Chapter 10

Procrastination.

“So, she still hasn’t gotten over her fear of the stairs?” Twilight asked.

Spike shrugged. “Nope. At least she tried right? Which is more than what we can say about a few things where she just shut down.”

Twilight sighed. “At least she feels like she can still talk to you without things feeling too awkward.” She set the stack of books she had gotten from the Ye Olde Books and Manuscripts Shope on the table.

“She also had some nightmares. She wouldn’t say exactly what they were, but geez, she looked horrible. Really stressed!” Spike took out a bowl and poured himself a box of gem flakes that Rarity had given him. “Hey, maybe if the two of them get along, Rarity might take her to the spa! She could definitely use some sort of relaxing treatment. What do you think?”

“While she could use something to help her relax, I doubt she’ll want to go.” Twilight rolled her eyes and set a cup of steaming coffee on the table.

“But she said she would try to get along with Rarity,” Spike said with a bit of disappointment in his voice.

“This is H.B. we’re talking about Spike, going to a spa would require that other ponies touch her. And with the recent development?” Twilight asked opening a book entitled, ‘Obscure Magical Lore and Myths.’

Spike grumbled. “Yeah, I guess you’re right...”

Twilight looked up. This situation was really bothering her assistant. “But you never know. Rarity might be that some pony special that can get H.B. to open up and relax for a change.” The door to the bathroom opened upstairs and Heartbreak’s hoof steps could be coming down the stairs.

Heartbreak came into the kitchen, her mane and tail still dripping some. Setting the brush she had her mouth on the table, she blinked at the stack of books. “Hey Twilight, doing some light reading?”

“Hey sleepyhead. Yup. Just brushing up on a few things. I am putting together a research paper that I want to present to some ponies in Canterlot,” Twilight replied.

Heartbreak nodded in an approving way for some reason. “Cool.”

“Cool?” Twilight asked blinking. “Are you chilly? Do we need to turn up the temperature?”

Heartbreak blinked and gave Spike a questioning look. He merely shrugged and continued munching on his gem flakes. “No, I mean that it’s great that you have a life outside of me, Twilight. It makes me feel like I am less of a, ‘Mary Sue.’”

Twilight looked up from her reading and blinked in confusion. “‘Mary Sue?’ Who’s that?”

Heartbreak facehoofed and rolled her eyes. “Nevermind, Twilight. I know I’ve said it before but I’m just going to say that I like the fact that you have a life outside of me and my mark. Also, could you brush my mane and tail?”

“You actually want me to brush your mane and tail?” Twilight asked, picking up the brush as Heartbreak turned her back to her.

“Yes. That’s not a problem is it?” Heartbreak replied.

“No...It’s just that I usually have to remind you and fight you a little about it,” Twilight replied.

“Well. This time it’s different,” Heartbreak replied. Twilight continued with her questioning look. H.B. rolled her eyes. “I don’t want Rarity to give me a surprise makeover like she did with you when you first showed up in Ponyville, Twilight...”

Twilight blinked and her eyes went wide. “Wow...”

Heartbreak’s eyes darted back and forth in a slight panic. “What? I told you, Twi-”

“I know, but it’s just been ages since that happened,” Twilight answered picking the brush up off the table. Heartbreak nodded and sat down in front of her.

“Yeah, I guess it has,” Heartbreak replied, looking off to her side. “Nothing fancy, Twilight. Just nice enough so that I don’t have Rarity pawing through it.”

“So just fancy enough?” Twilight asked.

Heartbreak’s only reply was a low grumble.

I grumble while looking at the reading area of the library. Those kids kinda left a mess here yesterday. There seems to be a juice bottle up near one of the beams. Wonder why Twilight hasn’t scolded me for the mess. Maybe she hasn’t seen it. My eyes keep darting back and forth at the time.

At work, at school, almost anywhere really, you’re discouraged from looking at the clock. Depending on where you are, looking at the clock means that you have some other place that you would like to be, or that you have some place more important to be.

Oh sure, everyone puts so much importance on being on time, but you dare look at a clock and you’re the one being looked down on. At least, that’s how it feels sometimes.

I on the other hand...yeah. Hand... I on the other hand, would watch the clock. At work I would even calculate how much time I had left. All the plastic rolls would come off at a particular rate and then I would figure it out from there. I liked when the roll came out at two minutes or more. That was enough time to make the boxes I needed and measurements to ensure quality.

