//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: But They Were Both Bottoms // by garatheauthor //------------------------------// The Exchange was Canterlot’s premier shopping district, filled with a mixture of trendy boutiques, niche restaurants, shops that had been there for generations, and anything that could not survive an existence in the desolate suburbs. It was a place that Twilight vaguely knew of, though she had only ever visited one store within its confines. This was Rarity’s boutique, which her and coco passed as they ventured the brightly coloured and lively streets.  There was a sign in the door, stating that the shop would be closed until Tuesday, with an apology to prospective shoppers and appointments that needed to be rescheduled. The Exchange was also a neighbourhood that Twilight could tell was only a couple years away from losing its indie stature, as she noticed that pretty much every single one of the old buildings was in a state of renovation, with plenty of adverts talking about exciting new condos and trendy office spaces. Still, coco seemed to really be enjoying herself, holding Twilight’s hand and leading the way with a sense of familiarity. This was coco’s dominion and she would prove to be a faithful guide. “So, what type of food are you feeling?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder at Twilight. Twilight shrugged, looking around at the various shops that promised her all sorts of culinary, fashion, and artistic experiences that she could’ve only dream of. “What’s around here?” coco hummed. “Well you have the Grazing Pastures, which is a vegan place that a few of my cast members said is really good.” Twilight took note of the name, figuring that the place might be nice for her and Sunset’s next date night, at the very least. “There’s also Fo-Kue-Up which is a Vietnamese place that specializes in making really spicy dishes,” coco said. “How spicy are we talking?” Twilight asked, grinning to herself. She might’ve had a thing for spicy food. “Well me and Blossomforth went once and pretty much everything on the menu had at least three chili peppers next to it.” “And did you like it?” Twilight asked. coco nervously rubbed her arm. “i uh… i was glad that Blossomforth liked it?” Twilight frowned and came to a stop. “coco what type of food do you want to eat?” “i uh…” coco grinned sheepishly. “i don’t really know? i don’t usually make these kinds of decisions.” “Well… what type of food do you like?” Twilight asked, gently squeezing coco’s hand. coco shook her head slowly. “Usually whatever Miss Rarity picks?” “And if Miss Rarity isn’t around?” “i… don’t know.” coco’s frown deepened, looking very much like a lost puppy. “i’ve never been in a situation like this before. She’s never been away for this long.” Twilight nodded. Think Sparkle, think. If you were a sub… Well… you are a sub. If I was a sub at this moment, what would be the best course of action for my Dom to take? An idea clicked and Twilight smiled. “coco,” she said, using her other hand to lightly touch the girl’s cheek. “Look at me.” coco turned towards her, looking her right in the eye. The poor dear did look a little overwhelmed. I should probably just pick a place to eat, it’d be easier. Except, easy wasn’t always the right course of action to take when dealing with something like this. “Miss Rarity isn’t here,” Twilight calmly stated. coco flushed, trying to look away. “i-i know…” Twilight used her hand to force coco’s gaze back to her own. She briefly looked around, ensuring that no one else in the immediate area was watching them. Bystanders could make what she was about to do difficult. “That means,” Twilight continued. “That it’s my job to take care of you today. Do you understand?” coco’s cheeks warmed. “Pardon?” “For today, I’m going to be your Miss Rarity.” Twilight smirked. “A Miss Twilight if you would.” coco bit her lip and once again tried to look away, something which Twilight gently corrected for.  “Well i mean only if you’re comfortable with the idea,” coco whispered. Twilight smirked. “I am. But as Miss Twilight, you know what I’m going to do?” She slid her hand away from coco’s cheek and instead traced it down to her day collar, gently touching that little symbol of ownership. “What?” coco asked. “I’m going to order you to pick a place to eat. And I will be most disappointed if you pick a place that you won’t enjoy fully.” coco was silent for a moment, obviously mulling over the request. “Well… how do you feel about Greek food?”  “How do you feel about Greek food?” Twilight replied, her coy smile never faltering. “i think…” coco began, once again needing to be corrected so her gaze didn’t fall away. “i think i could go for some right about now.” Twilight nodded and motioned passed her. “Then lead the way.” The restaurant they approached was a fusion of the neighbourhoods’ personalities. It was both trendy and also an anchor of the neighbourhood, having been there since the early 2000s. It was called Gay Gyros and had two flags in the windows, one belonging to the gay community and the other to a Hellenic Republic across the ocean. coco led the way inside and was instantly greeted by the wonderful spell of Mediterranean cuisine with all its spices, herbs, and frying meats. The shop was laid out with a counter at the back with two very flamboyant individuals working behind it, dressed in bright clothes and looking like the textbook definition of a bear and twink. Behind them were various spits with rotating meat upon them. “Have you ever had Greek Food before?” coco asked. Twilight nodded, offering a warm smile. “Yeah, I love it.” coco let out an internal sigh of relief.  she didn’t want to admit it, but even after Twilight’s explicit orders, she had still tried to pick a place that Twilight would enjoy. And well, Greek food felt safe. It had vegetarian and omnivore options, tasted good, and was affordable. What more could a soon to be graduate and young professional want? They approached the counter, hand-in-hand, gaining the attention of the two men behind it. The bear grinned from ear to ear. “Oh, it does my heart good seeing a pair of young gays in love.” Twilight’s cheeks warmed and coco suppressed a giggle. The twink rolled his eyes and offered a polite smile. “Ignore him, he speaks before he thinks. What can I get for you two?” coco paled, realizing what Twilight’s decision meant.  she would have to order for herself, something she had not done since… high school? Maybe even earlier. she swallowed a lump in her throat as Twilight spoke. “I’ll have a beef gyro, with hot sauce, tzatziki, french fries, and feta, with a side of pasta salad and a diet coke please.”  Twilight then glanced at coco and waited. coco swallowed the lump in her throat, trying to figure out what she wanted. There were just so many options and she had no idea which of them was best for her. For a long moment, there was dead silence, which just made things worse, until finally a solution presented itself. “i’ll have the same,” she said, barely louder than a whisper. The bear grinned. “First date jitters?” “Something like that,” Twilight said, offering a sheepish grin. “Well if you’re already holding hands then I’m sure everything is going to go great,” the twink joked before nodding to the seating area. “Just take a seat and we’ll bring it out to you.” Twilight nodded and squeezed coco’s hand, leading her over to a spot near the window. As they sat down, Twilight looked across the table at her. “Is everything alright?” she asked. “you kind of just froze up back there.” “Sorry about that, i just… it’s been a while since i actually had to order food for myself.” coco chuckled nervously and rubbed at her arm. “i’m a bit of a disaster if you couldn’t tell.” Twilight frowned. “Does Rarity always order for you?” coco nodded. “Honestly, she knows what i like better than myself.” This only seemed to make Twilight’s frown grow increasingly dire. “Does she let you make any decisions for yourself? No offense but this kind of sounds a little uh… controlling to me.” She winced. “Sorry, sorry, I shouldn’t have… I… let’s just forget I said anything, okay?” “It’s not really Rarity’s fault,” coco explained, glancing at the counter where the two cooks worked on assembling their meals. The bear offered a warm smile and a small wave, which she returned before looking back at Twilight. “It’s kind of a holdover from my previous relationship. i…” she sighed. “Suri didn’t really let me make a whole lot of decisions. And well, Rarity is kind of still picking up the pieces from that whole disaster.” Her expression tightened. “If you think this is bad, you should’ve seen what i was like two years ago.” Twilight bit her lip. “I see.” She sighed softly and reached across the table, lightly squeezing coco’s hand. “I’m probably the worst at first date discussions, aren’t I?” coco snickered and squeezed back. “It’s fine. i’m