Midday rolled around, and Melissa had parked herself outside the entrance to the post office, awaiting on Popcorn to appear and take lead. She waited only a short period of time before the door swung open and the dark purple pegasus made her way onto the street, looking around for her guest for lunch before Popcorn eventually locked eyes with Melissa.
“Heya bud!” Popcorn introduced with, sporting a smile towards who she was perceiving as Turnover.
Melissa had been mentally preparing herself to return to masquerading as Turnover, without the stallion's actual input, for the time spent she was waiting on Popcorn, responding back to Popcorn's greeting with an unsure “Howdy?”
“Howdy?” Popcorn questioned, her face portraying an amused bewilderment. “Don't tell me you're trying to go country-bumpkin like those Appleloosans!” She chided.
“What?! No, no.” Melissa quickly tried to correct. “Just... Mm, been thinkin' 'bout the cousin's recently. Pah! You should know, you handled my letter to them this mornin'!” Melissa decided to lean on as an excuse, which wasn't fully a lie, the best way to tell a lie.
“If you say so...” Responded Popcorn, turning away from Melissa and beckoning her to follow with her whole head and neck. “Well, I say get your head back on! We got lunch to be eating!”
Melissa trotted behind Popcorn, following her as she navigated the streets of the village, until coming to a stop in front of another stucco-painted, slate roofed, colourful building that had a sign depicting a sandwich and fries.
Before stepping inside, Popcorn looked over her right withers towards Melissa. “Let me pay for both of us. My treat for all what you gone through recently.” Popcorn offered, to which Melissa gave a slow and thankful nod and accompanied it with a “Appreciate it, Popcorn.”
Turnover probably wasn't carrying any money on himself at that moment anyway, Melissa considered. She couldn't remember at any point picking up money since she arrived in Equestria, and Turnover hadn't asked her to pick up any money, until they had to gather the money to send the letter off this morning. And it was doubtful that Turnover carried any money while he worked in the orchard, when Melissa had first arrived into the world.
Stepping into the cafe, Melissa was first struck, once again, by the quaint old-worldly nature of the interior. Wooden ornate chairs and circular tables standing on a single ornately carved leg. Patterned wallpaper covered the walls in a darker shade of green than the outside cladding was painted as. A stallion “stallioning” the counter, and behind him a black chalkboard with the menu written across it.
Approaching the counter, and the chalkboard by extension, Melissa perused the menu casually, but couldn't begin to understand the items being listed. All of them contained at least one type of flower, if not accompanied by the expected vegetables then just a combination of different flowers.
“Good afternoon you two!” the stallion at the counter welcomed, breaking Melissa from her considerations over the menu. Popcorn would speak up first for the both of them, saving Melissa the trouble of speaking on behalf of Turnover for at least this portion of the conversation.
“Heya Clover, nice to see you again! Can I get whatever your seasonal is with some crispy hay and cucumber please?” Popcorn ordered, seemingly to have already had a decision in mind before entering the store.
Melissa returned her attention back to the menu. Looking over the items once more. Daisies and buttercups seemed to be your staple, basic options, with the other flowers coming at a higher cost. But sequestered to the farthest left of the chalkboard was where the “seasonal” that Popcorn ordered was, and that's when Melissa picked back up on the stallion's conversation.
“Well thanks to Miss Carnation's batches of Chrysanthemum and Asters from her gardens, I think you're both going to love the combined taste! It's filling but with a kick of fragrance. Would you like the same Mister Turnover?” the stallion that Popcorn identified as Clover espoused with passion.
“Ahh... sure, lets go for that... Clover.” Melissa confirmed. It wasn't likely she'd be able to get anything here without flowers in it, and it appeared that they were made from Carnation's flowers, so at least it'd be supporting the family by some amount.
'When in Rome I guess...' Melissa consoled herself, recognizing that for a horse, eating flowers probably isn't at all weird, and that whatever taste-buds Turnover's tongue had were surely built around enjoying the taste of flowers.
Clover trotted to the back of the shop, Melissa hearing only a short exchange from the back, muffled through the wall between the rooms, before the stallion returned to position at the counter. “So all together? That'll be 14 bits.” Clover tallied up and requested of the duo.
