It's Evil
Chapter Four
It’s Evil
After Heartbreak left, it wasn’t long before the muffled, apt, cheerful sounds of what was happening in the other room could be heard through the door. Twilight smiled. “It’ll be no time at all before she slips into her storytelling mode!” Twilight began to explain the other things that she thought that Heartbreak would need: Clothing, supplies, things to put into her house, and even possible ideas for a stable income. Most of which was covered before, but as she said before, she felt it warranted repeating. “So, are there any questions before we adjourn?”
Rainbow raised her hoof. “Yeah, where is she going to be staying until we get her a real house? ‘Cause as awesome as a roommate might be, last I heard, she doesn’t like heights, and she doesn’t want magic used on her.”
“Excellent question, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight turned a page. “I have thought over the different options regarding her accommodations.” She rolled her eyes. “For the time being? Staying with me is the best one.”
Rarity frowned. “So, nothing is going to change?”
“Sadly, no.” She pointed at each of the houses. “Like Rainbow pointed out, her house is in the clouds. H.B. has a fear of heights, won’t let me use magic on her, and more importantly: Can’t Fly. She would be stuck up there. Fluttershy’s cottage is filled with animals, and as we’ve learned from her trip to Sweet Apple Acres? Animals for some reason don’t like her.” Fluttershy cowered a little and looked down sadly squeaking. Twilight blinked. “Is there something wrong, Fluttershy?”
“Oh, well, it’s-” She turned her head and bit her lower lip. She opened her mouth but then fell quiet.
Twilight paused. “Is it something bad, Fluttershy?”
“Well... yes.” she replied.
“Does it have to do with the animals and H.B.?” Twilight asked, trying to be patient with her friend. “Because if they can give us any new information about H.B. that we don’t know, it would be very refreshing.” Twilight thought, “After all, despite learning something about honesty, H.B. is still pretty tight lipped about things.”
Fluttershy tapped her hooves together. “Well... it’s just, when we got back from Canterlot, I started to notice that many of my animal friends seemed a bit... worried about something. And they wouldn’t say what! I asked them and tried to comfort them and do all the things I normally do to get them to talk to me. But nothing seemed to work...” Fluttershy blew a bit of her mane out of her face. “Then after I saved H.B., they were giving me some rather... disapproving comments.”
“Such as?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“I... I’d rather not say.” Fluttershy’s eyes started to tear a bit. “They were really harsh comments. There were a... few... animals that didn’t seem to be bothered when I mentioned her around them. But most all of them would whisper just... terrible things about her.”
“It’s them fettin’ fae’s fault,” Applejack said harshly. “Ah swear. She’s an entire universe away and they couldn’t just give her a break. Like they find some sort of amusement in the sufferin’ of others or somethin’.”
“Did you just say, ‘fetting?’” Twilight blinked and grinned questioningly at Applejack.
“Uhm, yeah,” She rubbed the back of her head. “Ah know ah don’t encourage cussin’ and swearin’ and the like, but that word has kinda grown on me a bit. Ah mean, ah don’t use it in front of the youngins, but still.”
Twilight rolled her eyes. They were getting off track. “Right. So, Fluttershy’s cottage is out of the question.”
“Ooo! Ooo! She could stay with me!” Pinkie shouted as her hoof shot up in the air.
“Pinkie, darling, do you think that would be ok with the Cakes? They do have little foals after all, and as we all know: Heartbreak can’t handle little foals,” Rarity said, her words dripping with a sarcastic overtone.
Twilight groaned. “Rarity, come on, lighten up and stop being that way.”
“I’m sorry, Twilight, but-” Rarity sighed. “Last month’s workload was just a little more than I can handle and I need to finish those five dresses so that I don’t miss the deadline.” She rolled her eyes. “Add that to the stress that comes with our guest, the things that the rumor mill has been spouting, and the lack of any time at the spa...”
“You should ignore what the rumor mill has to say about H.B., Rarity. And just trust me when it comes to matters involving her.” Twilight smiled and nodded at Rarity sympathetically. That did explain why she seemed a little more crabby than normal. “While staying with Pinkie, on the surface might seem like a viable option, but there are still issues. For one, as Rarity pointed out, there is the matter of the Cakes themselves. Whether or not they would be okay with it. After all, they would have a say in all this mess. And secondly, Sugarcube Corner is a rather active business. There are a lot of ponies coming and going, having H.B. living there might cause their business to suffer.”
Pinkie’s face drooped and ears down. “She’s not that bad of a pony!”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “You might not see it that way, Pinkie, but others will. She’s gotten herself a wee bit of a reputation in the Ponyville rumor mill and as any of us know, anything starting there can easily get distorted.”
