My Little Heartbreak: More With a Kind Word and a Hard Hoof

by Jet_Black1980

Limerick Somnia

“Come on, Angel Bunny!” Rat demanded, crossing his little arms.

“Yeah, Angel did it last night,” Raccoon whimpered, rubbing his grumbling belly. “What is different about now?”

Nigel held his bowl sadly in his mouth. “Please Sir Angel, we could just have a little more? Something to tide us over until Fluttershy returns?”

“Yeah, carrots,” Foxiekins interjected as he peered up at the small angry looking rabbit sat atop the counter. “Just look at Nigel’s face... just a little snack to tide us all until Flutter-pony returns?”

“No!” Angel shouted, thumping his foot down. “That was the emergency food, and now it is not an emergency!”

“Nigel begs to differ!” the Poodle barked, his bowl falling and rolling about until it settled on the ground. “This food bowl must be filled thrice a day, lest Nigel’s coat loses the soft fluff!”

“But...But...” Raccoon began, as he threw his little arms forward in exasperation. “Starving!” He rolled his hands against each other and looked at Angel with a bargaining grin. “What can we do to get a little more food? Animals here can do... something for Angel Bunny, right?”

A blur of black and white lept right next to Angel. “Maybe Angel Bunny needs motivation. Where this cat is from?” the tux cat started to lick his lips. “The tall furless cats know how to be motivated.” he continued, his green eyes staring the lagomorph down.

Angel tumbled backwards before glaring up at the cat. “Well, where I, Angel, am from? Bunnies are not pushovers!” And with that, the black and white feline found himself getting a hard double-smack to the face with a rabbit's foot before the white fluff darted off the counter.

Just at that moment, Angel’s ears swiveled backward and he stood alert as the cottage door opened but a crack.

“C-could somepony please help open the door?” A quiet, gentle but strained voice pleaded. “I’m so sorry for being late, but I had to make a stop at the market for more food.”

Angel felt the ground below him seem to shake and rattle. Turning to see the source of the commotion, he found himself nearly trampled over by the hodgepodge herd of other animals frantically being driven by hunger to be the first to the door!

“Raccoon calls dibs!” The masked bandit cried out, leaping over cat, dog and even red fox. He let out a sudden and sharp high yelp as he felt his tail tugged on, and his momentum suddenly shift.

“Not if this fox gets there first!” Foxiekins yipped, leapfrogging over the raccoon, spitting out little threads of fur that got stuck in his teeth.

“The Foxie’s fluff is already fluffy enough as it is!” Nigel exclaimed, nabbing his bowl and causing Foxiekins to squeak in surprise as the poodle nearly smooshed him in an attempt to bound over the vulpine. “Nigel’s fluff is everything!” Just then, a blur of black and white flew into the air and practically springboarded off the poodle’s nose!

“Ha! Even in this place, cats are still better than d-!” The Tux Cat crowed, shortly before finding himself buried in a six-animal pile-up.

In an instant, what seemed like a near playful (if not ‘spirited’) chase to get to the door, ended in growling, yowling, yipping, chittering mess of blame and shouts to get whose butt out of their faces.

While the group squabbled to get over each other, Angel smirked and spotted his opportunity. With nothing more than a hop-skip-and-jump, he bounded over the struggling mass before casually opening the door for his pony.

All the animals quickly untangled from the mess and sat upright, the sun pouring a warm halo around the gentle, doe-eyed mare that stood in the doorway. Soon, the soft smell of yellow and pink that they all relied on rushed to greet their noses. The squeals, yips and cheers of joy greeted her as she raised her wings to reveal the wondrous bags that surely contained many tasty foodstuffs within.

Fluttershy found herself only taking a few steps into the safety and comfort of her cottage, before carefully pulling the straps on her saddlebags and letting them drop slowly to the floor.

“My... Goodness!” An exasperated, whispery voice exclaimed. “It’s certainly warm outside.” As the crew bounded around her, she put up a hoof. “Just a moment, please, everypony...” She took a deep breath before turning towards a water dish that had been set at head level near the door.

Yes, it was meant for any of the animals, but if the water wasn’t clean enough for her then it wasn’t clean enough for them!

