Things changed for me after that night: I found myself looking at mares. Was I just lonely? Maybe. Was I going to give in to desire? Not if I could help it, and sweet mercy, did I need a lot of help.
I wasn't ready for a relationship; I knew that much. My heart still felt an ache when I thought about it, and I wasn't sure what would happen if something went wrong so soon after the incident with Parasol. But that didn't stop my mind from wandering, especially when I'd watch Velvet doing her morning stretches.
She's flexible. Really flexible. Can you blame me for wondering how that'd translate to bedroom activities? Well, er, disregarding the obvious answer to that... ahem.
Even if there wasn't the Rule, I knew that Velvet isn't my type of mare. I want commitment, foals and a white picket fence, something that will last. Velvet, on the other hoof, liked everything to be penciled in so she could back out at the last minute. She wanted quick thrills and anything that was short-term. Her whole life was predicated on being flexible.
So much so that she could bend in the most mind-boggling of ways.
I shook my head and buried my attention in breakfast: a meager spread of assorted fruits and a cup of tea. This was ridiculous. When I'd been with Parasol, I'd never been such a cad. We'd been intimate, of course, but it was always based on feelings of love. This? This was just loneliness-fueled desire, and I needed it to stop.
"I'm going out," I announced as I hurried out the door before she could question me.
The air out in the hall was easier to breathe. It had barely been a month since Parasol rejected me, and I was drooling like a starved fool. But, to be honest, there was a part of me rejoicing over these muddled feelings for Velvet's limber body and Nightingale's swishing rump. It meant I was starting to move on.
Or it meant that I was desperate for a rebound because I didn't know how to be alone after five years of a committed relationship. Either way, it was better than wallowing.
Once I was outside, I stopped to look around while the sun warmed my back. Canterlot was busy as always, full of ponies with too much time and not enough sense. I could hear them talking about what hat was in season or which cafe served the best low-carb cucumber sandwich. Briefly, I longed for the simple life I lived back in Ponyville with ponies who spent their time working hard rather than whatever it was Canterlot ponies did.
My wings started to quiver and I gave in, spreading them out and taking a running leap into the air. The feel of wind against my coat brought an immediate sense of calm to all the noise in my head and I soared up and up, away from Canterlot.
I settled on a cloud high above everything else and nestled into its puffy softness. I could see Equestria stretching out in all directions far below, composed of rolling hills, mountain ranges, vast forests, and fertile farmland. A thought struck me, and I smiled as my eyes closed to imagine it.
If my feelings for Velvet didn't settle down, I could leave. I could just live from cloud to cloud, sneaking onto farms to snag an apple or some corn. Sure, my typewriter wasn't cloud-friendly, but who needed a job? Majesty would get along just fine without me.
Ah, but I'm not that kind of pony. I need my job to keep my mind entertained, and eventually I'd either succumb to the guilt or I'd get caught stealing. It'd probably be a very lonely life, too.
For a while, I just sat there, thinking nothing. I let the wind ruffle my feathers, the mingled scents of different places tickle my nose, and the cloud beneath me lull my mind to a fuzzy happy place.
It may sound weird, but the first thing I did was reflect on my relationship with Parasol. Not in a sad, depressing way, but just the parts of it that had been good to, I guess, remind myself of what I wanted. Watching the stars together while cuddling on a cloud just like this one was one of our—my favorite things. For Hearts and Hooves Day, we'd bake cookies together and end up eating most of them before we finished decorating.
Just being together made me so happy. I felt so much love when I was with her, and I wanted to feel that way again. I missed it... a lot. More than I can really say. I wasn't ready to risk having my heart broken again, but it was nice to confirm that I was on the mend.
My thoughts drifted to what I'd look for in my next marefriend. I wanted her to be sweet and kind. Maybe an interest in films or, at least, plays. Manehattan seemed like an ideal place to start, in that case. Once I had my life back in order, I could start looking for a place there.
I must have dozed off at some point because when I opened my eyes, I was greeted by a darkening sky. I stretched out my limbs and took one last look out into the horizon before descending back to Canterlot. Velvet was likely already off on some clubbing adventure by then, so I wasn't surprised when I got to our condo and the lights were off.
I was, however, surprised when I turned them on and saw Velvet sprawled in the least modest way on a pillow. Sheer black stockings adorned her hindlegs and I tried to tear my eyes away from them but I absolutely could not.
Okay, I don't think you understand the draw here. 'But we don't wear anything normally!' Yes, that's right. And that's why it was so sexy that she was wearing stockings—because they weren't supposed to be there, so it drew attention to them, to her legs, to her—
"Hello, Silver." Velvet pushed herself upright, her tail swishing from side to side.
