Velvet and I found our stride with one another again in no time. She still liked to go out clubbing with her friends, but for my sake she came home each night to our bed. Oh, yes—that's right. Our bed. I'd moved out of the second bedroom and into hers because she wanted to get started on planning the nursery right away.

I thought the same thing you probably are when she said that: planning the nursery so soon? Well, never let it be said that I'd let my personal feelings get in the way of a mare's happiness. I moved out, and a crib moved in. Then a different one to replace it. Followed by blue walls, pink walls, blue and pink, green—she wanted to try everything. We had to keep the windows open all the time so the fumes didn't make us sick.

One particular evening, when I was too tired to work on a script, Velvet strode into the living room with a projector, a film reel, and a bowl of popcorn balanced on her back. "Since you're being lazy," she proclaimed with an air of authority, "we'll watch Desert Rose."

Velvet arched her brow at me before starting on setting things up. "Kind of a hard thing to forget. You know it's based on me, right?"

"My point is—" I flatlined. Wait, had I known that? Crystal had said a lot of things about Desert Rose when I worked on the script, but I had sort of ignored things not directly relevant to my work. "What do you mean by 'based on you'?"

With a triumphant toss of her mane, Velvet spread a white sheet across one wall. "Yup. Crystal wrote it for me." She trotted over to flick the lights off, then settled on a pillow with the popcorn placed between us. "I've never felt like I belonged, you know?"

There was nothing I could say to that, and I was pretty sure she wasn't expecting me to, either; I just watched her while she watched the images flicker to life on the makeshift screen.

"I didn't want a typical 'happily ever after' as a filly. Crystal was in love with all these stories about true love and stuff, and they meant nothing to me. It scared me, like, I thought I was broken or something." Velvet took a hoofful of popcorn and paused, making a strange face before she continued, "I know I'm not the only pony that prefers one-night stands. But just because I'm not alone in how I feel doesn't mean I'm not wrong."

My brow furrowed. "Velvet, you—" Her hoof batted at me until I started to laugh.

"I know I'm not now, d'uh! But try to imagine how it felt, being a young mare with parents who love each other, two friends who are in love with love, and grandparents who always talk about me meeting the right pony. It's just expected, like that's just what a mare does. She finds her true love. End of story."

She rolled her eyes and took another slow mouthful of popcorn. "I've heard it all. 'You just haven't met the right pony'. 'It'll happen, just be patient'. 'You don't really know what you want, you're still young'. It took years for my mother to stop trying to set me up on dates with her friends' kids."

The film played out in front of us, but she didn't seem to be watching anymore. I didn't mind. The small quiver in her voice told me that she just needed to talk and be heard.

"And the worst, though? The worst? Some of my friends feel sad for me. 'Cause I'm going to miss out on love, like I'm not complete without a special somepony. And then Crystal, my dumb, stupid, sweet best friend, wrote a story to prove them all wrong." One hoof raised to wipe at her eyes. "If I was ever going to love somepony, it'd be her." Before I could say anything, she glared at me. "But I'm not and I don't, because she's basically my sister. Creep."

To be honest, Desert Rose wasn't my kind of story. No offense to Crystal Wishes, I just prefer crime mysteries. I've never been any good at figuring out 'whodunnit' before the protagonist, but when I do, it's more satisfying than reaching the climax of an adventure or the, heh, climax of a romance.

So I sat there, feigning watching, but instead making a grocery list in my head. We were out of tomatoes, and—oddly—the jar of pickles had been opened and drained of its juice.

"Did you season the popcorn with something weird?" Velvet blurted into the silence between us, staring down at the bowl with her nose scrunched up.

"Yeah, but when I wasn't paying attention, you could have done something. Did you?" Her gaze lifted to meet mine.

She was seriously asking, so—after a confused pause—I seriously answered, "No."

Velvet released a huff of a breath through her nose and looked back at the screen. "Weird. I wonder if I grabbed the wrong thing? It tastes funny to me."

I normally avoided popcorn that Velvet made, because for some strange reason she liked to sprinkle sugar over it. Curiosity got the better of me, however, and I took an experimental bite of one piece. Trying not to sound as disgusted as I felt, I muttered, "Tastes like it usually does to me."

