On the surface, Velvet Step seems like a pretty straightforward mare. She is in the Canterlot Ballet, the dutiful daughter of Sunbeam and Pepper Ridge, and the very best of friends with Crystal Wishes, her fillyhood friend and current roommate.
However, Velvet has another side to her, one that not even Crystal knows about, and she is keen on keeping it that way.
Velvet Step hummed to herself as she pranced down the halls of Canterlot Academy. Her wandering eyes enjoyed the sight of pretty mares and handsome stallions all around her. While her friends seemed to only have an interest in stallions, Velvet found herself pleasantly aware of what both sexes had to offer. Mares were soft, and the shiny lip gloss that most tended to wear seemed so inviting. On the other hoof, the idea of a stallion's strong, sturdy forelegs wrapped around her sent shivers up her spine.
Though she had yet to really enjoy the company of another pony in a more intimate way, that didn't stop her from daydreaming, which she did frequently. She gave a quick shake of her head to clear the heated thoughts and instead focused on navigating her way toward the gymnasium. Today, she had tryouts for a spot on the cheerleading club.
There were a few stallions waiting in line outside the gym for their chance to make the team, but primarily she was surrounded by mares. Sweet-smelling, lithe, athletic mares—just her type. Velvet smiled at her fortuitous spot in line; she stood behind one particularly gorgeous mare, her mane woven into several overlapping braids and her tail perked to show off her equally perky rump.
Velvet sighed happily. Canterlot Academy was such a wonderful place.
However, right then was not the time to be distracted. She cleared her throat and lifted her head to force her gaze away from the cute little butt in front of her. What was the cheer again? Wondercolts something something yay? Perhaps she should have studied more, but that would require her to care enough to put forth the effort. All of this was just for fun.
Making the team didn't really matter to her, but having fun did. She'd already tried out for several of the exclusive clubs to no avail. She was no good at sports, though she did enjoy the post-tryout locker room showers. Water dripping from perfectly fit bodies...
She rolled her eyes. What happened to focusing? She was only two ponies away from showing off a cheer, which meant she didn't have much time to come up with something that looked remotely like she had paid attention to the cheers and not just the cheerleaders. Maybe she'd throw in a few ballet moves for good measure. Those looked impressive to most ponies, right?
When it was finally her turn, she moved across the floor on the tips of her hooves. Ballet had given her enough grace and poise to make a statement when she walked, and she relished the attention on her. Of course, they were really just waiting for her to begin a demonstration of the cheer and couldn't care less how she walked, but it was nice to pretend otherwise.
---
"'Wondercolts something something yay'?" a voice asked from behind Velvet. "Really?"
Velvet closed the gym room locker and turned to face the voice's owner. It was that curvy-rumped mare from before. She was just as pretty from the front, and the faint scent of honeydew melon perfume radiated from her. Velvet licked her suddenly dry lips. "Yup. Turns out that wasn't right."
The mare just stared for a moment, disbelief plastered on her face. "Why the hay did you try out if you didn't even know the cheer?"
Velvet replied with a shrug. "I dunno. For fun?"
"Is this just some kind of game to you?" The mare frowned. "Some of us are trying to start our careers here, you know."
Pretty rump, pretty face, pretty perfume... not so pretty personality. Or maybe it was just because Velvet had upset her and she was normally a very nice pony. Right then, Velvet wasn't sure the personality part mattered, though. The mare's lips sparkled with glittery lip gloss and Velvet wondered what it tasted like.
She had also forgotten the question. There was a question, right? Emerald eyes were staring at her expectantly, so there had to be one. "Uh, sorry?" She grinned lopsidedly.
The mare snorted. "Seriously, I don't know why I even bothered. You didn't make it, thank Celestia. I guess I just hoped you had a better reason than 'uh, sorry'." She scrunched up her nose and started to turn away. "My mistake."
"Wait, I—" Velvet had to stop her. She had to make amends so she could ask her on a date or something. That was what ponies did, right? Go on dates? It sounded unnecessary when all she wanted to do was kiss her, but if that's what it'd take, then she'd try it out.
Unfortunately, the signals got crossed somewhere on the way to her hooves, which she had intended to use for simply grabbing the mare by the shoulder. Instead, Velvet grabbed her, tugged her back, and kissed her right smack on the lips.
Cherry. Her lip gloss tasted like cherry.
The mare pushed against her and sputtered for a moment. "What—I—you—" She sneered, her wits returning. "What the hay is wrong with you?!"
Velvet swallowed. "I'm sorry, I didn't—"
"Don't even talk to me!" she shrieked, slapped her hard across the face, and pivoted on her right hindleg to run out of the room.
"Wait, I—"
The door to the locker room swung shut, and the sound echoed somewhat ominously in the otherwise empty room. Velvet's ears drooped and she slumped back against the lockers. "Idiot," she muttered under her breath. She sniffed and rubbed at her eyes that stung with embarrassed tears, then hugged herself and glanced around to ensure nopony had seen what just happened. To her bittersweet delight, she was alone.
One of Velvet's eyes opened, followed shortly after by the other. Her groggy morning vision turned her room into a bunch of blurry blobs that slowly came into focus before she yawned wide. She slipped out from underneath the covers to place her hindlegs on the floor, then reached to touch her forehooves to her hindhooves. Her back gave a relieving pop-pop and she groaned, yawned, and straightened back up.
She shook out her mane, which was a tangled mess of mauve curls that she needed to brush into submission. Some time right around when she hit puberty, her mane decided that it was going to do its own thing and it had been a constant battle ever since. Cosmetic self-maintenance was loathsome to her, but not nearly as much as the birds' nest she called a mane when she didn't do the bare minimum: a shower, a mare care product that battled curls for a full day, a long brushing session, and a tight bun to ensure her hard work stayed in place.
While she went through her routine, she contemplated what she had in store for the day. Life had certainly gotten a little more complicated since she dropped out of Canterlot Academy two years ago, but joining a ballet company had given her a sense of purpose and structure, so she had no regrets. A whole day of practice awaited her and she didn't have time to dawdle.
She wiped the shower-spawned steam off the mirror so that she could examine her reflection. A pink mare with the sweetest expression looked back at her. She scrunched up her nose at her disheveled appearance, let out a high-pitched but raspy little giggle, and began taming her mane. Her tail, thank Celestia, had stayed compliant by remaining naturally straight and only needed a light brushing.
"Finally," she grumbled as she snapped the bun into place, smiled at herself, and walked over to the door that brought her out into the main living space. "Morning, Crystal!"
Crystal Wishes, her roommate and fillyhood friend, looked up from the teacup she was nursing and flashed a smile. "Good morning." She shifted slightly on her sitting pillow. "The kettle's still hot, if you'd like some."
Crystal was a true Canterlot lady who despised everything about the culture into which she had been raised. Her parents, Upper Crust and Jet Set, were notable socialites and had gone to great lengths to give her a proper upbringing. Ironically, it was those very lengths that made her hate Canterlot society.
Ever since she had gone steady with a royal guard officer named Silent Knight, she spent an awful lot of her time either going on dates with him, thinking about him, or writing a thinly veiled fantasy about him. Velvet didn't understand the desire one bit, but it was Crystal's life to waste as she pleased.
Velvet pranced into the kitchen, one ear swiveled toward her friend. "What are your plans today? Let me guess. Date with Silent Knight?" She snorted, then covered the sound up with a giggle. "That's the only reason why you get up early on a weekend."
Crystal huffed. "I'll have you know, I have plans to meet with Raven this afternoon." She trailed to draw out the last word until she finally added in a quiet voice, "And then I have a date with Silent Knight. It's a double date, actually, with Runic and Miley." She paused. "I'm not sure how late we'll be out. Would you like me to make you something for dinner and leave it in the fridge?"
Velvet kept her back to Crystal, spreading jam across a piece of bread while she grinned. "Nah. I've got plans to eat out tonight, so don't worry about me."
"All right." Crystal sipped her tea, then set the cup on the coffee table and stood. As usual, she set about making space for the rest of Velvet's morning routine, her magic rearranging the pillows and furniture to clear a space in the center of the room.
"Thanks," Velvet said as she walked over. She finished off the last bite of her breakfast and settled on the floor. With her legs folded crossed over one another, she closed her eyes and focused first on breathing exercises. Warm-up was next with some light stretching, followed by more intense stretching, and then finally practicing the moves for the upcoming ballet, Swan Lake.
---
"... Twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three," Velvet muttered under her breath, counting along with the rest of the ballerinas as they watched Perennial on the stage.
Though the unicorn diva was hard to work with, there was no denying her technical skill. She spun around on one hindleg, the other extending and whipping around to the side with utmost precision to carry the rest of her body around while the leg folded at the knee before repeating the motion. It took time, practice, and talent to execute a perfect fouetté, much less how many Perennial was spinning through with ease.
Perennial snapped her leg down to stop her movement all at once, then stood with her forelegs spread high in the air in her classic applause-demanding pose. The other mares complied, some earnestly as it was an impressive feat. Velvet sat in almost bitter awe.
"That, girls, is how it's done," Perennial said with a huff as she dropped down onto all fours and sauntered off the stage. "And why I am Odette."
Velvet grinned and whispered to the mare beside her, "And Odile. Actually, mostly Odile."
Nightingale giggled behind a hoof. "Oh, you!"
Perennial's head jerked to the side to glare at them. "Is there something the matter, Velvet Step?"
"Why would you think that, Perennial?" Velvet smiled. "Should something be the matter?"
Perennial snorted. "Just get on stage with the rest of the swan-maidens and go through your choreography already." She tossed her mane and sat down on a plush pillow, levitating a glass of cucumber water to her lips.
Velvet rolled her eyes once her back was to the diva. "I swear," she said to Nightingale when they were out of earshot, "if I could, I would challenge her for the role just to see the look on her face."
"Well, she is prima for a reason." Nightingale sighed. "You should count yourself lucky that you got to be Kitri last tour."
A smile splayed across Velvet's face and her mind drifted off while her body went through the motions. Her legs knew just what to do from her constant practicing and didn't need any guidance, so she was free to daydream about how wonderful it had been to headline a ballet despite her initial fear of failure. Slowly, the thoughts drifted to her plans for that afternoon and how she hoped to spend it.
After practice, she trotted with the rest of the girls to the showers. Her sexual preferences were unknown to nearly every mare around her at that moment, and she felt no shame in that. It wasn't as though she fantasized about them, even after seeing their wet, dripping bodies in the showers. She kept her gaze always well above the shoulders to resist the temptation to ogle. Work was work and her fellow ballerinas were off limits.
Granted, she did sometimes think about pinning Perennial down and kissing her just to fluster the over-the-top diva, but that was totally different. That was an urge in the back of her mind that she would never, ever act on. She had too much self-control for that sort of behavior.
Velvet took extra care to thoroughly clean her mane with just water. Runic Phial, the local mare care expert, had warned her that regular shampoo would neutralize the effects of the anti-curl serum, and the bottle she kept in her locker was empty. Thankfully, she hadn't built up too much of a sweat during practice, so she didn't feel too gross about it.
"Good job today, girls!" She waved as she walked out after drying off. "See you all tomorrow!"
---
The Mare Contraire was a nice bar that catered to the fairer sex. Stallions weren't barred from entry, but given that the mares who frequented the place weren't looking for their company, they tended to go elsewhere. That made it the perfect haven for a pony like Velvet on a night when she sought the soft embrace of a mare.
Velvet trotted across the bar and over to take a seat on a stool. "Hey, Dolly!" She waved at the pink bartender to flag her down. "The usual, please!"
Dolly nodded to acknowledge her, then turned away to set about making the drink while Velvet eyed the crowd.
Although she had gotten the nerve to confess to Crystal that her tastes swung both ways, she still had a secret to keep from her best friend. Crystal was the biggest, most hopeless romantic Velvet had ever met. How could she even begin to understand the idea of making love sans love?
Yet, there Velvet was, searching for the right mare to have nigh-anonymous sex with, and that pony was most certainly not her 'special somepony'. There was just no way she could explain it to Crystal, so she just had to make sure the mare never, ever found out.
Velvet recognized a few of the faces and her gaze immediately flickered away, removing them from her mental list of possibilities. One-night stands were called such for a reason, and she wasn't going to be the one to rock the boat on the definition. Her eyes met those of a mare all too familiar to her and she paused.
Nightingale stood on the far end of the dance floor, looking back at her. They nodded to acknowledge their agreement that neither would bring up their awkward first meeting at the Mare Contraire ever again, and broke eye contact.
What was she going to do when she ran out of partners that fit her criteria? She drummed her hooves lightly on the counter as she mulled the potential issue over. At her current rate of one secret excursion every few weeks, she might have to re-evaluate her standards one day. For the time being, however, a cute mare caught her eye and the wink she offered was a distinct distraction from the somewhat distressing conundrum.
Velvet grinned. That was an invitation, one she gladly accepted. She picked up the appletini Dolly had set in front of her and walked over to the mare. "Hi."
The mare giggled and her wings fluttered with excitement. "Hiya!"
Velvet took a sip of her drink. "What's your name, cutie?"
"Diddle Daddle," she replied and finished with a coy smile, "but my friends call me Diddy."
"Well, what would a pony call you if they wanted to be more than friends for a night?" Velvet raised her brow, returning the coy smile with a sly smirk. There was no sense in hiding her motivations or beating around the bush; nopony came to the Mare Contraire looking for a commitment.
Diddy's ears shot straight up and a blush lit up her light purple face. "Oh!" She blinked a few times, then burst into a fit of giggles. "I guess that pony could call me whatever they liked!"
Velvet sipped her drink again before she set it down on the nearest table and started to stalk a circle around Diddy, eyeing her up and down while the mare shifted nervously. "Do you want to dance some before we go to your place, or"—she stopped just beside her, leaning in and whispering in her ear—"skip out of here and try a different kind of dance in your bed, babydoll?"
A small sound of surprise caught in Diddy's throat. Her face grew a deeper shade of red and she tried to hide her surprise by giggling. "Do, um, do I get to know your name first?"
Velvet inclined her head and nibbled on the ear she had whispered into. "Velvet."
"Ohh." A shiver coursed through the mare and she bit her lower lip. "That's a n-nice name. Um... I don't live far from here..."
Velvet grinned, pulled back, and retrieved her drink. "Sounds like a plan, then. I'm going to go pay, you start leaving, and I'll be right behind you." She downed the rest of the bright green liquid in one go.
Diddy blinked a few times. "Huh? Oh, okay." She hesitated before she started to walk to the door, glancing over her shoulder.
After tossing a few bits on the counter beside her empty glass, Velvet meandered her way out of the bar. She took the long path so that she wove through the crowd of mares and once she spotted Diddy walk out of the bar, she went to the doors herself.
She had to act casual and keep her cool despite the urge to run after the mare, pin her down, and take her right there in the streets. Canterlot was a gossip-fueled place and she couldn't risk the grapevine ruining her perfectly partitioned life. Diddy had seemed to catch on to the ruse because she didn't glance back again to see if she was following, instead prancing on ahead toward the residential district nearby.
Velvet hummed her favorite tune to herself. Humming brought her a sense of both calm and focus whenever she felt nervous, and the moments before she was safely inside another mare's place made her heart pound. Crystal wasn't known for taking late night strolls, but she was on a date. What if the group decided to take a stroll? This part of Canterlot was the more hip, rowdy area where the bars and clubs were located. Crystal tended to visit the more upscale side of town. Thus far, their paths had never crossed, but if they did—
Diddy disappeared into an apartment and seemingly shut the door, though it was actually left just slightly ajar. Velvet waited another moment, looking around the dimly lit surroundings, then slipped inside.
It was a nice place, as they usually were in Canterlot. It was also private once Velvet shut the door behind her, and that was really all that mattered.
"So, I guess you're not out yet, huh?" Diddy teased from the couch and burst into another fit of giggles.
Velvet stalked over to the couch with a playful grin on her face. "Something like that." She drew a gentle hoof down the mare's back, then patted her flank. "Why don't you roll over, sweet cheeks?"
Diddy shivered and rolled over onto her back, gazing up at Velvet with big blue eyes that begged for more of her touch.
Velvet stretched her forelegs above her head, then looked down at Diddy sleeping peacefully beside her. Her nose scrunched up at the bitter feeling of envy that bloomed in her chest. While her appetite was sated, no mare had ever made her feel so wonderful that all she wanted to do was fall asleep in a sex-induced coma.
Was there something wrong with her? Or had she just not found the right mare? She sighed, shaking her head to chase away the questions. What she needed right then was a shower, and she didn't want to bring the smell of alcohol, another mare, and sex home.
After ensuring she was more or less presentable, she cautiously left the apartment with the least guilty look she could manage. The humming started up again. It wasn't too long of a walk to the ballet studio, a place that thankfully never closed. There was always somepony practicing something at every hour and given that some nights that sompeony was her, Velvet could let herself in without raising suspicion.
To her delight, the locker room was unoccupied. She started one of the showers and let it run to heat up while she let her mane down. "Let's see, let's see," she muttered to herself as she opened her locker and retrieved two bottles, one of shampoo and the other of anti-curl serum. "Perfect."
Steam started to rise from the shower stall to indicate its readiness, so she walked over and slipped inside. A wave of relief washed over her with the warm stream of water that hit all the right spots. She'd scrub her coat, wash her mane, and come out on the other side clean again.
When she turned over the anti-curl serum bottle and gave it a squeeze, it responded with a wheeze and a sputter. Her eyes widened and she slapped a hoof to her forehead. "Right. Of course. Great! Stupid me!"
Continuing to curse under her breath, she tossed the bottle to the bottom of the stall and ran her hooves through her mane to feel the damage. It was already tangled. If it dried, it'd be a disaster. She stuck her head under the water and kept it there while she contemplated her options.
At that hour, most ponies would either be asleep or at the clubs. The odds were slim that anypony she knew would see her. She could dry off and just head straight home and nothing would happen and—
"Velvet Step?"
That voice. It was one of the very last voices she wanted to hear. She tried not to groan and instead just remained where she was, her back facing the mare. "Hi, Perennial."
Perennial asked with a small snort, "What are you doing here? Did you forget to pay your water bill?"
"Just cleaning up after practice," she replied and immediately regretted it.
"Practice?" Perennial leaned against the edge of the stall. "I was alone."
Velvet, still facing away from her, allowed herself to wince and bite her lower lip. "Perennial, if you ever learned how to pay attention to anything but yourself, you'd realize there were two other ponies besides me in there."
Perennial gasped, huffed, and scowled. "There were not!"
Velvet finally turned to look at her, one brow raised. "Are you calling me a liar?"
Perennial glared. "Are you calling me self-involved and unaware?"
"If the slipper fits," Velvet said, offering a light shrug. The water started to shift to lukewarm. Time was almost up. She had to make a decision and make it fast. Giving an exaggerated sigh, she kicked out a hindleg to flip the knob and stalked out of the stall. "I'll just go, then, since you'd clearly rather be alone so much that you ignored three ponies in the room with you."
Perennial's ears shot straight up and her voice rose to a squeaky yell. "There were no other ponies with me! I was alone!"
"As you wish!" Velvet grabbed her mane clip, tossed her shampoo bottle into the locker, and on her way out, dropped the empty bottle of serum into the trash. She really, really needed to remember to buy more the next day—or, at that hour, was it already the next day?
As she left, she made sure to holler down an empty hallway, "Have a good night, girls!"
That should keep Perennial on her hooves for a while and off the trail. Velvet smiled to herself, even though she was completely soaked to the bone. She'd take care of that soon enough once everything else had been dealt with. First, distract Perennial to avoid any suspicion or questions. Check. Second, get home as quickly as possible. She added an extra skip to her step to move along a little faster. Check. Last, get to her room before Crystal saw her. Soon-to-be-check.
A small shiver ran from her shoulders to her flank and compelled her to kick her hindlegs when a breeze drew across her wet coat like a bucket of ice. Why hadn't she at least dried everything but her mane off? She rolled her eyes. Of course, that was because having only a wet mane would arouse more questions than just being completely drenched. There was an easy excuse and if somepony tried to stop her, she had her answer at the ready.
When she finally got to her condo, she stopped in the living room to listen to her surroundings. It was completely quiet, save for the low hum of the fridge and the clock ticking away. Either Crystal was fast asleep or she wasn't home yet. All she had to do was make the last few steps that separated her from her bedroom and—
The lock of the front door clicked and the handle turned. Velvet's cold muscles seized up, save for her neck, which could only rotate to watch her impending doom. The door was pushed open and Crystal started to walk inside, but froze when their eyes met.
"Oh!" Crystal's expression lit up. "You're home." Her gaze darted about to take in the sight of Velvet and she asked with a furrowed brow and a faltering smile, "Why are you soaked?"
What was her excuse? Fell in a lake? No, no, there weren't any lakes in Canterlot. Fell in a bathtub? That made no sense! Finally, the prepared answer returned to her and she rolled her eyes. "Oh, you know." She waved a dismissive hoof. "Rogue pegasus. I swear, it's like they're always in a bad mood or something."
A small gasp escaped Crystal as she clasped her cheek with one hoof. "I hope it wasn't Rossby. I did irritate him the last time we met..." The furrow of her brow returned and she began pacing. "But he shouldn't take it out on you. I think I'll have a talk with him!"
Velvet wanted to swear, but that would definitely blow her cover. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" she exclaimed instead, waving her hooves. "I don't know if it was Rossby or not. Maybe just forget it before you start a war with the guy."
Crystal stopped pacing and frowned. "I suppose you're right, but still. Whether it was him or not, pegasi are supposed to be responsible with their clouds." Crystal sighed. The smile returned to her face and she moved forward to push Velvet toward the bathroom. "Go on and dry off before you catch a cold."
Velvet laughed triumphantly at the averted crisis, then trotted forward to escape Crystal's hooves. She stuck her nose in the air, flicked her wet tail to send a small spray of water at her friend, and disappeared into the bathroom where she subsequently pumped her foreleg in victory. "I don't think it works like that," she called through the closed door, "but all right." She straightened up and looked at herself in the mirror to give her reflection a wink. "So, how did your double date go?"
"Oh, he was wonderful," Crystal's airy voice responded. There was a brief pause, then a hurried correction of, "The date was wonderful, I mean."
Thank Celestia for Silent Knight and his distracting qualities! "Uh-huh, sure." Velvet grinned while she grabbed a towel and started to dry herself off. "Well, I'm glad for you." She tossed the towel back on the rack, gave her coat a shake, then called as she opened the door that led to her bedroom, "I'm heading to bed! Night, lovebird!"
---
A happy little bell chimed as Velvet opened the door and trotted into her parents' bakery, Sunridge Sweets. "Hi, Dad!" she called above the light noise of various patrons conversing. The place was always busy, which meant her parents would never have to worry about bits and that she would never have to worry about them.
Pepper Ridge looked up from the pastry he had been packaging for a customer to smile brightly at her. "Hi, sweetie! Red's in the back with your mother."
Velvet pranced around the counter, swept in to place a quick peck on his cheek, then jumped the distance into the back room. "Where's my little Red?!"
"Oh, my! Look who it is!" Her mother, Sunbeam, shifted the dark red foal sitting on her knee to face Velvet. "It's your big sister!"
Red, the epitome of all that was cute and perfect in the universe, gave a high-pitched squeal and waved all of his legs toward Velvet, not ceasing the annoying sound until she took him from Sunbeam.
"Okay, little guy! Calm down!" Velvet laughed and spun on one hindleg while the other swung to carry her momentum, holding him up as high as she could at first. The faster she spun around, the closer she held him to ensure his safety until the world around them was a blur.
"That's quite enough," Sunbeam interrupted. "He's too young for that much motion, sweetums."
Velvet snapped her leg down to stop suddenly and sighed. "Only twelve," she muttered, looking down at the giggling and squirming foal in her embrace. "I'll never be on her level."
Sunbeam looked up from the little, half-decorated cake in front of her. "What's that, schnookie cookie?"
Velvet flopped back onto a sitting pillow and snuggled Red closer to her while she explained, "Perennial did thirty-two fouettés the other day. Thirty-two, Mom."
"Okay." Sunbeam tilted her head. "Is that good or bad? That sounds pretty impressive to me!"
Velvet rolled her eyes. "It's good for her! Her and her smug little attitude." She wiggled Red's forelegs and mimicked, "And that, girls is how it's done and why I'm Snooty McSnootyflank and deserve a kick in the snoo"—Sunbeam cleared her throat—"out? Aw, Mom, he's too young to even know what I was going to say."
"Maybe so, but you're not going to say dirty words where my sweet, innocent baby can hear you, plumpkin." Sunbeam waggled the knife she was using to cut fondant.
"Fine, fine, fine." Velvet returned her gaze to Red and tapped her hoof against the foal's in a one-sided game of patty-cake. The smell of cupcakes baking to near perfection stirred a grumble from her stomach. "Uh oh!" She gasped and held up her hooves. "There's a rumbly in my tumbly! You know what that means!"
Red blinked up at her with bright purple eyes until she started to lean in toward him. With a small gurgle of a giggle, he started bouncing up and down in anticipation as her head neared his own.
"That's right! I need something sweet to eat!" She nuzzled her snout into his fluffy mane, which resembled cream cheese frosting in color and shape. As she snuffled and snorted against his scalp, she exclaimed, "Om nom nom nom!"
It didn't take long before the excitement was too much for the foal, who expressed his sudden exhaustion with a wide yawn. Velvet smiled down at him while he smacked his lips and crawled forward to snuggle against her chest. "Hey, Mom?"
Sunbeam glanced over at her and smiled. "Yes, sweetie?"
Velvet sighed as she leaned back to get more comfortable with the sleepy weight on her. Red buried his face against the crook of her neck, one of his hooves shifting so that he could suck on it.
"What were you like before you had me?" Velvet asked in a voice just above a whisper. "Before you became a mom?"
Sunbeam set down the piping bag to turn and face Velvet completely with her full attention. She was quiet for a while, her expression muddled between a furrowed brow and a soft smile. "I suppose I was a different mare. I spent every day at the bakery with Pepper, and every night thinking of what I'd create the next day. Don't get me wrong, sweetie, I was certainly happy, but when I had you?" She put her hooves to her cheeks and sighed. "Every day was full of sunshine, even when it was raining!"
Velvet closed her eyes while she stroked a hoof along her brother's back. "So you were pretty normal, then? You weren't kinda weird and then calmed down when I was born?"
Another moment of curious silence fell on them until Sunbeam cleared her throat. "Velvet, are you trying to tell me that you're pregnant?"
"What?" Velvet's eyes snapped open to shoot her mother a stern glare. "No, Mom, jeeze. I'm just curious, all right?"
Sunbeam shrugged and returned to her decorating. "Well, if you were pregnant, I think you'd make a wonderful mother. Red certainly loves you more than me some days, I think."
Velvet stuck out her tongue. "I'm too young to be a mom, Mom."
"I wasn't much older than you when I had you, crumbcake," Sunbeam retorted.
"Whatever." She tilted her head back and stared up at the ceiling. "I'd like to enjoy my career a little longer before I even start thinking about that stuff. Besides, Red's the only foal I'll ever need in my life!"
Sunbeam hesitated before she pointed out, "He won't be a foal forever, you know."
Velvet quickly looped her foreleg over his head to cover both of his ears, glaring at her mother again. "Shh! Don't put such silly ideas in his head!" She tucked her chin down to peer at him with a smile. "My sweet, little baby brother would never do that to me."
After another moment of hesitation, Sunbeam turned back around to her decorating table and resumed her work. Velvet stuck her tongue out at her mother's back, then closed her eyes and hugged Red while he slept.
Of course she knew he wouldn't be a foal forever, but he was one of the things in her life that was perfect. Why couldn't she just enjoy that he was still cute and wonderful and innocent without having to be reminded that it wouldn't last?
Step one, two, three, four, five. Left hindleg arabesque à la hauteur, sweep the forelegs. Step one, two, three, four, five. Right hindleg arabesque à la hauteur, sweep the forelegs.
As Velvet glided across the stage in perfect formation with the other corps dancers, she wanted to scream. She hated this performance. Swan Lake was full of slow, graceful movements that impressed viewers but were terribly boring for her. She wanted to jump, leap, spin, and really, really get into the moves. No—she had to stop, turn to the front, slide her left leg to the side, and raise her forelegs above her head. Everything had to be in sync with her fellow dancers.
"No, no, no," Perennial's voice called above the music, which came to a halt. "Was any of that swan-like?" She looked between them all with one brow raised. "Odette does not surround herself with pigeons. You are her swanmaidens! A swan is graceful." With a sigh, she waved a hoof. "Try it again."
The frustration inside Velvet boiled over and she stomped one hoof. While the others dragged themselves back to the starting line off-stage, Velvet swished into a grand battement, beat her legs together, and, as she came down, performed a fouetté at the last minute. It did little to release her pent-up energy, but the light stomping of hooves from Nightingale made her smile, at least.
"Don't worry," Nightingale said, giggling. "We just need to get through Swan Lake, and then maybe we'll do something more to your tempo."
Velvet rolled her eyes. "I doubt it. I don't think Perennial is going to let us stop performing Swan Lake for a while. With my luck, we'll do so well that we'll be put on tour and keep performing it until either I fall over dead, or she does." She shot a light glare over her shoulder at the oblivious diva.
Nightingale's smile fell and she blinked a few times. "Are you okay? You seem a little worked up."
"I'm fine." Velvet flashed a grin. "Don't worry about me. Let's just try to get through this practice without offending Her Royal Aggravation."
After they formed a line and the music started up, the boring repetition began again. She could feel her sanity slowly slipping away with every slow movement of her legs. Step one, two, three, four...
---
The darkness was probed by neon lights that flashed through every color of a rainbow on steroids. Music reverberated its way into Velvet's very soul, her heartbeat pounding with the thumping of the bass. She was free to move more the way she wanted, though of course a nightclub was no place for arabesques and cabrioles. The important part was that she was free.
A lusciously feminine form danced next to her, swaying and glancing over her shoulder to send Velvet unspoken signals. Tonight was not the night, however. Velvet turned away to make her lack of intentions clear to the mare who, on any other night, would already be splayed on her back on whatever flat surface Velvet would have found. That night she just wanted to dance and not in the sense of innuendo.
Above the techno a voice called out for shots. Velvet's ears perked and she tore away from the dance floor to seek out the action. Two mares stood at the bar, pounding their hooves as the bartender poured several shot glasses full of something bright green. Velvet licked her lips and approached them.
"Got room for one more?" Velvet hopped up onto the stool beside them.
The mares looked at her, looked at each other, and grinned.
"Only if you think you can keep up," one mare said, glancing at Velvet's cutie mark. "This might be a little too much for pretty little ballerinas."
Velvet returned their grins with one of her own. "Bring it on."
The other mare laughed and slammed her hoof on the bar. "More shots, then! I'm buying!"
With six little glasses in front of each of them, Velvet and the mares raised one, clinked them together, then tossed them back. It tasted just how it smelled: like crisp, sour green apples coated in liquid sugar. Velvet dropped the empty glass to the counter and offered a hoof to the mare beside her. "I'm Velvet, by the way."
"Blue Rhapsody," the mare replied and gestured at her companion, who was already tossing back her second shot. "And that's Hot Shot."
"Shots!" Hot Shot exclaimed, glaring. "Hot Shots!"
"Whatever," Rhapsody said and retrieved her second glass.
Velvet joined her and winked. "Nice to meet you. I think after a few of these we're going to be very, very good friends."
Two shots turned into three and three turned into four. A fire burned in Velvet's chest and there was a bit of fuzziness clouding the edge of her mind. Laughing was easier. Remembering was harder. Hooves were wandering.
Velvet blinked. What was that last part? There was one hoof on her thigh and two more behind her, one on each flank. Velvet waved her forelegs and stumbled off the stool, scowling. "No! Not tonight. I don't, I don't, I don't tonight." She glared at the blue and red mares in front of her. "You're both totally hot but I don't tonight."
Rhapsody snorted and laughed. "But you said to!"
Velvet's left eyelid sagged as she searched her memory. Everything was fuzzy. Too much alcohol. Finally, she stuck out her tongue and turned away from them. "Not tonight."
She had to go somewhere. Clean up. Sober up. She couldn't go home like this. Stumbling out of the club, she grabbed her suddenly aching head and groaned. Where could she go?
Home. Not home, but the other home. It would be safe there.
She walked the streets with as little staggering as she could manage. Home wasn't too far. She blinked her tired eyes to keep her focus. The road would take her home as long as she followed it. It was strangely difficult, but she managed the task.
"Mooom," she called, knocking on the door to her parents' condo. "Daaad! Open uuup!"
After a while, the door to the condo behind her opened and a hoof reached out to grab her by the back of her neck. She squeaked as she was dragged away from what she then recognized as distinctly not her parents' condo door.
"Sweetie, it's four in the morning." Sunbeam muttered while shutting the door. "What happened?"
Velvet dropped down and closed her eyes. "Shots."
Sunbeam stood with her back to Velvet, then sighed. "Okay, hot shot—"
"Shots," Velvet interrupted with a small, snorting giggle. "Hot shots."
"Okay, hot shots, get your rump off the floor and into the bathroom. If you're going to be sick you're not doing it on the carpet." Sunbeam walked over to the kitchen. "I'll get you some water and some ginger."
Velvet rolled over, flailed her hooves for a bit, then finally righted herself. "'Kay." She wobbled her way to the bathroom. "Thanks, Mom."
The bathroom floor was cold, a welcome contrast to the heat she felt all over her skin. She sprawled out in an attempt to get as much of her pressed against the cool tile as possible until her mother returned.
"Here you are, sweetie." Sunbeam set a glass of water and a ginger root by Velvet's head. "Now, do you want to tell me what happened? Drinking this much isn't like you."
Velvet craned her neck and took a bite of the ginger. After chewing it slowly and then swallowing, she muttered, "Bad day at work."
Sunbeam settled on the floor beside her. She pulled out the clip that kept Velvet's bun in place, then ran a hoof through the wavy mauve tresses. "You seem to have a lot of those lately."
"Ugh." Velvet dropped her head back down. "It's this stupid Swan Lake. I don't know what's up Perennial's rump but I'm sooo sick of her attitude."
"Are you playing nice?" Sunbeam asked, raising one brow. "I love you, Velvet, but you do have a habit of—"
"Whatever," Velvet interrupted as she shoved herself upright and grabbed the glass of water. "My fault or her fault, it's too late now. I can't stand her and she can't stand me." Her ears folded back. "I just gotta get through this Swan Lake and maybe the next one won't get her so worked up and snooty."
The water was room temperature, which was strangely offensive where water was concerned. She didn't mind lukewarm juice, but water? If it wasn't crisp and cold, it was gross. She knew she needed the fluid, however, so she chugged it down nonetheless.
Sunbeam smiled and rubbed a small circle into Velvet's back. "Well, all right. But if this keeps up then we're going to have to have a serious talk, all right, sweetie? Now you just sit here until you feel up to walking. I'll go get your bed ready."
Velvet bobbed her head. "Okay, Mom. Thanks."
She waited until the sound of her mother's hoofsteps disappeared around a corner before she let out a heavy sigh. Why wasn't life easy anymore?
---
Velvet yawned and dropped down onto the couch in her and Crystal's living room. She had overslept at her parents' place, was late to practice, stayed late as per Mistress Perennial's command, and now only had five minutes before Crystal came home from school. Five minutes to herself. Five minutes of peace.
She rolled over onto her back and stared at the ceiling. Maybe she could convince Crystal to go out for dinner. She didn't feel like being cooped up in the house today. A nice little dinner out on the town, two gals palling around without a care like they used to, before Crystal started dating and socializing and doing everything else that detracted from their time together. A smile crept onto her face and she nodded, commending herself for the idea.
Right on time, the lock jiggled before the door opened and Crystal hurried inside. "Velvet, I'm so sorry for coming home so terribly late last night!"
Velvet blinked. She had almost completely forgotten that they hadn't seen each other yesterday. "Oh. Uh." She offered a lopsided smile. "It's okay?"
Crystal dropped her school bag by the door and trotted into the kitchen to put the kettle on the stove. "I just, oh, where to start?" She shook her head.
Velvet's smile fell and she sat upright. "Making tea already? What's up?"
Crystal turned to look at her. "Silent's father died."
"Oh my gosh," Velvet gasped more than said, a hoof flying to cover her mouth. "That's awful! What happened?!"
"I've not exactly been privy to the details," Crystal admitted as her ears drooped. "Most of last night was spent in tension and uncertainty. His mother is a different kind of mare than I'm accustomed to, but I need to go back there tonight. Winterspear can't handle it on her own and she won't let Iridescence help her."
Velvet blinked slowly. Though she had several questions, all she could say was "Oh."
Crystal shook her head. "I'm sorry. I know we hardly see each other as it is, but I'll be spending my evenings with them until Silent comes home."
This conversation was not going the way she had planned. Where was the gabbing? The galavanting around town without a care? "And when is that?"
"I don't know." Crystal turned back to the stove. "Anyway, I'm going to make some tea, catch my breath, then head out. Why don't you tell me what's going on with you?"
Velvet laid back down on the couch. "Nothing new. The usual. Ballet, parents, Red, you." She snorted. "Well, less you than usual, but you're still a part of my life somewhere in there."
Crystal gasped and walked over to close the distance between them. "Hey! I'm sorry, all right? Things will ease up when school is over and when Silent returns. This is just temporary."
But Silent wasn't temporary. Neither was Crystal going to social events. Velvet kept her gaze fixed firm on the ceiling. There was nothing temporary about them not spending time together at all. "I know," she said with a forced smile. "You take care of his mom and sister, okay? I'll be here when you get a chance to come home."
Crystal eyed her with reasonable suspicion before she sighed, leaned down, and nuzzled Velvet's cheek. "As soon as Silent is home, I'm taking your cranky rump on a date."
Velvet stuck out her tongue. "We broke up, remember?"
Crystal winked. "We can't have broken up since we were never dating, which means I'm free to take you on a date."
"That's pretty loose logic," Velvet said with a laugh and shrugged. "Okay, fine, whatever. Go have your tea and run along. I'll be fine on my own."
It wasn't like she wasn't already getting used to the idea of being alone, anyway.
---
Two dinners.
In the past three weeks, Crystal had found time to have dinner with Velvet twice. At least one of them had been because Crystal managed to remember her birthday in the middle of everything else going on, but that wasn't much comfort in the face of loneliness.
Velvet shook her head and tried to focus on her movements. Ballet was the only constant in her life. Red was growing up, Crystal was moving on, she hardly ever saw Horsey anymore—but ballet would never change.
That had its benefits, of course. She could rely on it to be there for her. The downside, however, was that Perennial would be a constant, too.
"Velvet?" Nightingale asked from behind her in a low whisper. "Are you okay?"
Velvet blinked. "Huh? Yeah. Why?"
"Because you haven't moved in the last like, minute."
Velvet looked at her forelegs to see that they were frozen in mid-sweep. All the other dancers were standing around her with their forelegs in fifth position, staring. She laughed, straightened up, and rubbed the back of her neck. "Sorry, girls. My head was in the clouds."
Soft laughing responded and she took position. If she made a habit of that, then perhaps ballet wouldn't always be there for her. She hardened her resolve and pushed away the other thoughts clouding her mind.
She made it through practice without another flub and she thanked Celestia for that. While the other mares showered, she sat on one of the benches along the wall and stared at the ceiling. She didn't have much hope for seeing Crystal that evening for more than a few minutes, if any. Maybe she'd just go over to her parents' house and spend some time with Red.
"Hey, Velvet." Nightingale sat down beside her, startling Velvet out of her thoughts. "Are you sure you're okay?"
Velvet lowered her gaze to look at the tawny brown mare. "Yeah, I am." She smiled. "Just got a lot on my mind right now."
The feathers of Nightingale's wings raised before smoothing back out. "Something up with your roommate?"
"What?" Velvet's ears perked upright and her gaze darted away in a tell-tale admission. "What gave you that idea?"
"Well, I'm just saying, like, you two are besties, so if it's on your mind you're not talking to her which means it's about her." Nightingale laughed. "Right?" When Velvet didn't respond right away, Nightingale offered, "I'll be at the bar tonight if you wanna talk."
Velvet leaned away from her. "I thought we agreed to ignore that fact?"
Nightingale shrugged and stood. "We're kinda like friends, right? What's wrong with two friends chatting?" She shrugged again. "Up to you! Just thought I'd offer. I'll be there if you wanna drop by. See ya!"
Velvet watched the mare walk away before she slumped against the wall. They had agreed to ignore the fact they both went to the same fillyfooler bar, and now Nightingale wanted to have a chat there? She sat in silence as she mulled the idea over, then finally shrugged, stood, and trotted over to an empty shower stall.
Why not? She didn't have any other plans, anyway. It couldn't hurt to have somepony to talk to, at least for one night.
Velvet walked into the Mare Contraire with hesitancy guiding her hooves into awkward, short steps. She glanced around to see the usual patrons as well as new faces, but her gaze passed over them all searching for Nightingale. The mare in question sat in a booth on the other side of the bar, sipping a drink and chatting with another mare.
She paused mid-step. This was a mistake. Nightingale was busy. No, actually, she was waving. She was looking at Velvet, smiling, and waving her over while the mare she had been talking to left. Velvet put a smile on her face and walked forward. It was too late now to turn back, but it wasn't too late to think of something else to talk about.
Unfortunately, her mind drew a complete blank and, as she sat down across from Nightingale, she let out a heavy sigh of defeat. "Hi, Nightingale."
"Wow!" Nightingale laughed. "Hello to you, too!"
Velvet offered a light grin. Already off to a great start. "Sorry, it's not you, really, it's just... well, you." She rubbed the back of her neck. "I thought we agreed to pretend we never saw each other here after the first time?"
Nightingale jabbed a hoof at her. "You said that. I said 'okay'. Then you walked away! I didn't necessarily agree to your terms and conditions." She giggled, shifting the hoof to instead rest her chin on it. "Okay, so, now that you're here, spill the apples."
This was it. Velvet crossed her forelegs and leaned back against the booth's cushion of middling comfort. There was no more time for stalling or room to escape. Nightingale was on to her; the mare had the eyes of a hawk rather than a little songbird.
Finally, Velvet relented with a shrug. "You know my roommate, right?"
"Oh, yeah!" Nightingale's ears wiggled. "The pretty unicorn!"
"Yeah, the pretty unicorn," Velvet said, laughing softly. "We've been friends since we were fillies. I've always had her back and she's always had mine, but now..." A groan rumbled in her throat. "Now she's got a stallion to take care of her, so I kind of feel useless. Replaced, I guess."
Nightingale stared at Velvet for a while. The light, jazzy electronica playing over the speakers was the only sound between them until Nightingale burst into a fit of giggles. "Wait, so you're all upset because your fillyfriend got a coltfriend?" She raised a hoof. "Right, right, I know, I know. She's just your friend. It still hurts the same, though, right?"
She didn't understand. How could she? Not everypony had a relationship like the one her and Crystal had, with so much time spent together that the idea of losing her was almost impossible to imagine. Velvet's ears flattened to the sides. "This is silly. Why am I talking to you about this?"
"Sorry, I'm not trying to belittle you, I promise." Nightingale folded her hooves on the table, smiling. "Okay, so your best friend has her attention elsewhere. What do you want to do about it?"
Velvet eyed her with contempt stirring in her chest, but she shook her head and sighed. "What can I do about it? Wish her the best of luck. They're pretty great for each other and I'm earnestly happy for her. I'm just, you know, at the same time I'm sad for me."
Nightingale hummed while rocking her head from side to side. Her gaze remained firmly fixed on Velvet. Just as it was starting to get uncomfortable, she raised her brow and asked, "So, is she like, your only friend?"
"What?" Velvet glared at her. "No! I have other friends."
"Uh-huh."
Velvet leaned forward as if that would strengthen her glare. "What is up with that tone? I do!"
Nightingale pointed an accusatory hoof. "One night stands don't count."
"I—" Velvet interrupted herself with a frustrated groan. "I know that! I'll have you know I've got a dear friend that's not Crystal. She just lives in Ponyville, but she's still a friend."
"And how often do you see her?"
An awkward pause said everything she didn't want to and her gaze darted away. All of her emotions were taken over by a wave of guilt. "Not as often as I should," she muttered.
"Okay. And who else?" Nightingale's stare was unrelenting. How had this turned into an interrogation about her social life?
She had a point, though. Who else, indeed? Her ears started to droop as the feelings she had been trying to ignore surfaced. Sadness. Loneliness. Emptiness. A smile tried to force its way onto her face. "You?"
Nightingale snorted. "You wanted to pretend we don't see each other outside of work, so, while I'm not offended or anything, but that's total horsefeathers. I'd like to be friends with you but you've never shown an interest in that." She arched one brow. "Anypony else?"
Velvet said nothing. There was nothing to say. Instead, she just closed her eyes while guilt and regret started to seep their way into the suffocating cacophony that surrounded her heart.
For a while they just sat there. Nightingale seemed content to wait until Velvet was ready. Ready for what, though? To admit that she had put all her eggs in one basket? That she wasn't sure of who she was without Crystal?
A burning sensation fired up behind her eyes and she blinked them open to confirm that her vision was growing blurry with tears. "Fine, you win," she hissed. "I don't really have any friends except Crystal. Happy?"
"Nope!" Nightingale rose from her seat and held out a hoof. "Why would I be happy that my new friend is crying?" She winked. "Come on, let's get outta here and go somewhere else. Do you like karaoke?"
Velvet stared at the hoof, her tears abating at the confusion stirred by the gesture. "Huh?"
"It's kind of more like a yes, no, or maybe question." Nightingale giggled. "Do, you like, karaoke?"
Slowly, once she was able to reason through the situation she was in, a smile lit up her face. "I don't know! Let's find out!"
---
Velvet hummed to herself as she trotted to the tune of Don't Stop Believing by Journeigh, each hoof falling like a drum beat. When she arrived at her parents' bakery, Pepper Ridge looked up and smiled. She hadn't even said a word and he already knew.
"Somepony is in high spirits!" he chimed.
Velvet kept up her musical pace as she made her way around the counter while singsonging, "Just a small town mare, livin' in a lonely world!"
Pepper Ridge laughed. "That good?" He reached out to hook a foreleg around her neck and tugged her in for a tight hug, the other hoof free to tousle her mane—or at least what wasn't tied down tight. "Who's the lucky pony?"
"Nopony, Dad!" Velvet squirmed to no avail. "I just went out with a friend the other night, that's all!"
"Oh yeah?" He grinned, headlock remaining firmly in place. "A friend, huh?"
Velvet wriggled to incline her head and responded with a raspberry. "I have friends! Or, at least, I do now!"
Finally, he let go, but not before he placed a kiss on her forehead. "That's good to hear, sweetie. Now, less singing, more working!"
"Everypony wants a thrill!" Velvet chirped back once she was safely out of hoof's reach. She pranced her way into the back room where her mother was, as usual, bent over the decorating table. "Payin' anything to roll the dice, just one more time!"
Sunbeam looked up, blinking a few times. "What? Are you gambling, pumpernickel?"
Velvet laughed and sat down beside the already squealing Red. "No, Mom. I went to a karaoke bar with a friend from work."
"A friend from work?" Sunbeam's ears perked and a smile spread across her face. "That's great, sugarlump!"
A pang of irritation shot through Velvet's good mood. "Jeeze, do you and Dad have to both act that way?"
Sunbeam returned her attention to the cupcakes in front of her. "Act what way? With surprise and glee that our little puff pastry has finally made a new friend?"
"Yeah..." Velvet scooped Red into her forelegs while she frowned. "Anyway, so, I went out with this mare, Nightingale." With a small roll of her eyes, she added, "As friends. Totally platonic friends. We went to a karaoke bar and discovered that we both suck at karaoke."
Sunbeam glanced over at her with a small smile. "Well, that's one way to bond, I suppose."
After a shrug, Velvet continued, "It's really convenient that we're both in the same troupe. I don't have to go out of my way too much to see her." She giggled as she held Red up into the air. "Because all my spare time is taken up by my widdle cutesy-wutesy brother, isn't it? Isn't it?"
With wide eyes and a wide smile, Red squealed and waved all of his legs. That seemed like a yes.
"And," Velvet continued, setting Red down on his play mat and rising to her hooves, "she was into Prima Donna as a filly. Just like me!"
Sunbeam smiled while Velvet started to carefully package the finished cupcakes and stacked the boxes aside. "It's surprising how much you have in common with somepony who has the same interests as you, isn't it?"
Velvet's ears flattened to the sides and she stopped her work to stare at her mother with half-lidded eyes. "Yeah, yeah, thanks, Captain Obvious."
"Happy to help!" Sunbeam chirped and lifted the piping bag back up. "It's nice to know that both my fillies are expanding their horizons."
This brought Velvet a moment of pause. Her ears wriggled in thought before she asked, "Are you talking about Crystal?"
A tell-tale smile spread across Sunbeam's face. Her mother had many different smiles that Velvet had gotten to know over the course of her life, and this one was special. Sunbeam had a secret she was dying to share and her smile, with lips pursed tight and corners curled into what verged on a smirk, gave that desire away.
"Mom, what do you know that I don't know?" Velvet folded her hooves and leaned in. "Come on, I'll probably not tell her you told."
Sunbeam glanced at her then quickly forced her eyes forward. A hum bubbled up as a self-soothing distraction, but at Velvet's intense stare, she caved. "Oh, sour jam! I shouldn't tell you." She slowly turned her head toward Velvet. "But I want to." Her hooves rose to cover her mouth. "But I must."
Velvet nodded. "Yes, you must. Absolutely. You absolutely, definitely must tell me."
With a muffled giggle, Sunbeam said, "Crystal is ready to take her relationship with Silent Knight to the next level."
"She—what?!" Velvet's eyes went wide. "Are you serious?! How do you know?!"
Another giggle, less muffled than the first. "Because she asked me for 'the talk'!"
Velvet just stared in disbelief for a while. All sense of emotion drained from her. Should she be happy that her friend was maturing? Scared of what that meant for the two of them? Excited that Crystal was taking a step toward possibly understanding Velvet's secret?
"Oh," she said and finally forced a grin onto her face, "we'll have to put together a surprise for her to commemorate the occasion when it happens."
Sunbeam nodded. She reached for one of the drawers underneath the table and retrieved a clipboard with some sketches on it. "I'm oh so way ahead of you, sugarkiss."
---
Velvet's spirits couldn't have been higher; so many events were coming together as if planned that way. While Crystal had been busy trying to keep Silent's mother from driving Silent's sister insane, Velvet had spent most evenings with Nightingale. After work, they'd go to different clubs in the lower districts of Canterlot, or just stay at the ballet studio to practice together. Ballet was a lot more enjoyable when Perennial wasn't around.
Just a few days ago, Silent had come home, so Crystal was finally making good on her promise of a 'date'. However much fun she'd had with Nightingale was still not quite a replacement for time spent with Crystal.
"Are you really sure you want to go through with this?" Crystal whispered.
Velvet shot her a playful glare. "Am I really sure I want to help invite your stallionfriend to your graduation next week? Uh, yeah? I still can't believe you don't want to."
Crystal flashed a smile to the guards they passed, then returned her cautious gaze to Velvet. "I don't mean that. I've already accepted your argument on that matter. I more mean—" She hesitated, glancing at one of Velvet's hooves. "You know."
"Oh, I'm totally sure." Velvet grinned. "I want to see the look on his face when I do it."
Crystal sighed, but the small smile tugging at her lips was unmistakable. Velvet knew the truth: she was looking forward to it, too. She just didn't want to admit it.
As they turned a corner, Velvet paused and looked up at the guard standing at his post to her left. "What's this?" She stepped toward him. "What are you looking at?"
Of course, the guard was staring straight ahead, not looking down at the little mare nearing his personal space.
"Tumbler, don't be that way." Velvet raised her brow. "I thought we were friends!"
"Velvet, leave him alone," Crystal chided, but it was too late. Velvet's words had already broken the guard's composure.
Thunder Tumble's ears swiveled, his eyes lowered, and his brow furrowed. "Friends?"
Velvet grinned and jabbed a hoof at him without getting too close to risk setting off some kind of security breach. "Made you speak!" Giggling, she bounded back on her way to Silent Knight's office.
Crystal glanced over her shoulder at Tumble. "Velvet, you really shouldn't do that. You're going to get in trouble if you keep messing with guards."
"Aww, but they're so cute! I thought you'd understand that better than anypony else." She winked and before Crystal could get another word in, she knocked on a door, opened it, and called, "Knock knock!"
Crystal gave a small huff of indignation, but put on her proper smile as she followed Velvet into the office. "Hello, Silent." Her tone dropped just slightly into the territory of concern when she asked, "How are you doing today?"
Silent looked up before rising to his hooves. "Fit and well. Happy that Canterlot's finest fillies would drop by to see me." His ear flicked. "What is the occasion?"
Velvet could hardly contain her excitement. It hadn't been easy keeping her surprise clutched in one hoof while walking all the way across Canterlot to get to his office, and now only seconds stood between her and the culmination of her plan.
Crystal sighed at the silent begging Velvet displayed with just one look even though her smile brightened from it. "I know the timing isn't quite, well, it's not what I would have had in mind. I didn't want to attempt to push myself into your focus, given everything that's going on, but..." She looked at Velvet and nodded.
A squeal of delight escaped Velvet as she reared back onto her hind legs and threw the confetti with a wide upward sweep of her foreleg. Multicolored bits of paper went just about everywhere: all over the floor, his desk, and the three of them. She grinned while she exclaimed, "Crystal's graduation ceremony is next week and"—she waved both hooves at him—"you're invited!"
Silent stared a moment. His expression was stoic and neutral at first as his gaze darted about to watch the confetti fall. Honestly, she was a little disappointed in his lack of a reaction, but he finally smiled. "That's right, it is next week, isn't it?" He looked at Crystal. "Congratulations!"
Crystal beamed at him and straightened up tall and proud. "Thank you! I'm delighted that I'll finally be finished with school and have so much of my day back. So..." The pride deflated into a sheepish disposition. "If you have the time, it would mean a lot to me if you came. I—"
"I wouldn't miss it," he said with resolution in his voice.
Velvet smiled. Good stallion. "Great!"
An invitation wrapped in pink magic lifted out of Crystal's satchel and floated over to him. "Here is a formal invitation. I offered one to Luna, as well, but to keep the graduation from getting out of hoof with a princess attending, she decided against it." She giggled softly. "However, she is going to host a little part-reception part-game night here, instead. So it should be a fun evening once the boring ceremony part is over!"
Silent nodded. "That sounds great to me. Count me in."
Crystal stepped toward him and raised his helmet up to expose his face so that she could place a kiss on his cheek. "I'll see you there. Have a great day, dear."
"Okay." His gaze darted to Velvet and after she made a big show of looking away, he returned the chaste kiss. Honestly, it was almost sickening how cute and innocent they were.
"Come on, Velvet," Crystal said, grabbing her hoof and giving it a small tug. "Let's go get lunch."
Velvet waved to Silent with her free hoof. "Bye, lovercolt!" She grinned when red showed through his white coat.
All was right with the world. She'd have a nice lunch with Crystal, Crystal would have a nice graduation if Silent showed up, and Silent would have a nice time discovering confetti for days to come.
Crystal had done it: she had officially graduated from Canterlot Academy. She had worked hard, persevered when the going got tough, and earned herself a diploma. Of course, the diploma was pretty worthless from a practical standpoint, given that she already had two published books under her belt, but that was beside the point.
Velvet tried to focus on the cards held in her hooves. Princess Luna was sitting across from her, light blue eyes boring into her very soul. What had she been doing again? Was she betting on this round or not? Wait, were higher numbers better or lower ones? Curse all these different games with different objectives and different rules!
"I'll just take this one," she mumbled, reaching over and sliding one of the face-down cards over to add to her collection.
Princess Luna smiled over her own cards, eyes locked with Velvet's. "We see what you are planning, Fair Velvet."
Velvet's face heated up and she averted her gaze. There was something terribly embarrassing about having one of the princesses tease her, and Princess Luna did it in spades. The princess would never let her live down their first meeting where Velvet had kissed her hoof. Ugh, just thinking about it was so embarrassing...
That was all irrelevant, though. She glanced over to the other table where Crystal played with the other group, including, of course, Silent Knight. Velvet did her best not to grin at the eyes Crystal was making at Silent.
Crystal was definitely going to graduate in more ways than one that night if Silent wasn't totally oblivious and she didn't let him get away. Velvet's grin fell. So actually, probably not, now that she thought about it.
Velvet returned her attention to the game and noticed Princess Luna looking over at the other table, as well. When their gazes met, the princess smiled and winked.
Velvet blinked a few times, then smiled back. Was that just pure coincidence, or had she just gained a comrade? Tartarus, was she even looking for one?
Yes. Yes, she was. She couldn't let her lingering reservations and fears hold Crystal back from what she wanted. Nightingale told her she'd regret it if she sabotaged Crystal's life, so she had to stop thinking that way. If Crystal wanted to have awkward first-time sex with Silent that night, then by Luna she was going to let Princess Luna help her out.
A few hours later, when Runic Phial had nearly passed out from exhaustion, Princess Luna cleared her throat and brought the game night to a close. Velvet set her cards down and trotted over to Crystal.
"Ask him," Velvet hissed in her ear, grinning when the mare jolted stiff. "You've been giving him the stare all evening. Just ask him already!"
Crystal glanced at the oblivious stallion, then back at Velvet. "What?" She quickly shook her head. "It—it's late, Velvet. We should just go home."
Velvet rolled her eyes. "Lame excuse, but whatever."
Princess Luna's voice rose over the sound of shuffling hooves and mumbled goodnights. "Silent Knight, please escort Crystal Wishes and Velvet Step home."
Good job, Princess! Velvet and she exchanged smiles. How casual and non-suspicious! She couldn't have orchestrated it better herself.
Silent walked over to them and motioned to the door. "Ladies?"
Crystal didn't move at first, paralyzed by fear or something. Velvet rolled her eyes and bumped her flank to Crystal's to get the mare in motion.
"Y-yes. Come on, Velvet," Crystal said, glaring at her.
A wicked grin seized Velvet's expression. This was too easy! "Don't you mean 'me'?"
Crystal, to no surprise, didn't get it. "Yes, I did mean you. That's why I said your name."
"Oh, Crystal, Crystal." Velvet tried not to laugh, shaking her head. "Someday, you'll be on my level, but today's just not that day."
When they reached the condo, Velvet announced as she opened the door, "I'm just going to head inside. Straight to my room. Right to bed!" She pranced toward her bedroom door. "See ya, Silent Knight!"
"Goodnight, Velvet," Silent called just as she shut the door behind her.
It was all up to Crystal now. There was no Velvet or Luna to guide her. If she wanted him, then she'd have to work for it herself.
Velvet waited with her ear pressed to the door. It was nearly perfectly quiet out there. Were they kissing? No, they were likely just staring at one another like dumb animals. Velvet sighed and waited for any sign of life.
Whispers. "Would you like to stay the night?"
No sound, then a giggle and more whispering. "This is a little fun. It feels like we're getting away with something."
Okay, they were making progress, so long as Silent understood what 'staying the night' meant. He probably didn't. No, knowing him, he definitely didn't.
After what felt like an eternity of them doing what must have been the slowest sneak ever, Silent's whisper cut through the silence. "I feel like I missed out on this experience in secondary school."
Well, color her impressed. Maybe he did have a clue after all.
"Sneaking around this late at night, that is," he added.
Velvet slapped her hoof to her face. Or not.
"My parents would never approve, especially when you were in school."
Really, Crystal? Velvet lolled her head back to stare at the ceiling. Oh, for Celestia's sake! This was almost too painful to listen to!
"Oh?" Silent unsurprisingly questioned. "Then maybe I should just sleep out here. The pillows just are fine."
Velvet shook her head. Pack it up, folks, because the awkward virgins just stumbled over their own hooves. She sighed and as she contemplated if she should run interference or let Crystal make her own mistakes, she heard Silent's voice gasp out a startled "whoa!" and the sound of a door shutting.
Velvet's jaw dropped open. Had Crystal just yanked him into her bedroom? She clamped a hoof over her mouth to smother a laugh. She had not expected that.
She pranced around the room in a jittery, excited circle. Crystal was going to get some, and then in the morning they were going to gossip about sex, Velvet would oh-so-casually mention her own fondness for the act, and her life would become a whole lot easier.
Certain that they were more than distracted, Velvet snuck out and across the living room to head for the front door. Once she was safely outside the condo, she made a galloping dash out of the building to head to her parents'.
It was time. Of course, it was also extremely late in the evening, so much so that it might as well be morning, but it was time nonetheless. When she arrived at her parents' door, she knocked a few times and trotted in place to keep her body active. Coming to a sudden stop after such a gallop felt like running into a brick wall.
Finally, the door opened. Pepper blinked down at her. "Sweetie?"
Velvet grinned up at him and bounced on the tips of her hooves. "I need Mom. Tell her that Operation Love Cake is a go."
Pepper furrowed his brow, yawned, and nodded. "Okay, sweetie." He wandered from the door, leaving it open so she could come inside.
Velvet remained where she was, slowing down to a light jog as her heart rate calmed down. A few moments later, Sunbeam skidded to a halt in front of the door, a wild grin on her face.
"It's time?"
Velvet nodded. "It's time."
---
Seriously? Wasn't Silent Knight a guard? Didn't they have a strict sense of duty and whatnot that meant they got up early?
Velvet stared at the two heart-shaped cupcakes sitting on a plate in front of her. Her ears pinned back and she poked at one with a hoof.
They were perfectly decorated, which was a given since Sunbeam had made them . Two cute little cupcakes, one that had the lattice work of a traditional apple pie and the other with a fondant topping of a long eclair.
She snorted. Putting them side by side, the pie was way too big for the eclair. Poor Silent. Apparently he had a little eclair.
Her stomach rumbled and she slowly tugged the plate closer to herself. They could share one cupcake, right? After all, they had shared a night together, so surely that applied to celebratory love cakes.
The door creaked open and she jerked her hoof back like a foal caught reaching into the cookie jar. She looked over to see Silent tiphoofing out of the bedroom.
That scamp! Leaving Crystal to wake up alone? Why, if he wasn't likely late for work and probably thinking himself polite by letting Crystal sleep in, Velvet would have sent his plot right back in there to try again.
Instead, she straightened up and teased, "Well, good morning, soldier colt."
Silent froze. His eyes went wide as he turned his head toward her. Now who was the foal caught with the cookie jar? "Good morning..."
Velvet smirked and folded her hooves over her chest. "So."
He just stared with a dumbfounded, nervous look on his face.
"Would you like some breakfast?"
Silent took a step toward the door and shook his head. "That—that would be great, Velvet, but I can't. I have to fly home, get ready, and report in to work. I'm in command of the palace right now so I don't want to set a poor example for the others by coming in late." He cleared his throat. "Not even for a great breakfast."
Oh, he was almost too easy to tease! She had hardly said anything and he was fidgeting like a shy colt. "Well, suit yourself. Maybe next time you should bring your stuff here."
His ears flicked and he took one more step. "I, er, yes, that would probably be wise, I agree. I just hope this isn't an inconvenience to you." He swallowed. "Do you forgive me?"
Velvet giggled and leaned in, resting her elbow on the table and her chin on her hoof. "Forgive you? Hmm, for what exactly?"
Silent stared at her with a clenched jaw, wide eyes, and a tiny shake of his head.
"You two are adults, Silent!" she managed through her giggling. "Nothing to apologize for as long as you make her happy."
Sex seemed to have changed him, because his ears perked straight up and a red blush shone through his white coat, and she hadn't even been trying to make an innuendo! She burst into laughter and waved a hoof. "Not like that! Well—yeah, like that—but—" It was too much. The laughter seized her and she had to clutch her sides.