Letting out a satisfied gasp after partaking in a refreshing drink, she smiled and looked down at her guests as they stood at attention; bowls at the ready and waiting to be filled.

“Whoooo’s hungry?” She cooed, picking up a bag labeled ‘Blue Pegasus: For Carnivores!’ in fancy rainbow-striped font. Behind which was a happy looking ferret gleefully tossing different shades and shapes of brown kibble pieces into the air. Shaking the bag to further whet the animal’s appetites, she proceeded to tear open the top and pour the contents in the respective bowls.

While Foxiekins, Raccoon and Tux Cat made little or no fuss in chowing down on the food presented to them, Nigel looked up with a whimpery air, as if to ask ‘did I do something wrong?’

“I know it’s not what you’re used to,” Fluttershy told the poodle with a gentle but firm expression. “But it tastes just as good and even might have some things that your old brand might not have!”

Nigel let out one more tiny, begrudging whine before sniffing the meal presented to him, giving it a reluctant taste and eating what had to be a second class brand.

Fluttershy smiled as the picky poodle kept munching in approval. She then proceeded to pull out a bottle of red fluid out of her bag and walk over to the humming bird feeder hanging in her window to refill it.

“There,” She said, looking over the cheery and bright landscape. There wasn’t a flitter nor flutter of wing beats in ear range. “I really hope the hummingbirds were able to find more trumpeting flowers...”

Just then, she felt a tugging on her mane and looking down, her gaze met the yellow-eyed little rat who was pointing at his mouth and making ‘feed me’ squeaks.

“No, I didn’t forget about you, Mr. Rat,” she replied, smiling and giving him a small bag of little yogurt covered treats.

Chittering and chuffing in delight, bag in mouth, he happily scampered back up to his high hiding nest before tearing the top open to get at the tasty treasures within.

Fluttershy took a deep breath and went over the list of animals in her mind. “Let’s see, Rose won’t need to eat until she’s fully molted, which should be sometime tomorrow. Our burrowing owl has already been fed and--” she turned around and gave a tender smile to the little lagomorph who seemed to be fighting the urge of jumping around to garner the pony’s attention.

“Angel!” Fluttershy squeaked, bending down and nuzzling her dear pet. “No... I didn’t forget about you either... I’m just really tired, last night was a lot of excitement.” She explained apologetically, before carefully unpacking an assortment of veggies into his dish. Her pet looked them over and then back at his pony, his nose twitching in concern.

“Is everything alright?” She tilted her head and looked concerned. “I tried to make sure that was the freshest greens I could find..” The small rabbit shrugged and then tentatively took a nibble on a few of them, just to verify their freshness, before he began to wolf down on his meal.

Fluttershy smiled at seeing Angel enjoying his mixture of leafy veggies, tomatoes and celery sticks.

“And that’s everypony,” she yawned before walking in the direction of her couch. “I think I’ll take a quick nap before going to make sure that Heartbreak is doing well,” she quietly muttered aloud.

Fluttershy’s advancement to the big, comfy looking couch came to an abrupt halt, however, as a celery stick beamed her on the back of the head. She reluctantly turned around to see a very unpleasant scowl painted on Angel’s face.

She gave her bunny a concerned, sad, if not weary look. “Is there something wrong, Angel?”

Angel crossed his little arms and thumped his foot on the floor before giving a muttering series of squeaks and grumbles that left a look of shock on Fluttershy’s face.

“Now Angel,” She softly began, once the bewilderment of the rabbit’s actions had worn off. “We’ve talked about this before... I know she’s... different.” A little bunny nose stubbornly stuck itself in the air while turning its head slightly away from the pony, all the while making more disgruntled grunts in protest.

Fluttershy sighed, thinking that her nap might have to wait for a bit. Calming down her dear pet could be such a chore sometimes.

“Angel, please,” Fluttershy started, turning her hoof on the ground sheepishly. “She was terribly sick, and I needed to help her,” the mellow-yellow mare continued to explain. However, it would seem that Angel was having none of it, as his scowling only seemed to deepen into a pointed furrowed glare. “Oh, please don’t give me that look... She really isn’t a bad pony...”

The rabbit’s annoyed expression continued, only his mouth opened ajar as she described that... thing as being a pony.

