//------------------------------// // Kaleidoscope Eyes // Story: My Little Heartbreak: Creativi-Tea // by Jet_Black1980 //------------------------------// Chapter 14 Kaleidoscope Eyes. Twilight felt great. It felt like nothing could spoil this moment. The black rubber container holding the Creativi-Tea floated merrily above her. She felt almost like singing a bit, but she hadn’t a clue what a song about something like giving Heartbreak tea would even sound like. She wasn’t the song maker of her friends. That was more of a Pinkie Pie thing. It was like there was a creature inside of Pinkie that could generate songs and music at the tip of a hat. Yes, Pinkie was definitely the song maker of Twilight's friends. Sure, anypony could come up with a song or two and get the others to sing along. But with Pinkie's zest for life, it seemed impossible for anypony not to sing along with her. Twilight idly wondered if Heartbreak would sing along with any song that the ponies around her would come up with. A good part of some pony communication dealt with music and songs. Then again, this was a pony named Heartbreak. She grimaced a bit at the idea of what kind of songs Heartbreak could come up with. Then again, some ponies just weren't meant to sing outside of a group. "Like Scootaloo, that poor filly," Twilight thought to herself. "Great with dance and acrobatics, horrible with music. But, now I have this tea from Zecora. Heartbreak is sure to get some ideas on how to adapt properly as a pony! There has to be one or two ideas that she isn't thinking about in that brain of hers on the subject. It's not like it can't be on her mind," Twilight thought as she passed a good number of basic Ponyville landmarks. It was a shame about what happened at the Hat Shop. Twilight had a list of places she could have taken H.B. in her head before the whole grass bit. She rolled her eyes and thought about how it could have happened. "This is Carousel Boutique, Heartbreak!, 'I'm not wearing a dress Twilight. And Rarity, I am sure, doesn't want to see me.'" Twilight blinked as she could almost hear that reply right in Heartbreak's exact voice. "Here's Sweet Apple Acres, Heartbreak! 'Yes Twilight, home of the apple family, where they buck apples and work with anything remotely apple related. I don't do farm work, Twilight." Twilight frowned. "Over here is Sugar Cube Corner, Heartbreak. 'I don't want to talk to Pinkie Pie, Twilight. She's too happy!'" Twilight said mockingly to herself. "Alright, There's Fluttershy's Cottage!, 'That's too many happy animals, Twilight...'" Twilight's face twitched a bit. "Alright! Want to hop in my balloon, go up really high and visit Cloudsdale again?” The only reply to that was silence. There was a slight smirk of sadistic pleasure on Twilight's face. She stopped and smacked her face. "Twilight Sparkle! Listen to yourself. That pony isn't even here and you're letting her upset you. Stop that this instant. For one, you don't know that those would be her automatic reactions. For all you know, she might like animals, would enjoy a cake or two, seeing what is on the apple farm, and I am sure I could warm her up to Rarity...if I could get the two of them to see that they both enjoyed drawing on some level.” she could see the library from here. It appeared that Heartbreak was laying on a couch, she looked very focused on drawing. She wasn’t sure but she could swear she could make out a tea cup being set to her side. “I seriously doubt I could ever get her in on the idea of going up to Cloudsdale again. Not with that fear of heights she has.” Twilight looked at the window. It appeared that Heartbreak was enjoying herself over something. A smile went across Twilight’s face. “Maybe, just maybe, Spike did get her to open up about something. Alright Twilight, let’s go see!” Twilight trotted over to the library door and opened it up. “Spike, H.B., I’m back and I have a surprise for-” Twilight’s voice was cut off as she saw a sight that shouldn’t surprise her. Heartbreak was angrily hunched over Spike. Her eyes almost flared with rage about something, and the poor baby dragon had a fear-filled look on his face. “Right, I leave them alone for less than half an hour and Heartbreak is at Spike’s throat.” Heartbreak’s expression changes from that of rage to a mixture of shame and fear in a matter of seconds as she sees Twilight out of the corner of her eye. “This...this looks a lot worse than it really is, Twilight.” “Really? Because it looks like you are about to chew Spike’s head off over something,” Twilight replied. She walked up to Heartbreak. “Which, I certainly hope that isn’t the case.” “Twilight, it really isn’t-” Spike began. “Spike, I am sure that Heartbreak can speak for herself,” Twilight states. “And I am sure she can explain what is going on.” Spike went quiet and looked at Heartbreak. Heartbreak looked stunned for a moment and then began tapping her right hoof against the other before looking off to the side, “Well, uhm, you see..this happened because I spilled my tea and I spilt my tea because...” Heartbreak then started to trail off into a mutter. Twilight blinked. “You’re upset with Spike because you spilled your tea? How is that even fair?” She said scowling. “What? No! It’s just that I spilt my tea because Spike