Grail 3
OurLadyOfWires
Uh-oh, better hide those FOALS!
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- Jan 7, 2024
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You are Soft Sweeps, and you are absolutely sure nothing strange or distressing is about to happen to you. So sure, in fact, that you are not even thinking about any such possibility.
And how could you? After all, you have a very busy day ahead of you. So, like you do almost every day, you turn your thoughts back to the list of tasks you have to get done today.
The morning sun gently caresses your face as the high winds blow through your mane and tail, your wings outstretched as you every now and then flap them to keep your current altitude. You have just dropped off Silky Stream and Selene at school, and you are on the final leg (or rather, final wing) on your way back, the long road that links the town to the farmlands passing far underneath you in a blur.
But still, you have already flown over this path so many times that you don't even pay attention to it.
"Alright then," you mumble to yourself, "today is a Monday, so I gotta… well, cleaning the fillies' rooms will definitely take up most of the morning and…"
You run over your tasks, trying to figure out how much time you might take in each of them and whatnot. But most importantly, you trying to figure out which of those tasks you should prioritize.
After all, even though you have a lot less responsibilities when compared to the other maids of the Velvet household, Ponpon (and of course, Mrs. Velvet herself) always make sure to remind you just how important said responsibilities are.
Highest among your tasks is, obviously, to take care of the fillies. And that by itself takes up most of your time. You wake up before the fillies do, and (even though nine out of ten times Mrs. Velvet lets you go early) your day only officially ends after the fillies go to bed. Of course, you don't have the slightest complaint about that, even though you did feel out of your depth in the beginning. After all, you have a cutie mark for cleaning, and most of the times nannying requires completely different skills. But all of that was eventually overshadowed by how much you came to care for Silky and Selene.
However, the fact remains that since most of your days is spent with the fillies, you have very little time to take care of your secondary duties. Consequently, unlike most of the maids who have a fixed timetable of chores to follow, you actually have to do a lot of prioritizing and decision-making for your daily routine.
After all, the only truly "free" period of time that you have is when the fillies are at school. But that is less than half of a day, for a list of chores that only got larger ever since Selene arrived a few months ago.
"Not that I need any help, of course. Nope, no second nanny needed," you say to yourself, as you once again banish the idea of anypony but you being assigned to take care of Silky and Selene.
And you're definitely not being overprotective. No sir. But the fillies trust you. And you care for them. Yes, this is strictly professional zeal! The fact that Silky calls you "big sis" has absolutely nothing to do with your dedication to your job.
As you think about all of that, the estate finally comes into your view, the farmlands themselves stretching towards the horizon. And with that, you gently bring your wings closer to your body, slowly beginning to glide down towards your destination.
You push your tentative list of priorities to the side of your head as the mansion grows larger and larger, the previously unidentifiable points of color around the estate turning into discernible ponyservants going about their duties. With that, you give your wings a few final flaps to decrease your speed one last time, and you start angling yourself towards the spot on the garden that is usually kept clear for landings.
Everything goes about normally from then on. You enter the mansion towards one of the side entrances, making a beeline to where you had left your maid uniform (Mrs. Velvet explicitly told you not to take the fillies to school while wearing that, after all). And then you make your way towards Selene's room, since her room usually only takes you half the time to tidy up when compared to Silky's.
Everything goes about normally, that is, until somepony knocks on the door just as you finish changing the bedclothes for new ones.
"Soft Sweeps? Are you in here?"
An immediately familiar voice reaches your ears, followed a few moments later by the sound of the door being timidly pushed open. You turn around right on time to see an earth pony, wearing the same uniform as you are, looking in through a crack on the door.
"Ah, there you are. Gosh, I swear I'll never know how Miss Ponpon always knows where everypony is…" the maid says as she pushes the door open a bit more and steps into the room.
"Oh, hi Tip-top. And yeah, that always creeps me out a little bit. Head maid powers, I suppose," you answer your friend, to which she gives you an honestly agreeing nod.
After all, even though there is an official hierarchy among the household servants, there is also an unofficial hierarchy that you all know about. One that is more aligned with how competent everypony knows you are, or how well respected you are by your fellow maids or Mrs. Velvet and Mr. Stormchaser. And it is no understatement to say that Ponpon sits on the very top of those two hierarchies, both official and unofficial.
"But anyhow, fancy seeing you here this early. Is anything the matter? Actually, you mentioned Ponpon, is she asking for me?"
Tip-top, you know, is usually tasked with cleaning the annexed buildings, and from what you know she helps out in the kitchen every now and then. But the mare also has a very soft hoof, to the point that (as far as the gossips go, at least) Mrs. Velvet has already asked for her by name several times, to take care of some of the more delicate tasks.
And you know for a fact that those rumors aren't entirely unfounded. For example, to this day Tip-top is the only pony you have ever seen cleaning the central chandelier of the main hall. Cleaning the main hall is usually a duty given to pegasi, since it is a several-storey room and you need three non-fliers with a stair to do what one pegasus can do. But again, to this day Tip-top is the only one who you know is sufficiently trusted to clean the large glass (or is it crystal?) chandelier, even if it takes her a whole day on top of a stair to do so.
Which, in turn, also puts Tip-top quite far up on the unofficial pecking order of the household maids.
But gossips and maid-politiking aside, you still have no idea of why Tip-top was looking for you.
"Not Ponpon, Soft," the earth pony says, shaking her head a bit. "she just told me where you were once I started looking. It's Mrs. Velvet who asked me to call you, when I took her a little something from the kitchen on Mr. Stormchaser's orders."
"Huh? Wait… Mrs. Velvet is calling for me?" you ask again, your eyes going slightly wider at that. Not because you are nervous or anything, but more because… well… it's Mrs. Velvet that is calling you. Calling you, instead of Ponpon, or her daughters, or anypony else. You're not nervous, but this is definitely not something normal either. "A-are you sure she is calling for me?"
"That she is, Soft. Now if you excuse me, I'm helping to make today's lunch," she says, giving you a soft bow and leaving the room shortly after.
Leaving you alone.
