"What?" was all Velvet could think to reply, her eyes going wide.
Dawn's voice hitched as she continued, "I've tried s-so hard! But you keep trying to push me away, and—and I don't understand why!" Her chin trembled and she dropped her gaze. "What's wrong with me? What am I not doing it right? What do you want from me?"
"Wait." Velvet raised a hoof and reached it out toward Dawn, but hesitated before touching her shoulder. "What are you talking about? There's nothing wrong with you! I thought—"
"I-If there's nothing wrong with me," Dawn mumbled, that strange, unfamiliar bitterness returning to her voice, "then what's wrong with you? Why don't you love me? Why can't you just settle down with me so we can be happy together?"
Velvet recoiled as if burned, drawing her hoof in to tuck against her chest. "I don't—Because! Dawn! We talked about this!"
Dawn glanced up at her with a light frown. "That... That was months ago, though! Why are you still with me if you don't care about me?"
"Don't care? I do care about you!" Velvet's ears drooped. "I've been trying to find you a special somepony so you can be happy!"
"But I don't want a special somepony! I want you!" Dawn shook her head in a quick, jerky motion. "Why can't you just be with me?"
A pain shot through Velvet's chest and clenched her heart. "Dawn, I..." She bit her tongue to stave off tears. No, Dawn was the one who was hurting. She had no right to cry. Not when she was the one responsible for putting that sad look in Dawn's eyes. "I'm sorry. I—We agreed that we weren't special someponies. I thought you—"
"Then what am I to you?" Dawn sniffled. "What are we?!"
"Friends!" Velvet's brow furrowed. "We're just friends. I honestly thought you knew that!"
Dawn blinked a few times and took a step back, almost as if she had been struck. "F-Friends? But..." As she exhaled suddenly, a soft whine escaped. "How can we just be friends? How?! Friends don't do the... the things we do together!"
Velvet tried not to groan as confusion started to muddle with frustration. "Okay! Fine, we're, I don't know, special friends. But not special someponies. I don't want that! You knew that from the beginning!"
There was a moment of quiet as Dawn's expression shifted between pained, confused, and... angry. "Then why would you lead me on? Why would you just keep making me fall for you? All the things you've said and done, I thought it was because you liked me!"
"I didn't lead you on! At least, I didn't mean to!" Then, something snapped in her. The fiery look in Dawn's eyes and the accusation in her tone set something off inside Velvet and she yelled, "Why would you fall for somepony who told you they didn't want to be with you?!"
The pain coursing through her became real when Dawn raised a hoof and slapped her. Velvet stumbled back more in surprise than from the force behind the blow, eyes wide, and she put a hoof to her cheek. It stung. Dawn had actually slapped her!
"I-I don't know why anypony would fall for you," Dawn practically snarled, tears falling down her cheeks. "I don't know why I did!" With one final glare, Dawn pivoted on her hindhoof and took off in a gallop.
Velvet just stood there, still clutching her cheek, still staring at where Dawn had been. The past few moments replayed in her mind, slowly at first, then quickly the second time, and the tears she had fought back came unbidden.
What had she done wrong? Hadn't she been honest with Dawn? Was this her fault, or Dawn's? All she had wanted to do was make sure Dawn was happy and taken care of... How did that make her the bad pony?
Quickly lifting the hoof on her cheek to wipe her eyes, Velvet glared at her surroundings. A few bystanders were lingering, staring, whispering. Gossiping about her. The swirling emotions in her chest bubbled up and she yelled, "What?! What are you all looking at?!"
With upturned noses and judgmental eyes, they made as if to carry on with their days, but she knew they were still talking about her. Judging her. But she wasn't at fault! Dawn was!
She growled under her breath and started toward home, but her hooves were heavy. Her chest was heavy. Too much was weighing down on her: uncertainty, doubt, anger, regret... Why couldn't she have just loved Dawn? Or at least pretended to? Sweet, innocent Dawn. Dawn just wanted to be loved. Everypony wanted to love and be loved. Everypony but Velvet.
"If there's nothing wrong with me, then what's wrong with you?"
Her hooves stopped and she lowered her head to stare at the ground. What was wrong with her?
---
"Do you want to invite any of your other friends?"
Crystal had asked such a simple question, but Velvet couldn't think through the haze in her mind. Friends. Did she have those? She thought Dawn was a friend, but she had been wrong about that. Maybe Thunder Tumble would end up the same way. Was she leading him on, too?
Finally, Velvet shook her head. "Nah. I'm sure Azurite will be there, right? I mean, she is a guard. Kind of."
A guard. Thunder Tumble was a guard. He was one of Silent Knight's guards. He had just as much reason to keep his mouth shut, right? Would he confront her at the wedding like Dawn had today?
Her heart racing, she tried to ask in an even tone, "Are all the guards going to be there?"
"I'm not sure," Crystal replied absently. "I haven't yet had a chance to talk to Silent about it." She glanced up from the guest list-in-progress. "Do you want me to write down Azurite's name just in case?"
