preparatory research and wandering around ( open)

Heartspan listened as they walked occasionally smiling at belle. He tried to picture this household with it's over taxed parents and he tried to mix it with what belle had confessed in the forest. Their lives seemed very different. Heartspan had rebelled for foolish reason and seemed in this moment as if he had only been a spoiled brat.

Belle, he realized, always helped him to grow and mature as a Stallion. being able to see things from her perspective helped him to understand and change his flaws.

" Will they come to the wedding? " he asked quietly.

he paused for a moment to give her time to think and resolve things inside herself as they walked.

"Well, I was actually thinking of inviting them, but wasn't really sure how they would react. Plus, I'm not even sure if they live in the same house. Of course, Tya and Calim will have moved out by now, I have no way of knowing where. I'd probably have to go talk to mom and dad.." she answered almost immediately, having already spent a lot of time pondering it.

She honestly wasn't sure how her parents would react to the news. She knew her siblings would be delighted, if she could only contact them. They were probably half-way around the world, they were travel lovers too. Only they didn't write about it, all they wante were the adventures. Not the recordings.

Heartspan listened quietly as she spoke. Wondering what it would be like to meet these ponies. he suddenly smiled at her very sweetly.

" well, if luna can bring us together and we were just strangers, I know that if it is your desire your family will be brought forth too." he said confidently before turning a little sheepish " of course it will be nerve wracking to meet them,....pay back in a cosmic sense for surprising you with my own."

he laughed at his stupid joke as he blushed in awkwardness.

" it sure is nice out." he commented as he looked at the ponies walking the street. " You know, You are sort of my hero but also my rival. I look up to you, trust you , and love you. However, you also make me want to be stronger, to do more, not just for myself but for the sake of others too. You make me feel as if i am invincible and immortal like an Alicorn. "

he turned to look at her with his best smile.

" I like that, the way you make me feel. Like i can do anything but that I don't have to do it. It makes me want to be more and better because I know that you don't require it, and if i fail it is ok because you will be there to support me. I know i can count on you and so i feel like i can take some risks i couldn't on my own. I hope you know in your heart that you can rely on me in this way too. I think it is important and it makes me proud to have someone that i can trust and love completely. "

he looked back out on the streets of Canterlot.

" I feel eternally grateful to Luna because she provided a chance to meet you. Many ponies don't have anypony they can trust and rely on no matter the occasion and for this i am also grateful to Luna, and to you. Sorry, i just had to say it. You are my best friend and my truest love."

A smile played on Belle's lips, and she turned to Heartspan. He was blushing pretty badly, and it made her laugh a bit, even when her cheeks were burning just as red.

"I do, Heartspan. I do rely on you, just like that. Please know that I will always be here for you, forever." she said quietly, "and I hope my family can come. I've found myself wondering about them, and I'd like to know how they are. Er, they live in Manehatten. My parents do anyways."

In truth, Belle hasn't seen her family in years, since she ran away. She'd never returned, and pondered how they would react to her sudden appearance. She could only hope they wouldn't react badly. Belle was considering catching a train right then and there to see them, there wasn't anything stopping her. No obligations to return to the manor, or to stay in Canterlot.

Heartspan thought about what she had said. He wondered how long it had been since she had visited them. he gave her an appraising look.

" Well honey, you can always go see them. " he said sweetly " If they are only in Manehattan, it is not like they are in another country."

He turned away from her as they walked.

" It is better not to wonder, and maybe it will do you some good to see them." he commented absently.

"Yeh....maybe." Belle said a bit absentmindedly, "do you think we could go now?"

She stopped to wait for his response, turning to face him. Belle knew suddenly that she wanted them to meet Heartspan. Hopefully, they would accept him and the invitation.

(Oops, sorta short)

"do you think we could go now?"

He turned to look at her with his full attention.

" We could, if you wanted." he replied with a small comforting smile.

He thought it must be important or she would not want to dash off. It made him think she must not have seen them in a very long time. She must miss them very much he thought.
he wanted to see where she had been raised, and to meet the ponies who had helped to shape this beautiful mare. He looked up at the sky for a moment and then back to belle.

