Fictional

by Meteorite Shower

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.