Her big debut with the Royal Ballet. Everything she had been working for and dreaming of had finally come to fruition.
And she could hardly remember any of it.
Oh, she was certain she had done her part. Her moves were likely as flawless as could be expected given how many practice hours she had put in. Her fellow ballerinas had congratulated her, and she had congratulated them in turn. She was pretty sure she had, anyway.
"Velvet, darling?" Upper Crust pawed at the air with a hoof. "Are you listening?"
Velvet blinked a few times. "Huh? Oh, sorry."
Upper Crust huffed lightly. "You must be exhausted. Well, I could hardly blame you. The performance was quite unlike what you must be accustomed to from the Canterlot Ballet."
"Yeah, exhausted." Velvet gave a soft laugh. "Hopefully I did okay, though."
"Hopefully? Darling, if you don't have confidence in yourself, then how can you expect anypony else to?" Upper Crust raised a brow. "However, if it's reassurance you want, then yes. You seemed to do as well as the other dancers on the stage to me."
Velvet's ear flicked. Jeeze, it was just a word. 'Hopefully' wasn't throwing her hooves up in the air or anything dramatic like that, but whatever. "Oh, than—"
Upper Crust inclined her head to look down her nose at Velvet. "Of course, I believe you are capable of doing better now that you are not shackled to the corps."
And that was the reason why Crystal hated her mother. Upper Crust could never just say things plainly. It was always weirdly worded compliment-insults. Velvet tried not to grin. Complimensults? Nah, that was too wordy. Complinsults. That sounded like something they sold at Greenwall's Pharmacy.
"All of that aside, however," Upper Crust continued, her gaze wandering the halls, "I must admit I am shocked to not see my daughter here. Does she not appreciate the magnitude of this performance in your career?"
"Huh?" Velvet blinked a few times. "You don't know?"
"Know?" Upper Crust started to frown, her gaze returning to Velvet. "Know what, darling?"
Rubbing the back of her neck and shifting some as discomfort nipped at her flanks, Velvet said carefully and slowly, "She, well—She's out of town. The address you gave her—"
Something crossed Upper Crust's expression that Velvet had never seen before. Her eyes widened, her ears stood straight up, and the tension in her cheeks and brow faded away. For a moment—and only for a moment—Upper Crust looked genuine. The pretenses and charades had fallen, but were quickly raised back up before Velvet could get a good read on her. What the hay was that?
"I see," Upper Crust said in a soft, almost breathless voice. "I don't know why I'm surprised. I suppose a part of me was hoping that she wouldn't go…" She cleared her throat and shook her head. "It is what it is."
It was a shame Crystal and her mother couldn't get along. If only the two of them could just talk without all the fighting. No barbed words, no double meanings, no complinsults… Just a straightforward, honest conversation. Then perhaps they could clear the air between them, Crystal could see that her mother wasn't from Tartarus, and life would just be easier for the both of them.
Velvet's ears started to fall. Straightforward, honest conversation, huh? Maybe Upper Crust and Crystal weren't the only ones struggling with that.
She'd been putting it off, but she knew what her heart wanted. It had been pretty clear to her for a while, and it was time to speak its words. Stalling was only going to make things worse for everypony involved.
"Hey, Mrs. Crust?" Velvet straightened to her full height. "Do you think you could get me a reservation at Le Bernardin tomorrow night?"
Upper Crust opened her mouth, then slowly closed it. She raised a hoof to primp her mane and laughed softly. "Could I? Velvet, darling, I have a standing reservation for four there on the off-chance I might need it for occasions exactly like this. Will that suffice?"
"Yeah! That'll more than suffice." And now it was time for the best part of asking for favors from Crystal's mom. Before the stuffy mare could react, Velvet swooped in and hugged her. "Thanks, Mrs. Crust! You're the best!"
As Velvet bounded away, doing her best not to cackle, she could hear Upper Crust sputter in surprise. So worth it! Crystal would probably lose her cupcakes if she ever knew that Velvet hugged her mother. That would be really fun to see, actually. She should totally hug Crusty in front of Crystal.
But those thoughts were for Future Velvet. Present Velvet had a very important conversation to prepare for.
---
Soft music from the live quartet playing that night in the center of the restaurant filtered through the dim lighting. The darkness was kept at bay by vanilla-scented candles, so that each table felt like their own little personal, secluded slice of Prance.
Ne me quitte pas, the singer's voice sang softly above the quiet conversations whispered in the dark.
Velvet wrung her hooves. Should she have dressed nicer? She had just grabbed a dress out of her closet that she was pretty sure was actually Crystal's, because she didn't own many dresses. It was a silvery blue and had little rhinestone flowers along the hem. It was probably definitely Crystal's.
