Fictional

by Meteorite Shower

Chapter 7

The following morning, Meteorite was rudely roused from her sleep by a beam of sunlight falling upon her face, causing her to grumpily toss over away from the window to face the wall, pulling her bedcover up around her shoulders in the process. Once she settled back into a comfortable position, she let out a satisfied sigh.

With a sudden realisation, her eyes snapped open and she jolted her head around to take in how bright it was. How high the sun was up already. How very neatly Sunny's bed was made.

Leaping into action, Meteorite awkwardly kicked the bedcovers off her and half-fell to the floor, where she immediately bolted out of the room to the rest of the house…

...where Sunny and Steel sat at the dining table, calmly having breakfast.

"Mo'ninf!" Sunny greeted with a wave, and a mouthful of toast.

Meteorite's wide-eyed stare frantically alternated between her co-workers and the sunny landscape through the open window. "Uh-! Sho- we- u-uh…!" Meteorite shook her head to gain focus. "Shouldn't we be… working?!"

Steel chose to remain silent as he calmly sipped his cup of tea, while Sunny took a moment to swallow her toast.

"Oh!" Sunny began. "Sorry, I thought you knew! Today's our day off."

The adrenaline within Meteorite began to fizzle out as her posture sagged almost immediately. "...Oh. S-So… we've… got nothing… today, then."

"That's right!"

"Aside from our usual household chores, Miss Meteorite," Steel interjected. "Which you'll be expected to partake in more now you're a regular part of this household."

"Oh, yeah, of course," Meteorite agreed offhandedly. "I just… it's been a rough week. Kinda forgot there's a weekend."

Sunny giggled lightly at that, followed by Meteorite covering a sudden yawn with a hoof.

"Don't suppose it's too late for me to fall back into bed, then?" she asked. When Steel simply gave her an unimpressed stare, Meteorite fought back a tiny grin.

"Yeah, didn't think so."

---

"So… whatcha going to do today?"

Back in their room, Sunny sat on the edge of her bed, watching as Meteorite fumbled with her own bedding, trying to make it somewhat neat. Turning to face her roommate, Meteorite paused as she took in the human-like way Sunny was currently sitting, but elected to not question it.

For now, anyway. Something to file away for later consideration, definitely certainly.

"I'm… not entirely sure," Meteorite admitted, adjusting her pillow. "It's been a wild ride since I got here; I haven't really considered what I'd do with free time to myself." She paused again, lost in her thoughts. "Almost feels like a foreign concept at this stage…"

Sunny frowned with concern at this last statement, though this went unnoticed by Meteorite.

"What about you?" Meteorite asked suddenly, half-turned towards Sunny. "What are you gonna do?"

"Oh!" Sunny gasped with pleasant surprise. "I've got a small garden going round the back, so I'm going to tend to it and weed it. Oh! Why don't you come help me? It'll be so fun!"

Oh god she's a gardener, Meteorite thought in despair. Her eyes flitted towards Sunny's cutie mark which was a shiny red-handled trowel. Yeah, that seems about right.

"Eheh," Meteorite chuckled nervously with a forced smile. "Ahh, doesn't seem like my kinda thing, to be perfectly honest."

"Oh," Sunny uttered, her ears folding with disappointment. A pang of guilt and sympathy shot through Meteorite, but she powered through it.

"Sorry," Meteorite said apologetically. Not even the sad pony look can win me over to something like gardening. Even if I was still human… Jesus, gardening with hooves? No thank you.

"It's fine," Sunny responded, though her tone made it clear she was still disappointed. Nevertheless, she pressed on. "So, what would be your 'thing'?"

"Hm. Good question…" Meteorite mused thoughtfully, turning aside and lowering her head in thought. All my old habits are essentially thrown out the window now… Internet, Youtube, games… A few thoughts later she jerked her head up, annoyed. Ah fuck, I'm gonna miss out on all the stuff I'm subscribed to! And my games! I'm not gonna be able to play them anymore! Fuck!

"Hm?" Sunny inquired, noticing the change in Meteorite's attitude. Meteorite turned to face Sunny, momentarily stuck for a response.

"Ah… ...don't worry about it," she eventually waved it off. "It's nothing. I just remembered a few… annoying things. Nothing major."

