Chapter Five
Grudge Match
The two of them blink and look at me with very confused looks on their faces. I can’t blame them. What are cutie marks but patches of coloured fur on a pony’s rump, right? Then again, from what I have seen out of the show, they could be more.
“Huh?” Twilight asks.
“When Cream Puff touched it-” I glare at my right side, the side that she was touching. “-it started to burn. And I don’t mean like if something touches an old burn or the like. I mean more like that red hot brand was being shoved into my skin again,” I explain, giving a visual with my hooves.
“And her touching your mark caused her to cry? How does that work?” Twilight asks. Damn it! Why doesn’t she get this? She’s Twilight Sparkle! She deals with strange magical things all the time!
“I don’t know! But that’s what happened!” I reply, glaring at my flank.
Twilight gives me a questioning and bemused look. “H.B., I have a hard time believing that. After all, touching another ponies cutie mark doesn’t normally do anything.”
I do not like being talked down to like this. It’s my ass and my fucking mark. “Twilight! Are you forgetting that I am -not- a normal pony? And these-” I point to the broken hearts placed on my ass. “These. Aren’t. ‘Normal' cutie marks, Fet! These aren’t even real fetting cutie marks! They’re fetting brandings!”
“Still, touching it shouldn’t-” Twilight begins.
I glare at her. She’s not listening to me. I hate when others don’t listen to me or can’t hear me. I frown and I feel my leg twitch slightly. “Fine!” I shout turning my flank to Twilight. “Touch it!”
Twilight gives me a weirded-out look. “What?”
“You heard me! Touch it, Twilight! If it isn’t anything special, why not go ahead and touch it! It’s not like I am going to ever offer my flank to be touched by you again!” I glare at her. “I dare you.”
...Wow. Just... wow. Only now after I have said it does that sound really perverted.
Twilight looks at my flank and reaches cautiously forward as if she is about to stick her hoof into a fire. She gasps suddenly and then pulls it back. “I-I’m not going to touch your flank, H.B. After all, I know it means something totally different in your culture.”
I turn away from her. There is a bit of satisfaction in knowing that: (A) She knows that touching my butt has different connotations where I’m from. And (B) That she looked a little frightened when her hoof was going up to touch me. Like my worries are justified in all this. “See? Even you’re afraid to touch it.”
Just then out of the corner of my eye, I see Twilight’s face glare at my expression and then her hoof reaching forward to my mark. “Well if you’re going to be that way about it.”
On reaction I clutch my tail and use it as a shield of sorts, after all, the fresh memory of the burning pain still quite clear in my mind. “Twilight!” I shout.
She looks at me confused. “What?!”
==============================================================
Heartbreak glared at Twilight. “What part of, ‘Don’t touch it,’ and, ‘It’s evil!’ aren’t you getting?!”
“But you said-” Twilight began.
“I said that because I wanted to see your reaction! I didn’t think that you would actually follow through with touching my flank!” Heartbreak replied.
“You wanted to see my reaction?” Twilight asked frowning. “Why?!”
“I told you, this thing is just...evil!” She sighed looking at the ground. “It’s hard to explain, but...” Heartbreak rolled her eyes. “I swear the thing sometimes... changes. I swear it looks different than when it was first,” she paused again, her face twitching. “Given to me.”
Twilight looked at the mark. “I’ve never... noticed that before.” She bent her head down to look at it. “It does look slightly different. Maybe I should scan it-” she began, her horn glowing.
Heartbreak almost instantly jumped back. “What?! No! I don’t want your horn or your magic near it!”
“H.B.! I’m just trying to help you,” Twilight replied, a spike of surprise rippling through her voice.
“And I said no!” Heartbreak insisted. “Didn’t you once say that you didn’t recognize the magic that brought me here?”
“Yes, but what does that have to do with your cutie-” Twilight paused on her words. “What does that have to do with your mark?”