She just shrugged and watched in silence, the popcorn going untouched for the remainder of the film.

☰

I was at a loss. The words for this script were just outside of my reach, and part of that may have been due to the fact Velvet was in the middle of a particularly provocative series of morning stretches. When she spread her hindlegs as far apart as possible, the little grin she sent my way told me she was trying to get under my coat.

Mercifully, a knock at the door demanded attention, and Velvet nodded her head toward it. "Mind getting that? I'm a little preoccupied."

"Since you haven't typed more than a few words the whole time I've been awake, uh, no?" The knock came again, more determined this time. "Go on, lazy rump."

As I walked past her, I muttered, "You're one to talk about rumps." I couldn't help watching as she gave her hips a little wiggle. She was the most relentless flirt I've ever known. My attention returned to the task at hoof and I opened the door to find a little blue filly standing there, her expression the epitome of righteous indignation. "Uh—"

The filly—Azurite—stormed through the gap between my legs and marched right up to Velvet. "Where have you been? I want to play with Red!"

My heart melted at that. Red had a little fillyfriend! I turned to watch, unable to keep the goofy grin off my face as I watched Azurite try to give Velvet an intimidating stare.

I stopped grinning. Oh, did the filly have a crush on Velvet instead? That was an adorable turn of events.

Azurite huffed. "It's just not the same if you're not there! We used to go on picnics and fly kites and catch frogs, all three of us. When it's just Red and me, he kinda just stares at me like he wants me to say something, but whatever I end up saying doesn't seem to make him happy." She poked Velvet in the chest with a hoof. "He's only happy when you're there, too, so, I'm going to ask again: where have you been?"

"Around!" Azurite repeated with a high-pitched squeak. "That's not an answer! I could arrest you for contempt."

Velvet snorted at that and put her hoof on Azurite's head to push her down. "Sure, okay, Officer Runt. You do that."

A tinge of red showed through the filly's blue coat. "I'm not a runt! I'm fun sized! Now, are you gonna play with Red and me or not?" She turned, finally acknowledging me with narrowed eyes that suddenly widened, then glimmered. "Oh! Oh, I see. I see. You're too busy playing with him, is that it?"

I nearly choked on a surprised bark of laughter. "Yes, Velvet and I have been 'playing', sweetie."

Azurite's ears went straight up and rigid. "Sweetie? Sweetie?" She whipped around to face Velvet again. "He's just being folksy, right?"

Velvet looked up at me with a wicked grin. "Nope. I think he thinks you're a filly."

"I'm not!" Azurite stomped her little filly-sized hoof and glared at me with big filly-like eyes. "I'm an adult, and I'm going to play with Velvet and Red, and you're not invited." She stuck her little nose in the air and trotted through my legs again, seeing as I hadn't moved out of the doorway. "Come on!"

Velvet's grin didn't lessen one bit. "Yeah, I'm coming." She brushed past me, snickering when I shuddered from the way her body slid against mine. "See you later."

Mares. I huffed and shut the door behind them, then tried to vent my frustration by pacing the living room. All of my nerves were firing haphazardly from the phantom sensation of Velvet's lithe muscles. She was definitely trying to drive me mad and, to be honest, it was working.

I dropped down in front of my typewriter and found my hooves navigating the keys with wild abandon, fueled by a desire to express all the emotions roiling in my chest.

Stallion (V.O.)

She walked into my office, all long legs, curly mane, and dark lashes that begged for attention. Without a word from her, I knew I was in trouble. This dame was going to be the end of me.

☱

It was a good thing Nightingale was in a committed relationship. Sure, I thought she was cute, and if she were single, I would have been very interested in her. But I understood boundaries, and at the time, I needed a friend more than I needed a date.

The two of us sat in a small, two-pony booth at Café Au Lait, her with a cup of herbal tea and me with a mug of black coffee. She looked at me with soft eyes that didn't pity me or judge me, but just saw and understood.

"I don't know," she finally said. "If my coltfriend told me he had a foal somewhere out there in Equestria, well, I guess I'd rather he told me sooner instead of later."

