A Change In Fashion

Chapters

Chapter 3: Change
Chapter 4: Put to the Test
Chapter 5: Not Expected
Chapter 6: First Day
Chapter 7: A Date
Chapter 8: Coffee Break
Chapter 9: Confront
Chapter 10: Rising
Chapter 11: Hang Over
Chapter 12: Cooking
Chapter 13: Falling
Chapter 14: Looking Back, Looking Forward
Chapter 15: Creating Memories
Chapter 16: Preparation
Chapter 17: The Plan
Chapter 19: Always Watching
Chapter 20: Veiled Truths
Chapter 21: Friendship is Magically Terrifying
Chapter 22: Love is in the Air
Chapter 23: Let the Games Begin
Chapter 24: Questions
Chapter 25: Barriers
Chapter 26: Fears and Frustrations
Chapter 27: Can't Change Who You Are
Chapter 28: Mend
Chapter B29: Love
Chapter 29: Acceptance
Chapter 30: Reunion
Bonus Chapter: Pictures
Bonus Chapter: Acceptance
Bonus Chapter: Sick
Chapter 1: Small Town Troubles
Chapter 2: New Sights
Chapter 18: The Big Show
Fanart (Updated as of 3/29/2016)

Chapter 3: Change

Glamour let out a sigh as she trudged through the streets of Manehattan. Tired and despondent, she had decided to just idly wander for the rest of the night to try walking off the gloom of yet another disappointing day.

It had been a few days since the fashion show rehearsal, and she had been busy. After finally getting used to the crowds and layout of Manehattan, she had started looking for ponies to siphon love from.

So far, she had a limited amount of success. A very limited amount.

Most of the ponies she tried to get to know were either too gruff or too much of in a hurry to spare more than a few words. The few that did happen to stop and speak with her were wary of giving her too much of their information. It probably did not help that she asked what they did at home with their loved ones.

Glamour had also attempted to stalk a few couples, but between the noisy atmosphere and the huge crowds, she would end up losing track of her targets long before obtaining any useful information.

Each fruitless day had made her worry more and more about her food supply. The love she extracted from Ambleton would not last forever, and she needed to secure a food source before she began to run low.

At least, she had the fashion show after tomorrow to look forward to.

Ever since she saw the rehearsal, the show had been on the forefront of Glamour’s mind. Even with the odd choice of clothing on many of the models, it was still a lot of fun to watch. It had even kindled a bit of curiosity in fashion. In fact, when she was not frantically hunting for a pony to feed off of, she had been stopping to look at the clothes on ponies and in the windows of stores.

With all the adoration that would likely be filling the whole place, the fashion show was also going to help replenish her energy. When Coco gave her a ticket for a show, she had pretty much given her a free meal ticket as well.

Speaking of, Glamour was kind of hoping to meet Coco again. If it were not for the generous pony, Glamour would not have had as much fun at the show, not to mention also saving her from being punted out of the building. Even if they could not enjoy the show together, Glamour wanted to at least try to thank Coco for her generosity.

Still, despite the fun and free food the fashion show was going to bring her, it was only going to delay her troubles if she did not find any ponies to steal love from.

As Glamour turned a corner into a residential area, trying to think of a way to keep her fed, she found her mind had started entertaining the idea of attending more fashion shows. With all the fans and enthusiasts that flock to them, siphoning the adoration in the air would be a lot easier and safer than trying to romance somepony’s loved one.

Of course, that would mean she would need a way to attend fashion shows on a frequent basis.

Since Coco just started putting her work on display, Glamour doubted that Coco would be able to attend many fashion shows, let alone give out free tickets to them. The thought of constantly bothering Coco just for tickets also did not sit well with Glamour.

Sneaking into shows was also not an option. Given her almost failed attempt at the rehearsal, Glamour was sure she would end up behind bars sooner rather than later.

That only left with getting a job and paying for a ticket herself, but even that came with problems. It would likely take a long time to find a job, and even if she did manage to get one, she knew fashion shows were expensive, and the amount of time she would need to save up for even one ticket would be better spent trying to find a pony to extract love from.

That is, unless she could get a job working in fashion shows. That would pretty much grant her free entry to every one of them.

Glamour stopped walking when she decided to let her brain pursue the crazy idea and think of what kind of job she could do.

A backstage worker would probably be the easiest job to get, but she could already see complications. She would have to be relatively close to the adoring audience to feed, and at the rehearsal, she noticed how busy many of the workers were. Even though she did not know exactly what they were doing, she saw that they had all sorts of different tasks and were sent all over the place. There was no guarantee she would have the time or would even be close enough to harvest the adoration. She probably would not last long in her job if she was constantly shirking her duties to go feed.