Oublier le temps des malentendus, the voice continued to croon, et le temps perdu…
It was going to be fine. One way or another, it was going to be fine. She just had to be straightforward and honest.
"Madam?"
Velvet snapped her head up to see a yellow-coated stallion standing by her table, wearing a chef's apron and hat. He smiled and bowed his head when their gazes met.
"I am Gourmet Palate. I will be your chef this evening. If you are ready, I wanted to discuss the courses I have prepared for you tonight and make sure everything is according to your tastes."
"Oh, uh, sorry." Velvet waved a hoof. "It's not just me tonight. I'm still waiting. So, uh, maybe in a bit?"
Gourmet nodded. "Of course. Would you like an appetizer while you wait, then?"
Velvet's mouth opened, but the response she gave came from her stomach, which pleaded with a grumble.
With a polite laugh, Gourmet winked. "I'll put something together for you, then, and have the waiter bring it out."
Velvet gave a sheepish grin. "Yeah, thanks."
Le Bernardin was such a fancy place. Like, the fanciest. No wonder Crystal's mom liked it so much. She didn't just have a standing reservation there, but it was one of the three chef's tables in the restaurant. It took what was already a great dining experience and made it all the more amazing. She'd just spoken to a restaurant's chef like she was a very important pony or something!
Je ferai un domaine, où l'amour sera roi, où l'amour sera loi, où tu seras reine…
Breathing in and out, Velvet tried to level off her feelings. Excitement was not what she needed to be falling into right then. She needed to stay calm and collected, especially because she just saw a yellow figure heading her way.
"Hey, Velvet," Tumble said, a light flush in his cheeks. He was wearing that adorable little tuxedo collar. Focus!
Velvet offered a lopsided grin. "Hey, st—umble."
His ear flicked at the slip, but he made no mention of it as he took the seat across from her. "I'm kinda surprised. Dinner? In public?" He laughed. "This is really unlike you."
"Yeah, well, hey, I'm full of surprises, you know?" Velvet's gaze flicked past him to see a well-dressed waiter coming their way with a covered silver tray carried in light green magic. "Oh, look! Appetizer's here."
Tumble laughed again, more earnestly this time. "Full of surprises, you say?"
Velvet stuck out her tongue, then smiled at the waiter as he lowered the tray onto the table. "Whatever. I like food, okay? Ooh…" Her eyes widened slightly at the roasted slices of eggplant topped with a thick smear of cheese and little nuts. "Fancy."
"Enjoy," the waiter said, bowing his head and turning to leave.
Tumble picked up one of the slices and took a bite, watching her with a curious look in his eye as she popped a whole one in her mouth.
Je t'inventerai des mots insensés que tu comprendras…
After the silence between them had dragged on a little too long, he cleared his throat. "So, uh—"
"I know. I know," Velvet interrupted with a sigh, raising a hoof. "You want to know what's up."
Tumble just nodded and took another bite.
"I wanted to have a conversation with you. Like, a serious one. I want to make sure you and I are…" She swallowed, keeping her gaze firmly fixed on the table until she worked up the nerve to look into his soft, green eyes. "I want to make sure we are on the same page."
"Okay?" he replied cautiously, setting down what remained of his eggplant.
Velvet bundled up some of the dress's skirt in her wrung hooves. "Hypothetically… If I wanted to, uh, go further. Like, be special someponies. Be together. Even if your career might take you all the way across Equestria… If I wanted to try to make things work, what would you say?"
A red flush filled his cheeks and his ears perked upright. "Huh?" He blinked a few times before ducking his head. "Oh, wow. I was kind of expecting this, but to hear you actually say it?" He laughed breathlessly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I won't lie to you, Velvet. I like you. I like our time together. I wasn't going to push anything on you since you said you didn't want anything more, but if you want to try to make it work…" The hoof lowered from his neck and reached out to touch hers. "I'm willing to give it a shot."
There they were: the words she was hoping she'd hear. They made her heart race so fast that the taut band that had been keeping it in check finally snapped. A pang of pain shot through her chest and tears welled up in her eyes.
Ne me quitte pas…
"I knew you'd say that," she said in a weak voice. It felt like her throat was closing up. "I'm such an idiot. A stupid, stupid idiot."
It was no surprise that Tumble looked confused. His hoof slowly, uncertainly retracted. "W-Was that not the right answer?"