Sunny took a moment to wonder if it was worth asking, when Meteorite suddenly stamped her hoof on the ground with a sharp shout, startling her.

"Ah! I know what I can do!"

"W-What's that?"

"Explore!" Meteorite exclaimed. "I used to explore new areas all the time! Still do, actually… Anyway..." she continued, leaning into a hint of intrigue, "there's a town nearby, isn't there?"

"Ah, yes! Ponyville! Nice quiet place," Sunny responded happily.

You and I have seen very different episodes, Meteorite deadpanned in her head before publicly continuing the eager attitude.

"Right, Ponyville, cool. Reckon it's about time I go check it out," Meteorite noted as she laid her eyes on her money pouch lying on their dresser.

"Do ya want me to come with you?" Sunny asked hopefully. "I can put off my garden until later today, and I can show you around!"

"Umm…" Meteorite mulled hesitantly. "Maybe another time? I very much would prefer to go at my own pace today."

"Oh… okay, yeah," Sunny responded, with more disappointment, though Meteorite was now fully focused on her pouch, putting it back down on the dresser after a few seconds of picking it up with her mouth.

"Actually… probably should leave this here for now," she muttered to herself. "It'll be too awkward to carry around all day, and I don't even know what I can even buy with it yet…" Shaking her head lightly, she turned and flashed a brief smile at Sunny. "Well! ...dunno how long I'll be, but uhh… seeya later, I guess."

"Right," Sunny nodded, forcing a smile of her own. "Have fun."

"Will do," Meteorite responded automatically. At least, I hope I will.

---

It was an odd feeling, suddenly having the freedom to go wherever she pleased. The past few days had been driven by many things: A need for shelter, a need for food, a sense of duty. In a way, it kept Meteorite busy, both in mind and body. But now, she had nothing in her way, nothing to stop her from doing what she'd like.

Which is why it was even odder that she stopped in front of the gate leading out of Sweet Apple Acres.

Not that she couldn't operate the gate, no no. It was simple, even for her. She just… stopped in front of it, staring at the road leading away from the farm. Leading to Ponyville.

She was about to leave the farm and head to Ponyville. Ponyville.

It… was a terrifying thought, when she stopped to think about it.

Ponyville was the epicentre of the show. Everything happened there, with some exceptions. It would be fair to say that there would be a good chance of her being dragged into some sort of episode plotline once she got there. Hell, it was very likely that 'she' was waiting for Meteorite to enter Ponyville just to get the story rolling finally.

She had freedom alright, freedom to wander right into a trap set specifically for her.

Meteorite bit her lip, and sucked in air for a bit as she continued her line of thought.

"How much would it piss you off right now," she uttered softly, looking up at the sky, "if I just turned around and headed back home?" A few seconds later, she scoffed and smirked slightly. "Yeah, probably quite a bit."

Taking a deep sigh, Meteorite placed a hoof on the gate, swinging it open. Steeling her nerves, she took a few steps forward. "Alright, fine. It's not like I don't want to see Ponyville. Just… nothing crazy alright? I've had quite enough already."

---

It wasn't long before the outskirts of Ponyville came into view, along with the recognisable housing. Meteorite felt a nervous excitement within her, and she had to force herself to keep to a steady pace as she drew nearer.

Her eyes remained glued to her surroundings, flicking from building to building as she passed them, eagerly taking it all in as she mentally mapped the lay of the land, turning around occasionally to catch every last detail she could find.

And as she ventured deeper into the town, she saw them.

Ponies.

Many ponies were just going about their daily business, milling about. There were definitely some ponies she recognised, like the flower ponies, but there were many others she did not.

At this point, Meteorite found it difficult to not hyperventilate. Still, she closed her eyes, tried to remain calm, and more importantly, reminded herself to not stare at anyone.

Okay, okay! It's just Ponyville! It's just… everybody in Ponyville… Oh god. It's everybody in Ponyville. Okay, deep breaths… Don't panic. If you freak out, you'll have to explain yourself and ohh boy are we not going to do that. As far as everybody- aha, everypony knows, you're just a pony from out of town. Just… carry on, and be mindful of what you say and do.

