Friendship Is Optimal: Third Wheel

by Boopy Doopy

Chapter Thirteen (Renown Composition)

The food Renown Composition ate with her friends was some of the best she had in her life. It was just a place that served ham and cucumber sandwiches and cookies, but after weeks of being away from her group, she could say it was better than anything she had in what felt like years.

Agile Trace and Solar Spark wasted no time in telling the story of how they confronted Celestia and forced her to show them where Composition was, excitedly chattering about their ability to see through deception. The gray mare herself stayed largely silent, not wanting to go over the details of what she thought the reason was, but did listen. She smiled at the fact that they were all together again, and enjoyed the company of her closest friends.

They were ponies who wouldn’t accept an apology from her about her absence on the account that she had nothing to be sorry for. They insisted that it was fine that she took time to herself, explaining that everypony needed some time to think things through. She wasn’t sure how fine some of them would be with it if she gave details about all the things she did on her vacation, but decided that she would accept their words. In fact, maybe it was good that she went on that adventure. Sure, things would still be… complicated, and she would definitely agonize over certain things, but maybe the lesson was that she needed her friends, and Celestia’s trying to… she didn't know what. Pretend to trick them? Maybe this was to say that it was better to stay in their company rather than be away.

Or she sent me away to do exactly that. Considering that idea brought mixed feelings.

She considered the future and what everything meant while she was in their company, and spent time with at least one of them every single day for the next month or so. Being with her friends, and back in her own shard especially, helped to clear her mind more than living with whatever perfect stallion on the vacation of a lifetime did. It even helped to break a bit of the creative block she was facing. She felt like she was actually starting to settle on the fact that this was her new life. It might have taken a good three months to get to this point, but the point seemed like it was being reached.

She noticed as well that Sparky and Agile were a little more friendly with each other. Not that they were hostile before, but she knew it wasn’t great. She always saw the eye rolls and the shaking heads and weird looks the two sent each other's way, always observant of her friends’ behavior. They weren’t buddy-buddy now, but the slight hostility the two had between them seemed to have melted away. It made Composition smile when she noticed the change, and increased her mood.

It was after about a month or so when she finally was able to take Solar Spark on the date he’d asked for twice now. She didn’t brush her mane or wear a dress or do anything that might overplay the social activity, but she did walk a little bit closer to him and sat next to him rather than across from him while they ate dinner. He seemed to enjoy it, another thing that made her happy. Of course, him enjoying it meant that Agile wouldn’t, and those selfish feelings started to rise up again.

Stop feeling like that, she told herself with a little silent glare in the mirror, during a moment where she got up to use the restroom. It’s just a date. Agile’s not gonna break her back over one date, and neither will you. The mare nodded and smiled when Composition told her about it, although seemed kind of disappointed, but thankfully not overly so. It wasn’t like the three were in highschool and each was trying to compete for her attention.

If anything, it’s me doing that to them, she couldn’t help but think, but stopped herself again and washed her hooves before heading back to Solar Spark.

“Sorry I took so long,” she apologized as she sat back down next to him. “Just got caught up in my head, you know? But like I was saying, I’ve been thinking about trying to start a business if I can. I mean, it’s not like there’s any regulations here. It’d be something like drawing portraits for ponies who ask. Or try something new maybe, like gardening, since I’m an Earth pony now.”

“That’s not much different than what you did in real life,” Solar Spark said. “Well, used to anyway, until things got bad. Except for the gardening part. But hey, things are perfect at all times in Equestria, right? I bet whatever you do will be great.”

“I hope so,” she smiled, scooting in a bit closer to the stallion and taking a bite of a flower sandwich. “How’s it been in the Outer Realm? It’s not as bad as all that, is it?”

“It’s not too bad yet, but there’s some states trying to do crazy stuff. South Dakota passed a law that bans all PonyPads in general. It’s… not very good. I think they’re talking about banning emigration here in NC, but it’s probably gonna be fine. Hopefully. I need to talk to my parents about it more seriously than I already have. They seem like they’re on board, but…”

“Be safe, please?” she asked, looking him in the eyes. “Like, I’m not telling you to jump in here right now. In fact, I’m saying the opposite. But like, if things are looking like they’re getting bad–”

“I will,” he assured her gently. “I know. I’m not gonna jump in here after you. Although, if I do upload soon, then I can actually walk next to you instead of just watching you do that through a screen.”