"Yeah..." Velvet slowly nodded. "Yeah, if you don't mind? She's a lot of fun. Plus, I think she'd be really upset if she weren't invited." She blinked. "Oh, wait, if we invite her, then we have to invite her partners."
Crystal's ears shot straight up. "Partners?" she repeated in a squeaky voice. "What happened to Sunny?"
Oh, crabapples. Right. She hadn't told Crystal about the whole 'two partners' thing. That didn't fit within her happy little rose-colored world of romance, so Velvet had just avoided it.
Well, she wasn't really in the mood to fight about it, so she said in the most casual tone she could muster, "Huh? They all got back together, you knew that." She started to pace, giving a small wiggle of her ears in hopes of brushing past the topic. "Anyway, Silent and Sunny work together, so I can't imagine he wouldn't invite her."
Crystal raised a hoof. "Slow down just a second! Work together?" After a brief pause to mull it over, her eyes went wide with realization. "Her Sunny is the Lieutenant Sunny?"
Velvet swallowed. Keep calm. "Yeah, her." Act normal. "Soarin, though." Move on. "Soarin, yeah, we'll need to add him."
Shock, disbelief, and a bit of awe showed in Crystal's slack-jawed gawk. "The vice commander from the Wonderbolts?"
There was no avoiding it, was there? She bit the inside of her cheek and said, "Yeah. Sunny and Soarin. Add their names to the list."
Crystal didn't move at first, instead just staring back at Velvet. She was trying to grapple the idea, wasn't she? A pony loving two ponies. Well, not every pony wanted the same thing! Ponies were different. Crystal's way wasn't the only way. Right?
"Are we talking about the same Azurite?"
Velvet burst into laughter. "Yes! Little Azurite wrangled herself two pretty important ponies, it's crazy, I know!"
"She—two—three—" Crystal clenched her eyes shut, then snapped them back open wider than before. She dropped her gaze as if that would help, then looked back up. "Does she—well, are they—" She shook her head and cleared her throat. "I-I suppose it's not entirely unheard of, three ponies in a relationship together, I just, well, I've never actually known a pony who was!"
The reaction was funny, but that humor only lasted so long before Velvet's sour mood resurfaced. Crystal sure was struggling with it, wasn't she? Her ears started to fold back as a bitterness bubbled up in her chest. "You don't have a problem with it, do you?"
"A problem with it?" Crystal waved a dismissive hoof. "No! If they all love each other and they're happy together, then of course I don't! I just can't fathom being in a relationship like that myself."
Love.
Of course.
Love was all that mattered to Crystal.
Velvet tried to breathe in, but her throat had closed up. She suddenly felt sick to her stomach and all she wanted to do was cry, but she shoved those feelings down. Crystal could never understand.
"Great!" she chimed, smiling. "So add them to the list. Or—" An idea struck her, pulling her out of the depths and back into amusement. "Actually, you know what? Send it Azurite plus two. It'll be funnier that way."
Crystal gasped softly. "You want me to invite the lieutenant of Princess Celestia's House Guard and the vice commander of the Wonderbolts as pluses? Won't that be insulting?"
Yes! And that's what made it such a great idea! Velvet grinned wider. "No way, they have a sense of humor! It'll be funny!"
"I'm not so sure," Crystal mumbled, her ears folding back. She sighed and put a smile back on. "Do you have any extended family you want to invite?"
Velvet's head tilted to one side, her ears flopping independently of each other. "You mean, my parents' parents and siblings?" She tried not to snicker. "Yeah! We haven't all gotten together in, like... in years!"
Of course, that was mainly because it was a dangerous combination. When her grandmothers were in the same room, mischief typically ensued. Grammy and Nanny were fairly harmless by themselves, but their powers combined was a force to be reckoned with. And Velvet loved it.
"Write them down while I get started on dinner," Crystal said as she started toward the kitchen.
Velvet blinked. When had she stood up? Probably between the thought of Grammy and Nanny swapping ponies' water with wine and swindling extra slices of cake.
"Your mom's parents are the ones that make the banana nut bread every year for Hearth's Warming gifts, right?"
"What?" Velvet scoffed at the thought. "No, those are my dad's parents, d'uh." She stared at the quill and frowned. She hated writing with quills; they couldn't be held in the mouth, and they were so flimsy held between hooves. "My mom's parents are the ones that made that inedible fruit cake that we threw off the side of Canterlot after you got drunk on eggnog."
"Oh, right, yes. The ones who can't cook."
Velvet just snorted. She had to focus on writing out names, one agonizing stroke at a time. D... o... s...e... y... Stupid quill. "Don't be like that. Nanny could crochet your mom's tail into anything you wanted when she wasn't looking. It wouldn't be hard to convince her!"
"Are you just another face in a long line of rapscallions?" Crystal asked, laughing softly.
There! Velvet looked down at her writing, pleased with herself.
Dosey & Bitter + w/e
Berry & Whcollar + w/e
That was good enough, right? Of course it was! "Yup! It's in my blood!"