Glamour then wondered if she could try and be a designer, but the idea was dismissed quickly. It would be difficult to constantly make good enough dresses for fashion shows. It would also be difficult to make even one dress since her knowledge in dressmaking was limited to pretty much nothing.

That only left being a model. From what she saw, they had to wear a dress, walk down the runway, and look pretty.

Glamour froze.

She had worn dresses before, and she had been walking since she was little. She could probably manage those two things and look pretty at the same time.

Being a model also meant that she would be at the center of all the adoration. Emotions directed at a changeling was far more potent than scavenging for it from the surrounding area. After all, there was a reason Queen Chrysalis surrounded herself with so many subjects.

A smile appeared on Glamour’s face as the idea grew more and more enticing, and it did not take long before she was trotting in place with glea. If this plan worked then she would never have to worry about scrounging for food.

“That’s it!” Glamour shouted cheerfully. “I’m going to be a fashion model!”

She was then buried under a mound of soil and flowers.

“Shut up! Some ponies are trying to sleep!”

A long sigh came from the pile of dirt before Glamour emerged from the soil and flew off to prepare for the next day.

Glamour had found sleep to be a bit elusive due to her giddiness. Yet despite the lost sleep, she woke up full of energy, ready and raring to go and become a fashion model.

She remembered Coco mentioning that the organizer of the show had an office in the same building as the fashion show, so with her destination already known, Glamour flew off.

Facing little air traffic along the way, Glamour arrived at the building after a smooth, short flight and found no guards were barring entrance through the front doors.

Entering the building through the proper entrance this time, Glamour immediately saw a hallway full of doors straight ahead of her when she stepped into the lobby, and to her right were a set of giant double doors, no doubt housing the performance area behind them. A number of tall, potted plants were placed against the walls, as well as a few odd-looking paintings that looked suspiciously like somepony had just chugged a can of paint and spat it onto the canvas.

The sound of a typewriter clacking drew her attention to the left where a light-lavender mare with a yellow mane was busy typing away from behind a receptionist desk. She wore a white collar tied together by a small, black bow, and her purple glasses had three white gems on each upper corner.

“Hi there,” Glamour greeted as she trotted up to the receptionist.

“Yes? How can I help you?” the mare asked in a bored voice, not even looking up from her work.

“Um, do you know if I could apply to be a fashion model here?”

The mare stopped to glance up at Glamour for a few seconds before nodding. “You’ll want to see Prim Hemline then. She’s the one running everything around here.”

“Could I see her right now?”

The receptionist opened up a planner, read over a page, and nodded. “It looks like she’s in her office now before she has to go do more preparations for tomorrow’s show.” She then pointed to the hallway. “Prim’s office is down that hall, up the stairs, last door on your left.”

“Thank you!” Glamour proceeded to the office as quickly as possible without actually running, skipping, or any other methods of movement that would betray her enthusiasm.

As soon as she found the door with Prim Hemline’s name on it, she opened it and strode right on in with a smile, only for it to instantly disappear.

Prim Hemline was a dark-grey pony with a bright-amaranth mane. She also wore a faintly-pink collared shirt with a white trim. But that was not what Glamour was paying attention to.

Prim was giving her a withering glare that was making her confidence and exuberance flee for an underground bunker where they would begin to realize why the pony population was so heavily skewed towards mares.

“Who are you, and why did you barge into my office without knocking?” demanded Prim.

Glamour gulped.

So much for first impressions, she thought before clearing her throat. “Uh, h-hi, Miss Hemline. So sorry for disturbing you. My name is Nutmeg, and I would like to apply for a position as a fashion model… If that’s alright with you.”

Prim rested her head on a hoof, and her eyes looked up and down Glamour’s disguised body. A few seconds later, she replied with a flat “No.”

“W-what? Why? Y-you didn’t even give me a—”

“Miss Nutmeg, you look like you have just dug your way out of the ground with all the dirt in your mane and coat. The crooked feathers in your wings also tell me you are in urgent need of a preening. Why should I bother with you if you don’t even take the time and effort to at least make yourself presentable?”

“Because I—”

“And even if I ignored your terrible personal hygiene, you have a bit too much muscle in your legs, and your appearance is just too plain to be on stage.”

“But I can easily fix my appearance! I can be a model!”

Prim sighed. “Alright, I’ll humor you a bit more. How much experience do you have in modeling?”

“Well, I um… uh, well… none…”

“Uh huh… Do you have any knowledge at all on how to be a model?”

Glamour swore the room was becoming hotter by the second. “You um, put on a dress, walk on stage, and look pretty?”

Prim buried her face into her hoof and let out an exasperated sigh. “An oversimplification of the process and an insult to the profession. Tell me, why should I let a mare who does not have the right look or even any experience into one of the most prominent fashion organizations in Equestria?”

“Because it would be really nice of you?” Glamour ventured with a sheepish grin.