Silent glanced at and pointed to the door, his face growing even redder. All she could do was nod while he struggled a "bye" and ran for the door.
Velvet leaned back in the chair and gasped for air, trying to calm her laughter. That was priceless! And to think, Lieutenant Oblivious had turned her words dirty! If one night had had that kind of effect on him, she could only imagine what happened to Crystal.
First, however, was the matter of the cupcakes. There was only one Crystal, but there were two goodies on the plate. Velvet grinned and snatched up the one decorated like an eclair. It was only fair. Crystal had gotten to try one, so now it was her turn.
When she bit into it and the creamy center gushed into her mouth, she choked and struggled to swallow around another fit of laughter that threatened to break free. Oh, Mom! She may not be the best baker—the cake itself was a little dry—but she was an evil genius with frosting.
Velvet rose to her hooves and trotted over to Crystal's bedroom door. She pushed it open and peered into the darkness of the room. There was the lump under the sheets, completely still. Velvet grinned. Didn't Crystal know that sleeping ponies breathed?
"You two-bit dam," Velvet said in a playfully low voice. "I know you're awake."
The blanket was flung aside as Crystal shot upright. "What did you call me?!"
"You heard me." Velvet smirked and sniffed the air. It smelled normal in there. Huh. Maybe if she stayed the night with a mare, the smell of sex would go away on its own. Interesting. "Silent looked preeetty guilty, slinking out of your bedroom like he stole something."
Crystal giggled and dropped down to bury her face into her pillow. "Oh, I think he did."
Velvet gasped. No embarrassed flush? No 'Velvet, stop that!'? She tossed her head back as she laughed. "Wow! Must've been some night, huh?"
More giggles from the mare as she curled around the pillow. "Oh, I think it was."
Velvet stared at Crystal a moment as her grin slowly fell. Something was different—not about Crystal, but about her reaction. She almost seemed to be glowing with bliss, and her voice was full of such joy. Her ears pinned back against her mane as she turned and started for the kitchen. The cupcake would bring her out of this sugary-sweet mood.
"Velvet?" Crystal called.
Velvet glanced over her shoulder and replied, "What?"
Crystal sat upright and tilted her head. "You're not going to come tickle me until I spill the details, or threaten me with blackmail?" She frowned lightly.
Aww, the poor filly was disappointed and wanted to talk about it, but suddenly, Velvet wasn't so sure she wanted to anymore. Something was wrong.
"No way!" Velvet flashed a playful grin. "It smells like sex in there and I don't want to know how you two did it. There are some lines, yanno?" She laughed and walked over to the dinner table. "A mare is entitled to some secrets, and this is totally one of them."
Crystal squeakily shrieked, "It does not smell like—like—like that in here!"
"Fine, it smells like stallion sweat and mare scent." She rolled her eyes and picked up the plate that held the lone cupcake. She frowned down at it, torn between feeling guilty for eating the other and feeling glad that she wasn't the only one alone. "Now come on, I have breakfast ready."
She was a fool. A complete and utter fool. Crystal hadn't had sex—she had made love. There was nothing similar between the act driven by base desires that Velvet indulged in and the sweet, soul-bonding experience Crystal had just discovered.
One more act. That was all that stood between her and the curtains falling on opening night. Swan Lake was by far her least favorite ballet the company had decided to perform. A larger one like the Royal Ballet was more suited to such demanding pieces; they had more corps dancers to rotate so that no pony wore out. With the Canterlot Ballet's smaller numbers, however, that meant they all had to perform in every act.
It was beyond exhausting. In fact, it verged on torture. Every muscle in her body ached and each movement sent a burning sensation through her limbs, but she couldn't falter. She had to stay in perfect unison with the other corps dancers no matter what. Nightingale was to her right and when her back faced Velvet, the mare's wings threatened to distract her with the way certain movements ruffled the feathers.
The worst part was the alternating sequences. There would be intense dancing followed by periods of standing still. Her forelegs begged her to let them fall, but she begged them to stay suspended in the air. Something about the very act of being unable to move was more painful than the segments of dancing.
Velvet stood with her head turned to the side, both forelegs crossed in front of her, and one hind leg stretched out. She was already losing feeling in her forehooves as they trembled in their effort to remain still. Pain raked through her and her chin trembled while she bit down on her tongue.
Hold it together for a while longer. Hold the pose, wait for the cue to move again, and don't faint. Definitely don't faint, no matter how tempting the idea was.
Then, just as her muscles had started to seize and dared to never move again, they had to. The dancing had to be resumed all over again as the ballet continued.
One more act. Keep it together. Ignore the pain. Dance through it. Stay in unison. Don't faint.
The mantra repeated over and over in her mind until, finally, sweet relief—the curtains fell. Once out of sight of the audience, each dancer's charade of composure fell, too. Nightingale slumped against Velvet, the both of them panting and wheezing.
"Job—job well done," Nightingale managed with a weak smile, her chest rising and falling with jagged breaths.
All Velvet could manage in response was a weak "Yeah."
There was just one last task remaining: curtain call. They all took up their positions on the stage with Perennial and Beryl Waltz—who had played the role of Prince Siegfried—standing front and center. Applause washed over them and replaced all the pain and exhaustion with a feeling of elation over yet another successful performance.
After they had taken their bows and soaked up all the life-giving attention, the dancers trotted off stage, aching hooves temporarily ignored in the rush to get to the showers.
"I can't believe we did it!" Nightingale chirped from her stall and fluttered her wings to send droplets of water in all directions.
Velvet leaned around the wall that separated them to grin at her. "Aww, you doubted us?"
"Thanks so much for the vote of confidence," Ocean Starlight teased from the next stall over.
Above the sound of running water and chittering mares, Perennial hollered, "All right, girls! Shower up quick and get back out there! We have some VIPs scheduled for backstage meet and greets in five!"
Velvet sighed and retreated to the warm embrace of the shower, hot water running over her sore muscles and coaxing them into a state of relaxation. "Nope!"
Nightingale's voice asked, "What?"
"Nope, I don't wanna." Velvet flopped down onto the floor and stuck her hooves in the air so they were all under the stream while her head lolled to the side to stay out of it. "My hooves hurt. My legs hurt. My everything hurts. I'm not interested in a meet and greet."
"But isn't Crystal one of the VIPs?" Nightingale poked her head into view, a coy smile on her lips. "And weren't you saying before the show that you had to make sure she didn't run into her mother back there?"
With an ungraceful flailing of all her legs, Velvet scrambled upright and kicked the faucet off. "Crap, you're right!" She shook out her coat and grabbed one of the towels hanging outside the stalls. "Crap, crap, crap," she muttered under her breath as she dried off as quickly as she could, snapped her hair into its usual bun, grabbed her bag, and hurried to the door.
Waiting out in the hall, as per usual, was Crystal's mother Upper Crust. The mare stood with an air of authority and eyed the other dancers that had already wandered out, her expression one of mild disdain. Her gaze focused on Velvet and her eyes softened. "Velvet Step," the mare said, approaching her. "You were wonderful as always, dear."
Velvet laughed and shifted from one hoof to the other. "Thanks, Mrs. Upper Crust."
Upper Crust nodded, then turned her head to look over her shoulder. "I believe I saw my daughter on the other end of the VIP section. Did you get her a ticket?"
"Two, actually!" Velvet brushed a stray strand of her mane back behind her ear. "One for her and one for her coltfriend."
One of Upper Crust's brows arched as she returned her head forward. "I see." She stared for a moment, sending nerves of uncertainty through Velvet. "Her stallionfriend is a mare?"
Velvet blinked. "What?"
"I saw Crystal, but she was with a mare, not a stallion." The raised brow fell into a flat line. "Is that why she hasn't introduced anypony to us?"
"What?" Velvet repeated almost dumbly before giving a quick shake of her head. "No, she's definitely dating a stallion! I, uh, well, who knows with her? Maybe he was busy and she invited somepony else. I dunno who, but, well, yeah, Silent's definitely a stallion."
Upper Crust snorted, then smiled and shrugged. "I see. Well, then, I would hate to upset her. You know how she gets when I'm around. Honestly, it's as though she's still a foal." She rolled her eyes and started to walk down the hall toward the exit. "Good work today, Velvet Step."
Velvet waved after her. "Thanks, Mrs. Upper Crust!"
Almost as if on cue, hoofsteps approached and Crystal's voice asked, "Was my mother bothering you?"
"Huh?" Velvet turned her head to blink at Crystal, then laughed. "Nope!" She shook her head. "She always comes to my performances in Canterlot."
Crystal stared at her with wide eyes. "Really?"
"Yup." Velvet's gaze darted to the side to see Upper Crust disappear from view. She took in a breath and put a playful grin on her face. Now was not the time to get between mother and daughter. "Guess she likes bragging that she can come and say she knows somepony in the ballet or something. Who knows with her!" She shifted her attention to the pegasus at Crystal's side, grin growing more sincere. "So you're Crystal's date, huh?"
The light brown mare gawked. Velvet knew that look. Usually, that was the look fans would give Perennial when meeting her for the first time. It was, admittedly, kind of awesome to be on the receiving end.
"N-no!" the mare finally said. "Not at all!" She snatched a bouquet that had been floating in Crystal's magic and shoved it in Velvet's face. "You and everypony in the ballet were amazing!"
Velvet swept one foreleg to take the offered bouquet, swung one hind leg back, and ended with her forelegs in fourth position. "Why, thank you ever so much, darling!"
"That." Crystal jabbed one hoof at her chest to push her upright. "That right there is a sign you need to not talk with my mother so much."
Or that Crystal had no sense of humor. Velvet stuck out her tongue and waved the hoof away, then looked back at the pegasus mare. "So, you enjoyed it, huh?"
She nodded like an over-energized filly. "Absolutely! I've attended ballets with Princess Luna before, but I—" Her gaze darted away, her ears folded back, and her lips curled into a sheepish grin. "I've always been so busy planning what she had to do after the ballet that I never paid attention, I suppose. And now I regret not noticing how beautiful ballet is."
After putting the bouquet into her bag, which she slung over her back, Velvet started toward the side exit door. "I'm glad to hear my performance could touch you so deeply!"
Crystal and her friend followed behind her. The latter tentatively started, "Perhaps—" There was a hesitant pause. "Perhaps, some time, you could intentionally invite me to an event? I think I need to get out more."
"Absolutely," Crystal replied.
"That's perfect!" Velvet stopped just short of opening the door, turned to face them, and grinned. "Now that you two are buddy buddy, Crystal, you won't be mad."
The smile that had been on Crystal's face fell into a straight line. "Won't be mad about what? What did you do?"
This was too easy. Messing with Crystal was always too easy, but Velvet could never resist. She tried to keep her composure as she shrugged and said, "I figured you wouldn't need it." One hind leg kicked out to open the door and reveal the valet waiting outside with Crystal's sulky.
Velvet had made a minor adjustment to the little cart: a piece of paper was taped on to cover up Crystal's cutie mark and had her own drawn on it. It was a little crude, but Velvet was a dancer, not an artist.
"So I borrowed it!" Velvet leapt into a grand jeté to land her right hind leg on the seat, pivoted into a pique turn, and dropped her rump down. "I'll see you later!"
The valet took the cue and trotted forward before Crystal or her friend could say anything. He chuckled before asking, "So, where to, ma'am?"
Velvet hummed. "The evening's still young, don't you think? Take me to the nearest club!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Adrenaline was coursing through her veins like fire. Some of that fire may be attributed to not having cooled down properly, but she felt great. Somepony had given her a bouquet and called her amazing! She grinned and tugged one of the flowers out of her bag to chew on the petals. The ballet had been a success. She had executed flawlessly. Life was great.
Once the valet pulled up outside a club, she hopped out and tossed a few bits toward him. "Mind taking it back where I had you get it from?"
The valet tipped his hat to her. "Not at all, ma'am! Have a fun night!"
"Oh, I will." Velvet looked at the doors as she stalked toward them. "Don't worry about that."
Music washed over her when she pushed open one of the doors. The thumping of bass vibrated through her hooves and up into the back of her skull. Nondescript forms of unfamiliar mares and stallions were grouped together in one herd like a single entity that moved with the heavy electronica.
Velvet grinned when she spotted two mares sitting at the bar, one blue and the other red. The blurry memory of their hooves wandering her thighs gave her an idea that was much more appealing than standing on her sore legs.
"Hey, you two!" she yelled over the music once she was close enough to them to have a chance at being heard.
The blue one—Rhapsody?—turned to look at her. Azure eyes that were just a few shades away from white traced her form before a smirk curled her lips, which were colored green that night. "Hey, dancer girl!"
"I just had a great day." Velvet put herself between them and draped her forelegs over their shoulders. "Which one of you wants to make it a great night?"
Rhapsody tilted her head forward to look at her red companion. "What do you think, Shots? You or me?"
"Hmm..." Shots shrugged. "Why not both?"
Velvet paused. A threesome? Were they serious? She glanced between their smirking faces, both sharing the same devious look in their eyes. Oh, they were very serious. She grinned and pulled them closer to her. "Why not both indeed?"
---
Velvet was cold. Very cold and incredibly uncomfortable. The whole of her body ached and the floor beneath her was hard and unforgiving. Though it took a great deal of effort, she managed to crack her eyes open. Unfamiliar furniture looked back at her.
"The hay... ?" she moaned.
"Oh, hey," a voice said from somewhere in the room. "Look at you, you're not dead! I was a little worried about you, but good. That makes this less awkward for me."
It wasn't Crystal's voice. It wasn't Nightingale's, either. Velvet winced as she tried to lift her head, but the muscles of her neck and shoulders were so stiff they practically screamed from the effort. "Huh? Where am I?"
The mysterious mare snorted. "On my floor."
"Okay. Figured that out. Fine, then, who are you?"
The voice laughed and a red mare came into view, leaning her head down to Velvet's eye level. "Hot Shots! Remember? Last night?"
Velvet squinted, stared, and then gasped. "The threesome with the hot mares!"
Hot Shots plopped down beside her, laughing again. "Wow, thanks, you're pretty good looking yourself. Yeah, no, though. We got here and made out for a bit on the couch, then you complained about your hooves, tried to walk, made it a few steps, fell over, said you were done, and passed out. Rhapso and I were pretty fired up, and since you didn't seem like you were gonna wake up anytime soon, we went ahead without you. Hope you don't mind!"
"Aww..." Velvet's ears wiggled. "No threesome with the hot mares?"
"Not with us." Hot Shots reached out to pat her on the head. "Maybe next time, weirdo."
Velvet sighed and closed her eyes. "That's kind of disappointing." She took in a deep breath. It was time to stand up. The room was pretty well lit so it was likely morning. Crystal would be worried if she didn't come home soon, but she hurt all over. Curse past-Velvet and her lack of cool down exercises! "Hey, can I just stay here a while longer?"
There was a pause before Hot Shots said in a sugary sweet voice, "No."
"Crabapples." Forcing all of the energy she could into her limbs, Velvet pushed herself upright. "Okay. Well, this was sad, embarrassing, and kind of a letdown. Sorry about that."
Hot Shots waved a hoof. "No worries! Buh-bye now!"
Velvet wobbled her way to the door. "Yeah."
She needed to get home and take a nice, hot bath to soothe her tight muscles, then get some sleep. After all, there was another performance of Swan Lake that night. There would be about four more before they were finally done. She heaved a whole-bodied sigh as she dragged her hooves on the way to the condo. Her body felt like a wreck and she had missed out on her first threesome. Suddenly, the life of a ballerina didn't feel worth it at all.
Weddings. Velvet was pretty sure they were the worst kind of torture a pony could inflict on others and not be seen as some kind of villain.
While her friend Horsey'd had hers recently, it at least had been short and to the point. Crystal's friend Raven, on the other hoof, turned her wedding into a whole fiasco. Then again, perhaps being the personal aide to Princess Celestia demanded such things.
Whatever the reason, all Velvet knew was that she was already losing interest. It had been half an hour already and ponies were still being seated by the ushers, one by one, hooves moving in time with the slow music that played. Velvet slumped in her seat and stared at the ceiling.
She was undeniably, utterly, and completely bored.
Once the last pony had been seated, the groomstallions made their way to the altar, followed by the groom. The music changed to signify some small amount of progress had been made as the bridesmares glided down the aisle. Crystal was among them, which was interesting for all of about three seconds before the boredom settled back in.
Velvet's head nearly dipped as drowsiness gripped her, but she jerked it back up once the stallion of honor—Raven's brother—reached his position and Princess Celestia lifted her hoof to gesture for them all to rise.
They did, the music changed once more, and Raven walked into view. She looked gorgeous, especially for a mare who on any other day was rather ordinary in appearance. Velvet scrunched up her nose. Was that a rude thing to think on Raven's wedding day? Oh, well. Too late now.
Bored, bored, bored. Velvet let out a small sigh of relief when they were allowed to sit again and Princess Celestia cleared her throat. How long was this going to be?
"Ladies and gentlestallions," Princess Celestia began, her soft voice carrying across the large room with ease, "friends and family. I thank you all for taking the time out of your lives to be with us here today to witness the union of these two wonderful ponies, Raven and Pony Moore."
Velvet's ears perked. Even through the veil of boredom, the voice of Princess Celestia was too captivating to ignore.
"In our lives, we are blessed with the chance to meet many ponies that become acquaintances and, hopefully, friends as well. Where life truly becomes magical, however, is in those special moments where the relationship blossoms further and we find our soulmate."
To her left, Velvet heard somepony sniffle. She inclined her head to peer out of the corner of her eye and saw that the mare beside her was crying. Velvet rolled her eyes. Seriously? Barely a few sentences in and somepony was brought to tears? From Velvet's limited experience, wedding ceremonies were all the same. Love, commitment, miracles, blessings, respect, honor, cherish, forever, blah, blah, blah. What was there to cry over? Well... aside from the forever part.
"I am so happy to stand here with Raven and Pony Moore, who have found each other and today are ready to start their lives together forever as one."
There! 'Forever' already! Velvet raised a hoof to smother a grin. She should make a bingo game for weddings.
"This is an opportunity not only for us to bear witness to the love of these two ponies, but to share in their joy as they begin their journey through the union of marriage."
Joy needed to go on the list. Velvet snorted in her attempt to bite back a snicker while the ponies around her sniffled and dabbed their eyes with kerchiefs.
"Marriage is the ultimate commitment two ponies can make. It is not only choosing to stand by your partner in times of happiness, but in times of hardship, as well."
Velvet struggled to breathe out of fear that opening her mouth would let out the laughter rumbling in her chest. She took several deep breaths in and out through her nose, her hoof remaining firmly pressed to her lips. Don't laugh. Definitely don't laugh. Nopony would understand the explanation of 'marriage bingo'. Or, if they did, they'd probably be really, really offended.
"Today, Raven and Moore promise to embrace the sunny days as well as the cloudy skies. To endure through conflict as well as enjoy the peace. To give as well as receive. To cherish as well as respect."
At that moment, while Velvet's eyes were tearing up from the withheld amusement, Crystal glanced out into the crowd and their gazes met. Oh, crabapples. Did she look like she was laughing or crying? Considering her vision was blurry, she hoped it was the latter. As casually as she could, she moved her hoof to feign a discreet wipe of her eyes.
She managed to survive the rest of the ceremony without blowing her cover. Slowly, each row filed down the aisle after the wedding party to form a receiving line, which was almost as boring as the ceremony. Velvet stood amongst the strangers and tried not to look too distracted as she shuffled, waited, shuffled, and waited her way toward the doors.
"Hello!" she chirped when it was her turn to shake hooves with the bride and groom, flashing a grin at them. "Hope the food's as good as your dress, Raven!"
Her completely serious statement was met with polite laughter as though she were joking. No, she didn't joke about food. Thus far, the free food seemed to be one of the only good parts about weddings, and given who Raven was, Velvet really hoped it was the castle staff that was catering. They made some of the best food in all of Canterlot.
Finally, she made her way into the reception hall that was decked out in Hearts and Hooves decor—considering the holiday was the very next day, of course—and made a beeline straight for the buffet. One hoof balanced a plate while she smiled at the server standing at the station. "I'd like some of that, that, a little of that, a lot of that, and, if you don't mind, that, too, please."
The server blinked a few times. "So, everything?"
"You got it!"
With a soft chuckle, the server's magic started to levitate rolls, little sandwiches, scoops of pasta, vegetables, cheese and crackers, and a little bowl of soup to her plate. "Enjoy, ma'am!"
Velvet winked. "I hope I do!" On her way to the tables to find the chair marked with her name, she spied the cake. It was pure white with piped decorations that complemented Raven and Moore quite well, but... Velvet sidestepped toward it and sniffed, then scrunched up her nose.
Really? Just a plain vanilla cake? No hint of lemon or orange or anything to make it a little more exciting? She rolled her eyes and continued on her way to fill up on free food before she bailed.
She was, at least, extremely pleased with the meal, and blissfully feigning ignorance of the glances sent her way for stuffing her face. The rolls were accompanied with fresh honey butter, and the pasta? Divine! The little crackers topped with cheese were so-so, but the lentil soup was unforgettable.
The only downside, however, was that she was pretty sure everypony noticed her lethargic wobbling as she tried to sneak out of the hall. Oh, well. That was Crystal's problem, not hers! The only thing she had to worry about right then was making it to the condo and getting into bed before her body collapsed into a food-induced coma.
---
"Can you believe it, Red?" Velvet peered up at the foal from where she was on the floor of her parents' condo, sprawled out with her legs stretched out to the sides. "You're my first Hearts and Hooves Day date."
Red blinked at her and tilted his head to the side, ears flopping in different directions. "Uwah?"
Velvet snorted. "This intellectual conversation is absolutely riveting." She rolled over and sighed, shaking her head. "What's wrong with me? Crystal kicked me out so she could get it on with Silent, Mom and Dad stuck me with foalsitting you..." A grin tugged her lips upward. "Not that I mind too much, but let me complain, okay?"
"Annh!" Red wiggled his forelegs at her and she wrapped hers around him to pull him close.
"Okay, fine, let's talk about you, my little cream cheese cupcake. It's always about what you want to talk about!" One hoof shifted to tousle his mane. "Well, maybe I'm not done talking about me. Like..." Her ears drooped. "What's wrong with me?"
Red gently slapped his hooves against hers, giggling and gurgling.
Velvet's ears flicked back upright. "Why can't I be like Crystal and Horsey and Raven and Mom, and find a special somepony, and live happily ever after?"
In his slapfest, Red accidentally punched the underside of her chin and her teeth clanked together. He gasped at the sound and withdrew all of his legs in toward himself. "Ouh!"
Grimacing, Velvet worked her jaw and ran her tongue along her teeth to ensure they were all in place. "Seriously, Red? Is your idea of getting me out of a pity party resorting to violence?" She wrapped her forelegs around him to trap him against her and snuffled his mane. When he squealed in delight, she pulled back to laugh. "Okay, fine. Nothing's wrong with me. I'm just different. Different's okay." She paused, then sighed. "I guess. Maybe. I don't know!"
Red managed to get one of the locks of hair that framed her face trapped between his forehooves, tugged it down, and stuck it in his mouth. Lately, everything seemed to end up in his mouth.
"Hey!" She glared at him out of the corner of her eye. "That's gross, Red! Cut it out!"
"Mmah," he managed while chewing on her hair, then gasped when she tugged it away from him. "Mmah!"
Velvet groaned as she stood upright and trotted over to the bathroom to grab a hoofcloth to clean her hair of drool. "We really need to talk about this mouth obsession!"
"It's perfectly normal at his age," her mother's voice came from the other room.
Velvet stiffened before leaning out of the bathroom. "Oh, hey, you're home!"
Sunbeam shot her a light but playful glare as she scooped Red into her embrace. "How long did you leave him alone!"
"Oh my gosh, like, not even a whole minute! I doubt half of one! You probably got in literally as I walked in here!" Velvet rolled her eyes, then smiled. "So, date night was a success? Where's Dad?"
Sunbeam didn't look at her. "At the bakery."
Velvet blinked and tilted her head as she walked out into the living room. "Okay... What's he doing there?"
There was a moment of trepidation before Sunbeam muttered, "Sulking, I imagine. I had the audacity to say that dessert was delicious. Now he's all certain that means I don't like his baking." She shook her head, letting out a groaning sigh. "Honestly!" With a weak smile, she looked over at Velvet. "We'll be fine, sweetie. Why don't you run along and enjoy what's left of Hearts and Hooves?"
Velvet lingered where she was, glancing between her mother and the door. "Are you sure? I mean, it's not like I have a date, so—"
"But you might find one!" Sunbeam winked. "It's the perfect day to find a special somepony, after all!"
"Okay, sure, all right, Mom." She lowered her head to Red's level. "Well, it was fun, little guy, but Mom says you're not enough and I have to go out and find a stallion so I can make a new baby for her. Tough breaks!" She grinned and ducked when her mother swatted at her. "Bye!"
Velvet maintained her prancing all the way out the door, but once it shut behind her, she sighed and allowed her tail to droop. She would have rather been with Red for the whole night, not out and about reminded that most ponies wanted somepony to be with.
Hearts and Hooves Day was such an awkward holiday. Even Canterlot became a cesspool of love on this particular day. One place was sure to be a safe haven, however, and she urged her hooves to take her to the Mare Contraire. Maybe a few drinks would get her spirits back in order.
As usual, Dolly looked over and smiled when Velvet walked in the door. "Hi, sweetie. Usual?"
"Please." Velvet dropped down onto a stool at the bar, glancing around. The crowd was thinner than normal, but she was comforted by not being the only single loser there that night. When an appletini was set in front of her, she smiled. "Thanks, Dolly. I can always count on you."
"Oh, I know." The bartender chuckled and leaned in. "You seem pretty down, hun. Wanna talk?"
Velvet shook her head. "Not really. I'm sure you've heard it all before."
Dolly gave a slow, sagely nod. "Feeling lonely on such a lovey day?"
"What? Lonely?" Velvet raised her brow before a bark of laughter escaped her. "Not even! I just..." Her smile faded and her gaze darted down to her drink. "I'm not lonely, and I feel weird because I feel like I should be."
"I see!" Dolly rested her elbow on the bar to prop up her chin. "Sweetheart, it sounds like you just need to relax. There are plenty of mares here just looking for a good time, just like always. You're not the only one, so don't beat yourself up, all right? Especially not when that new cutie's been giving you the eye while we've been talking."
Velvet's ears perked up. "New cutie?" She looked around and spotted a mare sitting at the far end of the bar. The sweet little thing fumbled with the glass in her hooves when their eyes met and a heavy blush showed through her light grey coat. "Cutie indeed," Velvet purred. Yes, a good time was exactly what she needed.
Dolly laughed and waved a hoof to shoo her. "I know your type! Now, run along and have a happy Hearts and Hooves."
Velvet tossed back her appletini, flashed a smile at Dolly, then slid off the stool to prance her way over to the mare, who shifted either nervously or excitedly. Velvet hoped it was excitement that made it hard for the mare to sit still. "Well, hi there!"
"Oh gosh, hello!" The mare nearly dropped her drink, glancing between it and Velvet. Her eyes were a brilliant shade of yellow that contrasted with her pale blue mane, which was tied into two long braids. "Hi, um, how are you?"
Velvet sat down next to her and leaned against the bar, one brow raised and a coy smile on her lips. "Better now that I've found such a sweet little treat."
The mare responded with a sound somewhere between a giggle, a gasp, and a titter. She set her glass on the bar to wring her hooves. "I'm, ah, I'm Dawn Walker! What's your name?"
Velvet offered a hoof out to her. "Velvet." When the mare tried to accept the gesture of greeting, Velvet instead pulled Dawn's hoof to her lips and kissed it.
Dawn gasped and flushed a bright shade of red. "Oh my gosh! I-I'm sorry, but I just want to make sure I'm not confusing the signals. We're flirting, right? This is you flirting with me?"
Velvet grinned at her. "Do you want it to be, sunshine?"
"Y-y-yes, yes, I would like that. Please?" Dawn offered a tentative smile.
Velvet leaned in and placed a peck of a kiss on her lips. "Then we're definitely flirting." She held their closeness, grin returning twofold as she asked in a low voice, "Would you like to stay here and flirt, or show me where you live?"
Dawn gave a strangled squeak of surprise. Her blush reached the very tips of her ears and she looked around as if to ask for help, but then returned her gaze to Velvet and just nodded.
"It wasn't a yes or no question, cutie." Velvet straightened up. "You're gonna have to tell me what you want."
"I, um, well." Dawn swallowed and chewed on her lip before continuing, "I'd like to get to know you better? And, well, my apartment is pretty quiet."
Velvet nuzzled her cheek before rising to her hooves and nodding her head toward the door. "Lead the way, buttercup, and we can get to know each other a whole lot better."
The smells of toasted bread, grape jam, and fried eggs were the first clues that Velvet wasn't home—Crystal only ever made tea at that hour of the morning, and her parents always baked muffins for breakfast. Velvet's ears swiveled as she opened her eyes and looked around. The unfamiliar surroundings pieced the puzzle together. She wasn't at either of the places she called home.
At first, she thought perhaps she had somehow overslept, but the lack of any light reaching out from behind the curtains told her the sun was not yet up. Her gaze fell on the empty space beside her and she winced. An early rising bed partner meant there would be no smooth getaway that morning.
After taking a deep breath, she pushed away the covers and tiphoofed her way to the door. It creaked when she tried to stealthily push it open, attracting the attention of Dawn, who stood in the kitchen putting plates on a tray. She even had on a cute, frilly pink apron and her mane was tied into a high ponytail.
"Oh! I'm sorry, did I wake you?" She smiled, her tail swishing back and forth as she glanced between the tray and Velvet. "I, um, I wasn't sure if it would be too forward or not if I made you breakfast, but it seemed rude not to."
Velvet looked at the array of breakfast options and licked her lips. No, she had to fight the temptation, no matter how good it looked and smelled! She needed to get home so she could either celebrate with or console Crystal, depending on how her day with Silent had gone. "It looks great, but—"
Dawn raised a hoof. "Please don't say but! Please?" Her face started to turn red. "This is the first time I've ever had a special... a special somepony, and, I've always wanted to do this."
Crabapples—well, that was what she pretended she thought, anyway. Her mother would be furious if she knew the word Velvet had really been thinking. She felt her mouth go dry as she forced a weak grin. "Oh, sweetie, I—"
"I'm sorry!" Dawn took a step back as her tail and ears drooped. "Way, way too soon, I know! I realized it as soon as I said it! I'm sorry. I'm just so excited. This is all new to me! I've never done anything like this before, so..."
More crabapples. Her heart started to pound with sudden worry. "Wait, when you say that, do you mean, uh." She nodded her head toward the bedroom door behind her. "You mean, that was your first time?"
A meek nod from the blushing mare sent Velvet's heart into the pit of her stomach.
Oh, sweet Celestia, what had she done? She swallowed and rubbed one hoof against her foreleg. "I, uh, wow. I had no idea." The grin tried to take hold of her lips again. "You could've fooled me?"
Dawn bit her lower lip. "Is, is that a compliment?"
"Do you want it to be?" Velvet groaned and raised a hoof before Dawn could reply. "I'm sorry. It's hard to turn off. Okay, I'll try to be serious." She took a breath and drew herself up to her full height, which still put her eye level below Dawn's. "Look, please don't hate me, but last night... Dawn, we're not special someponies. That wasn't what that was."
"Oh," Dawn said more like a quiet whimper.
Guilt gripped her chest, but she held her head firmly in place. "I'm not interested in that, and I don't think you're interested in what I'm interested in."
Dawn was quiet for a moment, her eyes focused on the floor. "Oh," she repeated. She shifted from one hoof to the other and glanced up at Velvet. "What—what are you interested in?"
"Sex. That's all. I just want to enjoy myself, not settle down."
The blush returned to Dawn's face and she squeaked, "H-how do you know I'm not interested in that?"
Velvet smiled and shook her head. "Because you look like you might cry, sweetie. You wanted a special somepony to be yours. And, just so you know, this is totally not your fault." She put a hoof to her chest. "If I were a normal pony, I'd be so into this whole breakfast thing that I'd be head over hooves for you! But, since I'm not, I'm just gonna go before I ruin this any more for you. Okay?"
There was no response. The guilt and silence were suffocating. Velvet glanced at what she guessed was the front door and took a step toward it. "So, I'll just go, then."
"Wait!" Dawn glanced at the tray of breakfast. "Please, it's okay. It was my fault for going to a bar! So, it's okay. Will you at least stay for breakfast?"
Velvet's stomach cramped to say yes, but she shook her head. "I really should go."
Dawn gave a sound that was somewhere between a whine and a sniffle. "Please, I'm sorry for what I said. I'd really like to see you again, though."
"I..." Velvet tried to swallow the lump of regret in her throat. There was no way in Equestria she could just walk away at that point and not hate herself for it. Finally, she sighed. "Okay, I'll stay for breakfast."
Dawn's ears perked upright. "Really?!"
"Yeah." Velvet offered a grin. "Who could say no to a face like yours?"
Smiling brightly, Dawn bounded around the island that also served as an eat-in bar and pulled out a stool. "Please, sit! It should hopefully still be warm!" While Velvet sat down, she trotted back into the kitchen proper to clean the skillet. "So," she started, hesitated, glanced over her shoulder, and continued, "where does this put, um... you and me?"
Velvet paused just short of biting into a piece of toast, her ears folding back. "What do you mean?"
"I don't—" She sighed, setting down the sponge and turning to face her. "I moved here last week from my family's farm just outside of Ponyville. It's really hard to meet ponies in this town, harder than I expected, and I'm just..." She sighed again. "I'm just really lonely, and you were at least kind enough to be honest with me, so I don't want to lose the closest thing I have to a friend."
Slowly, Velvet finished the bite she had started and chewed in thought. "Okay," she mumbled, "but there's just one problem."
"What?" Dawn's ears fell to the sides.
"We"—she gestured a hoof between them—"have had sex. I don't know if I can just turn off the turn on. You're cute, you make cute sounds, and you turn cute colors, like that little shade of pink your ears are right now." She laughed, then cleared her throat and put on a serious face. "If we just hang out, I'm going to remember last night, so I don't know if we can just be friends."
Dawn shuffled her hooves as she walked around the island. After a hesitant pause, she stuck her head underneath one of Velvet's forelegs to force it around her neck while she nuzzled Velvet's chest, her face hot with embarrassment. "I-I, I don't know if—if that's so bad," she managed in a lilting stammer.
Velvet nearly choked on the toast as a shiver shot down her spine. "Whoa there!" She stared down at the beet red face looking back up at her. "Are you hitting on me?"
"Do—" Her breath hitched with a nervous flutter. "Do you want me to be?"
"I do." Velvet's lips curled into a wholehearted grin from the heat that surged through her like a sudden spark, but she tried to quell it by pushing the mare's head away from her chest. "But it's just sex. I'll make it as great for you as I can, but we're not dating. Got it?"
When Dawn merely replied with an overeager nod, Velvet couldn't help herself. Even if the sexual enjoyment was heavily one-sided, there was still a thrill to be had in the act itself, and Dawn's little squeak from being forced onto her back and splayed out on the floor was exceptionally thrilling.
---
Velvet stood outside the condo, working on her third attempt to open the door. How would she explain coming home so late? She sucked in a breath and held it while her mind raced through various avenues of thought. Nightingale would probably cover for her if, for some reason, Crystal ran into her and mentioned it, but she didn't want to do that to their friendship.
Slowly, she released the breath as she unlocked the door and pushed it open. Before she could announce her arrival, however, something was amiss.
She looked over at a small dining table for two sitting near the kitchen and her ears perked. A distraction! Furrowing her brow, she asked with a stern tone, "Crystal?"
Crystal, who was sitting on the couch, smiled and fluttered her eyelashes. "Welcome home!"
Velvet looked over at her, frowning through her relief as sincere concern over her roommate's financial stability set in. "Since when did we have a dining table?"
"Oh, that?" Crystal waved a hoof as if dismissing a simple knickknack. "It was very cheap, don't worry!"
How was she not supposed to worry? Crystal was the worst at managing her bits. Velvet sighed and shook her head while rubbing at her temple, grumbling, "I thought you were done spending money on frivolous things!" She gestured at the dining table. "What happened to me not worrying and you making money, not throwing it away?"
The pretenses dropped and Crystal gave her a serious look. "I'm sorry, Velvet. I've just been wrapped up in finishing school, and these weddings, and—"
Excuses, as always. Crystal was great at those. Then again, so was Velvet, so she supposed she couldn't blame the mare too much.
"I get it, I get it," Velvet snapped as she sat down and folded her forelegs, raising one brow. "So, now, you're done with school, you're done with weddings. You're running out of excuses, and I'm not going to pay your half of the rent, so... ?"
Crystal's ears shot up and she gasped softly. "I'm writing!" Her forehooves were thrust forward to draw Velvet's attention to an open notebook. "I'm still waiting on the second round of editing of Silent Love, but in the meantime, I'm going to dedicate myself to a short a month for Mares Monthly."
Velvet snorted lightly as she looked between the notebook and Crystal. After a moment of considering her responses, she let out a sigh and walked over to one of the sitting pillows. "I'm pretty sure Cosmare pays better," she said, dropping down onto the blue one.
"Cosmare—" Crystal cut herself off with a huff. "Velvet!"
"What? Are you seriously pretending that wasn't a thing?" Velvet rolled her eyes, waving a dismissive hoof. "Okay, fine, whatever. But my point still stands. And now that you actually have real life experience, I bet you'd be even more popular."
Groaning, Crystal shifted position on the pillow so that Velvet couldn't see her face. "I suppose," she started in an almost bitter mutter, paused to consider her words, then continued, "money is more important than my... dignity."
Velvet's ears perked straight up. Well, that was an unexpected change! She laughed while clapping her hooves. "You go, girl!" She stretched out a foreleg as far as she could reach and slapped Crystal's exposed flank.
Crystal gasped, jolted upright, and twisted around to look at Velvet with wide eyes and a red face.
With another laugh, Velvet relaxed into the pillow and asked, "Anyway, so, how did it go? Did you surprise him?"
"Actually—" A fit of giggles interrupted her and she covered her face with both hooves, then shook her head. "—he surprised me."
Even more unexpected change, huh? Velvet looked around the condo, hoping to solve the mystery herself. The way Crystal reacted was either because she and Silent had made some pretty serious love for Hearts and Hooves, or—roses. A vase of roses sat in the kitchen by the window. "I see that."
Crystal lowered her hooves and followed Velvet's gaze to the vase. "Oh, that was only the first surprise!" She giggled and twiddled her hooves.
"What?" Velvet waited, and when only more giggles responded, she pressed, "What else happened?"
"Weeell..." Crystal drew out the word, her ears wiggling, and grinned when Velvet scowled at her. "He also brought a box of chocolates from Sunridge Sweets."
"You sure about that?" Velvet tilted her head while the gears ground against one another, trying to click into place. "Mom and Dad don't sell chocolates unless"—click!—"he ordered them special?!"
Crystal nodded. Holy Tartarus! Velvet's eyes almost hurt from how wide they were. She almost couldn't believe that Mr. Unromantic had really pulled it off. Her lips were tugged into a big smile and a high-pitched squeal emitted from her throat, but Crystal held up a hoof to interrupt her. "But wait, there's more!"
"More?!" Velvet gawked. Had she turned into Rip Vanner Winkle and missed months of development in Crystal and Silent's relationship? How could there be more? One of her hooves reached out to rest on Crystal's and gave it a squeeze. "Are you sure you didn't hit your head and dream all of this up? I mean, it's a nice dream and I wouldn't blame you, but..."
Crystal shook her head, giggling. "I'm not making this up!"
Velvet stared at her for a suspicious moment, then slowly pulled her hoof back to rest on the pillow beneath her. "Okay, then, what else happened?"
After a sharp intake of air, Crystal explained in a rapid manner, "Well, he also showed up in a very nice suit. He had made reservations for Le Bernardin. And, last of all, he gave me a very sweet card that held two tickets to Glimmer World."
"Glimmer World?!" Velvet's heart jumped into her throat as she jumped to her hooves, nearly stumbling when she clipped the edge of the coffee table in her panicked scramble. "Crystal! Glimmer World?!"
Her gaze searched the room for some kind of help as panic seized her in place. Glimmer World was the theme park that had been opened in the semi-newly returned Crystal Empire, in an attempt to reestablish tourism to the once lost province. It was a place of fun for foals, but similarly wonderful for adults.
It would also be the perfect place to propose—not even Silent could be oblivious to the allure of asking a mare named and like Crystal to marry him in the Crystal Empire at what was already known as the happiest place in Equestria?
"Crystal!" she gasped out, her ears going flat against her mane. "He's going to propose!"
How was it possible to be so excited and so scared at the same time? Proposal meant engagement. Engagement meant marriage. Marriage meant happily ever after... without her.
Crystal shook her head with a quick, almost frantic motion until she laughed. "What? Don't be silly!"
Velvet grabbed her by the shoulders and locked their gazes. "No, seriously, think about it! Flowers? Chocolates? Suit? Reservation? Glimmer World? It's like something straight out of one of your stories!"
They just stared at one another in silence, aside from Velvet's heart pounding all the way to her skull. Over and over, she tried to remind herself of how long they had been friends. There was no way Crystal would suddenly forget her just because of some ring and silly vows. Friendship was forever. Right? Of course, sure, definitely!
Crystal gave another, slower shake of her head. "He's just being a good stallionfriend. No, a great stallionfriend. I'm happy with him doing this much." She shrugged Velvet's hooves off her shoulders. "I'm certainly not going to get my hopes up and ruin a perfectly nice trip by expecting more! Besides, this is Silent Knight we're talking about here, you know." She giggled.
Seriously? Crystal just wanted to giggle things away? Was Velvet the only one that was scared?
Velvet sucked in a quiet breath and held it. Her mom told her she needed to trust Crystal, so that was her new mantra. Crystal wasn't taking the fear seriously because she wasn't afraid. She trusted their friendship. Velvet had to, too.
Keeping her lips in a tight, straight line, Velvet said, "Yeah, Silent Knight who just did a bunch of un-Silent Knight things. All bets are off! But, fine." She forced a smile. "If you want to live in denial then I'm not going to waste my breath. Now, get back to writing, get a paycheck, and then we can go celebrate on your bit."
"All right, all right." Crystal laughed and looked at the coffee table, her magic raising a quill to the open notebook. "Why don't you help me decide what I'm going to write, since you're so intent on me writing something for Cosmarepolitan?"
"I thought you'd never ask," Velvet teased, grinning and wiggling her ears. "I think it's... page thirty-two of Notebook #23?"
Crystal's face turned bright red and she squeaked, "Think what's on that page of that notebook?"
Velvet winked. "Let's get it from your box and see!"
Trust their friendship, keep looking forward. Velvet trotted toward Crystal's bedroom, laughing when magic grabbed her tail and stopped her before she reached the door. Everything would be fine, so long as she kept her panic under control. After all, she did have Nightingale and Dawn now. It wasn't as though it would be the end of the world if she saw less of Crystal. She just had to keep looking forward.
An ache throbbed between Velvet's eyes as she made her way up the stairs of the ballet studio. Normally, she was excited for practice, but a part of her was dreading an announcement that they were going to go on an encore tour of Swan Lake. Every day she went in to work, she was certain the ballet director would be standing there, all smiles and bringing bad tidings.
Velvet took a deep breath, pushed the door to the practice area open, and crossed the threshold. Most of the mares were already there, some of them in the middle of their warm-up stretches. Each were broken out into the usual cliques of friends, whispering excitedly to each other.
Something was up. Something was definitely up.
"Velvet!" Nightingale squealed, crossing the practice area to meet her at the door. "Did you hear what they picked for the next ballet?!"
"Huh? Wait, the next ballet?" Velvet shrugged the bag off her shoulder while her heart fluttered with almost anxious relief. "What?"
Nightingale trotted in place and fluttered her wings with near palpable excitement. She sucked in a breath then sing-songed in a loud voice, "Cantereeellaaa!"
Velvet gasped. "Really?! Oh, this should be a lot of fun! Especially after Swan Lake. Ugh." She shuddered. "I hope we never, ever do that one again."
"Yeah, well, you better hurry." Nightingale's wings flicked out and tucked back in. "They're already taking sign-ups for auditions. Perennial, of course, is going to do whatever it takes to get Canterella, so I'm sure that means Beryl will be the Fairy Godmother." She grinned and whispered, "You could try for the Evil Stepmother and get to pester Perennial."
Velvet's lips curled into a grin. "Oh, I am so auditioning for that." She started bounding forward. "Worst case, I'll just be the rogue Lady of the Court that trips Canterella when she dances with the Prince."
Nightingale laughed, flying after her. "That's not a real thing!"
"It is now!" Velvet tossed her head to stick out her tongue. "Just watch!"
A chime of giggles escaped from Nightingale while Velvet stopped at the table littered with sign-up sheets to write down her name in a few places. "I'm just excited for how many roles there are. One of us corps gals is guaranteed some spotlight! And nopony has to break a leg, like in Don Quicolte last year."
Velvet just nodded. The stepmother and stepsister roles were probably already earmarked for the mares that held the soloist titles, but there was the Jester, the Tailor, the Dancing Mistress—so many opportunities to shine.
"We should try out for the Stepsisters," Nightingale said, peering over Velvet's shoulder. "How awesome would that be if we both got one?"
"What?" Velvet paused. She rolled the pencil between her hooves before shrugging. "What's the worst that could happen? Okay, fine, sure." She noted her name on the sheet, then offered the pencil to Nightingale for her to do the same. "So, uh, can I talk to you about something?"
Nightingale bobbed her head. "Absolutely!"
Velvet glanced around. The other ballerinas were already lined up along the barres doing their warm-up stretches. "I, well, I met a mare last night."
"Uh-huh? As opposed to any other night?" Nightingale giggled.
"This is different," Velvet muttered.
Nightingale hesitated, eyeing her warily. "Different? What kind of different?"
Velvet sighed and shook her head. "I can't really explain it." She started toward one side of the room where there were less ponies to give them some privacy as she reared up onto her hindlegs and continued, "I don't think she understood what a one-night stand means."
"Oh. Oooh." Nightingale winced, her ears folding back. "That must have sucked. How did you break it to her?"
Velvet didn't say anything. She just averted her gaze.
"Velvet." Nightingale started to frown. "Velvet, what did you do?"
"I—I stayed for breakfast, all right?" Velvet snapped as she bent down to touch her forelegs to her left hindhoof while the other leg was resting on the barre. "I stayed for breakfast and told her I'd see her again."
Nightingale squawked and her wings jolted a few inches from her body, but she quickly snapped them back in and glanced around at the curious stares they received. "Are you serious?"
Velvet glared at her. "Why would I lie about that?! Look, you didn't have to see her face! I did, and there was no way I could say no."
"Do you like her?" Nightingale's wings twitched while she propped one hindleg up and stretched her forelegs high above her head.
"I, uh—" Velvet frowned. "I mean, I've been with better, but she wasn't terrible."
Nightingale rolled her eyes, then narrowed them. "That's not what I meant. I mean, would you consider her a candidate for your special somepony?"
Velvet's gaze darted away as she busied herself with another stretch. Once she had pushed her muscles to their flexible limit, she groaned and straightened up. "No. I can't imagine spending the rest of my life with her! Dating her? Marrying her? No way."
"Then break it off before somepony gets hurt." Nightingale sighed, then perked up with a smile. "So, if we're going to seriously try for the Stepsisters, then we need to get perfect synergy going, yeah? Really wow the judges at the audition. If you're free after practices, we should get together and go over the choreography."
Velvet smiled back at the welcome change of topic. "Yeah, sure."
---
Sunbeam looked up when Velvet dragged herself into the Sunridge Sweets kitchen. "You know, if this were a real job, you'd be fired, crumbcake."
Velvet groaned as she dropped to the floor, all the energy leaving her legs once they had arrived at their destination. "S-sorry, Mom. You know how it is when we switch ballets."
"Mmhm." Sunbeam smiled and returned her gaze to the bundle of red and off-white in her lap. "Come on, sweetie. Say 'Mama'."
Red's attention, however, had immediately switched to Velvet the moment she came into view. "Nngh!" He strained against Sunbeam's embrace. "Aangh!"
With a sigh, Sunbeam held Red out to her. "He wants you, as always."
"Oh, don't say it like that! You should be happy he likes his big sis." Velvet rolled onto her back and patted her stomach, her gaze following Red as the foal was set down on her. "A lot of siblings don't get along."
Sunbeam leaned back into her pillow, huffing. "So, tell me about the new ballet that's keeping you late, sweetie?"
Velvet tapped her hooves against Red's while he gurgled and squealed. "Canterella! It's so much fun. Nightingale and I are trying to get the Stepsister roles. We're kinda hoping that if we get some good practice in, we can wow the casting judges by being in sync and stuff."
"That sounds like fun, dear!" Pepper called, sticking his head into the kitchen, smiling at Velvet before looking at Sunbeam. "Honey, there's a new cute-ceañera cake design that needs your special touch." He held out an order form to her and started back out into the bakery proper.
Sunbeam took the paper and glanced over the writing, then smiled. "Oh, that's plenty of time to think of something special!" She pulled out a drawer to retrieve her ideabook.
Velvet set Red on the floor and rolled onto her side to curl around him, gazing at the unconditional love and adoration on his face as he nestled against her chest. "Hey, do you remember my cute-ceañera?"
"Hmm? Oh, well, if you want to call it that." Sunbeam giggled. "It was just another sleepover for you and Crystal."
"With cake!" Velvet corrected, lifting her head. "A sleepover with cake. Get it right, Mom." She stuck out her tongue.
Sunbeam gasped when Red looked up at Velvet then stuck out his own tongue. "Velvet Chocobunny Step! You stop that right now!"
Velvet grinned and nosed Red's fluffy mane. "Okay, little guy, let's play hide and seek before Mom gets mad at us."
Sunbeam huffed. "Before? I already am!"
"You hide first," Velvet chimed. "My eyes are closed in three... two... one!" As she closed her eyes, Red gave a squeal of delight and the scampering of little hooves indicated he was off. After counting to twenty, she hollered, "Ready or not, here I come!"
Once her eyes were open she spotted him immediately. A little red rump with a puff of creamy white wiggled from Red's hiding spot behind a pile of flour sacks.
"So, anyway, Mom, I have a question for you," Velvet said as she feigned looking underneath one of the chairs.
"Hmm?" Sunbeam glanced up from her sketch-in-progress. "What's up, buttercup?"
Velvet's ears wiggled at the sound of giggling. "Little Red, little Red!" She gave an exaggerated sniff of the air. "Fee, fie, foe, fum! I'll find you, little Red!" She stuck her head around the corner of one of the fridges, her voice lowering back to normal. "I, uh, I kind of met a mare."
"What?" Sunbeam squeaked with a sharp intake of air. "Did you? Who is she? When can I meet her?!"
Velvet shot her mother a light glare. "Hold on, jeeze! Seriously? Let me finish!" She lifted one of the empty boxes for to-go orders. "Hmm, nope, no little Red under here!"
Red squealed and his visible rump wiggled as he tried to squeeze himself further into the space between the flour sacks and the wall.
"I was just, you know, just hanging out," Velvet continued in an uncertain mutter. "Just hanging out and we crossed paths. She kind of misread the signals. As I thought you knew, I'm not ready to settle down, so, I tried to tell her that."
"Oh." Sunbeam visibly deflated and she turned her head back to her book, picking the pencil up in her mouth. With a slightly muffled voice, she pressed, "And?"
Velvet slowly started to climb the flour sack stack. "She didn't really take it well. I told her I'd see her again, but I'm not so sure that's a good idea. I don't really think I'm going to change my mind." She gasped when her gaze met Red's. "I found you!"
Red wiggled his ears, his rump, and his nose. "Ann! Anann!" He tried to backpedal, but had squirmed himself into a tight position. Before Velvet could react, he frowned, growled, and snapped at the corner of one of the sacks.
"Red!" Velvet laughed as he gnawed on the burlap. "Red, that won't work! Just, okay, hold on, you're fine." She hopped down and freed him from his self-made trap, then looked over at her mother, who was looking at her with an unreadable expression. "So, uh—"
Sunbeam held up a hoof. "Sugarpie, I know you're not ready. Your father and I understand that. But it sounds like you don't want to hurt this mare's feelings, right?"
Velvet sighed and cradled Red to her chest while he chewed on his own leg. "Of course not! She's a sweetie. It's not her fault she didn't know any better."
"Then maybe—maybe—you should just give her a chance?" Sunbeam offered a soft smile. "At least get to know her a little?" When Velvet started to frown, she quickly added, "Don't force anything, powderpuff. You'll be ready when you're ready. But if it turns out you like this mare, then you don't want to take the soufflé out before you gave it time to rise, right?"
A soft groan rumbled in Velvet's chest and Red growled back at her, turning the sound into a soft laugh. "Red makes a pretty convincing argument, Mom."
Sunbeam tilted her head, one ear flopping. "Oh? And just what did my little cakepop tell you, hmm?"
"He says"—Velvet lifted the foal up and wiggled his forelegs as she spoke in a squeaky voice—"forget that mare and just play with me all day! I'm the only love you need!"
Red kicked his hindlegs and gurgled with glee.
Sunbeam's brow raised, but she gave a chime of laughter and shook her head. "Give him another year and you'll be begging me to take him back to the cabbage patch."
Velvet gasped and tucked Red back to her chest. "I would never!" She shot Sunbeam a withering stare. "And besides, foals don't come from cabbage patches. I grew out of believing that forever ago."
"Oh, of course, marshmallow creme." Sunbeam smiled, returning once again to her work. "But you used to believe it, and oh, trust me, honeybun, I'll never forget."
"Of course you won't," Velvet groaned more than said. "You never forget anything."
Sunbeam winked. "And don't you forget that! Now, why don't you and Redcakes come over and help me decide if I should make an edible chocolate topper out of this sweet little filly's cutie mark or not?"
Velvet shifted Red to hold him with one leg before she walked over to look at the sketches. Three designs were already roughed out. When Sunbeam got on a tear of inspiration, there was usually no stopping her. "Depends, who are her parents?"
Sunbeam paused to look at the order sheet. "Hmm... I don't recognize their names. Not one of our usual customers."
"Then go all out!" Velvet kissed Red's forehead before setting him down near his stack of blocks. "They were probably a referral, and you want them to become repeat customers."
Sunbeam giggled. "Oh, so if they were a regular, then what would you suggest?"
Velvet rolled her eyes. "That you go all out, d'uh. If they're a regular customer, then they deserve the best to keep their business!"
"I see! So then why did you even bother asking who their parents were if you'd give me the same answer either way?" Sunbeam crossed out one of the designs and added some extra piping flair to the others.
"What? Oh, I was just curious." Velvet grinned. "I figured you'd be more likely to gossip if you thought I was trying to help you."
Sunbeam laughed and waved a hoof at her. "You're terrible! That's it, you're washing the dishes tonight, you devilcake!"
Velvet gave a playful, petulant huff as she sat down on the floor beside Red, who paused his block tower building to blink up at her. "But I always do the dishes!"
"Yes, well, now you'll do them as a punishment." Sunbeam winked.
Velvet glanced at Red, grinned, then stuck her tongue out at Sunbeam, breaking into laughter when Red's mimicry of her stirred an irritated gasp from their mother.
"Oh, you'll regret teaching him that," Sunbeam said, glaring. "Just you wait!"
---
Velvet paced back and forth, uncertainty sending pricks of pain throughout her legs with every step. What was she going to do?
Nightingale was right. She had no intention of dating Dawn. She had no desire to be special someponies. The least she could do was break it off, yet a pang of guilt kept forcing her to look at the door that stood between her and making a decision.
Her mother also had a good point. After all, what did she really know about the sweet little earth pony? Dawn was lonely, had no friends, and didn't even know what being picked up at a bar meant. If Velvet dumped her, there was a chance somepony unsavory might sweep her up and take advantage of her.
Velvet gave a quick shake of her head. Wait, wasn't she unsavory? She had given in to Dawn's meek yet hot seduction right after trying to tell her they couldn't be friends. That kind of made her a terrible pony, but Celestia help her, Dawn definitely wasn't an unattractive mare. Not by a long shot.
Decision. She had to make a decision. With a deep intake of air and a slow release to follow, Velvet stopped pacing, raised a hoof, and knocked on the door. A few moments later, it opened, and Dawn's face peeked around the corner.
"Velvet?" Dawn's ears perked and she stepped fully into view, her shy demeanor fading away into a curious smile. "Hi! Do you want to come in?"
"Oh, uh, no." Velvet rubbed the back of her neck. "No, thanks. Actually, I was kind of wondering if you'd want to go out."
Dawn blinked. "Go out?" Her eyes widened. "O-on a date?"
Velvet swallowed. The word hit her chest like a fellow ballerina trying a grand battement in too-close proximity, but she smiled nonetheless. "Uh, yeah. A date."
Canterlot didn't have much in the way of parks, certainly not like the one in Ponyville, but it had some green space that served well enough for a 'date in the park'. Velvet's ears twitched while she walked alongside Dawn, eyeing the mango-flavored ice cream cone the mare held in one hoof. It was really frozen yogurt, but that sounded more pretentious than just plain old ice cream.
At that moment, Velvet was more than grateful for all of Crystal's stories she had read. Shortly after asking Dawn on a date, Velvet had realized she had absolutely zero plans and had to improvise with what she could remember. Park dates were fairly common, and they usually were accompanied with ice cream.
"So," Velvet started, pausing to take a lick of the chocolate strawberry scoop, "do you like mango, or was it just the best option you saw?"
Dawn smiled down at the orange-colored dessert. "I like mango. It's not a fruit you find very often. Apples are a bit a dozen, but mangoes? You don't find those in Ponyville, that's for sure!"
Velvet bobbed her head. "Yeah, that reminds me. Why exactly did you move to Canterlot?"
"Oh. Well." Dawn sighed, her ears drooping. "I just, well, I just wanted a change of scenery. My parents are from Ponyville. So are their parents. And their parents. I don't think anypony in my family has ever left our farm in Ponyville. I just thought, there has to be more out there, doesn't there?"
"But why Canterlot?" Velvet scrunched up her nose and nibbled a piece off the cone. "I mean, come on, there's a change of scenery, and then there's diving into a shark tank."
Dawn glanced at her, ears wiggling. "You live here, though, don't you?"
Velvet snorted and rolled her eyes. "That's different. I've lived here since I was a filly! I'm already used to it. Moving here at your age, though—"
"S-sorry, but you said, since you were a filly?" Dawn leaned in toward her. "Does that mean you moved here, too?"
"What?" Velvet blinked, then shrugged. "Oh, yeah, it does. My parents moved me here from Manehattan because of some bullying in school. I got lucky and found a friend that guided me through the waters, though." A soft smile spread across her lips as a wave of memories washed over her.
She owed Crystal so much. Finding confidence in herself, discovering her cutie mark, learning how to be strong—Crystal had given her all that and more.
Dawn's gaze wandered Velvet's face and she mirrored the smile. "Aww, that's really sweet!"
"Hey, now, back to you!" Velvet laughed, shook her head, and bumped their shoulders together. "What kind of farm does your family have?"
The smile on her face faded as Dawn sighed. "Oh, nothing interesting. It's a grain farm. Barley, oats, rye..." Slowly, the smile returned. "Not nearly as renowned as Sweet Apple Acres, but my favorite thing to do is—" Her ears flicked back. "—to do was go out as far from the house as I could before the sun came up, then watch the sun rise over acres and acres of grains. It was like being immersed in a sea of gold."
Velvet glanced at the mark on Dawn's flank: two golden ears of wheat overlaying one another. "I'm guessing—"
"—that that's how I got my cutie mark?" Dawn giggled. "Well, I've always been an early riser. I love watching the sun peek over the horizon and, well, chase away the night. It's like welcoming a new day of opportunities and possibilities, I guess. It always fills me with renewed hope..." Her cheeks flushed lightly as she said in a lilting tease, "You could say I'm a dawn walker."
Velvet nearly snorted the bite of ice cream she had taken as a laugh jumped into her throat. She swallowed and grinned at her. "Seriously? That's bad. That's really bad."
Dawn just giggled for a moment before she continued, "A-anyway, it's not much of a talent, certainly not like being a ballerina. That's something beautiful!"
"Beautiful?" Velvet hummed in thought, then shrugged. "Yeah, I guess? But it's a ton of work. I thought it was beautiful when I was a filly, before I learned the meaning of sweat and tears." She laughed and finished off the last bite of her cone. "So, my friend told me that this is a good spot to watch clouds." With an unceremonious fwump, she dropped down onto the grass and peered up at the sky.
Dawn blinked a few times. She glanced between her ice cream cone and Velvet, indecision furrowing her brow until she stuffed what remained of the former in her mouth and flopped beside the latter. After some chewing, swallowing, and cold-induced groaning, she shivered and focused her attention on the limitless blue above them. "D-do you like to watch clouds?"
"Uh, well, I don't not like to watch clouds? It's just, that's what she did on a date once, so." Velvet's gaze sought out the first cloud it could find. "It seems fine so far."
Dawn rolled her head to the side to peer at Velvet. "You keep talking about your friend..." She giggled, though there was a nervous hitch to it as red showed through her coat. "Is she, um, is she a friend like I'm a friend? With, you know, the—ah, the—"
Velvet raised a hoof and pushed it against Dawn's mouth. "Nope. Just a friend. Only a friend." She frowned. "Honestly, you're kind of a special case."
"A special case?" Dawn said around the hoof, her ears perking. "What do you mean?"
"Yeah, you know." She turned her head to peer at Dawn, then looked back upward. "Like I told you, I was just looking for a night of fun when I ran into you. That's what I do. One-night stands are less complicated."
"Oh..." The perk of Dawn's ears deflated. "I'm sorry."
Velvet let out a sigh that verged in a groan. "Don't be sorry, sweetie. It's fine. This is fine. I don't mind spending extra time with you beyond just one night."
Dawn was silent for a while, long enough that Velvet glanced over to make sure the mare wasn't crying. There were no visible tears, but she didn't meet Velvet's gaze. "So, I guess," she finally started, hesitant and slow, "even though this is a date, we're still not a couple, right?"
All of this was a mistake. Velvet's insides were twisted into knots that suddenly felt impossible to unravel. Things were so much easier and free of guilt when the relationship only lasted for one night. "Yeah?"
"S-so I can see other ponies, but still see you?"
A bubble of hope rose in Velvet's chest. "If you want, yeah."
Dawn hesitated. "And you'll see other ponies, but still see me?"
"Sure." Velvet stared at the expression on Dawn's face that muddled through determined thought. "Unless you decide to go steady with another pony or something, that is."
Finally, Dawn nodded, a soft smile returning to her lips. "Okay. I think I understand." She moved closer and nuzzled up against Velvet's side. "Then, can we just stay here a while like this?"
The smell of Dawn's shampoo invaded Velvet's senses—honeysuckle. Velvet did her best to breathe evenly under the intoxicating influence of floral sweetness. "A little while, sure. But I have practice soon."
Dawn smiled. "Okay, that's fine." She closed her eyes. "I enjoyed this. Can we do this again sometime?"
"If you want," Velvet said, though the words felt hollow as uncertainty filled her chest.
This wasn't what she wanted, but it was what was right, wasn't it?
---
Nightingale sighed as her wings drooped and she shook her head. "So, what you're saying is, you totally ignored me and went on a date with her."
Velvet rubbed the back of her neck. "I guess it was a date, anyway. I don't really see how it was much different from just hanging out with a friend, though."
"You know this won't end well, right?" Nightingale trotted over to the record player and dropped the needle, then flew back to her marker before the music started.