“Fuck,” I look down at the ground. “I’m procrastinating.” I kind of have been for the past hour or so. I mean, I don’t have to be there until one, but I don’t have anything planned for today. Twilight didn’t set anything up for me. And I’m all showered, brushed, bathroomed and raring to go somewhere. But, I don’t really want to deal with Rarity. I’m scared to face her. She’s a lot of things that I have been trying to avoid ever since I realized that I was indeed the opposite gender. And there are three little things that I would like to avoid. Three things that I want to avoid.

Those three things are the stupid rules of gender bending fics.

The first being that whatever or whoever made you genderbent, much to the amusement others, cosmic entity, or I am pretty sure in my case The Fae, will break or do something horrible and you’re stuck like this. Check.

The second one is that eventually I’ll see that being the other gender as being better than my old gender. “I seriously doubt that. Thus far, not much difference, other than the obvious. It’s the third ‘law’ I am worried about,” I roll my eyes. “Any gender bent character will either embrace or be subject to all of the stereotypes associated with their new gender.” I can’t help roll my eyes at that one and question, “Why? Why should I?”

I look at the time again. It’s been a full five minutes from when I started pondering all this. Fuck, I’m doing it again. Well, if I am going to procrastinate, maybe I should do something productive and check and make sure I have everything I need.

I turn and look in the mirror. Mane and tail sufficiently brushed. Check. Saddlebags that Rarity gave me? Check. My sketchbook and mechanical pencil? Check. And then the final thing that Twilight picked up on her outing today. A map of Ponyville. Seriously? Why haven’t I thought of picking something like this up? As far as I know, this is going to be my home for the next year!

I look over the easy folding laminated map laying out on the floor.

“Twilight must think I’m, ‘special n-’” I’m not going to even finish that thought. By all fucking definitions I am a special needs pony. “One. You can’t use your hooves like the other ponies, I mean for cripes sake! You’re stepping on the map to look at it! And two: It was -nice- of Twilight to mark out a route to Carousel Boutique! You don’t know Ponyville as well as you think you do!” That’s when I hear footsteps behind me. Looking back, it’s exactly who I expect it to be.

“Shouldn’t you be out of the door by now?” Spike asks me.

“It’s just a little after noon Spike and I don’t have to be there until one,” I reply picking my hooves off the map. Much to my disappointment, it doesn’t automatically fold upon itself. Spike walks over and folds the map up for me before sticking it in my bag.

“So? Rarity does like other ponies to be on time,” Spike says looking at me.

“Of course, when she’s late, it’s always fashionably so,” I reply absent mindedly.

Spike blinks at me. “I’m not sure whether or not that’s a joke.”

“I like to think that it’s my failed attempt at a joke, Spike,” I reply sighing.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to escort you there? I mean it wouldn’t be any real trouble and -” Spike begins as Twilight enters the room.

She too looks at the clock, looks at me and says “Shouldn’t you be out of-”

“I’m working on it!” I reply annoyed. I take a deep breath. “Right. I didn’t mean to shout, I’m...”

“Procrastinating?” Twilight asks me looking at the state of the library.

“Yeah. I have everything I need, but I’m pretty hesitant about this Twilight, even if I don’t have any real reason to be,” I reply giving a faux smile. “But the sooner I get there, the sooner I can start, ‘learning,’ from her and the sooner it can be over right?”

“You’ll do fine H.B.,” Twilight says putting a hoof on my shoulder. “Just relax, take one step at a time and try to get along with her. You’ll see that Rarity isn’t that bad of a pony.”

“That’s not what I am afraid of,” I mutter.

“Huh?”

“Nothing Twilight. Spike you mind getting the door for me?”

“Are you sure that you don’t want me to come?” Spike asks opening the door.

“She’ll be fine Spike,” Twilight begins as I walk out the door. “Besides,” she swings a bucket and mop over to him. “I want your help in cleaning this place up! How did those foals get a juice box up-”

The door closes behind me and I take a deep breath of the fresh air of Ponyville. “Alright H.B., it’s not too hard to get from here to there.” I think to myself as I start walking. “Just take a right here. Go towards Sugar Cube corner, turn left, go three houses and take a right. From there I should be able to see Rarity’s...”

As I walk I look around at the various houses and places around here. They look pretty much like they did on the show. Only not vectorized. Lots of bright and shiny colours. There are various ponies that I recognize off the bat, general background ponies whose faces and marks I recognize, but were never given any names.

As I am walking I once again am reminded about why I don’t come out during the day.