As to her promise, Popcorn forked over the 14 bits, transferring them hoof to hoof with Clover, who squirrelled them away to somewhere underneath the counter. “You two take a seat, when they're ready I'll come over to serve. Thanks for your business!”
And with reciprocal “thank you”s from Popcorn and Melissa, they took a seat at one of the tables.
“Well... I'm glad you agreed to lunch Turnover! Must have been, what...” Popcorn's eyes shifted into a corner as she paused to calculate “... Spring, if not then last Winter, since we've gotten together!” the pegasus proclaimed.
“Heh heh, well...” Melissa began, stalling for time to figure out what she was going to say. This was going to be the norm for this meet up she supposed. “... You get how busy the farm gets... Just ain't had any time for it, with everythin' going on.” Melissa gambled as her explanation, just vague enough but if pushed to go any deeper, she knew the background of the family's issues from just before she arrived.
“You never did tell me what the in the Tartarus happened to you! Why Doc Rapid was sent out to the farm a few days ago.” Popcorn enquired, her mind raising the most prompt topic that she had in her.
The body of Turnover jolted upright just a slight bit more as Melissa took in that question, realizing how unprepared she truly was for this whole scenario. How far would Turnover want to share with his friend the mess that he found himself in now? Obviously, not as far as revealing Melissa's existence to Popcorn, but would Turnover want to worry Popcorn about the explosion, or about how the same thing happened to Lobo?
Melissa eventually came to a decision as the body of Turnover remained silent throughout her previous thought process. Unsighted by Melissa, Popcorn had slightly tilted her head at this behaviour.
A short, deep breath to ground herself first, and Melissa began to calmly regale Popcorn of the events that happened the afternoon she arrived to Equestria. Or at least, from what she presumed Turnover's point of view was, and of course omitting any mention of the other-worldly being occupying his body. She delicately wove the story from the explosion out in the orchard, commenting how weird it was that the explosion didn't seem to do anything but knock Turnover to the ground. No scorching, no pain, certainly no possession (she didn't actually weave that part in.) She went through Madam Beets discovering them, to being retrieved by Lobo and carted back to the farmhouse. And ended the retelling at the tail-end of Doc Rapid's visit. To this, Popcorn listened attentively to each beat as Melissa told it, some point midway through slumping her head to be propped up by both her hooves on the table.
“We... still don't know what that all was, you know?” Melissa closed off the retelling with. “Doc Rapid said her cousin in the weather team can't explain for it. An' Ah certainly can't explain for it...”
Popcorn elevated herself back into an upright sitting position, raising a hoof to whisper a quiet aside. “Is that why you saw Doc Rapid today? Does she have a hunch?”
“Sort of?” Melissa answered, reciprocating the whispered aside by leaning forward across the table to Popcorn. “That letter Ah gave you to post this mornin. Ah'm hoping that Cousin Apple Jack down in Ponyville could get her Council of Friendship or whatever to look into it.” Melissa explained, hoping she wasn't being too revealing on behalf of Turnover. “Ah was just telling Doc Rapid 'bout that to keep her up to date.” Melissa further explained, looping it back to Popcorn's original question.
Conversation stopped for a brief pause after that, as Clover appeared to their table carrying the two “seasonal” sandwiches they both ordered. Clover offered a quick and enthused “Enjoy your meal” to which both Popcorn and Melissa gave a smile and nod to in response.
As both females tucked into their sandwiches, Melissa was first and foremost caught out by the vibrant colours. The sub was filled with a reddish-purple that dominated space in the sandwich, that being the Crysanthemum she presumed, as violets speckled some of the remaining space in what she presumed were the Asters, laid among the usual expected greens of a sandwich salad.
But the second shock to her system took place after her first hesitant bite of the sandwich, to find that the tastes of the flowers were unexpectedly similar to ingredients she knew on Earth. The Crysanthemums had a weight to them, the same sort of density you'd experience from a well tenderized meat that falls away with little pressure. If Crysanthemums tasted like this on Earth, they'd be a shoe-in to replace meat for vegetarians. Meanwhile, the Asters provided a not-unpleasant fresh fragrance to the taste that Melissa could only describe as a fruity-sweetness, like a tropical fruit.