Not nervous-alone. Just alone-alone.
You are definitely not anxious about this. You are definitely not tense over the fact that you are being called while the fillies are away, which would be the best period of time for you to be thoroughly scolded without the risk of them hearing anything.
Nope! Not. Nervous. At. All!
"Oh, who am I kidding," you say, swallowing down something dry.
You take a deep breath, making sure your uniform is spotless, and then head towards Mrs. Velvet's study room.
- - -
It's not that you are afraid of Mrs. Velvet Covers. In fact, you think it would be very unfair of you for you to be afraid of Mrs. Velvet Covers.
After all, you know she is a very kind mare.
You know that because of how you see her treat other ponies. You know that because of how much you know she loves her daughters, especially with how she literally adopted an unknown filly despite being a noble. And above all else, you know that because of how kind she was (and still is) to you, personally.
You do realize that you have your… issues, with nobleponies in general. And there was indeed a time when you were scared of Mrs. Velvet and her husband. And you even remember how you used to lose sleep, over how worried you were of what could go wrong, when you were assigned to take care of their only daughter.
But that is all in the past. You still respect Mrs. Velvet, of course, but you are no longer afraid of her.
However.
...
However…
Mrs. Velvet Covers still makes you… nervous.
For several reasons. Too many reasons, perhaps.
And you're not even referring to the odd stories that you hear about Mrs. Velvet, that she is a secret overlord or that she practices some sort of black magic or whatever. You know those stories are false, and practically unavoidable due to the fact that she is a unicorn noble. You've heard plenty of variants of those rumors, back in Canterlot, as well as their other versions when the noble is an earth pony or a pegasus.
But still, the fact remains that every now and then something happens, or more precisely Mrs. Velvet does something, that makes you feel… *ahem*, that makes you feel things. Confusion, most of the time, but not exclusively.
Like the time when you put Silky to bed and went to leave the room, but when you turned around to check on her one last time you saw that Mrs. Velvet was somehow right there by the bed.
(That made you feel spooked out.)
Or that day when Selene accidentally broke a vase on Mrs. Velvet's study, and was so distraught that you promised her you'd take responsibility for it. But when you went to tell Mrs. Velvet, she didn't even look up towards you, or let you say anything, before telling you to "tell Selene it was alright" because she never really liked the vase.
(That made you feel very confused.)
Or the morning when you were preparing the fillies' lunchboxes, and you turned around to see that Mrs. Velvet was standing right there wearing a-
*SLAP*
You slap yourself on the face, shaking your head vigorously as you desperately try to turn your thoughts elsewhere.
"And we promised not to think about that, Soft," you say to yourself, your cheeks heating up as you remember-… as you try not to remember… all of that.
You take several deep breaths as you walk down the corridor towards Mrs. Velvet's study, dragging your thoughts by the tail back to the more professional side of things.
Yes. You should definitely not think about that day. Ever again.
You are a maid. You take care of her daughters. She is a respectable married mare. And you are definitely being called to her because of something you did wrong, or to talk about something serious.
"That's right. Get a grip of yourself, Soft. This is important," you say, nodding to yourself, as you reach the door to Mrs. Velvet's study room.
You take another final, deep breath, look over your uniform one last time, and then you give the door a trio of light knocks.
"Come in," you hear Mrs. Velvet's voice form the other side of the door. You push the door open and step in right after.
"Excuse me, Mrs. Velvet," you say, out of habit, as you close the door behind yourself.
?!?!?!
And your mind immediately somersaults, to the point that you almost lose your balance for a few moments.
Wha… what is going on here?!
A lot of things… way too many things happen at the same time.
First of all, again, you just felt a… there is something in the air, a sweet smell that is neither perfume nor roses, that you have never felt before in your whole life.
Secondly, your mind went blank just now. You can still think, and you definitely don't feel bad. But still, you feel like… like there's some sort of fog inside your head?
Goodness gracious. You know it is totally unbefitting of a maid to do this, but you actually shake your head a few times, hoping that you can blink away this… this numbness that suddenly got over you and-
"Softy Softy Sweeps, my dear… I am so happy to see you."
But then, Mrs. Velvet speaks up. She speaks up, and you can almost feel her words caressing against your ears.
"I… what…? Y-you... you are?" you ask, your voice almost numb for reasons you can't explain.
However, all of that happened in the few moments that it took you to enter the room and close the door behind you.
And only after you mumble those words, the sweet aroma on the air still making you feel out of breath, do you finally look up towards Mrs. Velvet.
!!!!!!
You were not ready for that.
Velvet Covers is sitting on her chair, behind her study desk. She is sitting on her, and she is looking at you. Her long mane is flowing down through the side of her body, and she has a hoof under her chin as she watches you with a vaguely pleased smile.
Velvet Cover is right there, and there is absolutely nothing strange about her.
There is nothing strange about her, except for everything.
Your head immediately goes blank as you look at her, and your heart begins to hammer wildly inside your chest. You… you desperately try to think. About something. Anything. But the sweet scent seems to be surrounding you like a vapor, entering your head with every breath you take and somehow clouding your thoughts.
You can't remember what you are doing here. You can't even remember what you were doing before you entered this room.
All you can think about is… is how…!
"Of course, Softy. I am always glad to see you. You are such an… exquisite maid, after all."
Velvet Covers' words fill your head as if they are the only thing allowed in your thoughts. The sweet fog that is filling your mind somehow making way to allow her words in.
Your heart, also, starts to beat even faster. After all, she just praised you, and that makes you equals part nervous and happy. However, her smile… the way she is looking at you, somehow tells you that she didn't just call you here to compliment you with a few words.
Although even if she just wanted to do that, it would be more than enough for you, of course.
"I, uh… t-than-k you Misses Velvet. I-I am really trying my best!"
You say that, you try to mumble a pitiful response through your nervous smile, as you watch Velvet Covers look at you as if you were a particularly tasteful snack.
And by all the clouds in Equestria, you swear you see her lick her lips.
"Oh… I can see that, Softy. I am always watching you, after all."
