Chocolate Flowers [For Kitty and Badge]

The moon sat high in the sky above little Ponyville. Lights flickered off in the quaint houses that dotted the landscape. All of the shops and stores were close. Except for Sugarcube Corner. Way back in a mix of flour and sugar stood none other than the master chocolate chef himself, Chocolate Explosion. Knee deep in sugary sweets, the pegasus thoroughly stirred the brown concoction, a wide smile spreading across his face as he finished. The stallion glanced around, making sure no pony was watching before he stuck the wooden spoon in his mouth. Perfect! The brown and white pony poured the chocolate into flower shaped molds and set it in the fridge to cool. Shoving the rest of the confections, cakes and cookies he was baking in the ovens, Mr. Boom (as he was known) began to clean the shop for the night. The brown stallion swept and wiped the kitchen clean, humming a little tune all the while. Forgetting the spoon sticking out of his mouth, Coco headed out to the front dining area, kicking off flour as he went. The stallion fluttered his wings and headed to the front door to close up, and take a bath.

"I guess I never realized how messy baking can be." he giggled to himself before grabbing the door handle. As Coco began turning the knob, the door swung open, knocking the pegasus to the ground. "Owowow.." he breathed, grabbing his head with his hoof. Looking up, Chocolate Explosion was surprised to see a pony he didn't know.

Let's be honest, there wasn't ever anything better then late-night snacks. Well, maybe a delicious daffodil sandwhich but otherwise, something during the night was just about the best. What the mare had in mind though, was a bit of chocolate. If her memory served her right, which it normally did, Sugarcube Corner would be open for at least another half hour. She never knew how long Pinkie Pie ran the sweet-shop open anymore, and if the hours had changed she didn't know. Hopefully it didn't, the darkness surrounding her was a little unsettling. Pulling the tie on her cloak just a little bit tighter as the night-time breeze had stirred up, the tall unicorn made her way over to the only place lit open. It stood out rather awkwardly compared to the other businesses in the area, even in the night time. But seeing that the lights were still on, she'd be able to come in. Making sure her little pouch of bits was still with her, Tuli opened up the door to the corner without thinking.

Hearing the door hit something, the white mare gasped as she looked at what it had hit. Not what, but who. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry sir!" She said, even with the emotion in it the vocals were still rather soft. She looked around the corner and noticed how it was a bit messy... Had she catched them right at closing time? Her hoof extended out from beneath her cloak towards the stallion to help him up.

"A-Are you alright, sir? I-I didn't mean to hurt you!"

After a short dizzy spell, the pony came into view. Before him, holding out her hoof, was a beautiful white unicorn. A slight blush crept across his face as he grabbed the mare's extended hoof and let her pull him up from his unceremonious fall. The soft tone of her voice made the stallion's blush grow more red. He fumbled a little with his words but managed to speak. "E-eh, I'm o-okay... Umm.. We're closed. WAIT, actually, not really, but umm, sorta.. ehhhhh.." The pony nervously laughed and crossed his legs, his wings folding and unfolding. Becoming flustered didn't usually happen to the older pegasus. Having Coco stuttering and stumbling was a rare occurrence. Luckily nopony was around to see. Except Tuli.

To him, Tuli was a very pretty pony. Even at his full height the unicorn stood taller than him. Strange. He had never seen her around town before. Either he was always working when she came around, or she was new. But what was a pretty pony like herself doing at such a late hour? Coco shook his head, that was none of his business. The brown pony collected some decency and smiled at the mare, trying to keep calm in the embarrassing situation.

"Hehe.. I'm Chocolate Explosion, but you can call me Coco Boom. Or Coco. Or Boom. Or whatever's fine.. Heh.. What can I do for you?"

Honestly the mare felt bad, she should've been paying more attention. When she had pulled him up, it wasn't all that much of a struggle. She had noticed the blush appear on the stallions' face, and looked away somewhat shamefully for a moment. What was she doing again..? Oh right... Chocolate, sweets... Not bumping into ponies... Wait, what?

She had payed attention to what he was saying, turning slightly as he had said that the Corner was closed. "Oh, o-" Cutting herself off at the 'wait,' she had turned back and looked at him somewhat curiously... Not curiously, but nervously, even. If Sugarcube Corner was supposed to be closed, she didn't want to delay his trip home. After all, it was late. It was pretty much pitch black outside, but to her, it was the best time of night. The stars shone in a honed perfection to offer just enough light to read outdoors without a candle, and to see the garden she tended to in its full beauty. That was the thing about the moon, it offered such nice light.

But back to reality. Having crossed her own hooves slightly and looking down awkwardly for a moment, her gaze tilted back up when he spoke again. Chocolate Explosion... Coco Boom? Oh right! He must be the chocolate baker! She had made the connection in her head after remembering her five-hundreth talk with the pink party mare in charge of the Corner. "I-I'm Tuli... Nice to meet you Coco." She had trailed off for a moment, forgetting the last part of his sentence temporarily. "O-Oh, right... I-If you were closing I-I don't want to delay you getting home, I mean... I'd just come over for a late night chocolate bar... Pinkie Pie keeps changing the store hours and forgets to let me know... But like I said, I don't want to keep you from getting home..." As much as she did want some chocolate, her cheerful and kind tone said otherwise. The Corner was nutorious for being busy, and there was no doubt that it was a busy day at any given time for the ponies who worked there.