Sunlight. Fuck that thing is bright. Seriously, I have gotten used to a, ‘normal,’ sleep cycle once again, but the massive glowing ball in the sky continues to hurt my eyes. Still, it kinda feels good on my skin...fur...whatever.

It doesn’t take me long to find Sugar Cube Corner, I mean all I have to do is follow the aroma of cooking cakes, cookies, and that overall warm sweet aroma that I didn’t get to enjoy much last time I was here.

Moving flour for the cakes was...difficult. It started out easy enough, but the amount of flour that they wanted moved? Ugh. Stupid pony body. I might be an earth pony now, but fuck! I am just not that strong when it comes to lifting and carrying, I guess I could work out. Though that just seems so boring.

And it really didn’t help that Pinkie Pie insisted on talking a mile a minute about random things that had nothing to do with the job! I know she’s Pinkie Pie, but good grief! Nothing but nonstop talking!

As I pass Sugar Cube, the memory of what transpired there passes through my mind.

~“Soooo! I was wondering and thinking about what you told me to think and wonder about! You know, when you told me to think about a month that would be the best month for me to teach you and had the best party of all the parties?! Well, after thinking and wondering about it for a little bit after you left, I totally came up with the idea for the perfect month to teach you that had the best party of all parties in it!”

“Uhm, yeah...Pinkie, making it really hard to concentrate here,” I replied trying to balance the bags of flour on my back.

“Buuuuut, I just have to one thing first!” Pinkie said bouncing at my side.

“And what’s that?”

Pinkie jumped up in my face. “What do you think of Princess Luna?!”~

What happened next almost could have been choreographed. I jump in surprise at what she said, which caused the bags to slip off my back, spring off an improbably placed board and flung at the door of Sugar Cube Corner just as Mr. Cake was walking out the door. The end result was pretty expected. Ghost white pony in the doorway while his foals laugh and giggle.

I quickly walk passed Sugar Cube, no reason accidentally walk into either of the Cakes or even -

“HI H.B.!!” I put a hoof up to block the sun out of my eyes and there’s Pinkie Pie smiling and waving from her little cupcake shaped apartment.

“Crap! What do I do!?” Blinking, I realize that the answer is pretty simple. Just wave back. Seriously, why I am I making a big deal about this? I look at my hoof awkwardly and put on a halfway decent smile as I wave back. “Hi Pinkie!” I really hope she can hear me from here.

“How are you doing!?” She shouts at me.

“I’m fine!”

She blinks at me in confusion. “You’re pine?”

“No Pinkie! I’m fine!” I reply raising my voice.

“Oh! Okay! What are you doing?” She shouts leaning out her window.

Suddenly I am aware of how many of the other ponies around me are starting to take note. “I’m going to-” My eyes dart back and forth at them as they give me strange looks. “Rarity’s shop!”

“Bailey’s Hop?!” Pinkie blinks and then frowns at me like a stern parent would. “Do I need to tell Twilight that you’re trying to drink?!”

“No! Rarity’s Shop!” I shout. Fuck the ponies around me are starting to stare at this spectacle. I know what easy answer to this problem would be. Go up there or ask her to come down here and just tell her. But I really don’t want to deal with Pinkie Pie today. Well, I don’t want to deal with her face to face, up close and personal.

“Harrity’s Bop!? Who’s that? And what’s a bop!?” Pinkie asks, her confusion compounding.

“No!” I shout looking around. I can see that tip of Carousel Boutique from here. I desperately point at it.

Pinkie looks up, blinks a few times and finally rolls her eyes. “Oooooooh! Rarity’s Shop! Why didn’t you say so?” I involuntarily apply my hoof to my face. Pinkie looks behind her. “Oh! Okie dokie lokie! I’ve got to go now H.B.! The Cakes need me for something! Have fun at Rarity’s!” The other ponies are looking at me.

“Uhm, yeah... I’ll try!” Great, this is going to give some random pony something to talk about. “Let them talk. If they are really interested in the truth of the matter, they’ll ask me what that was all about or they’ll just assume that it was Pinkie being Pinkie.” I start to trot a little. “So, just move long, H.B. After all you’ve stayed in the worst two nations in all of Equestria. ‘Stag-Nation’ and ‘Procrasti-nation’ long enough.”

Author's Notes:

This chapter might be fluffy, but it's H.B.'s first real time out and without escort. Plus I have been also working on stories yet to come... As Elton Brown said 'Your patience will be rewarded..."