Red in the Face
Velvet walked alongside Ephemeral as they made their way through the streets of Canterlot. Which club were they going to? The stallion was being pretty tight-lipped about it, which made her all the more curious.
She sucked in a sharp, excited intake of air at a sudden thought. Was it a stallion's version of the Mare Contraire? Something like… the Stallion Battalion? That didn't sound very sexy, but she had never been much of a poet.
"Here we are," Ephemeral said, much to Velvet's disappointment.
It was just a regular-looking club called Synthaholic. Sure, the flashing lights, studly stallions, and minxy mares were exciting, but she was kind of looking forward to seeing some stallion-on-stallion action.
When they walked inside, a pegasus mare wearing all sorts of glowing accessories bounded over. "Eph! You're just in time!" She paused to look at Velvet. "Who's this?"
Ephemeral rubbed a hoof against his foreleg. "This is Velvet, a friend. She wanted to come with."
"Oh, yeah?" The mare cocked a grin. "I'm Swizzleglow. You amped for tonight?"
"Of course!" Velvet's gaze darted about. Ponies were everywhere, dancing alone, dancing together—all having a great time.
Ephemeral took a step forward. "She's just going to watch, at least for now."
Velvet blinked and looked up at him. "Watch? Watch what?"
"Aww… Fine, sure. Come on! The League's waitin' on you." Swizzleglow bounded off toward a group of stallions and mares standing off to the side, stretching as though they were preparing for a sports event.
Velvet's brow raised. "Moony, what's the League?"
"I'm part of a dance group called the Rocket League." His shoulders rolled as he started over to the waiting ponies. "Just watch."
"Uh, all right." Velvet glanced around, then took a seat at the bar. She didn't know what this was all about, which meant she wasn't going to take her eyes off Ephemeral and his friends. Not even to watch a perky rump bouncing off to her right.
After they finished stretching, Velvet noticed one of them bring out a glowing ball as they started toward the dance floor. They all dropped into what looked like combat stances and the stallion holding the ball spiked it into the air.
And that was when things got awesome.
With a variety of fluid movements, they would leap into the air and spin or flip to kick the ball at one of the other Rocket League ponies, all in time with the heavy techno music, all with their own unique flair.
When it was his turn, Ephemeral sprung into the air with all the grace befitting of a Royal Ballet ballerina. His wings flared out and his back arched as he kicked the ball back over his head with one of the highest mid-air arabesques she'd ever seen.
It was different. It was amazing! The coordination, the precision, the physical prowess—she was beyond enthralled. It was like watching a fireworks display of dancing, especially when the unicorn in the group sent off sparks of her magic.
After a few songs—and, on her part, a few drinks—the League took a break and walked over to where she sat, applauding them.
"You guys are amazing!" Velvet tried to stand, but sat back down when her head went light and fuzzy. All right, perhaps she'd had more than a few drinks. "So cool! How? Why?"
Swizzleglow ruffled her wings, the glow rings that were interwoven with the green feathers clicking together. "It just kinda happened! Dubstep came up with the idea. He and I started doing it, and before we knew it we had a whole group of regulars. So we made the Rocket League!"
Velvet wobbled some as she tried to focus on the moving colors that made up Swizzleglow's form. "That's really cool. You're really cool. Where's Moony?"
"Right beside you?" Ephemeral's voice came from a much closer proximity than she was expecting. "Are you drunk?"
Velvet leered at him. "I am not drunk! I am fine! Let's dance! I wanna rocket!"
"You're drunk." Ephemeral sighed and put a hoof to his forehead. "Well, this was a short-lived night out. Sorry, Leaguers, but I'm calling it a night and taking this little filly home."
"I'm no filly!" Velvet pushed his hoof away. "I'm a mare! I can dance. I wanna dance!"
Ephemeral stared at her for a moment, then shrugged. "Sure, okay. Show us your moves."
Velvet stuck her nose in the air as she lifted herself off the stool, took one step forward, and found herself staring at her own hooves. "Wha—?"
"Yup, great stuff. We're all impressed. Come on." Ephemeral's wing tugged her upright and held her to his side to keep her that way. "I'll see you all next time."
"Nooo," Velvet whined and struggled, but ultimately gave up when she realized the difference in their height meant her hooves couldn't touch the ground. She sighed as a chorus of farewells saw them out and the sounds of music faded away behind closed doors.
Ephemeral glanced down at her limp form. "Okay, where am I taking you?"
Velvet scrunched up her nose in thought. She couldn't go home; she didn't want Crystal to see her like this. And on top of that, Silent was sick. Her mom would still be laughing about the article and associated incident. She wasn't ready to face Dawn after said incident…
"Stahp!" Velvet shoved a hoof straight out in front of her, then dropped it down to point at the ground. "I command you, stallion, take me to base."