Crystal looked up from her dinner preparations, grinning. "Is it just the mares, or do I need to worry for Red's future?"
"That's a good question." Velvet tilted her head and furrowed her brow. Nanny Berry was a troublemaker, but Pappy Collar... "Pappy is pretty laid back, so I guess it's just the mares."
Crystal giggled. "Good. I prefer him cute and innocent. I—"
The sound of the lock clicking and the front door opening drew their attention over to Silent Knight. Great. Just when she was feeling normal, Mr. Stealing Her Friend had to show up. Mr. True Love. Mr. Love Is Better Than Friendship.
"I'm home," he said, pausing when his gaze met Velvet's. He blinked a few times and added, "Hi, Velvet."
Yeah. Hi, Velvet, indeed! She was here. She was here for Crystal when he wasn't. Was love really that much better than friendship?
"Well, well, well!" She stood up and flicked her tail. "Look who is on time for dinner!"
Silent's brow raised, but his expression remained neutral. "I could say the same to you. Are you staying to join us tonight? You don't have somewhere else to be?"
The hairs of her coat around her shoulders and neck started to stand on end as she huffed. He was part of the problem. He was just another romantic interest in the Equestria-wide delusion that love was all that mattered! Why couldn't he just go away? Wasn't Crystal happy before he came along?
"What, are you trying to kick me out?" Her tail flicked again. If she could just have things back to the way they were...
"Not at all." His tone stayed even as his head shook. "I just don't see you much lately. I would be happy if you had dinner with us."
She felt her nostrils flare, so she wiggled her ears to keep her appearance friendly. What did he have that she couldn't provide? She could treasure Crystal. She could make her laugh. What was so special about love?
"Sure you would," she teased, then waved a hoof to shoo him. "I think you should go back to work. You're totally cutting into my time with Crystal!" Her eyes narrowed just slightly. "She was mine first, you know!"
Silent laughed. Oblivious colt. "Mm, I will first thing in the morning." He winked, then started to remove his armor. "I'll be leaving for Haven for a while, so she'll be all yours again. I just want to spend some time with her before then."
He was always leaving. Leaving for work, leaving for Haven, leaving for secrets. She wanted to punch that stupid face of his that was stealing her friend away.
"You might want to watch your jealousy, though," he said. "Green isn't a good color for you."
Velvet sucked in a breath. Was it that obvious, or was he just teasing? Heat burned the back of her neck and she narrowed her eyes. "Oh yeah? Wanna fight about it?" Slowly, she started to back away and onto the couch. She needed the higher ground. He was a big brute that had a huge height advantage over her, after all.
Silent's brow raised as he looked her over. He didn't think she was serious. Oh, she was super serious! If she could just get one good hit in, maybe she'd feel better. Maybe the feelings in her chest would calm if she could just hurt him, just a little. If somepony else in the room could be hurting like she was.
Finally, he chuckled and started walking toward the kitchen, exposing his back. "Bring it, tiny dancer!"
Sizing up the distance between them, Velvet steadied herself. One good pounce. If she could catch him off-guard and topple him over...
She put all of her strength into kicking off the couch and springing into the air so she could hit him with the entirety of her weight. The wind was momentarily knocked out of her lungs when her chest collided with his strong back, but she braced herself for impact with the floor.
No impact came, however. She blinked her eyes open and looked down to see him completely unmoved. "What? You were supposed to fall over."
Silent resumed walking. "Sorry," he said while she tugged on his neck to no avail, "but you don't weigh nearly enough."
Velvet leaned to the right, grabbing onto his mane with her teeth for extra tugging power. She then jerked all of her weight to the right. He just kept walking. She spat out his mane and slumped against his neck. "Seriously, what in Equestria are you made of?!"
"Steel and vinegar."
Steel was accurate for sure. Sweet Celestia! Tumble was built like a stud, but Silent? Okay, so maybe she saw what Crystal liked about him. Or felt, rather. He was like a rock beneath her.
Silent carried on, placing a kiss on Crystal's cheek and asking about her day. Slowly, Velvet's ears folded back. Crystal looked so genuinely happy. The way her eyes lit up when Silent talked to her. The way her cheeks flushed lightly from the lame little peck of a kiss.
The way Velvet could have not been there and Crystal wouldn't have even noticed...
---
Velvet paced outside a door, muttering incoherently to herself under her breath until she stopped dead in her tracks and just stared at the floor. Finally, with a trembling breath, she turned to face the door and knocked on it. Her heart pounded as she waited and, when the door opened to reveal Painted's face, Velvet nearly shouted before the mare could greet her, "I need your help, if you're not busy!"
Wide eyes blinked owlishly at her for a moment that was otherwise filled with silence. Painted Wave then pushed her glasses into place and offered a light smile. "Come on in! Verd's gone out for groceries, so it's just me and the cats right now. You want some coffee? Tea?" She turned away, giving a light flick of her head to gesture Velvet inside.
Velvet swallowed and watched her hooves as they led her inside, as though she were subservient to their direction. "Um, tea." She walked over to the couch, but instead of sitting, she just stared at it.
