Rainbow Dash and her weather patrol have outdone themselves once more this winter in bringing the white beauty of the cold snow. Ostensibly, the icy blanket had appeared overnight without the faintest hint of its arrival, surprising everypony--except those that brought it, of course--when he or she pulled apart their bedroom curtains for Celestia's sun. The grown mares and stallions were in awe at the sight, only for their trances to be broken by the joyful screeches of their little fillies and colts realizing their freedom from school. It covered the thatch roofs, the ground--everything. From a pegasus' eye view, the town of Ponyville and the surrounding countryside was nothing more than a pile of mashed potatoes with the butter of the sunrise on top in the distance.
Just as punctual as ever, the alarm clock in Twilight's bedroom rang with, depending on who you are, an agitating pompousness that minimized and suffocated all other noises, more specifically Spike's snoring.
Twilight sat up, her mane a mess, and pounded a hoof against the clock, shutting it up. Then came the traditional awaking: yawning in desire to return to Neverland, stretching limbs to ready them for their duties, and then getting out of bed under heavy self-protest. Twilight started for the bureau on the other side of her loft but stopped when the outside world revealed its surprise to her though her window.
"Oh," she groaned. "No, not snow. I have so much to do today...ugh!" Twilight began silently cursing Rainbow Dash and her team of pegasi as she picked up her hair brush and straightened out her mane and tail. She then checked on her Number One Assistant still snoring away without a care. How cute he was! After scanning through her duties requiring her attention today in her head, she found no real reason to disturb such a peaceful sight...yet. She could do most of it herself; and with that thought, she walked downstairs to the washroom for what was intended to be short bath.
Sixty minutes later, Twilight dried her coat, mane, and tail in a hurry, leaving many parts of them still damp. Twilight had many abilities, multi-tasking being a prominent one; but rushing herself while being thorough was not something she could manage. And, with a flick of her magic, the towel was flung to the basket containing the other used towels.
"An hour!" Twilight thought, "That was only supposed to last about fifteen minutes, twenty tops!" Twilight continued to curse herself for falling asleep in the bathtub filled with dreamy warm water...oh, good and pleasurable it felt! Rest and relaxation was not a luxury she could afford since she had become a princess, and she expected that the tiresome burden was only part of the territory, or the whole country. Everything was business, scheduled, and on time. Now her schedule was screwed up, and whatever stressed knots that the warm soapy water had undone returned tighter than ever.
Twilight didn't have enough time to bother Spike and his grogginess. She didn't even eat breakfast. All she did was don her wool scarf and throw her saddlebags over her back before heading out into the wintry world, slamming shut the library's door behind her. Upstairs, a baby dragon stirred in his wicker-and-cotton bed, momentarily lifting open his eyes before heeding the calls of his blankie and of his dreams of delicious diamonds and Rarity.
From the library, Twilight visited the sofa and quill shop for a few more jars of ink, which was tailed by a trip to the Carousel Boutique for her royal uniform. Twilight was poised to temporarily take over Princess Celestia's more arbitrary duties when Her Highness played diplomat next month overseas. Twilight was less than excited for it. Form Rarity's, it was to Applejack for some apples; that cost quite the pretty penny, being winter and all. Twilight rushed to all of her destinations, but still only getting to each place just a little later than she should have. And with each trip, those knots in her back tightened.
Twilight eventually reached Sugar Cube Corner for Spike's cupcakes. She was supposed to be here an hour ago, but Rarity wanted Twilight to try on her uniform (she looked "marvelous" in it). And there's also that bath. Ugh! That bath....
Twilight hurried inside, the warmth comforting her flushing cheeks and nose from the cold. She didn't see any of the Cakes, but she did spot Pinkie Pie gently stirring a pot of something on one of the stove's burners.
"Oh! Hi, Twilight!" Pinkie Pie greeted after dropping the spoon next to the burner.
"Hey, Pinkie. Do you have Spike's cupcakes?" Twilight replied, trotting in place.
Pinkie Pie pulled down the oven door to show a dozen uncooked chocolate cupcakes still baking and flashed a sheepish grin in Twilight's direction.
"Pinkie! Those cupcakes were supposed to be done an hour ago!"
"I'm sorry. I forgot. The Cakes went to Canterlot to visit Mrs. Cake's parents, and they left me to do all the baking." Pinkie Pie paused to stir the pot. Twilight stretched her neck to see what was inside: a creamy white liquid--milk. It was just starting to steam. Pinkie put back the spoon next to burner. She continued, "First, I burnt some muffins Derpy ordered, and it just went downhill from there. But that's okay! I'm making some delicious hot chocolate to relax into. Want some?"
