//------------------------------// // Volte-Face // Story: The Velveteen Mask // by Crystal Wishes //------------------------------// The smells of toasted bread, grape jam, and fried eggs were the first clues that Velvet wasn't home—Crystal only ever made tea at that hour of the morning, and her parents always baked muffins for breakfast. Velvet's ears swiveled as she opened her eyes and looked around. The unfamiliar surroundings pieced the puzzle together. She wasn't at either of the places she called home. At first, she thought perhaps she had somehow overslept, but the lack of any light reaching out from behind the curtains told her the sun was not yet up. Her gaze fell on the empty space beside her and she winced. An early rising bed partner meant there would be no smooth getaway that morning. After taking a deep breath, she pushed away the covers and tiphoofed her way to the door. It creaked when she tried to stealthily push it open, attracting the attention of Dawn, who stood in the kitchen putting plates on a tray. She even had on a cute, frilly pink apron and her mane was tied into a high ponytail. "Oh! I'm sorry, did I wake you?" She smiled, her tail swishing back and forth as she glanced between the tray and Velvet. "I, um, I wasn't sure if it would be too forward or not if I made you breakfast, but it seemed rude not to." Velvet looked at the array of breakfast options and licked her lips. No, she had to fight the temptation, no matter how good it looked and smelled! She needed to get home so she could either celebrate with or console Crystal, depending on how her day with Silent had gone. "It looks great, but—" Dawn raised a hoof. "Please don't say but! Please?" Her face started to turn red. "This is the first time I've ever had a special... a special somepony, and, I've always wanted to do this." Crabapples—well, that was what she pretended she thought, anyway. Her mother would be furious if she knew the word Velvet had really been thinking. She felt her mouth go dry as she forced a weak grin. "Oh, sweetie, I—" "I'm sorry!" Dawn took a step back as her tail and ears drooped. "Way, way too soon, I know! I realized it as soon as I said it! I'm sorry. I'm just so excited. This is all new to me! I've never done anything like this before, so..." More crabapples. Her heart started to pound with sudden worry. "Wait, when you say that, do you mean, uh." She nodded her head toward the bedroom door behind her. "You mean, that was your first time?" A meek nod from the blushing mare sent Velvet's heart into the pit of her stomach. Oh, sweet Celestia, what had she done? She swallowed and rubbed one hoof against her foreleg. "I, uh, wow. I had no idea." The grin tried to take hold of her lips again. "You could've fooled me?" Dawn bit her lower lip. "Is, is that a compliment?" "Do you want it to be?" Velvet groaned and raised a hoof before Dawn could reply. "I'm sorry. It's hard to turn off. Okay, I'll try to be serious." She took a breath and drew herself up to her full height, which still put her eye level below Dawn's. "Look, please don't hate me, but last night... Dawn, we're not special someponies. That wasn't what that was." "Oh," Dawn said more like a quiet whimper. Guilt gripped her chest, but she held her head firmly in place. "I'm not interested in that, and I don't think you're interested in what I'm interested in." Dawn was quiet for a moment, her eyes focused on the floor. "Oh," she repeated. She shifted from one hoof to the other and glanced up at Velvet. "What—what are you interested in?" "Sex. That's all. I just want to enjoy myself, not settle down." The blush returned to Dawn's face and she squeaked, "H-how do you know I'm not interested in that?" Velvet smiled and shook her head. "Because you look like you might cry, sweetie. You wanted a special somepony to be yours. And, just so you know, this is totally not your fault." She put a hoof to her chest. "If I were a normal pony, I'd be so into this whole breakfast thing that I'd be head over hooves for you! But, since I'm not, I'm just gonna go before I ruin this any more for you. Okay?" There was no response. The guilt and silence were suffocating. Velvet glanced at what she guessed was the front door and took a step toward it. "So, I'll just go, then." "Wait!" Dawn glanced at the tray of breakfast. "Please, it's okay. It was my fault for going to a bar! So, it's okay. Will you at least stay for breakfast?" Velvet's stomach cramped to say yes, but she shook her head. "I really should go." Dawn gave a sound that was somewhere between a whine and a sniffle. "Please, I'm sorry for what I said. I'd really like to see you again, though." "I..." Velvet tried to swallow the lump of regret in her throat. There was no way in Equestria she could just walk away at that point and not hate herself for it. Finally, she sighed. "Okay, I'll stay for breakfast." Dawn's ears perked upright. "Really?!" "Yeah." Velvet offered a grin. "Who could say no to a face like yours?" Smiling brightly, Dawn bounded around the island that also served as an eat-in bar and pulled out a stool. "Please, sit! It should hopefully still be warm!" While Velvet sat down, she trotted back into the kitchen proper to clean the skillet. "So," she started, hesitated, glanced over her shoulder, and continued, "where does this put, um... you and me?" Velvet paused just short of biting into a piece of toast, her ears folding back. "What do you mean?" "I don't—" She sighed, setting down the sponge and turning to face her. "I moved here last week from