Pinkie gave Twilight a sad, puppy dog face.
Twilight winced at this. “However, it wouldn’t hurt to have it as a backup plan just in case things don’t pan out.”
Pinkie clapped her hooves and squeed. “Oh, that would be so awesome! It could be like that one book with the alien that crash lands into Equestria, and then has to hide among the ponies by dressing up as one of them! Then they have to live with one of them and pretend to be normal!”
Twilight looked at Pinkie, bewildered.
“Uhm, Pinkie Pie, two things,” Rainbow Dash interjected. “One, I don’t think there is a book like that out there. And two, you just described H.B.’s current life.”
“Wha?! Well, there should be a book like that!” Pinkie said while slamming her hooves on the table.
Twilight face-hoofed. “Can we get back on track, please? This leaves us with myself and Rarity.”
“Absolutely not!” Rarity protested, her eyes widening in shock and anger. “My shop is a mess, I still need to get the orders themselves out, and then there is her overall personality!”
“And that answers that question. So, until we-” Twilight started.
“She’s brutish, shirks her responsibilities, has no sense in fashion, and have you seen her fetlocks as late? Terrible!” Rarity tossed her mane back. “And don’t get me started on how much she was whining over just watching some foals!”
Twilight banged the gavel down. “Then we won’t. Right, until something new comes up, I think that we can officially call this meeting closed.”
“Good to know! See ya Twilight!” Rainbow zipped out of the door.
Applejack sighed and put the yoke of her cart on. “Looks like ah’m going to be pullin’ this back ma self. Thanks fer the update there Twilight,” She said, walking out the door.
“Rarity, I would like you to stay for a bit,” Twilight said.
“What?” Rarity asked, looking a bit frightened. “Why?”
“I just want to talk.”
Rarity sighed. “This is about my attitude towards her, isn’t it?”
Twilight gave her friend a stern look. “Yes, yes it is. Look, we both know that the two of you got off to a hard start. What with that, ‘marshmallow,’ bit." Twilight's expression softened. "But that was months ago, the least you can do is give her a chance. Or is there something more bothering you?”
Rarity sighed. “It’s not just the whole, ‘marshmallow,’ comment, darling. Like I said, I have had a large order on my hooves in the last month. I swear it was as if all the ponies in the northwest part of Canterlot didn’t have anything to wear at the same time! Add little miss Heartbreak’s poor attitude to everything-”
“Uhm, Twilight-” Fluttershy tried interject.
“One second, Fluttershy,” Twilight said.
Pinkie put a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “Come on Fluttershy! Let’s go see how H.B.’s doing! Maybe she could use our help! Ooo! We can bring them these leftover cookies!”
Twilight looked at Rarity sympathetically and put a hoof on her shoulder.
Rarity took this gesture in stride, “I mean, we are doing all these things for her, and yet she goes into hysterics over the smallest thing! I may not be one to talk in that matter but, I mean, but really? Does she understand that all this is for her benefit?” She asked worriedly. “When she acts like that it just seems to me that she doesn’t! Ugh!” Rarity bit her lower lip, while Twilight gave her a sympathetic look. “I want to feel for her, I really do, but with the way she acts it just makes it-”
“Difficult?” Twilight supplied.
Rarity nodded. “I mean, with a creature like her? I hardly know where to start!”
Meanwhile, Fluttershy was watching as Pinkie placed the plate of cookies squarely on her rump. “I’ve got it now, Pinkie, thank you. Let’s go see those smiling cheerful faces.”
Back with Twilight and Rarity, Twilight explained, “The first step is in seeing her not as some strange creature, Rarity. Try seeing her as just another pony. After you do that? Things get a lot easier, trust me.”
Rarity sighed and looked at her friend, smiling. Twilight wasn’t always this rational about things, but when she was, she could really put things in better perspective. “I... I suppose you are right, Twilight. I mean, it isn’t like Heartbreak-”
“H.B.,” Twilight corrected.
“H.B.,” Rarity agreed. “It isn’t like she is some out of this world alien monster that’s come to eat the souls of our young.”
Pinkie Pie pushed the door open. “Alright Fluttersh-”
“MAH PARENTS ARE DEAD, AN AH’LL NEVER SEE THEM AGAIN!”
Twilight and Rarity looked at each other with wide, terrified stares before racing to the door to see what was going on.
There on the library’s couch near the window was a horrified Heartbreak looking at little Cream Puff. She was hugging the mare’s flank and weeping loudly. The other colts and fillies had backed away with confused looks.