This was a mistake. Why was she here? Because Painted could help. Maybe. Possibly. Back when Crystal had been terrified after the changeling invasion, Painted had helped her.
"Are you a real therapist?" Velvet finally asked in a trembling voice. "Or did you just help Crystal out as a friend?" Her ears pinned back and her gaze flickered from the couch to Painted, who was in the kitchen. "I mean, are you... If I told you stuff, would it be confidential, or whatever?"
Painted's head turned to peer at Velvet, a mild look of surprise on her face that quickly gave way to a soft, understanding smile. "As somepony that considers herself your friend as well as a therapist, I can assure you that if you need to talk about something that's bothering you, you can talk about it safely and securely here."
Velvet took a deep breath in and held it. Painted wouldn't judge her for the truth. Right? Slowly, she lowered herself onto the couch and just sat there in silence, waiting. Stalling.
After a while, Painted came back into the main area with a tray of teacups and a steaming kettle engulfed in her pearlescent magic. She poured a cup and floated it over to Velvet before taking a seat beside her. "You have my word as both friend and healer that what is said here today will not be repeated by me. Or the cats." A grin spread across her lips, though it still had a gentleness about it. "So, what's the dig, twinklehooves?"
"Twinkle—" Velvet sputtered into laughter that calmed her for a moment, but her muscles still visibly twitched with nervous agitation. "Okay. All right. And thanks."
Taking a deep breath, she wrapped her hooves around the teacup and held it closer so the steam hit her face. It smelled great. All the earthy tones filled her nostrils like a warm, scented embrace. Her gaze darted away from Painted's while she stalled for more time by sipping the tea as slowly as she could.
The weight of the unfilled time took its toll on her, however, and she sighed heavily. "How do you know if you're the unreasonable one, or if somepony else is?" A frown tugged at her lips. "I mean, if you make an agreement, and they agree to that agreement, then isn't it agreed? Ugh, no, what I mean is..."
A slight tilt angled Painted's chin, both ears fixed firmly forward to give Velvet her full and undivided attention.
Velvet groaned and set down the teacup to free her hooves so that she could bury her face in them. In a tentative voice, she continued, "Can't ponies just have sex and be friends? Why does there have to be more to it than that? Why do they have to make it... so stupid and complicated?"
With a light grin, Painted nodded. "Ponies can absolutely just have sex. Not all relationships that involve sex have to lead to something 'deeper' or more emotionally involved. The complication comes with the one thing in all the world that is consistent—and that is that nothing is consistent. Change happens, whether we want it to or not.
"While something like 'just sex' may start out that way, and everypony involved agree that that's what it is intended for, the desire to be emotionally close can develop when you're spending a lot of time with somepony. Feelings that may not have existed in the beginning can creep in."
Painted breathed in, then relaxed back into the couch. "When it comes to sex and feelings, there is no one right answer or way to look at things. Because what is right, and what feels right, is unique to the individual."
Velvet kept her head tilted forward to hide her face, but the tell-tale trembling of her shoulders gave away the poorly hidden secret. Everything she had been shoving down was bubbling up all at once. A few, hot tears slid down her cheeks and pattered against the now tightly wrung hooves in her lap.
"Then why does it feel like I'm wrong," she muttered, the words carved out with a bitter tinge. "I don't want to get married. Horsey got married, and now that Crystal's engaged, it's like all eyes are on me like it's supposed to be my turn or something. Even Dawn—" She swallowed, her breath hitching at just saying the name.
Dawn's face flashed through her mind and twisted her stomach into knots. Those hurt eyes. Those angry eyes. All her fault.
"Even Dawn. That's what she said, that we should 'settle down'. But I don't want that!" She pulled her hindlegs up onto the couch and curled her tail around herself. "Everything was just fine. Dawn and Tumble and me. It was just fine. Then Dawn had to go and try to change things. Now I feel like I'm the bad pony because I don't want to be with anypony in that way! I like things the way they are, so why does everypony want me to change?"
With an angry, frustrated sigh, she dropped her head down. "Why can't I just be me and that be okay?"
Painted allowed the air to settle before she spoke up in that soothingly calm voice of hers. "It feels like you're wrong because you're having other ponies' expectations pressed upon you. That just because Horsey got married and Crystal got engaged, and because mares throughout history have seemed to always do the same, surely that must be what every mare could ever want and hope for in life. But, and this is important..."
The tingle of magic tickled the underside of Velvet's chin and guided her head upward to force her to meet Painted's gentle but serious gaze.
"You are not wrong. Not even in the slightest. What is right for somepony else does not at all mean that it is also right for another. You know what you want out of a relationship, and if you were to try and conform to what somepony else thought you should want, you would be miserable.
"You are not a bad pony. You are not wrong. You are you, and that is more than okay. If somepony tries to make you feel like that's not okay because it doesn't fit their personal description of okay... you show them the door."
