//------------------------------// // Love and Chocolate // Story: Love And Chocolate // by Blackbird2 //------------------------------// Love and Chocolate Rarity stood unsurely outside of Sugarcube Corner. Her usual demure confidence replaced with nervous apprehension. She had been standing outside the shop for nearly a minute and every time she tried to take a step forward she would stop herself and pull her hoof back. After yet one more futile attempt, she finally let out a defeated sigh and hung her head in shame. “I suppose it wasn’t meant to be,” she muttered to herself then turned to leave. “Rarity!” Pinkie Pie’s voice suddenly screamed directly in front of her. “GAH!!” she screamed in fright and jumped back several feet. “Pinkie! How...how did you get here?!” “I’ve been here silly!” the pink pony replied with a giggle. “What?!” Rarity asked, looking back and fourth between her friend and the store. “But I thought you were in there?!” “Nope! I was out getting stuff for the store!” Pinkie explained, nodding to her saddlebags. “How...long have you been here?’ the unicorn asked, feeling a tinge of embarrassment starting to creep in. “Long enough to see you staring at Sugarcube Corner for awhile.” “Then why didn’t you say anything?” Rarity asked, now feeling a bit annoyed. “I thought you were having a staring contest with the door!” Pinkie exclaimed cheerfully. Rarity just stared dumbfounded for a moment. “Why would I-?” she stopped and shook her head. “Nevermind. I came here wondering if you could help me bake something.” “Okie dokie loki!” she cheered before she started to bounce her way towards the store’s front door. “Wait. Don’t you even want to know what I want to bake?” Rarity asked, following behind her. “Oh we can worry about that once we’re inside! Beside, I’m always willing to help a friend no matter what they need!” The unicorn just smiled and shook her head as she followed her friend inside the store. After Rarity helped put away the items Pinkie bought into the cupboards, the pink party pony turned towards her with her usual wide, beaming grin. “So, whatcha need?!” she asked excitedly. Again Rarity’s confidence wavered a bit but she forced herself on. “Well...you see, I was hoping to bake up something...special and while I am experienced at making marvelous dresses and exquisite fashion I am...not as skilled at cooking or making treats. Oh sure I’m not nearly as bad as Sweetie Bell but I need somepony with your expert touch in these matters.” “Uh huh,” Pinkie nodded, her smile never wavering. “So what are we making?” “Well...” Rarity stalled again, rubbing her front hooves together nervously. “I was hoping...maybe...perhaps...you could help me make some specially shaped chocolates for...Hearts and Hooves Day?” Pinkie let out a loud, shocked gasp at the admission and it appeared her smile grew even wider. Somehow. She then started to bounce up and down impossibly high with unbridled excitement. “Are you saying you have a very special somepony?! Is it somepony I know?!” she asked beamed. Rarity just stared at her with a deadpan expression. “Pinkie, you know everypony in town so of course it’s somepony you know,” she pointed out. Upon hearing this revelation, Pinkie seemed to stop in midair then float harmlessly down onto the floor. “Oh. Right,” she remarked with a slight laugh. “Still...do I get any hint who it is?! Huh?! Huh?! Huh?!” “Well I was hoping to make chocolate treats in the shape of hearts, obviously, horseshoes for hooves and...um...apples,” she mumbled the last part under her breath. “Apples?!” Pinkie replied, somehow picking up the last word perfectly. “Did you say apples?!” “Y-yes,” Rarity uneasily confirmed. “So they’re for Applejack?!” she asked, her excitement growing even more. The purple maned unicorn just stared at her in slack-jawed disbelief. “How...how did you know?” she asked then quickly recovered. “I mean why go straight for Applejack and not assume Big Mac?” At that point, Pinkie finally stopped bouncing and stared at Rarity with a surprisingly serious expression. “Rarity, how oblivious do you think I am?” she questioned. “I...” Rarity stumbled, unsure if she wanted to answer that question or not. “That’s what I thought!” she scoffed, crossing her forehooves over her chest. “See everypony just thinks I’m the ‘wacky