She says that. And before you can even begin to interpret what she means by that, she gets up from her chair and starts walking towards you.
The sight is… hypnotizing.
Velvet Covers is walking towards you. She is walking towards you and just by watching her you are feeling something that you have never felt before in your entire life.
Her movements are beautifully gracious, down to the way she slightly throws her mane to the side of her hair with a gentle shake of her head. The dress she is wearing, somehow, seems to fit her even better than usual, and your cheeks flare up as your mind forcibly reminds you of what she might be wearing underneath that dress of hers. Flashes of images from that early morning, where she caught you alone, that you have been desperately trying not to think about until now.
Your cheeks flare up at that.
Your entire body flares up at that.
And her smile… By Equestria, her smile…
Her lips…
Your legs are trembling underneath you, to the point that you are almost losing balance despite the fact that you have four legs. But still, you can't bring yourself to stop shaking. You can't stop your body from heating up like a furnace.
And the only thing you can really think about is how you have never been in a relationship your entire life. Something you have never really thought about until now.
Your thoughts almost grind to a halt when Velvet finally stands in front of you.
"Softy dear, is everything alright…?" she asks. Her voice so sweet that, somehow, you can feel your heart flutter with her every word.
You nod. You shake your head up and down to answer her, because you are sure you won't be able to form a coherent sentence if you try to speak.
Your throat is dry. Your mind is numb. Your legs are shaking and your whole body feels warm.
But for some reason, you can't stop thinking that you just want her to come closer to you.
"Ah… that makes me glad," she says. And then she…
Slowly…
Tenderly…
Reaches to you with a hoof, raising it towards you face.
You WILL yourself to stay still. You lock every last muscle of your body, because although you have no idea what she is going to do, you are absolutely sure that you will not know how to react to it.
You stand utterly still. And you can only watch as her hoof, her delicate and smooth hoof, goes towards your face.
The sensation of her touch against your cheek is electric.
It only lasts for a moment. She only touches your cheek to take a stray hair of your mane, and tuck it behind your ear. But still…
Still…
That touch, all by itself, makes you realize just how close she is to you. Just how close her face is to yours. How close her lips are to yours.
How pleased her smile is, as she looks at you as if appreciating a fine glass of wine.
How dry your mouth is, and how simple it would be for her to change that.
"But anyways. I asked for you to come here for a reason. Can I ask you a question, Softy?"
You once again nod in response. Your entire body is paralyzed, and you don't think you would be able to move even if you wanted to. Or rather, you wouldn't be able to move unless she wanted you to.
But still, you nod your head.
Because although she is all but whispering to you, her words tickling against your body as she speaks, you can still hear her clearly. And if you heard her correctly, it seems that she wants to ask you a question.
And oh, how you ache to know what her question is. To know what deep secrets she wants you to reveal to her. To know what you could possibly do, for her.
"Like I said, I can see that you are very… dedicated, Softy."
She says that, and somehow you can feel her inching even closer to you.
"Why, sometimes I don't even know what I would do if you weren't there."
You nod at her, although your movement is now so minute that it is almost imperceptible. After all, her face is so close to yours that you fear your nose will actually brush against hers if you move.
But still, you know that she notices even that. Her pleased smile tells you as much. Her piercing gaze tells you that you are exactly where she wants you to be. That everything is happening exactly as she desires.
"So, it would be wrong of me if I didn't try to… give you something in return, wouldn't it?"
A wave of shock, sudden and unlike anything you have ever felt, rushes through your body. You feel it coming from underneath your chin, and traveling through your body all the way down to the last strand of your tail. And the sensation is so sudden that your hindlegs actually fail you, causing you to suddenly sit on your hinds.
It takes you a few moments to realize that… that this thing you felt… it is her hoof. She is gently holding a hoof under your chin, almost as if caressing you.
"What I mean to say is… Softy, is there anything you want?"
And then, she says those words.
"Is there any way that I can… reward you?"
Her words, those words, they are too much.
The warmth that you feel on your chest and on your cheek, you feel it spread through your body as if some sort of gate had been opened, or as if a dam had been broken. You feel the heat spread through your neck, then your sides, then your wings. You feel it spike and flare up like a flame in certain parts of your body, and then you feel it everywhere else.
This…
This is…
You don't know…
You've never felt…
…
You have no idea what to do. You are breathing so quickly that you feel like you are going to pass out. Her face is so close to yours that you fear you might touch her even if you make the slightest movement. By the sun, she is so close to you that you can feel her breath.
And her breath is sweet!
And by all the powers in Equestria, you KNOW the answer to her question. You KNOW what you want. You even know how to answer her without words!
The answer is right there in front of you. The only thing you want, the only thing you have ever wanted, is to quench the dryness you are feeling in your mouth. And right in front of you is the sweetest, most tantalizing nectar to have ever existed.
You want to do this.
You HAVE to do this. Just close the minute, almost nonexistent distance between your lips, and then…
And then…!
"I… I am… I d-don't…!"
But you can't.
You simply can't.
"Lady V-Velvet, I d-don't…"
You are too afraid to do it. You are too much of a coward.
You have never been in a relationship before. You have never even kissed another pony. What you are thinking of right now, what you want right now… it is beyond you. It is hubris, even.
"I a-am really grateful. B-but I… d-don't want anything, r-really."
So, with an almost Rockhoofian effort, you force those words out of your mouth.
They scrape and scratch painfully against you, as they leave your lips. Those words, they beg you no to be spoken. They beg you that, instead, you turn them into something else. That you ask Mrs. Velvet for that.
But you say those words, those damned and dry words of denial, all the same.
"Ah… I see…"
Mrs. Velvet's look of disappointment, as she distances her face from you, is almost heartbreaking.
But still, you couldn't have. She… you… Silky Stream considers you her sister. You wouldn't be able to face her or Selene if you… Even if Mrs. Velvet clearly intended to…
Your mind is still numb and blank, completely uncapable of rational thought. You are honestly operating on instinct. But still, you know that resisting your urges, your deep and ugly and alluring urges, is the right thing to do.