not particularly great at them either.” “So…” Twilight pursed her lips, trying to find something safer to discuss. “Where are we off to after this?” “You’re going to make me choose?” coco teased. “i thought we just established that i’m terrible at making choices.” “Oh, we did. But when it comes down to it, I have absolutely no idea where to go purse shopping in this neighbourhood.” Twilight shrugged. “I respect that you’re a sub but you’re still the subject matter expert I’m afraid.” “Oh, are my ears burning?” the bear asked, as he approached with a plate in each hand. “I’m surprised I haven’t seen either of you around in the scene before.” Twilight’s face burned bright red and coco could feel that same hue colour her own complexion. “Well… I… uh…” Twilight stammered, her eyes wide like a deer in the headlights. The twink snorted from behind the counter. “Is that really a polite question to be asking customers, Cataphract?” “You never let me have any fun,” Cataphract grumbled, rolling his eyes with extra exaggeration as he motioned towards his husband. “Can you believe this guy.” The twink smirked. “I’m just trying to keep your ass out of a lawsuit, honey.” “Fine, fine.” He waved his hand and took a step back. “You two enjoy your meal now.” Both coco and Twilight were stunned silent, staring at one another in utter disbelief at the exchange that had just taken place.  Like, had that really just happened? They stayed like for but a moment until Twilight broke the silence by cracking open her diet coke and taking a nice hefty sip. “So…” she began, drawing in a breath, “purse stores?” coco blinked, snapping back to the moment and its immediate pressing concerns. “Well, there aren’t any stores that just sell purses in this neighbourhood. Though there are a few accessory shops that Miss Rarity would recommend. Of those, i think that Sandalwood Cove is my favourite. Beyond that…” she hummed, taping her chin. “I know that Ruby gets some pretty affordable stock in. Plus, if we’re feeling a little rebellious, we can…” she bit her lip. “We can try out some local thrift stores. Miss Rarity frowns upon going to them, but in a neighbourhood this trendy, you can actually find some pretty good stuff.”  Twilight nodded. “Well, I’ll follow your advice, babe.” Babe. No one had ever called coco ‘babe’ before. She actually kind of liked it. “Is everything okay?” Twilight asked. coco nodded quickly, realizing she’d zoned out again. “Yeah, yeah, sorry, just lost my train of thought for a second.” Twilight smirked and started to unwrap her gyro. “Was ‘babe’ a bit too much?” “No, no, no,” coco waved her hands. “i liked it a lot.” “Well babe,” Twilight said, really emphasizing the babe as she pointed at coco with her wrap. “We can’t go shopping if you’re not going to touch your food.” coco blinked until she remembered that she also had a plate in front of her. “How is it?” she asked. Twilight took a bite and moaned, chewing through it quickly. “Why don’t you find out?” coco nodded and did just that. It turned out… Greek food was a really good idea. Twilight immediately found herself liking the look of Sandalwood Cove. The façade was painted a vibrant ocean blue with a sign hanging over the glass door bearing the boutique’s name. It was made of sandalwood, which shouldn’t have been surprising, and bore various tropical creatures and foliage carved into the design. The mannequins in the window were dressed in bathing suits with all manner of jewelry sprinkled over them. There was enough sparkling metal on their persons to make even a pirate jealous. She stepped inside, with coco in her wake, and breathed in through her nose. Even though they were in the heart of Canterlot, the store still smelled like the beach as if the owner had imported the very scent from abroad. “This is amazing,” Twilight said, looking around at everything the store had to offer. coco nodded. “It does have a very nice atmosphere, doesn’t it?” The place had a lot to look at, while still managing not to be overly cluttered. Most of the space was made up of display cases with jewelry inside, though a few racks, bearing scarves, purses, and other accessories, were also present. Twilight felt herself drawn to one of the display cases, looking in upon a vast collection of rings and bracelets. What caught her eye was an ebony ring with some Cambrian fossil as its centrepiece. “Can I help you find anything?” an oddly familiar voice chirped. Twilight looked up and immediately jerked back. “Sugarcoat?” Any softness in that voice was suddenly absent as the other woman forced a smile. “Sparkle?”  “What are you doing here?” Twilight blurted out Sugarcoat blinked, looking absolutely dumbfounded. “I… work here?” She then noticed the person standing in Twilight’s shadow. “Oh hey, coco, I didn’t know you and Twilight knew each other.” coco grinned. “And i didn’t know you and Twilight knew each other either.” “Yeah,” Twilight said, feeling some clarity return. “Yeah, me and her used to go to Crystal Prep together.” She then beamed. “Speaking of which, how were things after I left?” Sugarcoat shrugged. “I have no idea. I was forced to drop out about a month after you left.” Twilight’s eyes widened. “What?” Sugarcoat leaned over one of the display cases, resting her elbow against the edge and then placing her chin into the palm of her hand. “Turns out that my dad’s investment firm was running a Ponzi Scheme and he got busted by the feds. He’s now locked up in Tartarus.” She snorted. “Dude was an asshole but he was an asshole with money.” “I’m really sorry to hear that,” Twilight said. Sugarcoat waved her off. “Don’t even worry about it. Getting out of that hellhole of a school was probably the best thing to ever happen to my mental health.” She offered a tight smile. “I’m now at Canterlot University and working here to make end’s meet.  Also, no pressure,” she added, flashing a predatory grin, “but I’m paid in commissions.” coco grinned nervously, glancing at the display case and then at Twilight. “Do you see any rings that you like?” Twilight nodded, pressing her finger against the glass and leaving behind a fingerprint. This earned her a sharp glare from Sugarcoat. Though thankfully, Twilight was oblivious to it. “This one looks really nice,” she said. “I kind of like the fossil. It gives it this kind of…” she taped her finger against the glass, searching for the right wording, “organic vibe?” Sugarcoat smirked, pulling out the ring. “You know what fossil this is?” Twilight snorted. “A trilobite. You can find those things pretty much anywhere.” “So, what are you up to these days?” Sugarcoat asked. “We haven’t talked in… well ever… but we survived that hellhole of a prep school together, so clearly we must have something to bond over.” She handed Twilight the ring, who then slipped it onto her finger.  Twilight really liked how it looked on her, finding that the ebony material worked well with her purplish flesh. That is, until she glanced at the little price tag dangling from it. It was pricey enough to make her cringe and second guess herself but not so pricy that she wasn’t willing to splurge. After all, she rarely spent money on herself.  Twilight nodded. “Well… I finished up high school at Canterlot High, made a bunch of awesome friends, most of them turned into girlfriends…” “Oh shit, are you poly?” Sugarcoat asked. “Never would’ve pegged you as that kind of girl.” Twilight nodded. “When you have so many close friends, it only makes senses that you start dating them all at once. It can get a bit hectic at times but I feel like I’m better for it.” “So are you and coco…” coco grinned, grabbing Twilight’s arm and leaning over to look at the ring. “This is our first date actually.” She then looked up at Twilight and smiled warmly. “This looks really good on you.” “Doesn’t it?” Twilight asked, mesmerized by the design. “So, what are you in university for?” Sugarcoat asked. “Computer programming,” Twilight said, carefully taking the ring off and handing it to Sugarcoat. “I think I’ll take this one.” Sugarcoat nodded and made her way over to the small cashier station set up at the rear of the shop. She began to very carefully wrap the ring in a thin paper and then place it in the fanciest cardboard box Twilight had ever seen. “Computer programming?” she asked, looking up at Twilight and bearing a coy smirk. “Dang didn’t go into the sciences or medicine? Are you selling out on us?” Twilight chuckled. “I mean kind of? I don’t know… the six-figure salary with a bachelors felt like a pretty good deal in my opinion.” She shrugged. “No reason I can’t go back after I’ve saved up for a couple years, right?” She did not mention how she was feeling pretty listless, now that she was four years into her program. After all, it was a non-issue, just a few jitters before graduating in the spring. All of this would remedy itself, if given time. She was sure of it. … Right? “Are