Velvet's eyes, glossed over with tears, clenched shut and she made a clear effort to force a smile onto her lips, but they refused to lift. Instead, her lower lip quivered and she rubbed at her cheeks with the back of one foreleg. "Would it have been so hard for you to have been my friend years ago?" A short burst of laughter escaped her before it was overtaken by a sniffle. "Hearing this would have saved me a lot of sleepless nights."
The playful grin she was more accustomed to found its place back on her face. "Or, well, just sleepless nights from being confused 'bout all this stuff, anyway. I'm fine with the others as they w—" Glancing over at Painted, she froze.
An openly surprised look had overtaken Painted's expression. Her eyes widened briefly before they skirted off to the side and then down to the teacup that she had set on the table. The cup was given a long, thorough examination before her mouth opened, only to close again in thought.
Taking a deep breath, she turned to Velvet and allowed a small sigh to fall. "Would it have been hard for me to have been your friend years ago? The answer is yes—but not because of anything having to do with you. I was a very different pony years ago, and would have made a dreadful friend. To anypony."
"Oh, um." Velvet twiddled her hooves, chewing on her lower lip. "Sorry if I made you remember something uncomfortable? I was just teasing, I didn't know, well, yeah."
A short laugh bubbled up from Painted's throat. "Of course you didn't know. I'm not angry or upset, so don' worry about feelin' awkward. Nopony can read minds. At least I think so, anyway." Her tone was gentle, and honest, and her words were supported in their sincerity by the look that settled onto her face. "Point is, we're all different ponies. And just because somepony is different than what other ponies have seen around them their whole lives, doesn't mean they're wrong. Just different. It'd suck big if we were all the same, I think."
"Yeah..." Velvet nodded. "I think so, too." She laughed weakly and rubbed at her eyes. "Wow, I kind of went full cryfilly there on you, didn't I? Sorry."
With a grin, Painted finally met Velvet's gaze again. "Tears are nature's way of shedding some of the bad off of us so we can move on with a little less weight resting on our shoulders. Tears are okay." Turning her head, her shimmering magic rippled to life and retrieved a tissue box from around the corner.
Velvet grabbed a haphazard hoofful of the tissues to smother her face in their soft, absorbent embrace. When she resurfaced from drying her tears, she smiled. "Everything you're saying makes sense. I just, well. I've just always felt weird for being different from Horsey and Crystal. But I should have known that was silly, 'cause I mean, Tumbler isn't asking me to change. I guess I just..." She sighed heavily, lifting and dropping her shoulders in an almost resigned shrug. "I guess I just need to have a talk with Dawn."
Setting the crumpled mess of tissues down, she replaced them by picking up her cup of tea. "Thanks for hearing me out. I thought I was going to lose my mind for a while there. I... kind of think I actually did lose it a few times."
Taking a sip form her own tea, Painted gave a nod and rubbed at the back of her neck with a hoof. "It can be really tough when everypony around you is convinced that every mare is a round peg meant to go in a round hole. Because that's what mares have done before, surely it must be what they should do now. But not all mares are round pegs. Some are square and like to dance ballet and not have to worry about emotional attachment. Some are triangular and prefer wearing armor to dresses."
Painted set her teacup down, rested her cheek against a hoof, and leaned on it. "Something I do want to mention, though, as a caution. While you're justified in feeling the way you do, I'd urge you to be gentle when you talk to Dawn about it. It takes courage to speak up when you start having feelings that may not be reciprocated, or even wanted. Not that I'm a gamblin' mare, but I'd wager you care enough about her to not want to hurt her intentionally."
"Well." Velvet's ears fell flat to the sides and an odd look crossed her face, a mix between a small grin and a confused scrunch of her nose. "Funny you mention that. Yeah, of course I care about her. That's part of what we fought about, in a way..." She cleared her throat, then recalled in a higher-pitched voice, "What do you mean, you don't want to be my special somepony? Don't you like me?"
With a small snort, her tone dropped back to normal. "I told her I cared about her, but more like a friend, you know? That was totally the wrong answer, because then she went off about how friends don't sleep together, that I've been leading her on."
A hoof raised to sternly accentuate her point with a small shake as she continued, "I made it clear from the very beginning that we weren't a couple, and if she wanted more, she'd have to find somepony else! I've been upfront since the start about that and I swear to that on my lucky slippers!"
Velvet sighed, leaning back into the couch and folding her forelegs over her chest. "Everypony deserves happiness, and if for her that's in a relationship, then fine! I'm happy for her! I just don't know why she thinks it has to be me." She huffed lightly.
"If you've been upfront and clear from the get-go about what you were looking for in this arrangement," Painted said slowly and carefully, "I'd bet her accusation of you leading her on is just anger talking. Sooo, yeah. She's gonna have to look elsewhere if she's wantin' something more candlelight dinner and long walks on the beach-y."
Painted gave a light shrug and chuckled. "Look, twinklehooves. Setting aside the therapist hat and just talking as a friend, I think what's best is to let her cool off for a bit, then have a talk. Just be gentle about it. She'll have to figure things out for herself from there."