Heat crawled up my neck as she approached me with what were definitely bedroom eyes. "Velvet?"
"Do you know how hard this has been for me?" she asked in a low, sultry voice. "Having somepony here, especially a stallion, means I can't bring any dates home. It'd be too difficult to explain."
I swallowed and backed up, but she kept coming closer. The smell of her gardenia shampoo wafted over me and my knees went weak. "You're the one that asked me to be your roommate!"
Velvet rolled her eyes. She closed the distance between us and placed a hoof on my chest. Her touch was both soft and firm... feminine and straightforward. "Yes, I asked a stallion to be my roommate." Her hoof started to slide down, reaching the top of my stomach. "Why else would a mare ask a stallion to live with her?"
"I—I don't know." My mouth went dry and my mind started toward one direction. The same direction as her hoof. If I didn't get out of this situation soon, things were going to get hard. Literally.
"Silver," she whispered, my name rolling off her tongue like silk.
Just as I started to think more about that tongue, something snapped. I put both hooves on her shoulders and pushed her away. "No!" I frowned, though more at myself than her. "What's wrong with you? You've made it clear that nothing is ever going to happen between us!"
She pouted. "Don't you want me, too, Silver?"
"I—" There was a painful clank as I snapped my mouth shut and ground my teeth together. "Yes, but no! Okay? I'm sorry, I can't help how my body feels, but this can't happen."
After a long, curious pause, Velvet tilted her head to the side. "Why not?"
I groaned and stepped away to put some space between us, even though some part of me was calling me a fool. I wanted it, she was offering it, so why was I turning it away? "Because," I muttered, "you're not my type. I mean, you are. Sweet heavens above, if the situation were different, I'd be tripping over my own hooves to get you. But there's the rule, and not to mention there's you."
"Right. Me." Velvet arched a beautiful brow. "The one who's your type. I still don't see the problem here, Silver."
"You!" I waved my forehooves in a gesture even I didn't understand. "You told me that your heart is in your career, that you just want to work hard and play hard! One-Night Velvet, right? Whenever you go out and stay out, you come home smelling different each time."
Velvet blinked a few times before she sputtered into a laugh. "The fact you pay attention to that is weird."
I huffed and shook my head. "Weird or not, it's the truth, and that's why I don't want this. I don't want to just fool around for the fun of it. I want a commitment."
"I see." Velvet lowered herself onto one of the dining chairs and started to slide her stocking off. "That's great!"
"I'm sorry, but I have to insist on this, I—" There was a pause before my hindlegs gave way and I slumped down onto the floor. "Wait, what?"
She shot a playful grin in my direction, her tongue poking out just a little. "You've got some serious willpower to reject me like that, and that's what I need: somepony with half a brain and twice the willpower. So, listen, I've got a new deal for you on top of the old one."
"What?" I repeated, still trying to catch up.
"It's sooner than I planned on bringing this up, but you started to look at me the way stallions always do right before I have to kick them out." She tossed the stockings onto the table and leaned back, running a hoof through her mane, releasing the curly tresses from the bun. Almost to herself, she muttered, "It's a shame you're a pegasus, but I guess that's fine. I mean, it's not a guarantee, and how hard could it be, anyway?"
I raised a plaintive hoof and wiggled it to get her attention. "Sorry, but what's going on?"
She looked at me and blinked. "Oh, right, yes. So, let me make sure I understood you correctly. A relationship isn't going to happen between us because I don't want one and you do, right?"
I just nodded.
"Right. But the problem you're running into is you're attracted to me. Totally only on a physical level, which nopony would blame you for." She started to grin, but something about it almost seemed off, like she was nervous. "Here's the thing. I want a foal."
A lightbulb in the back of my mind started to buzz, but didn't turn on all the way. "Okay?"
Velvet's grin faltered. "It's dumb and irrational and I don't think even my parents fully understand me, but I can't explain it. Having a baby brother has, like, triggered something." She raised a hoof before I could ask the obvious question. "Yes, I've tried adopting. Do you know how many foals need homes? Not a lot, buddy."
With a hum, I crossed my forelegs over my chest. How did this relate to me? She wanted a foal, I wanted a relationship, and—
My eyes went wide. "Oh, sweet Celestia. You want me to get you pregnant?!"
Her hooves shot up. "Wait, before you freak out, listen to my proposal! I mean, yes, that's the basic gist of it, but that makes it sound weird." She sighed and slouched in her seat, twiddling her forehooves and not looking directly at me. "I want a foal, but I don't want a husband. That means we have no-strings-attached sex, which I know isn't what you're after, but I do know a little something about relationships.