Exhaling, Meteorite lifted a foreleg and opened her eyes while taking a step forward.

Which put her precisely in the path of somepony else bounding her way.

Meteorite hadn't seen who it was, although to be fair, she hadn't known exactly what happened as she lay sprawled on the ground, preoccupied with the pain of being knocked to the ground. Also, something heavy was on her back, but luckily they seemed to be moving off her.

"Whoops!" came a very familiar high-pitched voice from behind her, causing Meteorite to instantly freeze up. "Sorry about that!"

Meteorite's breath was caught up in her throat. She knew who that was. Her brain was currently tossing up trying to decide whether to either squeal in delight or run away in terror.

"Hey, are you alright?" asked the bubbly voice, laced with concern. Breathing deeply, Meteorite slowly got to her hooves.

"Y-Yeah," Meteorite squeaked out, purposely not turning around. She still needed time to mentally prepa-

"Oh good!" Pinkie Pie said brightly as she popped up in front of Meteorite from below, causing Meteorite to cry out in shock and fall back on her rear. Pinkie giggled in response.

"Hi!" she continued in a burst of excitement. "I'm glad you're okay! I feel real bad about accidentally landing on you, because I was coming over to greet you and that was a really rough way to introduce yourself to somepony!"

"'G-Greet me'?" Meteorite queried, still struggling with the fact that Pinkie was in front of her.

"Yuh-uh! I saw you standing there, and I said to myself, 'Pinkie-'" Pinkie paused briefly, holding a hoof to her chest. "That's me, by the way! So, I said, 'Pinkie?'" -Pinkie quickly sidestepped before responding- "'Yes, Pinkie?'" -Another sidestep back to her original spot- "'That is definitely a pony from out of town! We should go greet her!' So we did! I mean, I did! But then we kinda ran into each other, which is not what I wanted to happen, because that's not a fun way to be introduced to somepony! So I'm relieved you're okay!"

"Uhh…" Meteorite droned slightly, her mind still catching up with Pinkie's words. Eventually she shook her head clear. "Uh, well, th-thanks… Pinkie. It's… nice to m-meet you."

"Nice to meet you too!" Pinkie bounced back, but then gained a worrying glint to her eyes. "But, do you know what would be even nicer?"

Meteorite gulped. I'm afraid I do.

"A PARTY!" Pinkie cheered, throwing up her hooves, along with way too much confetti. "We have to throw you a welcoming party!"

Meteorite's heart sank as the confetti fell about her. She knew a party was inevitable; it's what Pinkie does after all. And Meteorite wasn't going to hold it against her; it's just that… well… Meteorite never really liked going to parties. She usually avoided the crowd and just… preferred to be by herself and avoid a lot of the awkwardness. Especially when she didn't really know anyone. Meteorite smiled weakly.

"Oh… good."

Meteorite felt a foreleg around her shoulder, and sharply turned to see Pinkie there before blinking and glancing back at the spot where Pinkie had just been a second ago.

"We'll start right away!" Pinkie announced excitedly. "We'll have cake, decorations, games… all kinds of amazing stuff! I'll introduce you to everypony and-" Pinkie cut herself off, her face briefly falling before breaking into a giggle. "Oh, how silly of me! I don't even know your name yet!"

"Ah, it's u-uh… it's Meteorite."

"Hi Meteorite! I'd tell you my name, but I already did! It's Pinkie! Well, actually, it's Pinkie Pie! Well, actually, actually, it's Pinkam- huh?"

It wasn't difficult to figure out why Pinkie stopped talking. As Pinkie looked behind her, Meteorite followed suit and saw Pinkie's tail twitching violently, sending vibrations through Pinkie, and by extension, Meteorite, thanks to Pinkie still having her foreleg around her. Meteorite went wide-eyed at the sight, though Pinkie simply frowned.

"Hmmm…" Pinkie mused, before looking at Meteorite. "Just a sec!" she told her, before getting up and pulling Meteorite to her hooves, and half-dragged her over a few feet. No sooner had she done so, a flower pot smashed into the ground with an almighty racket, exactly where Meteorite had been sitting.

"Ohmigosh!" cried a voice from above. "I'm so sorry!"