"Right?" I ran a hoof through my mane and slumped in my seat. "I won't be able to keep it a secret. That's just wrong and makes it seem like I'm hiding something. But I don't think that's something you lead off with, right?"

Nightingale sputtered into a giggle. "Yeah, no, definitely at least get through the first date." She hummed as she took a sip of her tea, then raised her eyes to the ceiling. "You'll have to be super careful with how you bring it up, too. 'Babe, there's something I need to tell you.' Oh my gosh, nothing says 'he's about to tell me about his weird sex kink' more than that."

I choked and had to thump a hoof to my chest to try to keep the coffee from getting in my lungs. "That's your first thought when you hear that?"

"Something a little more normal?" My ears flattened, but admittedly, I was grinning a little. "I'd think I was being broken up with."

Her eyes rolled in an over-the-top way, but as she reached out to put a hoof on mine, her voice was soft. "That's because you're still hurt from Parasol. I don't blame you, either. That's going to take a lot longer to heal than, how long has it been? Two months?" She smiled and squeezed my hoof. "But you're too nice of a colt to stay single for long. When you put yourself on the market, I'll be your wingmare, okay?"

The sincerity in her offer struck something deep in my chest. I couldn't help the small crack in my voice as I said, "Thank you."

She pulled her hoof back to her cup and chirped, "So! Back to your question. How do you tell your mare that you've got a foal running around?" With a small wiggle of her nose, she mulled it over before speaking up again. "Honestly, your best bet is to just wing it. I mean, it's going to depend so much on the mare and how you two meet and what kind of a relationship you have with her. Just be honest and if she's the one, she'll understand."

All the nerves that had been jittering about my past few days were alleviated in one fell swoop. Nightingale made it make sense, so much so that I was a little embarrassed I hadn't figured it out on my own.

Seeming to somehow sense this, she winked. "It's okay. You can say it. My parents should have named me Nightingenius."

We stared at one another for a long while until breaking into laughter. The ponies in the otherwise quiet cafe stared at us, but I didn't mind, and neither did Nightingale.

Finally, I wiped a tear from my eye and smiled at her. "That makes me feel better, strangely. I'm still a little nervous about how everything will turn out, but Velvet's been so happy that this has to be the right path for us."

"Right?" Nightingale gave a playful roll of her eyes. "She's been too happy lately, honestly. She doesn't even stay out as late as she used to! Either she really wants that foal, or you are a super stud."

Heat filled my cheeks. "I, uh." I cleared my throat and cocked a grin. "Who says it can't be both?"

"Oh!" A chime of laughter escaped her and she leaned in to swat at me. "You're getting better at sexual banter. Love it!"

Companionable silence fell on us as we sipped on our respective drinks. I still had a lot on my mind, however, so I was the one to break it. "This is the right path, isn't it? Do you think I'm making the right choice?"

Nightingale's ears perked up before swiveling back in thought. "The right choice?" Her nose scrunched up, she offered a meek shrug. "I'm biased. This is what Velvet wants, and she was my friend before you, so, yeah, I think so. But I guess that's not what you mean, is it?"

The feathers of her wings fluffed up before giving a small shake, then she settled back in her seat. "The foal will be spoiled rotten. Like, Velvet has"—she began to tap one hoof on the other as she listed off names—"me, Sunbeam, Pepper, Crystal, Silent, High Horse, Dawn, Thunder, Ephemeral, Azurite, Sunny, Soarin... There are a lot of ponies that are going to make sure the foal is happy. Does that answer your question?"

I smiled and looked down at the remainder of my coffee, turning the mug slowly between my hooves. "I guess so. I just don't want to be 'the stallion who ran out on Velvet and his foal'."

She reached out to take my hoof in hers again with a tight squeeze. "Do you want the honest truth?"

"Nopony is going to think that about you, because I honestly doubt Velvet's going to tell anypony who doesn't already know that you're the father." She smiled, but there was a little bit of pity in her eyes that churned my stomach. "I know it sounds cruel, but it's better that way. For both of you."