you looking for anything else?” Sugarcoat asked. coco leaned forwards, still clinging to Twilight’s arm. “We actually came here looking for a purse. Twilight needs one?” “Like a new one?” Sugarcoat asked. “No, like one… period.” coco sheepishly grinned. “She’s never owned one before.” “She’s never owned a purse!” Sugarcoat gasped. “Twilight, how are you this smart but this dysfunctional.” Twilight’s cheeks warmed. “I don’t know! I just… I just shoved everything I needed into my computer bag. It’s like a purse but more functional and I get to put stickers and pins all over it and stuff.” “Well do you haul around a computer bag during your dates?” Sugarcoat asked, as if that was the most absurd thing imaginable. Twilight bit her lip. “No comment.” “How many girlfriends do you have?” Sugarcoat asked, deadpanning. coco snickered. “Seven.” Sugarcoat shook her head in utter disbelief. “You have seven girlfriends and you’ve been bringing a computer bag on dates? You’re lucky that you’re hot and smart because that shit would not fly otherwise.” This did not help tame the heat in Twilight’s complexion in the slightest. “Err… pardon?” Sugarcoat blinked. “What?” “Did you just call me hot?” Twilight asked. “Oh yeah,” Sugarcoat replied. “Pretty much everyone at Crystal Prep had a massive crush on you back when we were all there. I mean, at least in our immediate friend group anyways. Did you not know?” Twilight was silent, hoping that not answering would stop the heat in her face from spreading. “Well I don’t blame you,” Sugarcoat went on. “We were all pretty shitty high schoolers who were really bad at handling the whole healthily displaying our emotions thing. Especially at that school.” She huffed and then clapped her hands together. “Anyways let’s find you a purse.” “And earn you a commission?” Twilight added, grinning. “Damn straight!” Sugarcoat laughed. “I’m affording the flavoured ramen tonight.” They left Sandlewood Cove a couple hundred dollar poorer but at the very least coco had ensured that Twilight finally owned a purse. It was bulky, designed to shove everything a girl would need inside of it, including a small personal computer if Twilight finally decided to do away with her computer bag. It was made of vegan leather, which Twilight claimed was important due to the possible objections of her two vegetarian girlfriends. Though beyond anything it was the presence of the purse that was the most important part of it. Already, Twilight seemed far more confident with it at her side, stepping forth as if she owned the world. So where should we go now?” Twilight asked, squeezing coco’s hand. coco shrugged. “Well is there anything else you wanted to do? i know we talked about going to a thrift store.” Twilight bit her lip. “Well, maybe we could try and find something inexpensive to do? My wallet weeps after that last store.” coco snickered. “i wouldn’t doubt it, you dropped quite a bit of money, babe.” She paused for a moment, appraising how that word felt in her mouth.  It was different. coco was so used to using terms of respect in regards to her partners that to say something so casual almost felt naughty. Though if it was, Twilight obviously didn’t care as she leaned in and gave coco a little kiss on the cheek. “Are there any parks around here?” she asked. “I wouldn’t mind just chilling outside for a little while.” coco nodded. “Well, we are about half a mile away from the waterfront. There’s also Royal Park near the Capitol Building.” “I wouldn’t mind going to the waterfront,” Twilight said. “I get to see enough stuffy old architecture when I go to school.” She paused for a moment. “I actually can’t remember. Did you go to the University of Canterlot?” coco shook her head, tugging on Twilight’s hand to get her moving again as she led the way. “Nah, I went to a trade’s school. The same one that Rarity went to.” “Is that how you two met?” coco nodded. “We shared a few classes and started talking, until…” she bit her lip, looking away and hoping Twilight couldn’t sense her tension. “It’s not important, we talked and got to know each other better.” Thankfully, Twilight either didn’t notice coco’s hesitation, or if she did, had enough mind not to comment on it. Instead, she looked around. “Is all of downtown Canterlot this gentrified?” she asked. “No shortage of people wanting to move back into the city,” coco said. “Though if you think this is bad, you should visit Seaddle or Manehattan.” “I actually used