" let's go." he said warmly " we have some bits with us and there should still be time to catch a train."

he could feel himself growing a bit nervous but it was exciting and his eyes shone with enthusiasm.

Belle's eyes brightened and she beamed.

"Okay, let's go!" she called over her shoulder, as she was already running to the train station. She laughed as she went, reeling through her mind the train time schedule. She remembered the Manehatten one was leaving at noon on the dot.

She glanced up at a clock at a bus stop. 11:40

"Come on!" she laughed, "We can make it!"

Arriving at the station, she slowed to a brisk walk. She approached the worker, asking for two tickets to Manehatten. She turned and waited for Heartspan after paying the unicorn in the stand.

She grinned widely at him, excited to see her family for the first time in years.

He had been forced to dash after his most enthusiastic partner. he walked up to her, her excite meant etched on face. he smiled sweetly as he got up to her. He was filled to overflowing with curiosity.

" we better hurry on board." he said casually , but hoping she would not run. " Do, we need tickets still?"

"Nah, I got the tickets. Let's go!" she said eagerly, grabbing Heart's hoof and rushing on board the train. It started moving almost immediately, and Belle swayed a bit. There were no seats left, so she stood and held onto the pole.

She was anxious to see her parents, and the nerves were starting to overwhelm her. What would they say? She had run away, and hadn't contacted them in a long time. She hoped they weren't mad...........

He had followed belle onto the train and now stood in a crowded car as the train rumbled toward Manehattan. He could feel his heart beating and a twinge in his stomach as he wondered what her parents would be like. he hoped they would be kind, but if not then he was prepared or he hoped he was at any rate.

he watched belle as she stood there holding onto one of the support poles. She had been eager before but now as they drew ever closer to their destination she seemed nervous. he reached out reflexively and put a hoof on her shoulder.

he had a lot of questions but he decided not to ask any of them. It must be bad enough for her he thought and as always he would trust to fate.

Belle glanced down as she felt pressure on her shoulder, but relaxed when she realized it was Hearspan.

"Oops, guess I'm a bit jumpy." she laughed nervously. Her eyes swept the train, looking for a distraction. Finding none, she looked back at Heartspan. She stared into his eyes, but her mind wandered.

She thought of her parents. And her sister. And her brother.

heartspan gave her a small squeeze before letting go of her.

" I can tell." he replied to her comment on jumpiness.

As she looked at him he smiled and began to look around at the ponies making the same journey to Manehattan. As he often did he began to make up little stories in his head about them. Connecting strangers in forbidden love triangle or imagining holy quests that were beginning with but a small train ride. The more he thought the mroe he smiled until a sudden thought occurred.

What if her parents disapprove or worse yet what if her father gets into some altercation with me...

He frowned and then laughed to himself awkwardly as he imagined the mess.

Belle completely missed everything that happened, she was so lost in thought. So much so, that when the train screeched to a stop, she fell. Her hoof slipped off the pole and she tumbled to the ground. Standing, she glanced around, nopony was laughing. That was a good sign, though she blushed furiously.

Biting her lip, she walked onto the platform away from the train. She started walking down the familiar path but stopped as she remembered her companion. She laughed and turned around, waiting for him.

Heartspan followed his preoccupied companion very closely after her fall. The trains arrival at the station had caught him off guard and he had not been able to spare her an embarrassing moment, but she had wandered away so occupied inside herself that he thought she probably hadn't noticed and he just trailed along after her at a steady pace.

She turned to wait for him but he was only a pony's length from her and smiled dutifully.

" Don't worry i will keep up." he said

"Right." Belle laughed, "Sorry, I'm not being very observant today." She nodded and continued walking.

They walked out of the train station, and Belle made multiple turns. Finally, she turned right and the cement street turned to dirt road, though she didn't slow. Her eyes were glued to the path in front of her, and they passed several houses.

A fairly large, but not mansion large, house stood at the end of the street. Belle finally slowed down, taking a deep breath.

"Well, here we are.." she said quietly, nerves creeping into her voice.

She hadn't seen her parents in at least 5 years, and had no idea what they would say. Taking another deep breath, she walked up the wide staircase and knocked on the door. The sound resounded throughout the house and echoing at her.