Ephemeral's ear flicked. "Base? What?"
"Royal Gerd base. Fer gerds." Velvet yawned and smacked her lips together. "I gotta friend there. A gerd."
After a moment of skeptical hesitation, Ephemeral shrugged and started down the main street toward the Royal Guard base. "Just don't fall asleep before we get there, otherwise I'm leaving you on the curb."
Velvet gasped. "You wouldn't!"
"Would I? I guess we'll find out, judging by those droopy eyes." Ephemeral chuckled softly.
Velvet glared at him, her hooves pressed to her forehead and tugging her brows up. "My eyes aren't drooping! I'm awake. Totes awake."
"Let's hope it stays that way." Ephemeral's wing kept her firmly held to his side, kind of like a blanket.
Mm, a blanket sounded great right then. A blanket and a bed. And a pillow. And sleep. And—
"Hey, wake up."
Velvet blinked and her head shot up. "Huh? I am awake!"
Ephemeral snorted, then laughed. "You've been snoring for the past five minutes."
"Oh." Velvet wiggled her hooves to try to reach the ground, gave up, and looked around. "Um, 'kay. So, up there. That building. Yup, yup." She waved her legs as though she were walking while he did the actual work. "Door. Right. Duck… duck… duck… duck… goose!" She stretched out her neck to nudge the door in front of them with her nose. "Olly olly pony free!"
"Are you sure this is the one?" When she nodded, Ephemeral shrugged, knocked, and smiled at the groggy pegasus stallion who answered. "I'm sorry to bother you, sir, but I have something that claims to belong to you."
Velvet huffed. "Never said that, just said I was friends with a gerd."
Thunder Tumble rubbed his eyes, then blinked at her. "Wha—Velvet?" He groaned and rubbed again. "What's going on?"
Ephemeral's wing stretched out to loosen his grip, though he did keep it around her when she stumbled a bit. "Somepony had a bit too much to drink and said I could bring her here."
"Tumble? What's up?" an unfamiliar voice called from inside the room.
"N-Nothing, just go back to sleep." Tumble lowered his voice as he looked down at Velvet. "My roommate's here. Sorry... I can't let you in."
A face popped into view around Tumble's side. "Of course he can! It'd be irresponsible of us as guards to let her wander all by herself. Bring her in, she can have my bunk."
Ephemeral watched as Velvet wobbled inside with help on all sides—a wing here, a hoof there, and a nudge—until she planted face-first into a pillow. "Okay, then," he said, "I'll see you at work, Velvet. If you're not too hung over for practice."
Velvet waved a hoof. "It's fiiine! Not my first reodo."
"Rodeo, and all right. Bye, Velvet. Thanks, sirs."
The sound of the door shutting and the flapping of wings forced Velvet to roll her head to the side and look at the stallions peering at her, Tumble with concern and his roommate with interest.
"Yooou," Velvet started, paused, then squinted. "Flasher. Right?"
The roommate grinned. "Lightning Flash, actually. So you're the mare Tumble has been chasing me out of here to see."
Velvet shrugged. "One of 'em, at least."
Tumble's face turned red. "The—The only one, thank you!" His ears folded back. "Look, why don't you move to my bunk so Lightning can sleep, and I'll just sleep on the floor?"
"Or—or." Velvet put a hoof on his nose. "We could share the bed."
Lightning's grin widened. "Yeah, Tumble. Listen to the lady. Don't mind me."
"Cut it out, both of you!" Tumble sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I'm really tired from the extra shifts since nearly everypony's out sick, and now there's the recent attack on those fillies that's in the papers… Can I just get some sleep?"
The recent attack? Oh, right. Yeah, that attack. Velvet blinked a few time as her vision started to blur and her eyes burned. Flash's bed, Tumble's bed, she didn't care. She just needed—
"Velvet?" Tumble flapped closer to her. "Are you okay?"
Velvet blinked a few times. "Yeah. Just tired. Why?"
"Because you're crying," he said with earnest concern in his voice.
Velvet's hooves flew to her face. Yup, her cheeks were wet. That explained the blurring and burning sensation. "I—um—" Her lower lip trembled and, all of a sudden, she broke down. "It was me! I'm sorry!"
Flash glanced between them. "Uh, do I need to give you two some space?"
Tumble shrugged at him. "I'm not sure." He looked back at Velvet. "What was you?"
"The—" She hiccupped. "The attack! I did it. I'm sorry!"
After a pause, Tumble asked slowly, "Are you confessing that you attacked two innocent fillies?"
