Velvet Touch

A mouthwatering aroma soon fills the kitchen as Velvet works. Standing by the stove, she stirs a large, bubbling pot into which she continues to dump ingredients. A knife flashes through the air as she uses her magic to chop up said ingredients.

You sit at the kitchen table, watching her work with mild fascination. Having grown up with a pegasus mother, you’ve never seen a meal prepared in such a manner. Sure, pegasi can use their wings to hold and manipulate stuff, but not to the extent that unicorns could with their magic. Your eyes follow a pile of diced-up onions as they float off of the cutting board, through the air, and into the pot, led there by a rosy cloud of magic.

As she cleans off the cutting board for the next ingredient, Velvet glances over her shoulder, only to smile upon seeing your look of awe.

“Never seen a unicorn cook before?” she asks as she levitates a bell pepper onto the board.

You shake your head, an ear flicking as she begins to chop again.

“No,” you say breathlessly.

“Oh, well, it’s not that amazing,” she giggles. “I’m certainly not the best chef out there either. No, if you really wanted to see some magic skills, it was Night you had to watch. He was the one that was amazing in the kitchen. I only learned what I know from watching him.” She giggles again. “I’m afraid Twilight inherited my inability to cook. The only difference is that she didn’t get to watch Night work.” Her smile fades slightly, her ears drooping.

Sensing the tension in the room, you decide to quickly try and change the subject. “My mom can’t cook either.”

Velvet blinks and shakes her head before glancing back at you. “She can’t?”

“Nope,” you say. “She burns most of the stuff she tries to cook. Even noodles! Our smoke detector doesn’t have any batteries because it kept going off.”

“I take it you don’t get that many home-cooked meals,” Velvet says, cocking an eyebrow.

This time it’s your turn for your ears to droop. “No, but that’s more because mom’s always on the go. She doesn’t really have any time to cook. We usually just get take-out, or stop at the bakery in the morning. It’s always go, go, go.”

You stare at the table before you, a small frown slowly spreading across your muzzle as you think about how busy your mom always is. Like you told Velvet before, she spends time with you, but that was mostly around the holidays when she asked for the time off. Other than that, it is just quick hugs and kisses in between her flying from town to town to make sure the weather was staying on schedule. She even occasionally took the train just so that she could get a nap in as she traveled between towns.

You are pulled from your thoughts by the sound of soft laughter. Glancing around, you see Velvet watching you, the amusement clear on her face.

“Well then,” she says, “I’ll just have to make sure this meal is extra special, won’t I?” Giving you a quick wink, she returns her attention to whatever it is she’s preparing. Even though you both stop talking, the room isn’t completely silent. Velvet hums softly to herself, swaying back and forth as she works. You’ve only been here barely a day and you can already tell she’s a musical pony. She always seems to be either humming to herself or singing softly under her breath. You briefly wonder if there is a reason behind it, but that train of thought gets derailed when a steaming bowl is suddenly set down in front of you.

You glance down at the contents of the bowl before looking up into Velvet’s smiling face. “What is it?”

“Three-Bean Chili,” she says, tilting her head to the side. “A personal favorite of Shining’s. It’s got red bell peppers, onions, red peppers, peeled butternut squash, tomatoes, pinto beans, cannellini beans, and red kidney beans. It also has some spice added to it, so it might have a tinsy bit of a kick to it.”

Leaning down, you sniff the steaming bowl curiously. Sure enough, you can already feel your sinuses beginning to drain. First the tacos, now this? This mare must like her spicy things.

You pick up your spoon and are about to take a bite when Velvet places another bowl down next to you. A quick glance inside shows that it’s a salad. Tomatoes and cucumbers are mixed in with the lettuce, as well as a sprinkle of croutons on top.

Glancing up from the salad, you give Velvet a curious look.

“Just in case,” she says with a wink before sitting down with her own bowl of chili.

The first spoonful hits you like a train. Eyes watering, you drop your spoon and quickly grab the glass of milk positioned nearby. As you gulp down the life-saving nectar, across the table, Velvet laughs.

“I warned you,” she says before taking a bite of her own chili. She shows no sign of discomfort, eating the spicy food as if it was the mildest thing she’s ever eaten. Her cheeks don’t even flush, remaining the same whitish-gray they always are.

Lowering your now half-empty glass of milk, you gasp for air.

“Why would you do that?” you ask, glaring at her.

“I warned you,” she says again, the mirth clear in her eyes.