party pony’ but I see things too!” She then leaned in close to the baffled pony’s face. “I see lots of things.” “Uh...” the unicorn stammered again, taking a step back. The stern expression came to an end with a tiny snicker before Pinkie broke out into full cheerful laughter. “I’m just kidding silly!” she revealed and booped Rarity’s nose with a hoof. “Oh thank goodness,” Rarity sighed in relief. “But seriously I have noticed that you’ve been making eyes at Applejack and it’s great you two are finally together!” “Well...” she started, turning her head away. “This is actually going to be my way of telling her.” Pinkie’s eyes widened. “So these are special special chocolates!” she declared, then took on a more serious look again as she pulled Rarity closer. “You were right to come to me first.” “I...knew I would be,” Rarity said with a weak smile. “And since you told me who these are for before we started making them, we can add some really special stuff in them!” Pinkie pointed out. “Like what?” “Well I’m thinking of making the apple pieces filled with caramel.” “Oh. I do like that idea!” Rarity remarked in a chipper tone. “Of course you do!” Pinkie smiled. “Oh and we can add chocolate chips along the horseshoes!” “Very nice!" the unicorn cheered, clapping her front hooves together. “And perhaps add some lovely white chocolate swirls to the hearts for that extra flare!” “That’s the spirit! This is gonna be fun!” she cheered before another serious expression crossed her face. “There’s just one thing I want in return.” “And what’s that?” Rarity asked, again feeling uneasy under her friend’s grim look. “If things work out really well for you two then maaaaybe a certain pink party pony friend of yours could plan the reception?” Pinkie asked with a sly smile. Rarity let out an amused chuckle. “Of course darling. I would be honored for you to do so.” “And maybe be your Maid of Honor?” “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here,” she advised. “I think we should make the chocolates first.” “Righto!” Pinkie remarked before she zipped off to gather the ingredients. ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) Applejack grumbled as she walked towards the front door to the Apple’s home. Not only had the frantic knocking taken her away from her chores, it was also really rude and annoying. “Ah’m comin’, Ah’m comin’!” she called out as she approached the door. When she pulled it open she found Sweetie Bell standing there looking back up at her. “Oh, Sweetie Bell. You lookin’ for Applebloom?” Applejack asked. “No. Well, yes, but that’s not the whole reason I’m here,” the young unicorn answered. “Rarity sent me to tell you to come to Carousel Boutique because she has something really important to tell you. Oh and she said she wants to talk to you alone so can I hang out here for awhile?” “Sure Ah suppose. Applebloom’s out back helping Big Mac fix up the barn. Again,” she added with a bit of annoyance. “Okay!” Sweetie Bell replied before running off. Applejack shook her head with a small smile before she stepped out of the house. “I wonder what Rarity wants now,” she asked herself as she closed the door. “Probably wants somepony to model her new dresses for her and nopony else wanted to.” She sighed. “The things Ah do for mah friends.” As she made her way towards the fashion shop, she thought of as many polite excuses as she could as to why she couldn’t try on an insane amount of dresses and other frilly things. Of course she always appreciated her friend’s passion for her creations but they were really not her cup of tea. ‘Cup of tea’? she caught herself. Ah must be hanging around that pony too much. When she arrived at the door to Carousel Boutique she finally had the perfect excuse in mind. She took a deep breath to calm herself then reached up with a front hoof and gently knocked on the door. “Come iiinn!” Rarity’s singsong voice called out from the other side. Applejack pushed the door open and walked inside to find Rarity standing there waiting for her with a wide smile on her face. “Thank you for coming so quickly Applejack,” she greeted in a rather...odd way. “Uh...sure,” Applejack replied unsurely. “Sweetie Bell made it sound kinda important.” “Indeed it is. But first, why don’t you come over to my waiting area and have a seat on the