Velvet nodded, sniffled, and whimpered. "I thought… I thought they were vamponies. I thought the-they were coming for me! I had to! I had to draw their attention to protect Dawn!"
Lightning perched on the foot of Tumble's bed. "Sounds like you aren't getting any sleep, Tumble, buddy, so I'm just gonna take your bed." With a playful salute, he dove under the sheets and disappeared from sight.
With a small sigh and a shake of his head, Tumble landed on the space beside Velvet. "Okay. You know vamponies don't exist, right?"
"How do you know?!" Velvet ineffectually punched his shoulder. "If I said I thought they were changelings, you wouldn't think I was crazy!"
"So you're scared of changelings and vamponies?"
"No," Velvet muttered, grabbing the pillow and hugging it to her chest. "Just vamponies."
Tumble stared at her with a confused furrow of his brow. "So you're not afraid of something that we know exists, but you're afraid of something that doesn't—that we don't know if it exists?"
"Yeah. What of it?" She glared up at him. "You're not just gonna someday turn into a changeling. My best friend isn't just gonna turn into a changeling. But someday, someday I could come home and suddenly Crystal's a vampony, and there'd be nothing I could do about that! How is that not terrifying?!"
Tumble sat there quietly until Lightning piped up, "That is a pretty scary thought, you know."
"It is, I'll admit that." Tumble sighed. "All right. So you acted out of self-defense and to protect your friend. That's admirable."
Velvet sniffed. "It is."
"It wasn't a premeditated attack?" When she shook her head, he nodded. "All right. And they were in costume. From what I know, it was high-end cosplay." He took her hoof in his. "For now, why don't you sleep off the alcohol. In the morning, I'll take you to the local precinct office and explain what happened. You'll have to pay a fine and write an apology letter to those fillies, okay?"
Velvet pulled his hoof close and nuzzled her cheek against it. "Okay. I can do that. I am sorry."
Tumble slipped out of her grasp, patted her on the head, and slipped off the bed. "Go to sleep, Velvet. We'll take care of it in the morning. It'll be all right."
He was nice. Maybe too nice. She sighed and flopped over onto her side, still hugging the pillow. Nice ponies didn't deserve to be stuck with ponies like her.
---
How long had it been since Azurite started laughing? Velvet wasn't sure, but it had been long enough that Red had started giggling, gotten bored of it, wandered around the picnic blanket, then fell into a second giggle fit.
"Okay!" Velvet groaned. "I get it, I get it. It's funny. You've had your laugh!"
Azurite slapped her hooves over her mouth and nodded, her breathing labored from the struggle to contain her laughter. She wheezed once, twice, and on the third time, she lowered her hooves. "I'm so sorry, but—I thought I had messed up by jumping the wrong mare in the shower. You head-butted fillies!"
Velvet rolled her eyes. "I head-butted one and shoulder-checked the other. But that's not the point! My point was just that we all make mistakes, okay? So you shouldn't beat yourself up over the shower thing."
"Oh, I guess." Azurite's mirth deflated. "I still feel pretty silly, though. I just want things to go back to normal."
An awkward silence settled on them. A soft wind drifted by to rustle the branches above and they just watched Red making his way toward the edge of the blanket, intent on testing the limits a second time.
"So, Azurite," Velvet said, guiding Red back to the center by picking him up and turning him about, "I kind of have a personal question for you."
Azurite winced and her ears folded back. "Sure."
Red protested his confinement by just sitting still, so Velvet started to caress his mane. "I don't really get relationships, so forgive me for not understanding why you want to have two." She glanced up at the little blue mare. "Have you ever considered just… letting Sunny go and sticking to Soarin? You two are happy, right?"
Azurite's nose scrunched up and she opened her mouth with determination in her eyes. "No! I—" Her mouth snapped shut. The gears visibly spun around as her eyes darted back and forth, almost like she was watching the voices in her head argue right in front of her.
Finally, Azurite sighed and relented, "I—I don't know. Soarin is really amazing, and really hot, too. I'm actually shocked he hadn't found somepony sooner! I mean, yeah, he has his faults, but so do I. We're a good pair. I'm certainly pretty happy, anyway."
Red sensed the sadness in Azurite's voice and toddled over to her with his forelegs outstretched for a hug. He really was a sweetheart that way.
"Oh my goodness, you're just too cute!" Azurite scooped him into her embrace and cuddled him close. After a sigh, she continued, "I miss Sunny, too, though. Our relationship is… was different. Being with her isn't the same as being with Soarin. Oh! And vice versa, of course. They're both really special to me."
