Bubbling to the Surface
Multitasking: a necessary skill that Velvet was pretty sure she had mastered. It was the only way she could stay on top of her ballet practice, help out at her parents' bakery, and keep Red entertained, all at the same time.
"Whee!" Red squealed from his spot on Velvet's back as she dipped low and rotated on her left hindleg.
"Here are your milkshakes," Velvet said, lifting the glasses from the tray she balanced on one forehoof. "Enjoy!"
The mare sitting at the table clapped her hooves. "Ooh! Brava, brava! I didn't realize this was going to be treats and a show!"
Velvet winked. "We do our best to keep a smile on your face at Sunridge Sweets." Tucking the tray under one foreleg, she shifted Red to be held with the other, and rose up onto the tips of her hindhooves. Red struck a Superpony pose as she carried him a back to the kitchen.
If she could perfect parts of her routine while carrying Red and a tray of sweets, then she was pretty much guaranteed to succeed without them. And Red thought it was the most fun thing, so it was a huge win-win!
"Are you two having fun?" Sunbeam asked, pulling a giant cookie cake down from where it was chilling and setting it on the decorating table.
Red giggled his response, and Velvet laughed. "Lots! He's not usually in the mood. I am going to be the belle of the ball because of this little fellow."
Sunbeam blinked. "The ball? What ball?"
Velvet rolled her eyes, set Red down at his play area, and took a seat beside Sunbeam. "The ball in the ballet, Mom. Don't you pay attention?"
"Oh, honeymuffin, don't play that game with me." She turned to face Velvet, a frown on her lips. "What is this cookie cake for?"
The cookie cake? Velvet stared at it. So far, all Sunbeam had accomplished were little swirls of light blue frosting along the edges. Light blue… With a casual certainty, she replied, "Celebrating a new baby colt."
Smiling, Sunbeam raised a hoof and flicked Velvet's forehead. "Bzzt! Don't you pay attention?" She giggled. "We have a birthday filly coming by in an hour."
Velvet stuck out her tongue. "Whatever! A birthday filly's cookie cake and the ballet I've been practicing for, like, the past two months are totally different."
"Mmhm." Sunbeam picked up her piping bag and returned to the delicate work of adding each individual swirl. "So, the belle of the ball, hmm?"
Velvet licked her lips. How long had it been since she had a cookie cake? Now she wanted a cookie cake. Maybe if she begged… Her gaze shifted to Red. Maybe she'd get him in on it and they could double up their puppy eyes.
"Sweetie?" Sunbeam prompted.
"Right!" Velvet sat up straight. Cookie cakes could wait. "Yeah. Belle of the ball. One of the last scenes is a big ball dance. I've got a role in it. Moony does, too. The corps are filling up the background. He and I get to dance up front and center with some of the other soloists and the principal."
Sunbeam nodded idly. She'd never been interested in ballet beyond supporting Velvet. To be fair, none of her family had really ventured into the dance world. She was the oddball among bakers, decorators, paper pushers, and crochet masters. Velvet started to frown. She was the oddball in pretty much every aspect of her life, wasn't she…
"Hi!" a little voice chimed from the door. "Can I come in?"
Sunbeam waved a hoof, beaming. "Oh, of course, crumbcake! You're basically family!"
As Azurite pranced inside, Sandy wheeled in behind her. "What about me?"
"The same goes for you, sugarsnap." Sunbeam winked. "I don't pick favorites unlike a little somepony I know."
Azurite gasped and lowered her head to Red's level. "Is she talking about you? Does this little cutie pick favorites?" Her ears wiggled. "Is it me? Aunty Azu? Is Aunty Azu your favorite?"
Red gurgled and wiggled his ears back at her. "Ahh-su!"
With a shriek of surprise, Azurite started hopping up and down, her head whipping about as she looked between of others. "Did he just say my name?!"
Sunbeam's smile fell into a flat line. "Are you kidding me?"
"Awww." Sandy clasped a hoof to her cheek. "That's so cute."
"Out." Sunbeam pointed at the door. "I take back what I said. Neither of you are welcome here."
Azurite kept bouncing up and down, but her expression turned from ecstatic to confused. "Huh?"