was, well, uhm he was...” Once again Heartbreak went into a meandering mutter. Twilight gave Heartbreak an irritated look. “He was...?” Heartbreak ground her hoof on the couch, blinking she realized that there was tea spilt on it. “Oh, Shhhhhhhh-Strudel! I should really clean that up before it stains,” She spat out. “After all I was the one that spilled it, so I should be the one that cleans it up!” Twilight gave her a look before levitating a wash rag to the couch and wiping up the spilt tea. “See? All clean now, now what happened that Spike did that caused you to spill your tea?” Heartbreak looks a bit more frantic now that the tea is cleaned up. “Well, yeah, but I really should have cleaned it up, Twilight. I mean I was the one that spilled it, and...” She looks at her sketchbook. “Sketchbook! Right, I should dry off my sketchbook! I’ll go get another-” Heartbreak said, about to get off the couch. Twilight narrowed her eyes at Heartbreak and pointed her horn at the sketchbook. A bolt of magical energy burst forth and it flipped completely dry. Heartbreak slumped where she was sitting. “If it weren’t for the fact that you require focus and training for that, I would swear that magic was the cheaters way out,” Heartbreak said, rolling her eyes. Twilight gave her a scathing look. “Why aren’t you telling me what happened?” Twilight asked. “I am telling you...” Heartbreak replied, rolling her hoof around. “No, you’re dancing around the subject and avoiding it,” Twilight responded. Spike rolled his eyes. “Twi’-” Twilight put her hoof up. “Come on Heartbreak, I saw you in the window just a few minutes before I came in. You looked like you were enjoying yourself a bit. What was so bad that you have to tap dance around it?” Heartbreak bit her lower lip, rolled her eyes and rubbed her ankle with her hoof. “It wasn't anything bad, Twilight, I swear!” “Then why are you avoiding it?!” Twilight said nearly raising her voice. “Argh! Fine! You want to know?!” She took a deep breath. “SpikewasticklingmeanditmademelaughsohardthatIkickedoverthetea!” She turned her face away. “There! Are you happy now?!” Twilight blinked in confusion as her brain tried to process the information coming at her. “Wha-, wait. This whole thing was because Spike figured out that you were ticklish?” Heartbreak nodded and gave a faux smile. “Yes...” She replied. Twilight stared at her. Heartbreak tried to smile a bit more convincingly. When Twilight’s gaze didn’t break off, she tried to smile a bit harder. Twilight continued her near deathly gaze. Heartbreak finally couldn’t keep up the smiling charade. “Uhm, Squee?” Twilight blinked and shook her head. Moments later, Heartbreak felt the sting of a rolled up newspaper smacking her hard upside the head. “Ow! What was that-” She paused in the middle of her sentence. “For. Oh, oh yeah.” “Two reasons, Heartbreak.” Twilight began. “One, that’s what this whole fuss was about? Spike tickled you and you knocked over your tea?!” She rubbed her face. “Seriously, if it had not been for me talking myself down before I got here H.B., “ Twilight takes a deep breath. “I might have blown up at you again and then stormed off up to my room! And secondly,” She bopped Heartbreak with the rolled up newspaper again. “You gave me permission to hit you upside the head hard, if I recall correctly.” Twilight looked at Heartbreak. She looked a bit ashamed and a bit annoyed. “Ouch. If I ever made that noise again. Yes, yes I did. But I didn’t give you permission to do it a second time.” She replied. “Consider that your punishment for making me worry like that,” Twilight rolled her eyes. Heartbreak’s head drooped and she rolled her eyes. “Duly noted, Teacher.” “I'm glad you're taking notes, Heartbreak,” Twilight began. “Part of being a good student is the willingness to learn.” She put the rubber container down on the table. “Now, before I nearly flew off the handled, I was about to say that I have a surprise for you! Spike, would you mind getting us a fresh pot of hot water?” “Sure thing, Twilight,” Spike replied. “A surprise?” Heartbreak asked. “Yup! See, Lah Tea Dah isn’t the only place in Ponyville that makes tea!” Twilight explained. Heartbreak looked blank for a moment. “Then, you’re...I’m confused. We’re not going to have a long drawn out conversation about this situation and you're not going to explode at me?” Twilight shook her head. “I think two of those is enough for one day.” Heartbreak blinked and then something clicked in her mind. “Wait, doesn’t Zecora make your favorite kind of tea too?” She asked. “That is correct,” Twilight said nodding. “I don’t know why I didn’t think about it before, but I ran into her after you went back to the Library.” Twilight walked over to the rubber container. “She said that was something called ‘Creativi-Tea’.” As Twilight opened the container, there was a slight hiss and pop. “Creativity? That kinda sounds suspi-” Heartbreak began. Twilight however put the container in her face. “Take a smell and tell me what you think..” Heartbreak sighed and rolled her eyes a bit. “This kinda-” she took in a smell of the open rubber container, a small twinge crept upon her face and she paused. “This kind of what?” Spike asked, returning with a fresh teapot and cup. Heartbreak blinked rather hard. “This