to go to Seaddle for an anime convention,” Twilight commented. “Nice city. Has like a billion used bookstore.” coco smirked. “Must’ve been paradise for you.” “A little too rainy for my liking.” coco was about to comment but she felt Twilight come to a stop. she looked at her and then followed her gaze to a small store nestled between two others. It was a comic book store with a pair of flags in its windows. One was a vibrant rainbow and the other a banner with pastel pink, pastel blue, and white. “Huh, i’ve never noticed this place before,” coco said, looking up at Twilight. “Are you a fan of comic books?” Twilight smirked. “I did just admit that I used to go to anime conventions.” “Fair enough.” coco squeezed Twilight’s hand and stepped towards it. “Want to check it out?” Twilight nodded. “Yeah, I wouldn’t mind picking up the newest issue of Daring Doo and Power Ponies. Plus, this place looks way cooler than my last comic book store.” “What was wrong with your last place?” coco asked. “Too many dude bros, not enough queer women.” coco snickered. “That does sound like a problem, yes.” They stepped inside, into a pretty peaceful environment. coco had never been to a comic book store before and assumed that they were all dark and dreary but this place was well lit by the abundant street facing windows. The front of the store was dominated by shelves, each filled with hundreds of comic books, magazines, anime books, and hardcovers that looked like thicker versions of comic books. At the rear, were more shelves, each full of gizmos, statues, and other nerdy things that coco knew little about. There were also tables back there, where two girls were playing some kind of card game that coco knew nothing about. Twilight walked over to a shelf and coco decided to follow, lest she get lost in her sheer ignorance of things.   It was honestly all a little overwhelming. Was this how Twilight felt when they were back at Sandalwood’s? coco followed Twilight’s lead and started to leaf through various volumes for some hero called Captain Moose. He seemed like a pretty interesting character with his proud red uniform that bore a vibrant maple leaf. Whoever designed him must’ve had a lot of fun. “What would you recommend?” coco asked. “To someone who doesn’t really read comic books.” “Well what type of stuff do you like?” Twilight returned. “Comedy? Drama? Action? Sex?” coco’s face burned. “These have sex in them?” “Some of them,” Twilight said, smirking. “Turns out that those kids who read them back in the eighties grew up and started to get pretty horny.” She snorted. “Though most of their stuff is super boring male gaze material. Unless you go for the indie scene, of course. Speaking of…” She moved to the side and coco followed as they approached a shelf at the very end.  coco could only imagine that this was the indie stuff that Twilight mentioned as the volumes seemed more muted and down to earth and focused less on titans and warriors. “Hell yeah,” Twilight said. “They still have a few copies left.” She pulled out a hardcove and handed it to coco. There was a moose on the cover, only the moose seemed pretty human-like, standing on two legs and wearing clothes. This human-moose looked very feminine, though still had antlers which coco assumed only male moose had. Then it hit coco. “Is this about a trans character?” she asked. Twilight nodded. “The artist did a webcomic chronicling her experiences transitioning. It won a bunch of online indie awards and she managed to land herself a publishing deal to get a physical edition.” coco nodded and leafed through the pages, enjoying what she saw. It seemed, at a glance, that the comics were mostly light-hearted and bright with only the occasional serious arc, marked by colder hues and greyer colours. “i think I’ll get this one,” coco said, flipping it over to look at the price. she bit her lip, noting that it was a little on the expensive side. But still, she could stomach the cost if it meant supporting a queer artist. “I wonder if they have Moonstone,” Twilight said. coco looked up from the book. “What’s that?” “A comic about two women in a Master/sub relationship. Also, really good, though a lot of stores are hesitant to carry it due to the subject matter. I had to order my copy online.” coco’s cheeks warmed. “That does sound like something i’d enjoy reading.” “Then I’ll let you borrow my copy, it doesn’t look like this place has it.” She shook her head and offered