"I see then. Well, let me know if anything crosses your mind," she says, her slightly disappointed and lonely expression turning a mischievous smile.
And you nod at that, perhaps too vigorously. But still, you understand what she means by that.
This is your cue, this is your chance to leave, to escape, and if you don't take it now you will not be able to resist yourself a second time.
You stand up on your four legs, your hindlegs still trembling perhaps a bit too much. But you stand nonetheless, and give Mrs. Velvet a clumsy bow before turning around and practically lunging for the door handle.
"You really are a good mare," she says as you leave. And much to your surprise she also-
*NEIGH!*
-she also SLAPS your hind, just as you are about to cross the door. And a loud and unsightly sound escapes your lips as the electric sensation crosses through your entire body, the area where she slapped you burning up under your uniform.
And as soon as the door closes behind you, you literally collapse on the floor, heaving with confusion.
"W-what… I… what just happened…?" you say to yourself, desperately breathing in the cool air of the corridor. Which makes you realize just how warm and sweet the air was inside Mrs. Velvet's study room.
Hay, this actually makes you realize just how warm you are. And how… how weird you feel all over.
Your clothes are clinging against your coat with how much you are sweating. Your wings are… they are stiff behind your back, locked in position as if you were about to take flight.
A-and you… you can feel… Your maid uniform has a skirt, that covers most of your tail and your hindlegs… You are going to have to change that skirt a-and…!
You try to stand up, dreading the thought that somepony might walk up into you. Because you have no idea what just happened or what is wrong with you, but you sure as tartarus don't want anypony to see you like this. Y-you have never felt anything like this in your life, but you think you recall Ponpon telling you about… m-maybe you should tell her about this? Maybe she would be able to explain this to you?
Oh, who you are kidding. You weren't even able to bring up with Ponpon the time when you saw Mrs. Velvet on that morning, in the kitchen. You will never be able to talk to anypony about this just now.
B-but still, you can't shake a thought from your mind. A mind-numbing, confusing thought that, from your limited and innocent life experience, can be the only explanation to what you are feeling right now.
"A-am I…?" you say out loud, as you try to stand up on your shaking legs. "Am I in love with Mrs. Velvet?!"
You are way too young for any of this. You know way too little about being a mare to understand any of this.
Surely, this is the only thing that you know of that could possibly explain what just happened to you.
- - -
- - -
- - -
You are Velvet Covers.
And absolutely nothing strange has just happened.
You watch as Soft Sweeps gives you a short bow, and mumbles an "excuse me" as she turns back towards the door. You have no idea why she is acting so stiff, but you don't really think that's much of a problem.
You really like the mare, in all honesty. Like a daughter, mind you. But still, you like her nonetheless. She is honest, earnest and dedicated, to the point that you once again think you struck gold when you decided to appoint her as Silky's caretaker.
To the point where you really meant it when you told Silky, and later Selene, that they should look at Soft Sweeps as an example.
But lately, you have been fearing that Soft Sweeps might not be satisfied with something. So, you called her to your study room to ask if she wanted a reward. Maybe she would like more time off? Or a raise? Or something else that you can't even think of?
However, the mare surprised you once again, and said that she didn't want anything. So, you dismissed her, and you are now watching as she walks out of your study room.
"You really are a good mare," you say as she leaves, and with a flick of magic you close the door behind her.
And you… you think the door might have touched her hind when you closed it, but you are not sure. You have the impression you heard Soft say something, but she might have just whispered something to herself or let out a sigh.
So, with that out of the way, you turn around and head towards your study desk, back to the book you were reading.
However, just as you are about to step away from the door, you hear Soft Sweeps say something.
"A-am… Am I in love with Mrs. Velvet?!"
And you immediately freeze.
Your mind freeze, as you process the words you just heard. Running them over your head to make sure that… that you really heard them, and not something else.
"What? That doesn't make any sense… why would Soft…?"
You turn back towards the door once again. You can clearly sense that Soft Sweeps is still right in front of your door, and your Edge-senses tell you she is particularly defenseless for some reason. But still, you resist the urge to open the door and check on her.
Is… could Soft Sweeps really be…? Well, you know she is rather young. Already an adult, but still desperately innocent in some regards, due to having dedicated herself to work from way too young an age.
But still, even if she is just a confused young mare, could she be in love with you? But why? It doesn't make any sense, unless...
Unless…
"Oh no," you say to yourself, as realization dawns upon you. As you slowly… as you slowly recall what happened just now.
You play back what just happened on your mind. You play back what just happened between you and Soft Sweeps. The words you used, and the way you acted… Or rather, the words you used, and the way you acted.
"Oh no… no, no, no no no... Heavens damnit," you say, slapping a hoof to your forehead as you realize what just happened.
It was so simple, to you. So natural. You honestly didn't even realize you were doing it.
But now that it is done, you can feel it. Like a string made of words and thoughts and needs tied to poor Soft Sweeps. You undo the binding in an instant, with a flick of a thought, and you can feel the leash coming back to you as if a barrel of wine was being filled once again.
Goodness gracious, you feel… extremely conflicted.
Because on one hoof, it is honestly good that you found about this under these conditions. It would be dreadful if some sort of accident occurred somewhere else, or with somepony you don't know or trust.
But on the other hoof, poor Soft must be so confused right now.
"Oh dear… I definitely have to make it up for her somehow…" you say to yourself.
But for now, you know the "damage" is done. And that it is better to let her cool down for a while… You will call Ponpon, and tell her to give Soft a few days… no, the whole week off.
And then, you will have to sit Soft Sweeps down, and have a very long conversation with her.
You have reached the third intensity of GRAIL, and had a realization.
You have acquired a "Leash". You may "Leash" a single pony in your contacts list. That pony will then act towards you as if they were "one step above" on the relationship slide.
The slide is, as a reminder: Acquaintance -> Friend -> Close Friend -> Confidant -> Minion
Only a single pony may be "leashed" at any single moment. (And there is no point in trying this on alicorns, or the Master).