Heartbreak held her tail against her mark the best she could and looked at the ground. “It was Fae magic that brought me here, Twilight. And Fae magic that put this thing on my flanks. And I might not understand much about magic as a whole, but I know two things.” She looked at Twilight warily. “One: there is no magic that you know of that can give a p-p-pony a cutie mark. And two: I am pretty sure that mixing strange magic that you know nothing about with your own magic is a bad idea!”
Twilight stared blankly. “Alright, those things are true. However, the only way I can learn anything about this is by interacting with it. If I could just-” She started to say as she lowered her horn.
Heartbreak’s eyes widened in a terrified expression “I. Said. No!”
Rarity walked up to Twilight and made a motioning gesture at Heartbreak. “This is what I was talking about, Twilight. We try to offer her help at every turn and she only refuses like a stubborn little filly!”
Heartbreak looked at Twilight. “I just don’t want anything bad to happen.”
Rarity frowned. “And refusing anypony’s help, particularly a pony whose special talent happens to be magic, just because you’re afraid, will stop bad things from happening?”
Heartbreak stomped her hoof down. “I would rather nothing happen then something terrible happening like what just happened out there!”
“Something that you haven’t quite explained just yet!” Rarity retorted. “Like Twilight, I am not quite sure I buy into your whole story of, ‘My cutie mark makes ponies cry.’”
Twilight frowned. “Rari-” she began.
“It’s not an excuse! I know what I felt! And it felt horrible and wrong!” Heartbreak replied seething.
Twilight tried to get a word in edgewise. “H.-”
“That just sounds like an excuse to avoid simple activities like being social and talking to other ponies!” Rarity countered. “And if you felt horrible and wrong about somepony touching that mark of yours, then you should let Twilight look at it!”
Twilight turned to her friend. “Rar-”
“Simple!? Excuse me, but reading and entertaining a group of little ponies is far from simple and a job that I am not qualified for!” Heartbreak replied harshly. “And I told you no! Look! I’m no specialist in Fae magic. Fet, I didn’t think that there could be a specialist in Fae magic, but everything I have read in the mythology department? You don’t go bungling the Fae bangles! And Twilight doesn’t know anything about this thing either!” Twilight raised her hoof and opened her mouth. This time however, she wasn’t able to even get a sound out.
“So. Let me see if I am understanding this properly. By taking the route that you view as safest: The one that you only take out of fear, you think you are going to do as our Princess has commanded and get back into harmony?!” Rarity asked moving closer to Heartbreak.
“Hey, it works for Fluttershy! Besides, the Princess said that she wanted me to write her letters about the profound things I have learned about myself and what lessons that I learned about the Elements of Harmony! She said nothing about ponies looking at my rump!”
Rarity humphed. “I might be a lady and a dressmaker, but even I know that if you are constantly living in fear and unwilling to take chances that you won’t get anywhere! A fashionista has to be willing to take chances!” She turned and glared at Heartbreak. “It seems to me that the rumors that I have been hearing about you are indeed true!”
Twilight started to groan. Could this argument get any more pointless?!
“You are indeed nothing but a stubborn, hardheaded, whiny little filly!”
Heartbreak’s jaw dropped slightly and she glared seethingly. “Oh! You didn’t just call me whiny!”
“Yes I did, and I will do it again!” Rarity moved close to Heartbreak’s face. “You’re whiny.”
Heartbreak’s eyes narrowed at Rarity. “Whiny? You’re calling me whiny?”
“Do I need to repeat myself yet again?” Rarity asked.
“Oh no... But that isn’t whining...” Heartbreak began as her voice took a sudden upturn in pitch and she threw her hooves down. “Thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis is whining! Twiiilight! Rarity’s being mean to me! Why does she have to be sooooo mean!?”
Twilight looked around wide eyed, her ears drooping. “Uh-oh...”
Rarity looked confused for a moment, and then her eye twitched. “Stop that.”
“The poooonies are talking about me and saying mean things!” Heartbreak continued, touching her face in an over dramatic manner. “Walking on hoooves is haaaaard! Why do I have to eat hay!?”
