//------------------------------//
// Scratching the Surface 
// Story: The Velveteen Mask 
// by Crystal Wishes 
//------------------------------//

"And that's a wrap, ladies."  Perennial's magic lifted one end of the towel wrapped around her neck and wiped the sweat from her face with it.  "Much better.  I was beginning to fear you all had already forgotten the difference between swans and pigeons."

Velvet wrung her hooves.  Was she really going to go through with this?  Nightingale bumped their flanks together and she stumbled forward, whipped around, and glared at the fleeing mare.  "Not yet," she hissed.

Velvet's heart pounded in her chest.  Sweat matted her coat, and it wasn't just from practice.  Perennial was the very reason why she was quitting!  Talking to her more than necessary seemed like the worst idea in the world.

But she also couldn't deny that if she knew anypony of Royal Ballet caliber, it was Perennial.  The mare excelled at pretty much every aspect of ballet.  She would likely be spending the rest of the evening continuing to practice, even after the rest of them had gone home.

Anxiety gripped her voice and instead of calling out to get Perennial's attention, Velvet turned tail and fled.  She trotted into the locker room and took the first unoccupied stall she found.  Cold water hit her like shards of ice, but she just stood there, hoping the icy temperature would shock her out of the panicked state.

"Uh, Velvet, you know you gotta let it warm up first, right?"  Nightingale leaned around the wall that separated them.

"I kn—I know."  Velvet's chin trembled as she tried to speak under the strain of the frigid water.  "I know."

Nightingale raised one brow, shrugged, and returned to waiting on her own shower.  "So, you gonna do it?"

Velvet snorted and shivered.  "M-Maybe."

"What's your plan?  Do you want to rehearse?"

"No."  Velvet gave a quick shake of her head.  "I'm good."

Really, she just wanted to get it over with.  Perennial would laugh at her, or mock her, or just outright say no... or all of the above.  It was going to be embarrassing, but she couldn't chicken out.  That wasn't how Velvet Step did things!  Velvet Step was a strong, confident mare who wasn't afraid of anypony.  Not even cold, heartless ponies like Perennial.

With renewed vigor, Velvet kicked the water off and, after drying her coat with a towel, marched back out to the main studio area.  "Perennial!"

Perennial looked over her shoulder and dropped down onto all fours.  She had already started practicing again.  "What now, Velvet Step?  Do you—"

Velvet raised a hoof.  "Hear me out.  You hate me.  I hate you.  You'd be happy to get rid of me, right?  You'd be happy if I left the company?"

Perennial said nothing, instead turning to face Velvet and simply raising one brow.  She didn't commit to responding one way or the other, but Velvet could see she was at least intrigued.

"I've got plans, though.  I'm not ready to give up being a ballerina."  Velvet sucked in a breath.  Perennial had an ego the size of Equestria, so it was time to use that to her advantage.  "But you're right."

Perennial's ear flicked.  "About?"  Her tone was guarded and cautious.  To be fair, it did pretty much seem like some kind of trap.

Velvet tried to unclench her jaw as she said, "I don't have proper training.  I've run on raw talent as long as I can, and I think I'm at the end of where I can stretch that, okay?  I need a tutor.  Somepony who's more than skilled enough to work with somepony they hate and who hates them."

For a moment, Perennial's eyes widened, then snapped back to a neutral look.  She stared at Velvet in silence and started to walk a circle around her.

Well, it wasn't an outright rejection.  And she wasn't laughing.  At least, not yet, anyway.

Perennial stopped in front of Velvet and peered down at her.  "You're asking me to tutor you?"

Velvet held her head high.  "That's the gist of it, yup!"

"I see."  Perennial raised her brow.  "Well, color me surprised, Velvet Step.  You have more nerve than I gave you credit for.  I presume your tutor Shimmering Waltz didn't want to take you back?"

"I—"  Velvet's gaze flickered away and she felt her resolve waning.  "Yeah, she's busy.  With the Royal Ballet auditions coming up, she didn't have room."