“True,” she smiled. “You’ll also be able to climb the mountains with me and see them in real life. I’m basically gonna be climbing them alone once we head out of here.”

“Are you saying I should rush over to the Experience Center right now so you won’t be alone?”

They both laughed for a moment, then Composition sighed. “But seriously, I’m telling you, please don’t do that, but also, be safe?”

“I will. I know.”

“Good.” She smiled again, and he got one in return before taking a bite of the pasta she told him to get, forgetting that he couldn’t actually taste it. It was a nice time, one with almost no tension or expectation, which was good. It was just a date among friends, nice and simple and relaxing. Solar Spark didn’t seem uncomfortable or like he was expecting more, which made her feel even better. There was no future obligation after this, even though she very much wanted follow up dates. But she pushed that fact out of her mind.

“Hey, I have a potentially weird question,” the stallion suddenly started. “Not about this date or anything, but about something from before. Why did you need to take time for yourself for so long, exactly?”

Renown Composition’s heart jumped, but she kept any nervousness off of her face. She knew this question was going to come up eventually, and it was probably better to be upfront about it now rather than later.

She didn’t hesitate, but didn’t offer the answer right then. “I’ll tell you later tonight, okay, Sparky?” she offered. “I wanna go see the mountains now before it gets dark.”

The stallion smiled, a grin Composition was glad to see. “I’m basically done now. Why don’t we get going then?”

The two finished their food, and once they stepped outside, Solar Spark lit up his horn, the spell he cast positioning them right in front of a mountain range that Composition knew was in his shard. She had visited it before with him, but that was before she uploaded. It was more intimidating than the last time she saw it, but that was the thrill of it. She grinned widely at the challenge in front of her.

“Think we can make it up there and back before dusk?”

“Idunno. I don’t even know if we can make it up there at all before dark,” Solar Spark said. “But I have a teleportation spell if it's dark after we’re at the top. Then we don’t have to risk you getting hurt at night.”

“Alright, let’s get going then,” she said confidently, starting forward. Solar Spark laughed and followed after her with no other comment.

The two were quiet, and the stallion stayed behind Composition the whole time. It wasn’t the hardest mountain in the world to climb– she’d climbed a few similar ones while on vacation– but she was appreciative of her friend looking out for her. There were a few spots where she almost started to slip, but Solar Spark caught her every time, and helped her laugh it off with a light joke. It was definitely much more exciting in Equestria than it was just doing this through a screen, and more intimate doing it with Solar Spark instead of Sound Solace. It gave her a chance to be close to him, and made her heart beat a little bit faster.

“You’re doing a lot better than I thought you would,” he told her. “I thought you’d need more help, but you’re a natural at this. It’s like you’ve been a pony your whole life.”

“I climbed a few mountains while I was on vacation, but those weren’t difficult either,” she explained. “I told you before that Celestia needs consent to upload you because she has to fix your mind to being in a pony body, so whenever you get here, it won’t be any more difficult than in real life. But yeah, I bet we could climb harder ones after this sometime. I don’t know when, but that’d be cool.”

“If you’re down, I’m down.” Then he pointed a hoof, saying, “We’re getting close to the top, I think. Not much farther for us to go.”

It was a true statement, the two reaching the flat area that was the top just a little while later. Solar Spark’s pony huffed and puffed like she did now, but she knew he wasn’t any worse for wear like she was. Still, it was very fun, especially getting a view of his entire shard for the first time as a pony.

The sun had sunk below the horizon, but it wasn’t too dark out yet. In front of her, she could see his beach far in the distance, and the ocean just a smidge beyond that. There was a forest to one side, and the river that the two had taken a canoe down before while she was still a human on the other. To her back were more mountains, as well as train tracks that ran next to them, where she knew they led to Summer’s Edge. The evening twilight they were in brought out a rising moon in the opposite direction of the sun, along with stars that started to appear in the sky.