kinda smells like...is that licorice?” She took a few more smells. “Something citrus, vanilla and is that...blueberry?” Her face went from worried to a bit excited. “And I’m assuming that there is actual, tea-tea in here?” She asked. “If you mean black tea, then yes, there is also red tea, Zecora called it,” Twilight started. “Rooibos?” Heartbreak finished. “Geeze, that is a lot of things for just one tea.” She took a few more sniffs. “There are a few things in here that I am smelling that I can’t place. But,” She took a long inhalation. “That smells like good tea!” Spike offered Heartbreak a tea cup. “Uhm, thanks Spike, but how am I sposta use this cup? Remember...” Spike sighed. “Lift up your hoof.” He said. Heartbreak compiled by lifting up her right hoof. Spike carefully fit the large loop handle over Heartbreak’s hoof. She blinked. “It’s like a cider stein,” She commented. “A cider what?” Spike asked. “Stein. Glass. Mug. Thing-you-drink-cider-from,” She explained, exploring how the handle fit over her hoof. “It does slip right off, right?” Twilight blinked. “I don’t see why it wouldn’t. Now, hold the cup upright and still.” She lifted one of the tea bags out of the rubber container and placed it in the cup. “Spike, would you be so kind?” “But of course,” Spike replied, pouring the hot water into Heartbreak’s cup. There was a slight fizzling sound and then the aroma of the tea began to rise in a cloud of steam. Heartbreak took a deep sniff. “Yes, there is definitely some citrus notes in there. And you can really smell the licorice.” She blew on the tea’s surface and then cautiously, took her first sip. Twilight watched in anticipation. Heartbreak blinked. Twilight swore she saw a bit of a spark of colours streak across the mare’s eyes. Heartbreak blinked again and took a longer sip this time before smacking her lips together. “Dang! That is really, really, really good tea! Though, it is kinda missing something.” Spike walked over with the honey jar and pulled out a covered honey stirrer. He carefully tugged down on Heartbreak’s ankle to get her to lower the tea cup. From there it was just a matter of stirring the honey into the tea. “Thank you, Spike,” Heartbreak said, returning the teacup back to her mouth. Another sip and she blinked. “Ooooooh,” Her eyes fluttered a bit. “That is exquisite!” “So, I take it you like the tea?” Twilight asked. “Like it? No...” Heartbreak’s eyes sparkled. “I am loving it!” Spike backed away a little bit. “There are a host of different flavors in my mouth right now, I can tell that there is black tea in there and everything else I described, but there are like three things I’m just not placing my h-hoof on. One of them is a green taste.” “‘Green’ taste?” Twilight asked. “Green has a taste?” “Yeah, it’s not grassy, but more like fresh green, but there is an almost earthiness to it. It’s rather hard to place. And then there is something that I can’t identify at all. It’s...more like a warming feeling on the tongue rather than an actual taste. Then again, that might be because the tea is warm to begin with.” She mused. Twilight blinked. “That might be the nettle.” Twilight scowled a bit. “You don’t like the taste of grass, but you’re ok with this?” “This is a different tasting green, Twilight,” Heartbreak replied taking another slow sip. A flash of something passed over her face. “It is something completely different, I mean I am sure you have copies of the same book, or what some p-ponies would call the same book, but it has a different cover, or it’s a slightly different version or the like right?” “Well, yes..” Twilight replied. “That’s the same thing. Grass tastes like grass. Where I am from, it isn’t meant to be eaten, it is something that is grown on a lawn, there to look nice and give colts and fillies something to earn money by cutting. In fact, the expression ‘to eat grass’ is a negative thing. Coming from the actions of bullies pushing those younger or smaller down into the grass.” She explains. Twilight blinked and put the cover back on the rubber container that Zecora gave her. “Wow, that tea works pretty fast!” “That’s...” Twilight began. “Horrible? Terrible? Awful? Not very nice?” Heartbreak asked. “All of the above? Yeah. However,” She paused. “I just had an idea. Twilight, you wouldn’t happen to have an easel by any chance would you?” Twilight smiled. “I think I do up in the attic. I myself tried my hoof at drawing. Didn’t really do too well,” “Really? But you have magic.” Heartbreak said blinking, while taking a methodical slow sip of her tea. “You can move the pencil, or pen in ways that, right now at least, I couldn’t even dream of.” “Well, it’s just something I never really took the time for,” Twilight replied rolling her hoof. “But I still have the easel.” She said, making her way to the stairs. “I’m guessing this is so-” “So that I don’t drool all over my papers,” Heartbreak replied, just noticing that she hadn’t completely finished her sandwiches. She turned carefully, as not to spill her tea, and munched on one. “I mean, it’s such a simple idea that I wonder why I didn’t even think about it before.” She said though a mouthful of bread and cucumber. She then took a small sip of her tea and mmm'd in delight. Twilight smiled. “I’ll go see if I can find it, H.B.”