"I know you're more likely to just fall into a bad rebound than something real. So, while you wait until you're totally, truly, completely ready for the real deal, why don't you have crazy wild sex with me? For your sake, I'll even be monogamous, because I know that would really bother you. The catch is the first rule is still in place, but on top of it, once I'm pregnant, you get out of my life. Forever."
She was talking so fast that my head hurt. I rubbed my temples and clenched my eyes shut, trying to push out all thoughts and focus on what was going on. Was this a joke? This was like something out of a dirty romance novel: average mare meets hot, sexy stallion who lets her do anything she wants to him. Except I was the average mare.
Finally, I found a question I could put into words and looked at her with a frown. "What do you mean, get out of your life? You're going to just raise it—um, the foal all on your own? By yourself?"
Velvet's eyes narrowed just slightly and I got the distinct impression that she'd already been asked that question by somepony else. Probably several times with the way her mouth twitched. "Yes, Silver. I'm not a damsel, and even if I were, I won't be by myself. I have a lot of ponies in my life, whether you realize it or not."
I quickly raised my hooves. "Okay, okay, sorry. It's just a lot to take in all of a sudden! Couldn't you have, I don't know, not dropped all of this on me at once?"
The irritation gave way to a sheepish expression. "Yeah, sorry. I'm just—I've never gotten to this point before. I had the speech all prepared and got kind of carried away with excitement and nerves, I guess." She sucked in a deep breath and lifted her gaze back to mine. "So, what's your answer?"
"What's my answer?" I pinched the bridge of my muzzle. "Celestia's sake, I mean, it's not like a stallion gets this opportunity very often. If ever. You're going to let me basically use you to vent my sexual frustration in exchange for a foal that I don't have to raise or take care of." I tried to grin, but it didn't work. "Seems like the deal is pretty slanted in my favor."
Hope filled Velvet's voice as she leaned in toward me. "It is. And if you meet somepony before I get pregnant, the deal is off. This isn't a soul-binding contract or anything. I just, well—" Hesitantly, she rubbed one foreleg and dropped her gaze to the floor. "It's something I really want, okay?"
This was it. I had to make a decision. Velvet was putting herself out there, so much so that her fun and easygoing demeanor was almost completely gone. She was vulnerable and possibly even scared. This meant everything to her, and it didn't require a lot from me. In a way, it wouldn't just be fooling around for the fun of it. It was kind of like a commitment, just one that had a known expiration date.
I rose to my hooves and made my best attempt at a husky, sexy tone. "So I can do anything I want to you?" I put a swagger in my stride as I closed the distance between us so I could whisper in her ear, "Even..."
Her eyes went momentarily wide as I detailed the dirtiest thing I could think of, but she didn't blush. Instead, she—she laughed. Why did ponies keep laughing at me? Now it was starting to hurt my pride.
"Oh my Celestia, Silver!" Velvet batted a hoof at my chest. "If that's your secret fantasy, then I've got my work cut out for me. I have so much to teach you." A saucy little smirk crossed her lips, and I swallowed. "Does this mean you agree to the terms?"
I nodded. "Rule One: Don't fall in love. Rule Two: Leave once you're pregnant. That sounds easy enough to me." I hesitated and then asked, "Can I make a rule?"
"Oh, uh, sure?" She tilted her head. "I mean, it's only fair. What's up?"
My hooves shifted and I tried not to avert my gaze like a shy schoolcolt. "This is going to sound silly, but I'd really prefer we didn't kiss. That's, uh, that's just an intimate thing to me, and this isn't about that, and—"
Velvet put a hoof to my lips, laughing. "I get it, I get it! No kissing. That's fine by me." Her hoof lowered to trace a line down my throat. "Now, are you ready to try out your secret fantasy?"
Was I? Oh, I most certainly was.
I won't go into the details, but I think there's something I should clarify: sex. You've probably had the 'birds and the bees' talk by now, right? Well, there's some things parents don't really tell you because it's hard to explain, or they might just not know.
There is a stark difference between having sex and making love.
I'd had sex a couple times before. Parasol was my first love, but not my first marefriend. I enjoyed being intimate with the mares I dated, of course. And then Parasol and I made love for the first time. She was embarrassed because she kept making sounds she didn't like; I didn't have the endurance I expected from myself.
And I'll always remember it as perfect. Nothing compares to making love. It is the quintessential act of intimacy that puts all others to shame.
However, if there was ever a close second, it was sex with Velvet. The experience was stars, explosions, sugar, spice, and everything nice. The ways she could move, the things she could do—oh, but I'll stop there before I say too much.