"Yeah..." Velvet stared down at the floor. "I'll talk to Dawn." All right, she could do that much. But what was she going to say to make everything better?
Slowly, her ears started to droop. Perhaps that was the point. She couldn't always just fix things or keep them the way she wanted. Perhaps… it was time to face that fact and accept it.
I feel the climax creeping up on me, cant wait for it!
I love PW's role in this chapter, some exposition and some sound advice.
Keep up the good work crystal!
Yikes. Well, that could have gone worse, I guess? Nobody dropped dead of a heart attack mid-argument? I dunno.
Ooo, now that explains a bit more about Velvet's reactions in the guest list conversation.
It'll be hilarious!
Yeah, it does kind of seem like that.
Ooo, and now we see why Velvet was so interestingly aggressive during this one scene with Silent. Lots of internal emotional stuff that was spilling out in various ways.
A Painted therapy session, this should probably be really helpful.
Amen!
That backstory teasing.
I'm really curious about how things are going to work out with Tumble now given that talk with Painted plus the hints about his relationship status in Trials.
Time to politely and gently
kick Dawn to the curbhave a honest and all cards on the table conversation with Dawn.So emotional.. sheesh my poor heart. and no kicking poor Dawn Walker to the curb! she's just confused. :P
Now look what you have done, Velvet Step! How could you?! Somepony will have to cheer up this poor, sweet mare. :casually follows the trail of tears:
You forgot about "Mr. Bore" and "Mr. Duty Rather Than Brain".
:he allows a flicker of silver to pass through his monocle: O-ho-ho, somepony has a lot to learn.
Velvet Step and Painted Wave on mares.
Friends with benefits, Velvet! They're called friends with benefits! And if that term does not exist in Equestria, you should invent it.
lol I have read and enjoyed, but I don't think this box is going to contain my thoughts. Prepare your Discord. lol
It's good that Velvet talked to someone about this. Although I imagine it would be good for her to continue seeing a therapist. Poor pony has a lot of bitterness and self-doubt and letting those feelings fester is not a recipe for happiness.
Totally forgot about Haven, i'll need to go to trials and bug anzel about it.
Reading this story makes me realize just how crummy of a friend Crystal's been to Velvet; even if Velvet has difficulty opening up, it seems to me that CH should at least have picked up on the fact that she's so upset, especially for a best friend.
7290295 It really has been eye opening to see just how much Velvet was holding in. That's just not healthy, girl.
There's still one bandage that has yet to be ripped off.
"Velvet, have you been leading Dawn on?"
"No!"
"Are you absolutely, positively sure that nothing you've done would give her the impression that you want what she wants? Try imagining it from her perspective."
7290295
If Velvet is good at hiding the worst of it, and is insistent that what she shows isn't that big of a problem, then Crystal probably has no idea how deep things run, and would realistically be unable to help in the face of Velvet's resistance. Something big (like this chapter) is necessary for anyone to see how much might have been internalized, and even if they suspect, if Velvet refuses to be helped (she's done exactly that), then no one can help her.
It's a self-supporting and exceptionally vicious cycle for insecure people.
Twinklehooves? Guess Painted has a bit of Toph in her,
I was so waiting for the scene where Velvet jumped on Silent's back, and now you do this to us?
Damn, you made merry with the feels, didn't you? That was rough, especially for poor Velvet, but it should set up for a very interesting conversation with Dawn down the line. Hopefully we won't have to wait long for it, though
7289866 Nalu was very gracious and worked with me on PW's scene. I am super pleased with how it came out!
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Yes! I've been waiting for so long to show Velvet's side. It was tricky to write it in Wishes having not written Mask yet, but I knew what was going on. It lined up perfectly!
Yess! I knew before I started writing Mask that Painted would have an important role in this moment. Nalu and I actually wrote this scene a long while back before the story's first chapter was published.
I know, right?
All you seek and more shall be revealed soooon!
7289926 Sorry! I'll try to stop messing with y'all's hearts soon!
7289929 Hahahah. And who shall be the one to cheer her up, hmm? I hear a volunteer!
7289956 So true!
7289973 That's what Velvet thought they were from the beginning!
7289989 Hahah. It was prepared!
7290059 Definitely not! Though it's hard to tell with her whether she'll go back or not. I think there's someone else she needs to talk to, more importantly than her talk with Dawn...
7290295 In Wishes, we see little to none of Velvet's conflict. In Mask, we see all of it. That's the beauty (and the trouble) with skewed, biased narrators, and why we write stories from other characters' perspectives. We only see in Wishes what Crystal sees (save for a few exceptions at the very beginning), and Crystal sees none of Velvet's issues, because Velvet hides them behind a mask.
In Wishes and in Secrets, Velvet seemed like her usual playful self in the scene where she tackles Silent. There was no reason to suspect anything was wrong!
7290382 We'll find out in the next chapter if and how that bandage is removed!
7290538 So sorry! It's still a funny scene, even here... mostly...
I'll have the chapter ready to go when Anzel and I get back from hiatus! So... not too long!
