grab earlier lying amidst the pile. Covertly watching Spike, she bent down and lightly bit down on the book and stepped off to the side.

"I'm… just gonna be reading this book, alright?" she called out, dropping the book into her hooves. Spike blinked as he looked in her direction, and gave her a dismissive wave as he returned to his duty.

"Yeah yeah, go nuts. I've got this."

Right, Meteorite thought to herself as she turned her attention back to the book. She stared intently at the cover, studying the artwork, before turning the book over. The back cover was bare, which surprised Meteorite as she was expecting to see a blurb of some kind or, rather, a short summary of the story.

Intrigued, she turned the book back the right way round, and carefully opened it. Instead of diving straight into the story, she instead focused on the foreword page as well as, for the first time ever, carefully read all the publishing info.

It… It all looked legit.

Troubled, she bit her lip and flipped the rest of the book over, so that she was at the end. She found the end of the story, not even reading anything but the word 'END', and flicked through the remaining pages. Most were blank, with the final page containing a short author bio.

Fuck… this looks like a real, actual book. W- Would I have gone through all this trouble with these details? She frowned, now taking in the contents of the bio. A.K. Yearling… Is that- I… I don't remember hearing that name at all. Did they even mention the author in the show? I don't think they did… I can't remember. Still… this is a lot of detail to put down just to fool me… She glanced up at the rest of the library. And I'd… have to have done it with every book there is…

Her worried contemplation was quickly interrupted by a sudden knocking at the library door, making her jump. She couldn't see the door from where she was sitting, but saw Spike jump down from a shelf and jog across the room.

"Coming!" he cried as he disappeared from view, followed shortly by the sound of the door swinging open.

"Oh, hello Spike!" Rarity greeted as she trotted past him, "Is Twilight about?"

"U-Uh, no," Spike stammered, running to her side, "She left a short while ago. Said she had to go pick up a few things from Sugarcube Corner."

"Oh," Rarity sighed as she turned to face him. "I must've just missed her. That's… frustrating. I had wanted to ask if she was done with that book I lent her a while ago."

"Hm," Spike mused thoughtfully as he folded his arms, with one claw on his chin. "You mean that one about art and inspiration and junk like that?"

"Mhm!" Rarity nodded. "I've seemed to have hit a sort of… rut with my designs, so I was hoping to look it over again as a..." -she twirled a hoof, trying to think- "a reminder, I suppose."

"Oh…" Spike said, unsure. "So, it's important then?"

"Very much so! Do you know when she'll be back?"

Spike shook his head, but grinned sheepishly at her. "No, buuut, I'm pretty sure I know where it is! If you wait right here, I can go get it for you!"

Rarity gasped with delight. "Oh Spike," she cooed as she tousled Spike's head spines with her hoof, "that would be marvelous!"

That was all Spike needed to hurriedly leap his way up the stairs. As Rarity watched him go, she smiled and patiently inspected her hoof. However, she sensed something was off, and half-turned around. It was then that she saw the purple pony sitting in the corner staring back at her, her book lazily held in her hooves.

"Ah-" Rarity started, her hoof instinctively pressed against her chest from startlement. "I do apologize; I was unaware Twilight was having company! How do you do?"

Meteorite didn't respond. She knew she ought to; she ought to say something. But her mind had locked up at the sight of Rarity. It would have been very similar to her initial meeting with Applejack but this time, for some reason, it… felt different. Just… something… about… Rarity. Being here. Right in front of her. Growing uneasy with the lack of response.

It was fortunate at this point that the book slid from Meteorite's hooves and hit the floor with a thud, snapping Meteorite out of… whatever that was. She gave a small shout from the noise and jumped up to her hooves.

"Ah-! H-Hello! Hi! Sorry! I-! Um! Hi!"

Rarity gave a small sigh of relief, though she was still somewhat on edge. She politely cleared her throat and put on a smile.

"Hello there. Who might you be?"

"Uh, heh, ah-!" Meteorite nervously tittered. "I'm…! My name's M-Meteorite!"

"Mm, charmed," Rarity responded, continuing to be polite. "I'm Rarity, it's a pleasure to meet you, darling."

Meteorite barely held in her delighted gasp as she quickly adopted a wide and silly grin, waving Rarity off and blushing. "Ah stop, no it's not-!"

Rarity raised an eyebrow, confused by the response. "Ah, well, if… you say so. Are… you a friend of Twilight's?"

"Me? Nononono!" Meteorite giggled, "I'm not any- anypony important! I'm just here to read books!" She sat and eagerly held up the Daring Do book with both hooves. Disdainfully regarding the book choice, Rarity placed her hoof on top of the book and slowly lowered it out of view.

"Well. Reading is important," Rarity said carefully, clearing her throat once more. "So, are you… new here? I don't believe I've seen you about."

Meteorite laughed giddily. "Yep! Yep, sure am! C-C-Completely new, hehe!"

Not really knowing how to respond to that, Rarity was thankfully distracted by a triumphant cry from upstairs.

"Found it!" Spike proclaimed from the top of the stairs, holding up the book reverently. Dashing down the stairs, he stopped before Rarity and knelt down on one knee, bowing as he presented the book with both claws.

"Oh!" Rarity exclaimed, levitating the book with her magic. "Yes, this is it! I cannot thank you enough, my little Spikey!" Leaning down, she planted a big kiss on Spike's forehead leaving him in a daze, and with a big dopey grin.

"Anything… for you, Rarity…"

Rarity nonchalantly patted him on the head a few times before making for the door, her attention entirely on the book in front of her. Suddenly remembering her previous company, she paused mid-step and turned to face Meteorite with a friendly smile.

"Well, I must be going now, I'm afraid," Rarity told Meteorite, pausing to consider her briefly. "You know, you ought to drop by my boutique sometime, if you're interested. I guarantee you I'll find the perfect dress for you!"

A deep crimson blush crossed Meteorite's face as her gaze fell and absent-mindedly traced a squiggly circle on the ground with her hoof. "Ahaha… oh t-totally, I-I'd l-love to do that…" She finished by accidentally snorting back a laugh, though she appeared to not notice.

"Mm," Rarity murmured unsurely. "Well, yes, anyway. Until the next time we meet!"

She had barely turned to leave when Meteorite cleared her throat and half-called out, catching her attention again.

"Um!" Meteorite began hopefully. Her blushing from earlier was still visible, though fading. "I-I… That is, um… Pinkie! Pinkie's throwing me a welcoming party today. W- Will you… be there?"

Spike perked up at the question and also looked to Rarity expectantly, fidgeting his claws together. Rarity looked between the two, a sense of uneasiness growing within her. Confused, she forcibly shook it off.

"Ah… I am afraid I cannot," Rarity replied with a hint of regret. "I am rather busy today. Perhaps another time?"

Meteorite's face reddened once more, although with embarrassment. Her smile wavered slightly in addition, but stayed where it was through effort. "Ah-! Yeah, no, no no…" she scoffed, waving a hoof back and forth. "I was just wondering, h-heh. Nnn-No problem. Seeya."

"Hm. Very well, I shall… 'see you', darling." Turning, she waved briefly to an equally disappointed Spike before leaving. "Bye Spikey, thank you again for finding my book!"

As Rarity headed off back into town, both Meteorite and Spike watched her go from the open doorway of the library. Once Rarity disappeared from sight, the pair let out a shared sigh.

"She's a heartbreaker for sure, isn't she," Spike murmured wistfully.

"Yeah…" Meteorite muttered back. A few seconds later she blinked a few times, coming to her senses. She leaned away from Spike, her foreleg raised defensively. "Pf-Pft, noo!" she objected, "I'm not heartbroken!"

Spike turned to face her, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "I wasn't… talking about you."

Meteorite blinked some more, regaining more of her senses, and relaxed her posture. "Right… I knew that," she lied, as she began to feel more and more troubled for some reason.

Spike chuckled at her reaction, folding his arms. "Boy, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were the one with a crush on Rarity, not me!"

Meteorite awkwardly joined in with a forced chuckle, but soon froze as she took in Spike's words.

Oh fuck, I am! Oh god, I have a crush on Rar-

"Agh!"

Meteorite's internal panic attack was quickly interrupted by Spike gripping hold of her foreleg, having a panic attack of his own as he looked up at her, fearfully.

"I didn't say that, alright?! I don't have a crush on Rarity! Promise you won't tell her! Or anypony else!"

Meteorite stared back at him, seeing her reflection in his eyes. Oh god, I'm Scootaloo and Spike. Fuck me. Her thoughts immediately turned to Rarity, and she blushed heavily. Wait, no! I mean…! I mean… fuck.

"Yeah sure," Meteorite muttered, shaking her thoughts clear. "I promise I won't tell anyone."

Spike studied her for a moment but let go and exhaled a sigh of relief, wiping his brow with his arm.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

"Th- That was our first meeting?"

Rarity was always one for dramatics, and you would be forgiven for thinking that here, with one hoof clutched to her chest and a look of abject horror on her face as she stared wide-eyed at her quietly embarrassed companion. But dramatic flair or not, by the time Meteorite had begrudgingly finished describing the event, Rarity was feeling downright awful about it.

And maybe a little ashamed too.

"That was our first…" Rarity repeated, more to herself than anything else. Her hoof rose to her mouth as she furiously concentrated, trying to think back to that day.

"...Yes," she eventually spoke, nodding as her eyes lit up slightly. "Yes, I remember now. That was you…" Her eyes met with Meteorite's, and her cheeks were still tinged with embarrassment.

"Y-Yeah… Not the… greatest first impression ever…" Meteorite mumbled, glancing away. "Actually, probably the absolute worst."

"Darling, it wasn't that bad," Rarity said pointedly. She reached across the table, placing a hoof near Meteorite, trying to be reassuring. "I can promise you, I didn't even realize you were crushing on me!"

The kitchen suddenly grew cold around them as Rarity's own words caught up with herself, and she realized Meteorite was firmly holding her averted gaze. Feeling worse, Rarity withdrew her hoof.

"I'm sorry," she apologized softly, "that was the wrong thing to say, wasn't it?"

Meteorite closed her eyes with a light nod, and drew in a breath before turning to face Rarity with an unhappy smile.

"It's okay," she sighed. "I know you didn't mean anything by it. Besides, doesn't matter now, does it? And... it's not like I didn't make things worse afterwards anyway."

Rarity dreaded asking, but she simply had to know.

"Worse? How?"

Chapter 9

Still in a daze about what just happened, Meteorite decided to leave the library in order to walk around for some alone time in order to reflect. The library would've been a good place for that, except Spike was still tidying the place and was enough to be a distraction, and Meteorite was easily distracted.

Plus, it felt weird to be thinking about Rarity with Spike around.

Rarity.

What, exactly, the fuck happened back there? Meteorite had gone all silly over her in spite of herself. Admittedly, Rarity was her favourite, no doubt about it, but…

But… to be actually crushing on her, that's… that's just sad.

Meteorite frowned at the thought, and trotted off to the side of the main road in order to sit down.

I mean, Meteorite continued to rationalise, she's not even real. Also —probably a more pressing fact, y'know, j- just throwing this out there— she's a goddamn pony! Yes, she's the best pony around, and she's kind and wonderful, and generous, obviously, and yeah, she'll… she'll fight for what she believes in, put everyone else before her, make sure they'll feel good about themselves… and of course, she's… beautiful…

Throughout her thoughts, her frown and any anger she had had faded away, leaving her only with a wistful sigh as she stared over the horizon. A short moment later, she realised what she was doing and forcibly shook her head clear.

NO! Nononono! Goddammit, stop that! She's. Not. Real. And, again, very important, she's a pony! A pony! A PONY.

Meteorite stomped on the ground to emphasise the fact, but all it did was draw her attention to her own hoof, staring at it a little dumbfounded.

...Well. I mean, technically, so am I right now…

That thought left her stunned as the logistics and morality of it all crossed her mind, along with where the lines blurred. Snapping out of it, she shuddered and once more shook her head vigorously, cradling her head in her hooves.

Oh god, no! No no no no! That's just… oh my god no. That's dangerous territory to venture into… She paused to evenly pace her breathing. Okay, calm down, calm down, let's… just try to think this through. I can't be crushing on Rarity, because… because it's stupid. It's stupid, and… wrong, and immoral, and… and… probably a bunch of other things I can't think of right now.

Meteorite felt herself calming down, and pressed on. I'm probably only feeling this way about her because… because… I really like her? Well, duh, no shit. Shaking her head, she continued. Um… Um… maybe because I can now talk to her as well? ...Yeah, that's probably it. My brain probably got all screwed up because she was like, right there in front of me, so I guess some wires got crossed or something idiotic like that.

Satisfied with her self-diagnosis, Meteorite got up and marched on down the street.

"Okay…" she muttered to herself. "So… just avoid Rarity until… I'unno. Your pony hormones settle down or something." Immediately, she screwed up her face in disgust, her tongue sticking out. "Okay, don't say that ever again. Ick."

A short canter onward, Meteorite spoke up again, continuing to reassure herself.

"Besides! We're both mares. It's not like Rarity would ever be interested in me anyway."

Meteorite felt a sudden sharp twinge in her chest which caused her to stumble to a stop as she held a hoof to it. The feeling faded as quickly as it came, but the memory lingered.

"Fuck-" Meteorite murmured in shock, "Jesus, I… actually felt bad saying that."

Shaking off the feeling, Meteorite pressed on. Okay, wasn't expecting that. Still, whatever, it's all part of… She paused, casting a suspicious glance upwards through the sky. Is this your doing? Oh god, it's not, is it? You're not fucking trying to pair me up with Rarity, are you? God fucking damn it, what's wrong with you?

Steeling herself, Meteorite drew in a deep breath and did her best to continue walking calmly through the streets of Ponyville.

Fine. If that's your game, well you're out of luck. I promise you I will never, never, never ever let you turn this into a fucking shipfic. I'll fucking avoid Rarity for the rest of my life if I have to, just so you won't get your own idiotic way!

The words felt as bitter as they sounded but Meteorite fought past them, determined to hold her ground strong. Confident that she had made her point, she continued down the street. Along the way, she walked past several recognisable ponies including Twilight Sparkle, who briefly acknowledged her with a smile before presumably heading back to her library. Meteorite subtly eyed her as she did so.

It's so weird just… seeing the main characters just… out and about. I… I keep feeling like something's about to go down whenever I see them.

"Heeeey!"

Sharply turning her head, Meteorite locked eyes with a cheerful-looking Pinkie, excitedly leaning over the bottom half of the entrance to Sugarcube Corner, a short distance away. Meteorite took a step back, her ears falling flat.

Or… maybe it's just the impending sense of Pinkie looming over me.

Like a shot, Pinkie dashed through the open half of the door, and landed directly in front of Meteorite with an audible springing sound, grinning as she leaned forward.

"Hi again! Gueeeeess what?"

"Er- Err…" Meteorite stammered as she found herself leaning away in response, "...what?"

"You're right on time for your party!"

"I- I am?"

"Of course!" Pinkie said proudly. "A pony is never too early or too late to their own party!"

"Uh… huh," Meteorite murmured, eyeing Pinkie suspiciously. "I… suppose they also arrive precisely when they mean to."

Pinkie giggled. "Well, duh! It'd be pretty silly to arrive when you don't want to!"

Meteorite went to retort, but found herself stumped by Pinkie's logic. Momentarily caught off-guard, she glanced away, allowing Pinkie to grab her by the hoof.

"Come on, the party's this way!"

Alarmed, Meteorite jerked back, managing to shake her hoof free of Pinkie's grasp before she could be pulled away.

"Um! Okay! I'll follow, just… no more dragging me places, okay? Please?"

"Okie dokie!" Pinkie nodded with a wide smile before turning and lightly bouncing back towards Sugarcube Corner. Not wanting to risk incurring any more of Pinkie's… Pinkieness, Meteorite trotted after her, watching her the entire time.

You're… a wild card, aren't you? I mean, I knew that, but… I as the author could… get away with a lot of things through you. Meteorite frowned, skepticism of herself growing with each passing second. If only… if only I fucking knew what your plan was with whatever story you're writing.

As she stewed on that thought, carefully watching Pinkie with each bounce she made, her distrustful eyes slowly widened.

Wait a minute… Pinkie!

"Wait a minute! Pinkie!"

"Hm?" Glancing back, Pinkie stopped after a final bounce and turned around to face Meteorite with a smile. "Yeeesss? What is it?"

Quickly trotting up to her, Meteorite took a brief reprieve to collect her thoughts before speaking. "Pinkie, I'm gonna need to ask you a question."

"Oh, okay!" Pinkie responded, slightly tilting her head as she became thoughtful, deep in concentration.

"Uhh…" Meteorite began, suddenly off-guard again. "What… are you doing?"

"Thinking of something for you to guess!" Pinkie said cheerfully, before giving a nod of finality, shifting into a singsong. "Okay~! I've got something! You have nineteen questions left!"

Meteorite blinked, taken aback by the abrupt turn in the conversation. However, she went along with it, and began scanning their surroundings. "Uhh… hm… is it… an apple?"

"Nope! Try again!"

"Is it… wait."

Suddenly realising what she was doing, Meteorite shook her head clear and fixed Pinkie with a stare.

"Pinkie!" She exclaimed firmly. "We're not playing Twenty Questions!"

"Aw."

With a deep breath to clear her thoughts, Meteorite tried again, her tone becoming quieter. "Pinkie. This is serious, okay? I'm talking serious, with a capital 'S'."

"Ooo…" Pinkie cooed, finally understanding the gravity of the situation. "That is Serious."

Meteorite stared at Pinkie for a moment, growing doubtful of her plan before pushing those feelings aside. "Pinkie, before I ask you, I'm going to need you to promise me to tell me the absolute truth, okay?"

"Okay!" Pinkie beamed. "I promise!"

Grr… Meteorite frowned. You damn well know that's not what I want from her. She shook her head and quietly spoke again, her voice clear of any frustration. "No, I mean, like, super duper promise, y'know?"

"Oh! I can do that!" Pinkie said brightly, beginning to pantomime. "I promise to tell you the truth - cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!"

Gotcha! Meteorite cheered internally, almost failing to hide her elation. "So… you promise to tell the truth?"

Pinkie nodded. "Yes indeedy! I never break a Pinkie Promise!"

That's what I was counting on!

Clearing her throat, Meteorite leaned in close while glancing about, making sure nopony else could eavesdrop, and lowered her voice to a whisper. "Pinkie, I need you to tell me... what's going to happen with the story."

There was a stillness between the two as Pinkie slowly frowned. Leaning in to meet Meteorite's pose, she too glanced about herself before responding.

"What story?" she half-whispered out of the corner of her mouth.

Meteorite cast a wary eye at her, unamused. No no no, you can't do that. Pinkie knows. It's a staple of all fanfic. Pinkie always knows.

"You know…" Meteorite urged, "the story we're in."

Pinkie tilted her head in both confusion and excitement. "We're in a story?"

"Yes," Meteorite replied testily. "The one that's happening right now."

"Ooh," Pinkie crooned, dancing lightly on her hooves. "Is somepony writing a story about us?! Is it Twilight? Oh oh, maybe it's Rarity? Oh! Or maybe-!"

As Pinkie continued to list off potential authors, Meteorite soon was feeling sick as she stared dumbly at her, desperately wanting to refuse to believe that her plan hadn't worked. It should've worked. There was no reason for it not to. And yet…

"Oh!" Pinkie said suddenly, cutting herself off as a new thought occurred to her. "Or maybe you meant like in a- hm, what did Twilight call it… a 'metaphysical' sense! Yeah! Something like, 'all the world's a stage, and all the stallions and mares are merely players'?"

"N-No…" was all Meteorite could stammer out, still staring wide-eyed at Pinkie. A cold chill crossed her back as Pinkie frowned in thought, sitting with her forelegs crossed.

"Huh. Well, sorry," Pinkie said apologetically. "I don't know what story you're talking about. But it sounds great if we're in it!"

"Y- You… don't know."

"Nope! But I sure would like to read it! And that is absoposilutely the truth!" Pinkie beamed, getting back to her hooves. However, when Meteorite didn't respond —her only reaction being gradually staring vacantly at the ground— Pinkie grew concerned and poked her lightly in the shoulder. "Hey, you okay?"

Startled, Meteorite jerked her head back up and blinked as she looked at Pinkie, as if seeing her for the first time. "U-Uh... um. Y...eah. I'm… o-okay. I'm just…" Meteorite trailed off, staring into the distance and lost in her thoughts.

"Are you sure? You seem really out of it!" Pinkie waved a hoof in front of Meteorite, garnering no reaction. Frowning, she stepped into Meteorite's view. "Hm. You know what might help?"

Slowly focusing back onto Pinkie, Meteorite feebly studied Pinkie's face for any sort of clue to latch onto, but gave up almost as quickly as she began.

"...Is it a party?" she weakly asked.

"It is a party!" Pinkie cheered, confetti flying. She pointed towards Sugarcube Corner. "Come on, everypony's already waiting!"

"Okay…" Meteorite stiltedly replied as the confetti settled about her mane, obediently following after Pinkie.

The interior of Sugarcube Corner had been decorated since Meteorite was dragged there a few hours prior, with numerous decorations in the form of colourful streamers attached to the walls, balloons tied to tables and posts and even a banner or two. Light music drifted through the air, but that was almost drowned out by the bustling activity within the bakery, with several ponies attending and talking among themselves.

Meteorite could feel the panic within her rising, it becoming heightened ever further when Pinkie leapt in front of her, throwing more confetti.

"Welcome to your 'Welcome-To-Ponyville-Earlier-Today' Party!"

Forcing herself to keep her cool, Meteorite glanced about and looked past the crowd which wasn't even paying her or Pinkie any heed. Several tables had been laid out in the form of a banquet, with several pastries and sweets displayed with loving care. Behind the counter, she could see Mrs Cake happily selling to a short queue of ponies, presumably wanting something that wasn't being offered for free.

"It um… It looks… good," Meteorite had to admit.

"It's what I do," Pinkie said coolly while nonchalantly inspecting her hoof. Looking back up at Meteorite, she broke into a grin. "Do ya like it? Huh? Do ya?"

Even in her stressful state, Meteorite couldn't fight back the tiny smile she got from looking at Pinkie's hopeful face. "Uh… I guess? So far, yeah?"

"Eeee~" Pinkie squealed, hopping from hoof to hoof. "Just wait until you get into the swing of it! You're going to make so many friends here!"

Meteorite glanced back at the crowd, a few of the ponies now casting a few looks towards her and Pinkie curiously. She felt like a prey trapped in the gaze of predators.

"Oh… good," Meteorite uttered, her throat dry. "That's… what I wan-"

Before she could react, Pinkie shushed her by placing a hoof on hers, sniffing the air with a concentrated look. She mulled thoughtfully before turning to face Meteorite.

"I'm very sorry," Pinkie apologized cheerily, "buuuut I have to go and take care of the muffins!"

"Oh, uh-"

"Now now," Pinkie patted Meteorite on the head in an attempt to be comforting, "don't you worry! You just stay here and enjoy your W-T-P-E-T-P!"

"My what?" Meteorite asked, before suddenly having a flash of understanding.

"'Welcome-To-Ponyville-Earlier-Today Party', right yeah, of course," she monotonously added in unison with Pinkie's cheerful reply, as Pinkie bounced over the counter and Mrs Cake, who managed to duck out of the way in time. With that revelation out of the way, Meteorite realised she was now alone in the crowd.

Most of the gathered ponies continued to ignore her, including a few previously curious ones, but as she swept her gaze around the room she'd made enough eye contact to want to slink away and pretend she wasn't there at all. She thought about the exit behind her, but quickly realised that would probably make Pinkie sad if she left her own party.

She… couldn't do that to her.

With a heavy heart, Meteorite made her way over to one of the buffet tables, silently hoping to get through the party without much interaction. However, as she was in the middle of deciding how to scoop food onto a plate without looking like an idiot, she became aware of somepony next to her.

"Hi there!"

Sharply looking to her right, Meteorite immediately recognised the mint-coloured unicorn Lyra, who was smiling politely at her. This took her a few moments to process the situation, but luckily Lyra continued without pause.

"So, you're the new pony in town, huh?" Lyra asked, indicating the party. Meteorite nodded dumbly, unable to find her voice.

"Cool! Nice to meet you. I'm Lyra Heartstrings, and this-" she sidestepped slightly, revealing the equally familiar Bon-Bon behind her, currently perusing the tables, "-is Bon-Bon!"

Bon-Bon casually looked up at her name. "Hey," she greeted, before turning her attention back to the food. Meteorite reflexively gave her an already too late awkward wave.

"So, you got a name?" Lyra asked with a smile.

"O-Oh!" Meteorite exclaimed in embarrassment, and gestured to herself. "Yeah, sorry, I'm- my name's Meteorite."

"Neat," Lyra beamed. "So, what brings you to Ponyville, Meteorite?"

"Uh- um… Hm, good question…" Meteorite murmured, mostly to herself. "Uh! I mean-!" Meteorite quickly backpedalled upon catching Lyra's puzzled expression, pausing for a bit to craft something together. "I'm… currently working over at Sweet Apple Acres, until I find something else."

There was a light scoff from a still disinterested Bon-Bon, surprising Meteorite. Lyra waved away Meteorite's attention.

"Don't mind her; she's still a little sore about something with the Apple family that happened over a year ago…!" she pointedly said in Bon-Bon's direction, who rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I hope you find something soon!"

"Um, thanks," Meteorite mumbled, unsure how to feel about Lyra. It was hard to judge simply from a minute's worth of meeting her, but Lyra wasn't fitting the usual depiction of her as a crazed theorist who was obsessed with humans. Instead, she just seemed… well, normal. And that worried Meteorite. Enough that during the now growing awkward lull, she decided to risk things a little.

"So uh… y-you're a unicorn, yeah?"

Bemused, Lyra glanced upwards towards her horn. "What gave it away?"

"Well y-yeah, obviously!" Meteorite spluttered, hiding her embarrassment behind a laugh. "I mean- I was just thinking- Ah, y'know… Man, picking things up with magic sure seems like it'd be handy."

Mildly confused, Lyra glanced back at Bon-Bon, who looked back at her with similar confusion and a shrug.

"Uh, yeah I guess? I never really thought about it, I suppose."

"Ah heh yeah right of course!" Meteorite rushed her words out, her embarrassment already wearing down her façade. "...Sorry, I'm not good at small talk."

Lyra waved it off with a light-hearted scoff. "Ahh, well who is, huh? Anyway, I won't hold you up, just came on over to say hey, so… hey," Lyra finished with a smile, turning to leave. "Was nice meeting you!"

"Yeah, nice to meet ya," Bon-Bon chimed in, leaving with a plate of food on her hoof. Meteorite solemnly watched them leave before lowering her gaze to the floor, looking away.

"Yeah, nice to meet you too…"

The party continued well into the afternoon with music thumping into the street. Pinkie continued to serve everypony and make sure they were having a good time, especially Meteorite. Luckily Pinkie wasn't exactly subtle whenever she made herself known, allowing Meteorite time to feign appearances until she left again. For now though, Meteorite found a table tucked away near the back and sat there, her head flopped upon the table in depression, looking at everypony else.

What do I do? Nothing's… adding up the way they should be. Lyra's… normal, Dr Whooves isn't Dr Whooves, and Pinkie… Pinkie can't break the fourth wall. ...The fuck does that even mean? Why can't she?

Lifting her head up with a sigh, Meteorite looked back and studied the bakery wall behind her, as if that would offer anything new. She frowned when it didn't.

She became aware of an approaching set of hoofsteps too late, and turned around to see Mrs Cake coming towards her, a concerned smile on her face.

"So here's where you've been hiding, dearie! I haven't seen you up and about for a while, is everything okay?"

Meteorite swallowed as she stared back, instinctively wanting to summon forth the false courage to lie. However, Mrs Cake's kindly eyes weakened that resolve, and Meteorite just wanted to tell her the truth. Just a little.

"I'm… I'm just not… I don't do well at parties…" she quietly admitted.

Mrs Cake's expression became knowing, and she stepped closer, speaking softly.

"I see. And I'm guessing Pinkie didn't know that." Meteorite shook her head, and Mrs Cake continued. "I'm very sorry, please don't think too badly of her for this. She only means well."

"Oh, I know that," Meteorite responded, "I'm not like, upset with her or anything. I just… I'm… really not in the mood, currently." She looked down at the table. "But I don't want her to think I'm not enjoying her party; I know how much all this means to her…"

Mrs Cake thoughtfully studied Meteorite for a moment, before smiling. "Well, why don't you just stay right there if you want, and I'll see what I can do to make sure you're not disturbed."

"That'd be nice…" Meteorite smiled weakly.

"Would you like anything from the kitchen, dearie? On the house, since it is your party, after all," Mrs Cake asked. Meteorite thought for a moment.

"A glass of water?" she sheepishly asked.

Mrs Cake laughed lightly with a wink. "I'll see what I can do."

It wasn't long before Meteorite was staring unfocused into the empty glass between her hooves, trying to piece together all the conflicting information she had from that day. She didn't like where it was taking her, but she was arriving at one consistent conclusion.

What if… What if Pinkie can't break the fourth wall… because there is no fourth wall?

The thought sent a chill through her and she shuddered, glancing about the party and the ponies enjoying themselves.

What if… I've been wrong the whole time? And this is really happening?

Meteorite was finding herself unhappy with this. Not at being wrong, although that was part of it, but mainly because it left her feeling even more helpless than before. If all this was really happening, then… what could she do? Who could she even turn to for help? Twilight? Then what? How would she even convince her that she was really an alien creature from another dimension where she would watch her and her friends go on adventures and now she was stuck here in the body of a pony?

Meteorite sighed and laid her head down between her forelegs on the table. Even when it's real it sounded like a lazy, hackneyed fanfic.

Also… this meant that for the past week she'd been… well, essentially yelling at nothing. There was no other her. No conspiracy to write the dumbest thing she'd even written. No… anything.

Dammit, of course it's not a story. She would never have the drive or motivation to write this far. She should have known.

She should have known, and she was all alone. Again.

"Hey, I think I see her! Over there!"

Lifting her head at the familiar voice, at the entrance Meteorite saw three friendly faces looking her way. Pushing herself up, she hurriedly left her seat and pushed her way past the crowd.

"Sunny! Applejack! Silverfire!" Meteorite exclaimed with surprise. "What're you all doing here?"

With a smile and a wink, Applejack stepped forward between the other two, being mindful of both their saddlebags. "Well, when Ah saw Pinkie had ya in her clutches, Ah kinda figured a party was gonna be happenin'. So Ah gathered up these two here!"

A warm feeling washed over Meteorite as she looked at the trio, but she couldn't help but frown slightly as she did.

"Steel's not here?"

Sunny looked down sadly, while Silverfire awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to explain.

"Steel's… not really into parties, y'know?"

Meteorite squared herself up as she curtly nodded, fighting back her disappointment. "Yeah. I get it."

"Aah, don't ya fret too much about that one," Applejack consoled, putting a hoof on Meteorite's back. "Parties aren't fer everypony."

There was a beat as Meteorite gave Applejack a side-glance. "...Yeah. I get it."

"Hey, so!" Sunny said suddenly, reaching behind to adjust her saddlebags. "When Applejack told me about your party, I wanted to get you something, like a welcoming gift."

Meteorite turned to her, genuinely taken aback. "Aww, Sunny, you didn't have to do that…" she told her, despite eagerly awaiting whatever it was that Sunny had gotten her.

"No no, I wanted to!" Sunny protested, taking off her saddlebags, and holding them up to Meteorite. "So um… like, I was thinking about this morning, and about how you said it'd be awkward to carry things all day long-"

Did I say that? I don't remember saying-

"-and I remembered that I had this laying around in my closet, well, I guess it's our closet now actually!" Sunny paused with a sheepish grin, but quickly moved on. "Anyway! So I had this old pair that I ended up replacing, they've not got that much space, but I thought you might want them? Until you get a proper pair yourself?"

Gingerly, Meteorite awkwardly took the saddlebags from Sunny and stared at them. They were a very faded yellow, and the pouches indeed didn't offer much, but Meteorite found herself at a loss for words.

"S… Sunny, I-" Meteorite began, getting choked as she looked back up at her. "I don't know what to say… You… actually got me something…"

"Well, like I said, I thought you might find it useful!" Sunny beamed, reaching to take the saddlebags. "Come on, let's see how well they fit ya!"

With an eager nod, Meteorite got into position as Sunny fitted her with the saddlebags. As they sorted it out, Silverfire rejoined the group, having previously wandered off to get some food.

"How is it?" Sunny asked. "Not too tight, is it?"

Meteorite looked back, studying her new equipment. Although an entirely new situation, the saddlebags offered a familiar comfort as she was reminded of her old backpack, often her companion as she trekked about town. And while the pouches felt weird against her wings, it otherwise wasn't uncomfortable. She reached back with a hoof and fiddled with one of the flaps, testing how easy it was to access within the pouches.

"No, it's fine as it is! Thank you, Sunny," Meteorite smiled.

"You're welcome!"

"Ayup, that there's a fine gift! Very thoughtful," Applejack nodded. After a moment's pause, Silverfire eventually felt the eyes of the three mares on him, as he looked up from his plate.

"Uhhh…" Silverfire offered his plate to Meteorite. "I got you a bagel?"

Sunny levelled her gaze at him. "Silverfire, that's a croissant."

"What's the difference?"

To her own surprise, Meteorite found herself giggling.

"It's okay, Silverfire, you don't owe me anything. I'm just happy you're here."

To even more surprise, Meteorite realised she had meant that.

"Well, Ah reckon Ah better 'fess up," Applejack chimed in with a slight smirk, "Ah didn't exactly think t' bring anything mahself either."

Slowly turning to face her, Meteorite considered Applejack's words carefully, and bit her lip as she realised she had something extremely cheesy in response. She briefly fought the temptation, but she was in too good of a mood to let this escape her.

"That's not true…" she began, looking back at Sunny and Silverfire with a broad smile. "You brought me some friends."

Chapter 10

After a few more exchanges, the group split off to enjoy the party in their own way. Applejack began looking over the food, Silverfire mingled with the crowd some more while still wearing his saddlebags, and Sunny followed Meteorite back to the table she previously occupied.

"So, how's the party?" Sunny asked, taking a seat to Meteorite's left.

"Ahm… hm," Meteorite mused carefully, taking a moment to figure out how to slip her new saddlebags off. "It's… good? I just haven't… really been in the mood for it, I guess."

Sunny looked concerned. "Aw, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Meteorite answered, a bit too quickly. "Well, I mean… today's been a bit overwhelming, you could say."

This did nothing to appease Sunny, and she continued to frown. "How so?"

Meteorite waved it off, sitting down. "Ahh, nothing I wanna talk about. Just… a lot of things to take in." She glanced over to where Applejack was, now talking to Pinkie. "She's been a lot to take in."

Sunny followed Meteorite's line of sight. "Oh, you mean… Pinkie? Yeah, she certainly is something! Did you know she threw me a welcoming party too?"

Meteorite turned back to Sunny, unmoved. You don't fucking say. "Yeah? What was that like?"

"A bit like this, actually! Kinda nice," Sunny said with a smile. "Made me feel really welcome."

"Mm," Meteorite murmured, distracted by her thoughts. Feel welcome, huh… I guess I have been kinda fighting that, haven't I…

She was soon shaken out of her musings by Silverfire approaching the table, with yet more food. "'Sup," he greeted while placing his plate down, "why're we over here at the back? This the VIP table or something?"

Meteorite failed to bite back a smile. "Sure. Let's go with that."

"Sweet," Silverfire as he moved over to the chair to Meteorite's right, and took off his saddlebags, carefully putting them down beside him, with an oddly familiar glass-clinking sound from within. Meteorite raised an eyebrow at the saddlebags.

"Got… something in there, Silverfire buddy?"

"D'ah… no?" Silverfire replied guiltily. He wilted as the two mares continued to stare at him, until he caved in. "Alright! Fine, it's not like you weren't gonna find out anyway…" He reached into one of the pouches, and retrieved a brown bottle. He placed it down on the table, facing Sunny and Meteorite.

"'White Tail Cider'..." Sunny read the label out loud. "That's odd, I didn't think White Tail Woods had any fruit-bearing trees."

"Probably doesn't," Silverfire shrugged. "This is made in Canterlot. They probably just picked the name 'cause it sounds good."

Unless you're from a country where you have to watch out for white-tail spiders… Meteorite thought cynically, subtly shaking off a shudder. "So. Cider, huh?"

"Yup! This is my personal stash that I keep-" Silverfire paused suddenly, uneasily studying his companions. He cleared his throat and reluctantly continued. "-that I keep hidden in the basement. Please don't tell Steel."

With a quick glance at each other, both Meteorite and Sunny gave a small nod. "Secret cider stash, huh?" Meteorite asked, glancing towards the entrance. "And not Sweet Apple Acres branded cider?"

Silverfire whipped his head around, spotting Applejack still a fair distance around, now preoccupied with talking to Twilight, who had just arrived with Spike. Spike hopped off Twilight's back and onto a nearby table, piling up food onto an already procured plate.

"Please don't tell Applejack either," Silverfire added sheepishly.

"Okay, ya gotta tell us what's going on," Meteorite said with a bemused smile.

"Ah geez…" Silverfire muttered with a defeated look. He pulled the cider bottle close to him, turning it over in his hooves. "Well- Alright, listen. I like having a bit of cider every now and then, yeah? But well… ya know, Steel doesn't… agree with having it around the house. Says it's 'unprofessional' and stuff. So I kinda… hafta hide it from him. And I ain't dumb enough to buy the local stuff either, because well, if Steel don't like it, I'm sure AJ and her family won't either."

Meteorite frowned, quickly glancing at Applejack across the room. "I'm… sure she won't mind that much." There was a pause as she considered it. "Maybe."

"Ya see?" Silverfire said, casually pointing the bottle at her. "Ya don't know. So, what I thought was, if I'm not having it at home, but like, at a party or something, then that's okay, yeah?" He hesitated as he looked with uncertainty between the two mares. "It's okay, yeah?" he repeated.

Both Sunny and Meteorite silently exchanged slightly worried looks before turning back to Silverfire.

"Yeah I… I don't see a problem with that," Meteorite said carefully. "As long as you don't overdo it."

"Yeah!" Sunny chirped up, leaving Silverfire looking relieved.

"Ya know, you two are alright," he told them, now twisting the cap off his bottle. Raising the bottle to his lips, he then stopped as he considered something. "Sorry. You… uh… want any of this?" he asked, now offering the bottle towards them.

Meteorite eyed the bottle warily. There was no doubt that it was alcoholic, especially the way Silverfire was talking about it. The very thought of it was a little jarring against the world she found herself in, but… at the moment she wasn't exactly feeling up to lambasting its presence.

Plus, she could do with a drink right about now.

"Yeah sure," Meteorite nodded, reaching forward and grabbing her empty water glass with both hooves, and sliding it over to Silverfire for him to fill up. After he had done so, including another glass for Sunny, Meteorite carefully took a sip, feeling her insides warm up.

Oof, yeah, that's… there's that familiar kick. Definitely something in this.

"Not bad," she remarked pleasantly, taking a larger sip. Soon after though, a few coughs and splutters came from her left. She turned to Sunny, who was desperately trying to regain her composure.

"You alright there?" Meteorite asked, slightly amused.

"Yeah," Sunny croaked, lightly clearing her throat behind her hoof. "We-Went down the wrong way…"

The party carried on through the afternoon's approaching dusk without much thought to its intended recipient as the trio of friends mostly ignored the party in kind, talking amongst themselves and drinking Silverfire's cider, of which Meteorite was clumsily turning an empty bottle in her hooves. Apparently, the cider manufacturer had taken a minimalistic approach to informative labels, so although the front of the bottle displayed a fanciful sepia-toned drawing of White Tail Woods, Meteorite had to take a guess at how much alcohol she was having. Her current estimate was 'probably more than a bit'.

"Y'know, this iss… pretty good," Meteorite murmured as she awkwardly tried setting the bottle back on the table. "Good stuff."

Silverfire nodded in agreement as he took a swig from his own bottle. "Yeah. Y'know, I'm actually kinda glad Steel didn't wanna come. Having a good time, just the three of us."

"Mhm!" Sunny chimed in, her eyes lidded as she nursed her drink. However, Meteorite soon found herself frowning in confusion as she leaned on the table, propping her head up with her hoof.

"Maaan, what's his deal anyway?" she bemoaned. "Just when I was thinking he's might not be such a bad guy, he totally skips on my party. Like uh, wha? I… I don' ge' it…"

"That's just Steel," Silverfire said, casually waving it off and spilling a bit of cider in the process. "He's always been like that, even when we were colts and the rest of us were outside running around, he'd be inside doing homework or whatever."

"Hmph, figures…" Meteorite yawned. There was a slight pause afterwards as she made a few connections.

"Wait, so…" Another pause to mentally confirm that her facts seemed correct. "So. You two… knew each other then? Back then?"

"Well yeah," Silverfire responded with a lopsided smile, "he is my older brother, y'know."

Meteorite froze as she processed this, save for blinking a few times. "You what?"

"You didn't know that?"

"...No," Meteorite eventually got out. "Can't say uh… can't say it ever crossed my mind."

"Yeah…" Sunny quietly piped up, "I've got to admit, I just thought you two were friends." The table fell silent as Silverfire slowly drank from his bottle as he thought this over.

"Huh."

"How are you two related?" Meteorite asked suddenly, ignorant to her rudeness. "I mean, you're you're… you, and he's… him."

"I dunno, we just are," Silverfire shrugged. "Look, I know he's a bit… y'know, but he's a good guy, y'know? Looks out for everypony."

"I guess…" Meteorite muttered, back to holding up her head with her hoof. "Something I just have to keep in mind, I guess…"

"Exactly."

The rest of the party grew louder as the trio temporarily ran out of things to say, busy contemplating the recent conversation. A short while later however, cutting above the noise of the crowd was a short sharp shout of "Sunny!" Instinctively, Meteorite looked up into the crowd, along with Silverfire and Sunny, and saw two pegasi mares, both yellow but with different mane colours, waving at each other.

"Sunny!" The green-maned pegasi greeted again over the noise, "didn't expect to see you here!"

"Likewise!" the pink-maned Sunny responded happily. "Good to see you though, Sunshower!"

"Heh," Silverfire chuckled lightly, turning back to his companions. "For a moment there thought they were calling you, Sunny."

Sunny didn't respond, only offering a small affirmative squeak as she looked down at the table, her face wearing an obvious troubled expression. Meteorite cleared her throat lightly.

"You okay, Sunny?"

Sunny didn't move from her position, only her concerned eyes flicking up at Meteorite then over to Silverfire. After some consideration, she sighed and sat upright.

"I…" she began in a small voice, "Can I tell you something?"

Both Meteorite and Silverfire nodded, albeit confused by where this was going. Sunny sucked in some air and exhaled before continuing.

"Sometimes… sometimes I don't… I don't like my name…"

"Whaat?" Silverfire cried out incredulously. "But it's such a pretty name! It suits you!"

Sunny stared back at Silverfire briefly before looking away, a faint blush across her cheeks. "Th-Thank you… I… I'm not saying I hate it, just… it's such a common name… Every time I hear somepony call my name I think they're calling for me but they're not…"

The name Sunny Skies flitted through Meteorite's hazy memory, and she conceded that maybe it was a pretty common name. Briefly, she wondered how unique her own name was.

"Well, what can you do huh?" Meteorite half-shrugged, idly pawing a hoof at her almost empty glass. She reconsidered her words and continued. "I mean, I mean… what can you do? I mean, it's not like you can change your name, right? …Can you do that? I dunno. Can you change your name?"

"Yeah, I could…" Sunny said unhappily, "but I don't want to. Like I said, I don't hate it… not enough to change it."

"Well um…" Meteorite sucked her cheeks in, thinking. "Okay… what about… like a nickname or something? Just… more name and less… nick? I'unno."

Sunny tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"I'unno," Meteorite repeated, half-annoyed at being required to think further, "just something like…" She puffed out air as she stared upwards, deep in thought. "...how about… 'Flo'?"

"Flo?" Sunny repeated, confused.

"Yeah! Y'know, like… Flora, but… Flo."

"Hmm…" Sunny mused, mulling over the idea. She glanced up and over at Silverfire, who was quietly listening. "What do you think, Silverfire?"

"Well I still don't see anything wrong with Sunny, but if you like it, go for it!"

Sunny rubbed her chin thoughtfully, and spoke to herself. "Hm… 'Hi, my name's Flo'…" She frowned. "No… that's not right…"

Meteorite shrugged, drinking what's left in her glass. "Well, it was just an idea."

"No no," Sunny protested, "I… I mean I'm not quite sure. Let's try something. Ask me my name."

"What?"

"Ask me what my name is."

Meteorite raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Okaay… what's your name?"

Sunny waved her hooves back and forth. "No no no, pretend we haven't met! Introduce yourself!"

"Sunny…" Meteorite lightly scoffed, "I'm not in the-"

"Pleeease?" Sunny pleaded.

Despite, or perhaps due to, her half-drunken state, Meteorite was finding it hard to stand firm and caved. "Alright," she sighed, clearing her throat. "Heey, hi there, I'm- I'm Meteorite… Oh! And uh, this is Silverfire." Silverfire smiled and gave a small wave. "What's your name?"

Concentrating, Sunny clucked her tongue before beaming with a wide smile. "Hi there! I'm Sunny Flora, but you can call me Flo if you like!"

"Hi Flo," Silverfire greeted brightly, and Sunny slowly grinned.

"I… I think that's it! I'm gonna start introducing myself like that and maybe it'll catch on!" She turned to Meteorite with a grateful smile. "Thank you!"

"Aw," Meteorite began dismissing her with a wave of her hoof, "I was just-! I was just throwing ideas out there, Sunny."

"Call me Flo," Flo said warmly.

"Sorry… I mean Flo," Meteorite said with a sheepish smile. Flo quietly squealed in delight.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

"Is that how you spent your welcoming party?" Rarity asked with a mildly disapproving tone, albeit laced with concern. "Getting drunk on cider?"

"Only a little," Meteorite guiltily replied, tapping her hooves together.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Well into the night and with the party finally dying down, Silverfire and Flo unsteadily left Sugarcube Corner. Once outside, the pair turned about, waiting for Meteorite as she stumbled her way through the doorway. She stepped with uncertainty, each leg out of sync with the other three, eventually collapsing against the side of the building in a desperate bid for support, but failed as her body slid downwards into a sitting position against the wall.

"I… maaaay have had a bit too much," she slurred.

"Ya don't say," Silverfire murmured, failing to hide his amusement. Flo slowly approached Meteorite, looking her over cautiously.

"Come on, Me- Meteorite," she hiccuped, "we hafta get back home. Do ya think ya can walk?"

Meteorite stared at her, before looking down at her hooves. "I dunnoooo…" she drawled, already losing to the urge to grin. "I think I'm seeing double… four Krustys!" That set Meteorite off into a giggling fit at her own joke, but once she had calmed back down, Meteorite noticed Flo's concerned face hadn't even cracked a smile, and she pouted.

"Awww," she grumbled sadly, "my friends would've gotten it…"

A look of hurt flashed across Flo's face.

"I don't get it?" Silverfire mumbled, confused. Flo shook her head in response and turned to face him.

"Me neither… Silverfire, I dunno if- if Meteorite has it in her to make it safely back home. Do ya think you could carry her?"

"Yeah, should be no trouble."

Flo nodded, and turned back to a still downcast Meteorite, lightly shaking her shoulder to get her attention. Meteorite glanced up and blinked Flo into focus.

"Hey, Meteorite? Silverfire's gonna carry ya home, alright?"

"Awww…" Meteorite cooed with gratefulness as she took a moment to bring Silverfire into focus, "You don' have t' do that…"

"Yeeeeah…" Silverfire mused, "I think I kinda do."

"If you say so," Meteorite mumbled, frowning as she awkwardly moved to stand up. "'m… I'm not… in a… right frame of mind to argue, I don' think…"

"Come on Meteorite," Flo said gently. "Grab my hoof and I'll guide ya."

"Easier said than done!" Meteorite giggled a little too deliriously in response.

With Flo's guiding hoof, and a few stumbled missteps, the group eventually got Meteorite across Silverfire's back, laying crossways in an almost perfect imitation of Silverfire's saddlebags next to her.

"Oh, shoot!" Flo cried out suddenly, stepping back, "Meteorite's forgotten her saddlebags! I'll go back in and get 'em!" Silverfire gave her a nod as she went back inside, before turning his head slightly to look at his passenger.

"How're you holding up back there?" he asked.

"Not great, if I'm honest…" Meteorite replied with a hint of singsong to her voice. "I don' think I… drank that muuuch… 'm usually… good about that…"

"Well…" Silverfire began, although immediately at a loss of what to say. "you can sleep it off when we get home."

"Yeeeah I can… Le's go then… hi-ho an' all that…" Meteorite yawned, before dissolving into another round of giggles. "Heeee, hi-ho Silverfire… tha's funny…"

Silverfire really wasn't getting these jokes.

"Not yet," Silverfire told her, "we gotta wait for Sunn- I mean, Flo, remember?"

"Oh yeeeah…" Meteorite droned.

"Heh," Silverfire continued, "I gotta say though, it's not often I get to carry a mare back to her place."

He got a faint snoring in response. Silverfire frowned in disappointment.

"Shoot…"

The walk back to the farm cottage had been a surprisingly quiet one for the pair, save for the occasional snoring from Meteorite. The moon was full and lit the way back home, although it was a well travelled path, for Silverfire at least. Flo uneasily walked beside him, occasionally looking over at the slumped form of Meteorite.

"She's gone for the night, huh?" Flo mused, with a slight hush so as to not wake her friend.

"Sure seems like it," Silverfire agreed, before remembering to drop his volume, although it might have been in part due to his guilt. "I kinda feel bad about it, ya know?"

Flo looked at him curiously. "Why's that?"

Silverfire shook his head slightly. "I feel like I messed up by bringing my cider and ruined her party. I mean, look at her."

Flo did so, though it was very difficult to gleam anything past the bushy red mane hanging down over Meteorite's head.

"I don't know… She looked like she was enjoying herself earlier though." Flo frowned, mid-thought. "I think. It's hard picking up what she's thinking sometimes."

"Yeah?" Silverfire perked up. "You don't think I messed up?"

"Uhh…" Flo nervously mused, trying to consider the right words. "I think… the cider was unexpected, but welcomed." She unsteadily placed a hoof to her chest. "It certainly was to me!"

After a short while of resuming their pace, Flo continued. "I think she just overdid it tonight. Also, she did look happy to see us! So no, I don't think you messed up, Silverfire."

Silverfire looked over at Flo's kindly smiling face, and found himself smiling in return. "Thanks Flo," he said softly. Flo giggled at the use of her preferred name, and ended up wandering closer as they headed down the path.

"You're very welcome, Silverfire."

Meteorite found herself being rudely awakened in what was clearly the middle of the night. Also, her bed was hard and oddly-shaped and she was very uncomfortable and-

Oh yeah. That's right.

"Yo, Meteorite," Silverfire called softly, arching his back sharply in an attempt to wake her. "We're home, you awake?"

Meteorite lifted her head and blurrily opened her eyes. A brown shape with probably a concerned expression looked back at her.

"Yeah 'guess…" Meteorite murmured, shuffling backwards in an attempt to slide off Silverfire. Her hind legs touched the ground, followed by a clumsy landing of her forelegs, and she unsteadily swayed as she looked up at what was probably the front door of the cottage. It was big and rectangular, so that was a good guess she reckoned.

"How're ya feeling?" came Flo's voice from the other side of Silverfire.

"Uhh…" Meteorite began, trying to focus. "Tired? I guess?"

The brown shape rounded behind Silverfire and slowly morphed into Flo. "Do ya think you can walk now?" She reached out a hoof. "Take my hoof if you need it."

Meteorite unquestioningly did as she was asked, and took a few uncertain steps with Flo to help her balance. After a while she let go of her, and tried a few steps on her own. Her footing was shaky, but she seemed stable enough.

"Think I can manage…" she eventually nodded, turning around with a tired smile. "Ta."

Flo and Silverfire looked relieved as Silverfire turned to the front door, holding it open.

"Ladies first," he bowed slightly.

Flo beamed at him as she entered the cottage, followed by Meteorite drunkenly giggling to herself. However, drawn towards the lounge room by the glow of a lit lantern, the group's light-hearted atmosphere dissipated quickly. Sat in one of the lounge chairs was Steel, faintly paying attention to a book in his hooves. Glancing up, Steel firmly closed the book shut while putting it to one side, and one by one stared down the trio.

"I see you've all made it back in one piece," he paused to take in Meteorite's unsteady stance and internally sighed. "I suppose that is the best I could hope for. You all do understand we have to be up early tomorrow, yes?"

Silverfire leaned forward from between the two mares, looking at the clock. "'s not that late," he weakly protested.

"It's well past nine," Steel reaffirmed, standing up and walking over. "Late enough to not fully recover from whatever sugary foods and-" He stopped to sniff the air briefly. "-copious amounts of cider you all had, it would seem."

"Wasn't that much…" Flo murmured guiltily. She looked over at Meteorite, who was currently preoccupied with both standing and looking absolutely done. "Ah, she- she hasn't-"

"I'm gonna bed," Meteorite muttered suddenly, taking her companions by surprise as she pushed past them and down the hallway. Steel watched her for a moment with quiet indignation.

"Miss Meteorite, I am not fini-"

"Yeah yeah whatever…" Meteorite said louder, not looking back. "I'm too tired to care. You wanna yell at me, yell at me in the morning."

"I'm not yelling at-" Steel replied quickly, but realized his protests were falling on deaf ears. As Meteorite rounded the corner of the hallway end, Flo hurriedly stepped forward.

"I… I better go make sure she's okay!" she said sheepishly before also disappearing down the hallway. With the sound of the bedroom door closing, Steel let his gaze linger for a bit, furious that the situation had gotten away from him. Eventually he turned to face Silverfire, who had a sheepish grin of his own.

"Tough break, bro."

"Yes, quite," Steel murmured with quiet anger. "I… had not anticipated that Miss Meteorite would have been so disrespectful."

"Well, she's tired," Silverfire said while rubbing his head, before something came to him. "Ah, and uh, she's probably upset with you anyway."

"Me?" Steel said incredulously, "what could I have possibly done to upset her?"

"Well, you didn't go to her party."

Steel stared levelly at him. "Silverfire, I told you, I do not care for frivolous things like parties."

Silverfire nodded unsurely. "Yeah, I told her that, but… she did look pretty disappointed when she noticed you weren't there." For a moment Steel dropped his guard in surprise, and Silverfire continued. "I think she felt let down by you not being there."

Steel looked away, his brow furrowed into a concerned frown as he held a hoof to his chin, deep in thought. "I…" his voice croaked briefly, "Why would she care?"

"I dunno dude," Silverfire shrugged before grinning, "maybe she secretly likes you."

Steel rolled his eyes at him, unimpressed. "Please. I think it's perfectly clear what she thinks of me…" Steel began to trail off, hesitating. "At least, it… was clear. Hm…"

"Ah well," Silverfire yawned as he stretched, "that's mares for ya. Can never tell what they're thinking half the time." He turned around to leave, but clinking sounds from his saddlebags made him freeze suddenly.

"Silverfire…" Steel began sternly. "You didn't happen to be trying to sneak some cider into the cottage, are you?"

"W-What, me, no!" Silverfire quickly stammered. "No no, these uh… these are empty bottles! That I brought back to… recycle, yeah!"

Steel continued to be unimpressed. "Really? Then I suppose you don't mind showing me."

Silverfire hesitated, unable to think his way out. Eventually he sighed and unhooked his saddlebags, and unceremoniously handed it and the five or so remaining bottles over. Downcast and not bothering to wait around for the inevitable reveal, he headed down the hall to his and Steel's room.

Sorry guys, he thought glumly, couldn't sneak ya back in.

Chapter 11

The next morning, Meteorite slowly came to face down on her pillow. Still bleary-eyed, she pushed herself upwards off the pillow, stretching her body very much not unlike a cat might, and blinked as she tried to focus as she looked about the room. It was still dark, and for a while Sunny's- Flo's bed looked weird to her in the darkness, before she realised Flo had her head tucked in under her pillow.

Shaking her head clear and the ensuing headache making her almost instantly regretting it, she slowly clambered down and out of her bed.

Groggily entering the dining room, Meteorite recoiled with audible disgust as she squeezed her eyes shut from being accosted by the soft glow of the dining room lanterns.

"Ah, good morning, Miss Meteorite," Steel greeted from the kitchen. "I'm rather surprised you're up already, all things considered."

"Mornin'," Meteorite grunted back, not bothering to take in anything else Steel was saying. Finding her way to her seat, she found the strength to pry one eye open and was greeted by the sight of Silverfire flopped over at the other end of the table, looking several times worse than she felt.

"Hey Silverfire," she murmured, only to receive a soulful groan in return. Meteorite quietly conceded to herself that that was probably as well as that interaction could've gone, and decided to quietly sit still, holding a hoof over her eyes as she tried to recover some more.

Some time later, a few hoofsteps and clattering of dishes made her wince and open her eyes to find Steel placing a bowl in front of her, along with a glass of water. As she tried to focus on the contents of the bowl, Steel spoke up.

"Oatmeal, Miss Meteorite," he explained. "It'll help with your hangover."

Meteorite blinked as she processed this. Drawing the bowl closer with both hooves, she stared into it, only passively noticing the slices of banana as she pooled her thinking resources together.

Oh shit, do I… actually have a hangover right now? Is this what it feels like? She glanced over at Silverfire, grumbling at being forced by Steel to sit upright and acknowledge his own serving of oatmeal. …okay, this is probably a minor one, but still…

Meteorite wasn't sure what to make of it. Despite several drinking occurrences in the past, she'd never gotten herself flat out drunk, and certainly not enough to produce a hangover, ever. It felt jarring that her first experience with one would be as a pony, but… here she was. Slowly shaking her head at this fact, she began carefully digging into the oatmeal, taking her time to chew steadily.

It was a quiet breakfast, and Meteorite was only minutely aware of Steel sitting in his usual spot opposite her, but it wasn't until Steel spoke her name that she jerked her face out of the bowl and noticed the troubled look on his face. Instinctively, Meteorite reached a hoof up to her snout for any stuck oats.

"No no, Miss Meteorite," Steel shook his head in response. "I wish to…" he paused, allowing Meteorite to see him for the first time stuck for the right words. "That is, I would like to apologize."

"Apologise?" Meteorite queried while tilting her head, unsure if she heard correctly. "For what?"

"I had…" Steel spoke slowly, as if each word was being dragged out of him. "Believed, that my presence would not be missed yesterday, during your festivity. However…"

Steel made no further movement, but a subtle side-glance made Meteorite look over to Silverfire, who was currently very fiercely focused on his oatmeal and clearly nothing else. A slight clearing of the throat drew her bemused attention back to Steel.

"I have been made aware that I may have been… mistaken. As such, I apologize for not being at your… party, Miss Meteorite."

Those words had a sobering effect on her, unmatched by anything present on the table, as she slowly sat upright while maintaining eye contact with Steel. There was a part of her that told her to revel in his apology, but mostly she just felt… gratified.

"...Yeah? You… mean that?"

Steel nodded solemnly. "I do. You may choose to believe it or otherwise if you so wish, Miss Meteorite. That is up to you."

"No no yeah I- I do, I just-" Meteorite stammered quickly, pausing to take a calming breath, trying to remain as coolly as possible. "Thank you. Apology accepted," she finished, failing to hold back a tiny smile.

Steel silently nodded in response, and went back to his breakfast, seemingly pleased with how it went. Meteorite looked once more over at Silverfire, who bristled slightly at now being caught out looking their way, and very startledly had not known where to look before very intently finding his breakfast again.

Meteorite considered the pair for a moment and smiled more genuinely as she felt a warm glow within, as she returned to her oatmeal.

With breakfast out of the way, (along with dragging Flo out of bed and helping her to deal with her own hangover) the four of them prepared to tackle the day. As they left the cottage, Meteorite waited until she and Silverfire were the last two to leave, quietly signalling to him to stay for a bit.

"What's up?" he asked, pushing past the still-lingering effects of his hangover.

"Hey, so um," Meteorite began awkwardly, "did you… talk to Steel about yesterday?"

"Uhh, maybe?" Silverfire said slowly. "Why?"

"Just wonderin'," Meteorite responded softly with a smile. "Thanks. I… think I needed that apology. Think I would've just… stubbornly ignored him out of spite otherwise."

A frown crossed Silverfire's face. "You really should give him a chance, ya know. He's a good guy."

"Yeah, probably…" Meteorite muttered guiltily, lowering her head as she glanced aside. "I'm just… all over the place right now, y'know?" She stole a look at Silverfire and noted the blank look on his face. "Emotionally, I mean," she added.

"Oh!" Silverfire exclaimed sharply before rubbing his head unsurely, "so it's… like, a mare thing?" he tentatively asked.

"What, no!" Meteorite protested, too baffled by the accusation to be fully offended. She opened her mouth to begin explaining herself, but the confused look she was getting from Silverfire made her rapidly lose confidence in getting her point across. "...actually sure, you've got it. It's… 'a mare thing'."

"Oh…" Silverfire blushed as he turned away. "Uh, okay, I won't uh, ask."

With an unimpressed stare and an almost inaudible grunt, Meteorite watched Silverfire head outside before shortly following after.

The morning went by without much intrusion. Under Steel's metaphorical wing once more, Meteorite silently went about her tasks as instructed. With a now clear mind as well as a more sombre attitude, her thoughts wandered, often back to ponder the previous day as well as the week before. A case could be made for either theory for why she was here, but neither fully added up with everything presented so far, which only served to displease her further.

She was still frowning in thought when lunchtime came around, and while walking back to the cottage with Steel, heard her name being called by a distinct Southern accent. Looking up, she saw Applejack trotting towards her, smiling.

"There yer are!"

"O- Oh!" Meteorite stuttered, lifting up a foreleg in hesitant panic. "Uh, Applejack, hi! Did… you need me for something?"

Applejack shook her head, waving a hoof. "Nah, just wanted t' make sure yer were doin' alright. Didn't get a chance to check in with ya after the party last night!"

Relieved, Meteorite exhaled the breath she was holding, looking aside at Steel for a moment. "Uh, yeah! Doing fine! We're… on lunch though right now, that's okay, yeah?"

"Sure is," Applejack smirked, "Ah'm just surprised yer up on yer hooves so soon. Last Ah saw ya you were slumped over like a drunken sack o' flour."

Meteorite felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment as she pointedly avoided looking Steel's way. "Uh… I'm a quick recover…er?"

"Ah reckon ya must be!" Applejack chuckled heartily, "Well, as long as yer not pushin' yerself too hard. Trust me, Ah know from experience."

Meteorite quickly thought back to the early season one episode where Applejack took on too much responsibility at once, and smiled weakly. "Right…"

"Anyway," Applejack continued with a beaming smile, "good t' see ya gettin' on alright. Ah'll admit, Ah had my doubts about ya, but it looks like yer'll fit in just fine here in Ponyville."

With a sudden sense of uneasiness, Meteorite nodded stiltedly and chose to remain silent.

"Alright then," Applejack said, looking back at Steel, "Ah won't hold ya two up any longer. Keep up the good work."

"As always, Miss Applejack," Steel replied, bowing his head slightly. Applejack rolled her eyes with mirth and pressed on past the pair. After a few moments of silence, Steel noted Meteorite to be lost in thought.

"Miss Meteorite?" he called, snapping her out of it as she sharply met his gaze, slightly wide-eyed.

"Yeah?"

"Is everything alright? You appear to be somewhat troubled."

Meteorite blinked a few times, before scoffing. "Yeeeah, I'm fine," she said, swiping the air dismissively with her hoof. "I was just thinking; it's nothing."

"Hm, very well," Steel mused, not entirely buying it. Nevertheless, he turned back to the path ahead, and the two of them silently continued heading back to the cottage for lunch.

Much like that day's morning, the afternoon passed swiftly without incident, which wasn't wholly unappreciated by Meteorite, even if it did mean more time spent working hard under Steel's supervision. Even so, it gave her time to think uninterrupted, which depending on how you look at it, might've actually been a worse outcome.