Rarity bristled. “Stop that!”
“But I’m just a stubborn little filly!” Heartbreak replied in a whiny voice as she crossed her forelegs. “And I am just emulating one of my teachers!”
Rarity’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, you! You think you can out do me at my own game!?” She flipped her mane. “Is that what you think? Well maybe I should emulate you!”
Heartbreak rolled her eyes. “You don’t know me well enough.”
Rarity rolled her eyes. “Oh, what’s to know?!” She proceeded to put on her saddest face. “I’m Heartbreak and I’m a sad, sad pony that isn’t really a pony!”
Heartbreak grimaced. “Oh, we’re playing that game, eh?” she coughed and put on the most fake accent she could muster. “I’m Rarity! I’m always fashionable and giving, except when I am not!”
Rarity mussed up her mane slightly and then looked at Heartbreak. “Oh Woe is me! I have all the time in the world but I don’t do anything to clean up my appearance! I could brush my mane or get it done up, but I’d rather not because that would mean dealing with other pooooooonies!”
Heartbreak narrowed her eyes. “While I can’t staaand being alone and need constant approval of other ponies on my appearance! I have to be oh-so-stunning all the time, daaaaaaaaaaaaaarling! Oh! What’s that?! I chipped a hoof! I feel a pimple coming on! Better dash off to the spa!”
“I was thrown here by my bitter ends and now it’s hard for me to adapt! But that’s no surprise seeing that I live in constant fear of doing things!” Rarity flustered getting in Heartbreak’s face.
“I always have time for my fffriends and those p-p-ponies who need me, except when I’m chasing after stallions old enough to be my father!” Heartbreak countered, smirking.
Rarity glared back at her and took a dramatic pose looking at her hoof. “When I couldn’t adapt to not having my former appendages, I drilled a hole in my hoof and chased after the creepiest pony in all of Ponyville!”
Heartbreak frowned and broke her whining. “I was under the influence of magic tea that Twilight gave me! You might have known that if you had been talking to either Twilight or myself instead of the Ponyville gossip mill!”
“I’ve been BUSY! I have had a lot of dresses to make, thank you very much!” Rarity exclaimed pressing her face up to Heartbreak's. “Some of us work for a living!”
“Well I didn’t know that! Because you didn’t tell me!” Heartbreak ranted as she pressed her face back. “And I have been doing all the jobs that Twilight has given me!”
“Well, it’s no wonder when you’re living in your own little world all the time!” Rarity nearly shouted.
“Like you’re one to talk-” Heartbreak started.
“THAT'S. E-NOUGH!” Twilight shouted, while pushing them both apart.
Rarity and Heartbreak turned away from each other. “She started it!” They said in unison.
“I don’t care who started it! The both of you are acting like bratty little fillies now and it’s getting us nowhere! If you keep acting like little fillies, then I am going to treat you like little fillies and make you hold hooves in a corner!” Twilight said gritting her teeth and pointing at a corner of the room. Suddenly a flash of something flickered across her face. “In fact...”
Heartbreak’s face drooped. “Uh-oh...”
Rarity looked at Heartbreak confused. “Uh-oh? ‘Uh-oh,’ what?”
“I-I know that look on Twilight’s face,” Heartbreak replied worriedly.
“You do?” Rarity asked.
“N-now Twilight,” Heartbreak said starting to back pedal. “I know that Rarity and I have our issues! But that doesn’t mean that you have to do anything rash! We can work out our differences, right Rar-Rar?” Rarity blinked and shook her head. After all, this pony had been arguing with her only moments ago.
“Oh good! You’ve figured out what I have decided to do then!” Twilight replied brandishing a large smile.
“Oh... fet... locks...” Heartbreak muttered quietly to herself.
“You have?” Rarity asked.
“As Headteacher, I am making an executive decision.” She took a deep breath. “Rarity, you are going to be H.B.’s teacher for this month.” Twilight put a hoof on Rarity’s shoulder. “Congratulations.”