"Wait.  Is that your plan?"  Perennial raised a hoof in a purposefully poor attempt at hiding a smirk.  "Your plan is to get into the Royal Ballet?  Oh, Velvet, you do need help."  The hoof lowered and the smirk faded away.  "Fine.  If you can actually find a way to meet my standards, then I guarantee you will get into the Royal Ballet.  But—"  She tossed her mane.  "—you will have to do everything I say."

Velvet paused.  She eyed Perennial from head to hoof.  Everything?  Slowly, Velvet grinned.  There was no way Perennial meant it like that, but if she did, then Velvet was game to show her a thing or two.  "All right."

"Good.  Then let's start with your work ethic."  Perennial snorted lightly.  "I expect you to stay behind after our Swan Lake practice.  We will not stop until you've mastered the technique for the day."

Velvet's grin started to fall.  "How many days a week are we talking here?"

"You only have a month.  I don't think you have time to spare, do you?  I expect you to be here every day if you want to learn something."

"Seriously?!"  Velvet frowned, trying to fight back a snarl.  "But—"

Perennial lowered her head to Velvet's eye level.  "But what?  Didn't you agree to everything?"

They stared at one another for a moment until Velvet lowered her gaze.  She'd have to figure something out with her parents.  She just told them she'd start working there, and now she wouldn't have any time for them at all?

Velvet straightened back up, determination firmly in place.  No—she had to think positive.  If she worked extra hard and appeased Perennial's demands, she could cut out of their lessons early and she'd still get to spend evenings at the bakery.  She could do this.  She would do this.  "Fine."

"Good."  Perennial smiled, though her eyes were cold.  "I also expect you to show me respect.  If you want me to give you my time, then the least you can do is to not make my job any harder than it already is with your dirty looks and your snide comments."

It was a struggle, but Velvet managed to keep her ears from pinning back.  "Fine."

"And, honestly, before we can even begin lessons, you need to work on your posture."  She started to walk the circle around Velvet again, this time her magic reaching out and tugging on various parts of Velvet's body—and most definitely not in a fun way.  "Straighten this.  Lift here.  Slide this there.  Keep this even."  Once she was in front of Velvet again, she sighed.  "Do try to remember the way you're standing.  I don't want to have to do this every time we start practice."

Velvet fixated her gaze forward.  There was a smudge on the far wall.  With every bit of willpower she had, she stared only at that smudge.  If she looked at Perennial's face, she just might have to punch it.  "Fine."

Perennial clapped a hoof against the floor.  "Now, let's get started.  You have no time to lose and I have no interest in wasting mine."


---


When Velvet said "you have to do everything I say," she meant in bed.

Apparently when Perennial said that, she meant practicing for four hours.  That wasn't very long, but considering that came right after practice for Swan Lake, Velvet struggled just to walk.  Every muscle ached.  Every movement hurt.  But Perennial wasn't going to win.  No, Velvet was going to get her groove on.

Or, as the case seemed to be leaning toward, get grooved on.

After all, Nightingale had been right about the Perennial thing.  If Velvet could indeed meet Perennial's seemingly impossible standards, then the Royal Ballet auditions would be a breeze.

Crystal was at the Summer Faire in Ponyville and from what she had said, it sounded like they would stay late.  Something about Princess Luna wanting to enjoy every minute of it and Silent not being able to leave her there.  Either way, no matter how much she felt like passing out in a hot bath with the condo all to herself, that'd be letting Little Miss Prissytutu win.  And that was unacceptable!

Velvet sucked in a deep breath as she surveyed the crowd at the Mare Contraire.  How did being a wing pony work?  Usually, she just looked for a cute little mare that made eye contact with her for longer than a glance.  They were usually at the bar, taking itty bitty sips of their drinks.  Fruity drinks.  That seemed like a good place to start.

"Hey, bartender, can you, uh, make me something... fruity and cute?" Velvet asked as she sat down.

The mare serving that end of the bar turned to look at Velvet, the ponytail her white mane was tied into bouncing as she tilted her head.  She was a pretty mare.  Too pretty to be stuck behind the bar mixing drinks instead of strutting her stuff, but Velvet never heard her complain.  "Oh, hey, Velvet!"