Velvet raised her hoof to playfully hide her mouth as she whispered loudly, "Mom gets really jealous over things like this, 'cause he never calls her Mama to her face."
"Ooh…" Azurite's bouncing slowed as she turned her gaze back to Red. "Why don't you say Mama?"
Red's eyes lit up and he looked over at Sunbeam, smiled at her, and wiggled his forelegs.
Sunbeam just sighed and tried to smile at Azurite. "So, sweetie, what is next on the list for getting Soarin and Sunny back together?"
"Next? Oh. Um… nothing." Azurite plopped down on the ground and started to stroke Red's mane. "I've decided to just focus on what I have."
Sunbeam blinked. "Oh?"
While Azurite started to explain the new developments, Velvet's mind wandered. The ballet performance was rapidly approaching. This would be her first time on stage with the Royal Ballet. Her stomach was a weird combination of excited butterflies and nervous knots at the same time.
Having a principal role as Kitri once upon a time at the Canterlot Ballet didn't compare to this at all. That was a temporary role in a small company. This was the most prestigious ballet company in all of Equestria. The mistakes she had made as Kitri were forgivable because she was just filling in. The mistakes she made here could haunt her career.
There was more freedom as a soloist, in a sense—she didn't have to stay in perfect sync with the other corps dancers. There was also a lot more pressure. She had a more visible role. Ponies would see her, not just a group of ballerinas moving all at the same time. Sure, most of the time they'd be focused on the principal dancers, but that didn't change that she was front and center in some scenes.
It was no longer about cooperation, but now there was competition. She couldn't fall behind the other soloists. They weren't going to be aware of her or try to stay with her the way corps dancers did for each other, so if she tripped, she'd trip alone.
"Velvet helped," Azurite said, the sound of her name drawing Velvet out of her thoughts. "She told me to focus on what I had."
What were they talking about? Oh, right. Soarin and Sunny. Velvet nodded. "Soarin is a pretty good catch by anypony's standards. Plus, you two are cute together."
Sandy peered at her, one brow raised with interest. "Wait, how do you know that?"
Velvet grinned. "They came in and bought a whole bunch of cake frosting the other night. And I mean a whole bunch of frosting!" Her grin widened. "And no cakes."
Azurite sputtered as a red blush showed through her blue coat, reaching all the way to her ears. "Yes! Cake! Cake frosting. For cake. Cake at home. Definitely had a cake at home." She glared at Velvet. "How could you! You promised not to tell!"
"I did not!" Velvet raised her hooves. "My exact words were, 'I'm going to have fun with this later.' And I think yours were, 'Me, too!'"
Azurite gave a high-pitched squeal of dismay and buried her face in her hooves. Beside her, Sandy tossed her head back and laughed.
Sunbeam wrapped a hoof around Azurite's shoulders, pulled her closer, and stuck a cookie in her mouth. "Don't mind them, dear. What you do with your stud is your business." She smiled. "But, seriously, good for you!"
"Noph helphing!" Azurite managed around the cookie she happily chewed.
"Oh, come on, Azu." Velvet waved a hoof. "We know you two do things. He's a big, studly athlete, and you blush too much to not. It's pretty much your biggest giveaway."
Azurite shook her head as quickly as possible. "Noph!"
Sandy rolled her eyes. "Azurite has never done anything, apparently. Other than play sports."
"Yeph!" Azurite nodded, paused to swallow the mouthful of cookie, and squeaked, "Sports!"
Sunbeam gave the shoulder she still held a small squeeze. "Sports are fun. They're an important part of a healthy relationship."
Velvet's nose scrunched up and she shot her mother a glare as the mare returned to her decorating. "Mom, gross! I'm right here!"
Sunbeam paused in the middle of piping a heart to give Velvet a deadpan stare. "And how do you imagine you got here, hmm? You're not adopted, and neither is your little brother."
Imagine? That was one of the last things Velvet wanted to ever imagine. "Aaand suddenly, this isn't fun anymore." She crossed her forelegs over her chest, slumped in her seat, and looked at Azurite. "So, anyway. We're done sending gifts?"
Azurite paused. Her ears fell first, followed by her whole expression. Eyes drooped, smile curved down into a frown, and shoulders slumped. "I guess so."
