//------------------------------// // Travel Plans // Story: House that Heartbreak Rebuilt // by Jet_Black1980 //------------------------------// Chapter 16   Travel Plans                       So here I am again at Rarity’s. The impact of the overall girly glitz of the place has faded due to seeing it before. It’s not as impressive, it’s not as imposing, but it still is making me nervous. I mull the morning’s events in my head as a way to avoid knocking on the door to let her know I’m here.                     I get up and see that Twilight is studying her thick books. Spike makes me a breakfast of eggs, hashbrowns, toast and shredded greens that he assures isn’t grass. Which after a few nibbles, I sighed in relief. It’s more of a small salad, no grass here. I in turn, assure him and Twilight that things are going fine. After eating, using the bathroom, and attempting to pull up overwear but having minimal success, I reluctantly call out for Twilight to help after at least ten minutes of struggling.                     Sigh. I swear the universe is purposely trying to humiliate me.                     I go back to, ‘my,’ room, do some drawing, practice some more, ask for a juice and drink it down. I get prodded about going to Rarity’s and finally, after much eye rolling, set out the door after Twilight puts my hat on. Spike isn’t pleased about the hat. He’s sure that I’m wearing it out of spite. Maybe I am, maybe I’m not. Either way, it keeps the sun out of my eyes.                     I walk down the streets of Ponyville and note the ponies as they go about their daily lives and attempt to get past Sugarcube Corner without Pinkie seeing me. I fail at my stealth roll, as the pink puffball is practically waiting for me with a surprise cupcake. I can’t complain about that. It’s a nice treat.                     I tell her that I’m going to Rarity’s and she asks if I want company. That’s when Mrs. Cake calls out to her and takes the happy little ball of sunshine away. Not that I am complaining. Pinkie is Pinkie after all, and if she walked with me, she would be chattering non-stop. And I don’t need to be driven insane before dealing with Rarity again. Oh no, I’m saving today’s wonderful insanity for after I have to deal with Rarity! And after a short little walk here I am. Fuck. That didn’t eat up as much time as I thought it would.                     Swallowing hard I lift a hoof to knock on the door. “Here we go again, Heartbreak meets Rarity, take two!” My hoof raps on the door. “Action!”                     There is a short pause before I hear a musical, “Coooooooming!” through the door. The top part of the door opens up and Rarity peers through. “H.B!” she says putting emphasis on the, ‘B.’ Her eyes almost go right to my hat and  a look of disapproval flutters across her face. “How are you doing today? Please, won’t you come in?”                     “Pretty much the same as I was yesterday, Rarity,” I reply walking in. As I walk past, I notice that she does look a bit better. Her mane and tail look shinier, and both her fur and hooves are whiter.  Even the blue of her cutie mark is more striking and defined. My eyes dart back to my own mark. Like I really want to even go there. “I see you took my advice and went to the spa.”                     “Oh, yes,” She replies trying to hide a devious look her eyes. “And I must tell you that it was a delightful treat! They really know how to treat a pony!”                     “Mmmhm,” I reply, looking around for the pillow that I used yesterday. Much to my surprise, it’s still in front of the mirror. Strange, I thought she would have put it away.                     As she trots over, I unbuckle my saddle back and reach in to take out my art stuff. Bleh, I swear, these things still taste horrible. “I got the full treatment! And after that long horrible painstaking month? It felt really good to be pampered.”                     “Mmmhm.” Great, I think I have turned into a teenager. Then again, I know what Rarity’s trying to do. Make this place seem really appealing. Treat me like a toddler in a highchair that’s refusing to eat their veggies. “Come on, H.B.! Look! Auntie Rarity likes them! Num Num Num! Open up! Here comes the airplane!” I roll my eyes as the image of me as a little filly and Rarity plays in my head. Little H.B. is sticking her tongue out and ends up splattering a green mess over Rarity’s face. I involuntarily smirk. “Darn it, H.B. She’s only mentioned the spa twice. That doesn’t mean that she’s trying to get you to go again.”                     “Are you alright, darling?” She asks confused at my amusement. She covers her mouth. “Right, so sorry, I forgot you asked me not to call you, ‘Darling.’”                     “I was laughing at an internal joke, Rarity. And I have no qualms with you calling me, ‘Darling.’ It’s just when you overuse it,” I reply, taking out my pencil. Alright, pencil goes in the hole! A tap of the top and a soft, ‘Zzzzt!’ sound. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see the sickened expression on Rarity’s face. Alright, I’m taking too much delight in this.                     “I even got a nice hoofacure, see?” She lifts a hoof up and shows me her hoof. It’s all clean, shiny and I can barely tell the line between the hair and hoof. And despite all that work that was put into it? All I can feel is this indifference about it.                     “Yes, Rarity, that’s very nice,” I reply trying sound as neutral as possible. A few snide comments roll their way through my head. “Huh. Mind holding it up like that for a while?”                     She smiles and assumes a pose. Tilting my head back and forth I attempt to draw what I see. Hooves seem like such simple things, with simple lines and the like but... usually the simpler something is? The easier it is to fuck up. Looking up, I can see a bit of mild disappointment waver across her face.                     “You can put your hoof down now. Thank you, Rarity.”                     “Anytime... H.B.” There is a small awkward silence between us. “You know, if you want, we can get it so that  your hooves look like mine. They are simply divine!”                     “Oh yes, and I would look just divine with marshmallow white hooves!” I mentally facepalm-facehoof... Whatever. “Alright, maybe she is trying to get you to go." Fuck, I really wish she would just drop it!                     Sighing, I look her in the eyes. “Rarity, I thought I made it very clear yesterday that I don’t want to go to the spa. I don’t need to get, ‘prettied up,’ for anything, and even if I did,” I frown at the notion of being, ‘prettied up,’ “I would just give myself a brush over and clean myself up. Seriously, can’t we talk about something else?”   ==============================================================                       Rarity sighed and closed her eyes before looking indignant. “One doesn’t simply go to the spa just to get, ‘Prettied up,’ darling. There are many wonderful health benefits that come with going to such a place! After all the spa ponies are trained in health matters too. They can look for things, and even perhaps find things that might be of serious concern!”                     Heartbreak sighed. “Why are you being so adamant about this, Rarity? I mean I get you’re about fashion and, I hate saying this, appearance... and I know we’ve only interacted like a total of, uhm,” she looked thoughtful. “Four times? But it feels like you’re really kind of pushing it.”                     Rarity glared at Heartbreak and tossed her mane. “And just what is wrong with looking good, my dear? A lady should always try to look her best! Particularly if they are going to be doing some traveling.”                     Heartbreak blinked. “Traveling?” Her eyes widened. “Oh yeah! You said that you had to do some traveling next week and Twilight told you to bring me with you. Well, uhm,” she looked at her side and gave a simple smile, “Have saddlebag, will travel?”                     Rarity shook her head. “Does she care so little about her appearance?! What about her brushes, her-” She mentally composed herself. “She’s practically a pauper, Rarity. Aside from the things she has in Twilight’s bathroom, everything she currently owns must be in those two pouches. Alright, be tactful in your explanation.” “H.B., that might be alright and fine if this was for a vacation cruise. However, this trip is also for my business and I simply can’t have you looking like... well... that!”                     “Rarity, I explained this already. I look fine. And it’s not like we’re going to Canterlot, right?” Heartbreak’s expression drooped and she looked worried. “We’re not going to Canterlot, right?”                     Rarity bit her lip slightly. With Heartbreak’s extensive knowledge of Equestria’s inhabitants, she was bound to know about its cities. “If I tell her where we’re going, she’s going to have an opinion about the place and most likely going to stubbornly refuse to go, or worse yet, refuse to get prepared to look her finest. I mean, the auction isn’t any Gala by far, but still if I can get her to look better, then she could see that she truly would feel better!” “Oh, well, darling, maybe I'll tell you if you come looking your best!”                     “Wait,” Heartbreak blinked in confusion. “You’ll only tell me where we’re going if we go to the spa?”                     Rarity smiled and nodded. “That would be the jist of what I am saying, yes.”                     Heartbreak frowned. “Well fet.”                     Rarity smirked a bit. “I’ll go-”                     “I guess I won’t know where we’re going till we get there then,” Heartbreak said smirking and trying to return to her drawing.                     Rarity stopped in confusion. “Bwah?”                     “I told you, Rarity, I’m not going to the spa.” She focused on her drawing and attempted to put more detail on a line.                     “But... darling!” Rarity raised a hoof to her face. Heartbreak’s expression was unwavering. The unicorn took a deep breath. “It’s almost like dealing with a combination of Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Sweetie Belle all at the same time! Stubborn, illogical and just difficult. You can do this, Rarity.”                     “This is for my business, and how you look will reflect on me too! I mean, I don’t want to lose a thousand bits just because you didn’t comb your mane!”                     Heartbreak’s only response was a frown and a snort.                     “Alright, maybe that came off a little bit wrong,”                     “You don’t say,” Heartbreak replied harshly.                     “Alright, I’m not going to force you to go to the spa, but I really wish you would.”                     “I look fine, Rarity,” Heartbreak repeated and frowned. “And I am pretty sure I can rule out Canterlot as I'm sure that the Princess doesn't want me anywhere -near- her.”                     “Will the Princess be there? I’m sure I checked the guest list...No, she’s not going to attend this year.” “Still, it wouldn’t hurt for you to look your best...” Rarity's expression turned sad as she thought about those last words that Heartbreak heard from her world. “After what happened that night,” Rarity paused and looked away. “If anypony needs proper treatment it would be you.”                     Heartbreak glanced up at Rarity. There was a look of sadness and grief stricken on her face. She took a deep breath and rubbed her temples. “Even Rarity doesn’t deserve to be forced to relive something like that." “Look, first, let’s not bring that night up again? Please? And second?” “Fet I know I am going to regret this...” “How about we compromise?”                     Rarity blinked. “Compromise?”                     Heartbreak looked off to the side as she carefully mulled over the choice of words she was going to use. “Compromise. You’ll drop the going to the spa, if,” she looked Rarity in the eye. “If I let you, clean me up.” Rarity looked a bit excited. “But!” Heartbreak’s hoof jutted up. “Only a clean up. No makeovers. No makeup. No overdoing it. Just a look over on my hooves, my mane and tail.”                     Rarity bit her lip, this was the closest to a chink in this pony’s armor she could find. “What about your fetlocks and coat?” she asked pleadingly.                     Heartbreak twitched a bit. “You may brush those as well. But no touching the mark and no trimming! Just. Brushing.”                     Rarity sighed. “Very we-”                     “And only before we are going to leave!” Heartbreak added quickly, her hoof and pencil jutting up at the white unicorn.                     Rarity jumped back a little from the pointed tip. Carefully, she pushed Heartbreak’s hoof down and gave her a disapproving look. “You ought to be more careful with that, darling.”                     “Right, uhm. Apologies, I didn’t mean to...” She stammered, her ears drooping. “I do get to know -when- we’re going to leave, right?”                     “Yes. Ten am at the train station,” She looked over Heartbreak’s appearance.                     Heartbreak looked a bit frustrated. “Well, I guess I’ll have to wake up early then. Most likely around nine o’clock.”                     As Rarity paused over her flank, Heartbreak felt unnerved. “You’re not giving me a lot to work with, nor a lot of time to do it in,” she said rubbing her chin. “But-” Heartbreak returned to her drawing. “But you’re Rarity, you’ll manage it.” She looked to the side and there was a small silence between the two ponies. “So, uhm... now that that is out of the way, it would appear that we have a bit of time on our hooves.” “After all, If I come back early, Twilight will think that I did something to offend Rarity." She looked up and bit her lower lip. “Any thoughts on what we could do today?”                     “Well, I hadn’t thought of anything else, I was really hoping that I could have convinced you to take a spa trip,” Rarity replied, attempting one final time with a pleading expression.                     Heartbreak’s head drooped and her eyes closed half way. “But seeing that’s not going to happen?”                     Rarity sighed. She had fought this battle and lost, it was best to admit defeat with grace and take the small victory that she had garnered. “But seeing that it isn’t going to happen,” she looked thoughtful. “Perhaps we can do some pre-travel shopping!” Heartbreak cringed and eyed Rarity. “Did I say something wrong again?”   ==============================================================                       Fuck. The more I tell her about the things that I don’t do? The more I feel like I’m backing myself into a corner. You ever clean the kitchen and start with the entry point and clean everywhere, but that one far corner of the kitchen? Then you realize that you are backed up into a corner with no way out and clean kitchen everywhere? That’s how I feel right now. If I say something, I’ll be spoiling the clean for that Rarity and I -just- spent, uhm, what’s the time?                     I sigh. Only twenty minutes... more or less. Twenty minutes of us prattling on about something that I thought was resolved yesterday. Fuck, she’s looking at me and expecting an answer.                     Damned if I lie, damned if I don’t.                     “I... don’t really like shopping either,” I finally confess. Another time and place I might find the look on her face a bit priceless. She blinks, bewildered. “What?”                     “Had I not taken your measurements just yesterday darling, I wouldn’t believe that you were a mare...” The words just tumble out of her mouth. Fuck! Duck and cover and try to figure something out!                     Avoiding eye contact and tapping my hoof. “Well, there’s, ‘shopping,’ and then there’s, ‘shopping.’ I’m guessing while you did say that it was for traveling, you mean the type of shopping that involves window shopping for things like shoes and other things. To me, actual shopping means going out and getting things you actually need.” Alright, smooth. I hope I am not sending out any signals. “Uhm, speaking of things I need, I could use a few more pairs of overwear... I don’t need measurements retaken for those do I?”                     “No, I keep all my clients measurements on file,” She sighs. “As for shopping, I was actually thinking a little bit of both really,” She says, looking disappointed again. Fuck, I desperately want to change the subject here. “But I guess you don’t want to do that with me either.”                     Yup. She went there. I knew that Rarity was a complex character, but it seems like she’s all over the place trying to figure me out and I’m just blocking her at every turn. The only thing that all these things that she’s been wanting to do have in common, is that they require us to spend time together.                     What the fuck am I going to do? I don’t want her to feel bad because I don’t really want to spend time with her. I mean, sure, if Twilight hadn’t practically ordered us to spend the month together, most likely I wouldn’t be. Looking at the half finished hoof drawing, an idea comes to mind.                     “...That’s brilliant. Why the fuck didn’t I think about that before? Now, how the fuck am I going to phrase this?” I take a deep breath. “I’m just not the window shopping type Rarity. I’m more of the, ‘sit at home, read a book, look up random information, gamer, geeky-” She looks at me confused at that word. “Eggheaded type. But,” I pause, “I just had a wonderful idea of something that we can do together, that I am sure both of us can enjoy.”                     “And that would be?” She asks me.                     “Well...” I look up at her. “I was thinking, if it wouldn’t be too much, that I could draw you. I mean I know you acted as artproofer yesterday, but I was thinking, and you can turn me down on this, that you could, uhm, model for me today?”                     She blinks and looks almost bemused by this thought. “You want moi to model for your drawings?”                     Crap! Come on! Let’s salvage this idea! “Well, it’s just that a mare who is as lovely as yourself is a complex and, uhm deep is kind of difficult to draw and-”                     She puts up a hoof and flutters her eyes at me. “H.B., darling, while flattery will get you everywhere, all you really had to do was ask!”