Fictional

by Meteorite Shower

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?"

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

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

I don’t get it. What do you mean by that?

[Meteorite Shower]

11704716
So, this story follows the first story I wrote, A Second Chance. It's telling what happens before that story, making it a prequel, but it's wrapped in the narrative that Meteorite is telling the story to Rarity, keeping it in the sequel department. However, this story is what inspires the events of A Second Chance, as I had written a short portion of it beforehand, just never published, so it's possible to call this the original story (although it's been heavily revised since then) even though it technically follows as a sequel, while acting as a prequel.

...also I have a habit of embracing the needlessly confusing.

[Fernie Canto]

I suppose it's about time I left a comment in here, in public. You know I'm a fan of A Second Chance, and I'm glad that we're getting a bigger look at this cast of characters and the drama of Meteorite. I really enjoy how the supporting characters become more and more central as the story evolves, and the dynamics between them is very well thought out and fleshed out. The prose is magnificent, very easy to read, and the characterisation of the main ponies is also top notch (you must imagine how much I enjoy seeing Pinkie pop up in this story).
I think the most impressive aspect of this story is how non "meta" it feels, despite being what it is. A self-aware OC is not something easy to do (you know I've dipped my toes on that before, even though I haven't done 1% of what you've achieved), and other writers might push it to a deliberately quirky and "I'm so smart" territory. However, this story is firmly planted on the emotional side of being an original character, inhabiting a foreign body, in a familiar yet mysterious world, controlled by an author whose intentions are constantly kept hidden. You go deep into Meteorite's feelings, and make her feel like a living and breathing pony, not just as a "clever" plot device. The story is every bit as much about Meteorite as it is about the author, and it's still an organic, believable story, and it's a pleasure to see it happen.
I absolutely look forwards to seeing the rest of it.

[Meteorite Shower]

11705555
You're too kind with your reviews~

But absolutely, I hope to continue the feel of this story up to the end.