Velvet balanced herself on her hind legs. "I don't know that, actually! She gets what's going on. We talked about it." She danced across the floor, Nightingale matching her step-for-step. "I'm going to go to the bar after we finish here, have a good time like always, and life goes on."
"She won't get jealous?" Nightingale leaped around Velvet and grabbed onto one end of the scarf that Velvet had draped over her shoulders.
Velvet mimed a wide-eyed look of surprise and they moved in sync, springing from one leg to the other in a pas de chat. "I already said she gets the situation! We agreed, she'll see other ponies, and so will I."
Nightingale huffed as they swung one hind leg into a grand battement, then as the leg lowered, shifted weight to it and swung the other back. "Okay, so, you go to the bar tonight, and she's there. Tell me that won't be awkward."
"Fine." Velvet twirled until their backs were together, the scarf wrapped around them, and they feigned their tip-hoofed struggle. "It won't be awkward."
They spun out until the scarf was at its limits and they tugged it back and forth, then Nightingale gave a quick tug that separated the scarf in two—where normally Canterella would "cut" it—and they dropped to the floor.
"Fine," Nightingale said, sitting up and looking at her half. "It's your life, not mine. Anyway, I feel like we need to try that again. My timing was a little off on that last part."
Velvet's ears wiggled. "You realize this is only the first, like, twenty seconds of the ballet, right?"
Nightingale stuck out her tongue and flew over to the record player to reset the song. "Practice makes perfect!"
"Okay, fine, but where do I get to draw the line between practice and obsession?" Velvet grinned.
Nightingale's wings fluttered as she giggled and chirped, "When your hooves bleed!"
Velvet stood up and draped the scarf over her shoulders, then tossed her head. "A true prima would not give in to such basic trifles. Dedication above all else, ladies! Never forget that!"
"Oh my gosh, did you see her at practice yesterday?" Nightingale laughed. "How did she put it?"
Velvet's ears wiggled as she continued to mime, "Frankly, I don't understand why a ballet company that seeks to stand hoof-to-hoof with the Royal Ballet of Equestria would debase itself with the comical version of Canterella." Her nose scrunched up as she tried to stave it off, but laughter took hold of her. "She is such a tight-tail!"
Nightingale dropped the needle and flew back toward Velvet. "If she wants to be like the Royal Ballet so badly, then maybe she should just go there, huh?"
"Be still my aching heart!" Velvet put a hoof to her chest. "You shouldn't tease a poor filly like that."
Nightingale winked as she took one end of the scarf and they began the pas de chat across the floor. "You never know! It could happen."
Velvet kicked her leg high into the air. "I think I'll stick to hoping for more realistic goals, like this Stepsisters thing. Now, come on and focus, because I don't want to spend all afternoon working on this one fraction of a scene."
---
Velvet stared at the writing in the notebook held in her hooves—the fruit of Crystal's week-long labor. It was an outline for a story that featured two ponies going about their life together in old age. While it was certainly heartwarming, Velvet couldn't stop her mind from wandering to her own life.
That was the end goal, right? To find somepony to spend the rest of your life with, taking care of each other in sickness and in health? Velvet's ears flicked back, but she coaxed them upright so as not to give Crystal—who was sitting in front of her, fidgeting nervously—the wrong message.
She certainly didn't want to end up alone. That sounded just as miserable as marriage. Wasn't there some kind of middle ground, though?
"So," Velvet started, forcing her mind back to the situation at hoof, "this is what you've been working on the past week?"
Crystal shifted to switch which hoof rested over the other and swallowed. "Well... yes, it is. It's just a rough draft of the plot, but—"
"It's really sweet," Velvet interrupted before Crystal got lost in a panic, then looked down at the last page. "I don't know if it's, well, at all like your normal stuff. I mean, they're just normal ponies, no princes or princesses or anything."
"Silent Love doesn't feature any nobility," Crystal mumbled, her tone shifting from nervous to defensive in an instant.
Velvet waved a dismissive hoof, offering a playful grin. "But Stoutheart is a knight, so that's still, you know, not normal." She cleared her throat and tapped on the open page. Time to change the subject. "Okay, so, the real question is how many months can you drag out of this for Mares Monthly?"
A pink aura wrapped around the notebook and levitated it over to Crystal. Pages flipped while Crystal's eyes scanned the writing and her brow furrowed. "I'm not sure," she said, uncertainty clear in her voice. "I don't even know if Sunset would go for it."
Sometimes, Velvet underestimated Crystal's capacity for self-doubt. "I didn't say it wasn't good." She rolled her eyes, though she wasn't sure if her frustration was directed at Crystal or herself. After all, she knew better than to not offer praise first and questions later.
She needed to get out of her head and focus on Crystal's writing. She was writing a story about two ponies growing old together. A stray thought jumped out of the sea of her subconscious and into the forefront of her mind and she blinked.
"Hey, what about that frost pony thing? Weren't you interested in writing about them?"
A frown started to tug at Crystal's lips, and the notebook raised to hide it. "I was until I met one. I'd much sooner turn Bellerose into a dragon solely for the abnormal intrigue than try to pick that up again."
Velvet grinned and pawed at the air. "Hey! That's an idea. What if Bellerose was a dragon?"
Crystal's ears folded back and she shook her head. "No."
"Aww, come on, I'm sure there's somepony out there who would be into that." Velvet sputtered into a laugh, then tried to shrug it off. Once her mirth had calmed down, she shook her head. Like it or not, she had to be honest.
If Crystal really wanted to write this story, then she'd fight for it. If it was another flight of fancy like the frost pony idea, then she would move on. There wasn't time for Velvet to pat her on the head and indulge her when bits were on the line.
"Look," Velvet continued, "maybe it's just that I don't see the appeal. You've got two ponies who kind of liked each other, then got separated, then found each other again and get married and grow old together. I know you're a great writer and could make it interesting, but based on that alone, I'm just not impressed."
Velvet's tail flicked while she watched as Crystal breathed in and out through her nose. Crystal's gaze lowered to the notebook while her magic turned several pages. "Can you read this, then?"
So it would be a fight. Velvet nodded, intrigue starting to bloom, and she took the book back.
The air was filled with the quiet sounds of nature, as well as the occasional creak of Charlie's chair from the gentle rocking motion. Bellerose took a deep breath and let it out as a heavy sigh. Charlie looked over at her and asked, "What now, dear?"
"I'm old," she said in the almost ironic manner of a pouting filly.
Velvet's ear flicked as she smiled. She could hear the words in Crystal's voice, albeit with a little huskiness of age, but the little pout was classic Crystal.
Charlie blinked, then chuckled. "And so am I."
She glared at him with the fire in her eyes that he had always loved, and always would. Time could take the luster from her coat and the spring from her step, but it would never quell the flame of her spirit.
A soft "aww" escaped her and she giggled at her own reaction. The outline had nothing on the actual writing.
"I'm old, Charlie. Too old to garden even if it weren't going to rain." Her gaze drifted back to their front yard. "And I'm only going to get older."
He said nothing at first. He just watched her as nature buzzed around them. A breeze drifted by, catching the loose curls of her mane, and finally he smiled. "You are, dear." He leaned over with a bit of effort and put his hoof on her cheek. Gently, he coaxed her to turn her head and look at him. "But leaves are always the most beautiful before they fall."
That was the last straw. Velvet tossed her head back as she burst into laughter. "Oh, come on! That's so corny!"
Crystal had already returned to her nervous, fidgeting self. "Corny good or corny bad?"
Velvet paused just long enough to tease before grinning. "Dunno, I'd have to read more to find out." She shoved a nearby quill toward Crystal. "So get to writing."
"Yeah?" Crystal's ears perked while her magic took the quill. "Do you think it could work?"
It was corny. Endearing, heartwarming, and sweet, but pretty corny. Velvet mulled it over, taking her own reservations out of the equation. Most romance novels were thick with tropes, cliches, and stereotypes. It seemed like a good enough story, and more importantly, Crystal fought for it.
As far as Velvet could tell, it ticked all the boxes she had just made up on the spot, so it was probably a worthy investment of Crystal's time.
"I could see how some ponies would find it cute or whatever. So, sure." Velvet stood, stretching her forelegs and then her hind ones until her back popped. She wandered into the kitchen to preoccupy herself with the idea of food, but her mind was already drifting.
Everypony else loved romance novels and dreamed of their own happy ending with their soulmate. Horsey was already married and Crystal was going to follow suit soon enough. Even Nightingale talked about settling down someday. It was clear that Dawn would eventually find the special somepony for her. Why was she always the odd pony out?
Nightingale squeezed Velvet's hoof. "Hey, we did our best, okay?"
Velvet didn't look at her. She kept her gaze fixed firmly on the door through which the ballet master would enter. All of the auditions were finished. It was out of her hooves now, but it wholly and completely consumed her every thought.
"We literally could not have practiced any more than we did." Nightingale ducked her head to try to meet Velvet's gaze, smiling. "It probably would have killed one of us if we tried. Maybe even both of us!"
The first sound Velvet finally made was a whimpering chuffle. "That's exactly it, though. We tried so hard! If we fail, what does that mean?! That our hardest isn't enough?!"
Nightingale rolled her eyes and flicked a wing to slap Velvet on the back. "We're not going to fail. Worst case, we just get stuck in the corps like normal! It's not like we'll never get to dance again. Celestia's crown, you're so overdramatic sometimes."
"Yeah, well, you're not dramatic enough." Velvet scrunched up her shoulders and flattened her ears.
How had she done in the audition? Doubt pervaded every inch of her. Her mind was clouded and her hooves felt heavy. Was she breathing? When was the last time she had taken a breath in? Breathing was supposed to be an automatic thing, but now that she was thinking about it, she was pretty sure she had stopped breathing.
Right as Velvet sucked in a ragged breath, Nightingale asked, "Do you regret trying out?"
"What?" Velvet blinked at her.
"Do you regret trying out?" Nightingale repeated, raising one brow and continuing, "Now that it's said and done, is this stress right now"—she gestured a hoof in a circle at Velvet—"worth the potential reward of a good role together?"
Velvet frowned and swatted at the hoof. "Of course! At least, I think so. We had fun practicing." She returned her gaze to the door. "It was fun. This part, waiting, is not. They're totally separate things, though, so—"
The chorus of whispering among all the ballerinas came to a halt when their ballet master Beauchamps stepped into view. He was a lanky unicorn who had a figure like a cut gem, with sharp edges like a pointed snout and pronounced cheekbones, the spitting image of his great-great-grandfather of the same name who had invented the system of the five hoof positions in ballet.
His black mane fell down to his shoulders in the most absurd cascade of curls which bounced in a way that would turn most mares green with envy as he walked across the floor. Each hoofstep resounded in the tense silence like the drums of war. He stopped in the center of the room and looked out at them all with his usual look of disdain, as though it were their fault that his father still held the position of ballet master at the Royal Ballet, relegating him to the smaller, less prominent company.
"The role of Canterella shall be played by Perennial," he said in a perfectly even tone that belied any feelings or opinions on the matter.
The oh-so-surprising announcement was met with polite hoofstomps as Perennial rose, bowed, and settled back down with a pleased smile.
"The role of the Stepmother shall be played by Beryl Waltz."
In response to her own, just slightly louder round of applause, Beryl chimed, "Thank you, everypony! I look forward to practicing together!"
"The role of the Stepsisters shall be played by—"
Velvet's heart stopped pounding and her chest seized with the suffocating feeling of preemptive despair. All of that work, all of that effort, all of that hope was about to be torn from her. The role of Kitri had fallen to her by happenstance, but this position she was going to have earned.
"—Nightingale and Velvet Step."
Nightingale let out a whoop of joy and Velvet's jaw dropped. Their sister ballerinas drummed their hooves and a few whistled congratulations.
"We did it!" Nightingale squealed, throwing her forelegs around Velvet.
Velvet stared at Beauchamps, who stared back with a vacant look of forced patience as he waited for quiet to return so that he could continue. She inclined her head to look up at Nightingale.
"Oh my gosh, we have to go celebrate." Nightingale practically trembled with excitement and her wings quivered at her sides. "We are so going to celebrate!"
Velvet just blinked.
---
"Louder!" the song shouted, and the crowd responded with wild screams just before the beat dropped, giving way to heavy bass that shook them all to their very cores.
Ballet and raves were two different things, but mixing the two could often lead to interesting results. The synergy between Velvet and Nightingale from their practice stayed strong as they let the music flow through their hooves. Every move was made more impressive pas de deux: when Velvet spun, Nightingale held one of her hooves to keep her close; when Nightingale fluttered her wings to rise into the air, Velvet swept underneath her to lift her up before they dropped back down as the rhythm shifted.
They were on fire. Not literally, of course, but Velvet's blood burned with the thrill of the moment, the elation of their success, and the sear of alcohol—and she was sure Nightingale felt the same.
Throbbing music. Flashing lights. Ponies in all directions dancing and drinking. It was the true high of night life, and Velvet wanted it to never end. She felt great. She felt alive.
Unfortunately, the bell curve of alcohol kicked in and she toppled down the other side of it, then literally toppled over her own hooves.
"Whoa!" Nightingale flared out her wings to make a buffer zone around them, pushing back any potential tramplers that were too lost in the music to notice the fallen mare. "You okay?"
Velvet snorted and forced herself upright, though the sudden motion made the room spin for a moment. She stared at Nightingale and blurted, "S'fine! I'm fine! So fine."
Nightingale frowned at her while Nightingale's voice laughed somewhere behind her, and Velvet realized that the face did not belong to her friend. The random mare rolled her eyes and returned to her dancing while Velvet turned to face the real Nightingale.
"You are so not fine." Nightingale wrapped a wing around Velvet and pulled her close. "Come on, let me take you home."
Velvet tried to shove her away. "Nooo! Can't go home, not like this! Gotta find a mare, sleep it off at her place." She looked around. "I'll find somepony, 'kay?"
Nightingale's wing remained firmly in place and she shook her head. "Not tonight, Miss Step. I think you're too drunk. I've got a perfectly nice couch with your name written on it."
"Uhh?" Velvet flapped her mouth a few times while Nightingale guided her stumbling self to the door. "Wait, uh, literally?" She tried to waggle her brow and managed a lopsided grin. "You into me?"
"Nope, and nope!" Nightingale laughed, shaking her head. "You're kind of missing a key part for me, sorry!"
Velvet just stared dumbly as they walked down the street. "Money?"
Nightingale laughed again. "What? No! Hey, I'm not shallow! I'm just not into mares, that's all."
"Oh." Velvet blinked once, then twice. Then it clicked. Eclairs. "Wait, what?" She shuffled her hooves faster to try to get ahead of Nightingale and peered up at her. "Then why do you go to the Mare Contraire, huh?"
The feathers of Nightingale's wings trembled as she broke into a chime of giggles and snickers. "It's not really a fillyfooler bar, you know. It's just a nice mares' retreat that's kind of gotten a reputation for that because of ponies like you!"
Velvet faced her gaze forward while her mind whirled. Nightingale was straight. The Mare Contraire was a—somewhat—normal bar! What else was life lying to her about?
They stopped outside an apartment complex that seemed a little less nice than the condominium Velvet lived in. The doors faced out to the world along open walkways, whereas a pony had to enter through a main entrance to even get to her and Crystal's front door. But drunk and stumbling beggars couldn't be choosers.
Nightingale withdrew her wing but kept her shoulder to Velvet's as she guided her up a flight of stairs. "Step, step, step, step, step... keep stepping... No, not stumble. Step!" She giggled. "Okay, you're here. It's the second door, we're almost there. And—" She fiddled with the lock, then pushed the door open. "Here you are!"
It seemed nice enough. The floor was carpeted. There was furniture. There were also doors set against the walls.
Velvet saw none of it—not really, anyway. She saw a couch facing her, welcoming her into its cushioned embrace, and once her face hit a throw pillow she was out.
---
Though her eyes remained closed, Velvet felt herself rousing from slumber. The first thing she noticed was the uneven surface beneath her that, slowly, she recognized as separate couch cushions and a stray throw pillow tucked under her right foreleg.
She was not home. Where was she?
She opened one eye and peered into the darkness, slowly turning her head as she blinked both eyes open. Even in the dim light, the presence of sequins became extremely apparent. On the glass coffee table was a vase that shimmered with sequins and housed plumes of feathers. The pillow clutched to her side was smooth on one side and bedazzled on the other.
Velvet's ears perked with realization. Sequins! Right! Nightingale's ballet bag had her cutie mark emblazoned on one side in colorful sequins.
The fuzzy memories of the evening faded in and out, pulsating with the distant melody of electronica that came with them. Once she pieced together enough of what happened, she rolled off the couch and tiphoofed her way to the kitchen. Most ponies kept stationery in the kitchen to jot down grocery lists. And, to Velvet's delight, Nightingale was like most ponies in that way.
Nightingale—
Thanks for letting me stay the night.
Velvet spat out the pencil and stared at what she had so carefully written. She had never been very poignant or eloquent, certainly not like Crystal, but it would do. Velvet tore off the sheet, set it where she had been sleeping on the couch, and quietly made her way out the door.
The sun was still below the horizon, which meant she had plenty of time to get home before Crystal would wake up. Velvet smiled and kept her aching head held high. Her life was really looking up, now that she thought about it. Her best friend was most-definitely-despite-arguing-otherwise getting engaged soon, she and her second best friend got a great part in the upcoming ballet, her adorable baby brother was still perfect, and a sugary sweet bed partner was the cherry on top.
Her soaring mood, however, came tumbling down when she opened the door and saw the state of the living room. Everything was still neat and tidy, but there was something wrong with it nonetheless.
Sitting right in front of the door was a stack of six suitcases—since when did they even own that many?—and three hat boxes.
Velvet's hoof rose slowly to rub a new ache that settled just behind her right temple. Crystal was leaving for a week. A single week. Velvet packed lighter than this monstrosity of luggage when she was going on tour for twice as long!
Indecision settled in the forefront of her mind. Three options readied themselves, fighting to be picked. The most tempting, of course, was to just walk around the pile and go to bed. Her muscles tensed and relaxed at the very idea, but an irritated groan rumbled in her throat. It would probably be better to march right into Crystal's room and shame the mare into repacking.
However, the third option, struggling meekly between the other two, leaped forward. A grin curled her lips as the idea crossed the finish line. Hangover or not, tired or not, she could never resist the opportunity to torture Crystal. Lightheartedly, of course.
With all the precision and grace her tired hooves could muster, she began the arduous task of unpacking each suitcase and finding new homes for the items within. There was absolutely no need for eight different necklaces! Velvet rolled her eyes and stuffed two of them under the sofa cushions, tossed three into her own room, hid one in the silverware drawer, and the remaining found themselves wrapped around the base of the lamp.
Velvet paused to look at the clock on the wall and groaned. It would take hours to unpack everything, and she only had three before she estimated Crystal would wake up early, excited for the trip. She needed a better strategy.
After dumping all of the packed items onto the floor, Velvet sat down and started to organize them into two piles: 'all right, Crystal, you can take this' and 'seriously, Crystal, you do not need this whastoever'. The latter pile was brought into her room and stuffed under the bed, along with the suitcases Crystal had stolen.
Quietly, Velvet carried some of the remaining items and luggage into Crystal's bedroom, where the mare slept soundly and totally unaware of her insanity being undone. Velvet paused to look at her and smiled.
Though her body begged for sleep, the delayed rest would be worth every second of Crystal's despair in the morning—which was growing nearer, so Velvet stopped her dallying and tiphoofed back to the living room.
Hooffull by hooffull, the various articles of clothing, cosmetics, accessories, board games, and magazines were scattered around the entire condo. Velvet stood in the middle of the room, a smug smile on her face. She saw all that she had done and it was good.
Velvet stalked into her bedroom, shut the door behind her, and eyed her bed with a predatory hunger. Oh, her comforter had never looked so inviting as it did right then. She skulked near the foot of the bed before she pounced in it, wiggled her way under the sheets, and let out a contented sigh.
"Velvet!" Crystal's voice shrieked.
Velvet shoved her head under her pillow. "No, no, no, no..."
Crystal knocked on the door. Velvet could hear the muffled sound of the mare trotting in place. "Velvet, we've been robbed!"
Velvet snorted. She sniffled. She sobbed. Then, with what little spark of energy she could muster under the layers of total exhaustion, aching hangover, and seductive sheets, she slipped out of bed and stumbled her way to the door. She opened it and muttered, "No, we haven't."
"Yes, we have!" Crystal thrust a hoof toward where the suitcases had been. "My luggage is gone!"
A yawn bubbled up and Velvet's vision blurred for a moment. "No." She smacked her lips. "I unpacked it all"—just a few minutes ago—"last night."
Crystal's eyes went so wide that it was hard for Velvet to not bust out laughing. "You did what?!"
"I unpacked it all last night," Velvet repeated slowly and carefully, a bit of a tired slur slipping in. She sighed and shook her head. "Crystal, there were six suitcases and three hat boxes. You won't even be gone a full week! I know that you're insane, but come on!"
"But he'll be here in a few hours!" Crystal whined, resuming her stationary trot, her legs rising and falling with increasingly anxious speed. "I don't have time to repack everything!"
Velvet oh-so-slowly bobbed her head up and down. "That's the point. Pack only what you need, you stupid filly."
"Ooh, Velvet, you—" Crystal gave an indignant huff before running into her bedroom, where she undoubtedly found the empty suitcases sans Velvet's. "How did you not wake me up while ruining my perfectly packed luggage?!"
Velvet followed her at an idle pace and slumped against the wall. "I'm pretty light on my hooves." She leaned around the doorframe to peer into Crystal's room. "And you're not quite the Princess of the Pea, you know."
Crystal said nothing, though her tail gave an irritated flick. The unicorn just stared at her room while magic flew about to grab this and that with wild abandon. There was a derisive snort when she found a scarf in her jewelry box and shoes hanging up in the closet. Velvet's purposeful disarray had Crystal all out of sorts, and it was delightful to watch.
"Good luck," Velvet finally said, an amused grin on her face. "I liked some of what I saw, so I may have put some things in my room." Just as Crystal gasped and ran past her, Velvet hummed in thought. "Or was it the kitchen? I don't know, it was really early in the morning. I was tired and it was dark."
Crystal skidded to a halt just outside of Velvet's bedroom door. Silence held them until she visibly deflated and dropped her head in defeat. "I'm not going to have time to repack everything, am I?"
That'a girl! And it had only taken her nearly half an hour to figure it out. Velvet smiled and shook her head. "Nope."
Crystal looked over at her. "I need to only pack the essentials, don't I?"
"Yup."
Crystal sighed and started the walk of shame across the living room. "I assume you returned anything you thought was essential to my room and hid the rest, didn't you?"
A grin lit up Velvet's face. "Now you're catching on!"
After a pause, Crystal lifted her head with renewed vigor. "Okay. All right. I can do this!" She looked at Velvet. "What's my limit?"
Velvet smiled wider, raising a hoof. "One bag."
"One?!" Crystal squeaked. She stared with her mouth agape and eyes wide. "Velvet! One bag?!"
Velvet mimicked her expression with the exaggerated embellishment of wiggling her ears. "One week, one bag!"
Crystal scrunched up her nose, looked to want to fight, then rolled her eyes and stormed to her room. "Fine!"
While Crystal was preoccupied with the task of repacking for real, Velvet moved over to one of the sitting pillows and flopped down into its cushioned embrace. She could sleep after Crystal had left for the Crystal Empire; right then, she wanted to relish in the fruits of her late night labor.
With a merry tune to hum and a happy skip to her step, Velvet made her way through the streets of Canterlot toward Dawn's apartment. It was a perfect day already! No practice and no Crystal meant sleeping in until noon, a rare delicacy that she savored whenever available. All that was left was to spend some time with Dawn—and she had just the thing to spice up their life, tucked safely away in her saddlebags—then go see her parents and sweet little baby brother.
Halfway there, however, she hit a roadblock. Not literally, but she did come to a complete halt when she crossed paths with a straw-colored pegasus who had a toned body that stopped her in her tracks.
"Tumbler?" she squeaked more than said, quickly clearing her throat. "Tumbler, that you?"
The pegasus stopped and looked over at her. "Huh?" He blinked, his wings flexing and then folding back to his sides. "Oh, hi, Velvet Step."
Velvet just gawked for a moment, then her mouth ran away with her thoughts. "Wow, I figured you royal guards needed to be fit to wear all that heavy armor all the time, but jeeze, you really take the cake!"
Thunder Tumble's brow furrowed. "I, uh—thanks?"
Her hooves able to move again, she continued on her way, winking as she passed by him. "Keep it up, stud!"
It was a shame that stallions had the unfortunate possible side effect of pregnancy. Big, strong, muscular stallions like Tumbler sent tingles down her spine with the way they stood there, looking so big, strong, and muscular... Velvet gave a quick shiver to shake out the tantalizing-if-poorly-articulated thoughts.
Someday, she would work up the nerve to try the stallion side of life. She was curious, of course, but risking the chance for foals was Future Velvet's problem. Present Velvet was just fine with mares. By that point in her life, she was pretty confident in how to ensure a great night when she needed one. Why mess with what worked by throwing the unknown of stallion bits into the equation?
That didn't stop her from looking, of course, so she stole a glance over her shoulder at Tumble's well-built form before returning to the task at hoof.
She urged her legs to prance faster so that by the time she reached Dawn's apartment, she had exercised herself back to a calm state. "Hello!" she called as she knocked. "Dawn-Dawn! It's-a me!"
The door opened quickly and Dawn beamed up at her. "Hi, Velvet!" She pushed herself up to brush her cheek against Velvet's. "I didn't know you were going to drop by today!"
Velvet kissed the nuzzling cheek and walked inside when Dawn stepped out of the way. "Well, it's no fun if you know when I'm going to show up. You're just so darn cute when you're surprised."
Dawn's cheeks flushed, but she kept smiling, her ears giving the slightest twitch of excitement. "Are you hungry? I can make something. It's kind of lunch time!"
"Nah, I'm fine. Actually, I brought you something!" She slipped her saddlebags off and tugged a flap open to reveal a bunch of magazines. "I know you like to try new things, so I thought—" Grinning, she picked up one of them to show off the scandalous Cosmarepolitan cover that boasted sex, sex, and more sex. "—we could have a little fun."
Whatever blush had graced Dawn's cheeks paled in comparison to the bright shade of red her face turned. "O-o-oh! O-okay!"
Velvet flopped onto the couch and patted the spot next to her, an offer Dawn quickly accepted. "Now, cutie, what speaks to you: 5 Positions That'll Have You Screaming For More, 10 Foods To Stimulate Arousal, or How To Never Go Without The Big O Again?"
Dawn just stared, her mouth agape and her eyes wide.
Velvet grinned almost predatorily. "Five positions it is!"
---
"I give up." Velvet flung the third magazine across the room and draped herself over Dawn, pushing the mare back down onto the couch. "All of these suggestions are utterly and totally stupid."
Dawn swallowed and gently looped her forelegs around Velvet's neck. "W-well, they weren't all bad..."
With her face buried against Dawn's neck, the derisive snort Velvet gave in response elicited a giggle from the mare. "No, they were all bad. Seriously, 'sprinkle a bit of pepper under her nose right before she'—"
Dawn interrupted with a soft eep and squirmed. "Okay, so that didn't work, but—"
"Mmhm. And the yogurt?"
Silence said it all.
"And the fork?"
Dawn gave a high-pitched whine.
"I rest my case." Velvet laughed softly, relishing in how her breath tickled Dawn into giggles. "Oh, well. At least we had a good laugh. Can't ask for much more than that!" She grunted as she pushed herself up. "Well, I gotta hit the road, sunshine." She dotted a kiss on Dawn's nose.
Dawn's ears drooped, but she smiled nonetheless. "Oh... All right. Thank you for coming by. It was really nice to see you."
Velvet hopped off the couch and retrieved her saddlebags. "I've got a lot of free time on my hooves right now, so I'll be back, don't you worry your pretty little head." She started for the door.
"Wait! Your magazines?" Dawn looked at all the discarded Corsmarepolitans littering her living room.
"Hmm. Nah, I'll leave those for you to enjoy! Check out the erotic shorts." A grin curled Velvet's lips. "The ones by Lucent Dreams are particularly good."
Dawn flushed lightly and nodded. "O-okay! See you—see you next time."
Velvet waved as she trotted outside, then took a deep breath of fresh air. This wasn't so bad. Dawn and her were really getting along—after some bumps with working out the details of their relationship, they found a happy middle ground. Sometimes they'd go on dates, and sometimes they'd sit on the couch and try horrible sex advice for an hour or two.
After stopping in at home to take a quick shower, she made her way to Sunridge Sweets to discover it was, as usual, packed with sweets-loving ponies. When Velvet walked in, Sunbeam was in the middle of delivering orders to tables and looked over at Velvet with relief spreading across her face.
"Sweetpuffs! Can you run into the backroom and check on Red?"
Velvet stopped just long enough to salute, then started toward the counter. "Yes, ma'am!" She burst into the room where Red sat, playing with his blocks until a flick of his ear and a turn of his head brought his attention to her. "Hi, cutie patootie!"
Red's expression lit up and he squealed. "Huee!" He fell over backwards, then rolled over onto his stomach and wiggled all of his legs. "Shhhi!"
Velvet threw herself to the floor beside him and nuzzled her face into his mane. "You working on the tower again, huh, buddy?"
Red just squeaked and giggled.
"All by yourself, too! Isn't Mama so mean, leaving you here alone so she could deal with customers?" She rolled her eyes, but paused when she noticed a distinct shift in Red's demeanor.
His ears flopped back, his eyes glossed over, and he whimpered out, "Maa... Mamaaa... Mamaaa!"
Velvet jolted upright and yelled, "Mom!"
"What's wrong?" Pepper asked, sticking his head through the doorway. "What happened? Is Red okay?"
"Yeah, he's great!" Velvet looked over at him with wide eyes. "He just called for Mom!"
Pepper sucked in a breath and yelled as he disappeared back into the main area, "Sunbeam!"
In an instant, Sunbeam hurried into the back room. "What's going on? What happened? Is Red okay?"
Red cooed happily, and Sunbeam glanced between him and Velvet, panic giving way to slight confusion at his perfectly happy disposition.
Velvet grinned up at her. "He just said his first word!"
Sunbeam gasped. "He did?!" Her excitement dipped as she asked, "Did he say 'Papa' like you did?"
Velvet's grin widened and she shook her head.
"Oh, no, perhaps he said Velvet?" She blinked when Velvet just shook her head again. "Sister? Blankie? Wait..." Her eyes lit up and her mouth lifted in a smile. "Did he—"
"He did!" Velvet scooped Red up and held him out to Sunbeam. "Come on, say it, say Mama!"
Red gurgled.
Sunbeam stared, smiling, waiting. Red gave a small wriggle to try and turn himself around in Velvet's hooves.
"Honey, are you trying to prank me?" Sunbeam asked, her ears flattening to the sides. "This isn't funny at all."
"What? No! I swear, he called out 'Mamaaa, Mamaaa' like the cutest thing in Equestria that he is!" Velvet scrunched up her nose and furrowed her brow. "Why would I lie about that!"
Sunbeam sighed and took Red from her, sighing again—with more exaggerated defeat—when Red gave a cry of despair, his eyes locked on Velvet. "You promise? This little rascal who loves everypony and everything but me really said 'Mama'?"
Velvet drew her hoof across her chest. "Cross my heart and hope to die!"
Sunbeam watched Red squirming in her embrace before she set him down on the floor and smiled. "Hurray for small victories, I guess." She lifted her gaze to look at Velvet. "Oh, applepie, Pepper and I are going to take Red on his first trip to Manehattan. Since Crystal's out of town, do you want to come with us?"
"Do I want to come with you to see the coolest grandparents a pony could ever ask for?" Velvet's ears wiggled. "Do you even have to ask?!"
With a soft chime of laughter, Sunbeam watched Red as he batted at and chewed on Velvet's tail. "We were going to head out after work tomorrow, if that's not too soon."
Velvet shook her head, flicking her tail in an attempt to free it from Red's drooling mouth. "Nope! I'd be fine with leaving right now, honestly. Besides, watching Dad around Uncle Strongback is literally the funniest thing I can think of."
A wicked grin spread across both of their faces and, in perfect mother-daughter unison, they let out a mischevous cackle that startled a fearful yelp from Pepper outside.
--
"Look at him!" Dosey Dough cooed, pinching both of Red's cheeks despite his whimpering for her to stop. "Pep, you did right with this one."
Velvet wiggled her ears. "Aww, Grammy, that's not fair. He did right with me, too!"
A chorus of chuckles went around the room. Pepper's parents, Dosey Dough and Bitter Batter, had a nice home above their bakery, Born and Bread in Manehattan. It always smelled like fresh bread no matter what time of day it was, thanks to the years upon years of baking they had done together. There was also plenty of space for a family gathering without anypony feeling cramped.
"You had to be a family anomaly and go into ballet," Dosey teased with a mock scold in her tone. "This one, though. This one's going to be a baker. Just look at him!"
Bitter Batter sat quietly beside her, the permanent scowl on his face belying the amusement Velvet could clearly see dancing in his eyes. "Let the foal go, Dosey. He's going to spit up on you if you don't."
Dosey huffed. "Oh, excuse me for enjoying that I have grandfoals!"
Aunt Rocky Road gave an exaggeratedly loud scoff. "Like it's my fault that my kids moved away."
"Well, I didn't see you try very hard to convince them not to," Dosey chided as she returned Red to Sunbeam and folded her forelegs over her chest.
Rocky Road blinked, then thrust her hooves at Velvet's parents. "You're one to talk! They moved to Canterlot!"
"Come on, seriously? We're going to fight at the first family reunion we've had in years?" Aunt Cad Berry rolled her eyes. "This is why we can't have nice things."
While the mares squabbled, the stallions all sat in a row on one of the couches. Velvet looked over at them and grinned at the sight of her father—sweet, dorky, lanky Dad—sitting as tall as he could next to the towering behemoth that was Uncle Strongback, Cad Berry's husband. Pepper even had his chest puffed out to make himself look bigger. Uncle Tecto Terrane just stared off into space despite Rocky Road looking to him for support in her argument.
They were such a weird family of earth ponies: bakers for grandparents, an ice cream mare married to a geologist, a confectioner married to a construction worker, and a baker married to a cake decorator with a ballerina for a daughter and a future-career-currently-unknown foal.
Velvet beamed as she let her gaze flicker between the still-going argument. They were all so different, and yet at the end of arguments like this, they were still family. It was a nice reminder that differences didn't separate ponies.
"Velvet," Cad Berry chimed, turning everypony's attention to her, "have you found a nice stallion yet over in Canterlot?"
"Or mare!" Rocky Road added.
"I'd prefer a stallion, actually," Dosey muttered. "I want great-grandfoals."
Bitter Batter lightly flicked Dosey's shoulder and the mares all laughed, then went quiet as they waited for Velvet to respond.
Slowly, her ears dropped. Oh, right. There was that one teensy but recurring difference that made her feel more separated from them than anything else. "Well, um—"
"She's a career mare," Sunbeam interrupted, waving a hoof. "And she's still young! She has plenty of time to figure that out later." She looked at Velvet out of the corner of her eye and offered a reassuring smile.
Velvet rubbed the back of her neck. "Oh, uh, yeah..." She cleared her throat. "Actually, I got a really great part in our next ballet!"
Rocky Road clapped her hooves together. "That's great!"
"What is it?" Cad Berry asked, one brow raised.
Before Velvet could respond, Dosey asked, "Pepper, could you be a dear and make some snacks for everypony? Your old apron is still hanging up in the kitchen. There's some dough in the fridge."
Pepper, who was still doing his best to not look scrawny next to Strongback, deflated. "What?"
Dosey pointed at the kitchen. "It's over there, if you've forgotten, since you don't visit your momma that often."
"I—" Pepper's ears drooped, but he slid off the couch and shuffled his way into the kitchen. "Okay, Mom."
Dosey nodded and looked back at Velvet. "Now, dear, you were saying?"
"Oh, uh, yeah." Velvet grinned. "We're doing Canterella next! My friend Nightingale and I auditioned for the Evil Stepsisters and we got the roles together!"
"You're happy to be an evil stepsister?" Dosey raised her brow. "Don't you want to be Canterella?"
Velvet snorted and waved a hoof, laughing. "Oh, sure! Yeah! If only it were that easy! No, no way, Perennial got that role before it was even announced. I doubt they even held auditions for it! I mean, yeah, there were sign-up forms, but—"
"Then you should have signed up and auditioned for that, not an evil stepsister!" Dosey sighed. "Dearie, you have to reach for the stars. Nopony's going to just give them to you!"
Velvet bit back a bitter retort. She sucked in a breath through her teeth and smiled. Her grandmother meant well. She just didn't know what she was talking about. Focus on the good intentions. Ignore the desire to fight! "I'll try next time, Grammy."
Pepper quietly walked into the room, doing everything he could to avoid attracting attention to himself—save for taking off the adorable apron that read 'Mommy's Little Baker' across the front. He had just set down a tray of little cookies when the room exploded with laughter.
Cad Berry hunched over, holding her sides with both forelegs. Rocky Road pointed at him with one hoof while the other was clamped over her mouth in an attempt to smother the high-pitched squeal of amusement. Strongback grinned, and Tecto came out of his zoned-out funk just long enough to snicker.
Sunbeam's cheeks were puffed out and her eyes watered, but she did her very best to save her husband's dignity as he stood there with his tail tucked between his legs and his face a bright red.
Dosey, however, kept a perfectly straight face as she glanced between them all. "And what's so funny?"
Cad Berry wheezed. "Ap-apron!"
"I bought it for him as a birthday present. Are you saying my heartfelt and sincere gift is funny?" Her ears pinned back.
"Yes!" shrieked Rocky Road.
Pepper pouted and stormed his way back to the kitchen. "Oh, you all can go—can go—"
"Suck an egg," Sunbeam finished for him in a voice that cracked from the laughter she struggled to strangle.
Velvet curled up around Red as she grinned and snickered. "Red, I'm so sorry, but our papa is kind of a mama sometimes."
Red just gazed up at her fondly, his ears perked and alert.
Sunbeam reached out and slapped Velvet upside the head. "Velvet Sprinklepuff Step! Don't teach him things like that!"
"Sunbeam," Dosey said in a warning tone as she stared at her, then smiled. "That thing you do with the cutesy names is why you're my favorite."
"Hey!" Cad Berry, Rocky Road, and Pepper cried.
Sunbeam beamed at her. "Thank you, Doseydove. I'm glad somepony appreciates my hard work."
"But—" Dosey leaned over and lightly thwapped the back of Sunbeam's head. "—don't slap my sweet little grandfoal."
Velvet mirrored her mother's beam and chirped, "Thanks, Grammy!"
"And as for you—" Dosey gave Velvet a similar thwap on the forehead. "Respect your father. He's the breadwinner, after all."
"Yeah!" Pepper called from the kitchen. "And the breadmaker!"
"Oh, you're the breadmaker all right, but the breadwinner? We're a team, sweetcheeks!" Sunbeam shot a playful glare at the kitchen doorway.
Velvet laughed and hugged Red to her chest as a new argument roared across the room. "We have the weirdest family," she whispered to him. "Isn't it great?"
Red giggled and bopped her on the nose. "Shhi!"
"Shhi indeed, my little cutiepie." Velvet lifted her gaze to watch as Sunbeam marched into the kitchen. She grinned when Pepper gave a cry for help that nopony minded. "Shhi indeed."
Velvet yawned as she walked out of the room she, her parents, and Red had shared for the night. Her hooves fell a little too loudly against the old, creaky wooden floors, so she tiphoofed her way onto the rug.
"Mornin', sunshine," Bitter Batter said from the recliner.
Velvet's ears wiggled as she climbed over the back of the sofa to land on the cushions. "Morning, Pappy. Coffee?"
Bitter Batter bobbed his head in an idle nod. "Black as the day I was born."
"You're grey, Pappy." Velvet grinned at him.
"And someday you will be, too." He paused to take a long sip from his mug. "So, sunshine, tell me about work."
Velvet stretched out on the couch, hugging one of the decorative pillows and burying half of her face against it. "I'm a ballerina for the Canterlot Ballet, Pappy. Not much to tell."
He peered at her with eyes a shade of yellow that she remembered being brighter. "You know that's not true. What were you saying last night about getting a role?"
"Oh, yeah." She shrugged. "My friend Nightingale and I auditioned for the Evil Stepsisters. The prima in our company is a total—" How should she put it that her grandfather would understand best?
"Crusty loaf?" Bitter offered.
Velvet snorted and laughed. "Super crusty. She took Canterella, of course, so now Nightingale and I get to torment her."
Bitter just chuckled for a moment, sipped his coffee, and finally said, "You're one of mine, all right." He leaned back in the recliner to stretch out. "This one going on tour?"
"I doubt it, honestly. This isn't the kind of ballet that gets us on tour. I'm pretty surprised Swan Lake didn't net us one, but I don't mind. That one is a real—a real crusty loaf."
"Hmm." Bitter drummed his hoof against the side of the coffee mug. "Shame. That last one you came through with was fun. Your cousins loved it."
Velvet just shrugged. She saw her cousins maybe once a year; what they loved or didn't love really didn't mean much to her. "Yeah."
"Your cousin Sourdough just got engaged." Bitter looked over at her with an expression that gave away nothing. "That just leaves you, you know."
Velvet's ears flattened against her mane. "Hey, that's not fair. Red doesn't have a special somepony, either."
Bitter snorted.
Velvet snorted back, adding a furrow of her brow.
After a long staring match, Bitter finally relented with a light chuckle and a shake of his head. "You can cut it out. You know I don't give a raisin's wrinkle whether you get married or not. Just thought you should know that your aunts are going to be on your case now that it's just you."
"Velvet's getting married?!" Cady Berry exclaimed from behind the couch.
"What?!" Rocky Road's voice came from one of the bedrooms, followed by a thundering of hooves. "Who's the stallion?!"
Velvet jolted upright. "Wait, no, I—"
It was too late. Velvet could do nothing to stop the mares from surrounding her, the questions pouring in as fast as Bitter could pour fudge to keep it from stiffening too soon. Within a matter of minutes, Sunbeam had stormed into the living room to chase the crazed aunts away, Pepper Ridge following behind her as backup support.
Velvet just sat there, doing her best not to snap at them. Instead, she sucked in a breath and slowly released it. This was why they visited Pepper's parents first—get the crazy out of the way, then wind down with the normal grandparents.
---
Berry Stitch overflowed with giggles and squeals as she bounced Red on her knee. "Who's a cute little lamb? Hmm? Who?"
Red stared up at her with a tortured look that Velvet recognized as the one he used when she bought him new outfits. Of course, she was pretty sure her store-bought onesies were no match for the lovingly hoofcrafted ones Berry had just dumped on the table. The current one they had forced him into was made with fluffy white yarn to resemble the curly wool of a lamb, complete with soft pink ears that fit over his own.
Whitecollar cleared his throat. "Dearest, you're doing that thing again."
"What?" Berry Stitch asked in a voice almost too high to register.
Velvet shook her head. "Don't mind him, Grandma! I can understand you just fine."
"Really?" Pepper Ridge rubbed one of his ears and tilted his head. "It's all squeaks to me."
Sunbeam giggled, nudging her shoulder to Pepper's. "It's okay, sweetie. I'll translate for you."
"Oohh..." Berry Stitch glared at them all.
"Oohh," Sunbeam repeated, grinning when it earned her a second glare.
Berry Stitch sighed. She held Red out to Velvet and slid out of her chair. "Fine! Fine, fine, fine."
"Fine! Fine, fine, fine," Sunbeam chimed. She laughed and ducked a throw pillow tossed her way. "Mom!"
Berry Stitch hobbled her way into the kitchen—her bad hip must have been acting up, Velvet guessed—and squeaked out her gripes as she made herself a glass of water. Once she had downed the whole drink, she returned to the living room with her normal voice back in place. "I can't help it that my grandfoal is the cutest thing I have ever seen," she muttered.
Velvet's tail lashed. "Thanks, Grandma." She looked down at Red, who squirmed in her lap and tried to wriggle his way out of his lamb outfit, and sighed. "Oh, who am I kidding? How could I ever have compared with this little ball of pure adorable!"
Whitecollar looked over at Velvet's parents. "How is business at Sunridge Sweets?"
Pepper Ridge smiled. "Great! It's been a bit stressful trying to raise Red and keep the bakery going at the same time, but he seems happy enough with his space in the back room."
Berry Stitch clasped her hoof to her cheek. "Oh! Dear, darling, dearest,"—she looked over at Whitecollar—"do you think we should move to Canterlot? We could help raise sweet little Red!"
Before Whitecollar could respond, Sunbeam cut in, "We're fine, Mom. We're doing fine. Does he look neglected to you?"
"Neglected? Sweetie, I'm not trying to say he's neglected!" Berry Stitch scrunched up her nose. "Just think of how much easier life would be if Whit and I could be there to take him off your hooves from time to time."
"Mom," Sunbeam practically pleaded, "stop, really, it's okay! You don't need to do that!"
Velvet idly played with Red's hooves, making him clap them together or wiggle in circles. "What do you think?" she whispered to him. "Do you want Grandma Berry to live with us?"
Red jerked his head back and stared up at her with wide, panicked eyes, forcing a laugh out of her that ground the debate between Berry and Sunbeam to a halt.
"What's so funny, sugarsnack?" Sunbeam asked.
Velvet shook her head. "Nothing, Mom." She grinned down at Red. "Nothing's funny." Clearing her throat, she looked over at Berry. "Hey, Grandma, do you think you could make something for a friend of mine?"
With lightning quick reflexes, Berry pulled the crochet needles out of her bun and snatched up her bag full of different yarns. "Tell me all about her, dearie."
---
"So, yeah, when I told my grandmother about you, she set to work making... this!" Velvet held out a light pink beret with Nightingale's cutie mark—a winged ballet slipper—emblazoned on the side in dark brown. "Tada!"
Nightingale hopped on the tips of her hooves, her wings fluttering. "Ooh! That's super cute!" She dipped her head low so that Velvet could slip it on her, then stood up straight. "How does it look?"
Velvet nodded. "Looks perfect to me!"
Nightingale twittered with giggles as they crossed the main room of the studio over to where Perennial waited impatiently. "This is so exciting! Your grandmother made me a gift and I've never even met her, and now we get to practice, and aaah!" She bounced in place once they reached their marks. "This is the best day ever!"
"That has yet to be seen," Perennial said, looking down her nose at Nightingale. "While this ballet may be far from quality, I expect professionallism from the both of you."
Velvet's ears folded back. "Yes, Perennial. Of course. This is our careers, too, you know."
Perennial turned her head to leer at Velvet. The look of disdain on her face was rivaled only by the ire that boiled in Velvet's chest. "Is that so? I thought you were just here to have fun. Well, it looks like you fooled me."
While Nightingale seemed content to wait for their cue, Velvet stomped a hoof and held Perennial's gaze. She was sick of putting up with the uppity attitude, the dirty looks, the snide comments—she was sick of all of it. "You're not the only pony in this ballet, you know! It takes all of us to make this a show, so you could stop acting like it's all about you!"
If Perennial was fazed by Velvet's persistence, she didn't show an ounce of it. "How typical. You get a little spotlight and let it go to your head." She snorted and turned her head. "Beauchamps, the music, please."
Beauchamps complied, and there was no room for Velvet to press the issue further. Perennial had shut her off. She was in her zone, drifting across the floor as she mimed cleaning up an invisible mess. Velvet's lips curled into a snarl, but all she could do was begrudgingly follow the choreography.
It would be okay. Velvet's hooves started moving of their own accord; this was the part she and Nightingale had practiced at least a hundred times, or at least it felt that way. Once practice was underway, Perennial would default to her normal level of diva crustiness.
Velvet grinned, but it faded away as she watched Perennial go through the movements for the first act. Even miming something as mundane as washing a mirror, Perennial moved with grace and poise.
As much as Velvet hated to admit it, there was a reason why the diva got away with being such so insufferable most of the time. Perennial was pretty much perfect in every way except personality.
It just made Velvet loathe her all the more.
---
The week was over. At any moment, Crystal would walk through the door, definitely-most-likely engaged. A Glimmer World trip after a super romantic Hearts and Hooves Day just screamed proposal. Velvet snorted and took another bite of cereal.
It wouldn't be so bad. Crystal would move out and live with Silent, of course. Velvet would get the condo all to herself. Maybe she'd get a roommate? Or maybe she could turn it into a super swanky love nest. Velvet looked out into the main area and laughed at the idea of Crystal dropping by to visit, only to be met with a pile of pillows, mares, and a stallion or two.
Yeah, no. Fun idea, but totally impractical. Would they pay rent? Would she have to feed them all? What if two got attached to each other and started a fight with the others? Where would Velvet go to relax and get away from the herd of hormones?
Velvet stirred her spoon around in the bowl. The little honey-flavored round circles bobbed about, trying to avoid the silver assailant.
Life would be different. But it would be okay.
Her ear twitched at the sound of Crystal's voice out in the hall. "It's not like that!"
Sounded like somepony was home. Velvet inclined her head to hear better.
"She's just worried that I'll leave her all by herself if I run off and get married."
"Oh. Is that all?" Silent's voice responded, followed by a light snort. "I mean this in the nicest way to myself as possible but I don't think I'm enough to break you two up."
"Exactly what I told her."
Somepony huffed—likely Silent, feinging offense—and Crystal giggled. Crystal had always been a giggler, but Silent especially brought it out in her. It was sickeningly cute.
"Well, she'll find out eventually." The lock turned and clicked, and Crystal called, "I'm home!"
Velvet gave her best look of over-exaggerated surprise and gasped loudly. "Oh, wow, I had no idea you were home, I definitely didn't hear noise outside the door or—"
Velvet blinked.
There it was. Sitting on Crystal's horn was an unistakable engagement ring.
Velvet blinked again.
Wow—Silent had really gone all out. The diamond was absolutely stunning.
Velvet blinked a third time as she returned to her senses and stiffened. This was really happening. Crystal was really, actually engaged. One step further away.
"I knew it!" Velvet shrieked, pushing the negative thought from her mind to focus instead on the present. She pointed at the ring with both forehooves. "He proposed!"
Silent cleared his throat, set Crystal's luggage by the door, and started to take a step back out into the hall. "I'll just leave so you two can be alone."
There was no way he was getting away that easily. She grinned as she pulled her hind legs into the seat of the chair for optimal pouncing position. "Oh, no you don't!" She kicked off the chair, which nearly toppled over from the sudden force, and grappled him with one foreleg wrapped around his neck. "You never asked for my blessing!"
One of Silent's brows raised and he peered at her out of the corner of his eyes. She watched as a look of consideration passed over his face until he just shrugged and allowed her to keep him in a headlock. "I'm sorry."
Velvet huffed and held on tight in case he changed his mind. "Sorry won't cut it. I'm hurt, Silent. Did you think you couldn't trust me with the knowledge?"
"I'm sorry," he just repeated.
Velvet allowed a small laugh. "Still doesn't cut it! I'm great at keeping secrets!" She reached up with her free hoof to muss his mane. "I'll remember this next time I'm going to surprise Crystal with something. I won't even give you a hint."
Silent chuckled and nodded just enough to acknowledge her. "Okay. I'm still sorry. I just figured since you live with her, well." He shrugged. "I'm sorry." He straightened up, his too-tall height lifting Velvet's hindhooves off the ground with annoying ease. "Anyway, I actually do have to go."
"Oh, you're no fun," Velvet muttered, letting go and landing on all fours.
Silent gave her a hug and placed a kiss on Crystal's cheek before turning to leave. "Have fun, you two."
"Bye, Siley," Crystal said in an almost seductive purr.
'Siley'? Now that was past the point of cute and heading straight toward sickening city. Velvet waited until they were alone before turning a mischievous grin on Crystal. "Siley?"
Crystal's face turned a bright shade of red. "It's a couple thing," she quickly explained, clearing her throat. "Couples use nicknames."
"You never gave me a nickname," Velvet teased and put on her best imitation of one of Crystal's classic pouts. "Why don't I get a nickname?"
"Fine." Crystal stuck her nose in the air, turned away, and started prancing toward her bedroom with her luggage floating after her. "You are now Giftless."
"Giftless?" Velvet followed right behind the suitcases, swatting at one to try and knock it off-course, but Crystal's magic held firm. "Aww, you brought me gifts?"
"Not anymore!" Crystal huffed and her tail flicked in mock agitation as she levitated a small package wrapped in mauve paper. "And to think, I broke the rule and spent more than I should have to bring you back something nice."
Giving in to the most foalish thing she could think of, Velvet draped herself over Crystal's back and drummed her hooves against the mare's side. "Crystal, come on, don't be that way! I was only teasing!" She grinned, trying to size up the package and guess its contents. "Come on, what did you get me?"
Crystal's magic carried the gift over to the waste bin in the corner. "It is this darling little accessory. I had to bribe somepony to go stand in line to get them."
"Aww..." A warmth spread throughout Velvet's chest at the very idea. "That's so sweet!" Velvet wriggled on Crystal's back and reached out in vain toward the package. "You care about me that much that you'd lower your moral standards and defbame yourself with base bribery?" She paused and blinked a few times as the words replayed in her mind. "Wait, stand in line?" With one final wiggle, she slid off Crystal's back and walked over to get a better look at the gift hovering in the air. "What is it, really?"
Crystal tossed her mane and gave a coy smile. "I suppose you'll have to open it to find out."
"Hurray!" Velvet grabbed the package and dropped down onto her haunches to focus on her forehooves. Ripping the wrapping away and tossing aside the lid of the box inside, Velvet gasped.
Resting on a white satin pillow was a pair of earrings. Glimmer earrings, to be precise; some of the most highly sought-after pieces of jewelry on the market. Both the white gold silhouette and the aquamarine gemstone that hung in the center were teardrop-shaped, and though they were something Velvet would probably never wear, she wanted to cry.
Crystal had been on the most romantic getaway with her stallionfriend-turned-fiancé, but she had stopped to think of Velvet.
Velvet hadn't been forgotten. Even though she wasn't physically there, a part of her was still with Crystal, halfway across Equestria.
The Phial and Filly Alchemist Supply was the best place to shop for mare care products. It had all sorts of concoctions to improve the quality of a pony's coat, mane, and tail, from adding volume to reducing curls. That last part was what primarily kept Velvet a return customer.
Velvet took her time navigating the labyrinth of aisles. She stopped at the bathing section to pick up Crystal's favorite rose-scented bath oils and her own preferred shampoo. Then, once she had the aisle to herself, she slipped the anti-curl potion into her shopping basket.
"Velvet?"
Was that Dawn's voice? Velvet turned her head and did her best to smile when she spotted the mare in the next aisle over, coming toward her. "Oh, hey, Dawn."
Act casual. It was totally normal for ponies to meet by happenstance at places like beauty stores. If Velvet acted like something was wrong, then Dawn would get worried. Besides, there wasn't anything wrong at all! It just felt weird to see Dawn at such an ordinary place. Really weird.
Dawn smiled brightly. "You shop here, too?"
Velvet shifted to look around and shrugged. "I think most mares shop here, honestly."
There was a brief falter in Dawn's smile. Crabapples!
Velvet cleared her throat. "So, what are you here for, huh? Getting some coat glitter for a big date?"
"Oh." Dawn's ears flicked as she looked down into her own basket. There were a few bottles that Velvet couldn't see well enough to know what they were, but she guessed from the way Dawn wasn't blushing that none of them were out of the ordinary.
And then Dawn blushed.
"Oh, my!" Velvet grinned and stepped closer to her. "Who's the lucky mare?"
Dawn quickly shook her head. "N-no! I don't—I don't have a date, I just—" She bit her lower lip and looked away. "I just—I thought—I was thinking of going out to the bar tonight, you know, like you do, to find somepony."
Velvet's grin fell. "What? To the bar?" Her brow furrowed. "But, Dawn, sweetie, I thought you wanted something more than that?"
"I don't know what I want," Dawn mumbled, then shook her head again. "A-Anyway, it doesn't matter. I don't know if I'll do it."
Velvet hummed thoughtfully as she looked Dawn over. "Listen, Dawn. If you're not happy with what we've got—"
"No!" Dawn squeaked. She reached out and put a hoof on Velvet's, determination in her eyes. "That's not it at all! I just, I just wanted to try something new. I'm sorry, I won't do it, I promise."
Velvet couldn't help a small laugh, though she was suddenly filled with earnest concern for Dawn's well-being. The mare seriously needed to live a little! "Sweetie, you can do whatever you want! I don't care."
Dawn hesitated before withdrawing her hoof. "You don't?"
"Nope!"
After another moment of hesitation, careful consideration on her face, Dawn sighed. "Then... do you mind explaining how it works?"
Velvet nodded her head for Dawn to follow her as she started walking down the aisle. "How what works?"
"One—One night stands," Dawn whispered.
"Oh! Sure!" Velvet grinned and paused to look over a selection of different colors of hoof polish. "It's really simple. You go out, you find a pony you like, you flirt a little, and if they seem receptive, then you ask if they want to move things to their place. If they say yes, then you go have yourself a good time."
Dawn chewed on her lower lip and tried to look busy with a bottle of mane dye balanced on one hoof before she set it back down. "What if they say no?"
Velvet offered a light shrug. "It happens! You just have to move on."
"Oh." Dawn's ears drooped, followed by her head. "I-I don't know..."
Velvet glanced at her, sighed, and turned to face her. "Okay. Ask me out."
Dawn blinked a few times. "What?"
"Ask me out."
Dawn's gaze flickered about, as if seeking an explanation from the products that surrounded them, then said, "Er—uh, Velvet? Would you... like to go out?"
Velvet smiled. "No."
Dawn waited a moment before shuffling her hooves and asking, "What are we doing?"
Velvet's smile widened into a grin. "Proving that the world doesn't end if a pony tells you no."
"Oh." A small giggle escaped Dawn before her gentle but cheerful expression returned. "I guess you're right."
Velvet bumped their flanks together as she passed her, heading toward the counter. "Of course I'm right! Come on, let's check out and get some lunch. I'm hungry!" She looked over her shoulder and added in a quiet, teasing voice, "And maybe after that, we can practice your pick-up techniques back at your place."
That oh-so-cute blush returned to Dawn's face, but she smiled brightly and nodded. "Okay!"
---
Nightingale rested her hind leg on the barre and beamed at Velvet while they went through their stretches. "So your roommate's coltfriend actually proposed! That's so exciting! Have they set a date yet?"
"Nah, Crystal's all 'oh, but we just got engaged, it's too soon for that'." Velvet grunted as she sat in a perfect split, reaching her forelegs for her right hindhoof. "I thought that was the first thing ponies did when they got engaged!"
Nightingale shrugged. "I think everypony is different." She shifted into the next position but froze halfway through the movement. "Huh?" Her ears wiggled. "Hey, who's that cutie?"
"Who?" Velvet followed Nightingale's gaze and laughed at the sight of a royal guard pegasus standing in the doorway. "Oh, it's Tumbler!" She pushed herself up to stand on all fours and trotted toward him. "Hey, creep!"
Thunder Tumble's ears shot up as he turned his head to look at her. "Oh, Velvet, I—"
"What do you think you're doing?" Velvet shoved her face in his, putting on her best look of irritation. "Does the guard pay you to sleaze around, gawking at mares? This is a place of business, you know!"
Tumble took a step back, his wings tucking in close to his sides as if to make himself smaller—which, given how much bigger he was than her, was almost comical enough to crack her composure. Almost. "No, it's not that, I—"
Velvet rolled her eyes. "Oh, so when you're standing guard, you don't want to talk, but now you're all chatty colt?"
"It really isn't—"
"Sorry, Tumbler, but some of us are getting paid to work, not lech!" She waggled a hoof at him. "We have a lot of practice to do today. No time for you to pick up mares. Try a bar like a normal pony!"
Tumble stared at her with a muddled expression. His mouth hung agape until he snapped it shut. With a light snort, he turned around and made a quick getaway for the front door.
Velvet waited until he was out of earshot before she let out a cackle. "He is so much fun!"
Nightingale trotted up alongside her, eyes wide. "Did you just chase away a royal guard?"
"What? Oh, yeah, but it's okay. He's a friend. It's all in good fun!"
"But what if he was here on important business?" Nightingale furrowed her brow.
"Tumbler? Important business?" Velvet snickered, shaking her head. "No, if Tumbler was on important business, he wouldn't be so easy to chase off. He was probably just bored in between shifts or something."
Nightingale eyed her with clear skepticism before her expression shifted into some doe-eyed look of infatuation. "Sooo, he's a friend of yours?"
Velvet took a startled step back at the change in Nightingale's demeanor. "Uh, yeah?"
"Just friends?" Nightingale advanced on her.
Velvet frowned. "Yes, just friends! What about it?"
Nightingale hesitated, then wiggled her ears. "Can you hook me up a date with him?"
"What?" Velvet waved a hoof at her and started back toward where they had been stretching. "Oh, whatever! Sure, yeah, I'll ask him next time I see him. I don't think I've seen him with anypony special, so maybe he's single?" She shrugged.
"Ooh, I hope he is." Nightingale shook out her coat before sitting down. She tucked in one leg and stretched the other out, reaching to touch the extended hoof. "Speaking of special someponies, how are things going with you and Dawn?"
Velvet's ears pinned back. "We're not special someponies."
Nightingale inclined her head to look up at her with one brow raised.
"We're not," Velvet repeated, rolling her eyes. "And things are fine. In fact, I think she's finally taking my advice and going to shop around for a real special somepony."
"Wait, what? Really?" Nightingale shifted legs to stretch the other one before straightening up into a deep lunge. "I thought she was totally into you!"
Velvet finished her own stretches and rolled over onto her back to stare at the ceiling. "Nah, she knows the deal. She just hasn't stepped out of her comfort zone yet, is all."
Nightingale gave up with a shake of her head and a sigh.
"Is everypony ready?" the lighting director Lazuli Luminaire asked, stomping a hoof to call attention to herself. "We have a tight schedule today, so let's get started!"
The choreography for Canterella had been finalized, which meant it was time to practice while Lazuli watched to plan the lighting design for the performance. That also meant a whole day of not just working to be in sync with each other, but having to redo sections over and over until Lazuli had an idea for them. In short: it was going to be a very long day.
When the ballerinas started to either line up off to the sides or—in Nightingale and Velvet's case—stand on their marks for the first scene, something amiss became suddenly apparent.
Lazuli looked around. "Where's Perennial?"
"Now that you mention it, I haven't seen her today," Velvet mumbled, frowning. "Hard to miss her over-inflated ego."
"That's weird. I don't think Perennial has ever missed practice." Nightingale's ears drooped. "Do you think she's okay?"
"I saw her this morning when I got in," Lazuli put in. "She looked fine to me! She seemed like she was in good spirits, actually."
Velvet frowned. "Well, that's not a sign of the end of times or anything."
Nightingale swatted at Velvet, giggling.
"Well, I can fill in for her for now," Beryl Waltz chimed, looking over at Ocean Starlight. "And my understudy can fill in for me."
Ocean nodded enthusiastically. "I can! I definitely can!"
Lazuli clapped her hooves. "Then it looks like things are settled!" She sat down on a stool and picked up a notebook, flipping to about halfway in. Her expression grew serious as the professional in her kicked into action; they would have to demonstrate the choreography at least twice before she would even begin taking notes on a lighting design. "All right, let's do the initial run."
The first scene was easy enough. Beryl worked off to one side to sweep the floor and clean a mirror while Velvet and Nightingale sat at a table, playing a game of cards. Each move was exaggerated, as was much of the role the Stepsisters played in the ballet.