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I kind of figured that, I suppose it just bothers me that Velvet apparently has all these secret feelings and life that Crystal is so painfully ignorant about. I mean, they've been best friends forever, I'd think that of all the ponies Velvet knows, Crystal might pick up on some of this stuff. But she doesn't, and it kind of feels like they're more like roommates who aren't really friends, they just live together.
Poor Velvet.
Ah, yes, the classic "Just because it's right for you, doesn't make it right for me" speech.
The implication being that everyone has their own individually crafted set of moral standards that bends to their own desires in life.
The implication being that everything done by Emperor Nero, Jack the Ripper, Adolf Hitler, King Henry VIII, and Joseph Stalin - just to name a few - was right for them even if it's not right for us.
I leave you to it, internet dwellers. Think about it.
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Offering a shoulder to cry on for a cute mare that wishes to have a stable, deep relationship, even considering her possible preferences in gender?
If that is not a perfect opportunity for an attempt of sneaking into someone's heart, I do not know a better one.
Oh, of course, I am only thinking about her well-being. Yes, indubitably.
So many thoughts, and apparently I'm in the minority because I'm in the opposite of the "poor Velvet" camp. I'm in the "Velvet's problems are of her own doing and she may need a few more slaps" camp.
7290295 I think that Crystal is in such a good place that she can't imagine that Velvet would be going through any sort of emotional issue. Velvet only shows a single side to Crystal, and that playful happy side couldn't possibly be hurting (especially from a relationship Crystal didn't even know she had).
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SERIOUSLY!!!
Bow chicka bow wow! Seriously gratifying moment, I loved it. I was so nervous to read this scene I actually had the screen up for a minute before I could bring myself to start reading it, and it was Amazing!
Its crazy going back to this scene from forever ago and seeing her thoughts which were TOTALLY different from what you seen in his perspective.
7291308 Such a juicy discussion. I find it hilarious that you have 2 down-votes within 2 hours of posting this, yet neither of those people attempted to reply.
So I'll take the bait and say that those examples show cases where there are overall moral codes that all humans should live by regardless of personal belief or feelings. If you believe in a Higher Power then they would come from that power/being, otherwise you may just put it down for "common sense" or something similarly innate.
Yes, I would bet money that every evil person in history (or most) believed that they were doing a good thing, or the right thing in any case. Evil people don't try to be evil for the sake of it.
Don't get me wrong, I won't defend Velvet because i honestly think she is in the wrong here.
I believe the idea of this entire perspective is the mask that Velvet puts on for others, which I find to be her biggest problem. The fact that she puts on a mask at all means she's lying to her closest friends and family, and she has huge communication problems on an epic scale either because of or in addition to that mask and the lies it creates.
7291308 Ah the Hilter Argument where we take two totally unrelated things... say individual choice when it comes to our relationships... and compare it to the most deplorable acts in history that directly rob other human beings of their existence.
Those things are totally the same... oh, actually they're not.
No, the implication being, quite clearly, that you have the right to choose who to love and how to love them. Moral standards go far too askew of this talk.
Painted did not say, suggest, or insinuate that it would be okay to steal, murder, and/or rape. That's just reaching.
7291308 Thank you for posting this comment and showing the truth! I always knew that comparing a character in a story about magical talking ponies to murderous and tyrannical and real despots of history was a reasonable and totally not asinine thing to do. Like the stupidest thing. Really really dumb.
7291585 I'm not surprised that people are down voting and not responding, as most people don't take the time to give a reasonable and well thought out argument to the barking and loud neighbor's dog. Also, I can only assume that you're being facetious because this is not a juicy discussion. This is the opposite of a juicy conversation. This is an arid wasteland where not even the most ragged thought would dare grow.
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:abruptly stops hypnotizing Dawn with his magic: ... wait, she did not...? Huh, bummer. :leaves:
Woo... finally Velvet talks to someone about her issues, I just wish it had been Crystal so she would stop worrying what her best friend would think of her activities. Nice bit or progress on our favorite tiny dancer. I pondered saving this chapter for later since no updates next week, but I couldn't help it.
And so I'm clear, issues is in reference to her bit of thoughts about herself being wrong. After all, Velvet isn't Hitler, she's so much more huggable.
In responce to that, yeah, I don't see where that connects with what Painted said to Velvet. Telling someone it's okay to just be yourself is a far cry from telling them it's okay to start world war 2, rob a bank or murder someone. For starters Velvet was talking about her personal life in regards to others not her plans for overthrowing the government. So... yeah...
Cartoon horse words, starting unusual conversations in the comment sections since 2012.
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It bothers me too, but I also feel it's entirely realistic, if tragic.
This comes from my personal experience, but even my closest friends don't know half the stuff I put myself through in my head. Mostly I don't want them to know, so I don't let them. Even if something ekes through it's easily explained as being tired after a long day at work, frustration at something else unrelated, just a slip of the tongue, or any number of perfectly acceptable reasons.
And why would you second guess someone so close to you? Essentially, if someone is determined that you don't know, then there's a good chance that you won't ever.