With the sun setting, Meteorite quietly followed Steel back to the cottage, where she suddenly spoke up upon reaching the pathway to the front door.

"Hey um," Meteorite began, pausing until Steel looked her way, "is it alright if I-" she gestured around her, "-y'know, hang about out here for a bit? I want some time to myself."

Steel regarded her oddly. "What you do with your free time is up to you, Miss Meteorite. I only request that you do not make yourself late to dinner."

"Ah okay cool good to know," Meteorite spluttered. She instinctively raised a hoof to give a thumbs-up of acknowledgement before realising her folly, and awkwardly put it back down again, slightly embarrassed. "Well uh… I'll see ya inside, I guess."

Steel nodded, and turned about to the cottage. Meteorite watched him go inside before looking back at the orchard trees on all sides, sighing silently as she picked a direction to wander off in.

It wasn't long before Meteorite came across a spot that looked interesting to her, a small hill rising up from the orchard with a lone apple tree perched on top. She steadily climbed her way up, gave the tree a cursory glance before looking out at the orange horizon, with the rooftops of Ponyville just off in the distance, above the sea of trees before her.

"Hmph," she scoffed non-committedly, "convenient."

She turned her attention to the ground underneath her, and carefully sat down by the tree. Using her hoof, she guided her tail to curl around her legs, with the tip laying in front of her. Feeling satisfied with her pose, she let out a small sigh as she looked on Ponyville, recognising a few key buildings such as the town hall, and Twilight's library. She was only mildly aware of the sun's setting, mostly through houses starting to light up from within as lanterns began to be lit.

After a while, she broke the silence with a quiet but firm voice, as she continued to stare ahead.

"I can't beat you."

A brief moment to let that sink in, Meteorite glanced aside at the treetops.

"To be honest, it's… getting difficult to… ignore everything that's come my way." Her voice trailed off as she continued to stare at nothing in particular. "Everything that I turn to, just to find some sort of answer… just tells me this is really happening…"

Her words lingering in the air, Meteorite slowly closed her eyes while taking in a deep breath. Holding it for a brief moment, she exhaled and glared at the orange sky.

"Which is pretty suspicious, if you ask me. Which you haven't," she scoffed, "because, y'know, can't do that apparently." Clearing her throat, she continued.

"Anyway. Everything?" she queried accusingly. "Y'know, a few things would've been normal. But everything just… flat out refusing to give even the slightest?" A moment's pause as she continued to glare, allowing the beginnings of doubt seeping into her as her own words started to sound unconvincing. She bit her lip, but violently shook her head in a bid to clear her thoughts. "No no, no. E-Even if- okay, maybe it's not that weird, now that I think about it… but still, it doesn't feel right. It feels like you're trying to convince me."

She drew in another breath to calm herself, which only mildly helped. "...No, I… I have to believe you're there, because if I'm right… then you're desperately trying to make me think that you're not, so whatever you're planning hinges on that. In which case… tough."

"And…" she paused, swallowing roughly, "if I'm still wrong… then I guess I'm just a crazy ol' pony anyway."

Meteorite stared down at the ground in front of her, the frayed tip of her tail gently fidgeting in the breeze. A few moments of silence passed, and she softly placed her hoof down on top of her tail tip. She smiled despite her stress, and were she in a better mood she might've entertained the thought of actually playfully batting about her tail. She looked away, her smile quickly fading as more coherent thoughts came to her.

"I need to assume you're there, for my own sanity's sake. And… generally just to fuck you over."

She cut her stony gaze across the horizon, gradually settling on a lone orange-hued cloud in the distance as her focal point.

"I can't beat you, but I can damn well bring you to a draw."

Straightening her back up, Meteorite adopted more confidence into her pose as she continued airing her thoughts.

"I can't prove anything; you're no doubt going to make absolutely sure of that, but I can keep you on your toes. Because you've made a big mistake." She allowed herself a tiny smirk at that. "If you're going to keep trying to convince me all of this is real, and not some dumb story you're writing, then you're going to have to be perfect.

"Every scene, every description, every word, you're going to have to do your damnedest to not make me suspect anything, because if you slip up just once, I'll know you're there for sure." She bore her teeth in a grin that wasn't entirely un-predatory. "You've written yourself into a corner. Sure, it won't be today, tomorrow, this week or the next, or this…" Her grin faltered as she hesitated in her speech. "...month, or… this…"

Her gaze dropped shakily as she hung her head, contemplating exactly what she was saying. After a few minutes, she solemnly drew in a deep breath, lifted her head again, and spoke carefully.

"...or however long it takes. One day, you'll slip up without realising it, and I'll call you out on it, for everyone to see. And that'll be my victory."

She looked away to her side, blinking back the beginning of a few tears, determined to not show weakness before herself. Off in the distance she saw the cottage, and wearily decided to get up.

"Better get back; don't wanna be late for dinner after all," she muttered. Turning around, she waved a hoof toward where she was sitting. "Plus, don't really want to be sitting crying about shit I can't even deal with."

Dusting herself off, it was only until Meteorite was halfway down the hill that she paused mid-gait as something occurred to her.

"...shit, that was all angst, wasn't it." She glared upwards at the sky. "Bet you just lapped that up, didn't you? Fuck me." She shook her head and continued walking. "Alright, gotta work on not giving you so much material in the future…"

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

"-and… yeah. With that, I left the ball in her court, I guess." Meteorite stared glumly into her empty teacup, lost in her thoughts. "Though I continued to stubbornly try and undermine anything I perceived to be her doing. Which… I feel terrible about now."

Rarity nodded sympathetically. "I'm sure she understands, darling."

"Yeah…" Meteorite drawled, not entirely satisfied with that. After a moment of silence, she shifted in her seat and stretched her body. "Well, I suppose that's it."

Rarity blinked in surprise. "What do you mean? What happens next?"

Meteorite regarded her curiously for a moment. "I'unno. Stuff? I mean, I just kinda…" -she blew air from the side of her mouth as she thought- "Pfff… had to adapt to everything, I guess."

"Wh-" Rarity spluttered slightly, clutching a hoof to her chest. "You can't just end the story like that, darling!"

"Rarity," Meteorite deadpanned, "I've just spent the last few hours talking. I'm tired."

Rarity's eyes fluttered toward her kitchen clock then to the now darkened window of her kitchen.

"Oh," she uttered simply.

"Maybe another time," Meteorite smiled softly. "I am thankful for you listening to me though. It's been… nice finally talking about it." She paused, frowning momentarily. "…with somepony that wasn't myself."

Rarity smiled sympathetically at her as they both got up from the table. Meteorite stretched some more and with some afterthought, sheepishly turned towards her.

"So um…" she squeaked, "wh-what do you think so far?"

"Hmm…" Rarity mulled carefully. "I think… I'd like to hear more," she finished with a coy smile. Though appreciative of the response, Meteorite held in a sigh.

"Rarity, you know that's not what I was asking."

Her smile fading, Rarity solemnly nodded as she moved in closer. Sitting down in front of her marefriend, she placed her hooves on both of Meteorite's shoulders, and spoke softly.

"I think… that you are a very lovely pony who is too worried about her past. Everypony has things they regret, darling."

"I guess…" Meteorite muttered as she looked aside. "I just wis-" she cut herself off, annoyed. "Well no, I wouldn't change things, because y'know, otherwise I might not be here with you…"

"But if you could…?" Rarity prompted cautiously.

"If I could… yeah," Meteorite admitted with a weak smile. "Nothing major just… enjoying life more. Maybe be less of a ditz during our first meeting…" she added meekly.

Rarity smiled slyly. "'Nothing major', right?"

"Well, ya know," Meteorite giggled lightly though some blushing, "it wasn't exactly the romantic meeting made of dreams, right?"

"Right…" Rarity said thoughtfully, staring deep into Meteorite's eyes. Her blushing deepening, she leaned further into Rarity's embrace and hugged her tightly. After a few moments Meteorite pulled back slightly.

"I wish I could stay," she whispered into Rarity's ear, before reluctantly breaking the hug. "But I do have to get back to the farm. I'm already going to get an earful from Steel as it is when I get back."

"Hmph," Rarity sniffed as Meteorite turned to leave, "he has no right."

Meteorite slowed her pace as she turned to look back, smiling to herself as she realised what she was about to say.

"Ahh, he's alright… once you get to know him."

Chapter 12

It wasn't long before Sugarcube Corner threw open its doors again for the party. Populating the place wasn't too problematic, as Pinkie personally plucked ponies from the public, particularly pursuing those from the previous party in the past. Though initially bewildered from their arrival, many of the ponies quickly shrugged it off in favor of enjoying the party, whatever it was for.

All the while Rarity and Meteorite sat and chatted nearby, having enjoyed their alone- well, mostly alone time beforehand, and watched with mild interest as the place filled up.

"I'll be honest," Meteorite said after a while, "I kinda expected it to be just us for the re-party."

"Oh heavens, no!" Rarity exclaimed. "Though I'll admit, as much as that would be nice… I simply could not have demanded Sugarcube Corner to stay closed this long. I only requested a private hour or so around you showing up."

"Good thing I didn't dawdle."

"Very much so."

At that moment, Meteorite caught sight of a very familiar orange pony stepping in through the door. Watching her slyly, Meteorite waited until they made eye contact before speaking up.

"'Too plumb busy', huh?" she accused with a tiny smirk.

"Alright, ya caught me out," Applejack grinned, raising the brim of her hat slightly. She took a few steps closer to the table. "Ya owe me for this, Rares."

"Ah," Rarity gasped, clutching a hoof to herself. "But of course, Applejack! I know how important Meteorite is to you." In a swift movement, she laid her other hoof on top of one of Meteorite's on the table, and rubbed it slightly. "Your farm must be in such a shambles that you had to come all the way here just to find her!"

"Yup, that's exactly right," Applejack replied, still grinning. "Ah don't know how ya do it, Rarity."

"I have my ways," Rarity said, her eyes lidded before dropping the act. "Seriously though, thank you Applejack for sending over my dear Meteorite. We really appreciate it."

"Aw shucks, t'weren't nuthin'," Applejack said dismissively, lowering her hat to hide the blush she felt coming on. "Anything fer two good friends of mine."

However, glancing over at Meteorite, Applejack saw that she didn't appear to be paying much attention to the conversation, instead staring down at the table with a troubled expression. Not an unusual sight for the mare over the years, Applejack had noted sadly.

"Everything alright, suga'cube?" Applejack prompted pointedly.

"Hm?" Meteorite looked up quizzically, before breaking into a smile. "Oh! Yeah! Just remembered something, that's all."

"If ya say so," Applejack remarked, glancing over at Rarity. Meteorite followed her lead and found herself being pinned under Rarity's concerned focus.

"Well Ah'll… leave ya two to it," Applejack continued, turning away. "Y'all have a good time, y'hear?" she instructed.

Meteorite nodded stiltedly to the sound of Applejack's hoofsteps, fading away along with the sounds of the party into a solemn silence as Rarity continued to bore her gaze into her.

"You're terrible at covering up your lies, you know that?"

"I know…" Meteorite quietly admitted, her shoulders sagging as she glanced away guiltily. She wondered if she just wanted to be caught at this point.

"I'm assuming this is… more of what we talked about the other day?" Rarity asked discreetly.

Meteorite hesitated, but ultimately shook her head quickly. "Not here."

Rarity clucked her tongue as she quietly mused on the matter. After a while, she got up from the table, smoothing her coat and fixing her mane in the process.

"Well then, shall we go?"

"What, just leave?" Meteorite asked incredulously, glancing at the rest of the party. "Are you sure?"

"Darling, if you don't want to be here, then don't. Nopony is going to force you to stay. Pinkie will understand, trust me." Extending a hoof, Rarity gestured for Meteorite to take it. "Now then, do you want to go someplace else? More secluded, perhaps?"

With a weak smile, Meteorite nodded carefully and reached for the offered hoof.

The pair walked through Ponyville in silence, without a set destination in mind, Meteorite following only the absence of ponies wandering by them. Though anxious to hear more, Rarity made no move to push forward with the prior conversation until they approached a small park area on the other side of town. Meteorite approached a bench and hopped up onto it.

"How are you feeling?" Rarity asked quietly, joining Meteorite.

Meteorite chose to remain silent, thinking about her response.

"I'm feeling like I shouldn't tell you any of this," she remarked carefully.

"You don't have to if you don't want to," Rarity told her, but Meteorite shook her head in response.

"I think we're well past the point of not talking about it," she said with an empty smile. "So… from where we last left off, I guess?"

Rarity sucked her cheeks in as she mulled things over, but nodded.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

A little more than a week had passed since Meteorite's impromptu welcoming party, and much to the pegasus's relief went by largely uneventfully. She continued to train under Steel while working with all three co-workers at various points, practically receiving a crash course each day on at least one task to be done. Still, Steel was patient with her as she had put her initial attitude to the side, and wasn't shy about piping up when needing help. Sometimes needing help with the most mundane of tasks, but Steel hadn't sensed any malice or trickery behind the requests.

Privately, Meteorite continued to practice her hoof grip with small objects, succeeding here and there, but coming no closer to understanding how or why it worked. All in all, it made for a frustrating experience each time, but she sure as sure wasn't going to let herself be stopped by herself any time soon, so she might as well get used to it because she wasn't about to back down now!

She also continued to be purposely annoyingly confusing in her threats.

On this particular morning though, as they walked along the path to their assigned task, Meteorite found herself being called out to by Flo.

"H-Hey Meteorite?"

Meteorite paused in her step and half-turned to face Flo who had stopped a few steps earlier. She appeared fidgety, not looking Meteorite directly in the eye.

"What is it, Flo?" Meteorite asked, concerned.

"Um…" Flo hesitated, pawing at the ground slightly, as a blush crossed her face. "L-Look, I'm not a pegasus, s-so I… I don't know if what I'm about to say is considered rude or anything…"

Meteorite bristled slightly. She was about to be called on for her knowledge of pegasi, wasn't she? She was gonna have to fake it, wasn't she?

"But uh…" The blush deepened. "Is- Are you… taking care of your wings?"

Meteorite blinked unsurely. Slowly looking back and down at her sides, she realised that her wings were in quite a state of disarray, feathers jutting out at awkward angles. It occurred to her that she hadn't really done anything with them since she woke up in that forest. Mainly because she didn't know how.

Oh good. This was much more embarrassing than she envisioned.

"Uhh…" Meteorite droned, apparently just now casually considering the issue. "Pf, yeah nah, I… guess I hadn't been. To be honest, with everything going on last week… yeah, I guess I just forgot! Thanks for reminding me though! Hoo boy, that would've been embarrassing if it got any worse!"

"You're not upset?" Flo asked hopefully.

"No no!" Meteorite dismissed with a grandiose wave. "No, nah, I'm super glad you told me, silly me, I would've just carried on forgetting about it, heheh!"

Flo exhaled a sigh of relief and smiled. "Whew, okay! I was worried I was crossing some sort of boundary!"

"Oh, no, don't ya worry about that!" Meteorite continued to heavily dismiss, grinning broadly. "Yeah, I'll… take care of this later, after work and all that!"

"Well, okay!" Flo beamed, walking onwards now. Meteorite turned to follow behind, her face instantly falling flat as she did.

Great. How the fuck am I going to figure this out?

The morning passed by as the two mares worked side by side, slowly it would have seemed, though Meteorite chalked it up to being anxious about her wings. And it didn't help that her train of thought needed restarting every time Flo cheerfully spoke to her. Which was often.

Still, she spent enough time searching her mind for ways on how to get the information she needed. Obviously there was no internet, and she certainly couldn't ask anypony lest they'd started asking too many reasonable questions she didn't have reasonable answers to on why a grown mare her age needed information on basic hygiene.

But… there was a library. Twilight's library. If there was information to be had, it'd be there. Meteorite squared her jaw as she realised she would need to step fo- hoof into Ponyville later that day. She hoped it'd be a quiet affair for once. Hoped, but wasn't willing to bet any bits on it.

When lunchtime rolled around and went, it wasn't too far into their afternoon applebucking that Applejack came trotting down the path, smiling pleasantly.

"Hiya girls, y'all doing good here?" she called as she passed by.

"Uh-huh!" Flo responded while Meteorite silently nodded.

"Great!" Applejack beamed, slowing to a stop. "Hey, have either of ya seen Pinkie nearby?"

The two looked at each other quizzically for a moment before shaking their heads. "Should we have?" Flo asked.

"Naw," Applejack said with a dismissive wave of her hoof. "Was just curious. Ah invited her to a barn-raising this afternoon, but it looks like she's a mite busy." She paused briefly before suddenly turning to face them. "Hey! Either of ya want t' join in? It'll be one whale of a time!"

"Aw, I can't," Flo said regretfully. "I'll be busy making a new recipe for dinner tonight."

"Ahh… this isn't like," Meteorite gestured unsurely with a hoof, "job-required or anything, right?"

Applejack chuckled. "Naw, Ah just thought ya'd like to take part in it, fer fun."

"Right yeah, so uh… today though?" Meteorite clucked her tongue. "I kinda had plans to go into Ponyville later on today."

"Sure," Applejack smiled. "We don't need that many; already got four of us so that oughta be plenty as it is. Maybe next time."

"Oh, for sure, yeah."

"Heh," Applejack lowered her hat down slightly with a wry smile as she started walking off. "Don't go making promises ya don't intend t' keep."

A chill ran through Meteorite as she watched Applejack leave. Fuck, she saw right through me there. Shaking it off, she turned to readjust her bucking stance when she spotted Flo looking at her questioningly.

"You're going into Ponyville?"

"Ah uh, yeah," Meteorite admitted. "I was gonna go and get to the library."

"Oh!" Flo perked up. "You're going to get some books to read?"

Meteorite briefly considered the question. "No, I was actually thinking on eating a sandwich there."

Flo looked absolutely confused. "At the library?"

"It was a joke, Flo," Meteorite deadpanned, dropping the act. While Flo stammered over a flustered response Meteorite continued, more to herself than anyone. "Evidently not a very good one."

As the day settled into the afternoon and everypony was back at the cottage, Meteorite was alone in her room, slowly strapping on the saddlebags Flo had gotten her. She didn't know exactly how many books she'd end up getting, but if nothing else the saddlebags hid how disgraceful her wings were.

Satisfied that she had secured her saddlebags, Meteorite made her way to the front door, and drew in a deep breath as she prepared to face Ponyville once more. However, that preparedness was cut short once she left and saw Pinkie hopping by, along the main path.

"Oh! Pinkie!" she instinctively called out, almost instantly scolding herself for unnecessarily drawing attention to herself. It's okay, just casual greetings and all that, she told herself, and trotted down the hoofpath to meet with Pinkie, who had turned to face her while still hopping up and down on the spot.

"Sorry to interrupt you," Meteorite began, "just thought I'd let you know Applejack was looking for you earlier." Well duh, she then realised, that's why Pinkie's here, obviously.

"Ohh! She was?" Pinkie said cluelessly, still hopping and smiling.

"Uh, yeah. Something about a barn-raising?"

"Oh, sounds fun!"

Meteorite chose to not remark on that.

"Okay, thanks!" Pinkie continued, waving as she bounced away. "Bye Metric!"

"...Metric?" Meteorite muttered under her breath as she watched Pinkie hop over the horizon. "Okay, that was weird. Even for Pinkie." Frowning for a few moments in thought she then vigourously shook her head and turned her snout up and away, holding up a hoof at where Pinkie had gone. "Whatever, it's not my problem. Whatever's going on with Pinkie, it's got nothing to do with me. I've got my own shit to sort out."

A short while later, Meteorite found herself before the library once again, looming over her. She breathed in deeply and exhaled before timidly knocking on the door. A few seconds later, the door opened to a curious-looking Twilight Sparkle.

"Yes?"

"H-Hi," Meteorite began, suddenly wishing she never came here. "Is… the library… open? I-It just occurred to me just now that… it might not be… and um…" She trailed off, looking down as she dug into the ground with her hoof.

Thankfully, she heard Twilight titter lightly. "Yes of course it is," she said warmly, stepping aside. "Please, come in!"

Relieved, Meteorite wiped her hooves and stepped inside, Twilight closing the door behind her. Once more she marvelled at the sheer selection of books around her, failing to notice Twilight stepping in front of her.

"So, is there a book I can help you find?"

Meteorite blinked and lowered her gaze down to meet Twilight's, now noticing the small dragon by Twilight's side. Spike smiled and waved casually, to which Meteorite returned the gesture.

"Yeah actually, uh… I'm looking for… um…" Meteorite blanked for a moment. She had intended to slyly search the shelves until she found a book that looked helpful, but now that she was here, that method seemed… insurmountable. She cleared her throat.

"I actually don't know if there's a book like this but… do you have anything that uh… goes into detail on wing maintenance? F-For pegasi, I mean." There goes her plan of not asking anypony.

Twilight furrowed her brow in thought. "Hm, it's not a subject matter I'm familiar with, I'm afraid," she said, trotting over to her shelves, using her magic to pull books out and inspecting them one by one. "To be honest, you might have more luck asking at the local hospital."

Meteorite tensed up, mentally kicking herself for not thinking of that herself. As Twilight continued to search though and offload books to a waiting Spike, she glanced back over her shoulder. "You were in here last week too, weren't you?" she asked with a smile.

"A-Ah, yeah," Meteorite admitted, rubbing the back of her head nervously. "I… I didn't get anything though; I was just browsing. Did- Was everything okay after I left?"

Immediately Spike went wide-eyed and with his back to Twilight, subtly but frantically made a silence gesture across his neck with a free claw. Fortunately, Twilight had her eye on Meteorite. "What do you mean? Did something happen?"

"D'ah, no! No, I was just- worried! Because you weren't there, I wasn't there… so y'know. I don't like leaving places unattended."

"Aww," Twilight cooed, "don't you worry about that. Spike here is more than capable of looking after the place by himself. Aren't you Spike?"

"You bet, Twi!" Spike chirped, before both looking relieved and glaring at Meteorite, right before another book floated down onto the pile in his arms, blocking his face from view. Meteorite bit the inside of her cheek to counteract the adorableness of it all.

"Ah! This might be what you're looking for!" Twilight cried happily, staring at a book in her magical grasp as she fully turned around. She opened it and quickly flipped through its pages. "It's more of a medical text-heavy book, but it does cover proper body care for all three pony types, including preening for pegasi. Is that enough?" she asked, looking away from the book and at Meteorite.

"It… might be?" Meteorite ventured as she took the book in both hooves. "Certainly sounds useful enough."

"Right then," Twilight nodded, her horn flaring slightly more as a ledger and quill floated over in front of her. "I'll just record that you've…"

Her gaze slowly drifted up from the floating ledger and straight at Meteorite, unnerving her, even moreso when Twilight adopted a lopsided grin.

"...you're new," Twilight slowly realized. "You've never taken out a book here before."

"Uh… yeah?" Meteorite agreed uneasily as she took a step back while lifting a foreleg, ready to bolt.

"That means…" Twilight's eyes began to sparkle. "That means you don't have a library card yet!"

"Uh-" Meteorite barely had time to stand her ground and avoid being pulled by the drag as Twilight rushed by her in a blur and up the stairs to the second floor. With a raised eyebrow, Spike peered around the pile of books in his arms before glancing at Meteorite and shrugging, hopping up the stairs after Twilight.

Now left alone, Meteorite nervously rubbed one foreleg with the other. Good manners told her to wait where she was, but unbridled curiosity wanted to see the upstairs for herself. Setting hoof on the first step, she decided maybe it would be alright if she just waited at the doorway to the second floor…

When she got there, Meteorite was greeted by the sight of Spike casually leaning on the pile of books he had set down, not that far off from an excited Twilight rummaging through a chest of drawers.

"Everypony who regularly comes here already has their card," Twilight called out to Meteorite, somehow sensing she was there despite having her back turned to her. "And nopony new ever shows up to check out books!"

"Until you," Spike further explained, pointing finger guns at Meteorite. Claw guns? No, that sounded stupid, Meteorite reasoned.

"Which means…!" Twilight continued, finally pulling out an old parchment. She blew on it, blowing off a cloud of dust and briefly stared at it lovingly before hugging the parchment tightly. "I get to fill out a library card application!"

"Oh, brother…" Spike murmured, rolling his eyes. However, Meteorite simply faintly smiled to herself. Twilight mildly blushed as soon as she realized what she was doing in front of her guest and quickly adopted an air of professionalism, magically smoothing out the parchment as she cleared her throat. She gestured to Meteorite to join her.

"First things first, let's start with your name."

"Ah, it's Meteorite," she said, taking a few steps towards Twilight, already carefully writing with her quill. Meteorite's ear flicked as she thought she heard a low rumbling.

"Right then, second question!" Twilight began, but soon became just as perturbed as she looked around. "...what's that noise?"

Meteorite turned her attention to a nearby window that was slightly ajar. "Sounds like it's outside…"

Twilight nodded in agreement as she stood up. "Excuse me for a moment, would you?" Meteorite gave a sharp nod in response and stepped aside as Twilight hurried downstairs with Spike in tow. A short moment later, she heard the front door open along with the roar of an upset crowd, only to be muffled again by the door closing. Whatever was happening, Meteorite wanted no part of it.

But… she did want to know what the fuck was going on.

Carefully sidling to the window, her ears pricked up trying to hear anything that stood out. The only thing she could make out though was Rarity's shrill voice saying '-Pinkie hurricane raging through my shop!'

Of course the only fucking thing I hear is Rarity, she thought sourly. Before she could pay any further attention, the sound of the front door swinging open reached her ears, along with Twilight's voice flitting through as she desperately tried to calm the crowd.

"-hang on while I try to figure something out!"

Now more curious than ever, Meteorite carefully tiptoed over to the stairway back down, pressing herself against the wall up top. Peering down, she saw Twilight and Spike desperately searching through the shelves, tossing discarded books into a pile in the middle of the room. It wasn't long before Spike apparently found something, along with falling back into said pile. Meteorite winced at the painful memory of her similar experience the week prior.

"Aha, here it is!" Twilight cheered, having plucked the book Spike had found and scanning through it. "'The Legend of the Mirror Pond'! It describes a spell I can use to send them back where they came from!"

"That's perfect! Let's go!" Spike said, getting up and reaching for the doorknob of the front door.

"But there's a catch," Twilight warned with a worried grimace, "If I can't figure out which one is the real Pinkie, I might send her back by mistake!"

'Real Pinkie'? Meteorite mouthed, feeling troubled by what she was hearing. She thought back to her meeting with Pinkie only an hour earlier. Was that a… fake Pinkie?

"-shouldn't be too hard," Spike shrugged.

With that, Spike and Twilight quickly fled outside, the door closing behind them. Left alone again, Meteorite lifted a hoof to sneak back downstairs, but paused as the sprawling stairway with no guardrail stretched out before her. Going up was easy, going back down… not so much. It was several minutes later that Meteorite realised she was still contemplating walking down, unable to summon the courage to actually step forward.

Oh god, she slowly noted, I'm actually paralysed with fear, aren't I?

Staircases never bothered her before; she usually was able to maintain her balance freely up or down. But this was a body she was still getting used to, and she lacked confidence in her ability to balance herself out. One misstep could send her careening down the entire fligh-

She violently shook her head, trying to rid herself of those thoughts. Okay, okay… I can't stay up here forever. She glanced back behind her at Twilight's living area. …as nice as that would be. She looked back down and swallowed hard. Pushing past the barrier that her fear put before her, she timidly stepped down, hugging the far wall as she did.

Okay… one down, several, several more to go…

Finally reaching the bottom of the stairs, Meteorite hopped down onto level ground with all four hooves, exhaling a sigh of relief. Quickly trotting over to the front door, she noticed it had been left slightly ajar and so she carefully nudged it open with her hoof. Peering outside, whatever crowd was there seemed to have dispersed, and in the distance she saw a cloud of pink bouncing away, slowly followed by Twilight and Spike, along with an oddball of a Pinkie, sullenly dragging her hooves as she walked.

Wide-eyed, Meteorite slowly pulled the door to and stepped back inside, her back against the wall beside her.

"Well. That was a terrifying sight," she remarked carefully. Shaking her head clear, she decided to ignore whatever that was, and considered her next move.

She had the book she was after -a quick pat on her saddlebags to confirm, yup still there- but Twilight was now busy with… whatever was happening with Pinkie. Something about a mirror pool? Brr.

But she couldn't just leave with the book. Even though she had every intention of returning the book, just taking it without Twilight fully acknowledging it was hers to take? She might as well have sucker-punched her in the gut for the same sort of retribution she'd receive. But… she also couldn't just wait. She needed time to herself to study what to do, and the longer she waited the less time she had where she would be certain Flo wasn't going to be in their room.

Flicking through the pages of the book she found the section she wanted, but there was just so much text and several illustrations to take in. There was no way she was going to remember all of this later on without studying it further. Sighing, she looked around the library. I wish photocopiers were invented…

A gentle breeze blew the door beside her open, accompanied by birdsong. Meteorite turned to stare it down, debating what she should do.

The door of the cottage swung open to the sounds of repetitive chops. Cautiously looking over her shoulder, Meteorite stepped inside and headed to the kitchen where she found Flo in the middle of putting chopped vegetables into a baking pan.

"S'up, what're you making?"

Flo turned to her with a mildly confused smile due to the unusual greeting. "Hi, welcome back! I'm making a casserole! It's one of my mother's recipes, and I think it's going well!" Her smile faltered slightly as she turned back to examine her work. "At least… I hope it is. It's my first time trying it, and I've used some of the vegetables from my garden so I'm really hoping it turns out alright."

Meteorite lifted her head up above the counter to peer at the pan. "That's a casserole?" she asked, confused.

"Uh, yeah, what else would it be?"

"I'unno, just… hm. I just thought casseroles were… like a big crock pot with… some sort of gravy."

Flo furrowed her brow. "That's stew, isn't it?"

"Is it?" Meteorite questioned, though accepting that she might be wrong on the fact. "Huh. Mum always called it casserole."

"Huh, strange," Flo muttered, returning to chopping more vegetables but almost instantly perked up. "Hey, if you want though, next time we can try your mother's recipe!"

Meteorite's ears instantly fell flat as she glanced away, speaking quietly. "Ah… she… never taught me."

"Oh," Flo said with mild disappointment, but continued to push. "Well, maybe you can ask her and-" she hesitated as she looked back at Meteorite, and judged from their expression that it wasn't an option. "Well, maybe not…" Flo finished softly as she awkwardly focused back on her casserole, carefully placing more into the pan.

Meteorite kept quiet, allowing herself a brief moment of reflection on the past before blinking her thoughts back to the present. She blew away a strand of her mane that had fallen down on her face, and turned to leave.

"Well, I'm gonna go and… freshen up, y'know?"

Flo nodded, before something occurred to her. "Oh, what books did you get?" she asked, curious.

Meteorite stumbled for a moment, briefly unsure what to say. "Ah… didn't get anything. Nothing caught my eye."

Flo frowned as she continued chopping. "Oh, that's a shame."

"Yeah it is," Meteorite brushed off casually, and steadily left the kitchen at as much of an average pace as possible.

Once inside their room, Meteorite surreptitiously closed the door with a faint click, and then hurriedly over to her side of the room. Undoing her saddlebags, she slipped out of them and reached inside, pulling out the book she needed. Clutching it to her chest, she looked about the room and clambered onto her bed, propping open the book up against her pillow and began carefully reading it.

"Ah fuck, I've got to do this every day?" she muttered to herself. She also realised she was going to have to manipulate her wings with her hooves, since she couldn't unfold them naturally. And… was most likely going to have to use her mouth to help keep her feathers in top condition.

"Ergh," she spat in disgust, but solemnly accepted this was what she had to do, as she bent her head down towards the first of many preening sessions.

After what seemed like several tense hours of praying Flo wouldn't walk in on her, Meteorite had finished preening, or rather, finished what felt like an acceptable job of preening. Her wings no longer looked unkempt, with only one or two feathers askew with the rest. She figured that was good enough; it's not like she was going to be flying any time soon anyways, she bitterly told herself.

Still, she felt an ounce of pride at learning another horse skill- or was it a bird skill? A pegasus skill, yes that's it, she had learnt one step of how to pegasus.

Her eyes fell to her bed covers, and the dozen or so discarded purple feathers scattered around her. She carefully scooped one up in both of her forehooves, examining it with fascinated curiosity. These were her feathers, a part of her, or… well, had been a part of her. It was a strange fact to behold.

It occurred to her that she was being fascinated by what was pretty much the equivalent of hair and nail clippings, which left her feeling a little skeeved out, but it wasn't every day that you got to call a feather yours. Unless you were a pegasus. Hm.

Soft thuds from outside the door alerted Meteorite, and in a panicked swoop she closed the book and shoved it underneath her pillow. She began scooping together the loose feathers just as the doorknob turned, with Flo walking in a moment later.

"Ah don't mind me," Meteorite said hastily with a brisk wave of a hoof, "just cleaning up and all that."

"Ah okay," Flo smiled, "just wanted to let you know dinner will be ready soon."

"Sweet, cool, thanks Flo," Meteorite beamed, before gesturing here and there about her wings, "Oh and um, thanks again for reminding me about… y'know."

"Oh, no problem!" Flo replied, happy she was able to help.

Meteorite stared up at the leafy library, dreading her inevitable encounter. Her saddlebags felt heavy with guilt as she cautiously stepped forward and pushed open the door to the library.

"H-Hello?" she called out as she stepped inside. "Twilight? Spike? It's me, Meteorite. I'm… I'm returning a book."

An eerie silence greeted her as she wandered further in, only to be extremely startled by the door slamming shut behind. Yelping, she turned around only to see a very angry Twilight Sparkle glaring at her.

"You took one of my books, didn't you," Twilight accused with the calmness of a raging sea. It wasn't even a question; just an absolute fact being stated.

Meteorite shook as her legs began to give out from underneath her, mustering all her strength just to stand before the intensity of Twilight's furious gaze. She nodded timidly. "Y-Yes, I'm sorry, I'm so very, very sorry! I didn't mean to I-I-"

"LIES!" Twilight roared, wind whipping around her while her eyes glowed a brilliant white. Meteorite cowered on the ground with her hooves over her head.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I brought it back I promise that I did!"

"NOT GOOD ENOUGH," Twilight bellowed, rising into the air with magical energy crackling about her. "You have proven yourself untrustworthy, Meteorite! You will steal whatever you desire without thought! If not my books…!"

"I'm sorry!"

"Then ya've gone and stolen mah apples!" Applejack suddenly announced from a dark corner of the library.

"I'm sorry!"

"You stole fizzy lifting drinks!" shouted Gene Wilder from the opposite corner.

"I'm sorry!!"

Suddenly, Meteorite felt herself being picked up off the ground and turned upside down, unable to even squirm as she was tightly wrapped in Twilight's magical aura. She was reeled in closer, forced to stare into Twilight's pupil-less eyes.

"W-W-What are you going to do with me?" she asked, trembling with fear.

Twilight said nothing immediate in response, only turning to leave the library, with Meteorite forced to tag along.

"There's only one thing to be done," Twilight said icily as she levitated Meteorite out in the middle of the street. "Hold you still until vengeance is delivered."

Curled up and unable to move, Meteorite could only watch in horror as the skies grew darker, a large shadow forming above her.

"No, please…!" she wept, unable to look away.

"That'll teach you to have a crush on Rarity as well!" she heard Spike yell.

"I'm-"

"-sorry!"

Meteorite panted heavily as she sat upright, now in a darkened room. It took her a few calming gasps to eventually realise she was actually in her room, in bed. She patted her covers, just to touch something she could feasibly call reality. Across the room was Flo, still asleep in her own bed and looking peaceful. A few forceful gulps, Meteorite slowly slid back under her covers, pulling them up tight around her as she shivered.

Just a dream, just a dream, just a nightmare, that's all…

Her eyes flitted to the base of their closet door where her saddlebags sat sagging with her secret shame.

T-Tomorrow… she told herself, before blinking a couple times and glancing out the window at the night sky. Or later today, I'unno.

Giving way to a yawn, Meteorite slowly closed her eyes, hopefully avoiding any further nasty dreams.

Meteorite stared up at the leafy library, dreading a foretelling of what was to come. There was no turning back at this point; she had to face the consequences of her actions. Nervously she approached the door and knocked, closing her eyes and breathed in and out to try and stay calm.

The door was soon answered by Twilight, whose smiling face fell upon seeing who was there. "Oh. Hello," she greeted politely, but Meteorite could tell there was no sincerity behind it. Saying nothing more, Twilight retreated back inside and over to a nearby desk, waiting for Meteorite to approach.

"I saw your note," Twilight explained flatly, lifting up in her magic a pencil-scrawled scrap of paper that read:

twilight
took book
Sorry :(
be back
tommorrow — M.

Meteorite nodded numbly as Twilight looked at the note once more with restrained annoyance.

"What's this supposed to mean?" she asked, pointing at the symbol in the middle of the page.

"...ah, that's… um, a sad face." She watched as Twilight furrowed her brow at it, trying to see it. "Y-You have to um- turn it sideways."

Twilight flipped and rotated the note until it made sense. Well, some sense, at least. "Why didn't you just draw it the right way up?"

…habit.

"Whatever," Twilight muttered, not waiting for a response and disregarded the note to face Meteorite. "Do you have the book with you?"

Meteorite nodded, lifting a hoof to her saddlebags. "Y-Yeah, it's in he-" She was cut off as her saddlebag was magically opened and the book flew out and over to Twilight as she inspected it. Satisfied the book was still intact, Twilight turned her attention back to Meteorite.

"What made you think it was okay to just take it?!" Twilight shrilled, no longer holding back her emotions, and causing Meteorite to flinch. "This is a library! There are procedures! You can't just skip them because you felt like it!"

"You weren't here," Meteorite mumbled into her chest, almost inaudibly.

"I was dealing with a crisis!" Twilight stamped her hoof while shaking the book at Meteorite. "You could've waited! What was so important that you so brazenly disregar-"

Twilight's tirade was interrupted as she watched a lone purple feather fall out of the book, gently floating down until it landed between the two mares. Confusion tore through her anger as she picked up the feather with her magic. Glancing between it and the book, Twilight recalled why the book had been requested in the first place, and finally looked back at Meteorite, who was still shamefully hanging her head. A heavy pause hung in the air as she slowly connected the dots.

"You," Twilight swallowed, speaking calmer, "really needed it, huh?"

Meteorite silently nodded while still hanging her head, and Twilight sighed internally. She paced the library a few times, thinking to herself, before turning to face Meteorite.

"It won't happen again?"

There was another pause as Meteorite chanced a glance up at Twilight and saw her patiently expecting a response. She started nodding before frantically switching to shaking her head.

"Yes, no! I mean, no no it won't happen, I promise!" As she said that, she felt the sting of Applejack's words from the previous day. She breathed in and spoke again, calmer this time. "I mean… I'll do my utmost to avoid doing it again. I don't want to do it; I didn't even want to do it this time…"

Twilight quietly listened, considering the book as she did. "Well… I appreciate your honesty. And you did bring it back. And you did leave me a note about it, hastily-written as it was."

The 'hastily-written' note had taken Meteorite over half an hour to write, including the time to find and correctly stick a pencil in her mouth, along with eventually holding down the paper with both hooves just to keep it still while writing.

Twilight gave Meteorite one more glance. "Do you… still need the book?"

"I… might?" Meteorite admitted. "There was a lot, and I didn't get to read it all last night."

"Well," Twilight began, now with a small, but genuine, smile. "I suppose that means you still need your library card, doesn't it?"

"You'll… still give me one?" Meteorite asked hopefully.

"M-hm," Twilight nodded, making her way to the stairway. "Although… I think this time we should start with your address, so I know where to find you," she said with a playful wink.

Meteorite tittered lightly as she followed.

"Sounds fair."

Chapter 13

"Alright, I gotta give it to ya, this has been pretty fun."

Ponyville was in the middle of celebrating by way of the Summer Harvest Parade, and despite her initial wishes, Meteorite found herself walking with Flo and Silverfire amongst the crowd on the sidelines of the designated route for the parade. For all her desires to stay out of potential plot-driven spotlights, it felt nice to just be part of the crowd for once.

Plus the attractions and food were worth risking it, she felt.

"See, I told you!" Flo told her, lightly shoving Meteorite on the shoulder, "And you wanted to stay home."

"Just like Steel," Silverfire teased slightly, taking a bite out of his hay dog.

"Yeah yeah okay. You were right, I was wrong," Meteorite reluctantly admitted. A moment later she saw a street vendor approaching and flagged them down, already fishing bits out of her saddlebags. "And I've never actually been to a parade before, so there's that I suppose."

"Wait, really?" Flo asked. "Not even when you were little?"

"Nah," Meteorite said as she received her drink, served in a generic cup with a lid and straw, and sat down with it in both forehooves. "Was always a stay-at-home kinda… filly," she grinned before slurping through her straw. "But this, this is nice."

Having continued onwards, Silverfire looked back and retraced his steps. "Oh. We're… stopping here?"

"For now," Meteorite nodded, not wanting to draw attention to the fact that she still needed both forehooves to firmly hold her cup. She looked out with dull surprise on the main road at the passing floats. "Wow. That's the second biggest golden apple I've seen."

Flo turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "What's the biggest?"

"It's called dry humour, Flo," Meteorite remarked casually, not looking at her and taking another sip. "I do it a lot."

"Hm," Flo mused, unimpressed.

Meteorite continued staring at the floats, lazily sipping as she did, though her mind was focused. Okay, so, evidently cars are a thing ponies can build. Or at least, car-like. Weird technological jump, but whatever, good to know.

Unfortunately, being so intently lost in her thoughts, Meteorite didn't hear in time the patter of tiny hooves approaching from one side.

"'scuze us!" cried a yellow filly as she ran past, jolting Meteorite's cup loose from her grip.

"Sorry!" said a white filly, knocking Meteorite off-balance while she desperately tried reclaiming her drink as it was sent into the air.

"Coming through!" announced an orange filly from behind, sending Meteorite into a reverse spin for a few seconds. Meteorite dizzily looked at her empty hooves before glancing upwards, only to have her cup come back down the wrong way and land on her face, spilling soda and ice over her. Flo covered a gasp with her hoof, while Silverfire merely cringed.

…I don't know what to feel more upset by, Meteorite bitterly thought, not daring to move a muscle as the syrupy liquid dribbled down her neck and body. Losing my drink, or the fact that all this somehow feels like a cold open.

Out of pity, Silverfire plucked the now empty cup from upon Meteorite's head, as she suddenly gave in to a tiny sneeze.

"...'cuse me…"

Deciding to cut the outing short, Meteorite headed back home to the cottage alone, where she hastily hopped into the shower. Having a fur-covered body was taking some adjusting to, especially when it got mussed up. Her fur being dirty or just parted the wrong way was annoying, but it being sticky was unbearable. Not that wet fur was much better, but she at least could dry herself off afterwards.

Ah well, it at least had been a fun day out until that point. Maybe she wouldn't be so averse to future events once in a-

"Snk!"

Another sneeze. She managed to catch herself this time, sneezing into her foreleg, but now she was getting worried.

Fuck, I'm not coming down with something, am I? Fuck, that's all I need.

She briefly wondered if it might be hayfever; it was something she used to suffer from, after all. She vaguely remembered hayfever being mentioned on the show, though with all the punning involved in the scene, she had no idea if it was still the same thing or not.

Although… would I still suffer hayfever now? She pondered while looking at her foreleg, before turning about and letting the stream of water wash over her face. Technically a different body… although I wouldn't put it past me to still give me hayfever anyway.

Finishing up, she got out of the shower tub and started drying herself off with a towel, still lost in thought. The trouble is, if it's not hayfever, then it's something else and that's just as worrying. She raised her foreleg to her forehead to check for a fever, but quickly realised it was difficult to parse exactly what temperature she had. Another issue with fur.

Hmph, gonna need to figure out what an appropriate temperature feels like for future reference…

Walking down the hall from her room, Meteorite crossed paths with Steel, who had been heading into the living area with a book in the crook of his foreleg. He glanced her way with a curt nod.

"Ah, Miss Meteorite. I suspected that was you."

Meteorite raised an eyebrow. "How'd you know it was me? I didn't see you at all when I came back."

"I doubt very much Silverfire would be using your bathroom," Steel reasoned as he settled down on the dark brown sofa, readying his book in his hooves. "And Miss Flora is more… vocal, about returning home," he explained carefully.

"Alright, you got me there," Meteorite conceded.

"Is the parade over already then?" Steel asked disinterestedly, already paying more attention to his book. "I had assumed it was going to be longer."

"Naah, I got soda spilled all over me so I came back to clean up."

Steel flicked his eyes up at her briefly. "Mm. Rowdy crowd, I take it?"

"Nah, just some kids, y'know? Applebloom and her friends."

"Ah, of course, Miss Bloom," Steel muttered, turning a page. "I presume you'll be heading back out then?"

"Nah… think I've had enough for one day," Meteorite said while stretching, with her forehooves planted on the ground. She was momentarily distracted by how cat-like her action just now was, before shaking it off. "You up to anything?"

Steel appeared to not hear her as he continued to very intently read. A few seconds passed, and his eyes steadily rose up from his book to pointedly stare at her. Meteorite sucked in her cheeks as she meekly nodded.

"Right… yeah okay," she trailed off, awkwardly looking elsewhere. She turned about to walk back down the hallway when she was suddenly overcome by a few short dry coughs. Steel peered up at her.

"Are you feeling alright, Miss Meteorite?"

"Y- uh… maybe?" Meteorite ventured, finishing another cough into the crook of her hoof. "I dunno, actually. Sneezed earlier too; might be coming down with something."

"Are you feverish?"

Meteorite reluctantly put her hoof to her forehead for a few seconds, before awkwardly shrugging. "Honestly can't tell."

"Hmm," Steel mused thoughtfully before eventually returning to his book. "Well, do keep an eye on it. Hopefully it's nothing."

Meteorite silently nodded, reserving some doubt as she headed back to her room.

Flopped back onto her bed, Meteorite stared up at the ceiling furrowing in thought. If I learned anything from TV, it's that characters don't just 'get sick'. Am I doing this to me then? Is this like… a plot point or something? Is something finally going to happen?

She thought back to… what was it, a couple weeks now? The ordeal with her wings and Twilight felt very in-the-moment at the time, but after a few days hindsight she couldn't shake the feeling that it felt… Important. Was it Story Important though? She couldn't tell.

There was that thing going on with Pinkie at the time too, which she learned more about from Applejack after the fact. Applejack had shrugged it off as 'just one of those things that happen', but Meteorite went on to quietly file that bit of information under Probably Important.

Truth be told, the whole idea of Pinkie creating magical clones of herself didn't feel like it would come from either herself or the show. But it was a fact she had to concede as happened, at the very least, in the version of Equestria she now called home.

With a sigh, Meteorite rolled her head to the side, and in a bid for a distraction from her thoughts, her eyes fell upon the half-read Daring Do book on her half of the bedside table. It wasn't her kind of story, she had to admit. It was very well-written of course, too well-written to have come from her definitely, but action-adventure stories just didn't really do anything for her.

Plus, some of it did feel contrived, so there was that.

She sniffed and rolled over the other way towards the wall, her hooves under her pillow as she closed her eyes to rest. Her thoughts began flittering towards the only book series she'd ever got invested in, Discworld. She smiled at the memory, only for it to turn sour as she realised that was yet another thing she'll never see again.

"Guess you really can't take it with you…" she whispered to herself, almost inaudibly.

After a few moments, she cracked open an eye as it occurred to her that technically, technically, the entire fictional multiverse was open to her, if her author so chooses. Mulling it over, she went back to trying to nap as she considered that, like what she had decided with the embarrassment back a few weeks ago with Time Turner, doing a crossover with Discworld would probably be A Bad Idea, and so put off the notion of trying to convince herself. Not that she'd probably listen, anyway.

No, apparently, she would much rather waste everybody's time by giving herself a cold. How thrilling. Truly a writer of the ages, she was.

A sneeze suddenly caught her off-guard. Groaning, Meteorite twisted about and got off her bed and into the bathroom. After some searching, she fumbled with both hooves for the tissue box Flo had.

Bet that was on purpose, ya fuck, she grumbled to herself as she clumsily wiped her snout, casting a glare through the bathroom window at the open sky. Wassamatter, can't handle being called out? Need to jab me back in my place, do you?

Meteorite waited for some sort of retaliation, and lightly scoffed when nothing further happened. She moved back to her room.

"Whatever…"

The rest of the afternoon went roughly as expected, punctuated occasionally by a few coughs and a sneeze or two. After Flo and Silverfire returned home and they all had dinner, Meteorite explained she wasn't feeling the best and opted for a very early night.

It was of course to none of her surprise that Meteorite woke up the next morning feeling terrible.

The sound of Flo's alarm reverberated through her skull, and Meteorite pulled her covers up and over her head to muffle the noise, with minimal success. Thankfully the alarm was silenced quickly, and after a while Meteorite felt a hoof prod her in the shoulder.

"Hey, Meteorite…" Flo called softly, fighting through her own bleariness. "How are you feeling?"

"Nnnggghh…" Meteorite articulated to the best of her abilities, pushing her head deeper into her pillow.

"Alright…" Flo nodded, yawning. "I'll let the boys know."

The sound of Flo's hoofsteps grew quiet, before the squeak of their bathroom door closing scraped the inside of Meteorite's head. With a pitiful whine, she leveraged the ends of her pillow with her hooves, pinning them inward in a desperate plea to mute the world around her as she tried to go back to sleep.

How long she managed to sleep for was hard to tell, but what Meteorite did know was there was the sound of a very determined, very persistent, very fucking annoying stallion trying to get her attention. But with no fight left in her, Meteorite slowly peeked out from under her covers with bloodshot eyes.

In a rare lapse of composure, Steel recoiled slightly and audibly grimaced at the sight. He cleared his throat to cover up his embarrassment, but it just made Meteorite wince at the sound.

"It… would appear you are unwell after all, Miss Meteorite."

To his surprise, or at the very least mild surprise, Meteorite made no attempt at a retort, and only weakly nodded accompanied by a few plaintive whines and sniffles.

"Well," he continued with an exhale, "do not concern yourself with anything other than getting better, is that understood Miss Meteorite?"

"Okay…" she quietly murmured, shifting slightly and wrapping the covers around her. Steel turned to leave, encountering Flo just outside the room, with Silverfire off to the side arching his neck around to peer inside.

"Alright," Steel scolded lightly as he left, pulling the door to a close, "this isn't a sideshow."

"Dude, how sick is she?" Silverfire asked.

"Shouldn't we get a doctor?" Flo asked immediately after. Steel held up his hoof and shook his head.

"No need for all that. Miss Meteorite is just a little under the weather, that's all." He clapped his hooves twice in quick succession. "Now come on, we still have our health, and our duties to go with them."

Silverfire groaned gruffly as Steel took lead down the hallway. Flo watched them leave for a bit before she, with growing uncertainty, looked back at her and Meteorite's bedroom door.

Swallowing, she set about down the hall.

Meteorite's head swam as she fought to sit upright in her bed. She wasn't surprised when Steel had come in earlier to confirm that she really was unwell, before deciding that yes, she was unable to put in a day's work.

But what did surprise her was a few hours later, when Flo walked in with a tan-coloured unicorn stallion she only vaguely recognised, clearly garbed in a doctor's outfit and a doctor's bag in his mouth, which he put down upon entry.

"Hello there," he greeted warmly. "I'm Doctor Horse, and I've been told that somepony isn't feeling very well."

If she had the willpower to do so, Meteorite would've sent a few snarky thoughts out into the ether about how embarrassingly lazy of a name that was. But as it was, Meteorite only had the power to weakly nod as she murmured an affirmation. In response, Dr Horse began opening his bag and rummaging inside, and Flo awkwardly shuffled to the far side of the room to keep out of the way.

"Alright, let's have a look at you," Dr Horse told Meteorite, slightly muffled by the small flashlight in his mouth. After checking her eyes and throat, he put the flashlight away in a pocket. "Do you think you can tell me what symptoms you have?"

Meteorite slowly nodded, finally finding her voice for the first time that morning. "Uhh… head's kinda… stuffed, headache, runny nose… uhh… I'm feeling pretty itchy around-" she awkwardly gestured towards her midsection, "-here I guess." She smacked her lips a few times. "Mouth's dry…"

"Okay, that's enough," he told her, as he stared intently at her wing. "Can you unfurl your wing for me please?"

"Uh-!" Both Meteorite and Flo started, before Flo quietened down, not wanting to encroach. Meteorite woozily blinked before continuing. "Can't do that. Can't move my wings."

"You can't move your wings?" Dr Horse repeated, alarmed. Meteorite hastily waved a hoof at him.

"Nah nah no no, it's fine. It's… an existing condition," she told him. "Don't worry 'bout it."

Dr Horse turned to Flo, who silently nodded. Turning back, he rubbed his chin. "Well, if you say so. I am going to need to check it though. Are you comfortable with me unfurling it for you?"

Through her addled thoughts, Meteorite gave the request some consideration. "Yeah, yeah go ahead. Do what you need to…" she trailed off into a yawn. "...sorry."

Popping his flashlight back into his mouth, Dr Horse returned to his bag and came back with some gloves on his hooves. Carefully touching Meteorite's wing, he examined it in detail for a few moments before putting it back by her side.

"Interesting…" he muttered through the side of his mouth. After removing his gloves, he magically lifted up a moist towelette to wipe his hooves with. "What was your name again?"

"Meteorite," Flo replied instinctively.

"Right, Meteorite, have you had Wing Pox before?"

Meteorite slowly shook her head. "Can definitely tell you I haven't."

"That's what I thought."

"What is it, doctor?" Flo asked. "Is she okay?"

Dr Horse turned to her, distracted. "What? Oh yes, absolutely, she's going to be fine. It's just a case of Wing Pox. Most pegasi deal with it at some point, though usually when they're younger. Your friend has been lucky to get through life this far without contracting it." He gave it a little thought. "Or unlucky, depending on how you look at it, I suppose."

Meteorite groaned in response as she slumped back down under her covers. Flo eyed her worriedly, as Dr Horse began packing up. "She just needs plenty of rest, juice," he turned about to address Meteorite, "oh, and this goes without saying, but do not pluck at your feathers. You'll only make it worse."

"Okay…" Meteorite whined softly, now absolutely focused on the itchiness in her wings.

"She should be fine in a week or so," Dr Horse said aside to Flo as he hoisted up his bag, turning to leave. "Are there any other pegasi in the household?"

Flo shook her head as she followed him out of the room. "No, she's the only one."

"Okay, good. It won't do much to non-pegasi, but I'd still advise against getting too close all the same."

Flo nodded gratefully. "I understand. Thank you for coming, doctor."

Dr Horse dismissively waved it off with a smile. "All part of the job."

Flo stood at the front door as the good doctor made his way down the hoofpath, back to Ponyville. Exhaling a sigh, Flo closed the door and made her way back to the rear of the cottage.

"Heeey," she called softly to Meteorite, gently knocking on their door as she entered. "How are you feeling?"

"Itchy…" Meteorite breathed, trying not to give in. She shifted uncomfortably before making an effort to get up.

"Whoa whoa, take it easy," Flo cautioned, holding out her hoof.

"I'm just sitting up…" Meteorite said breathlessly, settling into position and wearily regarding Flo. Her eyes closed momentarily and her head drooped slightly before jerking herself back awake.

"You need to rest, Meteorite."

"Yeah, I'm gonna…" Meteorite yawned. "I'm just-"

She cut herself off as her gaze drifted, apparently lost in thought. With a blink of clarity, she refocused back on Flo.

"Did you call for a doctor?"

Flo felt confused by the odd wording. "What?"

"I was just wondering, were you the one that-" Another yawn snuck up onto Meteorite, developing into a few coughs.

Flo waited patiently for the coughing to finish then nodded uneasily. "Yeah… I went into town and asked for a doctor to come see you."

"Ah, well, thanks for that…" Meteorite murmured through a weak smile, her upper body hunched forward slightly. "Lord knows I wouldn't have known it would be something like Wing Pox."

Flo tilted her head slightly, listening curiously. "Never had it?"

Meteorite giggled a little deliriously. "Not until now…" she trilled, before going into another quiet thoughtful moment. Flo briefly wondered what Meteorite was thinking before the latter spoke up again, now more reserved. "Anyway. Thanks again, you didn't have to, but I really appreciate it…"

"You're very welcome," Flo smiled, feeling justified. "Steel didn't think it was necessary, but looks like he was mistaken, huh?"

Meteorite swayed slightly as she gave Flo a puzzled look. Eventually she sat back, her body pressed up against her headboard. "You went against Steel?" she questioned along with an incredulous chuckle. "Thought I was the one not thinking straight."

Flo looked aside as she shuffled her hooves guiltily. "I… I've always gone to see a doctor whenever I was sick. Even if I thought I knew what was wrong."

Meteorite let out a short half-chuckle as she listened with lidded eyes. "Paranoid, huh?"

Taken aback at first by the accusation, Flo stopped to consider it. "N-No…" she began, unsure if she was telling the truth or not, "it's… it's something my mother always did when I was young. No matter what I had, even if it was just a cold, straight down to the doctor's. She always told me it was better to be sure than not."

Meteorite appeared to have nodded off for a moment before opening her eyes again, with a tired expression. "Sounds like you had a good mum," she muttered through a weary smile.

"Yeah…" Flo agreed absentmindedly, smiling faintly at her foalhood memories. A moment later she blinked and shook her head clear, nervously laughing it off while her face became tinged with embarrassment. "I mean, she still is!"

Flo felt Meteorite's silent gaze upon her but even in Meteorite's weary state, or perhaps due to, her pensive look made it all the more apparent that she wasn't focused on anything currently in the room. Eventually, Meteorite nodded.

"Right… yeah sorry," she told Flo, failing to fight back a yawn. "My- my fault. I'm just… too tired, y'know?" she finished. Flo murmured in agreement as she stepped closer.

"Well, you just get some rest, okay?" Flo said softly, pulling the covers up as Meteorite slumped back under them. "Call out if you need anything."

Meteorite gave a tired nod, before her eyes opened slightly, looking at Flo with a confused expression. "'Call'? Wait, where're you gonna be…?"

"Around the house," Flo replied simply.

"But… don't you… like… have work to do?"

"Somepony has to be here in case you need help," Flo said with a tiny grin. With Meteorite still appearing troubled, Flo explained further. "It's fine, I've already discussed it with Steel this morning. As long as I take on some of everypony's household chores for today, he and Silverfire will handle my share of the work. Well, our share, I suppose."

"Oh…" Meteorite uttered, a guilty look crossing her face.

"Hey, no," Flo admonished with a frown. "Don't be like that. You're sick, remember?"

"...Yeah, you're right," Meteorite reluctantly nodded. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry, Meteorite; just focus on getting well."

"Okay, sorry."

Flo opened her mouth to admonish Meteorite again, but saw the small grin on her friend's face. Scrunching up her face, Flo lightly stomped a hoof on the ground, turning to leave.

"Ohh… you. You and your… jokes."

As Flo left, she heard a faint titter coming from Meteorite, and as much as she didn't want to in the moment, she felt herself smile.

The next few days passed slowly for Meteorite. Faced with the combination of sneezes, itchiness, tiredness, and a building ache from staying in bed for most of the day, it was starting to drive her more than a little stir-crazy. Especially during the day when she was left all alone in the house, after Steel had determined that Meteorite would be fine by herself now that they knew what she was dealing with.

Pah, 'determined', Meteorite thought bitterly, remembering Steel's choice of words. More like… more like… …fucking told everyone what to do.

She tossed over on her side, trying to get comfortable. A futile effort in her condition, however. She barely held herself together against the relentless onslaught from the Wing Pox, so sorely tempted to just… accidentally brush her wing against her mattress, maybe repeatedly, for some semblance of relief.

She heard the front door open and swing shut, and she perked her head up a little, watching the entryway of their room.

"F…lo?" she croaked, trying to call out. She forced a cough to clear her throat.

"F..lo?" she croaked again. Giving up, she flumped her head back down on her pillow and waited. Eventually, the soft sounds of hoofsteps became louder and Flo carefully stepped inside with a sympathetic smile.

"Heey," she called softly, "how're ya feeling?"

Meteorite tried to clear her throat before answering, but ended up coughing a few times. "Not- Not great…"

"Aww," Flo empathized briefly before perking up. "You hungry? Do you want me to make you some soup for lunch before I hafta get back to work?"

Meteorite lay there, considering the offer. Soup would've been nice, but in her current state she envisioned most of the soup ending up on her snout and all over her bed trying to drink it the way she'd become accustomed to with foodstuff in bowls. She wearily shook her head.

"Sandwich?" she asked hopefully. Flo's smile broadened.

"Oh, feeling up to eating sandwiches huh? What do you want?"

"Nothing too heavy…" Meteorite cautioned. Truthfully, the way she felt she'd rather go without, but she also knew she had to eat something. What was it, 'feed a fever, starve a cold'? Yeah, she was pretty sure that was right. How magical winged horse poxes would play into the saying was something she needed more time on to consider.

"Okay!" Flo said cheerfully, "I'll whip you up something! Give me a minute!"

Watching Flo turn and leave, Meteorite groaned as she made the effort to sit up in bed, in order to receive her lunch. Her dormant wings slid out from under the covers, somehow intensifying the magnitude of how itchy they were. She tensed up while trying to ignore the sensation, questioning exactly how much she cared about potentially scarring her wings. It's not like she was going to be using them anyway…

Luckily before she had a chance to consider acting on her impulses, she was soon distracted by Flo coming back with a couple plates held in her mouth. She gently placed one down before Meteorite before retreating to her own bed, hopping up with her own sandwich.

"Lettuce and cucumber," she announced happily as Meteorite curiously studied her sandwich. "I thought we could eat our lunch together here in our room," she added with an impish smile, before biting down into her sandwich.

Meteorite nodded, not really paying much attention. With practised movement, she carefully slid a hoof under her sandwich, and with her other hoof held it in place as she lifted it up. Careful of its contents, she took small bites in order to maintain the sandwich's structure.

"Why do you hold it like that?"

"Hm?" Meteorite glanced over at Flo, who had been watching her with a puzzled look. Meteorite's gaze dropped down to the sandwich in Flo's hooves, infuriatingly held at the sides, as if it didn't matter that she had hooves. Meteorite did her best to shrug casually.

"I just do," she replied, her voice hoarse.

"But isn't it awkward holding it like that?"

Very fucking much so. "Not really. Not for me, anyway."

Flo frowned, but silently took another bite of her sandwich, sensing she wasn't going to get anything more out of her.

Both mares fed, Meteorite gulped down her last bite and cleared her throat as Flo took her plate away. "Th- Thank you, was very nice," she told Flo, who responded with a big smile as she left the room.

It had been true though. As simple as the sandwich was, Meteorite was starting to accept her new vegetarian diet, and even found herself enjoying some of it. At the back of her mind, a twinge of guilt formed around her childhood memories, remembering how her mother would prepare meat in addition to the meals she made for both of them despite being vegetarian herself.

Her forlorn attention was annoyingly jerked back to the present by her wings, still aching to be attended to. Frustrated, she shifted her body about, trying to avoid just directly ripping her feathers out. The dark thought gave her pause, wondering how much that would actually hurt. She had lost damaged feathers during preening sessions, but those only felt mildly prickish when dislodged. Suddenly, Flo's voice came from out in the hallway, getting louder.

"Well, I have to get back to work, so I'll see-" Flo hesitated as she spied Meteorite's awkward movement. "Are you alright?"

"Itchy," came Meteorite's curt response, now trying to remain still. Flo's eyes widened as she gasped, quickly turning to leave.

"Oh, of course, stupid me, how could I forget-!" Flo shouted as she ran down the hall. Meteorite thought she heard the rustling of a saddlebag, followed by a quick trotting. Soon, Flo re-entered the room with what looked like a toothpaste tube in her mouth. She quickly moved over to Meteorite and placed the tube on her bed.

"I picked this up this morning from in town," she said as Meteorite carefully pawed it closer for a better look. "It's cream to help with the itchiness."

