Crystal had done it: she had officially graduated from Canterlot Academy. She had worked hard, persevered when the going got tough, and earned herself a diploma. Of course, the diploma was pretty worthless from a practical standpoint, given that she already had two published books under her belt, but that was beside the point.
Velvet tried to focus on the cards held in her hooves. Princess Luna was sitting across from her, light blue eyes boring into her very soul. What had she been doing again? Was she betting on this round or not? Wait, were higher numbers better or lower ones? Curse all these different games with different objectives and different rules!
"I'll just take this one," she mumbled, reaching over and sliding one of the face-down cards over to add to her collection.
Princess Luna smiled over her own cards, eyes locked with Velvet's. "We see what you are planning, Fair Velvet."
Velvet's face heated up and she averted her gaze. There was something terribly embarrassing about having one of the princesses tease her, and Princess Luna did it in spades. The princess would never let her live down their first meeting where Velvet had kissed her hoof. Ugh, just thinking about it was so embarrassing...
That was all irrelevant, though. She glanced over to the other table where Crystal played with the other group, including, of course, Silent Knight. Velvet did her best not to grin at the eyes Crystal was making at Silent.
Crystal was definitely going to graduate in more ways than one that night if Silent wasn't totally oblivious and she didn't let him get away. Velvet's grin fell. So actually, probably not, now that she thought about it.
Velvet returned her attention to the game and noticed Princess Luna looking over at the other table, as well. When their gazes met, the princess smiled and winked.
Velvet blinked a few times, then smiled back. Was that just pure coincidence, or had she just gained a comrade? Tartarus, was she even looking for one?
Yes. Yes, she was. She couldn't let her lingering reservations and fears hold Crystal back from what she wanted. Nightingale told her she'd regret it if she sabotaged Crystal's life, so she had to stop thinking that way. If Crystal wanted to have awkward first-time sex with Silent that night, then by Luna she was going to let Princess Luna help her out.
A few hours later, when Runic Phial had nearly passed out from exhaustion, Princess Luna cleared her throat and brought the game night to a close. Velvet set her cards down and trotted over to Crystal.
"Ask him," Velvet hissed in her ear, grinning when the mare jolted stiff. "You've been giving him the stare all evening. Just ask him already!"
Crystal glanced at the oblivious stallion, then back at Velvet. "What?" She quickly shook her head. "It—it's late, Velvet. We should just go home."
Velvet rolled her eyes. "Lame excuse, but whatever."
Princess Luna's voice rose over the sound of shuffling hooves and mumbled goodnights. "Silent Knight, please escort Crystal Wishes and Velvet Step home."
Good job, Princess! Velvet and she exchanged smiles. How casual and non-suspicious! She couldn't have orchestrated it better herself.
Silent walked over to them and motioned to the door. "Ladies?"
Crystal didn't move at first, paralyzed by fear or something. Velvet rolled her eyes and bumped her flank to Crystal's to get the mare in motion.
"Y-yes. Come on, Velvet," Crystal said, glaring at her.
A wicked grin seized Velvet's expression. This was too easy! "Don't you mean 'me'?"
Crystal, to no surprise, didn't get it. "Yes, I did mean you. That's why I said your name."
"Oh, Crystal, Crystal." Velvet tried not to laugh, shaking her head. "Someday, you'll be on my level, but today's just not that day."
When they reached the condo, Velvet announced as she opened the door, "I'm just going to head inside. Straight to my room. Right to bed!" She pranced toward her bedroom door. "See ya, Silent Knight!"
"Goodnight, Velvet," Silent called just as she shut the door behind her.
It was all up to Crystal now. There was no Velvet or Luna to guide her. If she wanted him, then she'd have to work for it herself.
Velvet waited with her ear pressed to the door. It was nearly perfectly quiet out there. Were they kissing? No, they were likely just staring at one another like dumb animals. Velvet sighed and waited for any sign of life.
Whispers. "Would you like to stay the night?"
No sound, then a giggle and more whispering. "This is a little fun. It feels like we're getting away with something."
