Heat coursed through Velvet's veins as she stared at the ceiling of Rock Candy's bedroom. Her body felt good—no, her body felt amazing—especially after such a long day of work. Perennial was ruthless. Every day that the auditions drew closer, the training got more intense.
Candy seemed to know a lot about sensual massages that worked out the stress of Velvet's muscles, and led right into a wonderful way to end the day happy. But though she physically felt fine, something was bothering her.
When was the last time she had seen Dawn?
Guilt weighed on her chest like a hundred bricks, crushing her, suffocating her. It would be too easy to lie to her, too. All she had to do was remind Dawn that she was practicing for the auditions and that's where she was spending her time. But Dawn had gone to the effort of taking some beginner ballet lessons just for Velvet.
Because Dawn was a good, wholesome mare, and Velvet felt awful that she wasn't.
Though she wanted to spend the rest of the night curled up against Candy while the mare teased her with gentle strokes along her sides and back, her conscience nagged at her until she sat upright and shook her head. "Sorry, Candy."
"Aww, you leavin' early, babe?" Candy stretched her limbs in all directions before sitting up as well.
Velvet winced. "Yeah. I've just got a lot on my mind."
Candy flopped onto her stomach and yawned. "All right. Suit yourself. I've been having a craving for a little stallion lately, anyway." A grin spread across her face. "Not too little, of course."
What did that mean? Little stallions, or little eclairs? Velvet looked over at her with a furrowed brow, but just shrugged it off. "I'll see you later, Candy."
Her hooves felt heavy as she walked down the stairs outside of Candy's apartment. It was going to be awkward, wasn't it? Ugh, this was why relationships were a terrible idea for her. She just wasn't good at this at all.
The walk was slow. Arduous. About three times, she stopped and considered just going home instead, but the thought only drove the guilt in deeper. Dawn deserved better.
Sucking in a breath, Velvet knocked on the door. Maybe Dawn wasn't home. She did have a life of her own. For all Velvet knew, Dawn had gone off and gotten married in Las Pegasus!
Of course, Dawn was, in fact, home, evidence by the door opening. "Hello?" Dawn blinked, then smiled. "Hi, Velvet."
Velvet flashed a grin. "Hey, sunshine! How are you doing?"
"I'm fine." She shifted slightly. "Do you want to come in?"
"If you're not busy." When Dawn stepped out of the way, Velvet swallowed and walked inside. The furniture had been completely rearranged, leaving a large empty space in the middle of the room. "Hey! You redecorated?"
Dawn paused. Her gaze flicked about before she giggled softly. "Oh, yes, a while ago. Do you want something to eat?"
Velvet's ears wiggled and she flopped onto the couch. If she just acted normal, then everything would be fine. "That'd be great, thanks!"
Dawn bobbed her head, glancing at Velvet as she walked into the little kitchen. "How have your ballet lessons gone?"
"Ugh." Velvet scrunched up her nose. She rolled onto her side, one hindleg draped off the side of the couch, her forelegs crossed lazily over her stomach. "Great and terrible. Perennial really knows her stuff, but she just drags out practice forever."
There was a pause in the middle of the sounds of stirring. "I guess that's been taking up a lot of your time?"
"Well, not really—" Velvet jolted, all of her nerves lighting at once. What was the right answer? Would Dawn feel better if she said that's where she had been? "I mean, yes? Sort of?"
Whatever Dawn was stirring was then poured into a skillet. "Oh."
That didn't sound like she had given the right answer. Velvet's tail twitched as she sat up and looked over at Dawn. "What about you?"
Dawn glanced up from the stove. "I got a promotion at the grocery. I'm still just a cashier, but I work more hours, which means I get paid more. So, that's good!"
Velvet tilted her head. "Do you really want to be a grocer, though?"
"I... I don't know." Dawn sighed and with a deft flick of one hoof, the pancake-in-progress flipped in the pan. "There aren't any farms in Canterlot. A grocery store is the closest thing, right?"
"Have—" Velvet shifted in the couch, trying to put on her most serious expression. "Have you considered going back home?"
There was a long, awkward pause while Dawn focused on the pancake, slid it onto a plate, and started to garnish it with strawberries and whipped cream. "I—Do... Do you want me to go back home?"