Sandy maneuvered closer to Azurite and pulled her into a hug. "It's okay, partner," she soothed. "You'll be fine. You're making a well-reasoned decision."
Awkwardly, Velvet just nodded. If things were so good with Soarin, then why was Azurite so sad? What was so special about Sunny?
A sniffle broke the momentary silence and all eyes turned to see Sunbeam wiping tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry, but Azurite just looks so sad. Like somepony stepped on her heart."
"I'll be okay," Azurite said in a voice that suggested otherwise and her eyes glossed over with tears. "Soarin and I will be okay."
Sunbeam dropped her work to join Sandy in embracing Azurite, and Velvet followed suit to complete the group hug. They remained that way for a while, Azurite trying to muffle her sniffles until she blurted, "So, who wants to see a Wonderbolts' show?"
They pulled back to look at her with varying degrees of confusion.
"I can get tickets," she continued, "and I think Red might like it. He'll need a few ponies to keep an eye on him, though." A little smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she glanced between them all. "Since he is such a hoofful."
Sunbeam blinked a few times. "You don't have to do that, sweetie."
Azurite nodded. "I know, but I'd like to spend time doing something really fun with you all. Instead of us just always talking about my relationship." The smile grew in size. "Plus, you get to watch some of the best athletes around wear tight uniforms." The smile became a grin. "Trust me, it is so worth it."
"When is the show?" Velvet's ears wiggled. "And how tight are we talking here?"
"How about… this Friday? Is that too soon?" Azurite twiddled her hooves. "We're talking very, very tight, so…"
"Not too soon for me. I happen to know Red is free on Friday, too." Velvet grinned wickedly as images flashed through her mind. Considering how well-built Soarin had been, the other Wonderbolts had to be in similarly good shape. Slap a tight uniform on that flank and…
"Sandy? Sunbeam?" Azurite asked, glancing between them.
Sandy smiled and shrugged. "Still beats Bingo at the veteran hall."
Sunbeam nodded. "Of course, dear. We'll all go have a fun little outing together! It'll be a wonderful change of pace."
"Yay!" Azurite threw her hooves in the air.
Mmm. Velvet leaned back in her seat. A Wonderbolts show. She'd never been to one before, but she'd heard they were pretty cool. And given that Azurite was dating one of them, that probably meant they'd get really good seats, too. This sounded like it was going to be pretty awesome.
---
"It was awesome!" Velvet exclaimed, throwing her hooves in the air. "I had no idea Wonderbolts shows were that… that… exciting!"
Dawn slowly sipped her raspberry mojito, her eyes not quite meeting Velvet's. "Oh. That sounds like fun."
Velvet grinned. "It was more than fun! It was the best! And not just the show itself. Don't get me wrong, that was totally great. The precision flying, the sharp turns, the coordination. It's like ballet. It's a lot like ballet, but way more action. If I were a pegasus, I would totally try to be a Wonderbolt!"
"Oh?" Dawn giggled softly. "I could see that, actually." Her head tilted to the side. "What else was there other than the show, though?"
"The after-show meet-and-greet." Velvet fanned herself with one hoof. "Up close and personal with some of the most well-built ponies I have ever met. I wanted to just touch them. Like, just a little poke, you know? To see what their muscles feel like. I bet they feel like rocks. But in a good way." She purred, "Azurite wasn't lying about how tight the suits were, either…"
Dawn looked down at her drink and muttered, "Azurite must be pretty special to arrange a meet-and-greet with the Wonderbolts for you…"
Velvet raised one brow. "What?" She grinned and teased, "Aww, is somepony jealous?"
Dawn's ears perked straight up as a flush overtook her cheeks.
"Aww!" Velvet reached out to pat one of those cute red cheeks. "I'm sorry, cutie. It was spur of the moment. I'll stop talking about how much fun we all had, though."
After a pause, Dawn repeated, "'We all'?"
"Yeah. Azurite got tickets for me, Mom, Red, and Sandy." Velvet's smile fell into a frown. "The only downside was that Mom told the Wonderbolts some of my embarrassing foal stories. Which basically ruined my chances with any of them." She sighed. "Oh, well."
Dawn went silent. A little too silent. To be fair, Velvet had spent all of their time together that evening talking about how much fun she'd had at the show. It had been pretty awesome, but it was time to shift gears.