Meteorite looked up at the house they were in front of, and saw a worried-looking light blue mare holding a watering pail leaning over from a second storey window. Pinkie simply waved to her. "We're okay, Shoeshine! Though… your flower pot is a teensy bit broken, I'm afraid!"

Meteorite saw Shoeshine sigh in relief and head back inside, out of sight. Then Meteorite turned her attention to the broken pieces of the flower pot.

"You would not believe how many flower pots this town goes through," Pinkie said mournfully.

"That was right where I was sitting," Meteorite said, with a hint of an accusatory tone.

"It sure was!" Pinkie replied with too much enthusiasm. "You could've had a wicked headache!"

Meteorite frowned at that initially, but her thoughts drifted over to wonder that had she'd been hit, would it be cartoony, with stars circling her head? She guessed that might be the case, but she wasn't in a hurry to find out any time soon.

"Hm," Meteorite mused thoughtfully, turning a glare towards the sky. So, you're just throwing anything at me now, are you?

"What are we looking at?"

Startled, Meteorite stumbled back a few steps as Pinkie was by her side now, also looking up at the sky. "Ga-aah, nothing!"

"Hmm…" Pinkie frowned as she continued looking, rubbing her chin skeptically. Suddenly, she turned to Meteorite with a big grin. "Yup! Sure is a lot of nothing up there! Now, how about that party?"

Calming down between heavy breaths, Meteorite twisted a hoof into the ground. "Um, this is probably a dumb question, but do we need a party?"

The question caused Pinkie to blink a few times, seemingly not understanding it. "Well, of course we need a party! A party is the best way to have all kinds of fun and meet all kinds of new ponies and eat all kinds of goodies, all at once!"

"So… yeah. It was a dumb question," Meteorite responded sullenly.

Pinkie snorted a laugh, but the laughter died slowly as she stopped and looked at Meteorite, and suddenly grew concerned. "Don't… Don't you want a party?"

Oh fuck, Meteorite panicked internally, I've broken Pinkie! Oh fuck oh fuck oh f- "No! No no nononono! I mean, no, absolutely party yes! Just… not… right now? I- I want to… wander around town first? If that's okay? Y'know, see the sights, meet the locals, that kinda thing?"

Pinkie sat with a grim expression as she considered this, unnerving Meteorite by the second. Suddenly, she broke into a huge smile.

"Oh! Sure! In that case, we can have a Welcome-To-Ponyville-Earlier-Today Party instead!"

"Sure, that sounds great," Meteorite said, giving up.

"Annnnd…" Pinkie sang mischievously as she stood back up, "in the meantime, I can help you meet everypony!"

A sharp chill ran through Meteorite as she instinctively took a step back. Her ears swivelled as she began to take note of a soft refrain filling the air. She had barely looked around for the source when Pinkie bounced by, grabbing Meteorite by the hoof.

"Just follow me!" she chirped, pulling Meteorite along.

"Wai-Wait! Oh god, what's going on?!"

Unable to free herself from Pinkie's clutches, Meteorite found herself dragged to the centre of the street as Pinkie let go and leapt upon a nearby bench before her. As she stood up on her hind legs in a display of flair, the inexplicable music kicked in full volume. Paralysed from shock, Meteorite sat on the ground and watched as Pinkie began to sing.

"Welcome to our home you have found~"

Oh no, no no no, Meteorite thought frantically as she cringed, don't sing me a song, please!

"To Ponyville; a superb town~" Pinkie continued, her song in full force. Leaping off the bench, Pinkie began bouncing around Meteorite in beat to the music.

"With ponies of all kinds around~ they are sure to cure any frown!" To Meteorite's surprise, the music momentarily halted as Pinkie landed in front of her. "Theeeeeeerre's…"

In the blink of an eye, Pinkie dashed off to numerous ponies around them, the music starting back up, faster.

"Junebug, Daisy, Rose and Lily~ Davenport and Golden Harvest~"

Meteorite frantically turned about, failing to keep her eye on Pinkie as she dashed from pony to pony. She yelped and took a step back when Pinkie suddenly popped up in front of her, now wearing a pair of half-moon glasses.