As Nightingale set down a card, she brought one hindhoof up in passé above the knee of the other leg, then switched. When Velvet placed her card over Nightingale's, she spread her legs and shifted her working hindhooves in fondu, back and forth a few times, then brought her knees together.
The music began to escalate and their hind legs remained together, balanced on the very tips of their hooves, slapping one card down over the other's in a heated battle of some game until Nightingale's cue came. She jumped upright, scattered the cards to end the game, and pranced to the center stage with a long scarf. While Velvet gathered up some of the cards and chased after her, Nightingale began her routine—right leg high développé, bring it down to swing the left leg back.
It was fun. Velvet felt alive. This was what she had been missing in ballet—the fun of it all. The thrill of movement and freedom, even if it was a choreographed routine! She didn't have to match the other corps dancers. She didn't have to shut off her mind to move by pure instinct and react to her fellow dancers. She just had to follow her own moves, her own steps, and enjoy every moment of it.
Nightingale broke down into a fit of giggles. "Oh my gosh, I'm sorry, can we start over?"
Lazuli blinked. "What? Why? What happened?"
Nightingale pointed at Velvet. "She looks too happy and it's completely messing me up!"
Lazuli's gaze snapped to Velvet and she wagged a hoof. "Velvet, there is no smiling in ballet!" After holding the serious look as long as she could, she cracked a smile. "No, but really, didn't you two audition for this together? I expected you two to be in perfect harmony."
Velvet huffed and tossed her mane as she dropped down onto all fours to wander back to the card table. "Excuse me for enjoying myself!"
"Okay, no, seriously, there's enjoying yourself, and then there's looking so happy you might cry." Nightingale flicked a wing to lightly slap Velvet's flank. "Does this mean that much to you?"
Before Velvet could respond, Beryl cleared her throat. "Ladies, ladies, some of us are trying to maintain a professional career here." She looked down her snouts at them, then burst into laughter. "Wow, how does she act like that all day? I can't even say it once!"
"Because she's full of salt and pepper and all things unsweet like you," Velvet teased.
Beryl laughed again and rose to her hind legs, grasping the broom in her forehooves. "Let's take it from the top."
---
"Let's take a break," Lazuli called, clapping her hooves. "I think I'm starting to get an idea. Why don't you all refresh with some water while I jot down some notes and we start back at the beginning?"
Velvet wiped her forehead with the back of her leg as she and the others walked over to where their bags were lined up against one wall. "I am exhausted."
Nightingale picked up Velvet's water bottle and tossed it to her. "Well, that's what happens when you get a bigger role! We're in like, a lot of the scenes!"
"Corps is hard, but this is grueling." Velvet slumped against the wall, pausing to chug as much water as it took until she didn't feel the fire in her veins as much, then gasped for air. "Maybe we should have just stayed where we belong!"
"And miss out on all the fun you were having on the first run-through? Never!" Nightingale settled down beside her. "Velvet, we're in a lot of scenes."
Velvet shot her a light glare. "Yeah, you already pointed that out after my muscles told me so."
"No, I mean..." Nightingale's wings quivered. "Roles like this. This is how ponies get noticed. What if there's a talent scout at one of the performances?"
Velvet paused as the idea settled on her with all the grace of a raging manticore. She blinked a few times when it finally sparked a rush of adrenaline. "Do you really think so?!"
Nightingale beamed. "Who knows! It could happen! I mean, it's happened before!"
Velvet opened her mouth to speak, but her gaze latched on to the scene behind Nightingale. A few of the ballerinas were looking out into the studio, ears alert. Like a stun spell making its way across the room, more and more of them noticed the initial group of frozen mares and followed suit, until finally Velvet did the same.
The clicking of hooves against the smooth floors resounded in the silence that held the room as Perennial walked toward them.
"I have great news, ladies." Perennial stopped to stand tall and proud, all attention falling on her.
Velvet's stomach suddenly twisted up in knots. There was no such thing as great news when it came from Perennial's mouth.
"We won't be continuing with the Canterella performance." Perennial smiled.
Hushed murmuring slithered through the crowd. Nightingale shot Velvet a confused look, and she returned it with unrestrained disdain. What the hay was going on?
"I had a talk with the board about the situation this company is facing." Perennial's ear flicked, but her light smile remained in place. "After we discussed the matter, they agreed that in order to move the company in the best direction—socially as well as financially—a change needed to be made."
One of Velvet's hooves tapped against the floor in a fit of nerves. Perennial was stalling. She was building up to a dramatic reveal, and it made Velvet all the more sick with anxiety.
Perennial's smile widened as she finally announced, "Going forward, we will be instead practicing to perfect our performance of Swan Lake for an encore tour across Equestria."
"I hate her," Velvet spat as she slammed an empty mug down on the counter, then yelled, "Bartender! Another!"
Nightingale squeezed Velvet's shoulder. "Look, I know you're upset, but—"
Velvet glared at her. "But what? But I shouldn't drink? Why? Why shouldn't I?"
Nightingale winced and shrunk back from her. "Drinking should be for fun," she whimpered. "Not because you're angry."
"And why not?" Velvet turned her narrowed gaze to the mug that was set in front of her. "The bartender doesn't seem to mind!"
"Well, that's because you're paying him not to mind." Nightingale sighed. "Okay, just finish this drink, then you can sleep it off at my place?"
"Don't tell her what to do!" a mare's voice cried, and they turned to see Lazuli sitting a few stools away. One of her eyelids was halfway closed and a snarl twisted her mouth. "Today was rotten! Hours, wasted! Hours, gone! All because Little Miss Perennial wants to bolster her fame!"
Velvet rolled her eyes and gestured both hooves at Lazuli, glaring up at Nightingale. "See? See? I'm not the only one who's angry! I think you're the weird one for not being angry!"
Nightingale sighed. "I am angry, I just... I don't think this is a healthy way to be angry. Let's go out and yell at the night sky, or throw some popcorn off the side of the city! That way, nopony gets hurt, and nopony does anything they'll regret."
Velvet downed the hard cider and tapped the mug against the counter. "Bartender!"
Rage bubbled over. She knew Perennial was self-absorbed, but this pushed it to a whole new level. It was almost hard to breathe from the anger that was constricting Velvet's throat. She wanted to cry, she wanted to yell, she wanted to punch Perennial right in the face, she—
"I know what I'll do," Velvet mumbled, a smirk starting to curl her lips.
Nightingale's wings flicked out as worry crossed her expression. "Velvet?"
Velvet started to snicker. "Oh, I know exactly what I'll do."
"Velvet, what are you thinking?" Nightingale bit her lower lip. "Let's just get you home and maybe make crazy decisions in the morning when you're sober."
Velvet just grinned at nopony in particular as the plan formed in the back of her mind. Perennial had better look out. Velvet was coming for her.
Or, to be more specific, her title.
---
"Can you just do that?" Dawn shifted to sit upright on the couch. "Can you just take her role?"
Velvet waved a hoof. "Of course I can! I just have to be better than her, that's all. Now, pay attention." She rose up onto her hind legs and readied herself. "Let me know how this looks."
She danced across the small space of Dawn's living room. Over and over, she repeated her self-made mantra under her breath: "I am a swan."
Grace. Dignity. Poise. Every move had to be perfect. Flawless. There was no room for error. No room for mistakes. Perennial never made any—at least not while performing. Velvet had to be the very best, even better than Perennial.
"No!" Velvet glared down at her left hind leg when it skidded rather than glided. "No, no, no, that's not right. Wait, let me try again."
Dawn smiled and wiggled her ears. "I think it looked great!"
Velvet paused to stare at the mare. Trying to combine practice with spending time with Dawn might not have been her best idea. Dawn knew nothing about ballet. Velvet could only be so aware of herself; she needed a pair of eyes that knew what to look for.
Slowly, Dawn's ears drooped. "Or... not?"
"Huh?" Velvet blinked, then grinned and shook her head. "Sorry, I was in my head. Don't worry about me."
Dawn slid off the couch. "I am worried, though." She walked up to Velvet and nuzzled their cheeks together, mumbling, "This is really important to you, and I want to support you, but I don't know what I can do."
Velvet inclined her head to nibble on Dawn's ear. "You're fine, babe. You watching me is more than enough." It wasn't, but she definitely couldn't tell Dawn that.
A small shiver ran through Dawn from the intimate touch. "A-Are there any parts that need a partner?"
"Er, well, yeah, but—"
"I want to try!" Dawn pulled back and beamed up at her. "What can I do?"
Velvet raised her brow. This was a waste of precious time she could be spending on practice, but what could she say? Nothing? That would just hurt Dawn's feelings. Maybe she should have just stayed home. She put on her best smile and asked, "Well, do you feel confident standing upright?"
Dawn stood up. Though she wobbled a bit, she kept her balance. "Yup!"
"Okay." Velvet stood as well. "Now, put your hooves on my waist." Once Dawn did so, Velvet put all of her weight onto her right hind leg and raised the other legs into a high arabesque. "Now, move in a small circle to help me turn about on my hoof."
While Dawn giggled and carefully guided them in a circle, Velvet went over the rest of the routine in her head. She had so much practice to do and so little time. Auditions would be held in four days, though that was largely just to pick understudies. Everypony would have the same role they had during the initial performance.
But if Velvet had her way, that would change. Perennial had had her time to shine long enough. It was Velvet's turn.
"How was that?" Dawn asked as Velvet lowered her left hind leg. "Did I do okay?"
Velvet flashed a smile. Okay? Well, it was slow, choppy, wobbly, and still a waste of time, but honesty was not the best policy in this situation. "Better question is, did you have fun?"
Dawn shifted from one hoof to the other before she let go of Velvet and dropped down onto all fours. "Well, I don't think ballet is for me, but it might be fun to learn enough so I can help you practice."
"Oh yeah?" Velvet laughed and tapped Dawn on the nose. "Maybe next time, cutie, when I'm not in a rush."
Dawn went briefly cross-eyed before focusing her gaze on Velvet, her expression brightening. "I can take lessons! Do you recommend anypony?"
"Recommend? I, uh, well." Velvet tried to offer a casual shrug. "My old teacher might be a bit too, uh, advanced. She didn't really do the basics. Maybe look around? If you really want to do this. It's really okay. I can practice by myself." She cleared her throat. "Which I should get back to, if you want to start on lunch or something?"
"I can do that!" Dawn trotted into the kitchen, a spring in her step. "That I don't even have to take lessons for!" She giggled as she started to rummage through the pantry.
With Dawn distracted for the moment, Velvet stood up and started the routine over. She was a swan. She was grace. Dignity. Poise. Every move had to be perfect...
---
Four days wasn't nearly enough time to practice for such a complicated and demanding role like Odette, but time waited for nopony. Conveniently, Crystal had taken a short vacation to go visit her publisher in Manehattan, which gave Velvet plenty of time to dedicate to practicing without distraction.
Sweat clung to every inch of her as her performance came to a close and she struck the final pose: forelegs in fourth position, left hindleg in fifth position, right hindleg stretched out croisé derriere. She hurt all over, but the adrenaline rush kept her from falling to the floor in a crumpled, aching mess.
The music faded out just after she finished moving. She had done it. She hadn't missed a single step, and her timing had been impeccable. She had really done it!
"Very good," Beauchamps said, clapping his hooves together. The other members of the board did the same. "You would make a wonderful Odette."
The pain that had seeped into her very soul dissipated at the words. She dropped down onto all fours and smiled. Through her panting, she managed to say, "Thank you!"
"But—"
And just like that, her heart sank.
"—as you know, Perennial is our prima ballerina. I'm afraid we can't simply take the principal role of Odette away from her."
Velvet's lower lip trembled as a new wave of pain—different from before—crashed over her. "R-right."
"We would be happy to have you be her understudy alongside Beryl, though." Beauchamps gave her the lightest of smiles. "I wasn't aware that you were interested in this style of ballet."
"Right," Velvet said dumbly.
Emphasis on dumbly. What was she thinking? Did she really believe she had what it took to take the role? She puffed her chest in a show of false bravado and tried to smile.
"Thank you for the opportunity." She turned and hurried toward the door.
What had come over her? Too much alcohol, that was what. Too much alcohol, too much anger, and foolish confidence. She was nothing like a swan! She was a goose that had honked too loudly. Perennial would always be at the top, and there was nothing she could do about it, except—
"Velvet Step," the very pony's voice said. "Did you think I wouldn't find out?"
Velvet came to a stop and listened to the hoofsteps approaching her from behind. "Find out what, Perennial?" she asked, trying to keep the hurt out of her tone.
"That you thought you could audition for Odette when I already have the role?" Perennial tossed her mane and laughed. "Honestly, what were you thinking?"
Velvet clenched her jaw, jerking her head to the side to shoot a glare over her shoulder. Emotions roiled around in her chest, making it hard to keep an even tone as she muttered, "Just leave me alone, Perennial."
"Why? Why should I? You never leave me alone!" Perennial jabbed at hoof at her. "Don't think I don't hear the things you say behind my back. Do you think it's easy being a prima? Do you think it's easy being me? Do you even know how hard I worked to get here? No, you don't, because you couldn't finish Canterlot Academy, much less attend the Canterlot School for Ballet! You can't just dance your way in off the streets and expect the world to be given to you on a silver platter! What have you ever truly earned?!"
And there it was. The last straw. The final crack in the dam. Velvet felt a rush of hot and cold surge through her as she whipped around and snapped, "I work twice as hard as you do!"
Perennial scoffed. "I doubt tha—"
"Shut up! Just, shut up!" Velvet stomped a hoof against the floor. "Maybe I didn't go to ballet school, but I trained under Shimmering Waltz for two years! You think you're tough to deal with?" She laughed breathlessly. "Try spending one day with her!" She stepped forward, shoving her face in Perennial's, scowling. "What have I earned? I did earn something. I earned that role that you took away from me! You're just an annoying little dancer with a big attitude, but what are you without your title?" With a derisive snort, she pulled back and turned to walk away.
Velvet quickened her pace the moment she rounded the corner and broke out into a gallop once she was out of sight. Tears welled up and burned her eyes, making it hard to see, but she knew the way to her parents' bakery from the studio by heart. It was the closest safe place to cry and she needed to feel safe for a while.
The door gave no resistance when she pushed on it. Pepper Ridge looked up from behind the counter with a smile that quickly faded. One look at her and he knew. He always knew.
"Excuse me a moment," he said to the customer at the front of the line, then waved for Velvet to follow him into the back room.
She walked as calmly as she could around the counter and after him. The moment she crossed the threshold, she dropped down onto her haunches, slumped forward, and let the tears fall.
"What happened?" he asked softly, looping his forelegs around her and pulling her close into a tight hug. The scent of everything he had baked that morning overwhelmed yet comforted her more than anything else.
A shuddering sigh escaped her and she raised her hooves to bury her face into them. "Just a bad day at work," she mumbled with a hitch in her voice and a sniffle. "That's all."
He tucked her head under his chin. "Perennial again, huh?"
She snorted. He always knew. "Uh-huh."
"What happened this time, sweetie?"
She took in a deep breath and tried to hold it, but it sputtered out in a sob. "I ca—I can't do this anymore. I hate her. I hate her, I hate her, I hate her!"
He gave a soft sigh. "That bad, huh?"
With a growl rumbling in her throat, Velvet pushed against his chest to put distance between them, looking up at him through tears. "I quit! I'm going to quit. I'm going to quit and work here and be happy for the rest of my life!"
Pepper's ears folded back, but he smiled. "Would that really make you happy?"
"Yes! It would! Because you and Mom aren't horrible, cruel, self-absorbed ponies with their heads so far up their a—"
"Shh," he interrupted, putting a hoof on her mouth. "Red's here, you know."
Velvet blinked. She blinked a few more times to clear her vision and turned her head to see Red cowering in the corner. She had completely forgotten he was there! "Oh, buddy, no, I'm sorry." She pulled away from Pepper to walk over to the colt. "Red, I'm sorry. Sisi's sorry."
Red whimpered, his ears drooping so low that they nearly disappeared into his fluffy mane. "Siii..."
"Don't be scared, all right?" She scooped him up into her embrace. "I'm fine. I didn't mean to say ugly words or yell." She cooed softly, cradling him back and forth as he relaxed against her chest.
Pepper sat down beside her and wrapped a foreleg around her shoulders. "It's going to be all right, Velvet." He kissed her temple. "I promise. We'll work things out. If you want to quit, then we'll support you. You know your mother and I will always support you."
Velvet looked up at him. "Where is Mom, anyway?"
He smiled. "Oh, she's been a little stressed trying to get Red to say 'Mama'."
Red squeaked out, "Mamaaa!"
The smile fell into a light frown and Pepper sighed. "He only seems to say it when she's not around, see?" He shook his head. "Anyway, since we're not busy today, she's upstairs taking a nap. Why don't you go upstairs and talk to her to try to feel better?"
Velvet just gazed at her father for a moment, then smiled. "No, it's okay. I'll help you out down here. Besides, I don't need to feel better." She kissed his cheek. "I've got my great and wonderful dad to take care of that."
Pepper's ears wiggled and he stood up. "Well, then, get to work, missy! If you plan to spend more time here, then maybe we should work on making sure you're familiar with the register, eh?"
"Yes, sir!" Velvet nuzzled Red's mane before setting him down. "Stay here and play with your blocks, okay?"
Pepper chuckled, shaking his head and wagging a hoof. "You're way behind the times, sweetie. He's not into blocks anymore. It's all about the trains now. I'm surprised you didn't notice his newest delight!" He smiled at Red. "Go on, show her the choo-choo, Red."
"Choo!" Red bounded over to a brightly colored train set and beamed at Velvet. "Choo-choo!" He patted the red engine, accidentally knocking it over. He gasped and stared at his hoof with wide eyes.
Velvet grinned. "That so? Well, my little cutiebug, when my shift is up, we'll have to see if that choo-choo can stand up to my silly faces!" She tilted her head, stuck out her tongue, and crossed her eyes.
Red looked back and forth between his train and Velvet. There seemed to be some sort of indecision going on in that adorable little head of his, but he finally just sat down and started to push the train along the colorful rug that served as his designated play area.
After blowing a kiss at Red, Velvet followed her father out to the counter where he greeted the customer, "Hello! I'm so sorry for the delay. Thank you for waiting."
"I suppose one must have patience for the good things in life," the mare said, primping her mane with one hoof.
Whether she was serious or joking wasn't clear at all and Velvet almost took offense, but bit back the first remark that came to mind. The customer was always right. Except for when they weren't, but even then, comparing their mane to a bloated pug was never the answer.
Pepper kept his picture perfect smile in place and asked, "What can we get for you today?"
"Yes, I'll take..."
Velvet watched her father as he entered the order into the register, making a note of everything he said and did. She would make her parents proud. Maybe not as a ballerina, but she would be the best daughter-sister-cashier-helper they would ever have. She held her head high with dignity. There was no more room for another mistake. Not again.
Despite her half-hearted efforts, Velvet let out some of her frustration in the form of a light sigh. The distraction of working with her dad had long since worn off, as Crystal had been waiting at home for her with a list of interview questions she thought she might possibly be asked on an interview she was probably going to have. Velvet just wanted to go to bed and hope that she'd wake up to a brighter future, but instead she was spending the evening on stupid, made-up questions.
"Is everything all right?" Crystal asked from across the little dining table in their living room.
Velvet tried not to glare as she looked up. "Of course. Why do you ask?"
Crystal made a circular motion with one hoof, gesturing to all of Velvet. "You're giving off a pretty bad aura."
"Aura?" Wow, somepony was being observant. It had only taken her just over an hour to notice! Velvet rolled her eyes and retorted, "Since when did you believe in auras?"
"Since you started having one." Crystal sounded a little irritated, though Velvet couldn't blame her. She folded her hooves over one another to prop herself up as she leaned in. "So, what's the matter?"
Velvet jerked her gaze away to divert the glare of her growing frustration. It wasn't Crystal's fault. Crystal was just the nearest pony to her bad mood. She shouldn't lash out, but she couldn't help herself, either. "Nothing, nothing at all. I love sitting here and running through pretend questions with you for some interview where you have no idea what they'll ask. This is totally not a waste of time."
Crystal's brow furrowed and she tilted her head. "You didn't seem to mind the last time we practiced for an interview."
"Who says I mind?" Velvet threw her hooves up in a defensive gesture. "I certainly didn't say I mind!"
"Velvet!" Crystal snapped, eyes narrowing into a glare. "Would you cut it out and just talk to me already? What is this about? Is it about me going to the faire in Ponyville when Silent Knight gets home? I can cancel."
The chair screeched against the hardwood as Velvet stood abruptly. "Oh my gosh, Crystal!" She stormed into the kitchen and looked around. She wanted to break something, but that would be stupid. Instead, she picked up a teacup and started to scrub it with a sponge. "Not everything in my life revolves around you and your coltfriend."
Despite her best efforts, her vision started to go blurry as tears stung her eyes. She was done crying! She didn't want to cry anymore.
Of course Crystal would think it was about Silent Knight. That was a pretty reasonable assumption, but Velvet was over that. On some level, she was genuinely offended that Crystal thought she was still hung up on their relationship, but the small part of her that still clung to reason through the haze of emotion understood why.
"You know I despise how juvenile that term is, but, all right," Crystal said with a slight grit in her voice. "So if this isn't about Silent Knight and me, then—"
"It has nothing to do with you at all!" Velvet glared at Crystal faster than she could think the action through.
Crystal's expression softened. She saw the tears. She saw the pain. And that made it hurt all the more, for some reason.
Velvet tore her gaze back to the cup she was still pretending to wash. She sniffled and continued in a quieter voice, "I've got my own life, you know? Independent of you."
"Okay." Crystal's hoofsteps started to approach her. "So what's going on in that life of yours?"
Velvet started to tremble as she bit back a sob. What would Crystal think of her? Would she be ashamed of her? Would she encourage her? Would she support her like her parents? The teacup fell from her hooves, landing in the sink, and she buried her face. "I can't do it anymore. I—I'm going to quit ballet."
"What?!" Crystal shrieked. She paused, then cleared her throat and repeated in a quieter voice, "What? Why? But Velvet—"
"There's no working with Perennial," Velvet said slowly, trying to keep herself calm. "The bridge is too burnt at this point and I'm miserable every day I'm around her. Which is every day. I love working at my parents' bakery, so, I'm just going to do that full time."
A hoof landed on Velvet's shoulder. "I knew you two didn't get along, but, to quit? Velvet, you've loved ballet your whole life!"
Velvet recoiled from Crystal's touch and turned to face the mare. She propped her back up against the counter while she wrapped her forelegs around her chest. "So? So what? Horsey is happy as can be and she doesn't follow her cutie mark as far as I can tell. Not all of us can be like you and just have everything work out."
Crystal sucked in a breath and her ears shot straight up. "I—" She rolled her eyes and snorted derisively. "I quite literally just went to Manehattan on this very topic of how things don't just work out for me!"
This coming from the mare who had a successful job. The mare who was engaged to the stallion of her dreams. Velvet's frustration bubbled back up and she glowered. "Oh, boo hoo, you're not famous." Velvet's self-hug shifted into an irritated cross of her forelegs. "Really? You're going to compare not being famous to being miserable and hating the pony I work with? You've got Sunset Coffee as your lovable agent who does like, everything he can. He bends over backward for you. Perennial wouldn't even lift a hoof to help me if I asked for it." She sighed, then raised a hoof and waved it to dismiss the conversation. "Whatever. It doesn't matter. I'm going to quit and that's final."
Crystal stared for a moment. Then she sucked in a breath, puffed out her cheeks, and held it for a while as she thought. Her gaze darted about to follow her own stream of consciousness, then she sighed. "There's another ballet company in Canterlot."
Velvet raised one brow. Was she talking about the Royal Ballet? "D'uh? And it's like, the most prestigious in Equestria."
Crystal started to smile. "And their audition exams are at the end of next month!"
"Audition exams for the most prestigious in Equestria," Velvet repeated, the brow falling as her eyes narrowed.
Crystal poked Velvet in the chest with one hoof and beamed at her. "You should try out!"
Velvet glared down at the hoof touching her, then up at Crystal. "What part of most prestigious do you not get?"
"What part of you can't succeed if you don't try do you not get?" Crystal smiled so wide that Velvet was starting to become concerned for her safety. "Oh, Velvet, this is perfect timing! A month should surely be enough time to get yourself in peak condition!"
Was Crystal serious? Velvet had just failed to audition for Odette at a much smaller company! Well, she hadn't failed, but she still didn't get the role. It was the same thing!
Negative thoughts. Nightingale was always nagging her about the negative thoughts. Velvet started to relax as she tried the thought process over again.
No, she hadn't failed. Actually, Beauchamps had even praised her. She could work as an understudy in the event both Perennial and Beryl couldn't do the role. And that was only after four days of practice.
Finally, Velvet relaxed completely and asked, "You really think I have a shot?"
Crystal huffed and pawed at the air "Darling, would I lie to you?"
"I don't know." A smile teased Velvet's lips. "Would you?"
Crystal returned the smile and squeezed Velvet's shoulder. "Not unless I had to, and in this case, I truly think you should try. It's not often that I get the chance to push you to better yourself, so let me have this one, all right?"
Velvet looked at Crystal, at the determination on her face, and it filled her with confidence. She laughed and rested her hoof over Crystal's, shaking her head. "Okay, all right, fine. I'll try out for the Royal Ballet of Equestria. But don't get your hopes up, okay?"
The confidence filled her with warmth from head to hooves. Yes, she could do this. All she needed was a tutor.
Oh, crabapples. Where was she going to find a tutor on short notice? With the Royal Ballet auditions around the corner, most ballet teachers were probably already well into classes with their own students.
Velvet just tried to keep smiling, but the confidence started to fade. She'd have to start looking first thing in the morning. If she was really going to do this—and for Crystal's sake, she sure as hay was—then she had no time to waste.
---
Practice for Swan Lake had gone on longer than Velvet would have liked, so she ended up skipping the post-workout shower and heading straight to the building she had spent so much time at before she started her career as a ballerina. She stopped to look up at the sign that read "Shimmering Ballet Conservatory" and, for a moment, felt apprehension and fear gripping her chest.
Shimmering Waltz was an old mare who had taken the title of prima ballerina assoluta in the Royal Ballet of Equestria many, many, many years ago. In fact, her stunning and unrivaled performances in her youth had inspired the company to create the title just to acknowledge her accomplishments. There had only been two other ballerinas who rose high enough in the ballet world to have the title bestowed upon them after her.
With age and prestige had come bitterness. Shimmering knew everything there was to know about ballet and after retiring from dance, she had enjoyed a long career as the artistic director for the Royal Ballet. And she never let any of the ponies she now tutored at her own studio forget any of that.
"No, no, no," that familiar voice chided the moment Velvet walked inside. "Fifth position. Fifth! Do you think you can slack off and I won't notice? Fifth!"
Velvet smiled lightly. Shimmering was the same as ever.
"Now, move your forelegs—" Shimmering's head turned as she heard Velvet's hoofsteps approaching. Her light grey mane was cropped short, but her tail still flowed with elegant waves that fell down to the floor. "Excuse me? Hello. You've long since missed the auditions. You'll have to wait until next season."
"Er, sorry." Velvet rubbed the back of her neck. "Miss Waltz, it's me, Velvet Step."
Shimmering stared at Velvet with a sharp, piercing gaze. "I'm aware. And you'll still have to wait. I do not make exceptions for ponies that are eager to learn. I certainly don't make exceptions for dropouts."
"I... I'm sorry, Miss Waltz." Velvet dropped her head. "I'm really sorry I dropped out! But I'm serious now. And I really need your help!"
"You made your choice." The old mare's horn lit up and Velvet felt herself being pushed by an invisible force. "Please, I have students to teach that are dedicated to the craft and not looking for the shortest path."
"But—"
Shimmering turned back to the group of fillies, mares, and two colts that awaited her instruction. "Good day, Miss Step."
Velvet opened her mouth to fight, but she quickly closed it. She knew she had no good argument, and Shimmering had already gone back to her students. The students who were dedicated. Who weren't quitters.
Turning away and leaving the building with her jaw clenched, Velvet fought back the tears. She wasn't a quitter! At least, she wasn't anymore. She was just lost. Who could she turn to on such short notice?
Right then, she needed somepony to talk to, but her options were pretty limited. Crystal had already given her a pep talk, and she didn't know any ballerinas that Velvet didn't already know. Dawn was no help at all in this case. That just left Nightingale.
Velvet's ears perked. Nightingale! She'd know somepony for sure! Velvet smiled as her hooves started to carry her to Nightingale's apartment. Of course, there was one teensy problem: she hadn't told Nightingale that she was planning on quitting yet.
Well, better now than never. Assuming the mare was even home on a weekend.
As luck would have it—this time, anyway—when Velvet got to Nightingale's apartment and knocked, the door opened and the tawny brown mare smiled at her.
"Oh, hey, Velvet!" Nightingale's smile widened. "You look like you're feeling happier than the last time I saw you! Come on in! What's up?"
Velvet bobbed her head as she stepped inside. "I, uh, I was wondering if you knew any good tutors."
Nightingale blinked. "Huh? What for?"
"Well, I guess I should start with that." Velvet sat down on the couch and took a deep breath. Once Nightingale was seated beside her, Velvet said, "I'm going to try out for the Royal Ballet."
"What?!" Nightingale's ears perked straight up, then drooped. "But that means—"
"Yeah." Velvet rubbed the back of her neck. "That means you and I can't hang out at work anymore." She offered a light grin. "Not unless you want to hop ship with me?"
Nightingale blinked a few times. Finally, she giggled and shook her head. "Oh, no, no, no. I'm happy right where I am."
Velvet's grin fell. "How can you be? Perennial is the worst!"
"She's not—I mean, she's—Well, the thing is—" Nightingale puffed out her cheeks and crossed her forelegs. "Look, she's got her problems, but... She works harder than the rest of us, you know."
Velvet just snorted and turned her head away.
Slowly, Nightingale relaxed against the couch and looked up at the ceiling. "Are you really sure you want to do this? I mean, the board offered you understudy, didn't they? That's a pretty good deal."
"I'm sure. I'm really, really sure." Velvet twiddled her hooves. "The problem is, I'm not sure I'm, you know, Royal Ballet quality."
"Oh! Right! That's why you asked for a tutor!" Nightingale rolled her head to the side to look at Velvet. "We can practice together, if you want. Like we did for the Stepsisters."
Velvet sighed. "No offense, but you and I are mostly equals, you know? It's not that you're not talented, I just... This is the Royal Ballet. I need a tutor that's leaps and bounds above us."
One of Nightingale's hooves flew to her mouth to try and smother a giggling snort.
"What?" Velvet raised her brow. "What's so funny?"
"You realize there is a pony that completely fits that bill, right?" Nightingale's hoof lowered to show a grin.
"Really? Who?" Velvet's ears wiggled when Nightingale just giggled again. "I don't have any time to waste. I need to ask them about it, like, yesterday."
Nightingale cleared her throat, her lips squirming as she tried to straighten her grin. "When she's not being a cranky flank, you know, Perennial is an amazing dancer."
Whatever hope Velvet had felt came crashing down like a ton of bricks, and she glared at Nightingale. "Seriously? Nightingale, I'm serious!"
"I am, too!" Nightingale scrunched up her nose. "I'm totally serious! You should go and ask Perennial."
"Right, because she would totally help me." Velvet fell back against one of the cushions and rolled her eyes, ears folding back against her mane. "I might as well just give up ballet entirely if that's my only option."
After a moment of tense silence, Nightingale said in a soft voice, "You never know. She helped me when I started out at the company. She's actually a pretty good teacher, even if she is kind of tough. She just has really high standards."
Velvet stared at the far wall. Her jaw was clenched tight—so tight she was actually a little concerned she might break a tooth. With a derisive snort, she shook her head. "Forget it. Let's talk about something else." She tried to lighten her tone, but the irritation still seeped through. "How goes the hunt for a coltfriend?"
The sound of Nightingale's wings trying to flutter but limited by her leaning back on them responded, followed by a light giggle.
"That good, huh?" Velvet grinned. "Who's the current lucky stallion?"
"Oh, well, I wouldn't say he's lucky just yet." Nightingale waved a hoof. "We've only been on one date. But he's really super hot. So I agreed to a second one!"
Velvet's grin widened before she laughed. "Wow, a stallion is actually going to make it past the first date?"
Nightingale beamed at her. "Yup! But it's all uphill from here if he wants a third one." She poked Velvet's side. "How goes your hunt for a... uh... companion... thing?"
"What?" Velvet waved the offending hoof away. "I'm not hunting for a companion!"
"Oh yeah?" Nightingale sat up and leaned in toward Velvet, wiggling her ears. "So you and Dawn are getting along?"
Velvet just frowned for a moment, then huffed. "Sure, whatever! Yeah. Things are okay."
The mischief in Nightingale's tone faded. "Just 'okay'?"
"Yeah?"
Nightingale hummed for a moment. Her gaze drifted across the room before she pressed, "So, like, when you say 'just okay', does that mean you could be happier, but you're settling?"
What did that even mean? Velvet furrowed her brow as she mulled it over. "I don't know? I don't think I'm settling. I mean, we're not special someponies. I see her, and I see other mares, too. Things are 'just okay' because, I guess, I haven't found the right kind of mare for me."
"What kind of mares have you tried?"
Velvet leaned away from her. "What is this, an interrogation?"
"Nope!" Nightingale smiled. "I just think I'm on to something. I've been wondering about it for a while, actually. So answer the question!"
"I, uh." Velvet's gaze flickered away. "The cute kind?"
Nightingale's smile widened into a grin. "So you'd say that you've only been with wing ponies?"
Velvet paused. "Well, I am a lead pony, so... ?"
"What if you're not?" Before Velvet could reply, Nightingale straightened up. "No, seriously! What if you're not? You always complain how you've never felt like how Dawn describes you make her feel. Well, she feels that way because she has a pony like you taking care of her. Have you tried being the little pony?"
"Of course not!" Velvet puffed out her chest. "Being the big pony is fun! It's exciting when they blush and giggle and squirm. I'm not good at any of those things. How could I possibly be a wing pony?"
Nightingale shrugged as she stood and started over toward the kitchen. "Fine, but it wouldn't kill you to try it for one night! Just let go and let another mare take care of you, and see how it feels." Her wings fluttered lightly. "I know I really, really like it when a stallion takes care of me."
Velvet rolled her eyes. She was no Dawn Walker. How could she giggle and be flirted with and act all demure and shy? That just wasn't her way of doing things! Sure, it wouldn't kill her, but what was the point?
She gave a quick shake of her head and sighed. Besides, she had much more important things to focus on that might actually kill her. There was no way she could stand to spend more time with Perennial than already necessary. And there was no way Perennial would agree to it in the first place!
But she was the best dancer Velvet knew.
And even though the guidance she barked out usually came with a bite, they had always perfected their routines by the time the performances came around.
Not to mention, with the auditions just a month away, did she really have time to waste on being stubborn? If there was a chance Perennial would do it, then she would just have to find a way to survive.
Or, worst case, end up ruining her career in a blaze of glory by punching Perennial in the face after one too many snide remarks—and right then, that didn't seem like too bad of a worst case scenario. What did she really have to lose?
"And that's a wrap, ladies." Perennial's magic lifted one end of the towel wrapped around her neck and wiped the sweat from her face with it. "Much better. I was beginning to fear you all had already forgotten the difference between swans and pigeons."
Velvet wrung her hooves. Was she really going to go through with this? Nightingale bumped their flanks together and she stumbled forward, whipped around, and glared at the fleeing mare. "Not yet," she hissed.
Velvet's heart pounded in her chest. Sweat matted her coat, and it wasn't just from practice. Perennial was the very reason why she was quitting! Talking to her more than necessary seemed like the worst idea in the world.
But she also couldn't deny that if she knew anypony of Royal Ballet caliber, it was Perennial. The mare excelled at pretty much every aspect of ballet. She would likely be spending the rest of the evening continuing to practice, even after the rest of them had gone home.
Anxiety gripped her voice and instead of calling out to get Perennial's attention, Velvet turned tail and fled. She trotted into the locker room and took the first unoccupied stall she found. Cold water hit her like shards of ice, but she just stood there, hoping the icy temperature would shock her out of the panicked state.
"Uh, Velvet, you know you gotta let it warm up first, right?" Nightingale leaned around the wall that separated them.
"I kn—I know." Velvet's chin trembled as she tried to speak under the strain of the frigid water. "I know."
Nightingale raised one brow, shrugged, and returned to waiting on her own shower. "So, you gonna do it?"
Velvet snorted and shivered. "M-Maybe."
"What's your plan? Do you want to rehearse?"
"No." Velvet gave a quick shake of her head. "I'm good."
Really, she just wanted to get it over with. Perennial would laugh at her, or mock her, or just outright say no... or all of the above. It was going to be embarrassing, but she couldn't chicken out. That wasn't how Velvet Step did things! Velvet Step was a strong, confident mare who wasn't afraid of anypony. Not even cold, heartless ponies like Perennial.
With renewed vigor, Velvet kicked the water off and, after drying her coat with a towel, marched back out to the main studio area. "Perennial!"
Perennial looked over her shoulder and dropped down onto all fours. She had already started practicing again. "What now, Velvet Step? Do you—"
Velvet raised a hoof. "Hear me out. You hate me. I hate you. You'd be happy to get rid of me, right? You'd be happy if I left the company?"
Perennial said nothing, instead turning to face Velvet and simply raising one brow. She didn't commit to responding one way or the other, but Velvet could see she was at least intrigued.
"I've got plans, though. I'm not ready to give up being a ballerina." Velvet sucked in a breath. Perennial had an ego the size of Equestria, so it was time to use that to her advantage. "But you're right."
Perennial's ear flicked. "About?" Her tone was guarded and cautious. To be fair, it did pretty much seem like some kind of trap.
Velvet tried to unclench her jaw as she said, "I don't have proper training. I've run on raw talent as long as I can, and I think I'm at the end of where I can stretch that, okay? I need a tutor. Somepony who's more than skilled enough to work with somepony they hate and who hates them."
For a moment, Perennial's eyes widened, then snapped back to a neutral look. She stared at Velvet in silence and started to walk a circle around her.
Well, it wasn't an outright rejection. And she wasn't laughing. At least, not yet, anyway.
Perennial stopped in front of Velvet and peered down at her. "You're asking me to tutor you?"
Velvet held her head high. "That's the gist of it, yup!"
"I see." Perennial raised her brow. "Well, color me surprised, Velvet Step. You have more nerve than I gave you credit for. I presume your tutor Shimmering Waltz didn't want to take you back?"
"I—" Velvet's gaze flickered away and she felt her resolve waning. "Yeah, she's busy. With the Royal Ballet auditions coming up, she didn't have room."
"Wait. Is that your plan?" Perennial raised a hoof in a purposefully poor attempt at hiding a smirk. "Your plan is to get into the Royal Ballet? Oh, Velvet, you do need help." The hoof lowered and the smirk faded away. "Fine. If you can actually find a way to meet my standards, then I guarantee you will get into the Royal Ballet. But—" She tossed her mane. "—you will have to do everything I say."
Velvet paused. She eyed Perennial from head to hoof. Everything? Slowly, Velvet grinned. There was no way Perennial meant it like that, but if she did, then Velvet was game to show her a thing or two. "All right."
"Good. Then let's start with your work ethic." Perennial snorted lightly. "I expect you to stay behind after our Swan Lake practice. We will not stop until you've mastered the technique for the day."
Velvet's grin started to fall. "How many days a week are we talking here?"
"You only have a month. I don't think you have time to spare, do you? I expect you to be here every day if you want to learn something."
"Seriously?!" Velvet frowned, trying to fight back a snarl. "But—"
Perennial lowered her head to Velvet's eye level. "But what? Didn't you agree to everything?"
They stared at one another for a moment until Velvet lowered her gaze. She'd have to figure something out with her parents. She just told them she'd start working there, and now she wouldn't have any time for them at all?
Velvet straightened back up, determination firmly in place. No—she had to think positive. If she worked extra hard and appeased Perennial's demands, she could cut out of their lessons early and she'd still get to spend evenings at the bakery. She could do this. She would do this. "Fine."
"Good." Perennial smiled, though her eyes were cold. "I also expect you to show me respect. If you want me to give you my time, then the least you can do is to not make my job any harder than it already is with your dirty looks and your snide comments."
It was a struggle, but Velvet managed to keep her ears from pinning back. "Fine."
"And, honestly, before we can even begin lessons, you need to work on your posture." She started to walk the circle around Velvet again, this time her magic reaching out and tugging on various parts of Velvet's body—and most definitely not in a fun way. "Straighten this. Lift here. Slide this there. Keep this even." Once she was in front of Velvet again, she sighed. "Do try to remember the way you're standing. I don't want to have to do this every time we start practice."
Velvet fixated her gaze forward. There was a smudge on the far wall. With every bit of willpower she had, she stared only at that smudge. If she looked at Perennial's face, she just might have to punch it. "Fine."
Perennial clapped a hoof against the floor. "Now, let's get started. You have no time to lose and I have no interest in wasting mine."
---
When Velvet said "you have to do everything I say," she meant in bed.
Apparently when Perennial said that, she meant practicing for four hours. That wasn't very long, but considering that came right after practice for Swan Lake, Velvet struggled just to walk. Every muscle ached. Every movement hurt. But Perennial wasn't going to win. No, Velvet was going to get her groove on.
Or, as the case seemed to be leaning toward, get grooved on.
After all, Nightingale had been right about the Perennial thing. If Velvet could indeed meet Perennial's seemingly impossible standards, then the Royal Ballet auditions would be a breeze.
Crystal was at the Summer Faire in Ponyville and from what she had said, it sounded like they would stay late. Something about Princess Luna wanting to enjoy every minute of it and Silent not being able to leave her there. Either way, no matter how much she felt like passing out in a hot bath with the condo all to herself, that'd be letting Little Miss Prissytutu win. And that was unacceptable!
Velvet sucked in a deep breath as she surveyed the crowd at the Mare Contraire. How did being a wing pony work? Usually, she just looked for a cute little mare that made eye contact with her for longer than a glance. They were usually at the bar, taking itty bitty sips of their drinks. Fruity drinks. That seemed like a good place to start.
"Hey, bartender, can you, uh, make me something... fruity and cute?" Velvet asked as she sat down.
The mare serving that end of the bar turned to look at Velvet, the ponytail her white mane was tied into bouncing as she tilted her head. She was a pretty mare. Too pretty to be stuck behind the bar mixing drinks instead of strutting her stuff, but Velvet never heard her complain. "Oh, hey, Velvet!"
Velvet smiled. "Hey, Pearls."
"One appletini, coming right up!" Pink Pearls started to pick up the bottles of vodka and apple schnapps.
"Oh, uh." Velvet raised a hoof. "Actually, tonight, I'd like to try something different. Maybe something pink? Pink's cute, right?"
Pearls raised one brow and gestured at herself. "I'm pink." She moved the hoof to point at Velvet. "You're pink." She set down the bottles and reached for something else. "And we're cute. So, yes. One paloma coming right up."
Velvet laughed, leaning back on the stool and looking around. "Great. Yeah. I am cute." Her ear flicked. "I can do this."
"Do what?" Pearls held the filled shaker between both hooves. "What's up with you tonight?"
"I, uh—I'm trying something new, that's all. We'll see how it goes." She watched the liquid as it was poured into a glass. It was definitely pink. The addition of a slice of grapefruit on the rim sealed the deal. "Thanks, Pearls!"
Velvet balanced the drink on one hoof and did her best to look shy as she glanced around. Was anypony looking at her?
The answer was no, but she did discover a better option. Sitting at the far end of the bar was Sunny Day, one of the most well-known lead ponies at the Mare Contraire. She was gussied up, looking fabulous, and all by herself. It had been quite a while since Velvet had seen her around, and they didn't really cross paths very often, so maybe Velvet had a chance of pretending to be a wing pony.
Velvet tried to flutter her eyelashes in Sunny's direction.
Not even a glance.
So Velvet shifted on the stool, spreading her legs just slightly, leaning forward so that her back arched.
Nada.
Then Velvet rolled her eyes, got up off the stool, and walked over to Sunny, all the while trying to remember just how Dawn talked. Folding her ears back, Velvet said, "Hi, are you waiting for somepony?"
"Huh?" Sunny blinked at her, then smiled. "Nope, I'm just unwinding for a bit."
Velvet glanced at the empty seat beside Sunny. "May I?"
Sunny gave an idle bob of her head. "Sure."
"Thank you." Velvet set her drink on the counter as she sat down. "So, unwinding? Work stress?"
Sunny snorted and laughed. "You have no idea."
No idea? Sunny had no idea how much of an idea Velvet had! "I'm sorry to hear that," Velvet said, trying to keep her tone light and flirty. Think like a wing pony. Act like a wing pony. Talk like a wing pony! "Do you want to talk about it?"
"Hmm..." Sunny took a sip of her drink while her gaze drifted away. "Not really. I just want to have a few drinks until I feel better, then go home."
Velvet peered at her. This was harder than she expected. Was she supposed to giggle? No, that didn't seem appropriate. "Oh. Well, you shouldn't have to drink alone." She flicked her tail.
Sunny paused. Her head tilted as she looked back at Velvet, eyed her for a moment, then smiled. "Okay, fine, but only because you're cute." Her drink levitated in her magic and floated over to clink against Velvet's glass.
Score! Pink drink for the cute win! Now was the time to giggle, so Velvet gave her best one. "Aww, thanks!"
Then they drank. And drank. No flirting, no kissing—just tossing back drinks and not looking at each other.
After the third round, Velvet wondered when Sunny would make her move. Velvet had made sure to giggle a few times! She wiggled, batted her eyes, and even at one point dared to brush her right hindhoof against Sunny's left hindleg.
Just when Velvet was giving up, Sunny looked at her. "Hey, do you want to dance? I want to dance." Her magic gripped Velvet's forehoof as she started toward the floor. "Come on, let's dance!"
"What?" Velvet frowned briefly but followed along. Maybe this was Sunny's way. It seemed unnecessary! All Sunny had to do was ask if they wanted to move the party to her place, they'd decide to go to Sunny's, and the deal would be sealed. That, and the idea of dancing after a whole day of it sounded miserable.
Thankfully, the Mare Contraire only played louder songs in the early evening. Toward the end of the bar's hours, the music got quieter and slower as things wound down. Sunny kept a good rhythm nonetheless and Velvet felt compelled to match it. At that point she was invested in seeing this through, even if giving up sounded pretty tempting.
"So, uh," Velvet started, dipping down low and gliding back up. "So have you relaxed from work yet? Feeling better?"
Sunny grinned. "The alcohol sure helps with that! And it's been nice having company." She bumped her flank to Velvet's. "You know, you're a good dancer!"
Velvet tried to giggle but it came out more like a snort and a sputter. "I'd hope so!"
"Oh, yeah?" Sunny wiggled her ears. "Why's that?"
Velvet just waved her off in between swaying movements. "Nevermind. So, I guess what I'm asking is, are we going to do this all night, or?" She winced. Was that a lead pony thing to say? Crap, she had forgotten her mantra! Dawn would never say something like that. She wiggled her rump to swish her tail in hopes of recovering.
If Sunny was put off, she didn't show it. Instead, she just laughed. "I see what you're getting at! Well, you'd have to buy me dinner first, but it's pretty late and I—"
"Fine!" Velvet stopped dancing and peered up at her. "Dinner it is. All on me." Maybe even literally, if Sunny was into that sort of thing!
Sunny halted as well, blinking a few times. She tilted her head to the side. "Oh. Really?" She seemed to mull it over before shrugging. "Sure! I mean, hey, who'd say no to a free dinner?"
Finally. Finally they were getting somewhere. Now she just had to pick a place to eat that wouldn't overextend her budget but didn't say "I'm a cheap dam." But it was also well past normal dinner hours, so maybe Velvet would just have to compromise on that latter part.
---
The Pancake Shack served pancakes all hours of the day, every day. Want breakfast for dinner? Pancake Shack! Drunk and need something to eat but it's midnight and the fridge is empty? Pancake Shack!
Trying to buy dinner to get a mare to show you what it's like to be taken care of but she's not exactly making the moves and apparently dinner is what it takes to realize that dream? Pancake Shack!
Velvet tried to size up Sunny's mood. She was pretty overdressed for a place like the Pancake Shack, but there weren't a lot of options at that hour. All in all, with the way she glanced around and fiddled with her menu, Sunny seemed pretty uncomfortable.
"Sorry about this." Velvet tried to offer a playful but gentle smile. "I didn't really think it through when I offered to buy you dinner at this hour... I'm so stupid, I guess." She bonked her hoof to the side of her head and giggled.
If sleeping with Sunny didn't completely change her life, then Velvet was never being a wing pony again. This just felt stupid.
"What? Oh! No. Nope, this is fine." Sunny laughed softly and shook her head. "I didn't really think you'd offer to buy me dinner at this hour when I said that." She winked before looking back down at her menu.
Of course, calling it a menu was a stretch. It boiled down to three choices: how many pancakes, what to put in them, and what to put on them. Still, they had a ton of flavor combinations that gave Velvet pause. Daisy pancakes with blueberry syrup? Raspberry pancakes with whipped cream? She licked her lips. Okay, so maybe it wasn't a stretch after all.
Velvet hummed, her hindhoof tapping idly against the floor as she tried to decide. "What are you thinking?"
"Thinking?" Sunny repeated with a startled squeak. "I'm not thinking anything! Just trying to decide."
Velvet blinked and peered over her menu, one brow raised. "Huh? That's what I meant."
Sunny paused, then rubbed the back of her neck. "Oh. Oh! Right." She laughed. "Right."
"Are you okay?" Velvet glanced around. "If you're not comfortable here, I'm sure we can find something else." Her ears wiggled as she tried to fight it, but the words escaped in a sultry tone. "Or we can pick up some ingredients and have an eat-in meal at your place."
Slowly, Sunny's expression fell. It was like watching a flower wilt. Her gaze fell to the table and her ears drooped low until she shook her head and slid out of the booth. "I-I'm sorry." There was a strange hitch in her voice and an even stranger look in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Velvet, but I have to go. I need to go. I'm sorry."
"What? I—" Before Velvet could say anything else, Sunny ran out of the building. Velvet just sat there a for a frozen moment until she lowered the menu and sighed.
Had she come on too strong? Not strong enough? Should there have been more eye fluttering, more giggling, more squeaky little mouse sounds like Dawn made?
The waiter walked up and asked, "Have you decided what you'll have, sweetie?"
Velvet shook her head. "No. I'm sorry." She dropped a few bits on the table and stood. "I'm just going to go, I guess."
What had she done wrong? The question kept repeating in Velvet's mind as she made what felt like a walk of shame out the door. With a heavy sigh, she looked at her surroundings, trying to decide what she wanted to do next. She could just call it a night and go home. Maybe she could go see Dawn. That might raise her spirits some.
Or she could go get hammered. Yeah, that seemed like the best idea right then.
Velvet made her way back to the Mare Contraire, trying to not look as downtrodden as she felt. Nightingale was wrong. She wasn't a wing pony. Not being in charge just wasn't for her. If she had been the lead pony, then she wouldn't have done whatever it was that turned Sunny off so suddenly.
The bar was still in full swing, just as she had left it. She went straight to the bar and slumped onto a stool. "Appletini. Don't hold back on the 'tini."
Pink Pearls raised her brow. "Back so soon? That was fast."
Velvet's ears flicked back, but she put on her best grin. "You know how I do, Pearlsy."
Pink Pearls chuckled lightly and set about mixing the drink. "All right. One 'tini with a hint of apple coming right up."
Once the drink was set in front of her, Velvet took a tentative sip. The alcohol was strong—strong enough that it burned just a little on the way down and in her chest—so she took a big gulp of it. Pearls may have exaggerated the "hint of apple" part. Velvet didn't mind. She wanted to hop on the Drunktown Express and be there before she could get too lost in her swirling thoughts.
Thoughts about how much time she'd spend with Perennial.
Thoughts about how little time she'd spend with Red.
Thoughts about how it was all probably for nothing, since—
"Hey, baby."
Velvet blinked, lifting her gaze from her glass and gawked at the earth pony sitting beside her who looked like a ponified version of Sunbeam's decorating table. The mare's coat was a cotton candy blue, and her eyes? Bubblegum pink. Her mane was cropped short while her tail was full and fell all the way to the floor, both a mix of lemon and lime stripes.
"Er, hi?" Velvet turned in her seat to face the mare. "Can I help you?"
The mare's eyes narrowed just slightly—not with anger, irritation, or skepticism, but with desire. Desire that made Velvet suddenly feel warm. "I've seen you around here before." She reached out and brushed one of Velvet's bangs to the side, sending a small shiver down her spine as the hoof gently caressed her cheek. "You always leave with somepony, yet look at you. Here, at the bar, alone. I'll be honest with you, baby. The only reason I would kick a mare with a body like yours out of bed would be to do you on the floor."
The heat erupted into a bonfire as Velvet felt hot all over, from the tips of her ears down to her hooves. Nopony had ever talked to her this way before. It confused her. It intrigued her. It felt different—new—exciting.
"So, you got a roommate?" the mare asked, cocking her head to the side.
"I, uh—what?" Velvet fidgeted just slightly as she tried to focus on the question and not the desire suddenly burning within her. "Y-Yeah?"
The mare licked her lips and leaned in. Her breath tickled Velvet's face as she asked in a whisper, "Want to surprise them by not coming home tonight... or maybe the next night, either?"
All Velvet could do was nod, and that was all that seemed to be needed of her before the mysterious mare took over.
Velvet finally understood why they were associated with sex.
Her legs were blissfully numb and there was a slight fuzziness at the corner of her thoughts as she just stayed perfectly still, other than the erratic rising and falling of her chest. She felt amazing. Where the mare had touched her, she—
Wait, "the mare"?
Velvet's eyes went wide. They had left the bar, gone straight to the mare's place, and hadn't even exchanged names before Velvet was shown what ecstasy was. No, no, no! She didn't want this one to be anonymous. She wanted to feel this way for the rest of her life!
Slowly, Velvet turned her head to look over at her bed partner, who was propped up on her side and gazing back at Velvet. "I... I..."
The mare grinned. "Ready for a bath?"
Velvet blinked. "What?"
"A bath." The mare gestured at Velvet with one hoof. "You're basically paralyzed right now. A bath will recharge you for round two."
Round two? Round two?! Velvet had barely survived round one! She just gawked and stared as the mare slid off the bed, walked around, and scooped Velvet up—and given their difference in size, she did so with ease.
"I—" Velvet wrapped her mostly functional forelegs around the mare's neck. She swallowed and finally managed to ask, "What's your name?"
The mare carried her into what was revealed to be a spa-like bathroom. The tub was big enough for at least two ponies! She gingerly set Velvet down and winked down at her. "Rock Candy." She settled in behind her and fiddled with the knobs. "But you can just call me Candy."
Velvet leaned back to snuggle against Candy's chest. "I'm Velvet." The water slowly rose around them, the heat shocking Velvet's limbs back to full sensation. "You're amazing, you know," she purred, nuzzling closer. "Seriously. I've never felt this great before!"
Candy raised a hoof to play with one of Velvet's ears. "Well, thanks, babe. You weren't so bad yourself. We'll have to work on that breathing thing, though." She snickered.
"Oh." Velvet's face heated up and she pulled back, coughing to try to regain her composure. During the peak of pleasure, Velvet had simply forgotten how to breathe. "Yeah."
"But—mm." Candy looped her forelegs around Velvet's middle and tugged her close. "You're so flexible! I had no idea ponies could bend like that! We're definitely going to have some fun with that next time around, babe."
Velvet swallowed. She was feeling hot, and definitely not from the bath. "Y-yeah?"
"Oh, yeah." Candy's hooves started to roam, tingles of pleasure spreading from wherever they touched. "You might just be my new favorite."
Velvet wasn't entirely sure what that meant, but at that moment, she was totally okay with it. She turned around to face Candy, shifting so that she was pressed up against the mare, their lips just barely brushing together as she whispered, "Prove it."
---
It was a struggle just to keep her eyes open and her head upright as Velvet swayed in the shower. Three times. Candy had showed her fireworks and stars three times. Or maybe it was one long display that kept getting reinvigorated by the mare's expertise. Either way, Velvet was completely worn out and at the worst time, too.
Crystal waited out in the living room with some new writing crisis. Something about describing her latest book, Her Silent Love. Velvet wanted to care, but it was so difficult when all she wanted to do was sleep the day away.
That wasn't an option, though. She had to help Crystal, get to practice, then get to extra practice. Then, maybe, go see her parents.
Velvet sighed, angrily at first, then happily. Her time with Candy had been more than worth the current state of exhaustion.
Over the sound of the running water, Crystal's voice called out a question, rousing Velvet from her stupor just enough to lean around the curtain and holler back, "Huh? Sorry, did you say something?"
"Are you expecting somepony?"
Velvet frowned. "What?"
Crystal didn't respond back. Velvet waited a moment longer before rolling her eyes and ducking back under the hot water. Either Crystal had answered the door and was engaged in conversation or she had decided not to answer. Both cases made it not Velvet's problem.
While she washed her mane and tail, she worked on prepping herself for the day. Maybe she'd get Crystal to brew a batch of energizing tea or something. That might help get her out of this funk.
"Velvet!" Crystal yelled. "There is a filly here to fight you!"
Every muscle in Velvet's body stiffened. Had she heard that right? Somepony was there to fight her? As she shut the water off, she stared at the ground, her mind racing. Was it Perennial? No, Crystal knew her and wouldn't call her a filly.
Dawn? Velvet's ears pinned back and her heart sped up to chase after her thoughts. When had she seen Dawn last? Recently, right? Dawn wouldn't be mad at her if she hadn't, would she? Dawn was too sweet for that kind of behavior!
Or did Rock Candy have a foal? Was Candy married? Had Velvet just gotten her hooves mixed up in something dangerous?! Swallowing even though her mouth was dry, Velvet called back, "Okay, tell her I'll be out in just a second."
Velvet grabbed a towel and draped it over her head to block out the light so she could think. If it was an angry Dawn, she was screwed. She would tell Crystal everything. She was probably out there, right then, telling her what they had been doing!
It was hard to breathe. The steam rising from her coat was trapped under the towel and trying to suffocate her. Or perhaps it was the panic that was strangling her throat.
This was not how she wanted Crystal to find out. Not from the mouth of a jealous mare.
With a trembling hoof, Velvet lifted the towel and stared at her reflection, forelegs propped up on the counter to get a better look at herself. She wouldn't be in this situation if she led a normal life where she had a special somepony and didn't fool around. Her reflection glared at her and she glared back.
"Velvet, I think this little filly is actually here to fight you!" Crystal called.
"What?" Velvet nearly toppled over as she whirled around to look at the door, her hoof knocking a brush off the vanity. Her brow furrowed. Little filly? That ruled out Dawn for sure, but then who? She quickly wrapped the towel around her mane and opened the door, holding her breath, her heart pounding in her ears.
An unfamiliar blue filly sat on the couch, a frightened look on her face as she stared at Velvet.
Velvet didn't know whether to feel relieved or not. Perhaps she could play it off as a misunderstanding if it was Candy's foal. "Uh, hi?"
The filly tried to smile and waved. "Hi."
Crystal seemed blissfully unaware of Velvet's anxiety and the filly's discomfort as she sat down on the couch. "Velvet, darling, this sweet little mare here says you stole her marefriend." She pouted. "Are you catting around behind my back?"
Stole a marefriend? Velvet stalled for time by glaring at Crystal and ducking back into the bathroom. Think, Velvet, think! Candy was the one who came on strong, and it was clear she wasn't the "settling down" type. Could Dawn have started seeing this filly? No, there was no way. She didn't seem like Dawn's type at all.
Velvet's eyes widened as the answer struck her. Sunny Day! It had to be Sunny! That explained why Sunny was acting so strange. She was cheating!
With the towel more properly wrapped around her mane and after putting on a bath robe, Velvet went back out to face the filly. "It was one date!" She huffed and glanced between the two, really hoping she was right about this. This could be a costly miscalculation. "You're the one that was always harping on how 'if you don't try, you can't succeed'. So, I put myself out there last night while you were at the faire. A mare offered to take me to dinner so I said yes." Velvet hesitated. That wasn't exactly true, but it was too late. "Now I have to fight a filly. Good job, Crystal!"
The filly sniffled. Her ears drooped as she looked down at the teacup floating in her magic. "That mare was my marefriend," she said in an almost fragile voice.
Velvet's heart sunk. Crystal, on the other hoof, seemed to be missing the filly's feelings completely as she wrapped a foreleg around her shoulders. "How could you just throw away what we have, Velvet? I thought you had given up on finding somepony else!"
Normally, this would have been a funny situation. But the filly looked like she was on the verge of tears. Crystal would just have to relish in an opportunity to tease her some other time. "You're not helping, Crystal." Velvet walked over to sit on the floor in front of them. She rubbed the towel into her mane, trying to dry it off. "This isn't funny at all, so cut it out. Can't Miss Manners see that she's upset?"
Crystal looked between the two of them, her ears slowly drooping as the situation dawned on her. "I'm sorry."
Velvet sighed and shook her head, then looked at the filly. "So, you, uh..."
"Azurite," the filly said, wincing.
"Okay. Azurite. So you and Sunny Day are together?"
Azurite nodded and Crystal looked up at the ceiling, musing aloud, "Sunny Day? Why does that name sound familiar?"
"Listen, Azurite," Velvet said, dismissing Crystal with a wave of her hoof, "I don't know what she told you about what happened but she didn't mention having a marefriend and there wasn't a ring. Honestly, I had no idea. If I had known I wouldn't have—" Crystal was listening. She needed to pick her words very, very carefully. She cleared her throat and finished, "Well, I would've backed off, okay?"
There was no response from the little blue mare, but Velvet could see the tears forming in her eyes as she kept her gaze fixated on the teacup.
Velvet rubbed the back of her neck. This was why the idea of relationships seemed stupid. Feelings always got hurt one way or another. "So, I don't know if it makes you feel any better but I really am sorry. I don't want to steal your marefriend. Nothing really even happened last night, to be honest. We just danced a bit, then went out for dinner. Halfway through the meal she got up and ran out so fast I thought it was something I said. If we hadn't called it a date it definitely wouldn't have been one, but if you still want to fight, I understand."
Azurite shook her head, blinking back the tears. "I was mad," she said, her chin trembling. "Really mad. But... you don't seem like the homewrecking type."
Velvet stiffened. "I'm not!"
"She isn't," Crystal said. "I promise she's not. This whole ordeal is very out of the ordinary for her, actually."
After some thought, Azurite took a sip of tea. "I don't normally storm into ponies' homes to start fights."
"Oh, you didn't exactly storm in here, sweetie." Crystal smiled and rubbed Azurite's shoulder.
How the hay was Velvet the one taking Azurite's feelings seriously while Crystal was still making light of the situation?! Velvet glared at her and opened her mouth to speak her mind, but Azurite spoke up first.
"Yeah, so, maybe I should just leave. I'm really sorry about all this. I just got really worked up about it and I wanted to do something about my problems for once instead of, you know, just... taking it with a smile."
Crystal's ears folded back. Good. Maybe she was going to say the magical words that would make sense to Azurite and help her out, since the only advice Velvet could think of was to punch Sunny for sort-of-kind-of cheating. That probably wasn't a healthy solution. "It's all right. I'd be very upset if I found out my stallion went on a date with somepony else, so I understand."
Azurite sucked in a breath and jerked her gaze upward to meet Crystal's. "Oh, uh, do you mean Lieutenant Silent Knight?" Her eyes grew wide, like a deer frozen in front of a runaway carriage.