Velvet quickly shook her head. "No, no, it was the right answer. I'm just an idiot for not realizing it sooner." She raised a trembling hoof to her aching forehead. "I can't believe how stupid I am. You said you didn't want a relationship, but now you do. It's not because you didn't, but because I didn't. You still did. Do."
Her heart was racing, each thunderous pound sending a wave of anxiety and adrenaline through her veins. She didn't want to have this conversation. She just wanted to run away, but she planted her hindhooves against the ground.
Sucking in a breath, she said as clearly as she could manage, "I'm sorry, Tumble. I'm really sorry. I was selfish for thinking you wouldn't have feelings. You want a special somepony… and I don't."
"Oh." His ears started to droop and his gaze lowered. "I… I see."
On a vu souvent rejaillir le feu de l’ancien volcan qu’on croyait trop vieux.…
A soft blue figure walked toward them, candlelight illuminating the golden amber of her eyes.
"And I'm about to get a whole lot more sorry," Velvet muttered.
"Huh?" Tumble looked at her, then followed her gaze. The confusion on his face didn't relent any when Dawn stopped at their table, mirroring his expression.
"Who—" they started to ask at the same time, looked at each other, then looked at Velvet for explanation.
Velvet gestured at the seat to her right. "Hi, Dawn. Why don't you have a seat? There's some things I need to talk about with you."
Dawn slowly lowered herself into the seat, glancing at Tumble, who just sat there with an almost pitiable look on his face. "Who's this?"
"Dawn, this is Thunder Tumble, a stallion I've been seeing," Velvet explained simply. "Tumble, this is Dawn Walker, a mare I've been seeing."
An awkward tension filled the air as they mumbled cordial but uncertain greetings to one another.
Le rouge et le noir ne s'épousent-ils pas…
Deep breath in through the mouth, out through the nose. It was time to settle things once and for all. "I'm breaking things off with both of you."
Dawn's eyes went wide and tears jumped to them almost instantly. "Velvet, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't—I shouldn't have—"
"I'm sorry," Velvet interrupted, dropping her gaze to avoid looking at their faces, then forced herself to raise it. She couldn't run. "Dawn, you are like, the absolute sweetest pony I've ever met. I'm so sorry things turned out this way. I assumed that because I had said I didn't want a relationship between us, that meant it was a done deal.
"I didn't take your feelings into account, and… I'm sorry for that. I wanted to protect you from somepony breaking your heart. I really did just want you to be happy."
Dawn didn't say anything. She just trembled lightly, her breathing uneven, tears falling down her cheeks. It made Velvet feel like an absolute monster, but she forced herself to look at Tumble and keep going.
"Tumble, you're a really good pony. You're going to make a mare really happy someday. The stuff with Dawn made me realize that I was going to end up in the same boat with you, and, well, you proved my point." Her ears drooped, but she tried to smile. "So I don't want to see you anymore, either."
If there was anything he was good at, it was pulling himself together for a professional guard face. Though there was still confusion in his knitted brow, he gave a curt nod. "I understand. I appreciate you being honest, at least."
Velvet breathed in again. "Yeah. So… There it is. I hope you two find the special someponies you're looking for. Now, I'll leave, so you two can enjoy this dinner, okay? The food here's amazing."
"What about Azurite?" Dawn asked in a soft, trembling voice.
Tumble blinked, his stoic expression faltering, his ears perked upright. "Azurite?"
Velvet's brow furrowed, waving a hoof to dismiss Tumble for the moment and keeping her gaze on Dawn. "What about her?"
Dawn hesitated, then startled Velvet with such a glowering stare that it chilled her to the bone. "Y-You say all that, but why isn't she here? Why are you just breaking it off with us? What's so special about her?!"
"What are you talking about?" Velvet tried to keep her voice even, though she felt her hackles raising. Dawn had a right to be mad, and Velvet deserved every hateful glare, but that didn't make it any easier to be yelled at. "Azurite's just a friend. Is that really what you were so upset about?"
"I—" A small sound somewhere in the realm of a sob broke up Dawn's attempt at a retort. She rose suddenly, her chair nearly toppling over. She looked at Velvet one more time and opened her mouth to speak, but jerked her head to the side and instead fled from the table.
Velvet and Tumble just sat there, both of them watching Dawn's retreating form as she disappeared out the front doors.
Je ne veux plus pleurer, je ne veux plus parler…
What a horrible pony she was. What kind of despicable, cruel, selfish pony did she have to be to hurt a sweet, caring, loving pony like Dawn?
Tumble turned his head toward her, the confusion having since faded away. There was a new look in his eyes. It was… pity?