“Well,” Fluttershy covered her mouth, thoughtfully looking at the ground. “I guess you’re right about her not being a real pony,”

Saddened cyan eyes darted up as Angel replied with some growling utterances and nodding smarmily, causing the diminutive mare to think over what she had just said.

“B-but she isn’t a monster!” She added in protest.

Cold, steely and, most importantly, hungry eyes took in every detail of its newly acquired prey.

There it was. Sitting on a ledge, it sparkled in the sunlight. They smelled like cranberries to the famished beast that watched from on high. The small, dark, brown, sugar-coated delight had no idea of the fate that was about to befall it.

Suddenly and without warning, the salivating maw saw an opportunity! A dark shadow descended upon the innocent and pearly white jaws sliced cleanly down on the prey, ripping away at its being!

But this prey would not be so easily dispatched! They would not go quietly into the night! Too many like them had fallen to these monsters! With a final spiteful act, they would attempt to make this beast choke on their remains!

Heartbreak hit her chest as a few stray crumbs and raw sugar crystals attempted to make their way down the wrong pipe.

Cream Puff quickly looked up from the sketch book. “Are you alright? No choking now, ya hear!”

“I’m not choking!” Heartbreak gasped, leaning forward and drinking a cup of apple juice that had been provided by her visiting guest. “I just need a little liquid for the muffin...” she explained before taking a satisfying gulp to wash her food down.

“Ma muffins aren’t too dry are they?” the little filly asked worriedly. “Ah knew ah should’a used some applesauce instead of that there flour...”

“They’re very tasty,” Heartbreak explained while shaking her head. “I just think I took too big of a first bite,” she added before leaning forward in order to take another one.

A suspicious look lingered on Cream Puff’s face. “Alright...” Her eyes darted back and forth between Heartbreak and the ‘boredom book’. “Are ya sure they’re alright?”

Heartbreak smiled in between a mouthful of muffin. “Yes,” she swallowed and licked the sugar off her lips. “Although, where I’m from? Oranges are usually paired with cranberries in muffins.”

“Ah would’a done that, but the Apple family tends ta out sell any of the families that grow oranges around these parts,” Cream Puff smirked, while pausing over a random picture of a grey mare with a spiky yellow mane that was spouting out what looked like a mix of magic and scientific mumbo-jumbo. She lifted the book and turned it with a confounded look on her face. “Who’s this?”

“Uuuhm,” Heartbreak began, pausing in a mid-bite to look at the sketchy drawing. “Haven’t a clue. I think I drew her cause I wanted a nerdy science pony in the book...”

Cream Puff tilted her head. “That would explain the glasses and funny white coat she’s wearin’... But not wings an’ horn...”

She chewed thoughtfully and took another drink. “She’s the princess of science?” Heartbreak suggested sheepishly while swallowing her food. “Keep going, I think there’s one or two surprises a few pages forward.”

Cream Puff hooved her way through a strange array of pages that ran the gambit of sketchy doodles to drawings, to little thoughts that were peppered between long blocks of numbers that seemed to have no meaning, before finding herself silently reading a few of the poems that were placed neatly in the middle of the paper.

“Most of them aren’t really finished...” Heartbreak nervously muttered, watching as the little filly narrowed her eyes and inspected the various strings of letters and words that were strewn together in some semblance of rhyme and verse. “Just random stories that popped into my head, poems that were buried in the deep corners of my brain, along with some weird riddles...”

“Huh?” Cream Puff shook her head as her concentration was broken. “Sorry, Ah was readin’.”

A wry grin crept its way upon Heartbreak’s face. “It’s alright.”

Furrows of confusion formed as Cream Puff’s eyes darted up and down the length of what looked to be a poem. “ Ah don’t get this one...”

“Which one was that?” Heartbreak peered over her shoulder before tapping her hoof on the page. “Oh, this one?”

“Yeah...” Cream Puff replied, her voice sounding distant, while Heartbreak could practically hear the gears grinding in her head in an attempt to decipher the oddity. “Ah just can’t wrap ma head around it...”

Heartbreak gave a small smile and chuckle. “Maybe if I read it outloud, it would help?” she suggested.

“Alright!”

With a clearing of her throat and a narrowing of her eyes, Heartbreak began to read from the page.