"Some are serious~" Pinkie sang, before taking off the glasses and tooting a clown horn, "or silly~ But every one is the best!" she added, throwing her forelegs up in celebration. There was a short interlude in the lyrics as Pinkie placed a hoof on Meteorite's shoulder.

"Come on," Pinkie spoke over the music, "I'll introduce you to my friends!"

"Ah-! Uh, um!" Meteorite stammered, the music drowning out her thoughts. "I uh, don't kno-" But before she could finish, Pinkie had already started dragging her with her. Meteorite's vision began to blur, followed by a rush of colours as she shook her head trying to regain her senses. She blinked a few times before realising they were now inside the Ponyville library. Pinkie wasn't too far away, dancing around a now startled purple unicorn.

"This is Twilight," Pinkie continued in her song, "this is her home~"

Twilight calmed down considerably upon recognizing her home invader. However she wasn't fully relaxed, and continued to keep an eye on Pinkie, occasionally giving a glance at the new pegasus that seemed more preoccupied with her surroundings than anything else.

"Studying," Pinkie sang as she held up numerous textbooks, prompting Twilight to hastily unload the books from Pinkie's grasp using her magic, placing them back down on her desk safely. "She can't get enough~ if it's in a scroll, book-"

"Or tome!" Twilight continued, looking pleased. Pinkie stopped in her rhythmic bouncing and leveled her gaze at Twilight.

"Twilight, you can't just make up stuff."

"Bu- But it's- It's an actual w-" Twilight managed to get out, but Pinkie was already on her way out of the library, towing a startled Meteorite by the tail. Meteorite's vision blurred again, but this time rapidly becoming a shade of light blue. As it cleared, Meteorite realised she was looking at a vast expanse of sky, the only things in front of her was a sleeping Rainbow Dash on a white cloud, and Pinkie floating nearby, with a few balloons tied around her. Panic rising, she nervously looked down as saw the small puff of cloud she was sitting on. Fear instantly overtaking her, she collapsed to the cloud's surface, and hugged it tightly with her eyes squeezed shut.

"Out here is my friend Rainbow Dash," Meteorite heard Pinkie sing, "She's the very best at what she does~"

Fuckfuckfuckendthesongforgod'ssakeENDTHESONGFUCKFUCKFUCK!

"Clearing all the skies in a flash," Pinkie continued, unaware of Meteorite's plight. Meteorite thought she heard a yawn amidst the singing, but she wasn't about to check. "Everywhere ponies are abuzz!"

Suddenly, Meteorite felt another tug on her tail and hugged the cloud tighter to avoid being pulled off it, but all that accomplished was pulling the cloud with her. When the tugging stopped she braved opening an eye, and found herself back down in Ponyville, Pinkie still dancing about several more ponies, still singing.

"Ponies like~ Bon Bon, Lyra and Sea Swirl~ Lemon Hearts, Amethyst Star~"

Darting back over to Meteorite, Pinkie grabbed the cloud and spun it around with a flick.

"Fun to be with, give it a whirl! You'll have fun wherever you are!"

Meteorite queasily held a hoof to her chest, as the cloud gradually spun itself smaller until it poofed out of existence, unceremoniously plopping Meteorite onto the ground. It then took her a few moments to realise she was no longer outside, but inside another building. The regal and glamourous looking interior was practically a dead giveaway to where she was.

"Over here is Rarity, working hard~" Pinkie sang, posing amongst several mannequins on a staging area, "For everypony she makes clothes~"

That was another dead giveaway.

Rarity was between being startled and annoyed by the sudden intrusion, wanting to get back to the outfit she was working on. But she patiently waited for Pinkie to finish.

"They're super, and…" Pinkie faltered slightly, sounding troubled, "And…"

"Avant-garde?" Rarity offered hopefully.

"Nope, that's not it," Pinkie replied, waving it off. Perturbed, Rarity frowned as she turned back to her unfinished outfit, swapping out bits in an attempt to make it better.

"Ah well," Pinkie shrugged, "who knows!"

Meanwhile, Meteorite had found herself paying less attention to the song and more to Rarity herself, so it came as a surprise when Pinkie dashed past her, catching her across the chest and pulling her outside. Unsteadily regaining her senses, Meteorite could only watch as the whole of Ponyville began to speed away into the distance as Pinkie whisked her off to their next stop.