Heartspan followed her through the town. They took many twisting and turning paths and Heartspan did his best to remember them as they went. Then at last she brought him down a dirt road to a large house. It wasn't so large as his parents home, but it was many times larger than his own home in ponyville.

"Well, here we are.."

he looked at the house as she began walking toward it. his nerves were on edge. here was another moment guided by the princess of the night. What ever the out come he would trust to Luna's wisdom. he nodded to himself once and followed bell to the door. He took a deep breath and forced his nervousness deep into the pit of his stomach.

Footstep came shuffling through the entrance. Belle bit her lip nervously. Suddenly, the door swung open and a tall, slender mare stepped into view. She had a long sweeping mane, the color of lilacs, and beautiful ice blue eyes.

"Hello?" the mare asked, raising an eyebrow at the two ponies.

"Um, hi," belle started, shifting her feet, "er, mom. It's me, Belle."

The mare's eyes widened and she scrambled for words.

"B-Belle? Where have you been? We've been worried sick, we thought you were dead! Come in, come in!" she said in a sudden rush, stepping aside to let them in. Belle walked cautiously into the foyer, waving Heartspan forwards.

"Um, mom? This is Heartspan, my.....fiancé. Heartspan, this is my mother, Malinda."

Heartspan's heart nearly shut off as the door opened. The mare's lack of recognition only made it worse. It must have been a very long time indeed he thought as his heart restarted. As Belle waved him in he stepped forward with his normal grace though he had a slight blush. he bowed slightly as she introduced him to her mother "malinda"

" A pleasure to meet you." he said politely.

he quickly stepped back a bit closer to the door, both to give his nerves space to breath and for belle to be able to speak with her mother, not to mention a quick exit if necessary. his heart was beating so hard he felt he might faint or run at any moment.

"Enchanted." Malinda replied, nodding her head respectively. "Your..fiance? You're getting married? When did you two meet?"

"Um, well, around a month ago..." Belle said tentatively, glancing nervously at her mom. "Um, where's dad?" she looked to Heartspan, jeez he looked nervous as hell. Belle smiled sympathetically at him, her own heart beat picking up.

"Your father is, no longer here. I kicked him out." the mare said sternly.

"Oh, so, you're divorced and it would be a bad idea for me to invite him to the wedding?" Belle asked, surprised. Her father had always seemed so nice.

"Don't be silly, it's your wedding. I don't mind him being there, as long as that drunkard doesn't talk to me."

Drunkard? Belle had no clue that her dad was a drunk now....

"Oh, well, then.....Where're Tya and Calim?" She asked, changing the subject. She casually walked towards Heartspan, placing a hoof on his cheek reassuringly. She turned back to her mom.

"Well, lucky for you, they're actually here. Well, not here here, but in Canterlot. They returned from a recent journey to Saddle Arabia just last week, and are now wandering about Main Street."

Belle smiled, and couldn't wait to see her siblings again.

"Um, just another question, where's dad now?"

"He is....somewhere on the streets. I don't know. Here, let's go into the dining hall and have a bite to eat." she said, leading the way to the room.

The foyer was quite large, the ceiling reaching high and a chandelier waving about. As they entered the dining hall, a small puppy raced up to them. He barked wildly and jumped up to lick Heartspan's face.

"Oh deary, sorry about Malicifent. He's a bit rude." Malinda laughed, taking a seat at the head of the table.

Heartspan listened nervously as he learned more about belle's family than he ever expected in such a short talk. her mother seemed imperial and regal, but in an unsettling way though she was very nice. To him it was a mix he could not reconcile in his mind.

belle's smile nearly made up for his nervousness but then he heard about her father, A drunkard kicked from his home. he very nearly face hoofed thinking of it. really heartspan could not even imagine such a thing.

He turned away from the conversation and began to look around a little taking in the home. he listened attentively though it seemed as if he were not listening so much at all. he had to admit he was curious to meet her adventurous siblings. he was however not really wanting to meet her father, he disliked drunkards for certain, however he would give him a chance at least since he was something important to belle. It might be hard to find him if he just roamed bar to bar but if it was belle's desire then he would work hard to find the stallion.