"Really?" Meteorite asked hopefully.

"Mhm! I even asked if it worked with Wing Pox!" Flo then smiled sheepishly. "I uh, explained it was for a friend."

"Aww… you didn't have t-" Meteorite said automatically, but paused as she considered what she was saying and started again, speaking softer this time. "You didn't have to, but I really appreciate that you did. Thank you so much, Flo."

Flo beamed, her cheeks turning slightly red. "You're very welcome, Meteorite."

"How much was it? I'll pay you back."

Flo shook her head feverently. "You don't have to. Consider it a gift. A get well gift!"

Meteorite broke into a half-chuckle despite how she was feeling. "Well, okay, if you say so… Thank you again," she said gratefully.

Flo nodded, still beaming. "You're welcome again. Now, I really hafta get back to work, so I'll see ya later, okay Meteorite?"

Meteorite nodded back, smiling warmly. "Sure, seeya then."

Waving goodbye, Meteorite turned her attention to the tube that lay before her. Reaching forward with both hooves to grip it between them, only then did Meteorite realise she was in trouble with getting the lid off.

"Ah, Flo, wai-!" she cried, but to her dismay was cut off by the sound of the front door slamming shut. She stared fearfully out of the room, all alone for the next few hours.

"Fuck."

The tube of cream sat nestled between Meteorite's hooves as she glared at it. For some god-forsaken reason it had been designed like a regular tube, for humans to hold in their dumb big ol' grippy hands, all fancy and showy with their stupid opposable thumbs and-

Meteorite blinked her head clear, dissipating the rage building up within. Huh, she mused sourly, how quickly I've turned against my own kind it would seem…

Turncoat thoughts aside, she still had the problem that she simply lacked the dexterity needed to open the tube. Anypony else could, no problem, she reasoned. So why can't I? I know I can do it; I've held several things before, just… only very briefly. There must be a reason I keep losing my grip… even though technically I shouldn't have anything to grip with…

The tube in her hooves tilted slightly, prompting her to panic and press her hooves together tighter.

"Ah, no! No, don't, please!" she begged the tube, bringing it closer so she could nudge it upright with her snout. Having done so, she frowned with worry at it, however, the itching crept up on her, prompting her to act quickly.

"Okay…" she muttered softly. "I think I just have to…"

Leaning forward, she carefully bit down on the cap of the tube, locking it in place with her teeth. Satisfied it wasn't going anywhere, she slowly twisted the tube with her hooves, unscrewing it in reverse. Some twists later, she felt the tube jostle and slip through her hooves. Pleased with her problem-solving, she spat the cap down onto her bed next to the tube, which she then eagerly scooped up, until…

Her face fell as she saw the very thin and silver seal covering the opening of the tube. Panicked, she quickly rotated the tube looking for any way to peel the seal off.

"How the fuck-!" she exclaimed breathlessly. "How the fuck are ponies supposed to fucking open this fucking thing?!"

Maddened by both the pox and being no closer to salvation, she pressed her hooves together very firmly, trying to blow the seal off from within. It would cause a mess but she'd be damned if she cared at that moment. She'd fucking roll about in the cream if she had to. Unfortunately, to her ire, the seal bulged but did little else.

Okay, more force, she reasoned. It was almost at bursting point, so a little more would do the trick, yeah?

However, in her haste to slam her hooves together, she had loosened her grip on the tube, causing it to fall through between them.

"No!" she cried out as the tube dropped and bounced off her bed. Quickly leaning over she only had enough time to see it bounce away under the dresser between the two beds. Frantically getting out of bed, she woozily had to stop and maintain her balance for a moment before doing her best to crouch down in order to look under the dresser. She pitifully pawed at the tube, just out of reach.

"No…" she whimpered, each word threatening to turn into sobs. "It's not fair… I just- I just want it to be over and done with…"

Giving up, Meteorite flopped onto her side, gaining a better view of the unreachable but little else. Overcome by the incessant itching and various emotions washing over each other, she gave soft whimpers and moans as tears began to flow.

"Oh god… please… just make it stop," she softly pleaded to anyone that would listen."Please, I can't take it any more, just… just make it end please! I'll- I'll do whatever it is you want me to do, okay? Just make it stop please, I'm begging you, please…"

She-

"Please… I need you… Help me, please…"

…

The combination of weariness and stress tiring her out, her quiet whimpering faded as her eyelids began to close, sending Meteorite into a long-needed sleep on the soft carpeted floor.

Chapter 14

It was a house.

A brick wall surrounded the property, beige as the house itself. A concrete driveway ran parallel to the entrance gate, leading up to an automatic garage door. A faint smell of petroleum wafted off the ground in the air.

Yeah, this was her home.

Standing at the end of the driveway, Meteorite arched an eyebrow in confusion as she glanced about her surroundings and down both stretches of the road. What was she doing out here? Was she out here to get the mail? No… the mailbox was by the gate not down here so…

Shaking her head, Meteorite trotted back up the driveway. A quick glance at the mailbox. Nope, nothing there so… Huh.

Getting up on her hind legs, Meteorite stuck her tongue out as she poked a hoof through the gaps of the gate and blindly fiddled with the locking mechanism. Seconds later the gate swung open and Meteorite dropped back down to all fours to walk on through to the front door.

Reaching up to the doorknob, Meteorite paused as she stared at her hoof, feeling confused for some reason. She glanced back at the gate, slowly swinging itself shut, but…

There was nothing odd about that, right?

Shaking the feeling off, she pushed the front door open and stepped inside. The linoleum flooring felt weirdly slick under her hooves but… it… must've always had? Probably. She couldn't exactly remember.

The house was very narrowly built, with the entryway and the adjoining hallway junction at the end being narrow enough for mostly one person, certainly not wide enough for a pony to comfortably turn about in. Maybe that's why she was feeling an odd sense of dread about this place.

She glanced down the left, and most of the hallway. In the next room over was the games room, where her consoles were, along with the family computer. Well. It was just her and her mother; was that enough for it to be considered a 'family' computer? She'd never really considered the term before.

Further down past the games room was her mother's bedroom and her own bedroom past that, round the corner. She felt a wistful longing that she couldn't exactly pin down why.

To her right came the sounds of pots and running water. Perking up, she cantered over to the right until she reached the open living-slash-kitchen area. Admittedly, the kitchen didn't take up much space, but it was enough for her mother. …She supposed. She'd never really asked…

Regardless, in the equally narrow kitchen stood a tall woman with long brown hair, dressed in a faded blue blouse and a dark brown skirt with a white flowery pattern. Meteorite smiled inwardly as she was comforted by the woman's presence.

"Hi mum," Meteorite waved casually.

Though busy with a large pot on the stove, her mother turned to face her, smiling lightly.

"Hi sweetheart, did you need something?"

"No," Meteorite remarked, smiling lopsidedly. "Just saying hi. What's for dinner?"

"I'm afraid it's casserole."

Meteorite grimaced as she stuck out her tongue in disgust. "Urgh, really?! Does it have to be?!"

"Now I know you don't like it," her mother said sternly, "but sometimes you're going to have to have it."

"But muuum," Meteorite whined, "you know I don't like my food touching each other."

"It all goes down the same pipe."

"But muuuuuuu-"

"That's enough," her mother snapped, shooting her a glare. "You're having casserole, or nothing, understand?"

Meteorite hung her head, pouting. "Yes mum," she mumbled under her breath.

"Good," her mother acknowledged, calming back down. "It won't be ready for a while though."

"Mm'kay…" Meteorite muttered, still pouting. She pawed at the floor with a hoof a few times, before stopping to lift her hoof up to stare at it. There was… something off about this scenario, and it took her a few moments to figure out what exactly.

"Mum?" she called cautiously.

"Yes, what is it?" her mother responded, still focusing on preparing dinner.

"I… have to tell you something. I'm a pony."

Her mother glanced her way, a wry look on her face. Sighing lightly, she wiped her hands with a nearby teatowel and walked over to Meteorite, crouching down to her level. Gently, she cupped her hand around Meteorite's cheek, to which Meteorite leaned into, feeling an odd sensation of longing as she did so.

"Yes, I can see that," her mother softly told her.

"You're not mad?" Meteorite asked with a hint of concern. Her mother sighed again, but showed no sign of being upset.

"I'm not happy about this, but what's important is that you're safe. That's the most important thing to me, you know that." Meteorite smiled goofily as her mother then moved to ruffle her mane slightly. "Now go on, I'll let you know when dinner's ready."

"Okay!" Meteorite happily agreed, feeling relieved. Without a second thought, she turned about and cantered down the hallway, and around the corner to her bedroom.

It wasn't a large room, but it was enough for her. Though the bed in the middle of the room took her aback slightly, feeling larger than she remembered. She frowned at the feeling of being smaller, until she realised duh, she was smaller! She was a pony now, after all!

Happy that she sorted that out, Meteorite leapt up onto the bed, making the springs within creak in the process. Trying to find her footing, she noted a sleepy grey tabby cat peering at her, having just been woken up. Meteorite gasped with delight.

"Sam!" she exclaimed happily, clumsily stepping over to pet the cat on the head, lulling him back to sleep. "Oh, I've missed you Sammy boy…" She was slightly confused by her own words. 'Missed him'? She saw him everyday, didn't she? What an odd thing to say…

Shaking off the unsettling feeling that was growing within, she turned to the corner of her room, where her face brightened. Walking away from Sam and leaning over the edge of her bed, she swiped at the small entertainment stand that was there until she hit the power button to her old Dreamcast. (old? Current, surely) As the CRT TV sparked to life, Meteorite grabbed the controller between her hooves, ready to play.

As the startup sound played through her ears, she glanced down at the controller nestled between her hooves. Something… was wrong here. How… was she going to play? It felt fine all the previous times she played, but this time felt weird. It was like… like…

It was like the controller wasn't even designed to be played with hooves.

Tch, Meteorite scoffed, tossing the controller aside. Typical Sega. She flopped back on her bed, lying next to Sam. Looking his way, a mischievous grin formed on her face as she gave him a playful meow.

Stirring from his sleep again, Sam blurrily watched as Meteorite got to a sitting position before him and playfully flicked her tail, catching his attention. He stared at it for a short while before making a lazy attempt to swat the tip with a paw. Meteorite giggled.

"Oh, Sam… You silly cat," she warmly teased. "I wish you were still around…"

She frowned again, not knowing why she just said that. She had meant it, obviously, but… it didn't make any sense. She furrowed her brow in thought as she continued to absently play with Sam, who was now faced with the decision to attack either the tail, the hoof stroking his head, or go back to sleep.

"Oh wait, of course, duh!" Meteorite sharply cried, lightly smacking her head with a hoof. "I had to give you up because I couldn't look after you by myself!"

Wait no, that didn't make any sense either. By herself? What did she mean by that? She was always with her mother, so that didn't-

She stopped petting Sam as a chill ran down her spine. The skies outside the window darkened to a deep crimson, seeping into the room to bath everything in red. She fearfully turned to the doorway of her room, now frightfully aware of how suddenly silent the house was.

"M-Mum?" she called out, praying for a response. When none came, she called again more frantically, and without waiting this time, leapt to the floor out into the hall. Her hooves slipping on the floor caused her to crash into the wall as she rounded the corner, but refusing to slow down she picked herself up again and dashed down the hallway and stopped at the kitchen.

The now fully barren kitchen. Her panicked eyes swept across the empty living room as well.

"MUM?!" she cried out, not knowing where to go, "MUM, WHERE ARE YOU?!"

She charged back down the hallway, not even bothering to slow down as she ran head first into the closed door of her mother's bedroom, cracking it wide open as she burst inside.

It was empty as well, save for the four indents in the carpet where her mother's bed once stood.

"N-No…" Meteorite cried, backing away. "No… M-Mum… Mum, where-"

The rest of the house was empty as well. The games room, her room, Sam was now gone too, all of it - empty, except for the scared pony feeling lost within.

She found herself in the garage, and to no surprise her mother's car was gone as well. Weirdly though, the garage door was raised now; something she didn't register as hearing open earlier. In a daze, she wandered outside, finding herself back where she found herself earlier. Shielding her eyes with a hoof, she timidly looked at the red sky, shirking away from its imposing shade.

She… didn't know what to do now.

She was all alone.

She had never been alone before; her mother was always there for her. Protecting her. Fighting the world for her.

She was lost. Lost in a world she wasn't prepared at all to face.

Paralysed by the thought of having to be on her own, Meteorite hadn't noticed she had blindly wandered out in the middle of the street, only being violently alerted by the sudden honking and the roaring engine of a car bearing down on her.

She… couldn't move. She could only stare wide-eyed at her impending death, quite literally caught like a deer in headlights. Moments away from being run over, she flinched.

The impact never came however, and instead Meteorite only felt wind blow by as something else came wooshing past her from the other direction. Cautiously opening one eye, she saw that the car was gone, replaced by a burst of sparkles, some of which ended up flitting about and dotting her mane. More predominantly however, stood in-between her and where the car had been was a very tall four-legged dark figure, garbed heavily in a hooded cloak, and facing away from her.

Her panic heightened, Meteorite could only watch as the being slowly but deliberately turned their head to face her, staring at her from the dark abyss of the hood with naught but sharp glowing yellow eyes.

That was the final straw for Meteorite and, unable to take the stress of everything that just happened, she swayed slightly before keeling over, fainting on the spot.

"...Oh. Oh dear," the figure remarked with a tinge of regret in her voice. "Perhaps the cloak is overdoing it a little."

Cautiously, she poked at the limp body of Meteorite with a dark blue hoof. "Hm, a Deep Sleep. She is in for a long rest, it would appear."

With the flare of magic from under her hood, a blanket and pillow materialized around the sleeping form of Meteorite, comforting her.

"I am sorry I was not here sooner, little one," the figure explained softly, gently petting Meteorite's mane. "This is a little outside our… 'normal hours'."

Taking a moment of solace, she cast a glance at the surroundings. "Such a strange and nightmarish dreamscape…" she muttered to herself. With a flick of her horn, the surrounding area became a beautiful blue sky, with birds chirping as they flew past. Meteorite was still nestled in her deep sleep, but now on a cloud. She turned over in her sleep, drawing the blanket tightly around her.

"Perhaps this is more to your liking?" The figure said slyly, now flapping her big blue wings to stay aloft. There was no answer, obviously, but she was satisfied in a job well done.

"Sleep well, my little pony," she said softly, fading from sight. Only her cloak remained, dropped unceremoniously onto a cloud below.

Meteorite slowly came to.

She blurrily sat up in her bed, smacking her lips, still processing the fact that she was awake. She still felt unwell, but… kinda better? She guessed she really needed that sleep, but noticed it was still dark, and was prepared to snuggle back down under her covers to sleep some more.

Wait… wasn't she on the floor before?

Confused, she frustratedly tried to speed up the process of her eyes adjusting to the dark when she became aware of something lying at the foot of her bed. Gripped slightly by panic and fear of the unknown, she scooted herself up slightly while trying to focus only on the heavy lump hanging off her bed.

Only then, through the darkness, did she recognise a certain manestyle and colour combo.

"Flo?" Meteorite whispered harshly, not exactly knowing what time it was. She gave Flo a little nudge with a hind leg under the covers, calling her name again.

"Mmm?" Flo groaned, stirring as she slowly pushed herself up and away from the bed. Blinking, she slowly looked towards Meteorite before her eyes went wide with recognition.

"Meteorite!" she shrilled, before glancing about and realizing she should probably be quieter. "Meteorite, are you okay?!"

"Uh… yeah, I'm fine?" Meteorite responded unsurely. "I mean, I'm still blurgh, but yeah, otherwise yeah."

Flo shook her head, standing up on all fours. "Meteorite, you were on the floor! What happened?! Did you hit your head? Are you hurt?"

"Oh that. No, I…" Meteorite hesitated, feeling shameful about her actions. "I… might've dropped the cream you gave me under the dresser and I couldn't get it?" She guiltily tapped her hooves together. "I may have… just decided to lay there and went to sleep."

Flo eyed Meteorite with a mixture of confusion and suspicion. However, after lighting the bedside lantern and peering down under the dresser, there the tube was. Reaching in, Flo managed to retrieve the tube after a few seconds, putting it on top of the dresser.

"Okay but…" Flo began, still not entirely buying the explanation, "we couldn't wake you up. Not even after I got the boys to lift you back into your bed."

Okay, well, that explains how I got back into bed… "I dunno what to tell ya. I've always been a heavy sleeper," Meteorite shrugged, before smiling faintly at a memory. "To be honest, Mum used to get so mad with me sometimes because she'd be literally shaking me, trying to wake me up in the morning and apparently I just refused to."

Flo sat down, her shoulders sagging with relief. "So, you're… fine, then? You… just… decided to fall asleep on the floor?"

"Yeah, sorry. Didn't mean to worry ya…"

The room fell silent, save for the flickering flame of the lantern. However, Meteorite's train of thought soon drifted as snippets of her dream surfaced in her mind.

"You sure you're okay?"

Meteorite shook out of her contemplation as she glanced at Flo. "Yeah! Yeah, yep. Why'd you ask?"

Flo was looking at her doubtfully. "You seem a bit… dazed."

Meteorite shook her head. "Nah, I was just…" She hesitated, for once unsure about dismissively hiding away her troubles. Her eyes fell upon the spot on her bed where Flo had apparently fallen asleep at. Had she… been watching over me? In case I was hurt? Her gaze drifted to the floor where she had been, and she swallowed.

"I had a dream…" she began softly, still looking down. "About my mum."

"That must've been nice," Flo said warmly. However, when Meteorite didn't respond right away Flo slowly began to suspect that she may have regrettably had said the wrong thing.

"Yeah, it was…" Meteorite finally responded, almost breathlessly. She frowned as she remembered more of the dream. "At least, the beginning was."

"Did… something happen?" Flo asked cautiously.

More silence as Meteorite considered her answer. She wasn't sure which avenue to go down, either the dream itself or what the dream was so forcefully representing. She glanced at Flo's troubled face, unsure whether to breach the subject with her or not. She really did look concerned though…

"My mother's… gone," Meteorite reluctantly admitted, electing a sharp intake of breath from Flo. Admittedly, this did not help the serious tone Meteorite was trying to maintain, and had to fight back the small smile at how cute Flo sounded just now.

"It's fine," Meteorite continued, pushing forward. "She… passed on several years ago. So, y'know. I'm over i- well no I'm not," she forcefully interrupted herself, annoyed with her choice of words. "I doubt I'll ever be, but y'know. I can't keep mourning, so yeah."

Flo's ears flopped slightly. "It's okay to be sad sometimes."

Meteorite stared at her wryly. Really? You're telling me that? "Yeah, I know. I just…" she lightly rubbed her hooves together, thinking. "I just miss her, is all."

Flo nodded with a sad smile. Inching closer, she put a hoof on Meteorite's bed, near where she was. "What was she like?" she asked softly.

"Kind, loving, ferociously protective of me; she'd always put me first before everything else…" Meteorite said wistfully, losing herself in her memories, though her smile waned afterwards. "...I wish I gave her the same kind of respect in return…"

"What do you mean?"

Meteorite turned her head to face Flo, though she hung it shamefully. "I… kinda took her for granted. Like, I loved her, but I just… never once, not once, considered anything she did for me. Not until it was too late, of course…" she muttered. "I was a stupid selfish brat."

"Hey come on," Flo said soothingly, patting Meteorite through the covers. "You're being too hard on yourself. Everypony's has been a little terror as a foal as some point." When Meteorite gave her an unamused stare, she doubled down. "I'm serious, Meteorite! You can't blame a filly for not thinking like a grown mare! And I'm sure your mother knew you loved her dearly, right?"

"Yeah…" Meteorite reluctantly admitted. "I just wish I had more than just memories of her…"

Flo considered this for a moment. "What about your father?"

"What about him?" Meteorite said snippily on instinct, before being aghast at herself. "Oh, I'm sorry Flo! I didn't mean to snap at you, I mean, it wasn't even at you, just…!" Staring into Flo's worried eyes, Meteorite cleared her throat, embarrassed. "Look, my father… didn't exactly want to be… part of the family, so he… left."

Flo's eyes widened with equal parts confusion and fear as she stared at Meteorite. "What?" she whispered, barely audible. "Bu- But how can- how can somepony do that?"

Oh god, I've broken Flo. That's what, two for two on breaking a pony's mind now? Way to go, me. Wanna try breaking Twilight's mind next, go for that double score?

"Flo," Meteorite said assertively. "Look, I know, it's unthinkable. But… sometimes it happens… Believe me, it happens."

Flo nodded numbly as she stared sadly at Meteorite. Meteorite noted the look and frowned, shaking her head.

"No, no no, don't do that. Don't feel sorry for me because I didn't have a dad."

Flo's eyes misted over with the beginnings of tears. "But… that means you don't have any parents…"

…yes, I kinda pieced that together myself, Flo.

"It's fine, Flo. I'm… used to it," Meteorite told her, not quite believing herself. Even so, Flo regarded her for a few sombre moments, and Meteorite sighed in annoyance.

"Flo, please. Don't pity me, okay?" Don't make me regret opening up to you.

Flo looked down, upset. "But… I feel like… I should help… somehow, but I don't know how."

That's because there's nothing you can do.

"You don't have to do anythi-" Meteorite paused as something off to the side caught her eye. "Actually…" she began with a sly smile, "what you could do, is open that tube for me? Had a heck of a time trying to open it earlier."

Flo blinked slowly as she turned to the dresser and the tube of cream she retrieved earlier. "Oh… sure," she said numbly, picking it up. Meteorite watched as she somehow effortlessly peeled off the seal. Frustrations to work out later, though.

"One more thing," she continued, waiting until she had Flo's attention before offering a warm smile. "You can help just by being my friend. You've… been doing great at that so far."

A shaky but sure smile crossed Flo's face, accompanied by a slight blush. "S-Sure, I… hee, think I can do that."

"And uh…" Meteorite continued, still feeling a little ashamed by her past, "I'll be your friend too."

Flo beamed happily. "Don't be silly, Meteorite. You already are."

Later that night, as Flo went back to her own bed to sleep, Meteorite was still awake, thankfully not due to the itchiness as it had finally been soothed by the application of the cream, but rather still thinking about the conversation she and Flo had. Turning over to her side, she frowned to herself.

I… don't like how all that came out, if I'm perfectly honest. It just sounded all a little… I'unno. 'Tragic-like', I guess? I mean, it's not, it's just how life has been. It's just… hasn't been as great as others. But so what? Everyone has some troubles in their past, right? Her brow furrowed as her thoughts turned to her other self. And you… You better not be trying to pass that off as a tragic backstory! Because it fucking isn't! I'm not going to let you pretend I have one! I'm not that fucking sort of character!

She snorted in a huff, indignation still bubbling within.

Well, at least I've gotten the energy to be snarky again. That's something.

The next few days passed without further incident, annoyingly so, as Meteorite began to feel much better and more like her usual self on the evening of their weekly day off. Which, of course, led to Steel instructing her that she ought to be up early the following morning, as she had had quite the number of days off work already.

Which Meteorite knew was the responsible thing to do, but come on.

Still, she had been cooped up inside for almost a week and was running out of reading material, including Daring Do, so she was kinda eager to get back outside. Which was exactly where she was now, sitting on the stone step just outside the front door, looking at the evening sky. It was a multitude of shades in orange, however bleeding heavily into the deeper shades.

Red sky…

Her mind flittered back to the nightmare she had earlier that week, most details already faded from her memory, but the reddening sky burned in her mind.

In any other case, it would've just been written off as a narrative cue, a signal that the dream was turning into something darker. But Meteorite couldn't shake off the horrible feeling she had every time she thought about it.

You… wouldn't have- she thought hesitantly. You wouldn't… use Mum's coma for a plot contrivance, would you?

Due to an unfortunate car accident, her mother had been in a coma for several months. And several weeks after she had awakened from it, she confessed that her dream within the coma hadn't been pleasant at all. With a predominant feature being… the red sky.

Meteorite swallowed, her mouth still feeling dry.

…n-no, I… I can't believe that. You wouldn't disrespect her like that. I know you, you'd never. I know we still feel bad about the way we were as a kid, so you'd…

Meteorite shook her head forcefully, getting rid of her bad thoughts.

Okay. I don't think I can blame you for that. It must've been my own fucked up head putting that in, so… grats, you're off the hook on this one, I guess.

Sighing, she morosely nudged a pebble about with her hoof. After a while, her mood lifted slightly.

I did like the dream I had afterwards though. Y'know, the one where I was actually flying about the sky? Dunno if you had a hand in that, but if so, more dreams like that please. That was actually… pretty nice, for once.

She turned her attention back to the skies, and for a few moments, wondered if she'd ever take flight. She snuffled at the thought, a sadness growing about her.

Look at me, acting like I'm actually a real pegasus…

She sighed at the abrasive remark and closed her eyes for a while, trying to clear her mind of everything that was bringing her down. Once she felt her head free of intrusive thoughts, she reopened her eyes and simply gazed at the reddening horizon.

"Hmph, shepherd's delight," Meteorite muttered after a while.

"Who's delighted?"

Meteorite craned her head backwards and out of the corner of her eye spotted Flo in the entranceway, apparently passing by.

"Oh, I was just quoting, y'know, that shepherd's delight thing."

Flo furrowed her brow as she turned and approached. "What thing?"

Meteorite hesitated briefly. "You… don't know it?" she asked, to which Flo shook her head. Meteorite bit her lip as she weighed her options, before deciding it was probably okay mentioning it.

"There's… like, a very old saying. Full thing goes, 'Red sky at night, shepherd's delight. Red sky at morning, shepherd's warning.'"

"Hm," Flo mused for a while as she sat down next to Meteorite, now looking at the sky herself. Eventually she spoke up again. "So… what does that mean, with the delight and warning?"

Meteorite opened her mouth to respond, but found herself at a loss. "I… huh. I actually don't know, to be honest. It… was just something I heard growing up, but I… never actually looked into what it meant."

"Oh," Flo muttered disappointedly. Meteorite felt bad for not being able to fully explain, but moved on to be further troubled by the slow realisation that she wouldn't be able to double-check or research anything she knew from her prior life. It left a bitter taste in her mouth.

"What do you think it means?"

"Hm?" Meteorite uttered as she snapped out of her slump, and glanced at Flo who was still looking at the horizon. Flo turned to look at her with a faint smile.

"Well, if you don't know, what do you think it means?"

Meteorite it some consideration while hemming and hawing. "Uh, I think i-it… uh… I'unno, it means… I'unno," she eventually got out before shrugging, defeated.

"Well, I think it means," Flo said simply, turning back to the darkening sky. "'Rest easy tonight, and don't worry about tomorrow.'"

"That does make sense," Meteorite conceded. "What about the warning part?"

Flo looked back at her, faintly giggling. "Haven't figured that out yet."

Meteorite found herself getting caught up in her friend's jubilant energy and smiled back. "Maybe it means, 'oh no, panic'."

Flo rolled her eyes, though showed no annoyance. "I doubt it. Anyway, it's getting dark; dinner will be ready soon," she said, getting to her hooves.

Meteorite nodded, getting up as well. As Flo headed back inside, Meteorite paused to give one last poignant glance at the sky.

Chapter 15

Meteorite was getting too used to things.

At least, that's what she was figuring one Saturday morning, lounging on top of her bed. She looked forward to Saturdays now- well, she always had, really. But with the hard work that came from farmlife, Meteorite looked forward to the times where she could just… do nothing. She wasn't one to bore easily either; often she'd lose herself to bouts of daydreaming, be it the fantastical or simply a potential conversation topic she'd might want to cover.

But that was the thing, wasn't it? She was the fantastical. Everything around her was, and yet here she was, tucked away in her room with a philosophical book she kinda regretted checking out, and was barely paying attention to, just trying to forget that tomorrow involved more work.

It was of much annoyance that this particular part of her old life had followed her to Equestria.

The crunching of grass outside her window reached her ears, which perked up at the sound. That was Flo, happily tending to her little garden. Just living her life, free of worry. Meteorite couldn't help but be a little jealous.

Shaking her head clear, Meteorite slammed her book shut —she didn't care about losing her place as she'd probably needed to reread a few pages anyway— and hopped down and headed to the kitchen.

She passed by the stallions' room on the way; neither were in sight but she expected that. She didn't know where they went during their free time, but presumably somewhere in town.

Reaching the kitchen, she fumbled with the cupboards before carefully picking up a cup with both hooves. Carefully sidling over, she proceeded to fill it with water from the faucet before hesitating about trying to carry it over to the table. Deciding to not risk it, she proceeded to drink it there and then.

Her thirst satisfied, she wiped her mouth with her foreleg before awkwardly rinsing her cup and setting it down in the nearby dishrack. As much as Steel irked her sometimes, she was at least appreciative of his desire to keep things tidy. It sort of helped motivate her to… not completely give up on trying to do anything with her hooves.

Stretching her body, Meteorite got up and decided to walk the long way back to her room, if only to give her a reason to avoid going back to being a boring layabout in a world of magical ponies.

As she passed through the entranceway her ears twitched, picking up a faint rumbling sound. Meteorite peered fruitlessly upwards, unable to see her own ears, but still feeling them swivelling to focus on where the sound was coming from. Frankly, she had no idea how her ears were capable of moving on their own, but she had decided to not question it. She already had her hooves filled with… well, her hooves.

Tilting her head from side to side, she found herself before the door down to the basement. Putting her head against the door, the sound seemed to definitely come from the other side, and with the sound being clearer, she noticed it had a kind of familiar rhythmic sound to it.

Gritting her teeth, Meteorite pulled away and frowned with worry at the door. She was curious, but she was not keen on both heading downstairs into an unknown basement, and mysterious sounds from said unknown basement. Silently, she shot an unamused look upwards through the ceiling before cautiously raising a hoof to the door handle.

The door swung inwards, and the rhythmic drumming sound instantly got louder, causing her to wince slightly as her ears thankfully flattened. Eyeing the stairs before her, she delicately took a few steps downwards, using the railing to support her body.

As she neared the bottom, she peered into the surprisingly well-lit basement and spied the source of the noise. Off to the side, behind a set of drums was Silverfire, lost in his own world as he bobbed his head to the beat of his own drum-playing. Significantly more at ease, Meteorite smiled in relief as she touched down onto the stone basement floor, and quietly sat as Silverfire played on.

Coming to a finish, Silverfire flourished by spinning a drumstick on his hoof before striking the final beat. Pleased with himself, he glanced up at Meteorite for a split-second before returning to his drums. Suddenly he gave a piercing screech as he recoiled with a double-take, dropping his drumsticks in the process. This caused Meteorite to instinctively respond with a panicked shout of her own.

"Ah-! Oh my-! Wha- W-What are you doing down here, Meteorite?!" Silverfire spluttered, still trying to recover from the shock.

"T-Trying to not die, apparently!" Meteorite shrilled back, a hoof clutched at her chest. "What are you doing down here?"

Face red from embarrassment and breathing heavily, Silverfire leaned down to pick up his drumsticks. "'Was… playing my drums," he mumbled into his chest, circling the rim of a drum with the tip of a drumstick.

"I didn't know you played," Meteorite said earnestly, before cringing internally. Of course he does! His cutie mark is a fucking drum on fire. You've seen it; of course he plays the drums, you fucking idiot.

"It's something I really enjoy doing," Silverfire smiled for a few moments, before it faded slightly as he looked down. "But I'm still not that good at it."

"Oh, I dunno! I thought it was-" Meteorite hesitated before continuing, not confident in her ability to accurately criticise bad performances from good. "It was okay!" She mentally cringed again. You fucking idiot. You might as well as told him it was utter crap.

Luckily, Silverfire didn't seem insulted and even perked up slightly. "Yeah? You liked it?"

"Ahh… I mean-" Meteorite backpedalled, preferring to stay on the fence in these situations. But the hopeful look on Silverfire's face tugged at her. "...yeah, I mean… yeah! Sounded alright."

"Heh… thanks," Silverfire replied, smiling inwardly as he began idly busying himself with drumming out a slow, soft beat for a little while before continuing. "I don't… really hear that that often."

Meteorite's face fell with a concerned frown as she quietly listened to the rhythm. "Why not?"

Silverfire shrugged. "Guess my playing's not everypony's kinda thing. I mean, it's why I'm down here at all. Steel gets annoyed by it, so I'm down here where it's…" Silverfire's brow creased as he thought. "Soundless."

"Soundproof?" Meteorite offered, and received a nod.

"Yeah, that."

Meteorite began to frown with more annoyance, indignant on Silverfire's behalf. "That's not right. You shouldn't have to hide yourself away just because Steel doesn't like it. Who cares what he thinks?"

Silverfire stopped playing as he gave her an odd look. "Well, I do."

Oh, right, Meteorite thought abashedly, yeah, of course. Brothers.

"Sorry," she mumbled, looking away. Silverfire casually waved it off and went back to his light drumming.

"'s cool, I get it though. But it's not like he's wrong. I get that it's loud and stuff, and not everypony wants to hear it. And once you and Flo started showing up, I thought for sure that if Steel didn't like it, neither of ya would."

Meteorite held her tongue, as she wasn't exactly thrilled about being grouped in the same opinion pool as Steel… but she had to admit that constant drum-playing would get on her nerves after a while. She was about to reluctantly agree, when Silverfire spoke up first.

"But uh… you like it, huh?"

Meteorite felt torn, not knowing how to respond. She cleared her throat. "...well, maybe not on a daily basis…" she said carefully, which only made Silverfire deflate as he suddenly stopped playing, sending Meteorite into a mildly frenzied panic. "B-But, uh! Yeah! Sounded good, to me at least! I think you should keep at it!"

The basement fell into silence, the only sound being one of Silverfire's drumsticks idly circling a hi-hat as he contemplated Meteorite's words. After an agonising wait, Silverfire suddenly struck the cymbals and smiled as he continued playing.

"Ya know, you're alright, Meteorite."

"Y-Yeah?"

"Yeah," Silverfire nodded, concentrating on his music. "I can tell ya don't really mean what you're saying, but you're being nice about it, and not because you think ya have to, but because ya want to."

Ashamed at being caught out like that, Meteorite started looking down glumly, but her attention was drawn back as Silverfire continued speaking, a touch of ferocious determination in his voice.

"But I hear ya; I'm gonna keep playing and getting better, and then someday I'm gonna play ya something you're going to like!"

Charmed by Silverfire's eagerness, Meteorite couldn't help a small lopsided smile from forming, and opted to sit and be an audience of one as he practised. He was good at it, she had to admit, and soon found herself tapping a hoof against the ground in beat with him.

They were both getting into the groove when suddenly a light tremor shot through the basement, nearly knocking them aside as quickly as it dissipated. Steadying herself against the ground with her forehoof, Meteorite shot a worried glance at Silverfire.

"You alright? That… wasn't you, or anything, right?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," Silverfire said as he stood up from behind the drum set, dusting himself off. "How about you? What do you think it was?"

Meteorite nodded as she got to her hooves as well. "I'm good. No idea; think we oughta go check?"

"Probably," Silverfire nodded unsurely, heading towards the stairs.

Making their way upstairs, Silverfire opened the front door to the cottage and stepped outside, with Meteorite in tow. However, they barely made it a few steps out before stopping and staring towards the sky in confusion and, in Meteorite's case, a steadily growing sense of dread.

"Oh, there you are!" cried Flo as she rounded the corner of the cottage, her mane frazzled and headkerchief askew. "Do you see that?!" she asked frantically, pointing upwards. "What is it?!"

"I have no idea," Silverfire said, still baffled.

"I… think it's a… glass dome," Meteorite said carefully.

"What?!" Flo cried incredulously. "How?! Why?!"

"I… don't know," Meteorite continued, turning around and confirming that the entire expanse of sky around them was now sealed off completely.

Okay… Okay, you've thrown me off here. Wasn't expecting a crossover with the Simpsons movie…

Quickly heading towards the new glass wall, the trio of ponies soon found the perimeter of the dome, the outside world seemingly sealed off. Apprehensive, Meteorite hung back with Flo and cautiously studied the area, hoping to glean anything useful. The only thing of note though was the unusual curvature of the dome's base, as if it were a giant drinking glass turned upside down.

That thought did not ease her worries.

"Most of the farm's been cut off…" Flo muttered anxiously, staring at the trees beyond the glass. "What do we do?"

"I… I'm not sure…" Meteorite admitted, still unable to spot anything that could clue them in on why this was happening. Her eyes eventually fell upon Silverfire, who had stepped up to the wall and was looking it up and down. He gave it a few quick taps with his hoof, sending out a few crimson shockwaves, each accompanied by a dull echoey twang. He paused to consider the effect, and gave it a few more taps.

"Don't keep touching it!" Meteorite hissed loudly through her teeth. "Who knows what it's doing!"

"Oh…! Oh, um, sorry," Silverfire called back, drawing his hoof back. He frowned at the wall with resignation and trotted back to the two mares. "Well, it's definitely glass, but I don't think it'll break easily."

"Yeah…" Meteorite agreed, craning her neck to take in the full scope of the dome. "Something like this… it's definitely gonna be designed to keep things out. Or in. Both really, I guess."

Flo nodded. "D'ya think it might be magically enhanced too? To not break, I mean."

Meteorite blinked, considering the idea. "...probably, yeah." She hadn't had much experience with magic since her arrival, barring the standard telekinesis displayed by most unicorns around town, which usually only garnered a quiet curiosity from her. Having to consider actual magical enchantments was an entirely different field altogether. She felt woefully ill-equipped to deal with such matters.

"O-kay… so um, w- what do we do then?" Meteorite timidly asked. She was feeling the pressure upon her to act, quite possibly as a protagonist. It was a call she vehemently did not want to answer.

Silverfire rubbed the back of his head. "I'd probably go ask Steel… though he'd probably say we should go find Applejack."

Meteorite's eyes lit up. "Right, yes, Applejack! She and her friends can deal with this!"

Behind her, Flo wore a skeptical look as she glanced at the glass dome.

"Where is Steel, anyway?" Meteorite asked.

Silverfire shrugged. "Think he mentioned something about going into town. I dunno, I didn't really listen…"

As if on cue, they heard rapid hoofbeats from behind them. Turning as a group, they saw Steel running up to them wearing not only his saddlebags, but a grim expression as well.

"Th…There you are," he panted as he came to a stop before them. He took a moment to catch his breath before resuming. "Good, you're all safe. For the time being, at least."

"What's going on?" Silverfire asked, followed by Meteorite and Flo hastily chiming in with the same question. Steel raised his hoof to shush them.

"Calm down. I'm… not entirely sure but, I do believe Ponyville has just been… taken over."

"What?" Meteorite cried sharply. "What do you mean? How, who, why?"

"I don't know the full story; I was busy buying supplies for the week but…" Steel swallowed, pausing to glance back towards town. "There was this unicorn causing havoc in the town square, and nopony could stop her."

"W-Who?" Meteorite asked, joining Steel in looking at the horizon where Ponyville lay. "What about Twilight?"

Steel inhaled. "I fear Miss Sparkle was just as helpless as everypony else." Meteorite sharply turned her head back to stare at Steel with incredulity, as he continued. "In fact, this other unicorn has demanded her to be exiled from town altogether."

"Whaa?" Silverfire frowned. "You're talking about that cute librarian chick, yeah? Why her?"

"I don't know," Steel said quietly, stepping forward and staring up at the dome. "I imagine that's why this is now here. It's all around Ponyville."

As the trio of ponies continued discussing what was happening, Meteorite quietly stood by herself, lost in a sea of her own thoughts.

Twilight's exiled? Twilight couldn't do anything?! Who? Who could… Who could even do something like that? Twilight's quite literally the most powerful unicorn on the show! … Is it the changeling queen? Oh god, are the changelings back? Horrified, she stared up at the dome. Oh god is this like, some sort of sick revenge for shielding Canterlot? What do we do?! If Twilight's not here what do we even do?! What can-

"Hey, you alright?" Flo asked, placing a hoof on Meteorite's shoulder, making her flinch.

"What do we do?!" Meteorite shrilled as she glanced from between Flo and the stallions. Flo opened her mouth but was having trouble finding the words she needed.

"I… I'm not sure, actually."

"The important thing to do, Miss Meteorite," Steel began, drawing himself up, "is to remain calm. Panicking isn't going to help anypony."

Meteorite timidly nodded as she locked eyes with Steel, and tried to steady her breathing, but fear had a hook on her and was unrelentingly trying to worm its way into her mind. She lifted up her hooves to stare at them as they quivered.

"Oh god…" she murmured under her breath. "I'm actually scared… I'm actually shaking…"

Flo took Meteorite's hooves into her own and gently patted them. "It's okay Meteorite," she cooed softly. "We're all scared. But Steel's right, we need to not panic, alright?"

Meteorite looked up to face Flo and saw that despite her smile, there was worry in her eyes. Still, Meteorite did feel calmed by her words and tone. Exhaling, she nodded with resignation.

"Y- You're right. I'm sorry… I… didn't mean to lose it there."

"It's okay," Flo beamed genuinely, "everypony does sometimes."

"Honestly," Silverfire chimed in, pointing behind himself at the wall, "don't blame ya. This is totally crazy."

Steel raised an eyebrow at Silverfire's remark, but paid it no further heed. "Are you feeling better now, Miss Meteorite?"

"I… think so," Meteorite nodded unsurely. Her attention shifted back to the dome and frowned. "But I still don't understand who could've done something like this…"

"Well, wonder no more!" cried a very smug voice off to the side from between the trees. Smug, and familiar.

Nothing, nothing could've prepared Meteorite for the sight of Trixie sauntering towards them, closely followed by a very sour-looking Mane Six, sans Twilight.

"Trixie?!" Meteorite exclaimed without thinking. Trixie looked as Meteorite remembered her, though she had apparently ditched her magician's hat and cloak in favour of a black cloak, adorned with some sort of menacing-looking brooch. Trixie barely glanced her way as she approached the part of the wall Silverfire had been at. Meanwhile Applejack quickly trotted over to the group.

"Y'all okay, suga'cubes?" she asked in a low tone. The four of them nodded silently.

"What's going on?" Meteorite asked urgently, trying to follow the same quiet tone.

Applejack hesitated, glancing over at Trixie, who was busy inspecting the area with a glare. "Hard t' say," she sighed. "But Trixie there is a mite more powerful than we thought."

"What?" Meteorite snapped, a bit too loud. Instinctively she clamped her hooves over her mouth, but it seemed like Trixie hadn't heard her. Lowering her hooves, she tried again. "You can't be serious. Trixie?"

"It's true, Miss Meteorite," Steel added. "That's the unicorn I was talking about."

"But- But- Trixie isn't- She's not-"

"Alright, what are you all whispering about over there?" Trixie said suddenly, walking over.

With her back to Trixie, Applejack intently mimed zipping her mouth shut before turning around. "Ah'm just makin' sure my workers are doin' alright, Trixie. Ya got some nerve disrupting everypony's lives like this!"

"'Their lives?'" Trixie cried indignantly. "'Their lives?!' As if my life wasn't already disrupted by Twilight Sparkle. Fair's fair, I say." She sniffed, before turning her attention to the group. "Anyway, it seems like it wasn't Twilight trying to get back in. It was probably these backwater yokels that tripped my security system, hm?"

"What did ya just say?" Applejack glowered, stepping forward to a chorus of equally outraged responses from her friends, although Rainbow Dash was the loudest. However, it seemed Trixie was purposely ignoring the farm pony, although there was the tiniest smidgen of a smirk on her face.

"In any case," Trixie addressed the group idly while inspecting her hoof, "I'll make it nice and easy for you all to understand. I, Trixie, am your ruler now. And as such, Trixie would very much desire that you treat her with the respect she deserves. You may begin by bowing down to me."

There wasn't an immediate response. While the others were highly apprehensive and were giving Trixie questioning looks, Meteorite felt utterly on edge with how Trixie was behaving. Granted, she had been arrogant in her initial appearance, but this… Whatever this was was filling Meteorite with lavish amounts of unease. Trixie tutted with annoyance, now glaring at the group.

"I said, BOW!" Trixie barked, stomping her hoof. Her horn sparked crimson, and her eyes flashed the same colour for a second.

Meteorite gasped breathlessly as she felt her body jerk, pulled and pushed by some unseen force, until she was held still in a bowing position. Try as she might, Meteorite couldn't wrestle any control over her body, save for a few panicked whimpers falling out of her mouth. Her eyes were wide with fear and she could barely see Flo next to her, also stuck in a bow and struggling to free herself. She couldn't see the stallions, but judging by their pained grunts they were in a similar predicament.

"Stop that!" Applejack insisted, marching up to Trixie. "Yer squabble is with Twilight, not them!" Trixie took a few moments to appreciate her handiwork before turning her head towards Applejack, an aura of smugness about her.

"Oh? Is that so?" Trixie said in mock surprise. She angled her head up slightly, affording Applejack a clear view of her smirk. "Well then, I'll tell you what Applesmack-"

"Applejack," the farm pony corrected, unamused.

"Applesmack," Trixie insisted, her smirk waning, "I'll let them go, if you yourself bow down to me instead."

"Now listen 'ere," Applejack growled. "Ah ain't-"

"And I'll make it very fair," Trixie grinned insidiously. "I won't use my magic to make you do it. It's all up to you."

Gritting her teeth, Applejack stood her ground and stared down Trixie, but hearing the struggles of her workers trying to move against the magic caused her resolve to waver. Casting a forlorn glance their way followed by an apologetic look towards her friends, Applejack remorsefully closed her eyes and removed her hat. It wouldn't have been right to wear it then.

"AJ, you don't have to do it!" cried out Rainbow, but her friend was already dropping down before Trixie, who was gleefully watching the event unfold before her.

"See now? That wasn't so hard, was it?" Trixie gloated, before waving a hoof dismissively at Meteorite and the others. "Okay, they're free or whatever."

With the magic holding them down ebbing away, the four ponies stood back up, a little worse for wear. Steel eyed Trixie warily as Silverfire and Flo shook and stretched themselves out of any crimps they had. Meteorite however, was stricken with fear and quickly huddled herself behind Flo, her breathing becoming heavy as her focus zeroed in entirely on Trixie. Fortunately, Trixie seemed to have lost interest in the four of them.

"Right then, now that that's been settled," Trixie said with an authoritative tone to the main group, "The five of you come back to town with me. I have some big changes to make, and you're going to do it for me."

"Why us?" Rarity huffed, "You have all the power you need! Why don't you just do it yourself?!"

Trixie frowned, and calmly closed her eyes as her horn ignited with magic. A gale wind whipped up solely around Rarity for a few seconds, causing her to shriek in response. As it died down, Rarity's mane and tail had been blown back, no longer their usual maintained curled coiffure, but now loose and frayed. The other ponies gasped as Rarity desperately tried to return her mane back to normal.

"Because," Trixie sneered, "Trixie's revenge doesn't end with Twilight's exile." She turned and pointed at Applejack. "You, gather up your apples. I want you to make Trixie an applesauce facial out of them."

"Have ya gone loco?" Applejack recoiled. "Apples are fer eatin', not fer puttin' on yer face!"

"S-She's right," Rarity sniffed, frantically brushing her mane back into shape. "There's no benefit from it. It'd just be a waste of apples."

"That's not my problem, now is it?" Trixie said snootily as she started heading back into town. "Make it work, Trixie commands it!"

The rest of the group begrudgingly followed Trixie, with only Applejack hanging back to turn to her workers again, hanging her head slightly.

"Yer four okay? Ah'm right sorry Trixie did that to y'all…"

Steel nodded. "We seem to be fine, thank you Miss Applejack."

"Who was that?!" Flo jumped in, worry written over her face. Applejack's brow creased into a frown.

"That's Trixie. She was here a while ago, but got chased off after her lies came to light. Thing is," she paused briefly to scratch under the brim of her hat, "she's not normally this powerful."

"So… what do we do?" Silverfire asked.

"You lot just… keep working as usual." Applejack turned to look at the orchard beyond the dome, and frowned. "Well, as best as ya can, anyways. Don't get in her way fer now; me and mah friends will figure somethin' out. Probably."

"So, lay low?" Steel prompted.

"Yeah," Applejack nodded. Her eye caught sight of Meteorite, still partially hidden behind Flo, and shivering slightly. "Ya okay there, suga'cube?"

Timidly stepping forward, Meteorite nodded even though her expression clearly was saying otherwise. "Y-Yeah… I just…" she swallowed, reflecting on being moved and held against her will. "I wasn't expecting that…" she said softly.

"Ah reckon none of us were," Applejack said solemnly. "Anyway, sit tight, and don't do anythin' stupid, y'hear?"

With a quiet chorus of agreement, Applejack turned and quickly trotted after where her friends went. As silence fell over the four workers, Silverfire spoke up suddenly.

"Am I crazy, or did Pinkie not have a mouth?"

The remaining afternoon was a sombre one with the group silently heading back home, Steel holding the front door open as the rest entered one by one. Loitering around the entrance without much purpose, along with everypony else, Silverfire drew in a heavy sigh.

"Well, this sucks."

Nopony responded right away, until Steel had closed the door behind him.

"Quite so," he murmured, before sweeping a glance across the group before him, all looking very lost. Straightening his posture, Steel cleared his throat. "Regardless, what's important is that we stay focused and do as Miss Applejack says."

Silverfire and Flo nodded their understanding, however Meteorite seemed to remain lost in her thoughts, staring blankly at the ground before her. Steel made a more pronounced clearing of his throat.

"Did you hear me, Miss Meteorite?"

Slowly blinking her eyes back into focus at the sound of her name, Meteorite gradually lifted her head to meet Steel's, as she tried to mentally play back the last few words she heard.

"Oh uh, no… sorry, I-" she paused to swallow, beginning to feel overwhelmed. "I wasn't paying attention, sorry…"

Steel noted the fragile tone to her voice, and spoke softer. "It's alright, Miss Meteorite. It's been a very rough day for everypony, it would seem." As he spoke, Flo gingerly sidled over and gently put a hoof on Meteorite's back.

"You doing alright?" she asked, earning a pitiful glance from her friend.

"N-No…" Meteorite admitted, her voice shriller than she'd liked. "I… I don't know what's going on. None of this makes any sense. This shouldn't be happening."

The group fell silent for a moment, leading Steel to ponder thoughtfully with a hoof to his chin.

"Earlier, you seemed to recognize this… 'Trixie', was it?" Steel mused. "Do you know her?"

"Ah-" Meteorite uttered, her eyes widening as a different fear took hold. "Ah, well! Not… personally, no," she quickly said defensively, her mind hastily weaving a plausible cover story.

"I… I've seen her u-uh…! I mean, s-she does tricks and stuff! She does magic shows and all that!" Her eyes drifted to a nearby window, the glass dome in view. "...nothing like this though. She… She shouldn't be this powerful." Her thoughts turned to being forced to bow, and she flinched slightly at the memory.

"Hmm…" Steel murmured taking it in.

"Guess she got power-hungry, huh," Silverfire chimed in, leaning against a wall. He stumbled slightly when Meteorite quickly stood up with a start.

"No!" she said a bit too hastily, and looked abashed. "I mean… Trixie's not like that! She's an entertainer, not some… power-crazed villain!"

An awkward silence hung in the air, the obvious looming over them much like the dome outside.

"Are… Are you sure about that?" Flo tentatively asked. Meteorite's whole body sagged as her sudden adrenaline wore off.

"...no…" Meteorite admitted, hanging her head. "I don't know anymore… but… this is what I mean. Trixie… shouldn't be like this… She's… she's not a bad pony…" Meteorite mumbled into her chest.

"Well…" Silverfire sighed, "guess nopony told Trixie that."

"Silverfire," Steel scolded lightly, before turning back to address Meteorite. "But he does make a fair point. Ponies do change."

"I suppose…" Meteorite continued to mumble, leaning into Flo, looking for some comfort. Flo put a hoof around her and hugged her gently.

"Right," Steel continued. "Well, regardless of the situation, we need to continue with our lives. Miss Meteorite… I would like you to assist me in the kitchen today. It may help take your mind off things."

Meteorite swallowed as she considered it, though her mouth still felt dry afterwards. She responded, her voice barely more than a croak.

"Yeah, sure…"

That night a dark cloud hung in the air —both figuratively and literally— as Meteorite sat on her bed, staring out the window. For the first time since her first night in Equestria the air was still, with nary a twitch in the branches or leaves in the surrounding trees. It hadn't even been a day but the atmosphere felt heavy and stale.

The sounds of creaking pipes followed by the bathroom door opening alerted her to the presence of Flo behind her, although she did not react, barring her ears slowly tracking Flo's hoofsteps as she moved to her side of the room. Flo then let out a soft, inaudible sigh as she climbed onto her bed.

"How are you holding up?" she asked, watching Meteorite.

Wordlessly, Meteorite dropped her gaze downwards, blinking as she took in the question. Her mouth opened and instantly felt dry.

"I… don't know," she responded carefully. She turned upwards a hoof to look at it. She had calmed down, but her body still betrayed the truth that she was still afraid. Dropping her hoof back down, she forcibly swallowed as she frowned at empty space. "I… I don't know what to do…"

"Yeah…" Flo half-heartedly agreed, glancing out the window. "It's pretty crazy."

There was a beat of silence as Meteorite finally looked over at Flo.

"Why aren't you freaking out about this?"

"Who says I'm not? Nothing like this would happen back in Manehattan," Flo countered, offering a weary half-smile. "Believe me, I'm just as freaked out about this as you are. But… it's not like we can do anything about it right now, yeah?"

Meteorite blinked as she slowly turned away again. "Yeah I guess…" she murmured.

"Besides," Flo continued, "Applejack told us to stay put. I'm… not exactly sure what she could do about this, but I suppose she and her friends know more about what's going on than we do."

That got Meteorite's attention, as she lifted her head thoughtfully to consider the situation. Flo gave a small stretch as she yawned, politely covering her mouth.

"Anyway… we should get some sleep," Flo murmured, getting under her covers. "Who knows what we'll need to be ready for tomorrow?" Meteorite absent-mindedly nodded as she followed suit, still lost in thought.

"Right, yeah… who knows…" she murmured, more to herself than anyone else.

Chapter 16

The following morning was surprisingly peaceful, as far as the four farm workers were concerned. Ponyville in the distance had a worryingly unnatural storm cloud hovering above it, but there wasn't any imminent sign of Trixie herself nearby. Meteorite couldn't decide if this was a good thing or not.

The peace didn't last long into the afternoon however, as Meteorite and Steel heard the sound of a cracking whip off the beaten path by what remained of the orchard inside the dome. Trixie's commanding voice soon followed.

Peering past the trees, Meteorite soon spotted what looked like a large wooden chariot, with Trixie perched atop, with a mean-looking whip in her magical grasp. Struggling to pull the chariot were Snips and Snails, the colts that had formerly admired Trixie. They were slowly passing by, in the direction of the dome perimeter.

Meteorite silently watched, feelings of uncertainty and dutifulness bubbling up inside her. She really didn't want to get involved, especially with the reckless use of power Trixie had displayed the day before. But… could she really just stand by and let this happen? Twilight was their main line of defense, but was quickly written out off-screen, as it were. And given the absurdity of the situation… was she expected to step up and win the battle? The… story?

She swallowed painfully, her throat dry. What could she even do against someone like Trixie? She had no fighting capabilities, not even good enough dexterity to handle most things. The best she could do was talk at her, maybe.

…Talk.

It… feasibly could work, yeah? Hell, the whole show prides itself on talking things out, right? Maybe, Meteorite considered, taking a step forward, maybe I could remind Trixie of who she was, an-

"Ow!"

A sudden but quick pain shot through her dock as she tried to take further steps. Whipping her head around, she saw Steel pinning her tail to the ground with his hoof, while attempting to simultaneously pin her with a disapproving frown.

"Oi, Steel! What do you think you're doing?"

"I should be asking you the same question, Miss Meteorite," Steel responded firmly, releasing Meteorite's tail and allowing her to face him fully. "Might I ask why you stopped working?"

Meteorite's voice was caught in her throat as she awkwardly looked away, unable to come up with a suitable lie. Steel didn't need an answer however, as he continued.

"It doesn't take much to recognise you were lost in your thoughts, especially when this Trixie was nearby. You were planning something, correct?"

"Ma'be…" Meteorite mumbled shamefully, before frowning at herself and facing Steel eye-to-eye. "I don't know, okay! I'm not sure if I have a plan, I… I just-"

Just as quickly as her bravado came, it fled, her shoulders sagging in defeat.

"...I don't even know what I was gonna do… I thought… maybe I could, I'unno, talk to her or something…"

Steel took a moment to consider this before quietly responding. "Do you truly believe that would work?"

"I don't know…" Meteorite briefly muttered into her chest, "...no… not really, I guess. But…" She tutted, frustrated with the situation. "What else can we do? Are- Are we supposed to just… roll over and let all this happen?! Because," —she affected a mocking tone— "'Oh, no, we mustn't get involved!' Is-Isn't just letting this happen worse?!"

Steel lifted his gaze and frowned thoughtfully at the space where Trixie had last been. After a few moments, he sat down with resignation.

"I understand your frustrations, Miss Meteorite…"

"Yeah I bet you do," Meteorite muttered sotto voce. Steel ignored her muttering and continued.

"...but as much as we all here under this prison would like this situation to be over with, we simply cannot charge recklessly at the issue without a plan." Steel eyed Meteorite carefully. "What would you do should Trixie not be convinced to stand down?"

Meteorite glanced away shamefully, giving a half-hearted shrug at the same time. "I'unno… was… kinda banking on it working."

Steel frowned, but nodded slightly. "I was afraid that was the case. That kind of hope comes from an abundant amount of confidence… or stupidity. Forgive me, but I'm not sensing much confidence from you."

Meteorite bit her lip, as Steel's words stung her. He was right, she was acting stupid, based on the belief that the story would just… work out, if she was just in the right spot. She had allowed herself, her other self, to get the better of her.

"Wh- What do I do?" Meteorite asked in a small voice, tears threatening to form under her eyes. Steel took note and spoke softly.

"We should follow Miss Applejack's instructions, and stay out of the way. For now, at least."

Meteorite nodded dumbly, staring at the ground. Closing her eyes, she then whispered, "I hate this…"

"As do I, Miss Meteorite."

Despite everything, Meteorite found herself weakly smiling at Steel's agreement. Glancing up at him, still sat beneath the canopy of trees around them, she drew in a calming breath as she stepped on over, and turned to sit beside him. Steel gave her a quizzical look.

"Thanks…" she eventually uttered. "For stopping me, I mean. I… I guess I'm not as savvy as I thought I was."

"Quite alright. It has been very stressful for all involved, I'd imagine."

"Heh, yeah…" Meteorite admitted quietly.

A sudden whip crack in the distance alerted the two to the return of Trixie, still sat in her chariot, but now the chariot had become a larger, more extravagant, golden version, adorned with velvet curtains and throw pillows. It was now that Meteorite noticed there were no wheels attached, causing Snips and Snails to clearly have far greater difficulty in pulling the chariot than before. Meteorite watched in frustration, not even daring to breathe.

"Maybe we can have her done for child labour," Meteorite muttered quietly once Trixie was out of earshot.

"Not while she's still in charge," Steel pointed out as he stood, dusting himself off. He turned to face Meteorite, and nodded back to the part of the orchard still to be covered. "Come on, we've had enough of a break, wouldn't you say?"

Reluctantly, Meteorite nodded and got up to follow.

Coming back home to the cottage was a less cheerful event for the four. Flo tried being upbeat when greeting Meteorite, but all she got in return was a weary nod as Silverfire, the last one inside, shut the front door behind them.

No sooner than the four workers had turned to make their way to their rooms, a hasty knocking came at the door. Everyone turned around, puzzled and confused, as Steel stepped forward to answer the door.

"Ah, howdy y'all!" Applejack greeted warmly as the door swung open, nudging her stetson up slightly. "Good t'see y'all still in one piece."

"Miss Applejack, good to see you are well as well," Steel greeted back. "Is everything alright?"

Applejack tapped her chin with her hoof thoughtfully. "Actually, might be! Checkin' to see if ya don't happen to have any paint stored here."

"Paint?" Steel repeated, confused. Meteorite and Flo were equally dumbfounded by the request, but Silverfire spoke up eagerly, if a little hesitant.

"Uh, actually, I think we do! I remember seeing a few cans of paint off in the corner of the basement."

"Don't suppose ya know the colors?" Applejack asked. When Silverfire shook his head, Applejack stepped inside and over to the basement, with the other four ponies following her close behind. Crowded around the top of the stairs, they watched as Applejack grabbed a nearby paint scraper with her mouth and pried off the lids of the cans. Inspecting the paint within, Applejack held out her foreleg and frowned as she studied it in the basement light. She gave the paint a swirl with the scraper, stirring up the paint colour into a more vibrant appearance, and made further comparisons.

"E'yup," she said suddenly, stealing her brother's catchphrase, "reckon this'll do!"

"What's going on?" Meteorite called from slightly behind Silverfire, as Applejack began gathering the desired paints. Applejack turned to face the group and smiled.

"Think we might have a way to stop that good-fer-nothin' Trixie."

"What? How?" Flo asked, taking a few steps back to allow Applejack back up, who winked as she passed by.

"Let's just say, we're gonna beat her at her own game."

"I'm still confused. How does the paint help, again?"

Walking with her family, Applejack turned to look back at Flo and the rest of her workers, following her to Ponyville. Meteorite and Silverfire held spare cans of paint by the handles in their mouths, with Meteorite having a continuously disgusted look on her face that put her in mind of her friend Rarity, should she be in a similar situation.

"As Ah were sayin' before," Applejack replied, taking her can and handing it off to Big Mac, "Trixie has this amulet on her that's giving her all this evil magic. So, Twilight's got a plan to get her to swap amulets with her, but we need t' trick her into doing it herself. So, we just need to make Trixie think Twilight's got the more powerful amulet."

"That's where we come in, right?" Applebloom piped up excitedly. Applejack smiled at her and ruffled her mane slightly.

"Sure is! We're gonna paint all us up t' look the same-"

"And hop in and out as Miss Twilight covers fer us!" Applebloom excitedly interjected, bounding from one side of Applejack to the other.

"I see… stage magic," Steel mused thoughtfully. "Is there anything we may do to help, then?"

Applejack quietly considered the offer, studying the four behind her. "Well… Ah don't exactly like the idea of anypony being in harm's way…" she gave an aside glance to her family, "But… Trixie is a showoff blowhard at heart. The bigger a crowd she has, the less Ah reckon she'll notice a few of us gone missin' behind the scenes."

Meteorite frowned silently, tightening her grip on her handle. The taste of old paint grew in intensity, which she ignored. Applejack continued, fixing each of her workers with a stare.

"But that means stayin' a good ways away, ya hear? Ah don't want any of ya gettin' tangled up in this any more than we already are."

As the Apple family and several others prepared in secrecy, Meteorite and the others found themselves quietly keeping a low profile while in Ponyville, waiting for things to kick off. Meteorite found herself taking in the new landscape of the town, hating every new aspect she spotted. The darkened skies caused by the perpetual storm clouds above, the dozens of propaganda posters and banners plastered across every feasible surface, each one featuring Trixie's silhouette, the fucking actual golden cage in the center of town with Mayor Mare trapped inside…

This… This was still My Little Pony, right? Why was she making things dark and edgy?

"This is horrible…" she muttered under her breath, getting a murmur of agreement in response.

"I hope it'll be over soon…" Flo shivered. Silverfire stepped on over and sat next to her, trying to smile comfortingly.

"AJ said they've got a plan though, right? So we just hafta wait and see if it works, yeah?"

"For how long?"

As if on cue, the sky pinged as the dome surrounding the town burst and vanished. Steel took note of the clouds remaining and straightened his posture. "Quite soon, I'd say. Stay vigilant everypony, and remember to keep your distance should you see Trixie." He made sure to lock eyes with Meteorite, who nodded ever so slightly in response.

"By the way Trixie," Twilight said smugly, putting a foreleg around a now confused and defeated Trixie, and tapping the shiny green amulet Trixie had just stolen from her, "the amulet around your neck? It's one of Zecora's doorstops." Said doorstop began to crumble and drop to the ground.

"But-" Trixie spluttered in disbelief. "How did you do those spells? Nopony can do those spells!"