my family's farm just outside of Ponyville. It's really hard to meet ponies in this town, harder than I expected, and I'm just..." She sighed again. "I'm just really lonely, and you were at least kind enough to be honest with me, so I don't want to lose the closest thing I have to a friend." Slowly, Velvet finished the bite she had started and chewed in thought. "Okay," she mumbled, "but there's just one problem." "What?" Dawn's ears fell to the sides. "We"—she gestured a hoof between them—"have had sex. I don't know if I can just turn off the turn on. You're cute, you make cute sounds, and you turn cute colors, like that little shade of pink your ears are right now." She laughed, then cleared her throat and put on a serious face. "If we just hang out, I'm going to remember last night, so I don't know if we can just be friends." Dawn shuffled her hooves as she walked around the island. After a hesitant pause, she stuck her head underneath one of Velvet's forelegs to force it around her neck while she nuzzled Velvet's chest, her face hot with embarrassment. "I-I, I don't know if—if that's so bad," she managed in a lilting stammer. Velvet nearly choked on the toast as a shiver shot down her spine. "Whoa there!" She stared down at the beet red face looking back up at her. "Are you hitting on me?" "Do—" Her breath hitched with a nervous flutter. "Do you want me to be?" "I do." Velvet's lips curled into a wholehearted grin from the heat that surged through her like a sudden spark, but she tried to quell it by pushing the mare's head away from her chest. "But it's just sex. I'll make it as great for you as I can, but we're not dating. Got it?" When Dawn merely replied with an overeager nod, Velvet couldn't help herself. Even if the sexual enjoyment was heavily one-sided, there was still a thrill to be had in the act itself, and Dawn's little squeak from being forced onto her back and splayed out on the floor was exceptionally thrilling. --- Velvet stood outside the condo, working on her third attempt to open the door. How would she explain coming home so late? She sucked in a breath and held it while her mind raced through various avenues of thought. Nightingale would probably cover for her if, for some reason, Crystal ran into her and mentioned it, but she didn't want to do that to their friendship. Slowly, she released the breath as she unlocked the door and pushed it open. Before she could announce her arrival, however, something was amiss. She looked over at a small dining table for two sitting near the kitchen and her ears perked. A distraction! Furrowing her brow, she asked with a stern tone, "Crystal?" Crystal, who was sitting on the couch, smiled and fluttered her eyelashes. "Welcome home!" Velvet looked over at her, frowning through her relief as sincere concern over her roommate's financial stability set in. "Since when did we have a dining table?" "Oh, that?" Crystal waved a hoof as if dismissing a simple knickknack. "It was very cheap, don't worry!" How was she not supposed to worry? Crystal was the worst at managing her bits. Velvet sighed and shook her head while rubbing at her temple, grumbling, "I thought you were done spending money on frivolous things!" She gestured at the dining table. "What happened to me not worrying and you making money, not throwing it away?" The pretenses dropped and Crystal gave her a serious look. "I'm sorry, Velvet. I've just been wrapped up in finishing school, and these weddings, and—" Excuses, as always. Crystal was great at those. Then again, so was Velvet, so she supposed she couldn't blame the mare too much. "I get it, I get it," Velvet snapped as she sat down and folded her forelegs, raising one brow. "So, now, you're done with school, you're done with weddings. You're running out of excuses, and I'm not going to pay your half of the rent, so... ?" Crystal's ears shot up and she gasped softly. "I'm writing!" Her forehooves were thrust forward to draw Velvet's attention to an open notebook. "I'm still waiting on the second round of editing of Silent Love, but in the meantime, I'm going to dedicate myself to a short a month for Mares Monthly." Velvet snorted lightly as she looked between the notebook and Crystal. After a moment of considering her responses, she let out a sigh and walked over to one of the sitting pillows. "I'm pretty sure Cosmare pays better," she said, dropping down onto the blue one. "Cosmare—" Crystal cut herself off with a huff. "Velvet!" "What? Are you seriously pretending that wasn't a thing?" Velvet rolled her eyes, waving a dismissive hoof. "Okay, fine, whatever. But my point still stands. And now that you actually have real life experience, I bet you'd be even more popular." Groaning, Crystal shifted position on the pillow so that Velvet couldn't see her face. "I suppose," she started in an almost bitter mutter, paused to consider her words, then continued, "money is more important than my... dignity." Velvet's ears perked straight up. Well, that was an unexpected change! She laughed while clapping her hooves. "You go, girl!" She stretched out a foreleg as far as she could reach and slapped Crystal's exposed flank. Crystal gasped, jolted upright, and twisted around to look at Velvet with wide eyes and a red face. With another laugh, Velvet relaxed into the pillow and asked, "Anyway, so, how did it go? Did you surprise him?" "Actually—" A fit of giggles interrupted her and she covered her face with both hooves, then shook her head. "—he surprised me." Even more unexpected change, huh? Velvet looked around the condo, hoping to solve the mystery herself. The way Crystal reacted was either because she and Silent had made some pretty serious love for Hearts and Hooves, or—roses. A vase of roses sat in the kitchen by the window. "I see that." Crystal lowered her hooves and followed Velvet's gaze to the vase. "Oh, that was only the first surprise!" She giggled and twiddled her hooves. "What?" Velvet waited, and when only more giggles responded, she pressed, "What else happened?" "Weeell..." Crystal drew out the word, her ears wiggling, and grinned when Velvet scowled at her. "He also brought a box of chocolates from Sunridge Sweets." "You sure about that?" Velvet tilted her head while the gears ground against one another, trying to click into place. "Mom and Dad don't sell chocolates unless"—click!