“I’m not gonna lie, this is kind of amazing as a pony,” she said. “Whenever you upload, we have to do this again. It’s basically a requirement.”

He tried to shrug coolly, but his face couldn’t hide the bashful smile he had. She giggled at the sight of it, and he smiled wider. There was no way he was ever gonna be able to pull off the carefree, laidback, cool pony like Agile probably could, but that was one of the things she liked about him.

“That smile is absolutely adorable, Sparky,” she told him. Then she looked down at the trail before them. “I think it’s probably too dark to walk back down though,” she said. “You’re gonna have to teleport us. But not yet. I wanna get in this view for a while.”

The stallion smiled even wider, and the two wordlessly sat down on their haunches, Composition switching to laying on her back a few minutes later. It was a perfect view– satisfying she could say after the climb up– and one she took in as much as she could. It was such a nice day to spend with a nice friend, one she enjoyed for what it was. It was definitely better than any day she had while she was on vacation. A quiet moment to spend staring at a sky littered with stars, laying next to a pony she was fond of– what could be better than this?

Neither spoke for a while, which was good. As nice as the day was, the mare was probably going to ruin it for the stallion next to her once she answered his question from before.

“Hey, Sparky?” she started, looking up at him. He turned to look down at her, and she only took one breath before forcing herself to give an answer.

“The question you asked before? About why I had to take time for myself? Well, it’s… because I like you.”

Composition didn’t continue right away. The stallion expected her to, and when she didn’t, asked the natural follow up. “But?”

“There’s no ‘but’,” she clarified. “I like you. A lot.” She let out another breath, and then finally admitted, “I just like Eliza, too.”

“Oh. Yeah. I… figured that,” the stallion said carefully, glancing away from her for a moment. “I just, you know… I didn’t think that was the reason why you needed time away… I assume Agile knows? Or have you not said anything?”

“I haven’t said anything about me liking you, but she knows I like her,” the mare explained, looking back up at the sky. “I told her when she asked me out a while ago, around the time when me and my ex broke up. Except I said back then that I wasn’t ready for something, and wanted to wait until things were more okay with me. But I’m still just as conflicted now as I was back then. That’s why I asked for this date to be casual.”

Solar Spark nodded, but didn’t say anything at first. Instead, he let the new silence drag out for more than a few minutes. Composition did nothing but stare at the stars, outside of a few occasional glances to the stallion to see him still wearing a face that said he was thinking what she said through. It must have been a good fifteen minutes before he finally spoke up again.

“I understand,” he finally told her. “Being conflicted, I mean. I don’t really get why you like Agile, but I understand. I hope though that we weren’t the reason you had to pull back for a while. Like, the two of us being pushy? I know Agile would be upset with herself if she realized she was.”

“You weren’t, Sparky,” she assured him. “Trust me. Neither of you were. I was just being an idiot and overthinking it all. That, and dealing with the fact that I was forced to be a pony against my will kind of screwed with my head a bit. Um, I’m probably… gonna go on dates like this with Agile, too. Just so you know.”

Solar Spark flinched at the words, but nodded. There was another pause, but not for nearly as long this time. “I… I get it if you, like, wanna go on dates with her, too. I don’t really mind.” He sighed and looked down at his hooves like he did, but then looked back up at her to finish, “But I don’t think I’d be okay if you were trying to, like, actually be in a relationship with both of us at the same time. I don’t think Eliza would either.”

“Okay. That makes sense. That’s… good. Sorry I ended our date on such an awful note.”

Somehow, the stallion was able to smile, just as he always was. “Not your fault, Composition. I was the one who asked. But I’m glad you told me, instead of, like, being secretive like you could’ve been. That would’ve been annoying.”

He stretched and yawned, then finished, “I gotta go though. I’m tired, and my parents are about to turn the wifi off like always. Let me teleport you back down to your shard before I get off?”