As Twilight began to explain the magic of friendship to Trixie, the crowd of ponies began to cheer and close in on the pair, emboldened by Twilight's victory. Steel and the others stayed by a local storefront where they watched the duel go down. Meteorite had opted to use a few crates in front of the store as cover. Just in case. Flo turned to her, and smiled while extending a hoof.

"It's over! They've won!" she cheered lightly.

Meteorite nodded while still fixated on the two unicorns, but allowed herself to be encouraged out into the open, as the dark storm clouds overhead began being pushed away by several pegasi, allowing the sun to shine on the town once more. "Yeah, I guess so…"

Her eyes flitted to the safebox Zecora had, which now housed Trixie's old amulet within, and then back to Trixie herself. She was awkwardly backing away slowly as more and more ponies closed in on Twilight to cheer her on. Nopony was paying her any heed though, and once Trixie was a good amount of distance away from the crowd, she turned tail and bolted down the street and around the corner.

Meteorite felt…

Hrm.

Meteorite didn't really know how she felt. On one hand, she was relieved Trixie's reign of terror was dealt with, but also…

It didn't feel right. Trixie having a reign of terror. Even having just experienced it, it still felt like… like…

Like there was something more to it. It just… didn't fit. She didn't have all the puzzle pieces, and that was upsetting her.

No… she had all the pieces; this was a wholly new piece. That's what was upsetting her. Yes.

…

Or maybe she was just upset that one of her favourite ponies had turned out like this.

She drew in a deep sigh as more and more ponies came out of hiding to celebrate. Eventually, one pony shouted above the clamour, a hint of indignation in her voice, "Hey! Anypony see where that Trixie ran off to? Got a thing or two to teach her for everything she's done!"

Though there was a general agreement of wanting to find Trixie, nopony seemed to know where she went. Steel quietly stepped up beside Meteorite, who was still staring at the alleyway Trixie disappeared down. He carefully considered the situation.

"Would… you have happened to see where, Miss Meteorite?"

Meteorite frowned in thought before turning away, walking back to the others.

"Nope, must've missed her."

Steel glanced down the street at where Meteorite was looking, and nodded to himself before turning around to follow Meteorite.

"As I thought. Shame."

The townsfolk came together and spent the rest of the day in celebration, removing the Trixie propaganda spread across town, a few ponies laughing and stomping on them as personal retribution. Flo and Silverfire had stayed in town to help, however unbeknownst to them, Meteorite had already left, walking home alone.

Alone that is, until a steady set of hoofclops on the path alerted her to somepony coming up behind her. Turning her head, she visibly sighed as she saw Steel.

"If you're coming to tell me to help clean up town," she uttered frankly once Steel had pulled up to her side, "it is literally not part of my job description."

"No, I suppose it isn't," Steel remarked calmly, continuing to walk with Meteorite for a few lengths. Curiosity getting the better of her, Meteorite glanced sideways at Steel.

"So… what are you-"

"'Why am I here?'" Steel put forth, to which Meteorite nodded. "I came to check up on you."

Meteorite scoffed. "Why?"

"Miss Meteorite, I am not as blind to your feelings as you may think sometimes."

"I never said tha-" Meteorite began to protest, but Steel cut her off with a hoof.

"It's obvious you care deeply about… Miss Trixie, was it? The stage magician before all this nasty business happened?"

Meteorite blushed, glancing away. "I wouldn't say 'deeply'…"

Steel nodded in acknowledgement. "However you want to rationalize it then. The fact remains that what Miss Trixie has done these past couple days has clearly shaken you. I want to make sure you are alright."

Those words hit Meteorite like a brick, and her pace came to a standstill. Not realising how much she was bottling up, her lip trembled and she bit it in a futile attempt to not let the floodgates open.

"I… I still can't believe it all happened…" she said quietly. "What more, I can't believe it's over."

"What do you mean?" Steel asked gently.

"I- I mean…!" Meteorite looked Steel in the eyes with hope, but it quickly turned to frustration, and she stomped the ground. "Ohhh! You wouldn't get it…"

Steel raised an eyebrow. "With all due respect, Miss Meteorite…"

Meteorite tutted in annoyance at herself and waved a hoof dismissively. "No, no, I'm not saying you- ngh! I mean, I'm not even sure I know how to explain it!"

"Calm down, Miss Meteorite. Take a few deep breaths."

Meteorite looked at Steel wearily. "I'm fine, I'm just-"

"No," Steel shook his head. "I mean it. Take a few breaths, take your time, and collect your thoughts."

Meteorite gave him an initial skeptical look but deciding it was worth a shot, shrugged and took a slow, calming breath, closing her eyes and sitting down in the process. Steel decided to follow suit, and sat down also.

After a few minutes, with naught but the sound of the wind as it explored its previously off-limit airspace, Meteorite slowly opened her eyes. She turned to look at Ponyville.

"This shouldn't have happened…" she told Steel quietly. "None of this. Trixie… She shouldn't have been the way she was, and yet she was. I mean, okay yeah, she was arrogant, egoistic, self-centred…" She paused long enough to turn and notice the deadpan stare Steel was giving her. Meteorite swallowed, considering her next words.

"But… she wasn't evil. She'd never actively wish harm on anypony. She just… wanted to entertain with her stage tricks, ya get me?"

Steel mulled it over, before nodding. "I believe so, yes."

Meteorite turned back to Ponyville, her head drooping slightly. "It just… felt like I was the only one that could see that something was wrong." She cleared her throat. "Y'know, besides the whole evil takeover thing."

"Quite."

Meteorite continued, her voice cracking slightly. "So… I thought… y'know, I had to do something about it since… I was the only one that noticed any of this." She threw her hooves up slightly. "But, well, y-you know! Right? I had no idea what to do! There was nothing I could d- I couldn't do anything! And in the end, it all got resolved anyway! So I'm just like…"

Meteorite became silent for a while, staring into empty space. When she next spoke, her voice was small and timid.

"How am I supposed to know when to act? How do I know when I'm meant to do the thing that needs to be done that no-one else can do?"

Steel breathed in slowly. To say this was slightly above the level of complexity he was comfortable dealing with would've been a grand understatement. Nevertheless, he felt it only fair to try and help to the best of his expertise.

"I'm… afraid there's no easy answer to that sort of question."

Meteorite nodded sadly. "I'll take a hard answer…"

Steel considered one.

"Well…" he began, not really knowing the end, "I suppose you don't. When the time comes, you just know." Steel paused, reflecting on what he just said. "Actually, maybe not even then. Sometimes, a pony just has to do what feels right in the moment, and hope it was the right outcome."

Meteorite blinked blankly for a few seconds, taking it in. "...shit, was afraid of that."

Steel was understandably taken aback, raising an eyebrow in the process. "Language, Miss Meteorite."

"Yeah I know sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to…" Meteorite replied almost immediately, nearly cutting Steel off. Her cheeks reddened at her idiocy of letting herself slip like that. Steel studied her curiously for a moment, before deciding to not pursue it.

"Very well. You have been under quite a bit of stress."

The two sat in silence as the sun began to set in the distance. The air between them was getting awkward as Steel wondered what to do next, and Meteorite continued to stare out at Ponyville. Eventually, after much deliberation, Steel raised a hoof to come down to a rest on Meteorite's shoulder, causing her to jerk and spin around at the sudden contact, her wide-eyed confused stare torn between Steel and his hoof, now returning to his side.

"S- Steel?"

Steel cleared his throat, looking and feeling awkward at his actions. "My apologies, Miss Meteorite. I… thought to try and be comforting."

"By… tapping me on the shoulder?" Meteorite asked with a raised eyebrow, her stress slowly ebbing away. To her bemusement, Steel looked to be embarrassed, as he mumbled into his chest.

"I… do not know how to be comforting in this situation," Steel quietly admitted. Meteorite felt her heart melt in the moment, as a smile found its way to her lips. With all her worries temporarily pushed to one side, Meteorite warmly inched closer to Steel.

"Come on," she indicated with a gesture, "do what you were doing, but put your foreleg around me or something."

"Ah…?" Steel hesitated, a faint blush crossing his face. "Are you sure, M-Miss Meteorite?"

"Yeah yeah," Meteorite began, initially dismissive then changed tact and looked him directly in the eye, "I mean, don't get any ideas or anything, just so you know."

"Ah, yes, of course not, I would never," Steel nodded firmly, beginning to awkwardly do as he was instructed, when Meteorite half-glared at him suddenly.

"And what do you mean by that?"

Steel froze, suddenly realizing how out-of-depth he was, and began to frantically search for the right thing to say. Luckily, Meteorite's expression became jovial, if slightly guilty-looking, as she playfully swiped at him.

"I'm sorry," she grinned. "I just… wanted to do that at least once, and I saw the opportunity." Steel breathed a sigh of relief, and looked down at her with mild disapproval.

"Yes, I'm beginning to see what Miss Flora meant by your… unique sense of humor."

Meteorite snorted derisively and rolled her eyes but, with no further interruptions, allowed herself to be nestled in the crook of Steel's foreleg. It was a nice feeling she realised, being held, as she began to slowly refocus on why she was being comforted in the first place. Steel took note of the sombre look on her face as she stared out at the town perimeter.

"For what it's worth Miss Meteorite," Steel began carefully after some time, "I think it was very admirable that you wanted to help somepony nopony else did."

Meteorite glanced up at him, inquiringly. "Even if said somepony was trying to take over the world?"

Steel glanced down at Meteorite, with the subtlest hint of a smirk about him. "I said admirable, not smart."

Meteorite gave a small, sharp snort and began to smile genuinely as she went back to looking at Ponyville in the light of the sunset.

"I'll take that."

Chapter 17

Back in present day Ponyville, on a presently occupied park bench, Rarity leaned with great interest as Meteorite finished the most recent part of her tale, of the day Trixie took over the town. It was a day she remembered well, and it had been eye-opening to see a side of the events she had not previously considered. But, perhaps, what she most wanted to know was:

"So…? Darling, you have to tell me what happened next!"

Meteorite fidgeted, scratching an ear with her hoof. "Not much? I mean, that was pretty much it with Trixie, right?"

Rarity shook her head. "No no no no," she dismissed with a light laughter, "I meant what happened next between you and Steel!"

Meteorite frowned in confusion. "We… went home? Prepared dinner for everypony? I can't remember what, though."

Rarity leaned back, unimpressed. "Meteorite. Darling. You cannot tell me nothing happened between you two. I was feeling the spark of romance just through your words alone!" She began fanning herself with her hoof.

Meteorite began to uneasily shrink down into herself, a blush of embarrassment flush on her cheeks. "I'm… sorry Rarity, but… no. Nothing happened." Barely a beat passed, and her expression turned to a frown. "Why do you want me with somepony else, anyway?"

"A-" Rarity began before looking abashed, and laughed nervously. "It's not so much that, darling, but rather it's an outright crime for somepony to go all this time without so much a shred of romance in their life." Rarity flipped her mane, a touch of annoyance in her voice at lost love. "Honestly, I'm shocked the two of you never considered it."

Meteorite swallowed, uncomfortably considering the idea of being with Steel. "He's… not my type."

"'Not your type'?!" Rarity shrilled, and began counting off on her hoof. What she was counting, Meteorite had no idea.

"From what you've told me, he's elegant, he's well-spoken, he's organized, he obviously cares about you, he-"

"He's not you," Meteorite said softly.

"He… he…" Rarity slowed to a stop, her words caught in her throat. Meteorite took a deep sigh, before turning to face the stunned unicorn.

"Look, I'll be honest," Meteorite spoke, at just above a whisper, "yeah, over the years there've been a few stallions that have… made me look back twice. There's been some mares that have gotten a second look or three." Meteorite paused, firmly meeting Rarity's eyes with her own. "But there's only been one pony to hold my gaze the whole time."

Still speechless, Rarity's expression softened into a heart-warming smile as she silently held her hooves over her chest. Meteorite offered back a small smile of her own as she took one of Rarity's hooves into her own, firmly holding it.

"I'm not going to say that not being with anypony this whole time was the ideal road… but it is the one that I took to get to you. And for that alone, I don't regret it."

"Ohh Meteorite…" Rarity murmured warmly, taking her free hoof to lovingly stroke Meteorite's topmost hoof. "When did you become so poetic?"

Meteorite tittered and grinned. "I'unno, must be the company I keep these days."

"Sounds like a terrible influence on you," Rarity remarked through lidded eyes.

"Oh… I don't mind, really," Meteorite said sultrily, leaning in to lightly nuzzling her marefriend, who very much allowed herself to be taken in by the gesture. That is, until she suddenly pulled away, a burning question on her lips.

"So… like, you weren't even interested in… say, Flo or anything?"

Meteorite simply rolled her eyes as she shook her head a few times.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

It had been nearly a week since the ordeal with Trixie had passed, and Ponyville had fallen back into its old routine without pause. This was especially so for Twilight, who was intent on finishing her cross-referencing of the first few sections of the library today. Spike stood by with quill and scroll in claw, focused on writing down Twilight's findings and notes as she mentioned them.

Which is why a sudden knocking at the library door caused him to jump and scrawl the quill across the parchment in one swift motion.

Rolling her eyes at the mistake, Twilight moved to answer the door as Spike sheepishly ran off to grab a replacement scroll. On the other side of the door was a familiar purple pegasus in saddlebags, and with a timid smile.

"Heeeey," Meteorite awkwardly waved.

"Oh! Hello again!" Twilight greeted warmly. "I assume you're here to exchange some books?"

"Yuh-uh," Meteorite nodded, moving to unclasp one of her saddlebag pouches. "I think I'm… done with this one, for now, at least." As she pulled the thick book out, holding it between her hooves, the book was suddenly enveloped in Twilight's magic as she brought it closer for a better look.

Twilight hadn't noticed the brief flinch from Meteorite when she had done so.

"'The Basics of Metaphysics'..." Twilight read to herself. "Oh, yes, I was quite surprised when you said you wanted this book! I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!"

Meteorite scratched at her ear with a hoof, uneasy with the question. "Honestly? A lot… heavier than I imagined. I'm gonna need to read that, like… several times before it'll sink in."

Twilight giggled lightly. "Yes, I'd imagine so. It's a tough subject to approach for most ponies. Still, fascinating philosophical ideologies to study! Did any stand out in particular to you?"

Meteorite stood quiet for a moment. "I suppose the section on free will struck a chord."

"Really?" Twilight exclaimed, pleasantly surprised. She tapped her chin in thought as Spike re-entered the room, puzzled by the conversation currently in motion. "Well I don't have anything here, but if you'd like I can send for a few books on the findings of Renéigh Haycartes-"

"No! No, no…" Meteorite hastily interrupted as she waved her hooves back and forth, feeling a fear similar to being assigned extra study material. "I'm all tapped out for now on the heavy stuff, especially after the past week. I just want something light and fun… so… probably fiction."

"Ahh, yes of course," Twilight nodded solemnly. "I can understand that. Anything in mind?"

"Not really…?" Meteorite admitted. "Got any suggestions?"

Twilight's face lit up at the opportunity to offer book recommendations, followed by her horn as several books were lifted from different sections of the shelves behind her. The books came down in a criss-cross pattern in front of Twilight, forming an intimidating literary shield between her and Meteorite. One by one, a book was brought closer to Twilight as she intensely studied its prospect for recommendation.

"Hmm… Not this one… Too dramatic… Oh, no, this one has too many sequels… And this one is too similar to this other book's writing style which if I recall you said was 'enh'..."

Meteorite meanwhile was starting to feel like she made a mistake giving Twilight free rein to offer her any book, when Spike suddenly pointed to a book near the bottom.

"Oh, how about that one? Rarity said she liked that one!"

Meteorite's posture stiffened slightly at the mention of Rarity's name, as Twilight studied the book in question, with all the other books quietly put away into neat piles. Seemingly satisfied herself, she smiled and then flipped and floated the book over to Meteorite.

"Well, what do you think?"

Meteorite stared at the book before her, and with some hesitation quickly reached out with her hooves and plucked the book from the air, the magic holding it dissipating as she did so. Letting out a relieved sigh, she then focused on the book's cover.

"'The Princess's Guard'," she read out, looking up at Twilight. "What's it about?"

"It's a semi-fantastical story about this unicorn princess who falls for one of her guards."

"Uegh, sounds mushy, forget it," Spike grunted, sticking out his tongue in disdain. Twilight laughed lightly as she tousled Spike's head spines.

"Well, maybe for little ponies and dragons your age, but it is a good romance story."

"Romance, huh…" Meteorite murmured as she reconsidered the book, a little unimpressed. Eventually, however, she shrugged noncommittally. "Okay, sure. I guess it has to have something to it if you're recommending it."

As Twilight beamed over the compliment, Meteorite mentally added, Also, apparently Rarity-approved, so there's that too.

Meteorite stood outside the library, having said her farewells for the week, and her new book secured within her saddlebag, properly checked out. Her initial instinct was to immediately slink off and return to the farm, safely away from Ponyville and any risks of getting caught up in wacky hijinks… although last week was sufficient in proving that even staying on the farm might not be enough sometimes.

She took in a long, slow breath to clear her thoughts. Maybe she… could wander about town for a bit? It was her day off, yeah? She's earned the right to indulge herself a little, right?

Yeah. Probably.

Setting off further into the town, Meteorite occasionally turned down a few side-streets, just to get the lay of the land solidified in her mind. It was a practice she enjoyed, just… knowing an area enough to revisit it in her mind's eye should the need arise. It wasn't long before she found herself back in a more recognisable part of the town, in front of Sugarcube Corner.

She looked upon the front of the store with a critical frown, pondering if she ought to brave the interior. It was then that a pang of guilt began stabbing at her, of that she was considering avoiding it simply because she was apprehensive about being drawn into the spotlight that was Pinkie's friend-making focus.

Meteorite cast a glance away from the store, towards roughly where the library would be beyond the horizon. Would it really be so bad if she was declared a friend by Pinkie? She was already… well, okay, not friends with Twilight, but on friendly terms with her at least, and she'd been working for Applejack since practically day one. What's one more to the list?

Taking a cleansing breath, she approached the entrance and pushed the door open, preparing for… well, anything, she supposed, when Pinkie was concerned. A high-speed tackle hug? Party cannons to the face? Deafening shouts of joy?

Instead, she was greeted by a politely smiling Mr Cake from behind the counter. Meteorite blinked in confusion.

Oh… right. I guess this place is technically owned and run by the Cakes.

"Hello there," Mr Cake waved. "Have you come to try some of our scrumptious specialties?"

Meteorite hesitated briefly, unsure of how to deflect the idea of being a customer, when her stomach made a rather audible rumbling. She grinned sheepishly, as she approached the counter.

"I… guess I have?"

The display cases in front of her and around the seating areas displayed various sweets and cakes, but nothing Meteorite was particularly feeling at that moment.

"Do you…" she drawled, still scanning the cases, "have something like… muffins or something?"

"Actually, yes!" Mr Cake beamed. "We're just finishing up a batch of apple and cinnamon muffins in the oven. Care for some?"

Huh… apple. Brand loyalty on my part, I suppose. "Sure, I'll take a coupl-" Meteorite paused, considering her hunger. "Actually, make that three."

"Wonderful choice! Anything else you're interested in?"

Meteorite mused thoughtfully, looking around. "I don't suppose you guys do coffee here, do you?"

Mr Cake nodded. "We can do that! Wait right here, and I'll be back with your order!"

As he headed into the kitchen through the double swing doors behind him. A flash of pink caught Meteorite's eye as the doors swung closed. Seconds later, a tray of decorated cupcakes rose up above the double doors, held aloft by an excited and aproned Pinkie.

"Oh oh! I knew I heard a very familiar Austailian twang!"

Twang? Meteorite questioned internally. She didn't have much time to focus on it, as Pinkie zipped from sight, leaving the tray and apron momentarily hanging mid-air. A couple seconds later, a pink hoof caught the tray as it decided to make its descent, and before Meteorite could blink Pinkie had burst through the kitchen doors, sans tray and apron.

"Hiya Metty! Gosh, it's been a while since we last talked!"

"It's only been a few mon-" Meteorite began to defend herself instinctively, before something stuck out in her mind, "Hang on… 'Metty'?"

Pinkie giggled, bouncing side to side. "It's a nickname I've been workshopping since we've met! I've been dying to try it out, soooo… whaddya think, huh?? Do you like it?! If not, we can try some others!" Pinkie brought forth a notepad and began flicking through it. "Let's see… 'Mets', 'Meteori', 'Tori'..." She stopped when Meteorite covered the notepad with her hoof.

"Metty's good," Meteorite smiled, a hint of a blush on her face. "I'm… kinda flattered you apparently went through all this trouble."

"Aw, it's no trouble at all!" Pinkie waved a hoof dismissively. "I do this all the time! It's fun coming up with nicknames for all my friends!"

And there it is, Meteorite's smile wavered slightly, officially Pinkie's friend, straight from the mare herself.

"So, like I was saying," Pinkie continued excitedly, "we haven't talked in forever! Not since your welcoming party, which I heard you had such a great time you had to be carried out!"

Meteorite winced at the blurred memory. "That's… one way of looking at it."

"But you know what was awful?" Pinkie asked, a flair of drama to her voice as she gave Meteorite a puppy-dog look. Meteorite gulped and silently shook her head. "Even though we were near each other last week, we couldn't even talk because that Trixie was being a big ol' meanie!" Pinkie stopped mid-dramatics, deep in thought and rubbing her chin with a hoof. "Well, I suppose you could talk, but not me though."

Meteorite shuffled uneasily side-to-side, her tone now very sombre. "Ah, yeah, I… heard about what happened to you. That must've been horrifying."

"Oh, it sure was!" Pinkie threw her hooves up in the air in disgust. "Nopony could hear all the hilarious jokes I was saying to them!"

Meteorite frowned with concern. "W- Well I guess, but like… I mean… it also must've…" she stopped as she stared at Pinkie, faced with the wide-eyed innocent and curious look she was giving her. Swallowing her words, Meteorite changed tact. "Y'know what, nevermind. I'm glad you're okay now."

"Me too!" Pinkie agreed, bounding to one side of Meteorite. "Hey, you wanna go do something?!"

"Uhh…" Meteorite droned, glancing at the kitchen doors opening to reveal Mr Cake with her order in a paper bag, alongside a steaming cup of coffee. "Not right now? I kinda have stuff to eat," she pointed out with a hoof.

"Ah phooey," Pinkie said disappointedly. "But yeah, you're right… I should get back to work!" She hopped past Mr Cake who watched her with mild concern. "We'll talk later, 'kay Metty?" Pinkie called back before disappearing back into the kitchen.

"Yeah sure…" Meteorite murmured to herself as she reached out for the muffin-filled bag.

Meteorite had quite enjoyed her impromptu brunch of a couple muffins (securing the third in her saddlebag for later) while reading the first chapter or so of her book. For what it was, it could be said it left a warm feeling within, but it was in all likelihood the coffee.

In any case, the part-bakery, part-café had been a nice change of scenery.

As she left with a short but friendly wave farewell, Mr Cake turned and acknowledged the sudden appearance of Pinkie beside him, just in time to cheerfully wave back.

"Haven't seen her about these parts before. Friend of yours?"

Pinkie nodded enthusiastically. "Yup! Her name's Meteorite!"

Despite the few bouts of discomfort from her earlier interactions, Meteorite was feeling a little upbeat once she was out and about. She had some good food, a good book, and being out in Ponyville wasn't as intimidating as she kept making it out to be. Her pace quickened slightly; it wasn't quite at a trot, but there was a small bounce to each step.

"Oh no! Somepony, help, catch it please!"

Meteorite snapped out of her idle thoughts, and looked around in confusion. Nopony seemed to be in distress, but she caught a few nearby ponies looking up, so she followed suit.

And spotted something rapidly approaching her way.

She didn't quite see what it was; the sun was blinding her slightly, but it was small, that much she could tell. She awkwardly sidestepped back and forth, trying to avoid it, but the words of the cry for help tugged at her mind, and in the haziness of wanting to help, she backed up several steps and planted her rear down and leaned back as much as she could, with her forelegs out in front, ready to catch whatever it was that needed catching. Meteorite was absolutely certain she was in the right spot to catch it with ease.

THWACK

The falling item hit her squarely in the face, with enough force to knock her to the ground, and with her head pinned to the dirt. The rest of her body had sharply risen into the air in reaction to the force enacted upon her, before floating down with the grace of a fallen leaf, followed by her tail lazily draping itself onto the ground.

Meteorite could only sense a loud ringing in her ears, blinded by whatever was stuck to her face. However, the offending item was soon pulled away, allowing her the freedom to shakily prop herself up on her elbows. Barely capable of focusing her vision, she swore she could see versions of her cutie mark spinning about her head.

"Ohh looook," she slurred, "they're ashully reeeal, heeh."

Blinking a few times, Meteorite woozily shook her head fiercely to clear up her vision. The flying meteors faded, but she still seemed to be cross-eyed.

Oh, no, wait. That was the pony in front of her.

"Ohmigosh!" cried the extremely worried gray pegasus clutching the thing that had fallen onto Meteorite, now revealed to be a brightly coloured package, wrapped with a bow. "Are you alright?"

"Ah, buh, uhhh…" Meteorite managed, still trying to collect her senses. She awkwardly got up to a sitting position, but was having trouble not swaying. "Iphh- I think so?" Meteorite uttered, completely spaced out. She then grimaced, a hoof rushing to her head to cradle it. "Ooh, no no, there's the pain…! Owww…"

"I'm so sorry!" her companion apologized profusely. "Do you need a doctor? I know one!"

There was no immediate response from Meteorite, but after a few long seconds she slowly shook her head. "No… No, I think it's fading actually," she said breathily. After another long moment, she cracked open an eye to fully take in who she was talking to. Upon recognition, her posture slowly straightened, lowering her hoof as she did. Her face remained slightly contorted in pain, but it was getting better.

"Oh, it's y-" Meteorite caught herself, though she ended up stammering for a bit while coming up with an appropriate response. "I-I'm… I'm fine, I think."

"Oh that's good then," her companion sighed with relief. One of the hooves clutching the fallen present rose slightly to rest on her chest. "I'm Derpy, by the way," she introduced herself, finally.

Huh… Meteorite's brow wrinkled in mild surprise. Managed to keep that name, did you? Would've sworn you'd be retconned back to Ditzy Doo or something.

"Well, good to… meet you, Derpy. Wish it was… under less painful… circumstances though… I'm Meteorite."

Derpy frowned with concern. "I'm sooo sorry about that. I don't know what happened; one moment I was flying along, then I yawned and suddenly! The gift I had for my friend fell from my mouth!" Derpy blinked as she considered the events. "Oh, I guess that is what happened."

A faint sympathetic smile crossed Meteorite's lips. "Well… they do say you shouldn't fly when you're tired."

"Do they? I suppose it does make sense…" Derpy questioned, her eyes crossing a touch more than usual, before looking down at the gift in her hooves. "Thank you for trying to help… I'm sorry you got hurt because of me," she murmured, still feeling a little guilty.

The pain Meteorite felt a moment ago was nothing compared to the sight of a sad Derpy. "Hey, don't worry about it, 'kay?" she said softly. "I'm fine now; it was just an accident."

Derpy's brow furrowed for a moment before shaking her head. "No, I have to be more careful. I'm not gonna become a deliverypony if I keep dropping stuff."

Curiosity tugged at Meteorite. "Deliverypony?"

Derpy turned her head upwards to look at Meteorite with a sincere smile. "Mhm! I'm in-between part-time jobs right now, but someday I wanna fly around and give ponies the parcels and packages they all want!" She expanded her wings and flapped them to hover off the ground slightly, holding out the present in her hooves as if to give it away. "It'll be like Hearth's Warming, but all year round!"

"Aww, that's sweet," Meteorite smiled, surrendering to the warm fuzzy feeling she felt. "I… I've never really considered it that way before."

Derpy beamed in response, before slowly down at her present-ladened hooves. "I should go…" she admitted sheepishly. Meteorite nodded her understanding, but paused as an idea came to her. She bit her lip as she briefly wondered if she ought to follow through with it. A strong urge pushed her towards 'yes'.

"Actually, before you go…" Meteorite said as she turned her attention to one side and fished about in her saddlebags, pulling out a half-crumpled paper bag with her teeth and plopped in an upturned hoof as an offering. "I was saving this muffin for later, but… I want you to have it."

Derpy's eyes eagerly fell over the bag in Meteorite's hoof before looking somewhat distressed. "Oh, no! I couldn't possibly…! That's yours!"

Meteorite shook her head. "Nah, I already ate. Besides, it might help perk you up, yeah?" A further thought occurred, and she smiled. "Consider it… a non-Hearth's Warming gift from me to you."

The flying pegasus wasn't entirely convinced but reluctantly took the bag, moving and cradling her present in the crook of her foreleg. Opening the bag, Derpy inhaled the scent within and gave a giddish laugh. "Apple and cinnamon…" she murmured, practically drooling, before coming to her senses and looked downwards with a contemplative look.

"Thank you, you're really nice…" Derpy eventually said.

Meteorite rose a hoof dismissively. "Aw, naw, anyone else would've done the same."

Derpy shook her head, a little forlorn. "No, most ponies get mad with me after I drop something on them…"

A tiny but sure sense of dread and guilt began to form and grow within Meteorite as she considered exactly what she had done. Derpy lifted her skewed gaze towards Meteorite and smiled as she began to turn to leave.

"Thank you again, I won't forget this!" she called back, already high in the sky. Meteorite half-heartedly waved back, looking aside towards the ground.

"Beginning to wish I could…" she muttered, taking an awkward step as a wave of dizziness washed over her, making her stop and sit back down.

"Oh, right. The whole concussion thing," Meteorite realised, opting to wait it out some more. That was okay; she had a few things to think about anyway.

It was okay, giving her that muffin, right?

Was that a normal reaction? Should I have been mad too? At least a little?

I mean… by the time I was okay, I… was okay? And she was already apologising, so… why be mad?

Now recovered from the present incident, Meteorite had been walking aimlessly down the street, paying attention to naught but her own thoughts as she tried to justify her earlier actions, and clear away the doubts gnawing away at her. It wasn't working well.

Besides, it's Derpy. Who could be mad at Der- holy shit, imagine if I was angry with Derpy. The internet would fucking lynch me.

Of course I gave her the muffin. You see Derpy, you have a muffin, you give her it. What else was I meant to do?

…I mean. Awfully… convenient I had a muffin to begin with, though.

But… that was just because I bought a whole bunch.

Right?

…oh god. What if it was planned? What if 'I' knew I was going to meet Derpy and so made sure I still had a muffin in my 'inventory'?

…no no no, I don't like the implications of that. You stay out of this, alright?! I don't need 'help' from 'myself' with things like this! I do what I want, when I want, and I don't need you meddling-

Her brain took a moment to finally process what her eyes were seeing a short distance away from her.

The Carousel Boutique.

Meteorite forcibly swallowed as she stood frozen to the spot, her mind slowly clearing out any lingering thoughts. Her mouth felt dry as she quietly murmured to herself.

"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you."

Meteorite turned to study the direction she had walked from. Just an ordinary part of the town, with a few assorted ponies going about their day. Meteorite recognised one or two in passing, but paid them no further consideration.

The obvious play here would be to leave. Leave, and not get wrapped up in whatever 'she' was planning on happening at the boutique.

…except, maybe that was the plan. Meteorite had made it quite clear that she was avoiding Rarity, so maybe her author was banking on her turning around and leaving.

But of course, that'd be an easy twist to determine, so maybe the plan was to go into the boutique all along, and everything else was just a giant fake out. She knew herself; of course she'd do a double bluff.

…which is precisely why she'd know she'd figure things out, and instead go a step further with a triple bluff and have the plan involve her bailing out after all.

Howeve-!

…oh no, she was falling into the classic trope of trying to second-guess her opponent several steps ahead, wasn't she?

Meteorite sighed, closing her eyes. A few moments of peace flowed over her until she quietly whispered to herself.

"'Do what I want, when I want'..."

Why shouldn't she just go in then? She'll simply be a customer, buying a dress. Is that so wrong? If she can preemptively save a muffin for Derpy, she can damn well buy a dress from Rarity!

Y'know, if she wanted to.

Meteorite opened her eyes again, already frowning at the building. She did want to go in; there was no way she could convincingly deny that. She just…

Meteorite thought back to earlier that morning in the library, and how she felt herself lock up at the mere mention of Rarity's name. And she thought back to when they first met, all those weeks ago and how she acted then…

She shook her head violently. No, she told herself forcefully, it's just nerves! Take hold of yourself! You can handle yourself and not embarrass yourself like some sort of lovesick idiot, just because Rarity will be… in… there…

The irony of her faltering at the thought of meeting Rarity in that moment was not lost on her.

Gritting her teeth, Meteorite stamped a hoof on the ground, followed by another, purposefully moving closer to the boutique entrance. She was here, and she was determined to not throw away this opportunity simply because Rarity would be inside her own damned boutique.

Climbing the front steps, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and pushed on the door, awaiting the jangle of the bell chime inside.

The door didn't budge.

Confused, Meteorite opened one eye and tried pushing the door open again, but once more it didn't give way. Meteorite briefly considered it was somehow a pull door, when she caught sight of a sign hanging on the door. Meteorite focused on it, reading the flowery cursive writing to herself.

"'Apologies everypony, but the Carousel Boutique will be closed for today. Have gone on a nature retreat - Rarity'."

This confused Meteorite the more she considered it. Granted, she was still very new to the town —hell, the world— but she was pretty sure there wasn't anything like a nature retreat nearby. Heck, even Applejack had just-

"Ah," Meteorite blinked, connecting the dots. Applejack had mentioned offhandedly the day prior that her and Applebloom were going camping with a few of their friends. And given who the Apple family's friends were…

"Yes, of course. Of course you'd say nature retreat instead of camping," Meteorite remarked quietly with an already fading smile. She turned her back to the door and let out a sad sigh, all her courage leaving her with it.

"Great, all that for nothing," she muttered to herself, stepping down and heading back into town, and homeward-bound. "Oh well, maybe it's for the best…" she conceded after a while. "I'd just embarrass myself again, and I'd rather not have an audience laugh at me from across the cosmos."

Meteorite stopped mid-stride to give the distant boutique one last passing glance, her jaw set in a grim expression.

"You almost had me though. Almost had me…"

Chapter 18

Silverfire woke up late.

Now, this didn't concern him too much; if he needed to be up earlier then Steel would've definitely dragged him out of bed by his tail. This didn't happen, so it must've not been a work day.

Though, he was pretty sure it was. Their usual day off was still a few days away, so unless he overslept for three days, something must've come up.

He was pretty sure he didn't sleep for three days.

Stifling a yawn, he wandered into the kitchen to prepare some quick breakfast. Nopony else was around it seemed, which was weird, but he shrugged it off as he poured some cereal into a bowl, figuring they were all off doing something.

It wasn't until Silverfire ventured outside that he spotted his brother and their two mare companions off in the distance, sitting under a tree on a small hill, facing away from him.

"Heeey, wassup?" he called out, trotting over to them. Steel inclined his head back slightly to spot him.

"Morning, Silverfire. Good to see you've managed to wake up while it's still morning."

"Yeah, what's that about?" Silverfire asked, not slowed down at all from the jab. "Aren't we working today?"

"Have you already forgotten what Miss Applejack told us last night?"

"Uhh…" Silverfire droned, trying to recall. He remembered Applejack dropping by to talk about something, but he was preoccupied with after-dinner chores. He figured Steel'd tell him if it was important.

"Their family's having a reunion," Flo helpfully pointed out, also pointing down at a distant Applejack running back and forth around the farmstead, setting up festivities. "So everything's about them doing stuff today."

"Oh," Silverfire noted, sitting down next to Meteorite. "Are we supposed to help set things up or something?"

Steel shook his head. "No, Miss Applejack was very insistent on it being the Apple family only."

Silverfire watched for a moment as Applejack instructed a rainbow-maned pegasus on a cloud to fill up buckets with rainwater.

"I've already pointed out the irony in her saying that," Meteorite chimed in.

"It's not ironic Miss Meteorite, it's simply contradictory."

"Steel also already pointed that out as well," she informed Silverfire. Steel gave her an annoyed side-glance.

"And yet you persist in saying the wrong thing."

"Yup!" Meteorite cheerfully agreed. As Steel shook his head slowly in disapproval —a sight Silverfire was familiar with— Silverfire quietly considered the day going forward.

"So… what do we do now?"

The front door of the cottage was thrown open at the behest of Silverfire, holding it open as the rest of the group filed inside. Meteorite loitered about the entryway for a bit.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm staying in all day. Don't need to get involved with the reunion and all that, I reckon."

"How considerate," Steel murmured dryly.

"Hey, I ain't part of the Apples, and I ain't about t' pretend t' be one," Meteorite shrugged apathetically, a hint of southerness upon her wry smile. "Let 'em have their fun. I'm sure if something goes wrong, they can come a'runnin'."

Silverfire tilted his head slightly in confusion. "You think something might go wrong?"

Meteorite seemed to stiffen slightly before readopting her relaxed posture. "I mean… it might. Assume something will, I say. It won't blind-side you as much then."

"How very pessimistic, Miss Meteorite."

"I prefer to think of it as 'optimistically realistic'."

"Hey uh," Flo called from the living room, studying the bookcase. "Let's talk about something else, 'kay? Why don't we play something? There's a few board games here we've never touched in all the time we've been here."

Meteorite perked up as she trotted past the stallions and into the living room. "Heck yeah, I'm in. What games do we have?"

When Silverfire followed after, Flo had already pulled out a few game boxes. "Let's see, we've got Monopony…" —Meteorite looked very unamused for some reason as she rolled her eyes over towards the two stallions watching from the doorway— "Candy Land, Ogres and Oubliettes, Clue-"

"'Clue'?" Meteorite piped up suddenly, poking her head round Flo's shoulder to get a better view. "Oh oh, let's play that!"

"Yeah?" Flo smiled, looking at the box she was holding before turning to the stallions, "What do you two think?"

"Is it good?" Silverfire asked with some uncertainty. He and Steel never really played board games when they were younger. Or any other sort of games, actually. While Silverfire was off outside playing with his friends from school, Steel just… stayed home. Either studying or reading a book. Sometimes both.

"Yeah it is," Meteorite grinned happily, "you gotta work out who k-" She cut herself off abruptly, pausing to lift the back of the game up to read it. She frowned slightly. "Hm. Actually, I think this might be different to the version I'm familiar with."

Still holding the game, Flo jerked it away from Meteorite as she put it in her mouth to carry as she stood up to head over to the dining room. "Welf, we can read the ruleff aff we fet it up."

"I hate that I'm getting better at understanding everypony when they do that," Meteorite remarked offhandedly, before turning to Steel. "What about you, you playing?"

"I shouldn't think so," Steel said disinterestedly, brushing off his coat. "I have more important things to attend to."

"No you don't," Meteorite shot back with a grin. "Come on, it'll be fun."

Steel gave her a weary stare before turning away slightly. "I'm quite sure a game for foals would be, but I must respectfully decline, Miss Meteorite. You are free to enjoy it, however."

Exiting the room, Meteorite bitterly joined Silverfire in watching Steel disappear from view as he turned the corner at the end of the hallway.

"Hmph, spoilsport."

"Ah, don't mind him," Silverfire told her, with a dismissive wave of his hoof. "He's never been one for games."

"Nooo," Meteorite drawled, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Although she then had the good grace to stop and look abashed when she noticed the slight disapproving frown on Silverfire. "Sorry. I just… he should have fun once in a while."

Silverfire couldn't help but agree.

The pair headed over to the dining room where Flo was meticulously unpacking the game, and setting up the pieces on the board. Taking a seat opposite, Silverfire studied the board, trying to understand it, as Meteorite carefully nudged a piece towards her, also seemingly taken with it. The room would've been quiet if not for a growing rumble of a distant crowd flitting in through the open window, accompanied by what was clearly Applejack's echoed voice. Meteorite looked up curiously.

"Is that… a sound system?"

Both Flo and Silverfire stopped to listen, both a single ear cocked towards the window.

"Actually, sounds more like a megaphone," Silverfire remarked.

"Huh. Guess that makes more sense… I think." Meteorite noted, as Flo went back to pulling out pre-printed note sheets and worn-out pencils for everypony. Meteorite was in the process of nudging the pencil given to her in disgust, when Steel passed through the room, feather duster in his mouth. Meteorite watched him dust a few of the room's furnishings.

"Oh yes," she called out very pointedly as she leaned on the table with a foreleg, head on hoof. "So important what you have to do now."

"It needs to be done," Steel said out of the corner of his mouth, failing to resist giving Meteorite a side-glare.

"Now though?" Meteorite persisted. "Come on, you're obviously just doing busywork. Trust me, I know busywork when I see it." She offered a very small but sly grin.

"Is that a confession, Miss Meteorite?"

"It's me trying to get you to loosen up and be part of the group for once." To everyone's mild surprise, there was no immediate rebuttal from Steel, instead his gaze slowly swept across the three ponies before lingering briefly on Silverfire.

"If it helps," Meteorite continued, her voice softer, "you can consider it 'team building'."

Steel inaudibly sighed as he gently lowered the feather duster onto a side table under the window, and pulled up a chair to sit down.

"Very well, you've made your point."

"Yaay," Meteorite cheered softly, clapping her hooves. "Deal him in, Flo!"

"Hang on, I'm still reading the rules."

The room grew quiet for only a moment before Silverfire spoke. "So what do we do, exactly?"

Flo gave an exasperated sigh before going back to the start of the rulesheet. "Okay, so, the aim of the game is to figure out who stole what artifact from which room of Canterlot Castle." She tapped the board, still reading. "There's nine rooms, six artifacts, and six suspects. We're… the suspects, I think."

"Surely this is a responsibility for the Royal Guard more than the criminals themselves," Steel muttered sarcastically. Meteorite bit her lip to hide the smirk she had.

Flo went on to explain the other rules, including how everyone gets a selection of cards and must figure out the missing three cards which indicate the true crime, with the help of the pre-printed sheet to mark off who has what. As they rolled to see who went first, Meteorite quickly left the room and came back with a random book, which she set up open in front of her game sheet.

"What's that for?" Flo asked.

"So none of you see what I'm writing down."

"It's just a game," Silverfire said, confused.

"A game I intend to win."

"Hm," Flo mused. "Well, Silverfire rolled highest, so the order will be Silverfire, you, me, then Steel." She turned to Silverfire. "You can pick your piece now."

Silverfire looked at the board, still feeling lost. "Does it matter which?"

"Not really," Meteorite chimed in.

"Okay, well, uh… I'll guess I'll pick this one," he said, pointing at the nearest piece, a pure red pegasus.

"Scarlet Streak," Flo noted. She turned to Meteorite, who was already pointing at a purple unicorn piece, reading her sheet.

"Plum Pudding."

"Oh! That makes things easy." Flo turned to the board and nodded at the yellow earth pony piece, "I guess I'll pick Custard Cream."

"Yeah I was wondering about that," Meteorite interrupted suddenly, "shouldn't it be Mustard?"

Flo scrunched up her snout in disgust. "Ew, no! Why? Mustard cream sounds disgusting."

"No, I- I mean-"

"I'll pick this one," Steel interrupted, indicating the green earth pony in front of him. "Greener Pastures, correct?"

Flo turned back with a nod. "Yeah, that's right. Okay, I guess we're ready; you're going first Silverfire."

Silverfire nodded, slowing with growing apprehension as he felt everypony's eyes on him. "Okay… what do I do?"

"Roll the dice, and move to a room in the castle," Flo instructed, helpfully pushing the pair of dice his way, "then take a guess."

Meteorite leaned over with her own advice. "Let's say you think it's…" she paused to check her sheet, "Peacock Plumage with- I mean stole, the Ancient Book in the Throne Room. Then we go round the table to see if any of us has those cards. So I would check my cards, and if I don't have anything, then Flo checks hers, and then Steel. If we have one of the cards you suggest, then we privately show you the card and then, assuming you're not going to accuse, your turn ends."

"Uh.. I- okay…" Silverfire murmured. "What if nopony shows me a card?"

Meteorite grinned with a flippant backhoof. "Well, assuming you didn't guess a card you yourself have, then that's gonna be the actual crime."

"Why would I guess my own cards?" Silverfire frowned.

"Reasons," Meteorite shrugged. "Narrow your guess down, throw everypony else off, that sort of thing."

Silverfire shook his head, picking up the dice. "Nah, not gonna bother doing all that…" With a flick of his hoof, the dice tumbled onto the board, revealing a pair of low numbers. Silverfire frowned as he counted the spaces he could move.

"Okay, I… can't get to a room. What now?"

Flo shrugged sympathetically. "Your turn ends, I'm afraid. You're next, Meteorite."

Straightening herself up, Meteorite leaned over and scooped the dice together before pressing her hoof down on them. Lifting her hoof back up, the dice clung on for a few seconds before clattering back down, landing on a decently high number. After a few seconds of silent contemplating, she scooted her piece to a room.

"Okay… uh… White Orchid with… the Moon Amulet? In the Tower Spire."

Flo drew up the cards she had and studied them. Eyes lighting up, she gasped happily. "Oh, oh! I have something!"

Silverfire couldn't see what card Flo was showing off, but Meteorite had quickly retreated back behind her book, scribbling furiously away with the pencil in her mouth. Silverfire looked at his own sheet, with only a hooffull of crosses on it, denoting the cards he himself had. He wasn't sure why Meteorite was spending so much time on a single card.

Soon Steel was already making his move, Flo already having made her roll and also failing to reach a room. After checking his notes, he mused briefly.

"Hm, let's suggest it was Custard Cream that stole the Royal Regalia from the Ballroom."

Silverfire waited for a few seconds before realizing everypony was waiting on him. "Oh right."

His cards didn't match anything, having only Steel's character and the two pieces not controlled by anypony, plus the Conservatory and the Moon Amulet. Huh, Meteorite had asked about two of his cards, but he was pretty sure he shouldn't mention them now that her turn was over.

"No, I don't have anything like that," he shook his head. Meanwhile, Meteorite was already in the process of sliding a card over to Steel.

"Yeah, I got one," she mumbled around her pencil, still in her mouth. "Surprised you're not saying somethin' like 'Mr Custard'."

Steel gave the card a cursory glance before sliding it back. "It is a game piece, Miss Meteorite. It does not need to be addressed with respect."

Meteorite's eyes flicked over to Silverfire for a fraction of a second, before silently returning to making notes on her sheet, as Silverfire moved to collect the dice.

"Hey wait," he said suddenly with a frown, "how come Flo's piece is now in the same room with Steel?"

"Oh um!" Flo cried, rechecking the rules, "that's what happens when you make a guess; you move whoever you're guessing to the same room you're in."

Silverfire continued to frown as his gaze swept over to Meteorite's corner of the board, her piece accompanied by White Orchid. He jabbed a hoof towards Meteorite.

"So, how come you didn't guess my character so I could be in a room too?"

It took a few seconds of silence for Meteorite to realise she was being addressed as she looked up wide-eyed, her pencil dangling from her mouth for a few seconds before unceremoniously dropping onto the table. She cleared her throat sheepishly.

"Uh… it's… better for me if… it takes everypony else longer to reach a room?"

"I do believe Miss Meteorite has already made herself clear earlier," Steel cut in, making Meteorite blush a bit more from embarrassment. "She is 'playing to win'."

"Great…" Silverfire murmured, slouching as he rolled the dice, again coming up short to reach a room, by a single space. "Oh, come on!"

The game progressed quickly, well, except from Silverfire's perspective. Meteorite had continued to not call upon his character on her next turn, instead choosing to guess Peacock Plumage, the Royal Scepter, and the Royal Library Archives. And of course it would get around to him having to show her his Peacock card. Flo must've felt a bit of sympathy for him however, because on her next turn, she called his character over to hers over in the kitchen.

Several turns later, Silverfire wasn't having much luck as he peered at his game sheet. He'd only managed two new cross marks, meanwhile Meteorite was apparently writing a novel behind her book of secrecy. Even now, when it wasn't even her turn!

"What are you even writing over there?"

Meteorite peered over the top of her book as she slowly laid down her pencil. "...stuff," she said carefully.

"But… what?" He gestured over to the other two ponies, as Steel took back the card he'd just shown Flo. "You don't even know what card Steel has!"

Meteorite glanced down at her sheet, clucking her tongue. "...I might."

"How?"

"She's paying attention, Silverfire," Steel said matter-of-factly, writing on his own sheet. "She knows what cards Miss Flora has asked for, and what cards have and have not already been shown. From that, she's ascertaining new information without explicitly asking about it."

Meteorite sunk into her chair a little, her ears falling flat. "...yeah," she quietly admitted.

Silverfire turned his attention back to the board then his game sheet, and slumped down slightly, looking defeated. "Huh…"

"Anyway," Steel pushed on, "I shall suggest it was Custard Cream that stole the Royal Scepter from the Royal Library."

Silverfire morosely waved it off. "Nah, nothing."

Meteorite immediately tensed up as it came to her, making direct eye-contact with Steel.

"...I don't have anything either," she cautiously swallowed.

The two continued to wordlessly confirm each other's suspicions as Flo cheerfully announced, "Oh, I do! I have something!" Steel took the card out of courtesy, but was already writing down what it was before he looked at it, as did Meteorite.

The mood seemed to shift after that round, as Meteorite was taking longer in deciding her turns, being very focused and deliberate with her words. Steel too was contemplating his guesses, carefully watching Meteorite. Silverfire met Flo's eyes and subtly nodded questioningly towards the two other ponies seated on opposite corners of the board. Flo just shrugged in confusion.

When Silverfire's turn came around, he carefully considered his options. He wasn't going to let himself be left behind while everypony else was figuring everything out! He was smart enough, right? He could do this! It's just a game, after all!

"Okay…" he muttered carefully. "I'm… going to guess Plum Pudding stole the Star Diamond from the Library."

Meteorite watched with hitched breath as her piece was moved to the Library Archives. "I don't have anything…" she croaked.

"Yeah, me neither," Flo shrugged.

Steel hesitated, looking uncertain with the current state of the board as he plucked a card to offer Silverfire. "I have… this."

Silverfire studied the card, the Star Diamond, before crossing it off on his sheet. "Right… thanks, Steel."

Steel nodded, while keeping his eyes on Meteorite. She was brimming with nervous energy, hoof on her mouth as she continuously glanced between her sheet, the board, and the two stallions.

"I-" she cleared her throat. "I'm going to stay where I am-"

"You can do that?" Silverfire asked. Meteorite nodded before Flo reached the rules.

"If you've been called to a different room, yes. I'm going to guess Plum Pudding, Royal Sceptre, Library."

"You can guess yourself?" Silverfire asked but was met with silence as Flo checked her cards.

"Nothing here."

Steel inhaled deeply as he conceded, shaking his head. Meteorite snapped her wild stare over to Silverfire. "I don't have anything," he muttered, before rechecking his cards in confusion. "Wait, that doesn-"

"I wish to make an accusation!" Meteorite proclaimed in a subdued shriek, standing up on her chair, forelegs on the table. "I am going to say that I did it-" her hoof on her chest, "I stole the Royal Sceptre from the Royal Library Archives!"

"Isn't that more of a confession?" Silverfire muttered under his breath, as Flo handed over the three secret cards for Meteorite to check. Her eyes lighting up, Meteorite giddily tossed the cards onto the board for all to see.

"Yes, it was I!" Meteorite announced with a huge grin, further descending into her role as the villain, "I did it, and I'll do it again!"

"Yes, very good Miss Meteorite," Steel replied dryly, already tidying up his cards and notes. Silverfire frowned at the scattered revealed cards as Flo lightly groaned in disappointment, revealing her partially filled game sheet.

"Aww, I was nowhere near figuring any of this out."

Meteorite peered across the table before hopping down and trotting over to Flo's side. "Lemme see… Oh wow yeah…" she murmured, reaching over to slide her own sheet out from hiding for comparison. The few spaces that didn't have dots or crosses squiggled down in them had small tallies in the corner.

"Wow you…" Flo began, unsure if she ought to have been impressed or weirded out, "you really went all out, huh?"

Meteorite smiled sheepishly. "I like this game."

"Clearly," Steel flatly noted as he got up with a stretch, walking past towards the kitchen, earning himself a brief questioning side-look from Meteorite as he did so. Her attention was brought back as Flo herself stretched, getting up.

"Still, good game! Have to try harder if I wanna beat you though," she grinned, before her glance caught sight of the window. "Hm… I should tend to my garden before it gets any later. You don't mind packing up, do you?"

There was a mild 'hemm' from Meteorite as she apparently considered her hoof before waving it off, "Yeah, I reckon I can handle it," she grinned, maybe a little too much. She gestured blindly towards Silverfire. "And if it's a two-pony job, I've got Silverfire, haha."

Flo rolled her eyes playfully as she turned about and left the room. With a faint smile to herself, Meteorite began scooping the cards together.

"Hey Silverfire, mind grabbing the pieces for me?"

Sensing no immediate response, Meteorite glanced up to see Silverfire staring forlornly at the board.

"A… Are you okay?" she softly asked with trepidation.

"...I don't think I'm smart enough for this," Silverfire admitted.

"Hey c'mon," Meteorite tried to encourage with a worried smile, "it was just your first game. You'll pick it up."

Silverfire shook his head. "Nah, I mean, look at your notes," he said, sweeping his hoof towards Meteorite's side of the table, "ya were writing down everything. I was having trouble remembering most of the rules." He hung his head slightly. "I'm just not good enough for these kinda things…"

The words were left hanging in the air in the ensuing silence, with only the soft hoof clops on the wooden floor sounding as Meteorite rounded about the table. With a sharp screech of wood on wood, she pulled up a chair and sat next to Silverfire.

"Hey come on, don't say that…" she told him softly. "You're plenty smart."

Silverfire scoffed as he looked away. "Ya just sayin' that."

"No, I mean it," Meteorite persisted, trying to catch Silverfire's gaze. "What about your music?"

Silverfire waved off the notion without considering it. "That's just my talent."

"So what if it's your talent?" Meteorite challenged as she planted her hoof onto the table. "You still have to know things for it, right? It doesn't automatically put stuff in your head, yeah? You still have to know how to time things and how hard to play each note. I wouldn't know that. To me it's just-" she mimed swinging her hoof down. "'Hit big round thing with stick'."

Meteorite gave Silverfire a hopeful but slightly goofy smile as she pantomimed, to which he couldn't help but smile a little back in response, though his heart wasn't really in it. "I guess… but it's not really the same thing."

"Sure it is," Meteorite insisted, "It's just… y'know, different areas." She trailed off in her thoughts as she stared down at the table. "Okay well, look. How about I teach you some of the tactics?"

Silverfire immediately dismissed the idea with a wave. "Ahh nah, I wouldn't get it…"

"Silverfire…" Meteorite softly admonished, a worried look of concern on her face, "you're not gonna 'get it' with that attitude. Look, I… I believe in ya, okay?"

"...Yeah?" Silverfire responded, hope beginning to seep into his voice. Meteorite nodded enthusiastically, sitting up straight.

"Yeah! You're just doubting yourself." She paused, her gaze drifting as she apparently considered her words. Shaking it off, she then put her hoof on her chest in a mock-proud manner, complete with cheesy grin. "And I know all about doubting yourself. C'mon, you'll get this, I'm sure of it."

"Um… if ya say so," Silverfire conceded, sitting upright himself. He watched as Meteorite spread out the cards face up and group them into four piles of three cards each. She then moved them into a diamond arrangement.

"Okay, we won't go crazy here, just an example or two to help you get the point of what to do," Meteorite explained, as she began indicating the fanned out groups of cards. "Same arrangement as before, your cards, mine, Flo's, Steel's. Different cards, that doesn't matter though. All good so far?"

Silverfire nodded. "Yeah, got it."

Meteorite beamed. "Alrighty. Okay so, let's say it's Flo's turn and she asks for…" she took a moment to consider the cards. "Peacock Plumage, the Spell Scroll and the Dining Room." She moved her hoof towards the next card group. "Steel doesn't show anything, you don't show anything, but I show Flo one of my cards."

Silverfire dutifully followed Meteorite's indications, and when she had stopped speaking, he turned to her questioningly. She clapped her hooves together lightly before continuing.

"Now! What did you just learn from that?"

Silverfire frowned as he turned his attention back to the cards, not really sure how he should answer. "You… have… Peacock Plumage?"

Meteorite hemmed as she tilted her head. "Well, no, you know I have one of the cards; you don't know which one. But more importantly, what do you know for a fact?"

Silverfire continued to frown as he studied the cards, but eventually his shoulders sagged. "...I don't know," he admitted in defeat.

"That's fine," Meteorite told him sympathetically. "So, what you now know is that Steel definitely has none of those cards."

Silverfire looked at her, puzzled. "How does that help?"

Meteorite's eyes lit up as she explained. "It helps because it narrows down possibilities! The more you know for a fact that somepony doesn't have a card, the harder it is for them to hide what they do have! Okay, let's skip around to my turn. Let's say I ask for Greener Pastures, the Spell Scroll and the Dining Room. Flo doesn't have anything, but Steel shows me a card." Meteorite firmly planted her hoof onto Steel's card pile, hiding them. "I know what card he has, obviously, but do you…?" she trailed off, prompting him for an answer.

Silverfire considered what he had been told, and with a flash of insight he perked up. "It's gotta be Greener Pastures, right? Because he doesn't have the other two!"

"Yes!" Meteorite cheered, clapping her hooves together. "And that's how you figure stuff out when it's not your turn!" She lightly slugged him in the shoulder and smiled slyly at him. "See? I told you you could do it."

Chuckling bashfully, Silverfire rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I guess ya did."

"So, how about it? Feel like you'll be able to keep up next time we play?"

Silverfire furrowed his brow with uncertainty. "Maybe?"

"That's fair," Meteorite conceded with a nod, moving to gather up the cards. "It's not gonna be that easy in a proper game, after all. But it's a starting point."

The dining room fell quiet as Meteorite began putting the game away back into its box, with some assistance from Silverfire. As she pressed the lid of the box closed with both her hooves, Meteorite turned to and regarded Silverfire once more.

"Believe in yourself more, okay? You're too nice to feel bad about yourself."

Silverfire slowly nodded, quietly mulling it over. Hopping down from her seat, Meteorite clenched the game box in her mouth, and began to walk out towards the living room. Silverfire hesitated for a moment, but called out before Meteorite fully exited.

"You too."

Meteorite paused mid-step, a hoof still hovering above the ground. After a few moments of silence, she turned her head back to make the barest sliver of eye contact. Her expression remained neutral, but she eventually gave a small nod, rattling the pieces inside the box as she did so, and continued on her way.

Silverfire sighed and sat back in his chair, alone with his thoughts, but soon lost his moment to himself as Steel emerged from the kitchen doorway, wearing a troubled expression of his own.

"Sil-" Steel croaked out, before trying again. "Silverfire… I had no idea you felt this way about yourself."

Silverfire shrugged it off, turning himself away. "Ah it- it's nothing really. It's just me being dumb." Silverfire paused, reconsidering his words. "I mean… emotionally dumb? N-Not the other- although that is part of- I mean-"

Steel held his hoof up to signal for Silverfire to stop. "It's… fine, I know what you're trying to say," he worded carefully, still visibly distraught. "How… How long have you felt like that?"

Again, Silverfire shrugged non-committedly, still not making eye contact as he dug at a groove in the table. "I dunno. It's not like I feel it all the time, just now and then when I'm with other ponies I sometimes feel like I'm just not getting something simple that everypony else gets."

Steel forcibly swallowed. "I see…"

"But no, it's- it's fine," Silverfire insisted. He gestured with both hooves towards the other doorway. "Meteorite told me about the game so it's… it's all fine… I get it now."

"Silverfire, I…" Steel struggled as he became lost for words, a sight Silverfire was unfamiliar with. Biting his lip in thought, Silverfire stepped down and trotted on over, putting a hoof on Steel's shoulder.

"Hey, forget it dude. I get it now. I'm not dumb, okay? I was just- what did she say…?" Silverfire twirled his other hoof to jog his memory, "...doubting myself, that's it!"

Steel eyed his younger brother critically, still with a worried expression. "I'm just looking out for you, Silverfire," he said quietly, his voice without all the strength it normally carries. "I want you to do well."

"I know you do, dude," Silverfire grinned. "Don't worry about i-"

Suddenly, a blood-curdling shriek cut through the air, making the two stallions jump. Before they could begin to react, Meteorite shouted from the other side of the cottage.

"The hell was that?! Was that Flo?!"

A few seconds later, they heard the front door slam open, accompanied by Flo's frantic panicking. Rushing over, they saw Flo cowering by the wall as a couple of pudgy bat-like creatures —one blue and one green— swooped about her, apparently trying to get at the few tomatoes, carrots and various berries Flo had harvested from her garden.

"Somepony help!" she shrieked, covering her head with her free hoof.

Silverfire and Steel looked across the entranceway at Meteorite on the other side, who seemed equally stressed by the situation, hopping from hoof to hoof, looking about for ways to help. Silverfire began scanning his side for anything to use as well.

"R-Right," Steel began hurriedly. "Silverfire, find something to catch them with, and Miss Meteorite, you find a cloth to cover and protect Miss F-"

Rushing to Flo's side, Silverfire cut off Steel's orders as he brandished the feather duster in his mouth as if it were his trusty sword. With a deft swing, Silverfire connected with the two bats mid-flight, knocking one into the other, and launching them against the far wall, stunning them both.

Silverfire stepped forward as he intended to stand guard between them and Flo, but having shaken off their daze, the two bats twitched their leaf-like ears and glanced at each other, seemingly to rapidly understand it wasn't worth it. Taking flight again and hurriedly turning around they shot past Meteorite, causing her to yelp and duck for cover, and both bats located and flew out an open window in the living room. The cottage became quiet once more, save for the distant flapping of wings.

"...well, there goes a shiny," Meteorite muttered as she got up to close the window. "What were those?"

"Fruit bats, Miss Meteorite. I believe Miss Applejack had warned us some time back about the west orchard being infested with them."

"Yeah, but why did they look weir- oh god, 'fruit' bats, okay I get it now."

Ignoring the conversation behind him, Silverfire lent a hoof down to Flo. "You okay, Flo? You aren't hurt or anything?"

Flo shakily shook her head as she sat up, taking Silverfire's hoof. Taking a few calming breaths, she looked up at him with a mix of relief and adoration.

"Y- You saved me…"

"Aw nah," Silverfire grinned with a hint of a blush on his cheeks, as he rubbed the back of his head. "I just did the first thing I thought of."

Steel turned his focus onto his younger brother with careful consideration. "...Yes, that was fast thinking, Silverfire," he admitted. Silverfire felt a surge of pride, and beamed.

Meteorite turned to Flo with concern. "So, why'd they attack you?"

Flo took a moment to blink and realize Meteorite was talking to her. "Oh! Um…" she gestured to her still coddled bounty, spilling a few berries. "I was picking a few things from my garden to use for dinner, and I guess they saw a ripe meal themselves."

Silverfire picked up a few of the fallen berries. "Need help carrying it?" Flo snapped her attention back to him with a timid smile.

"Oh heh, i-if you don't mind, I'd… like that, yes."

Gathering and sharing the load between them, the two of them headed past a quiet and thoughtful Steel, and into the kitchen. Meteorite then stepped to his side.

"'Find a cloth to protect Flo'?" she questioned with a raised eyebrow. Breathing in deeply, Steel cast an aside glance at her.

"I… panicked, Miss Meteorite."

That night in his corner of their shared room, Steel sat upright in his bed intent on continuing with reading his book, but he was having trouble maintaining his focus on the text before him. On the cusp of giving up trying for the night, Silverfire strolled into their room, already covering a yawn with his hoof. Steel watched him make a beeline for his still unkempt bed from earlier that day for a few moments.

"'night Steel," Silverfire murmured, pulling back his covers.

"Goodnight Silverfire," Steel replied automatically. After Silverfire had finished making himself comfortable with his back to the room, Steel felt a heavy stillness in the room.

"Silverfire?" he asked cautiously.

"Mhmm?" came a sleepy response.

