Cocoa Crushes

It was a well known fact that Twilight liked to organise things. While it didn't quite have the same sense of homeliness that she'd been entitled to to in her old library just yet, her private study wing was slowly shaping up, and her particular flair had already begun to make its impression on the room. The castle held many fascinating rooms, and this one in particular was one of Twilight's personal favorites. One wall was adorned with interesting objects she had found, acquired, or even created over the years- Odd mechanical constructs that whirred softly in the background, gemstones and crystals with unusual properties (That particular shelf had a large warning sign: SPIKE DO NOT EAT), jars of various grisly organic curios (She had assured a tearful Fluttershy that they had been obtained only from creatures that had died a natural death), seemingly ordinary everyday objects such as sport balls or quills or even an over sized globe that had been enchanted in some way (Some of which were stored in locked, protective cases), and yet more shelves filled and filled with assorted scientific equipment, arcane tools, and unidentifiable things. She had been lucky that the magic of the Tree of Harmony had somehow saved her personal belongings, despite her old home being destroyed.

The opposite wall was dominated by filing cabinets of fine crystal oak, containing complete records on notes of every experiment she had ever conducted, even the rather crude ones from her days first starting out as Celestia's student (Composing a spell matrix without a Cipher Rune? 7 year-old her had been so sloppy). All of the friendship reports she and her friends had ever sent were here as well, along with records and data relating to Ponyville that she required to run the town (This took up the most room by far).

In the center of it all was Twilight's desk, where she currently sat, idly doing some minor paperwork. Everything about her screamed perfection. Perfect posture, perfectly attentive, notes and files organised neatly on the desk, her quill not wasting a drop of ink every time she dipped it.

Rainbow watched her from the doorway, her expression shrouded. Leaning against the wood frame with an air of seeming indifference, she watched as Twilight worked, oblivious to her surroundings.

She cleared her throat, and the illusion was shattered. Twilight flinched, and her eyes darted about wildly for the source of the noise, settling on Rainbow. Her expression immediately became one of guilt.

"Oh...Rainbow Dash, I didn't hear you come in." She said quietly, ears flat against her head.

"I noticed." Rainbow replied coolly. There was an uncomfortable silence. Rainbow unfolded her forelegs and dropped to all fours with a sigh. "Twilight, I know you don't want the others to know about us. I understand why, even if I don't agree." Angry tears formed in her eyes. "But can't you understand how this makes me feel? All my life, I've been proud of who I am. But now, I have to hide it even from my best friends? Because you want to save face with a bunch of nobles?" She gazed at the ground, refusing to meet Twilight's eyes. "Are...are you ashamed of me? Of us"

She felt a wing encircle her, soft down pressing against her. As much as she hated to admit it, Twilight's wings were bigger than hers. Said alicorn had moved from her seat and was now hugging her, tears in her own eyes.

"This past month with you has been one of the best things that's ever happened to me." Twilight confessed truthfully, resting her head atop Rainbow's affectionately. "I could never be ashamed of that! I want to tell everypony- our friends, the Princess, my parents..." Her voice wavered. "If I was still just Celestia's student, and you were still just the local weather manager, it would be different."

Rainbow still stared stubbornly at the ground.

"But we aren't. I'm a Princess, and you're a Wonderbolt. If word gets out about this...about us, it could ruin both of our careers and reputations. I grew up in Canterlot, with the Princess as my guide- other than her and a few exceptional individuals, the place is an adders nest, constantly waiting for the next scandal, the next pony to bring crashing down from her pedestal. Who knows what sort of nasty headlines they'll come up with?"

Rainbow could feel her hair becoming damp as Twilight continued, and she felt her anger fading- slightly.

"And you grew up in Cloudsdale. I'm sure you have some horror stories of your own." Twilight pulled away, and Rainbow forced herself to look up. Twilight looked a mess- her carefully constructed facade was crumbling; her eyes red and puffy, her mane starting to frizz. A side that only Rainbow was trusted enough to see. "I know you think I'm just being silly, that I'm having one of my paranoid episodes. Maybe I am. I'm sure that our friends and respective families would be happy for us." Her voice became pleading. "But I just...I'm afraid, Rainbow. I can face Tirek any day of the week compared to this!"

"So...we just don't tell anypony, ever?" Rainbow muttered half-heartedly.

"...no. I promise Rainbow, we will tell them eventually. Just...I'm not ready yet. Please."

Rainbow sighed. "You know I can't stay mad at you for long, Twi." If it was a well known fact that Twilight liked to organise things, it was even more well known that she tended to suffer from panic and anxiety attacks. Rainbow was hardly most ponies idea of a patient individual, but she knew she had to try. For Twilight.

She kissed her, and already she could feel her marefriend's tension lessen. Pulling away, she looked at Twilight. She was blushing, embarrassed- both from the contact, and for her outburst. 'Be patient, Dash. She's never been in a relationship before'. "This is kinda getting heavy, huh?" She took Twilight's hooves in her own. "We'll figure it out. Come on, let's go get you cleaned up and do something fun."