How had she gotten herself into this situation? Velvet offered a small smile. "Dawn, sweetie, it doesn't matter what I want. If you're not happy in Canterlot, then I wouldn't want you to stay here just for me."
Dawn sighed, carrying the plate over and setting it on the little table beside the couch. "Oh."
Why was this so hard? Why couldn't she just say the right thing to make Dawn smile again? Velvet reached out and grabbed Dawn's hoof, giving it a small squeeze. "But if it makes you feel any better, I'd miss my little ray of sunshine."
A blush spread across Dawn's cheeks but, instead of giggling and melting like she usually did, she pulled her hoof away. "So, um, when you said not really? About being busy with your lessons?" She bit her lower lip. "Have you been—um—Have you been seeing another pony?"
Velvet frowned, though she tried not to. "Well, uh, I've been seeing other ponies, yeah. Like we talked about. Haven't you?"
The sudden darting away of Dawn's gaze was the only response Velvet got.
"Oh, well." Velvet swallowed, rubbed the back of her neck, and offered a weak grin. "You know, you should put yourself out there! Really! You're cute, you're sweet, you're a great cook. You'll make somepony very happy, you know?"
Dawn shuffled her hooves and kept her gaze firmly away from Velvet's. "I-I guess. Who... Who do you see?"
Suddenly, extra practice hours with Perennial sounded like a blessed reprieve from the agonizing awkward feeling that turned Velvet's stomach right then. "Uh. Well, it's not usually a specific pony. I mean, lately, it's been Candy, but usually—"
"Who's Candy?" Dawn finally looked at her, and it wasn't a sweet one. Velvet didn't know exactly what it was. It kind of reminded her of the look Crystal had in her eyes when she wanted to dye her mane to look more like Silent's ex-marefriend, Iridescence.
This was not going well at all, but lying was clearly just driving her deeper into a hole. It was time to come clean. After breathing in and mustering up all of her inner strength, Velvet explained, "Rock Candy's a mare I've been seeing lately. She's nothing like you or me." She winced when Dawn's ears drooped. "Which is okay! Everypony is different, sweetheart. There's nothing wrong with that."
"Oh." Dawn sat on the loveseat, sighed, and looked over at Velvet. "Do you think I'd like her?"
"What?" Velvet blinked.
"I-I mean, if you like her so much, then maybe I would, too?" Dawn started to twiddle her hooves. "I'm not having a lot of luck finding a special somepony on my own, so—"
"Whoa, no, no." Velvet shook her head. "Candy's not the 'settling down' type of mare. Not at all. Look, I don't know a lot about finding special someponies, but Candy's definitely not anypony's somepony."
Dawn's hooves stopped moving, then folded neatly in her lap and she straightened up. "Well, it can't hurt, can it?"
It could. It could hurt a lot. The idea of Dawn falling for Candy's overwhelming advances was too plausible for Velvet's liking. But, Dawn was a grown mare, and it wasn't Velvet's job to protect her from everything, was it? Velvet sighed and relented with a smile. "Okay, sure. She owns the candy store on Whinny Way, Sweethearts. Just, be careful, okay? She can come on a bit strong. Now, I'm gonna enjoy this pancake while you tell me about your grocery store."
"Oh! It's not very special. It does get bags of oats and barley from my family's farm, which is really neat." Dawn giggled and seemed to brighten. "Sometimes, on my break, I just go into the back room and smell the grains. The job itself may be boring, but being surrounded by all the fresh produce is its own reward!"
Velvet just nodded while she stuffed the pancake into her mouth. The more she ate, the less she had to talk. It was starting to feel like she was only getting herself into trouble by talking. Nodding, however, was safe, so she would stick to that for now.
---
"Thank you, please come again!" Velvet smiled at the last customer in line, then leaned against the counter and looked around Sunridge Sweets. It was busy as usual, but that just meant it was never boring. Ponies of all walks of life visited the bakery. It was kind of fascinating to meet them all, even if only for a brief encounter.
It wouldn't be so bad if she failed the auditions and ended up working at the bakery instead. The place always smelled great, ponies were generally in good spirits when buying sweets, and she got to work with the best ponies on the planet.
"How are things up here?" Pepper asked, trotting in from the back room, the smell of blueberries and sugary icing following him. "Going okay?"
