Cocoa Crushes

The mechanical whir and clack of the sewing machine as Rarity worked was the only noise in Carousel Boutique. Opalescence observed her dispassionately as she finished another pattern. She held it up to the light and sighed.

"Hardly my finest work, put it will have to do." She placed it on the pile of finished fabrics with her magic and started on the next piece. The repetitive task allowed her to muse in solitude. She already felt bad for the way she had brushed off her friends when they were only concerned about her. It was inevitable that they would try to get to the bottom of things, and she would have to spill everything. Her ear twitched as she placed more cloth on the pile. "Oh Opal, they will think I am being so silly. But I just can't help it." If the cat had understood or even cared about what Rarity said, she did not show  it, electing instead to examine her claws with an expression of boredom.

"I just need a bit of 'me' time to get myself out of this funk. I think I still have some of that triple-chocolate swirl..."

"Personally," Pinkie added sagely as she burst out from under the fabric pile, scattering cloth everywhere. "I always prefer cake to ice cream when I'm feeling sad!"

Perhaps it was due to years of experience (and near heart attacks), but all Rarity could muster in response to her home being broken into, in a manner that defied the laws of physics, was a raised eyebrow. "Pinkie, did you not see the 'Closed' sign on the door?"

"I didn't use the door, silly! I climbed in through the kitchen window!" Pinkie giggled as she attempted to untangle herself from a pastel prison of fabric which had snared her limbs.

"Oh, of course. How  logical." Rarity deadpanned. "Here, let me help you with that." Her horn glowed, and the snaking coils of fashion unfurled themselves from her friend. "Pinkie, I understand your concern for my well being, and I apologise for for my rude behavior at the station. But I would appreciate it very much if I was left alone for a little while."

"Come on Rarity, don't you think that talking about it might make you feel better?" Pinkie pouted as she stood upright. "Keeping all those bad feelings bottled up will only make them worse and worse until they EXPLODE and that's just not fun for anypony!" She rested a hoof on Rarity's shoulder comfortingly. "If you want, I'll pinkie promise not to tell anypony else!" She winked. "You can confide in your old Aunt Pinkie Pie."

"You're the youngest out of all of us, darling." Rarity ducked her head. "You are right...but it's not that I don't want to talk about so much as I don't know how to talk about it. I suppose I- gACK!" Rarity sputtered as she suddenly felt her legs knocked out from under her. Dazed, she realised she was now resting on her fainting couch. Glancing to her left, she saw Pinkie sitting a legs distance away, her hair tied up in a bun and wearing thick glasses, a clipboard in her hooves.

"Don't you worry about a thing, just take your time and let it all out!" The pink menace said with a giggle.

Shaking her head, Rarity resolved not to question it. Attempting to understand Pinkie's ways lead only to headaches. "Well...alright. But not a word of this reaches the others, please?"

"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" Pinkie uttered confidently as she pantomimed the familiar oath.

"Thank, you dear. Now, where to begin...well, it all started when I went to Manehatten yesterday. While I was there I...ah..." She struggled to meet her friends innocently curious gaze. "...met somepony. And...I think I may have a crush on this pony."

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT!" Pinkie Pie gasped, leaping out of her seat. "THATS AMAZING! I CAN'T BELIEVE-" She paused, and tapped her chin with her hoof, face scrunched up in confusion. "Wait...what's so bad, or unusual, or surprising, about that? You get crushes on ponies all the time!"

"Well...yes, I suppose I have a bit of a reputation for chasing dreams of romance and coming back empty-hooved." Rarity admitted. "But this time is different."

"You say that every time, too!" Pinkie chirped helpfully. She then looked somewhat guilty. "Er...no offense." She tittered nervously. "I'm sure you'll find the right pony for you eventually! Who knows, maybe it's this one!"

"It's not so different from any other infatuation, I suppose." Rarity admitted as she moved over to her couch. "Except for one, definitive difference."