Well... Taking bets now on how long it takes Rarity to
A: Object strenuously. Odds are 2/1
B: The two of them to kill one another whilst this months lesson goes on. Odds are 3/2
C: Rarity/Sweetie Belle pokes H.B.s Branding Mark. Odds are 5/2
D: Opal tries to maul H.B, and Rarity "doesn't hear a thing". Odds are 3/1
E: Rarity forces H.B. into a dress. Odds are 2/1
Any takers?
If most of this story is like this, it's gonna be awesome!
well, its chapter five...
can I now add comments of my dislike of Rarity here??
2278453
I bet 1500 Czech crowns for option C and another 1000 crowns for option E.
I must say that HB makes a pretty damn good Rarity.
We all knew this was comming, but I can't help but feel sorry for H.B.
2278453
"A: Object strenuously. Odds are 2/1"
Very likely
"B: The two of them to kill one another whilst this months lesson goes on. Odds are 3/2"
I don't do pony death.
"C: Rarity/Sweetie Belle pokes H.B.s Branding Mark. Odds are 5/2"
We'll see.
"D: Opal tries to maul H.B, and Rarity "doesn't hear a thing". Odds are 3/1"
Ouch. Don't know.
"E: Rarity forces H.B. into a dress. Odds are 2/1"
Likely. We'll see how that plays out eh?
2278453 I’ll put 25 pounds (English Sterling) on C and D and another 50 on E! I’ll also bet a hundred on Rarity finding out Heartbreak used to be a guy.
2278810 Heh. Nope.
2278810 And I say 'nope' cause you can't use ponds to bet. Emily wouldn't like that. Nor can you use pounds.
2278818
fimfiction-static.net/images/story_images/29981.jpg?1338698141
Excuse me while I go feed myself to fire ants out of embarrassment…
Seriously though, I thought you might have had something going on with each of the main six finding out a little piece of Hartbrake’s former life but because of the circumstances keeps it to themselves, Applejake knows she used to eat meat, I’m sure Twilight knows something I missed that she hasn’t sheared. With the seemingly inevitable dress scenario coming up (hope you manage to put a good spin on that by the way) Rarity finding out she used to be a he kinda made sense to me.
"the worst possible thing!"
i.imagebanana.com/img/fei3cdl9/HB_6_13.jpg
2279049
2279049 I love this so much.
2278873 You'll see what happens. You'll ALL SEE.
2279074 I'm sure I will. I just like to speculate and theorise.
Guess who my favourite pony is for personality?
2279080 Spike?
2279132 Yes, because ponies are bi-peddle, breath fire and are covered in scales.
Wait… How’d that moustache get there!?
Apologies for the confusion, I meant Twilight. There are few things I appreciate more than some good, honest intellectual exercise, curiosity, ingenuity, adaptability and all the things we use to create civilisation and the computer you’re looking at! I could certainly use her help with my organisational skils as well…
Rare and H.B dun goofed. Also Trollight Sparkle is best pone
Celestia: I'm so proud of my protege! Trolling like a BAWSS! I think I'mma give her wings!
2279387 She's terrified. She's emotional and reactive and out to prove a point even is she's not exactly sure what that point is because she's scared.
She's not thinking all that well because she is scared. If you've ever been terrified, actually terrified, you'd know you don't think right. And it's even harder to convey sometimes because you have to remember when you where scared, and that's worse.
2279521
Think back to book one, chapter one, where Anthony was dealing with the aftermath of his girlfriend having a mental breakdown - a girlfriend who already had a husband, and children, who presumably weren't Anthony's. Now I assumed at the time that husband and wife split up, and she had problems, before Anthony got involved, but it could be read another way. Also remember what Celestia said at the end of book one. It's possibly, likely even, that she was being affected by Anthony's curse, but it's also possibly she saw something else in there that we haven't seen yet. Something that goes far beyond the standards of 'petty jerk' we've seen in the show so far.
