//------------------------------// // Heartbreak Vs Rarity // Story: House that Heartbreak Rebuilt // by Jet_Black1980 //------------------------------// Chapter Three Heartbreak Vs Rarity Twilight looked at Heartbreak, hoping that she would agree. After all, the meeting had barely started and she hadn’t even talked about how each of them could put away a small bit of money in a private savings account for her! “With her attitude, it makes me wonder if we even should. Not like she deserves it.” Twilight hesitated. “Stop thinking like that! Yes, sometimes it is hard to empathize with her, especially when she gets moody. But, she has been through something down right horrible. Plus, she is showing signs that she can get better.” Heartbreak sighed. “I can do that...” She frowned while looking at the ground. “I guess.” Twilight smiled. An ‘I guess,’ was better than nothing. “Thank you, H.B.,” Twilight replied. Just then, the door to the library opened. Applejack poked her head through. “Uhm, beggin’ yer pardon, H.B., the young’ins are wonderin’ when ya'll are gonna be back ta tell more stories.” Twilight looked at Heartbreak. “See? They like you. And they want you to tell more stories.” Heartbreak only frowned and waved a hoof at her. “That’s not what I am worried about, Twilight,” She replied quietly. “Then what are you worried about?” Twilight asked. She ground her hoof down on the ground. “I don’t know. I keep having this nagging feeling in the back of my head. Like something bad is going to happen.” Twilight’s expression softened. “H.B., you’re reading stories to a group of colts and fillies, what’s the worst that could happen?” Heartbreak’s eye twitched and she shot a slightly fearful look at Twilight. “You did not just seriously say that, Twilight Sparkle,” She replied, groaning and face hoofing. “Huh?” Twilight asked. Heartbreak’s hoof stomped on the ground. “Right, I am not going to panic and I am going to to explain this as-” she rolled her hoof around searching for a word. “-softly as I can.” She cleared her throat. “There are certain words, phrases, and even thoughts that you just simply do not say. And you, Twilight Sparkle, just said one of them.” “I’m not sure what you’re going on about, H.B.,” Twilight began. “Just sounds like somepony is procrastinating so she doesn’t have to face a few foals,” Rarity muttered under her breath. As Heartbreak glared and nearly growled at Rarity, Twilight put a hoof up in front of her line of sight and smiled nervously. “Ignore her, H.B.,” she said in an almost musical tone. “She’s just being Rarity. Now what are you going on about?” “A dictionary. Get me a fetting dictionary,” Heartbreak said. Rarity humphed before quietly finishing off her apple juice. Twilight quickly nabbed a dictionary from the shelf. “Alright, now what?” Heartbreak glowered at Rarity. Twilight could tell that some sarcastic, rather unpleasant thoughts were bubbling through the mare’s mind regarding the heavy book and a certain white unicorn. “I’m going to put it back if-” Twilight began. “Huh? What? No! Ugh, right, look up the term, ‘Tempting Fate’,” Heartbreak replied. Twilight quickly flipped through the book. “Tempting fate... tempting fate. Ah, here it is. ‘Tempting fate is when a character says something that dares the universe into making things miserable for them, and the universe takes them up on the challenge. Oftentimes, the character is commenting on how they've hit rock bottom and how things couldn't possibly get any worse — right before things do turn from bad to worse. Conversely, they may talk about how things are absolutely perfect, only for their world to come crashing down five seconds later.’” Twilight looked over at Heartbreak and rolled her eyes. “H.B. this is about a trope. Something that only happens in poorly written novels, books and movies. Not something that happens in real life.” Heartbreak looked like she wanted to pull out her mane. “Twilight!? Are you seriously trying to jinx everything!?” Rarity slammed her hooves down on the table and glared up Heartbreak. “Twilight, I’m sorry but I have dresses to make and this is getting altogether ridiculous.” Her gaze turned to the tan mare. “Heartbreak. Your teacher has given you an assignment and as far assignments go, it has to be, by far, the easiest thing you will have to face! There are foals who are in the other room waiting for you to read to them! Not only that, but the six of us have taken time out of our lives and schedules so that we can have a meeting regarding you, so that we can ultimately help you!” She slammed her hooves down on the table. “So, I think I speak for all of us when I say that we would like you to go back out there and just read to them already!” The group looked at Heartbreak. Excluding Pinkie Pie, the others did have a look of, ‘can we get on with it already?’ about them. Heartbreak glared and frowned at Rarity before slamming her hoof on the ground. Fluttershy held up a hoof and leaned forward meekly. “If that’s alright with you that is...” “Fine!” She turned and looked at Twilight before sulking out the door. “But I want to go down on record for saying that I don’t think this is a good idea and, ‘I told you so!’” The door closed hard behind her. As Applejack reentered the room, Twilight sighed and glared at Rarity. “Whaaaat?” She cooed innocently. “I was only saying what we were all thinking.” “Hey!” Pinkie shouted. “I was so not in your group hive mind think!” “Well, what most of us were thinking,” Rarity rebutted, rolling her eyes. Twilight frowned. “Rarity, next time I am handling a situation, let me handle it.” “She was just procrastinating and trying to get out of what you had her doing!” Rarity countered. “You’ve dealt with her for two months, you should know that by now!” “Yes, I have dealt with her for two months, Rarity. Without much help I might add,” Twilight said, continuing her frown. “And I have been learning a few things about her. And sometimes she needs a little calming down when facing a new situation.” She rolled her eyes. Part of her felt to blame for this little miscommunication. “No, we can’t have any sulking in front of the others. It shows poor leadership.” “However, we can talk about this later. Right now, I would like to get back to the core of this meeting: Getting H.B. a home, some of the necessities of living in Equestria, and what we can do to help her get those things.” ============================================================== It’s official. Rarity and I do not get along. My eye darts at her as I leave the room. I was so tempted just to grab that dictionary from Twilight and smack the marshmallow upside the head for that whole, ‘suck it up, buttercup,’ remark. Not to mention everything else that she was going on about. Seriously? When did Rarity become such a bitch!? On the show she was more of a lady than this snide version. A bit of a work-o-holic about dresses, obsessive when it came down to getting what she wanted, and nice to her friends. Then again, Rarity was a rather complex character when it came down to it. The song, ‘I’m a bitch, I’m a lover’ kinda reminds me of how I feel about said character. She’s a little bit of everything. Great to those whom she has made friends to. And a horrible enemy to those whom have crossed her or her friends. I sigh in the few seconds I have before I exit the kitchen. “Not like you have made any attempts to try and get along with her. You’re more the bitch here than she is.” Damn it. Shut up, Goth Bunny. I don’t need your bullshit right now when I am about to face a group of- “H.B.’S BACK!” Comes the cheering throng of colts and fillies. Alright, there’s only six of them. But six is five too many in my book. I have no fucking clue how old they all are, due to the fact that I know jack squat about judging the ages of little ponies. However, the orange one looks a little older than the rest. Of course that might be due to a glandular problem. Fuck if I know, fuck if I care due to the fact that the hoard of them come nearly swarming at my hooves... “Can you read this book here, Miss H.B.?” a small blue colt asks holding up copy of, ‘The Colt That Cried Timberwolf.’ “Please don’t-” I begin. “No! I want her to read this one!” A green filly shouts, holding up a copy of, ‘Breadcrumbs and GingerSnaps.’ I narrow my eyes at it then snirk at the picture on the cover. A pony version of, ‘Hansel and Gretel?’ I kind of wonder if they cook the witch alive in the end of the story. Then Cream Puff comes up to me as I start to back away from the demands of these three. “Can ya read this one?” She asks holding up a book titled, ‘Heartshine Sparkle Goes to the Zoo.’ Good fucking gaia. “H-h-how about we let H.B. get to her reading spot before asking her about what she will read, huh?” I ask, plastered with concern on my face as they draw closer. Quickly, I dart out of their way and up to the couch near the window. I’ve gotten better at getting up and off this thing. Not to mention the fact that I can pretty much take up the whole of the couch. No little ones getting up here! An orange colt waggles a book at me. “Cream Puff, you always ask for that one to be read!” “That’s ‘cause it’s a really good story, Marrs Orange!” Cream Puff retorts, sticking her tongue out and crossing her forelegs. “Bah! ‘Danger Mare and the Crystal Sword’ is better! Yours is just about some filly who goes to the zoo with her mom and looks at a bunch of dumb animals!” ‘Marrs’ raises his voice at her. Cream Puff looks understandably upset, I can’t let this go. “Hey now! Be nice to her, Marrs. I can read all these books,” I try to interject. “Cream Puff, bring your book here and turn the pages for me.” Marrs doesn’t look too happy with me. “Why do you have to have us open and turn the pages? Why can’t you do it yourself?” “I have a condition with my hooves. It makes it impossible for me to grasp things properly,” I reply curtly. “Is that why you drilled a hole in your hoof?” One of them asks me. “Not exactly, it was actually-” I try to explain. “I heard that she made kissy faces with Dr. Bright White to get him to drill it!” Another says. “That’s not-” I begin. “My mom said that she’s actually a changeling spy!” A green filly says. “Ugh! Stop talking! Please!” I raise my voice angrily. The six of them look at me with whimpering faces. Fuck. I rub my hoof against my temple. “Look, if you want me to read to all of you, first of all we’re going to have to take turns. Secondly, you’re going to have to quiet down and stop asking questions...” “W-why did ya yell at us?” Cream Puff asks me looking exceptionally sad. I sigh. “I...I...I didn’t mean to do that,” I fumble, tapping my hooves together. “It’s just that H.B. has a hard time dealing with large crowds and large groups of foals.” “This isn’t a large group! And I’m not a foal! I’m a colt!” Marrs snorts. “It’s large to me, Marrs. And maybe you should act your age.” Right just keep calm. Keep Calm. “But for me to read to all of you, you are going to have to be a lot quieter and let me read to you. Otherwise, I’m going to have a hard time concentrating.” The group of them look at me confused. “You talk funny.” One of them says. “And you look funny,” I think to myself. Gods, I so want to say that out loud. “Look, do you want me to read or not?” The little group nods slowly, and they sit down, books at the ready. “Can ya please read ma story first, H.B.?” Cream Puff flutters her eyes at me. Good fucking gaia, will I ever get used to those horribly sickly sweet tones and big eyes?! “No!” Marrs shouts. “I want her to read my story first!” Fuck, I smell an argument brewing. I need to nip this in the bud as quick as I can. If I can... “Hey!” I put my hooves between the two of them the best I can. “I’ll read both stories. But, I told Cream Puff to come here and she said please.” I attempt to give Marrs my own version of, ‘pleading eyes.’ I really hope it works. He frowns and gives a dissatisfied mutter. “Fine.” Cream Puff puts her book in front of me. And to be fair, it reads exactly like what Marrs said it would. A little filly and her mom go to the zoo and look at animals. They talk about how the animals talk, laugh about the funny things they do and even end up feeding them. I’m kind of weirded out by that concept. Here are talking ponies giving birds and monkeys things to eat at what would be the, ‘petting zoo,’ part of the zoo. I eye the time. The good news is that this book, despite being a simple story, was a pretty long read. I am guessing that is due to the fact that I am not the one turning the pages. The book finishes up with the mother and daughter going home and mom tucking the little filly into bed. Nothing wrong with that. It’s kind of what I would expect from a little orphan filly. To go on a little outing with her mother to the zoo and- I frown and shake my head. Fuck, if I start thinking about that, I’ll be reminded of my own predicament. I cough and choke out the last words to the story. “And then little Heartshine Sparkle fell asleep dreaming about the things she saw. The end.” The fillies in this