Velvet nodded. She could understand that. Even if it wasn't the same, she could even go so far as to empathize. Seeing Dawn happy made her happy. And it was fun to be the 'big pony' in bed, but it was much more satisfying when Tumble pinned her down, and—
No, no. This wasn't all about sex. For Azurite, this was about love. Velvet breathed in and out to release the thoughts so she could focus on the real situation at hoof. "And there is no way you can get from Soarin or your friends what you got from Sunny?" She raised her hooves defensively. "Keep in mind, I'm not anti-Sunny here. I just want to make sure you're looking at this from all angles."
Azurite looked down at Red with a sad little pout. "I don't really have friends other than Sunny and Soarin."
What? Velvet raised her brow. Was that supposed to be an insult, or was Azurite just oblivious? "Are you sure about that?"
"Huh?" Azurite hugged Red and peeked over at Velvet like a shy filly. After a moment, she mumbled, "I guess I'm not sure, at least not now. I don't imagine you'd do all this for somepony you didn't like." Her ears wiggled. "Would you?"
"Well, I might!" Velvet grinned. "You know, 'cause of the guilt! But… that isn't the case here, though. I mean, yeah, I agreed because of the guilt thing, but that isn't why. Not anymore." She reached out to ruffle Red's mane. "And I certainly wouldn't let anypony play with Red out of guilt!"
Red cooed and gurgled, then purred like a cat and nuzzled her hoof.
Velvet looked back at Azurite with a smile. "To be honest, you're my first non-dance, non-Crystal's-group friend." The smile fell. "Well, I guess you sort of overlap, if you count the whole Silent thing."
Azurite beamed at her. "Thanks. And you're my first non-Sandy, non-inanimate-object, non-dating friend."
When Red started squirming, Azurite reluctantly let him go, watching him with a curious frown as he made a beeline for the blanket's edge.
"You're welcome." Velvet stretched out to block his path, laughing softly when he growled. She looked up at Azurite with a smile. "Think about what I said, okay? You never know, you might find out that you already have what you want with Soarin. If you just focus on him for a while instead of on Sunny, you might be surprised. Or maybe not. It can't hurt to let Sunny cool off in the meantime, right?"
Azurite nodded meekly. "I'll think about it, but no promises."
"That's fine. Now, let's talk about Red." She shifted to block the new path he had made for another edge. "I was thinking we could dress him up like a little baby chicken."
"No, no, no." Azurite's eyes went wide. "A pink pony. No! Mr. Peepers! Wait, no, a baby chicken does sound cute… Oh, wait, if we could get him a little scuba outfit, then he could be Diver Pony, and you could be Mr. Peepers…"
Velvet just laughed as Azurite sputtered her way through suggestions, only half of which made sense. It didn't matter, though. After embarrassing herself in front of Dawn, getting plastered instead of hanging out with Ephemeral, crying all over Thunder Tumble, and then spending three hours with Officer Stern to go over the whole ordeal… she was more than happy to just laugh for a while.
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Hehe, a fun chapter indeed.
everything is beautiful and marvelous
I love everything about this. I don't know what else to say.
I never would have expected Velvet to be the first one to get in trouble with the law.
I don't know, I think that Velvet may be falling into a pattern of self-loathing and might be attempting to cover for it with alcohol and sex. I think that it may also be getting worse, given her instability and volatile mood swings in the past few chapters.
But then again I'm hardly a psychologist.
Yes, Velvet, listen to Azurite. You can have both Thunder and Ephemeral! Just imagine how much fun that would be.
Why, you could even [Censored for the sanctity of our children. Think of the children, man!]
EDIT: I actually would like to see a stallion-heavy herd in a story.
So. Velvet likes to watch.
Bwhahahahaha!
That was pretty great.
Oh my!
Hmn. Well. Maybe word won't get around?
An attack on some fillies? Nobody knows nothing about no attack on some fillies.
Well, at least the mystery of the attack has been solved, and from the sound of things with no long lasting consequences to Velvet.
And at least it's funny!
Really, we all just need Sunny to stop being a silly butt.
Don't ask about the inanimate object friends, Velvet.
Maybe it's just me, but it seems odd that Velvet attacks fillies over an irrational fear and the reaction by Sunbeam and Azurite is... laughter? I certainly would be worried if I had a kid and they attacked other kids (out of fear or not) and Azurite was a city guard who I would have expected to be a bit more serious (basically have the same as Thunder Tumble).
Honestly, I think Velvet is going to need some serious help. It's bad enough to have her fear of vamponies (I wonder if they do exist...), but she does seem to have other psychological problems (not that I would know as I'm not a psychologist) given what we've seen of her actions. She doesn't seem to really know what she wants in life.