Velvet smiled.  "Hey, Pearls."

"One appletini, coming right up!"  Pink Pearls started to pick up the bottles of vodka and apple schnapps.

"Oh, uh."  Velvet raised a hoof.  "Actually, tonight, I'd like to try something different.  Maybe something pink?  Pink's cute, right?"

Pearls raised one brow and gestured at herself.  "I'm pink."  She moved the hoof to point at Velvet.  "You're pink."  She set down the bottles and reached for something else.  "And we're cute.  So, yes.  One paloma coming right up."

Velvet laughed, leaning back on the stool and looking around.  "Great.  Yeah.  I am cute."  Her ear flicked.  "I can do this."

"Do what?"  Pearls held the filled shaker between both hooves.  "What's up with you tonight?"

"I, uh—I'm trying something new, that's all.  We'll see how it goes."  She watched the liquid as it was poured into a glass.  It was definitely pink.  The addition of a slice of grapefruit on the rim sealed the deal.  "Thanks, Pearls!"

Velvet balanced the drink on one hoof and did her best to look shy as she glanced around.  Was anypony looking at her?

The answer was no, but she did discover a better option.  Sitting at the far end of the bar was Sunny Day, one of the most well-known lead ponies at the Mare Contraire.  She was gussied up, looking fabulous, and all by herself.  It had been quite a while since Velvet had seen her around, and they didn't really cross paths very often, so maybe Velvet had a chance of pretending to be a wing pony.

Velvet tried to flutter her eyelashes in Sunny's direction.

Not even a glance.

So Velvet shifted on the stool, spreading her legs just slightly, leaning forward so that her back arched.

Nada.

Then Velvet rolled her eyes, got up off the stool, and walked over to Sunny, all the while trying to remember just how Dawn talked.  Folding her ears back, Velvet said, "Hi, are you waiting for somepony?"

"Huh?"  Sunny blinked at her, then smiled.  "Nope, I'm just unwinding for a bit."

Velvet glanced at the empty seat beside Sunny.  "May I?"

Sunny gave an idle bob of her head.  "Sure."

"Thank you."  Velvet set her drink on the counter as she sat down.  "So, unwinding?  Work stress?"

Sunny snorted and laughed.  "You have no idea."

No idea?  Sunny had no idea how much of an idea Velvet had!  "I'm sorry to hear that," Velvet said, trying to keep her tone light and flirty.  Think like a wing pony.  Act like a wing pony.  Talk like a wing pony!  "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Hmm..."  Sunny took a sip of her drink while her gaze drifted away.  "Not really.  I just want to have a few drinks until I feel better, then go home."

Velvet peered at her.  This was harder than she expected.  Was she supposed to giggle?  No, that didn't seem appropriate.  "Oh.  Well, you shouldn't have to drink alone."  She flicked her tail.

Sunny paused.  Her head tilted as she looked back at Velvet, eyed her for a moment, then smiled.  "Okay, fine, but only because you're cute."  Her drink levitated in her magic and floated over to clink against Velvet's glass.

Score!  Pink drink for the cute win!  Now was the time to giggle, so Velvet gave her best one.  "Aww, thanks!"

Then they drank.  And drank.  No flirting, no kissing—just tossing back drinks and not looking at each other.

After the third round, Velvet wondered when Sunny would make her move.  Velvet had made sure to giggle a few times!  She wiggled, batted her eyes, and even at one point dared to brush her right hindhoof against Sunny's left hindleg.

Just when Velvet was giving up, Sunny looked at her.  "Hey, do you want to dance?  I want to dance."  Her magic gripped Velvet's forehoof as she started toward the floor.  "Come on, let's dance!"

"What?"  Velvet frowned briefly but followed along.  Maybe this was Sunny's way.  It seemed unnecessary!  All Sunny had to do was ask if they wanted to move the party to her place, they'd decide to go to Sunny's, and the deal would be sealed.  That, and the idea of dancing after a whole day of it sounded miserable.