"Which iiiiis?" Pinkie stretched her neck forward eagerly.

"...It's a mare I have a crush on." Rarity screwed her eyes shut involuntarily, waiting for the rejection, for Pinkie to scream at her or disown her as a friend or-

"Pffttahaaha!"

...Laugh?

Sure enough, Pinkie was rolling around on the floor, tears in hers as she guffawed loudly. Rarity felt her ears droop.

"Oh...yes, I suppose it is rather funny, isn't it?" She muttered. "Go on then, have a good laugh at me!"

Pinkie stopped immediately, and leapt to her hooves, a concerned expression on her face. "Huh? Oh nononononono, I wasn't laughing at you, silly!" She smiled reassuringly. "I was laughing that you thought that was even something to worry about!"

"You...you were?" Hope rose in her chest. "You don't think that...that it's weird?"

Pinkie shook her head sagely. "Of course it's weird! ALL love is weird! And that's a great thing if you ask me!" She hugged Rarity fiercely, almost knocking the wind out of her. "Besides, it would be pretty hypocritical of me, ya know? I like everypony! Stallions, mares, ponies who don't wish to be referred to as either!" She dropped Rarity unceremoniously on the couch and looked to the ceiling dramatically, hooves outstretched. "And you can have a certified, Pinkie Pie guarantee that no-pony else around town will give you any grief about it, no sir-ee!"

"Not even our friends?" Rarity asked quietly, somewhat intimidated by Pinkie's passionate claim. Though it certainly was heartwarming that she had such support.

"Especially our friends!" Pinkie then glanced from side to side surreptitiously. "Don't tell anypony else I told you this...but I have a biiiiig hunch that two of our friends are actually dating each other right now!"

"WHAT? You're serious?" Rarity was flabbergasted that such a thing had escaped her notice. "Who? When? How did you-"

Pinkie shook her head and raised her hoof in objection. "Sorry Rarity, but that's all I'm saying. I might be compleeeetley wrong, and then if I went around throwing parties for two ponies being together when they WEREN'T together, it would be reeeeally embarrassing and awkward for everypony." She patted the still stunned Rarity on the shoulder. "But hey, do you feel better for telling me?"

Rarity pondered the question. Did she feel better? She certainly felt relieved that Pinkie Pie was supportive, and more confident that her friends would be as well. And yet...

She sighed. "I do feel a little better...but it still doesn't change the fact that I have no idea what to do!" She pawed at a cushion with her hoof in frustration. "All of my experiences with dating have been with stallions! I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to mares...not to mention she probably doesn't feel the same way about me at all."

"But that's always going to be a risk with any crush, isn't it?" Pinkie pointed out as she sat next to Rarity on the couch with a satisfying 'whumpf'.

"Well...yes. But what if she doesn't like mares at all?"

"What if the stallion you like doesn't like mares? It's always a risk, and you'll never know if you don't ask her. If she says yes, then you have an amazing new special somepony!" Pinkie beamed. "If she says no, then you'll be sad for a little while, but she'll still be your friend, and friends are pretty great!"

"But what if she doesn't want to be my friend anymore?" Rarity asked glumly. "What if she thinks worse of me? Not everywhere is as accepting as Ponyville, Pinkie."

"If she treats you any different for that..." Pinkie looked disgusted at the very thought, a look that didn't suit her at all. "Then you don't really want that kind of pony in your life, as a friend or anything else."

The vehemence in Pinkie's voice shocked Rarity. It wasn't like her to be so...angry. "Pinkie, did..." She swallowed. "Did you...lose somepony over something like this?"

Pinkie was quiet. Her eyes refused to meet Rarity's. "You...could say that, I guess. But, it was before I moved to Ponyville." It was clear she didn't want to talk about it, and to see Pinkie's optimistic attitude turn around so suddenly was unnerving Rarity.