Okay, they were making progress, so long as Silent understood what 'staying the night' meant. He probably didn't. No, knowing him, he definitely didn't.
After what felt like an eternity of them doing what must have been the slowest sneak ever, Silent's whisper cut through the silence. "I feel like I missed out on this experience in secondary school."
Well, color her impressed. Maybe he did have a clue after all.
"Sneaking around this late at night, that is," he added.
Velvet slapped her hoof to her face. Or not.
"My parents would never approve, especially when you were in school."
Really, Crystal? Velvet lolled her head back to stare at the ceiling. Oh, for Celestia's sake! This was almost too painful to listen to!
"Oh?" Silent unsurprisingly questioned. "Then maybe I should just sleep out here. The pillows just are fine."
Velvet shook her head. Pack it up, folks, because the awkward virgins just stumbled over their own hooves. She sighed and as she contemplated if she should run interference or let Crystal make her own mistakes, she heard Silent's voice gasp out a startled "whoa!" and the sound of a door shutting.
Velvet's jaw dropped open. Had Crystal just yanked him into her bedroom? She clamped a hoof over her mouth to smother a laugh. She had not expected that.
She pranced around the room in a jittery, excited circle. Crystal was going to get some, and then in the morning they were going to gossip about sex, Velvet would oh-so-casually mention her own fondness for the act, and her life would become a whole lot easier.
Certain that they were more than distracted, Velvet snuck out and across the living room to head for the front door. Once she was safely outside the condo, she made a galloping dash out of the building to head to her parents'.
It was time. Of course, it was also extremely late in the evening, so much so that it might as well be morning, but it was time nonetheless. When she arrived at her parents' door, she knocked a few times and trotted in place to keep her body active. Coming to a sudden stop after such a gallop felt like running into a brick wall.
Finally, the door opened. Pepper blinked down at her. "Sweetie?"
Velvet grinned up at him and bounced on the tips of her hooves. "I need Mom. Tell her that Operation Love Cake is a go."
Pepper furrowed his brow, yawned, and nodded. "Okay, sweetie." He wandered from the door, leaving it open so she could come inside.
Velvet remained where she was, slowing down to a light jog as her heart rate calmed down. A few moments later, Sunbeam skidded to a halt in front of the door, a wild grin on her face.
"It's time?"
Velvet nodded. "It's time."
---
Seriously? Wasn't Silent Knight a guard? Didn't they have a strict sense of duty and whatnot that meant they got up early?
Velvet stared at the two heart-shaped cupcakes sitting on a plate in front of her. Her ears pinned back and she poked at one with a hoof.
They were perfectly decorated, which was a given since Sunbeam had made them . Two cute little cupcakes, one that had the lattice work of a traditional apple pie and the other with a fondant topping of a long eclair.
She snorted. Putting them side by side, the pie was way too big for the eclair. Poor Silent. Apparently he had a little eclair.
Her stomach rumbled and she slowly tugged the plate closer to herself. They could share one cupcake, right? After all, they had shared a night together, so surely that applied to celebratory love cakes.
The door creaked open and she jerked her hoof back like a foal caught reaching into the cookie jar. She looked over to see Silent tiphoofing out of the bedroom.
That scamp! Leaving Crystal to wake up alone? Why, if he wasn't likely late for work and probably thinking himself polite by letting Crystal sleep in, Velvet would have sent his plot right back in there to try again.
Instead, she straightened up and teased, "Well, good morning, soldier colt."
Silent froze. His eyes went wide as he turned his head toward her. Now who was the foal caught with the cookie jar? "Good morning..."
Velvet smirked and folded her hooves over her chest. "So."
He just stared with a dumbfounded, nervous look on his face.
"Would you like some breakfast?"
Silent took a step toward the door and shook his head. "That—that would be great, Velvet, but I can't. I have to fly home, get ready, and report in to work. I'm in command of the palace right now so I don't want to set a poor example for the others by coming in late." He cleared his throat. "Not even for a great breakfast."
