Rainbow paced about her lounge area, teeth still gritted, babbling to herself. "Don't think about it, huh? Yeah, I'm great at that. I'm awesome at not thinking of stuff. Go me. Not Thinking Of Stuff Champion of the Year. Niggling thoughts? What are those? Never heard of 'em. I'm awesome at not thinking of stuff."
She looked out the window for the fifth time in as many minutes. The sun hung low in the sky, about to make contact with the horizon.
She went back to pacing, a trail of scuffs starting to appear on the marble flooring. Her eyes were scattered and unfocused.
Looking out the window once again, she saw a yellow and pink form in the sky making its way towards Rainbow's front door. Everything else melted away, the focus returning to Rainbow's eyes. A smile spread over her face in the span of a second.
She flew out a nearby window and soared over. "Hey, Flutters!" Fluttershy smiled back and they met with a kiss. They held the moment for a while before gliding for the front door together.
Rainbow pushed open the door, letting Fluttershy in, then followed. She grinned. With the sweeping staircases and large statues, her foyer had to be the swankiest entrance area in Ponyville. They provided very good housing for weather ponies in Equestria.
"Angel's becoming so responsible!" Fluttershy said. "It won't be long before I could be gone for days at a time, and he'd make sure every animal was fed." She paused. "Um… but, of course, I wouldn't do that. That wouldn't be very nice to Angel."
Rainbow chuckled. "C'mon, let's go to the kitchen. I have a surprise for you."
Fluttershy brightened. "Ooh! You have me intrigued, Rainbow Dash." She giggled and trotted along as they navigated through Rainbow's house.
"So does Angel get to feed himself, too? What perks does he get for this job of his?" Rainbow asked.
"Oh, yes. I let him take a bigger portion for helping me out." She paused, thinking. "Other than that... I think the job is its own reward, for him. I let him use his own judgment to handle misbehaving animals, and I think he likes getting to boss the other animals around… sometimes I think he, um, might be a bit harsh, but if I'm going to put him in charge, I have to trust him... "
"Well, if anyone can turn him into an actual contributing member of bunny society, it's you." Rainbow grinned, and Fluttershy smiled back. "Remember not to put up with any guff, though. If he starts being a jerk and making dumb excuses, just stamp your hoof and yell 'No!' And then give him that look. Not quite ‘The Stare’, but that judgmental look that's so much worse, somehow."
Fluttershy giggled. "He doesn't need that these days, but it's sweet that you're worried."
"So, yeah, the surprise!" Rainbow said. The kitchen was around the next corner. "I don't usually have very fancy food here, and I know that kinda blows sometimes..." Fluttershy grew giddier.
They turned the corner as Rainbow continued. "Now, it's not done, but I got…"
Fluttershy's gaze swept the kitchen. A pot of water was on a lit burner, not yet boiling, with a sealed package of pasta next to it. Three whole tomatoes sat on a cutting board on the counter opposite.
"...it… started," Rainbow finished. "Okay, I really thought I'd gotten farther. I got stuck on a few things, and... Yeah, this is embarrassing."
Fluttershy giggled. "It's still very sweet, Rainbow. Thank you." She nuzzled into Rainbow's neck. Rainbow extended one of her wings and pulled Fluttershy closer, unable to control her smile despite her embarrassment.
The sun finally touched the horizon and gradually sank below. Fluttershy helped Rainbow through the cooking process, boiling the pasta and crushing the tomatoes for a sauce. Fluttershy dug through Rainbow's shelves looking for ingredients to add flavor and dress it up, emerging with limited success. By the time they sat down in the lounge area to eat, the sky was a deep orange color.
"Sho whegn hhe msseshh—" Rainbow swallowed her mouthful. "So when he messes up really bad, what do you do?"
Fluttershy thought for a moment. "I don't let him mess up that badly, I suppose. I'm usually able to see when something he's doing is probably going to go wrong, like when he pulls out the wrong birdseed for the grackles. That never ends well."
"Aw, see, then Angel's never gonna learn!" Rainbow said. "Sometimes you gotta let the fire burn a little so you can see how to fix it for good."
Fluttershy chewed slowly, pondering. "...But then my cottage would be gone."
"No, I mean, metaphori—Wait, are you saying he's actually started fires?"
Fluttershy nodded, smiling sheepishly.
"Yeah, probably you'll want to stop those. But otherwise, you know, if you let things go wrong, then you can look at the mess left behind and have a really good idea how to make sure it never happens again. That's why I pretty much just jump into everything." She took another bite. "Mmakksh mme look mpretty dumm smmtimes, but heym!"
Fluttershy giggled. She took another bite, chewed softly, and washed it down with a sip of water. Rainbow looked at the food and nodded, swallowing. "Yeah, it's… it's definitely food," she said. Fluttershy giggled once more. "Shoot. I'm sorry, Fluttershy. Tell me again what all I should have for next time? I'll do better."
"It's okay, Rainbow," Fluttershy said. "For next time… parmesan cheese is nice… herbs, like basil… garlic, if you want…" Rainbow resisted the urge to scrunch her face up. "Oh, and, if you want to make it look fancy, parsley sitting on top is always nice." She smiled.
Rainbow laughed. "Making it look better with no work? Count me in!" Fluttershy laughed as well.
Rainbow was down to her last few bites. "Well, even if salt is about the only thing in this that's not a tomato or starch… this was fun." She grinned. "I'll try to get a little more done on my own next time, though."
Fluttershy smiled brightly. "You know I'm always happy to help, Rainbow. I had a lot of fun too."
Rainbow finished up her meal, then walked towards the couch nearby. "Parmesan, basil, garlic, parsley… I'll write that down later. I'm pretty stuffed." She hopped on the couch and lay against the side, stretching herself out. "Ahhhhh… Anything you want to do now? Play a game?"
Fluttershy took one more bite before wiping her mouth on a napkin and trotting over, a few mouthfuls remaining on the plate. She hopped up as well, laying with her back against Rainbow's chest. "I'm happy just being here," she said.
Rainbow wrapped her front hooves around Fluttershy, and Fluttershy closed her eyes, beaming. Her front legs tucked in over Rainbow's. "I'm happy you're here too, Flutters," Rainbow said quietly. "Thanks for… for suffering through these bad dates for me." She chuckled, but it was a humorless chuckle.
"Anytime, Rainbow," Fluttershy said.
Rainbow kissed Fluttershy's forehead and used one of her hooves to stroke Fluttershy's hair gently. "You know, I…" She paused. "I dunno. Maybe it's silly, but... I can't imagine my life without you anymore," she said.
Fluttershy shifted, tucking her head in on Rainbow's chest. "You don't have to," she whispered back.
The sky was dark at this point, and before long, Fluttershy was quietly sleeping. She was the picture of peaceful slumber.
Rainbow's eyes stayed open, staring at the ceiling.