A Broken Clock

by ThatGirl2147

Chapter 4

The sound of a ringing alarm clock filled Broken Heart’s bedroom. The gray stallion slowly stirred awake, and deactivated the alarm with his hoof. He donned his leather coat and sunglasses as he trudged out the door, through he hallway, and onto the shop floor.

The shop’s floor was empty, which Heart found unusual for a work day. He looked out the door to see Rhyme Buster, rapping to a couple ponies.

“Hey, Rhyme!” shouted Heart through the door to get his friend’s attention. When Rhyme turned to him, he continued. “Did Rosy come into work this morning? Is she out on an errand?”

The tan stallion shook his head. “Nah, B,” replied he. “Haven’t seen her all morning. Think she’s a’ight?”

Heart shrugged. “I’m going to go over to her apartment and check. Can you keep an eye on the store?”

Rhyme nodded, and the gray stallion trotted off.

Heart wove through block after block as he followed the path to 15th Street, where Rosy Rivet’s apartment was. As he approached, the sound of blaring fire sirens clouded his hearing. He moved more quickly and turned the corner to 15th, and what he saw shocked him.

Three fire engines stood outside the building where Rosy’s apartment lay, blasting jets of water into three burning windows, all of which Broken Heart knew were part of his friend’s apartment. Ponies of all kind stood and looked on from the other side of the street

“No, no, no,” shouted he to himself as he ran at full gallop towards the entrance to the building. He was quickly stopped by a large Pegasus Mare wearing a yellow firefighter’s jacket and helmet.

“Don’t come any closer,” ordered she, her voice booming.

Heart shook his head in disbelief. “Don’t tell me there was somepony in there,” begged he frantically to the mare. “Please, Celestia, tell me there was nopony in there.”

She put her hooves on Heart’s shoulders to calm him. “We don’t know yet. Paramedics are en route just in case, and we’ve got three of our best in there looking.”

As the pair talked, a white carriage bearing a red cross and blaring sirens arrived at the scene. The fire engines ceased to pump water into the building as the fire was finally defeated. Three ponies in similar dress to the mare exited the building as the fire died out.

The three firefighters who emerged from the building came to the mare and said something to her that Heart couldn’t hear. She motioned to two Earth Mares with a stretcher, and they ran at full gallop into the building.

“No,” denied Broken Heart. “No, don’t tell me...”

The firefighters held their heads down as they removed their helmets. The mare said to Heart, melancholy in her tone, “they found one body: Female. The Paramedics are fetching her now. We’re sorry.”

The two mares exited the building carrying somepony on the stretcher, covered by a thin blanket. Heart turned his head. He couldn’t bring himself to look upon his friend’s corpse. “I have to go,” said he as he ran off. He trudged toward his shop, getting there in an hour.

Rhyme Buster was inside, talking to a customer. The tan stallion wrote the customer’s order down and then saw Heart. “What’s up, B? Rosy coming in?”

Heart bade the customer leave, and when the pair were alone, he drew a heavy sigh as he removed his sunglasses. “Rosy’s dead,” said he flatly.

Rhyme’s eyes went wide as his expression shifted from inquisitive to shocked. “What?”

The gray stallion sighed. “Her apartment was on fire when I got there. The Fire Department did what they could, but they were too late. Her body was found, and taken away by paramedics.”

Rhyme shook his head slowly. “Words cannot express the sorrow I know we both feel. Come on, you should sit down.” He slowly walked through the steel door, followed by Heart.

The pair walked into the room next to Heart’s bedroom, which was the kitchen and dining room. The combined two rooms were small, but well-kept and had enough room for a four-seat dining table, stove, oven, microwave, refrigerator, freezer, sink, and several cabinets.

Heart sat down at the table. Rhyme Buster’s horn started to glow green, as did one of the cabinets above the stove. The door opened, revealing several bottles of various alcoholic beverages. The door ceased to glow as a bottle of brandy glowed green and levitated to the counter. The tan stallion fetched two glasses from another cabinet, and filled each with a generous amount of brandy. He set one glass in front of Heart, and began to drink out of the other.

“Thanks, Rhyme,” said Heart, not looking up from his glass.

“No problem, B,” replied Rhyme. “We in this together. She was our friend.”

Heart took another drink. “She was just a kid, Rhyme,” said he.

“She was twenty-six, B,” said Rhyme. “You aren’t but thirty-three. I’m thirty.”

“Kid compared to us, Rhyme,” replied Heart, taking another drink. “She was just starting out on a career. She was bright, gifted with mechanical things, and enthusiastic about everything she did.”

Rhyme nodded. “She had the makings of a fine mechanist. Probably didn’t even need our help to become the best they’s ever been.”

“She was already the best,” retorted Heart. “Just needed a hoof to get her started. That’s all she wanted, was a little help realising her potential. I saw it as she worked: she didn’t just build, she created.”

“Well, what we gonna do now, B?” asked Rhyme, concern in his tone. “We need to think about the future. I know it’s hard, B, but we gotta keep going.”

Heart slammed his hoof onto the table, denting it and toppling the drink glasses. “What?!” Shouted he. “Is she suddenly unimportant now?! Should we just keep hoofin’ along like she never existed?! Is that what you’re saying?!”

Rhyme took little offence at his friend’s words, and merely shook his head. “I ain’t sayin’ that in the slightest, B. I’m sayin’ that that’s what she’d want for us, and for the shop.” He then picked up the two spilled glasses and prepared to clean the mess.

Heart stared into the puddle of brandy on the table, silent, for about a minute. As Rhyme brought a rag over the drink, Heart closed his eyes and gritted his teeth.

Rhyme noticed Heart’s behaviour, and left the rag on the table. He put his hoof around his friend. “It’s okay, B,” said he in a calm, soothing voice. “It’s alright. Let it out.”

Heart’s control left him as he buried his face into his friend’s chest, sobbing loudly. He didn’t say anything; his thoughts were too flustered for him to form words.

Rhyme stood motionless for several minutes, holding his friend. Heart managed to regain his composure. “I never seen you like this, B.”

Heart cleared his eyes with his hoof. “I haven’t been like this in years,” said he. “I’ve always seen sorrow as such a waste of time. Never seemed to make sense to me to just break down and fall apart.”

The tan Unicorn shook his head. “Sorrow ain’t breakin’ down and fallin’ apart, B. Sorrow is taking the hit and absorbing it, dispersing the force. Sorrow’s what we do to avoid breakin’ down and fallin’ apart. You doin’ good.”

“Thanks, Rhyme.” With no hesitation, Heart embraced his friend.

Rhyme Buster patted the gray stallion‘s back gingerly “Let’s take today off, B,” said he softly. “Looks like you need it.” With that, he trotted out the door and down the stairs, re-emerging less than a minute later. “Come on; just chill out for a while.”