“That was more than a small kick! That was like getting bucked in the mouth!”

“Oh, come now. Don’t be dramatic. It’s not that bad.”

“It was like eating liquid fire!”

“There’s nothing wrong with spicing up your life,” she says. “However, if it’s too much for you to handle, there is a salad right there.” She points to the salad bowl with her spoon before taking another bite.

She’s had foals before, so you really should have known better, but you aren’t thinking about that. All you can think about is how she just issued a challenge. A challenge to your stallionhood. She gave you the salad in case you couldn’t eat the chili. She doesn’t have her own salad; only you have a salad. She doesn’t think you can finish the chili. She thinks you’re weak! How dare she! You’ll show her. You aren’t a wimp! You aren’t a weakling! You aren’t some push over!

…

However, you are not very bright when it comes to common sense.

The second spoonful burns just as much as the first, as does the third. As you fight through the pain, Velvet just gives you that look that all mothers give their foals when they’re doing something stupid; that small smile, the hooded eyes, the small shake of the head. She’s judging you.

You ignore the look. If she can take it, so can you!

As you continue forcing yourself to eat, you notice that the heat is becoming more and more bearable with each bite you take. You aren’t sure if that’s because you’re getting used to it, or if she just had all the spice sprinkled about the top, but it doesn’t matter. Now that your mouth isn’t in agonizing pain with each mouthful, you begin to realize just how tasty the chili really is.

You have about half your bowl finished when Velvet gets up for seconds. She offers to top off your bowl, but you kindly refuse. With how big the serving is, combined with the spiciness of the chili, you’re pretty sure you’re only going to be able to handle one helping.

She just shrugs and fills herself a second bowl. She sprinkles some extra spice on it before sitting back down.

You finally manage to finish your first bowl about the same time that Velvet finishes her second. When she gets up to put her bowl in the sink, she offers again to get you seconds. You politely turn her down, and she levitates your bowl into the sink as well. As she goes about putting the leftovers into the fridge, you sit patiently at the table, nursing a swollen tongue and your glass of milk.

“There we are,” Velvet sighs, sitting back down across the table from you. She’s poured herself a glass of wine, from which she takes a small sip as she glances over at you. “Now that the foods all put away, how about we play that game?”

“What games do you have?” you ask, ears perking.

She tilts her head to the side, chewing on the inside of her cheek. “Well, off the top of my head… we have chess, backgammon, cribbage, stratego, yahtzee...” As she continues to list off the games, your ear slowly cocks to the side. Noticing your expression, she blushes before giving you a sheepish smile. “Sorry, all of the games I have are from when Twilight and Shining lived here. Most of them are more… strategy based. Um, oh! How about checkers?”

You blink before nodding your head happily. It’s been awhile since you last played checkers, and few games of it actually sound good at the moment. You used to be able to beat your mom whenever you two had a chance to play. Your skills might be a little rusty, but you are positive you can give Velvet a run for her bits.

Velvet smiles as well before her horn lights up. You hear the sound of something moving around in the living room. A few seconds later a folded checkers board floated through the archway, followed by a bag of checker pieces.

You stare at the floating board in amazement. She was not only able to find it without looking, but it had been in the other room. You aren’t completely sure how magic works, but even you know that’s pretty impressive.

Unfolding the board, she places it down on the table between the two of you.

“What color do you want?” she asks as she uses her magic to sort out the pieces. “Red or black?”

“Red,” you say quickly before a light blush touches your cheeks. Velvet gives you a knowing look before passing you the red pieces. You both place your pieces on the respective sides of the board and, grabbing one of your pieces, you start the game.

The gentle sound of clicking checker pieces fills the room as you play. You take several of her pieces right away, and at first you think Velvet is going easy on you, but upon glancing up, you see she has a content smile on her face. She’s not competing; she’s just enjoying the moment. After that you begin to play a little more casually, however that just causes several of your pieces to be taken almost immediately.

“Don’t space out, dear. That’s how you lose,” she says as she picks up a cucumber slice out of the untouched salad that’s still on the table. She nibbles on it as she takes another one of your pieces.

Ears splaying back, you try to go on the offensive, but it appears that Velvet is now playing with you. She gets three kings in rapid succession and begins to use them to chase your pieces around the board. You begin to panic, which doesn’t turn out good for your pieces, and before you know it, Velvet has claimed the last one.