"I don't think you're a bad pony for all this, Velvet… but I have a feeling what I think doesn't make much of a difference in this situation." He pushed his chair back and stood. "I'm going to go make sure she's okay." With a small smile, he leaned across the table to place a light kiss on her cheek. "Good luck finding whatever it is that you need. Enjoy your dinner."
And with those parting words, she was alone. Dreadfully alone. The happiness she had found was gone, just like that, because she couldn't see past her own selfish desires to notice how she had been hurting Dawn and Tumble.
Ne me quitte pas...
"Here you are, madam," a stallion's voice said as a silver plate was set on the table in front of her.
She blinked and looked up to see the chef standing there, a solemn look on his face. "Huh?"
"Forgive me for noticing, but it looked like your evening didn't go the way you wanted. I decided to skip the other courses and bring dessert." For a moment, he smiled. "You look like you need it."
Velvet raised a hoof to wipe her eyes and tried to return the smile. "I don't deserve it, but I do think I need it, yeah."
Gourmet flicked an ear. His horn lit up and levitated the dome off the tray to reveal a slice of the most decadent chocolate cake with raspberry sauce drizzled over it. "Bon appétit. I hope your tomorrow is better."
"Thank you," she mumbled, looking down at the cake. It smelled delicious. Rich cocoa, sweet raspberry… How nice of him. Did chefs get tipped? Well, the waiter was going to get a nice tip because of the chef. Maybe she'd leave a note with the tip. 'Thank your chef for these bits!'
While she took a bite of cake, she felt tears returning to her eyes. She should have listened to Nightingale from the very beginning. She had said Velvet was making a big mistake… If only she had listened instead of just assuming she knew best.
How could she have been so foolish to think she knew anything about the way hearts worked? Normal hearts, anyway. Hearts that felt love. Hearts that weren't defective.
---
Tendrils of light reached under Velvet's bedroom door. She glared at them, knowing their source; Crystal was awake. She was out there, muttering to herself about honeymoon plans.
The darkness surrounded Velvet, keeping her away from the light. Away from Crystal.
"If there's nothing wrong with me, then what's wrong with you?"
She hadn't slept all night. Had she slept the night prior? How long had she been awake? Perhaps she had nodded off a few times, but whatever sleep she could get was far from restful.
Crystal would be married soon. She would go on the honeymoon she was out there planning, and then she would be gone. Silent would take her away to live in their own home as wife and husband. Velvet would be all alone.
It wouldn't be so bad, would it? With Crystal gone, she would have the condo all to herself to bring mares and stallions over. She'd be free. Wasn't that what she wanted?
"What the hay is wrong with you?!"
Crystal would never have to find out how she had broken Dawn's heart. Never have to find out that she was perverting the wonderful thing that Crystal and Silent shared. That she was void of love.
What kind of pony didn't love? How could Crystal ever be friends with a pony like that? Crystal, who lived in the world of romance, roses, and making love instead of sex…
"A problem with it? No! If they all love each other and they're happy together, then of course I don't!"
Maybe it would be easier if Crystal knew the truth. Then she could move to the Crystal Empire with no regrets. Besides, she wouldn't be alone! She'd have Nightingale. Nightingale accepted her for who she was…
"You need to break up with her! Or break things off with her, however it works in your weird anti-dating world!"
… mostly.
Velvet trembled as a sob escaped her. She really was alone, wasn't she? Nightingale didn't understand her. Mom wanted her to settle down. Dad just indulged her. Azurite enjoyed the love of two ponies. And Crystal…
Though her whole body ached to the very core, Velvet slid off the bed and started toward the door. Toward the light. Toward the voice.
"Maris... Colton Head... Maredrid... or just go back to Glimmer World?" Crystal sighed loudly. "Oh, tea, would you hurry up already?"
"You know what they say about a watched kettle," Velvet said. Her throat felt like she had tried to drink cinnamon. It was rough and scratchy and she was almost concerned she hadn't spoken loud enough for Crystal to hear.
"Oh, good morning! I—" Crystal's head came into view from the kitchen, a smile on her face that quickly fell. She must have looked as bad as she felt. "Velvet? What's the matter?"
Oh, wait. There was just one problem with this plan. Hurriedly, Velvet glanced around the condo. "Is Silent still here?"
Crystal shook her head. "No, he's already left for work."
"I can't—" Was she really ready to do this? Was she prepared for Crystal's reaction?
Crystal stiffened, concern crossing her furrowed brow. "What's wrong?"
It was time. Time to let go of the worry, the fear, the pain. Time to let everything out and move forward. Time to face the consequences of all of her choices.