She took the time to study the pegasi's appearance, liking the unique tan markings he had. It wasn't often that there were ponies who had those, heck she couldn't even think of one besides him! She couldn't help but enjoy his green eyes as well... I mean, what? Really, he reminded her of Avan. Besides his mane and tan markings, he looked some bit like him! Sure he was a bit shorter... But still! The resemblance! Maybe that was why she hadn't been so shy? Who knew. She just had a thing for making those connections.

"Tuli huh..." he murmured, looking down with a small smile. He looked back up as she continued speaking, his eyes alert and intense. From her familiarity with the pink earth pony he reluctantly called 'boss' he could tell she wasn't new to Ponyville. "Pinkie is all over the place, you can never expect her to set a solid closing time. She usually leaves me for a party. Like tonight!" he chuckled. After listening to the unicorn's concerns, he couldn't help but feel more comfortable with the stranger. Something about the way she spoke to him seem trusting, as if she knew the stallion. He noticed Tuli's eyes wander, specifically to study the brown pegasus more closely. He couldn't put his hoof on it, but her gaze seemed to match the informality of her voice. It must just be me. With that, he returned to his more cheerful demeanor and headed to the cash register, sneezing a little flour on the way.

"Don't worry about keeping me. I technically haven't closed yet. So.. some chocolate, right?" he spoke, smiling at the mare.

The unicorn couldn't help but chuckle at the comment about Pinkie Pie. A smile was worn upon her lips, somewhat uncommon for her. Since coming to Ponyville and hanging around much more open ponies it had seemed to change the mare, instead of trying to shrink and fit in she stood normally... Relaxed even. Somewhat following the stallion over to the cash register, she stopped in front of it. The mare couldn't help but chuckle at the little cloud of flour that had appeared from his sneeze. But she didn't ever excuse her manners... Ever. "Bless you." Oh look at that, karma didn't like her either. A sneeze of her own materialized after a bit of flour had snuck its own way into her nose. Well, now it's even. She thought with a smile.

Grabbing the pouch of bits from a pocket inside of her cloak with her magic, she nodded. "Preferrably white chocolate please, but any type is fine, really." The small smile was still there as she took out the bits- four to be exact -and placed them on the counter. She had been to Sugarcube Corner so many times, the price was practically memorized by now. She never minded paying a little extra though, the chocolate here was delicious! But then again, everything was.

Nodding at the white unicorn, Chocolate Explosion headed back to the kitchen. The pony opened and entered the walk-in fridge, heading to the chocolate section. To no surprise, white chocolate was faaar in the back. Coco sighed before beginning to carefully remove the chocolates in his path. A small fact crossed his mind, something to help pass the time as he dug deeper into his collection.

"Hey! Did you know white chocolate isn't actual chocolate?" he called, hoping Tuli would be able to hear him. Finally, he came across a box of the delicious treats. Pulling the box out and returning the rest of the sweets to their original spot, the brown pegasus trotted back to the front desk.

"Yeah, this stuff is made the same as most other chocolates, but you don't recombine the cocoa solids after the separation process." he continued. The stallion realized how ridiculous he must sound spewing nonsense. She wouldn't know about chocolate making, nor would she care.. He mentally smacked himself but smiled anyways. His smile shortly faded as he spotted the four bits on the counter. Shaking his head, he pushed them to her, along with the white chocolate. "It's free. I insist."

A rather kind smile seemed to be the only expression worn by the mare, and when he had disappeared behind the counter she looked down briefly. Avan'd be getting worried if she didn't go back soon, but hey... She never really got out often, and when she did it was only to get groceries and come back. Besides, why else would she get out and about? There truly wasn't much out in Ponyville for Tuli, as odd as that sounded. She enjoyed the comfort of her bedroom, secluded from most of the world. But the social interaction ever so often was good for her.

Listening to the little fact thrown by the pegasus stallion, Tuli's head rose once more as her ears subconsciously perked with interest. "Really, now?" She called back, honestly having just barely heard him. She had been able to make out his words though, it wasn't all that hard.

When he came back out with the chocolates, Tuli couldn't help but lick her lips. She had been looking forward to getting some more chocolate for some time, but had never really gotten around to doing it. "Well, then technically it would be called half-chocolate then... Right? They're missing just about half of the process and flavor just by leaving that step out alone!" She said back, interest clear within her words. It was always cool to pick up new facts here and there.

"Are you sure, Coco? I mean... If you insist..." She chewed slightly on the inside of her lip, before putting the bits back away. "Thank you, though. Now I get to come back and get some of that famous chocolate I hear you make so well a little later. I think we both know how it goes when it comes to Pinkie somewhat boasting about how good you are at making chocolate." Tuli had a smile on her face again, that honest kindness in her eyes again directed towards the stallion.