He followed them to the dining hall his nerves beginning to grow calm as he got used to his new environment. then out of nowhere a puppy burst onto the scene barking and trying to get at his face. his natural instinct would have been to push it aside with magic. he was not much for pets but this time he felt it best to just pick up the little guy and give him a pet hoping not to get bit.

" Oh it is no problem." he replied to her mother.

he could not help but smile as Melinda's laugh reminded him a little of belle. It did not sound the same but it came out with similar timing. Thinking of this he could not help but smile at belle. She was unique for sure and wonderful. For a moment he forgot where he was and stared adoringly at her , a small smile on his lips, as she did her thing. he absently petted the puppy thinking how sweet and cute his beloved Belle was.

" belle i could kiss you ten thousand times right now." he blurted out with out thinking right as Melinda took her seat.

Belle's cheeks turned bright red and she glanced at her mom, who acted as if she hasn't heard. Though Belle knew she had, Malinda had excellent hearing.

"Er," she looked to her 'oblivious' mom, and walked closer to Heartspan. "Me too, " she whispered adoringly in his ear. She grinned before turning away and taking the seat that would normally have been hers-next to her mom. She motioned for Heart to take a seat beside her.

"Mother, what're we having?" she asked softly.

"I was just about to have some lobster bisque, but you know our chef, he always makes too much" she laughed.

"Oh delicious! My favorite." Belle replied, clapping her hooves childishly. Three servants-dressed in suits-walked formally into the room, carrying three silver plates with silver tops. (You knew the ones, right?) they set the platters in front of Heart, Belle, and Malinda. They lifted the covers and left the room swiftly.

Belle quickly took her spoon and dipped it in the soup. She sipped it and sighed, "This is better then I remember."

"Me too, "

her whisper seemed odd and she gestured him to sit. Then his eyes turned slowly toward their hostess. For a moment his mind struggled to process everything then realization hit as a ton of bricks. he quickly reviewed what he had just done. He wanted to die on the spot. however such was not his fate. He swallowed once as he moved to sit near belle. he could not very well die of embarrassment and so he went the other direction allowing his nerves to die instead.

he smiled at Malinda as he sat next to belle. The mares spoke for a moment and while they were at it heart took the opportunity to glance around the dinning hall. When the servants arrived dispensing platters he noted their professionalism. They were a stark contrast to the friendly manner of the servants at his parents. Malinda ran a tight ship as he saw it.

he watched as belle tasted the soup. Since it was to her liking he took as taste himself. here he found something in common between the houses, malinda also had a talented chef.

" Your chef is very skilled Ma'am." he commented " and your home quite lovely."

he looked over at malinda.

" If i followed the conversation correctly earlier, you are the only one who lives here, yes? Doesn't that get to be lonely?" he asked very bluntly.

"Thank you, I'll send your compliments to the chef." Malinda responded with a smile, "and I don't live completely alone, there's Malicifent, and the twins visit fairly often." she daintily ate a spoonful of the bisque.

"When did you get the puppy anyways?" Belle asked.

"Oh him? Just a month ago. He was wandering the streets here in Manehatten, and I came across him. He looked like hell, so I brought him home and now he's happy and healthy." she said as Malicifent came dashing over. He stood on his hind legs, licking Malinda's hoof. She laughed and wiped the slobber off with her napkin.

Malicifent was a small chocolate lab with eager amber eyes.

Belle giggled, drinking more of her soup. She glanced to Heartspan, feeling bad that she wasn't including him in the conversation.

A ringing suddenly came from behind a door, and Malinda stood quickly. "I'd better get that." She swiftly left the room, and answered the phone.

Heartspan ate quietly and listened to the two mares conversing. The sudden ringing brought out some curiosity but it was not his business and so he quickly banished his curiosity.

" Belle, your mother is very nice." he commented casually as he ate.

he did his best to finish his soup quickly as he was not so hungry but felt obliged to finish anyway. They had between them a little bit of background in common he supposed though their households differed in many ways. he slid his empty soup bowl forward and lay his spoon down.