Velvet looked over her shoulder to smile at him. "Going great! I'm starting to regret wasting all this time on the ballet lessons when I could have been doing this instead!"
Pepper chuckled, tousling her mane as best he could with it tied back. "Now, don't say that. Wait until the auditions before you call it a waste of time. You said you're learning a lot from Perennial, right?"
"Sure, I guess." She stuck her tongue out at him and looked back out into the bakery. "But this is fun, too."
"Oh, that's because it's not the pre-lunch or after-lunch rush." He winked. "That's when it gets crazy. Well, if you're fine up here, then I think I'm going to play with Red!"
Velvet gasped. "Aww! Wait, but I want to play with Red!"
Pepper flashed a coltish grin. "Sorry, but junior part-time employees that only show up for work once a week don't get Red privileges!"
"That's not fair! But, also, totally fair." Velvet dropped her head to rest in her forehooves and she let out a long, exaggerated sigh. "Have fun without me!"
Getting to play with Red more was definitely the greatest perk of all when it came to the prospect of working at Sunridge Sweets. How had Crystal talked her into the Royal Ballet idea, again? Because this seemed like a much better option.
The bell chimed and Velvet spotted two figures walk into the bakery out of the corner of her eyes. "Hello!" She straightened up and put on her sweet little "please buy lots of sweets" smile.
One of the two mares was wheelchair-bound with a light yellow coat and a blue mane. Just like her bright and happy colors, she looked cheerful as she talked to the blue filly beside her.
"Welcome to Sunridge—" Wait, blue filly? Velvet blinked, then gawked when recognition set in. "Azurite?!" She straightened up and tried not to frown. Frowning was bad for business. "What did I do now?!"
Azurite gave a high-pitched shriek of dismay as she reared back and waved her forelegs. "Nothing! Not that I know of, anyway! Not that I'm here for! We're here for treats. We fly kites, and then we get treats. We always get treats!" She paused, blinked, and dropped down onto all fours. "Wait, why are you here?"
Oh. Well, that was a perfectly reasonable explanation. Velvet crossed her hooves over one another on the counter and leaned forward. Now that she didn't have to worry for her safety, she could have a little fun. "It's my family's bakery."
Azurite's ears flicked back. "I had no idea! Honest, I didn't know! I promise I'm just here for the sweet treats. Can we please have some?" She looked panicked. Desperate. It was delicious.
Velvet narrowed her eyes in a stern glare, held it a moment, then nodded. "I guess so, but only because your friend looks nice. Not like a pony that starts fights."
"Oh, I'm very nice, I assure you." The other mare maneuvered around Azurite to get closer to the counter. "Honestly, I didn't know Azurite could have enemies. She's never struck me as the type."
Azurite bounded forward, her ears flat to the sides. "I'm not, because we're not! We're not enemies, we're just, uh, well..."
That was a fair conundrum. What were they? "She's right, we're more just, sort of, uh..." Acquaintances of an odd origin? That was accurate, but sounded weird.
The mare looked between them as they dragged on a little while longer before she offered, "Former lovers?"
"What?!" Azurite's face turned red. "No way!"
Oh, Velvet was absolutely going to love working there if this was what she got to look forward to. She glared at Azurite and hissed, "Hey, don't say it like that! Why not? We could be."
With a high-pitched whine, Azurite buried her face in her hooves while the other mare giggled. Velvet remained still and kept a straight face.
"I'm sorry." Azurite jerked her head up with a serious expression. "Velvet, you're very pretty. Sandy, Velvet is the mare Sunny da—went out with." There was a small hitch in her voice, but she continued, "The one I went to fight but instead we just had tea."
"Hey! Tea and fancy biscuits."
Azurite sighed. "And fancy biscuits."
The mare apparently named Sandy bobbed her head, grinning. "Oh, that makes sense. Now I understand." She looked up at Velvet with a bright smile. "I'm not with her and I don't condone fighting mares before you get all the facts. So, chop chop, make with the sweets, please."
Azurite's jaw dropped. "You traitor!"
Sandy offered an idle shrug. "Sorry, but friends come and go. Sweets like these are forever."
"What's all the commotion, sugardrop?" Sunbeam called, her voice growing nearer. "Everything okay?"