And poor Soft Sweeps couldn't see you eye to eye for a while. But having a long conversation with her about marehood (as embarrassing as it was to her) was a really good training for your own mothering skills. You think you were able to repair your relationship with her without any problems, but the young mare still feels understandably embarrassed every now and then.
And how could you? After all, you have a very busy day ahead of you. So, like you do almost every day, you turn your thoughts back to the list of tasks you have to get done today.
The morning sun gently caresses your face as the high winds blow through your mane and tail, your wings outstretched as you every now and then flap them to keep your current altitude. You have just dropped off Silky Stream and Selene at school, and you are on the final leg (or rather, final wing) on your way back, the long road that links the town to the farmlands passing far underneath you in a blur.
But still, you have already flown over this path so many times that you don't even pay attention to it.
"Alright then," you mumble to yourself, "today is a Monday, so I gotta… well, cleaning the fillies' rooms will definitely take up most of the morning and…"
You run over your tasks, trying to figure out how much time you might take in each of them and whatnot. But most importantly, you trying to figure out which of those tasks you should prioritize.
After all, even though you have a lot less responsibilities when compared to the other maids of the Velvet household, Ponpon (and of course, Mrs. Velvet herself) always make sure to remind you just how important said responsibilities are.
Highest among your tasks is, obviously, to take care of the fillies. And that by itself takes up most of your time. You wake up before the fillies do, and (even though nine out of ten times Mrs. Velvet lets you go early) your day only officially ends after the fillies go to bed. Of course, you don't have the slightest complaint about that, even though you did feel out of your depth in the beginning. After all, you have a cutie mark for cleaning, and most of the times nannying requires completely different skills. But all of that was eventually overshadowed by how much you came to care for Silky and Selene.
However, the fact remains that since most of your days is spent with the fillies, you have very little time to take care of your secondary duties. Consequently, unlike most of the maids who have a fixed timetable of chores to follow, you actually have to do a lot of prioritizing and decision-making for your daily routine.
After all, the only truly "free" period of time that you have is when the fillies are at school. But that is less than half of a day, for a list of chores that only got larger ever since Selene arrived a few months ago.
"Not that I need any help, of course. Nope, no second nanny needed," you say to yourself, as you once again banish the idea of anypony but you being assigned to take care of Silky and Selene.
And you're definitely not being overprotective. No sir. But the fillies trust you. And you care for them. Yes, this is strictly professional zeal! The fact that Silky calls you "big sis" has absolutely nothing to do with your dedication to your job.
As you think about all of that, the estate finally comes into your view, the farmlands themselves stretching towards the horizon. And with that, you gently bring your wings closer to your body, slowly beginning to glide down towards your destination.
You push your tentative list of priorities to the side of your head as the mansion grows larger and larger, the previously unidentifiable points of color around the estate turning into discernible ponyservants going about their duties. With that, you give your wings a few final flaps to decrease your speed one last time, and you start angling yourself towards the spot on the garden that is usually kept clear for landings.
Everything goes about normally from then on. You enter the mansion towards one of the side entrances, making a beeline to where you had left your maid uniform (Mrs. Velvet explicitly told you not to take the fillies to school while wearing that, after all). And then you make your way towards Selene's room, since her room usually only takes you half the time to tidy up when compared to Silky's.
Everything goes about normally, that is, until somepony knocks on the door just as you finish changing the bedclothes for new ones.
"Soft Sweeps? Are you in here?"
An immediately familiar voice reaches your ears, followed a few moments later by the sound of the door being timidly pushed open. You turn around right on time to see an earth pony, wearing the same uniform as you are, looking in through a crack on the door.
"Ah, there you are. Gosh, I swear I'll never know how Miss Ponpon always knows where everypony is…" the maid says as she pushes the door open a bit more and steps into the room.
"Oh, hi Tip-top. And yeah, that always creeps me out a little bit. Head maid powers, I suppose," you answer your friend, to which she gives you an honestly agreeing nod.
After all, even though there is an official hierarchy among the household servants, there is also an unofficial hierarchy that you all know about. One that is more aligned with how competent everypony knows you are, or how well respected you are by your fellow maids or Mrs. Velvet and Mr. Stormchaser. And it is no understatement to say that Ponpon sits on the very top of those two hierarchies, both official and unofficial.
"But anyhow, fancy seeing you here this early. Is anything the matter? Actually, you mentioned Ponpon, is she asking for me?"
Tip-top, you know, is usually tasked with cleaning the annexed buildings, and from what you know she helps out in the kitchen every now and then. But the mare also has a very soft hoof, to the point that (as far as the gossips go, at least) Mrs. Velvet has already asked for her by name several times, to take care of some of the more delicate tasks.
And you know for a fact that those rumors aren't entirely unfounded. For example, to this day Tip-top is the only pony you have ever seen cleaning the central chandelier of the main hall. Cleaning the main hall is usually a duty given to pegasi, since it is a several-storey room and you need three non-fliers with a stair to do what one pegasus can do. But again, to this day Tip-top is the only one who you know is sufficiently trusted to clean the large glass (or is it crystal?) chandelier, even if it takes her a whole day on top of a stair to do so.
Which, in turn, also puts Tip-top quite far up on the unofficial pecking order of the household maids.
But gossips and maid-politiking aside, you still have no idea of why Tip-top was looking for you.
"Not Ponpon, Soft," the earth pony says, shaking her head a bit. "she just told me where you were once I started looking. It's Mrs. Velvet who asked me to call you, when I took her a little something from the kitchen on Mr. Stormchaser's orders."
"Huh? Wait… Mrs. Velvet is calling for me?" you ask again, your eyes going slightly wider at that. Not because you are nervous or anything, but more because… well… it's Mrs. Velvet that is calling you. Calling you, instead of Ponpon, or her daughters, or anypony else. You're not nervous, but this is definitely not something normal either. "A-are you sure she is calling for me?"
"That she is, Soft. Now if you excuse me, I'm helping to make today's lunch," she says, giving you a soft bow and leaving the room shortly after.
Leaving you alone.
Not nervous-alone. Just alone-alone.
You are definitely not anxious about this. You are definitely not tense over the fact that you are being called while the fillies are away, which would be the best period of time for you to be thoroughly scolded without the risk of them hearing anything.