Thankfully, the Mare Contraire only played louder songs in the early evening.  Toward the end of the bar's hours, the music got quieter and slower as things wound down.  Sunny kept a good rhythm nonetheless and Velvet felt compelled to match it.  At that point she was invested in seeing this through, even if giving up sounded pretty tempting.

"So, uh," Velvet started, dipping down low and gliding back up.  "So have you relaxed from work yet?  Feeling better?"

Sunny grinned.  "The alcohol sure helps with that!  And it's been nice having company."  She bumped her flank to Velvet's.  "You know, you're a good dancer!"

Velvet tried to giggle but it came out more like a snort and a sputter.  "I'd hope so!"

"Oh, yeah?"  Sunny wiggled her ears.  "Why's that?"

Velvet just waved her off in between swaying movements.  "Nevermind.  So, I guess what I'm asking is, are we going to do this all night, or?"  She winced.  Was that a lead pony thing to say?  Crap, she had forgotten her mantra!  Dawn would never say something like that.  She wiggled her rump to swish her tail in hopes of recovering.

If Sunny was put off, she didn't show it.  Instead, she just laughed.  "I see what you're getting at!  Well, you'd have to buy me dinner first, but it's pretty late and I—"

"Fine!"  Velvet stopped dancing and peered up at her.  "Dinner it is.  All on me."  Maybe even literally, if Sunny was into that sort of thing!

Sunny halted as well, blinking a few times.  She tilted her head to the side.  "Oh.  Really?"  She seemed to mull it over before shrugging.  "Sure!  I mean, hey, who'd say no to a free dinner?"

Finally.  Finally they were getting somewhere.  Now she just had to pick a place to eat that wouldn't overextend her budget but didn't say "I'm a cheap dam."  But it was also well past normal dinner hours, so maybe Velvet would just have to compromise on that latter part.


---


The Pancake Shack served pancakes all hours of the day, every day.  Want breakfast for dinner?  Pancake Shack!  Drunk and need something to eat but it's midnight and the fridge is empty?  Pancake Shack!

Trying to buy dinner to get a mare to show you what it's like to be taken care of but she's not exactly making the moves and apparently dinner is what it takes to realize that dream?  Pancake Shack!

Velvet tried to size up Sunny's mood.  She was pretty overdressed for a place like the Pancake Shack, but there weren't a lot of options at that hour.  All in all, with the way she glanced around and fiddled with her menu, Sunny seemed pretty uncomfortable.

"Sorry about this."  Velvet tried to offer a playful but gentle smile.  "I didn't really think it through when I offered to buy you dinner at this hour...  I'm so stupid, I guess."  She bonked her hoof to the side of her head and giggled.

If sleeping with Sunny didn't completely change her life, then Velvet was never being a wing pony again.  This just felt stupid.

"What?  Oh!  No.  Nope, this is fine."  Sunny laughed softly and shook her head.  "I didn't really think you'd offer to buy me dinner at this hour when I said that."  She winked before looking back down at her menu.

Of course, calling it a menu was a stretch.  It boiled down to three choices: how many pancakes, what to put in them, and what to put on them.  Still, they had a ton of flavor combinations that gave Velvet pause.  Daisy pancakes with blueberry syrup?  Raspberry pancakes with whipped cream?  She licked her lips.  Okay, so maybe it wasn't a stretch after all.

Velvet hummed, her hindhoof tapping idly against the floor as she tried to decide.  "What are you thinking?"

"Thinking?" Sunny repeated with a startled squeak.  "I'm not thinking anything!  Just trying to decide."

Velvet blinked and peered over her menu, one brow raised.  "Huh?  That's what I meant."

Sunny paused, then rubbed the back of her neck.  "Oh.  Oh!  Right."  She laughed.  "Right."

"Are you okay?"  Velvet glanced around.  "If you're not comfortable here, I'm sure we can find something else."  Her ears wiggled as she tried to fight it, but the words escaped in a sultry tone.  "Or we can pick up some ingredients and have an eat-in meal at your place."