This all culminated with a surprised hum of appreciation from the mouth of Turnover, as Melissa thoroughly enjoyed everything about the sandwich.
Popcorn glared at the stallion opposite her, confusion turning into amusement slowly before she pipped up. “They're not bad aren't they? Would have thought Carnation would have tested those flowers with you all?”
Melissa glared back in response to Popcorn, slowing her chew and placing the sandwich down as she considered what she should do. “Ah've... um.... hmm... ah...” She stuttered to stall as well as she could. “We've ah... not had 'em in a while...” she eventually began to bluff “Past few days, with what all goin' on, Ma's been treating us to all sorts of fancy pastries.” She ended the bluff by tacking on the most convincing smile she could muster from Turnover, that only succeeded at being unconvincing.
“Uh-huh” Popcorn simply responded before taking another bite of her sandwich. “So, you calling her Ma' now huh?” the pegasus opposite picked up from Melissa's answer.
Melissa could only scream to herself internally once more. This conversation was a minefield, and she was treading on mine, after mine, after mine.
'Why did I have to try and make friends, wearing a costume of somebody else's best friend?'
Eventually, Melissa managed to respond, and hoped she wouldn't end up digging the hole for herself deeper. “We've decided to give her a proper shot... of being our Ma' that is... No more just, “Pa's marefriend”. Try and get properly close to her.”
Popcorn just responded with a warm smile towards Melissa, approving to the attempts she saw that Turnover was making to bring his family together.
The two ponies continued with their sandwiches, allowing a lull in the conversation to naturally occur. During that time, Melissa took the opportunity to shake off the reservations she had began to develop for the whole plan, and to psych herself for she had decided to take the lead in the next conversation. After all, a pair of friends like Turnover and Popcorn were definitely wouldn't settle for having one-sided conversations. How she would go about it would be another question.
Taking a pause between bites of the now half eaten sandwich, Melissa eventually broke the silence, coming to a decision on how she would pry answers inconspicuously from Popcorn. “How have things been goin' for you... recently?” She awkwardly asked. It was the best she could do to get a foot, or hoof, in the door with what little knowledge she had of Popcorn or where Turnover's relationship with Popcorn was.
“Well... they haven't been as interesting as what your life has been, that's for sure!” Popcorn joked, letting off a quiet chuckle to herself before continuing. “I'm still hoping to find somewhere with a community theatre or something!” She opined, letting out a sigh and placing her half-eaten sandwich back on the plate before continuing in a more dower tone. “Gotta hope that Baltimare has somewhere with a role still open... just anywhere! Or I may need to move out of Mareyland entirely.”
But as quickly as her tone turned sour, had it returned back as Popcorn continued with a smile. “'Least everything else has been going great!”
Melissa provided a smile back, equally for herself as for Popcorn. She supposed that she had successfully got a hoof in the door, and taking a moments pause to take in everything Popcorn just said, she then took a deeper dive. “Are you still wantin' to do... ehh... what it was you wanted to do with the theatre?” Melissa blagged. She doubted it was the best thing she could have done to pry out why Popcorn wanted to go into theatre, but without more time spent thinking about alternatives she'd just have to hope that Popcorn would believe that Turnover could have a brain-fart and not remember that aspect.
“Pfft, well it's the theatre! What would you be expecting I want to do?” Popcorn joked, once again shooting a quick glare at the stallion, and gave a hum in suspicious thought. “You sure you didn't knock that noggin of yours in that explosion bud?”
Melissa threw on the best poker-face she could muster, freezing in place until Popcorn fell back to her seat and continued eating her sandwich. But internally, she was face-palming herself. Of course somebody seeking a role in theatre would be most likely to be wanting to get into acting!
“But yeah, I still aim to be an actor. Can't do that from behind a post-office desk, no matter how much I try!” She eventually answered to Melissa's question.
Another lull in the conversation occurred, this time not naturally as panic began rising in Melissa's mind. Popcorn knew didn't she? She knew that it wasn't Turnover sitting in front of her, right? If she did, what would she think was sitting in front of her? She once again began damning herself for this plan, attempting to nurse a growing panic attack, all the while damning Turnover for having the audacity of falling asleep when she needed him, and at whatever higher powers placed her here in this specific moment, in this specific location, in this specific scenario. Her panicking was only interrupted by the calling over from Popcorn once again.