Velvet rubbed at her aching eyes and whispered in a trembling voice, "I can't do this anymore. I have—I have to tell you a secret."
well at least velvet had the guts to break it off with dawn and TT.
also dat cameo
good chapter!
stay awesome crystal
Poor Velvet. I hope she will find her way though, so Dawn Walker and Thunder Tumble hook up hm?
7324759 I hope so, they both deserve a nice pony to settle down with
Your love is like a tidal wave, spinning over my head
Drownin' me in your promises, better left unsaid
You're the right kind of dreamer, to release my inner fantasy
The invincible winner, and you know that you were born to be
You're a heartbreaker
Dream maker, a love taker
Don't you mess around with me
You're a heartbreaker
Dream maker, a love taker
Don't you mess around, no no no
Your love has set my soul on fire, burnin' out of control
You taught me the ways of desire, now it's takin' its toll
You're the right kind of sinner, to release my inner fantasy
The invincible winner, and you know that you were born to be...
"Heart breaker" Pat Benatar
Velvet Step
danced across the floor
And away with my heart
As I bled more and more
All actions have consequences, Velvet, but just because you don't feel love, doesn't mean you don't deserve to be loved...
I really like the chapter opening between Velvet and Upper Crust. I get a great mental image of Velvet's distraction due to internal turmoil.
Careful Upper Crust, your face might get stuck that way like a rapidly cooling glob of hot mozzarella.
Whew, I was worried that Upper Crust was doomed for a moment, but here we see her back in fine form again. Finer really, as she is in her sought after place, but instead of dispensing vitriol she is handing out benevolent favors.
The Canon has been unleashed, by writing this sentence things have been put in motion that are not easily undone.
With a clap of his hoofs a trio of rather comely mares trotted out of the kitchen and began cavorting on the table before Velvet. Oh. Right. That didn't actually happen. Sorry Velvet, this isn't that kind of night. Maybe later during your rebound...
Now one of the questions here is whether or not Velvet understands the song and it's twisting the knife or if it's only to better frame the emotions for the reader.
This actually caught me by surprise. Velvet had spent so long up till this point playing the fool that I didn't even consider that she might deal with Tumble, let alone at the same time. I'll give her this, now that she's realized/internalized what she's been doing, Velvet is taking steps to at least try and resolve it.
Hail Crystal! Empress of the Trolls! Well done.
Ouch Velvet. That's a real shank to the kidney. In Dawn's rather fragile state that could be taken incorrectly as Velvet implying that Dawn isn't even a friend. Not Velvet's intention of course, but... yet another bit of her segmented existence hoping tracks in the rail yard of her life and derailing right into an unrelated, in her mind, car.
I wonder where this came from.
I saw that same wording used recently in another bit of Q&B related shenanigans. Being the brilliant detective I am, this can mean only one thing. They're related.
Poor Velvet. Crystal is most certainly not the average "normal" pony and neither is Velvet.
Ring the bell! Velvet Step is coming home after being gone for so long!
This is a fantastic chapter and comes back to the root of why I've enjoyed these Slice of Life stories so much. While I personally have a hankering for a more fun and comedic angle
when at all possiblealways this was still immensely satisfying.I still feel like Dawn's blown Azurite's importance way out of the water. I mean, yes Velvet had been saying that Dawn was just a friend and Dawn probably assumes that Azurite is the same kind of friend, but she's just been doing that. Assuming. She'd settle down a lot more if she just asked if Azurite and Velvet were friends the same way she and Velvet were friends.
THE SHIP HAS SUNK THE SHIP HAS SUNK!
Which one?
ALL OF THEM!
*Ahem*
Well, somewhere along the way, I did see this coming, and I think it's for the better. It's funny how I (we?) as reader(s) wanted her to hook up with Dawn or Tumble, as much as Dawn and Tumble themselves did, even though we were told at the start of the story that Velvet never wanted a relationship. Funny parallel there, intentional or not.
Let's hope she can find her happiness again after this.
"I-I'm not really me at all! I'm you!"
"What?! No, that's impossible!"
"But look! I'm you!"
"But I'm not me either! I'm you!"
"Oh no! We must have switched for a prank in school and forgot to switch back!"
7324938
Yes , that could mess Dawn up, thinking that there are other ponies Velvet is involved with that are perfectly fine with being lovers and nothing more, so something is wrong with her (Dawn). Velvet could have simply said Azu is not her lover. I'm not sure Dawn has the word lover in her vocabulary. Maybe because it implies love.