"About earlier today, when you mentioned how you felt about yourself…" he let the words hang in the following silence long enough to sink in, "...have I ever made you feel that way in the past?"

There was a very long pause, and Silverfire carefully made no movement to turn about to face Steel.

"Nah bro, you're good."

Steel considered the answer for a while, before closing his book with a heavy heart and turning out the bedside lantern.

"I see. Thank you for your answer, Silverfire."

Chapter 19

Steel woke up early.

Well, that is, the fact was he always woke up before everypony else. It was important to maintain a good sleep regimen so that he could be alert and prepared for the day ahead.

That regimen was being disturbed a lot more recently, Steel had painfully noticed.

As he lay in his bed, with his eyes focused on the darkened ceiling, Steel's thoughts drifted to and fro on what was bothering him. It was difficult to place a hoof on it exactly.

The sleeping form of Silverfire across the room shifted in his sleep as he rolled over. Steel's focus fell into a drawn out side-glance. A correction: difficult to want to place a hoof on it exactly.

The bedside alarm clock rang out, with Steel's hoof already partway there to silence it. Drawing in a deep breath, Steel slowly swung himself out of his bed to start the day.

Breakfast having come and gone, Steel busied himself with the post-breakfast cleanup, taking the used plates and bowls into the kitchen to wash and put away to dry. He felt at ease when it was his turn scheduled to do the dishes. Silverfire would miss obvious spots, and Miss Meteorite… well, she would drag out the time to complete the chore for some unfathomable reason. And Miss Flora-

Steel paused mid-scrub to glance aside over the counter dividing the kitchen and dining room, and at Miss Flora sitting at the dining table, her face buried in a book.

Well, alright, he didn't really have issues with her. She knew how to look after things. Must come with caring for her garden round the back.

As Steel resumed scrubbing a plate, a flat and off-key humming made itself known behind him, making his ears flatten against his head for some salvation. He surreptitiously looked over his shoulder, to see Miss Meteorite trotting through the kitchen and into the dining room, already wearing her saddlebags.

"Well!" Miss Flora announced, looking up from her book with a smile. "Somepony's in a good mood!"

Miss Meteorite stopped mid-stride and put a hoof to her chin thoughtfully, appearing to consider the statement, before breaking back into a smile a beat later and nodded. "Huh, I suppose I am!"

"What's the occasion?"

Miss Meteorite shook her head lightly. "No occasion, I'm just… in a good mood," she half-shrugged before lidding her eyes at Miss Flora with a sly grin. "That can happen, you know."

Miss Flora rolled her eyes along with her own smile, before peering around to see Miss Meteorite's saddlebags. "Going into town?"

"Yeah, you know. Going to the library, Sugarcube Corner… the ush," Miss Meteorite replied, being very sloppy with her words, as usual.

"Oh, neat!" Miss Flora's eyes brightened. "Mind asking something for me at the library?"

"Shoot, what is it?"

"Well, I'm looking to plant a few new flowers in my garden soon, so I'd like to know if there's any special care I need to consider first."

Miss Meteorite frowned slightly as she thought for a moment. "That… doesn't seem like something Twilight would know about. But, she must have something on the subject, I guess."

"Well, it was just an idea," Miss Flora replied, her smile waning slightly.

"Oh, for sure," Miss Meteorite replied quickly. "What flowers are ya growing anyway?"

A wistful look crossed Miss Flora's face. "Well… I was considering tulips, roses, gardenias, chrysanthemums…"

"Quisa-wha?"

"Chrysanthemums," Miss Flora repeated, with more enunciation.

"Chris an' the mums, got it," Miss Meteorite grinned, looking far too pleased with herself. Miss Flora, however, was rightfully unimpressed. Regardless, Miss Meteorite continued. "I'll see if I can find anything for ya."

To Steel's surprise, Miss Meteorite turned her attention his way, catching eye contact with him. "You want anything while I'm out, Steel?"

Steel looked back down at the last few dishes to be washed, lost in thought. "No, I'm fine, thank you Miss Meteorite."

Miss Meteorite blinked blankly at the back of Steel's head. "Welp, okay. Less work for me." She turned back to Miss Flora and gave her a casual salute. "I'll see y'all when I get back, then."

"Have fun," Miss Flora beamed back at her.

"Will do," Miss Meteorite called back as she trotted away towards the front door.

Putting the remaining dishes away to dry, Steel turned and set the kettle to boil, preparing a cup of tea for himself. However, opening the sugar bowl revealed it to be empty. Frowning, Steel turned his attention to the grocery list neatly located at the far end of the kitchen counter. 'Sugar' was the most recent addition, in his own writing as well.

"Actually, Miss Met-" Steel called out with a hint of a sigh, but was cut off by the front door slamming shut. Steel stood still, silently musing his options, as Miss Flora glanced quizzically in his direction.

His own brown saddlebags strapped on, Steel stepped outside the cottage and closed the door behind him properly. He took a moment to also welcome the silencing of the faint drumming seeping up from the basement. Breathing in, he set out towards Ponyville.

It wasn't long until he encountered Miss Applejack walking up the main path through the orchard towards his direction, along with a hovering yellow pegasus he wasn't familiar with.

"Good morning, Miss Applejack," Steel greeted with a nod.

"Mornin' Steel," Miss Applejack greeted back, though she sounded more than a little irritated. "'fraid can't stop fer pleasantries right now, the river's all backed up down on the far side of the orchard."

Steel's ears shot up, alert, as his posture straightened. "That's awful. Do you need our assistance?"

Miss Applejack waved him off. "Appreciate it, but Fluttershy here got it covered." The pegasus yelped slightly as Miss Applejack patted her on her side, and shied behind her pink mane.

"H-Hello… n-nice to meet you," she managed to squeak out.

Steel gave a curt nod. "As it is with you, Miss… Fluttershy, was it?" A timid nod in reply, and Steel turned to his employer. "Miss Applejack, are you sure? We're more than happy to help with-"

Miss Applejack cut him off with a hoof. "Ah know Steel, but this ain't exactly that kinda problem. Some varmint pests-"

"Applejack!" Miss Fluttershy admonished rather suddenly, her voice reaching a volume Steel had assumed wasn't possible for the pegasus. Miss Applejack sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Ah meant, some critters have dammed up the dang river, and only Fluttershy here can get through to 'em."

"They're just like everypony else, Applejack," Miss Fluttershy nodded sagely. "If you speak with care and understanding, you'll find it easier to get past your differences."

"The only differences Ah want," Miss Applejack began, getting behind her friend and pushing her past Steel, eliciting a tiny shriek from Miss Fluttershy, "is them off mah dang farm!"

Watching the two mares disappearing down the path, Steel briefly paused to consider his own path, before resuming his journey into Ponyville.

Steel's morning was spent drifting through the market, mentally crossing off items on his grocery list as he filled his saddlebags. In addition, he made a mental note that pears were becoming expensive, and perhaps they did not need that particular fruit as much.

On the edge of Ponyville's bustling market, Steel paused to retrieve the list and go over it proper, just to make sure he wasn't skipping anything. The roar of the crowd behind him faded into the background as he slowly walked on while reading, and a familiar accent began to reach his ears. Glancing up, Steel spotted Miss Meteorite a short distance ahead and off to the side, talking, loudly, to a mare running a flower cart filled with the most fanciful and extravagant flowers Steel had ever seen.

"...look, I'm not asking for your trade secrets, I just want a couple pieces of advice I can tell my friend!"

The other mare was unfamiliar to Steel, at least, he had never talked to her directly. He faintly recalled seeing her pale lemon complexion and wine-reddish mane, but nothing more. Miss Meteorite seemingly was growing agitated as the mare shook her head.

"Sorry, can't help you," she smiled, with a glint in her eye that suggested that she knew she was being unhelpful.

"What do you mean 'you can't help me'?!" Miss Meteorite shot back, her voice going up an octave. Thrusting a hoof towards the cart, she went on. "Look at all this! You must know a thing or two about growing flowers, Roseluck!"

The other mare frowned. "That's not my name."

Miss Meteorite's tirade faltered as she took this in. "E- uh, what?" she asked, her voice suddenly small.

"That's not my name," the other mare repeated, sounding offended. "It's Rose, not 'Roseluck' or whatever it was you said."

"...oh."

Steel watched as Miss Meteorite's posture sank, her head turning away in embarrassment. Drawing himself up, Steel marched on over to Miss Meteorite's side. Miss Rose gave him a curious look.

"Is everything alright here, Miss Meteorite? Do you need some assistance?"

Miss Meteorite sharply turned her head with a look of mild surprise at seeing Steel, but gave him a friendly nod. "Oh! Hey Steel. Um…" she paused to consider his offer before briefly holding up a hoof in rebuff. "Uh, give me a sec here, alright?"

Miss Meteorite faced Miss Rose once more, looking very apologetic as she did so. "Hey um, look, I'm super sorry I got your name wrong, Rose. I must've… misheard somepony talking about you." Miss Meteorite paused to glance at the flower cart before continuing. "I know you're really good at what you do though, so… um… how about I buy some of your flowers here, then will you tell me something I can go back to my friend with? Just something, anything."

Miss Rose took a moment to carefully consider her flowers, rubbing her chin with the crook of the hoof. After a beat, she shrugged with a beaming smile. "Okay!"

Miss Meteorite perked right back up. "Really?! Oh, thank you Rose, I was so desperate! Okay um…"

Steel felt awkward as he silently stood to the side as Miss Meteorite perused and selected a few flowers to purchase. Once she had paid for them, Miss Rose tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"Well… I suppose you can tell your friend that now is a good time to start growing the flowers she wants, although it's probably a little late for chrysanthemums. She should save those for after winter has wrapped up. Also, bare-rooted roses should be planted in pots inside during winter."

Miss Meteorite nodded as she took the information in. "Chrysanthemums after winter, roses inside winter."

"Bare-rooted roses," Miss Rose corrected.

"Right," Miss Meteorite said a little sheepishly before smiling appreciatively. "Thank you so much!"

"No problem," Miss Rose waved it off with a slight grin. "Come back anytime."

"Yeah sure," Miss Meteorite said absentmindedly as she packed her newfound purchase away into her saddlebags. "Thanks again!"

After that, she turned to face Steel with a broad smile. "Sorry about that! Anyway, what's up? How come you're in town?"

Steel kept silent for a moment as he half-turned to gesture at his packed saddlebags. "Groceries, Miss Meteorite."

"Ah… yeah," Miss Meteorite murmured in thought. "We were running low on stuff." After a beat, the two ponies started walking away and down the road. "Sooo, still shopping or doing something else? I… kinda don't have much to do now."

Steel turned his attention back to the flower cart, then towards the library gradually getting further away. "I thought you were seeking information at the library as per Miss Flora's request?"

"Oh yeah," Miss Meteorite scoffed with some annoyance. "Was barely in there before Twilight got a letter from Princess Celestia."

"Princess Celestia?" Steel queried, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Yeah…" Miss Meteorite continued casually, "dunno what she wanted, aside from wanting to meet Twilight and her posse of friends, so naturally her and Spike booked it out of there, and I didn't really want to try and find what I needed alone. Tried that before; didn't go so well."

Steel hung his head in thought. "Hm. Still, an audience with the Princess is quite the request."

For a while Miss Meteorite was silent, although Steel could have sworn he saw a small smirk before she replied. "Yeah… probably. Don't think it's that important though. We just had that whole ordeal with Trixie a couple months back."

Steel looked at her questioningly. "Why would that be of relevance?"

Miss Meteorite made a strangled sound as she struggled to respond. "Uh-! Well, I mean-! If it was important, t-then- it would've been… sooner, yeah?"

Steel tried to dissect her words. "I… don't think you have quite thought this through, Miss Meteorite."

"Haha, probably not!" Miss Meteorite laughed nervously. Steel briefly eyed her in confusion before shaking his head.

"Well, with that… aside, I suppose it could just be a formal meeting."

"Exactly what I was saying!"

Steel's only response was a weary stare, to which Miss Meteorite rolled her eyes.

"You know what I mean, Steel. Sorry I don't word as good as you."

Steel swallowed. "...I do believe you just gave me an aneurysm with that sentence."

"Oh, lighten up Steel," Miss Meteorite sighed, although a smile remained on her face. "Why are you always so serious? Have some fun once in a while; this is our day off, for goodness' sake!"

"I am quite sure that what you and I consider to be 'fun' is vastly different, Miss Meteorite."

"So what would you consider to be fun?" Miss Meteorite asked, trotting ahead to cut Steel off before turning to face him. "I'm honestly curious, because I've never seen you get excited about anything."

Steel stared her down before side-stepping past her. "I assure you I do find things exciting, I just have no need to proclaim it to everypony within earshot."

Miss Meteorite turned her head as she frowned at Steel's departing backside before hopping into a quicken pace to catch up. "Not even with Silverfire?"

"Like you Miss Meteorite, his ideas of fun are considerably at odds with mine."

"Yeah okay but… like, you can still show excitement about something because someone you like likes it, y'know?"

For once, Steel didn't have anything to come back with. His pace slowed slightly, allowing Miss Meteorite to match pace again.

"I mean, look at me with Flo. I don't give a f- flying feather about gardening, but like, I still at least get caught up a little in her excitement whenever she talks about some new flower she's growing, because it means something to her." Miss Meteorite's expression turned to a worried one. "You've never done anything like that with Silverfire?"

Steel fell silent as memories eked forth, bubbling to the surface of his mind, and the world around him faded as he became lost in them.

"Steel! Steel! Steel!" a young Silverfire, sans cutie mark, shouted as he barrelled into the bedroom he shared with Steel. Steel, not much older but having earned his own cutie mark by now, grimaced irritably as he pointedly tried to ignore the ruckus while pouring all his focus into the book at his desk.

"Steel! Steel!" Silverfire continued, before calming instantly as he reached his older brother's side. "You busy?"

The glare he received hurt more than the snappiness in Steel's reply.

"Yes, actually," Steel squeaked. "I'm trying to study. Not that you'd know what that's like."

"...oh," Silverfire replied, the spark in his eyes fading briefly. Shaking his head clear, he tried again with a grin. "I thought maybe you'd like to go play?"

"No," Steel uttered with absolute finality as he turned back to his book. "Games are stupid. Can't you go find somepony else to bother?"

There was no response as Silverfire turned his head away, his ears wilted. Turning back, his eyes wandered to the book in front of Steel, and he perked up again. Standing on his hind legs, he stood against the desk from the side and peered across it.

"Watcha reading?"

Steel exaggeratedly rolled his eyes as he sighed loudly. "It's a chron-o-log-i-cal recording of the founding of Equestria's cities and towns, and the ponies that were in charge."

"What's that word mean?" Silverfire asked. Steel gave him a nasty smirk.

"Which one?"

"The big one. 'Kronosumthin''."

"It means 'in order as it happens'. Is that all?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Silverfire nodded, his eyes falling back to the book. "So… is there, like, a bad guy they have to beat?"

Once more, Steel sighed with annoyance. "It's not that kind of book. This," he punctuated by jabbing the open book, "actually happened. It's not some dumb story that's made up." Upon seeing the confused look on his younger brother's face, Steel brushed him off with a hoof. "Look, just go make some friends, okay? Preferably ones that are away from me."

Dejected, Silverfire slowly stepped back down onto all fours, turning to leave the room. "...o-okay. I… guess I can do that."

As he reached the door, Silverfire looked back one last time, only met with the sound of Steel turning a page.

~~~

Steel, now on the verge of entering his teens, came home to the sound of the kitchen imploding in on itself. With hurried hoofsteps, Steel braced himself for the chaos that was surely awaiting him and his family.

Upon pushing the kitchen door open, instead he was met with the sight of his mother and Silverfire together, Silverfire pounding away at upturned pots with spoons in each hoof. Silverfire's excitable face brightened at the sight of Steel and he halted his pot-playing. Their mother turned to Steel with a wide smile.

"Oh, Steel honey! Look, your brother got his cutie mark earlier today!"

In a flourish, Silverfire stood up and showed off his flank to Steel, the newly formed image of a bass drum awash in flames proudly displayed upon it.

"I can play the drums!" Silverfire announced giddily. Steel, however, remained unimpressed as he took the time to offload his book-ladened saddlebags.

"Great, you excel at causing a racket. Somehow I'm not surprised."

"Steel, be nice," his mother admonished lightly. "This is a happy moment for Silverfire, and the family!"

"It's going to disrupt my studies, mother."

Silverfire's little body drooped slightly, until he felt the comforting embrace of his mother's foreleg around him. She had a concerned thoughtfulness to her face as she considered Silverfire and the pots in front of him.

"It would be very noisy…" she admitted, causing Silverfire to panic slightly until she nuzzled him. "Don't worry Silvy, your father and I will figure something out."

Silverfire threw his hooves around his mother in a hug, still holding his spoons. "Okay mom!"

Steel merely rolled his eyes in a huff as he left the kitchen, dragging his saddlebags behind him.

~~~

"I'm sorry, run that by me one more time?"

Steel sat at the family table, tea in his hooves, as Silverfire stood opposite him, both now considerably older. Silverfire grinned at him.

"I wanna try being in a band. Whaddya think?"

Steel stared him down, before taking a sip and placing his cup down on the table with careful precision, next to the daily newspaper. "You?" he queried with a tone of incredulous mirth. "You want to be in a band?"

"Well…" Silverfire began, doubt creeping into his voice. "Yeah! I think it could be fun!"

Steel kept his focus. "Do you realize how much work would be involved? How much coordination you'd need with your team members?"

"I mean… sure, I… guess?" Silverfire said unsurely.

"Have you ever worked a day in your life that wasn't coddled by our parents? Do you understand the effort you'd need to put in?" Steel studied Silverfire as he looked down under the barrage of questions, before driving in one more. "Can you even take care of yourself?"

The kitchen quietened, save for Silverfire's hooves shuffling slightly against the floor as the reality of the situation sank in. "Wh- What should I do then?" he asked, his voice small and scared. Steel leant forward in his seat, hooves clasped together against his chin as he stared at his brother thoughtfully.

"What you need is guidance," Steel said finally. "Somepony to put you through the works and make sure you come out right. To make sure you're the best pony you can be, and not some lazy layabout."

Silverfire gulped to himself. "I don't know anypony like that…"

A twitch formed in Steel's eye. "I was referring to myself, Silverfire."

Silverfire looked back up, his face full of hope. "Really? You'd do that for me?"

Steel sat back, a satisfied smugness about him. "Naturally. You're my brother, after all. It would be my pleasure to lead you through this perilous part of your life."

"Thanks bro, you're the best!" Silverfire beamed briefly, before blinking. "But… how do we begin?"

"Hmm…" Steel mused, turning his attention to the newspaper on the table. "What you need is hard, tough and unforgiving experience to help build and prepare you for the world." Flicking through the pages, his eyes caught sight of a photo and news article regarding a Ponyvillian farmer single-handedly winning several ribbons at the Equestria Rodeo. Steel smiled to himself.

"Yes, I think someplace rough and out of our comfort zone here in Canterlot. Someplace in the countryside…"

Silverfire rubbed his head uneasily. "Does that mean I'll have to move out?"

"Most likely," Steel nodded as he met Silverfire's eyes with his own. "But fret not, I'll be there with you."

"Oh, right," Silverfire brightened once more. "Heh, that's alright then. It'll be like an adventure, just the two of us!"

Steel pursed his lips.

"Mm, yes, quite."

"Steel?" Miss Meteorite called pointedly, waving a hoof in his face. "Hello, Steel?"

"Ah- Wh- What?" Steel blinked frantically, glancing about before refocusing onto the concerned mare before him. "What? What is it, Miss Meteorite?" he said snippily.

"Something happen?" she asked carefully. "You kinda zoned out for a minute."

"I…" Steel swallowed, glancing aside. "I was momentarily lost in some thoughts."

"Well, clearly," Miss Meteorite drawled with lidded eyes before softening her expression and tone. "You alright? I get like that sometimes."

Steel stayed silent as he breathed deeply, still looking aside. "...I'm fine."

Miss Meteorite stubbornly remained unwavered by the response. "Steel. Come on. It's me you're talking to," she persisted, before softening her voice once more. "Is something bothering you?"

"...Perhaps," Steel finally admitted, more to himself than anything. His gaze swept across the landscape of the town, taking it in as he refused to lock eyes with the pony in front of him. "Miss Meteorite, may I ask you a question?"

Miss Meteorite nodded cautiously. "Shoot."

Steel swallowed as he considered his words. "Why did you come to Sweet Apple Acres?"

Miss Meteorite blinked, the question taking her by surprise. "'Why?' You know why. I was travelling and I needed somewhere to stay." A moment's consideration later, she added, "Also, a job."

Steel nodded at the answer, and continued. "And afterwards?"

"Afterwards…?" Miss Meteorite questioned unsurely. Steel turned his attention to her from the corner of his eye.

"Yes, Miss Meteorite, afterwards. You said you were traveling, did you not? Surely you're not planning on staying at the farm forever. What do you plan to do next with your life?"

There was a subtle change in Miss Meteorite's eyes as she shivered, turning away with a troubled look, staring vacantly at the ponies walking past them. "What do I…" she whispered to herself as her gaze dropped to the ground between her and Steel. "I… I don't actually know…"

Steel remained steadfast in his stance, although guilt was fast building up inside. He had simply wanted Miss Meteorite's reasons and goals for being there; he hadn't expected her to break just from the question. Stepping forward, he steeled himself as he placed a hoof upon her shoulder, jolting her out of her thoughts as she looked up at him, worry in her eyes.

"Fret not, Miss Meteorite," he told her as calmly as he could. "We still have plenty of time to decide what we want to do with ourselves."

Miss Meteorite gulped slowly as her wide-eyed stare slowly drifted aside. "Right…" she said timidly, "plenty of time…"

Studying her face which was still awash in painful existentialism, Steel wondered in frustration how he could help further. He began scanning their surroundings at the various storefronts nearby for something, anything, to serve as a distractio-

"How about something to eat, Miss Meteorite?" Steel asked, gesturing to a nearby café. "Let's not focus on such matters right now." Following his hoof, Miss Meteorite turned her head to stare blankly at the café.

"'kay," she meekly replied.

The two ponies sat on packed bales of hay at an outdoor table, with a cup of tea in front of Steel, and a tall chocolate milkshake before Miss Meteorite. It seemed neither of them were hungry.

Steel watched as Miss Meteorite stared down into her glass as it sat on the table, idly rotating it between her hooves, before occasionally sucking on the straw.

"Feeling better?" Steel asked.

Another idle turn of the glass. "I guess."

The conversation fell away into the noise of passersby. Steel lifted his cup to take a sip, when Miss Meteorite continued.

"I just… never really considered…" she started, still staring into her shake. A frown formed as she shook her head. "No that's… not right. I didn't want to consider what to do with my life here. I thought… I could just keep to myself and not have to bother with anything…" she admitted, her last words almost inaudible.

Blinking, she lifted her head to face Steel before glancing aside at the town around them. "And yet… the harsh reality of life continues to pull at me, even here."

"You're sounding melodramatic, Miss Meteorite."

She shot him a side-eye, accompanied with the tiniest smirk. "I'm allowed to if I want to. I don't get to be poetic that often."

Not wanting to argue further, Steel conceded with a nod, to which Miss Meteorite glumly went back to gazing at the townsponies. Steel decided to intervene.

"So you've not made any plans beyond staying here in Ponyville?"

Glancing down in thought, Miss Meteorite clucked her tongue. "To be honest, I'm not even sure I've planned that far. It just… happened, and I was okay with not prodding any further and letting it stay like that." She turned to him with a small helpless smile. "I'm not exactly a big fan of change…"

Steel arched an eyebrow. "I would've thought traveling abroad would have constituted a rather large change."

Miss Meteorite fidgeted with her drink for a bit before responding. "I said I didn't like change, not that I avoided it completely." She stared thoughtfully at her half-filled glass as she tilted it about in her hooves, studying the contents as it reshaped itself to the curvature of the glass, before setting it back upright. "Sometimes it's unavoidable, y'know?"

"Very much so," Steel nodded slowly, letting the conversation draw to another lull as he drifted into his own thoughts. Unfortunately, his pondering was rudely interrupted by Miss Meteorite taking this moment to finish her drink, and draining her glass irritatingly dry, for far too long. Apparently deaf to the noise she was making, she finally released her grip on the straw and sat back slightly, staring off into the distant sky as she casually wiped her mouth with the back of her hoof.

"Ah well," she sighed with a resigned tone, "I'll figure something out, maybe. Just… gotta figure out why I'm here."

"Indeed," Steel murmured, not really looking at anything as he mulled Miss Meteorite's words over, his tea halfway to his lips. "I suppose that is something we all must figure out at some point, even if each one of us has their own personalized starting line."

Miss Meteorite blinked at him in a moment of confusion, before her eyes lit up with understanding. "Oh!" she exclaimed with a bit of shock, before twisting her body awkwardly to look down at her cutie mark. "Right, that. Yeah, that's… that's definitely a thing."

Steel nodded absent-mindedly before finishing off his tea, setting the cup back down on the table with a bit of a clatter. The noise made Miss Meteorite glance back up at him curiously.

"All good?"

The simple question snapped Steel back to reality as he faced his companion, his eyebrow arched once more.

"I should be asking you that, Miss Meteorite."

"Hah," she smiled lightly, "Yeah, I'm good. You know how I get."

"All too well."

"Hah," Miss Meteorite repeated, though more subdued. She shook her head mildly. "Well, anyway. Should we head back home then?" She peered under the table at Steel's saddlebags. "You don't have anything that needs to be in the icebox right away, yeah?"

"I wouldn't be sitting here this casually with you if I had, Miss Meteorite," Steel remarked matter-of-factly. She grinned at the response as she got up from the table, reaching for her own saddlebags.

"Alright, just making sure." Miss Meteorite then waited patiently as Steel stood up and got himself ready, and upon turning about to face her, she gave him a warm smile.

"Oh um, by the way… thanks. For calming me down and… stuff."

Steel regarded her with a thoughtful stare. Calmed her down… from a situation I instigated in the first place…

"But of course," he nodded as they both left the café grounds.

The pair walked back home to Sweet Apple Acres in the late afternoon, both silent and preoccupied with their own thoughts. In fact, Steel hadn't noticed when Miss Meteorite had stopped walking by him until he heard his name being called out.

"Hey Steel!" Miss Meteorite shouted, before waiting until he came to a halt and turned his head to face her. She lifted a hoof off the ground in mild concern. "Is it me, or is the whole area here kinda… damp?"

His attention falling to the path beneath him, Steel dug slightly into it with his hoof. "Now that you mention it, it does seem strangely irrigated…"

"Did it rain?" Miss Meteorite asked as she looked to the skies, shielding her eyes from the sun with a hoof. "Did Applejack ask for rain?"

"Ah," Steel exclaimed, remembering something. "Miss Applejack did mention earlier today that she was concerned about the river on the far side of the orchard flooding."

"But, like," Miss Meteorite started with a frown, turning about in a circle as she spoke, "all the way out here?"

"It is a bit of a stretch, yes…" Steel admitted, looking further up the path. I knew I should've fought harder to offer my help at the time… but I didn't. I just walked away.

"Although…" Miss Meteorite mused to herself, hoof to her chin. "I suppose it could be possible… I mean, it's either that, or there was a flash downpour that we both somehow missed while we were in town." Dropping her hoof, she took a few steps forward. "Did you see anything, Steel? I didn't."

"Mm?" Steel muttered, glancing at Miss Meteorite as she approached. "No… No, I didn't notice anything, I'm afraid."

"Welp," Miss Meteorite tutted with a half-shrug, "I'm guessing there was a whole thing that happened here or something." She looked over her shoulder to briefly assess the surroundings. "Looks like they got everything under control though."

"'A whole thing'," Steel repeated drolly. "Yes, I do believe your deductive reasoning is unparalleled, Miss Meteorite." She flashed him a grin.

"What can I say? I'm just amazing."

Steel had never fought harder to resist rolling his eyes.

Making their way back to the cottage, Steel took a moment to open the front door for Miss Meteorite, although in the moment she seemed preoccupied as she stood off to the side of the path, leaning her head downwards as she faced the cottage itself. Steel cleared his throat.

"Miss Meteorite?"

"Hm?" she murmured absent-mindedly. Glancing back at Steel, a look of surprise and mild embarrassment crossed her face as she stood up with a start and trotted over. "Oh! Sorry! Was just checking the walls. Doesn't seem to be any water damage here, so that's good!"

Steel blinked in surprise. He… hadn't considered checking for damages.

Why hadn't he? He should've. He was supposed to be the responsible one.

Briskly brushing by, Miss Meteorite hadn't noticed the concerned frown Steel was wearing as she stepped inside. "Hey, we're back!" she called, a hoof to the side of her mouth. "Flo? You about?"

Just as Miss Meteorite was about to break away down the corridor leading to her room, a rattling at the basement door caught both her and Steel's ears, and soon it opened to reveal a slightly flustered-looking Miss Flora.

"O-Oh! Hi! We- I- You're back early!"

Miss Meteorite looked out a window at the orange sky. "We've been gone the whole day, Flo."

Miss Flora blinked rapidly, glancing outside herself. "...oh. Huh. I er… I must've lost track of time."

"No kidding," Miss Meteorite murmured, peering past her friend. "Why're you down in the basement?"

"She was listening to me play!" Silverfire boasted happily as he came up the basement stairs behind Miss Flora. He had an unusual air of smugness about him. "I guess my music is just irresistible to the ladies."

Miss Flora tittered slightly into her hoof as Miss Meteorite rolled her eyes with a smile on her face. "Well, I do have to admit, you are good at what you do."

"Yes," Steel said quietly, spoken into his chest but clear as day to all present. "He is."

Silverfire faltered slightly, tilting his head in confusion at his brother. "Dude. Did you just… compliment my drums?"

"I complimented your skill," Steel muttered, refusing to make eye contact with anypony, even as the three sets of eyes bore into him. "There's a difference."

"Hey, I'll take that!" Silverfire beamed. I don't think you've ever done that!"

The silence that followed felt too heavy to bear.

"No, I suppose not," Steel began, breaking away from the group to head to the kitchen. "In any case, I have things to put away. I will prepare dinner."

"Isn't it my tu-" Miss Flora began to protest, but Steel had already left.

The following atmosphere shifted and grew heavy as the three remaining ponies stared at the rightmost corridor entrance where Steel had last been.

"That… was something," Silverfire noted, speaking low. "What's up with him?"

"I'm… not really sure," Meteorite admitted. "He got kinda weird today."

"Weird how?" Flo asked.

"Me weird."

Silverfire sharply inhaled. "Wow, that is weird."

Flo nudged him in his side with an annoyed glare. "Silverfire! Don't be rude!"

"She started it!"

Meteorite giggled lightly for a couple seconds before fading into a worried frown. "I'm not really sure what it might be though. But he did kinda drift off into his thoughts for a while when we were talking. I've never seen him do that."

Silverfire shook his head. "Yeah, that doesn't sound like him."

"Maybe… he just needs to be alone for a while?" Flo ventured.

"I guess…?" Meteorite half-nodded but not really convinced, as she continued staring out into the corridor. "He didn't seem to want to talk about it."

This prompted Flo to give Meteorite a weary look, though this went unnoticed by her. "Well…" Flo said as she stretched upwards, "in any case, I really should go water my garden before it gets too late."

"Ah, I wouldn't worry about that actually…" Meteorite uttered, giving Flo a side-glance. Flo straightened upward, face full of concern.

"Why…?"

"Thiiiink there may have been a teensy bit of a flood going on earlier."

"What?!" Flo shouted as she pulled the front door open and bolted outside. With a short pause of clarity, Meteorite gave chase after her.

"Oh, right! Flo, also I gotta tell ya about what I learnt today!"

The cottage entranceway quickly fell into eerie silence as Silverfire stood there, thinking. His thoughts were only disrupted by the sounds of Flo's distant anguished cries drifting in through the cottage windows, followed by Meteorite's attempts to calm her down.

That was as good as any motivation to head off to the kitchen, Silverfire figured.

As he turned into the kitchen's doorway, he was met with the sight of Steel unpacking his saddlebags into the kitchen's icebox, cupboards and assorted containers. Catching sight of Silverfire, Steel slowed his pace, moving with careful precision.

"Yes?" he prompted, still focused on his duties.

For a while Silverfire said nothing, not really knowing what to say. Eventually, Steel's movement came to a standstill as he waited, hoof still on the last packet being put away. Silverfire swallowed, and simply said one thing before walking away.

"Thank you."

Chapter 20

"That was pretty good, Flo!"

The four ponies sat in their usual spots around the dining table, their plates in various states of being picked clean of food. There was a stark contrast between Steel neatly cutting his vegetables into bite-sized portions, and Meteorite opposite him, who was in the process of clutching a piece of broccoli in her teeth by the stem, and using it to mop up the cheese sauce on her plate. Flo beamed across the table at Silverfire, having already scoffed down his portion.

"Thank you Silverfire," she said, with the tiniest hint of a blush shining through her brown cheeks. "I've been wanting to try making this for a while. How's the sauce? Is it good?"

"Oh, it'f fantaftic," Meteorite chimed in, still chewing her mouthful. She took a moment to swallow. "You always make the best meals, Flo."

"Mm," Steel nodded in agreement. "You could stand to learn a thing or two from her, Miss Meteorite."

"Ahh, c'mon," Meteorite rolled her eyes, "It's not my fault I can't manage anything beyond boiling an egg."

"And whose fault would it be, exactly?"

"Ah-" Meteorite hesitated, glancing aside at nothing for a second, before grinning sheepishly. "I'unno, someone's. Besides! I help out when it's 'my' turn to cook, don't I?"

"And when do you plan on doing more than 'help out'?"

An awkward silence filled the air as Meteorite guiltily hung her head. "...I'unno, eventually," she mumbled quietly.

"Hey, she's trying!" Flo piped up, glancing sympathetically at her friend. "So she can't exactly cook much; she's still always ready to lend a hoof when she can!"

Steel gave Flo a look of apprehensiveness, unused to her confronting him like this. He turned his attention to his plate, preparing another forkful to bite. "Be it as it may, Miss Flora, these are key life skills she needs to learn. It's a small wonder she's managed this far without them."

Those words sank in deep, weighing Meteorite's head down even further.

Meteorite sat on her bed later that evening, her legs dangling off the edge in a long-forgotten sitting position. She held up and stared at one of her forehooves with a blank stare, turning it about to inspect every curve and angle of it.

She still hadn't quite managed to figure out how to… just hold things with her hooves. She'd gotten by with a few workarounds, such as using both hooves, or just flat out using her mouth… but just a simple grab and hold with a solitarily hoof? It had rarely worked, if at all.

Steel was right; she needed to learn to fend for herself at some point. She had gotten lucky in her companions helping her get by, but…

They weren't going to be there forever.

…she wasn't going to be here forever.

She drew up her other hoof in level with her first, and stared. Stared as if that would unlock the mystery behind it. It didn't.

A book lay on the shared dresser between her and Flo's bed. It was a romance novel —she'd been getting into them recently— but that didn't matter at this point. No, for now, this book's purpose was to be used, scientifically.

Carefully picking it up with both hooves, she scooted back on her bed and turned about, adopting a more pony-natural posture. She held the book out in front of her, and bit her lip as she considered how to proceed. She decided to let go with one hoof.

The book fell instantly with a soft thud onto the bed.

Unsurprised, she picked it back up, and repeated the procedure with the other hoof. The book fell away as expected.

Nodding to herself, she picked it up again, and as she held it out, she closed her eyes and silently prayed.

Please.

I don't know if you're still there, or if you were even there to begin with.

But please.

I need this.

I've been very patient with everything, but this is important right now. I just need to know how this works.

There was a significant pause in her prayer, as she frowned to herself.

Actually, no. I don't even need that. I just need it to work. I don't care how at this point.

Just…

Make it work.

Please, I'm begging you. That's all I'm asking for.

Meteorite held her pose silently for a long time, almost daring to not even breathe in the process, but eventually she blindly let go with one of her hooves, allowing it to drop by her side.

There was no soft thud this time, and her remaining hoof felt heavy with weight.

Her heart instantly fluttered in excitement.

Shakily, she opened one eye and nervously spied the book hanging off her raised hoof, seemingly impossibly. Her brain went wild with several questions and thoughts, such as 'It worked!' 'I can't believe it worked!' 'Why did it-'

And the book fell once more.

Meteorite stared hopelessly at the book as her hoof hung limply in the air, sagging with defeat. Her instinct was to scream in frustration, but a quiet part of her mind told her to remain calm. Astoundingly, she listened.

She lowered her hoof to the book, gently caressing the cover as she frowned in thought. Too often that happened to her every time she tried. It'd work for a few seconds, but then suddenly fail for whatever reason. That wasn't happenstance. It worked; she actively was holding the book, and for all intents it looked like it would've remained in her grasp.

Something made it not work.

She scooped the book up with both hooves and brought it in close. She frowned at it, deep in thought. Maybe she was going about this the wrong way. Maybe, instead of focusing on what made it work, she instead-

The door to their room rattled and gently swung open, as Flo trotted in with a self-satisfied smile. She halted mid-step with a raised foreleg and a concerned expression as she spotted Meteorite, who glanced up with a few blinks to meet Flo's gaze.

"Is… everything alright?" Flo asked.

"Yeah yeah," Meteorite replied a bit too hastily as she nodded, "why'd you ask?"

"You were… you had quite an intense look on your face."

"...oh," Meteorite uttered as she glanced down at her book, and then half-shrugged as she twisted around backwards to drop it onto the dresser. "Yeah, I was just… deciding if I wanted to read or not." She paused for a beat, and grinned. "I do not."

"Oh, alright," Flo sighed with relief, turning around to close the door behind her. "I was worried that what Steel said during dinner was still bothering you."

"Oh! No no no no," Meteorite waved it off as she shook her head, "No no, I- I mean, he had a point. I guess. No nah, I'll- I'll sort something out. Don't worry 'bout it."

"Well, alright," Flo smiled politely as she moved over to her side of the room. She paused thoughtfully for a moment before climbing up onto her bed, turning about for a moment before sitting down to face her friend. "Hey, Meteorite?" she asked softly.

"Yeah?"

Flo appeared to mull something over for a few seconds as she lightly bit her lip. "Can you keep a secret?"

Meteorite gave her the wryest of stares.

"Like you wouldn't believe."

"Okay good," Flo half-muttered under her breath, glancing aside at the closed door to their room while lightly tapping the tips of her forehooves together. Meteorite stared at her curiously.

"Something up?" she asked gently. Flo returned her focus back to Meteorite and smiled sheepishly as she partially hid her face behind her hooves.

"I… I kinda… like Silverfire," she admitted barely above her breath, a blush fast reddening across her face.

There was no initial reaction at first, with the information taking a moment to be processed by Meteorite's brain. After a few elongated seconds, Meteorite sat up straight, her eyes wide in surprise.

"O-Oh!" She chanced a look at the door herself, before hunching forward and lowering her voice in kind. "I… I take it you mean… like, like, him." When Flo eagerly nodded, still behind her nervous hoof tapping, Meteorite felt momentarily at a loss, unable to consider what to say in this scenario.

"W-Well… good! I- I think- I mean, yeah! …Wow. Didn't see that coming."

Flo appeared to blush harder, although her excitement seemed to fade as she purposefully looked away, as her hooves slowed to a still. Meteorite felt a tinge of guilt about her response and lack of experience in the matter, causing her to step down off her bed before crossing over and carefully getting up onto Flo's bed, sitting down to face her. She took a moment to carefully choose her words.

"So uh…" she began softly, "does… Silverfire… like you?"

Flo hesitated, holding her position as she thought to herself. Slowly, she turned her head around to look down towards Meteorite's hooves with saddened lidded eyes.

"I… I don't know," she admitted. "I think he does? But… I- I haven't exactly…"

"Talked to him about it?"

Flo nodded, still refusing to make eye contact. Meteorite bit the inside of her cheek, considering what to say next. An idea came to her, and she rubbed her chin with the crook of her hoof as she pondered it.

"Do ya… want me to go talk to him about it?"

The suggestion made Flo sharply lifted her head up with a horrified stare, to which Meteorite quickly held up her hoof, while placing her other on her chest.

"I promise I won't give anything away, nor will I be vague enough to have misinterpretations abound on both sides of the discussion as to be left with the wrong impression."

Flo squinted her eyes slightly. "That sounded awfully specific."

"I've seen it happen before," Meteorite grinned.

"I suppose…" Flo muttered, turning her head aside. A moment later, she shook her head. "Thank you, but no. I… I don't want to screw this up."

"I get that," Meteorite murmured sympathetically. "I… wish I could offer advice, but I'm… not exactly the go-to pony for this kinda thing."

A faint smile appeared on Flo's lips. "That's alright, Meteorite. It's enough that you're here to listen."

"Ohh, that I am good at," Meteorite crowed lightly. Allowing a brief pause to pass, she leaned in slightly with a mischievous grin. "Wanna tell me what you like about Silverfire?"

Flo gave her a warm smile as her eyes lit up. "Well, he's very sweet, and kind. He's so thoughtful of everypony around him, and he's very passionate about his music!"

Meteorite giggled quietly. "I have noticed that."

Flo joined in with the quiet laughter, and the two mares talked into the night.

As the evening passes…

Across a way over in the neighbouring town of Ponyville, a deliverypony grumbles to himself as he walks away from his important late-night delivery to the local library, sans signature.

The air above the library becomes tense as powerful magic, unseen even to the trained eye, swirls about chaotically before breaking apart, the air crackling, and surges away to five specific locations.

A bakery. A boutique. A cottage by the forest. A home in the clouds. A farmstead.

The magic wooshes around each location, permeating everywhere without hesitation, sending out ripples and waves of itself from the five buildings, changing even the very air it touches.

And the town slumbers on.

A sunbeam shone through the farm cottage windows, rudely coming to a rest across Meteorite's face as she groggily pulled her bed covers up and over her head, trying to score more sleep. Unfortunately this only provided brief comfort, as Meteorite realised she was now awake.

Grumbling to herself, she fruitlessly kicked at her covers in an attempt to get up. Eventually, she sat herself up on the edge of her bed, her eyes still blurry. Blinking herself awake, she turned to glare outside at the offending light, and the barren, dead trees that was the farm she knew.

Another day, another round of this shit, she thought bitterly.

The atmosphere around the dining table that morning was tense and uncomfortable, as three ponies, Meteorite and the stallions, waited impatiently for their breakfast. The fourth, bedraggled as she was, eventually stomped her way in from the kitchen and tossed a slice of toast onto Meteorite's plate. Meteorite stared at it disinterestedly.

"So, who gets the butter today?"

"Don't be stupid," came the annoyed reply, as two more slices were tossed the stallions' way. "You know we don't have butter."

Meteorite shrugged half-heartedly as she slumped forward, using a foreleg to prop herself up on the table, and began gnawing away at her dry toast. Steel then pointedly cleared his throat.

"If I may, ladies," he began, catching their lackluster attention, "I wish to make an announcement concerning Silverfire and me."

"Is it a secret cache of food?" Meteorite snarked under her breath, already finished with most of her toast. Steel ignored the remark and glanced at Silverfire, who responded with a weary look. Steel took this as a sign of acceptance.

"Very well. It's been decided that we both are no longer needed here on the farm, and we are returning to Canterlot."

This caught both mares off-guard, and Meteorite slowly straightened her posture as she registered a look of dull surprise.

"Oh…" she uttered, looking down at her plate. "Does this mean Sunny and I get two slices of toast now?"

Sunny rolled her eyes in annoyance before turning to the stallions. "You're really going away?"

"There is little point in staying, Miss Flora. There are so few duties for us to tackle that we have difficulty splitting it between the four of us."

"Yeah…" Silverfire chimed in, sounding a little depressed. "I mean it's mostly looking after the chickens."

"Don't forget the pig," Meteorite pointed out.

"Right right, Sir Hamilton."

Sunny looked pensive for a moment. "Well, it's sad to see the pair of you go, but I suppose you're right."

"Yeah," Meteorite agreed. "Honestly, surprised you haven't left sooner."

Steel lifted a hoof to his chin in thought. "It… is curious that we've stayed this long, but I suppose we've been waiting for the right moment."

"Yeah, I guess," Meteorite shrugged, not really caring.

With the sun already high in the sky, Meteorite and Sunny ambled through the barren orchard that surrounded their home, abandoned of all things alive, as they meandered towards the only part of the farm that still did, the animal pens.

"So…" Meteorite began, kicking a small rock off the overgrown path, "you taking the chickens, or the pig today?"

"Chickens," Sunny replied without much thought.

"Tch, figured as much. Alright, fine, I'll go take care of Hamilton, I guess."

Sunny gave her a side-eye. "Why're you complaining? It's just one pig."

"Yeah, but I don't like the mud."

A sweet but insincere smile spread on Sunny's lips. "Aw, that's a shame."

Awkward silence filled the air, punctuated only by the sound of dead leaves crunching under hoof. Meteorite frowned in thought, casting occasional glances at her co-worker.

"Hey Sunny?"

"What?" came the curt reply.

"Does…" Meteorite bit her lip, still thinking. "Does today feel… off, to you?"

"Not really," Sunny shrugged. "Apart from the boys not being here."

Meteorite gave a few slow blinks, shaking her head. "...yeah. Yeah, that must be it."

Coming to a junction, the sounds of rickety wheels accompanied by furious clucking reached their ears from one direction. Turning to look, they saw a straight-maned Pinkie pulling a wagon full of caged chickens down towards them. A few of the chickens escaped.

"Oh… morning girls," she wearily greeted them over the noise behind her, coming to a stop before them. She uncoupled herself from the wagon and trotted on over.

"Morning Miss Pinkamena," Sunny greeted back with a friendly wave. Meteorite shielded her eyes as she looked to the sky.

"Think it's afternoon at this point, actually."

Pinkamena glanced upwards, stress in her eyes. "O-Oh, is it? Okay…" She turned her attention back to the pair. "How's everypony doing over here?"

"Eh, so-so," Meteorite shrugged with a backflop of her hoof. "Steel and Silverfire are leaving the farm, by the way."

As Sunny silently nodded confirmation, Pinkamena hung her head low. "Oh… I… I suppose that's fair. I can't really pay them for no work."

You barely pay us for anything, came an intrusive snarky thought inside Meteorite's head, but she kept it to herself.

After a while, Pinkamena lifted a worried gaze to meet the eyes of her remaining workers. "What about you two? Are… you going to leave too?"

Sunny rubbed her chin with a hoof. "Hm… not yet. I wanna do what I can to help this farm support itself."

Pinkamena's eyes shone a tiny bit as she smiled. She turned her attention to the trees.

"That'd be nice… Can you imagine? Rows and rows of apple trees, as far as your eye can see! It'd be such a sight!"

Yeah… Meteorite mused to herself as she thought back to her memories of the show, the real Equestria. It was impressive.

"What about you?"

Meteorite blinked as she realised Pinkamena was talking to her. She shook her head.

"Nah, ya don't hafta worry about me going anywhere. I still feel guilty over-"

Meteorite hesitated. She remembered the reason she was there; she had accidentally stolen and eaten Pinkamena's apples. But… the farm didn't have any apples, that was why it was in such a state, right? But she clearly remembered eating those apples so-

Ohhh right right, she reasoned quickly, I had eaten Pinkie's only apples. Yeah, that was it.

"...well, y'know," she finished guiltily. Pinkamena nodded her understanding.

"Well, I'm glad I still have you two. Speaking of, you doing anything? I've got a lot of repairs to do, but I also need to get these chickens over to the old barn for safe-keeping while I fix up their coop. I'd really appreciate your help!"

Sunny gave the wagon a worried look as it sagged to one side, threatening to collapse under the weight and frantic wing-flapping of the chickens still locked inside.

"Well, hey," Meteorite began smugly, looking over to her co-worker. "You were wanting to help with the chickens today, weren't ya Sunny?"

Sunny spluttered in response, glancing between the wagon and a pleading Pinkamena before settling on glowering at Meteorite. "...fine. I'll help with the chickens."

"Ohmigosh, thank you Sunny!" Pinkamena said gratefully as she stepped aside to allow an uneasy Sunny to pass by, gingerly hitching herself up to the wagon. "I don't know what I'd do without you girls here."

"Yeah yeah…" Sunny grumbled under her breath as she struggled to pull the wagon past the other two ponies. Pinkamena watched her go with a sad smile, before drooping her head and giving in to a sigh. Meteorite watched her from a side-eye as Pinkamena slowly wandered to a nearby tree and sat down against it, her face in her hooves.

Meteorite had long ago stopped questioning why she was in some weird AU fanfiction where the majority of the Mane Six all had their lives and cutie marks swapped about —a quick glance downwards, yup, Pinkie still had Applejack's cutie mark— and these days just questioned why the fanfic existed. What was the point of doing all this? To see how miserable everypony could get? Well, well fucking done, she'd thought.

She took a few leaf-crunched steps towards Pinkamena. "Permission to join ya, Pinks?"

Slowly looking up, Pinkamena blinked slowly at Meteorite, registering that she was still there. She shook her head slightly. "You don't have to do that, you know."

"Eh, ya're still the boss," Meteorite shrugged apathetically, before letting a small smile through. "Boss."

Pinkamena matched Meteorite's smile with an appreciative one of her own. She lightly patted the ground next to her. "Heh. Alright, you can join."

Meteorite dutifully obeyed and sat herself down. The two were silent when Pinkamena leaned back against the tree, her gaze lost and frightened above the empty treetops.

"I don't know what to do, Met," she quietly admitted to her attentive companion, "I'm trying so hard to keep this farm afloat but it's sinking faster than a… than a…"

"'Rock down a well'?" Meteorite ventured. There was no acknowledgement, but perhaps the silence was enough. Pinkamena swallowed.

"You and Sunny should leave too," Pinkamena choked out, her voice tinged with anguish as her eyes began to well up. "I… I don't think I can afford to keep you, or this farm, around much longer. I… can't do anything right. I… I'm a failure…" Unable to hold it in, Pinkamena buried her face into her hooves and let out a small sob. "I shouldn't have done any of this, I should've just stayed home with my sisters!" A tearstream flowed down her cheek.

Feeling momentarily at a loss, Meteorite did the only thing she could think of, and gently wrapped a comforting foreleg around Pinkamena. Eventually the hug was received as Pinkamena leaned into it, her crying already petering out.

Meteorite wasn't entirely sure how she felt about having one of the main ponies this close to her, even if it was an alternate version of them. She was uncomfortable with the idea as a whole, and yet…

Pinkie needed somebody. Pinkie needed her.

That was enough.

"You're not alone in this, y'know," Meteorite told her softly. "You've got me and Sunny. Sure, she may be a bit of a jerk sometimes, but she genuinely wants to help out. So I think she'll stay, even if you told her to leave."

Pinkamena sniffed back a tear. "She's not that bad…"

Meteorite gave a friendly smirk. "You don't know her like I do."

Pinkamena gave a soft giggle, a sound that Meteorite had all but forgotten. Pinkamena tilted her head to look up at Meteorite with eyes struggling to hold onto hope. "And you?"

"Nah, I'm not going anywhere. I've stuck with you this far, ain't leaving you in the lurch at the last second."

A small, warm smile crossed Pinkamena's face as she slowly partially closed her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Ain't nothin', Pinks."

Wind whistled through the hollow orchard, shaking loose a few dying leaves. Meteorite allowed a few moments of comfort to pass before deciding to broach a subject she'd been dying to bring up for months.

"Hey… here's a thought," she began as casually as she could, "have you… considered doing something… else?"

"Something else…?"

"Yeah, y'know, besides… apple farming."

A frown formed on Pinkamena. "Like what?"

"Oh, I don't know…" Meteorite said flippantly, "uhh… off the top of my head… throwing parties? I think you'd be good at that."

Pinkamena frowned harder before shaking her head. "I wouldn't know what to do. Besides, that's already Fluttershy's thing. I can't take that away from her."

"Right…" Meteorite muttered, casting an annoyed side-glance at nothing. "I forgot about that."

Still, Pinkamena mulled the overall suggestion over for a moment longer, before shaking her head again, more definite this time.

"No, I… I have to do this. I want the farm to do well. It's…" she paused, feeling the edges of depression setting back in. "It's my destiny."

Meteorite felt a heavy sigh building up within. "Well. It's just a thought."

"And I really appreciate it," Pinkamena said, squirming her way out of the hug, and stood up before Meteorite with a genuine smile. "I just want this place to be as successful as it ought to be."

"I get that…" Meteorite yawned, stretching before standing up herself. "And you totally deserve to be successful too. You oughta be the talk of the town, spreading joy wherever you go, with everypony your friend."

A light flickered for a millisecond behind Pinkamena's eyes, and her smile grew warmer. "That sounds nice…" she whispered to herself. "You… you really think I could achieve something like that?"

Meteorite smiled. "I know you can, Pinkie."

Pinkamena gave a light nicker. "'Pinkie'... I like that one."

Meteorite continued to smile, but a hint of sadness was brought to her eyes. "It suits you."

Pinkamena beamed at the compliment, looking genuinely happy in the longest time as Meteorite could remember. She drew herself up with renewed vigor, and looked around her.

"Right, well… better get back to work." She turned to Meteorite with a broad smile. "Hey! Doing anything at the moment? I've got this wicked water chute that needs banging back into place. Could use your help~"

"Ah, sorry Pinks," Meteorite apologised, scratching at an ear with a hoof. "I oughta be getting over to feed Hamilton and all that."

"Oh…" Pinkamena uttered, losing a bit of her steam briefly. "Well, yeah, you should go do that. Don't worry, I'll… I'll take care of it." She turned around to part ways but stopped to look over her shoulder. "Give Sir Hamilton a super warm welcome for me."

"Will do, boss."

Pinkamena remained as she was, looking thoughtful. Eventually, she smiled.

"Thanks Meteorite. You're a good friend."

Meteorite shrugged dismissively, but kept a smile on her face. "Just doing what I can."

With an appreciative nod, Pinkamena turned and headed back down the path where she came. Meteorite watched her go with a sad and longing gaze. She wondered if the Mane Six would ever be as she rememb-

A sudden downpour crashed upon her, radiating in an area of a few feet about her. Wide-eyed and soaking wet, she glanced up at the perfectly square raincloud directly above her. An unamused expression fell upon her face as she took a few steps forward out of the extremely localised overcast.

"Goddammit Rarity."

Grains poured out of a half-empty feed bag into an even emptier trough, much to the delight and squeals of Hamilton, as the pink pig with a black splotch over his right eye eagerly tried to get at them as they fell. Meteorite took a few awkward steps back, watching with some satisfaction as the pig gorged on his meal for the day.

"Well, at least you're being kept fed," Meteorite muttered, mostly to herself.

Leaving the almost empty feedbag outside the pen, just so Hamilton wouldn't try to have tomorrow's meal today, Meteorite went to check on his other trough, and fill it up with fresh water. Once she was done, she stood by and watched the sole pig enjoy his meal.

"Wonder if you're lonely…" she murmured under her breath, after a while. "...Although I suppose you get all that to yourself, so you probably don't care."

The pig stopped eating momentarily to look up at her with a quizzical oink. Meteorite waved him off dismissively.

"Don't mind me, Hamilton. I'm just airing some thoughts, like I usually do."

Hamilton snorted with a shrug and went back to cleaning the trough out of food. Meteorite half-smiled at the reaction.

"Welp… better go clean myself up, I guess," she continued, looking down as her hooves sank into the wet mud of the pen with each step. Rolling her eyes, she threw her head back dramatically. "Ugh! It's gonna take hours to clean all this off."

A faint musical refrain in the distance caught her ear, perking it up. Confused, Meteorite pulled herself over to the fencing of the pen, using the fence to cautiously prop herself up on it. She shielded her eyes with her other hoof, and squinted through the trees.

Five distinct pony colourations (and one baby dragon) stood out to her as they trotted purposefully further into Sweet Apple Acres. The rest of the Mane Six, minus Pinkie of course.

"Huh," Meteorite mused to herself, watching them disappear from view. "Wonder what they're singing about…"

It was an odd sighting, to be perfectly honest; she couldn't really remember the last time she saw them all hang out together like that… well, apart from on the show. She supposed they were all just busy with their own problems.

They had a lot of problems.

Also… was Twilight wearing her tiara thingy? God, when was the last time she saw that? She had practically forgotten the Elements of Harmony even existed at this point.

…huh.

Come to think of it… why was Twilight the only one out of them to have retained her cutie mark? Meteorite had never questioned this discrepancy until now, but… why hadn't she?

Lost in her thoughts, Meteorite began slowly lowering herself off of the fence. While this was happening, unseen by her, —and by anyone else for that matter— a wave of magical energy unrippled through the air at high speeds, unswooshing through everything. As it passed through the pig pen, Meteorite was suddenly knocked off-balance, and she shrieked as she fell backwards into the mud, her limbs flailing. The water bucket got thrown into the air as she fell, and after a few spins it landed upside down on her head, water splashing down all over her and mixing even more with the mud.

Groaning, Meteorite pushed herself to a sitting position with one hoof, and used the other to raise the lip of the bucket up enough to see. She was met with a chorus of oinks from the pen full of pigs, looking at her curiously.

"Yeah yeah, I'm fine," she muttered to her audience, still wearing the bucket as an impromptu hat, and awkwardly trying to turn about to be on all fours. Once she managed to do so, she looked at herself with dismay at every part of her stained with mud.

"Augh!" she bemoaned, her shouting wobbling a few apples from the nearby trees, "it's gonna take all day to clean this off!"

Sir and Madam Hamilton shared a mirthful snort amongst themselves as they continued eating.

A short while later, one final wave of magical energy unravelled through the entire town of Ponyville, as everypony erupted into song, joining the chorus of the Mane Six's song.

Everypony, except two stallions walking in line to the train station, their backs packed with several bags, and one set of drums.

"Hey… Steel," Silverfire said suddenly, blinking. "Why are we leaving, again?"

"Because we're not needed," Steel replied as he continued walking, not turning around. Silverfire frowned at the response, mostly in confusion. He didn't quite believe that answer, but he chose not to question it.

"Well, okay, but… do we have to leave?"

Steel came to a halt, peering back past and around his luggage and at Silverfire. "What are you suggesting?"

"I dunno," Silverfire murmured, idly drawing a line on the ground with a hoof. "I kinda like it here in Ponyville. It's nice out on the farm, ponies here are friendlier than the ones in Canterlot," he paused, listening to the song in the background building to a crescendo, and gave a small goofy smile, "and know how to sing good, plus, well, I like the girls. I feel like they've been more of actual friends than anypony back in Canterlot." A faint blush crossed his face. "Especially Flo. I wanna stay."

Taking in every word Silverfire said, Steel mulled things over as he sucked in his teeth. Eventually, he drew in a deep breath and gave a small nod of finality to himself.

"Very well, I suppose I cannot argue with that."

"Yeesh, what happened to you?"

Trudging back towards the cottage, Meteorite ran into Flo, who was currently looking her up and down, with a look of mild disgust and a slightly scrunched up snout.

"Fell in the mud, din' I…" Meteorite murmured, lifting a hoof and feeling a wave of ickiness shoot through her as the mud squelched out from underneath.

"Uff," Flo sympathized, giving her friend a small smile of pity. "I guess you'll be wanting the shower first then."

Meteorite sheepishly returned the smile. "If you wouldn't mind…"

Both sharing a small chuckle, they turned about and continued walking home together, with mud still being tracked behind Meteorite.

"How's your day go? Got those chickens sorted?"

"Oh, yes!" Flo said brightly. "Transferred them all over to the emergency coop Applejack got built. Though-" Flo hesitated, looking a little perturbed. "I… can't quite remember why she wanted us to move them."

"Well, it was because-" Meteorite frowned. "Huh. I can't remember either…"

"Wow, that's weird," Flo remarked offhandedly. Meteorite continued to frown, though for a different reason.

"Yeah… it is," she said suspiciously, casting a look skywards.

"Oh well, we can just ask Applejack when we next see her," Flo said with a carefree attitude that Meteorite wasn't about to join in with any time soon.

"Mm."

The pair continued in silence, with Meteorite running the events of the day through her head, and Flo just blissfully enjoying the sun's warmth. As they neared their home, Flo nudged Meteorite to get her attention, before slightly recoiling her hoof in slight disdain at the mud on it. However, it was enough for Meteorite to snap out of her thoughts and also notice Silverfire coming their way, from the opposite end of the path, with a bunch of packed things on his back.

"Hey Silverfire," Flo waved as they got closer. Her smile faded as she noticed the dark expression on his face, as well as that he wasn't even looking directly at them. "S-Silverfire? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," Meteorite chimed in, equally concerned. "What's with all the stuff? You moving your drums somewhere else?"

Silverfire said nothing as he continued to stare down in front of him. He opened his mouth to talk, but he was having trouble finding the strength to speak.

"...Steel's left the farm," he managed to choke out. "And he's not coming back."

Act 2 Interlude

"-and then Silverfire said that Steel wasn't coming back."

Meteorite and Rarity had left the park by this point, having noted the sun setting earlier and were en route to the Carousel Boutique, passing through the middle of town. Rarity had been quietly taking in the story thus far, wearing a slightly troubled expression on her face. Meteorite studied Rarity in the brief silence as they walked side-by-side, and decided to add a little something.

"Dun duuuun."

Taken somewhat aback, Rarity turned to her currently grinning marefriend with a questioning raise of her eyebrow.

"Beg your pardon, darling?"

"I said, 'dun dun'," Meteorite continued to grin, being very pleased with herself, "y'know, 'oh nooo, Steel's not coming baaack, aaahh what a twist'."

The little jazz hooves she was doing weren't helping.

"Forgive me Meteorite, but," Rarity began skeptically, "I know he hasn't left forever. I saw you talking to him last week."

"Yes," Meteorite replied, not skipping a beat, "but wheeen does he come back? Oooooh!"

"Darling please, put your hooves down. You look and sound like a very unconvincing ghost."

Discouraged, Meteorite sullenly obeyed and sat down on the ground and folded her hooves in front of her. She turned her head away slightly, and most certainly was not pouting.

"Fine," she said, obviously not upset at all, "I just thought you'd appreciate a little dramatics."

Rarity faltered slightly at this sudden change in behavior.

"Well, yes darling, but… it's hardly dramatic when I know the end result, now is it?"

"No no no, that's fine, you don't care," Meteorite quipped flippantly, somehow turning her head even further away from Rarity, "I get it, my story-telling isn't good enough for you."

Silence fell as Rarity worriedly studied Meteorite's posture and attitude.

"Meteorite," Rarity hesitantly called, "are you… upset with me?"

Almost instantly, Meteorite snapped her head back with a fearful expression as she hastily stood up and nearly tripped on over, taking one of Rarity's hooves in her own as she stared wide-eyed into her deep-blue eyes.

"Oh god no, no no no, Rarity I-! No, Rarity, I was just-"

She shook her head clear, and spoke again.

"I was just being silly and trying to be playful! I'm sorry! I won't do it again, I promi-"

She was cut off as Rarity's free hoof rose up and gently rested on her lips, shushing her. Rarity simply smiled as she stared back into the frantically worried and confused eyes looking back at her.

"Silly pony," Rarity teased, moving her hoof to lightly boop Meteorite on her snout. "You're going to have to do better than that if you want to out-drama moi~"

Meteorite stared dumbfounded as Rarity —with a lingering flirtatious smile— slowly turned around and began walking onwards. She eventually found the ability to speak.

"W- Wait," she half-called out, "S- So… you weren't being serious just now?"

Rarity stopped and looked back, still with the same teasing smile. She fluttered her eyelashes a few times, before turning away.

"You'll never know~"

With a deliberate flick of her tail she carried onwards, leaving Meteorite stunned and her mouth agape, as she watched with wide eyes as Rarity gradually got further away. Faintly aware of how she looked, Meteorite slowly lifted a hoof to manually close her mouth shut, before awkwardly getting to her hooves and slowly giving chase, eyes still on Rarity in the distance.

"Oh my fucking god," Meteorite murmured to herself, a lopsided lovesick smile forming on her face.

The two mares reached the boutique as the first stars of the dusk sky began to twinkle. Rarity stepped up to the front door, and turned about to face Meteorite with a smile.