couch?” “Look Rarity, if you want me to try on some dresses-” she started, firing up her excuse. “No no no no! It’s not that at all! I assure you!” Rarity quickly cut her off with a frantic shake of her head. “Oh. Then what is it?” “Just follow me and I’ll show you,” she said with a wave of a hoof. Applejack rolled her eyes then followed the unicorn over to the small, furnished waiting area of the boutique where she sat on the couch as instructed. “Good. Now wait right here,” Rarity told her before she walked off. The earth pony quirked an eyebrow at her but remained seated on the couch. She didn’t have to wait long though as Rarity quickly returned with something hidden behind her back. Or at least that’s what Applejack assumed since the unicorn’s horn was glowing but she couldn’t see anything floating around her. Whatever it was, Rarity made sure to keep it hidden as she sat down on the couch next to her. “So Applejack darling, there’s something I want, no need, to tell you,” she started out. Applejack still looked a little unsure of the whole situation. “Okay sugarcube, what do you need ta say?” she asked. “Well. You see. The thing is...” Rarity rambled as she fidgeted nervously. “It’s something I’ve been wanting to say for awhile.” “Well then spit it out,” Applejack remarked in a slightly impatient voice. “It’s not easy!” the unicorn snapped then gasped and brought her hooves to her mouth. “Sorry. Sorry I didn’t mean that. It’s just...it’s a big thing and it will change our friendship in a big way.” Now the earth pony’s curiosity was really piqued. Plus she was starting to worry for her friend. “Rarity, you sure you’re okay?” she asked, leaning towards her a bit. “Honestly I don’t even know anymore!” Rarity cried out and placed her head in her hooves. “Whoa Nelly!” Applejack cried out at the sudden outburst. She then reached over and gently started to rub Rarity’s back to hopefully calm her down. “Look whatever you wanna tell me, it’s not gonna hurt our friendship,” she comforted her. “Ah’d like ta think you know me better than that by now.” “I know. And I do,” Rarity responded, looking up at her. “But there’s no way it won’t change our friendship.” “Why not?” “Because...well...here,” she then reached behind her and pulled out the small bag she had hidden before. Applejack looked at it in confusion for a second before she spotted the tag reading “To Applejack”. Her confusion returned in earnest when she opened it and found small chocolates in the shape of hearts, horseshoes and apples inside. She even found a couple of jewel shaped ones here and there. She blinked a few times then looked at Rarity who was staring at her in apprehension. “Uh...Rarity...what is...?” she stammered a bit. “Look at...the other side of the tag,” Rarity suggested. Applejack then turned the tag over to reveal the message “Happy Hearts and Hooves Day”. She let out an audible gasp and her eyes widened as the intention of the gift set in. “You’re...givin’ me a bag of chocolate...for Hearts and Hooves Day?” she asked dumbfounded. Rarity merely nodded. “Rarity. You...you know what this means right?” Rarity nodded again. “Does this mean you...want me...to be...your...” “Very special somepony?” the unicorn finally spoke up to finish the sentence. “Yes. Yes I do.” Silence encompassed the two for an uneasily long time. Or maybe it was just a few seconds that felt like a long time. Either way it was a crushing silence that weighed heavily on Rarity. She tried to think of something to say but nothing seemed to come to mind. Thankfully it seemed that Applejack didn’t have the same problem as she finally spoke up and ended the silence. “How long?” she asked simply. “Awhile,” Rarity replied. “And...ya made these chocolates, sent Sweetie Bell to tell me to come here and then planned to just give me these chocolates?” “Well...I had planned to do something much more...elaborate but my mind just went blank when you actually showed up,” she confessed. Applejack chuckled a bit and smiled broadly at her. “You just gotta make everything such a big ordeal, huh?” she mused. “When all you really had to do was just ask.” Rarity whipped her head towards the earth pony in shock. “Do you mean...that...you...” she stumbled hopefully. “That Ah’ll be your very special somepony?” she finished for her. She then reached