Coco was taken off guard as Tuli commented on his tidbit of knowledge. A slight redness returned to his brown and white cheeks as he glanced down in embarrassment. Not many ponies showed genuine interest in his quick, yet surprising facts. Glancing up again, he noticed a sort of shyness as she chewed her lip and took the bits back. His heart began beating quickly from the embarrassing, but kind compliments she gave his chocolate. As he was about to speak again he noticed her turning to walk away. Now becoming anxious that he might not have another chance, Chocolate Explosion rushed forward to stop her in her tracks. The stallion, forgetting he own just cleaned the floor, slipped and fell on Tuli, taking the unicorn down with him. Once again, the pegasus stood, this time with the mare beneath him. The blush now clear on his face, he stared intensely at her, his green eyes piercing. Taking a deep breath, the brown pony leaned forward, intent on sharing his first kiss with Tuli.

To say the least, Tuli found it rather nice that she had met Coco. He was knowledgeable of his talent, and when she'd seen his cutie mark it had came to her that he was indeed a chocolateer. Let's be honest here, Tuli loved chocolate. Who didn't? Well, she could name a few, but still. Chocolate was one of those things everypony seemed to love. Back on track though, she looked at the red tint appearing upon the stallions' cheeks. Tuli couldn't help but think that it was wrong of her to make him blush, but then again she didn't truly know any other way. With the chocolates hovering in the air with her magic, a kind smile turned on her face, she had been turning to leave. Trotting towards the door, when she heard the sound of Coco's rather fast movements she had slowed down and had turned to face him, before being tackled to the floor by the falling stallion. To say the least, as soon as she realized that he was hovering over her a blush of her own spread like wildfire across her cheeks. Her violet gaze didn't know where to look otherwise but him, and seeing his own gaze staring at her didn't help much. It seemed to just be an embarrassing moment, and even though she did enjoy the company of Coco, what happened next sort of surprised Tuli. Well, Avan isn't ar- Wait, you're still single... Tuli's mind raced in somewhat of a panic, and as Coco leaned forward she didn't know what else to do... She craned her neck upwards just a bit, meeting with him to complete the other half of what made it an actual kiss. Her blush was really, really deep now, and she hoped to god Avan wasn't close by.

The sound of hoofsteps echoed in the lonely Ponyville streets. Avan sighed softly as he trotted down the road, his gaze flicking around as he looked for Tuli. She had left only a short while ago, but to Avan it seemed like forever. While he wouldn't admit it, he didn't want to be alone in a time like this...Not with Tamesis around. He frowned softly as his ear flickered, sparing an annoyed glance off to the side as he trotted down the street, become something caught his attention. He came to a stop near the Sugarcube Bakery that seemed to be the only shop with its lights on.

How strange, he thought to himself. Wasn't it suppose to be close at a time like this? Doubt started to rise in his stomach, now sure that it was suppose to be closed and that the fact it was meant that something was off. And part of him told him that it had to due with Tuli. He hissed at that part to shut up under his breath as he trotted slowly toward the entrance of it and caught a peek through its window; to see none other than Tuli. That doubt started to bloom as he came to a stop, swallowing softly. She was talking with somepony...A brown pegasus stallion. Something about the stallion bothered him, but he couldn't put his hoof on it as he moved on from the window, as he couldn't get a very good look at what was going on, and headed toward the door and with a little ringing of the bell, he opened it up.

And oh how the scene had changed in that short while. Poor Tuli's wish did not come true. While Avan had once seen the two ponies standing up talking, he had missed them falling down...But had entered just in time to see them kiss. Shock overcame the stallion as his ear flickered uncertainly as he tried to come up with words to feel the sudden emotions that overran him. Part of him wanted to smite the brown pegasus on the spot, causing him to grit his teeth for a second before he took in a deep breath, trying to steady his thoughts and finally, a few words escaped his lips. "What....What is going on?" he whispered, just loud enough for the two 'lovers' to hear the utter despair that seemed to fill his voice, but underneath it all was anger...Jealous, uncertain...Something seemed to burn in Avan as his ears flickered down, and he narrowed his eyes slightly as he turned his gaze away as he seemly waited for an answer.

Tuli had just sort of gotten quickly lost in the moment, but pulled away rather quickly when Avan walked in. Oh Celestia... Save me... What would she say? The truth? In all honesty that would be the best, and nothing more... But either way she'd have to tell him the truth, and face the face that Avan may not like her any more... She had somewhat betrayed him, even if they weren't an official couple... Oh, it was a mess. Lightly pushing against Coco's chest with her hoof and slinding herself up from beneath him, she quickly stood up and looked down. "I-I'm so sorry Avan.. I had come to get some chocolates... Coco Boom-" She motioned to the pegasus stallion beside her, "-followed me to the door so he could lock up, he kept the shop open a bit longer for me... He tripped and I ended up beneath him... H-He leaned in to kiss me and so I did..." Her hoof ran across the ground, her ears flattening guiltily. "I-I kind of have a bit of a crush on him, but I love you too, Avan..." That sentence was rather quiet, admitting to the slight feelings she had towards the stallion. Surely both of them could hear her, and both of them could even be a little bit upset... It was all a mess, it was late... Things needed to get solve, and she didn't want to be put in the spot..