Heartbreaks’ eyes darted to Twilight pleadingly. “Get. Her. Off. Me. Now.” She mouthed.
==============================================================
I look at Twilight with a mix of emotions that I have yet to process. I really hope she understood what I was trying to tell her, cause the other five colts and fillies in the room? They’re giving me weirded-out looks.
Right, recapping the last few seconds. Finished reading to the gaggle, Orange and Puff began to have a battle, annoying Orange is annoying and mean, then Puff stood up for me and hugged my flank, practically snuggling my branding. The moment that Cream Puff touched me, I started feeling some excruciating burning sensation. Then Cream Puff burst into tears about her dead parents.
I almost would think that this is just an emotionally scarred filly having her own personal mental breakdown, if it were not for one thing.
The Mark? It burns.
Not like, ‘Oh I burned myself,’ burn. But actual burning. Like when it was applied, burning. Like I want to scream but the only thing stopping me is pure willpower and the fact that there are several young ponies in front of me. And the longer she holds on, the worse it's getting. I swear her tears falling on it is making the burning worse.
There is a blur of bright pink that zips up to the group in front of me. Pinkie Pie looks at them all with a big bright smile. “Hey everypony! I got you cookies!” she offers them a platter that is covered in cookies, and they look at her questioningly before slowly taking them.
Out of the corner of my eye comes the yellow angel with a long flowing pink mane and tail. Fluttershy reaches out and gently attempts to take Cream Puff off me. However, it seems in a bit of an ironic twist, as the little filly doesn’t want to let go.
“Come on, Cream Puff, don’t you want to join your friends for cookies and apple juice?” Fluttershy asks nervously.
Cream Puff just keeps sobbing and holding on to me uncomfortably. “Ah want mah momma! But ah’ll never see her again! And them’s not mah friends! Marrs hates me and none of the others will play with me because ah don’t have any parents!”
I look at Fluttershy with desperation. If there is anypony who can help me, I would place my bets on her. “Come on now, that’s not true. They came with you to the library, and I am sure that Marrs doesn’t hate you, right Marrs?”
The little colt stops in the middle of eating a cookie and coughs. A small blush forms on his face. “Well, uhm,” damnit, Marrs. Now is not the time for after school specials with awkward schoolyard, ‘who likes who,’ micro-drama!
Fluttershy starts to look at him pleadingly. He sighs. “No... I don’t hate her...” I feel Cream Puff unlatch from my flank and sniff hard. I sigh in relief as the burning subsides, trying to keep tears of pain from spilling. However, the look on Cream Puff’s face is hitting me hard.
In that face, I see a moment that she’s reliving. Being told that her parents will never come back home. That she’ll never see them again. That she will be alone. That she has no one. Well, nopony to help her. Part of me just wants to go over there and try to comfort her. However, there is the other part of me that wants to just get out of this situation altogether. That part of me wins and I slip quietly away, as Fluttershy sets Cream Puff down to join the rest of them. Pinkie Pie is doing what she does best: Entertaining them and putting smiles on their faces.
However, I’m not seeing one on Cream Puff’s face. That worries me.
I dart past Twilight and Rarity and got the far side of the kitchen. The feelings, emotions and thoughts about what just happened confuse, conflict and overwhelm me to the point of rage. The thought that something I did, even if it was by accident, to some individual so young and who has been already been through so much upsets me. And seeing Twilight’s face doesn’t help any. Damn it! I warned her about this!
The kitchen door closes and Twilight walks over to me, the question she is about to ask is nearly hanging in the air, begging to be asked. “What... happened?” her voice cuts through the air and my face twitches.
“What happened?” I push a bit of my mane out of my face.
“That is what she asked, darling.” Rarity says. I glare at her and she gives a unnerved smile.
Twilight gently pushes her friend behind her. “Yes, that is what I asked. What happened?”
I fight the bubbling rage threatening to spill over. “What happened?! What happened is that you tempted the universe! You invoked narrative and the universe laughed and said, ‘Derp! O.K. Twilight!' What happened was-”
Twilight puts a hoof up in front of my mouth and gives me a stern look. I whimper and turn my head away.
“Please calm down and tell me what happened, H.B.” Twilight says.
I take a deep breath. “Right.” I run a hoof through my mane. “I started reading and everything was going fine. Then, Cream Puff and Marrs start arguing over whose book is better, I try to stop them from doing this, Marrs says something... hurtful to me, Cream Puff comes to my side and defends me, then she comes over and gives me a hug.”
Rarity blinks in confusion. “Begging your pardon, but how did that result in her crying over the death of her parents?”