Nope! Not. Nervous. At. All!
"Oh, who am I kidding," you say, swallowing down something dry.
You take a deep breath, making sure your uniform is spotless, and then head towards Mrs. Velvet's study room.
- - -
It's not that you are afraid of Mrs. Velvet Covers. In fact, you think it would be very unfair of you for you to be afraid of Mrs. Velvet Covers.
After all, you know she is a very kind mare.
You know that because of how you see her treat other ponies. You know that because of how much you know she loves her daughters, especially with how she literally adopted an unknown filly despite being a noble. And above all else, you know that because of how kind she was (and still is) to you, personally.
You do realize that you have your… issues, with nobleponies in general. And there was indeed a time when you were scared of Mrs. Velvet and her husband. And you even remember how you used to lose sleep, over how worried you were of what could go wrong, when you were assigned to take care of their only daughter.
But that is all in the past. You still respect Mrs. Velvet, of course, but you are no longer afraid of her.
However.
...
However…
Mrs. Velvet Covers still makes you… nervous.
For several reasons. Too many reasons, perhaps.
And you're not even referring to the odd stories that you hear about Mrs. Velvet, that she is a secret overlord or that she practices some sort of black magic or whatever. You know those stories are false, and practically unavoidable due to the fact that she is a unicorn noble. You've heard plenty of variants of those rumors, back in Canterlot, as well as their other versions when the noble is an earth pony or a pegasus.
But still, the fact remains that every now and then something happens, or more precisely Mrs. Velvet does something, that makes you feel… *ahem*, that makes you feel things. Confusion, most of the time, but not exclusively.
Like the time when you put Silky to bed and went to leave the room, but when you turned around to check on her one last time you saw that Mrs. Velvet was somehow right there by the bed.
(That made you feel spooked out.)
Or that day when Selene accidentally broke a vase on Mrs. Velvet's study, and was so distraught that you promised her you'd take responsibility for it. But when you went to tell Mrs. Velvet, she didn't even look up towards you, or let you say anything, before telling you to "tell Selene it was alright" because she never really liked the vase.
(That made you feel very confused.)
Or the morning when you were preparing the fillies' lunchboxes, and you turned around to see that Mrs. Velvet was standing right there wearing a-
*SLAP*
You slap yourself on the face, shaking your head vigorously as you desperately try to turn your thoughts elsewhere.
"And we promised not to think about that, Soft," you say to yourself, your cheeks heating up as you remember-… as you try not to remember… all of that.
You take several deep breaths as you walk down the corridor towards Mrs. Velvet's study, dragging your thoughts by the tail back to the more professional side of things.
Yes. You should definitely not think about that day. Ever again.
You are a maid. You take care of her daughters. She is a respectable married mare. And you are definitely being called to her because of something you did wrong, or to talk about something serious.
"That's right. Get a grip of yourself, Soft. This is important," you say, nodding to yourself, as you reach the door to Mrs. Velvet's study room.
You take another final, deep breath, look over your uniform one last time, and then you give the door a trio of light knocks.
"Come in," you hear Mrs. Velvet's voice form the other side of the door. You push the door open and step in right after.
"Excuse me, Mrs. Velvet," you say, out of habit, as you close the door behind yourself.
?!?!?!
And your mind immediately somersaults, to the point that you almost lose your balance for a few moments.
Wha… what is going on here?!
A lot of things… way too many things happen at the same time.
First of all, again, you just felt a… there is something in the air, a sweet smell that is neither perfume nor roses, that you have never felt before in your whole life.
Secondly, your mind went blank just now. You can still think, and you definitely don't feel bad. But still, you feel like… like there's some sort of fog inside your head?
Goodness gracious. You know it is totally unbefitting of a maid to do this, but you actually shake your head a few times, hoping that you can blink away this… this numbness that suddenly got over you and-
"Softy Softy Sweeps, my dear… I am so happy to see you."
But then, Mrs. Velvet speaks up. She speaks up, and you can almost feel her words caressing against your ears.
"I… what…? Y-you... you are?" you ask, your voice almost numb for reasons you can't explain.
However, all of that happened in the few moments that it took you to enter the room and close the door behind you.
And only after you mumble those words, the sweet aroma on the air still making you feel out of breath, do you finally look up towards Mrs. Velvet.
!!!!!!
You were not ready for that.
Velvet Covers is sitting on her chair, behind her study desk. She is sitting on her, and she is looking at you. Her long mane is flowing down through the side of her body, and she has a hoof under her chin as she watches you with a vaguely pleased smile.
Velvet Cover is right there, and there is absolutely nothing strange about her.
There is nothing strange about her, except for everything.
Your head immediately goes blank as you look at her, and your heart begins to hammer wildly inside your chest. You… you desperately try to think. About something. Anything. But the sweet scent seems to be surrounding you like a vapor, entering your head with every breath you take and somehow clouding your thoughts.
You can't remember what you are doing here. You can't even remember what you were doing before you entered this room.
All you can think about is… is how…!
"Of course, Softy. I am always glad to see you. You are such an… exquisite maid, after all."
Velvet Covers' words fill your head as if they are the only thing allowed in your thoughts. The sweet fog that is filling your mind somehow making way to allow her words in.
Your heart, also, starts to beat even faster. After all, she just praised you, and that makes you equals part nervous and happy. However, her smile… the way she is looking at you, somehow tells you that she didn't just call you here to compliment you with a few words.
Although even if she just wanted to do that, it would be more than enough for you, of course.
"I, uh… t-than-k you Misses Velvet. I-I am really trying my best!"
You say that, you try to mumble a pitiful response through your nervous smile, as you watch Velvet Covers look at you as if you were a particularly tasteful snack.
And by all the clouds in Equestria, you swear you see her lick her lips.
"Oh… I can see that, Softy. I am always watching you, after all."
She says that. And before you can even begin to interpret what she means by that, she gets up from her chair and starts walking towards you.
The sight is… hypnotizing.