"Anyway!" Velvet clapped her hooves together. "Let's get down to business." She tapped the bar and smiled at the bartender. "Pearlsy, hook me up with the details. I don't normally come this early, so I don't know much about this crowd."
Pink Pearls glanced between them. "Are you asking for yourself, for your friend, or for both of you?"
Velvet paused. "For both of us? Hmm…" She glanced at Dawn. Sweet, innocent Dawn. Yeah, there was no way she could wrangle a threesome without a guilty conscience. "Nah, just for my friend here."
"I see." Pearls took a moment to size Dawn up. She had a keen eye and was great at reading ponies. Usually she just used that to guess what drinks they wanted, but Velvet had learned that little talent applied to other things, like suggesting makeup or jewelry to suit an outfit. Or ponies that seemed like good matches. "Maybe her." She gestured off to one end of the bar.
Velvet and Dawn followed the gesture to see a unicorn mare with a coat the color of a robin's egg. She had a sweet little smile on her face and was already looking their way. Okay, so perhaps Pearls had cheated and just spotted the first mare that was making eyes at them.
"Perfect!" Velvet slid off her stool and grabbed Dawn's hoof. "Come on, let's go introduce ourselves."
Dawn squeaked. "D-Do we have to?"
"You want a special somepony, don't you? Well, the mares that come to the Contraire at this hour are all the nice ones. The ones who don't want one-night stands. So she'll probably be perfect!"
"Probably," Dawn repeated in a petulant mumble.
Velvet laughed. "Don't be so shy! Come on." As they neared the unicorn, who sat up straighter when she saw them approaching, Velvet beamed at her. "Hi there!"
"Hi!" the mare chirped. "How are you?"
"Curious," Velvet said, pulling out the stool next to the mare and gesturing for Dawn to sit.
Reluctantly, Dawn complied, though she hunkered herself down as much as she could as if to make herself invisible.
The mare's ears wiggled. "What about?"
"Well, my friend here is single. Super shy. And you seem nice. So, I was wondering if maybe you were also single but less shy."
Giggling behind a hoof, the mare nodded. "I am single, and I don't think I'm shy!" She shifted her gaze to the wilting Dawn. "My name is Amber Joy. What's yours?"
"D-Dawn Walker." She glanced up at Amber, then back down at her mojito.
"Great! So, I'll let you two get to know each other." Velvet beamed at them, then trotted over to where she had been sitting before. "Pearlsy! Another appletini."
Pearls flashed an exaggeratedly fake smile. "Stop calling me that," she said in a tone that was too serious to take seriously.
Velvet laughed. "Yeah, okay, sure, Pearlserina."
"Okay, nevermind. Pearlsy is fine."
Laughing again, Velvet glanced over to see Dawn and Amber engaged in conversation. Dawn's posture had relaxed some, though she was still a little tense. Ah, well. She'd be fine. Amber seemed nice.
And speaking of nice… Velvet just couldn't get the image of the Wonderbolts and those uniforms out of her head. Those deliciously tight uniforms. Thunder Tumble would probably look great in one… Maybe they sold, like, Nightmare Night costumes of them that she could buy. Now that would be awesome.
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And how long is Velvet going to be in denial about Dawn?
Oh, Velvet Step. You just can't stand to be around yourself, can you? Sweetie, just because you can't stand you doesn't mean that other ponies can't!
And Dawn Walker. Dearest Dawn Walker. The frell are you waiting for? Look, just remember the advice that Twilight Sparkle-Sigma... whatever local dimension she's from, gave to fillies of all ages, including yours:
Sure, you need to replace a couple pronouns, but that's still sound advice!
Unless you're Princess Celestia. Then, it's going to get weird.
Ya know, Velvet gave Silent crap for being so oblivious but she is starting to rival him in that regard.
Not that I would ever venture into this kind of establishment, but if I were at the Mare Contraire, that would be well enough for me to give Velvet a piece of my mind. Fervently.
The title of the chapter is promising, oh Rose Princess. I hope to see grand malice inflicted by your quill, quite soon.
Dawn needs to come out and say her feelings. Otherwise, Velvet will just continue to avoid the real issue.