I am glad to see poor Velvet getting ready to talk to Crystal. I'm sure Crystal can help Velvet by being a good friend. Longtime friends are often the only ones who really understand us. Sometimes even better than our own family or even our parents. I'm sure Crystal's mom does not get Crystal nearly as well as Velvet or Horsey.
BTW, I sure hope Upper Crust does NOT have that standing reservation for occasions EXACTLY LIKE THIS one, otherwise her life sucks a whole lot worse than Velvet's right now. Might explain the Complinsults though.
The reading has happened! :P
So, I have that big, important exam tomorrow, right? Like, "life-defining big". I am stressed out, on the very edge of my physical and mental endurance, names, terms and concepts racing through my head...
And then I see the update. I drink from the mixture of drama and emotional turmoil. I take in a pint of agony. I smell the whiff of heart's torment... And then this wonderful, magnificent gesture of defiance and bravery comes...
... your tales are a blessing, oh Rose Princess...
Y'know, I was surprised to see Thunder's inclusion. I understand Velvet's knee-jerk reaction though; if she's clearing the air, then she would want to clear all of it at once.
Though it seems like Velvet led him on just so she could break up with him... He seemed okay with the current arrangement though was open to more. But that's not nearly the same thing as the assumption that Velvet just foisted on him (he's open to it = he wants only that, same as Dawn).
And Velvet still hasn't actually talked to Dawn about Azurite's status in all this...
It's truly amazing how a chapter that's all about "clearing the air" actually does surprisingly little of it. I don't know if I've ever seen such a good representation of characterization driven derailment. Good work, Crystal!
Also...
Drama for the Drama God! Tears for Wailing Throne! (Eh, close enough...)
Does this mean Dawn is going to have to go fight a filly?
7325210
I think from Velvet's pov, it is the same: she would never be open to taking a relationship to the next level, and she assumed that's what Tumble was thinking too--sex with no real attachment and no real possibility of such. Even if Tumble doesn't want it now, it could easily grow into the same thing that Dawn wants.
Almost makes me think that Velvet made a mistake in bringing it up since it does seem like Tumbler, unlike Dawn, knew how things were. Almost, there is no guarantee it would always stay that way and Velvet certainly wouldn't want another Dawn-like situation.
I believe we are almost to the end of Crystal's Wishes now too.
I dunno, I'm not sure I buy that Upper isn't actually from Tartarus. Don't forget the vampires, Velvet, if they exist then Tartarusian ponies might too.
Uhh, crap.
Argh, this is not going how I would have hoped.
Now that's not necessarily true. Tumble was the one who brought up not wanting it to be anything serious first, and unless I'm misremembering events there wasn't much he could have been going off of to intentionally land on the same page regarding relationships as Velvet. She had been specifically keeping him in the dark to avoid the leak to Silent and on through to Crystal, after all. Of course, that doesn't change what was just said, but don't kick yourself too hard over at least this benefitship, Velvet.
Dang, there we go.
Not really a surprise to see Dawn continue to respond poorly, she hasn't really been stable regarding Velvet for a while now.
Hmn. The launch of the SS TumbleDawn, perhaps?
Well, I can't say that I'm entirely happy with how that turned out, but you don't always get what you want. My hope had been that the status quo with at least Tumble could remain, it would have been easy enough for Silent to be a little mistaken about exactly how Tumble's relationship with his mare back home worked and we hadn't really even been told that he wasn't just fine being on the same page as Velvet.
Now that said, I am happy that Velvet's reaction to this wasn't to try and jump into a real relationship with Dawn and/or Tumble. Velvet needs to come to terms with her approach to physical and emotional relationships, and it would be been a bit of a betrayal of that and her eventual conversation with Crystal to jump into a (probably doomed) relationship just to finally give up and attempt to fit in.
Ehh, c'est la vie.
Hey, at least we know that this conversation ends well. Er, from Crystal's perspective, at least.
Awesome chapter. Also, I FUCKING CALLED DAWN TUMBLE. Looking forward to more :)
I prefer the word "complisult". It flows off the tongue easily.
Also, I was really hoping Velvet would tell them she might want to be with them both. Now she has nopony and I find that very sad.
Hmmm Well I suppose that ship of thunder velvet is sunk. Or atleast capsized at the moment. I have to say though.... I can understand velvets reasoning for what she did but yes. atleast she was hones and I suppose its good for all three of them, though Dawn seems to take it out of proportion when our favorite funsized pony is mentioned. And waiters like that are a diamond in a mudslide. your lucky when ya find them. That cliffhanger! I cant wait for the next chapter.
7326445 I think I may join you on this ship.
Great chapter! Ne me quitte pas is a great song to go with! (If we want to be picky about something, the restaurant was "a slice of Prance" but Jacques Brel was belgian (what is the pony name for Belgium anyway?))