"Thank you so much for walking me home, darling."

Meteorite waved it off with a smile of her own. "Aw, it was nothing. Thank you for listening to more of my story, unimpressive as my cliffhangers are, apparently," she lightly teased.

Rarity raised an eyebrow in amusement. "'Your story' now, is it?"

"Aha whoops," Meteorite grinned sheepishly at her slip-up. She mused thoughtfully for a moment. "I mean… technically it is, anyway? I think? I dunno. Alexandra was never really clear on exactly what she wrote. She was all 'Your story happens regardless of how much of it I write'. Which, frankly, I think she was just being lazy and trying to sound all clever about it."

Rarity hid a light giggle into her hoof, before returning to smiling gracefully. "Well, in any case, I look forward to hearing what happens next."

Meteorite's smile waned slightly, but she nodded. "Oh, for sure. Gotta give me some more time to sort things out in my head first though."

"If I must," Rarity sighed as she flicked a hoof through her mane with some annoyance. Meteorite couldn't tell if it was an act or not.

"Weeelll, you could go ask Steel what happens, I guess." Meteorite then lidded her eyes with a sly grin. "But he probably wouldn't give you the same dramatic flair as me."

Rarity rolled her eyes with a huff, but a smile shone through. "Oh, very well," she cried with indignation. "If I am to wait to hear your voice again, then so be it."

"Unless we meet up again beforehand."

"W- Well yes, b-" Rarity began to splutter at her flow being interrupted, until she noticed the tiny grin on Meteorite's face. She scowled and lightly stomped her hoof.

"Darling! You did that on purpose!"

The grin got wider.

"Well, duh." Meteorite then turned about on the spot, waving goodbye as she did. "Good night Rarity, sweet dreams~ I'll see you tomorrow maybe, okay?"

Rarity nodded in response and silently watched her go, smiling faintly to herself as she magically opened her door to let herself in.

"Sweet dreams indeed, darling~"

Meteorite spent the next few days quietly piecing events together in her head, trying to remember if something happened before or after the other. Admittedly, there were some days she was trying to avoid remembering again…

She almost wished she'd kept a diary to keep all these thoughts locked up outside of her head, but quickly reasoned that it'd be very awkward to explain its contents should it end up in anypony's hooves but her own. …not that she was great at being able to consistently hold anything to write with back in those days anyway. It would've been very short memos and notes that would've required actively thinking about what they referred to.

Regardless, Meteorite found herself more and more thinking back to that day, the day Steel left, the day Twilight became a princess, the day…

The day that she couldn't quite remember.

Applejack had explained the situation to her and the others at the time, as told to her herself by Twilight, but when pressed for actual details, Applejack merely shook her head and said it was all too foggy to remember, like trying to recall a dream already fading away as soon as you woke up.

Rarity had said something roughly to the same effect when Meteorite asked her about it the other day.

Meteorite supposed it couldn't be helped, and that none of the Mane Six would remember. It was years ago after all, and it was all apparently some renegade spell that went awry and changed things about, anyway.

She guessed a diary wouldn't actually help in that situation, after all.

"Hiya Metty! Have ya come to try one of my delicious new cupcake flavors?!"

Meteorite smiled to herself as she entered Sugarcube Corner, greeted by Pinkie only microseconds in. She cleared her throat as she approached the counter.

"Sure, I'll bite. What'd you bake this time?"

Pinkie reached under the counter and brought forth a cupcake with a flourish, confetti and party poppers going off as she did so. The cupcake was topped with yellow icing with green streaks, and orange flakes on top.

"I call it the Citrusplosion! It's got lemons, limes, grapefruits, oranges, annnnnd my personal favorite, kumquats!" Pinkie nodded to herself with satisfaction. "Sometimes you've gotta go with the classics."

Meteorite eyed the cupcake critically. "Sounds… intense."

"Gosh, I sure hope so!" Pinkie beamed. "No point in combining citrus and explosion if it isn't going to be a flavor that makes you go 'Wow!'" She pushed the cupcake further into Meteorite's personal space. "Soooo… wanna try it?"

Meteorite tried peering downwards at the cupcake held underneath her snout. Fragrant wafts of the various citruses reached her as she breathed in. It wasn't unappetizing.

"Oh, what the hay, sure," Meteorite conceded, taking the cupcake from Pinkie's grasp with a hoof. She peered cautiously at it, before shrugging and taking a bite. She chewed slowly, waiting for it to hit her, and it didn't take long to. Her face scrunched up in distaste.

"Ogh, that'f fhour," she muttered, still chewing. A few seconds later, she relaxed and her expression changed to one of pleasant surprise. "No, wait, now it'f fweet, hmm."

The next few moments had Meteorite trying to figure out if the cupcake was currently sour or sweet, before deciding it was somehow trying to be both at the same time. She swallowed her mouthful as Pinkie waited, brimming with excitement.

"Weirdly…" Meteorite began, looking at the half-eaten cupcake before facing Pinkie again. "I… think I really liked that. It's super strong at first, but it… kinda balances out in the end. Nice work, Pinkie," she smiled.

"Sooooo…?" Pinkie eagerly prompted, leaning in as she did. Meteorite felt momentarily confused at what Pinkie was getting at, and then it clicked.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, before clearing her throat. "'Wow'."

"Yes!" Pinkie cheered with a hoof pump as a celebratory banner dropped down behind her. "Another frienstomer satisfied!"

Meteorite blinked. "Frien-e-wha?"

"Frienstomer!" Pinkie repeated with a broad smile. "Friend and customer! The friend part goes first, because I always put my friends first!"

Meteorite felt her heart melt. "Cute," she said as she adopted a small goofy smile and turned her attention back to the cupcake in her hoof. "Alrighty, I'll get this, and four more. Also, couple chocolate ones, and a blueberry pie."

Pinkie giggled as she reached for the selected foodstuffs. "Boy, somepony sure is hungry!"

"Naw, getting them for my friends back home," Meteorite explained. "Also, the pie's dessert for later."

"Ooh, I hope they like it then!"

"Well if they don't, more for me," Meteorite grinned. Pinkie giggled in response.

Waiting patiently, Meteorite looked around and about at the store as Pinkie began speedily wrapping up her order. It had been the scene of her surprise redo party a few days prior, and a small pang of guilt ate away at her.

"Hey Pinkie?"

"Yeeess?" Pinkie answered, intently focused on perfectly wrapping the order, with pink limbs, wrapping paper and ribbon flying everywhere. Meteorite guiltily looked aside, preemptively avoiding eye contact.

"About the party the other day, sorry that me and Rarity left early on."

The wrapping stopped —ribbon paused mid-tie— as Pinkie looked up and at Meteorite with some confusion. She then broke into a chortle with a snort.

"Don't be silly, Metty! You don't have to apologize for that! I totally get that you and Rarity would want some time alone together!"

Meteorite turned to face Pinkie, surprised. She tried to accept what she was being told, but guilt still had its hook in her.

"Well… yeah, I guess, but… I just feel bad that you did all that effort for the party and we just… left."

Pinkie didn't respond right away, instead focusing on the finishing touches of the order. When she was satisfied, Pinkie beamed at Meteorite with a warm smile.

"That's okay, Metty. I know huge parties aren't something you super like; what matters is that you got all the enjoyment you could out of it. Didja have the most fun you could have before you left?"

Meteorite clucked her tongue as she ruminated on that day's events. Eventually, she gave a small nod.

"I… suppose I did, actually."

"Then that's all that matters! The party did what it was supposed to do, and it remained for other ponies who chose to stay and enjoy it some more!" Pinkie lifted up and handed over the packed order. "Here you go!"

Meteorite numbly stared at her order in shock, before taking it and putting it away in her saddlebags, still lost in thought. Eventually she turned back to Pinkie, still at a loss.

"You… really don't mind that I don't like huge parties?"

"Well, duh," Pinkie exclaimed with a grin as she leaned on the counter. "Not everypony likes the same thing, and parties are no different! If Rarity hadn't told me that that party was supposed to match your first party, I totally would've toned it down for ya!" She reached into her mane and pulled out a manila folder. "It's all right here, on your party file!"

Taking a few seconds to process what she was seeing, Meteorite gawked as Pinkie flipped the folder open to reveal a detailed list, with a front-facing photo of her smiling attached via paperclip. She couldn't remember having that photo taken. Pinkie flipped it around and began cheerfully reading.

"'Prefers small gatherings with close friends only, birthday is a few days before Nightmare Night (doesn't like scary stuff), likes sweet, savory and spicy foods (not too spicy though…!)'"

"You…" Meteorite interrupted, pausing to forcibly swallow, the sourness of the cupcake coming back up, "have a file on me?"

"I have a party file on everypony!" Pinkie beamed, putting the folder back into her mane. "It requires a lot of coordination and cross-referencing to throw a party that suits everypony involved, y'know!"

Meteorite fell silent as she retreated into her head, mulling over this information.

…I wonder if this is how my friends felt in the past whenever I told them I'd been saving our weekly chat logs…

Darkness fell over her face as she forced herself to make a mental edit.

…Her friends, I mean.

It was at this moment that Meteorite was rudely jostled back to reality as she found herself being squeezed, courtesy of Pinkie suddenly hugging her tightly around her barrel. Meteorite's limbs flailed as she began hastily tapping Pinkie on one of the forelegs wrapped around her with a hoof to get her attention.

"Pi- Pinkie! Too t-tight! A-Air, please!" she croaked.

Pinkie immediately let go, and stepped back while looking apologetic.

"I'm sorry Metty! It's just that you were looking sad, and I figured you needed a super duper cheer-up hug, and you were owed one anyway so-!"

Meteorite interrupted with a cough as she massaged her neck, her face returning to her normal shade of purple.

"I-It's fine, I was just… surprised, is all…" Her voice became sotto as she muttered to herself. "And this must be how Mum felt when she complained about my bear hugs…"

"You hug bears?" Pinkie asked, growing excited.

"No! It's just an expression!" Meteorite panicked, gesturing wildly with both hooves.

"Aw."

Further thought on the matter caused Meteorite to question herself, and she began calming down. "…or a simile. Or an analogy. Actually, I'm not quite sure what it is at the moment."

Mulling it over, Meteorite glanced over at Pinkie, who was sitting by and watching her with an expression of quiet thoughtfulness. It had a sobering effect on her as she shifted mental gears and changed focus to something else that had caught her attention.

"'Owed', huh?"

"Yup!" Pinkie beamed, perking back up. "It said so in your party file! Although, I totally would've still given you one anyway!"

There wasn't any time Meteorite could remember as being 'owed' such a hug, but then again this was Pinkie. She had her own unique line of reasoning that she alone followed… and Meteorite couldn't exactly deny that she was feeling better now, or at least, out of the funk she was sinking herself into a moment ago.

"Well, if the file says so," Meteorite said with a tiny smile. An afterthought caused her to quickly pat her saddlebags and check her cupcakes, just to make sure they had escaped the sudden huggening. They had. Meteorite had one last moment of introspectiveness before shaking herself out of it.

"Y'know what, I think that hug actually worked."

"Well of course it worked!" Pinkie boasted with a hoof flop. "Nopony can resist my speciality hugs!"

"No, I suppose not," Meteorite tittered lightly, before looking back at the door. "I should get back to Sweet Apple Acres though." She made to turn about but stopped herself, facing Pinkie again with a small, but sly, grin.

"Don't suppose I could get a normal hug from ya? Ya know, one for the road?"

"Hmm," Pinkie mused thoughtfully, rubbing her chin with her hoof, "I've never considered hugging the road before. I suppose it must need one, especially with everypony walking all over it every day!"

"I'll be sure to pass it on," Meteorite joked, as Pinkie hopped on over and embraced her. Meteorite took a moment to bask in the warmth and slightly sweet aroma that seemed to constantly follow Pinkie, before letting go and stepping back with a smile.

"Thank you, I really needed that, Pinks."

"No problem, Metty!" Pinkie smiled happily as Meteorite turned to leave. The pegasus paused as she reached the door, looking over her shoulder.

"Huh, don't think I've ever called you 'Pinks' before."

"I like it!" Pinkie exclaimed, still smiling broadly. Meteorite gave it some thought.

"Y'know what, me too," she smiled, giving a small wave. "Seeya Pinks, thanks again for the hugs!"

Pinkie followed Meteorite to the door, and stood on the steps outside as she watched with a contented smile as her friend walked down the road. "Thank you for believing in me, Met," she whispered to herself.

As somepony new approached the bakery from the other direction, Pinkie bounced back to her usual self and pulled a cupcake from her mane, shoving it in the new pony's face. "Hi there! Wanna try a Citrusplosion?!"

"Uh… no?"

Chapter 21

The door to the Carousel Boutique swung open with a cheery jangle, allowing Meteorite to swiftly trot inside with a smile on her face. There was no obvious sign of Rarity being around, so she lifted a hoof to the side of her face to call out. She'd gotten only the first syllable out, when she was interrupted by a loud crash off near the back, startling her. Worry crossed her face for a second, until she heard a very miffed Rarity from the same direction.

"Oh, for Celestia's sake! I don't have time for this right now!"

Relieved that Rarity was not in any apparent danger, Meteorite hurriedly trotted towards the back. As she got near, she called out Rarity's name, just so she wouldn't unintentionally startle her with her sudden presence.

"Oh…!" she heard Rarity utter in surprise, from a room down the hall. Rarity's design room, if Meteorite recalled correctly. "In here… do mind the mess when you enter though."

Even preemptively bracing herself as she reached the doorway, Meteorite was unprepared for the sea of fabrics, sewing tools and overturned mannequins that covered the floor before her. Beset on all sides was a very bedraggled and bespectacled Rarity, begrudgingly using her magic to pick apart the fallen items one by one. Eyes widening at the mess, Meteorite recoiled slightly with a raised foreleg in bemusement.

"Eugh," she uttered through closed teeth, "what happened?"

Rarity looked up at her wearily. "A disaster, darling. I simply needed this fabric-" she levitated a bolt of aquamarine material and shook it angrily, "-for my design-" Looking past the frazzled mare, Meteorite noted a half-finished dress on a still-standing mannequin, "-but it refused to budge from my shelves!" Rarity dramatically threw a foreleg back across her forehead and sighed theatrically. "It must've gotten lodged in and become stuck, and when I tugged on it, it all came tumbling down!"

Meteorite rolled her tongue into her cheek as she silently took in the scene before her, before looking straight at Rarity with a sympathetic smile.

"Need any help?"

Rarity blinked her eyes open at the request, and slowly settled back down into a more graceful posture as she sat down on her haunches. She lightly cleared her throat into her hoof.

"Well, if you wouldn't mind…" she asked sheepishly, gesturing down at the floor. "Could you be a dear, and help sort all this away for me? I really must focus on finishing this order before the day is done."

Straightening herself upwards, Meteorite gave a half-serious salute with a nod. Stepping into the room she considered the pile before her, musing on where to best tackle it first.

"Alright," she announced, still deciding, "but I'll remain a pony if it's all the same to you."

Rarity peered over her glasses in a mixture of stress and confusion at the pegasus that was currently during her best to hide her amusement as she methodically busied herself in her task. Realization eventually dawned on Rarity, causing her to turn away towards her work with an eye-roll and a mild huff.

"Not now, Meteorite…"

Rarity stood back from her creation and smiled with pride as she took it all in.

"Et voilà!" she announced as she twirled with a flourish full of poise, both her and her finished product giving off a glow. The glow faded as her pose drooped slightly, blinking at the lack of any sort of applause. Looking about the now tidied room, she spotted Meteorite off to the side, facing away as she carried some fabric in her hooves, faintly hovering in the air, while frowning at Rarity's shelves. Rarity walked up to her and lightly cleared her throat.

"Meteorite?"

Meteorite looked down to her side and her frown disappeared. "Oh, hey Rarity," she greeted cheerfully. "Almost done! I just-"

She turned back to the shelves, frowning once again. She stared at the different bolts of fabric already shelved away while clutching tighter on the one she held, her wings gently flapping.

"I'm trying to decide how to best sort this," she eventually muttered. "Like, I don't know if you have your own system for how you want this organised or not. See, at first I figured sorting it by rainbow, yeah?" She gestured with her head, indicating the currently sorted array. "But now, I'm realising that some of these are different kinds of material-" she lifted the bolt in her forehooves, "-so now I don't know if that's how you sort it instead." She glanced aside at the patiently listening unicorn. "How do you want it, Rarity?"

Rarity found herself smiling as she lifted the fabric out of Meteorite's hooves with her magic, and slotted it in the currently free space. "It's fine as it is," she said, as Meteorite lowered herself to the floor. Rarity paused as she studied the shelves, before hastily swapping two bolts of fabric. She turned back to Meteorite with a curious gaze. "Why didn't you ask me sooner?"

"You were busy," Meteorite shrugged.

"Indeed I was!" Rarity nodded, giddily hopping over back to the mannequin she was working on, spinning it around to show off her work as she sat beside it, hooves outstretched to it. "What do you think, darling?"

"Oooh!" Meteorite cooed as she took it in, "I like it!" A beat passed and her expression fell slightly, as she stared at the dress more critically. "It's uh… um… it's… evoking the sea, yeah?"

"Close darling!" Rarity said eagerly, pointing at several places, "It's all cycles of water! The main design is the ferociousness of the ocean, certainly, but see here how it splits off into rivers leading to smaller lakes? And to tie it all together, this woollen collar symbolizes the clouds to go with the droplet crystals lining the hem!"

"O-Oh, yeah, I… see the cloud now," Meteorite added lamely.

Rarity beamed for a moment before turning her attention to the outfit, carefully taking it off the mannequin and carefully placing it in a flat and wide box. "I'm glad you like it darling, now I just have to hope Madame Cascading Rapids does as well."

With a name like that, I can't imagine she wouldn't.

Satisfied, Rarity lightly fitted the lid of the box and placed it at one end of the nearby table. Turning about to face Meteorite again, the distant chime of the doorbell sounded, perking Rarity up.

"That's probably her now!" she said in an excitable hush. She gestured with both hooves to Meteorite to stay put. "Wait here, I'll be back in a jiffy!"

Pausing to fix her mane and adjusting her glasses, Rarity cantered out of the room, her cheerful greeting echoing back to Meteorite as she made to meet her client. Meteorite awkwardly glanced about the room, wondering what she ought to do in the meantime. Glancing down at the floor, the idea to sweep up after the aftermath for a moment crossed her mind, and decided that'd be a nice thing to do for Rarity. She spotted Rarity's broom leaning up against the wall past the table, and took a step towards it.

And then she froze.

The outfit Rarity had worked on was between her and the broom, jutting perilously over the edge of the table.

She was alone in a room with a precious and valuable item that was easily destroyable due to unpredictable antics.

Meteorite promptly sat down where she stood and dared to not even breathe, her eyes transfixed on the box before her.

A few moments later, Rarity happily trotted back into the room, her focus on the boxed outfit. "Don't mind me darling, just retriev… ing…" she paused as she took in Meteorite's stiff posture and shrunken pupils. "Is… everything alright, Meteorite?"

"What, yes! Yes, all good!" Meteorite said hastily, her body already relaxing as Rarity held the outfit in her magic. "I'm- I'm gonna sweep now!" she added with a forced grin as she gestured towards the broom.

Rarity looked on with a concerned stance, but turned to look back in the hallway. "...Well okay, darling. If you say so… I'll be right back, alright?"

Meteorite nodded wildly with the broom already in her mouth, but as soon as Rarity left she slumped to the floor, the broom cluttering against the floor as she lay beside it, staring sadly at it.

Way to go, you idiot.

"Care to explain what that was all about earlier?"

Having finished her business with Madame Cascading, Rarity went back and pulled Meteorite out of that room and sat her on one of her couches in the main area. Figuratively, of course. Meteorite wasn't entirely catatonic from her self-professed idiocy.

Regardless, Rarity did end up floating a tub of chocolate ice-cream into Meteorite's hooves, which she passively accepted as she stared into nothing, if only because she didn't want it to fall and cause a bigger mess.

"I got scared…" Meteorite eventually spoke up, her hoof resting on the spoon already pre-inserted into the tub.

"Of what?"

Meteorite slowly lifted her head to stare into Rarity's worried eyes, and gulped.

"...I got scared that I might do something stupid and end up ruining the outfit you spent all day on."

Rarity frowned. "How?"

"I'unno…" Meteorite mumbled with a shrug. "I might've… accidentally bump it while sweeping, and that'd send it flying across the room and get sucked into a sewing machine, and the ensuing mess would startle Opalescence and she'd shred it into… shreds… and all that would fall into a wood chipper and turn it into confetti."

There was a heavy pause as Rarity took all that in.

"Darling, none of what you just said were even in that room."

Meteorite turned aside. "Doesn't matter. Would've ruined it somehow. The setup was too perfect."

Rarity continued to frown thoughtfully as she climbed up onto the couch next to Meteorite, and gently rested a hoof onto her leg. "Meteorite, you can't be afraid of something that might happen, especially something as unlikely as what you've described."

Meteorite stared at Rarity's hoof for a while before running her gaze up her foreleg, and then directly into her eyes.

"Would you have forgiven me if I had destroyed that outfit?" she said piercingly.

"Ah-!" Rarity started, caught off-guard with the scenario. As she silently and anxiously contemplated it, enough time passed for Meteorite to look back into the tub of ice-cream.

"And there we are," she whispered.

Rarity fretted, feeling frustrated with the conversation. Jumping off the couch, she turned to face Meteorite. "This is ridiculous, darling! Nothing happened! Besides! You don't seriously think Alexandra would let something so disastrous like that happen, do you?"

Meteorite didn't respond right away, instead only slowly circling the spoon around the tub, balling up some ice-cream.

"Hasn't stopped her before."

The boutique fell quiet, with both ponies not really knowing what to say next. In the moment, Meteorite took the spoonful of ice-cream and ate it. Her eyes perked up slightly.

"Mm, that's actually pretty good."

Rarity nodded mutely, giving a small flourish with her hoof. "Naturally darling. Only the best quality for dealing with hardships."

Meteorite twiddled with the spoon thoughtfully, tapping it against the rim of the tub, before resting it back down.

"I don't know, Rarity. Maybe you're right, maybe I am overthinking things. I'm just-" She shook her head defeatedly. "-worried things will get out of my control if I become too…"

"Complacent?" Rarity offered.

"Comfortable," Meteorite corrected.

Rarity nodded her understanding, allowing silence to continue as she mulled over what to say next, before slicing through it with her follow-up question.

"What did you mean, it 'hasn't stopped her before'? What happened?"

Meteorite's eyes flitted up towards Rarity for a split second before returning back down to the tub, and she sighed.

"Guess we're getting near to that point of the story anyway…" She picked up the spoon and ate some more ice-cream, momentarily losing herself in the richness of the flavour. Opening her eyes, she lifted her head to face Rarity with a look of determination.

"Ready to hear some more?"

Rarity mused with a hoof to her chin as she looked about her boutique. "Well… there's not much else left I had planned for today… Give me a few moments to wrap a few things up, darling?"

"Sure," Meteorite smiled faintly.

Those few moments (plus a few extra moments) later, Rarity sat down next to Meteorite, having locked up for the day.

"Alright, where were we?" Meteorite pondered out loud.

"Steel had just left Ponyville," Rarity said, biting her lip while refraining from adding 'forever' in massive air quotes.

"Right right," Meteorite nodded. "Well, I don't need to tell you this, but that was far from the only shocking thing to happen that day…"

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

"What do you mean, 'Twilight's a princess'?!"

Applejack stood in front of her farmhooves' cottage the morning following, as her remaining workers stared at her in amazement from the doorstep. In the middle, Meteorite in particular was especially agape with disbelief.

"'xactly that, suga'cube," Applejack replied. "One moment she'd disappeared in a big boom of light, the next she was floating down from the sky, all alicorny-like. Princess Celestia said so just as much too."

"You got to meet Princess Celestia too?" Flo asked with awe, stepping forward from Meteorite's right. Applejack gave a light chuckle at that.

"Well, ain't the first time Ah met her, to be fair."

"So-" Meteorite cut in, her mind struggling to comprehend the facts, "So, like… she's an actual alicorn? How tall is she now? As big as Princess Celestia?"

Applejack shook her head. "Nah, she's about the same as before Ah reckon, just ya know, with wings." Applejack turned her attention to Silverfire, standing on the other side of a now glassy-eyed Meteorite, and noted the distracted look on him as he seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. "So, y'all said that Steel left last night?"

Silverfire dumbly nodded, as Flo lightly cleared her throat.

"Yeah… apparently he felt he wasn't needed anymore. At least, that's what Silverfire told us."

Applejack scratched her head, her hat lifting up slightly. "Well shoot. Ah wouldn't have said that… but if he don't want t' be here any more, well, Ah guess that's his own decision."

"Do they work?" Meteorite suddenly asked, snapping out of her own distraction.

"What?"

"Her wings," Meteorite clarified, staring at Applejack with pinpoint focus. "Do they work?"

Applejack blinked, but gave it some thought. "Ah… guess they do? She was moving 'em okay, if that's what ya mean."

"Oh," Meteorite muttered darkly as her mane fell forward slowly, casting a shadow over her face. "Yeah no, that's… that's fair."

The other ponies, including Silverfire, stared at her with various degrees of worry.

"Ya alright there, suga'cube?"

"Me? Yeah no, I'm… I'm fine. Yup. She gets wings and can use them right away. Why wouldn't I be fine?" Meteorite muttered, almost spitting out the last part through clenched teeth.

"Ya don't sound fine…" Applejack said cautiously.

There was no retort, at least not one that Meteorite wished to say out loud, thanks to a still deep-seated moral ruling to avoid saying something crass in public, coupled with not wanting to offend her employer. Stepping back, Flo reached out to lay a comforting hoof across Meteorite's back. The pegasus instinctively flinched at the touch, but ultimately didn't pull away.

Applejack watched the pair for a moment, before stealing a glance towards Silverfire, who had returned to his previous state of looking lost. She stamped a hoof to get everypony's attention, and drew herself up.

"Right, well, Ah understand that it's been rough for everypony involved, but y'all still have a farm to tend to. These trees ain't gonna t' wait fer yer troubles to be dealt with in due time before needing harvestin', same with the animals."

Letting her words sink in, Applejack then softened her voice a bit. "That said, Ah understand Steel leavin' has prolly upset y'all, so have some time t' yerselves to recollect a bit. And-" Applejack tipped her hat back slightly as she offered a kindly smile, "-remember that yer ain't just workers here. If any of ya feel like talkin', come see any of us an' we'll hash things out a bit, alright? While yer here, yer one of us, an' us Apples never leave our kind behind."

There was no immediate response from the crew, with the exception of Flo giving an understanding nod. There was still an aura of indignation surrounding Meteorite, however Applejack's speech seemed to reach her as she glanced away with her expression softening, if only slightly as she fought to hold onto the anger. Silverfire seemed to be the most affected by the speech, as he eventually nodded, clearing his throat in the process.

"Y-Yes, Mi-" Silverfire stopped as he grimaced mid-word, and tried again. "Yes, Applejack. Ma'am."

Applejack gave him a pitying glance before straightening her hat, and turning to leave. "Y'all take care, alright?"

After she left, Flo swung around to face her two friends, and put on an encouraging smile. "Well! How about I go make breakfast for you two, huh? I'm thinking pancakes! You two like pancakes, don't ya?"

She got two non-committal shrugs in response. That would have to do, Flo conceded as she reluctantly stepped past them, and inside the cottage. The two remaining ponies stood outside in silence, each lost in their own brand of depression. Eventually, Meteorite turned towards Silverfire, and regarded him for a bit.

"...sorry Steel ditched ya like that."

Silverfire considered the words, and nodded in response.

"Sorry you can't fly."

A faint look of appreciativeness crossed Meteorite's face as she turned to head back inside.

Breakfast now eaten, Meteorite splashed water onto her face as she stood in front of the bathroom mirror. It was both an attempt to snap herself out of her mood, and a necessity in washing away the maple syrup that clung to her fur. Pancakes were nice, but not so much when your main method of eating was smooshing your face into it.

The worst part about it was that nopony at the table was silently judging her for it.

Yesterday had left everypony in a dour mood when Silverfire had announced that Steel had left. Flo had tried to keep the atmosphere chipper, but Silverfire had already sunken himself in gloom by that point. Meanwhile, Meteorite was having trouble believing the whole scenario. Sure, Steel had been acting a little odd now and then for a while… but she'd never for an instant expected him to leave. Regardless, his absence now was all too glaring to ignore. Silverfire was definitely still feeling down about it, obviously, but Meteorite was starting to notice the little things Steel would get on her case about.

Honestly, she missed the banter they had, even if Steel was very weary about it.

She tried remembering if Steel had shown any inclination of leaving that day, but… her memory was weirdly hazy on the matter. Suspiciously hazy. All in all, the day felt surreal, and that was before she heard about Twilight from Applejack.

Meteorite stared at her reflection, the anger she felt earlier having ebbed away leaving a blank expression in its wake. She felt… numb.

She tried picturing Twilight as an alicorn princess, but her mind couldn't settle on a clear image of what that'd look like, trying to mishmash the appearances of Twilight and Princess Celestia together into one, even if Applejack had already mentioned that Twilight didn't look any different, just with the addition of wings.

Wings.

Twilight had wings. And she could use them?

Meteorite frowned at her reflection, glancing down at the dormant appendages stuck to her sides, barely peeking over the bottom of the mirror. Fat lot of good they were doing her.

Why the fuck couldn't she use hers? What was the fucking point of making herself a pegasus if she had no intention of letting herself fly? Why the fuck did she give herself the extra fucking task of keeping her fucking wings in fucking good condition every fucking day if they did fuck all for her?

Oh good. The anger was starting to come back.

Meteorite bit the inside of her cheek and glanced away from the mirror, trying to quell the fury crashing upon the shores of her mind. Closing her eyes, she took a few slow and steady breaths to calm herself before daring to look back at herself. She still frowned, but it was now crossed with an expression of thoughtful study.

Why was she a pegasus? She didn't like heights, and the idea of being up high in the sky with absolutely nothing between her and the ground made her quail at just the thought.

…so why was she getting upset about it?

Meteorite stared her reflection down for a while, before sighing to herself and breaking away to leave and prepare for the day's work. It was probably just the injustice of it all getting to her, that's all.

Yeah, that had to be it.

With Steel gone, it fell to the other three to decide how they were going to split their tasks between them. Only… at the moment it was more up to Flo and Meteorite, as Silverfire was gloomily dragging his hooves a short distance behind the mares as they talked.

Well, as Flo talked. Meteorite wasn't faring much better than Silverfire, but at least she was keeping pace. Flo cleared her throat to get her friend's attention.

"Meteorite, are you even listening to me?" she asked, half concerned and half frustrated with the lack of response.

"Yeah yeah…" Meteorite muttered, with a quick wave of her hoof. "Apple trees up north. I can do them, sure."

Flo nodded at the confirmation, but was still concerned. "Okay, but… do you have any input here? We have to decide this as a team."

"Why? Steel never bothered asking us anything."

"Well, I'm not Steel," Flo said, a little too bluntly for her own liking. Dialling back her attitude, she spoke softer. "I think it'll be good for morale if we all have a say."

Meteorite turned her head slightly to give a side-glance at Silverfire, a couple metres behind. "What about him?" she asked quietly.

Flo grimaced unsurely a little at the question. "I… I'm not really sure what to do."

Meteorite gave the situation some consideration, her mood lifting a little from now not thinking about her own issues. After some mulling, she spoke up again. "I think you oughta work with him for a while."

That earned her a puzzled glance from Flo. "Yeah? You think so?"

"Sure. He needs someone right now, I can pretty much guarantee that." Meteorite hesitated a little before continuing. "And… I don't really wanna step over your… intentions."

Flo blushed a little, but smiled appreciatively. "Thank you… but is now really the time for that?"

"Oh no no," Meteorite hastily replied, before catching her volume. "Just… y'know, be there for him and all that."

There was a brief lull as Flo considered the advice, before nodding with a smile. "I can do that." A further lull. "Are ya gonna be alright by yourself?"

"Pft, I'll be fine," Meteorite readily countered with a scoff, before reconsidering her stance. "I mean… it'll be slow, but, y'know."

Briefly frowning, Flo shook her head. "Not… what I was asking."

Meteorite felt confused for a few seconds, until the unspoken part of Flo's question finally hit her. Wincing slightly, she nodded with some uncertainty.

"I'll… be fine," she repeated, with less confidence. She glanced back at Silverfire, still slowly following along behind the two of them, his eyes not really taking anything in. "Worry about one pony at a time, alright?"

Flo nodded her understanding and came to a stop, with Meteorite following suit. As they waited for Silverfire to catch up to them, Flo deliberated for a while as she tussled with her thoughts. Eventually shaking her head clear, she stepped on over to draw Meteorite into a close hug. Caught off-guard by the sudden embrace, Meteorite awkwardly stood stiff for the initial part, but quickly warmed up to it and fumbled a foreleg about, trying to find a way to wrap it around Flo in return.

She'd have to figure out how to hug efficiently as a pony. She liked hugs. Hugs were nice.

With the two mares preoccupied in their comforting cuddle, they soon found themselves in the shadow of Silverfire as he gradually approached them. Coming to a stop, Silverfire's distant stare broke as he blinked a few times, now fully taking in the sight before him. His emotionally drained face didn't change, but for a split second his mouth twitched into something that might've been a faint smile.

Realizing Silverfire was now with them, Flo broke away from the hug with a hopeful smile. In response, Meteorite smiled appreciatively as she gave a small nod.

"I'm good, Flo, thanks."

Flo's smile widened as she noticeably perked up, now turning to Silverfire. "Hey Silverfire," she greeted with a quick wave. "Meteorite and I have been talking, and we both think it might be a good idea to have you and me working together for today. What do you think?"

Silverfire made a half-attempt at a disinterested shrug, but the sight of Flo's deep orange eyes burning into his —eagerly awaiting his response— sparked something within him. In that moment he felt… needed?

No. Wanted.

"Uh- yeah, I… guess that sounds good? Could probably use the help, really…"

"You'll do fine," Flo said encouragingly, patting him on the side as she passed by him. Silverfire turned on the spot to follow. "It's a bit rough, I know, but I have absolute faith in you!"

"Y-Yeah?" Silverfire responded, his head held higher than it had been all day. It wasn't much, but Meteorite could tell even at a distance that Silverfire was stepping with more purpose than just a few moments ago. She smiled faintly to herself and turned, taking a step towards her designated area for the day.

Hopefully she had been telling the truth about being fine.

Meteorite stood in front of the trees she was tasked with applebucking. Fortunately, the Apples had already placed baskets at the base of the trees that they had deemed ready to be harvested, so she didn't have to worry about accidentally working the wrong trees. Just that…

There were a lot.

Letting out a sigh, Meteorite stepped up to the nearest tree and turned about face. No point in delaying an already long day's work, she supposed.

Not that she particularly minded the applebucking duty when it came around. Sure, it left her aching in certain muscles the next day, but she felt good doing it. Mentally, that was. It was a task she could do well enough, with the additional bonus that it helped out Applejack and her family.

Plus, she was still proud of just knowing how to applebuck.

Planting her hooves firmly on the ground, she kicked out behind her, smartly connecting with the tree. Several apples soon thudded onto the grass about her, and that was fine. She would've preferred them to all neatly pile up in the basket for her, but it was a privilege that she expected to not have.

…much like the use of her wings.

A privilege that was just handed to Twilight.

Several minutes passed as Meteorite stood still, surrounded by glistening red apples, but none nearly as red as the indignant anger boiling up within her at being unfairly shafted. By herself of all people too! What right did she have to toy with herself like this?! Was it funny?! Oh, that was probably it! She was having a right ol' chortle at herself being upset like this, she betted! In fact, she probably gave Twilight wings just to fuck with her, and- and-!

"Yer alright there, suga'cube?"

The anger wrapped around her heart instantly melted as Meteorite blinked her mind clear. Glancing up, Applejack was standing in front of her, looking quite concerned.

"Oh! Uh-! Hello Applejack, uh, I-" Meteorite looked about her, remembering that she still had these apples to pick up. "Um. Sorry, I… I lost track of what I was doing… Won't happen again."

Applejack watched with apprehension as Meteorite began picking the apples up one by one in her mouth, carrying them by the stem over to the nearby basket.

"Meteorite," Applejack called firmly, but with no sense of irritation in her tone. Rather, Applejack spoke with utmost patience. Dropping her current apple into the basket, Meteorite looked back.

"Yeah?"

"Tell me the truth. Are ya doing alright?"

Meteorite wanted to look away, but she felt locked in. She could feel her eyes betraying her feelings underneath Applejack's unwavering stare.

"...not really, no," Meteorite eventually admitted, much to her annoyance. She wanted to curl up somewhere and be forgotten about.

Nodding solemnly, Applejack began pacing around the tree, deftly scooping up and lightly kicking the remaining apples into the basket and, with a bit of finesse, carefully placed the final apple on the pile, leaving her standing next to Meteorite. She turned to her with a friendly lift of her hat.

"Feel like talkin' about it?"

Meteorite wasn't sure how to respond. For the most part, yes, oh god yes she wanted to talk about it, about everything… but she also knew she couldn't. Ignoring the fact that she wouldn't be believed —hell, she barely believed it herself— she just… couldn't bring herself to tell anypony, 'hey by the way, you're not actually real'. Constructs of her own writing or not, she liked them. They were nice to her. Even Steel, sometimes.

…even Steel.

Meteorite's eyelids drooped as she looked down at the ground. The base of the tree was within her view, and that only reminded her that it had been Steel that had taught her how to applebuck. Even at his most standoffish, he had helped her.

Swallowing hard, Meteorite turned her attention back to Applejack, still politely waiting for her to respond. She didn't have to do that. She's a busy pony; she shouldn't waste her time with some idiot wallowing in her own stupid problems. And yet…

They were nice to her.

"Yeah…" she croaked. "I… I think I do."

With a faint smile, Applejack stepped aside and walked a few paces away from the trees. Twisting about, she promptly sat down and beckoned for Meteorite to join her. Still unsure if she even made the right choice, Meteorite obediently followed, if only because Applejack was still her boss. Sitting down to face Applejack head on, Meteorite lightly fidgeted her hooves together.

"So, what's been eatin' away at ya?" Applejack asked, taking care to not sound confrontational. Ain't no quicker way to make somepony clam up than to make them feel forced to talk. "Ya've been out of sorts, an' Ah don't think it's the whole situation with Steel."

Feeling antsy, Meteorite rubbed a hoof up and down a foreleg. "To be honest, it hasn't exactly helped…"

Applejack silently conceded the fact as she lightly stroked her chin. "Is it about Twilight, suga'cube? Ah hate to say it, but ya weren't exactly happy about the news."

A lump formed in Meteorite's throat, and she forcibly swallowed while looking away. Taking a deep breath, she faced Applejack once more.

"It's… well- I…" Annoyed with herself, she shook her head clear. "Okay, well, look. What's going on with her doesn't bother me. To be perfectly honest, I don't think it's even sunk in yet that she's a princess now."

But as soon as she said it, that's when it suddenly became real. Holy shit… Twilight was a princess. How does something like that even happen? Can anyone become a princess then? And… what was going to happen now? Surely becoming a princess would completely change the direction and dynamics of the-

"Suga'cube?"

Snapping back to reality, Meteorite refocused on Applejack. "Yeah?"

"Nothin'," Applejack said with an air of relief. "Ya just… were lookin' a little glazed over there."

"Right…" Meteorite muttered into her chest, feeling a little embarrassed. She shook her head again. "Anyway. I don't mind Twilight being a princess now, as weird as that is, I just…" She paused, biting her lip. She looked down at her side, at her wing, and stared at it, trying to come up with the right words that didn't need several footnotes to understand.

Turning back towards Applejack, she twisted her body to display her feathered limb. "I'm a pegasus, Applejack. You know that." When Applejack nodded, Meteorite continued. "And, well… there's also the fact that I can't fly."

Applejack nodded again, slower this time, as dots were beginning to become connected. Meteorite went on.

"So… like, I'm happy for Twilight and all that, but… when I think about how she has wings now, and she can just… use them…" The words hung in the air as Meteorite contemplated for a few moments before resuming.

"I-" Meteorite got out before halting briefly, taken aback by her voice cracking suddenly. "I just… when I think about it, I… it gets to me, y'know? Like, I was okay with not being able to move my wings…"

…Was I okay with that?

Meteorite shook her head swiftly. "Actually… probably not, but… what could I do about it, right?"

Applejack drew in a breath before nodding solemnly. "Ah don't rightly know, suga'cube."

"Exactly," Meteorite nodded back, taking a moment to swallow. "I… just figured… it was just one of those things I had to deal with." Closing her eyes, she took a few deep breaths before looking aside to stare off into the distance.

"It shouldn't bother me…" she said, barely above a whisper. "But, I just… keep thinking about how… unfair it is. Why does she get to use hers? I've had mine first!" Meteorite suddenly stood up, taking Applejack by surprise. She turned slightly to put one of her wings front and centre. "I've been patient! I've hardly complained! I mean, sure, I've grumbled a bit here and there, but is that any right to deny me my due?!"

Applejack raised a hoof apprehensively. "Suga'cube, Ah think y-"

"All I'm asking is just some consideration! It's not fair to rub Twilight and her stupid princess wings in my face an- and-"

She sniffed.

Oh no, she wasn't gonna start to cry, was she? Meteorite sniffed again, fighting back a sob that was threatening to escape. Oh goddammit, she was.

"No no no, n-not now…" she hiccuped weakly, falling back onto her rear and using the back of her hooves to preemptively wipe away any tears, but it was already too late. A blurry Applejack approached her, and reached out to gently touch her on the shoulder.

"I-I'm sorry…" Meteorite sniffed, hiding her face in her hooves. "I-I don't know why I'm crying. I s-shouldn't be this s-stupidly upset about it, but I am…"

"It's alright suga'cube," she heard Applejack say softly, as she felt a comforting rub on her shoulder. "Sometimes feelings get all muddled up like that. Best thing t' do is to get it all out so ya can sort through it with a clear head."

A muffled sniff.

"I… I suppose… I just…"

A dreadful pause as Meteorite hiccupped a sob. Then…

"It's not fair!" she began wailing, face still buried in her hooves. "Why can't I fly?! No, not even that! I don't even want to fly, I just want to move my wings! That's all! Why can't I have that?! Is that too much to ask?!"

Applejack wished she had an answer. Or rather, a good answer.

Done with her tirade, Meteorite began heaving with a considerable amount of sobbing. Taking pity on the poor soul, Applejack respectfully removed and held her hat to one side, and extended her reach to comfort Meteorite with a side-hug, which she readily leaned into.

"Easy now, filly," Applejack said softly, giving Meteorite a few light pats through her mane. "You just let it all out now."

Meteorite weakly nodded in between a few sobs.

Several minutes, two bleary eyes and a runny nose later, Meteorite had petered out as far as her crying was considered, but now her embarrassment was running at an all-time high. At least Applejack remained mostly silent throughout the past few minutes, for what it was worth. She had broken away and was now standing before the dishevelled mess that was Meteorite.

"Feeling better, Meteorite?"

Meteorite had her head turned away, purposefully not looking at Applejack. Her cheeks were still wet with tears.

"Not really. I feel stupid for crying like that in front of my boss…" she muttered under her breath.

Applejack stomped the ground and shook her head. "Ya can forget that whole 'boss' nonsense right now. Ah'm here as yer friend, Meteorite, not yer boss."

A short beat as Meteorite reconsidered her words.

"I feel stupid for crying like that in front of my friend…"

Applejack squinted as she leaned her head around, studying Meteorite and trying to get a good look at her face.

"Well, it might just be me, but Ah reckon right there was ya makin' some sort of joke," she half-smiled.

No response, save for sniffing back a tear. A slight breeze picked up through the orchard, and Meteorite grunted as she began wiping her tears away.

"I don't know why it's bothering me so much…" she groaned to herself. "Why do I even care…"

"Well, Ah reckon it's like what ya said, yer a pegasus. Only natural ya wanna do what ya were born t' do." There was a twitch in Meteorite's face, and Applejack amended further. "What Ah mean is, there's this other pegasus 'round these parts, her name's Rainbow Dash. Now, that girl there loves t' fly, an' Ah reckon if she were stuck in yer situation, she'd be just as much of a wreck about it as well, if not worse."

The scenario of Rainbow being trapped on the ground struck a chord with Meteorite, and her expression softened. She finally turned to face Applejack, intent on being more attentive to her words.

"Ah'm just sayin', don't be too hard on yerself about it," Applejack told her, smiling sympathetically. "Makes sense t' me that ya care about wantin' t' fly."

Meteorite glanced thoughtfully down back at one of her wings. "...I… never used to," she said quietly. Applejack rubbed her chin.

"Well… maybe it's been buildin' up inside, an' today it just burst like an overloaded dam." She scratched at her head underneath her hat. "Or somethin' like that. Ah'm not so good with the analyzin' inside a pony's head stuff."

Meteorite mulled it over, and gave Applejack a weak smile. "Seems good enough for me."

"There's that smile ya keep hiding," Applejack said playfully. When Meteorite instinctively glanced away at the compliment, Applejack stepped closer and laid a hoof on her shoulder, regrabbing Meteorite's attention.

"Listen," Applejack began, meeting her eye to eye. "Ah can't rightly say if there's anythin' ya can do about yer situation, but Ah know ya can be strong about it."

A scoff escaped Meteorite's lips as her gaze drifted. "Yeah okay…" she muttered sarcastically.

"Ah mean it," Applejack said firmly. "Ya wanna know how Ah know?"

Meteorite shrugged apathetically, but gave Applejack the courtesy of looking back at her. Applejack drew herself up, and spoke.

"Because ya've made it until now. Today was yer breaking point, an' sure, it's gonna be rough buildin' back up but now ya know that it's somethin' ya want. An' this time ya can find a way t' either accept yer situation or do somethin' about it. But what yer ain't gonna do is try an' ignore it by buryin' it under a whole heap of feelings, because as ya've just found out, that kinda thing never works."

Applejack finished with a heavy breath, and waited. For the first time in a while, there wasn't a sound out of the pegasus —not even a sniffle— as she stared back, her eyes lost in thought as she took in every word said to her. Eventually, she parted her lips, still considering what she had been told.

"It's… something I want."

Applejack gave a quick nod in response, stepping away. Groaning, Meteorite got to her hooves, the phrase still bouncing about in her head. She shot Applejack a quick look as she continued wrestling with the concept.

"I've… never really considered that I might want something like that, but… I think you're right. I do want it."

She felt a warm feeling begin radiating from within. Weird as it was, admitting that she wanted to fly… it felt right. She couldn't explain it; by all rights, the idea of flying should have left her terrified at the thought, and in some way it still did, but now… now that she realised that she desperately wanted the use of her wings…

She yearned for it.

Maybe not to the same extent as Rainbow Dash, no, definitely not, but…

"I think…" Meteorite began softly, "for the first time ever, I'm feeling my pride in being a pegasus…"

Applejack grinned at her, stepping to her side and placing a hoof around her. "An' nopony here will blame ya fer it. Sounds like yer pride got hurt when ya heard about Twilight."

To Meteorite's own surprise, she let out a shaky, but hearty chuckle. Smiling, she wiped away a few lingering tears.

"Didn't even know it was there to begin with…"

Applejack studied her for a bit after that remark. Giving her a light squeeze with her hug, she broke away to stand in front of Meteorite again.

"Meteorite, fer what it's worth, pegasus, earth pony, unicorn… it don't matter t' me. Ah know being here on this farm ain't exactly yer thing, but ya've never given up on a job, even when it's probably time t' head home fer the day."

"Well, it's important," Meteorite mumbled into her chest, slightly blushing from being praised, "has t' be done…" Also, don't wanna let you down…

"An' that tells me what Ah need t' know about ya," Applejack smiled, "Yer a good pony, Meteorite."

Lifting her head sharply, Meteorite stared in shock as Applejack's last words echoed inside her head. She almost dared herself to disbelieve it instantly.

I'm… a good pony?

Applejack… thinks I'm a good pony?

Her gut reaction was to reject the notion as stupid, and clearly herself as the author preening herself trying to tout her dumb self-insert, but…

...Applejack thinks I'm a good pony.

Her eyes threatened to well up again, only this time from happiness.

She felt appreciated.

"T-Thank you, Applejack," she said shakily, her voice threatening to crack again. Applejack waved it off with a big smile.

"Don't mention it. Consider it one of those… 'employee valuations', heh."

Meteorite's smile turned into a small grin as she sniffed again. "D- Does this mean you're back to being my boss?"

Applejack winked at her. "Ya nevermind what it means." Looking around, she tilted her head off to the west. "The river's nearby over there. Go clean yerself up an' come back. Ah'll help ya catch up with the applebucking fer a while."

Meteorite's legs wobbled as she stood to attention, offering a proper salute for once, with a smile still on her lips.

"Yes ma'am!"

Chapter 22

Meteorite was nearing the day's end in relatively high spirits, largely in thanks to Applejack sticking around to work the trees nearby while Meteorite worked her own line of trees. Always nearby, Meteorite had noticed; Applejack could've easily torn a path from one end of the orchard to the other, but she had remained within at least visual range of Meteorite.

Meteorite had appreciated the company. It kept her motivated to continue to try her best.

She didn't exactly know how to feel about Applejack though, or rather, how to feel about how she felt about Applejack. She was her boss, sure, but… she was also her friend.

Unfamiliar power dynamic aside, they were friends. Meteorite was friends with another of the Mane Six.

Admittedly, all it was was a slight edit to her current relationships, going from 'employer' to 'employer (also friend)', but even that was still enough to make her pause.

And Meteorite found in that pause that… she currently didn't care what people might think of that. She would be ridiculed —that much was certain to her— but… Applejack had helped her. Whatever shame she felt at getting closer to the main characters was washed away by feelings of gratitude.

Besides, she could always feel guilty later.

No, she had reasoned, she was going to hold onto the good feeling Applejack had instilled into her. She felt her sense of self grow, and remain steadfast with each kick she'd focused to each tree. More than a few apples had even fallen directly into the basket sometimes, by sheer dumb luck. Definitely wasn't going to complain about that.

Occasionally, her eyes would wander skyward and, for the first time in her life, she saw the clouds not as scenery, but as destinations. It left a giddy feeling in her chest, but a gnawing sensation at the back of her mind reminded her that ultimately it wasn't possible.

Until she recalled Applejack's words from earlier.

Find a way t' accept it, or do somethin' about it.

Meteorite breathed in deeply as she moved onto the next tree, replaying the words in her head again and again. She didn't want to just accept it. She had accepted a lot of curveballs since arriving in Equestria, mainly because she didn't know how to bat them away.

This was one curveball she was determined to learn how to hit.

That was her modus operandi after all, wasn't it? She didn't just accept whatever the author threw her way. No, she was going to do something about it. The author and her dumb story be damned, this was more important.

Turning around before the tree, her hooves hit the ground firmly, and she set her jaw as her eyes gained a sparkle of determination. She kicked out.

The basket ended up being filled halfway which, distracted by her newfound eagerness, Meteorite forgot to notice was quite a bit out of range of her ideals of Sheer Dumb Luck.

The issue was, Meteorite had realised, that she didn't really know what she could do.

It wasn't like she could just waltz in to local experts and explain, 'hey so, I'm not actually from Equestria, but I've gotten one of your pegasus pony models to drive, and I can't figure out the gearshift'.

She wasn't sure why she went with the car analogy, considering she'd never owned one, but it worked she supposed.

Still, she was done for the day, and she didn't want to head home just yet. She'd been feeling a rush for most of the afternoon to get out there and do something. Where and what exactly, she didn't know yet, but she knew it wasn't the cottage.

She supposed she could always feel out info on pegasus flight at the library. Twilight was bound t-

Meteorite froze mid-step.

Twilight. Twilight was a Thing currently.

Meteorite glanced down, intently thinking. Could she deal with seeing Twilight right now? It wasn't like she hated Twilight or anything, it was just unfortunate that she happened to be the one to unearth and trigger some apparently deep-seated feelings Meteorite felt about herself. Which… Applejack had subsequently helped her with! So… she should be okay with seeing Twilight. And her wings.

Meteorite turned her head back, staring thoughtfully at her own wings. Eventually her face hardened with determination, and squaring herself up she marched onward towards Ponyville. She would not be bothered by Twilight. Hell, it might even be some form of closure to all this wing business.

Plus, admittedly she was curious to see what Twilight looked like now.

She wasn't the only one, as it turned out.

Arriving in Ponyville, she found it oddly deserted for the most part. It was only when approaching the library that she realised where everypony had gotten to.

Even from down the street, Meteorite could hear the excitable rabble of the technicoloured crowd half-surrounding the library. The crowd had reached as far back as a couple houses down the street, ponies at the back eagerly craning their necks above the ponies in front craning their necks, all to catch whatever glimpse they could see through the library's closed door. The skies themselves were heavily dotted with the local pegasi population. Meteorite gazed bitterly upon them for a moment, before turning her attention to the crowd before her. She glanced behind her to see more ponies approaching to join the crowd, which she readily sidestepped to allow them past.

Seeing Twilight, or even making it inside the library, did not look like an option today.

Meteorite couldn't help but feel a tad overwhelmed and lost, her afternoon plans shattered. She was in the middle of looking around town for inspiration of where to head to now, when she heard a brash, and familiar, voice come from the direction of the library.

"Alright everypony, what gives, huh?"

Meteorite turned and through the assorted legs of the pegasi blocking her vision, she saw Rainbow Dash hovering before the crowd, looking down sternly as her forelegs were crossed in front of her. It wasn't long before a voice was shouted from the crowd.

"We wanna see the new princess!"

The statement was accompanied by a very loud and affirmative chorus. Rainbow winced at the noise.

"Look, I totally get that guys, but Twilight's busy! She's gotta prepare for her coronation in a few days!"

"We wanna see what she looks like!" shouted somepony else. Rainbow huffed dramatically.

"Oh come on! You all know what Twilight looks like! She's purple, got a dorky manecut-"

"We've heard she's an alicorn now!"

"I was getting to that!" Rainbow shot back, twisting her body around mid-air, pointing over her shoulder at her steadily flapping wings. "And she's got a pair of these babies! Not as cool as mine, mind you, but ya know, still pretty sweet."

A restless murmur arose from the crowd.

"We don't wanna see you," somepony rudely yelled, leaving Rainbow shocked at the notion.

"Yeah! Show us the new princess!"

As the crowd began to angrily agree with itself, Rainbow Dash briefly shrank into herself as she tried to hastily keep up with the ever-increasing demands to see Twilight. Mere seconds later, it all became too much for her and she sprung higher into the air, shouting at the top of her voice.

"Okay, that is it!" she boomed, stunning the mob into silence. She glared at everypony as she spoke firmly. "Like I said, Twilight's busy. The last thing she needs right now is a bunch of ponies distracting her by trying to poke their noses in where they don't belong. If you wanna see Twilight that badly, then go to her coronation in Canterlot!" She gestured off in the distance, causing Meteorite to turn around, and spying the cliffside city of Canterlot behind her. It continued to hold her interest as Rainbow continued with her rant.

"Now, unless you have an actual reason to see Twilight, besides gawking like a little foal, then scram, you hear me?!"

The crowd heavily grumbled and protested, but ponies began to unhappily break away, reluctantly returning to their lives. Still staring at Canterlot, Meteorite saw out of the corners of her eyes ponies walking back past her. She was dimly aware of the noise levels levelling out, until she heard Rainbow speak again, considerably closer this time.

"That means you too, buddy."

Blinking out of her thoughts, Meteorite turned around to see Rainbow glaring at her from above, her forehooves crossed in front of her. Already feeling the intimidation, Meteorite shrank back slightly, even as her focus found its way towards Rainbow's wings, tracing their path as they flapped up and down. Unable to find her voice, Meteorite braved eye contact for an instant as she nodded meekly and hurriedly trotted away. Rainbow watched her go for a moment before looking around.

Satisfied in clearing out the crowd, Rainbow let out a relieved sigh and, in a display of skill and airborne grace, flew up in a half loop to speedily head back inside the library.

Meteorite had wandered back home to the cottage, but even as she busied herself wiping her hooves on the welcome mat, she told herself that she was not giving up. It… simply hadn't been the right time.

The cottage felt empty. Obviously, there was a glaring reason why, but more so than just Steel's absence. She entered the dining room to find nopony there, but her ears pricked up at the sound of water boiling in the kitchen just beyond. Stepping into the kitchen, Flo was at a counter, preparing assorted vegetables on a cutting board. She caught sight of Meteorite and her face brightened.

"Meteorite, hi! I was wondering where you'd gotten to!"

Meteorite smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, sorry, I… went into town for a bit after work."

"Oh?" Flo asked, her curiosity piqued. "Any reason why?"

Meteorite considered the question. She wasn't ready to flat-out mention her emotional breakdown that morning.

"I suppose…" she began, allowing herself a light-hearted smirk, "you could say I was trying to do a bit of soul searching."

"Oh," Flo remarked, taking the time to take in her friend's current state. "Well, you definitely seem more on top of things than this morning!"

"Haah," Meteorite scoffed lightly. "I wouldn't go that far, but yeah, I-" she averted her gaze briefly, feeling embarrassed. "Applejack kinda helped talk things out with me earlier."

"Aww, that's good," Flo smiled, turning back to preparing dinner. "That was nice of her."

"Yeah…" Meteorite murmured, feeling a desire to continue talking, but not really knowing how. She let her gaze linger into the dining room for a bit, before deciding to change conversation. "Where's Silverfire?"

She could feel Flo's mood drop at the question. "He's in his room," Flo said with a heavy heart. "He's still depressed about Steel leaving."

"Not surprised," Meteorite muttered, still feeling lost about the situation herself. "Working together didn't help, I take it?"

Flo paused for a moment, thinking. "I think it did, for a while. We talked while we worked, about different things. I asked about his interests, he asked about mine… and things were going pretty well!" Flo exclaimed with a big smile, before her face fell as she stared down at the floor. "But then we got back here, and the cottage was just… so quiet, y'know?"

Meteorite nodded, sadly understanding. Flo focused on chopping up some carrots, though her spirit wasn't in it.

"He just mumbled to himself and said he was gonna be in his room for a while."

"Hm," Meteorite murmured, not really thinking about anything in particular, but more of an acknowledgment that she had heard Flo's words. An uncomfortable half-minute passed by.

"So… not doing great, huh?"

Flo slowly looked at Meteorite, unsure of whether she was being serious or not. She went back to her vegetable chopping.

"I wish I knew how to help him."

Meteorite found herself frowning slightly at the statement. "I… think, you're doing what you can. There's not going to be some kind of magical way to make Silverfire suddenly not care about Steel." A brief moment of hesitation as she remembered the world she was residing in. "I mean… there probably is, now that I think about it, but we don't wanna go down that route."

Flo stared aghast with wide eyes at Meteorite. "Oh, goodness, no!"

"Right, right," Meteorite muttered, feeling ashamed, "Sorry, I shouldn't even have brought it up; I just… I'm still not quite used to… magic, and what it can do."

Calming down, Flo regarded Meteorite with a sympathetic look. "Is that because of what happened with Trixie?"

Meteorite blinked. Oh lord, she hadn't even been thinking about the whole Trixie fiasco.

"...yeah," she responded, deciding that was a worthy scapegoat to use. Setting aside her chopping knife, Flo trotted over and lightly hugged Meteorite, which she contently leaned into. In spite of certain earlier events, this had been a very huggy day. Meteorite wasn't about to complain though; she'd always been one for hugs, but she never really had anyone to hug after her mother had di-

Meteorite opened her eyes and frowned. Okay, no. One unsettling life crisis slash experience at a time, alright me? For once she was talking to herself, rather than… 'herself'.

Pulling away from the hug, she hid her frown with a smile. "Thanks Flo, I'll be okay."

Satisfied that she helped somepony today, Flo beamed back a smile before returning to her chopping. Meteorite glanced back into the hallway, towards the direction of ~~the boys'~~ Silverfire's bedroom.

"Back to what I was saying…" she began slowly, "I really think you're doing everything you currently can do for Silverfire. It's not gonna be an easy fix, it's gonna take time."

Flo stilled her movements as she took her friend's words in, staring vacantly at the cutting board before her. Eventually she gave a nod of acceptance, silently resuming chopping up the final bits of carrots before lifting up the board to scrape them into the boiling pot on the stove.

"You're right," she finally said, turning around to face Meteorite with a feeble smile. "I just have to continue being there for him. Be the shoulder he needs to lean on."

A frown quickly found its way to Meteorite's brow. She didn't like the way Flo had put that. It sounded far too self-destructive for her liking. And I know all about being self-destru-

She bit her lip.

"Don't do that, Flo," Meteorite said slowly, carefully thinking about each word as she said them. "Be there for him, yeah, but also like, be there for yourself as well. You're not helping anybody if you become a mess yourself."

Her words seemed to reach Flo as her eyes seemed to gain more life as she considered what her friend had just said. "Thank you," she said, her smile becoming more genuine, "I think that's what I needed to hear, actually."

"You're welcome," Meteorite smiled back, with a carefree half-shrug. "Not everyday I'm the one cheering you up, after all."

Flo fought back a snicker. "It's very much appreciated."

A warm fuzzy feeling engulfed Meteorite and she glanced aside at the countertop, the high she was currently feeling pushing her to speak her mind, her words tumbling out before she was even thinking about them. "Need any help cooking?"

Flo's face lit up. "O-oh! Yes, actually! Do you think you could… take the tomatoes out of the icebox and wash them? Would help a lot."

Meteorite had no idea if she could. "Sure! I mean, I'll give it a shot."

Dinner was a quiet affair.

The two mares sat in their usual spot, as did the lone stallion. The seat to his right was conspicuously empty. Everypony avoided looking at it. Silverfire gloomily picked at his vegetables with a fork. Flo tried to sneak worried glances his way in-between bites. Meteorite was…

Meteorite was studying her plate before eating any of it. She often did; calculating which bits and pieces she could isolate and nibble away at to lessen the meal, before she had the unfortunate task of chomping away like a dog greedily scrounging around its bowl, pushing and scraping it across the floor with every movement.

It was something she had done for months now. Tonight, she was considering something new.

A lone carrot slice had fallen to the wayside of the plate. A prime subject for her.

Lightly gripping the plate between her hooves, Meteorite turned the plate so that the carrot was off to her left side, where her hoof was. With a look that radiated nervous curiosity, she gently laid her hoof upon the carrot slice. She left it there for a while, before pulling away and upturning her hoof in a fluid motion. Upon her hoof the carrot stayed stuck, and Meteorite's heart sang as her face brightened at her success.

She moved her hoof to her face and ate her prize, savouring it.

She glanced over at her two remaining friends, both lost in their own ways. Neither had noticed her victory, but maybe that was okay. It wasn't something she could easily share, and she still needed further confirmation that it wasn't just dumb luck.

Silverfire continued to idly stab at an empty spot on his plate, the clinks of metal against porcelain repeating like a metronome. Meteorite decided she needed to break the silence.

"I want to fly," she announced, continuing to search for and isolate more slices, carrot or otherwise. The other two stopped and turned her way, both not really knowing how to respond to the statement. Meteorite faintly smiled as a cucumber slice found its way to her mouth.

"U-uh, w-well…" Flo got out before Meteorite looked their way once more, her eyes stern.

"I'm not looking for pity, just so you know," she clarified, making sure they both understood. She took in a deep breath before continuing. "It's something I need to admit to myself. I've been ignoring it all this time, because I didn't think it mattered that much to me, but… I was wrong. It matters a lot to me, and honestly? It kinda feels good admitting that." She gave them both an amused smile. "So… this is me admitting it. I want to fly."

"But uh… what about… what about your…" Silverfire began unsurely, not knowing how to approach his question. Meteorite smiled knowingly.

"Oh, the fact that I can't move my wings?" she remarked casually, looking down at her side. "Yeah… that's an issue. Don't really know what I can do about it, but… I'm gonna… try doing something about it. If I can." A troubled yet thoughtful look crossed her face. "If I can't… well. I suppose then at least I've tried."