—"he ordered them special?!" Crystal nodded. Holy Tartarus! Velvet's eyes almost hurt from how wide they were. She almost couldn't believe that Mr. Unromantic had really pulled it off. Her lips were tugged into a big smile and a high-pitched squeal emitted from her throat, but Crystal held up a hoof to interrupt her. "But wait, there's more!" "More?!" Velvet gawked. Had she turned into Rip Vanner Winkle and missed months of development in Crystal and Silent's relationship? How could there be more? One of her hooves reached out to rest on Crystal's and gave it a squeeze. "Are you sure you didn't hit your head and dream all of this up? I mean, it's a nice dream and I wouldn't blame you, but..." Crystal shook her head, giggling. "I'm not making this up!" Velvet stared at her for a suspicious moment, then slowly pulled her hoof back to rest on the pillow beneath her. "Okay, then, what else happened?" After a sharp intake of air, Crystal explained in a rapid manner, "Well, he also showed up in a very nice suit. He had made reservations for Le Bernardin. And, last of all, he gave me a very sweet card that held two tickets to Glimmer World." "Glimmer World?!" Velvet's heart jumped into her throat as she jumped to her hooves, nearly stumbling when she clipped the edge of the coffee table in her panicked scramble. "Crystal! Glimmer World?!" Her gaze searched the room for some kind of help as panic seized her in place. Glimmer World was the theme park that had been opened in the semi-newly returned Crystal Empire, in an attempt to reestablish tourism to the once lost province. It was a place of fun for foals, but similarly wonderful for adults. It would also be the perfect place to propose—not even Silent could be oblivious to the allure of asking a mare named and like Crystal to marry him in the Crystal Empire at what was already known as the happiest place in Equestria? "Crystal!" she gasped out, her ears going flat against her mane. "He's going to propose!" How was it possible to be so excited and so scared at the same time? Proposal meant engagement. Engagement meant marriage. Marriage meant happily ever after... without her. Crystal shook her head with a quick, almost frantic motion until she laughed. "What? Don't be silly!" Velvet grabbed her by the shoulders and locked their gazes. "No, seriously, think about it! Flowers? Chocolates? Suit? Reservation? Glimmer World? It's like something straight out of one of your stories!" They just stared at one another in silence, aside from Velvet's heart pounding all the way to her skull. Over and over, she tried to remind herself of how long they had been friends. There was no way Crystal would suddenly forget her just because of some ring and silly vows. Friendship was forever. Right? Of course, sure, definitely! Crystal gave another, slower shake of her head. "He's just being a good stallionfriend. No, a great stallionfriend. I'm happy with him doing this much." She shrugged Velvet's hooves off her shoulders. "I'm certainly not going to get my hopes up and ruin a perfectly nice trip by expecting more! Besides, this is Silent Knight we're talking about here, you know." She giggled. Seriously? Crystal just wanted to giggle things away? Was Velvet the only one that was scared? Velvet sucked in a quiet breath and held it. Her mom told her she needed to trust Crystal, so that was her new mantra. Crystal wasn't taking the fear seriously because she wasn't afraid. She trusted their friendship. Velvet had to, too. Keeping her lips in a tight, straight line, Velvet said, "Yeah, Silent Knight who just did a bunch of un-Silent Knight things. All bets are off! But, fine." She forced a smile. "If you want to live in denial then I'm not going to waste my breath. Now, get back to writing, get a paycheck, and then we can go celebrate on your bit." "All right, all right." Crystal laughed and looked at the coffee table, her magic raising a quill to the open notebook. "Why don't you help me decide what I'm going to write, since you're so intent on me writing something for Cosmarepolitan?" "I thought you'd never ask," Velvet teased, grinning and wiggling her ears. "I think it's... page thirty-two of Notebook #23?" Crystal's face turned bright red and she squeaked, "Think what's on that page of that notebook?" Velvet winked. "Let's get it from your box and see!" Trust their friendship, keep looking forward. Velvet trotted toward Crystal's bedroom, laughing when magic grabbed her tail and stopped her before she reached the door. Everything would be fine, so long as she kept her panic under control. After all, she did have Nightingale and Dawn now. It wasn't as though it would be the end of the world if she saw less of Crystal. She just had to keep looking forward.