The churning turned into a twisting knot, but I relented with an attempt at a smile. I was doing this for Velvet's sake, not mine. If it hurt a little bit to think about leaving these ponies behind, well, that was just the price to pay for kindness.

☳

Velvet didn't have 'off days', so when I walked out of the bedroom to find her curled up on a pillow with a damp cloth over her eyes, I was immediately worried.

Her ear flicked and a rumble of a groan acknowledged me, but she remained otherwise immobile.

I winced. "Is it the curry I made last night? I'm sorry, I knew it tasted off. We should have just gone out to eat instead."

Her hoof made a wobbly effort to find my face, and once it did, she patted my cheek. "It was fine. I'm fine. I just feel like my eyes are going to throw up."

My brow furrowed and I put my hoof around hers. It was warm. "That doesn't sound 'fine' to me."

"I mean, yeah, no, it doesn't, and it isn't. I just don't want you to feel bad for making curry that's trying to kill me." Her lips quirked into a lopsided grin. "Can you just go to the store and get me some ginger to chew on?"

I practically sprung to my hooves. "Definitely! I'll be right back. Just stay there and stay calm."

The store wasn't far. If I flew, I could be there and back before her condition got worse. My head was spinning with a strategy when I opened the door and—collided with something that gave a squeak of surprise. "I'm sorry!" I exclaimed reflexively, looking down at the mare that stared at me with wide eyes. "Are you okay?"

Her voice was as soft and sweet as fresh honey that melted my heart into a gooey mess when she replied, "Oh, yes, just surprised." She eyed me with confusion before she lit up, as if remembering something. The honey was replaced with a sense of urgency and desperation. "Sorry, but is Velvet home?"

Velvet appeared beside me, practically shoving me out of the way. "Dawn? What happened?"

Before I could fret over Velvet being up and moving, the mare named Dawn rushed forward and embraced her tight. "Velvet! He's coming home!"

"Oh my gosh! Dawn, I—I'm so happy for you!" There was a telltale hitch in Velvet's voice; she was on the verge of tears.

That was when I realized this was something important... and private. I backed away to give them personal space, a part of me wanting to go get the ginger for Velvet and the other admittedly curious about what was going on. Curiosity won.

"How? Why?" Velvet pulled back to look Dawn in the face and moved a hoof to wipe away tears from the smiling mare's cheeks. "I'm so happy, but why?"

Dawn sniffled and leaned in to the touch. "He was injured, so they're sending him home. He says it's not too bad, that I shouldn't be worried, but if they're sending him home, it must be worse than he's telling me."

Velvet's voice lowered to a near whisper. "Did he—You don't think, he lost a leg or something like that?"

"I really don't know, but what I do know is we talked about... it." Dawn put on a serious expression. "I know why you said no before, but we're serious. We're both okay with it, for you."

One of Velvet's ears swiveled toward me and she cleared her throat. "That's really sweet, but I think you two should focus on your own, uh, possibilities instead of mine."

Dawn shook her head. "We're not ready for that ourselves." She took Velvet's hoof in her own. "But you've been waiting for so long. Please, let us help you."

"Oh, sweetheart." Velvet smiled, shook her head, and nosed Dawn's cheek. "I've got it covered. Okay? Besides, I wouldn't want that to come between us. It'd just get awkward and complicated and, well, I appreciate the thought, but don't worry. Everything's going to be fine."

There was a pause before Dawn's eyes flickered to meet my gaze. Realization dawned on her and a light flush filled her cheeks. "Oh!" She swallowed and forced a smile that quickly became genuine. "Well, he still wants to get together after he's home. Maybe your, um." She glanced at me again. "Your friend could join us?"

Velvet glanced over as well. "Silv? Uh, maybe. We'll see." She nosed Dawn's other cheek. "Anyway, as much as I love seeing you, I'm actually feeling kind of sick today. I'll come visit you as soon as I'm well, though, and we can talk about Tumbler and the 'welcome home' party we're going to throw him. Okay?"

"Oh, no, really?" Dawn's brow knitted with worry. "I'm so sorry! Is there anything I can do to help?"