Lieutenant? If Azurite was calling him that, then she was probably in the Guard, too. That probably wasn't a good coincidence, either, considering the terrified look on Azurite's face.
Crystal hadn't seemed to put it together yet, tilting her head. "Yes, actually. Do you know him?"
Azurite gave a meek nod. "We work together." Her ears flipped and flopped about as she pulled away from Crystal and looked at the door. "I've really messed up big coming here. There are lines a pony's not supposed to cross, especially when they work in the Royal Guard, and I crossed, like, every line!" She sniffled and looked up at Crystal. "Could you please, please, pretty pretty please not tell the lieutenant about this? Please? He's so big and scary and frowny."
Velvet grinned as she tried not to laugh when Crystal looked over at her and they wiggled their ears in shared, unspoken amusement. Silent was many things. Big? Definitely. Frowny? Well, his resting face wasn't exactly flowers and smiles, that was for sure. Scary? No way! Dense, oblivious, and a bit of a workaholic, yeah, but what could be scary about Silent Knight?
Finally, Crystal looked back at Azurite with a gentle smile. "Since you don't want to fight Velvet anymore, I think she and I can forget this ever happened. After all, your reasoning was perfectly understandable, don't you agree, Velvet?"
Velvet nodded. "Yup, totally understandable."
Azurite blinked a few times and glanced between them, puzzling it out until the tension in her face relaxed. "Really? Thank you! Thank you both so much!" She sighed and shook her head. "I'm still really, really sorry about all of this."
Awkward silence fell on the trio. Azurite quietly sipped the tea, Crystal looked to Velvet for help, and Velvet just went back to drying herself off. What was there to say? Well, Crystal would definitely have an interrogation about Velvet dating, but she would wait for Azurite to leave before broaching that subject. That meant the longer Azurite stayed, the longer Velvet had to think of an excuse.
"So, um," Azurite started, squirming in her seat. "This tea is actually really great. I don't usually get tea this nice. So I'm kind of paralyzed between choosing whether I should sit here in what is, without a doubt, the most uncomfortable situation I've ever gotten myself into so I get to finish drinking this tea, or if I should just run out the door and hope I never see either of you again." She looked up at Crystal, brow furrowed. "Any thoughts?"
Crystal snorted. Her lips wiggled as she struggled against laughing. Velvet bit down on her tongue in the hopes of outlasting her and succeeded—but the moment Crystal burst into laughter, Velvet did, too.
Azurite, on the other hoof, looking absolutely serious and totally unamused.
"Just finish the tea, Azurite," Velvet said in between snorts and giggles.
---
While Azurite nursed her third cup of tea and nibbled on a cookie, Crystal had gone back to taking notes for her upcoming interview and Velvet just lazed about on a pillow. Normally, she'd have started her stretches by then, but there wasn't enough space and neither of them wanted to disturb Azurite. She had an hour and a half before she was expected at the studio and the stretches were more for her peace of mind than anything else, so being lazy wasn't that big of a deal.
However, the fear from the earlier panic hadn't left the corners of her mind. Azurite would probably leave soon. That meant Crystal would want to talk about it. What would she say? Well, that didn't work, so I'll never date again, sorry! Nope. Crystal wouldn't buy that. She'd probably end up taking her out and trying to hook her up with somepony.
"I should really, really go now, or I'm never going to want to leave," Azurite said into the silence.
Crystal looked up from her notebook. "Oh? If you're sure. I can brew a new batch of tea. It's no bother."
"Nope, that's okay! I'll be fine." Azurite hopped to the floor and started to leave, but stopped to look at both with them with a big smile. "This was really awkward, but thanks for being so understanding and everything!"
Velvet lifted her head to return the smile and waved. "Good luck with your marefriend, Azurite!"
The big smile fell into a smaller one, but she nodded. "Yeah. Thanks. Good luck finding one of your own that isn't already somepony else's!" She squeaked, threw the door open, and ran out.
Velvet watched Crystal's magic close the door, afraid to look over at the mare. What expression awaited her? Finally, she turned her head and saw a blank face staring back at her. Silence held them for a long, awkward moment.
Crystal smiled and looked down at her notebook. "I have some ideas of what to say in my interview."
"What? Your interview?" Velvet's eyes widened, then her brow furrowed. "Seriously? You don't want to ask about my failure of a date or talk about what just happened?!"
Crystal gave an exaggerated shrug, smiling brightly. "Azurite said she doesn't want Silent to know. Well, Silent won't know if I don't tell him, and I can't tell him about what didn't happen if I don't remember or acknowledge it happened. So, if you don't mind, I would like to get back to the matter of my interview?"
Velvet sighed and dropped her head back down as she rolled her eyes. "Fine. How much time do we have to prepare?"
"Well, the book is going to be released on the first of next month, so Sunset wanted to get the interview done as soon as possible before then to build up the hype."
She was stalling. That wasn't good. Why was she stalling? Velvet shot her an impatient glare.
"A week and a half?" Crystal offered with a little bit of a sheepish squeak in her voice.
"A week and a half?" Velvet repeated, trying to sound even, but she was sure her annoyance laced her words. "You're harassing me and it's over a week away?"
There was being prepared, and then there was acting like something was around the corner when there was plenty of time. Velvet could never understand that about Crystal. Why get spun up and spend a week stressing over something when two or three days would suffice? Now Crystal was going to spend over a week talking nonstop about an interview!
Velvet buried her face against the pillow to release her frustration in a muffled cry. She was too tired for this. In fact, she was too tired for anything. Jumping to her hooves, she proclaimed, "Nope. Forget today. I'm going back to bed."
Crystal gasped and glared. "I thought you were my friend!"
Velvet stomped each hoof with meaning as she stalked toward her bedroom. "Not today! Today no longer happened. Besides, forget about the interview. Don't you have that entitlement ceremony with your grandparents right around then?"
A high-pitched whine responded as Crystal sunk into the couch and hid her face. "Don't remind me about that! I have enough on my plate to worry over as it is!"
"Too late!" Velvet chimed and slammed her door shut behind her.
An hour and a half was plenty of time to catch up on sleep. That would clear her head and, hopefully, she'd wake up refreshed. She would just forget the morning had ever happened, go to work, and then spend the evening with Perennial.
Velvet flopped onto the bed and squirmed under the covers. One thing at a time. Sleep was her first priority. Enduring torture would be future Velvet's problem.
It was hard to believe that a year had passed since her sweet, precious, perfect little baby brother had come into her life. Hard to believe, and really, really weird.
A year had flown by but still overflowed with cherished memoirs. In a year he had learned to walk and talk—albeit the latter very sparingly and never when they wanted him to. Velvet had held him through thunderstorms and played with him in the little green spaces that passed for parks in Canterlot. She wouldn't trade a second of her time with him away for all the bits in Equestria.
But the realization of how much he had grown filled her with the dread for how much he still had left to grow.
Velvet sat with Crystal, Nightingale, and Silent Knight as they waited in the dark of Sunridge Sweets. Pepper had gone upstairs to retrieve the birthday colt while Sunbeam rushed around putting the finishing touches on the cupcakes and decorations.
"This is so exciting!" Crystal whispered, squeezing Silent's hoof. "I'm glad you could get out of work early to come."
Silent smiled. "What pony in their right mind would miss a special occasion like this?"
Nightingale giggled. "Nopony!"
"Shhh," Sunbeam chided as she hurried past them with yet another gift to add to the growing pile of way-too-many presents.
What was Red going to do with so many toys? Velvet frowned as she looked at them all, recognizing the ones she had helped wrap. Stuffed animals, ten-piece puzzles, a toy piano—was Red going to end up a spoiled brat?
"I can't wait to see his little face!" Nightingale's wings fluttered with excitement that radiated from her like a palpable aura.
Velvet sighed, returning her gaze to the door that led upstairs. "I can't believe that little face is a year old already."
"Don't worry." Crystal reached over to put her hoof on Velvet's, smiling. "Before you know it, he'll be attending Canterlot Academy."
The very idea twisted Velvet's stomach into knots. "So not helping," she hissed, her ears flicking back.
Canterlot Elementary wasn't too far away. Then Canterlot Prep. Then the Academy. Then he might move out, move away, disappear from her life—Velvet sucked in a sharp intake of air, realizing she had stopped breathing.
"Hush, hush, hush!" As Sunbeam moved past them, she placed a party hat on each of their heads. She paused just long enough to get a look at them before she threw a bunch of colorful streamers in the air and went over to the table of cupcakes. "Pepper'll be down any second now with the birthday colt! He thinks it's a normal day of work, so sound normal!"
Velvet glanced around and tried not to roll her eyes. Nightingale was bouncing some of the streamers from one hoof to the other like a cat with a yarn ball. Crystal was teasing Silent by draping some of the colorful strands around one of his ears. He tolerated it with one raised brow and a light grin. They were just carrying on like normal while her baby brother was growing up right in front of her, and he wasn't even downstairs yet!
She returned her gaze to the fretting Sunbeam. "Then wouldn't hushing us be the opposite of what you want?"
Sunbeam stopped, turned, and glared at her. For some reason, that made her feel better. At least not everypony was unaffected by the frightening passage of time.
"Don't worry, Mrs. Sunbeam," Nightingale said, dropping the streamers she had been playing with. "It'll be fine!"
They all froze and stared when the sound of the door's handle jiggling brought their attention back to the situation at hoof.
How big was Red? He was still small, right? He hadn't had a growth spurt while he was upstairs, had he? Velvet held her breath again as she waited.
"Oh my," Pepper said as he walked into the room. "It sure is dark down here!"
Red gurgled.
"I sure wish I could find the light switch!"
Velvet's heart jumped into her throat and she gasped for air as the others breathed in so they could all exclaim together when the lights came on, "Surprise!"
Just a second behind the rest of them, Silent chimed in with his "Surprise!" Crystal giggled and nudged his side, Nightingale laughed, and Velvet just stared at Red.
He was so cute. So small, so precious, so perfect. He sat cradled against Pepper's chest, his beautiful violet eyes big and wide as he looked around at the familiar surroundings turned unfamiliar by all the decorations. His nose scrunched up, his ears wiggled, and he looked up at Pepper as if to seek an explanation. His little brow furrowed before the lightbulb went off and he looked back at them, a smile growing on his face. "Su-pise!"
Sunbeam hurried over to put the last party hat, tiny and adorable just like him, on his head. "Happy birthday, Red!"
Red squirmed in Pepper's embrace, reaching out for Sunbeam. The stars seemed to align for that moment, as he squeaked without reservation, "Ma-ma!"
Sunbeam's ears perked and she eagerly took Red, but before she could rejoice in the rare treasure of hearing him say her name, he started leaning toward Velvet. "Si-si!"
As bad as she felt for her mother, Velvet really needed that. Tears pricked at her eyes but she staved them off with a big smile.
"What?" Sunbeam deflated and she pouted, sending a tinge of guilt through Velvet's good spirits. "What happened to ma-ma?"
Crystal giggled behind one hoof and ducked her head when Sunbeam glared at her. "It's not really a surprise, is it?"
"Shh!" Velvet swatted at Crystal's shoulder and glanced between her and Sunbeam. "Mom's still pretty sensitive about that!"
Pepper, now free to wander as he pleased, made his way over to Silent. He took the empty seat beside the stallion and whispered, "So, those Wonderbolts, eh?"
Velvet rolled her eyes. As much as she loved him, her father could be a wimp sometimes. Fleeing from a potentially angered Sunbeam and seeking solace in engaging the only stallion in the room in sports talk? Seriously? Silent wasn't helping any by encouraging him with an agreeable nod, but to be fair, Silent never did do well in social situations like parties.
Surprisingly, Nightingale was the one to swoop in and save the day. "It's all right, Mrs. Sunbeam! Just show him the cupcakes and he'll forget all about Velvet!"
Sunbeam perked up almost immediately with a light gasp. "That's right!" She turned to face the snacks table, at the center of which was an arrangement of cupcakes that formed the shape of one giant cupcake. "Look, muffin! It's a cupcake!"
Cupcake was arguably one of Red's favorite words and was more than enough to pull his gaze away from Velvet so he could look. His eyes grew wide as he gasped. "Coop-coop! Coop-coop!"
Sunbeam flashed Nightingale a bright smile. "I'll take a coop-coop over a si-si! Thanks, Nightingale!"
"Not a problem, Mrs. Sunbeam!" Nightingale puffed out her chest and grinned at Velvet.
Velvet almost squeaked when a rogue elbow nudged her side, courtesy of Crystal as she asked, "How does it feel to be the big sister to a one-year-old?"
How did it feel? Sad? Bittersweet? Nerve-wracking? Velvet settled on, "Weird. I mean..." She watched as Red got blue frosting all over his face and some in his mane as he haphazardly devoured his cupcake. Her lips twitched in a brief smile. He'd need a bath, and he'd need it soon before the frosting hardened.
Velvet almost laughed. Jeeze, she was thinking like a mom! Just let the colt enjoy his cupcake! She's not his mom, after all. A sudden thought struck her and she blinked a few times from the impact. "I'm old enough where I could be his mother, you know? That's weird."
Sunbeam snorted and looked over with mock offense on her face and in her voice as she exclaimed, "Velvet! Are you suggesting I'm old enough to be his grandmother?"
"No, Mom." Velvet returned the exaggerated expression with one of her own as she rolled her eyes. "That's not what I'm saying at all. Just..." It wouldn't do any good to try to explain that sometimes, she felt more like a mother to Red than a sister. That might get Sunbeam worked up or something. She wiggled her ears and pointed at Red. "Look, a distraction! He's going to need a B-A-T-H after this and I call not it!" She touched her hoof to her nose.
Sunbeam was quick on the draw with her free hoof flying to her nose. Red was startled by the sudden movement and dropped what remained of his cupcake to touch his own nose with both hooves, smearing the frosting and cake bits all over his face.
"Not it!" Sunbeam giggled.
Silent's guard training seemed to come in handy, as he saw the potential danger and reacted almost immediately with a hoof on his nose. Pepper and Crystal followed suit, leaving Nightingale the pony whose nose would go.
Sweet, naive, unsuspecting Nightingale just shrugged in response to the grins turning toward her. "Oh well! That means I get to play with Red and you all don't!"
Velvet snickered and looked at Crystal, who was already in the process of levitating cupcakes over to them. Grinning at each other, they each took a bite and hummed with innocence.
"Oh, sweetie," Sunbeam said as she gave Red a cupcake to replace the one he had dropped—or, rather, to replace the one he had done more face painting with than anything else. "Have you ever tried to give a cat a B-A-T-H?"
Nightingale's wings started to droop. "Um... no?" She glanced at Velvet, who kept her grin hidden behind her cupcake.
Sunbeam smiled down at the little Red cradled in the crook of her foreleg. "Me neither, but from what I've heard, I'd much rather attempt that."
Pepper smothered a grin as he hugged himself and shivered. "I still have nightmares from last night."
Velvet finished off her cupcake and reached over to pat Nightingale on the back. "Don't worry! I'll come with so maybe he won't chew your hoof off in the process. Maybe."
Nightingale only whimpered in response.
Crystal turned to Silent. "Do you think you'll be fine with Mama Sunbeam and Papa Pepper?"
"Huh?" Silent blinked, then smiled. "Sure. Go on, have fun. Mr. Ridge will keep me company in your stead."
Velvet took Red from Sunbeam and grimaced when he smeared the frosting into her coat. "Aw, come on! Gross!"
Crystal jolted upright. "What!" Her face was bright red. "It was just a kiss on the cheek, Velvet! Th-That's totally normal!"
"What?" Velvet blinked at her, then laughed. "Calm down, frisky britches. I don't even know what you're talking about!"
"Oh." The blush grew more intense as Crystal scurried over to follow Nightingale and Velvet up the stairs. "S-So, Nightingale, are you prepared to have your soul torn from your chest?"
A soft, high-pitched whine emitted from Nightingale, the sound drowned out by Red's shriek of dismay when Velvet carried him into the bathroom and he did the math.
"Nooo!" Red squirmed and wriggled against her grip. "Si-si! Nooo!"
Velvet grunted when a stray flailing hoof got her right in the cheek. "Sorry, little guy, but you and I need to hop in this bath."
The waterworks started, and Velvet hadn't even turned a knob. Tears fell freely down Red's cheeks and he wrapped all four legs around her foreleg. "Nooo!"
Nightingale clamped her hooves over her ears, glancing at Crystal, who had already covered her own. "This is literally the saddest thing I've ever heard!"
"Si-siii," Red wailed.
Velvet sighed as she stood in the tub and kicked the faucet on. "Shh, shh, it's okay, cutiepie. It's just a little water. You don't want to be blue forever, do you?"
Red buried his face against her, smearing frosting everywhere. "Nooo!"
As the water slowly raised around her hooves, she adjusted the temperature while Crystal and Nightingale just stood there, both with pitying looks on their faces.
"Now do you understand?" Crystal asked between Red's sniffles and sobs. "This is why nopony wants to do this."
Nightingale whimpered. "I'm so glad you're here, Velvet. I don't think I could do it!"
Velvet dropped her rump into the water and worked on prying Red off her foreleg. "Yeah, well, somepony's gotta do it, and it might as well be somepony he'll forgive. Now, come on, buddy, let go, okay?"
With careful and precise force, Velvet managed to free herself from his tight embrace, which meant his legs were equally free to flail about. She held him at forelegs' length to keep distance between her face and his hooves.
"Nooo!" He gasped when his hindhooves touched the water and he kicked with all his might. "Si-siii!"
Velvet sighed and looked over at Nightingale. "He'll tire himself out in just a minute. Crystal, can you get his stuff?"
Crystal nodded. "Yes, ma'am!" Her magic opened the cabinet under the sink and retrieved a little tub with a couple rubber duckies of different sizes and colors, a cheerful loofah, and a bottle of foal-safe bubble bath.
When the tub landed on the edge of the bath, Velvet grabbed one of the duckies in her mouth, squeezed it so it squeaked to catch Red's attention, and dropped it into the rising water. "Look, Red! Look, Mr. Ducky likes the bath. Don't you want to play with Mr. Ducky?"
Red looked down at the toy, then up at Velvet. His ears were flat against his blue-stained mane, and his eyes were as big as they could be. "No..."
Velvet smiled. "See? He's already tiring out. Honestly, Red, these tantrums are more trouble than they're worth."
Nightingale paused, then gasped. "Oh! Trouble! Velvet, I almost forgot to ask, are you okay?"
"Huh?" Velvet lowered Red to dip his hindlegs in the water, not taking her eyes off his pitiable expression. "Uh, yeah? Why?"
"A guard came by the studio a few days ago asking for you." Nightingale frowned. "Are you mixed up in something shady?"
Red, who had given up on living, just sat there while Velvet turned off the water and slipped the loofah over one hoof. "A guard?" She gently started to scrub Red's face, pausing to peer at Nightingale. "Wait, was she tiny and blue?"
When Nightingale nodded, Crystal burst into a fit of giggles. "Oh my gosh! Nightingale, you didn't!"
"Didn't what?" Nightingale glanced between them. "She said she needed to talk to you!"
Velvet shook her head, laughing and lowering her head down closer to Red's. "Can you believe it? My friend ratted me out to the Guard! Who needs enemies when you have friends like that?"
Red just stared at her, sniffling, his eyes glossy with tears.
Nightingale released an exaggeratedly heavy sigh. "Okay, so there's a joke here that I am clearly missing."
Once Red was clear of frosting, Velvet scrubbed her own coat where he had gotten some on her. "Don't worry about it. Everything's fine, I'm not in trouble. It was just a misunderstanding."
Crystal made a small, wheezing squeak sound as she gasped for air between giggling and snickering. "That—That's one way to put it!"
Velvet pulled the stop and dropped the loofah to deal with later, scooping Red up. "Towels, please!"
Nightingale sighed as she pulled a couple towels off the rack and held them out. Velvet picked Red up, placed a kiss on his wet forehead, and maneuvered him into one of the offered towels. She set one down and draped the other over herself before returning her attention to Red.
"Okay, you little wet rat, time to scrub scrub scrub!" She ruffled the towel all over his form, the fluffy towel soaking up the water with ease. It didn't take long before he started to gurgle and bubble, then laughed.
"Si-siii!" One red hoof wiggled out of the towels and flailed. "Si-si!"
Velvet gasped, pulling her hooves back. "Uh-oh! Where's Red?"
Red giggled and waved his forelegs to try and knock the towel off, and when he succeeded, he exclaimed, "Peekaboo!"
"There he is!" Velvet nuzzled her nose to his. "There's my little guy!"
Her little guy. But for how long? She kept the smile on her face as her heart sank. How much time did she have before he no longer wanted to play peekaboo with her anymore?
---
"All right, Velvet." Perennial tapped an impatient hoof. "Another one. Try to hold it longer this time. And try not to move so much. The audience should never see you move."
Velvet bit down on her tongue to stave off the thousand things she wanted to yell from the pain that seized her muscles. She had been standing in different arabesque positions for maybe five or ten minutes, but her body felt like it had been hours. It hurt. Everything hurt. Sweat fell from her chin that trembled from the strain.
"There you go. Now, stop focusing on the working leg."
Velvet glared at her. "What?" she wheezed.
Perennial frowned. "The leg is the least important part of a perfect arabesque. It's the curve. The curve of your back as it leads into your thigh. That is what you need to focus on. You have a particularly flexible lower back, so you should be able to get your leg higher than this, but that's good enough for now."
Perennial walked over, raising one hoof and tapping on Velvet's shoulder. "Relax this more. You're going to force it out of socket if you stretch it so much. Your forelegs should be straight, but you don't have to work so hard to get them there."
Velvet glanced at the shoulder in question. Relax her foreleg? How?! Her muscles were seizing with agony! With a light grunt, she focused on her shoulder and rolled it a little to loosen it.
"Better. Now pull the shoulder back a little. You're reaching forward with it; stop that. It's throwing your curvature off-balance. Instead, you should reach out from your elbow to your hoof. Bring the elbow down a little. Let the tension reside in your elbow, not your shoulder."
It took some haughtily guided practice, but the difference was startling. Why hadn't Perennial taught her that sooner?
Perennial's tail flicked as she walked a circle around Velvet. "Your back is still too straight. You're not giving enough thought to your standing leg."
"What?" Velvet managed to hiss between her clenched teeth.
"Focus on your hoof. Place your weight there, keep it facing the way it is, and push your hip higher. Lift your hip." Perennial watched as Velvet struggled with the instructions. "No, no, no. Stop rotating the hoof. Yes, like that. Much better. See?" She gestured at the nearest mirror covering the walls. "Look at your back."
Velvet inclined her head to look out of the corner of her eye and blinked. Her working leg was higher than it ever had been before, the hoof so close she could touch the back of her head if she bent at the knee. The mare in the reflection held a picture perfect arabesque, and it was almost hard to believe that it was her.
Perennial clapped a hoof. "Now, drop down, start the routine from the beginning, and we'll see if you can remember what you just learned when you reach the arabesque again."
---
Everything hurt. Everything. Even muscles Velvet didn't know she had! Thankfully, Crystal was off at her grandfather's airship title ceremony. Title? Entitled? Entitlement? Velvet blew a few strands of her mane out of her face. Whatever it was, Crystal was there, so Velvet was free to moan and groan aloud and otherwise just wallow in self-pity.
It would be worth it. Or, rather, it had better be worth it. Perennial seemed to enjoy putting her through literal torture day in and day out. At the least, if she changed her mind and decided to stay at the Canterlot Ballet, Perennial couldn't nag her about her performance, otherwise she'd be insulting herself.
Just as Velvet started to snicker and snort at the idea, a knock came from the door. Velvet frowned. Who could that be?
"I'm coming," she managed through clenched teeth as she forced herself upright, despite the complaints of her limbs. She sighed, tried to put on a normal expression, and wobbled her way to the door. She blinked when she opened it and saw a stallion standing at her doorstep. "Tumbler?"
Thunder Tumble shifted his weight almost uncomfortably. He was out of armor, so Velvet could see each and every muscle tighten and relax from the movement. "Hey, uh, sorry to bother you, Miss Step, but—" He swallowed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I was wondering if we could talk?"
"Sure, officer." She laughed and leaned against the doorway to support her exhausted self. "Am I under arrest? Gonna cuff me or something?"
"What?" His ears shot straight up. "Oh, uh, no, I—no. No, this is—" He blinked. "Did you curl your mane?" A flush overtook his cheeks. "Sorry, are you dressed up to go somewhere? I'm sorry, this is a bad time."
She lifted a hoof to touch her mane, which was free from its bun and bouncing about with curly abandon. "What? No." She frowned, cursing her forgetfulness, then tried to wave it off. "Nah, this is just, you know, my lazy mane. I'm not going anywhere today. So, what's up?"
"Oh. Right. Yes." He cleared his throat. "This isn't official business. This is, uh, personal? It's just that, well, I've been wanting to talk to you."
Velvet raised one brow. "Okay? Well, mission accomplished, Tumbler." When Nightingale's voice flashed across her memory, she slapped a hoof to her forehead. "Oh, haysticks, that reminds me! I was supposed to talk to you forever ago! Hey, Tumbler, are you single?"
Thunder Tumble took a deep breath, red showing even brighter through his straw-colored coat. "I, um. y-yes?"
"Great! I've got this friend that's kind of seeing a stallion right now, but if they don't work out, I think she really wanted to date you." She smiled. "So stay single a while longer just in case, okay? She goes through stallions pretty quickly, anyway."
"Oh." His gaze darted away and he shook his head. After a hesitant pause, said as quick as he could, "No offense to your friend, but actually, the reason I'm here is I was kind of trying to ask you on a date."
Velvet stared.
Thunder Tumble tried not to look at her while his ears turned red.
Velvet just kept staring until, finally, she blurted out, "What?"
His wings drooped slightly. "Er, a date? Haven't... Haven't you been flirting with me?"
"What?!" She took a step back and shook her head. "Whoa, no! Hey, look, it's not personal, but, uh, no, I definitely haven't. Sorry. Nope!"
"Oh." He looked at her, his brow knitted. "Well, can I still take you on a date?"
Velvet shook her head again, whipping her mane from the vigorous movement. "Nope! Sorry!" Her heart pounded all the way in her ears as she slammed the door, then sucked in a breath.
What the hay? Flirting? Velvet scowled at the door. Not a chance! Hot or not, Tumbler was part of Princess Luna's House Guard, which made him way too close to Silent Knight, which made him way, way too close to Crystal!
With a frustrated groan, Velvet flopped onto one of the sitting pillows and buried her face in it. No matter how cute yet studly he was, that was a risk she couldn't take. Hopefully, slamming the door in his face would deter him enough that that would be the end of that super tempting yet impossible endeavor.
Heat coursed through Velvet's veins as she stared at the ceiling of Rock Candy's bedroom. Her body felt good—no, her body felt amazing—especially after such a long day of work. Perennial was ruthless. Every day that the auditions drew closer, the training got more intense.
Candy seemed to know a lot about sensual massages that worked out the stress of Velvet's muscles, and led right into a wonderful way to end the day happy. But though she physically felt fine, something was bothering her.
When was the last time she had seen Dawn?
Guilt weighed on her chest like a hundred bricks, crushing her, suffocating her. It would be too easy to lie to her, too. All she had to do was remind Dawn that she was practicing for the auditions and that's where she was spending her time. But Dawn had gone to the effort of taking some beginner ballet lessons just for Velvet.
Because Dawn was a good, wholesome mare, and Velvet felt awful that she wasn't.
Though she wanted to spend the rest of the night curled up against Candy while the mare teased her with gentle strokes along her sides and back, her conscience nagged at her until she sat upright and shook her head. "Sorry, Candy."
"Aww, you leavin' early, babe?" Candy stretched her limbs in all directions before sitting up as well.
Velvet winced. "Yeah. I've just got a lot on my mind."
Candy flopped onto her stomach and yawned. "All right. Suit yourself. I've been having a craving for a little stallion lately, anyway." A grin spread across her face. "Not too little, of course."
What did that mean? Little stallions, or little eclairs? Velvet looked over at her with a furrowed brow, but just shrugged it off. "I'll see you later, Candy."
Her hooves felt heavy as she walked down the stairs outside of Candy's apartment. It was going to be awkward, wasn't it? Ugh, this was why relationships were a terrible idea for her. She just wasn't good at this at all.
The walk was slow. Arduous. About three times, she stopped and considered just going home instead, but the thought only drove the guilt in deeper. Dawn deserved better.
Sucking in a breath, Velvet knocked on the door. Maybe Dawn wasn't home. She did have a life of her own. For all Velvet knew, Dawn had gone off and gotten married in Las Pegasus!
Of course, Dawn was, in fact, home, evidence by the door opening. "Hello?" Dawn blinked, then smiled. "Hi, Velvet."
Velvet flashed a grin. "Hey, sunshine! How are you doing?"
"I'm fine." She shifted slightly. "Do you want to come in?"
"If you're not busy." When Dawn stepped out of the way, Velvet swallowed and walked inside. The furniture had been completely rearranged, leaving a large empty space in the middle of the room. "Hey! You redecorated?"
Dawn paused. Her gaze flicked about before she giggled softly. "Oh, yes, a while ago. Do you want something to eat?"
Velvet's ears wiggled and she flopped onto the couch. If she just acted normal, then everything would be fine. "That'd be great, thanks!"
Dawn bobbed her head, glancing at Velvet as she walked into the little kitchen. "How have your ballet lessons gone?"
"Ugh." Velvet scrunched up her nose. She rolled onto her side, one hindleg draped off the side of the couch, her forelegs crossed lazily over her stomach. "Great and terrible. Perennial really knows her stuff, but she just drags out practice forever."
There was a pause in the middle of the sounds of stirring. "I guess that's been taking up a lot of your time?"
"Well, not really—" Velvet jolted, all of her nerves lighting at once. What was the right answer? Would Dawn feel better if she said that's where she had been? "I mean, yes? Sort of?"
Whatever Dawn was stirring was then poured into a skillet. "Oh."
That didn't sound like she had given the right answer. Velvet's tail twitched as she sat up and looked over at Dawn. "What about you?"
Dawn glanced up from the stove. "I got a promotion at the grocery. I'm still just a cashier, but I work more hours, which means I get paid more. So, that's good!"
Velvet tilted her head. "Do you really want to be a grocer, though?"
"I... I don't know." Dawn sighed and with a deft flick of one hoof, the pancake-in-progress flipped in the pan. "There aren't any farms in Canterlot. A grocery store is the closest thing, right?"
"Have—" Velvet shifted in the couch, trying to put on her most serious expression. "Have you considered going back home?"
There was a long, awkward pause while Dawn focused on the pancake, slid it onto a plate, and started to garnish it with strawberries and whipped cream. "I—Do... Do you want me to go back home?"
How had she gotten herself into this situation? Velvet offered a small smile. "Dawn, sweetie, it doesn't matter what I want. If you're not happy in Canterlot, then I wouldn't want you to stay here just for me."
Dawn sighed, carrying the plate over and setting it on the little table beside the couch. "Oh."
Why was this so hard? Why couldn't she just say the right thing to make Dawn smile again? Velvet reached out and grabbed Dawn's hoof, giving it a small squeeze. "But if it makes you feel any better, I'd miss my little ray of sunshine."
A blush spread across Dawn's cheeks but, instead of giggling and melting like she usually did, she pulled her hoof away. "So, um, when you said not really? About being busy with your lessons?" She bit her lower lip. "Have you been—um—Have you been seeing another pony?"
Velvet frowned, though she tried not to. "Well, uh, I've been seeing other ponies, yeah. Like we talked about. Haven't you?"
The sudden darting away of Dawn's gaze was the only response Velvet got.
"Oh, well." Velvet swallowed, rubbed the back of her neck, and offered a weak grin. "You know, you should put yourself out there! Really! You're cute, you're sweet, you're a great cook. You'll make somepony very happy, you know?"
Dawn shuffled her hooves and kept her gaze firmly away from Velvet's. "I-I guess. Who... Who do you see?"
Suddenly, extra practice hours with Perennial sounded like a blessed reprieve from the agonizing awkward feeling that turned Velvet's stomach right then. "Uh. Well, it's not usually a specific pony. I mean, lately, it's been Candy, but usually—"
"Who's Candy?" Dawn finally looked at her, and it wasn't a sweet one. Velvet didn't know exactly what it was. It kind of reminded her of the look Crystal had in her eyes when she wanted to dye her mane to look more like Silent's ex-marefriend, Iridescence.
This was not going well at all, but lying was clearly just driving her deeper into a hole. It was time to come clean. After breathing in and mustering up all of her inner strength, Velvet explained, "Rock Candy's a mare I've been seeing lately. She's nothing like you or me." She winced when Dawn's ears drooped. "Which is okay! Everypony is different, sweetheart. There's nothing wrong with that."
"Oh." Dawn sat on the loveseat, sighed, and looked over at Velvet. "Do you think I'd like her?"
"What?" Velvet blinked.
"I-I mean, if you like her so much, then maybe I would, too?" Dawn started to twiddle her hooves. "I'm not having a lot of luck finding a special somepony on my own, so—"
"Whoa, no, no." Velvet shook her head. "Candy's not the 'settling down' type of mare. Not at all. Look, I don't know a lot about finding special someponies, but Candy's definitely not anypony's somepony."
Dawn's hooves stopped moving, then folded neatly in her lap and she straightened up. "Well, it can't hurt, can it?"
It could. It could hurt a lot. The idea of Dawn falling for Candy's overwhelming advances was too plausible for Velvet's liking. But, Dawn was a grown mare, and it wasn't Velvet's job to protect her from everything, was it? Velvet sighed and relented with a smile. "Okay, sure. She owns the candy store on Whinny Way, Sweethearts. Just, be careful, okay? She can come on a bit strong. Now, I'm gonna enjoy this pancake while you tell me about your grocery store."
"Oh! It's not very special. It does get bags of oats and barley from my family's farm, which is really neat." Dawn giggled and seemed to brighten. "Sometimes, on my break, I just go into the back room and smell the grains. The job itself may be boring, but being surrounded by all the fresh produce is its own reward!"
Velvet just nodded while she stuffed the pancake into her mouth. The more she ate, the less she had to talk. It was starting to feel like she was only getting herself into trouble by talking. Nodding, however, was safe, so she would stick to that for now.
---
"Thank you, please come again!" Velvet smiled at the last customer in line, then leaned against the counter and looked around Sunridge Sweets. It was busy as usual, but that just meant it was never boring. Ponies of all walks of life visited the bakery. It was kind of fascinating to meet them all, even if only for a brief encounter.
It wouldn't be so bad if she failed the auditions and ended up working at the bakery instead. The place always smelled great, ponies were generally in good spirits when buying sweets, and she got to work with the best ponies on the planet.
"How are things up here?" Pepper asked, trotting in from the back room, the smell of blueberries and sugary icing following him. "Going okay?"
Velvet looked over her shoulder to smile at him. "Going great! I'm starting to regret wasting all this time on the ballet lessons when I could have been doing this instead!"
Pepper chuckled, tousling her mane as best he could with it tied back. "Now, don't say that. Wait until the auditions before you call it a waste of time. You said you're learning a lot from Perennial, right?"
"Sure, I guess." She stuck her tongue out at him and looked back out into the bakery. "But this is fun, too."
"Oh, that's because it's not the pre-lunch or after-lunch rush." He winked. "That's when it gets crazy. Well, if you're fine up here, then I think I'm going to play with Red!"
Velvet gasped. "Aww! Wait, but I want to play with Red!"
Pepper flashed a coltish grin. "Sorry, but junior part-time employees that only show up for work once a week don't get Red privileges!"
"That's not fair! But, also, totally fair." Velvet dropped her head to rest in her forehooves and she let out a long, exaggerated sigh. "Have fun without me!"
Getting to play with Red more was definitely the greatest perk of all when it came to the prospect of working at Sunridge Sweets. How had Crystal talked her into the Royal Ballet idea, again? Because this seemed like a much better option.
The bell chimed and Velvet spotted two figures walk into the bakery out of the corner of her eyes. "Hello!" She straightened up and put on her sweet little "please buy lots of sweets" smile.
One of the two mares was wheelchair-bound with a light yellow coat and a blue mane. Just like her bright and happy colors, she looked cheerful as she talked to the blue filly beside her.
"Welcome to Sunridge—" Wait, blue filly? Velvet blinked, then gawked when recognition set in. "Azurite?!" She straightened up and tried not to frown. Frowning was bad for business. "What did I do now?!"
Azurite gave a high-pitched shriek of dismay as she reared back and waved her forelegs. "Nothing! Not that I know of, anyway! Not that I'm here for! We're here for treats. We fly kites, and then we get treats. We always get treats!" She paused, blinked, and dropped down onto all fours. "Wait, why are you here?"
Oh. Well, that was a perfectly reasonable explanation. Velvet crossed her hooves over one another on the counter and leaned forward. Now that she didn't have to worry for her safety, she could have a little fun. "It's my family's bakery."
Azurite's ears flicked back. "I had no idea! Honest, I didn't know! I promise I'm just here for the sweet treats. Can we please have some?" She looked panicked. Desperate. It was delicious.
Velvet narrowed her eyes in a stern glare, held it a moment, then nodded. "I guess so, but only because your friend looks nice. Not like a pony that starts fights."
"Oh, I'm very nice, I assure you." The other mare maneuvered around Azurite to get closer to the counter. "Honestly, I didn't know Azurite could have enemies. She's never struck me as the type."
Azurite bounded forward, her ears flat to the sides. "I'm not, because we're not! We're not enemies, we're just, uh, well..."
That was a fair conundrum. What were they? "She's right, we're more just, sort of, uh..." Acquaintances of an odd origin? That was accurate, but sounded weird.
The mare looked between them as they dragged on a little while longer before she offered, "Former lovers?"
"What?!" Azurite's face turned red. "No way!"
Oh, Velvet was absolutely going to love working there if this was what she got to look forward to. She glared at Azurite and hissed, "Hey, don't say it like that! Why not? We could be."
With a high-pitched whine, Azurite buried her face in her hooves while the other mare giggled. Velvet remained still and kept a straight face.
"I'm sorry." Azurite jerked her head up with a serious expression. "Velvet, you're very pretty. Sandy, Velvet is the mare Sunny da—went out with." There was a small hitch in her voice, but she continued, "The one I went to fight but instead we just had tea."
"Hey! Tea and fancy biscuits."
Azurite sighed. "And fancy biscuits."
The mare apparently named Sandy bobbed her head, grinning. "Oh, that makes sense. Now I understand." She looked up at Velvet with a bright smile. "I'm not with her and I don't condone fighting mares before you get all the facts. So, chop chop, make with the sweets, please."
Azurite's jaw dropped. "You traitor!"
Sandy offered an idle shrug. "Sorry, but friends come and go. Sweets like these are forever."
"What's all the commotion, sugardrop?" Sunbeam called, her voice growing nearer. "Everything okay?"
And there went her playtime with little Azurite. Velvet sighed and turned toward the door. "It's nothing, Mom! Don't worry about it! Just do your thing." Despite her words, Sunbeam walked out and Azurite's eyes went wide. "Back there. Okay, you're coming out. Don't listen to me."
Sunbeam flashed one of her trademark, picture perfect smiles as she approached the counter. "It sure sounds a lot like something! Who do we have here?" She pushed Velvet out of the way to prop herself up on the counter and took a closer look at Azurite and Sandy. "Are you two some of Velvet's little friends she never lets me meet?"
"Mom," Velvet groaned, but to no avail.
Azurite just kept staring while Sandy replied, "Yes, ma'am. Well, sort of, ma'am. Azurite here is. She and Velvet have the same taste in dates." She offered a hoof. "I'm Sandy Shores."
"Aren't you polite? Velvet, you could learn a thing or two." Sunbeam winked. "I'm Sunbeam, Velvet's mom."
Velvet whined and dropped her head down onto the counter. Nevermind. Forget working at the bakery. Abandon ship! Forget captain's honor or whatever. This captain was saving herself. "Really, Mom?"
Sunbeam waved a hoof at her. "Oh, hush, cocoapuff, I'm just happy! It's past time you branched outside of Crystal and your ballet friends." She smiled, glancing between Azurite and Sandy. "So, what brings you two by?"
"Azurite and I fly kites sometimes when we get together," Sandy said, propping her forelegs up on the counter to get to Sunbeam's eye level. "We talk about the things going on in our lives, get out all the serious and heavy problems, then come here to lighten the mood afterwards with sweets." She patted Azurite on the head like a foal.
Sunbeam cupped her cheeks. "Aww... I'm so glad we could be here for you!"
Sandy's ears wiggled. "Actually, you know what? Azurite has been through a rough patch. I think she could use some wisdom, if you have time."
"What?" Azurite backpedaled a few paces and shook her head. "Nope! Sandy's kidding! We were just leaving, no time for sweets, no time for wisdom!"
Sunbeam bubbled with giggles and shook her head. "Don't be silly! Everypony has time for sweets and wisdom. Why don't we grab an empty table and talk about it over cookies?" She grabbed Velvet's hoof and tugged her close, then hugged her a little too tight, which was code that Sunbeam was going to get her way no matter what Velvet did. "Doesn't that sound good, cinnamon stick? We should be nice to your friends, after all!"
No, that definitely did not sound good. They weren't even her friends! Velvet struggled, but Sunbeam only tightened her grip. Unfortunately, as far as Sunbeam was concerned, they were. And that meant they were. Velvet sighed and rolled her eyes. "Sure, okay, fine! Let's all just sit down so we can help my friends!"
Sandy and Sunbeam shared similar looks of delight as they all went over to an empty table, Sunbeam grabbing a pre-packaged box of cookies on their way. When Sunbeam sat down, she tugged Velvet into the seat beside her. "Did you know that she never tells me anything?" She huffed. "No gossip, no mare talk, no stories, no grandfoals for me, nothing at all!"
Sandy was a lost cause. She was clearly a kindred spirit for Sunbeam. Azurite, however—there was a chance Velvet could find solace in her. Their eyes met, Azurite just shrugged, and Velvet's hope was lost.
"Well, then, I've got some gossip to more than make up for it," Sandy said. "This story has intrigue, broken hearts, features your very own daughter, and more." She raised a hoof. "The catch is you have to keep an open mind. Can you do that?"
Sunbeam smiled and leaned in. "Try me."
Sandy nudged Azurite, grinning. "All right, Azurite, you heard the mare. Try her! From the sounds of it, Velvet can help fill in the gaps."
Azurite's lower lip trembled as she sucked in a breath. She rubbed her temple, then finally said, "Fine. Fine, okay! But you guys asked for this." She leaned back in her seat and crossed her forelegs over her chest. "I've got two special someponies."
Sunbeam's eyes glittered. "Go on."
Velvet rolled her eyes, but her ears did swivel to face Azurite as the mare started to talk about how she first met Sunny and the stallion of the threesome, Soarin. Hey, if the story was going to be told whether she listened or not, it didn't hurt to at least pay attention, right?
"... I thought everything was going great! I was happy, Soarin was happy, and Sunny seemed happy, but then I found out she tried to find another mare." Tears were in Azurite's eyes, but she had kept them at bay throughout the whole explanation. Velvet had to commend her determination. "And now, Soarin's not talking to Sunny and Sunny's not talking to me. So, yeah, things are... pretty tense right now."
There was a sympathetic pause before Sunbeam broke the silence. "See, Velvet? Azurite has two special someponies! What's stopping you from just finding one?"
Why did nopony seem to want to take Azurite seriously? First Crystal, now her mother! Well, actually, she couldn't blame either of them. Crystal was overtaken by the chance to tease Velvet, and her mother? Sunbeam tried to lighten every situation with a joke. She meant well, of course, but this was a situation that would have been better served by her father being there.
"Mom, seriously, you're killing me." Velvet sighed. "Can we please just focus on Azurite? As weird as that might sound right now, given my hoof in the matter."
"Yes, yes." Sunbeam turned her attention on Azurite with a smile. "It sounds like you're in a pretty tough situation, sweetie. Do you really love the both of them that much?" Raising a hoof, she added, "Not that I'm judging you. I'm not, not at all! I'm just trying to make sure I understand the whole situation."
Azurite shifted in her seat. "Yes, ma'am, I do. Very, very much. Things just feel wrong without Sunny around." She sniffled. "I thought everything was perfect."
Velvet winced. Things probably would have been just fine if it weren't for her. If she hadn't pressed Sunny so hard. Then Azurite wouldn't be stuck sitting with 'the other mare' and having to talk about her love life to two near-complete strangers. "I'm really, really sorry, Azurite. I really am. I had no idea about any of this. I swear I wasn't trying to mess things up between you all."
"No, it's okay." Azurite shook her head with a heavy sigh. "Honestly, I think if you hadn't been there, it would have just been another pretty mare." Her nose scrunched up. "A mean one that would have beat me up when I showed up at her house and then told the Guard and gotten me fired. So, I guess, in a way, I'm actually glad it was you 'cause you're really nice and didn't do any of those things."
A warm, fuzzy feeling spread throughout Velvet's chest. Azurite was so sincere, even if a bit quirky, that it was hard not to just adore the little mare. "Aww! You're so sweet. You know what, I'm glad it was me, too." Crabapples. Her eyes widened and she tried to cover her mouth before it could do more harm. "Totally didn't mean that the way it sounded!"
Azurite's nose wiggled a bit before she burst into laughter. It was the happiest she had sounded in the very short time Velvet had known her, but given what she was going through, it was pretty darn happy. "It's okay! I know what you meant. I understand." She sighed, the mirth dissipating as quickly as it had appeared. "Really, I just want to fix everything and move on and pretend it never happened. No offense."
"Fix it?" Sandy raised her brow and set down her half-eaten cookie. "What makes you think you can fix things?"
Sunbeam waved a hoof. "She clearly thinks she's the glue in this relationship, so of course she thinks that."
"Well, honestly, I bet she is," Velvet added. "I mean, having met Sunny, I can already tell that Azurite is the more amiable one. I don't know Soarin but she's definitely the one in the middle."
"I—" Azurite started, but Sandy cut in over her.
"More like the most pliable." Sandy whispered in an exaggerated manner, "I've known Azurite for a long time, and I've seen it happen before. She is really easygoing and sweet, so I think sometimes ponies take advantage of her because of that. Honestly, what do we know about Sunny? Maybe she's just using her to get in with Soarin. He's famous, you know."
Azurite frowned. "Well—"
Sunbeam gasped. "I hadn't considered that!" She clasped a hoof to her cheek. "Oh, but isn't she important, too? What if he is the one using Azurite to get into the palace?"
Azurite shook her head. "He'd just—"
"No, no." Velvet rolled her eyes. "Come on, Mom. He's a Wonderbolt! Crystal's said she sees them coming and going at the palace a lot. Yeah, sure, Sunny may be important, but she's in the same boat as Silent. Just a chain in the link. There's tons of more important ponies outranking him. Soarin is definitely the far more famous one of the two."
"Can I just—"
Sunbeam's brow furrowed and she clicked her tongue, shaking her head. "Well, regardless, Sunny should just own up and do right by Azurite. She needs to apologize right away to set things straight. She's the one at fault, after all."
Velvet and Sandy nodded, but Azurite sat up straight in her seat and shouted, "Can we please get back to the whole 'helping me' thing?!"
"What?" Sandy looked at her. "But we are helping, Azurite!"
Azurite eyed her with clear skepticism. "How? It just sounds like gossip to me!"
"Gossip? Oh, no, no, sugarsnap." Sunbeam giggled. "We're talking it out like civilized ponies and working on a solution."
Velvet snickered as Azurite sputtered before glaring at them all, grabbing a cookie, and sulking in her seat. This was going to be fun. Way too much fun. Of course, once Azurite got Sunny back, things would go back to normal and they'd return to awkward acquaintances, but in the meantime it was fun to watch her pout. It was like teasing Crystal, but in the tiny, cute form of an older Red.
While Sandy and Sunbeam continued their debate on the best course of action, Velvet's gaze wandered to the door that separated her from the little guy. Maybe he'd grow up to be cute and adorable like Azurite.
That wouldn't be so bad, now, would it? She smiled and nodded in agreement with herself. No, that'd suit her just fine.
---
Move like a swan. Grace. Poise. Every movement had to be perfect. She had to keep her mind one step ahead while her body followed behind in muscle memory. Don't think about the current sweep of her forelegs; think about the arabesque to follow.
Velvet glided across the studio floor. Breathing was key. She had to move slowly, to elongate every movement, to showcase every curve of her body and the grace therein. It wasn't about speed. It wasn't about flourish. It was about precision and beauty.
The strain on her muscles was minimal, and when the performance drew to a close, she found herself hardly sweating or panting at all. She held the final pose for as long as she could: the high arabesque, her back in a perfect arch. Finally, she dropped down and sucked in a breath, looking over to see Perennial's reaction.
There was none. Perennial's face was a perfectly blank slate, no emotion or feelings given away whatsoever. It was totally and thoroughly unnerving. Then, it happened.
Perennial smiled.
"Well," she said, leaning back on her haunches to cross her forelegs, "I must say, I am impressed. I honestly thought you would give up after a few days. I had no idea you were actually serious about being in ballet, Velvet Step."
Velvet's chest swelled with pride and she grinned. "Thanks! It helps that I had a pretty okay teacher."
Perennial snorted. "For your sake, I sincerely hope the Royal Ballet takes you. I think we have stretched the limit of how much I can stand you." She paused, then added, "But if you kept up this enthusiasm for the true art of ballet, then perhaps I could learn to stand you a little better."
"Aww, thanks, Perry." Velvet winked before she started trotting toward the showers. "But it's Royal Ballet or bust for me."
"Perry?" Perennial repeated with clear distaste in her tone as she followed behind. "Please don't ever call me that again." She tugged her mane out of its bun and walked into one of the shower stalls.
"Spoilsport." Velvet laughed. She took the stall two over, keeping a safe distance between them.
They showered in silence for a while until Perennial cleared her throat. "And what do you plan to do if you don't make the auditions, exactly? You're a little too young and inexperienced to retire to teaching."
Velvet shrugged and closed her eyes to let the water hit her face. "I'll work at my parents' bakery, d'uh."
"What?" Perennial snorted. "You can't be serious."
"I can! And I am!" Velvet shifted to stick her head out from under the stream, one hoof raising to grab the bottle of shampoo. "I don't want to move out of Canterlot, and I don't think we can get along for the long term. This has been fun, but let's be honest. You hate me."
Perennial shifted in her stall. "Excuse me, but please refrain from putting words in my mouth. I hate your attitude and your incessant harassment. If you cleaned those up, then I would have no issue with you."
Velvet rolled her eyes, but bit back her knee-jerk response. There was no sense in starting a fight with the pony who had taken the time to teach her. But then again, after the auditions, she'd probably never see her again, so what the hay? "Well, I hate your attitude and your incessant insistence that it's your way or no way."
"I didn't work tirelessly for seven years to not be listened to." Perennial's hoofsteps grew near and the mare stuck her head around the wall to peer at Velvet with a serious expression. "I started out as a nopony corps dancer and have earned my position as prima with my own four hooves. It is my way or no way; I've learned more things than anypony in this company and it's my job to utilize that knowledge so that you all can benefit from what I know."
After a pause, Perennial's ears flicked and she disappeared back to her own stall. "When you become a prima someday, you'll understand."
Velvet's lips curled into a sneer until the will to fight deflated entirely like a burst bubble. "Wait, what? Me, a prima? You're kidding."
Perennial gave an exaggerated sigh. "I don't kid. I told you that I was impressed. Despite your feelings toward me, you endured almost a whole month of my training and rose to meet my standards. If you can do that for somepony you hate, then imagine what you'll do in a company with ponies you like."
"Oh." Velvet finished rinsing out her mane before applying the anti-curl serum. Perennial speaking sincerely was nothing short of awkward. "Well, thanks, I guess." Her ear twitched. "So, uh, I have to ask. Why don't you audition for the Royal Ballet? You'd get in for sure."
"Why?" Perennial's shower turned off and the mare walked out with a towel held in her magic, which she rubbed along her mane and neck. "Because I have no interest in it. I have everything I want here in this company. Moving to the Royal Ballet would, more or less, be starting over for me. No, thank you."
Velvet frowned down at her hooves, relishing in the hot water running down her sides a while longer. Starting over. That was a downside to switching companies, wasn't it? She'd lose the friends she had made. What would happen to her friendship with Nightingale? Quickly, she shook her head and straightened up. No, she'd just have to be extra diligent to not lose touch.
---
The turnout for the Royal Ballet auditions was astounding. Mares and stallions from all over Equestria gathered in Canterlot for their chance to join the most prestigious company in existence.
Velvet took her time to marvel at the stained glass windows that lined the walls of the Royal Opera House, which was home to not just the Royal Ballet, but the Royal Opera and Orchestra as well. Each mural showcased a different event in the history of the Royal companies, the most prominent of which being Princess Celestia founding them.
With beautiful curves and shimmering white glass, the form of Princess Celestia took up the center of the window as she gazed back at the viewer with a gentle smile, her wings spread wide as if to shelter the other figures in the scene. At her sides were two silhouettes, one of a ballerina in a perfect arabesque, the other of a stallion with one foreleg lifted and his mouth open wide to bellow an unheard but powerful note. Flanking the bottom of the scene was an orchestra, each pony playing an iconic instrument and composed of a different color of the rainbow.
A strong, empowering sense of purpose washed over Velvet as she stared up at Celestia and the other figures, blissfully unaware of the ponies rushing about around her. The history of the Royal companies and the meaning behind their founding felt suddenly clear.
It wasn't about the ballerinas, the singers, or the musicians. It was about the art itself, about bringing enjoyment and enlightenment to other ponies through dance and song. It was about doing something, no matter how seemingly unimportant, that mattered to even just one pony out there watching.
The fire within her started to burn and she lowered her gaze to the room of ponies. There was no way Velvet could be content working at her parents' bakery. She was meant for ballet and nothing less.
Her hooves started to carry her toward an empty spot along the barre to begin stretching. She would get a spot in the Royal Ballet. There would be no doubt or indecision to hold her back.
And that was when reality came crashing down on her like a cartwheeling pony. Or, in this case, by a cartwheeling pony.
"Sorry!" a voice bubbled between giggles. "Got a little carried away!"
Velvet blinked a few times, trying to get her wits back about her. She was on the ground, her side throbbed with pain, and there was a giggling magenta pony on top of her. "What?" She groaned as the other mare stood up and offered a hoof, which Velvet reluctantly accepted. "Were you doing cartwheels?"
The mare nodded, her tri-color mane of aquamarine, teal, and light violet curls bouncing with the motion. "Yup! They're super fun. You should try it!" She paused, then waved a hoof. "But maybe don't crash into ponies when you do it."
Velvet just stared as her mouth hung open. She gave a quick shake of her head and exclaimed, "But there aren't cartwheels in ballet!"
"No?" She tilted her head. "Really?"
Velvet gawked. "What kind of ballet company do you come from where they do cartwheels?!"
"I don't!" The mare giggled.
"Then..." Velvet slowly raised a hoof to rub her forehead. "You do realize that these are auditions for a ballet company, right? The Royal Ballet of Equestria?"
"Yup!"
"And you're not a ballerina?"
"Nope!"
Velvet frowned. "Then what are you doing here?"
The mare puffed her chest and beamed as she replied simply, "Having fun, of course! Isn't that why all of us are here?"
"No. Some of us are here to—" Velvet's words were strangled by a sudden pang of déjà vu and her brow furrowed. Slowly, her gaze fell before lifting back to the stained glass mural. Had she really almost forgotten what was important to her?
Princess Celestia's figure gazed back at her, fondly, patiently, waiting for her to figure it out on her own. After a moment of consideration, Velvet smiled. Did the princess really want a ballet company full of no-nonsense Perennials? No way. She was too benevolent to allow that kind of nightmare to happen.
"You're right." Velvet looked back at the mare and grinned. "Let's kill time before our auditions! I bet I can do twenty fouettés before you can do twenty cartwheels, you, uh—what's your name?"
"Toola Roola! And you are so on!" Toola hopped up onto her hindlegs, her forelegs stretched in the air. "Three..."
Velvet stood up as well. "Two..."
"One!"
Velvet pushed off with one leg to begin her first spin and tried not to laugh at how Toola giggled and flipped about. No matter what, she had to keep in mind that none of it was worth it if she wasn't enjoying herself, even if that meant a bunch of ponies staring as she and Toola made quite the strange display of movement in the middle of the room.
---
Nightingale squealed as she held Velvet's hooves and bounced up and down in her seat, her wings fluttering to aid her movement. The other ponies in Sunridge Sweets glanced over with curious looks, but Nightingale paid them no mind. "I can't believe it, I can't believe it, I can't believe it!"
Velvet laughed and tried to put on a sulky expression. "What, seriously? You can't? I'm hurt! Where is the faith?"
"Oh, you know what I mean!" Nightingale let go to instead wrap her forelegs around Velvet's neck. "This is so exciting! You're going to be in the Royal Ballet!"
"Not just in the Royal Ballet." Velvet stuck her nose in the air. "But as a soloist, too!"
The reality of it all hadn't quite set in yet. When the names had been called out of who made the cut and Velvet heard hers, everything became a big blur. Disbelief, elation, surprise, joy—all of it collided together and had left her feeling blissfully numb. Her parents had showered them with free celebration sweets, though, and that was real enough to enjoy.
Nightingale, on the other hoof, was anything but numb as she continued to make high-pitched titters of excitement. "We have to celebrate. We have to celebrate right now!"
With another laugh, Velvet shook her head and pulled away. "No can do! Right now, I have to go home and prepare to make Crystal think I failed so I can watch her squirm."
"That's cruel." Nightingale wagged a hoof at her. "Why are you so mean to her?"
"Because it's fun?" Though a raised cupcake only barely hid Velvet's grin, the wiggle of her ears gave away her amusement. She took a bite and continued, "You have no idea how cute it is when she gets upset."
Nightingale leaned back in her seat and sighed. "Remind me not to become your best friend."
Velvet blinked a few times. "What? Aw, come on, you're my second best friend!"
"Velvet!" Sunbeam called as she came around the counter. "Velvet, I had the most wonderful idea." She flashed a smile at Nightingale. "Sorry, sugarcup, I don't mean to interrupt, but if I don't share this I'll forget."
"It's no problem, Mrs. Sunbeam!" Nightingale took a sip from her milkshake, though her ears were both angled forward to pay close attention.
"What's up, Mom?" Velvet licked her lips to clean them of stray frosting.
Sunbeam sat down and drummed her hooves on the table. "Well, I was thinking about Crystal's upcoming wedding shower. It's going to be hosted at the palace, so it has to be a very special cake, don't you think?"
Velvet nodded idly. "Yeah, I guess so."
"Picture this." Sunbeam raised her hooves to gesture vaguely. "White frosting, of course, because this is for a wedding shower. But underneath is a surprise! A pink cake for Crystal, with blue hearts all throughout for Silent! Can you imagine the surprise of cutting into it and seeing that inside?" She giggled. "Oh, it'll be so scrumdiddlyumptious! Nothing short of perfect for my little daughter from another mother!"
Nightingale finished slurping her milkshake to chime, "I think that'd be really cool! How do you do that?"
Sunbeam winked. "A magician never reveals their secrets, my dear!"
Velvet snorted and lowered her cupcake. "It's easy. You just—" She grinned when a hoof clamped over her mouth. "Mmfffm!"
"What's that?" Sunbeam's ears wiggled. "You promise to stay late to help clean up tomorrow to make up for skipping out today so you can torment Crystal? Why, all right, thank you, sweetums!" She withdrew her hoof. "You're such a wonderful and thoughtful daughter. Okay, I'm going to get work on the first attempt at Crystal's wedding shower cake." She stood and trotted back into the bakery's kitchen.
"Your mom is the best." Nightingale sighed. "My mom is so normal and boring compared to yours."
"Oh, it's okay. You're not the only one with lame parents compared to mine." Velvet leaned back, grinning. "I have pretty much the best parents ever. Anyway, I need to head home. Once I'm done with my Crystal torture, I'll swing by your place and we can head out for karaoke night to celebrate, okay?"
Nightingale snorted, swatted a hoof at Velvet, but nodded nonetheless. "Okay, okay. I can't wait!"
Velvet's grin widened as she imagined the many different ways Crystal would react. Anger? Maybe a pillow to the face? Would she just huff and storm off? Threaten to never be friends again? Or would she just laugh because, honestly, after so many years of pranks, how did she keep falling for Velvet's traps?
With a devious snicker, Velvet simply replied, "Me neither."
Every light in the condo was turned off to reflect Velvet's feigned despair. She lounged on the sofa, her back facing the front door, waiting for Crystal to come home.
After an hour had passed according to the clock on the wall, Velvet's resolve was starting to wane. Maybe it would be better to just leave her a note and head out to party with Nightingale and some of the other Canterlot Ballet corps dancers. They were more Nightingale's friends than hers, but that didn't mean karaoke night wouldn't be a blast.
Soloist. Velvet pawed at the back cushion. No more faceless, nameless corps positions for her! In the much larger company of the Royal Ballet, she wouldn't have to fight the others for roles like the Evil Stepsisters. Those would be her bread and butter!
Of course, while she had a better chance of standing out as a soloist than a corps dancer—or, as the Royal Ballet called them, artists and first artists—there were more ponies overall. The company was four times bigger than the Canterlot Ballet, in fact.
The lock clicked and the door swung open. Light poured in as Crystal announced, "I'm home!"
It was showtime.
"How was dinner?" Velvet kept her back to Crystal, but one ear swiveled back, hoping to catch every distinct intonation to paint the picture that she couldn't see.
"As could be expected, I suppose." Her tone was cautious, with a hint of worried. The feeling carried to her hoofsteps that slowly approached. "How was your day?"
Velvet had practiced the lines to ensure her wording was precise, so her focus was instead on her voice. She had to sound bitter, but not too bitter or Crystal might pick up on the lie. She had to sound like she was bitter but trying not to be bitter. It was a delicate balance, but if anypony could do it, Velvet was certain it was her.
"I didn't even remotely make the cut for a principal dancer."
Crystal's voice wavered a little with uncertainty. "Well, ah, that's all right, isn't it? There are so many other ranks—"
Bitter interruption! "Or a first artist. Or even an artist."
"Ah, I see." Crystal paused, likely puzzling through the difference in rank names. "Those are the corps, are they not?"
Velvet grinned. She could read Crystal like a book without even looking at her.
"Would you really have been happy continuing in the background?"
It was endearing how hard Crystal was trying. It almost—almost—made Velvet feel bad about this little game. "At least it would have been better than remaining stagnant." Her tail lashed as she choked back the amusement in her voice. "You're really bad at this comforting thing tonight."
"I'm sorry! I really am, I just, Velvet, I'm sorry. You tried and I'm so proud that you did. You've worked so hard to prepare for today and I'm proud of you even if you—"
A pause. Velvet's ear flicked. Was Crystal catching on?
"Velvet, you're not messing with me, are you?"
Velvet snorted as she tried not to laugh. She wasn't ready to give up on frustrating Crystal just yet. She pushed herself up and turned to glare in Crystal's direction. "Are you saying I'm lying just to lull you into some kind of trap?" Yup! "About something as important as this?!"
"I'm sorry!" Crystal's ears flicked back and she lowered her gaze. "I'm sorry, that was such a stupid thing to say, I—"
Another round of bitter interruption, but this time with a little flare of anger thrown in! "Because I can tell you right now, if you'd even believe me or whatever, that I'm not lying! I didn't make principal or first artist or artist!" The most glorious part of all was that she was, in fact, not lying.
"Velvet—"
As her ears folded back, Velvet realized her mane was down. She tried to quickly push that thought from her mind as she delivered the final, killing blow. "Believe it or not, all I got was an offer to be a soloist!"