Twilight nodded absently, then shook her head in protest. "The meeting...the paperwork-"

"Cancelled. You're taking the day off, and we are going to chill. I'll get Spike to make some nachos and we can watch a movie or whatever."

Twilight protested weakly as she was dragged along, but Rainbow saw her smile. Things would be ok. Relationships were a journey, not a destination. Or something. She'd never been one for proverbs.

Right now, her desination was Nacho City, Movie-Night-With-My-Girlfriend-Land.

~~~

"I didn't ask for this, you know." Daring Do grunted roughly as she surveyed the chaos of the landscape around her. Alien spacecraft descended from the sky in waves, firing lasers upon the valley. "I wanted to inspire adventure...not darkness..." Her pith helmet cast her face in shadow.

"You can do this, Daring! I believe in you!" Cried her handsome and bland assistant, Band Wagon.

"Thanks babe," Daring said nonchalantly as another alien ship exploded randomly. "You always know what to say." Then they made out, explosions framing their silhouettes against the burning sky...

"Twilight?"

"Yes, Rainbow?"

"I understand what you meant about this movie now. This is the worst thing I've ever seen. It's insulting." The two were cuddled up on a sofa in one of the many lounge rooms, a towering bowl of cheese, nachos and salsa on a small side table in front of them. "They seriously made three of these? They got nothing right!"

"Effects are decent, though." Spike added as he munched his way through a mouthful, sitting on a purple cushion on the floor. He was the only other pony (or rather, dragon) who knew that Rainbow and Twilight were dating. "Though...you'd think they could have a least done better than glue some wings onto Daring."

"Yeah, like actually hiring a pegasus actor." Rainbow grumbled.

Twilight laughed. "Maybe you should audition, then."

"Not if it means I have to play tonsil hockey with that dude."

The credits rolled and Twilight flicked the lights back on with her magic. "Well that was a waste of 2 and half hours." She nuzzled Rainbow affectionately. "But I'm glad I wasted them with you."

"Heh. Who wouldn't be?" Rainbow's face was almost as crimson as the streak in her hair. She wasn't that used to all the "mushy-stuff", as she called it. "So, are you feeling any better?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry I've been so difficult lately, Rainbow."

"And I'm sorry I haven't been patient about you being difficult." Rainbow reached for the nachos, but whined as she couldn't quite extend herself that far. "Let's just enjoy the rest of today while we can, yeah? We'll worry about all the serious junk tomorrow."

Twilight smiled at Rainbow's efforts, and levitated a nacho over to her. "You're right. Besides, the next few weeks are probably going to be frantic, what with Winter Wrap-Up, and now Rarity-"

"Huh?" Spike perked up from where he had been attempting to ignore most of the sappy conversation. "Did something happen with Rarity?"

"Oh yeah! She has a crush on-" Twilight clamped her hooves over Rainbow's mouth in horror.

"Rainbow!" She hissed.

"Wow guys." Spike deadpanned. "Way to break it to me gently." With that, he went back to eating.

Rainbow and Twilight shared a confused glance.

"Uh, Spike?" Twilight inquired tentatively. "Aren't you...upset? I know that you-"

Spike raised a scaly brow. "It's not exactly the first time. Remember the Trenderhoof incident? I was there for all of that, you know." He sighed, dunking a particularly cheesy wad into the salsa dip. "Besides...I've known for a while that me and her is never gonna happen. I don't like it, but it's just something I have to deal with. A pony and a dragon? As if." He waved off Twilight's concerned look. "I'll be fine, Twilight. I'm made of tough stuff."

Twilight gazed at him critically. "You know Spike, it isn't really species that separates you- its age. Exactly at what rate dragons mature isn't certain, but mentally I'd say you're perhaps a year or so older than the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Could you see one of them dating an adult pony?"

"What? NO!" Spike looked disgusted. "That's...that's messed up!" He looked thoughtful. "So...what you're saying is...?"

"Duh! That you should quit your moping and find somepony your own age!" Rainbow interjected. "Uh...not that I'm saying you were moping," She added hastily at Twilight's reproachful glare. "Not saying that at all." She shook her head. "But yeah- go find a yourself a nice filly- or colt. The whole of Ponyville is your Otter!"

"Oyster."

"Yeah, that thing."

Spike looked contemplative. "Maybe. It'll give me something to do other than helping Twilight file all those papers." He yawned. "Not that I don't like helping you, Twi-MPELCH" He was interrupted by his own belch of green flame, which coalesced into a letter in front of him. Curiously, it did not not bear the royal seal like most of the letters they received.

"Who's it from, Spike?"

Spike grabbed it out of the air, and unfurled it carefully with his claws. Confusion spread across his features.

"It's from...Coco Pommel?"