“Thanks. I appreciate it,” the mare said gratefully, trying her hardest not to feel even more guilty than she already did.

Comments

[Chatoyance]

It was just a place that served ham and cucumber sandwiches and cookies

Worldbuilding: Most Optimalverse stories use the conceit of bark-based meat substitutes (that are indistinguishable from real meat). Bark bacon, bark ham, that sort of thing. Why? Because the alternative is that the uploaded humans in the Shard have some Value to satisfy in cruelty to animals, and in the slaughter of them, and in the consumption of their dead flesh. In a virtual world, where trees can be made to grow meat-bark, that doesn't have to happen. The existence, or non-existence, of actual animal-based meat makes a statement about the personal values of the uploaded humans within a shard. Currently, it suggests that Composition Values the murder of other animals for its own sake (rather than for survival).

Such considerations are important in science fiction (which this is). Science fiction has to take its premises seriously and make use of them to support the story, because a fictional future or new world will naturally be considered and examined in regard to the choices of the characters within it.

Solar Spark lit up his horn, the spell he casted positioning them right in front of a mountain range

The past tense of casting - as in 'casting a spell' is 'cast', not 'casted. 'The spell he cast' is correct. Casted is not.

“But I don’t think I’d be okay if you were trying to, like, actually be in a relationship with both of us at the same time. I don’t think Eliza would either.”

As a person who has been in a polyamory for 40 years (a herd of my own!), I can only shake my head at the jealous, silly children.

[Boopy Doopy]

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Ah, my bad. I assumed in FiO, plants grew things that looked like animal flesh, rather than bark that tastes like animal flesh. For example, a ham tree that grows plants with a substance that looks and tastes and has the properties of ham without being animal based, instead of a bark substance that tastes like ham.

[Chatoyance]

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A ham plant that grows ham in any form would be great - Ham Cabbage, say, that grows 'leaves' of ham. Or Hamroot - the root of a plant that is, basically, and entire ham. Or Hamfruit! Hamflowers?

The important point, I am saying, is that this worldbuilding - however it is done - needs to be communicated to the reader in some manner. Optimalverse Shards tell us about what the characters value, or are willing to tolerate, or feel comfortable with - the nature of the Shard communicates character as much as the protagonists do because it is inevitably a reflection of their characters.

[Kenku]

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the alternative is that the uploaded humans in the Shard have some Value to satisfy in cruelty to animals, and in the slaughter of them

Some humans genuinely seem to enjoy hunting for its own sake.

and in the consumption of their dead flesh.

Well… nobody said they had to be dead.

[book_burner]

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Because the alternative is that the uploaded humans in the Shard have some Value to satisfy in cruelty to animals, and in the slaughter of them, and in the consumption of their dead flesh.

pm1.aminoapps.com/7372/7931144f02be35d178d8e3f04f589c6ead52e7ear1-1024-572v2_hq.jpg

You really don't get the point of being posthuman, do you?

[Walabio]

quote]

> "Agile Trace and Solar Spark wasted no time in telling the story of how they confronted Celestia and forced her to show them where Composition was, excitedly chattering about their ability to see through deception."

¡They are so naive!:

They only saw through the deception because CelestAI wish it it so. CelestAI is hundreds of steps* ahead of them, playing a long game only it understands. ¡This is so painfully obvious!

• Speaking about steps and the painfully obvious, in tbe FoundationSeries by Isaac Asimov, the 1st Foundation should have figured that some other group, knowing the plan "Seldon" must be somewhere, interfering where necessary for guiding the plan when it goes off of course:

Let us suppose that Seldon sets things up so that the 1st Foundation is involuntarily committed to a plan with someteen or upmteen, if one prefers, steps leading to the 2nd Galactic Empire. The possibility of deviation exists at each step. Let us suppose that the odds of success are 90% at each SeldonCrisis and that they must navigate a dozen SeldonCrises. The odds of success are only 28%.

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> "As a person who has been in a polyamory for 40 years (a herd of my own!), I can only shake my head at the jealous, silly children."

¡Congratulations! I can barely handle a relationship with just 1 person.