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.