And there went her playtime with little Azurite. Velvet sighed and turned toward the door. "It's nothing, Mom! Don't worry about it! Just do your thing." Despite her words, Sunbeam walked out and Azurite's eyes went wide. "Back there. Okay, you're coming out. Don't listen to me."
Sunbeam flashed one of her trademark, picture perfect smiles as she approached the counter. "It sure sounds a lot like something! Who do we have here?" She pushed Velvet out of the way to prop herself up on the counter and took a closer look at Azurite and Sandy. "Are you two some of Velvet's little friends she never lets me meet?"
"Mom," Velvet groaned, but to no avail.
Azurite just kept staring while Sandy replied, "Yes, ma'am. Well, sort of, ma'am. Azurite here is. She and Velvet have the same taste in dates." She offered a hoof. "I'm Sandy Shores."
"Aren't you polite? Velvet, you could learn a thing or two." Sunbeam winked. "I'm Sunbeam, Velvet's mom."
Velvet whined and dropped her head down onto the counter. Nevermind. Forget working at the bakery. Abandon ship! Forget captain's honor or whatever. This captain was saving herself. "Really, Mom?"
Sunbeam waved a hoof at her. "Oh, hush, cocoapuff, I'm just happy! It's past time you branched outside of Crystal and your ballet friends." She smiled, glancing between Azurite and Sandy. "So, what brings you two by?"
"Azurite and I fly kites sometimes when we get together," Sandy said, propping her forelegs up on the counter to get to Sunbeam's eye level. "We talk about the things going on in our lives, get out all the serious and heavy problems, then come here to lighten the mood afterwards with sweets." She patted Azurite on the head like a foal.
Sunbeam cupped her cheeks. "Aww... I'm so glad we could be here for you!"
Sandy's ears wiggled. "Actually, you know what? Azurite has been through a rough patch. I think she could use some wisdom, if you have time."
"What?" Azurite backpedaled a few paces and shook her head. "Nope! Sandy's kidding! We were just leaving, no time for sweets, no time for wisdom!"
Sunbeam bubbled with giggles and shook her head. "Don't be silly! Everypony has time for sweets and wisdom. Why don't we grab an empty table and talk about it over cookies?" She grabbed Velvet's hoof and tugged her close, then hugged her a little too tight, which was code that Sunbeam was going to get her way no matter what Velvet did. "Doesn't that sound good, cinnamon stick? We should be nice to your friends, after all!"
No, that definitely did not sound good. They weren't even her friends! Velvet struggled, but Sunbeam only tightened her grip. Unfortunately, as far as Sunbeam was concerned, they were. And that meant they were. Velvet sighed and rolled her eyes. "Sure, okay, fine! Let's all just sit down so we can help my friends!"
Sandy and Sunbeam shared similar looks of delight as they all went over to an empty table, Sunbeam grabbing a pre-packaged box of cookies on their way. When Sunbeam sat down, she tugged Velvet into the seat beside her. "Did you know that she never tells me anything?" She huffed. "No gossip, no mare talk, no stories, no grandfoals for me, nothing at all!"
Sandy was a lost cause. She was clearly a kindred spirit for Sunbeam. Azurite, however—there was a chance Velvet could find solace in her. Their eyes met, Azurite just shrugged, and Velvet's hope was lost.
"Well, then, I've got some gossip to more than make up for it," Sandy said. "This story has intrigue, broken hearts, features your very own daughter, and more." She raised a hoof. "The catch is you have to keep an open mind. Can you do that?"
Sunbeam smiled and leaned in. "Try me."
Sandy nudged Azurite, grinning. "All right, Azurite, you heard the mare. Try her! From the sounds of it, Velvet can help fill in the gaps."
Azurite's lower lip trembled as she sucked in a breath. She rubbed her temple, then finally said, "Fine. Fine, okay! But you guys asked for this." She leaned back in her seat and crossed her forelegs over her chest. "I've got two special someponies."
Sunbeam's eyes glittered. "Go on."
Velvet rolled her eyes, but her ears did swivel to face Azurite as the mare started to talk about how she first met Sunny and the stallion of the threesome, Soarin. Hey, if the story was going to be told whether she listened or not, it didn't hurt to at least pay attention, right?