Oh, he was almost too easy to tease! She had hardly said anything and he was fidgeting like a shy colt. "Well, suit yourself. Maybe next time you should bring your stuff here."
His ears flicked and he took one more step. "I, er, yes, that would probably be wise, I agree. I just hope this isn't an inconvenience to you." He swallowed. "Do you forgive me?"
Velvet giggled and leaned in, resting her elbow on the table and her chin on her hoof. "Forgive you? Hmm, for what exactly?"
Silent stared at her with a clenched jaw, wide eyes, and a tiny shake of his head.
"You two are adults, Silent!" she managed through her giggling. "Nothing to apologize for as long as you make her happy."
Sex seemed to have changed him, because his ears perked straight up and a red blush shone through his white coat, and she hadn't even been trying to make an innuendo! She burst into laughter and waved a hoof. "Not like that! Well—yeah, like that—but—" It was too much. The laughter seized her and she had to clutch her sides.
Silent glanced at and pointed to the door, his face growing even redder. All she could do was nod while he struggled a "bye" and ran for the door.
Velvet leaned back in the chair and gasped for air, trying to calm her laughter. That was priceless! And to think, Lieutenant Oblivious had turned her words dirty! If one night had had that kind of effect on him, she could only imagine what happened to Crystal.
First, however, was the matter of the cupcakes. There was only one Crystal, but there were two goodies on the plate. Velvet grinned and snatched up the one decorated like an eclair. It was only fair. Crystal had gotten to try one, so now it was her turn.
When she bit into it and the creamy center gushed into her mouth, she choked and struggled to swallow around another fit of laughter that threatened to break free. Oh, Mom! She may not be the best baker—the cake itself was a little dry—but she was an evil genius with frosting.
Velvet rose to her hooves and trotted over to Crystal's bedroom door. She pushed it open and peered into the darkness of the room. There was the lump under the sheets, completely still. Velvet grinned. Didn't Crystal know that sleeping ponies breathed?
"You two-bit dam," Velvet said in a playfully low voice. "I know you're awake."
The blanket was flung aside as Crystal shot upright. "What did you call me?!"
"You heard me." Velvet smirked and sniffed the air. It smelled normal in there. Huh. Maybe if she stayed the night with a mare, the smell of sex would go away on its own. Interesting. "Silent looked preeetty guilty, slinking out of your bedroom like he stole something."
Crystal giggled and dropped down to bury her face into her pillow. "Oh, I think he did."
Velvet gasped. No embarrassed flush? No 'Velvet, stop that!'? She tossed her head back as she laughed. "Wow! Must've been some night, huh?"
More giggles from the mare as she curled around the pillow. "Oh, I think it was."
Velvet stared at Crystal a moment as her grin slowly fell. Something was different—not about Crystal, but about her reaction. She almost seemed to be glowing with bliss, and her voice was full of such joy. Her ears pinned back against her mane as she turned and started for the kitchen. The cupcake would bring her out of this sugary-sweet mood.
"Velvet?" Crystal called.
Velvet glanced over her shoulder and replied, "What?"
Crystal sat upright and tilted her head. "You're not going to come tickle me until I spill the details, or threaten me with blackmail?" She frowned lightly.
Aww, the poor filly was disappointed and wanted to talk about it, but suddenly, Velvet wasn't so sure she wanted to anymore. Something was wrong.
"No way!" Velvet flashed a playful grin. "It smells like sex in there and I don't want to know how you two did it. There are some lines, yanno?" She laughed and walked over to the dinner table. "A mare is entitled to some secrets, and this is totally one of them."
Crystal squeakily shrieked, "It does not smell like—like—like that in here!"
"Fine, it smells like stallion sweat and mare scent." She rolled her eyes and picked up the plate that held the lone cupcake. She frowned down at it, torn between feeling guilty for eating the other and feeling glad that she wasn't the only one alone. "Now come on, I have breakfast ready."
She was a fool. A complete and utter fool. Crystal hadn't had sex—she had made love. There was nothing similar between the act driven by base desires that Velvet indulged in and the sweet, soul-bonding experience Crystal had just discovered.