Velvet now has a Wonderbolt fetish and starts daydreaming of "partying" with Surprise.
I'm starting to think that Velvet is playing with weighted dice against herself. I don't know how you can lose when playing yourself, but if anyone can do it, a soloist such as Velvet will manage.
To quote Dana Scully:
There are hits, and there are misses. And then there are misses.
Yes, Wonderbolts uniforms. Nothing like wrapping someone in something tight and slinky to get the blood pumping.
Though every scene with Dawn gives me the depressies. She hits so close to home.
7248842
She's worried about breaking her leg on that first swing, and then having her face broken on the reprisal. Er... That's an awful metaphor. You understand what I mean, right? Insecurity, hopes being fed, and all that?
7249225
Past experience with Rock Candy shows us that Dawn leading with her left would be an incredible turn-on for Velvet.
another solid chapter crystal, can't wait to see where this is leading towards
i had a feeling of deja vu until i remembered i had seen this through Azurite's eyes, Amber Joy seems cute.
Yep, Velvet is evil. And we love it. Poor Azurite, though.
Speaking of evil...
Yes, Sunbeam is ten times worse than her daughter at this, and we still love it.
Yay! More Pearlsy!
Rofl! Pearlserina is the best nickname ever! Though obviously Pearlsy disagrees. And Velvet is still evil :D
Oh silly Velvet, I know where you can get a uniform. *Grins devilishly.*
Hehehehe Velvet may be great at trolling, but still nothing compared to her mother. Its always amusing when Sunbeam shuts down troll velvet in a funny way. I have to say I feel for Dawn, i really do cause ive been in that position before years ago. anywho, maybe this Amber mare will be good for dawn, and when dawn is with said mare, maybe it will get velvet to open her eyes. Anyway, Rose Princess, I cant wait to see the next chapter.
7248878 Oh Im of the same mind too, but you have to admit the drama is amusing.
Well she's not wrong about those kind of jumpsuits certainly.
7248839 The story is drawing to its close, but I wouldn't say Velvet is in denial about Dawn so much as in denial that "we have an agreement" doesn't always mean what she wants it to mean.
7248842 Soooon.
7248850 She is definitely not seeing the signs! Of course, in her mind, they already talked about it, so she's not even thinking to look for signs. Why would there be signs? Dawn knows the score! ... Or so Velvet thinks.
7248878 As I said to Phyco... Soooon.
7248904 I agree!
7249018 Come on, with suits and bodies like theirs... wouldn't you?!
7249084 I wonder what would happen if you put Dolly Dice and Velvet in a room together... Would their opposite dice lucks cancel each other out, or would the world implode?
7249150 Hahaha!
7249225 That is a pretty accurate analysis of poor little Dawn. But hopefully y'all know I can't do depressing endings for characters, so hold onto that thought for what's left of this story!
7249471 Thank you!! Can't wait to share where this is headed!
7249570 Hahaha, yup. That reminds me, I forgot to put the companion chapter link! Whoops!
7250056 Velvet will never out-evil her mother.
It's that sugarsweet charm that makes the evil all the more delicious!
Hahahah. I thought you'd enjoy Pearlserina's scene. I wanted to tie in with the model side and have some tangental talents based on that.
7250789
7250927 Oh, lord, is the Rose Princess thing going to become a thing?
7251135 No, no, she is not... mrrow!
7251600 Ha, see what I did there? Of course you did. ;)
7251600
:casually cleans his monocle: It is almost as if somebody is staging it, is it not?
7250927
Well done, liegeman... :confidentially passes a purse of bits:
Great chapter! Loving Velvet trying to be a matchmaker.
7251600
All hail King Red!
Awesome.
Is that a reference to Azurite deciding to go with just Soarin? If so, ouch.
Oh okay, must have been Red since Azurite just dropped the news about her current intentions. Much less ouch.
Bwhahahahaha!
Exactly!
They might as well have!
A Wonderbolts show sounds like a good
distractionidea.Oh my goodness. So Velvet just spent the entire first portion of this not-date with Dawn talking about the friend she just went to a Wonderbolts show with, a trip that she also took her family with on.
7251600 Yes. yes it is.
7251697 Woo -takes the bits happily-