Silverfire fell silent again, owing more to his own thoughts now raising new questions than anything else. Flo however was looking upon Meteorite with quiet awe.

"Wow…" she murmured, "that talk with Applejack really must've been something, huh?"

'It… helped, definitely," Meteorite said sheepishly, looking down at her plate. Feeling ambitious, she tried picking up a hoofful of boiled cabbage. She frowned mildly when her attempt only left the pile a goopy little plateau. "I'll admit, I was in a pretty bad way after we parted ways this morning. I guess you were right… I wasn't okay."

Meteorite let that hang in the air for a moment as she turned to look at the other two ponies at the table, taking in their postures. "I… don't think any of us are okay at the moment, to be honest. Maybe we need to face that."

Silverfire bit his lip as he turned his head away but as he did so, his gaze swept across the table and at the brown mare opposite. Her head had hung down in front, clearly also trying to avoid eye contact. Forgetting himself, Silverfire sat up straighter in his seat as he faced her.

"Flo?"

Only lifting her head slightly, Flo glanced her way back at Silverfire, a faint blush on her cheeks at being caught out by him. "It's… not been easy since yesterday, I have to admit. I want to stay strong for you two, but…"

"We're dragging her down, Silverfire," Meteorite finished for her. Silverfire felt a lump in his throat at the realization that he was affecting somepony he cared about.

"S-Sorry," he mumbled into his chest, "I… didn't realize."

"It's fine…" Flo quietly responded. Silverfire figured that it was in fact, not fine. He thought to himself before looking over at Meteorite.

"Does that really help? The whole… admitting thing?"

Meteorite offered an apologetic shrug. "We won't know for sure unless you give it a shot."

With a slow nod, Silverfire looked down at his plate, still practically untouched. A part of him realized that Flo had worked to make this meal for them. He… had to try. For her. He breathed in deeply, and waited until he had his thoughts in order.

"I… I just don't understand why he left, y'know? He wasn't supposed to leave."

"Maybe… he felt the time was right?" Meteorite offered. Silverfire shook his head.

"No, no that can't be it. He said this was to help me understand the value of hard work and prepare me for life, but… I don't feel prepared at all. I don't understand nothin'."

"Well I- I think you've come a… decent way since we've first met," Meteorite said, already feeling lost on how to help. "You always do good at stuff, like meals and stuff, right Flo?"

"O-Oh, yes!" Flo hastily replied, surprised at suddenly being asked. "You've always been so helpful, Silverfire. You've always helped me carry things back to the barn and other places."

"Those are just things you're supposed to do…" Silverfire said dismissively, waving off the notions. "I mean, thanks you two, but I don't feel any different now than before. Besides, that's not the point…"

"Then, what?" Meteorite asked. Silverfire silently sighed.

"He just wasn't… supposed to leave. We both came here, yeah to help me learn stuff, but it was supposed to be us two together, y'know? Brothers from the city going on an adventure to the countryside. I… I thought we were gonna actually be br…" Silverfire trailed off into a mumble.

Flo and Meteorite shared between them a worried glance, before Meteorite leaned in slightly. "Gonna be… what?"

Silverfire fidgeted with his fork in his hooves, staring at it as he put it down next to his knife. "...brothers for once," he finally admitted. "Like, okay yeah, he's been hurtful in the past, I'm not stupid, I know he was kinda mean when we were colts. I just thought… maybe this time we could actually be like, proper family and stuff. An' I though' we were…" he mumbled into his chest, "'til yesterday."

Silence filled the room again as the two mares felt awkward at the revelation. Meteorite spoke first, trying to clear the tension.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"Yeah…" Flo agreed. Silverfire shook his head.

"It's okay, you two didn't do anything. It's just Steel that let me down…" He paused as those words left him, and he lifted his head up a bit. "Huh. He let me down…"

"Revelation?" Meteorite asked timorously, having noted the change in Silverfire.

"I'm… not sure," Silverfire said, still thinking. "It… doesn't feel right."

"Sometimes it doesn't," Meteorite nodded. "Sometimes… you have to accept that people you care about can hurt you."

"That doesn't sound like a good lesson," Flo mumbled.

"It's fact," Meteorite pushed. "Look, I'm all for sunshine and rainbows, but sometimes you get hurt. And this is clearly one of those times. Steel's hurt Silverfire. If realising that helps Silverfire get back on his hooves, well, I'm sorry, but that's just life sometimes."

Flo looked back at Silverfire, studying him as he stared downwards in thought. "...do you feel better?"

'I don't know," Silverfire admitted. "I… like, I don't feel as down as I was earlier, but I also don't feel good, y'know?"

"I'll be surprised if you did, to be honest," Meteorite said. "This kind of thing sucks. But you'll pull through, Silverfire. I believe in you. We believe in you."

Silverfire glanced at the two of them, Meteorite trying to look positive, and Flo looking back at him unsurely, but offering a curt nod as their eyes locked. He drew in a breath.

"Thanks, you two. At least I'm not entirely alone here, right I guess?"

"Right," Meteorite nodded, offering a smile. Flo tried to smile too, but her heart wasn't in it. Silverfire thought for a while as he began properly digging into his meal.

"So… what do I do now?"

"Try to move on, I guess," Meteorite responded. "What do you wanna do, now that Steel's gone?"

"I'm… not sure," Silverfire said, glancing out the window at the dusk sky. "The whole reason we were here was for me to learn what Steel wanted me to learn, but without him… I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to be learning."

"Sounds to me like he wasn't really teaching you much while he was here to begin with," Meteorite remarked, looking unimpressed.

"Hah," Silverfire laughed hollowly, before letting out a quiet sigh. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. I actually really like being here with the two of ya, and I don't really wanna go back and see Steel again. Not this soon, anyway."

A faint blush crossed Flo's face as she glanced away, as Meteorite stared thoughtfully at her plate, going back to dissecting it one piece at a time.

"Where has Steel gone, anyway?"

"Probably back home, and helping out with Mom's store," Silverfire shrugged.

"Your Mum runs a store?" Meteorite asked, curious. Silverfire nodded with a faint smile.

"Yeah, in Canterlot. It's not that big though, but Mom likes running it."

"What does she sell?" Flo jumped in, curiosity taking hold as well.

"Ah pff," Silverfire scoffed, thinking to himself, "little things, I guess? Mostly jewelry that she makes. Sometimes Dad'll make little metal figures and stuff, just random stuff that ponies like to buy. Oh, and candles I guess. I mostly just helped sweep the floor and tidy things about. Was alright, really."

"Sound nice," Meteorite commented, for lack of any other response. Silverfire nodded thoughtfully.

"Yeah… it was. Kinda boring at times though. We weren't in the busy area of Canterlot, but we saw enough customers. I do miss Mom and Dad though…"

"Well…" Meteorite began, thinking. "Twilight's having her coronation in Canterlot in a few days. Maybe you could go and see your parents at the same time?"

Silverfire considered the idea, but shook his head with a frown. "No…" he sighed, "I mean, normally I would, but…"

"You don't wanna see Steel," Meteorite finished. Silverfire nodded, and the table fell quiet for a moment as the three ponies all considered the situation.

"What coronation?" Flo asked suddenly.

"Twilight's becoming a princess, I guess," Meteorite responded, tossing a carrot slice into her mouth and chewing on it for a bit. "Heard about it while I was in Ponyville. Ya gonna go?"

Flo put a hoof to her chin, staring thoughtfully across the table at Silverfire. Eventually she shook her head. "No… I think with everything that's happened, I should at least stay for a while to help smooth things out. As nice as it'd be, it's not as important as staying here." She finished with a smile directed at Silverfire, who returned an appreciative smile of his own.

"Yeah…" Meteorite murmured, not really paying attention to her companions, "I'm not gonna go either. Sounds like a huge event, so I'd rather not get mixed up in that whole ordeal."

With a few nods in agreement and nothing further to add, the three ponies quietly resumed their meals.

The following day, Meteorite braved Ponyville once more. Her confidence had been slightly shaken since encountering the crowd and being run off by Rainbow Dash, but she wasn't visiting the library today. Twilight would no doubt still be busy, so Meteorite decided to temporarily delay her research and just find a nice quiet place to sit and hopefully spy a few fellow pegasi flying through the air. She didn't really know what she could learn from pegasi watching, but if nothing else it reaffirmed her determination to Do Something about it, eventually.

Her search led her towards the local park by the river that flowed through town, and she found a suitable bench that didn't have a nearby tree blocking her view of the sky to perch herself upon, and clambered up onto it.

Taking a moment to make herself comfortable, she scanned the skies for anypony that she could study. Sadly, the skies were fairly clear that day, not just of clouds but ponies as well. Off in the distance, she could see somepony flying above the main road, but even squinting she couldn't really make out who it was, let alone see how their wings were working. It was maybe… Cloud Kicker? Or was it Cloud Chaser? It was Cloud Something, that much she knew.

Either way, she was too far away to properly see.

Sighing to herself, Meteorite continued to follow the distant dot along the horizon, if just for something to do, when she saw the pegasus fly by the Ponyville Hospital, off to her right.

A new idea entered her head as she mulled it over, and seeing that her current activity wasn't getting anywhere, she decided it was at least worth checking out, and hopped down off the bench.

Walking up the winding path to the hospital, Meteorite couldn't help but feel intimidated by its presence. It had an entirely different feel to the hospitals she grew up with, especially with the imposing ornate green double doors that served as its entrance. She hadn't expected automatic doors, obviously, but it still left an impression on her.

As she stood in front of the doors, they suddenly flew open as two ponies exited, one in a wheelchair being pushed by the other. Quickly sidestepping out of their way, Meteorite gave them a quick glance as she slipped inside before the doors swung shut.

Inside the lobby area was sparsely populated, a few ponies that were either injured, ill or a combination of the two, sitting on the sidelines as they waited to be admitted. Meteorite carefully eyed everypony as she awkwardly stepped up to the nurse currently behind the open counter.

"Hello," the yellow-coated nurse greeted with a warm smile as she looked up from her paperwork. "How can we help?"

Meteorite shuffled awkwardly as she rubbed her head, suddenly unsure of her plan. "Um… I… wanna see a… doctor?"

The nurse furrowed her brow slightly. "Is this an emergency?"

Meteorite shook her head, embarrassment quickly shooting through her. "...no, more like… a… checkup, I guess?"

Meteorite didn't hear a sigh, but she could feel one radiating off the nurse. "Have you been here before?"

Again, a shake of her head, and Meteorite found a clipboard being pushed towards her across the counter. "Fill this out please, and we'll get to you as soon as we can."

Obediently nodding, Meteorite took the clipboard in her mouth and turned around, looking for a spot to sit. Fortunately there was a fairly empty corner on the other side of the room and she quickly trotted over and climbed up to sit down on one of the lobby cushions. She dropped the clipboard into her waiting hooves and studied the form attached to it.

Lodged in the clip was a small pencil for her to use, so she carefully nudged it out and tried picking it up with her hoof. It came away freely, but as soon as she wondered how to properly hold it for writing purposes, it dropped back onto the clipboard with a small clatter.

Both annoyed at still somehow not getting the whole picking things up deal and glancing aside sheepishly to make sure nopony saw, she picked it up again but decided to just deal with it, and quickly stuck it in her mouth to write with for now. Whatever she wasn't getting, she'll figure out later.

As for the form itself, it looked to be the standard fare for forms: name, date of birth-

Oh, wait. She… didn't exactly know the calendar system Equestria used. Or, for that matter, exactly how old her pony body was meant to be. She guessed it was the same age as she had assumed herself to be, but… she didn't actually know. Hm, that's an issue.

Well, she'll come back to that, she reasoned. Moving on, parents.

…huh. That's… also difficult to explain. She supposed… Not Applicable for both? Okay, that's annoying.

Scanning the rest of the form, she saw several more things she couldn't explain: family medical history, allergies, next of kin…

Meteorite's heart grew heavy as she realised trying to submit anything on this form would invite further questions about why she had next to no information on herself.

Glancing up, she noted the nurse had resumed her focus on her paperwork, and Meteorite made a decision.

It wouldn't be several more hours until the night shift, when the nurse on duty would then stumble across the discarded clipboard sitting in the corner of the lobby. Mildly confused, she would inquire if anypony had forgotten their form, but nopony would answer.

Meteorite sighed to herself as she left the hospital behind her, along with any sense of self-accomplishment. She hated herself for losing her nerve and walking away, shamefully hanging her head low with her tail between her legs, quite literally. Feelings of frustration started to bubble up within her.

"It's not fair," she growled to herself. "For the first goddamn time since I've been here, I was actually working towards something! And now it's all shot to shit, because technically I don't exist!"

Slowing her pace, Meteorite reflected on her words as she came to a standstill in the midst of Ponyville. "Legally," she amended softly. "Legally I don't exist."

Her accidental slip lingering in her mind, Meteorite forcibly shook her head to clear her thoughts, or at the very least, shove those thoughts off to the side. Taking a breather, she turned in a half-circle, only vaguely taking in her surroundings.

"So what do I do now…" she murmured under her breath, pondering any possible course of action. She supposed she could've just lied on the forms; it wasn't like they would instantaneously know it wasn't true before they could perform a quick checkup.

…except, that would be a very obvious hanging plot point to be twisted against her later on, and no doubt used to make things even more complicated for her to explain. Like hell she was going to leave herself open like that.

No… she had to abandon the idea of getting medical help. At least, for now. Before that, she would have to somehow do something about essentially being a non-entity in Equestria, with no form of identification to her name. Well, except for the library card Twilight had given her.

Oh lord, that was all she had. A library card.

Her eyes instinctively scanned the rooftops, and spotted the leafy top of the library a few blocks away. Meteorite frowned to herself, and her focus shifted to beyond the library.

"I want to be mad at you," she muttered to herself, and to herself. "But I'm guessing you just didn't think this far into the game. I mean, it's not like your first instinct upon dumping yourself into this kinda thing is to pack a birth certificate alongside yourself."

Her remark caught the ear of a passing earth pony, who briefly paused to try and spot whatever Meteorite was glaring at before turning her head back to give her an odd look of mild confusion. Meteorite blushed heavily and quickly trotted onwards, away from the scene of the crime of being caught out talking to herself. Thankfully she didn't recognise the pony, or her pink and blonde colouring, so she mitigated her embarrassment that way.

"Shit," she continued talking to herself, much quieter this time though. "That was embarrassing; gotta be more careful about that." Finally taking heed of her own advice, she switched to an internal monologue.

Getting too complacent here. Although… you probably did that on purpose, didn't you?

She lifted her head, her line of sight falling upon the distant city of Canterlot, which only left her with a feeling of exasperation.

Just like you probably also purposefully put Steel on a bus outta here.

Her pace came to a halt once more and —ignoring all the life lessons she grew up with— she sat down in the middle of the street, and stared at the cliffside city with a sigh.

Why did he have to go? We were actually starting to get on for once! It's not fair that he just upped and left, and nobody even knows why.

She hung onto that thought for a while longer than her other ones, mulling over it. Well, nobody but Steel, I suppose, really.

Still thinking it over, her eyes periodically darted across the architecture of Canterlot as an idea slowly formed within her. Her head turned back to look down thoughtfully at one of her wings.

"'It's not fair'," she carefully remarked, the idea now taking hold of her. A self-satisfied smile slowly curled upon her lips.

It… was an awful idea; it vehemently went against her entire protest of avoiding the story since she became aware of her status as a character.

…which is exactly why she ought to go through with it. It'd throw her author completely off-guard and wholly unprepared for what she was considering doing. Far too long she'd been content with hiding in the background, letting the world wash over her with whatever awfulness it brought with its wake.

She stood up and started heading her way back home. Not this time though. This time, it was her turn to make some waves.

And… maybe get the bus to turn around.

Chapter 23

The following morning, Meteorite purposefully stepped into the dining room where Flo and Silverfire were already sitting, quietly having breakfast. The two of them looked up at the sound of hoofsteps and quickly noted that Meteorite was looking refreshed and decked out in her saddlebags. They both gave her a curious look each.

"You… going somewhere?" Flo asked tentatively. Meteorite nodded back, perhaps a little too eagerly.

"Yup! Decided I'm going to that coronation after all. Once in a lifetime thing and all that."

"I thought you said you didn't want to get involved?" Flo pointed out, feeling wary of this sudden announcement. She was beginning to feel a little hurt that Meteorite hadn't discussed her plans at all, not to mention springing all this on them in the middle of the week.

"I mean, how involved can I get, really?" Meteorite said flippantly. "Stand around in a crowd, Twilight makes a speech or something, probably a crown or two thrown her way, then we all go home. Oh! That reminds me, actually…" she started, turning to face Silverfire. "Just confirming, do ya think Steel'll be at this coronation?"

Silverfire blinked in surprise at the mention of his brother, but paused with a frown as he gave it some thought. "...probably not. He was never much for events, no matter how big."

Meteorite nodded in agreement. "Okay, good, that's what I figured too. Just making sure I don't accidentally bump into him or anything. Speaking of which…" she spoke deliberately, "just so I know where to avoid going, where exactly would your Mum's store be?"

"Oh!" Silverfire exclaimed, his face lighting up. "You don't have to worry about that. It's like…" he gestured wildly with a forehoof. "Way in the other direction of the castle. About five or six blocks on the-" Silverfire furrowed his brow. "Right? As you leave the train station? Or is it left? …no, right." He struggled internally further for a bit before glancing at Meteorite sheepishly. "Wherever the castle isn't."

"So… straight to the castle then," Meteorite clarified with a small pitying smile.

"...yeah."

An awkward pause hung in the air before Meteorite straightened her posture, jostling her saddlebags into place. "Welp! Guess I'll be going then. I'll see if I can bring back… something nice."

She had barely made it past her seat when Flo spoke up, a hint of suspicion in her voice. "Meteorite, it's not even sunrise yet."

Meteorite glanced out the window at the darkened landscape that lay beyond it. "Oh, well uh," she began to sweat slightly, "y'know, gotta get there early, find a good spot and all that…" she trailed off, thoroughly aware that she wasn't selling it. She looked back and forth from the window to the kitchen, her hoof hesitating mid-step. "Actually no, no you're right, absolutely right, probably should wait a bit. And breakfast. Should have that now, now that I think of it."

Flo carefully watched her friend head back into the kitchen, awkwardly fumbling her way out of her saddlebags mid-stride. Unsure of what was going on, Flo turned to face Silverfire, who just apathetically shrugged in response and resumed eating his oatmeal.

As the two earth ponies exited the cottage, Flo hung back around the front door, an unsettling feeling resting in her gut. Silverfire glanced back at her questioningly, Flo gestured for him to keep going.

"You go on ahead, Silverfire. I… wanna talk to Meteorite for a bit before she leaves."

Silverfire nodded, a half-empty smile on his face as he turned to leave. Flo released a faint sigh, right before hearing the approaching sounds of Meteorite grunting as she fought with her saddlebags. Finally leaving the cottage, Meteorite was mildly surprised to see Flo waiting for her just outside.

"Ah, h-hey Flo. What's… up?"

Flo furrowed her brow as she stared at Meteorite, trying to discern her true intentions. When that didn't work, she shook her head clear and spoke up.

"What's really going on, Meteorite?"

The fur on Meteorite's back straightened as a chill ran across her spine. "I uh, don't know what you're getting at, Flo," Meteorite replied with her best attempt at a poker face. "I'm going to Canterlot, like I said."

"Now, though?" Flo intoned. "And during the work week? Meteorite, you never do this!"

Meteorite glanced past the trees and into the distance, Canterlot peeking above the foliage in an attempt to taunt her.

"Well, there's never been a coronation before!" Meteorite grinned goofily. However, Flo was determined to stand her ground.

"Does Applejack even know you won't be here?"

Meteorite's breath hitched, freezing in place alongside the rest of her body as she fought with every fibre of her being to not react. She swallowed.

"Why wouldn't she?"

Scrutinizing Meteorite's expression, Flo firmly sat herself down on the path and regarded her friend with a disheartened glance.

"Meteorite," she said softly, "please don't lie to me."

Meteorite's face fell ever so slightly as she stared back into those eyes, feeling stuck for a response. Shame welling up within her, she forced herself to break away, unable to pursue her bluff any further.

"Dammit Flo," she muttered under her breath. "You couldn't just let me go on about my way, could ya?"

"Why-" Flo managed to get out, before being briefly at a loss on which question to follow up with. "What's going on, Meteorite? You're not really going to the coronation, are you?"

"No…" Meteorite admitted in defeat, still refusing to make eye contact. "Not even happening today anyway."

"So… why did you lie?"

Meteorite flinched. A stab through the heart will do that.

"Because…" she started, licking her lips as she allowed herself time to choose her response carefully. "I'm going to… go and find Steel."

Flo's eyes widened with surprise, and she slowly sat up straight. "You're going after Steel?" She put a hoof to her mouth, mulling the news over. "Why? What are you going to do?"

There was no immediate response as Meteorite pawed at the ground with her hoof, staring thoughtfully at the worn away area. "I'm just gonna talk to him," she eventually said.

"About what?"

"Dunno," Meteorite murmured as she lifted her head up to stare off into the shadowy horizon, her mind churning over the possible dialogue openers she thought up lying in bed last night. "Haven't thought that far ahead yet. Probably gonna ask him why he left though."

"Okay…" Flo murmured unsurely, getting back to her hooves. "And you have to do this now, because…?"

"Because," Meteorite replied methodically as she continued staring off into the distance, "if I put it off for later, I'm just gonna lose steam, and then just not do it. It's what I do." Her face twisted into a pained expression as she glanced downwards. "I… don't wanna do that here."

"Also-" Meteorite continued suddenly, turning sharply towards Flo with a look of determination. "The longer I wait, the more he's gonna slide into dejection." She punctuated by tilting her head in the direction Silverfire was last seen. Flo followed the gesture, and felt a lump in her throat at the realization. Meteorite went on.

"He's not in a good place right now; trust me, I've been there." Meteorite grew quiet, displeased with her current thoughts. "Or maybe I'm still there. Again, dunno. But what I do know is, things are rough around here, and Steel owes us an explanation. And I'm gonna drag it out of him. Who knows, maybe drag him himself back if I can."

"...I've never seen this side of you before," Flo said quietly.

"I'm a little unfamiliar with it myself, to be honest," Meteorite smiled hollowly. "I've… My gameplan has always been 'stay out of the way, don't get involved in things that don't concern you, let the world do its own thing and don't do anything stupid'."

Flo felt obligated to ask. "So… why are you doing this then?"

Meteorite sucked in her cheek, thinking. "I was asking myself the same thing last night. I tried talking myself out of it; I'm very good at doing that." She paused, mostly for effect rather than any real reason. "But… there was just this tiny part of me that just went 'Are you okay with doing nothing?' And… y'know what? No, I'm not. Not this time. So, I'm gonna do something about it."

Flo slowly nodded, starting to understand where Meteorite was coming from. However, she still had questions. "But what about Applejack?"

Meteorite bit her lip. "I'm… not happy about skipping out on her, and if she feels it necessary to fire me… well, I've got a decent amount of bits saved up. I'll find somewhere else to stay, and a new job, hopefully. It's not like this is my calling, anyway."

"Do you really think she'd fire you?" Flo asked, her voice small and afraid.

"Hope not," Meteorite half-shrugged with an uneasy smile. "But that's just gonna be a risk I'm gonna hafta accept."

"You're… really serious about this, aren't you?"

"I think I am, yeah." Meteorite offered a slightly silly smile. "Hey, first time for everything, amirite?"

Flo didn't respond, only staying quiet as she stared thoughtfully off to the side. In that moment, the tip of the sun began rising above the horizon, spilling its majestic light across the land. With the two ponies feeling the accompanying warmth of the encompassing glow, Flo turned back to Meteorite with a curious smile.

"You should go."

Meteorite blinked, though it might've been in response to the sun. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Flo replied, her smile becoming a tiny grin. "If you feel that strongly about it, I think it's only right you should follow your heart. I'll talk to Applejack and try to cover for you."

Meteorite nodded slowly, considering the proposition. "Actually, yeah, probably a good call. Though, don't drag yourself into this if you don't have to."

She received a vehement shake of the head in response. "No, I'm not going to let you take the fall all by yourself. You're my friend Meteorite, and I've never seen you more determined to do anything, so I don't see why I should stop you, or if I even could." There was a twinkle in her eye as she stepped aside, freeing up the path. "I'll stand by your decision, even if it means standing up to our boss."

Meteorite's mouth twitched into a heartfelt smile. "She's… more than that, but thank you." She stepped forward, pausing as she came level with her friend. "You… really mean that?"

"Absolutely," Flo replied, failing to hide an excitable little grin. "What are friends for? It's why you're going to see Steel, right? Because you're his friend."

"Well, I'm… kinda ticked at him right now," Meteorite said carefully, losing herself in her thoughts. "But I mean… I thought we were friends…"

"Maybe you still are, but he just needs reminding."

"...huh," Meteorite mused, smiling thoughtfully. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised there's a life lesson in here somewhere." Straightening her posture, Meteorite held her head up high as she stared off towards Ponyville. "Well, guess I'm off to Canterlot, then. I'll try to bring the big idiot back, but no promises."

Flo held her tongue on the name-calling, deciding there were better times to pick that particular fight. "Good luck," she instead wished warmly.

"Heh, thanks. Hope I need it."

Flo giggled slightly. "You mean, 'hope you don't need it'."

Meteorite glanced back at her, a cryptic smile on her lips.

"Sure."

Early morning Ponyville was a bit of a new experience for Meteorite, with the sun still not reaching certain corners of buildings, and many ponies still snugly tucked away in their beds, and the few assorted ponies that were up and about, they all were groggily going about their own business, looking like they wished they weren't.

Meteorite couldn't help but sympathise.

In any case, she had to press on, towards the train station. She admittedly didn't know exactly when the train would be there to take her to Canterlot, but she figured being early would ensure she wouldn't miss it.

If the train was going to Canterlot at all today.

Oh god, what if it wasn't? What if there were set days for certain locations? She'd been so used to the hourly trains to every which way back home she didn't even consider that Equestrian timetables might be much more sparse. Goddammit, this was what she got for being recklessly spontaneous in her planning.

Meteorite stood still, frozen to the spot, as she tried to mentally calculate the best course of action, now armed with this new tidbit of uncertainty. She shook her head, and carried onwards. No, even if there was no train to Canterlot today, she should still go and find out for sure when.

The Ponyville train station wasn't exactly a locale Meteorite was familiar with, but she expected something a little more than what looked like a stout one-room hut. Once again, her real life expectations led her to disappointment.

Walking up the wooden ramp to the platform by the train tracks, she peered intently into the window of the station, both hoping to see someone, and just inherently curious about places she hadn't seen before.

It wasn't long until a pale blue stallion shuffled into view, a steaming cup of presumably coffee in his hoof. Perhaps the most striking feature about him was his stylish mustache and chops, jogging vague memories within Meteorite of having seen him before.

Glancing up at the distant window while taking a sip, the stallion paused as he took in the fact that somepony was on the other side, and spluttered slightly as he hastily set his cup down, fishing a pair of spectacles out of his uniform pocket while grabbing and awkwardly putting his conductor cap on.

"Terribly sorry," he apologized as he approached the window, his voice coming through the little curved gap at the bottom. "I'm not used to customers at this hour. How can I help?"

"Oh, I thought I was early," Meteorite replied, trying to sound clueless, "I'm so sorry, but uh, I was hoping to get a ticket to Canterlot?"

"It's no trouble, ma'am," he replied, "I'll have that ready for you in just a moment!"

"Wonderful," Meteorite beamed, before remembering she should probably get her bits ready, and turned to fish her coin purse out of her saddlebags. Moments later she was putting away her ticket alongside her purse.

"I don't suppose you could tell me exactly when the train to Canterlot will be coming?" Meteorite asked hopefully. The stallion pulled out a pocket watch, inspecting it.

"It'll be here in roughly an hour and forty-five minutes, ma'am."

Meteorite discovered that she could feel both relieved and annoyed at the same time.

"I see," she replied, trying to maintain a level of decorum. "Thank you very much."

The next couple hours dragged on.

Meteorite had settled herself on the lone bench on the platform by the ticket window, resigned to having to wait it out. More than a few times she found herself spacing out and nearly nodding off in the process, jolting herself back awake when she realised her eyes were closed.

As the hour grew near, the station began populating with a few assorted ponies, buying tickets and talking amongst themselves. The activity helped keep Meteorite alert, and she recognised a few of them, like Minuette.

…at least, she thought her name was Minuette. In all honesty, Meteorite had been here for so long she was having trouble separating what was canon from the fanon parts vaguely strewn about her memory. She shook her head, trying to focus.

As the station platform grew more crowded, Meteorite's ears twitched as they picked up the sound of rails screeching faintly in the distance. Lifting her head, she could see white smoke in the sky, as the train underneath steadily chugged towards the station. Perking up, Meteorite hastily got off the bench, reattaching her saddlebags in the process, and eagerly awaited the train's arrival.

As it grew near, the first thing to strike Meteorite's attention was the heart shape stamped on the headlight of the locomotive, followed by the heart pattern below on its… bumper? Plough? Whatever it was, Meteorite didn't have time to consider the names of parts of trains as it pulled past her and the growing crowd around her, revealing its deep pink metallic finish. Blinking at the sight, Meteorite gave a cursory glance towards the train carriages being pulled, and their colourful roofs atop brownish exteriors, giving the overall appearance of cupcakes, lined up one after the other.

Yeah, this was definitely a playset model of some kind. And she was going to be using it as a serious mode of transport.

As she began silently lining up behind ponies boarding the now stationary train, she mused on the fact that Steel most likely had to use the same means, and that brought a slight smile to her face. Even if Steel probably thought nothing of it, because this is probably just the norm in Equestria, but still. It amused her nonetheless.

Awkwardly following the pony in front, Meteorite boarded the train until she could find a place she could break away from the crowd and settle in for the trip. One of the first carriages she encountered seemed to be the passenger car, and Meteorite was surprised by how easy on the eyes the interior looked compared to the exterior. It sported a motif of green carpeting and yellow walls adorned with lamps, with the seating themselves separated by the most stylish, if somewhat impractical, dividers she'd seen, swooping down towards the centre aisle like waves of green glass.

A directed clearing of the throat behind her made Meteorite aware that she was holding everypony up, and quickly scrambled to a nearby seat in the middle of the car, continuing to be surprised by its soft cushioning form. The dividers offered no back support, but these seats were immediately noticeably comfortable to sit on. Glancing at the rest of the ponies drifting by, she noted a couple other ponies purposefully stretching themselves out longways on their respective seats, making themselves very much at home in the process. Turning her attention back to the seat, she had assumed it was a double seater, but it could pass as a single lounging seat if she wanted to be selfish about it. She decided to be selfish in a different way, and unloaded her saddlebags onto the spot next to her.

For all the childish appearance of the outside, Meteorite had to admit the inside of the train was very elegant. She almost felt like she had stumbled onto the wrong train. So much so that in a quiet fit of panic, she hurriedly flagged down the conductor when she next saw him. She gave a quick smile when he approached.

"Hi, yeah, just confirming; this train is going to Canterlot, right?"

"Yes ma'am," he nodded.

"Okay good, thanks," Meteorite replied, her shoulders already relaxing from the tension of her internal panic. The last thing she needed was some shenanigans that sent her to whatever the pony version of New York would be.

After the train had systematically filled throughout with its new load of passengers and preparations by the staff accounted for, Meteorite felt the train stir back into life as it began moving. She stared out the window and watched as the houses she'd come to recognise as her new home town slowly pull away from her line of sight.

I'm leaving Ponyville, she realised with a slight hitch in her breath. For the first time since being here, I'm leaving Ponyville. Oh god, I already feel horribly out of my depth…

Plagued by her thoughts as the scenery soon became grassy fields and hills lined with trees, Meteorite squeezed her eyes shut and forcibly shook her head. No, no no, get a hold of yourself! You can do this. You made the decision to do this, and you've made it this far; you can't back down now. Even if you don't succeed —and let's face it, you probably won't— the fact is you will have tried. We've been too scared of being in the limelight, well right now, fuck the limelight. This is more important than any of that meta bullshit. This is about trying to help somepony you care about.

Her head lifted slightly, eyes still on the outside scenery, mildly surprised by that last thought of encouragement. She didn't rightly know if she was referring to Silverfire, or Steel. It might've been both, to be honest.

Also, she unironically used 'somepony' in her own personal thoughts. She rolled her eyes with an unamused smirk at herself; she supposed it was bound to happen sooner or later. With a quiet sigh to herself, she propped her head up with a hoof as she leaned on the windowsill, watching the unfamiliar world pass her by.

Meteorite was getting restless.

While riding the train had been an exciting new experience, hearing its wheels underneath clack against the tracks and feeling the rumble as the train sped to its destination, Meteorite admittedly didn't know exactly when that destination would arrive. She knew Canterlot was a ways away, but it had been a while since they left Ponyville. She gave a cursory glance at the sun, now high in the sky, before returning back to the fields zipping by. She'd fallen back on a personal game she had relied on in her youth to entertain herself while in the passenger seat of her mother's car: imagining someone running across the landscape, dodging and weaving between obstacles as the scenery forced them to keep up, like an aggressively fast autoscroller level. Back then, it was Sonic. Today, she decided the game needed updating, and imagined Rainbow Dash instead. She found this mildly amusing.

She hadn't spent all her time staring out the window though. She tried alleviating her boredom in a variety of other ways, first by taking stock of the other ponies in the car (a few, Ponyvillians she recognised but not by name), then either studying the patterns on both the ceiling and carpet of the car, or inspecting the weird glass divider behind her (she summarised that it wasn't strictly glass, but she didn't exactly know what it was, and wasn't about to try anything that might damage it), or idly batting a hoof at the pullcord of the window shade by her seat.

She had stopped when somepony entered the car and sat down on the seat opposite her.

The pony wasn't someone she had seen before; faded pink ('puce' came to mind) with a purple mane far paler than Meteorite's coat. The unicorn quietly cleared her throat to herself as she settled in, using her magic to unfold a newspaper and begin reading. Her honey-coloured eyes looked aged behind her glasses.

Meteorite's gaze dropped down the newspaper, hoping to read anything interesting on the back, but unfortunately the unicorn held it at an angle that would've necessitated Meteorite to hang her head below the seating to see anything readable. She decided mild boredom was preferable to embarrassing herself in a skit that would've fitted wonderfully in the likes of Mr Bean.

Instead, she went back to staring out the window. Imaginary Rainbow Dash then scored 2500 points by acrobatically stomping five goombas consecutively that definitely weren't just bunnies minding their own business out in a field.

Meteorite suddenly felt a low rumble, not from the train but in her stomach. She ignored it and imagined a cool game mechanic as Rainbow Dash leapt and grabbed a low-hanging tree branch, and spun around it to launch herself into the sky. Puffs of cloud were now the enemy. Probably Lakitus.

The rumble growled louder, breaking her concentration. She tutted and held a hoof against her stomach, as if that would placate it. "Man, I should've brought some snacks. Didn't think it'd take this long."

A mildly inquisitive noise and a slightly rustling of paper alerted Meteorite to the pony opposite, now looking at her with a raised eyebrow. Meteorite smiled sheepishly.

"Ah, sorry, don't mind me. Just getting a bit hungry, is all."

The slightly older mare turned her head to the side a bit. "There's a diner car down that way."

Meteorite blinked. "Oh. Right, I guess… these kinda trains have those, don't they?"

The other mare politely ignored the urge to ask what other kinds of trains there could be, and went back to her newspaper.

"Welp," Meteorite uttered as she hopped off her seat, grabbing her saddlebags in the process. "Guess I'll be off to… get food then." She stood in the aisle, momentarily contemplating. She turned back to the preoccupied mare. "Might as well ask, but uh, you wouldn't happen to know how long it'll be before we reach Canterlot? Soon, yeah?"

The mare looked up from her newspaper, peering over her glasses with a look of bewilderment. "'Soon'? Dear, we won't get to Canterlot until tomorrow morning."

A strangled squeak died in Meteorite's throat as her irises shrunk in fear. Her mouth hung open, hoping for words to come out on their own, but they all got stuck behind the blockage that was the now-dead squeak. The older mare regarded her with sympathy.

"You didn't know?"

Making an effort to regain control of her senses, Meteorite closed her mouth and forcibly swallowed, blinking away her paralysis. "N-No…" she croaked. "C-Can't say I did."

"Will you be alright, dear?"

Still shaken, Meteorite glanced aside in thought. "Y-Yeah, I think… maybe? I… I don't-" Her mouth hung open again, her words finding themselves behind the same blockage again. Her stomach helpfully filled the void with an audible whine.

"Go have something to eat, dearie," the older mare told her softly. "You'll think better on a full stomach."

Meteorite glanced towards the exit at the end of the car, and nodded numbly. "Y-Yeah, alright. Not much else… I can do at the moment, I guess."

Watching her stiltedly walk away, the mare hemmed to herself as she returned to her newspaper article.

The diner car wasn't much different from the passenger car, Meteorite had noticed, the main difference being the addition of tables, furnished with dark green tablecloths matching the carpet. A staffpony was in the aisle, taking orders from a couple at a table further down the car, so Meteorite slid into a nearby empty booth, and plucked the menu sandwiched between the napkin holder and sugar bowl upon the table. She stared intently at it, trying to not focus on the fact it would take her the entire day just to get to Canterlot.

Fifteen minutes later she was staring blankly at the food she ordered; a basket of hay fries alongside a daisy sandwich, with lettuce, cheese and tomato. She didn't really want the tomato, but unfortunately it remained firmly in her mental list of 'Things I Don't Really Like in My Sandwiches But I Know It's Good For Me So Suck It Up I Guess' instead of her 'I Actively Cannot Stomach This In Any Capacity' list, like onions. She feared the day she'd have to eventually pick sliced onions out of her premade sandwich, with her mouth. She'd sooner give the sandwich away to someone with a more discerning gag reflex and go hungry.

None of this was really worth thinking about currently, but it distracted her from the mental calculations in the back of her mind that was desperately trying to point out that if it takes her a day (and a bit) to reach Canterlot, then it would take another day (and a bit) to get back to Ponyville, and that's not taking into account how long she might spend in Canterlot, or train schedules, and that realistically this little outing that she had envisioned taking maybe a day at worst, was now looking to take her at least three days in total, if she was super fast about it.

Skipping a day of work she could see herself getting a warning out of it. Skipping three days plus though, she might as well start looking for a new job now. And a new home. Admittedly, she had told Flo that she knew she risked getting fired, but she never really believed it, kinda always figured she'd get a slap on the non-existent wrist, and-

Oh. She had stopped being distracted by her food, hadn't she. She absent-mindedly tossed a hay fry into her mouth and chewed. For what was essentially deep-fried and salted hay, it tasted just like the potato fries she knew from before. She wasn't in the mood to mentally debate how that was possible.

A few fries and sandwich bites in, she was only passively aware of someone entering the car and walking past her table, before that same someone stopped mid-step for a few moments and turned about face. A polite clearing of the throat brought Meteorite out of her thoughts, looking up in the smiling face of the mare she had spoken to earlier.

"Do you mind if I take a seat here?" she asked, indicating the spot on the other side of the table. Meteorite glanced about at the many vacant booths in the car.

"Uh… I guess? I mean, n-no, go ahead, if you want."

Swiftly seating herself, the mare flagged down a waiter. "A cup of tea, if you would," she ordered as he trotted on over, "with a dash of milk and one cube of sugar, ta." Meteorite slowly chewed as she carefully eyed the proceedings, wondering why this pony was here at all. Almost in response, the mare turned to her.

"I apologize if I'm being intrusive; you just seemed like you need somepony to talk to, and I-" she levitated her glasses off her face, and folded them before dispatching away in her side pouch. "-currently do not have anypony to listen to."

Meteorite swallowed, staring down the mare. "You're being kinda intrusive, yeah."

The mare's ears wilted as she glanced downwards. "Ah, I'm sorry. Shall I leave then?"

Meteorite glanced out the window at the ever-moving scenery. "No…" she eventually drawled, "No, I could use company that isn't myself."

Nodding silently, the mare waited a few moments before offering a hoof across the table. "The name's Lavandula."

Meteorite looked back at the pinkish hoof and extended her own hoof to meet it. "Meteorite."

With a brief shake they broke contact, Meteorite going back to staring at her half-eaten food, and Lavandula accepting her tea from the waiter. She took a sip before setting it back down, using her magic to take a sugarcube from the nearby sugar bowl. She unceremoniously dropped it into her tea and stirred it with her spoon.

"Feel like talking about it?" she asked.

"Not much to say really," Meteorite spoke dryly. "Instead of making a mistake I thought I could handle, it turned into one that I can't."

"Ah. I assume this has to do with arriving in Canterlot later than you expected?" A nod. "Are you going to be late for something, then?"

"Oh, no," Meteorite began, eating a few fries. "Getting to Canterlot is fine. It's getting back in time. I… may have skipped work to take this trip. I figured I could get away with missing a day, but this…"

Lavandula tutted quietly, taking a sip. "Yes, that does seem problematic. Is there anything you can do?"

"Don't think so?" Meteorite admitted, her shoulders shrugging in defeat. "I'll just have to face the consequences when I get back."

The two sat in silence, save for the constant clacking of the train tracks. Lavandula held her cup to her lips thoughtfully.

"If you don't mind me asking," she said, putting the cup back down. "Why did you skip your work to visit Canterlot?"

Meteorite gave another shrug. "Impulse? Unpredictability? Wanted to take a running jump at something I wanted to do before fate realised and had a chance to pull back on the reins." The unintentional pun made her pause, and she lightly scoffed to herself for it.

"And discovered that the reins merely had slack," Lavandula mused.

"Something like that, yeah."

Another lull. Lavandula studied the mare opposite, and sneaked a hay fry with her magic while she wasn't looking.

"Why do you want to go to Canterlot?" she asked, making sure she had finished the hay fry first.

"Looking for someone," Meteorite said simply, looking out the window. "A friend. Or at least, I thought he was. Wanna ask why he left town the other week."

"I see," Lavandula said, pursing her lips, her cup halfway to her mouth as she carefully considered this. "So, this stallion friend of yours, he means something to you?"

Meteorite snapped her attention back to her imposed companion, not entirely sure she liked the underlying tone. "I mean… yeah? He's a friend."

"Didn't you say you weren't sure just now?"

"Because he bailed on us! On his brother! On me."

Lavandula arched an eyebrow at that last statement, infuriating Meteorite further.

"Okay, look," Meteorite began, her voice gaining an uneasy edge to it. "I don't know who you are but-"

"I'm merely trying to get the full picture here," Lavandula interrupted, placing a hoof innocently on her chest. "Because it sounds an awful lot like you care for this stallion terribly."

"Well, of course I care for him, but I don't see how you're getti-"

"You've literally boarded a train straight to Canterlot without putting your affairs in order, and you've blindly done so to the point that you didn't even realise how long it would take you." Lavandula took her cup and downed the rest of her tea as Meteorite stared at her in numb shock, finishing by delicately placing the cup down on its saucer. "All just to see this stallion of yours. Forgive me if I've gotten the wrong idea from that. Anypony would've gotten the same sentiment from it."

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

"Don't you say anything."

"Moi?" Rarity gasped, hoof to her chest. "Meteorite darling, I assure you that I wouldn't have dreamt of interrupting with anything of the sort!"

Meteorite gave her a side-eye. "Despite the fact that you literally asked about me and Steel the other week."

"Absolutely, as you have given me your word, and what kind of lady would I be if I were to flagrantly disregard it for the sake of gossip, hm?"

"Hmmm…" Meteorite mused suspiciously for a moment, then her face relaxed into a smile. "Yeah alright, I trust you. I was just giving you a hard time."

Rarity recoiled in shock. "Meteorite, you scoundrel!" She turned up her snout and sniffed. "Well, now I don't know what to say…"

Meteorite wryly watched the drawn-out suffering as Rarity cracked open an eye towards her, the tiniest hint of a smirk on her lips.

"...except that she's absolutely right it absolutely does look that way."

"I knew you couldn't resist."

"Ah, the terrible shame!" Rarity threw back her hoof against her forehead. "To think, me, the mistress of a scandalous affair with the Seductress of Sweet Apple Acres!"

"I'm not a seductress!"

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

"No…" Meteorite muttered, staring wide-eyed at the implication. "No, that's not it. I don't l-" she grimaced and tried again, slower, as if she needed convincing herself. "I don't love him."

"If you say so."

"I. Don't. Love. Him," Meteorite growled. She lifted her head to glare directly into Lavandula's eyes. "What business is it of yours anyway? Why are you so damn interested in what I do or who I like?"

Lavandula leaned forward on the table, hooves clasped under her chin. Her horn lit up, and the sugar bowl opened up to allow a sugarcube to float out, levitating in front of the unicorn's face.

"I was like you once. Young, reckless, fought against the world. Didn't care what happened as long as I got what I wanted in the end. I'm trying to get you to think about your actions, because one day-" her magic flared, and the sugarcube compressed in on itself, crumbling to the table into a messy pile, "-you're just going to make a whole mess you can't clean up afterwards, or hurt someone you won't be able to heal. Who knows, maybe you already have."

Meteorite stared at the pile, the pile that used to be a sugarcube, feeling guilt piling up within her in a similar manner. She… really should've told Applejack her intentions. Sure, she might've said it'd be a bad idea, or told her to wait until she had time off… but she should've told Applejack. In her haste to outsmart herself, she ultimately only let down somepony that had respected her.

"Chase after your stallion if you must," Lavandula went on, using a napkin to clean up the pile. "But make sure it's for the right reason."

"...it's already too late," Meteorite muttered, "what would the point be of bringing him back if I'm-"

Meteorite stopped, lifting her head up in quiet realisation. Lavandula watched her curiously.

"Silverfire," Meteorite uttered. "It's too late for me, but at the very least I can make Silverfire happy by bringing his brother back."

Lavandula smiled, pulling the folded napkin taut in her magic, allowing the grains of sugar within to pour into her empty cup. "A mess is not always the end of things, if you know how to make it still work."

Meteorite stared at the cup before looking up at Lavandula, troubled and slightly ashamed. "Um… thanks. I'm… sorry I got testy with you."

"Don't concern yourself with it, dear," Lavandula beamed. "Life's not always straightforward; sometimes we need just a little push in the right direction."

"But… how did you know-"

"Well, I'm older," Lavandula winked. "Experience and wisdom comes with the territory. But I… took a guess for the most part."

"A guess," Meteorite replied flatly.

"Enough experience and wisdom to know roughly where to take that stab in the dark," Lavandula giggled, getting out of her seat.

Despite herself, Meteorite smiled. "Well, thanks again," she said earnestly. "I may not like my situation right now, but I think I know the best course of action to go from here."

"I wish you luck," Lavandula replied, smiling back. Suddenly her eyes lit up. "Oh! And check your ticket, see that symbol in the corner?" She waited until Meteorite hastily fished her ticket from her saddlebags. "That's your compartment in the sleeping car for tonight. I figured you wouldn't have known, since, well, y'know."

Meteorite looked down at the crescent moon shape printed on her ticket. Or maybe it was a croissant. "Wow, good catch, yeah I wouldn't have known where to go."

The two ponies waved goodbye to each other as Lavandula left the pegasus to the rest of her meal, smiling as she stepped into the next car. A few steps in, Lavandula stopped in the middle of the aisle, a certain spark leaving her eyes, and her face fell as she suddenly squinted. Her hoof reached out in front hoping to feel for the walls or anything to signal where she was, before coming to a rest on the side of her face, patting it a few times.

"Oh my goodness," she muttered to herself in an accent that was much more refined than she had spoken with just a few minutes ago, as she used her magic to fish about in her side pouch. "Why in Equestria would I have taken off my glasses? I can't see a thing without them."

Chapter 24

The world outside continued to blur by as Meteorite leaned back in her booth, staring out the window with an unfocused gaze that barely retained any of the scenery presented. Her peripherals alerted her to the waiter coming to take away her empty plate and fry basket, but the silent interaction was quickly forgotten once he had left, and Meteorite went back to what she was doing.

Which admittedly was in fact, nothing.

It felt nice, for a change. Free of thought, of worries, of concerns regarding the near future, just sitting back with the quiet acceptance that as long as she was on this train, there wasn't much she could currently do to alter her course in life. It brought about a sense of serenity, in a way.

Her hoof idly tapped against the surface of the table, muffled only by the tablecloth. The soft rhythmic beat eventually stilled, as a faint sardonic smile appeared on Meteorite's lips.

"Well, looks like you got your story outta me in the end," she murmured softly to herself, "all it took was me caring about somepony."

Her expression gave way to a fretful frown, as Lavandula's words crawled back to the surface of her mind. Did… she really give off the air of having romantic feelings for Steel? Sure, she had gotten a lot friendlier with him in the recent weeks, but she wouldn't have said she loved him. More like… like… a friend she knew she could get away with teasing quite a bit. Hell, he had taken some shots back at her sometimes, so it wasn't entirely one-sided. It was just a good bit of friendly teasing between her and him.

Right?

Her eyes shifted, picking up the faint reflection in the window of herself staring back with a tinge of regret. That… was the issue though, wasn't it? She was a mare, and he was a stallion. To her, it was just playful banter, but to anypony else, it might as well have been flirting.

…maybe even to Steel himself.

The idea ran her blood cold, as she slowly but surely sat herself upright in her seat. What if that was it? What if Steel was uncomfortable with how she was acting towards him? And given how stiffly abrupt and antisocial he was at the best of times, maybe… he didn't know how to cope with the attention and… fled?

Oh god, did she do this to him?

'...think about your actions…' Meteorite recalled, a horrible feeling creeping up on her. '...maybe you already have…hurt someone…'

She had thought it to be Applejack that she'd hurt, and while that may still be the case, she'd never once considered that she may have made Steel uncomfortable. It was a hard truth to swallow.

And if so, then… was going after him now going to make things worse? What if he refused to talk with her? What if all of this was for nothing? What if-

Meteorite forcibly shook her head with a grunt. It was too late for 'what ifs'; she needed to move forward and follow through with her plan. It was all she had left at this point, potentially. Just… she needed to step forward with a bit more care than she first imagined.

Scooting herself out of the booth with a weary sigh, she swung her saddlebags over her back and stood in the aisle for a bit looking towards both ends of the car, debating her next move.

Time for a change of scenery, she decided.

Spending some time backtracking through the train, Meteorite eventually found herself in the sleeper car. The hallway felt deceptively narrow, despite being the same width as the aisles in the other cars; it was just that the rooms that filled both sides of the car made the space in between feel cramped.

Reaching back into her saddlebags, Meteorite scooped out her ticket with an upturned hoof. Staring at the moon-slash-croissant symbol on her ticket, she looked up at the nearby doors, each marked with a different symbol. She saw etchings of a muffin, and a birthday cake, but no croissant moons. It was probably just a croissant actually, given the food theme of the train.

Wanting to move down the hall, she looked down at her upturned hoof, then her other foreleg still planted on the floor. She knew ponies could walk on three legs effortlessly somehow, but she wasn't about to test out her own ability to do so while on a moving train.

Lifting her hoof, she gingerly clenched her ticket between her teeth, allowing her to walk freely once more. If she looked down her snout, she could make out the croissant symbol on her ticket, allowing her to easily cross-reference against the next door which bore a-

Oh for fuck's sake, that was clearly a sun symbol.

Meteorite squinted a glare at it, tilting her head to the side as she did so. Well, okay, she supposed it could pass for a very wavy fried egg symbol instead. She glanced at the next door over for thematic confirmation; it had a heart shape on it.

Okay. Whoever designed this train is just taking the piss now.

She eventually found the matching moon croissant symbol several doors down and on the opposite side of the fried egg sun room. Unamused, she reached up and slid the door open, revealing a narrow room with two beds on either side, and a startled blue unicorn reclining on the bed on the left. Meteorite recognised her as potentially Minuette.

"Oh! Hello!" Minuette greeted cheerfully once the shock subsided. Still in the grips of shock and embarrassment, Meteorite spat her ticket back into an upturned hoof.

"Oh, um, sorry, I might have the wrong room?"

Without warning, Minuette leapt off her bed and used her magic to pluck Meteorite's ticket from her hoof to inspect it. Another ticket was brought forth from about the unicorn's person for comparison as she squinted at both tickets. A few seconds later, she flipped the tickets to showcase the identical symbols.

"Nope, matchies!" she beamed as she floated Meteorite's ticket back. "You've got the right room!"

Meteorite eyed the floating ticket, wary of the magic used to hold it up. Seeing no other option, she took a deep breath and leaned in to bite, angling herself to grab the ticket without crimping it up. Once it was firmly in her mouth, she felt the magical field fade away, allowing her to turn her head back and nose her saddlebags open in order to drop the ticket within.

"Well, um," she began, now that her mouth was free. "I guess we're sharing then?"

"Looks that way! I was wondering if I'd be traveling alone on this trip!" Minuette giggled slightly, before holding out a hoof. "I'm Minuette, by the way!"

Huh, I actually got a name right for once.

Stepping into the room, Meteorite used a back hoof to slide the door shut behind her, before briefly reorienting her balance in order to shake Minuette's hoof. "Meteorite. Nice to meet you, Minuette."

"Samesies!" Minuette beamed, before looking to the leftside bed. "Hope you don't mind, but I kinda already called dibs on this side."

Meteorite glanced at the bed on the left (her bed) and then at the bed on the right (Flo's bed). Blinking neutrally, she unloaded her saddlebags off to the right with steady movement.

"Nah, I don't mind," she lied.

Hopping back up onto her bed, Minuette watched as Meteorite got up onto hers and gave the room a quick study, apparently taking in the small table and two stools just beyond the beds, perched under the window.

"You're from Ponyville, aren't you?" Minuette asked with a smile. "I've seen you about the market there occasionally."

Meteorite nodded slowly. "Yeah, I work," —a brief pause to consider whether that would be the correct tense anymore— "at Sweet Apple Acres."

"Oh sweet! They have the best apples anywhere in Equestria there."

"Well, they do what they can," Meteorite said, smiling faintly, not wanting to take credit for the Apples' hard work. A tug at her heart made her want to get off the current topic, however. "So, you're from Ponyville too, yeah?"

Minuette flopped a hoof dismissively as she rolled her eyes with a grin. "Pshaw, no. I'm just visiting a friend of mine from time to time. I actually live in Canterlot, which is why I'm heading back! I want to get myself ready for the coronation! Are you going too?"

Meteorite gave it some consideration even though she already had her answer. "No… I've got other things to attend to."

"That's a shame," Minuette said sympathetically. "It's not everyday you get to see Equestria get a new princess. I was friends with her from before, you know!"

Meteorite raised an eyebrow at the claim. "With… Twilight? Twilight Sparkle?"

Minuette hid a laugh behind her hoof. "I know right? Ol' Booky Twi? But yeah! We used to be such good friends growing up in Canterlot!"

"'Used to'?" Meteorite picked up on, and for the first time she saw Minuette's chipper attitude falter.

"Uh… yeah," Minuette replied in a more subdued tone, glancing away as she rubbed her foreleg with the other. "We… kinda lost touch with each other after she moved to Ponyville. I tried reconnecting with her, but…"

Minuette stood in front of the giant tree that served as Ponyville's library, and apparently Twilight Sparkle's new place of residence. She leaned her head back, trying to take in the full scope of it. It was very impressive and charming how a tree could be not only a library but a home! She tittered lightly to herself as she knocked on the door, hoping Twilight would be around to answer.

It didn't take long for the door to open, though instead of seeing her friend, Minuette was face to face with a scroll hovering midair, held aloft by magic as a quill hastily scratched at it.

"If you've come to take out a book," came a familiar voice from behind the scroll, "please be quick about it. I'm very busy reorganizing the library from top to bottom and I'm already behind schedule."

"Twilight!" Minuette cheered upon hearing her friend. "It's me, Minuette!"

The scratching stopped, and the scroll lowered enough for Twilight's face to peek over the top, looking at the blue unicorn with an expression that carried mild confusion and faint recognition. Before anypony could next speak, an almighty crash sounded from within, followed by several thuds.

"Twiiiilight…" came a pained young voice from upstairs. "The books you asked me to stack might've… toppled over. And knocked over a bunch of other books. And me."

Twilight sighed in exasperation as she rolled her eyes. "Sorry," she apologized carefully, "but I think you'll have to come back another time for your book."

Minuette held up a hoof in protest. "Actually, I came to see-" —the library door slammed in her face— "...you."

She remained where she stood, both in disbelief and dejection, before accepting that she wasn't going to see her friend that day, and slowly turned around to walk away.

"Wow…" Meteorite murmured as Minuette finished, staring off to the side. "I can't believe Twilight did that."

"Eh," Minuette waved it off. "She was busy, and was probably still adjusting to Ponyville."

"But still! You'd think she'd recognise you!"

Minuette shrugged apathetically. "Honestly, Twilight had always had her nose stuck in a book. I think if there wasn't an academic paper written about you, it'd take her more than a few moments to remember you at all!" She giggled at her joke.

"You're… awfully upbeat about the whole thing," Meteorite murmured, eyeing Minuette with reserved suspicion.

The jovial air in the cabin calmed down as Minuette smiled with knowing eyes. "Maybe. I just don't see the point in fretting over the past. What's done is done, as they say!"

Meteorite remained unconvinced, a fact she left written over her face. Minuette tried to keep up her smile.

"Alright, you don't buy it, I suppose, huh?"

"Not really?" Meteorite replied. "Something like that would bother the heck outta me."

Minuette nodded, thinking as she held a hoof to her chin. "I mean, yeah? At first, at the very least. But… alright, follow me on this one." Shuffling slightly, Minuette twisted her flank to the front, her hourglass cutie mark on show. "See my cutie mark? Whaddya think it represents?"

Meteorite gave it a quick study. As far as she could tell it was identical to the one ~~Dr Whooves~~ Time… 'Something', had.

"Um… something to do with time magic?"

Minuette snorted back a laugh with a flop of her hoof. "I wish! Nah, the easy answer is that I'm very punctual most of the time. But I think it means something else as well."

Meteorite cocked an eyebrow questioningly. "Cutie marks can have more than one meaning?"

"I mean, I don't see why not!" Minuette shrugged. "It's not that unheard of to not really fully understand your cutie mark, even after you get it. But anyway, ponies see hourglasses and clocks and they tend to stress out about how much time they have left, right?"

Meteorite nodded dumbly, having felt like her hourglass ran out of sand hours ago.

"But!" Minuette went on, "I don't see it that way. Instead of worrying about the sand that has already drained away, I see each speck of sand in the top half as a moment in life waiting to be experienced. You only get one shot at experiencing them, so why not make each moment as happy as they can be?" She shuffled back to face Meteorite directly with a warm smile. "Yeah, I miss Twilight hanging out with our group of friends, but she's moved on, and she seems pretty happy now, so I'm happy for her still! Besides, I'd say it worked out for her in the end, considering she's about to become a princess!" Minuette gave a light giggle. "How can I be upset about that?"

The cabin fell quiet as Meteorite contemplated Minuette's outlook on life, awkwardly fidgeting a hoof against the other. "Wow, I… that's… honestly very sweet, that you're so supportive of her like that. I don't think I could do that. I get hung up on stuff so easily."

"A lot of ponies do," Minuette said sympathetically, before allowing herself a small chuckle. "I mean, especially Twilight! Have you seen her faced with a problem she can't solve?"

A small smile crept onto Meteorite's face. "Actually, yeah, I have. It drives her absolutely crazy." With a small afterthought, she grinned and added, "Are we sure we want a princess like that?"

"It does seem like a recipe for disaster!" Minuette laughed. "But I'm sure she'll do fine otherwise. Twilight's a very capable and resourceful pony, you know."

"Yeah…" Meteorite agreed with a faint smile, partially losing herself in her thoughts. "But yeah, I… I can't live 'in the moment'. I've never been like that, I've always had my head stuck in the past as it were, reliving old memories that were special to me. Or funny," she grinned lightly, "I live for the funny moments I've had."

"Oh?" Minuette said, her curiosity piqued. "Feel like sharing?"

Upon the request, Meteorite wondered if she should oblige, followed by assessing if she had anything she could safely 'ponify' in translation. After a few moments of careful consideration, she nodded with a smile.

"Y'know what, sure."

The rest of the afternoon passed by, the two ponies sharing stories amongst light conversation between them, even taking time out to have dinner together in the dining car. She hated to admit it, but Meteorite liked talking with Minuette. She felt free of her hangups of interacting with somepony integral to the show, and she didn't feel the constant pressure to keep track of everything she said, like with Flo and the others. There were still a few twisted truths for sure, but for this one day, on this trip that lay between civilisations, Meteorite could just talk about her old life without much worry.

"-and so, when we got to the next room of the temple," Meteorite continued as the pair walked back into the sleeping car, the train internal lamps already lit, "our DM described the room and how rundown it was, and he says to me, 'you see something glinting in the midden'. Now," Meteorite intoned with a sheepish grin, as Minuette slid their cabin door open for them to enter. "I didn't exactly know what 'midden' meant at the time. I thought he meant 'middle'."

"Oh no…" Minuette murmured, hiding a smile of secondhand embarrassment behind her hoof.

"Yeah," Meteorite nodded, before stretching her hoof out down at the ground. "So I said, 'Well alright, I'll go grab it!'"

Minuette made a squeamish sound as her face scrunched up in disgust, making Meteorite's sheepish grin even wider.

"Yeah, that's… pretty much the reaction I got. Once I found out, I was like, '...oh. Um… huh. Oops.'"

Minuette gave a small giggle as she settled down onto her bed, her legs tucked under her. "Well, I can see why that'd stick in your mind. Didn't pick you for an Ogres & Oubliettes player though."

"Enh, not really," Meteorite shrugged, climbing onto her own side of the cabin. "I just wanted to play with them. You should hear about the time one of us tried to cast a Meteor spell on our opponent. While fighting on a ship in the ocean."

"Are we still talking about Ogres & Oubliettes?" Minuette grinned. Meteorite rolled her eyes with a smirk.

"Har har, yes. But no, valid question I suppose."

"It wasn't you, was it?"

"I can see why you'd think that," Meteorite deadpanned, "but nah, total coincidence. I just found the whole scenario hilarious. Our DM had to tell him, hey, you may wanna rethink that."

"Aw, that's lame," Minuette said, "shoulda allowed it to happen."

"I think it would've ended the whole campaign right there if he had," Meteorite replied, her eyes lidding.

I suppose," Minuette remarked with a smile. "Sounds like you had a lot of fun with them though."

"Yeah…"

Meteorite was momentarily introspective before speaking again. "You know, I just realised, if I never asked to join that game of theirs… I might have never been friends with them. I… hate that thought."

"It's incredible how a small decision can often drastically change a pony's life," Minuette said softly, almost somber. Meteorite turned her head aside in thought, seeing nothing of the shadowy landscape through the darkened window.

"I guess s-" The pegasus' words were cut off by a yawn.

"Tired?"

"Just a tad, yeah," Meteorite smiled sheepishly. "Today's been… sort of an overwhelming new experience."

Minuette giggled inwardly to herself. "I guess we had been talking for quite a while. I could use some sleep myself. I'll get the light."

Meteorite watched with interest as Minuette used her magic to turn off the lamp on the wall, followed by the sound of the window shade being drawn down from across the room. Soon, both ponies had settled into their respective beds.

"Goodnight Meteorite!"

"Goodnight Minuette."

And then the cabin fell silent once more, only the click-clacks of the tracks remaining a constant background noise. Meteorite quickly realised she was now wide awake, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling, sleeping on the wrong side of the room, far away from both her homes.

She stole a glance over at Minuette; she had already wrapped herself warmly in her sheets, a peaceful smile on her face as she found no troubles in quickly succumbing to sleep. It reminded her of Flo.

Meteorite back to staring up at the ceiling, ruminating back on the stories she'd shared earlier, the words she'd have tomorrow should she find Steel, and the reprimands she'd receive upon stepping hoof back in Ponyville.

She was feeling horribly out of her comfort zone. The past several months, she had purposefully stayed in the shallow end of life, but today she had cannonballed in the deep end, and she was having trouble finding the surface again. She needed something to hold onto. Just… something familiar. Something she could trust with all her heart.