Sharply coming to a standstill, Pinkie grabbed Meteorite by both shoulders and sat her in front of a familiar-looking cottage, and an equally familiar-looking and doubly startled pegasus.

"Fluttershy's cottage is over here~ She's shy and timid you can see~"

The sudden loud singing made Fluttershy attempt to hide behind her mane, but Pinkie bounced over to her, and nuzzled briefly against her cheek as she continued to sing. Fluttershy regained enough confidence to brave the song, but she still cast a wary eye towards the wide-eyed Meteorite, who was doing everything in her power to remain as still as possible in order to not frighten Fluttershy further. It wasn't working that well.

"But animals from far and near~" Pinkie sang, popping out from the chicken coop in Fluttershy's yard. "Come to be as well as can be!"

As the two pegasi stared at Pinkie, they both yelped and leaned away as Pinkie then suddenly popped up between them. "Animals like…"

"Angel Bunny," she sang, holding up the frowning rabbit before dropping him into Fluttershy's cradling forelegs. She then somehow moved to a nearby tree branch with a green hummingbird perched on it. "And Hummingway!"

Jumping back down, Pinkie bounced through the yard. "Lions, tigers and bears!"

"Oh my…" Fluttershy murmured. Meteorite gave her a side-glance, but was quickly distracted as Pinkie landed and leaned in a few inches away from her face.

"You'll get to know them if you stay~ It's not that hard if you just try!"

I- I'll pass on getting to know the lions and ti- "Eep!"

Caught off-guard, Meteorite was whisked away to yet another location. As the colours settled around her, the sight of a very familiar-looking orchard and a very familiar-looking bemused Applejack stood before her. Pinkie stood perfectly balanced upon a nearby pile of apples, still mid-song.

"Applejack works with her brother~"

"U-Uh, P-Pinkie?" Meteorite half-heartedly called out, raising a hoof.

"Down here on Sweet Apple Acres!"

"Pinkie!" Meteorite called out with a bit more force this time, catching Pinkie's attention. "We've already met each other!" Meteorite uttered desperately, indicating Applejack with her hoof.

Applejack nodded in agreement with a smile, making Pinkie pause and rub her chin thoughtfully. The music in the air was still going strong, but Meteorite hoped that this would be the end of the song.

"Hm, in that case," Pinkie said suddenly, "let me introduce you to a special pair of bakers!"

"E-Eh?" Meteorite cried out, lifting a hoof in shock. As Pinkie took hold of the offered hoof, Meteorite gave Applejack a pleading look, who could only smile apologetically and shrug in return. In a blink of an eye, Meteorite was being rushed through Ponyville, and through a pair of swing doors leading inside Sugarcube Corner. As she was roughly seated at a nearby table, Meteorite caught glimpses of Mr and Mrs Cake behind the counter, exchanging concerned glances at the sudden intrusion.

"The Cakes run a really swell store~ With so many goodies and sweets~" Pinkie continued to sing, simultaneously thrusting a menu into Meteorite's hooves and piling countless pastry treats onto the table. "Really what more could you ask for~ Every day they bake the best treats!"

Luckily, the singing appeared to perk up the line of waiting customers at the counter, and the Cakes collectively sighed in relief. Meanwhile, Meteorite stared dumbfounded at the menu and Pinkie, confused by where the song was going.

"Treats like…" Pinkie paused dramatically, before swiping and holding up several foodstuffs, "Eclairs and chocolate muffins~ Cupcak-"

"Pinkie!" Meteorite shouted suddenly, trying to drum up as much authority as she could. Curious, Pinkie stopped mid-lyric and blinked innocently.

"Yes?"

Meteorite hesitated, caught off-guard by having Pinkie's attention so quickly. "You… don't need to introduce me to a chocolate muffin." Slowly, Pinkie glanced at the muffin in her hoof, then giggled.

"Oops, guess I got carried away!" she said, tossing the entire muffin into her mouth to the final beat of the song.

As the silence washed over Meteorite, she exhaled as stress began to leave her. The sounds of a busy store started to ebb in, accompanied by Pinkie noisily nomming her muffin.