Crystal gave a panicked shake of her head. "I'm really sorry! I do believe you! I just—I just—"
Velvet grinned as she saw the gears click into place as Crystal's brow furrowed. Oh, yes, the look on her face was totally worth it.
Realization crashed in all at once as Crystal bolted upright and glared. "Velvet, you tramp!" She stomped a hoof. "This is exactly why I have these doubts when you give me bad news!" She hopped onto the coffee table to get the higher ground before pouncing on Velvet and exclaiming, "I'll never trust you again but I'm so thrilled you made it in!"
Velvet burst into the laughter she had been holding in, wrapping her forelegs around Crystal and hugging her. "I'm sorry!" She gasped for air and managed, "I just can't help it. You're so much fun to mess with!" She grinned so wide that it hurt. "I made it. I did it. I'm in the Royal Ballet!"
Crystal trembled with excitement as she squealed and hugged Velvet back, almost squeezing the life out of her. "That's so wonderful!"
It was starting to feel real. Seeing the excitement on Crystal's face, hearing it in her voice, and feeling it in her tight embrace was the most real it had felt since the ballet master had announced the names.
She had really done it. It wasn't a dream. And now, it was time to celebrate.
---
The Fillyharmonic was a great karaoke bar. The selection of songs was amazing, the food was great, and a gaggle of mares dressed up to party could easily earn free drinks if they made eye contact with a lone pony long enough. Lazuli had brought a couple vials of Crystal Empire coat glitter for them all, so it was hard for them to go unnoticed.
"Is it all right to keep getting drinks like this?" Dawn asked in a voice that was just barely above a whisper. She had her mane tied up in pigtails rather than braided down and a pink ribbon around the dock of her tail.
Ocean Starlight laughed and clapped the little mare on the back. "Of course it is! None of us are asking them to bring drinks."
Velvet, sitting on the other side of Dawn, offered a grin. "Are you enjoying yourself?"
Dawn smiled and gave a small nod. "Mmhm."
"Then let the drinks pour in! Come on!" Nightingale clapped her hooves. "We'd get even more if one of you sexy fillies got on that stage and put on a little show, too!"
Ocean pointed at Velvet. "This is your celebration, girl! Get up there and act like it!"
Velvet tossed her head back, laughing. "All right, all right!" She rose from her seat. "Who wants to join me?"
"No thanks." Lazuli waved a hoof. "I'm a light director, not a singer!"
Dawn squeaked in a tiny voice, "I'll go."
Velvet hesitated. The main reason she had invited Dawn in the first place was out of hope that she and Ocean might hit it off. But then again, maybe if Dawn sang and danced a little, that might spark something. It was worth a shot!
"All right, then, let's do this!" Velvet grabbed Dawn's hoof and the two started toward the stage. "Let's see, let's see..." She grinned at the song list. "Oh! Perfect!"
Dawn swallowed. "U-Um, actually, maybe this was a bad—"
The music started up, wholesome and bubbly. Velvet just flashed her a grin, bumped their shoulders together, and sang as the lyrics appeared on the screen, "Mrs. Sandmare, bring me a dream!"
Dawn's voice trembled a little as she chimed in, "Make—Make him the cutest, that I've ever seen."
"Give him two lips, like roses and clover." Velvet put a hoof to her lips and blew a kiss to the crowd, earning a few whistles and hollers their way. "Then tell him that his lonesome nights are over!"
The smiles and general approval from the crowd seemed to loosen Dawn up. She stood a little taller and by the end of the song, she had even started to wiggle a little bit with the upbeat music.
Velvet tossed her mane and she pressed her cheek to Dawn's. Dawn giggled and together they finished, "Please, please, please, Mrs. Sandmare, won't you bring us a dream!"
"Oh my gosh," Dawn whispered as they were showered with hoof stomps and whistles. "That was kind of fun!"
"You bet your cute rump it was!" Velvet grinned and they trotted back to their table.
As they approached, the look in Nightingale's eyes caught Velvet off guard. There was a smile on her face, but it was halfhearted at best. Velvet returned it with a frown and mouthed, "What?"
Nightingale glanced between Velvet and Dawn, then gave a meaningful flick of one ear. She had been against Velvet's idea of trying to hook Dawn up with Ocean, and she had been even more against bringing Dawn in the first place. A mistake, she called it. Might give Dawn the wrong idea, she said.
Velvet rolled her eyes and just sat down. Well, what was she supposed to do? Dawn had been so lonely while Velvet was training with Perennial. This was a great opportunity to knock out two birds with one stone, and Velvet wasn't going to pass it up!
"So," Velvet started, glancing between the mares at the table, "anypony else going to take a shot at singing?"
Dawn's ears wiggled. "I'll go again!"
Nightingale shot another frown Velvet's way, but quickly relented with a begrudging smile as she turned her gaze toward Ocean. "Pretty sure it's your turn!"
Ocean shrugged and stood. "Okay, okay, I'll go! Come on, Dawn, let's show Velvet what a real song is!"
While the two started toward the stage, Lazuli leaned forward. "So, Velvet, you'll have to get us backstage passes to a Royal Ballet show as soon as you can." She steepled her hooves. "I want to see what the equipment looks like at a company with a bigger, better budget."
Velvet laughed. "It might be a while before I have that clout, you know."
"You'll figure it out." Lazuli grinned. "You managed to get in, so everything else will be as easy as rock candy!"
Velvet choked, her ears shooting straight up. "What?"
Lazuli's grin fell. "Oh, sorry. It's a phrase in the Crystal Empire. Every crystal pony went through a phase of making rock candy as foals since, well, it's somewhat our thing. Crystal Empire, crystal ponies, crystallized sugar..."
"Oh." Velvet cleared her throat. "Right." She quickly looked away and spotted the cutest stallion she could find by himself. "I think I see another potential drink! Look cute, ladies!"
---
Velvet tripped over her own hoof and wobbled, Dawn and Nightingale walking on either side of her to keep her upright.
"I'm fine!" she yelled.
Dawn giggled. "I'm not too sure about that." She lifted her head to look over Velvet at Nightingale. "Um, I don't live too far from here. She can sleep off the alcohol on my couch."
Nightingale shook her head. "Probably best if we take her to my place. I live close to the ballet studio, so she can go straight there after she inevitably wakes up late from a hangover."
"Oh." Dawn blinked. "But she usually gets up so early, even when she's drunk."
"Usually, huh?" Nightingale jabbed an elbow into Velvet's side, frowning.
Dawn just flushed and averted her gaze. Velvet glared at the both of them and loudly announced, "We shall do no such thing! Neither! Nada!" She came to a halt and glared up at Nightingale. "Where does Perennial live?"
"What?" Nightingale's brow furrowed. "Uh, why?"
"I gots words for her." Velvet tilted her head back to try to peer down her nose at Nightingale despite their difference in height. "You like to tell ponies where other ponies live." She waved a hoof. "You will take me to Perennial's!"
Nightingale stared. Velvet stared back. Finally, Nightingale shrugged, hooked her foreleg around Velvet's, and started walking. "Come on, Dawn, I want to see where this is going."
Dawn blinked and hurried to stay at Velvet's side. "Is—Is this a good idea? She's pretty drunk..."
Nightingale shrugged. "She's an adult. Adults can make mistakes. Especially when I'm around to watch them!"
"Yeah!" Velvet chimed, grinning at Dawn. "I'm an adult!"
Dawn bit her lip, but nodded and didn't say anything else as they made their way through the streets of Canterlot.
The buildings started to stand a little taller and their faces looked a little nicer the further the mares ventured. Velvet's lips curled into an 'o' shape when she saw the sign for the district they were entering: Canterlot Heights.
"Damn, Perry lives good," Velvet commented as she looked around. "This neighborhood fancy."
"Well, she and Beryl do both make pretty good money," Nightingale said with a shrug. "Perennial sometimes works as a principal guest artist for the Royal Ballet."
Velvet frowned. "Really?"
Nightingale nodded. "Yup! And we're here!" She gestured at a tall condominium complex. "Still sure you wanna do this?"
"You bet your cinnamon buns I do." Velvet started forward. "Don't stop me now! I'm going to just thank her for helping me out and then we'll be on our way."
"Oh, is that all?" Nightingale sighed. "I was hoping for something kinda more dramatic than that." She tugged Velvet back when they approached a stallion standing outside the main door. "Hi, Porter!"
The stallion tipped his hat. "Hello, Miss Nightingale. Been a while."
Nightingale smiled, fluttering her eyelashes. "Aww, you remember me?"
Porter winked at her. He was a charming older stallion with a jet black mane and sparkling blue eyes. "I never forget a pretty face. What are you doing out and about at this hour of the night?"
"Well, my girls and I were out at the Fillyharmonic when we remembered that Perennial said she had wanted to come with us, so we're here to pick her up!"
"That so? Miss Perennial, the Fillyharmonic? Are we talking about the same mare?" He grinned.
"Oh, you!" Nightingale giggled and flicked out a wing to playfully slap Porter's shoulder.
Porter chuckled as he stepped to the side and his magic pulled the door open. "Well, maybe a fun night out might do her some good."
"Thanks!" Nightingale led the two mares inside. Velvet just stumbled and wobbled while Nightingale held onto her foreleg, and Dawn glanced around nervously.
"What if he finds out you lied?" Dawn asked in a whisper.
Nightingale shrugged. "Oh, he won't mind. Worst case, I'll just take him out on a date and explain the whole thing. He'll understand."
"Oh." Dawn fell into step beside Velvet, a confused frown crossing her face.
They walked in silence as Nightingale brought them to the second floor. Velvet idly noted that there were only six doors total in the hallway: one at each end, two along the left wall, and two along the right. She clicked her tongue, trying to gauge just how big they were on the inside.
Her thoughts were cut off, however, when Nightingale stopped and announced, "Here we are!"
"Perry!" Velvet yelled, slamming her hoof on the door in front of her. "Wakey wakey! Open up!"
Dawn and Nightingale giggled behind her and a few moments later, the door opened up to reveal a frowning Perennial. Velvet squealed as she tumbled forward to lie sprawled at Perennial's hooves.
"What in Celestia's name are you doing at this unspeakable hour?" Perennial asked, glaring down at her. "And why are you on the floor?"
"I'm fine!" Velvet jumped back up and squinted at her. She swayed some but otherwise remained upright. "I'm here to thank you."
Perennial blinked. "At two in the morning?"
Velvet just nodded.
Perennial released a low groan, one hoof raising to her forehead. "How did you convince the stallion to let you in? Oh, I will most definitely have a talk with him in the morning." The hoof lowered and she waggled it. "All right, then. Your thanks has been received. Kindly leave now, and please don't ever do this again."
Velvet remained where she was, continuing to squint. "Mmm, nope."
"'Nope'?" Perennial sighed. "What now?"
"I have always wanted to do this." Velvet stepped forward, slapped her hoof to the back of Perennial's neck, and jerked the mare down into a hard kiss. It didn't last very long at all, as Perennial was quick to jump away and Velvet wasn't nearly sober enough to hold on.
"Go to Tartarus!" Perennial shrieked, slamming the door shut.
Velvet grinned and turned toward her companions. Dawn stared with wide eyes while Nightingale had a hoof slapped over her mouth to keep from laughing. "Totally worth it. 'Kay, ready to go home now." And with that, she fell forward, hit the ground, and was out like a light.
---
Velvet thought she was ready for her first day of practice at the Royal Ballet.
She had been wrong.
There were at least four times as many dancers in the company as there had been at the Canterlot Ballet. That alone was a fact that was much more surprising in pony. Faces were everywhere: principal dancers, first soloists, soloists, first artists, and artists were all mingling and getting to know one another.
Velvet swallowed and looked around. It was like the first day of school all over again. Except she was a strong, confident mare now, so what was there to be nervous about? She puffed out her chest and started toward the first pony she saw that caught her eye: a stallion, of all things.
"Hi there!" Velvet flashed a smile. "I'm Velvet Step!"
The stallion's wings twitched as he looked down at her, blinking a few times before smiling. He had a coat that was a muted greyish-blue color and a dark purple mane with shocks of silver strands like shooting stars across the night sky.
"Hi," he replied, bobbing his head. "Ephemeral Moon."
Velvet's smile curled into a grin. "I'm gonna call you Moony."
"Uh." His brow furrowed. "Most ponies call me Eph, actually."
"Well, I'm not most ponies, Moony!" She tossed her head to look around the room. So many ponies. "Oh, hey, look! Another stallion! This is crazy. Back at the Canterlot Ballet, it was all mares."
Ephemeral chuckled and shrugged. "That's how it tends to go, so, you know. Mares rule the world, and all that."
Velvet waved a dismissive hoof, then pointed at a sky blue stallion standing a few paces away. "Yeah, yeah. Look, he's a pegasus, too! Do you know him?"
"Do you know her?" Ephemeral pointed at a nearby earth pony mare.
Velvet rolled her eyes. "No, but I'm also not a stallion in the world of ballet. You should get to know him. I'm sure it'll come in handy to stick together, you know?" Her ear flicked as a hoof clicked against the floor, drawing all attention to the stage.
A stallion and a mare stood with a three rows of ponies lined up behind them. Were they the staff? Velvet blinked a few times. There were more staff members here than there had been dancers in the Canterlot Ballet!
"Hello, fillies and colts," the mare said, her voice carrying across the room. "We're very happy to see some new faces out there. For those of you who have stayed with us, please be sure to get to know your new fellow dancers. Let's ensure there are no odd ponies out. We are a team, not elementary school."
The stallion continued, "Now, let's take a moment to introduce our staff so the new ponies know who is who. I am Firebird and this is Raine. We are your ballet master and mistress here at the Royal Ballet."
Raine stepped to the side and gestured to the ponies behind her that stepped forward when their name was called. "This is Snapshot, your resident choreographer. Musical Dreams, your music director. Spotlight, your lighting director..."
Velvet's head started to spin as too many titles went by for directors of this and resident that, assistant to this pony and manager for those ponies. There were physiotherapists, fillates instructors, occupational psychologists... They even had masseurs on hoof! Sure, the Canterlot Ballet would have regularly scheduled wellness days where they would get physical health checkups and whatnot, but to have masseurs just hanging around?
It was overwhelming, and she hadn't even started dancing yet. Velvet swallowed, glanced up at Ephemeral, and asked, "Are you new, or, uh, what?"
He shook his head. "Nope. This is my second year."
"Oh." Her ears folded back.
"But," he continued, offering her a small smile, "I was shocked when I had this orientation meeting, too. They really, really take great care of the dancers here."
Velvet tried to return the smile. "How long does it take before ponies become spoiled divas?"
Ephemeral laughed softly and shrugged. "I'm not a spoiled diva yet, so longer than two years, I'd say."
With a growing grin, Velvet returned her attention to the introductions and rest of the orientation speech. Once it was over, they were invited to a buffet—of only healthy foods, of course—to continue a self-guided meet and greet for the rest of the day.
Grueling. Life in the Royal Ballet was absolutely grueling.
There was no margin for error. No allowance for mistakes. Every slip-up, every falter, every stumble—all of it was seen by the unnervingly keen eyes of Firebird.
The ballet mistress and master made a great team. Raine would instruct while Firebird watched, waiting for his chance to strike.
Today, they were going through the routine for a group dance in one of the acts. It was like being in the corps again, which should have given her some kind of familiar comfort, but it was much, much harder. They didn't work together on a regular basis. They hadn't spent years or even months getting used to each other's movements.
She was trained to take cues from her corps partners, but she had none. She was a soloist. That word suddenly had a new meaning to her at that moment.
"Free Winds!" Firebird snapped, bringing the practice to a halt. All eyes turned on the ballet master as he approached the pegasus in question. "Everypony, observe." He stood a few paces away and the nearby dancers spread out to make room. "Free Winds, please run through the last four steps again."
The stallion blinked, then nodded. He rose up a little higher, wings clasped tight to his sides, and went through the routine. Everypony stared, trying to spot what Firebird had seen. His movements were nigh flawless. Velvet's ear twitched in light irritation. Where was it? Where was the mistake?
Firebird clapped a hoof against the ground. "Perfect. Everypony, I hope you paid attention. Free Winds here keeps exceptional balance through the last turn. Watch his hooves. I fear some of you are confused as to where the left forehoof should be." He smiled. "Let's take it from the top and keep what Winds did in mind. Everypony in position..."
All right. Velvet rose up onto her hind hooves. Keep the left forehoof moving throughout the turns. Never let it rest. This whole performance was about movement. It was, after all, 'The Little Mermare' and a lot of the scenes took place underwater, so that made sense. Move like the ocean waves. Like seaweed. Or a school of fish.
The lunch hour rolled around and Raine called out, "All right, break time, dancers! Break time."
Groans from aching muscles responded as the dancers dropped down onto all fours. Velvet looked over at Ephemeral and snorted. "You haven't even broken a sweat!"
Ephemeral shrugged. "It's only been a few hours."
"Show off," she huffed and flashed a smile at the mare carrying a tray of cucumber water. She accepted one of the little cups and tossed it back, slices of cucumber and all.
"Not really. Not intentionally, anyway." He chuckled lightly. "You get used to it. Just make sure to stay hydrated." He blinked when Velvet swiped the cup of water right out of his hoof. "Hey!"
Velvet grinned. "Taking your advice!" She chugged the drink before giving an exaggeratedly loud smack of her lips. "Yeah, that did help, you're right!"
Glancing between the empty cup and her, he finally raised one brow. "You're an odd mare, did you know that?"
"Yup!" She gave a laugh that quieted as the hairs on the back of her neck rose. "Hey, uh, Moony. Personal question?"
His ear flicked and he tightened his grip on the second cup of water he had retrieved. "What?"
"This performance. The Little Mermare." Her tone lowered as she asked, "Do you think merponies actually exist?"
After a moment of confusion playing on his face, he shrugged. "What kind of nonsensical question is that?"
Velvet frowned. Irritation flared, but she swallowed and tried to stand taller. "It's a simple question. We're doing a play involving them. So do you think they exist or not? Aren't you curious?"
"Sure, why not." He shrugged again. "Can't say I've ever met one, but there's more than enough weirdness to go around Equestria."
Weirdness. Like giant cockatrices or princesses turned into nightmares. She averted her gaze and tried to really take a good look at the ponies all around her. They were normal, weren't they?
"Yeah," she finally replied in a mutter. "I guess you're right."
Somewhere in the ocean there may or may not be a city of merponies. Were they friendly? Neutral? What were they like? What else was out there?
"Velvet Step!" a stallion called from across the studio, pulling her out of her swirling thoughts. "Somepony is looking for you!"
Velvet blinked and turned her head to look in the stallion's direction. "What? Who?" When she received a shrug in response, she started walking over. Was it Crystal? Maybe Nightingale! Or—"Thunder Tumble?" She skidded to a halt, her eyes going wide. "What the ever-loving hay?"
Thunder Tumble wasn't alone. Perched on his back was a giant teddy bear. Under one foreleg, he clutched a heart-shaped box that Velvet recognized as the kind for sale on Hearts and Hooves day that contained assorted chocolates. The cherry on top, however, was a large bouquet of red roses that he had held in his mouth.
"Hi," he managed, the bouquet bouncing some from his jaw moving.
"What the—" She took a step back. "What." Her gaze darted about as she tried to piece things together. "What?"
Tumble bobbed his head toward her and, reluctantly, she took the bouquet so that he could say, "I, uh, I'm here." His wings flared just slightly, the feathers fluffing out to make him look bigger than he already was. "I'm here to court you properly, Velvet."
Velvet furrowed her brow. "But why? I thought—Didn't we talk about this? I'm sorry, Tumbler, but—"
"Right." He nodded. "I know. You have a lot of pride, and I respect that. So, maybe flowers and chocolates and stuffed animals aren't your thing. Got it." He glanced at the heart-shaped box, then held it out to her. "I'll figure something else out until I get it right!"
The smile he flashed her was handsome. Overwhelmingly so. The impact of it made her knees tremble, but she kept a stiff upper lip. "Tumbler. No, sorry." She pushed the box back toward him. "Thunder Tumble. Look, you're great. Really great! But it's not a matter of pride. Crystal Wishes is my best friend, and her fiancé is Silent Knight. Do you see what I'm getting at?"
His ears folded back. "I... I don't?"
"You're too close to Crystal." She sighed and held the bouquet out to him. "You're hot, stud, okay? Go give this stuff to any other mare and I bet you'll do fine." She patted her hoof on his, then took a few steps back.
Fiddlesticks! The look he gave her was downright pitiful. She had to tear her gaze away before the guilt piled on any higher.
"So, yeah," she continued around the lump in her throat. "We clear?"
"Yes, ma'am," he said in a quiet voice. She heard his hoofsteps moving away from her, so she started back to the dancers, a weight pressing down on her shoulders.
"What was that about?" Ephemeral asked, his brow raising when she shot him a dirty look. "Nevermind."
Velvet sighed and shook her head. "No, sorry. Nothing. It's actually nothing. Just a miscommunication."
"A miscommunication involving roses, chocolates, and a teddy bear?" He rolled his shoulders in a light shrug, rising up to balance on his hindlegs when Raine started tapping for their attention. "Well, good timing on resolving it, at least."
"Yeah." She sucked in a deep breath and held it.
Focus on work. Focus on being a piece of seaweed. A lowly little weed of the sea. Yeah, that seemed appropriate right then.
---
How had time slipped away from her? Velvet raced through the streets, skidding on the cobblestone as she took a turn a little too fast. Oh, she knew how. 'Let's run through that one more time!' One more time her pretty pink posterior. Five practice runs later and she was late!
As she burst into Sunridge Sweets, she did her best not to sound too out of breath as she called, "Mom! Dad! I'm here! I'm late! I'm sorry!" She made her way to and around the counter. "They wouldn't let us leave until we had nailed the routine. Seriously, this new choreographer is a real—" She froze when she saw a familiar blue mare sitting in the middle of the backroom. "Azurite?"
Sunbeam looked up from the decorating table. "Cute and tiny?"
"Willing to do your work for you?" Pepper offered.
Azurite beamed. "Hi!" She held Red's hoof in her own and waved it, melting Velvet's heart.
Velvet laughed softly and shook her head. "Actually, I was going to say a pony's rump, but sure, that all works, too. Hey, Azurite." She leaned against the table to survey her mother's work, then looked back at Azurite. "How are things going?"
"Good. So far, anyway." Azurite started bouncing Red on her knee, keeping her gaze focused on him. "I tricked Sunny and Soarin into meeting for dinner. So now I'm gonna hide here! I don't want to accidentally spill the beans before Wednesday. I'm not a great liar, so... tada!" She wiggled Red's forelegs. "Here I am!"
Velvet didn't think of herself as particularly possessive of Red, but watching somepony else play with him was a little off-putting. She wanted to play with him. She had worked her tail off all day to come to the bakery, help out her parents, and play with the cutest thing in Equestria!
"Well," Velvet finally said, deciding to take action on her little case of jealousy by walking over to Azurite. "That's a start, I guess." She held out her hooves expectantly.
"Aww!" Azurite stuck out her bottom lip in a pout. Before handing him over, she nuzzled his mane and breathed in. Yeah, new foal smell was pretty addicting. Velvet couldn't deny that.
Red squealed in delight as he was given over, squirming in Velvet's embrace to nuzzle up against her. A happy feeling bloomed in her chest like cookies rising in the oven and Velvet tried not to look as pleased as she felt. Then a thought struck her mood right back down. "You're, uh—You're not hiding out here all the time until Wednesday, are you?"
Azurite shook her head. "Nope! I'll just be here until dinner time. Then I can go home, shove food in my mouth, and be unable to ruin my own plan! And then I can keep Soarin preoccupied until bedtime."
Velvet snorted. Preoccupied, huh? By shoving something else in her mouth to keep quiet?
Sunbeam looked over and chimed in a sugary sweet voice, "You can stay here as long as you like, blueberry crumbcake. Velvet is just a little cranky." She giggled. "Maybe we should put her down for a nap along with Red."
"Mom!" Velvet shot her a light glare. "You do remember that Azurite showed up at my place to fight me, right? Aren't you, like, giving aid to the enemy right now?"
Sunbeam waved a hoof in response. "Oh, hush, sweetie. You're the one who went on a date with her marefriend. It's only fair. Besides, just look at her! She isn't the type to do anypony any harm."
With all of the hardened resolve she could muster, Velvet looked at Azurite, ready to defeat her in a staring contest. And then Azurite smiled.
"Ugh." Velvet sighed. "Why do you have to be so cute?"
Azurite puffed out her chest and replied, "Soarin says I'm fun sized!"
Velvet's ears shot straight up. Oh, she bet he did say that! She tossed her head back and laughed, which prompted Red into bubbling laughter along with her. "Okay," she managed once her amusement had calmed enough for speech, "so clearly trying to stay some level of angry at you is totally not going to work."
"Yay?" Azurite tilted her head.
Sunbeam got up from her seat while Pepper started to collect the finished cupcakes into boxes. "Okay, sugarlumps!" She kissed Velvet's cheek, then leaned down to kiss the top of Red's head. "We're going to go deliver this order. Mind the store and be sure Red gets fed and a nap. Oh!" She smiled at Velvet. "And be nice to Azurite, sweetums!"
Velvet feigned a roll of her eyes, but smiled nonetheless. "All right, all right. See you later tonight, Mom, Dad."
Once her parents had left, Velvet's gaze wandered over to the little blue mare. This was going to be awkward. She'd have to go stand behind the counter in case any stray ponies came at the late hour looking for sweets, but she didn't want to leave Red with Azurite. For some reason, she was feeling possessive of her brother.
She could just take Red up to the front with her, but then Azurite would be alone. Or she'd just follow her and stand beside her, which would be just as awkward as things were right at that moment.
Well, there hadn't been anypony in line when she arrived, and the only chime of the bells she had heard was her parents leaving. She could just hang out in the backroom to get in her Red playtime and keep an ear out for any ringing.
How long had they just been staring at each other? Azurite was fidgeting and looking pretty nervous. Probably too long.
"So," Velvet started, grasping for any sort of conversation starter, "you're a royal guard like Silent Knight?"
"Oh, no!" Azurite shook her head and waved her hooves. "I don't think there is anypony that is a royal guard like Silent Knight." She dropped her hooves into her lap. "I'm a warrant officer. Which is kind of a specialist. Not a pony who stands guard or anything. Most of my work is just doing paperwork for other ponies in the Guard. Retirement, medical, you know, that sorta thing."
Velvet didn't know, but she instead focused on the part she could relate to. She snorted and offered a light grin. "Well, at least you get Silent Knight, Grumpypants Extraordinaire." She shifted Red from one foreleg to the other while he tried to chew on her coat. "Do you know how long it took for him and Crystal to get together?"
"I don't." Azurite's ears flicked. "I don't know him half as well as I know Sunny. Or even half of half, really."
Taking the seat across from Azurite and setting Red in her lap, Velvet settled in for what would be her best performance ever. "Well, you've got time to kill, and I think you'll get a kick out of this. It took them like, a year, and it's quite a story. Hey, it might even give you some perspective on your situation or something!"
Azurite leaned in, her eyes going wide. "Sure! I'm all ears!"
"Okay." Velvet slid three of the cupcakes that hadn't made the cut for the order to sit in between them. She tossed some pink sprinkles on one, blue on another, and purple on another. "So there's Crystal, Silent, and, of course, me, right?"
She pushed the blue cupcake further away from the other two.
"So there's Silent over here, doing his thing. And Crystal's here all like"—She wiggled the pink cupcake and raised her voice to a higher pitch—"Oh woe is me I want to be in love but I just kind of sit around the condo and write stories and woe, woe, woe!"
She picked up the purple cupcake and held it up. "Don't give up, Crystal! You'll find somepony! Just get off your rump and find him!"
Azurite watched with way-too-adorable interest. So did Red. In fact, they both had the same looks on their faces. Apparently her storytelling methods for her little brother worked on Azurite. Good, because she wasn't really sure she knew how to tell a story any other way after way so many retellings of foal's tales with baked goods.
"No, no." The pink cupcake slid away just a little. "It's no use. I'll just write my stories and live through them. That's all I can do."
Velvet set the Crystalcake and Velvetcake aside and picked up the Silentcake. "So then, apparently, Silent met Crystal and they had this moment with a book or something. And Luna was there. Uh."
She set another cupcake beside the Silentcake. "Greetings, citizens! We are Princess Luna, and for some reason, we like Crystal's stories! So now we want to be friends with Crystal! And because Silent is our guard, he will be friends with her, too! I decree it so!"
All the cupcakes were pushed together. "Yay, we're all friends! But wait!" Velvetcake was pushed away, as was Lunacake. "Silent walked Crystal home one night, and then, poof!"
Crystalcake fell onto its side. "Oh! I do believe I have the vapors!"
Velvetcake slid over. "What?! What happened?"
"I have fallen..." Crystalcake jumped back upright. "In love!"
Velvetcake gasped. "You should tell him!"
"Oh, no, no." Crystalcake slid a little closer to Silentcake, but not too close. "I will just stare at him. All the time. And think about him. And write a story about him. But I'll never tell him. Because I'm stupid and I don't listen to Velvet so instead, I just wait around for a year sending these mixed signals."
Velvet lifted her gaze to look at Azurite. "Then you know what happened?"
Azurite shook her head. "What?"
"Crystal found out that Silent thought that she and I were..." She picked up Crystalcake and shoved it against Velvetcake.
After a moment, Azurite offered, "Fighting?"
Velvet shook her head and wiggled the cupcakes against each other.
"Dancing?"
Velvet picked up the Crystalcake, turned it upside down, and dropped it on top of the Velvetcake so their frosting and sprinkles got mixed together. Then she smooshed them even closer and made kissing sounds. Red joined in with squeals of delight at the cupcake mayhem.
Azurite blinked slowly. "Having adult happy fun times?"
"What?" Velvet sputtered into laughter. "Uh, yeah. Exactly. So, yes, Silent thought we were having adult happy fun times. Crystal told him that wasn't the case, so they started dating." She pulled Crystalcake away from Velvetcake and dropped it onto the Silentcake. "And now they're getting married!"
Azurite clapped her hooves together and even bounced up and down some. "Yay! And then they'll live happily ever after!" Her clapping slowed and she looked at the cupcakes. "I don't think that helps me at all, though. But it was a good story. I especially liked the part where there were cupcakes." One hoof started to slowly reach out. "Does this story include a snack?"
Velvet pushed the mess that was Crystalcake and Silentcake toward her. "Go for it." Offering the Lunacake to Red, she took her own cupcake for herself. "All Sunridge stories end with a snack."
"I'm going to have to come here for more stories if that's the case." Azurite paused, then frowned. "There's just one problem."
Velvet paused just before taking a bite. "What?"
Azurite's frown deepened. "I don't think I can eat them now that they're ponies. I'm not even sure I can pull these two apart. I mean, what if they're like voodoo cupcakes and I ruin their relationship by breaking up their cupcakes?"
Slowly, Velvet's gaze lowered to the foal in her lap. Frosting was all over his face and he had most of the cake itself shoved into his mouth. Then she looked up at the cupcake in her hoof. "You don't think that could happen, do you?"
"I don't want to find out the hard way that it could," Azurite admitted in a tiny voice.
"Me neither," Velvet said. She set her cupcake beside the others, then sighed. "I really hope we didn't just cupcake voodoo the princess."
The Mare Contraire was in full swing; there were so many new faces that Velvet almost didn't recognize the place. It had been a while since she’d last dropped by, but it hadn't been that long. It took a moment to get her bearings before she spied her target.
"Hey there!" Velvet chimed as she trotted over to the booth. "Got room for one more?"
Nightingale looked up from the conversation she was having with two other mares and smiled. "Oh, hi, Velvet! Sure! We're just discussing how you totally ruined our lives."
Velvet glanced around the table to offer an awkward grin to Ocean Starlight and Beryl Waltz. "Uh, what?"
Ocean Starlight leaned in, eyes wide and lips curled with interest. "Did you really kiss Perennial?"
Velvet blinked. "What? No?"
"Oh, sweet Celestia." Beryl slapped a hoof to her forehead and groaned. "You weren't kidding. She really was completely smashed."
Nightingale giggled and scooted over, patting the space next to her. "Velvet, dear, it's time we told you something."
Cautiously and slowly, Velvet lowered herself to sit, her eyes darting about. "Told me what?"
"You kissed Perennial," Ocean said.
"And now she's taking it out on all of us," Beryl continued.
"But you don't remember it because you had drank way too much," Nightingale finished.
Velvet stared straight ahead at nothing in particular as she wracked her memories. When was the last time she had drunk a bunch? That would be when she celebrated getting into the Royal Ballet, of course, so not even remotely long enough to forget something like kissing Perennial. Yeah, sure, she had thought about it, but not seriously thought about it.
She would never... would she?
"She really doesn't remember!" Ocean gawked. "The boldest thing a pony could ever do and she forgot?!"
Nightingale's wings fluttered as she laughed. "Well, she did pass out immediately after doing it."
Velvet finally squeaked, "Did I really kiss her?"
"Yes!" the three mares shouted at the same time.
Slowly, Velvet lowered her head into her hooves, then looked back up at them. "Oh my gosh. What did I do?"
"Well, for starters, you kissed Perennial," Nightingale said, wrapping a wing around Velvet. "Like, right on the lips. Then you passed out. Then Perennial came to practice furious and took it out on us the next day. And the next day."
Beryl scrunched up her nose. "Well, technically, she was just taking it out on you at first."
"Yeah, this is kind of your fault, too, Nightin." Ocean nodded. "By proxy of you being there, she blamed you. And by proxy of us trying to stand up for you, she blamed us."
Nightingale waved a hoof before gesturing at the still-shocked Velvet. "Let's just focus on Velvet, okay? Besides, I imagine she has quite the story to tell us, anyway."
Velvet's brow furrowed and she started to straighten up. "What? About how I can't believe I did something like kiss Perennial?"
"Nope! We're moving on from that. Didn't you have a special day recently?" Nightingale grinned.
"Uh, no?" Velvet started to lean away from her. "What did I do now?!"
"I don't know, you tell me!" Nightingale hooked her forelegs together and rested her chin on them while the other two glanced at each other. "A certain stallion came by the studio asking for a certain mare, so a certain friend directed him a certain way."
After a moment, Velvet's eyes narrowed. "Would that certain stallion be Thunder Tumble?"
Nightingale grinned. "Yup!"
"First Azurite, and now Tumbler? Seriously, could you stop giving out where I live and work to random ponies?" Velvet groaned and rubbed a growing ache between her eyes.
When Ocean and Beryl shot Nightingale skeptical looks, she exclaimed, "They're not random ponies! One was a guard and one was a suitor! Anypony else would have done the same."
"Yeah, that's true," Beryl mused quietly. She sighed and shook her head. "But, as much fun as it is to tease Velvet, I really do want to discuss the matter at hoof. I don't like the way Perennial is treating you two and the other corps dancers. We should really talk to the board about her behavior."
As invested as Velvet wanted to be, a bright array of colors walking over dragged her attention away. "Hey, sweet cheeks."
Velvet stiffened and swallowed. Oh, no. No, no, no. Nightingale may have known her secret, but Ocean and Beryl? It was too late, however. There was no room for escape. "H-Hey, Candy. What's up?"
Rock Candy reached out a hoof to trace a line from Velvet's chest, along her neck, and under her chin. It sent a shiver down Velvet's spine that she struggled against, but the weight of all the other mares' eyes on her only made it worse. "Thanks for sending that cute little treat my way. Kind of reminded me of you, except with a lot more trembling. Maybe next time, the three of us can—"
Another shiver coursed through Velvet, leaving a cold sensation in its wake. Her stomach turned on itself and she jerked away from Candy's touch. "What?" She shook her head to try to clear her thoughts.
It was hard to even imagine. Sweet, innocent little Dawn had been taken by Rock Candy. There was no way Velvet could believe Dawn enjoyed it. Knowing her, she probably just went along with it because Velvet had been foolish enough to mention Candy's name.
Her gaze fell to the hoof that had touched her and a sense of disgust filled her rather than the usual arousal. Candy was crude, rough, and dirty. Dawn was clean. Or, at least, she used to be.
"I don't think that's going to happen," Velvet said, her tone more venomous than she realized she felt. "Listen, it was fun, Candy, but I think it's best if we leave it at that."
Almost of their own accord, Velvet's hooves pulled her upright and she started toward the door. The words called after her faded away in the myriad of concerns consuming her. She had to check on Dawn. She had to make sure she was okay. Dawn was so fragile. What if Candy had been too rough with her?
It didn't take long for Velvet to make it to Dawn's place, especially given that she was running the whole way there. She knocked on the door a few times, panting to catch the breath she hadn't realized she lost along the way.
A moment later, Dawn answered and smiled. "Oh! Hi, Velvet."
Velvet glanced her over. She seemed to be in one piece. No visible bruising, and she stood solid on all four legs. Finally, Velvet heaved a sigh of relief and smiled. "Mind if I come in?"
Dawn stepped to the side. "Not at all! I just finished dinner a bit ago, but if you want, I can throw something together."
"Nah, I'm good. Just wanted to make sure you were okay." She took another look at Dawn before walking over to the couch. "Kinda been a while. Sorry about that! You know how it is, though. Super busy."
"Oh, yes." Dawn bit her lower lip. "I know how it is." An awkward silence held them until Dawn blurted out, "I don't think I like Candy. Rock Candy. The mare you like."
Velvet stiffened and waved her hooves. "Hey! That's okay! Listen, I don't like her. I liked my time with her. There's a difference, and anyway, just because I may like a mare or may like being with her or whatever doesn't mean you have to, too. We're different ponies, right?"
Dawn paused a moment, then giggled and settled onto the couch beside her. "I think that's definitely true. I… Well, I won't be seeing her again. She was too—too different. Too rough." Her gaze darted away. "I don't think I like that."
"Yeah, so, about that." Velvet swallowed. A lump was in her throat. Was she coming down with a cold? When was the last time she had gotten sick, anyway? She quickly shook her head and tried to smile. "So, look."
Dawn shifted uncomfortably. "Y-Yes?"
What could she say? How should she say it? Dawn needed a special somepony. Velvet could see that, but wasn't qualified to help her find one. She had let her fall into Rock Candy's hooves, for Celestia's sake! What if she pushed her in the wrong direction?
Velvet rubbed one foreleg against the other. She had to try. And, at the least, she could make sure Dawn wasn't lonely in the meantime. Her smile growing more sincere, she leaned over to nuzzle Dawn's cheek. "Don't worry, babe. I'll take care of you."
A bright red hue spread across Dawn's face and she ducked her head, stammering, "O-Oh, well, that—that sounds good to me…"
---
Velvet drummed her hooves on the counter and let her gaze wander the bakery. It was a nice, quiet day, with a few of the regular customers sitting at their usual tables and a couple new ones eyeing the goods behind the glass.
It was a great way to unwind after practice. Smile, take orders, switch off with her dad, and play with Red. Ponies who wanted sweets were generally pretty nice, and she'd never dealt with an angry or unreasonable customer. Really, if she hadn't gotten into the Royal Ballet, working at the bakery wouldn't have been the worst thing in the world.
The bell chimed and she looked up to greet the customer with a smile, but it dropped into a frown. "Seriously?!"
Thunder Tumble's eyes went wide and he froze just a few paces inside.
"Let me guess, Nightingale told you!" Velvet glared at him.
Tumble managed to gasp out, "Told me what?"
"That this is my parents' bakery, d'uh!" She gestured wildly to the store around them. "Isn't that why you're here?"
"No!" Tumble shook his head and raised a defensive hoof. "It's not like that at all, honest!"
Velvet paused, then slowly lowered her guard as she asked, "All right, then, what is it?"
"I just—I just came here for a cupcake!" He pointed at the glass case displaying the assortment of sweets for sale. "Honest!"
Velvet glanced between him and the display case before she relented with a shrug. "That checks out. What'll it be?"
It took a moment for Tumble to recover from the interrogation. He just stared at her, his wings slowly easing out of their tightly clasped position. "I, uh." He blinked and finally looked at the rows of cupcakes. "I don't know. What do you recommend?"
Velvet shrugged. "They're all great. You can't go wrong, so long as you don't assume they're flirting with you and get disappointed."
Tumble's gaze snapped back to her and his ears folded flat against his mane. "Could, uh. Could you maybe not mention this to Silent Knight? Or Crystal Wishes?" His wings drooped. "I really crossed a line I shouldn't have."
"And what line is that?" She leaned against the counter, looking him over him from head to hoof. Admiring the goods was still okay, wasn't it? Or was that accidentally flirting? When he fidgeted under the weight of her gaze, she settled on just making eye contact with him.
"Pursuing an uninterested mare past the point of reason." He sighed. "I really thought you were just being, well, you."
Velvet raised her brow. "What exactly does that mean?"
"Uh." He offered a weak smile. "Like a colt tugging on a filly's tail?"
Mulling over the mental image, Velvet's mouth wriggled as she struggled against a laugh that eventually escaped her. She slapped a hoof on the counter and managed, "O-Oh my gosh! You're totally right! Oh, Tumble, I'm so sorry!"
Tumble just stood there quietly as her laughter waned into giggles and she wiped the tears from her eyes. "Yeah… And that's why I think I'd kind of rather Silent Knight not find out."
With her forehooves hooked together, she rested her chin on them and grinned. The grin fell into a somber line as a thought struck her. "So, what you're saying is, you don't want Silent to find out?"
Tumble blinked. "Yes, that's what I just said."
"You'd prefer he not know about what happened?" Her ears flicked.
His brow furrowed. "Yes?"
Her tongue darted to lick her suddenly dry lips. "If he never heard about it, you'd be happy?"
"I'm sorry, what are we doing?" His wings shifted and tucked in close to his sides. "You're just saying the same thing over and over."
A soft hum rumbled in her throat and her tail started to swish. Why hadn't she thought of it before? He was perfect. Perfectly handsome. His muscles twitched with a mix of uncertainty, irritation, and a whole lot of… deliciousness. "I've come to a new conclusion, Tumbler." She leaned in toward him. "I may have been too hasty about you."
"Huh?" was all he said, but the flush in his face told her that her expression and tone were just right.
Velvet reached out a hoof and lightly tapped him on the nose. "If we kept it a secret, would you still be interested in me? Because I've never been with a stallion before, and I think you're just the one to change that, stud."
Tumble's eyes widened and his mouth opened to speak. No words came out. Instead, he opted for a small, slow nod.
"Great." Velvet straightened up and her cheerful voice returned as she chimed, "You know, the cupcakes are even better when they're fresh. Why don't you place an order and I'll have it delivered to you?"
Another almost dumbfounded nod.
Velvet picked up a clipboard from underneath the counter and slid it to him. "Here you are, sir," she said with a wink.
Tumble glanced between her and the order sheet. It was almost like he didn't trust her! Well, all right, to his credit, she probably wasn't very trustworthy, especially not after the whole 'door to the face' incident.
Maybe stallions were better seen and not touched. Maybe they were much better in the sheets than on the streets. There was only one way to find out… of course, that still left one small problem. Velvet kept her frown to herself and waited until he had filled out the form before saying, "Thank you, sir! It'll be delivered to you this evening. Please wear something appropriate."
"Oh. Uh?" Tumble's face couldn't have gotten any redder. "Okay. Okay, all right." He took a step back and froze, as if preparing for the other horseshoe to fall. When it didn't, his face lit up with a smile. "All right!"
Velvet waved him off before slumping against the counter. No, no, no, no. How could she have forgotten the other issue? Nothing was guaranteed against pregnancy. What if she was the one percent? Or half of a percent, or whatever the number was? It would just be her luck that she'd be the example parents used to scare their children out of fooling around too young.
How much better could being with a stallion be than a mare to make the risk worth it?
It was too late, though. She was curious, he was interested, and she could trust him to keep things a secret. Now or never. And, as she looked at his address on the order form, she knew 'never' wasn't an option.
She dropped down onto all fours and tentatively made her way to the back room. "Hey, Dad? Can you take back over?"
Pepper looked up from where he sat with Red in front of him and smiled, standing up with a small grunt. "Absolutely, sweetie! I meant to come switch with you sooner, but Red wanted to show me how fast his train can move when it's thrown across the room."
Red squealed, "Choo-choo!"
Velvet stared at Red, nerves rising up from the pit of her stomach. Oh, sweet mini cupcakes, how could she try to talk to her mom with Red in the room?
As he passed by, Pepper patted her shoulder. "Thanks for all your help. It's really appreciated."
Velvet just nodded and looked over at Sunbeam, blinking when their gazes met. Sunbeam was staring at her a little too intently for comfort. "What's up, Mom?"
"You're nervous," she replied simply, patting the seat next to hers.
"Y-Yeah." Velvet walked over to sit down. "That obvious?"
Sunbeam smiled. "A mother always knows. What's on your mind, sprinklefrosting?"
Velvet gave a long, drawn-out groan as she looked around the room at anything but her mother or her brother. Finally, she muttered, "I, uh, so, Mom, I know I took sex education as a foal, but—"
Sunbeam gasped and clasped her hooves together. "Are you pregnant?!"
"No!" Velvet squeaked. She coughed and glared at her, hissing, "That's what I want to ask you about, how to avoid that!"
"Oh." Sunbeam's ears drooped before perking back up as she giggled. "You really didn't pay attention in class, did you? You can't get pregnant with mares."
Velvet groaned, rolling her eyes. "I know that!" She crossed her forelegs over her chest. "Why would you ask if I was pregnant if that's your answer?"
"A mother can dream, marshmallow. A mother can always dream." She took Velvet's hoof in hers after tugging it out of its crossed position and patted it. "But, no, there's nothing to worry about."
In a quiet voice that hitched from her embarrassment, Velvet grumbled, "But what if there was?"
Sunbeam's smile faded with curiosity. She tilted her head and her brow furrowed. "I don't know what you mean?"
"What if, you know, what if a situation came up, and I wasn't going to be with a mare?" Velvet kept her gaze firmly fixated on the wall.
Sunbeam let go of her hoof to instead clasp her own cheeks. "A stallion?! Oh, Velvet! I'm going to be a grandmother after all!"
With a frustrated groan, Velvet dropped her head back to stare at the ceiling. "Mom! That's exactly what I'm trying to avoid here! Could you please just get this over with? How do I not make you a grandmother?"
Sunbeam didn't respond at first, the bright smile not budging in the least. "It's not exactly in my personal interests to tell you the truth, but…" She lowered her hooves, folded them in her lap, and put on a serious expression. "All right. Well, sweetie, your best bet is to double up. Get yourself some condoms and a family planning potion."
"Potion, right. Right." Velvet nodded, then snapped her head to look at Sunbeam with wide eyes. "Wait, a potion?! You don't mean—"
"Oh, honey, I'm afraid I do." Sunbeam's expression darkened as she grinned. "It would just be easier to give me a grandfoal!"
Velvet slumped in her seat, whining as dread filled her very soul, "No, no, no, no, no, please, tell me they're not sold at—"
"The Phial and Filly Alchemist Supply?" Sunbeam nodded. "Yes, indeed! Of course, they're sold at other shops, but in my experience, Runic's are the best. They taste amazing! Oh, pumpkin pie, I recommend the mint flavor." She winked. "Stallions like the minty sensation if you give them a little sweet treat."
Feeling almost as comatose as she probably looked, Velvet said nothing at first. She had to collect her suddenly shattered train of thought, and that took all of her remaining will. Her consciousness returned and her head lolled to the side so that she could glare at Sunbeam. "Way too much info, Mom. Seriously."
Great. Just great. Now what was she going to do? Not go to Runic's shop, that was for sure. That was the last place she was going for a situation like this.
When faced with a difficult choice, how were decisions normally made? With a list of pros and cons, of course.
The cons were obvious. Velvet knew Runic personally, he knew Silent, and Silent knew Crystal. That defeated the whole purpose of secrecy in the first place!
The pros, on the other hoof, were also hard to ignore. As long as it was sold in the store, it was likely to be the best of its kind, and Runic had never shown an interest in gossip. He was eccentric, but not untrustworthy.
Velvet groaned and rubbed both hooves against her temples. She had an hour to pick a direction. The Phial and Filly, Greenwall's Pharmacy, or Canterlot Value Store?
Think. Think, think, think. Make a choice.
She slowly stood up as a long sigh was dragged out of her. The choice had been made long before she sat down on the bench just outside the Phial and Filly. Wandering aimlessly had landed her at the front door, wandering purposefully had brought her back, and sitting down sealed the deal.
The door chime made of rocks clattered against the frame as she entered and her coat stood on end when Runic looked at her. Crabapples. She had hoped maybe that surly pegasus fellow would be working the register, but no, the universe had other plans.
"Hey, Velvet!" he called. "Out of shampoo already?"
Velvet replied in a suspiciously squeaky voice, "Nope! Fine! Browsing!"
Runic smiled in apparent or polite ignorance. "Okay. Let me know if you need anything. Or just want to chat. It's been a slow day."
"Okay." Velvet tried to look casual as she walked down an aisle, gaze darting about. Her legs felt like wooden splints were tied to them. Her knees refused to bend properly. Her muscles seized up with nerves.
Shampoo, conditioner, volumizer, curl remover, curl enhancer, coat shine, hoof polish, wrinkle reducer, tail lifter… Lotions, creams, serums, and potions of all kinds. And not anything for family planning in sight.
Velvet went through the maternity aisle that featured prenatal oils as well as the foals' section of bubble baths. She even checked under the tables. When she had searched the store from wall to wall, floor to ceiling, she arrived at the register with dread in her soul.
Runic smiled. "Having trouble?"
"Nope!" Velvet squeaked. She coughed, cleared her throat, and glanced around. Mercifully, the only other customer had already left. "I, uh, I'm looking for a potion."
"Well, you're in the right place!" Runic spread his hooves wide. "Those are my specialty!"
Velvet's nose twitched. "Yup. I'm looking for a particular potion."
"What is it? If I don't have it, I'm sure I can have something for you by the end of the week." He leaned against the counter.
Deep breaths. Stay calm. Don't act like it's weird. It's not weird, right? Ponies buy this sort of thing. It's normal. "I think you already have it."
"Oh, great! How much is it?" His hoof reached over to the register, hovering above the buttons.
"I don't know." Her mouth was dry. Why was it dry? Her lips were dry, too.
Runic nodded. "No problem. Just bring it up and I'll ring it up!"
What was it called again? Anti-foal serum? Pregnancy prevention? Wait, no. "Planning," she blurted out.
Runic stared at her a moment, but his smile never faltered. His hovering hoof returned to rest on the counter and he shrugged. "Oh, okay. Well, just let me know when you're done planning!"
Velvet gave a quick shake of her head. "N-No, I want the planning potion. You know. To plan."
His brow knitted just slightly. "What? But that's still experimental."
What?! No! Experimental Runic potions were dangerous! She took a few steps back, but before she could speak, he continued, "The results have been iffy. Sometimes it gives me lots of forward thought and I can plan out my whole day in about fifteen minutes. Sometimes it just tastes like grape juice. One time it made me forget what I had for breakfast. Turned out, I hadn't had anything, but I forgot that!"
"Huh?" Velvet stopped and her ears fell flat to the sides. "No, I'm talking about the planning potion."
"Right?" He tilted his head. "Me, too."
"No! The—" She sucked in a breath before clenching her eyes shut and saying as quickly as she could, "The potion to prevent pregnancy. The pregnancy prevention planning potion."
"Oh! Why didn't you say so?" He leaned under the counter, rustled around whatever was back there, and resurfaced with a potion in hoof. It had a nondescript label with some kind of symbol on it that she hoped to Celestia meant something to him. "I have to keep them back here. I got in trouble with a mare whose foal asked her what it was. Apparently she wasn't ready to have that talk yet."
Velvet glanced between the potion in his hoof and his casual smile. "That's it? Are you sure?"
Runic nodded as he slid the potion across the counter to her. "Yup! Oh, wait." He pulled it back. "What flavor did you want?"
The question sent her stomach on a topsy-turvy ride and she tried to say calmly, "Not mint. Anything but mint."
"Sure! Well, this one is raspberry. It's the second most popular." He started to ring it up as if it were a bottle of shampoo or something not awkward at all.
There were popular flavors? Seriously? She glanced at the bottle. "What's the most popular?"
"Mint, for some reason! I guess mares like having fresh breath."
Her dinner threatened a second visit and she clenched her eyes shut, shaking her head. She groaned under her breath, "Why did I ask?"
The register chimed and he looked at her. "That all for today?"
"Yes." She winced. "No."
He tilted his head to the side, ears flopping. "Which is it?"
Velvet put a hoof on her face and groaned out, "Runic, this has to be a secret."
"A secret?" He leaned in, expression going serious—or, at least, serious for him. "I can keep a secret. What is it?"
"This." She gestured at the potion. "I never bought this."
He nodded slowly. "Right. Because you haven't paid for it yet."
"What? No—" Even she had to laugh a little at that. She shook her head, dropped the amount of bits the register displayed on the counter, and tucked the potion into her satchel. "I want you to keep it a secret that I bought this. Especially from Crystal."
After staring at her for a moment with a curious frown, he smiled and nodded. "Okay! I can do that. Should I keep it a secret from anypony else, or just Crystal?"
Velvet fought back the urge to roll her eyes. "Everypony! It should be a secret from everypony. Okay?"
He blinked. "'Okay' what?"
"Do you understand?" She glanced out the large windows at the front of the store. It was getting dark; she needed to go soon.
"Understand what?"
She looked back to see a coltish grin on his face, one hoof tapping the side of his muzzle. "Are you being cheeky with me right now?"
"No idea what you're talking about!" He raised the hoof to salute. "I know nothing! Have a good day, Velvet-who-bought-nothing-today!"
Oh, she really, really hoped this hadn't been a mistake. She smiled as best she could and hurried to the door. "Bye, Runic!"
Retrieving a hat from her satchel and putting it on, she walked with as much confidence as she could toward the palace. Thunder Tumble lived on base, which meant there were a lot of chances for her to be seen. But she had the Sunridge Sweets delivery cap and a box of cupcakes in her bag—which also had the bakery's logo on it.
She was just a delivery mare. Nopony would think twice. Who didn't order cupcakes? Everypony ordered cupcakes!
The plan rumbled around in her head as she thought it over one more time. She'd show up, be invited in, explain things so she didn't end up with a second Dawn, and go from there. Tumble had wanted to woo and court her… She started to frown, her pace slowing.
Was this a mistake? He was looking for a relationship. Had she been clear enough at the bakery? What had she even said? Oh, crabapples, why was this so complicated?
Sucking in a breath, she pressed onward, the main gates of Canterlot's Royal Guard base coming into view. It was too late now; she had already messed with his feelings enough as it was to then stand him up. The least she could do was go on a date with him, if that's really what he wanted, and then say she didn't think it would work out.
When she passed through the main gates, her gaze darted about to seek out the housing building she was looking for. Just a minute or two more and she'd be at his door. She really hoped that he would be up for a tumble in the sheets and nothing more. That would make things so much easier on her.
Velvet waited a moment to prepare herself—and ensuring that the number matched the one on the order sheet—before knocking on the door. She licked her lips to ensure they were moist and inclined her head to catch the light in her eyes. It was a trick Crystal had taught her a long time ago.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, the door opened and she did everything she could not to laugh. Thunder Tumble was wearing a little bowtie. Well, she supposed that did constitute as 'appropriate attire'.
"Delivery for Mr. Tumble," she said, swishing her tail to draw his attention there. "Pink velvet cupcakes with extra frosting. Do you want me to bring them in for you?"
Tumble's mouth flapped open a few times before he swallowed, nodded, and stepped to the side. "I, uh, yes, please?"
"Thanks." She pranced inside, brushing her shoulder against his chest. Then she froze and glanced around. "You don't have a roommate, do you?" she hissed under her breath.
Tumble closed the door and turned to her. His wings were tight against his sides and his ears were perked straight up. "I do, but he's out for the night." He rubbed a hoof against the back of his neck, gaze darting away. "I told him that I had some family dropping in on short notice and wanted to stay here, so he bailed."
"Ooh, so the model guard told a lie?" She slipped the bag off, tossed her hat to the side, and stepped up to him. "Naughty colt."
His face turned bright red. "I-I, uh, I—" He swallowed and put a hoof on her chest, pushing just enough to put a bit of distance between them. "Look, before this goes any further, we need to talk."
Velvet glanced between his hoof and him, her brow raised. "Okay?"
"I don't know a lot about you. I just know that you seemed interested, and… I was willing to give it a shot." He shifted from one hoof to the other. "I can't do a long-term relationship. I have a lot of career plans, and—"
She smiled as excitement fluttered in her chest. Had she said he was perfect earlier? Well, he was even more perfect now. She put a hoof on his lips and hushed him softly. "Stud, I don't want a relationship at all. If you want to have some fun, then we can play together." She patted his cheek. "Sound good?"
He blinked a few times. "Really? It's that easy?"
"Do you want it to be more complicated?"
With a quick shake of his head, he replied, "I'd really prefer it to not be complicated at all, actually. With my schedule and my plans, I've not really had any time for mares, so… Easy sounds good."
"Great. Easy it is." She peered up at him, batting her lashes. "So, stud, how do you want to do this?"
"I, uh—I hadn't thought that far ahead?" His wings twitched and he laughed breathlessly.
Velvet eyed him from head to hoof before she gestured at the bunks against the far wall. "All right, then. Go make yourself comfortable and I'll get ready." She watched him as he hesitated before doing as he was told.
Her heart started to race as she rummaged through her bag and fished out the potion. This was really happening. Her hooves trembled, nearly fumbling with the cork. The smell of raspberries and a hint of something unpleasantly chemical hit her nose. She did her best not to react, instead mustering all of her resolve. Well, it was too late now. Bottoms up!
From the bed, Tumble gave a nervous laugh. "Looks like you came prepared, huh?"
Velvet smacked her lips, unable to keep from scrunching her nose. "Yeah. I also brought, uh, other stuff. But we can deal with that in a minute." She walked over, pulled herself up onto the bunk, and traced his form with her gaze.
He shifted under the weight of her stare, his cheeks turning red. "S-So…"
Heat coursed through her veins as she thought of all the things she wanted him to do to her. He looked like he was waiting for her to make a move, however, and she was in no mood to take charge. "Tumbler." She stretched out on the bed next to him. "It's been a while since you've been with somepony, right?"
He flinched and glanced away. "Yeah."
"And you've been spending the past, like, months thinking I was interested in you, right?"
His gaze returned to hers, albeit hesitantly. "Yeah?"
"Surely you've"—she trailed a hoof along his chest, lowering her voice to a sultry tone—"had some fantasies about me?"
He swallowed. "Y-Yeah?"
She rolled onto her back with what little space there was between him and the wall. "Pick one and go with it, handsome. I'm all yours tonight."
There was only one more moment of hesitation before Tumble's reservations faded away and the stallion took over from there.
---
"Wow," Tumble murmured, his chest rising and falling with each erratic breath. Sweat clung to his coat, darkening the hue of the normally straw-colored yellow. "Wow."
Velvet stared at the ceiling while tingles of pleasure continued to course through her veins. It was a state of euphoria beyond fireworks. She felt like she could do anything at that moment, but all she wanted to do was lie there and enjoy the sensation. "Seconded."
Tumble turned his head to look at her through half-lidded eyes, his breath hot on her cheek. "I—I had no idea a pony could bend like that."
"Oh, yeah." Velvet tried to laugh, but the sound came out more as a strangled breath. "Perks of being a ballerina." She nudged his side with her elbow. "Not so bad yourself. You kept up pretty good for a pony who's been without for a while…"
"Perks of being a guard," he teased. With a small grunt, he pushed himself upright and glanced over at a door set against one wall. "I'm gonna take a bath…" He looked at her, hesitating.
Velvet leaned in toward him and nuzzled his chest, breathing in the smell of stallion, sweat, and sex. It was a delicious combination. "Sounds good. I'll join you."
Tumble slipped down from the bunk, a couple flaps of his wings keeping his fall controlled, then he offered a hoof to her. "It's not a very big tub."
"I'm not a very big mare." She eyed the hoof, shrugged, and accepted his help. Her legs did seem a little wobbly, and she did feel kind of lightheaded.
He guided her over to the door which, unsurprisingly, led to a small bathroom. It was pretty standard, with only the bare necessities and no personal touches. While he started the bath, she sat on the edge of the tub, her back propped up against the wall.
"So, uh, how is your new job at the Royal Ballet?" he asked, glancing at her.
Velvet waved an idle hoof. "It's tough, but great." She yawned and tilted her head back. "What about you? What big career plans do you have?"
There was a pause. Perhaps he was considering whether or not she was being sincere. Or perhaps he was just focused on the temperature of the bathwater. Either way, she was content to just sit there.
"My family works at the weather factory in Cloudsdale," he finally started. "None of them are really military-minded. I wanted to do something different, so I went to the guard academy. I… I did okay, I guess. I got posted as an archive guard in Canterlot Palace. It's more of a ceremonial job than anything else."
Velvet's ear flicked. She lolled her head to the side to see the bath filling up, so she slipped into the hot water. Carefully, Tumble stepped into the tub, shifting until he found a comfortable position where they faced each other. It was a little cramped, but she didn't mind.
"So, well, I thought that's all I was good for. I guess I got complacent. I forgot about the whole 'wanting to be different' motivation and just… did my job. Day in and day out. Then the changeling attack happened. I did what I could to help, and then I met Silent Knight."
A smile crossed Tumble's face. It was a sweet smile, actually.
"He's really something, you know? He's not complacent. He took charge and made a difference when the lieutenant at the time did nothing. It made me remember who I wanted to be. I want to be a pony that makes a difference. I don't know how yet, or where it'll happen, so I'm trying to be open to any opportunity that might come my way."
Velvet gazed at him for a moment while the hot water coaxed her muscles into a state of relaxation. "Good for you, then. Glad something good came out of the changeling attack." Finally, after some thought, she asked, "So your parents work at the weather factory? The one that makes rainbows?"
Tumble blinked, then nodded. "Yeah?"
"What do they make rainbows out of, anyway?" she mused as she sunk down lower into the tub to feel more of the hot water, grinning at the way he blushed when that put them in closer quarters.
"Oh." He cleared his throat. "It's kind of a secret, but, well, ponies."
"What?!" She jolted upright, the water sloshing in the tub from the sudden movement. "Are you serious?!"
He burst into a short bout of laughter and shook his head. "Of course not! That would be insane! No, rainbows are made out of liquefied gems that are sprayed into a mist."
She eyed him suspiciously before settling back down. "I'm onto you, Tumbler. Under that sweet, blushing exterior, you're just as twisted as the rest of us, aren't you?"
"That will do for now, ladies and gents. Let's call it a day," Raine announced, and the group of soloists let out heavy sighs of relief.
"At this point, we should call it a night, jeeze," Velvet mumbled, leaning against Ephemeral and closing her eyes. "Seriously, these late nights are going to be the death of me."
Ephemeral chuckled and extended his wing to push her upright. "Work hard, play hard." He turned and started toward the refreshments table.
Velvet's ears wiggled as she followed after him. "Oh yeah? And how do you play, Moony?"
He looked at her with one brow raised. "I'll give you three guesses."
"Hmm…" She filled up a cup with water and sipped on it in thought, then grinned. "Chasing down ponies in the middle of the night and kicking rain clouds on them."
"What?" He huffed. "Do you think I'm a foal?"
She shrugged. "Okay, strike one. Let's see… Exotic dancer?"
Ephemeral snorted and shook his head. "Strike two."
Velvet downed another cup of water before she tossed the little paper cup in the recycling bin and fixed him in her gaze. "D-D-D-DJ Moon, bringin' you all the latest hits and sickest beats, rrowr!"