Ha!
7324714 Glad you liked it!! I tried to capture some of Gourmet's personality in a snapshot. Looking forward to writing more of him in the future!
7324759 It certainly seems that way, doesn't it...
7324826 Velvet didn't mean to be a heartbreaker... but sometimes we don't always intend to do the harm we do. Coming clean about herself might give her the peace she needs, though.
7324829 Phew! Long Posted comment! So much to address!
I definitely wanted to start the chapter off with Upper Crust and Velvet. One, Velvet sees a different Crusty than Crystal does, so I like giving that alternate perspective. Two, I just like the mental image of Velvet spacing out and Upper Crust having been talking and talking, unaware that Velvet wasn't listening at all.
Velvet doesn't understand the song lyrics, so no knife twisting for her. It's a mood setter, emotion framer, and, for those who know the song and/or look up the lyrics, knife twister for the reader. I carefully plucked lines for inclusion (while also trying to space them out in the song from start to finish so it was actually like it was playing).
Yeah, there was very little fun and comedic angle here! Sorry about that! Glad it was satisfying though. I tried to really show that Velvet was taking things seriously, even if she still dropped a ball or two. She's not perfect, after all. But she is trying.
7324938 You would be right to feel that way, since that's the case! Dawn does have a wrong impression of who Azurite is. Velvet isn't aware of that, so it's not something she could address. She doesn't understand that angle of things at all. There will be a bonus chapter from Dawn's perspective where the air is cleared on that, though!
7324973 MWUAHAH! Call me iceberg cause I be sinkin' yo ships!
Definitely intentional parallel. For those desperate to ship, I built a nice, pretty harbor to distract from Velvet's own statements. "Oh, she just doesn't know what she wants!" Nah... She does, she just doesn't think it's okay to want what she wants. That's the problem.
7325011
7325014 Crystal is definitely the pony Velvet has needed to talk to this whole time!
Hah! No, no, Upper Crust has no idea what's going on with Velvet. She meant she has it for situations where a pony (herself or others) needs a short notice reservation. It's very impressive to take ponies there, it's very powerful to give as a favor... It's a great status symbol. That's what she meant.
7325066 The comment has happened!
7325076 I told you that I felt like this story would deliver on some tasty drama for you! I'm glad it came at a time when you needed it. Good luck on your exam, I'm sure you'll do great!!
7325210 Well, in the heat of the moment, Velvet didn't express herself well. She got worked up. But it's not that she thinks it's the same as Dawn... it's that that desire is there for him, whereas it's not for her. The seed is there and it could bloom. They could spend this time together, as they have, and he could like her, as he said he does, and he could want more, which he is open to. She wasn't really leading him on so much as proving a point.
As far as Velvet talking about Azurite, well, Velvet doesn't understand, acknowledge, or comprehend the whole jealousy thing. That just doesn't register for her. So she can't really clear the air on that... and it wouldn't change anything, anyway. So Azurite wasn't a friends with benefits. Tumbler is. If Dawn found out about Tumble, she would have been in the same boat of jealousy. If Velvet got her threesome with Hot Shots and Blue Rhapsody, and Dawn found out... See what I mean?
7325401 Maybe! Probably not. Nothing to fight over anymore...
7325531 Yup! Exactly.
7326328 Velvet wanted to break things off with all of them because she realized they weren't the same as her. Tumbler himself said he liked her and he didn't want to force her, but he was open to more. Maybe right now that would have worked, maybe he would have stayed quiet forever, maybe in a year or two he would have gone and proposed to her... He does want a relationship, and Velvet acknowledges that staying with her is keeping him from finding one. She understands that now.
7326389 hahaha. Now I understand why Crusty has such poofy hair. It's to hide her horns!
You're not misremembering anything at all. Velvet's in an emotional place so she's an unreliable speaker. Tumble was definitely, in the current state of things, okay to keep things as they were. It was working just fine for him. But Velvet's mindset is that if that's something he wants (making a relationship work) then that's something he will want eventually. She's just speaking from a place of being upset at herself.
7326445 It definitely does seem like that, now, doesn't it!
7326802 It's only sad if she's sad! She's finally going to talk to Crystal, who—as we know both from Wishes and just from the fact that Velvet isn't as strange as she makes herself out to be—of course doesn't kick her to the curb, which has been the major conflict for the story. Once she can accept that her not wanting a relationship is okay, she'll be happy.
7327591 Alas, poor TMS ThunderStep, we knew her well! But there are indeed some lifeboats heading toward the TMS ThunderWalker.