group let out a collective, ‘awww,’ while the colts are groaning. Me personally? I’m somewhere in the middle. Yeah, it’s cute but good grief, I’d rather be reading something else. Marrs rolls his eyes. “Ugh! That story makes me want to gag! Why do you always pick that one, Cream Puff?” “Because ah like it!” She retorts in a cute southern drawl. Well it would be cute if it didn’t remind me of Amber... I face-hoof. No! Don’t think about them! This isn’t a time to think about the Nine! I jutt my hooves out between the two again. “Right! Time for your story, Marrs!” I say trying to advert more squabbling. “Alright! Now we’re going to hear a real story!” he says looking at me excitedly. “Just as long as this story isn’t like, ‘The Crystal Skull,’” I mutter under my breath. Marrs looks at me questioningly. “Huh?” “Don’t mind me,” I reply, eyes darting back and forth. “I’m just amusing myself. Alright, Danger Mare and the Crystal Sword!” This book is pretty much a boy’s action-adventure flick. There’s Danger Mare. She’s looking for a treasure. She comes up against bad guys. They fight. Fuck, this is boring me to tears. And from the looks of it, everyone else too. I decide to amp it up. Alright H.B., let’s see how well you can do some of these voices. Add a little more sparkle. After a little bit, the group is sitting up and paying attention. The story ends pretty much as it should. Our hero gets the treasure, the bad guy curses her name and says until next time. And Danger Mare goes off to another adventure. Alright, it was a bit more exciting than the last one, but so fucking predictable. Looking at the time, I smile. The whole of reading these two books was half an hour! That should have been plenty of time for Twilight to finish her meeting! Marrs takes his book back and waves it up in Cream Puffs face. “See?! Danger Mare is far better any day!” “Ah don’t care! H.B. read ma story first!” Cream Puff counters. “So ma story is better!” “No! Danger Mare is!” Marrs argues. “Heartshine!” Cream Puff shouts back. Fuck...The argument is starting again. “Danger Mare!” He counters getting in Cream Puffs’ face. “Not this again...” I face-hoof again and groan, before attempting another separation of the two. “Hey! Hey...” I say, trying to get their attention. “Look, they are both very good stories and I read both of them. Now, I am sure that the others have stories they want read too.” I take a deep breath. “So, please... please, Please stop squabbling?” Cream Puff looks up at me with a little bit of shame and then back down. “Ok, H.B.” “Thank you.” I smile a bit and then look at Marrs with an expectant glance. He only glowers and crosses his forelegs. “Pffffft, whatever. You’re not my mommy. You’re just some weird mare with no friends that all the grown-ups talk about that has a hole in her hoof.” Ouch. Half of me says that I shouldn’t be insulted by this. After all it’s coming from a little colt. A snide, rude, little colt. However, this half of me is currently being overshadowed by the emotional truth of this statement. Back on Earth, I did have friends. Back home I was much more social than what I am being now. And right now, back home, none of my friends even remember I exist. I can feel my lower lip quiver. Fuck! I’ve been over this in my head a thousand times over before! I don’t need to cry over it again! Come on, H.B.! Snap out of it! He’s just a- “Little meanie! That’s what ya are, Marrs! H.B. might be a little weird, but ah like her anyway!” She looks up at me with the sweetest smile ever. Fuck. Now it feels like I am tearing up for the exact opposite reason. “Yer the best reader ah’ve had ever!” That’s about the time I feel her glomp the only part of my body, my flank, that is accessible to me in a well meaning hug. That’s also the time I feel... something indescribable happen. It’s not the warm tingling that comes along with any sort of hug I have usually received. No, it’s more of a burning sensation. A horrible, terrible, sickly, stinging burning sensation. Fuck... no. Please don’t let it be what I have been fearing. Please, not to- Looking at Cream Puff hugging my flank, I see are the eyes of a filly that knows pain and suffering. Her tears are welling up and she starts screaming. “MA PARENTS ARE DEAD, AN AH’LL NEVER SEE THEM AGAIN!” Son of a bitch, Twilight. You had to go and say the magic words didn’t you?