Velvet cocked a grin. "Yeah, you can stay away from Silv's cooking. The contagion has to stop with me." She put a hoof to her forehead. "This is my sacrifice for the sake of Equestria."

Dawn made a small 'o' with her lips while I exclaimed, "Hey! It was just this one time!"

Giggling, Dawn hugged Velvet one more time. "Then I'll bring some soup by later this evening, to save you from his cooking. Rest up and try to feel better." She looked over at me. "It was nice to meet you, Silv!"

Before I could correct her on everything she said wrong, Dawn trotted off and Velvet shut the door. We stood in silence for a while before I heard the distinct sound of Velvet choking on a sob. Or vomit. I honestly wasn't sure which until she looked up with tears in her eyes.

"No," she bit back, eyes narrowing into a glare, "I'm obviously not okay! Do you have any idea what just happened?"

Trying to not feel irritated with her tone, I lowered myself to sit on my haunches and crossed my forelegs over my chest. "I have some guesses, but why don't you explain it to me?"

Velvet gave a long, drawn-out groan. "Celestia, where do I even begin?" She slumped against the door and put a hoof over her eyes. "That was Dawn. Dawn Walker. I broke her sweet, perfect, loving heart."

"And yet, even though I did, she's still willing to let her coltfriend—who I also hurt!—knock me up because she just cares so much, too much." Her shoulders trembled as her other hoof lifted to cover her face. "I'm an awful, terrible pony! I don't deserve friends like them."

I didn't really know what to do. I felt like there was a lot more to the story, but she wasn't in any condition to elaborate. All I could do was move closer to her and wrap a foreleg around her shoulders.

"Hey," I whispered, "it's okay. You can't be that terrible if she cares that much about you, right?"

"It just makes me even more terrible," she muttered with a bitter laugh. "Try to imagine making a sacrifice for Parasol, even after she hurt you so bad. It's impossible, right? But Dawn's just that way. I just—I don't know why, but she's just that way."

My hoof moved to stroke her mane, which was out of its usual bun. "It's okay. I don't think you're terrible."

"Guess so." I kissed the top of her head. "Why don't we get you back to bed? I think you need a nap."

She lowered her hooves to look up at me with one brow arched. "I'm not a foal, you know."

I widened my eyes in mock surprise. "You could have fooled me with all that crying."

"Oh, whatever. Idiot." She punched me in the foreleg, but her grin took the sting out of it. "Fine, yeah. A nap sounds good. My stomach feels better now, anyway, so can you—" She hesitated. Velvet hardly ever hesitated, so I coaxed her with a tilt of my head. "Can you just stay with me while I fall asleep?"

☷

"You know," I called without looking up from the book in my hooves, "I like this Prima Donna mare more than I expected."

"I think it's cute that these books inspired you to find your cutie mark." I flipped the page with the tip of my wing. "I'm surprised you didn't end up pursuing crime fighting, too, though. You have the feisty personality for it, that's for sure."

I hummed to myself as I was swept through an exotic city, sights and sounds filling the imagination of my mind. Prima navigated a busy street with her eyes locked on the Mesmeric Miscreant. Oh, no, the villain's names were never very clever, but that was part of the charm.

"So," I mused aloud, "I bet she's going to catch up to him, but it turns out to be a decoy. Mesmeric has already broken into the bank and is stealing the Flawless Diamond of Prance while she's out in the streets, running around."

To my surprise, no—the stallion she was following was actually Mesmeric, but he charmed her with poetic words about her beauty. I couldn't help laughing a little at that. "Huh, I guess even crime-fighting ballerinas succumb to a suave pick-up line."

I heard the bathroom door open, but kept on reading. Mesmeric got away again. Well, I was only halfway through the novel, so I suppose it would have been too soon for her to catch him.

"Well, that didn't take long," Velvet interrupted my thoughts with mild surprise in her voice—and just a hint of trepidation.

I looked up to see her standing in the doorway with something in her hoof. The dim light pouring in from behind cast her in an ominous shadow that stretched all the way to the pillow I was sprawled on.

Another Horizon

by Crystal Wishes

Gonna be a Lonely Night