Velvet Covers is walking towards you. She is walking towards you and just by watching her you are feeling something that you have never felt before in your entire life.
Her movements are beautifully gracious, down to the way she slightly throws her mane to the side of her hair with a gentle shake of her head. The dress she is wearing, somehow, seems to fit her even better than usual, and your cheeks flare up as your mind forcibly reminds you of what she might be wearing underneath that dress of hers. Flashes of images from that early morning, where she caught you alone, that you have been desperately trying not to think about until now.
Your cheeks flare up at that.
Your entire body flares up at that.
And her smile… By Equestria, her smile…
Her lips…
Your legs are trembling underneath you, to the point that you are almost losing balance despite the fact that you have four legs. But still, you can't bring yourself to stop shaking. You can't stop your body from heating up like a furnace.
And the only thing you can really think about is how you have never been in a relationship your entire life. Something you have never really thought about until now.
Your thoughts almost grind to a halt when Velvet finally stands in front of you.
"Softy dear, is everything alright…?" she asks. Her voice so sweet that, somehow, you can feel your heart flutter with her every word.
You nod. You shake your head up and down to answer her, because you are sure you won't be able to form a coherent sentence if you try to speak.
Your throat is dry. Your mind is numb. Your legs are shaking and your whole body feels warm.
But for some reason, you can't stop thinking that you just want her to come closer to you.
"Ah… that makes me glad," she says. And then she…
Slowly…
Tenderly…
Reaches to you with a hoof, raising it towards you face.
You WILL yourself to stay still. You lock every last muscle of your body, because although you have no idea what she is going to do, you are absolutely sure that you will not know how to react to it.
You stand utterly still. And you can only watch as her hoof, her delicate and smooth hoof, goes towards your face.
The sensation of her touch against your cheek is electric.
It only lasts for a moment. She only touches your cheek to take a stray hair of your mane, and tuck it behind your ear. But still…
Still…
That touch, all by itself, makes you realize just how close she is to you. Just how close her face is to yours. How close her lips are to yours.
How pleased her smile is, as she looks at you as if appreciating a fine glass of wine.
How dry your mouth is, and how simple it would be for her to change that.
"But anyways. I asked for you to come here for a reason. Can I ask you a question, Softy?"
You once again nod in response. Your entire body is paralyzed, and you don't think you would be able to move even if you wanted to. Or rather, you wouldn't be able to move unless she wanted you to.
But still, you nod your head.
Because although she is all but whispering to you, her words tickling against your body as she speaks, you can still hear her clearly. And if you heard her correctly, it seems that she wants to ask you a question.
And oh, how you ache to know what her question is. To know what deep secrets she wants you to reveal to her. To know what you could possibly do, for her.
"Like I said, I can see that you are very… dedicated, Softy."
She says that, and somehow you can feel her inching even closer to you.
"Why, sometimes I don't even know what I would do if you weren't there."
You nod at her, although your movement is now so minute that it is almost imperceptible. After all, her face is so close to yours that you fear your nose will actually brush against hers if you move.
But still, you know that she notices even that. Her pleased smile tells you as much. Her piercing gaze tells you that you are exactly where she wants you to be. That everything is happening exactly as she desires.
"So, it would be wrong of me if I didn't try to… give you something in return, wouldn't it?"
A wave of shock, sudden and unlike anything you have ever felt, rushes through your body. You feel it coming from underneath your chin, and traveling through your body all the way down to the last strand of your tail. And the sensation is so sudden that your hindlegs actually fail you, causing you to suddenly sit on your hinds.
It takes you a few moments to realize that… that this thing you felt… it is her hoof. She is gently holding a hoof under your chin, almost as if caressing you.
"What I mean to say is… Softy, is there anything you want?"
And then, she says those words.
"Is there any way that I can… reward you?"
Her words, those words, they are too much.
The warmth that you feel on your chest and on your cheek, you feel it spread through your body as if some sort of gate had been opened, or as if a dam had been broken. You feel the heat spread through your neck, then your sides, then your wings. You feel it spike and flare up like a flame in certain parts of your body, and then you feel it everywhere else.
This…
This is…
You don't know…
You've never felt…
…
You have no idea what to do. You are breathing so quickly that you feel like you are going to pass out. Her face is so close to yours that you fear you might touch her even if you make the slightest movement. By the sun, she is so close to you that you can feel her breath.
And her breath is sweet!
And by all the powers in Equestria, you KNOW the answer to her question. You KNOW what you want. You even know how to answer her without words!
The answer is right there in front of you. The only thing you want, the only thing you have ever wanted, is to quench the dryness you are feeling in your mouth. And right in front of you is the sweetest, most tantalizing nectar to have ever existed.
You want to do this.
You HAVE to do this. Just close the minute, almost nonexistent distance between your lips, and then…
And then…!
"I… I am… I d-don't…!"
But you can't.
You simply can't.
"Lady V-Velvet, I d-don't…"
You are too afraid to do it. You are too much of a coward.
You have never been in a relationship before. You have never even kissed another pony. What you are thinking of right now, what you want right now… it is beyond you. It is hubris, even.
"I a-am really grateful. B-but I… d-don't want anything, r-really."
So, with an almost Rockhoofian effort, you force those words out of your mouth.
They scrape and scratch painfully against you, as they leave your lips. Those words, they beg you no to be spoken. They beg you that, instead, you turn them into something else. That you ask Mrs. Velvet for that.
But you say those words, those damned and dry words of denial, all the same.
"Ah… I see…"
Mrs. Velvet's look of disappointment, as she distances her face from you, is almost heartbreaking.
But still, you couldn't have. She… you… Silky Stream considers you her sister. You wouldn't be able to face her or Selene if you… Even if Mrs. Velvet clearly intended to…
Your mind is still numb and blank, completely uncapable of rational thought. You are honestly operating on instinct. But still, you know that resisting your urges, your deep and ugly and alluring urges, is the right thing to do.
"I see then. Well, let me know if anything crosses your mind," she says, her slightly disappointed and lonely expression turning a mischievous smile.
And you nod at that, perhaps too vigorously. But still, you understand what she means by that.