Twilight shook her head, "No thanks, Pinkie. I don't have time for--"
"Oh, come on! It's going to be a bit for the cupcakes, so you might as well stay and keep me company! Please?" Pinkie was giving to Twilight the usual puppy-dog stare, glossy eyes and puffed bottom lip. Saying no to that face would be the equivalent of tossing newborn puppies into an industrial-sized meat-grinder...in front of Fluttershy.
Twilight sighed. "Fine."
Pinkie clopped her hooves together in joy and stirred the milk, now steaming quite vigorously, one final time. She then pulled out two eight-ounce coffee mugs, one was a light blue and the other was a bubblegum color. From some nearby cupboards, Pinkie pulled out a foreleg-full of ingredients: cocoa, sugar, salt, vanilla, and a bag of miniature marshmallows. She sat them beside the mugs and went to the refrigerator for an aerosol can of whipped cream. Pinkie took out a couple of teaspoons and a large tablespoon from a drawer. It was time to put together the ingredients!
Twilight watched as Pinkie took the tablespoon and dished out two spoonfuls of cocoa into each mug. She took a nearby cloth and wiped the spoon clean and added the same amount of sugar to each cup. Then followed a dash of salt and half a teaspoon of vanilla to each. Then came the colloid to combine it all. As Pinkie poured, the milky solvent automatically dissolved the salt, vanilla, and some of the sugar while the rest would require some agitation. Pinkie stirred until most, if not all, of the solutes were properly dissolved. Usually, there would be a bit of bitter cocoa at the bottom. Then came the real treats. Pinkie topped each cup with a layer of a few mini-mallows and a swirl of whipped cream.
When she was finished, Pinkie offered the bubblegum-colored cup to Twilight. "Here! Trust me, you'll love it!"
Twilight levitated the beverage over to her and, after giving a couple curious looks, took a sip. Oh, what heaven it was! That one sip made Twilight melt in her hooves and sent her tongue into a joyful tizzy--orgasmic, in fact! The bitterness of the cocoa's cacao was not overpowered but was complemented by the sugar, whipped cream, and marshmallows, the last of which had already melted, creating a white barrier between the whipped cream and the hot chocolate. She took another sip. The warmth of the cocoa easily slid its way through her mouth, over her tongue, and down her throat, sending a sensation of pleasure, comfort, and lust throughout not just her mouth but her entire body, horn to tail. It was that morning's bath in a delicious cup; and just like that, the day's stress was gone.
"So, you like it?" Pinkie unnecessarily asked, for Twilight had shoved her entire muzzle into the cup, moaning for more.
"Twilight retracted from the cup momentarily to nod with her whipped-cream-frosted nose and reply with a "Mmm-hmm!" She then returned to completely devour the drink before Pinkie was even halfway done with her own serving. For the first time in her life, Pinkie Pie was speechless!
"More please!" Twilight demanded, setting the empty cup on the counter. Pinkie just smiled and complied, re-heating the milk and making a third cup. Twilight drank this cup more slowly than the last one, savoring every drop. When she was done, so too were Spike's cupcakes, frosting and all. Pinkie sat the boxes of cupcakes on the counter and placed one of those paper-made disposable coffee cups beside it.
"What's that?" Twilight asked, gesturing over to the cup.
"Hot chocolate to go, for you," Pinkie grinned.
"Oh, Pinkie, you don't have to do this."
"Nonsense, Twilight! It's cold out there, and you need something to keep you warm. Go on, take it!"
Twilight grabbed the cupcakes and the hot chocolate with her magic. "Thanks, Pinkie." She offered a grateful hoof out to Pinkie, who gleefully slapped it with her own. Twilight said her good-bye and left, sipping the hot chocolate.
* * *
Twilight didn't get home until about seven that night. She took her time, throwing care and timeliness to the wind, and immersed herself into a high of sugar and chocolate.
Twilight slammed shut the door to the library and dropped her saddlebags, filled with cupcakes, her uniform in a plastic coat, and some fresh packages of cocoa and vanilla she had just bought, onto the large table in the middle of the room. Spike emerged from the door leading to Twilight's loft.
"Hey, Twilight. Shouldn't you have gotten home a couple of hours ago?" he asked, watching Twilight walk up the stairs to him.
"Yeah, but that doesn't matter," she replied in a lax voice. She passed by him, heading for the washroom. Spike was shocked by Twilight's reaction and became concerned.
"Uh, Twilight? Are you okay? You don't usually seem this, I don't know, relaxed?"
"Eh. I had some of Pinkie's homemade hot chocolate." A memory of its taste brought a smile on Twilight's muzzle. "Boy, it's delicious." Twilight reached the washroom. She readied a hoof against the door. "I'm going to be a while. Your cupcakes are in my bags." Twilight then shut the door.
Spike pressed an ear against the door and heard water running into the tub.