"Want to split it between us?" Rarity levitated a tub of ice cream into the room from the adjoining kitchen with a smile. "No cake, I'm afraid."

It did the trick, and Pinkie was beaming again. "Thanks, Rarity!"

The duo swiftly dug in, voraciously spooning the delectable treat away. Normally Rarity would never dare to indulge herself in such a manner, but right now she just didn't care. Sharing food with Pinkie after they had both divulged such personal secrets to each other was rather cathartic.

She'd rather be sharing a hot chocolate though...with some pony else.

Rarity hummed, and paused in her eating. "Pinkie...thank you. This really has helped me feel better, even if I still don't really know what to do. I suppose I owe my friends an apology, and an explanation."

Pinkie eyed her critically. "You don't have to tell them if you don't want to, you know."

"I know, but...I do want to. I'm incredibly nervous and paranoid about doing so, but I feel it's something I have to do." Rarity mustered a hopeful look. "And as you say darling, I'm sure they will understand. You can't save the world with somepony countless times and then disown them over something so silly as a crush."

Pinkie opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a soft knock on the door.

"Um, Rarity?" Came a muffled, barely audible voice.  "It's the girls. Um...we wanted to make sure you are ok...if that's alright with you..."

"C'mon Rares! Open up and tell us what's wrong!" Came a muffled, rather more audible voice.

"Rainbow!" Came the hissing voice of Twilight.

"Er, I mean...Oh fair lady, what ails thee? Let us be thy shield in thy hour of need?"

"...Actually, you know what? That's worse. You can go back to being rude."

"What gives, Twi? You're always pestering me to expand my vocaloid."

"Vocabulary!"

"Yeah, that."

"Uh, not that this ain't heartwarmin' and all," Rarity heard Applejack mutter. "But maybe we should give Rarity a chance to say somethin'?"

Rarity glanced at Pinkie Pie. Her muzzle was scrunched up, desperate not to laugh. Rarity allowed a small smile to grace her features. Pinkie was right- her friends wouldn't abandon her, any more than she would abandon them. Channeling power to her horn, she opened the door, causing Rainbow Dash to stumble through and faceplant onto the floor, as she had been pressed right up against the door. Applejack, Twilight and Fluttershy were framed in the entrance, looking bemused.