“That... That still feels like it needs work,” Heartbreak mulled, chewing on her lip thoughtfully. “Though to be honest, I’m just glad that you can read my chicken scratch.”

Cream Puff looked tight lipped for a moment before smiling. “Ah’ve seen worse... But,” she paused, and once again mouthed the words as she reread the poem, her ears going lopsided in a display of her continuing confusion. “What’s all it mean?”

The smirk on Heartbreak’s face quickly evolved into an outright impish grin.

“Well,” She began, tapping her chin thoughtfully, before turning to the little filly. “I can’t just tell you. It’s a riddle-game of sorts. You have to figure out what other things could pass through the green glass doors.” she explained with an uncharacteristic chirp to her voice.

“Uhm...” Cream Puff began rubbing her head.

“For example,” Heartbreak looked around her room. “There are books, but no pages.”

“But...how can ya have a book with no pages?”

“The same way that it can be sunny with no sun,” Heartbreak responded, her puckish smirk starting to melt away as she detected a bit more annoyance on the ever confounded filly.

Cream Puff held up a hoof and dropped it before tilting her head in bewilderment. “Huh?”

Heartbreak coughed in embarrassment and looked at the next page in sudden desperation. “Uuuuhm, that one might be a bit more advanced for you. How about this?”

Cream Puff leaned forward and silently read the words for herself. Then much to Heartbreak’s dismay, she reread them once again, showing that this little thing in her boredom book was, also, a bit over the filly’s head.

“All them numbers are makin’ ma’ head all spinny...” came her final verdict.

Heartbreak’s ears folded down even further. “I’ll be honest, I didn’t come up with that one by myself, fet, I had to really rack my brain just to remember it,” she confessed, “I apologize for that Cream Puff... I didn’t mean to, it’s just...”

“It’s alright! The limerick was kinda pretty, but it just was so--” she rolled a little golden hoof in an attempt to find the proper word. “--complicated.”

“Yeah. Still, I feel the need to apologize, it’s just that I don’t know too many riddles that would be—” She paused mid sentence, then tapped her hoof against her lips thoughtfully before giving a small grin at the little filly.

Cream Puff tilted her head curiously. “What is it?”

“Wait, Maybe I do know one. Alright, I got a joke for you.”

Ah had no idea that Misses H.B. was such a... longmane. All these numbers an’ fancy sounding words. But she’s really trying so hard ta show off! As momma always said ‘Third time’s the charm. Cream Puff steeled herself. “Alright, let’s hear it!”

“Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. After all, it is a pretty old joke.”

“Alright.”

Heartbreak took a deep breath. “Why is six afraid of seven?”

The little filly stared up at Heartbreak in bewilderment. After all, the previous two things were pretty heady. “Why...” She paused and looked up at the rafters in uffish thought. “Why is six afraid of seven?” She tapped her head and frowned a bit before finally looking at Heartbreak. “Hot potatoes and creamed corn, H.B., you’re really good at these cause this one’s got me all stumped too. Why is six afraid of seven?”

Heartbreak’s face lit up in hopeful enthusiasm as she delivered the punchline. “Because seven ate nine!”

“Because seven, eight, nine?” Cream Puff mouthed the answer a few times before her eyes lit up and she was sent into a fit of giggling. “Ah get it! Seven ate nine!”

Heartbreak laughed a little bit. All the work that had been put into playing with this little filly was starting to really take it out of her. “Yeah, I’m actually surprised that you’ve never heard that joke before. It’s really old.”

“At the home, ah don’t hear a lot of jokes with numbers in them,” Cream Puff replied, scanning the margins of the page where little squiggles resembling thorny vines had been drawn. “Where’d ya learn all these things anyway? Is it cause ya were living with Missus Twilight fer so long?”

“No,” Heartbreak replied. “I can see how you’d think that, though. Twilight is quite the book-numbers-and-science pony, isn’t she?”

“Yeah. Though, Ah haven’t seen her fer a while...” She turned and looked up at Heartbreak. “Most of the colts and fillies have been wonderin’ where she’s at, on account that she never goes anywhere without Spike!”

“Oh, yeah.” Heartbreak’s smile drooped and she turned her attention back to the book in front of her. “Right now she’s in Canterlot for advanced studies.”

Cream Puff tilted her head and watched the mare’s ears droop down low. “Somethin’ the matter, H.B.?”