He sputtered into a light laugh. "I'll remember that if I decide to become a DJ… But unfortunately for you, strike three." He flicked his wings as he walked past her to head to the stallions' locker room. "Maybe next time."
"I could just follow you to find out," she teased as she did just that.
"Fine, but I'm going to take a shower first." He looked over his shoulder with a small grin.
She returned the grin with one of her own, adding a waggle of her brow. "I don't mind."
He laughed, went into the locker room, and quickly shut the door behind him. "I'll give you three more guesses tomorrow."
Velvet tested the door—it didn't budge. She stuck her nose in the air as she turned away and huffed. "Fine! But I'll guess it eventually. And if it's something fun, then you have to take me with!"
"We'll see about that!" he called from inside.
When Velvet crossed the threshold into the mares' locker room, she was overwhelmed with giggling conversations and the scent of different shampoos and perfumes. She blinked a few times, then scoped out the nearest available stall.
Lightshow walked over and leaned against the half-wall to smile at Velvet. "So, how do you feel about the choreography? Everypony seems to have a different opinion after today's practice."
"The choreography?" Velvet closed her eyes and stuck her head under the stream of hot water. She lifted her head back up to look at Lightshow and shrugged. "S'okay. It's weird to have unicorns doing special effects. We didn't have that at the Canterlot Ballet."
Lightshow laughed, her horn glowing with seafoam green magic that matched the streaks in her dark green mane. Sparks and bubbles shot out from the tip and danced in a small circle. "Do you have something against unicorn magic?"
"No way. My best friend is a unicorn! It's just, well, it's different. This company has so much… stuff." Velvet shifted her weight to rub shampoo into her mane. "It's not a bad thing. You and the other special effects unicorns really bring the scenes to life!"
Lightshow's magic fizzled out and she pushed herself upright. "Well, I think you dancers are pretty special. Keep up the good work!"
Velvet waved her off as the mare trotted away, then focused on her mane and tail. A smile tugged at her lips and threatened to never leave. Her life was going really well. At that moment, she had nothing to actually complain about.
True, work was tough, but it was very rewarding. Tomorrow, she was going to get a massage for free! Crystal was getting married, but it would be okay. They would still be friends. And Red? Red was her perfect little guy, as always!
Yup. Life was good.
After finishing her shower and drying off, Velvet made her way to the bakery, humming a happy little tune. There were only two hours left in the work day, but she could at least cover the register so her dad could take a break.
Pepper looked up when she walked in and he smiled. "Hi, sweetie. Why don't you go on back? Somepony's waiting for you."
Velvet blinked. Who could that be? She trotted around the corner, stopping to place a light kiss on her father's cheek, and went into the back room. "Hi, Mom, I'm here!" She paused when she saw a fishbowl sitting on the decorating table. The goldfish inside stared at her with eerily large, unblinking eyes. "Huh? When did you get a fish?"
"He's with me," a small voice said on her right.
"Oh." Velvet's gaze shifted to land on the little blue mare holding her tiny baby brother. "When did you get an Azurite?"
Sunbeam smiled from where she sat at the table. "Hello, sweetcake. Azurite is having more relationship trouble, so she and her fish came to visit."
Seriously? Velvet raised one brow. "More trouble? I thought we were trying to fix things?" She sighed. "I don't know if this is normal for you, but to me, this seems like it's getting out of hoof." She took the remaining available chair and crossed her hindlegs. "What's up this time?"
Sunbeam huffed lightly. "Oh, no, please, sit down and make yourself comfortable. Don't offer to help with the cupcakes, I'm fine."
Velvet waved her off while Azurite sucked in a breath and started, "I-I did the dinner thing, but it didn't turn out right. Not right at all. Instead of talking through their problems, they just made more problems, and decided to break up." Her ears drooped. "This wasn't what I wanted at all, and now I think everything's ruined because Sunny won't talk to me and I wouldn't be surprised if Soarin's mad, too."
Azurite sniffled and looked up at her, ears even lower than before. "So I dunno what to do now. I want things to get better, not worse. But how do I do that? What should I do?"
This was a conversation better suited to anypony but Velvet. What would Crystal say? She nibbled on her lower lip and glanced away as she tried to figure that out. First, she'd make tea, then… No, that wouldn't help.
"I'm not really an expert on romance," Velvet admitted in a quiet mumble. "But I guess if you think about it like any problem, usually you tackle one thing at a time, right? So maybe do that? Start with making sure Soarin isn't upset?"
Sunbeam glanced over. "And perhaps give Sunny a few days to cool off before approaching her."
Azurite nodded slowly. "Yeah… That's pretty good advice, actually. Both of you. Okay, I guess I'll go deal with Soarin first. Maybe I'll get lucky and he's not mad at me. Then we can get together to figure out how to fix things between him and Sunny… assuming I can fix things between her and me."
"'We'?" Velvet raised one brow.
"Whee," Red cooed, wiggling in Azurite's lap.
Azurite nodded again. "Yes, we! Of course, we! Do you really think I can do this on my own? Honestly?"
The answer was obviously: no way. But Velvet couldn't just say that aloud. She glanced at Sunbeam, who glanced back with an equally uncertain expression.
Opting to just not answer the question at all, Velvet said, "Maybe invite your friend, too. Sandy. You know, just in case Mom and I aren't enough help."
Sunbeam gave a light chuckle. "Why don't we all have brunch together next Saturday and see where you're at, blueberry cupcake?"
"All right!" Azurite stood, giving Red over to Velvet, much to both siblings' delight. "Thank you both so much! I'm going to go home and see how Soarin is."
"Good luck, dear!" Sunbeam waved as Azurite started out the door.
Velvet waved as well, then frowned when a gurgling sound drew her attention to the goldfish, who blew bubbles at the water's surface. "Azurite!" she called. "Your fish!"
Sheepishly, Azurite shuffled back into the room, the tips of her ears red. "Oops… Sorry, Mr. Peepers." She frowned when the fish just stared at her. "I said I'm sorry! Look, let's just go, okay?" Her magic wrapped around the bowl and carried it after her as she left again. "I'll give you extra treats if you stop looking at me like that."
Once they were alone, Sunbeam commented with a merry lilt in her voice, "She's an odd little duck. I like her. I hope things work out between her and her partners."
"Yeah." Velvet smiled down at Red, happy to cuddle him to her chest. "Me, too. She's weird, but fun."
"Speaking of fun…"
Oh, great. Velvet knew that tone. She looked up to see a wicked grin facing her.
"Am I going to be a grandmother?"
Velvet sighed and held up Red, wiggling his forelegs. "Mama!"
"Mama!" Red chimed.
"Aren't I enough for you?" Velvet said in her best squeaky foal voice. "Why do you want to replace me?"
Sunbeam smiled as she dropped some sprinkles on the last cupcake. "Oh, honeykiss, these are completely different issues. Red's my foal. Your foal is your foal. I can spoil the little prince or princess and not have to deal with the repercussions. So, when am I getting a grandfoal?"
Velvet rolled her eyes and set Red down on her knee. "No time soon, Mom. I was perfectly safe. Doubled up. Okay? Can we please talk about something else?"
"Nope!" Sunbeam giggled. "Inquiring minds, sweetheart. You've been strictly into mares for so long I thought that your little quips about liking stallions was just to give me false hopes. Let me relish in the hopes coming back to life, all right, snookums?"
"Ugh, fine, okay, let's get it over with." She lolled her tongue out the side of her mouth, wiggled her nose, and flopped her ears. When Red squealed and squirmed with glee, she broke into laughter.
Sunbeam dragged her chair over to sit across from Velvet. "Will this stallion be a recurring friend of yours?"
Velvet scrunched up her nose and shrugged. "Maybe? I dunno. It's super casual right now."
"Oh, sweetie, when isn't it casual with you?" Sunbeam winked.
"Yeah, true, but you know what I mean." Velvet tapped her hooves against Red's. "Like, Dawn and I have things figured out. Tumbler and I only just came to an understanding."
"When am I going to meet this Dawn of yours, by the way?" Sunbeam beamed at her. "This is the longest you've been with the same pony!"
Velvet lifted her gaze, frowning. "She's not my marefriend, Mom."
Sunbeam just kept smiling.
"She's not!"
Sunbeam finally broke her smile with a giggle and waved a hoof. "She is the closest thing you've ever had, and I think it's high time you introduced us."
"No, because you'll say weird things and get her confused." Velvet held out Red for her to take. "I'm just keeping her company until she finds herself a special somepony. A real special somepony. Look, you and Dad seem to have things under control here, so I'm gonna hit the road."
Sunbeam frowned, cradling Red in her forelegs. "You don't have to leave just because I'm pestering you, sugarcheeks. I'll drop the topic. Why don't you tell me about your new ballet you've been working on?"
Velvet eyed her with light suspicion, then relaxed back into the chair. "The Little Mermare. It's really cool what this company is doing with it."
"How so?" Sunbeam booped Red on the nose, smiling as he giggled.
"Well, for starters, there's the special effects team. I can't get over that. The underwater scenes are amazing! And the plot is totally different from how I've seen other companies do it."
Sunbeam gasped. "Do I hear a story?"
"Sto-ree!" Red squealed.
"Story!" Sunbeam chimed, shifting Red to sit him upright and face Velvet, mirroring his eager, wide-eyed look.
Velvet rubbed the back of her neck and laughed softly. "Uh, well, this one isn't exactly super-duper Red friendly. It's actually pretty depressing. But it's neat because it actually has the original author as part of the tale. Did you know that Hans Canter Amblersen wanted to be a dancer?"
Sunbeam wiggled Red back and forth. "Nope, we didn't! Tell us the story, we're not old enough to understand depressing endings."
"That's what I tried to say when—oh, whatever." Velvet rolled her eyes, then smiled. "So it starts off with Amblersen working on the story for a ballet to be performed at a Prince and Princess's wedding. Unfortunately, because he's clumsy and uncoordinated, he couldn't demonstrate to the dancers what he wanted, so the rehearsals were a flop.
"The Prince sympathized with Amblersen, so he arranges a meeting with him down by the sea. I guess he's clumsy and uncoordinated, too, 'cause he slips off the pier and nearly drowns, which is when the Mermare saves him…"
---
"… The Witch showed up at the request of the Mermare's sisters to kill the Prince, but the Mermare threw herself in the way. She was struck by the knife instead, but died in peace, having finally been able to express her love for the Prince."
Nightingale stared, mouth slightly agape, eyes wide. "Holy moly! Are you serious? That's, like, super depressing! Amblersen couldn't become the master dancer he wanted, and the Mermare dies?" She waved her hooves. "Nope, no thanks, I'll take the happy version we perform any day of the week!"
Velvet laughed and nodded, looking around the Mare Contraire idly. It was a quiet night and all the other booths were empty. The only other patrons were up at the bar, chatting with the bartenders. "I know, right? I guess that's the drawback to a serious company. No happy endings. I was shocked when I read the synopsis and pretty much nopony gets what they wanted."
"Except the Princess, I guess. She got what she wanted?" Nightingale scrunched up her nose. "Well, whatever. As long as you're happy, it doesn't matter if the ballet is totally depressing. You are happy, right?"
"Absolutely! Life is great right now. Which I feel a little guilty about, because my… sort of… kind of friend Azurite is going through a rough time right when I'm feeling at my best." She rubbed the back of her neck, then shrugged it off. "Dawn and I are getting along, Tumbler is an absolute stud, I love my job, I love my friends, I love my family."
Nightingale's eyes narrowed slightly. "Wait, you're still seeing Dawn? Are we talking about the same Dawn?"
Velvet frowned. "Yeah?"
"Oh my gosh, Velvet! You need to break up with her! Or break things off with her, however it works in your weird anti-dating world!"
One ear flicked and Velvet's gaze darted away. She crossed her forelegs over her chest. Weird. Her favorite word. "Why? Dawn doesn't seem to have a problem with it, so why do you?"
"Because I'm not so in love with you that I can't see past that," Nightingale said more like a growl.
Velvet had heard absurd things before, but this topped the list. "In love with me? Seriously? How could anypony be in love with me?"
Nightingale sputtered a few false starts before picking up her drink and tossing it back. "Okay. Fine. You're an adult and I'm not your mother. You can make your own choices. Why don't we talk about something else? Like Thunder Tumble. Now there is a stallion you should be spending your time with."
It was hard to switch gears, but after a moment to push the frustration from her mind and replace it with more pleasant thoughts, Velvet's tense muscles finally relaxed. "Why, because he's a stallion?"
"No, because he's a guard and will keep you on the straight path." She grinned. "Literally!" The grin fell into a somber line. "Not that there's anything wrong with liking mares, I just, you know, I had to take the joke."
Velvet snorted. "I know. Yeah, no on the Tumbler front. He's not looking for a relationship. We'll fool around until one of us gets bored or he gets the job opportunity he's keeping himself open for."
"Oh… I kind of thought with…" Nightingale trailed off, then shrugged. "Well, that sounds perfect for you, right?"
"Yup!" Velvet smiled. "It couldn't be any more perfect."
Nightingale drummed her hooves on the table between them. "Good, I guess. Well, not that you asked, but I'm dating a new stallion."
"What happened to—" Velvet tried to remember his name, but came up with nothing. Nightingale dated so many different stallions that it was kind of hard to keep track, but Velvet was certain that one had made it through a few dates, which was notable. "—the other one?"
"You know how it goes. You think you know a guy, then you get him in the bedroom and he wants to try freaky stuff." Her wings twitched and flicked. "I'm sorry, but I have lines, and watersports is one of them."
Velvet blinked a few times. "Like… Making out in a pool?"
Nightingale stared at her with an unreadable expression before she reached across the table, held Velvet's hoof in hers, and cooed, "Oh, sweetie, no."
"Don't talk down to me!" Velvet jerked her hoof away, a frown tugging at her lips as Nightingale burst into a chime of laughter. "Oh, I'm so sorry that I don't know every fetish out there!"
Nightingale's laughter settled down and she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "I'm honestly surprised by that, actually. You just seem like a dirty mare that knows these things."
Velvet huffed and started to slide out of the booth. "You know what, I'm going home! Good luck with your sports!"
The sound of more laughter followed her as she stormed her way to the door. Dirty mare! Why, because she slept around a little? Well, all right, that was a fair argument, but she still stomped her hooves until she was outside and around the corner, then settled into a light trot.
Crystal would be waiting for her with dinner, so she needed to focus. Shove all thoughts of sex and fetishes from her mind. Go back to being the sweet, bubbly Velvet that Crystal knew and liked. Maybe someday she'd actually be that pony again for real, but in the meantime, a smiling mask would have to suffice.
Velvet yawned as she stretched out on the too-small bunk and started to sit up. There was no point in trying to be sneaky or delicate in her escape; any small movement on her part would wake him up.
"Mm?" Tumble stirred from his half-asleep lull, his head falling to the side to look at her. One eye didn't quite open all the way, but it was a good enough effort. "You leaving?"
Velvet flashed him a smile. "Yup. Gotta get back to my parents' place before they wake up, and you wouldn't believe how early bakers rise." She snickered to herself.
The joke seemed lost on him, as he merely nodded idly. "All right." He yawned. "My roommate's going to start getting suspicious with the excuses I keep giving him… Do you think maybe next time we could meet at your place?"
"Nope," she said quickly, hopping off the bunk. "No can do. My roommate never goes anywhere."
Tumble rolled onto his side to look at her. "Oh, really? Okay… Well, all right."
"Sorry, but that's the price you have to pay to get on this ride." Her tail swished as she sashayed over to the door, grabbing her delivery cap and satchel on the way. "I look forward to your next order of cupcakes, Mr. Tumble."
With a soft laugh, Tumble dropped back down onto the bed. "You're an odd mare, you know that?"
"Yup! It's my charm!" And with that, she was Late Night Delivery Mare returning from a completely unsuspicious midnight cupcake emergency. A delivery mare with a song in her heart and a skip in her step.
Crystal was likely having a great night of her own. It was her wish to be given some alone time with Silent, and Velvet was happy to oblige. Crystal needed to get laid more often. She always had this lovely glow the next day, like the stars aligned and shined just for her.
Velvet had never seen anything like it before, but it meant Crystal was happy, and that was what was important. Even if it did make her gag a little from just how sickeningly cute it was.
When she got to her parents' condo and found that it was completely dark, a twitch ran down her sides. The lights were never off; Sunbeam always left one on. That was so that there was continual light coming in under Red's nursery door and he wouldn't know when they get up in the morning.
Right as she shut the door, a lamp flickered on. Sunbeam sat in the recliner, her hindlegs crossed and one forehoof meeting the other to steeple menacingly.
"You went out," Sunbeam said in a low voice.
Velvet froze in place, then frowned. "Yeah. I do that. I'm not a foal anymore."
Sunbeam gestured at her with the steepled hooves. "You're dressed like a Sunridge delivery mare."
"Yeah…" Velvet slipped the hat off and set it on the table by the door. "I do that."
"Are you using our good name for your dirty deeds?" Sunbeam started to tap her hooves together, like the quiet drums of war in the distance.
Velvet huffed and walked over to flop on the couch. "I'm delivering cupcakes to a stallion who gets late night cravings." For more than just cupcakes.
Sunbeam eyed her with suspicion. "Velvet Buttermuffin Step, are you lying to me by omission?"
Ponyfeathers. When the fake names came out, that only meant one of two things: that she was in serious trouble, or she wasn't in trouble at all. Sunbeam's poker face was unrivaled, so it was impossible to know if she was wading into hot water or not.
Finally, Velvet settled on giving a tentative, "Maybe?"
"Maybe? Maybe!" Sunbeam frowned. "Velvet Twinklehooves Step! What are you up to?"
Velvet groaned as she rolled on the couch, shifting this way and that until she gave up the squirming fight. "It's Tumbler, Mom. He lives on base and I don't want rumors, so yeah, okay, I'm using Sunridge Sweets for personal reasons. But we're selling cupcakes because of it, so is it really a big deal?"
"It most certainly is if ponies start associating Sunridge Sweets with late night cutie calls!"
"Cutie calls?" Velvet sputtered into a laugh that she quickly tried to smother under the weight of her mother's glare. "No, Mom, it's fine. It's not like I'm going around town doing this. It's just Tumbler, and he's not going to brag to all his friends or anything."
Sunbeam snorted. "And just how can you be so sure, dandelion? How long have you even known him?"
"Long enough, Mom. It's fine. Can I just go to bed already?" She stuffed one of the throw pillows under her head and tugged the blanket off the back of the couch.
Sunbeam gave a soft huff and the recliner squeaked as she rose to her hooves. "Don't make this a habit, crumbcake. You know your dad and I support you unconditionally, but you also know how important Sunridge Sweets is to us. We don't sell those kind of pies."
Velvet sighed. A pit of guilt formed in her gut and started to gnaw away at what remained of her good feelings. "I'll figure something else out. Sorry, Mom."
After a pause, Sunbeam's hoof patted Velvet on the shoulder. "We'll talk about it later. Get some sleep. I'm sure you need it, considering how long you've been out of the house."
Heat rose to the tips of Velvet's ears and she tugged the blanket of her head. "Good night, Mom," she muttered through clenched teeth.
What was she going to use as a cover instead? Maybe she could just… not use one. After all, how many ponies did she run into when she visited the base? She let out a sigh when she heard Sunbeam shut the bedroom door, leaving her alone.
---
"Welcome home," Crystal said from the couch as Velvet walked into their condo. As usual, she had her notebook in front of her and was in the middle of working on her story.
That was what Velvet hoped, at least. Crystal had a tendency to dawdle lately with her writing, but there was rent to pay. Fighting about money wasn't exactly high on Velvet's list of priorities.
Tossing the overnight bag aside and giving Crystal her full attention, Velvet waited a moment to size her up. She could tell in an instant that something was wrong. Crystal wasn't overflowing with radiant love.
"So?" Velvet finally prompted when Crystal offered nothing first.
Crystal waved a hoof at her. "He was busy."
"What?!" How could she say that so calmly?! Velvet's gaze darted along Crystal's form to examine her posture—the way her ears were relaxed, how her legs were casually stretched out on the couch.
No, Crystal just had to be irritated, but she was hiding it. Why was she hiding it? Well, Velvet had no intention of hiding and let her displeasure take hold of her expression, tugging her lips into a deep frown. "Oh! Oh, I'll give him a piece of my mind! I'll—"
"It's fine!" Crystal, for some reason, started to laugh. "It's fine. You don't have to go punch a royal guard." She shook her head and smiled. "He dropped by to apologize last night."
So an apology was all it took? That made everything better? Velvet snorted derisively. "You are way too easy on him. Isn't the point of being in a relationship knowing that somepony is there for you and making sacrifices for each other?"
"Compromise." Crystal looked back down at her notebook. "Relationships are about compromise."
Tomato, so-same-o. Velvet bit back the snark as best she could as she started over toward the pillows, but the feelings boiled over. "Well, it sure seems like you make a whole lot more compromises for him than he does for you." She flopped down with an exaggerated huff.
Slowly, Crystal returned her gaze to Velvet, a frown on her face. "You make it sound as if it's a bad thing! I spent the day alone. He spent it working! I think I got the far easier end of the deal."
Always with the excuses. Could Silent do no wrong in Crystal's mind? "Fine, whatever." Velvet rolled her eyes. "Sorry for being worried about your happiness." She shifted on the pillow to turn away from Crystal so she could make all sorts of faces in private.
"There's nothing to be worried about."
Velvet scrunched up her nose and went cross-eyed. Nope, nothing to be worried about at all, just her best friend getting stood up on her birthday for 'work'.
"I'm happy," Crystal continued, her voice growing softer, "even if I do wish I could take precedence once in a while."
With a lash of her tail, Velvet tried not to sound as irritated as she felt, keeping her jaw set rigid and firm. "Then just tell him that or I'll step in and do it for you, and I won't be nice about it."
The only response at first was a sigh, followed by some light rustling and a groan from the couch. "Are you hungry?"
A change of subject. Velvet ran her tongue over her lips as she mulled over her options. She could stand her ground and force Crystal to deal with the issue, or she could have lunch. Her stomach voted for lunch. Her head nodded in agreement. Her mouth compiled with, "Always."
Crystal made her way to the kitchen, the fridge and a cabinet door opening under the guidance of pink magic. "Are you all right with just some broccoli and pasta for lunch? I'm not in the mood to make a fancy meal."
"Sure!" Bitter Velvets didn't get lunch, so Cheerful Velvet came out to play. She pushed herself up off the pillow and went over to her overnight bag. "By the way, my parents wanted to give you—" Shampoo bottle, toy she forgot to give Red, a bag of some rolls and muffins... There it was! She picked up the gift from Sunbeam. "—this! They said happy birthday, they hoped it was good, blah blah and all that."
Crystal giggled and looked over with a gentle smile. "Your parents are the sweetest. Mine just send a card. The same card. Every year."
Bitter Velvet reared her ugly head as she glared and seethed, "Hey, at least they're reliable. Pretty sad when your parents are a better companion than your stallionfriend."
After a brief frown, Crystal relented with a roll of her eyes and brought the present over in her magic. She undid the ribbon and the wrapping, paused for an awkwardly long moment, then looked up. "Velvet."
Velvet's ear flicked. "What?"
"Seriously?" Crystal levitated a pair of little pink and blue foal booties and pointed at them while squinting at Velvet.
Booties! Foal booties! Oh, Sunbeam was the best! Velvet tossed her head back to let out an unrestrained cackle.
Crystal huffed. "You learned your subtlety from your parents!" Velvet breathed in and out a few times in an earnest attempt to stop laughing. It took a few tries of holding her breath until she didn't break out into another fit of snickers and giggles, but she finally calmed down enough to grin. "Yup!"
Crystal just continued to glare.
"Aww, come on, Mom probably made those by hoof! You can't be mad!"
"We haven't even set a date for the wedding." Crystal's ears folded back and she turned back to the stove to resume cooking, the booties returning to the box.
Velvet gave one more snicker on her way over to Crystal's side. She propped her forehooves against the counter so she could look at the pot of water slowly coming to a boil. "Yeah, well, you're basically my sister, which makes you basically their daughter. They want grandfoals!"
Crystal glanced at her. "Well, they have you for that, don't they?"
Velvet froze at the inconspicuous question. What? She didn't want to get pregnant! She'd have to give up her career, and she'd worked too hard for that. Not to mention that having foals meant settling down, and she wasn't ready to have the conversation with Crystal about her resistance to that yet, and—
When her heart started racing, there was only one way to handle it. "Sure," Velvet said in a sarcastic tone, then laughed. "That would require a stallion in my life and no, thank you."
Crystal glanced between the steaming broccoli and Velvet. "You could always adopt."
All of the buzzing in her head came to a sudden halt and she just gawked. "What! Me? Adopt a foal? Alone? At my age? Are you crazy?!"
"I didn't mean right now! I just mean—oh!" Crystal stuck her tongue out at Velvet and turned her head to focus on making lunch. "Don't be so contrary. You knew what I meant!"
Contrary? Hardly! She was being serious! Where had this come from? How was she supposed to respond in a situation like this? Had Crystal been thinking about this before the conversation came up? Was this an intervention or something?
Velvet pushed off the counter. Her head felt suddenly light. What did Crystal mean, exactly? She said she didn't mean 'right now', but what did she mean by 'not right now'? When she was in some sort of relationship that Crystal expected her to be in?
She fell onto a pillow a little harder than she meant to. The world felt strangely distant. She was dizzy. Just dizzy from too many thoughts. They needed to get out of her head, one way or another.
"I don't know," she finally said around the lump in her throat. "Maybe someday?" She did the best to laugh normally and shook her head. "This is silly! What kind of pony adopts a foal without a partner?"
Crystal looked over with a soft, almost motherly smile on her face. "A pony who wants a foal but not a partner would. It's not like you'd be the first single mother in Equestria!"
Right. Of course. Crystal would say the thing that Velvet had no response to. What she wanted to say was, 'So you're okay with me having a foal and no partner. What about sex and no partner? No foals, no partner, just dirty fun?'
What she did instead was raise a hoof and quickly shake her head. "Stop. It's actually starting to sound like a good idea, which is just crazy. Let's just focus on you and your messed up relationship before we mess up my life, okay?"
"Excuse you! My relationship is just fine!" Crystal huffed and puffed up like an angry bird. "It just—"
Three knocks came from the door. Silent Knight's predictable and reliable tell. And it couldn't have come at a better time, because Velvet was pretty sure she was sweating.
"Are you serious?" She groaned, rolled off the pillow, and hit the floor with a loud thud. "Ugh! I was so close to food!" Not that she would have been able to eat with her stomach twisted up in knots. She pushed herself to stand upright and made a show of stomping to her bedroom. "Okay, pretend I'm not here, and talk to him. Okay? Just schedule a date or something. When was the last time you two went on a date?"
Sealing the deal with a stern look, Velvet grabbed her bag and disappeared into her room, where she dropped the act once the door was shut. She sucked in a breath and clenched her eyes shut.
Images of Crystal's disgusted expression flashed through her mind, urging her heart to race even faster. She needed to focus on something else. What did her mother say when she got like this?
Leaves. Stream. The thoughts were leaves on a stream. Let them drift by. Watch them disappear around the bend. Breathe in, breathe out. Slowly, Velvet felt the tension ease from her muscles and she was finally able to move again.
Crawling under the covers and curling up, Velvet tried to push past those thoughts onto something else. The idea of adoption bubbled up to the surface. Did Crystal really suggest she adopt? Was that actually an option?
What a crazy notion—adopting a foal of her own! A smile spread across her lips and she relaxed into the soft embrace of her bed while the sounds of Crystal and Silent's conversation carried on in the background.
"Do you think I'd be a good mother?" Velvet blurted out, coming to a halt in front of a foal's clothing store and looking in through the window.
"What?" Dawn froze mid-step, one hoof just barely above the ground. She stared at Velvet with wide eyes and after a few false starts of a response, she finally replied, "I-I don't know. Are you pr-pregnant?" Her voice grew quiet. "I didn't know you liked stallions…"
"I'm, uh, I—" Velvet shook her head. "No, sorry, I'm not pregnant. Crystal said something to me the other day and I haven't been able to get it out of my head. She said I could adopt if I wanted a foal."
Dawn's brow furrowed. "Do you want a foal?"
Velvet rolled her shoulders in a casual shrug as she walked forward again. "Maybe someday? I've got my hooves full with Red and I only take care of him a few hours, and not every day. I can't imagine having him around all day, all week."
All day every day with Red? Playing choo-choo, feeding him carrot mush foal food, napping together, teaching him to talk…
A smile started to soften her expression. "Okay, so maybe I can." She laughed. "But that'd take some serious life changes! I mean, I'd have to give up ballet, for starters. And I'm not ready to do that."
Dawn continued walking quietly beside Velvet for a while longer before she glanced at her and smiled. "I think you'd be a great mother. You're really kind and caring, and you always talk about your baby brother, so, yes. Yes, I think you'd be great."
"Yeah?" Velvet stepped closer to brush their shoulders together. "Thanks, honey. So, how is your job going?"
"Oh, it's fine, I suppose." Dawn's ears flicked back. "I don't think it's what I want to do, but I don't know what I want to do, so I'll just keep doing it for now."
Velvet hummed in thought. What could Dawn do instead? Well, she was from a farm, but Canterlot didn't have farms. What was kind of like a farm that Canterlot would have? Velvet would have said a grocery store, but that was clearly not working.
Dawn broke the silence with a giggle. "It's okay. You can't solve all of my problems. I'm not unhappy, I'm just… not happy."
"Well, I want you to be happy, sunshine, but I'll keep thinking on it while you decide what we're going to do today." Velvet bounced on the tips of her hooves as she strode ahead, flicking her tail in Dawn's face. "You said you wanted to go out!"
"I did, and we're out, aren't we?" Dawn smiled and quickened her pace to catch up. "We've just only really spent time together indoors, so I thought a change might be nice. Get some fresh air, feel the warm sun…"
Velvet nodded and let her gaze wander the stores they passed by. "If all you want to do is walk around, then we'll walk around!"
After doing some idle window shopping of the storefront displays for the Vera Whinny, A'Mares, Bruneighllo Cucineighlli, and Oscanter de la Reinta, one particular item in the window of Heirloom Books stopped Velvet cold.
New Moon is back again with Dark of the Moon! Get your book signed by the author if you purchase your copy today!
A chill ran down Velvet's spine and she had to shake to get rid of the sensation. New Moon, author of Eventide and—apparently—its new sequel, Dark of the Moon. A continuation of the story centered around vamponies, ponies that were infected by vampire fruit bats.
Velvet bit her lower lip. Crystal kept telling her that vamponies didn't exist, but all sorts of creatures did: manticores, dragons, chimeras, cockatrices, diamond dogs… Why not vamponies? Could anypony prove they didn't exist?
'They walk among us,' the narrator of Eventide had said, 'and yet not a single pony knows of the danger that lurks under the guise of a friendly smile.'
It was just a work of fiction. Just some drivel written to entice younger mares into the idea of a romance with a quintessential bad colt. A bad colt who could suck their blood like juice from an apple, but chose not to out of love. It was supposed to be hot.
And yet… Crystal's stories were called fiction, but all of her characters were based on ponies she knew. How could anypony know if New Moon had or had not encountered vamponies?
The very idea of them made her coat stand on end. She could be walking beside a vampony at that moment that was eyeing her for dinner!
Velvet's stomach lurched and she jerked her head to the side to see Dawn looking at her. "Wh-what?"
"Oh, nothing!" Dawn waved a hoof. "I just wouldn't have guessed you were a vampony fan, that's all."
"I'm not!" Velvet exclaimed, her voice cracking as she tried to get it under control. "I'm not, I just, you know, I was just looking. A vampony book just happened to be in my way." Almost reflexively, she took a step away from Dawn.
Dawn, who was smiling curiously at her. Dawn, whose full name was suddenly suspicious. Dawn, who Velvet just realized was glittering in the sunlight.
Velvet's mind whirled on too many thoughts at once. "Dawn, y—did you know that, uh, you're sparkling?"
Dawn flushed and shuffled from one hoof to the other. "Oh, I was wondering if you noticed or not. I got a new coat wash that has glitter in it, s-since I know you like that."
Right, that was a perfectly reasonable explanation. And her name wasn't that suspicious. It was a cute little name. Most of all, of course, Dawn didn't have fangs or bat-like wings, so how could she possibly be a vampony? They couldn't use disguises, could they?
Velvet did her best to smile. "It looks good on you. You should wear it more often." She glanced back at the book announcement and gave a forced, nervous laugh. "So, vamponies, huh? What do you think?"
"About vamponies?" Dawn frowned lightly, tilting her head to one side. "I hope they're just a myth, but I would have said that about changelings…" She shuddered. "The idea of a pony being some kind of evil creature and not even knowing it is terrifying."
That was an understatement. Velvet managed another breathless laugh and rubbed the back of her neck. "Yeah. I know, right? I mean, changelings, giant cockatrices, and now vamponies? What is going on with Equ—" Her jaw dropped and her heart stopped.
Dawn blinked. "Velvet? Are you okay?"
"V…" Her legs felt cold.
"What?" Dawn stepped toward her and put a hoof on her shoulder. "Velvet, you're shaking!"
"V-vampony," Velvet whispered and pointed a trembling hoof.
Walking slowly toward them were two mares who clearly didn't belong. There was nothing about them that was hidden, from their blood red eyes with slit pupils to the fangs poking out over their bottom lips.
She had been right all along. Vamponies were real. Dawn said something, but Velvet didn't hear it as she took a step back, then charged forward and hissed, "Run, Dawn!"
Dawn squeaked. "What?"
There was no time to explain. The vamponies hadn't noticed her yet. Before they could, she sprung into action. She hunched low and put all of her weight into pushing herself forward, checking her shoulder into one vampony's chest. They both grunted from the impact and the other vampony screamed.
Velvet nearly faltered when she saw the fangs up close. The vampony had her mouth wide open and ready to strike. She couldn't allow that! Pivoting on her right hindhoof, she bowed her head to smash her forehead against the vampony's muzzle.
Stars filled her vision. A ringing resounded deep within her skull. But there was no time to recover. She stumbled at first, trying to get her balance, and once she found it, she bolted.
Fear-fueled adrenaline coursed through her veins as she imagined the vamponies right behind her. They were ageless and powerful, after all, so they would have certainly recovered much faster than Velvet. She could hear the wails and shrieks filling the air—good. Good. Their attention would be focused on her, giving Dawn an easy escape.
She almost couldn't believe what was happening. It was like the changeling attack all over again, but so, so much worse. Nopony knew what the changelings were going to do with the ponies. Velvet knew exactly what the vamponies were going to do, and she wasn't going to let that happen.
They were real. Why wouldn't they be real? New Moon had been writing about them all this time! It wasn't fiction—it was an autobiography! Where else would she have gotten the idea? Velvet skidded when she came around a corner too hard and crashed into a pony leaving a store.
"Sorry!" she gasped out, flashing a smile at the glare she received. She glanced over her shoulder and didn't see any pursuing vamponies, which filled her with both relief and dread. Where had they gone?
"How rude!" the mare said and snubbed her nose. "Honestly, what sort of a lady acts like a wild boar?" She huffed as she turned to stomp away, a folded piece of fabric falling from one of the bags levitating in dark orange magic.
Velvet's smile fell and she rolled her eyes. The kind of lady that certainly wasn't going to return the shawl that—she blinked. A shawl. Perfect! She hurriedly wrapped it around herself, draped over her nose to cover half of her face and falling down to her shoulders. Now her neck was safe from enticing any vamponies into looking for a snack.
Oh, Crystal would be sorry for doubting her all this time. The condominium was just two blocks away. As she kept running, she prayed that Dawn had gotten away safely. Dawn was so sweet and so gentle. There was no way she could defend herself against ravenous vamponies.
When she arrived at the front door, she sucked in a sharp breath at a sudden thought. How widespread was the invasion? What if there was one waiting for her inside? Crystal was just polite enough to invite one right in for tea.
The trembling came back as she undid the lock and slowly pushed the door open. She didn't know of any cure for vampirism. If Crystal had been infected, she didn't know what she would do.
"Hello?" she tried to call into the living room, but the sound was barely above a whisper as her throat locked up. She cleared her throat while her gaze darted about. "Is it safe?"
Crystal came into view, brow knitted and lips pursed. "How did you know it wasn't?"
Crystal's voice was quiet. Velvet's heart nearly jumped right out of her chest while her ears shot straight up. She spied Silent lying on the couch, a cloth draped over his forehead and his eyes closed. Sweat matted his coat, which was a pale, muted color as opposed to its usually vibrant white.
"They got him?!" Velvet gasped out. Oh, no. No, no, no. Not this. This was just as bad as Crystal herself being infected.
Crystal blinked. "Who got him? What's wrong?"
Crystal didn't know? Had Silent just showed up like this and she unwittingly took him in?! Velvet took a step back. "Vamponies! They're back!"
From the couch, Silent mumbled, "Vamponies aren't real."
Velvet glared at him, but before she could respond, Crystal said, "Surprisingly, Silent is correct for now. Vamponies aren't real." She paused, then one brow raised. "Wait a second. Did New Moon's sequel release today? That's rather unfortunate timing."
But they were! Velvet had just seen two of them! She huffed as anger boiled in her chest. Crystal would just say she was mistaken, like always. She didn't have proof, and Crystal was the ultimate vampony skeptic.
Kicking the door shut behind her, Velvet rolled her eyes. "Oh, right. Sequel. Because it's totally fiction. Yeah, I'll believe that when you prove it!"
Crystal groaned as she shook her head and walked back into the kitchen. "Velvet, how can I prove something isn't real?"
"Exactly!" Velvet shot a glare in Crystal's direction before edging closer to Silent. His breathing was ragged and his gaze was fixed on the ceiling. His eyes were still a silvery color, and his pupils were still round, though they were dilated. "So, how long before he starts sparkling?"
"If vamponies were real—if—they wouldn't sparkle," Crystal said with frustration in her voice.
Velvet continued to examine Silent. If he had been bitten, then that meant the Guard would be aware of the vamponies. Good. They would take care of it. That thought actually brought her some relief, though she did glare at Crystal again. "It's in New Moon's autobiography. They sparkle."
"Not real," Silent wheezed. Of course he had to deny it. Honor bound to keep the public calm. Not that he'd have honor for much longer, anyway.
"We'll see about that, Fangs McKnight." Velvet glanced at his wings. They were still those of a pegasus, though the feathers were mussed up.
Unfortunately, Eventide had been focused on the supposed 'romance' of Bonita and Ward rather than how to actually deal with them. She knew fire was part of it, but how? Was she supposed to set Silent on fire? How could she do that? Crystal would never let her! She'd sooner become a vampony with him than let harm come to him.
A growing pain throbbed behind Velvet's eyes. She wasn't prepared for this, not at all. She'd have to seek help, somepony who—
Silent snored.
From the kitchen, Crystal sighed. "Did he pass out?"
Velvet took the risk of moving in closer to get a better look at his face. He didn't yet look anything like the two vamponies she had encountered. He just looked like Silent. He was also definitely fast asleep. "He did."
Or what if he was just succumbing to the transformation process? Velvet shivered at the thought. The last thing she wanted to see was a pony turn right before her eyes. "How long ago was he bit?"
"He's not turning into a vampony, Velvet," Crystal said as she carried the tea set over and set it on the table. "He's just sick."
Velvet frowned. "That's how it starts."
"It's just a story!" Crystal pointed at a copy of Her Silent Love resting on the table. "That's just a story! They're all stories!"
Yeah, just a story. Except Her Silent Love was literally based on Crystal and her fawning over Silent for, like, a year. Actually, that was a perfect counterpoint! Velvet pointed at the snoring Silent. "And yours are all based on true stories!"
Crystal paused. Velvet smirked inwardly. She had her now. Slowly, Crystal put a hoof to her forehead and groaned. "I hate that I don't have a good argument against that." She sighed. "Fine! Vamponies may be real, but Silent's not turning into one." She stepped forward and lowered her face to Velvet's. "He's—just—sick. With a normal pony cold."
Velvet wanted to believe it. It would make life so much simpler. The last thing she wanted to do was deal with her best friend's coltfriend-turned-vampony. The second last thing she wanted was to see her best friend join the dark side and become a vampony with her coltfriend.
"Do you swear?" Velvet asked, holding Crystal's gaze firm and steady.
"Oh my gosh, yes, I swear!" Crystal gave an exasperated huff. "Now pack your bags and go spend a night or two at your parents' house until he gets better."
Right! Her parents! She had to make sure they and Red were okay. "Okay!" Velvet started to sidestep her way toward her bedroom. "You have fun being nursemaid. I'm going to go enjoy the fresh air and sunlight." She narrowed her eyes at Silent. "Like a normal pony."
He just continued to snore in response.
Once she was safely inside her room and the door was shut, she let out a heavy sigh. Was there a chance she really was mistaken? Had those not been vamponies at all? But she had been so close to them, and the fangs were right in her face! How could she have imagined all that?
---
So, perhaps, she had overreacted. It was definitely a distinct possibility that she was willing to entertain. After a whole day and into the next, there had been no reports of vampony attacks or even sightings in Canterlot.
On the plus side, when she peeked in through the Hole Foods grocery store window, Dawn was safe and sound. The downside was that the next morning's paper featured an outraged article about a pair of fillies dressed up for the release of their favorite book... and how they had been attacked by a crazy mare.
When Sunbeam had read that and made the connection, she hadn't stopped laughing. She had been laughing when Velvet left for practice. She was probably still laughing right then! Velvet didn't want to go back home to that, but with Silent ill, Tumble busy picking up the slack for the other guards out sick, and Dawn probably thinking she was the weirdest pony ever, where could she go?
Velvet tried not to sigh, but the sound escaped nonetheless, earning the attention of the stallion sitting beside her.
"You all right?" Ephemeral whispered, nudging her with his wing.
Velvet didn't look at him, instead keeping her eyes on the ponies in the center of the studio floor. Spotlight, the lighting director, was coordinating with Lightshow and the other special effects unicorns for the wedding scene. Apparently, she had some sort of vision for the scene and there was some disagreement on how to properly convey that.
Velvet shrugged. "Yeah. Fine." Other than the fact that she was a crazy mare who had attacked innocent fillies.
It was hard to focus on anything with the guilt of that weighing on her conscious. They had just been excited for the release of the sequel, and she had shoulder-checked and head-butted them. What kind of a monster was she? What did Dawn think about her after seeing all of that?
"You don't seem fine, but all right." He shrugged. "If you don't want to talk about it, I—"
"Hey, Moony. How about clubbing?" Velvet looked up at him, her expression blank.
Ephemeral blinked, then laughed softly. "Oh, wow. Got it in one today."
Velvet's brow furrowed. "Got what in one?"
There was a pause before he replied, "Weren't you guessing what I like to do after work?"
"No." She gasped and her eyes widened. "Wait, you like to go clubbing?!"
"Oy, mate!" the heavily accented voice of Spotlight cut in and the fiery orange mare trotted up to them. "I'm sorry. Are we borin' ya? Don't mean to be wastin' ya time, mate."
Velvet sat up straight and shook her head. "No, ma'am! Sorry, ma'am! We were just discussing, ah—"
"That we think the red effect is better than the green for the poisoned knife," Ephemeral cut in, his tone perfectly even. "With all of the blues, the red will stand out better."
Spotlight's brow raised as she eyed them before a grin cut across her muzzle. "Too right! Well, why didn't ya say somethin' sooner, Eph?" She clapped him on the shoulder and turned to head back to the unicorns. "Ya heard the bloke! Red it is!"
Velvet waited until Spotlight was engaged in the practice run, then whispered, "Good save."
Ephemeral chuckled. "One of us has to pay attention." His ear flicked and he glanced at her. "So, if you weren't guessing, then what were you talking about?"
"Oh. Right." Velvet frowned. "I don't want to go home tonight, so I was asking if you wanted to go clubbing with me."
After a thoughtful hum, Ephemeral bobbed his head. "Sounds good. Don't complain if I outshine you on the dance floor, though."
Velvet swallowed a laugh and managed to grin instead. "We'll just see about that, Moony."
Velvet walked alongside Ephemeral as they made their way through the streets of Canterlot. Which club were they going to? The stallion was being pretty tight-lipped about it, which made her all the more curious.
She sucked in a sharp, excited intake of air at a sudden thought. Was it a stallion's version of the Mare Contraire? Something like… the Stallion Battalion? That didn't sound very sexy, but she had never been much of a poet.
"Here we are," Ephemeral said, much to Velvet's disappointment.
It was just a regular-looking club called Synthaholic. Sure, the flashing lights, studly stallions, and minxy mares were exciting, but she was kind of looking forward to seeing some stallion-on-stallion action.
When they walked inside, a pegasus mare wearing all sorts of glowing accessories bounded over. "Eph! You're just in time!" She paused to look at Velvet. "Who's this?"
Ephemeral rubbed a hoof against his foreleg. "This is Velvet, a friend. She wanted to come with."
"Oh, yeah?" The mare cocked a grin. "I'm Swizzleglow. You amped for tonight?"
"Of course!" Velvet's gaze darted about. Ponies were everywhere, dancing alone, dancing together—all having a great time.
Ephemeral took a step forward. "She's just going to watch, at least for now."
Velvet blinked and looked up at him. "Watch? Watch what?"
"Aww… Fine, sure. Come on! The League's waitin' on you." Swizzleglow bounded off toward a group of stallions and mares standing off to the side, stretching as though they were preparing for a sports event.
Velvet's brow raised. "Moony, what's the League?"
"I'm part of a dance group called the Rocket League." His shoulders rolled as he started over to the waiting ponies. "Just watch."
"Uh, all right." Velvet glanced around, then took a seat at the bar. She didn't know what this was all about, which meant she wasn't going to take her eyes off Ephemeral and his friends. Not even to watch a perky rump bouncing off to her right.
After they finished stretching, Velvet noticed one of them bring out a glowing ball as they started toward the dance floor. They all dropped into what looked like combat stances and the stallion holding the ball spiked it into the air.
And that was when things got awesome.
With a variety of fluid movements, they would leap into the air and spin or flip to kick the ball at one of the other Rocket League ponies, all in time with the heavy techno music, all with their own unique flair.
When it was his turn, Ephemeral sprung into the air with all the grace befitting of a Royal Ballet ballerina. His wings flared out and his back arched as he kicked the ball back over his head with one of the highest mid-air arabesques she'd ever seen.
It was different. It was amazing! The coordination, the precision, the physical prowess—she was beyond enthralled. It was like watching a fireworks display of dancing, especially when the unicorn in the group sent off sparks of her magic.
After a few songs—and, on her part, a few drinks—the League took a break and walked over to where she sat, applauding them.
"You guys are amazing!" Velvet tried to stand, but sat back down when her head went light and fuzzy. All right, perhaps she'd had more than a few drinks. "So cool! How? Why?"
Swizzleglow ruffled her wings, the glow rings that were interwoven with the green feathers clicking together. "It just kinda happened! Dubstep came up with the idea. He and I started doing it, and before we knew it we had a whole group of regulars. So we made the Rocket League!"
Velvet wobbled some as she tried to focus on the moving colors that made up Swizzleglow's form. "That's really cool. You're really cool. Where's Moony?"
"Right beside you?" Ephemeral's voice came from a much closer proximity than she was expecting. "Are you drunk?"
Velvet leered at him. "I am not drunk! I am fine! Let's dance! I wanna rocket!"
"You're drunk." Ephemeral sighed and put a hoof to his forehead. "Well, this was a short-lived night out. Sorry, Leaguers, but I'm calling it a night and taking this little filly home."
"I'm no filly!" Velvet pushed his hoof away. "I'm a mare! I can dance. I wanna dance!"
Ephemeral stared at her for a moment, then shrugged. "Sure, okay. Show us your moves."
Velvet stuck her nose in the air as she lifted herself off the stool, took one step forward, and found herself staring at her own hooves. "Wha—?"
"Yup, great stuff. We're all impressed. Come on." Ephemeral's wing tugged her upright and held her to his side to keep her that way. "I'll see you all next time."
"Nooo," Velvet whined and struggled, but ultimately gave up when she realized the difference in their height meant her hooves couldn't touch the ground. She sighed as a chorus of farewells saw them out and the sounds of music faded away behind closed doors.
Ephemeral glanced down at her limp form. "Okay, where am I taking you?"
Velvet scrunched up her nose in thought. She couldn't go home; she didn't want Crystal to see her like this. And on top of that, Silent was sick. Her mom would still be laughing about the article and associated incident. She wasn't ready to face Dawn after said incident…
"Stahp!" Velvet shoved a hoof straight out in front of her, then dropped it down to point at the ground. "I command you, stallion, take me to base."
Ephemeral's ear flicked. "Base? What?"
"Royal Gerd base. Fer gerds." Velvet yawned and smacked her lips together. "I gotta friend there. A gerd."
After a moment of skeptical hesitation, Ephemeral shrugged and started down the main street toward the Royal Guard base. "Just don't fall asleep before we get there, otherwise I'm leaving you on the curb."
Velvet gasped. "You wouldn't!"
"Would I? I guess we'll find out, judging by those droopy eyes." Ephemeral chuckled softly.
Velvet glared at him, her hooves pressed to her forehead and tugging her brows up. "My eyes aren't drooping! I'm awake. Totes awake."
"Let's hope it stays that way." Ephemeral's wing kept her firmly held to his side, kind of like a blanket.
Mm, a blanket sounded great right then. A blanket and a bed. And a pillow. And sleep. And—
"Hey, wake up."
Velvet blinked and her head shot up. "Huh? I am awake!"
Ephemeral snorted, then laughed. "You've been snoring for the past five minutes."
"Oh." Velvet wiggled her hooves to try to reach the ground, gave up, and looked around. "Um, 'kay. So, up there. That building. Yup, yup." She waved her legs as though she were walking while he did the actual work. "Door. Right. Duck… duck… duck… duck… goose!" She stretched out her neck to nudge the door in front of them with her nose. "Olly olly pony free!"
"Are you sure this is the one?" When she nodded, Ephemeral shrugged, knocked, and smiled at the groggy pegasus stallion who answered. "I'm sorry to bother you, sir, but I have something that claims to belong to you."
Velvet huffed. "Never said that, just said I was friends with a gerd."
Thunder Tumble rubbed his eyes, then blinked at her. "Wha—Velvet?" He groaned and rubbed again. "What's going on?"
Ephemeral's wing stretched out to loosen his grip, though he did keep it around her when she stumbled a bit. "Somepony had a bit too much to drink and said I could bring her here."
"Tumble? What's up?" an unfamiliar voice called from inside the room.
"N-Nothing, just go back to sleep." Tumble lowered his voice as he looked down at Velvet. "My roommate's here. Sorry... I can't let you in."
A face popped into view around Tumble's side. "Of course he can! It'd be irresponsible of us as guards to let her wander all by herself. Bring her in, she can have my bunk."
Ephemeral watched as Velvet wobbled inside with help on all sides—a wing here, a hoof there, and a nudge—until she planted face-first into a pillow. "Okay, then," he said, "I'll see you at work, Velvet. If you're not too hung over for practice."
Velvet waved a hoof. "It's fiiine! Not my first reodo."
"Rodeo, and all right. Bye, Velvet. Thanks, sirs."
The sound of the door shutting and the flapping of wings forced Velvet to roll her head to the side and look at the stallions peering at her, Tumble with concern and his roommate with interest.
"Yooou," Velvet started, paused, then squinted. "Flasher. Right?"
The roommate grinned. "Lightning Flash, actually. So you're the mare Tumble has been chasing me out of here to see."
Velvet shrugged. "One of 'em, at least."
Tumble's face turned red. "The—The only one, thank you!" His ears folded back. "Look, why don't you move to my bunk so Lightning can sleep, and I'll just sleep on the floor?"
"Or—or." Velvet put a hoof on his nose. "We could share the bed."
Lightning's grin widened. "Yeah, Tumble. Listen to the lady. Don't mind me."
"Cut it out, both of you!" Tumble sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I'm really tired from the extra shifts since nearly everypony's out sick, and now there's the recent attack on those fillies that's in the papers… Can I just get some sleep?"
The recent attack? Oh, right. Yeah, that attack. Velvet blinked a few time as her vision started to blur and her eyes burned. Flash's bed, Tumble's bed, she didn't care. She just needed—
"Velvet?" Tumble flapped closer to her. "Are you okay?"
Velvet blinked a few times. "Yeah. Just tired. Why?"
"Because you're crying," he said with earnest concern in his voice.
Velvet's hooves flew to her face. Yup, her cheeks were wet. That explained the blurring and burning sensation. "I—um—" Her lower lip trembled and, all of a sudden, she broke down. "It was me! I'm sorry!"
Flash glanced between them. "Uh, do I need to give you two some space?"
Tumble shrugged at him. "I'm not sure." He looked back at Velvet. "What was you?"
"The—" She hiccupped. "The attack! I did it. I'm sorry!"
After a pause, Tumble asked slowly, "Are you confessing that you attacked two innocent fillies?"
Velvet nodded, sniffled, and whimpered. "I thought… I thought they were vamponies. I thought the-they were coming for me! I had to! I had to draw their attention to protect Dawn!"
Lightning perched on the foot of Tumble's bed. "Sounds like you aren't getting any sleep, Tumble, buddy, so I'm just gonna take your bed." With a playful salute, he dove under the sheets and disappeared from sight.
With a small sigh and a shake of his head, Tumble landed on the space beside Velvet. "Okay. You know vamponies don't exist, right?"
"How do you know?!" Velvet ineffectually punched his shoulder. "If I said I thought they were changelings, you wouldn't think I was crazy!"
"So you're scared of changelings and vamponies?"
"No," Velvet muttered, grabbing the pillow and hugging it to her chest. "Just vamponies."
Tumble stared at her with a confused furrow of his brow. "So you're not afraid of something that we know exists, but you're afraid of something that doesn't—that we don't know if it exists?"
"Yeah. What of it?" She glared up at him. "You're not just gonna someday turn into a changeling. My best friend isn't just gonna turn into a changeling. But someday, someday I could come home and suddenly Crystal's a vampony, and there'd be nothing I could do about that! How is that not terrifying?!"
Tumble sat there quietly until Lightning piped up, "That is a pretty scary thought, you know."
"It is, I'll admit that." Tumble sighed. "All right. So you acted out of self-defense and to protect your friend. That's admirable."
Velvet sniffed. "It is."
"It wasn't a premeditated attack?" When she shook her head, he nodded. "All right. And they were in costume. From what I know, it was high-end cosplay." He took her hoof in his. "For now, why don't you sleep off the alcohol. In the morning, I'll take you to the local precinct office and explain what happened. You'll have to pay a fine and write an apology letter to those fillies, okay?"
Velvet pulled his hoof close and nuzzled her cheek against it. "Okay. I can do that. I am sorry."
Tumble slipped out of her grasp, patted her on the head, and slipped off the bed. "Go to sleep, Velvet. We'll take care of it in the morning. It'll be all right."
He was nice. Maybe too nice. She sighed and flopped over onto her side, still hugging the pillow. Nice ponies didn't deserve to be stuck with ponies like her.
---
How long had it been since Azurite started laughing? Velvet wasn't sure, but it had been long enough that Red had started giggling, gotten bored of it, wandered around the picnic blanket, then fell into a second giggle fit.
"Okay!" Velvet groaned. "I get it, I get it. It's funny. You've had your laugh!"
Azurite slapped her hooves over her mouth and nodded, her breathing labored from the struggle to contain her laughter. She wheezed once, twice, and on the third time, she lowered her hooves. "I'm so sorry, but—I thought I had messed up by jumping the wrong mare in the shower. You head-butted fillies!"
Velvet rolled her eyes. "I head-butted one and shoulder-checked the other. But that's not the point! My point was just that we all make mistakes, okay? So you shouldn't beat yourself up over the shower thing."
"Oh, I guess." Azurite's mirth deflated. "I still feel pretty silly, though. I just want things to go back to normal."
An awkward silence settled on them. A soft wind drifted by to rustle the branches above and they just watched Red making his way toward the edge of the blanket, intent on testing the limits a second time.
"So, Azurite," Velvet said, guiding Red back to the center by picking him up and turning him about, "I kind of have a personal question for you."
Azurite winced and her ears folded back. "Sure."
Red protested his confinement by just sitting still, so Velvet started to caress his mane. "I don't really get relationships, so forgive me for not understanding why you want to have two." She glanced up at the little blue mare. "Have you ever considered just… letting Sunny go and sticking to Soarin? You two are happy, right?"
Azurite's nose scrunched up and she opened her mouth with determination in her eyes. "No! I—" Her mouth snapped shut. The gears visibly spun around as her eyes darted back and forth, almost like she was watching the voices in her head argue right in front of her.
Finally, Azurite sighed and relented, "I—I don't know. Soarin is really amazing, and really hot, too. I'm actually shocked he hadn't found somepony sooner! I mean, yeah, he has his faults, but so do I. We're a good pair. I'm certainly pretty happy, anyway."
Red sensed the sadness in Azurite's voice and toddled over to her with his forelegs outstretched for a hug. He really was a sweetheart that way.
"Oh my goodness, you're just too cute!" Azurite scooped him into her embrace and cuddled him close. After a sigh, she continued, "I miss Sunny, too, though. Our relationship is… was different. Being with her isn't the same as being with Soarin. Oh! And vice versa, of course. They're both really special to me."
Velvet nodded. She could understand that. Even if it wasn't the same, she could even go so far as to empathize. Seeing Dawn happy made her happy. And it was fun to be the 'big pony' in bed, but it was much more satisfying when Tumble pinned her down, and—
No, no. This wasn't all about sex. For Azurite, this was about love. Velvet breathed in and out to release the thoughts so she could focus on the real situation at hoof. "And there is no way you can get from Soarin or your friends what you got from Sunny?" She raised her hooves defensively. "Keep in mind, I'm not anti-Sunny here. I just want to make sure you're looking at this from all angles."
Azurite looked down at Red with a sad little pout. "I don't really have friends other than Sunny and Soarin."
What? Velvet raised her brow. Was that supposed to be an insult, or was Azurite just oblivious? "Are you sure about that?"
"Huh?" Azurite hugged Red and peeked over at Velvet like a shy filly. After a moment, she mumbled, "I guess I'm not sure, at least not now. I don't imagine you'd do all this for somepony you didn't like." Her ears wiggled. "Would you?"
"Well, I might!" Velvet grinned. "You know, 'cause of the guilt! But… that isn't the case here, though. I mean, yeah, I agreed because of the guilt thing, but that isn't why. Not anymore." She reached out to ruffle Red's mane. "And I certainly wouldn't let anypony play with Red out of guilt!"
Red cooed and gurgled, then purred like a cat and nuzzled her hoof.
Velvet looked back at Azurite with a smile. "To be honest, you're my first non-dance, non-Crystal's-group friend." The smile fell. "Well, I guess you sort of overlap, if you count the whole Silent thing."
Azurite beamed at her. "Thanks. And you're my first non-Sandy, non-inanimate-object, non-dating friend."
When Red started squirming, Azurite reluctantly let him go, watching him with a curious frown as he made a beeline for the blanket's edge.
"You're welcome." Velvet stretched out to block his path, laughing softly when he growled. She looked up at Azurite with a smile. "Think about what I said, okay? You never know, you might find out that you already have what you want with Soarin. If you just focus on him for a while instead of on Sunny, you might be surprised. Or maybe not. It can't hurt to let Sunny cool off in the meantime, right?"
Azurite nodded meekly. "I'll think about it, but no promises."
"That's fine. Now, let's talk about Red." She shifted to block the new path he had made for another edge. "I was thinking we could dress him up like a little baby chicken."
"No, no, no." Azurite's eyes went wide. "A pink pony. No! Mr. Peepers! Wait, no, a baby chicken does sound cute… Oh, wait, if we could get him a little scuba outfit, then he could be Diver Pony, and you could be Mr. Peepers…"
Velvet just laughed as Azurite sputtered her way through suggestions, only half of which made sense. It didn't matter, though. After embarrassing herself in front of Dawn, getting plastered instead of hanging out with Ephemeral, crying all over Thunder Tumble, and then spending three hours with Officer Stern to go over the whole ordeal… she was more than happy to just laugh for a while.
Sunridge Sweets was enjoying a nice lull in activity, which gave Velvet some time to breathe. She was completely worn out from the rush of students in need of a sugar fix after their first day back at school. Three of those, two dozen these, five this, and one would you please wait your turn I'm still getting the first dozen special on the house.
"Are you okay, my little delinquent?" Sunbeam chimed from the doorway that led to the back room. "You're not going to attack anypony, are you?"
Velvet groaned and buried her face in her hooves. "Not helping, Mom."
Sunbeam giggled as she pranced over to stand beside her. "Oh, I'm sorry, sugarplum. I just thought I raised a better daughter than this. I have to cope somehow!"
"You're not coping, you're delighting in my embarrassment," Velvet muttered, lifting her head just enough to glare. "Their costumes were really convincing, okay?"
Pepper Ridge leaned through the doorway. "Dear, stop teasing her." He moved to stand in between them, putting a hoof on Velvet’s shoulder. "I think you were brave for trying to protect your friend, even if they were just fillies. It's the thought that counts."
"That part is how I thought I raised my little filly," Sunbeam said, a sheepish smile on her face. "I'm sorry, honey. It's just so unlike you that it's hard to take seriously."
Velvet groaned as she leaned against her father. "Whatever. It's over. I confessed, I paid the fine, and I wrote the letters." Her ears folded back. "Can we just pretend it never happened?"
Sunbeam opened her mouth to speak, but a look from Pepper snapped it back shut. He smiled and said, "If you want to forget it, then it's forgotten." He kissed her forehead, then pulled away and started to guide Sunbeam back into the kitchen. "Now, smile for the customer."
Velvet blinked. "The—" Her head turned and she caught sight of a stallion staring at her over the rim of his glasses. "Whoa!"
The sage green pegasus arched one brow. "That's a terrible way to greet a customer. I don't think I want to do business after being treated like this."
With a snort and a grin, Velvet waved a hoof at him. "Oh, Rossby. Always the charmer. Do you really want to go elsewhere?"
Rossby Waves flicked an ear. "No, but I will if this is how you're going to act. I should take it up with your manager."
"Oh, sure, let me get my manager." Velvet turned all the way around until she was facing him again, putting on a serious expression. "What seems to be the problem, sir?"
Rossby just stared at her. She stared back. Finally, he groaned out, "Fine, I'll place an order, but only because I walked all this way."
Velvet laughed and slid open the glass door on the back of the display case. "Great. What do you want?"
"Red velvet," he replied simply, eyeing the cupcakes.
"What?" She reared back with feigned disgust. "He's just a foal!"
His brow furrowed. "What?"
"I knew you were strange, but I had no idea you would go that far." She shook her head. "Sorry, but he's not for sale. Not on my watch."
"What is wrong with you?" He pointed at the row of red velvet cupcakes. "I just want one of those. You can have a psychotic episode on some other pony."
Snickering to herself, she put one of the cupcakes into a little paper bag. "Two bits, please."
He stared for a moment, looked at the list of prices, then looked back at her with a soft snort. "Ugh. See, this is why you're stupid. Two bits for one, five for a half dozen? It just doesn't make any sense. How do you even stay in business?"
"A magician never reveals their secrets." She tapped a hoof to the side of her nose.
He rolled his eyes and dropped five bits on the counter. "Fine. Make it a half dozen. I hope you lose money on this sale."
"Of course!" Packing the cupcakes into a box and putting it on the counter, she put the bits in the register. "Have a great day! Try not to rain on anypony!"
"Whatever. I can do what I want," he grumbled, immediately taking one of the cupcakes out to bite into it. His tail flicked as he trotted out of the bakery, but Velvet saw his ears wiggle in delight just before the doors shut behind him.