Closing her eyes, she put her hooves together across her chest. There was a soft clop as they touched.

…Hey guys.

I… don't know if you can hear me or… well, actually, I guess technically the term would be 'read me', assuming I'm right about everything. And if I am, then the other me probably has been sharing this story with y'all, because let's face it, I'd be excited to have written anything, plus I probably am narcissistic enough to shove a story about myself in your faces.

And if so, then it'd be nice if you all could just glare at me over there for putting me through this hell.

Meteorite paused, tilting her head side-to-side in consideration, her eyes still closed.

Alright, maybe it's not quite as hellish as I'm making it out to be; it's been stressful, sure, but most days are actually okay. I just… miss y'all, and also I wanted to make myself over there squirm.

I still think about all of you occasionally, y'know. Some days I wonder what you're doing now, how far you've gotten with your own stories and art and other stuff you were doing before I wound up here. You guys still get together to chat every weekend, yeah? I wonder what you end up talking about these days. I miss all the dumb stories with the stupid Mary Sues we'd make jokes about.

…I wonder. Do you make fun of me now too?

It's… okay if you are. I deserve it, really… just being here in the first place.

Y'know… the worst part is sometimes I don't even think about it. Some days I just quietly accept it, and go about my day as if it were perfectly normal to be here. Some days… I don't think about who I used to be. I don't think about my old life. I don't think about the people that were my friends. And… that scares me.

It… feels like I'm betraying you all, by moving ahead and focusing on my new friends here in Equestria.

Cracking one eye open, Meteorite turned her head to look over at Minuette, still asleep, before returning to her prior positioning.

I'm… I just want to assert that I'm not replacing you, I… it… I just need somepo- someone, to be friends with over on this side, alright? Fucking message of the show and all that.

And I know you guys wouldn't think that you're being replaced, I just… need to tell myself that. Because I'm scared that one day I might forget. I might forget and the ponies will be who I think of first when I think about my friends.

…I've been friends with you for so long now. Since 2000, yeah? So it's been… what, eleven, twelve years at this point? All these years I've considered you guys my truest friends ever.

…and I didn't even get a chance to fucking say goodbye.

…not that I want to. I never wanted to. But… I mean, look at me, I'm fucking thinking words at you that, in all honesty, you might never ever see. Because that would involve me having the willpower and discipline to write more than a fucking page at this point, and we all know that's impossible.

…which kinda raises the question of how I'm still here at this point.

I don't know, to be honest.

I guess… I dunno, part of me kinda hopes that I'm wrong about that, or at the very least, sometime in the distant future you'll finally get to hear these words at some point, once I get around to it. Or something. I'unno, I think I'm rambling at this point.

…

…

So, how about that local sports team, huh?

…

Sorry, sorry, I'm deflecting with humour again, I know. It just… hurts, thinking about how I'll never see you again. For all the friendship that is rife here in Equestria, it'll never replace what we had.

…what I had.

I mean, you guys still have 'me', I guess. Y'know, the stupid moronic class clown of the group who's too afraid to be serious with y'all for a single fucking moment. Shoot another glare my way, alright? Serves me right.

A faintly forlorn smile crossed her lips, followed by a yawn. Meteorite felt her consciousness wavering.

Alright. I guess I'll call it here. Don't worry about me, I'll… keep trying to make it through things on this side of the screen. I'm not gonna give up or anything, even if it gets rough sometimes. Been in worse situations, after all, I guess. If nothing else, I promise I won't become the all-important self-absorbed main character. I know better than that, at the very least.

Anyway. I don't know what time it is for you guys but, well, heh, I guess I've always been several timezones out of sync with ya from the beginning, haven't I? So… good night y'all. Sweet dreams.

…I love you all. It was nice talking to you again.

Her thoughts finished, Meteorite kept still as she was, contemplating what to do next. Eventually, she whispered almost inaudibly under her breath, the sounds of the train providing cover for her, before pulling apart her hooves and turning onto her side, trying to get comfortable before nodding off.

"Amen."

Meteorite awoke the next morning, groggily wiping the sleep from her eyes as she tried to swing herself out of her bed, before inadvertently kicking the wall. Startled and confused, she blinked rapidly at the wall, furiously trying to wake up faster, before realising she wasn't in her bed back on the farm.

Peering back over her shoulder in the early morning gloom she recognised Minuette, still asleep on the other side of the cabin. Letting out a sleepy sigh, Meteorite turned about to get out on the correct side of the bed.

The morning was still relatively dark, and Meteorite wondered for a while if she ought to go back to bed, seeing as she had no early morning duties to perform, but ultimately she wasn't feeling the call of sleep enough to do so. With a brief yawn, she idly glanced about the cabin, before deciding to go and sit by the window, just to see how far they'd come overnight.

Carefully perching onto one of the stools, she lazily leaned forward to grip the window shade's pull cord in her mouth, before realising she was about to bite down on public property that who knows how long had last been cleaned. Pulling herself back, she squinted at the cord, trying to decide how to approach the issue. She settled on awkwardly reaching forward with her forehooves, and vigorously scrubbing the cord clean between them.

A few seconds in, her brain kicked into gear as she woke up a bit more, and stared at the cord in her hooves. Giving a side-glance at where she assumed the fourth wall was, she tugged on the cord with her hooves, allowing the shade to pull back with the force and roll upwards. She chose to not comment on the matter, verbally or otherwise.

Outside was still dark, but the sky was showing signs of brightening in nature, indicating that dawn would be imminent. The landscape was still nestled in shadow, but Meteorite noted that she had a much higher perspective than before. They must be travelling up the mountain at this point.

Meteorite studied the land further away, allowing herself a moment of peace by not focusing on what she had to do today. There were large clumps of forests scattered across the land, soon to be bathed in golden light as the sun made its majestic appearance.

Ah, Celestia found the light switch. Ta, Princess.

The sunlight streaked along the land, revealing rivers snaking through the warm green grassy fields, the crystal clear waters shining as the light reflected off the surface. There were the occasional animal along the river banks —she guessed probably a raccoon or badger— leaning in to drink. A flock of birds took off from one forest, flying together in formation as they crossed the varied hues of the morning sky.

Meteorite smiled to herself. For as colourful and bright the world was, she felt appreciative to have witnessed this. It felt like those moments where they cranked up the art direction to ten for an impressive display. For all she knew, maybe they had.

A groan from behind distracted her from the window. Minuette was sitting upward in her bed, using her hoof to try and shield her eyes from the invading sunlight.

"Ugh," she grunted sleepily. "What time is it?"

Meteorite blinked at her, and a brief scan of the room revealed that there was no clock anywhere. She glanced aside at the breaking sun.

"Uh, sunrise?" she offered with a small smile. Lowering her hoof, Minuette squinted at her, annoyance clear in her expression.

"Why are you up so early?"

"Sorry," Meteorite apologised, her head lowering slightly. "Farm life, I guess. Kinda have to get up before the crack of dawn to do stuff. Ain't an easy habit to break for one day."

Minuette stared groggily at her, before succumbing to a yawn. "Alright… makes sense I guess."

Spending a few moments getting out of bed, Minuette glanced over towards her companion, having gone back to staring out the window.

"What are you looking at?" Minuette asked, stepping over to see for herself.

"Just… everything, I guess," Meteorite responded. "This world can be rather beautiful, sometimes…"

"Hm…" Minuette mused thoughtfully. "I suppose so, yeah! I've never really been up this early to see it like this, but yeah you're right." Suddenly she thrusted a hoof past Meteorite's snout, off to the left. "Hey, look! That's Ponyville over there!"

Meteorite followed the blue hoof to a distant section of the land. Houses weren't readily visible, but she could see a small sea of brown-yellow thatched roofs, with the red spire of the town hall sticking up from the middle of it all. Peering past, Meteorite spotted a familiar red barn perched upon a small hill, with several trees stretching out and covering the land and hills past it. Her heart ached at the sight.

"Yeah, I see it," she murmured.

"It's so far away," Minuette commented, stepping back. "We must be getting close to Canterlot."

Meteorite nodded dumbly, still staring at the farmlands. I wonder how you two are holding up. I'm so sorry Flo, I honestly didn't think I'd be gone for several days.

"Hey," Minuette called from near the door, a toothbrush in her magical grip. "Since we're probably the first ones up, I'm gonna go use the bathroom before anypony else does, unless you want it first?"

Meteorite waved a hoof dismissively without turning around. "Nah, I'm good, you go ahead."

"Alright, see you in a bit!" Minuette said as the door slid open. She stepped out, leaving the cabin to its pensive occupant.

It wasn't until well into the morning that Meteorite felt a distinct change in the train's speed, specifically that of slowing down. Pulling herself together and retrieving her saddlebags (with a bit of prior checking to make sure her bit purse and ticket were still there), she stood together with Minuette alongside several other ponies in the passenger car as they waited for the train to stop. Through the window, the rocky side of the mountain was soon replaced by flashes of pearly white walls. Meteorite felt her breath hitch with a sort of… nervous excitement. There was probably a word for that.

"So, what're you going to do once we get to Canterlot?" Minuette asked curiously. "I don't think you've actually said."

"Oh, uh, I'm gonna be meeting with somepony. A friend."

"Oh wow, that's pretty neat," Minuette beamed. "Here I am traveling back from visiting a friend, and you're traveling to meet a friend! It's almost like fate we ended up in the same cabin!"

Fate… Meteorite repeated to herself. Really, I'm also here to challenge fate, aren't I? The other me deemed it so to send Steel away, and I'm going against that decision by bringing him back. I wonder if and how I'm going to try and stop me…

"Yeah, pretty neat…"

With a final expulsion of steam and a screech from the wheels, the train came to a stop, throwing Meteorite into a stumble as she momentarily lost her footing. Fortunately, Minuette caught her with a hoof, and suppressed a giggle as Meteorite sheepishly nodded her appreciativeness.

The train passengers began exiting, and Meteorite and Minuette were swept up in the flow, moving swiftly off the train, touching down onto the varnished wood of the Canterlot train station. Feeling the disorientation of being someplace new, Meteorite stepped away from the train and patiently waited for the crowd to disperse.

As she waited, she immediately took notice of the station itself, vastly more modern than any building in Ponyville, with its clean and sleek design, several shades of purple with golden trimmings, and several arched windows that stretched from the ground to the ceiling that allowed a clear viewing of the platform from within the building. If it weren't for the dozens of ponies milling about, she would almost be forgiven for believing she were somewhere back home.

"Well," came Minuette's voice from her left, "I guess this is where we part ways." Meteorite tore her awed gaze away from the station to face Minuette, smiling back at her. "Hey! So, I visit Ponyville quite a lot, how about next time we run into each other, we make plans for lunch or something? I'd like to remain friends with you."

Remain friends…

Her eyes darted away as she contemplated the implications of having another friend. Even if Minuette wasn't one of the Mane Six, she was still a recognisable character; another shoehorned friendship with someone she didn't have any right to be friends with.

But… she had enjoyed her time with Minuette, and didn't have the heart to reject her. Or rather, the lack of heart.

"Sounds great," she smiled, putting aside any conflicted feelings on whether the smile was genuine or not. "I'd like that too."

"Awesome!" Minuette beamed, pumping a hoof in the air, before turning towards the station. "I'll catch you later then, Meteorite! Oh, and look me up next time you're in Canterlot!" Minuette paused, a hoof on her chin in thought. "Unless I'm in Ponyville at the time… Uh, well, we'll figure something out, I guess. Seeya later!"

Meteorite half-hearted waved back, watching as Minuette trotted through the train station's entryway, just off to the side of the building. Soon she was alone on the train platform, save for the train and station staff, preparing the train for its next trip. Sniffing, her eyes hardened as she drew herself up.

"No," she admonished herself, taking a firm step forward towards the entryway. "Do what you came here to do, then you can worry about all the friends you're making."

Message of the show, after all.

Prologue

Meteorite walked with a spring in her step through the streets of Ponyville.

It had been a few weeks since the events of Heart and Hooves Day, and she still felt wonderful. She and Rarity were still dating, and they showed no signs of stopping any time soon. Even if Meteorite wasn't always perfectly knowledgeable on how to act or behave, Rarity still admired her eager spirit to learn.

And Meteorite…

Well. Meteorite simply admired Rarity.

So much so that she maaaay have not been totally honest with her fellow co-workers after the day's shift ended about needing to be in Ponyville that afternoon, as the Carousel Boutique came into her view.

But then, it's not like she was fooling anypony anyway.

"Hello?" Meteorite called out, as the door chimes of the boutique sounded as she slipped inside. "Rarity?"

Rarity's head popped round from behind a privacy screen. Yellow tape hung loosely around her neck and her red glasses were slightly askew. "Oh! Meteorite darling!" She trotted out from behind the screen over to Meteorite, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "What brings you here?"

Blushing, Meteorite tossed a hoof back as flippantly as she could. "Ah-heh, I-I was just in the neighbourhood is all, thought I'd pop in."

"I see," Rarity tittered lightly, taking Meteorite's hoof into her own. "Well, I'm almost finished up here, but why don't you wait for me in the kitchen in the back?" Rarity pointed to the rear corridor of the boutique. "You do remember where it is?"

"Mm-hm!" Meteorite nodded, smiling broadly.

"Alright, I'll see you in a moment, darling."

With that, Rarity turned and headed back to her work, looking back playfully over the shoulder once or twice as she did so. Despite the past few weeks of getting to know each other better, Meteorite felt her blush deepen. Maybe it was the glasses.

Shaking her head clear, Meteorite decided to focus on the task at hand and headed to where Rarity had told her to go. As she made her way to the back, Meteorite took the time to take in the surroundings. She'd only been back in the 'residential' part of the Carousel Boutique a few times, and her natural curiosity wanted to take in as much as she could see.

Midway down the hallway, she could see the entrance to the kitchen, but her attention was drawn to a few framed photos lining the wall. She'd only gave them a cursory glance before, having been following Rarity at the time, so she took up most of Meteorite's attention.

Most of the photos were of Rarity's family, but a select few were of her and her friends, all from clearly some kind of event or gathering. None really stood out to her, unsurprisingly, though there was one gathering that sparked familiarity.

The six mares were all dressed up very finely, along with several other ponies, including two she instantly recognised as Princess Candance and Shining Armor.

The Royal Wedding… Meteorite mused wistfully. God, it's been such a long time since then. Heck, this must've been, what, just a few months before I threw myself here in Equestria?

Her thoughts turned to her first few days, and her wistful smile slowly faded, replaced with a look of regretful worry. Perturbed, she shuddered and absentmindedly wandered to the kitchen, where she only gave the room a lukewarm glance-over before finding a chair at the table to sit on, electing to continue replay memories only shallowly buried.

A short while later, the clip-clops of Rarity's hooves on the polished floor grew louder until she abruptly entered the kitchen, flipping her mane to one side with a hoof.

"Terribly sorry for the wait, darling, but you know how it is," she apologized with a smile, which quickly disappeared as she looked upon Meteorite sat at the table with her hooves perched upon it, almost staring vacantly downwards. "Is… everything alright, Meteorite darling?"

There was no immediate response from Meteorite save for a slow blink, until she lifted her head and snapped out of it as she registered Rarity's presence.

"Oh! Rarity! Hi!" Meteorite immediately beamed, shrugging off her previous behaviour with a wave of her hoof. "Sorry, I was just lost in… thoughts and stuff!"

Rarity pursed her lips with concern, not entirely convinced. "Are you sure, darling? You were looking quite… hem, troubled."

Meteorite immediately scoffed playfully, looking away in the process, but her forced lightheartedness quickly gave way as she began absentmindedly rubbing her foreleg with her other hoof. Rarity scooted a chair over and sat down, placing her hoof on Meteorite's.

"Is there something you want to talk about?"

Meteorite gradually looked over at the hoof on hers, her heart racing slightly faster, before looking up and into Rarity's concerned eyes. She found herself unable to look away.

"Uhh…" she managed to croak out, swallowing hard. "No…? Well- uh, um… I mean… it's nothing, really…"

"Forgive me if I find that hard to believe, darling," Rarity deadpanned.

"Yeah… didn't think that'd work," Meteorite admitted softly, glancing aside. "I guess it has been bothering me for a while now…"

A heavy pause hung in the air as both ponies remained silent, until Meteorite turned to face Rarity. "I just wish… you weren't the only pony I could talk to about this, y'know?"

Rarity frowned as her posture stiffened slightly. "No… I'm afraid I don't know. Why is that?"

Meteorite sheepishly hung her head while maintaining eye contact. "Well, it's… kinda a lot of baggage… and we've only been dating for a little while so… y'know."

"Ahh… I see," Rarity mused, her expression softening. "And you're worried I might be frightened off by your… 'baggage'?"

"Sumthin' like that…" Meteorite mumbled into her chest.

"Hm…" Rarity mused thoughtfully, a hoof laid on her chin. "Well, I'll try to keep an open mind, but Meteorite…" she paused, allowing Meteorite time to look back up at her, "if it is as much as you say it is, well, I'm afraid you're not going to be able to hide it from me forever."

Meteorite frowned, but eventually nodded solemnly. "Yeah… true."

"But, how about we just… unpack a little at a time, hm?" Rarity suggested softly, gently rubbing Meteorite's hoof. "Why don't you tell me what this is all about to begin with?"

A warm feeling of comfort flitted through Meteorite, and closing her eyes with a faint smile, she placed her other hoof upon Rarity's, where they stayed for a few moments of silence. Meteorite then exhaled, relieving a lot of the stress built up inside.

"Alright," she began, sitting up straight as she looked directly at Rarity. "I do need to get this out in the open. It's been building up for far too long. I suppose…"

She swallowed and started again. "It's sorta started up again after everything that happened with us… and… Alexandra…" she said, still not entirely comfortable with openly referring to herself as the author, "it's been a lot to take in, I guess, and… well… sometimes I think back to how it all started and I kinda wish I had done things differently."

Rarity looked surprised. "You do? But I thought we were getting on quite well."

A flash of confusion crossed Meteorite's face, then her eyes lit up in understanding and she shook her head adamantly. "No no no, I don't mean with how we started, I mean… me," she said, gesturing to herself, "being here in Ponyville- well, Equestria I should say."

"Oh!" Rarity exclaimed, "I must admit, I have been a bit curious about that, given your- how shall we say… -strange circumstances."

"Mph," Meteorite grunted, "Yeah… I'm not… entirely happy with how I acted back then. I was a bit of a jerk sometimes."

Rarity thought to protest the absurdity of that statement, but the memory of the interaction between Meteorite and Alexandra that she had inadvertently spied upon crossed her mind. It occurred to her that Meteorite must be hiding a lot of herself from everypony, more than Rarity had realized, but…

If Meteorite was prepared to open up here, even a little bit, it could help understand her better.

"Well," Rarity began coolly, "I'm quite sure you are not alone in that department. I'd imagine everypony has their 'jerkish' moments, even me, if I do dare say so myself."

Meteorite bit her lip to hide her smile. "I can't imagine you ever being a jerk."

"You are too kind to me," Rarity said, flashing her a warm smile. Lightly clearing her throat, she continued. "In any case darling, if you like to share your troubles I'd be willing to listen. After all, if you're bothered by your past actions then you've grown as a pony, yes?"

"...heh," Meteorite chuckled under her breath, amused by the word choice. "Yeah… I suppose. But I don't really know where to begin."

"Why don't you start from the beginning?"

Meteorite mulled over her thoughts, glancing down at her and Rarity's hooves.

"Might as well. Good place as any to start…" She glanced up and met Rarity's eyes with her own, a tiny embarrassed smile on her face. "Well… the first thing I remember is waking up face-down in a puddle of mud…"

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

The better half of a decade ago, an indiscriminate amount of time after the failed invasion of Canterlot by the changelings…

Somewhere down below, in a forest, a purple pegasus utters her first word.

"BLEEEEAAAH!"

Meteorite had not expected to wake up in a mud puddle, though in all fairness there were going to be a number of things today she did not expect. However, since those things were not immediately known to her, being blinded by a face full of mud made for a currently more pressing issue.

Spitting the remnants of mud from her mouth, she weakly pushed herself up to what felt like a sitting position, and raised a hoof to wipe her face. However, upon the first pass of her hoof, she quickly froze, fear settling in rapidly.

For one thing, her face felt wrong. Her hoof had bumped into her jaw which, quite frankly, should not be a few inches in front of where it ought to be. The second thing, though not as immediately pressing as her apparently misshapen face, was that she couldn't seem to unball her fist, either of them, and there didn't seem to be any numbness to them as if she had slept on her arm badly.

Meteorite decided to react to this as calmly as she could, and screamed.

Frantically pawing at her face, she fell back and on her side as she vainly tried to remove enough mud just to see what was wrong. A few moments later, she was able to blink clearly without irritation, only to see a pair of hooves where her hands ought to have been.

She heaved deep and rapid breaths as her mind fought with the information her eyes were telling her. She dared not look away, as if the obvious answer to this maddening sight would flitter away if she did. She slowly turned a hoof, watching as it did but it offered no clues to why it was now part of her. Her wide-eyed gaze slowly drifted down her foreleg, covered with matted and muddy purple fur. She swallowed, ignoring the taste of mud in her mouth, and slowly blinked. A small wish within her hoped she'd see something different when she opened her eyes again.

She didn't.

Mustering all the strength to look away, she turned her attention to her lower half, seeing the same purple fur, with a pale red, and equally muddy, tail messily poking out between her hind legs. A maddened half-giggle escaped her lips as she quickly closed her eyes and made attempts to steady her breathing.

Okay, she hastily thought to herself. I'm… a pony. Oh sweet Jesus, how? This can't be this can't be this can't be this can't be this can't be…! She let out a quick laugh, trying to cope with this fact, but it soon became a quiet whimper as she covered her face with her hooves. Oh god, I've gone mad, haven't I? I've actually gone mad. Jesus Christ…

Meteorite lay still for a minute or so, trying to comprehend her apparent loss of sanity. She wondered where she was in reality, perhaps lying in a ditch somewhere. She remembered there was an expanse of undeveloped land near where she lived. Perhaps she fell down the incline near the road, and was now crawling around amongst the trees and shrubbery, thinking herself a pony. She let out a sob, unable to cope with that thought being reality.

After a while, she sniffed and held out a hoof in front of her, frowning at it. Okay… she thought, forcing herself to remain calm, okay… what if… I'm not crazy? I mean, okay yeah, thinking you're a cartoon pony is fucking nuts, but… what if… this is a dream?

The thought spurred her on, and with some groaning, she gathered the strength and will to push herself up to a sitting position, to consider this line of thinking more. It… seemed unlikely that this was a dream; the forest around her looked too detailed and without the kind of foggy dream look dreams usually have. But… maybe it was a lucid dream? She never had a lucid dream before, so maybe this is how lucid dreams looked. Also, if she was lucid dreaming, then why wouldn't it be about ponies?

Yes, that made sense.

Satisfied that there was a chance that she wasn't dying somewhere in the wilderness, Meteorite decided that she had better get up. She didn't want to waste what was probably her only chance at a lucid dream by wallowing in sadness and mud. Planting her forehooves firmly on the ground, she shakily raised from her sitting position. There was an odd moment of dissociation as she felt the need to push herself further upwards to stand on her hind legs, but she forcibly shook the feeling away, trying to get herself to move on with the dream.

Looking around, Meteorite seemed to be on a dirt path, puddles of mud sporadically placed along it both in front and behind her. The sides of the path were thick with trees, gnarled and twisted, reaching upwards as if to purposefully blot out any indication of the sky. Light still managed to flitter though to allow some vision, but both ends of the path still ended in gloomy darkness. Meteorite involuntarily shivered. Dream or not, she didn't fancy hanging around.

Gritting her teeth, the next step she had to take was, well, taking a step. She slowly lifted a foreleg and tried flexing her… wrist, maybe? Or was it technically an ankle now? Wait, do ponies even have wrists or ankles? Meteorite shook her head clear. She'd have to look that up later once she woke up.

Gingerly stepping forward with her leg, she allowed herself a small smile as she felt brave enough to step forward with her other leg, and yelped as she quickly toppled over as she lost her balance.

"Okay…" Meteorite grumbled quietly, trying to refind her footing again, "maybe this time let's trying walking with all my legs, hm?"

Pushing herself back to a standing position, she solemnly mulled over how exactly. She hadn't really studied how four-legged animals walked or ran, but… it had to be simple, right? I just… gotta walk with two pairs of legs at the same time. Simple. Yeah.

"Okay. Okay, let's… just think about this." She lifted her left foreleg. "If I put this leg forward, I oughta put my back right leg forward at the same time to balance myself out!"

It took her some time to actually pull it off; her body kept wanting to move the same set of legs on either side. But eventually she lucked into the proper way to swing her body so that the alternating stepping pattern felt natural. A few uneasy and stilted steps later, she giggled softly. "Look at me, I'm a goddamn genius, I am." Feeling boastful, Meteorite broke into a trot and landed on her face. There was a lengthy pause, followed by an undignified sigh.

"Dear Princess Celestia," she announced to nobody in particular, her voice muffled by the ground. "Today I learned you have to learn to walk, before you can run." Groaning, she slowly got up and carefully limped her way along the dirt path before her, hopefully leading out of the forest.

Meteorite was starting to miss the safety of Australia.

Granted, a darkened road late at night was probably no better than a dark and ominous forest, but at least back then she never had to worry about magical creatures that could probably incapacitate her in one swift attack. Only the venomous brand of creatures.

Also, suddenly being a horse in the middle of said forest didn't quite help her relax.

Meteorite had taken to keeping her head down as she plodded along, all the while ignoring her now aching hooves, only glancing ever so slightly up just to keep track of the path she was on. Even if it was just a dream, she'd rather play it safe and not meet the gaze of any wandering cockatrice.

Truthfully, a part of her was starting to doubt the validity of it being a dream. She had been walking for ages now, and she didn't seem to be heading anywhere. She had been focusing for the last ten minutes or so on Zecora's home coming into play soon as a haven of safety, but to no avail. If she had to be honest with herself, this dream so far, sucked.

Stopping momentarily to rest, Meteorite cautiously turned to look back at where she came from. She briefly considered the thought that she might've wandered the wrong way, and that did nothing to put her at ease. Times like this, she would've strongly urged herself to run back and try the other direction for a bit, just to make sure it wasn't the right direction. However, in this case, the extra noise from running would surely draw unwanted attention, and she also didn't want to land on her face again.

Resigned to the fact she'd have to just see where this way goes, Meteorite turned back to continue, but something off to the left caught her eye. Just almost slightly out of view, through a mass of trees, vines, and shrubbery, appeared to be daylight.

Taking one last glance at both darkened ends of the forest, Meteorite squared herself up and stepped off the path, pushing past bushes and weaving her way between the trees. As the sunshine got brighter, she misjudged her step over a fallen log, and tumbled forward with a yelp, and landed on her back.

"Oww…" she moaned, as she squinted, holding a hoof in front of her face to block the sun. Suddenly, she gasped. "Wait a minute! I'm outside!"

Rocking side to side, she righted herself and stood up, looking down at the forest with an air of smug victory. She turned up a hoof at the forest, before looking at her hoof.

"Oh right," she murmured. No fingers. So she decided to settle on the next best option and stuck out her tongue, blowing a raspberry at the whole stupid forest, with its dumb thick trees, and its idiotic forest perimeter that… kinda looked like… it ran parallel to the path she'd been walking on. Which meant…

…I could've gotten out of the forest a lot sooner if I'd just looked left more. She paused as she contemplated this.

"…Fuck."

With a disdainful huff of contempt, she gave the forest one last glare before turning around and surveying the vast rolling plains before her. A few isolated trees dotted the landscape, giving shelter to some rabbits, squirrels, birds and various other small critters she didn't immediately recognise. Meteorite carefully scanned the horizon, hoping to spot some form of civilisation, if not just Ponyville outright.

"I don't get it…" she murmured, "Ponyville is supposed to be, like, right next to Everfree Forest. Or at least, Fluttershy's is supposed to be." She glanced behind her. "I mean, that is Everfree Forest, right?" She gave it a discouraged look, before shaking her head. "Has to be."

With a growing sense of feeling lost, she took a few steps forward, hastily losing herself deep in her thought to keep herself preoccupied.

Okay, so. Maybe… Maybe Ponyville is… somewhere nearby. Maybe. Ah, but if this is a dream, which it has to be, right, maybe I just need to focus hard enough and will it into existence?

"I suppose that makes sense…" Meteorite muttered, not entirely convinced by her own reasonings. Nevertheless, she stared intently at the open fields before bringing her hoof around before her, resting into a commanding pose.

"Ponyville, go," she commanded.

Nothing happened. Her hoof wavered slightly.

"Uh… abra…cadabra." She gave her hoof a little shake. "Pony dream, activate!"

Meteorite slowly lowered her hoof, dejected. After a moment's thought, she tried to look up at her own forehead, before feeling it with a hoof, but there was no horn to be found.

Okay, so, not a unicorn. Still, don't think that matters. Should still be able to change a dream regardless. If it's a dream. She scowled slightly. Well, it has to be a dream! Nothing else makes sense. I'm… pretty sure I haven't gone crazy; I think I wouldn't have considered it an option if I truly had. Maybe. I dunno.

She paused briefly, sweeping her gaze across the land. Still, she continued, what else makes sense? You simply just don't magically find yourself in your favourite fandom just because! That's impossible! She snorted derisively. Well. Except in fanfi-

She froze as the thought hit her. Wide-eyed and panic-stricken, she spun around examining the world as if she'd just seen it for the first time, half-expecting to see seams in the landscape or code in the air. There wasn't, but she still felt unhinged.

"Oh god…" she muttered, sounding sick. "This is a fanfic, isn't it?"

Chapter 3

Meteorite was rapidly learning that she couldn't do a lot of things.

Up until now, her main concern was getting from one point to the other, which while it did take her a fair amount of time to get into the rhythm of stepping with four hooves without falling over, it was progress nevertheless.

Doing things with hooves, however, was proving to be a lot more difficult. Not having hands to grip and hold things with was, to say the least, more than a slight inconvenience at this point. And the task of prepping her bed looked to be insurmountable.

Especially since she was having trouble opening the bedroom door to get out.

Meteorite had made a few attempts now to turn the doorknob, but her hoof simply slid off whenever she tried to open the door. Frustrated, she tried several different angles, including hooking her hoof around it, but each attempt only succeeded in frustrating her more. Desperate, she gripped the doorknob with both forehooves from opposite angles, and turned. As the door clicked and she felt it swing in, she gasped in awed victory and hurriedly got to her hooves and made it down the hall to where she was told the linen closet was.

As she approached, she heard mild sounds of clinking of what were presumably kitchen utensils and pots further on down the hallway, and around the corner, in what was presumably the kitchen. She presumed that's where the two stallions were.

Finding the closet on her right, opening it was fortunately a lot easier, as it didn't seem to need any actual turning to open, just a straightforward pull. Taking the sheets and bed covers however, was the real issue.

Meteorite awkwardly stood on her hind legs, using the shelves inside to balance herself, and for want of a better idea, scooped the neatly folded sheets from their spots and unceremoniously dumped them onto the floor in a heap. Dropping back down, she eyed the pile critically, trying to think of a way to move it back to her room without actually being able to hold it. She considered kicking the pile down the hall as she walked, and was her most likely plan of action until she thought of something utterly brilliant.

She could stick her head under the pile and shimmy the sheets down onto her back, and carry them that way. She was a horse, after all, so why shouldn't she use solutions best suited to being one?

Admittedly, it took her a few moments to figure out how to crouch while on all fours, but once she did, via pushing a hoof underneath she lifted up a portion of the sheet pile, and dove in as best as she could. Musty air got caught up in her throat, but she pushed onward and stood up, the sheets awkwardly sliding down her back. Turning her head to look back, she stood proud, basking in her brilliant problem solving… until she noticed the sheets were ever so slightly sliding off her entirely. Suddenly panicked, she hastily made her way back, pausing every few steps to make sure nothing fell off in the meantime.

Rounding her way back into the bedroom, Meteorite half-purposely fell to one side, firstly unloading the bedding off her back, then very quickly using said bedding to cushion her fall. Rolling onto her back, she lay still for a moment and stared up at the ceiling in order to both catch her breath, and consider her next move.

The next move was to get the sheets up and on and around the mattress. She… didn't know how to accomplish that.

Meteorite raised a hoof above her and stared at it, frowning. There had to be some way to hold things with it; she knew it was possible, just… the logistics of it all escaped her completely. She tried flexing her hoof however she could, just to see what could pass as a grip.

Not really seeing any success, she pushed herself off the pile and sat down on her haunches next to it. Finding a loose bed sheet corner near her, she placed her hoof over it, flexed what felt like grip muscles, and hoped for the best.

She pulled her hoof away, and the sheet stayed where it lay.

Furrowing her brow and biting her lip, she tried again. And again. And several more times, speeding up with each attempt until she was just stamping her hoof on the sheet out of frustration. During this tantrum however, the corner had somehow stuck to her hoof, almost magically, and she froze mid-stamp upon realising that she was now 'holding' it.

Breathing carefully, she cautiously brought the sheet up in front of her, trying to get a better look at how she was holding it. But, just as quickly as she had picked it up, the sheet suddenly flitted from her hoof and limply fell back onto the ground.

"Oh nonono, please!" she pleaded under her breath as she desperately pawed at the sheet corner. "I had it! I fucking had it! Please no! Please let me have this!" She went back to her previous method, hoping to replicate her inadvertent success. But she was already feeling her resolve slip away from her, much like the bedsheet. "P-Please…"

Confidence lost, she resorted to looking around the room in vain as she continued to aimlessly poking at the sheet pile, hoping to find anything to help her. And then, almost as suddenly as she started, she felt resistance when she pulled her hoof back.

Meteorite swallowed, not daring to move. She chanced a brief glance down and quickly realised she was holding the bedsheet once more. Not wanting to risk losing the grip again, she made a snap decision and slammed her forehooves together, pinning the sheet corner between them. Braving another look down at her hooves, Meteorite let out a huge sigh of relief.

Okay… now what? Meteorite took a long look at the bed before her, and scooched over slightly, before quickly swinging her hoof around and at the side of the mattress, leaving the bed sheet pinned against it, still under her hoof. Lifting the mattress with her other hoof, she finagled the bedsheet between the mattress and the bedframe, firmly securing the first step of making her bed.

Meteorite was pleased with herself for making progress, but it was going to take a long time, she reluctantly realised.

Fortunately, not as long as she had expected.

Granted, she also had to contend with pulling the bed away from the wall, which was its own perilous balancing act as she had to move about on two to three legs while doing so, but having part of the sheet pinned made it easier to fling the rest of it over the bed and tuck it in without having to worry about holding it.

Still, it took a lot of energy, and Meteorite was still only running on a small bushel of apples for fuel. Tired, she flopped face-down across the bed, both sets of legs hanging over the edges, ready to call it a night, bed readiness be damned. A short time after, there was a very soft knock on the door.

Blinking, Meteorite lifted her head and in the doorway to the room stood a brown earth mare, with a short and very blonde mane. She smiled curiously once their eyes met.

"So uh," she began, giving a quick glance down the hallway, "the boys tell me you're my new roommate?" she asked hopefully. "Oh! And co-worker, sorry!"

Meteorite blinked again, remembering why she was here to begin with. "Uhh, yeah, I… guess." She pushed herself up to a sitting position.

"Oh, that's great," the other mare beamed, as she stepped into the room. "I've been wanting a roommate for the longest time! Oh, I do hope we get along," she added, a little worried.

"Uhhh," Meteorite responded uneasily, already feeling the social pressure. The other mare appeared to have noticed Meteorite's apprehensiveness, and dialed back her excitement a bit.

"Oh, sorry," she mumbled as her ears flattened, "was that too much? It was, wasn't it? It's just been a bit… lonely lately by myself in this room."

Meteorite thought back a few days, when she herself had been living alone. It was a lifestyle she was mostly okay with, but even then, she too felt the sting of loneliness hit hard occasionally. "Oh, no, I- I get that. Sorry, I'm not used to… talking to others, really."

The other mare perked up though, smiling again. "Well, I really do hope we get along. It'll be nice, I think." She held out a hoof. "I'm Sunny Flora, by the way."

Meteorite stared at the hoof with disguised panic. Oh god, is she wanting a… hoofshake? How do you do a hoofshake?! D-Do you- "O-Oh, uh, I'm… Meteorite." She reached forward and pressed the flat of her hoof against Sunny's, hoping to be able to follow along Sunny's lead. It seemed to be sufficiently enough though, as Sunny dropped her hoof back down with a smile.

"Nice to meet ya, Meteorite! That's a pretty name."

"Is… it?" Meteorite asked cautiously, feeling a shot of pride. "Uh, heh, well, thanks?"

Sunny responded with another smile, before jumping up onto her own bed, sitting down to face Meteorite. "So, what brings you to the farm?"

"Uhh…!" Meteorite uttered as she froze up, stuck for an explanation. "Uhhhh, I… don't know how to answer that," she admitted, under the pressure. Sunny tilted her head as she frowned in confusion, prompting Meteorite to launch into further detail. "I mean… I sort of… found…? My way here? I guess? Through my travels?"

Sunny continued frowning as she tried to understand. "Sooo… like uhh… oh, what's the word, uhh… oh! A drifter?"

Meteorite considered the idea. "Sssure. That sounds... about right, I guess."

"Oh, that's interesting! So where do ya come from then?"

Meteorite sharply inhaled, all too quickly realising she was being asked to come up with a plausible backstory on the spot. "Um. Well. I… kinda come from someplace, very far away. I dunno if you would know it…"

Sunny perked up. "Oh! Is it Austailia?"

Meteorite froze up again, for a different reason this time. "...what?"

"I mean, I… assume," Sunny said, her eagerness slowly deflating, "based on your accent. I dunno. I could be wrong."

I have an accent? "No, no no, you're… right. I'm just… a little shocked, to be honest." Meteorite frowned to herself in thought. Also, 'Austailia'? Why isn't it 'Oatstralia'? Isn't that the name fans came up with? Why would it... be different?

"Oh, yay," Sunny beamed, happy at herself for picking up on something, "I've never been to Austailia! What's it like?"

Meteorite briefly considered every Australian stereotype she'd heard of. "Uhh, very… different, to here, I can promise you that." Meteorite glanced down at her bed, and cleared her throat, an idea springing to her mind. "I'd love to go into more detail, but I really need to focus on getting this bed sorted out soon."

Sunny frowned as she appraised the very disheveled mess Meteorite was sitting on. "Want some help?" she asked. Meteorite considered her earlier struggles.

"...yes please. If you don't mind."

With Sunny Flora taking the lead, Meteorite was able to speed up the process of bed-making very quickly. She had very surreptitiously positioned herself around her bed such that Sunny wouldn't likely ask her to pick up anything nearby, but was able to assist by pinning things in place as Sunny did the heavy lifting, so to speak. Meteorite mentally noted that she had to figure out the secret to holding things in her hooves soon; she wasn't going to be able to coast by this easily all the time.

"And done!" Sunny announced, taking a few more seconds to center the pillow. Meteorite stood back, feeling a twinge of guilt over being effectively useless.

"Oh, thank you so much," she told Sunny, piling on as much gratitude into her voice as she could. "That honestly would've taken me all day."

"Oh pft," Sunny waved it off as she turned to face Meteorite, "don't worry about it. You're part of the team now, right?" Meteorite conceded with a nod. "So we help each other out, yeah?"

"Um, yeah," Meteorite agreed, feeling out of her depth again. She turned to the bed, and aimlessly poked it with a hoof. "Thanks again though," she mumbled.

"Don't worry about it," Sunny repeated before moving on, and clapped her hooves together. "Now! What about your…" she trailed off, looking about the room. "Where-"

Confused at where Sunny's line of thought was headed, Meteorite just watched her turn about in a few circles before facing Meteorite again, confused. "Did- Didn't ya bring anything with you?"

"Ah, heh," Meteorite nervously chuckled, lowering her head and averting her gaze. "No, I… kinda don't have anything with me."

"Nothing?" Sunny asked incredulously, turning to look out the window and re-evaluating her preconceptions on what a drifter's life must be like.

"Yeah…" Meteorite began, already going into damage control mode, "I was… pretty desperate when I stumbled across this place."

"Oh wow, yeah, I... guess so," Sunny half-muttered to herself, before turning back to Meteorite. "Well, I guess that makes reorganizing things somewhat easier, heh yeah? I'll still move some of my stuff about so you'll have space to put whatever you want when ya get it, though." Sunny paused as a thought occurred to her. "Actually, how long are you gonna be here, anyway?"

Meteorite paused, save for slowly lifting her head as she considered the question. She stared off to the side at nothing, and opened her mouth to speak but no good answer came forth.

"I… I don't know…" Meteorite eventually admitted. Sunny took in Meteorite's troubled expression, and thought pensively.

"Hey, it's okay," she said softly after a while, "I mean, I don't know how long I'm gonna be here either, so we're in the same boat, I guess." When that didn't seem to help Meteorite, she continued. "Like, I started here a few months back, so y'know, I could be here a few more months, or even years. We... just hafta take things as they come, yeah?"

Years…

Swallowing, Meteorite remained as she was, lost in the possibility that she could be here far longer than she even anticipated. Eventually she forced herself out of her funk, and drew herself up as she looked about the room that was very likely going to be her new home from now on, before returning her focus to Sunny.

"...yeah. I guess so."

"Ya okay?" Sunny asked, concerned.

"I dunno," Meteorite responded flatly. "I… guess I have… a lot to think about."

"I get that," Sunny nodded sympathetically. She hesitated for a moment before coming up with an idea. "Hey… wanna a tour of the house? Take your mind off things? Might cheer you up."

After a few moments of consideration, Meteorite offered up the faintest of smiles. "Sure," she said with an air of resignation, "why not."

For what it was worth, the tour did distract Meteorite for a while. She had always loved exploring new places, mentally recording a map of the area in her head. And Sunny Flora was happy to show Meteorite around, getting to point out all the little oddities she herself had come across, such as how the second window in the living room doesn't open properly or how the lantern in the entranceway needed a new wick. There was even a basement, something quite new to Meteorite as she'd never lived in a house with one. The stairs down looked like a horrible dark descent into a death trap though, and Meteorite didn't even want to begin to try walking down it on four hooves.

The tour ended in the dining room, just as Steel Gaze came out of the adjoining kitchen.

"Ah good," he announced upon seeing the pair, "I thought I heard you two. Dinner will be served soon ladies, so please be seated."

As he headed back into the kitchen, Meteorite turned her attention to the dining table, then Sunny.

"Sooo… is there… like, a seating arrangement I should be aware of or…?"

Sunny mused for a moment. "Well, I tend to favor this seat sometimes," she said pointing to a nearby one, "the boys tend to sit on the other side though."

"Righty-o," Meteorite said, climbing up onto the seat next to Sunny's. She spent a few seconds quickly debating how exactly to sit, either 'Lyra'-style, or just perched on the seat. Instinct told her the latter, and she spent a few more moments adjusting herself so that her tail fell though the gap in the back of the dining chair. She sat there contemplating her situation while Sunny got up on her own chair.

I feel like a cat, Meteorite half-scolded herself, wanting to put her hooves anywhere else other than firmly planted on the seat in front of her. She was tempted to put them up on the table, but decided that was most likely poor etiquette.

Further thoughts on whether or not hooves on the chair were poorer etiquette were delayed, as Steel came back in with a tea trolley, and a disheveled Silverfire behind him.

"Heey," Silverfire greeted weakly, "dinner's ready…"

"Is everything okay?" Sunny asked.

"Yes, surprisingly," Steel remarked nonchalantly, moving the covered meal from the trolley to the table. "It was a new recipe for Silverfire, so he required quite a lot of assistance."

"But I did it!" Silverfire interrupted eagerly as he lifted the cover. "Look!"

Both Meteorite and Sunny leaned in, getting a strong whiff of it. Meteorite immediately spotted the burnt edges, and fought back the urge to gag.

"What… is it?" Meteorite asked carefully.

"Pumpkin lasagna," Silverfire told her, trying to not let it show that he was feeling a little hurt. Meteorite didn't notice as she was busy inspecting the lasagna, determining how desperate she was to eat.

"Is it to your satisfaction, Miss Meteorite?" Steel asked pointedly. Meteorite jerked back in her chair at the sudden question.

"Uhh! Yeah! Yup! Sorry, it's just that I've… not had pumpkin lasagna before." Which was true, since whenever she did have lasagna, it was usually beef mince and…

Oh god.

Meteorite had the sudden realisation that she wasn't going to be able to eat meat anymore. It was a dietary intake that maybe she enjoyed a little too much of, but now… Now, she was a pony, and ponies don't eat meat, as far as she knew. She was going to be forced to go cold turkey without even the turkey to sate her.

"Well, this shall be your first time, then," Steel said curtly, ignoring Meteorite's grim stare at the first meal of her being vegetarian. There was no getting around it either, she realised as her portion was being served to her. There was no choking down this meal in anticipation of a better one later on. This was it. She was going to have to start eating healthy.

What was her last meal as a human, anyway? She barely paid attention at the time. Was it one of the frozen chicken meals she had in the freezer? That was a poor last meal, she concluded. It should've been a Meatlovers pizza, at the very least.

Meteorite snapped herself out of it when she felt her mouth water at the thought, and decided she had better curb those desires right now, because it wasn't going to get any better. Besides, she hadn't even decided what she was going to do about actually eating the meal, to begin with.

Hooves were clearly out, as there was no way she was going to be able to hold any silverware with those. Which, in her mind, really only left one option.

Carefully putting her hooves on the table, she pulled her plate in towards herself and took a big bite straight out of the lasagna. It may have been savage-like, it may leave a bad impression, but fuck it, it was all she could do at this point. At least it turned out the lasagna was good, like, she could actually chew it without gagging good.

She could feel the rest of the table looking at her, doubly so when Steel piped up. "We do have forks, Miss Meteorite."

Meteorite eyed the untouched shiny fork next to her plate as she politely swallowed. "Yeah… but I can't get the hang of those things." She doubled down on her behaviour, and took a second bite.

She could tell Steel was clearly not happy with her, but fuck him, she reckoned. Let's see him try handling being a different species after a day or two. Silverfire on the other hoof, did not seem as perturbed.

"Do ya like it, then?" he asked.

Meteorite took the time to swallow once more as she found the courage to look Silverfire in the eyes. "Yeah, actually!" she said earnestly, "I wasn't sure to be perfectly honest, but this is pretty good! I'd never thought I'd enjoy pumpkin but, I'm enjoying this!"

Silverfire felt his pride swell, while Steel continued to frown as he ate his meal, though he said nothing. Sunny watched Meteorite curiously before tucking into her meal as well.

Everypony had finished the meal in relative quiet, save for the occasional complimenting of Silverfire for a well-made meal. As the two stallions cleared the table, Meteorite still felt on edge from having to display her ruthless table manners, a feeling heightened by the silence, and got up from her chair immediately as Sunny herself got up, under the presumption that they could leave now. And after quickly confirming with Sunny that they could go, that's exactly what Meteorite did.

Sunny followed her back to their room just in time to see Meteorite flop onto her bed, and bury her head under her pillow. Sunny bemusedly got up on her bed, and faced her new roommate.

"You okay?"

A soft but purposeful groan came from under the pillow, and Meteorite pulled her head out to face Sunny with a look of despair.

"I totally embarrassed myself back there, didn't I?"

Sunny scrunched up her face slightly, unsure how to answer. "Maybe a little," she answered, gesturing with a hoof. Meteorite groaned in defeat, and flumped her head face down on the pillow. Her snout hurt slightly. She didn't care.

"I mean," Sunny continued, "it's not proper yeah, but so what? I know several ponies who eat the same way, if not worse." Meteorite didn't respond, save for an ear twitch. "And ya hafta know, Steel comes from Canterlot, so he's like, big, on that kinda thing, so I wouldn't worry too much about it."

Meteorite shuffled, turning her head to face Sunny once again. "Oh really? The uptight jerk is from Canterlot? Couldn't have guessed."

Sunny made frantic shush gestures with her hooves as she glanced at the closed bedroom door. "Shhh! Come on, he's not that bad."

"You're not the one he's glaring at," Meteorite responded, rolling her eyes.

"Um, well," Sunny began, thinking back, "when I first started he was all-" Sunny squared her shoulders and spoke with a hint of gruff, "'Miss Flora you are not doing it right'." Sunny dropped her act and giggled lightly. Meteorite found herself smiling in kind as Sunny continued. "But I think he just wants ponies to do their best. He's a good pony once you get to know him."

"I'm sure," Meteorite muttered half-heartedly.

The night wore on as the two mares made light conversation, eventually dwindling into quiet companionship as Sunny sat up in her bed, reading by her bedside lantern. Meteorite had opted for quiet reflection as she watched the shadows cast by the lantern dance on the wall. Sunny had offered her another book to read and, though curious, Meteorite refused, if only because she wasn't sure she would be able to hold it in the brief exchange.

Besides. She had to decide if this was really happening or not.

Meteorite hadn't really considered the thought of how long she'd be here until earlier, but it struck a worrying chord with her. If she was going to be here for a long time, she had to make a call one way or another.

She felt pretty safe dismissing the whole dream theory; even if it did turn out to be a dream, coma-induced or otherwise, there's nothing more she can do, really. It'll end when it ends, and the best she can do is try and survive until then. Simple.

Which left two possibilities: either this was really happening, or… this was a fanfic.

She lifted her forelegs above her to study them, and was momentarily distracted by the world's lamest shadow play just to her left. Regardless, everything felt real enough. She could feel the rough texture of the top of her quilt on her back, the shadows seemed to move accurately, heck, she could feel the soft heat coming from the lit lantern between her and Sunny.

Sunny herself, and the other two, they seemed real enough. She didn't recognise them at all from any sort of My Little Pony media, but they didn't appear to be based on anyone she knew, so does that count as being real?

But the burning question that bothered her the most was, if this was really happening, and if she really was in some sort of pseudo side-universe where Equestria as she knew it was real in its entirety… then why her? Why is she the special chosen one that got to be in Equestria, out of everyone on Earth?

Because that kind of special luck only comes from being in a fanfic.

Frowning, Meteorite turned on her side, only leaning half-way on her back afterwards when a stubborn discomfort reminded her she had a wing on her side. Everything was desperately telling her things were real, and -she had to admit- she kinda desperately wanted them to be as well.

But she refused to believe things were that simple.

Act 1 Interlude

A week had passed since Meteorite told Rarity the beginnings of her story. Unfortunately, Meteorite needed more time to sort out the rest of it in her head (six years was a lot to sort out) but luckily Rarity hadn't pressed her for further details since then. Meteorite was tempted to add 'suspiciously' to that, but she attributed that to her previous way of thinking seeping back in as she rooted about her past memories, and forcibly shook the feeling off.

She was done with that part of her.

A sharp whistle brought her out of her thoughts. She looked about the apple orchard she was about to enter, at her co-worker Steel next to her, and looked over where he was looking to see Applejack down the path behind them, signalling with a hoof.

"Meteorite!" she called out. "Yer got a minute?"

Surprised, Meteorite glanced over at Steel in acknowledgment before trotting over.

"What's up, boss?" she asked, giving Applejack a casual salute.

Applejack rolled her eyes with a smile. "Listen, Ah need ya to do me a huge favor. Think ya can handle it?"

Caught off-guard by the request, Meteorite straightened her posture. "Uh, sure, I… think? What do you need me to do?"

"Right," Applejack nodded. "So there's a special order waiting down at Suga'cube Corner, but Ah can't go because Ah'm just too plumb busy, y'hear?"

"Oh! So, you just need me to go there for you?"

"That's right," Applejack beamed.

"Yeah, sure!" Meteorite stood to attention, saluting a bit more formally. "I can do that for you! Um… what am I picking up though?"

Applejack waved it off with a hoof. "Don't ya worry about that."

Meteorite hesitated at her question being dodged. "Uh… yeah, but… like, do I need my saddlebags…? Do I take a cart…? Do I-"

"That's not important!" Applejack snapped, before looking abashed. "Er, what Ah mean is, it'll be taken care of when ya get there."

"Ahh… okay?" Meteorite said with trepidation. "So… when do you need me to go?"

"'bout now would be nice," Applejack said simply.

Meteorite made a strangled squeal as she hurriedly turned to leave, almost falling over herself in the process. "Ah, okay! Um! I'll get going then! I'll be back soon! Hopefully! Bye!"

Applejack watched her quickly flee the scene, and slowly shook her head with a smile.

Something was up.

At the time, Meteorite was more concerned with her duty as Applejack's worker, but now that she was en route to Sugarcube Corner, her mind was allowed to wander and she began to process the encounter.

Something was going on, definitely.

Applejack didn't usually snap like that, especially when pressed for details on how to accomplish a task; she always seemed pleased whenever Meteorite had, presumably taking interest in whatever had been asked of her.

In actuality, Meteorite was fishing for step by step instructions just so she wouldn't fuck things up.

So, with that in mind, there was no doubt, without question, that something was going on with Applejack. Only… Meteorite had absolutely no idea what it might be.

She sighed as she entered the streets of Ponyville. Well, hopefully it'll have nothing to do with her, personally at least. With a bit of luck, she was just a side character elected to get the plot rolling for whatever Applejack-centric episode was to follow.

Or Pinkie Pie, actually, now that she thought about it. She was going to Sugarcube Corner after all. In fact, she was almost there; she could see it coming into view in all its confectionery glory and-

-and looking very closed.

Meteorite fretted, her expression turning into a frown as she slowed her pacing. Sugarcube Corner rarely closed during the day, even during holidays. Heck, holidays were when it was the busiest. She swallowed, fearing her every next step. She was going to have to… do something relevant, and investigate what was going on. She couldn't report back to Applejack that she turned tail and left because she didn't want to get involved.

As she drew nearer, she noted the passing nearby ponies, several of them visibly disappointed by the closed bakery. And beyond them, Meteorite saw a chalkboard set up outside by the entrance. She quickened her pace to get close enough to read the lengthy sign, accompanied by a few sad chalk Pinkie faces in the margins.

'We're so so soooo sorry everypony!' the sign read, clearly in Pinkie's voice, 'I know you were all very excited about stopping by during your busy day, but we are closed today for a very special event! We super duper promise that we'll open to everypony else as soon as we can though!'

"Huh…" Meteorite murmured to herself. "Didn't know you could book Sugarcube Corner for events."

"Not normally!" Pinkie chirped as she sat next to Meteorite.

"Jesus Chris-!" Meteorite flinched. Pinkie giggled in response.

"You sure do say some funny words sometimes!"

Regaining her composure, Meteorite roughly cleared her throat, her face red from embarrassment at being caught out, and a little annoyed at herself for not picking up on Pinkie literally talking while next to her. "Yeah, well… Anyway. So, special event huh?"

"Yes indeedy!" Pinkie nodded cheerfully, before stopping to study Meteorite with scrutiny. "But… oh, you're probably wondering about the thing Applejack sent ya here for, right? Right right?!"

"How-" Meteorite hesitated, knowing full well she was setting herself up. "How did you know I was here because of Applejack?"

"Well duh!" Pinkie grinned, flopping a hoof dismissively. "Why else would you be here in the middle of the day?"

Several reasons, actually, Meteorite deadpanned in her thoughts, but chose to keep quiet. "Well, you're right. I am here to pick up something for her. I just don't know what."

"Don't you worry!" Pinkie beamed, hopping her way to the entrance of Sugarcube Corner and pushing the door open. "Come inside and you'll see!"

"What about the-" Meteorite gestured to the sign, "special event though?"

"Oh, that's okay, it hasn't started yet!"

Amazing how little that helps. Shaking her head slightly, Meteorite cautiously stepped forward. As she reached the entrance she leaned past Pinkie, who was beaming at her, and peered inside. Meteorite was not prepared for what she saw.

The inside was decked out in streamers and balloons, with tables pushed aside, leaving the floor open. A suspiciously familiar-looking banner hung from the ceiling, which read 'W.T.P.E.T.' in large letters, but underneath in a smaller font read '(B.N.R.B.I.W.S.Y.A.B.R.S.I.P.P.)'

And standing underneath in the middle of it all was Rarity, gazing lovingly at the stunned pegasus.

"Wh- Rarity?" Meteorite exclaimed as she stepped inside, looking about the place. "Uh, hi! Sorry, don't mean to intrude," she said sheepishly, "I'm just running an errand for Applejack. You know how it is."

"Oh, is that so?" Rarity said coyly, idly flipping her mane with her hoof. "Imagine that."

That caused Meteorite to pause, eyeing Rarity questioningly. She then took a more drawn-out look around her, taking everything in.

"Rarity, what's going on?"

"Oh, I'm so glad you asked, darling!" Rarity responded brightly, her eyes lighting up. "You see Meteorite, I've been thinking about the first time we met, and well, I don't think it's very fair."

"Oh! Um, I'm… sorry?" Meteorite ventured, feeling very confused by this turn of events.

"For either of us, Meteorite!" Rarity exclaimed sharply, stamping her hoof. Regaining her composure, Rarity cleared her throat softly and continued. "So I thought… why don't we, erm, have a do-over?"

"A… do-over?"

"Yes!" Rarity beamed, lightly clapping her hooves together. "We could pretend to meet for the first time again, a second chance if you will!"

Meteorite furrowed her brow as she considered this. "Well- actually, wouldn't it be a third chance instead? Technically we already first met for the second time when you invited me to come model for you."

"Meteorite," Rarity pouted, "don't ruin this! I put a lot of thought into this! Also, Pinkie and Applejack were very gracious to help out, just so you know."

Meteorite looked back at the doorway and turned in a half-circle before spotting Pinkie nearby, eagerly watching the pair as she sat by her party cannon, her body tensed up like a coiled spring ready to spring forth. Meteorite gave her a long look before turning back to Rarity.

"Ah. Yes. I suppose that's true…" she conceded, "s- so, what, do we just… introduce ourselves again?"

"Oh no no no," Rarity said with distaste as she waved her hoof back and forth. "Darling. It has to be special, yes? Meaningful."

Meteorite nodded unsurely, to which Rarity turned to a nearby table and lifted up a couple loose-leaf booklets with her magic. She floated one over to Meteorite, who hesitantly took it with her wings, holding it in front of her as she carefully looked it over.

"I thought this might come up so I prepared a little something for us to follow!" Rarity explained. Meteorite flipped a page over, reading.

"Is this… a script?" she asked, somewhat unbelieving.

"Mhm!" Rarity nodded proudly, failing to notice the concerned expression on Meteorite as she scanned the next few pages.

"Rarity, I… I don't think this'll work-"

"Oh pf-pft," Rarity scoffed dismissively. "At least give it a shot darling! Trust me, I've read more than my fair share of romantic dialogue," she continued coyly as she placed her hoof on her chest.

Meteorite looked at her doubtfully, her eyes occasionally going back to the script in front of her.

"I just don't think-"

"Ahbipbipbip!" Rarity interrupted, gently placing a hoof on Meteorite's snout. "Meteorite, just try it."

Meteorite swallowed as she glanced up at Rarity, unsure how to tactfully proceed. Eventually she shrugged and sighed. "Okay…"

"Wonderful! Shall we begin?" Rarity beamed, opening her own script. She locked eyes with Pinkie, which was enough of a signal for her to shoot forward, whizzing past the pair in a blink of an eye, summoning a backdrop of the Golden Oaks library interior next to them as she did so. As Meteorite cautiously poked at the backdrop, Pinkie leaned back in from over Rarity, holding a clapperboard at the ready.

"Meeting in the library, scene one, act one, take two!" Pinkie chirped, sounding off with the clapperboard as she retreated into the sidelines. Meteorite regarded her incredulously before focusing on a calm and nonplussed Rarity with the same amount of bafflement. Rarity however ignored her, clearing her throat as she read her line.

"'Well hello, I had not expected to find somepony other than my friend Twilight, here at the library. Are you a friend of Twilight as well?'"

Meteorite felt the desire to shy away from the stilted acting opposite her, but forced herself to look down at her script, if only for Rarity's sake.

"'I'm afraid you're mistaken, I am but-'" Meteorite paused as she read ahead, and looked back up at Rarity with growing distress. "Rarity, this doesn't sound anything like me. I'd never say this."

"It doesn't have to be accurate, darling," Rarity insisted, waving the concern off. "As long as the emotion, the feeling, is there, and real! Now go on, we've barely started!"

Doubtful, Meteorite dutifully carried on reading. "'I am but a… humble patron of the written word.'"

"'Ah of course,'" Rarity read earnestly, "'I should have realized! I do not think I recognize you now that I can see you up close!'" Frowning, she looked up at Meteorite, speaking softer. "Ah, we uh, should have been standing a bit further apart to begin with. No matter, your line now darling!"

Meteorite silently nodded, looking troubled as she read on but opted to say nothing of it as she swallowed. "'No, I shan't think you would. I am a mysterious mare of mysterious origi-' Rarity, I really wouldn't say any of this!"

Rarity frowned at the second interruption. "Are you not enjoying this, Meteorite?" Meteorite let out a tiny agitated sigh as she glanced about the room.

"Not really?" she ventured, "I mean- I… appreciate what you're doing here, it's just-" She looked down at the script in her grasp. "I don't want to… be reading off a bunch of corny lines." She pointedly ignored the ensuing small shocked gasp from Rarity, and looked into her eyes with a smile. "I'd rather just have a normal conversation with you as our 'first' introduction. None of this…" she held the script up by one wing, "...fake-ness. Just us, y'know?"

With a pensive expression, Rarity considered her own script for a moment before folding it close and laying it down on a nearby table. "Yes, of course," she spoke softly. "I'm… sorry darling, I'm afraid I might have gotten a tad carried away with this idea."

"I mean it's a fun idea," Meteorite conceded, smiling warmly. "But… if I'm gonna charm you, I wanna be the one to come up with the one-liners," she finished with a grin.

Rarity softly chuckled. "I suppose so."

A faint flipping of pages from off the side made both of them turn to see a confused Pinkie, frowning as she flicked through her own copy of the script. "So, are you two gonna get to the part where we have the party again or not?"

Rarity shook her head slightly as Meteorite looked back down at the script. "I do apologize Pinkie, but I don't think-"

"Well hang on," Meteorite interrupted, still reading. "Nopony's saying we can't. Besides-" she tapped a page with her hoof, "I do kinda want to do this part here!"

Rarity leaned over to read, and smiled coyly. "Ah yes, I was quite pleased with that bit."

"Shall we… do it anyway?" Meteorite asked, mischievously biting her lip. "Y'know, for fun?"

"For fun," Rarity smiled in agreement, taking back her script and turning to the appropriate page. As she did, Meteorite turned to Pinkie.

"Okay, before we do, Pinkie, I gotta know." She pointed upwards at the banner hanging above. "I know what the first part is, but what's the rest of the acronym?"

"Oh!" Pinkie cheered brightly, jumping up and pulling down the still attached banner and pointed to each letter. "'Welcome To Ponyville Earlier Today'!" Pausing, she then lowered her voice to a loud hush. "'But Not Really, Because It Was Several Years Ago, But Rarity Said It's Play Pretend!'"

Still taking it in, Meteorite silently watched as Pinkie let go of the banner, snapping back to its original position. Eventually, she grinned slyly and nodded.

"You know Pinkie, I wouldn't have it any other way."

Pinkie beamed as Meteorite turned back to Rarity, waiting patiently.

"Shall we begin, darling?" Rarity asked. Meteorite nodded, to which Rarity began reading out loud, a fanciful whimsy to her voice. "'You may call me Rarity, but… what is your name, kind mare?'"

"'I am Meteorite Shower,'" Meteorite responded, now putting on an air of mystery to her voice.

"'What a lovely name!'"

"'Thank you but-'" Meteorite faltered, almost losing her composure. Clearing her throat, she tried again. "'Thank you… but not as lovely as the mare I see before me.'"

Rarity tittered, a tiny blush crossing her cheeks. "'My, oh my!'"

"'Is something wrong… Miss Rarity was it?" Fighting back her grin, Meteorite attempted to lid her eyes seductively, "'At least… I hope it's 'Miss'...'"

And so, the play went on, thankfully chaperoned by a pink pony waiting for her chance at throwing the same party twice.