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It's actually okay to be selfish (or so I'm told). Part of a relationship has to be you getting those things that you want. Your partner will likewise want things, so you have to also be willing to give for their wants (within reason/moderation, of course).
Gosh...
media.giphy.com/media/Chm3xXcoWQAwM/giphy.gif
It's really sad to think about how happy Velvet seems when around Crystal in Wishes and how we thought she was just being snarky and silly... but in reality... she's masking up all her pain.
Well, on a somewhat happier note, I hope things between her and Dawn can be patched up next chapter!
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I know, and I agree, and I'm the same way, on the other hand I don't really have best friends like Crystal Wishes, and I guess I just expect more from her, even with Velvet masking her pain.
Damn this hit me deep. real deep. Honstly ive been in both Dawns and Velvets positions, and it sucks either way. This was a good chapter and im glad to see Painted able to help velvet out.
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First of all, I believe that relationship is about always trying to reach a compromise. Two people are never exactly the same. There are differing aspirations, reactions, emotions, beliefs even. It is a duty between both of them, if they really care for one another, to find common ground, or at least aspire to seek for it.
One thing is for certain and I have to agree with Painted Wave's words. It is all mutable. It changes, shifts. You cannot allow yourself to think that because at one time you have reached a consensus, that it shall remain like that for the rest of time. Then again, this is why a discussion, open and honest, is such a key element of any relation. We can hardly deal with a mounting issue if nobody is bringing it up.
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Oh, I completely agree that relationships are built on compromise, but it's also perfectly okay to want things.
You might offer that shoulder to cry on because it's a good thing to do for her, but it's alright if you also want that to be an opening for more with her.
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We have reached consensus.
7291308 I can say with full sincerity that equating "not wanting to be in a relationship" with the deeds of the names you've mentioned is not what I expected to see in this comment section. Congratulations on totally surprising me!
7291571 Hahaha. I'm glad the chapter pleased you. I hope the next one does, as well!
7292232 It's about time she spoke to someone, eh? Anyone! Though, yes, Crystal is who she needs to talk to more than anyone else.
7293286 That's the fun part of getting to show the different perspectives of the characters. We'd have never known how Velvet was feeling or what she was going through without Mask!
7293467 Respectfully, I don't see how even best friend status makes a person (or pony) a mindreader. Crystal's not perfect; if Velvet doesn't give her anything to go on, how is she supposed to know?
7293507 It's definitely not easy being either of them right now, that's for sure.
7294565 Yes, I got the same thing from Anzel and Rossby, albeit in more of a "you're stupid for even suggesting it" manner. I wasn't trying to equate the fact that different people have different things that they're looking for in a relationship (which I understand and is perfectly normal) with those historical figures (except maybe Henry VIII), I was commenting on the argument that has been used hundreds of times to justify a lot of things, not just relationships. The exact quote that - well, I guess the tumblr word would be "triggered" - me, was this:
because I've seen it used so many times to apply to all aspects of life, and not just what one person wants out of a relationship/marriage as opposed to another. Sorry for misjudging your intent.
7294641 Well... I guess, taking into account the context surrounding that statement that set you off, I suppose I assumed it was a safe assumption that Painted's intent and scope was limited to the conversation. Just like if they were dress shopping, Velvet couldn't decide what to get, and Painted said, "Do whatever you want," it'd be safe to assume she's not condoning mass genocide. It's a bit of an overreaction that seems like it's just for the sake of overreacting.
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I saw the comment as a general "is there a moral norm for everyone regardless of personal opinion vs what is honestly personal and subjective".
I figured the examples of evil historical figures were just extreme examples. I didn't think they would be the focus of all the rebuttals.
I've always liked the discussion of universally applicable morals because that's very important to me. Regardless, I feel that the conversation is dead now.
7295033 Philosphically, it's a very interesting discussion! But kind of out of place given the in-story discussion, so it felt way out of left field to bring up Hitler when the chapter is about relationships.
Much respect to Painted. And to the pony who created her and this scene.
Just because what Velvet wants out of a relationship isn't for me, doesn't make her bad for being that way. It may mean she isn't the special somepony for me...but that doesn't mean I should hate her for it. She'd still make an awesome friend.
There is enough hate and judgment in the world without inventing reasons for more. If everyone could just accept that some folks are different from them and move on, life would be so much better for everybody.
Ha ha, yeah, look. You know what I said about being proud and pleased to have the honor of going down with the S.S. Velvet Dawn?
Well, I meant that, and I still am, but, um....
Listen, I'm not quite ready to go down with it just yet, so could one of you maybe get me a bucket or something?
Dat Painted backstory tease. We know how Velvet feels about vampires, but how about big and shaggy?
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Man what kind of boring shopping trips do you go on? It's not shopping till somepony invades a country!
Great chapter as always. Loving therapist PW, excellent character
I always wondered if Velvet was hiding/in denial of a crush on Crystal. This only increases as this story goes on.
was that a happy feet reference?
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No, that's an every tough guy or girl in history teasing someone reference.