Thank god, Meteorite quietly prayed, I was not ready for all that. She glanced aside at Pinkie, still sitting beside her. Jesus. Pinkie's… a lot to take in in person. Hell, that song was a lot just by itself.

"Well, that was… something," Meteorite remarked carefully, smoothing her mane back with a hoof. "T-Thanks for that, Pinkie."

Pinkie smacked her lips a few times before responding. "You're welcome! I hope you had tons of fun meeting everypony, because the party is going to be like, a hundred times more fun!" She folded her forelegs with an air of professionalism. "I've done the math."

Meteorite felt a smile threaten to break on her face, but fought it down. "Heh. Well, it uh, it sounds like it'll be fun."

"I certainly hope so!" Pinkie grinned. "It'd be pretty crazy if fun didn't sound like fun!"

Meteorite went slightly cross-eyed as she considered the thought. "Uh… yeah. Yeah."

"Hey, you hungry?" Pinkie asked, pulling a cupcake from the looming pile of pastries stacked on the table.

Meteorite stared down at the offered cupcake, topped with white icing and rainbow sprinkles. She shivered as a subtle chill flowed down her spine, thanks to the unfortunate combination of Pinkie and cupcakes.

"Ah heh, no, I'm good thanks, Pinkie," Meteorite said through a forced smile.

"Okie dokie then!" Pinkie said with a shrug, flicking the cupcake into her mouth, swallowing it in a single gulp. "Mmm, sweet!"

Meteorite let out an inaudible sigh as her body relaxed. Okay, I was just being paranoid, she half-rationalised, half-scolded. Probably. "Hey Pinkie?" she said suddenly, catching her attention. "Um, thanks again for… everything, but I'm gonna go out and wander about on my own, if that's alright?"

"Sure, no problem Meteorite! I'll find you when it's time for your party!" Pinkie grinned, beaming with absolute conviction.

Well… that's ominous, Meteorite thought, before shaking her head clear. Pushing down on the table, she roughly moved out of her seat. As she paused for a moment to regain her balance on all fours, she heard Pinkie cry out about her tail, and only had a few seconds to turn her head to see the towering pastry pile wobble and topple towards her.

And then, darkness. Sweet-smelling, fluffy darkness.

"Ohmigosh! Are you alright?" a very muffled Pinkie exclaimed.

Clamouring out of the fallen baked goods with Pinkie's help, Meteorite stood with as much dignity as she could, with pastry flakes and crumbs coating her.

"Uh. Yeah, I'm… fine." Meteorite admitted, giving the pile a disdainful look. "Though, it's not every day you find yourself in a foodalanche."

"Nope!" Pinkie giggled. "But boy, it sure would be great if it was though!" Meteorite cleared her throat, opting to decline to comment.

"Sorry about this, though," she apologised, indicating the pile. Pinkie waved a hoof, and scooped up the entire pile in a giant hug.

"No problem, I've got it under control!"

Well, I'm glad someone does… Meteorite thought sarcastically, making for the exit.

---

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

---

"Wait a moment," Rarity interrupted, raising a hoof. "Was that the first time we met?"

Meteorite smiled shyly, and nodded. "Technically, yep. I dunno if it counts though. It was, what, ten seconds at most?"

"Even so, darling! Let's give the occasion the proper recognition it deserves!"

"We didn't even talk, Rarity," Meteorite sighed.

"Well, no, bu-"

"Or make eye contact."

"Phooey," Rarity pouted, folding her forelegs as she sank back into her chair. "You're taking all the fun out of this, you know that, Meteorite?"

Frowning, Meteorite fidgeted with one of her ears. "I'm sorry, but I just… I think the second time we met was much more… well, more."

"We met again?" Rarity asked, sitting back up, her interest perking back up. "When was that?"

"You… don't remember?" Meteorite said, sounding disappointed. "It was the same day."

"O-Oh, I…" Rarity replied, feeling abashed. After a moment of awkwardness, she cleared her throat softly.

"Please, continue. Perhaps, err… my memory needs jogging."

Meteorite remained unconvinced, but continued as asked.

"Well, okay. So, I remember after I left Sugarcube Corner…"