I think I like Lightning as a character and Red is adorable as usual.
I approve with the amount of Red in this chapter.
I always knew Velvet wanted to join the Royal Gerds. Erhmahgerd!
Now that that is out of my system, I have to say this is one of those moments where Velvet let her guard down, and her friends were there to help her back up, Especially good of thunder tumble to not go nuts over her confession, and let her sleep it off first. I have to say this was an interesting but good chapter to read, and Red Velvet and Azu are always adorable.
Ah, Velvet, Velvet. When will you learn that it is most emphatically not a good idea to arrive at a military installation off-your-plot drunk?
Also, if a ballet dancer could just walk a drunk pony right onto the base and into the barracks with no questions asked... well, let's just say that in the Army, there would be a bit of... inquiry into such matters. And let's leave it at that.
Thirdly: Yay, Velvet! Owning up to your mistakes and atoning for them! It's like - I don't know - she's becoming responsible or something! Next thing you know, she'll be doing something crazy, like starting a steady monogamous relationship with Thunder Tumble or something equally insane!
7163477
That largely depends on the base and its current force protection level (and to some extent whether we're talking pre or post Fort Hood). I've worked on at least 8 different US military bases across two continents. Some were so tightly controlled that they made it almost impossible for people who were supposed to get on to get on.
I've also been to two others where all you had to do was show any ID and you were fine. I've even been on one (pre Fort Hood) where you could drive on with a firearm as a civilian if you were going to the hunting club. So with ponies (and reality) I think there isn't a single "correct" answer.
7163492 I see. Guess I just haven't been to any of the more laid-back ones yet.
7163477
it's the Royal Guard.... their record is < impressive
7163211 not me... it needed to have 30% more Red on it
7162881 Congrats on your new club and dance-sport-thing
I am inclined to agree. On the other hand, maybe if she was with a nice pony she would be a nicer pony and more aware of the feelings of those around her that don't fit into her world-view? Just saying.
Also, the new techno-dance-sport thing is awesome and weird, at first I imagined it as some weird type of flying-kick-dancing dodgeball.
Come now, Velvet, you should not stop here! You're a free pony, doing what your desires and whims tell you! You have ever the right! You are young, sweet... And young, sweet mares deserve to have their enjoyment! And those little mistakes? Everypony makes them! So don't lose heart and keep savouring your life in earnest!
Oh, and don't mind me. I'll just stay right back here, in the shadows, smiling jovially at your excesses. Have fun, doll...
Best chapter!
7163131
You're just saying that because you don't know the vamponies ARE real. And Azurite knows Velvet much better than Thunder Tumble... and the cognative dissonance of a vampony vs. ballet-pony altercation IS hillarious. Like Buffy the vampire slayer. Its Velvet the vampony slayer! The unexpected levity amongst all the heartfelt pain Azu is in just causes her to crack up.
7163131
It's par for the course. The same thing happened earlier when Crystal Wishes laughed off Velvet Step being accused of "stealing my marefriend" by Azurite.
This was a nice chapter, I mean it had Azurite after all.
Great chapter, drunk velvet is hilarious.
Drunk Velvet is best Velvet.
Aahhh! I'm so behind on responses, sorry!!
7162879 Thank you!
7162881 I can't imagine why you'd like it, but thanks! It was only basically a chapter dedicated to you.
7162897 Nothing else needs to be said when a chapter is perfect.
7162957 It's kind of amusing, isn't it? Everyone thought this was a story about her fighting crime by moonlight. She is the crime!
7162972 Velvet definitely has some issues going on, that's for sure.
7162988 Why not throw in Lightning Flash? He seems like an easygoing stallion.
7163127 Stallions are hot! Who wouldn't like to watch?
At least one good thing came out of Sunny being a silly butt: AzuStep friendshipping!
7163211 Hurrah!
7163224 Yeah, she needed someone who didn't just... laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. Come on, Sunbeam, Azurite!
7163477 Why's it gotta be monogamous? Dawn needs lovin', too... I'm sure Tumble wouldn't mind...
7163867 Flying-kick-dancing volleyball is what I had in mind when I decided to make Synth a happy camper!
7163919 Mmmhm, you don't sound biased whatsoever in those suggestions.
7164151 I was pleased with myself with that one...
7164632 Glad you liked it! And, yes, it was intended to be an amusing altercation on the whole for us readers, with repercussions of course.
7164654 Well, when you hide yourself, things that seem out of character are just hard to believe!
7164741 Azurite is a key ingredient in nice chapters!
7165317 I do greatly enjoy writing drunk Velvet.
7165854 Here, here!
I kinda imagined it as a mixture between this…
…this…
…and this…