“Yoohoo, Nightmare to Turnover! Jeez, you're really out of it aren't you?” She could hear Popcorn fading into the foreground. “Hey... You know, if you aren't up for Running of the Leaves this year bud, just say the word! I want you all healed up before I can properly beat your flank.” The pegasus mocked, a sly smile on her face.
'Turnover would want to keep in this... Running of the Leaves business. He seemed to have some pride in competing with Popcorn last they talked about it... Okay Popcorn, your on!' Melissa reasoned to herself, letting Turnover's expression falter from the poker-face she had been maintaining into a matching sly look.
“Like Ah'd ever miss the chance at whooping you at a race Popcorn!” Melissa confidently stated, perhaps the most confident she had sounded in this entire lunch time meeting to this point. At least Melissa knew how Turnover felt about this specific topic, which allowed her this confidence. And, in accordance with her plan on making friends with Popcorn eventually, this wouldn't be a bad twist of events.
“Well, if you'd want it to be a fair race, I could tie a hoof to my barrel as well as my wings this year.” Popcorn further teased, letting out another playful chuckle.
“Won't need it. 'Ll just mean Ah beat you by a larger margin, is all.” Melissa shot back, beginning to enjoy this back-and-forth of posturing, wondering why she never tried to be this competitive back on Earth.
Popcorn reclined back on her chair, having already finished her sandwich. “Nah... ” She casually replied back “... Don't matter how much a gap is gonna be, your still gonna be behind.” She continued to poke.
Melissa decided to copy that relaxed posture, slumping forward instead, resting Turnover's head on a bent-over fore-hoof like a perch, still wearing a playful smirk. “Oh... Ah'm gonna be in front all right. Just you wait. Bud.” She punctuated with emphasis the last word in her jab. Before casually and dismissively picking up the last of her sandwich and tossing it into Turnover's maw.
Then a devious plan snaked it's way into Melissa's thoughts and her sly smile grew wider. “Say... want to make a bet on who'll win bud?” She proposed to Popcorn.
Popcorn's maw dropped open before she quickly recovered. “The ever-so humble Apple Turnover, offering a bet?! Now I know you've bumped your head a bit too hard... But go on, what's this bet?” Popcorn enquired, now matching Melissa's pose and leaning forward over the table.
This, this is where Melissa's plan was it's most devious, and self-centred. “Lets say... If Ah lose, which Ah won't, next day Ah'll need to wear a dress for the whole of it.”
“And if I lose, the same forfeit?... You know, your on Turnover.” Popcorn responded with confidence, before sticking a hoof out for confirmation of the bet.
Melissa responded in the very human manner of taking the hoof with Turnover's own and giving it a solid shake. They both then slumped back into their relaxed casual poses again, staring each other down with the same cheeky smirk.
Popcorn returned to attention upright in her chair moments later, stretching her fore-hooves over her head. “Well, that's lunch break over for me. Want to walk me back to the post office like the gentle-stallion you are?” Popcorn informed, poking again at the pony opposite her, yet unknown to her Melissa had once again mentally flinched at being called a stallion again.
Melissa sat Turnover's body back upright again as well, before sliding off of the chair. “Ah'm sorry Popcorn, but Ah do got to be back at the farm now. But! This lunch break was nice... ” Melissa shied away slightly as she continued “... We should do this again, some time soon.” She internally continued that statement with a thought to herself completing with 'Maybe next time, as Melissa.'
They both exited the cafe, Melissa giving a quick “Thanks again.” To the stallion behind the counter, while Popcorn gave a more casual and friendly “See you tomorrow Clover!” to the same stallion. Then the two ponies stated their farewells to each other, and Popcorn left to return to the post-office, Melissa waving her off. The gap between the pegasus and the earth pony grew a couple buildings wide before Melissa began her own walk back to Willow Springs.
Beginning her slow, casual jaunt back towards Willow Springs, Melissa began to reflect on her accomplishments for the day; single-handedly, or single-mindedly meeting every thing she needed to do on her and Turnover's to-do-list. She felt the weight of it's burdens lift from Turnover's withers. She took her stroll through the town with a sense of pride and with greater relaxation than she had throughout the rest of the day.