Slowly, Sunny's expression fell.  It was like watching a flower wilt.  Her gaze fell to the table and her ears drooped low until she shook her head and slid out of the booth.  "I-I'm sorry."  There was a strange hitch in her voice and an even stranger look in her eyes.  "I'm sorry, Velvet, but I have to go.  I need to go.  I'm sorry."

"What?  I—"  Before Velvet could say anything else, Sunny ran out of the building.  Velvet just sat there a for a frozen moment until she lowered the menu and sighed.

Had she come on too strong?  Not strong enough?  Should there have been more eye fluttering, more giggling, more squeaky little mouse sounds like Dawn made?

The waiter walked up and asked, "Have you decided what you'll have, sweetie?"

Velvet shook her head.  "No.  I'm sorry."  She dropped a few bits on the table and stood.  "I'm just going to go, I guess."

What had she done wrong?  The question kept repeating in Velvet's mind as she made what felt like a walk of shame out the door.  With a heavy sigh, she looked at her surroundings, trying to decide what she wanted to do next.  She could just call it a night and go home.  Maybe she could go see Dawn.  That might raise her spirits some.

Or she could go get hammered.  Yeah, that seemed like the best idea right then.

Velvet made her way back to the Mare Contraire, trying to not look as downtrodden as she felt.  Nightingale was wrong.  She wasn't a wing pony.  Not being in charge just wasn't for her.  If she had been the lead pony, then she wouldn't have done whatever it was that turned Sunny off so suddenly.

The bar was still in full swing, just as she had left it.  She went straight to the bar and slumped onto a stool.  "Appletini.  Don't hold back on the 'tini."

Pink Pearls raised her brow.  "Back so soon?  That was fast."

Velvet's ears flicked back, but she put on her best grin.  "You know how I do, Pearlsy."

Pink Pearls chuckled lightly and set about mixing the drink.  "All right.  One 'tini with a hint of apple coming right up."

Once the drink was set in front of her, Velvet took a tentative sip.  The alcohol was strong—strong enough that it burned just a little on the way down and in her chest—so she took a big gulp of it.  Pearls may have exaggerated the "hint of apple" part.  Velvet didn't mind.  She wanted to hop on the Drunktown Express and be there before she could get too lost in her swirling thoughts.

Thoughts about how much time she'd spend with Perennial.

Thoughts about how little time she'd spend with Red.

Thoughts about how it was all probably for nothing, since—

"Hey, baby."

Velvet blinked, lifting her gaze from her glass and gawked at the earth pony sitting beside her who looked like a ponified version of Sunbeam's decorating table.  The mare's coat was a cotton candy blue, and her eyes?  Bubblegum pink.  Her mane was cropped short while her tail was full and fell all the way to the floor, both a mix of lemon and lime stripes.

"Er, hi?"  Velvet turned in her seat to face the mare.  "Can I help you?"

The mare's eyes narrowed just slightly—not with anger, irritation, or skepticism, but with desire.  Desire that made Velvet suddenly feel warm.  "I've seen you around here before."  She reached out and brushed one of Velvet's bangs to the side, sending a small shiver down her spine as the hoof gently caressed her cheek.  "You always leave with somepony, yet look at you.  Here, at the bar, alone.  I'll be honest with you, baby.  The only reason I would kick a mare with a body like yours out of bed would be to do you on the floor."

The heat erupted into a bonfire as Velvet felt hot all over, from the tips of her ears down to her hooves.  Nopony had ever talked to her this way before.  It confused her.  It intrigued her.  It felt different—new—exciting.

"So, you got a roommate?" the mare asked, cocking her head to the side.

"I, uh—what?"  Velvet fidgeted just slightly as she tried to focus on the question and not the desire suddenly burning within her.  "Y-Yeah?"

The mare licked her lips and leaned in.  Her breath tickled Velvet's face as she asked in a whisper, "Want to surprise them by not coming home tonight... or maybe the next night, either?"

All Velvet could do was nod, and that was all that seemed to be needed of her before the mysterious mare took over.