coco a warm smile. “you look a little lost, hun.” “Just a smidge overwhelmed is all,” coco murmured, holding the book tight to her chest. “i don’t know what most of this stuff is.” Twilight chuckled. “Now you know how I felt back at Sandalwood’s.” They once again stepped towards the shelves full of comic books, Twilight flicking through them with surprising efficiency. It was almost like watching Miss Rarity work her way through the clearance section at a clothing store, as Twilight hummed and hawed, adding a few volumes into her free hand. “What are they playing over there?” coco asked, her focus once again on the two woman and their card game. Twilight looked up and followed her gaze. “Oh! That would be Magic.” This meant almost nothing to coco. Though thankfully Twilight sensed this. “It’s a card game where the cards represent monsters, spells, and mana. The goal is to have your deck of cards be better than your opponent’s.” coco nodded. “i’m assuming the decks are not all the same?” Twilight shook her head. “You buy booster packs which contain random cards. Some cards are rarer and stronger than others. It’s a lot of fun though it can become a massive money sink.” She sheepishly grinned. “I uh… I once dropped four hundred bucks on a deck.” coco’s eyes widened. “That’s a lot of money!” “You think that’s bad?” Twilight asked. “There are some cards that are worth that much on their own.” She sighed. “It was a lot of fun back when I used to play.” “Why did you stop?” coco asked. Twilight frowned. “Well I started hanging out with the girls a lot more and none of them were really interested in that type of stuff.” She shrugged, forcing a smile. “It’s no big deal really. If anything, it just saved me a whole lot of money.” “Do you still have your decks?” Twilight nodded. “Oh yeah, I’d never throw those bad boys away.” She turned towards the counter. “Why do you ask?” “Oh no reason,” coco said, her gaze drifting to a shelf which had a Magic: The Gathering starter kit on it. “You just made it sound like a lot of fun is all.” Twilight hadn’t been to the waterfront since high school and had forgotten how nice it looked. It was a long park which straddled the brownish river that cut through the city with abundant greenage and paths littered all along it. On such a nice day, the place was full of all sorts of people. Twilight glanced at coco and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. “I had a lot of fun today.” coco smiled. “me too.” “We should totally do this again sometime,” Twilight said, leading them towards a massive tree with abundant shade that was kind of secluded from the public at large. She sat under it, making sure to put her new purse in her lap and not upon the brownish soil. coco looked at the spot and shed the thin coat she wore over her attire, using this to protect her skirt from stains as she sat down. “Being poly is weird,” Twilight said, not even really thinking about it. coco nodded. “It is.” “I just don’t understand how everyone else can be wired toward monogamy.” Twilight motioned with her hand. “Like how was I supposed to choose between so many awesome women in my life?” “You could’ve drawn straws,” coco offered, resting her head against Twilight. Twilight instinctively lifted her arm, draping it over coco’s shoulder and holding her close. “That could’ve worked,” Twilight agreed. “Though I don’t think my old mindset would’ve done well letting randomness decide. No, I probably would’ve overanalyzed everything until I drafted some huge report listing all of their pros and cons.” She giggled nervously. “Wouldn’t that be messed up if that actually happened?” coco snickered. “Twilight, did you do that?” “M-maybe.” “You’re such a dork.” “Is that a pro or a con?” Twilight asked, gently brushing her thumb against coco’s bare shoulder. coco pursed her lips, mulling it over. “A pro,” she finally admitted, nodding to herself. “Definitely a pro.” They sat there in silence, watching the water flow by. Twilight continued to hold coco close, absentmindedly stroking her with such tenderness. “Hey Twilight?” coco asked. Twilight looked over. “Hmmm?” “You’re my Miss Rarity for the day, right?” coco’s smile took on a coy and dangerous edge. What was the girl up to? Twilight cocked a brow. “Uh… yes? Why do you ask?” “Does that mean…” And just like that, coco adopted a positively shit-eating grin, “you’re going to ruin me when we get back to your apartment? Just like Miss Rarity would do?"