Or not.
2279694 My Little Heartbreak: Bringing bronies together by tearing a tiny little mind apart.
2279714
I do hope things begin to clear up between these two soon. I don't know if my tiny little mind can take any more Rarity style Whining.
It's a great sign of the quality of this story compared to the usual run of the mill fanfic, that when you write a character out of character, it's not something that we need to tell you about and try to make you fix, but something that we the readers need to pay attention to, because it means all is not right, and drama is going down on Rarity's side of all this that H.B. and us don't know about, and how many more comma's can I possibly put into this horrendously run on sentence,,,
2276767
I guess so..
OOOOOHHHHHHHH! SNAP! Neither of them are going to be looking forward to this month. I can see Rarity desperately trying to get out of this, "But Twilight! I have work to do! I don't need a whiny filly to add to my stress!"
2278787 I didn't mean literally kill one another. You never had a moment with your friends/family where you're like "I'm gonna kill them!" ? That's the killing I meant
2283969 Oh, well. Yes. There are going to be moments like that.
2279676
you know, i wondered about that
celestia did seem a bit crazy, but from what Ive noticed the fae magic fused into H.B. even if celestia wiped her mind, might not fade and stick with her no matter what. and even twilight realized that the complete mind wipe could make H.B. into a vegetable in a hospital room, or she would have to be completely reeducated and by the time her mind was back to the point of being an adult, she would be possibly to old to enjoy her life. to top this off if the fae magic doesn't disappear with wiping her mind, she will either cause the doctors and nurses taking care of her in the hospital to go bonkers being around her, and she likely wouldn't have a good life even being retaught from having the mind of a foal.
also as for anthony's girl friend, i believe her husband said she liked having multiple partners.
And here is where I shall think you broke story flow just so you could add your own comment into the story without others realizing it.
Screw it I'm out. I'll see you all next chapter. I'm not reading where this is going. I have a pretty clear picture in any case.
2291923 >.> Well.. I thought it was funny.
2292361 It's not that it wasn't funny. Just that I can't help but hear it in my head when reading.
It's so grating make it stop! Make it stop!
2292405 It'll stop cause Twilight say STOP.
2292409 you're not da boss o me! I'll stop when I want to
2292421 Really? What's HB's voice sound like to you?
2292429oh you meant for the whining part... actually for parts where HB is arguing and general complaining I could swear I give her rarity's voice... oh god I've been reading her lines in Rarity's voice. Its not my fault! She sounds so similar in my head!
Somehow, H.B. should definitely talk about the Fae to Twilight. If she had any idea on how deceitful and powerful they are, Twilight would probably think twice before doing something like like a minor magic scan.
About the branding, why do I have the feeling that it will get weaker as Heartbreak get closer to Harmony?
Though, I wonder what would happen if she was rainbowed by the Elements of Harmony.
2297400 Bad things.
2297400 If being rainbowed by the Elements of harmony could fix this, then why didn't Celestia do that to begin with?
2297405 Well, the way they react seem to depend on situation. So who know, Celestia might think that the effect might be the same as her solution. She isn't omnipotent after all ;) And, well, who know what could happen if mix Fae magic in the situation. That might be the reason she didn't want to resort to the Elements.
Oh shaizer...
2278453
I Place 1 Trillion Indonesian Piasters (about $0.14 U.S.) on each option...Including Option F proposed by ScopeEva..
I'm just covering all the bases, is all.
and the bomb goes off
2297928 I really like your mane. Book Four is done.
2297400 I think a total of three things may happen if she is blasted with the elements. Either a) she''ll turn to stone, b) all the chaos magic in here dies or c) she dies
Well.
You told me to hold my judgements of rarity until after chapter 5 but daaaaamn she is worst pony by far.
Can Celestia remove Rarity's brain contents instead? Because she is causing more disharmony than discord ever did.
amazing how up to this point all teacher's locations have been decided as punishments.
That was the funniest chapter yet!!!s