"Good Morning, Darlings." Rarity took a particular big scoop of ice cream. "You should probably sit down. Shall I put the kettle on?" The triple chocolate swirl vanished down her gullet in the blink of eye. "I have lot to tell you."

~~~

"...and that about sums up everything I told Pinkie Pie." Rarity finished. Her living room was a complete mess- empty tubs of ice cream were strewn all over the place, and her friends weren't much better. Twilight was sitting attentively across from her on another couch, whereas Rainbow appeared to have calculated the optimum way to lounge across the headrest while covering as much area as possible and looking as undignified as possible. Fluttershy was perched on a large cushion some ways away, and Applejack had elected to sit on the floor. Pinkie Pie was still sat next to Rarity. All of them were quiet, but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. They all seemed to be thinking over her story. "Again, I am sorry for being so rude at the train station, and for throwing the schedule out. I know now that I've been over-reacting quite a bit."

"Ah'll say," Applejack chuckled. "You gettin' all freaked out over a crush ain't anythin' new, but beatin' yourself up over the fact it's a mare? That's new." She frowned. "Kinda hurt you thought we'd think of you any different, to be honest." Rarity winced.

Twilight cut in. "Well, it's understandable. You have to realise Applejack, Ponyville is a relatively modern town. You own grandmother founded it barely under a hundred years ago!" She sipped at a mug of coffee she was holding in her magic. "The older settlements- especially Canterlot and Manehattan- tend to be much less forward-thinking about it."

"Yeah! Ponyville may as well be, like, the Gay Capital of Equestria!" Rainbow snorted from her uncomfortable-looking position. "Did anyone ever seriously look at me and think 'Yup, that Rainbow Dash sure is straight'".

Rarity tried to hide her guilty and surprised look to no avail.

"What we are all trying to say is Rarity," Fluttershy chipped in. "Is that you don't have anything to worry about." She ducked her head shyly, her bangs falling across her eye. "...well, in Ponyville, anyway."

"Thank you all." She suddenly remembered Pinkie's 'hunch', and had a devious idea. "So...now that I've spilled the beans...what about the rest of you?" Seeing only confused looks, she explained. "Are you interested in mares? Stallions? Both?" She took another sip. "I've shared, and so have Pinkie and Rainbow. It only seems fair- as a point of curiosity, of course." The gears in her head were turning. This could be her chance to work out which of her friends were dating each other!

Applejack was the one who spoke up first. "Hay, to be honest Ah don't rightly know. Ah'm always so focused on the farm, that nopony, mare or stallion, has ever really caught mah eye." She looked thoughtful. "Though, Ah wouldn't rightly be opposed to either, in theory." She took a swig of the bottle of cider laying next to her. "Who's next?"

Rainbow stretched herself out like a cat on the headrest with a groan. "Just to clarfiy mine, I'm only interested in mares. Stallions just don't appeal to me at all." She then went back to dozing lightly, though by the position of her perked ears, Rarity could tell she was still listening in.

Rarity's mental Gossip Schematic was readjusting itself accordingly. Rainbow: high suspicion. Applejack: Unlikely, but possible.

"Um..." Fluttershy's cheeks were a rosy red. "I like both...but I prefer stallions." She managed to squeak out. Fluttershy: Possible, but still unlikely. That only left...

"And you, Twilight?" Rarity took another sip to hide her smirk. It had to be-

"Oh, I'm straight."

-her? Rarity almost choked on her tea. Pinkie Pie giggled uproariously.

"Wow, you're like, the only straight one here, Twilight!" She suddenly became very straight-faced. "Don't worry- we won't judge you for being different."

Twilight smiled weakly in response.

Rarity meanwhile, was totally lost. 'But...just who is dating Rainbow?' In her confusion, she missed the rather forced smile on the Twilight's face, how quick and emotionless her response had been, or the way Rainbow's eyes had creaked open for just a moment, fixing the back of Twilight's head with a narrow, angry stare.

Twilight finished the rest of her coffee. "So, what do you plan to do now, about Coco?"

"I...whu?" Rarity's heart fluttered, taken completely off guard. "How did you-"

"The reason you went to Manehattan in the first place was to meet with Coco Pommel. You spent almost the whole of your brief time there with her." It was now Twilight's turn to smirk. "At some point during this timeframe, you meet your 'mystery mare'. It doesn't take a genius to figure out."

'No! I'm being bested at my own game! Trying her best her to ignore her inner voice, Rarity grinned sheepishly. "Well...yes, I suppose it is rather obvious." She frowned and looked down into the dregs of her mug. "And to be honest, I don't really know. It took us this long just to meet up as friends, we are both so busy all the time. We've only ever met twice, both very brief occasions. We've talked a little in letters, but..." She sighed. "Truthfully, beyond the fact that she is pleasant, pretty and also likes fashion, I don't really know a lot about her." She looked up again. "I suppose, for now, I simply carry as I am, while trying my best to get more chances to meet up and get to know her. Everything else is up to chance."

"Well, Ah think that's a mighty wise approach." Applejack nodded in approval, a cheeky expression on her freckled face. "Certainly better than pretending to be a country farmer."

"We agreed never to speak of that again." Rarity replied icily. Everyone descended into laughter, and despite her outward annoyance, Rarity felt relaxed. She had been a fool to worry about what her friends thought- in fact, this discussion seemed to have bought them all closed than ever. As for Coco...Rarity's heart did an uncomfortable lurch. Que sera, sera. Worrying about the potential heartbreak of the future would get her nowhere- the only way she could look was forward.

And she would do so with her best friends by her side.