This is your cue, this is your chance to leave, to escape, and if you don't take it now you will not be able to resist yourself a second time.
You stand up on your four legs, your hindlegs still trembling perhaps a bit too much. But you stand nonetheless, and give Mrs. Velvet a clumsy bow before turning around and practically lunging for the door handle.
"You really are a good mare," she says as you leave. And much to your surprise she also-
*NEIGH!*
-she also SLAPS your hind, just as you are about to cross the door. And a loud and unsightly sound escapes your lips as the electric sensation crosses through your entire body, the area where she slapped you burning up under your uniform.
And as soon as the door closes behind you, you literally collapse on the floor, heaving with confusion.
"W-what… I… what just happened…?" you say to yourself, desperately breathing in the cool air of the corridor. Which makes you realize just how warm and sweet the air was inside Mrs. Velvet's study room.
Hay, this actually makes you realize just how warm you are. And how… how weird you feel all over.
Your clothes are clinging against your coat with how much you are sweating. Your wings are… they are stiff behind your back, locked in position as if you were about to take flight.
A-and you… you can feel… Your maid uniform has a skirt, that covers most of your tail and your hindlegs… You are going to have to change that skirt a-and…!
You try to stand up, dreading the thought that somepony might walk up into you. Because you have no idea what just happened or what is wrong with you, but you sure as tartarus don't want anypony to see you like this. Y-you have never felt anything like this in your life, but you think you recall Ponpon telling you about… m-maybe you should tell her about this? Maybe she would be able to explain this to you?
Oh, who you are kidding. You weren't even able to bring up with Ponpon the time when you saw Mrs. Velvet on that morning, in the kitchen. You will never be able to talk to anypony about this just now.
B-but still, you can't shake a thought from your mind. A mind-numbing, confusing thought that, from your limited and innocent life experience, can be the only explanation to what you are feeling right now.
"A-am I…?" you say out loud, as you try to stand up on your shaking legs. "Am I in love with Mrs. Velvet?!"
You are way too young for any of this. You know way too little about being a mare to understand any of this.
Surely, this is the only thing that you know of that could possibly explain what just happened to you.
- - -
- - -
- - -
You are Velvet Covers.
And absolutely nothing strange has just happened.
You watch as Soft Sweeps gives you a short bow, and mumbles an "excuse me" as she turns back towards the door. You have no idea why she is acting so stiff, but you don't really think that's much of a problem.
You really like the mare, in all honesty. Like a daughter, mind you. But still, you like her nonetheless. She is honest, earnest and dedicated, to the point that you once again think you struck gold when you decided to appoint her as Silky's caretaker.
To the point where you really meant it when you told Silky, and later Selene, that they should look at Soft Sweeps as an example.
But lately, you have been fearing that Soft Sweeps might not be satisfied with something. So, you called her to your study room to ask if she wanted a reward. Maybe she would like more time off? Or a raise? Or something else that you can't even think of?
However, the mare surprised you once again, and said that she didn't want anything. So, you dismissed her, and you are now watching as she walks out of your study room.
"You really are a good mare," you say as she leaves, and with a flick of magic you close the door behind her.
And you… you think the door might have touched her hind when you closed it, but you are not sure. You have the impression you heard Soft say something, but she might have just whispered something to herself or let out a sigh.
So, with that out of the way, you turn around and head towards your study desk, back to the book you were reading.
However, just as you are about to step away from the door, you hear Soft Sweeps say something.
"A-am… Am I in love with Mrs. Velvet?!"
And you immediately freeze.
Your mind freeze, as you process the words you just heard. Running them over your head to make sure that… that you really heard them, and not something else.
"What? That doesn't make any sense… why would Soft…?"
You turn back towards the door once again. You can clearly sense that Soft Sweeps is still right in front of your door, and your Edge-senses tell you she is particularly defenseless for some reason. But still, you resist the urge to open the door and check on her.
Is… could Soft Sweeps really be…? Well, you know she is rather young. Already an adult, but still desperately innocent in some regards, due to having dedicated herself to work from way too young an age.
But still, even if she is just a confused young mare, could she be in love with you? But why? It doesn't make any sense, unless...
Unless…
"Oh no," you say to yourself, as realization dawns upon you. As you slowly… as you slowly recall what happened just now.
You play back what just happened on your mind. You play back what just happened between you and Soft Sweeps. The words you used, and the way you acted… Or rather, the words you used, and the way you acted.
"Oh no… no, no, no no no... Heavens damnit," you say, slapping a hoof to your forehead as you realize what just happened.
It was so simple, to you. So natural. You honestly didn't even realize you were doing it.
But now that it is done, you can feel it. Like a string made of words and thoughts and needs tied to poor Soft Sweeps. You undo the binding in an instant, with a flick of a thought, and you can feel the leash coming back to you as if a barrel of wine was being filled once again.
Goodness gracious, you feel… extremely conflicted.
Because on one hoof, it is honestly good that you found about this under these conditions. It would be dreadful if some sort of accident occurred somewhere else, or with somepony you don't know or trust.
But on the other hoof, poor Soft must be so confused right now.
"Oh dear… I definitely have to make it up for her somehow…" you say to yourself.
But for now, you know the "damage" is done. And that it is better to let her cool down for a while… You will call Ponpon, and tell her to give Soft a few days… no, the whole week off.
And then, you will have to sit Soft Sweeps down, and have a very long conversation with her.
You have reached the third intensity of GRAIL, and had a realization.
You have acquired a "Leash". You may "Leash" a single pony in your contacts list. That pony will then act towards you as if they were "one step above" on the relationship slide.
The slide is, as a reminder: Acquaintance -> Friend -> Close Friend -> Confidant -> Minion
Only a single pony may be "leashed" at any single moment. (And there is no point in trying this on alicorns, or the Master).
And poor Soft Sweeps couldn't see you eye to eye for a while. But having a long conversation with her about marehood (as embarrassing as it was to her) was a really good training for your own mothering skills. You think you were able to repair your relationship with her without any problems, but the young mare still feels understandably embarrassed every now and then.
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