I fight the urge to snap at Rarity again. Damn it! No! Down! Stop, you are not a bitch! She is just asking a question. A totally harmless question! “She hugged me on my mark,” I reply darkly.
“I hate to repeat Rarity’s question here-” Twilight starts.
“Then don’t!” I bite my lower lip. “I’m not sure I can quite explain myself because I don’t quite understand it myself,” I exclaim, pacing. “But I can give it a go and give you my best guess.” I try to figure out how to put this into words. What to say here. Fuck it, I’ll just say what I need to say.
“This fetting mark is evil.”
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EEEVVIIIILLLL~~~!!!dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_RageFace.png
2273387 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6X9KcrXHwg
Yeah...
Kinda saw this one coming.
Looking forward to the next chapter though.
2273443 Hopefully it will be tomorrow!
Apparently the brand itself exudes an malefic aura?
And a innocent filly like Puff causes it to violently react?
How has no one taken a deeper look into it after being informed of its origins?
It seems to act like some form of a "Mark of Cain".
Possibly the reason animals are repelled by her, and possibly the reason ponies vilify her at every opportunity?
2273464 So many questions, and the only way to understand the answers...keep reading and you'll see...
Well thats just the cherry on top of the cake... The Branding Mark when anypony touches it makes them relive their worst moment in life.
That's
just
fetting
perfect....
Damn... who would have thought Heart Breaks Burnie Mark would have done just that.
Sigh... now I have to go back and find out if Rarity ever touched it...
2273464 HB has barely left the Library, has only been in Equestria for a few months, barely interacts with other ponies and has been shying away from physical contact. Dangerous things tend to not react when left alone.
Curses H.B.! I just got done marathoning a 25 chapter story for over 8 hours...and just as I'm riding the emotional high it brought to me, getting ready to shut the ol' screen down for the night...I see the new chapter pop up!
I just had to come read it! It was going to gnaw at me if I didn't! Do you see what you do to ponies?
In the after thought though...More H.B. is better. While I'll never recap the emotional high I got off that last story...hearing more from this thrilling tale definitely put an even greater spin to the plot-kicking evening I've had so far.
Looking forward to more.
~DreamWeaver~
2273493
More H.B. is come!
2273502
So I read. I am in fact now going to bed just so it will get here faster. For some strange reason...time seems to fly by when you're not consciously aware of it. Who would've guessed, right?
2273397
Another great chapter. This chapter in HB's life is looking to be quite good. Though I think a word got left out in the following line.
"Rarity nodded. “I mean, with a creature like her? I hardly not sure where to start!” "
I hardly not sure what went wrong here.
All I see when I read the pars about Rarity's interactions with HB is a heap of character development about to be pushed off a cliff onto a pair of unsuspecting ponies.
And it might splash.
2273963 Huh?
2273970 There's gonna be a lot of character development to look forward to.
And I've kinda got a thing for pushing things off cliffs and similar sudden drops.
You just made an awesome morning awesomer ....chapter five ready : D
Poor Cream Puff.
Did H.B. actually manage to swear at the end there, or was it a slip up; either of her mental blocks or the typo kind?
2274673 Check your quotes. She didn't swear.
2274673
HB can and does swear inside her thoughts, but outside them fetlocks is the closest she can get.
I actually liked Rarity's characterization this chapter. She expressed her feelings without coming off as a bitch unlike the last few chapters. Besides Rarity, I like how you captured Twilight's personality. She keeps her equanimity dealing with H.B. Most people would have her go psycho by now.
2275253 wait till you see the next chapter...
2275253 Rarity is just really tired and overworked. The Devil is in the details, but ya can't loose sight of the big picture.
OMG!!! I was not expecting that at all! Way to twist things up, I like it. Continue please
Yay update!!!
Also, EVIL!!!
Looking forward to more!
Rarity was less of a bitch? Yay! H.B should talk to her about the amazing fashion sense of us! Fanny packs, short shorts and baggy pants everywhere! Also does the mark burn because of any strong emotions like love? That's just my guess.
2277867 One day... you'll understand.
2277867 Also, H.B. doesn't care about fashion.
2277872 I probably won't but ok :3. Also, when will we get to see more of best princess?
2274968
Ah ha. That's what I get for reading on little to no sleep
Someone hand out cookies it appears we have a winner.
Now when do we talk of Pinkie's evil eye?
2277877 Boop!
*hugs mark. Nothing happens*
Illogic superior! Silly fae inferior! To the potato mobile!
*queue Batman transition*
5206378 who's a silly pony? Who's a silly pony? You is, you is Psychopath!