“Well, that was fun,” she giggles. Lifting her glass to her lips, she finishes off her wine. “Play again?” she asks as she pours herself some more.

You nod before moving to place the pieces back on the board. You let Velvet be red. The game begins again, and this time you’re on guard right off the bat. Velvet moves with precision, but you think about your moves before, taking minutes at a time. She doesn’t seem to mind though, and just sits there, watching you with a small smile on her face as she snacks on different parts of the salad. Even with you playing defensive, she still manages to get two kings in short order. She doesn’t use them though, so they just sit there, mocking you. You eventually manage to get a king of your own, but she somehow takes it from you almost instantly. Before long, you’ve lost a second game.

Wanting to get at least one win under your belt, you set up the board for a third game. It’s during this third game that you notice that Velvet has, at some point, started humming softly to herself. It’s a simple tune, and surprisingly catchy.

You listen for a few seconds before cocking your head to the side. “Why do you do that?”

At your words, she stops humming and stares at you in confusion.

“Do what?” she asks.

“The humming,” you say nervously. “Um, it’s just, I kinda noticed that you hum a lot. Not that that’s a bad thing,” you add quickly. “I was just curious is all.”

She blinks before a look of dawning realization crosses her face. “Oh… Oh!” Her cheeks turn red and she gives you a sheepish smile. “Sorry, dear. I didn’t realize I was doing that. It’s just a force of habit.”

“Force of habit?” you ask, your muzzle scrunching up.

“Yes,” she sighs. Reaching out she picks up one of her pieces and moves it. “I started doing it about the same time that Shining moved into the barracks and Twilight moved into the palace. With both of them gone, it was just too quiet around the house. Too quiet and too lonely, so I started humming.” She took a sip of wine. “It’s just something to fill the silence. Sometimes I’ll open the windows if the neighbor foals are playing outside.”

Your ears fold back against your head as she talks, suddenly feeling bad for bring it up.

As if sensing your discomfort, Velvet shakes her head. “Don’t feel bad. It doesn’t bother me. I can stop if you’d like though.”

“N-no, it’s fine!” you say quickly. “I was just curious. I don’t mind.” Picking up one of your piece in your hoof, you jump over two of her pieces. Velvet smiles before moving one of her pieces, blocking your route to kinghood. You jump that, only to wince as she claims it with a piece you didn’t see hiding in the corner. As she places the captured piece down beside the board, you glance up at her again. She isn’t humming.

You chew on your bottom lip and glance down at the board, the gears in your head beginning to turn. Eventually, an idea slowly forms. Glancing back up at Velvet, you swallow your nervousness. “Um… I, uh…” It seems you can’t find the words you want. And your voice cracked. Wonderful.

“Yes?” she asks warmly.

“Well, if y-you’re lonely, we could, uh… do something together if you want.” You feel your face beginning to heat up again. “I mean, I am staying here for a few weeks. I’m sure there’s probably something I can do to, uh… help you with the loneliness.” Sweet Luna, that sounded cheesier than you meant it too.

Velvet pauses with her wine glass halfway to her lips. She gives you a blank look, blinking her eyes owlishly as she stares at you. One of her ears twitches, and her brow furrows. A strange look crosses her face as her head slowly tilts to the side. You feel like she’s studying you closely, trying to determine something. Then, she smirks—not a smile, a smirk—and takes a long sip from her wine.

“There might be,” she says softly as she lowers the glass. “There might be.” She’s silent for several seconds before suddenly reaching out and slapping one of her pieces down on the board. “King me!” Grumbling under your breath, you flip her piece over, exposing the crown etched into the plastic.

As you plan out your next move, a warm smile touches Velvet’s lips. “Thank you for the offer. I wouldn’t mind doing something together during your stay.” She pauses as she takes another sip of her wine. “Tell you what. How about tomorrow we go see a movie? You can pick which one.”

A smile spreads across your face as you perk up. It’s been awhile since you last went to the movies, and the new Power Ponies movie just came out. You had been eager to see it, but then Tirek had happened. But now… now you are getting your chance.

“I’d like that,” you say, your tail flicking back and forth. Picking up one of your pieces, you jump over one of hers.

“Alright then,” Velvet chirps. “It’s settled. We have a plan for tomorrow.” Throwing back her head, she drains the last of her wine in a single gulp. She sets the glass down before grabbing one of her pieces.

click clack click

“King me!”

You groan as your head lands on the table with a thunk.

Velvet’s laughter fills the air.