“It’s nothing,” Heartbreak replied, her eyes darting at the cute-eyed, inquisitive little filly.

“Are ya sure?” Cream Puff asked, leaning in close and widening her eyes. “Cause if ya need ta talk ta somepony about that’s what’s troublin’ ya, Ah’ve always got an ear ya can chew on.”

Heartbreak’s eyes widened and she looked more than a little perturbed. “That’s a really odd way of putting that, Cream Puff.”

“That’s what ma momma always said when somethin’ was troublin’ me.”

“Oh,” Heartbreak replied awkwardly. “Well...” She took a deep breath. “It’s just, you’re really young, and I don’t want to be, just, dumping my troubles on you.” She rolled her eyes and grimaced. “ I already did that with Fluttershy this morning... Besides, it’s kinda complicated.”

“Ah’m a big filly!” Cream Puff protested, putting her little hooves over Heartbreak’s crosswise and looking up at her again. “Ah’m sure ah could understand it with all what Ah’ve been through.”

Heartbreak bit her lower lip and stared uneasily at her house guest. The strained and tensed pose she had been holding finally wilted under the glistening and pleading eyes.

“Alright!” Heartbreak slumped and turned away. “Though I’m sure you’re going to think H.B. is a big stupid head--” she paused and rubbed her foreleg.”--at least, I think that I’m being stupid for this...”

“Ah’m sure that Ah won’t think of ya like that,” Cream Puff replied sympathetically.

“Fine.” Heartbreak rolled her eyes. “It’s about Twilight and how we get along.”

“Ya two have problems gettin along?” Cream Puff inquired a little shocked. “But ya two are like—” She frowned as she fumbled for an expression. “---uhm, two words on the same page!”

Heartbreak found her hard-tack emotional barrier crumble a bit as she chuckled at the desperate analogy. “Seems like that sometimes,” she sighed, wistfully. “Other times? Not so much.”

“Well,” Cream Puff raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Why don’t ya write a letter to her?”

Heartbreak blinked and looked away timidly, as if she hadn’t even considered the idea. “Uhm, well--,” She fumbled on her words nervously and rubbed the back of her head. “--it’s just, I don’t want to be a bother. She is doing advanced studies after all.”

“Yeah...” Cream Puff bit her lip and lightly wiggled her hooves over the edge of the couch. “But that don’t mean ya couldn’t send her a little letter, right? Ah bet she doesn’t even know that yer sick!”

“Hey, I’ll have you know that I’m feeling much beee-”. Her words morphed into a struggling bleating sound before a sudden and harsh cough overtook her breathing.

Cream Puff gave her a startled and concerned glance before Heartbreak waved her hoof to dismiss it.

“I’m fine,” she croaked out. “Just a little phlegm.” Her assurance of her well being was met with narrowed-eyed skepticism. “And yes, I’m sure of it.” She cleared her throat once more before glancing over at the still worried youngster.

“Are ya sure? That sounded like an awfully strange cough,” Cream Puff’s face lit up. “Maybe we could go fer a walk ta the hospital an’ I could take ya ta the doctors!” Heartbreak jumped at both the mention of the hospital and at Cream Puff’s sudden leap of logic.

“No!” Once again, she waved her hoof dismissively. “I’m fine, really. There’s no reason to go see the doctors--” her brow furrowed at the thought of going back there a second time. “--again.”

“But why ya don’t wanna ta go to the doctors?” Cream Puff asked, her head tilting. “After all, they just wanna see ya get better.” Heartbreak’s eyes darted about looking for a quick way out to the ever probing questions.

Cream Puff’s saddlebags suddenly caught Heartbreak’s attention. “Hey! You still want me to read books you brought?”

The worry and concern melted away from the little filly’s face like ice cream in the summer sun at the potential of hearing stories from her favorite reader.

“Yeah, ah’d like that!” came the bright and cheery response as Cream Puff quickly pulled out a book titled ‘Heartshine’s New Friend.’ “Ah mean, if yer up to it that is...”

Heartbreak rolled her eyes a bit, but smiled nevertheless. “I’ll be fine,” she responded, clearing her throat and staring at the book before her. “Just as long as you can turn the pages for me, that is.”