out and pulled Rarity close to her. “Course I will. Heck I’ve been meaning to bring this up awhile myself ah just...” “Couldn’t figure out how to say it?” Rarity remarked with a smirk. “That and every time Ah came over you tried to use me as a model,” she smirked back. “Well it’s so much better to get the fittings right on a real pony instead of a dummy. Even one with your...robust proportions.” “Are you sayin’ Ah’m fat?!” Applejack scoffed. “No! No of course not darling! You’re just...well built because of all the work you do on the farm,” Rarity quickly corrected herself. “Well if ya think Ah’m fat then maybe Ah shouldn’t have these chocolates after all,” she replied with a playful smile. “Oh no you don’t!” Rarity cried out. “I worked too hard to on these for you to not try them!” She then levitated a few of the chocolate pieces out of the bag and placed them in Applejack’s mouth before she could give any kind of retort. Once she got over the shock of having food shoved into her mouth, she chewed on them and found that not only were they good they were delicious. “Wow! These are amazing!” she said after she finished the mouthful. “Why thank you! I worked very hard on them,” Rarity said proudly. Then titled her head a bit. “Well...rather I helped Pinkie work hard on them.” “Oh,” Applejack nodded before her eyes widened in horror. “Wait you told Pinkie?!” “Yes but I made her Pinkie Promise not to tell anypony until after we figured it ourselves. And you know how important those are to her.” “Oh do Ah ever,” she muttered. “So did you try any of these?” “No not yet. I wanted to save them all for you. They are your gift after all,” Rarity reminded her. “Well then,” Applejack smirked then stuck her muzzle in the bag and pulled out one of the jewel shaped pieces. “Here.” Rarity smiled then pulled the chocolate out of Applejack’s mouth with her own, causing their lips to meet for a brief moment in a small kiss. The smile widened as she chewed on the delectable dessert. “Oh these are good!” she beamed. “Ah know, right?! That Pinkie does know her way around the kitchen,” Applejack complimented before she took another mouthful. “The apples were a nice touch.” “Now those were my idea,” Rarity quickly pointed out. “Well they were a good one. I love ‘em.” “Do you think I could have one?” she asked, batting her eyelashes flirtatiously. “Well Ah don’t know,” Applejack said with a sly smile. “These are my chocolates after all.” “But don’t you want to share them with your Widdle Wawity?” she asked in an overly cute tone. “Only if you promise not to do that ever again,” the cowpony told her. “Oh poo. But fine. Now chocolate me!” Applejack shook her head then pulled one of the apple-shaped chocolates. Once again Rarity leaned into take it with her mouth but this time their lips touched for longer than a second as they engaged in an full on kiss. They playfully batted the candy back and fourth with their tongues before Rarity finally scooped it and pulled back to she could enjoy it. After she was done she levitated one of the pieces out of the bag and carefully placed in Applejack’s waiting mouth. They continued feeding each other for a little while before Applejack noticed they had already eaten almost half the bag. “Okay I think we better stop this for now. I do kinda want to save some of these for later,” she said. “Awww,” Rarity pouted. “Fine. I know what else we can do though!” “And what’s that?” Applejack asked playfully. “Perfecting my new summer line of course!” the unicorn shouted excitedly. “Oh come on!” the other mare grumbled in annoyance. “Oh please darling! I won’t ask you again for a very, very ,very, very long time! Pleeeeaaaaaase?!’ she pleaded, sticking her bottom lip out in a perfect pouting pose. Applejack stared at those big blue eyes begging for her help and she could feel her early resolution quickly fading. Soon enough she let out a deflating sigh and slumped forward a bit. “Fine,” she caved in. “But Ah’m gonna hold you to that long time thing.” “Fair enough!” Rarity squeaked happily before she kissed Applejack on the cheek than ran off to get the new clothes. Applejack let out another sigh but was quick to smile afterwards. “Yep. That’s my marefriend alright,” she mused to herself. “It’s definitely the start to an interesting relationship.” The End.