7327807 Thanks! Glad you liked it!
You can be picky if you like, but for me and Velvet... if it sounds like a French song, looks like a French song, and quacks like a French song... it's a French
ducksong!As I thought about this chapter over the evening last night, I got more and more annoyed with Velvet's actions in it, so here's another comment.
Now that the dinner has happened and we're at the very end of the story, I'm really concerned about where exactly Velvet's character arc has gone and where it's going to go from here. I had generally been assuming that her arc was going to consist of her learning to be honest with herself and others about who she is, and that she would learn to accept herself as who she is. But with the events of this dinner, I think she just set herself up for lots of uphappiness in the future.
The lesson that she just learned, largely because she manipulated it into this ending by her hypothetical to Tumble, is that any long-term physical friendship she gets into is going to develop into something that the other pony will want to be more serious and will have to be ended. I can see two possibilities from here. Either she repeats this pattern, and is always worried and concerned about her partner's intentions, which is going to be really poisonous mentally and emotionally, or she is going to restrict herself to just casual one night stands that she never lets develop into friendships, and imagining that just makes me sad (especially once Crystal is up in the Empire and Velvet is even more alone).
Now, that's not to say that I disagree with the actual writing of the chapter, it's just the character actions that upset me. And hey, people aren't always logical.
Though I do wish that it had worked out with Tumble, not just because I like the ship but so that Velvet would have had an example that there are other ponies like her, and that she was even fortunate enough to find one. It would be nice if she had a reprieve from always thinking that she is wrong and broken on account of being the only pony like herself.
7328040 Well, it's a good thing I've got one more chapter after this. Originally this was where I ended it!
As it stands, you're right. Velvet's got a long way to go, and she's got a potential path that could end up very sad for her. Thankfully, as mean and cruel as I can be to characters in the interim, y'all know I'm not that heartless.
The big step for her is coming clean to Crystal, which is where she's at right now. That takes a lot of the weight and the pressure and the guilt she's put on herself, and once that's relieved, it frees her up to accept she's not some horrible, awful pony.
Tumble! Ahhh, Tumble. I do love him. He's got a pretty good future ahead of him, I think. I look forward to that mini-plot shown in Hopes after what we see in Trials.
I'm not done with Velvet's path to happiness, and I hope you'll bear with me for the ride!
7327958
I disagree. Yes, she was proving a point, and yes, she didn't express herself well at all, but the fancy restaurant, the swanky outfit, meeting him "alone," the tough, nervous questions about "if I was okay with this, would you...?"... What's a stallion supposed to think when the girl he's been seeing off and on puts on that kind of show? It may have only been for a moment, but she definitely led him on. And when leading him on returned the near-obvious answer, she immediately cut him off like so much dead chaff.
She set up a self-fulfilling prophesy just to hurt herself and others. I wanted so badly to slap her in that moment.
I know my response is more thought-out and hers is more emotional, but if she cuts out everyone who might possibly be open to a deeper relationship, then Velvet will never have anypony. Sunny Days loved her flings, but she was still open to something more, which immediately nixes her from Velvet's quickly-shortening list.
Oh yes, I know any of them would have resulted in the same thing. It's just frustrating that Velvet's in the middle of dealing with the fallout from being "just friends" with Dawn and has repeatedly missed that Dawn keeps snidely telling her "so you're 'just friends' with Azurite too, huh".
I know, I know... real life doesn't often have reasoned, fully-informational conversations.
EDIT: I was just reminded of the Crystal's Wishes chapter with Crystal's viewpoint on this. I don't remember it being this drama-laden from Crystal's perspective. But I also can't find that particular moment...
Finally got around to the new chapters. I've been waiting for these scenes for soo long, it was extremely satisfying to read.
SOO happy to finally see that she is seeing herself from a different perspective. Ok, as mentioned she doesn't understand jealousy much and she is kind of at the bottom of the pit (which never gives accurate self-perspective) but it's a fantastic start.
As much as I bash on Velvet Step, I've never thought she was incapable of love, she just hadn't been honestly willing to discover it yet. It may happen, it may not, either way she's on the right path in my opinion.
Totally saw the ThunderxDawn coming, although it totally played out differently in my mind, I love how Dawn is shown in the end.
Can't wait for a chapter from Dawn's perspective, she is as much the Fluttershy of this world as Azurite is the Pinky Pie.
Awww Velvet, your heart isn't defective, it's just different
You know maybe it's the sociopath in me but I don't feel sorry for Dawn. That was totally her fault, Ass-u-me.