Rossby had one of those 'mystery wrapped in an enigma' type of personalities. He annoyed most ponies with the way he talked, but Velvet found him endlessly amusing. After all, he was really just a kid in prep school that looked old for his age. It just made him kind of adorable, since his feathers were so easy to ruffle.
And speaking of adorable, the definition of it—in the form of a little blue mare—had just walked in with her wheelchair-bound friend. "Hi, Velvet!"
Velvet smiled and offered a small wave. "Hey, Azurite, Sandy. How were the kites?"
Azurite scrunched up her nose as she stormed up to the counter. "Mr. Peepers got into the tree again! Honestly, what is with him?"
"It is a very nice tree," Sandy teased.
Azurite huffed. "Well, we can't always have what we want. Except me! I want a cupcake." She tapped a hoof on a glass. "No, I need a cupcake."
"Coming right up," Velvet said as she boxed up two cupcakes—Mom liked Azurite, so that meant she got one for free. "And what about you, Sandy?"
Sandy grinned. "I'll just have Azurite's Sunbeam Special."
"Hey!" Azurite huffed and puffed. "I earned that extra cupcake, thank you very much!"
"Oh yeah? And what did you do, exactly?" Sandy leaned back to rest her weight against her wheelchair, grinning wider.
Dropping two bits and snatching the box in her magic, Azurite glared up at Velvet. "Tell her I earned my Sunbeam Special!"
Velvet reached over to pat her on the head. "Oh, yes, sweetie, you absolutely earned it. It has nothing to do with Sunbeam wanting to make sure you stay an addicted and repeat customer."
Azurite gasped and swatted at the hoof with both forehooves. "Lies! I earned it! It's because of my wit and charm and talent!"
"Definitely, definitely. That's exactly it." Velvet laughed, then glanced around before leaning across the counter. "Hey, so, did you take my advice, or what?"
Azurite's ears drooped but her lips lifted into a small smile. "Umm… Yeah. Yeah, I've decided I'm just gonna focus on Soarin." She shuffled her hooves. "He's been good to me and for now, I'm going to be good to him. He's earned that much." Her expression brightened and she stood up straight and tall—tall for her, anyway. "Anyway, thanks for the advice! And the treats!"
"Anytime." Velvet waved her off as the two mares went over to a table to enjoy their cupcakes and discuss the kite-flying antics of the afternoon. She, on the other hoof, sighed and put on her best smile to hide the frown she felt inside.
Soarin had been good to Azurite, so he had "earned that much". Dawn had been good to Velvet, hadn't she? Always kind, always listening, always willing to do whatever it took to make Velvet happy. She deserved an apology. She had earned that much.
Once the bakery had closed for the night, she began the long walk to Dawn's apartment, dread resounding in the echo of every hoofstep. She didn't want to do this. She just wanted to pretend none of it ever happened.
But then who would take care of Dawn? She still didn't have any other friends. She'd be all alone! Velvet had to make this apology sincere, because it was. She had to do her best. And then she had to hope for the best.
It would be fine, wouldn't it? Dawn was so sweet and understanding. Of course, that was before she found out Velvet was one panic attack away from head-butting fillies in the street. That wasn't exactly the kind of pony that somepony like Dawn should be around.
Well, it was too late for indecision. She was already standing outside Dawn's apartment, one hoof raised. All she had to do was knock. Sucking in a nervous breath, she did just that and then steeled herself for a suspicious look or a judgmental tone.
Instead, when Dawn answered, relief was in her voice and on her face. "Velvet!"
"H-Hey, cutie." Velvet shifted from one hoof to the other. All of the things she had prepared to say vanished like a puff of smoke. "How are, uh, you?"
Dawn shook her head. "Forget about me! What about you? I haven't heard from you since the, um, the vampony thing, so I was worried you got hurt, or in serious trouble!"
Velvet coughed to loosen the nervous lump in her throat. "Yeah, about that, I—"
"It's okay," Dawn said, pressing a soft kiss to Velvet's lips, then stepped out of the way. "Come on inside." Once they were seated on the couch, she folded her hooves in her lap and smiled. "You don't have to feel embarrassed about it, okay? I understand. Sometimes silly things scare us."
Silly things? Velvet's ears flicked back, but she pushed that thought aside. "What, are you scared of something, too?"
Dawn winced, hesitated, then tucked her head underneath Velvet's chin. "Kind of… Promise you won't laugh?"
"Cross my heart." Velvet wrapped one foreleg loosely around Dawn's shoulders. "It can't be more laughable than what I did, anyway."
After breathing in and out, Dawn mumbled, "Okay. So... I'm afraid of snakes, but it's not just that. When I was a filly, we were working in the fields and I thought I saw one right on front of me. I screamed and called for help, but when my brother and sister ran over, they started laughing because it was—it was just a stick."
Velvet grinned, thankful that their positions kept the expression a secret. "Aww, that's not—"
"I-I'm not done," Dawn practically whimpered. "They thought it was so funny that sticks started showing up everywhere, and I screamed every time. I'd be taking a shower and a stick came around the curtain. I'd wake up and there'd be a stick in my bed. One time there was a stick in my boot… I couldn't stop thinking it was a snake!"
Dawn sighed, snuggled closer to Velvet, and finished, "So… So now I'm scared of snakes and sticks. I understand being scared of something silly. And vamponies aren't even that silly…"
Oh, why had she been so worried? Dawn was the sweetest pony ever! Velvet tightened her grip on the mare and nuzzled her behind one ear. "Thanks for understanding, sweetie. Still, I'm sorry for acting like that."
Dawn giggled and gave a small shake of her head. "It's okay. When I realized what you thought was going on, I thought it was really brave. If they had been real vamponies, you definitely would have saved me, so… thank you." After a small pause, she asked, "Did you get caught?"
"Caught?" Velvet laughed. "I mean, sort of? I turned myself in. Sort of."
"Really?" Dawn jerked away to look up at Velvet with wide eyes. "How much trouble are you in? What happened?"
Velvet waved a hoof. "I explained to a guard what happened, I paid a fine, and… I wrote an apology letter to the fillies." Her ears fell flat to the sides and she snorted. "And they sent a letter back."
Dawn winced. "How did that go?"
"Oh, great! Totally great." Velvet tried not to groan. "They completely understood."
"But… you don't sound happy?" Dawn tilted her head to the side.
Velvet raised a hoof to rub an ache between her eyes, allowing the groan to escape. "Well, you know, they're big New Moon fans. So when I said that I thought they were vamponies, they took that as a compliment on their costumes. And then wrote me a five-page essay on why vamponies are great and wonderful and that I shouldn't fear them."
"Five pages? Each, or—?"
"Each," Velvet said in a low voice. "The envelopes were basically bursting open when the mailpony gave them to me."
Dawn giggled, then quickly clamped a hoof over her mouth. "I-I'm sorry, it's not funny."
After a moment of leering at the far wall, Velvet cracked a grin. "It's a little funny." She pushed Dawn over and buried her face into the fluffy fur of the mare's chest, breathing in her scent. Today, it was oatmeal and honey. "Now, let's stop talking about my embarrassing incident, and talk about something else."
Dawn replied with a sound that was somewhere between a squeak and a moan. "L-Like what?"
Velvet shrugged and lifted her head to make eye contact. "I dunno. Anything new with you?"
"Not really." Dawn's ears folded back as a sigh escaped her. "I'm going to visit my family next week and I'm really nervous about it. They're going to ask so many questions, and what am I going to tell them?"
"Aww, don't worry. They're your family, right? And, I mean, you didn't leave on bad terms, so I'm sure it'll be fine." Velvet kissed the underside of Dawn's chin. "And if you want to distract them, just tell them that you're sleeping with a Royal Ballet ballerina."
A bright red blush went from Dawn's cheeks to the tips of her ears. "I-I-I can't tell them th-that! They don't know I like mares!" She paused, then added in a mumble, "I didn't know I liked mares, actually…"
Velvet blinked a few times. "What? Then why were you at the Mare Contraire?"
"Curiosity?" Dawn squeaked, covering her face with both forehooves.
With a laugh, Velvet tugged Dawn's hooves out of the way to kiss her. "Celestia, you are the cutest. I'm sure your family will just be happy to see you if you were this cute with them."
Dawn's nose wiggled, but she relented with a nod and a small smile. "What about you? We didn't really get to talk much on our date before it, uh, it got interrupted."
"Me?" Velvet hummed thoughtfully, scooting back down to rest her chin on Dawn's chest. "Not too much. My roommate is taking care of her coltfriend 'cause he's sick, so the condo's been quarantined. Been spending a lot of time doing bakery work." She smiled. "I talked to Azurite today, and it sounds like things are going better with her."
The small smile on Dawn's face faltered. "Azurite?"
Velvet furrowed her brow until realization struck her and she smiled. "Right, right. It's really been a while since we talked, huh? Well, Azurite is this really sweet mare I met in some… kind of weird circumstances. I mean, it involved her coming to fight me over her marefriend, so, yeah, weird." She laughed and shook her head. "But we're actually kind of friends now."
"Oh…" Dawn nodded slowly. "I see."
"She's so adorable," Velvet continued. "And so much fun to tease! And Red really seems to like her, so that's a plus."
Dawn's brow furrowed and her voice became soft, almost distant. "Red… Isn't he your brother?"
"Yup! The one and only!" Velvet gave a wistful sigh. "I actually didn't get to play with him today. Shoot. Maybe he'll still be awake when I go back to my parents' place."
"I-If you want, you could go back now." Dawn bit her lower lip before she added, "I could come with you, so I could meet Red… and your parents…"
It felt almost like a shock surged through her as Velvet jolted upright. "What?" She gave a quick shake of her head. "Nah, that's okay. I'll see him later. Why don't we just have dinner?"
With a bit of hesitation, Dawn nodded, slipped out from under Velvet to get off the couch, and went to the kitchen. "Okay."
Velvet let out a silent sigh of relief. Crisis averted! If she brought Dawn over, her mom would never stop talking about it. Though it might distract her from laughing about the vampony thing… Velvet shook her head again. No, no, that'd do more harm than good. Who knew what kind of weird ideas Mom would put in Dawn's head.
Petit assemblé. Bow to the left, sweeping forelegs. Two steps back. Bow to the right, sweeping forelegs. Brisé derrière, and spin.
Velvet and the others had practiced the routine at least twenty times, and there would likely be a hundred more rehearsals of it before they would even be close to ready.
"Velvet Step!" Firebird called, stomping a hoof. "Mind your expression! You're looking bored out there!"
"Sorry, sir!" Velvet put on her best smile. This was supposed to be a jovial scene and she was up in her head again. They had to look happy enough that the entire audience could see it.
Of course, the makeup they would wear would accentuate their faces, but they still had to smile. Smile big. Smile wide. Smile sincere. The audience had to believe in what they saw as though it were actually happening.
That was the hardest part about ballet. It wasn't the endless practice or the grueling movements, but looking like she felt neither in her bones. She didn't merely dance; she was an actor. Despite all the rehearsing, the ballet couldn't look rehearsed. It had to look alive. It had to look like it was actually happening. Otherwise, it was just dancing and not the performance of a story, a journey, an experience.
Finally, just when her hindlegs were about to give out, Raine clapped her hooves. "Very good, fillies and colts. That'll do for today. Go shower up and we'll see you tomorrow."
Velvet dropped down onto all fours, groaning at the aches in her muscles. One day down, so many more to go. But it was all worth it for the big payoff at next month's performance. The applause, the cheers, the feeling of a job well done. All of it was worth the pain of rehearsal.
"Hey, Velvet," Ephemeral said as he approached. "Glad to see you're okay."
Velvet's ears flicked back and she tried not to flinch away from him or look as guilty as she felt. "Yeah!" She rubbed the back of her neck. "Sorry about, uh, well, getting totally smashed. I really am."
Ephemeral shook his head. "It happens to the best of us. Maybe next time don't drink so much and actually hang around. You might really enjoy Rocket League."
"Maybe." Velvet started toward the mares' locker room, humming in thought. "I'd like to give it a shot. Who knows, I might get a kick out of it." She flashed a grin up at him and wiggled her ears.
Ephemeral laughed and put a hoof on her forehead to push her away in a playful gesture. "Oh, ha, ha. Yes, you're very punny. But, seriously. If you actually are interested, we're always looking for more members." He cleared his throat and added, "You could invite your coltfriend, too, if you want."
Velvet furrowed her brow. "My what?"
"You know." His lips quirked into a brief grin. "The royal gerd."
"The—" She interrupted herself with a low groan, raising a hoof to her forehead. "Right. No, uh. He's not my coltfriend. It's not like that."
"Really? But he—nope." He shook his head and pulled away. "Sorry, not trying to pry. Your business is your business. Anyway, if I see you at Synth, great. Either way, I'll see you back here tomorrow."
With a light bob of her head and an idle wave, they parted ways to go to their respective locker rooms. Her coltfriend, huh? Is that what it looked like? Her nose scrunched up and she ruminated on that while she started to shower off.
They never went on dates, not like she and Dawn did. She also saw other ponies from time to time, and if he had the time to, she'd expect him to do the same. But even still, there was some comfort in having her two steady partners when she needed them: Dawn during the day and Tumble at night.
A smile lit up her face. Relationships weren't all bad if this was what they were like. Knowing that she didn't have to go out and hope she found somepony, but that, instead, there were two ponies waiting around for her… it was kind of nice. Maybe she was the kind of mare that could settle down after all—in a matter of speaking, anyway.
---
With a merry tune to hum, Velvet made her way up the stairs and down the hall. Silent had recovered from the plague, and while she technically had already moved back into her room, spending the nights at Tumble's had been occupying her time. After all, now that his roommate knew what was going on, it was much easier to see each other.
And oh, were they seeing a lot of each other!
Velvet grinned while that thought occupied her headspace and she undid the lock to her condo. Hoping to make a grand entrance, she threw the door open, only to be greeted by a flurry of papers going in every direction.
In the middle of the paper storm was Crystal, her forelegs flailing in a failed endeavor to save her work from flying away. Velvet just watched, grinning, waiting for Crystal to remember the magic of… well, being a unicorn.
It must have finally dawned on her, because soon all the papers were enveloped in a pink shimmer. Crystal looked up at Velvet with narrowed eyes. "You could knock first!"
Velvet's grin widened. "I live here!"
"Is that so!" Crystal sat upright and floated the pages closer to examine and sort them into two separate stacks. "Well, lately, you certainly could have fooled me."
Crabapples. She had been spending a little too much time with Dawn and Tumble, hadn't she? The hairs of her coat stood on end with nerves as she snapped out the first excuse that came to mind. "Hey! You're the one who convinced me to join this company. They're a lot more serious than the Canterlot Ballet. But, you know, work hard, play hard, right?"
Play hard—well, that was one way to put it. Something certainly had been hard. Velvet snorted to keep from laughing and continued, "I've been doing both, so, yeah, I've been gone, but I'm still gonna let myself in like I live here."
Crystal sighed. She bought it. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I am happy to see you. I'm just so distracted right now." Her gaze lifted to meet Velvet's, a shy smile spreading across her lips. "We've set a date."
A date? A date for—"What?!" A jolt of surprise shot through her. Wedding! "Seriously? When?"
"Two weeks before Hearth's Warming."
Hearth's Warming? Velvet gasped after doing the math. That was so close!
Crystal giggled and pawed a hoof at the air. "I know!"
It was exciting—but also terrifying. In just a few months, Crystal was going to get married and move on with her life. But that didn't mean she'd move on from Velvet, right? Of course not! No, it wasn't terrifying. It was just exciting.
"Crystal, that's just four months away!" Velvet hopped from one hoof to the other, resolving herself to excitement and not terror. "Oh my gosh, you're getting married in four months!" A thought bubbled up and her hopping slowed, then came to a complete stop. "Why so soon?"
Her cheeks turning a light shade of red, Crystal twiddled her hooves. "So we can go on our honeymoon for Hearth's Warming and start the new year together as husband and wife. Like a new chapter in our story. Or the ending of this one and the start of the sequel, I don't know, but it's—"
"Sickeningly cute and totally appropriate for you? Jeeze." Velvet laughed. Leave it to Crystal to take something that was already romantic and make it even more so. "Okay, so what can I help with?"
Crystal breathed in and exhaled as if preparing herself for a speech. And, as she started talking, that seemed to be exactly what she was doing.
"We had fun when you got me spun up about it a few months ago, but it's time to be serious. I need to schedule time with your parents to talk about the cake. I am going to go by the palace this afternoon to meet with Raven and then Willow. Luna wants to throw a wedding shower, but thankfully all I have to do is nod and smile, because Luna and Willow are working on the arrangements."
Okay. Cake—her parents. Wedding shower—Luna and Willow. What else was there to do to prepare for weddings? The dress, decorations, food? Music? None of those were really something Velvet could do.
"That all sounds great," Velvet said, trying to not sound petulant, "but what can I do?"
Crystal idly looked over a page from one of the stacks. "Well, for starters, I don't know if we formally discussed the matter of my bridesmares."
Oh, right. Right! There was a very important role for Velvet to fill. "Uh-huh. What about it?"
"You are, without a doubt, my mare of honor, of course," Crystal said, giggling and wiggling her ears.
Velvet kept up a playful air by snubbing her nose, but she would be lying if she said she wasn't relieved to hear it. She couldn't imagine Crystal picking somepony else, but it was still nice to hear. "Of course."
"I don't know how many groomstallions Silent plans to have. I presume Winterspear will be his best mare. It's safe to assume Runic will be one of his groomstallions. Perhaps Iridescence, as well? I'm not sure, but he'll have two for certain." Crystal hummed in thought, idly tapping one hoof against the floor. "Obviously, I would ask Horsey to be my first bridesmare."
Velvet nodded and started to pace in a circle. "Obviously. You were in Raven's wedding, too, though. Isn't it, like, customary to return the favor or whatever?"
Crystal's nose scrunched up and she nodded. "Raven could be my counterpart for Iridescence. If he asked for a fourth pony, then Painted would be my next choice." She tried to smother a frown by covering it with one hoof. "Is it sad that I can't imagine who else he would ask?"
Velvet shrugged as she sat down by the stacks of papers. One seemed to be for story notes and the other wedding ideas. She picked up the top page from the latter stack and glanced it over.
"Not really," she mumbled while reading. "He's not exactly Mr. Sociable."
Music: Classical? Live band? String quartet? Something classy and simple.
Velvet's ears wiggled. "Hmm, a string quartet? Your parents would probably know somepony for that?"
"Ugh." Crystal groaned as she buried her face in her hooves. "I can't even think about them right now. Especially not my mother."
"What happened this time?" Velvet tossed the page over her shoulder and picked up the next one on the stack.
Commission Axel a second time for another carriage? Perhaps include both the heart from my cutie mark and the moon from Silent's. "Just Married" across the back? White? Silver? Full carriage or half carriage?
"You did a marriage carriage for Horsey's wedding. You can't do one for your own, too."
There was a pause before Crystal said, "My mother gave me my grandparents' address."
Velvet glanced up at her. Crystal's grandparents? She'd never met them, but she knew of them. Jet Set's father, Jet Ship, was some big rich pony whose company made luxury airships. "Yeah, it would probably be good to get them involved. Your granddad is pretty wealthy, right?"
"Not my father's parents," Crystal said, her gaze fixed firmly elsewhere.
What? But what other grandparents did she have? It was just Jet Ship and Dia-whatever, wasn't it? Velvet had never met any other grandparents in their years as frie—"Wait, what?!" She sat up straight. "I didn't know your mother had parents!"
Crystal burst into laughter. "Of course she did—er, does! Where do you think she came from?"
"I dunno!" Velvet gawked at her as she tried to imagine Upper Crust as a filly. With parents. Who put her in little fillies' dresses. And maybe even put bows in her mane. Nope, that mental image was wrong, wrong, wrong. "I just kind of assumed there was a garden party in Canterlot and—poof!" She threw her hooves in the air. "She was there." Eyes wide with interest, she leaned in toward Crystal. "So, like, who are they? What are they like?"
"I have no idea," Crystal said, her laughter calming down, and she shook her head. "All I have is their address and that they live in Chicagoat. And that neither of my parents are fond of them."
Wow. A whole side of Crystal's family neither of them knew anything about! She grinned at the countless possibilities of what they might be like. "So… isn't that all the more reason to meet them? The enemy of your enemy and all that?" She glanced down at the wedding notes she still held.
Bouquet—roses! White roses? Red roses? Pink roses? Blue roses! White and blue roses?
"Really?" Velvet asked, reading the line over again. "A bouquet of just roses?"
Crystal huffed. "I like roses!" After scrunching up her nose, she sighed and shook her head. "I don't know. If my parents don't like them, that can't bode well, can it?"
All Velvet could do was shrug, move on to the next paper in the pile, and judge Crystal to make her squirm.
She breathed in his scent—a scent that was uniquely his, yet impossible to describe. No perfume or cologne could capture the way he smelled. She wanted to live in it, to drown in it. Even just a hint of it as he passed by would light a fire within that melted her from the inside out. With him lying beside her, so close, practically on top of her, she was intoxicated by pleasure and desire.
"Oh, my," Velvet purred, glancing between the writing and Crystal. Sweet, innocent Crystal wasn't so sweet and innocent when Lucent Dreams took over her writing.
Crystal blinked and leaned closer to take a peek. "What?"
"This is in the wrong pile, unless you intend to turn this wedding into a show."
Pink magic ripped the paper out of Velvet's grasp and crumpled it into a ball. The panic-stricken look on Crystal's face paired with the bright red blush that went all the way to her ears spurred Velvet into uncontrollable laughter.
"Wrong pile!" Crystal practically shrieked, collecting all the papers up in her magic and jumping to her hooves. "I can take care of looking through these, thank you very much!"
Before they could be levitated out of reach, Velvet snatched a hooffull of the papers from both stacks and bounded away. "Aw, come on, it's been a while since you went into a writing frenzy!" She grinned at the glare she received and glanced over one of the pages.
His forelegs were wrapped around her in a tight embrace, as though he could and would protect her from all harm. He was her impenetrable armor from the world, and yet he held her gently, lovingly. She felt like a treasure in his eyes, in his embrace, and she felt safe.
She shifted her gaze to what was visible of another page.
… his breath was hot on her ear, a flower of pleasure blooming in her chest from the sensation…
"Seriously," Velvet said, looking back up at Crystal, "these are all really lovey-dovey and steamy. What did I miss?"
Crystal just glowered at her for a few more moments, then a shy smile overtook her embarrassed irritation. "We talked. About the things we weren't talking about. He's going to try to keep regular hours when he can help it, and I'm going to stop going to social events."
"What?!" The surprise loosened her grip on the pages, which fell to the floor. "Seriously?! Oh, thank Celestia for that! How was that decided?"
There was a pause before Crystal mumbled, "I wasn't aware that he wasn't aware why I was doing it, and when he asked why, I realized I was making assumptions." Her ears flicked back. "All right?"
Seriously? That was all it took? Just one dumb conversation? Velvet laughed, shaking her head, and waved a hoof at her. "You are hopeless!"
The papers she had dropped were snatched up in Crystal's magic as she huffed, turned, and carried all of them into her bedroom. "I am not hopeless! At least, not anymore. So there! Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a wedding to plan."
Velvet grinned and waited until the door had slammed shut behind Crystal before laughing again. Good for her, though. Silent had definitely done something right, because it had been a while since Cosmare magazines had been graced by the words of Lucent Dreams. Now Velvet just had to keep an eye out for the next issue… and torment Crystal with its contents forever.
A wedding date, though. That changed things. Crystal wasn't just engaged anymore—she was getting married in four months.
Velvet flopped onto one of the sitting pillows and stretched out, yawning. Marriage, huh? She couldn't imagine getting married. That level of commitment… Yeah, she liked having her steady partners, but they weren't forever. Dawn would find a special somepony and Tumble would chase his career.
Maybe she'd go back to one-night stands, maybe not. Either way, casual relationships seemed to be working out just fine for her, Dawn, and Tumble. And that was all that mattered.
"Sorry I'm late!" Velvet called as she crossed the threshold into the back room of Sunridge Sweets. "They're getting really strict about perfecting these routines."
Sunbeam waved a hoof, her attention focused on the cake in front of her. "It's fine, doodlebug. We understand that your job is more important to you than helping your family."
Velvet stuck her tongue out at her mom as she walked past her to the wiggling Red. "Yeah, well, sorry about landing my dream job!" She flopped down on the colorful blanket and booped the foal on the snout. "You forgive me, don't you, little guy?"
Red giggled and wrapped his forelegs around her hoof. "Si-si!"
"Oh, he'd forgive you even if you accidentally broke one of his toys. Which, by the way, he's into his piano right now."
Red's ears perked and he sat upright. "Pa-no?"
Velvet propped herself up and stretched out to reach the little toy piano that had a key for every color of the rainbow. "This what you want, Red-cutie?" She grinned when he squealed with delight as she pulled it closer.
Half-bouncing, half-scooting, Red wiggled his way over to the piano and slammed his forehooves on the keys. A horrible sound filled the air, like fifty bells being slammed together all at once. It took everything Velvet had to not cover her ears, instead smiling at the begging-for-praise look he gave her while he smashed the keys.
"Isn't it wonderful?" Sunbeam called over the noise. "We're so happy we bought it for him!"
"I think my ears are bleeding!" Velvet replied in a forced cheerful voice to keep Red happy.
Seeing this all as encouragement, Red threw his head back and howled in sing-song, "Aay bee cee, cee, aay bee, tree, tree four!"
Velvet shifted to sit behind him, putting her hooves on his to stop them. "Hey, Red, sweetie, honey, crumbcake, muffinlove. Why don't we try—" She gently pushed his hoof so it only hit one key, then tapped out a few more notes. "—something like this?"
Red oohed and aahed as she guided his hooves through a little song. A song they both knew. "Laa-ven geen, dill dill," he started.
"Lavender's blue," Velvet continued, smiling fondly down at him while they gently played a melody on the piano together. "If you love me, dilly dilly, I will love you."
Sunbeam couldn't help but join in. "Let the birds sing, dilly, dilly, and the lambs play. We shall be safe, dilly, dilly, out of harm’s way."
Velvet's smile widened at the sound of her mother's singing voice. It was pure honey, so sweet and melodic that it could lull her to sleep even as an adult.
"Dill dill," Red squeaked off-key, his eyes locked on his hooves held in Velvet's as though it were magic that guided them.
"Ohh, Red," Velvet cooed as she scooped him up and cuddled him to her chest. "You are literally the cutest thing in all of Equestria and beyond!"
Red gasped and pushed against her, craning his head to look at the piano. "Pa-no! Si-si, pa-no!"
Velvet buried her face into his mane and chuffled. "No pa-no! Si-si!"
With a chime of laughter, Red relented and relaxed in her embrace. He batted at her neck with one hoof, chomped on a strand of her bangs, and gave a giggling gurgle.
"So, pancakepop, how are things going in your life?" Sunbeam glanced over, smiling. "I—"
"Sorry to interrupt," Pepper said as he poked his head into the kitchen, "but we have a small situation."
Velvet's brow furrowed. She placed a quick kiss on Red's forehead, set him down, and pranced over to follow Pepper into the bakery proper. "What's the—"
"Cake frosting!" a voice yelled with way too much squeaky enthusiasm. Azurite was visible above the counter. And how had she managed that feat? She was perched on a stallion's back, whose expression matched her own excited one.
The stallion was definitely Soarin. Velvet would have figured that out even if he weren't a famous Wonderbolt. Azurite kept saying he was kind and hot. He certainly looked the part on both accounts.
Velvet flashed a grin up at her dad. "I got this." She returned her gaze back to the beaming couple. "What do you need, Azu?"
"Cake frosting," Azurite repeated, hugging Soarin's neck. "Soarin and I need, like, tons of it."
Soarin nodded. "Tons!"
"Tons of cake frosting, huh? Okay. What flavor?" Velvet's grin widened. Were they drunk? Or was this just the way they were together?
"Flavor?" Azurite leaned forward to look Soarin in the eyes. "What flavor do you want to taste?"
Soarin's ears wiggled as he mulled it over, then shrugged. "Why not a bunch of different ones?"
Azurite gasped. "That's a great idea!" She pointed at Velvet. "We'll take a variety pack of frosting!"
Velvet snickered and nodded. "Can do. What about, you know, cakes?"
"Cakes?" Azurite sputtered into laughter and waved a hoof. "What for?"
It took so much willpower to not laugh with her. All she could do was keep grinning and nodding. "The frosting?"
"Oh… no, thanks!" Azurite shook her head. "Just the frosting, no cakes! Oh, and to go, please! We're going to Ponyville."
Velvet snorted and stomped a hindhoof to keep her composure. "I'm going to have fun with this later!"
Azurite beamed. "Me, too!"
That was it. There was no amount of willpower in the world that could have withstood such a test. Velvet tossed her head back, cackling. "Great!" She looked over at her dad. "You got that?"
Pepper nodded, his expression a perfectly professional smile. "Coming right up."
Velvet returned her gaze to Azurite and Soarin, who were whispering to each other and grinning like idiots. Seriously, what had they had to drink? She wanted some of what they were having. "So, is today a special day for you two or something?"
"Huh? Oh, nope!" Azurite rested her muzzle on top of Soarin's head. "Just kinda felt like having fun tonight."
Soarin nodded, bobbing both of their heads. "Yup. Sometimes you just have to go with it!"
"Well," Pepper said, setting a bag filled with six different containers of frosting on the counter, "have a great night, you two. This is on the house."
"Wow, really? Thanks, Papa Pepper!" Azurite chimed as her magic encircled the bag. She straightened up and tugged on Soarin's neck to angle him back to the door. "Hi-ho, Soarin, away!"
With a whinny and a mighty flap of his wings, Soarin took off running to the door, Azurite squealing with delight the whole way. Velvet managed to make it right up until the door shut before she clutched her sides as laughter overtook her.
Pepper lightly whapped her on the back of the head. "Be nice! You should be happy that your friend and her coltfriend are doing well after how hard you and Sunbeam worked."
Velvet snorted, wheezed, and managed to regain some sense of composure. "We worked hard to get the three of them back together! But…" She wiped the mirth-stirred tears from the corners of her eyes. "Of course I'm happy for her. But come on, that was hilarious!"
"You can go in the back room and laugh all you want there, but you know how I feel about laughing fits at the counter." He smiled despite his words and ruffled her mane. "I'm sure your mother will enjoy the story, though."
"Oh, totally! Definitely!" Velvet's grin grew wicked as she scrambled toward the door. "Mooom!"
Sunbeam was already grinning back at her. "I heard the whole thing. Did Azucakes really just buy frosting for her and her stallion?"
Velvet nodded emphatically. "And they were not shy about it at all! Like, I've been drunk and done stupid stuff before, but wow."
After a pause where her grin faded into a somber smile, Sunbeam reached out and pinched Velvet's cheek. Her voice was strangely soft as she said, "Oh, crumbcake, you've never been drunk like they were."
"What does that mean?" Velvet frowned, swatting the hoof away.
"I'm just stating a fact." Sunbeam turned back to the cake and picked up her piping bag. "They're just in love, and love can make you drunk. It's a marvelous feeling."
Velvet huffed. "So you're saying they're love drunk?" She plopped down onto the ground beside Red, who had been entertaining himself by pressing keys of his piano as quietly as possible. "I've been love drunk. I'm drunk on love right now!" Her hooves wrapped around her brother and she tickled his stomach, smiling as he gasped and squealed.
Softly, Sunbeam said, "It's not the same kind of love, sweetie."
Velvet's ears pinned back and she glared up at her mom. "Whatever! It's the only love I need." She scooped Red up and cradled him to her chest. "I'm happy with my life as it is. Why would I complicate it?"
Red beamed up at her, his forelegs reaching for her face. "Si-si!" When she leaned in closer, he booped his nose to hers. "Lo-vu!"
And just like that, Velvet's heart melted and any negative feeling within her simply vanished. "Love you, too, Red."
---
The sun seemed particularly... sunny. It was bright and cheerful, filtered perfectly through the clouds so that it wasn't blinding or too hot. There was a light, occasional breeze that stirred the foliage above and the grasses below. Velvet smiled when she spied a couple foals playing ball, a couple sitting on a bench, and various other ponies enjoying the green space of Canterlot.
"If I ignore how small it is," Dawn said in a soft voice, "it sort of reminds me of Ponyville."
Velvet looked over at her and laughed. "This park compared to Ponyville is, like, comparing an apartment to a manor." She waved a hoof. "I know it's not very much, but I figured some sun, some fresh air, and some other locals that like those things would be good for you."
Dawn blinked. "What?"
"It's worth a shot, right?" Velvet gestured at a mare sitting under a tree and reading a book. "She might be single! And she likes parks. You like nature. It's good to start with some common ground." She snorted and glanced at Dawn, hoping for a smile or a giggle, but was instead met with a look of apprehension. "Right?"
"Oh, um, right." Dawn's ears flicked back. "D-Do you want me to just... ask her out?"
Velvet scrunched up her nose. "Uh, you should probably get her name first, chat a bit, and if she's into mares and interested, then ask her out. I think?"
Dawn raised a hoof to step forward, but stayed otherwise still. "Are you sure you want me to?"
"Of course! You want a special somepony, right? Well, you gotta get out there!" Velvet bumped her shoulder to Dawn's side. "What's the worst that could happen?"
Dawn mumbled something under her breath in response, glanced between the reading mare and Velvet, swallowed, and tentatively walked over to the tree. Velvet watched with interest and caution as Dawn said something and the mare smiled. So far so good!
Of course, it was a completely random shot in the dark. The odds of this random mare being into other mares, being single, and being Dawn's type were slim. However, it had been months since Velvet and Dawn had first met, and the sweet little thing had yet to find a pony on her own. It was time for Operation Velvet Step the Matchmaker!
What she actually needed to do was talk to Crystal or—worse—that crazy Lovey Dovey about it, but she didn't want to do either. How hard could it be to find a match for Dawn? There were tons of ponies in Canterlot! Most of them were stuck-up, self-involved snobs, but not all of them.
After a few moments, Dawn waved goodbye to the mare under the tree and hurriedly made her way back to Velvet's side. "I, um, uh—"
"It didn't work out?" Velvet offered, smiling when Dawn nodded. "Don't worry about it!" She waved a hoof. "What were the odds she'd be the right one for you? Let's keep walking and looking."
Dawn nibbled on her lower lip, but followed alongside her through the park. "S-So, do you, uh, come to this park often?"
With a smile, Velvet replied, "Yeah! It's the best in Canterlot, which doesn't say a lot when you're from the country, but, well, it is. It's Red's favorite for picnics."
"Picnics?" Dawn's ears wiggled. "With your little brother? That sounds like a lot of fun."
"Tons. He's a hooffull, though. Last time, Azurite and I could barely keep him from crawling off the blanket." Velvet laughed softly. "He really wants his freedom."
"Azurite," Dawn repeated in a soft voice. "Azurite is... your... friend?"
Velvet blinked. "Kinda? My weird friend." She gave a rolling shrug without interrupting her stride. "It's complicated."
Dawn's gaze lowered, bobbed up, then returned to Velvet. "Oh, okay."
"So, anyway, partners! Did we ever talk about if you're only into mares?" Velvet furrowed her brow. "I can't remember. Are you open to stallions? 'Cause there's a hottie under Mr. Peepers's tree."
"Whose tree?" Dawn tilted her head to one side, looking between each tree in their field of vision.
A small bubble of laughter escaped her. "Sorry, sorry. Azurite's goldfish kite, named after her goldfish, Mr. Peepers. Did I mention she's my weird friend?"
There was a moment of quiet between them, filled only with the sounds of foals playing and birds chirping. Finally, Dawn said, "I'm kind of not exactly sure what I like. I know I, uh, I like you..."
Velvet snorted. "There aren't many ponies like me, but I'm sure we can find a close second. Why don't we start with that hot stud of a stallion, see if you'd like him?"
"Oh." Dawn went through the same routine as before; her gaze darted, her hoof lifted, and her body remained still. Velvet gave her another nudge and, finally, she made her tentative way over to the stallion.
This was for her own good. She was so darn shy that she'd never meet a special somepony on her own! Velvet would just have to make her talk to every mare and stallion in the park until she stopped being so hesitant about just saying hi to one. Even if today netted no candidates, it would at least be good practice.
A breeze brushed through her mane and she closed her eyes to enjoy it. There was something wonderful about being in nature, even if it was a small pony-made park within a city of stone on the side of a mountain. It just felt right. Maybe she'd take her parents and Red on a trip to the countryside next weekend...
Dawn's voice cut through the moment of peace and quiet. "Velvet?"
"Huh?" Velvet blinked her eyes open, then smiled. "How did it go, sweetcheeks?"
Dawn flushed and shook her head. "Oh, f-fine, I guess, but I think... Can we just... Could we just enjoy the park for a bit?" She rubbed her foreleg with a hoof. "I don't think I'm going to meet a special somepony by just talking to strangers at random."
"Well, the real point is to just get you used to talking to ponies, but all right. If you're not feeling it, then I won't force you." Velvet wiggled her ears, nodding her head toward a pony with a cart set up at the edge of the park. "Ice cream?"
Dawn's face lit up with a smile and she leaned in to place a kiss on Velvet's cheek. "Yes, please."
It was a start, at least. Velvet would just have to keep working at it until Dawn wasn't so nervous and shy. How hard could it be to draw her out of her cute little turtle shell, anyway?
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.
Velvet's ear flicked as she glanced between the other two mares in the room: Sunbeam, who had her attention focused on the cookies in front of her, and Sandy, who was tapping her chin and deep in thought. None of them had said anything since Pepper had ushered them into the back room with the promise of some vague 'surprise'.
Her father was terrible at lying. Like, the worst. Possibly the literal worst! Whenever he tried to keep a secret, he grinned way too big and didn't make eye contact with anypony. It would have been cute, but right then, she just wanted to know what the surprise was. After all, they had been waiting for about an hour by then.
"You're humming, sweetie," Sunbeam chimed without looking up from her decorating work. "What's wrong?"
"Isn't it odd?" Velvet's nose scrunched up. "Why is Sandy here?" She glanced over at the mare. "No offense. I just dunno what kinda surprise Dad would have that would involve you."
Sandy chuckled. "None taken. That's just what I was wondering." She dropped her forehooves down to the floor and started to wheel over to the door when Pepper stuck his head into the room.
"Sorry for the wait, ladies!" He gave a big grin as his gaze darted about. "It'll be ready any time now."
Sandy raised her brow. "Mr. Ridge, if I may ask—"
Pepper turned his head to look back out into the bakery proper. "Coming!" He flashed Sandy a brief smile. "Sorry, one moment. Customer!"
"Hmm." Sandy leaned to the side, peering through the doorway. "He's being evasive. Something is definitely up."
Sunbeam giggled, and Velvet frowned. She knew that giggle. "Mom..."
"Yes, candysnap?"
Velvet slipped out of her seat and sidled up to her mother. "Have I told you lately how pretty and smart you are?" She fluttered her lashes.
Sunbeam waved a hoof, still keeping her gaze fixed on the cookies. "Oh, sweetums, it's so much more fun to watch my little detectives figure it out."
"Ah-ha!" Sandy grinned. "So there is something to figure out." She started to pace the open space of the kitchen. "All right, so we have Mr. Ridge trapping us in a room together. Mrs. Sunbeam, Velvet, and myself. What do the three of us have in common?"
Sunbeam giggled again.
Velvet rolled her eyes. "Mom, if you're not going to help, then you could at least keep quiet."
"But it's just too funny!" Sunbeam finally glanced up, a mischievous glimmer in her eyes. "Once you figure it out, you'll understand why."
With a derisive snort, Velvet looked back at the pacing Sandy. "Okay, so ignoring Mrs. Unhelpful, where are we at?"
Sandy stopped, frowned at her, and repeated, "What do the three of us have in common?"
Velvet hummed in thought. "Well, you come by for sweets a lot with—"
Their eyes widened and they exclaimed together, "Azurite!"
"Yay!" Sunbeam clapped her hooves. "I'm so proud of you two! It only took an hour!"
"Well, I only just started really thinking about it!" Velvet stuck out her tongue. "Besides, Sandy's the detective. How did you figure it out faster than her?"
Sandy shrugged. "I wasn't really giving it much thought until about ten or so minutes ago, either. And I'm not really a detective. I was one."
"Okay, fine." Velvet grinned. "Whatever. Okay. So Dad and Azu are conspiring. But what about?"
Sunbeam didn't giggle this time, her expression instead going somber as the smile fell into pursed lips. "Now that is a good question."
Sandy made her way back over to the decorating table and propped both forelegs up on it to look at Sunbeam's work. "Knowing Azurite, it could be just about anything. Mr. Ridge's involvement in it is the only real factor to work from."
Silence returned to the room; the only difference this time was that they were all deep in thought and the cookies were largely ignored, even by Sunbeam. For as terrible as he was at lying, Pepper hadn't really betrayed anything about why they were there.
"It's not your birthday, is it, Sandy?" Velvet finally asked.
"What?" Sandy snorted and shook her head. "If that were it, I think I would have figured it out."
"What about—" Velvet stopped short when she saw blue out of the corner of her eye, and all three of them turned their heads to see Azurite standing in the doorway.
Nopony said anything at first. Velvet was just waiting for whatever the surprise was; Sunbeam and Sandy seemed to be doing the same.
Azurite's gaze darted between them before she grinned sheepishly. "Surprise?"
That was it? Azurite was the surprise? Velvet wasn't ashamed to admit she was a little disappointed. With how long they had been waiting, she was kind of expecting something, well, bigger. The reality just came up short. She—okay, perhaps she was starting to hoof the line just a tiny bit too close.
Sandy gave a light shake of her head, her ocean blue mane bouncing some from the movement. "Sorry, Azurite, but it was sort of obvious that you'd arranged this."
Velvet snorted. "Even to me... and I'm not a rusty detective."
"So," Sunbeam cut in, sending a light glare Velvet's way, "what is this all about, sugarlump? Why so secretive?"
After a hesitant pause, Azurite trotted over and took the seat beside Sunbeam. Her hindlegs swung back and forth as she started, "So, it turns out Sunny was really sad without me. I went to go give her a piece of my mind, but in reality she had only been pretending to not care." Her nose scrunched up. "She was really good at pretending! But the truth came out and kinda shocked us both. So, then we went to talk to Soarin, and he was more upset about me being upset than about her going out with another pony."
When Azurite hesitated again, Sandy prompted, "Okay... You're killing me here, partner. What happened?"
Azurite looked at her, then at Velvet, and then at Sunbeam. A grin sprung to life on her face and she exclaimed, "We're all back together! All three of us, happily ever after!"
Velvet's eyes widened, Sandy's jaw dropped, and Sunbeam gasped. Then, in unison, they cheered and drummed their hooves on the table in joyous celebration—but not too loud, of course, since it was still during business hours.
"That is wonderful!" Sunbeam clasped her hooves to her cheeks. "A complete turnaround from when I saw you last!"
Velvet could only nod, too dumbstruck to find words. But, wasn't Azurite happy with Soarin? Weren't things going well with just the two of them? Was Sunny really that special?
Sandy clapped Azurite on the shoulder. "So, all's well that ends well?"
"Yup." Azurite's ears wiggled. "Almost."
"Almost?" Velvet repeated, raising one brow.
Azurite started to smile. It was different from before; the first had been ecstatic and overjoyed, while this one was soft and gentle, like an old mare reflecting on days gone by. It was kind of weird on her tiny little face. "Almost. Thanks to you."
"Me?" Velvet put a hoof to her chest in half-feigned, half-sincere surprise. "What did I do?"
Sandy snickered. "Besides taking Sunny out on a date?"
With a light huff, Velvet corrected, "What did I do besides taking Sunny out on a date?"
Azurite giggled. "You were a great friend to me, that's what." She shifted in her seat, ears drooping slightly. "But I haven't been a good friend to any of you. Over the last few weeks, I've been so absorbed in the problems I was having with my relationship. Despite that, all three of you stuck by me and put up with my whining and crying, and even schemed with me. Why would you do that?"
She sighed and looked at each mare as she addressed them. "Sandy, you were just my partner at work. Velvet, you were just the mare who got caught up in my drama. And Sunbeam... well, you're just a sweet mama mare who saw a hurt filly."
There was the collective sound of breaths taken before speaking, but Azurite cut them off with a raised hoof. "At least, that's what I thought. I couldn't see it at first, but somehow, I'd made friends without realizing it. I just sort of assumed that once this was over, Velvet and Sunbeam would go their own way."
"And me?" Sandy asked quietly, uncertainly.
Azurite shrugged. "I just kind of assumed we were just therapy buddies, that once we worked out our issues, we'd part ways, too."
"That's awfully sad, honey," Sunbeam murmured.
"I know." Azurite's nose scrunched up. "I've never really had friends, so, it was kinda difficult for me to see. At first, anyway. Well, for a while, I guess. But Velvet pointed it out to me the other day."
Velvet nodded. "Okay, I did do that."
"And then when we were at the Wonderbolts show," Azurite continued, "I realized I rarely paid much attention to your lives. So, that's why I set this up. Friendship goes both ways and it's time for me to give instead of just taking."
Her horn lit up and the flap of her saddlebags lifted to reveal three little boxes. They levitated over to rest on the table, one in front of each mare.
"I don't want to go my own way, and I don't want you girls to, either. You've been my friends when I've been at my worst. I'd like you to be my friends when I'm at my best, and I'd like to know about your problems and hopes."
"That goes without saying, Azurite," Sandy said, paying no mind to the box.
Sunbeam nodded. "Sandy is absolutely right."
Velvet, never one for saying no to free stuff, went right ahead and opened the box in front of her. There was a pendant inside, made of white gold and shaped into an open heart. Something glimmered on it. It was—"Holy Celestia, is this a diamond?"
Both Sunbeam and Sandy blinked in surprise while Azurite just smiled, her tail swishing with excitement as they opened their own boxes.
Sandy's eyes went wide. "This looks an awful lot like a diamond to me."
"Oh, gumdrop, this is too much." Sunbeam lifted her own necklace out of the box. It was made of white gold like Velvet's, but was fashioned into the shape of a cupcake. Three diamonds were nestled at the top like sprinkles.
"They are diamonds," Azurite said, sounding much too proud of herself as her chest puffed out. "Just like the three of you."
Velvet tried not to burst into laughter. For how corny that was, it was also tooth-achingly sweet, and laughing would probably hurt Azurite's feelings. Instead, she just grinned while Sunbeam sniffled.
"Well." Sunbeam wiped the corners of her eyes and smiled. "That is probably one of the sweetest things anypony has ever said to me. Thank you so much, Azurite." She wrapped her forelegs around Azurite and pulled her close for a tight hug.
Sandy inclined her chin in toward her chest to admire her own pendant. It was the City Guard seal with its diamond directly in the center. Slowly, she started to smile. "I guess I can't call you partner anymore, huh?"
Velvet released a contented sigh as she slipped the necklace around her neck. "This was the best fight I was almost in." She grinned. "I'd have been your friend either way, but the bribe doesn't hurt."
Laughter circled the group and Sunbeam shook her head. "I swear, she gets her mouth from her father and not me."
Oh, right, sure. Velvet rolled her eyes, her grin widening. Pepper's voice called from the front, "I heard that!"
There was more laughter until Azurite said, "Well, just think! If she hadn't taken Sunny out on a date, then we'd have never been friends and I wouldn't have met you! So, sassy mouth or not, it all worked out!" She drummed her hooves against her knees. "I just have one question, though. Who sent the singing ponies to Soarin's place?"
Velvet blinked. When the others remained in confused silence, she asked, "What singing ponies?"
Azurite tilted her head. "You know, the other night. A singing telegram showed up to apologize for Sunny after we all agreed to stop sending gifts. I'm not mad, I'm just curious who sent them."
"Not me." Sandy raised one hoof in filly scouts' honor.
"Me neither," Velvet said.
All eyes turned on Sunbeam and she shook her head. "Nope."
"Huh... Well, that is odd." Azurite smiled. "Oh well! I'm glad somepony did. It made all the difference."
"How is that, honeybun?" Sunbeam angled herself toward the table to resume her work, but she kept an ear swiveled toward Azurite.
"Because they're why I stormed off to argue with Sunny. Soarin and I thought she did it, and he got mad about how she couldn't have it both ways. The whole 'not talking to me but sending an apology' thing... It made me mad, too, honestly. But it wasn't her, and she wasn't mad, and it forced us to talk, and since we talked now we're all back together." She twiddled her hooves. "If they hadn't shown up, I don't know if any of us would have done anything except miss each other."
Sandy chuckled. "It's funny how life works out sometimes, isn't it?"
Sunbeam smiled and slid a cookie over to Azurite, who squealed with delight. "You drew Mr. Peepers?!"
"Mmhm. I imagine there's just one problem now, isn't there?" Sunbeam's lips curled into a grin.
Azurite tilted her head as she clutched the cookie with both hooves, mere seconds away from devouring it. "What?"
Sunbeam waved a hoof. "Can you really eat it when it stares at you like that?"
After a moment of silence that was filled with Azurite staring at the cookie, she finally frowned and lowered it back to the table. "No..."
"Oh, don't make that face, sugarsnap." Sunbeam slid another cookie to her, this one decorated like a yellow flower. "There, can you eat—"
The cookie was already gone.
Sandy slapped a hoof against the floor, laughing. "That's a yes!"
Azurite grinned sheepishly as laughter circled the room. "But Mama Sunbeam's cookies are too good to resist! It's a compliment! I swear!"
Mmm... Cookies. Food. She was hungry. Velvet's stomach rumbled to punctuate that thought and she stretched out her legs. "Well, if you all will excuse me, I'm going to go show Crystal my bling! Maybe I'll say it came from a stallion, just to make her jealous at how he got me something better than her silly engagement ring." She grinned and hugged Azurite. "Congratulations on getting everything worked out!" She waved to Sandy and Sunbeam before turning to trot out the door. "See ya later, everypony!"
Good for Azurite. Whatever it was Sunny did that Soarin didn't was clearly worth the effort, because Azurite looked so much happier. It was nice to see her smiling so big after getting used to that sad puppy expression she had been wearing. She hummed to herself as she trotted along the cobblestone street toward home.
"Velvet?" a soft voice asked, pulling her out of her thoughts.
She stopped and looked over to see Dawn standing there. Had she almost walked past without even noticing her? She put on a big grin to cover up her near-mistake. "Hey, sunshine!" She turned to face her completely. "How are you doing?"
"Isn't it?" Velvet puffed out her chest to show it off, the light catching in the diamond. "Azurite just got it for me!"
"Azurite?" There was something in her voice. It almost sounded like bitterness, but Velvet had never heard Dawn be bitter before, so she couldn't be certain that's what it actually was. "Of—" Tears jumped to her eyes and she jerked her head to the side. "Of course it's from her."
Velvet's pride in the gift deflated as a hundred questions swirled around her mind, but the only one she could ask was, "What?"
Dawn sniffled. Her ears flicked back, her tail drooped, and her chin trembled. "I don't—I don't understand," she said, opening her eyes again to look at Velvet. "I love you, so why are you doing this to me?"
"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.
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."
Velvet couldn't breathe. She was going to die. This would be the end of her.
"I'm so, so, so happy for you!" Nightingale exclaimed, somehow squeezing her even tighter.
"'Kay," Velvet wheezed. "Got it!"
Laughing, Nightingale finally let go and clapped her hooves. "You really did it! Look at you. All of your worry wrinkles are gone!"
"Worry wrinkles?" Velvet scrunched up her nose. "I don't have worry wrinkles."
One of Nightingale's hooves reached out to boop her. "You don't right now!" She laughed and shook her head. "But, no, seriously, good for you. It's about time you stopped trying to hide who you are, especially from your best friend. That's just not healthy."
Velvet's scrunch faded away as a smile took hold of her lips and she bobbed her head. "Yeah." She allowed her gaze to wander the ballroom that hosted Crystal's wedding reception. It was totally fitting for a princess, but Velvet was having trouble focusing on the details.
All she could see were happy couples. Ponies with their special someponies.
Crystal and Silent were sharing some sweet nothings, lost in their own world of roses and romance.
Savoir was doting on Horsey, who was super pregnant and crying about how she looked in the bridesmaid's dress.
Painted Wave was also in a bridesmaid's dress, but she still very much carried an aura of zen-powered authority as Verdant Wellspring's magic held a fruit kebab for her.
Raven squirmed in her seat and did her very best not to blush while Moore told the ponies at their table stories about her.
Sunbeam kept dabbing at her eyes with a kerchief and telling Pepper how beautiful Crystal looked.
Azurite sat happily between Sunny and Soarin, both looping a foreleg around her while she enjoyed a strawberry that looked oversized compared to her little frame.
And, lastly, there was Dawn and Thunder Tumble. They sat side by side, Dawn wearing a simple, cute yellow dress, and Tumble in his ceremonial uniform.
The details were still a little fuzzy to Velvet, but somehow the two of them had ended up together after that unfortunate dinner. Really, it was a perfect match: the sweet, straw-colored stallion paired with the sweet, straw-loving mare. It was straight out of one of Crystal's novels or something.
Crystal... Velvet's gaze returned to the glowing mare as she beamed at Silent. Her best friend. Always and forever.
"If I don't hate you, then are you happy with who you are?"
Smiling, she looked down at Red, who sat in her lap. He gurgled happily while he half-sucked and half-chewed on a lollipop.
"If I can be me and still keep you as a friend, then, yeah, I'm happy," Velvet had replied.
After so many years of being friends, Velvet thought she had heard everything Crystal could possibly say. She'd heard the silly rants, the serious monologues, the romantic sighs, the lonely whines... But the response that followed was not what Velvet ever expected to hear.
"Then, please. Sleep with all the ponies you want. You have my blessing."
Almost unbidden, Velvet burst into laughter all over again at hearing those words in her mind's ear.
"Velvet?" Nightingale asked, amusement in her curled grin. "What's so funny?"
Velvet snickered and waved a hoof. "Nothing, sorry, nothing. You'd have to have been there." She bounced Red on her knee. "So how are things with you and your new coltfriend?"
Nightingale's ears wiggled as she turned her head to look at the stallion sitting on her other side, mingling with the other ponies at the table. "Great! Really great." She lowered her voice to a more private level and added, "I'm going to try to sneak away with him before the night's over so we can do it in the castle."
Velvet had to slap a hoof over her mouth to keep from cackling gleefully. Nightingale returned the effort with a wicked grin. Crystal may be her very best friend, but Nightingale was her kindred spirit. A definite close second on the best friend list.
"Actually." Nightingale's grin turned into a coy smile as she rose from her seat. "I think now's a good time. They're going to be doing the cake cutting soon, right? Yeah..." Her tail flicked as she turned and tapped her coltfriend on the shoulder. "Sweetie? Can you help me to the fillies' room?"
"What?" His face turned red and he glanced around, then whispered with an utmost lack of subtlety, "Now? You want to go now?"
As Nightingale walked past him, one of her wings stretched out to trail a feather along his side and back. "Yes, sweetie, now."
He hopped up from his seat to follow after her, his walking a little stiff-legged and his tail perked upright. "All right! Okay!"
Velvet watched the two of them sneak off, waiting until they were out of sight before she started laughing again. "Oh, Red, sweet pea..." She leaned forward to look at him upside-down and kissed his forehead. "Auntie Nightingale is what we call an adventurous mare. Can you say adventurous?"
Red wiggled his nose and pulled the lollipop out of his mouth. "A-ben-twu-us!"
"Exactly!" She wrapped her forelegs around him and hugged him close. "Aww, you're just the cutest, aren't you? Yes, you—"
"Velvet?" a stallion's voice interrupted.
Her body stiffened. That voice sent a shiver down her spine and froze her blood cold. Slowly, she lifted her head to see Dawn and Tumble standing there.
"Uh." Velvet sat up straight. "Hi."
Tumble smiled and nudged his shoulder against Dawn's. "I think the two of you need to talk."
"Okay." Velvet patted the seat Nightingale had occupied. "All right."
Dawn looked up at Tumble, her eyes seeking reassurance. He just nuzzled her cheek and whispered, "You'll be fine."
Reluctantly, Dawn nodded and sat down. She fidgeted and waited until Tumble had walked away before glancing to meet Velvet's gaze briefly. "Hi."
"Hi." Velvet lightly bounced Red on her knee. "Um, hey, this is Red. My baby brother."
The tension in the air lightened as Dawn looked down at him and her expression melted. "Aww, he's adorable! Just like you said!"
Velvet took a breath in, then lifted him up and held him out. "Do you wanna hold him?"
"Can I?" A bright smile lit up her face as she very gently took Red into her embrace and held him to her chest.
"And, uh, these are my parents." Velvet gestured at them. They were staring. Of course they were. She had just handed over their son to a stranger. "Mom, Dad, this is Dawn Walker."
"Dawn?" Sunbeam's lips pursed, realization flickering across her face. "Oh. Oooh. Honey, I think I need to stand. And walk for a bit. Over there?"
Pepper nodded. "Right. Me, too. In fact, we should walk around and mingle for a good conversation's length!"
Dawn just sat there, blinking a few times as the two of them stood, excused themselves, and walked away. "This..." She sighed. "This is awkward. I'm sorry. This was Tumble's idea. He said—" She giggled as Red reached out with a free hoof to tug on her braid. "He said it's not good to leave things like this."
"Oh." Velvet looked over to see the stallion in question back at his seat. He had his head inclined to watch them out of the corner of one eye, engaged in conversation to not look too obvious. "He's a really sweet guy, isn't he?"
Dawn's cheeks turned pink and she focused her gaze on Red. "H-He is. At first, I hated him because of... well, you. You and him. I yelled at him and told him that it was his fault that I was all alone. He just kept trying to comfort me, and it just made me more and more angry!" She sighed. "He started checking in on me. He said he was worried about me being alone. And then, I don't know, a week went by, and seeing him every day..."
Velvet smiled and nudged Dawn's shoulder with a hoof. "Hard to resist a stallion with the body of a stud and the heart of a sweetie, huh?"
"Mmhm." The flush darkened to a shade of red. "So, I guess, I want to thank you. For him. Even if you didn't mean for that to happen."
"Hey, I'll take it! If something good came out of all this, then I can't feel too bad about it." Velvet winced and bit her tongue, then mumbled, "Sorry. I—"
Dawn shook her head and held Red out, setting him in Velvet's lap. "No, it's okay. It's not... completely your fault." She wrung her hooves, then offered a half-smile. "I-I'm to blame, too. We both are. I just... I thought I was in love with you, but it wasn't really love, I don't think. Now that I know what that's supposed to feel like..." Her ears flicked back and she hurriedly added, "I-I mean, I don't—don't know if I love Tumble!" She sighed and slumped in her seat. "But I like him. I like him a lot. And he likes me, which feels different from just liking a pony..."
Idly stroking Red's mane, Velvet snickered. "It's okay. You don't have to justify anything to me. If you're happy, then I'm glad. That's all I ever wanted for you, I swear."
"I know. I know that now. You were just doing an awful job of trying to make that happen." Dawn glanced at her with a small, teasing smile on her lips.
Velvet tossed her head back, laughing. "I know! Like, in hindsight? I'm the worst! Literal worst!"
Dawn giggled at first, then clamped a hoof over her mouth as it ramped up into a laugh. "Y-You really are! I mean, were!" She cleared her throat, trying to settle down. "I, um." She shifted in her seat. "I met Azurite."
And there went the good mood. Not this again. Seriously, what was the big deal? Velvet tried not to change her tone as she stared at Red. "Oh yeah?"
"She's... not what I thought she was at all." Embarrassment was clear in her voice as she added, "I really blew that out of proportion, didn't I?"
"Kinda, yeah." Velvet glanced at her. "What did you think was going on there?"
Dawn's nose scrunched up. "I... Well, um, I thought she was a sexy Canterlot mare that was showering you with gifts and bits and s-sex. And I was just so jealous because I could never compare to that..."
Velvet couldn't help it. She absolutely, totally lost all self-control and started laughing so hard that she had to shove Red back over to Dawn so she was free to clutch her aching sides.
Azurite? Dawn thought little, cute, strange, odd, but overall endearing Azurite was a big, tall, sexy, voluptuous, rich Canterlot elite?
She couldn't breathe. She really was going to die. This time was definitely going to be the end of her!
Dawn hugged Red to her chest and whined, "It's not that funny."
"It—" Velvet wheezed as she gasped for air. "It so is if you—if you know Azu!"
Dawn said nothing for a while, idly playing with Red's hooves while she waited for Velvet's laughter to calm down. When it did, she said quietly, "Maybe I'd like to."
"Huh?" Velvet wiped the tears from her eyes, breathing still uneven and ragged. "What?"
Dawn glanced at her. "Maybe I'd like to. Get to know her. And you. Actually get to know you, instead of... the you I wanted you to be. You were the first friend I made here in Canterlot, so maybe we could all... I don't know... go on a picnic? You, Azurite, Tumble, and me? And... maybe Red, too?"
A picnic? Velvet blinked a few times, saying nothing at first. Slowly, Velvet started to smile. "Yeah, sure. That sounds like fun."
"Great!" Dawn gave Red back to her and stood. "I'll, um, we'll figure out a date and time later." She started to walk away, then stopped and looked over her shoulder. "I'm glad you were the pony I met at the bar that night. Somepony else might have walked out that morning and not stayed and tried to help me. I don't know what I would have done if that happened. So... um... thank you for that."
Velvet just nodded. What could she say? She couldn't think of anything, so she just watched Dawn cross the room and return to Tumble's side. They really were a cute couple... They made each other smile just by looking at one another.
"Si-Si?" Red poked her nose with what remained of his lollipop. "Lolli?"
"Aww, thanks." She laughed softly and shook her head. "But it's your lolli, Redcakes."
Red huffed, sticking the end of the lollipop in her mouth. "Lolli!"
It was uncomfortably sticky, and all the flavors had melded together into one. He had been chewing on it for just a little too long. Carefully, Velvet leaned her head back to get out of his range. "I don't need a lolli, Red! I'm not sad."
He just stared at her, his ears folded back. For such a little foal, his eyes sure said a lot. They didn't believe her.
"I'm not! I mean... Yeah, okay, I feel out of place here. Everypony has somepony. Everypony wants somepony. So what's wrong with me?"
Slowly, Red returned the lollipop to his mouth, but he continued to stare intently at her.
Velvet sputtered into laughter. "Okay, okay, you're right! I do have somepony. I've got Mom and Dad, and Crystal, and Horsey, and Nightingale, Azurite, Sandy, Painted, Runic, Silent, Moony..." She swooped in to kiss his forehead, smiling when he giggled. "And most importantly, I've got you, my very specialest little somepony of all."
Looking out across the reception hall full of happy faces, Velvet spied one in particular. A mare with a slinky purple dress that seemed entirely out of place with how much of her light green coat it revealed. Even at a distance, she could see the sparkle of coat glitter. Their eyes met, the mare winked, and Velvet grinned.
"And if I'm lucky, I'll have a different kind of special somepony tonight." She wiggled Red's forelegs. "Red, can you say: getting lucky?"
"Lu-cky!"
"Exactly!" Velvet clapped his hooves together. "I am lucky. A really lucky pony. Maybe I am weird, but I can't change who I am, so you're gonna have to accept me anyway, all right, little stallion?"
Red beamed up at her. "Si-Si!"
"That's right." She nuzzled his fluffy frosting-like mane and sighed contentedly. "And if you grow up weird like me, that's okay. Just don't try to hide who you are." Her eyes closed and she sighed again, less contented this time. "It's just not a good idea."
After a quiet moment, Red squeaked softly, "Lo-vu."