But she also reflected on her first time hanging out alone with Popcorn, and made the mental note that there was still a struggle ahead for her plans of integrating herself fully into this new existence. She resolved herself that she should ask Turnover if they could meet with Popcorn again, with her in control of the conversation once more, but this time with the access to Turnover's memories and experience his presence would offer. That would make the next time hanging out with her so much more easier. And surely her mind-space friend would understand and support her wanting to befriend Popcorn as well.
And then, as if whatever higher beings wanted to mess with Melissa more than they already had today, Turnover finally stirred, waking up with a groggy and faint “Wha' happen'?” would be directed at Melissa.
Melissa froze in place beside the flowing river that lead back to the farm-stead, all focus spent on trying to stop an outburst of laughter that would have looked from the outside like a stallion going stir-crazy, before quietly whispering out loud “Oh now you decide to join the world of the living? You have spectacular timing Turnover!” before continuing on internally by stating “Let me fill you in on everything...”
Lobo had spent most of the morning doing the usual tasks she had needed to do, mainly tending to her pups she was raising. She did so despite her mind being clouded by a hunger and succinct craving that had been gnawing since her underwhelming breakfast of fried eggs that morning. Those eggs were closer to what she felt she was craving, but they didn't satiate her and eating more eggs she decided would still not satiate what her cravings were.
Whatever it was she was craving for, it was extremely specific. But to what it actually was, she could not put a hoof on it.
But now, she stood to attention within the kennels fences, mind now free of that hazy fog when the whiff of something caught her attention. Sticking her muzzle into the air and taking some short, successive sniffs, the smell that had broken her from her haze was again caught by her nose. And she began to follow it, continuing her rapid sniffs and paying the utmost attention to turn in the direction of wherever the scent was it's strongest.
The scent had led her through the kennel's gate, back towards the wayward side of the house, still right beside the kennels, to a shed that was all too familiar to her, and only added to her confusion. This shed was where she stored everything she needed for her pups, there shouldn't be anything inside that smelled as attracting and pleasant as whatever the smell she caught was.
Inside her head, Lobo ran the quickest of check-lists, attempting to find any explanation to the scent, but the further she ran through it the less had stood out as an obvious answer.
The only way she could confirm any sort of answer she understood was to open that shed, and when she did the strength of the scent that first captivated her proceeded to blast her senses. That blast to her senses did make it glaringly obvious to her as to where the scent was originating from. Sat in the corner of the shed, it's ripped-open top exposing the contents to the air, was the kibble she had to feed her pups with. This only served to confuse the pony further, but she couldn't deny either that the smell of the kibble was unexpectedly appealing to her.
Her body seemed to agree with the fact that she liked the scent, acting beyond her own control by drawing nearer towards the bags. Before she knew it, her muzzle was stuffed into the opening of the kibble bag, taking in more short and heavy sniffs. She couldn't protest as her muzzle continued to move on it's own, flicking it's tongue out and lapping up a singular piece of kibble.
Despite the kibble's delicious smell, the taste was anything but delicious. Far from a pleasant taste, to Lobo it was probably the worst thing she had ever had in her muzzle. And yet, despite her revulsion to the taste and the action, her muzzle continued it's betrayal as it descended in confidence to lap up more kibble.
Lobo had not felt this trapped within her own body as it fell out of her control and furiously scooped and lapped more and more kibble into her muzzle. Her saving grace was that she could no longer taste the foul taste of the kibble. But she could only watch on, on the verge of tears. She wanted to cry, out of fear, out of worry, but she couldn't feel anything in her eyes, not even that feeling of dampness of your eyes welling up.
Suddenly as soon as it started, the furious feasting on the kibble ended, and she found herself sat on her haunches. She still felt no control within her own body, but maybe her own body was listening to her?
She was sure she could hear the faintest and softest of whimpers. It didn't sound like any of the pups outside were whimpering, it sounded closer to her than that. The whimpering was almost as if it was within the room with her.
And her cravings were still not met, even by the kibble.
I've finally caught up. I'm enjoying the story so far.
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Thank you for your interest! And glad you are enjoying it
This fanfiction is one of the few I consider very underrated. It is of great quality, never forget that.
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Well thank you kindly for the praise!