Prim gave an even more scathing look that made it clear to Glamour that she had screwed up horribly. “My answer remains the same. You have no place here.” She turned her attention back to the papers on her desk and waved Glamour away. “Now, leave me be. I am very busy and have no time for ponies who have no appreciation for what we do here.”

Glamour scrambled over to Prim and planted her forehooves on the desk. “No, wait! Please give me a chance! I could—”

“Miss Nutmeg, we are done here. Remove yourself this instant, or I will call security.”

“But… I…” Glamour’s whole body drooped as she slid back off the desk. “O-okay, th-thank you for your time.”

Glamour slowly and quietly exited the room and closed the office door behind her without looking up at Prim. Only when she was halfway down the hall did she allow a few sniffles to escape her.

Even though the idea had only come to her last night, having her idea shot down so thoroughly and quickly stung a lot. She had thought she had found an easy way to feed herself for the rest of her life, but Prim Hemline had pretty much crushed that dream into dust and then blew the debris into her eyes.

After dragging her hooves back to the first floor, she stopped when she heard two mares speaking in the lobby.

“Here you go, Grace.” Glamour immediately recognized the voice as Coco’s.

“Oh my goodness, coffee! Gimme!” Glamour also recognized the receptionist’s voice, but this time, it was without a bored, monotone voice. “Thank you, Coco. You’re a lifesaver!”

Glamour let out a quiet groan as she heard Coco giggle. She did not feel like talking to Coco, not when she was so shaken from her verbal lashing, but as she heard the two mares chatting away, it seemed that it was another thing that was not going to go her way today. With no other way out of the building and the possibility that one of the mares would come down the hall, her only chance was to quietly make her way to the door and hope that the two mares were distracted.

Creeping out into the lobby, Glamour saw that Coco and Grace had not noticed her yet and quickly hid behind the closest potted plant.

Glamour grunted as she pulled the potted plant with her, trying to keep herself hidden as she slowly made her way through the lobby, but the heavy object was barely budging from her efforts.

That is, until Glamour got impatient and pulled even harder. She let out a yelp when she slipped, tipping the plant and causing the both of them to clatter to the floor.

As the two mares quickly turned to look at her, Glamour wondered why it seemed that even potted plants had a thing against her.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing!?” Grace cried out.

“Nutmeg, is that really you?” Coco asked.

“H-hi, Coco,” Glamour replied quietly as she got up.

“Wait, you know this mare, Coco?”

“She’s a friend of mine.”

Glamour’s eyes widened. “Wait, we’re friends? But we have only known each other for like half a night.”

Coco smiled. “That may be so, but we had a good time together at the rehearsal, and you helped cheer me up when I was feeling down. At least to me, I would say we’re friends.”

“Oh, um, thanks.” A small smile appeared on Glamour’s lips. “I would be happy to be friends with you as well.”

“So what are you doing here, Nutmeg?”

And just as quick as it came, Glamour’s smile disappeared. “I was, um…” She bit her lip as her gaze went down to the floor.

“She wanted to apply for a job as a fashion model,” Grace answered for her.

“You did? How did it go?”

Glamour stayed silent, her gaze remaining glued to the floor.

“Oh… Nutmeg, I’m so sorry.”

With her attention focused on the floor, Glamour did not notice Coco approach until she felt hooves wrap around her, and she let out a tiny squeak when she was pulled into a hug.

“Are you alright?”

Glamour blinked before giving a small nod. “I… I’ll be fine.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Glamour tensed up. While the hug did make her feel a bit better, the disappointment of failing her interview still weighed heavily upon her head. As much as she would have liked to spend some time with Coco, their talk would likely get into questions that she did not have the energy to lie her way through.

“Actually… I think I would like some time alone, if you don’t mind.”

“Oh, um, alright…” Coco said as she ended their hug. The disappointment in her voice was not lost on Glamour. “I uh, I hope you feel better soon.”

“Thanks, Coco. Maybe we can talk some other time. Bye.” Glamour walked past her new friend and made her way over to the door.

“Nutmeg, wait!”

Glamour looked back. “Y-yes?”

“I…” Coco opened her mouth and raised her hoof to take a step closer, but stopped. Her eyes drifted to the floor, and she let out a sigh before looking back up at Glamour. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Glamour slowly nodded. “Y-yeah, see you.”

As soon as she exited the building, Glamour flew away until she found a cloud that was out of sight of the building that now housed her shattered dreams. Laying down into the fluffy surface, Glamour sighed as she began her sulking.

With all the times she had been ran out of towns or failed to get her mark, she should have been used to failures and disappointments. Even the failed invasion of Canterlot did not sting as much as her failed interview.

The problem was that she had thought she had a way to drastically improve her life and put too much of her hopes on the makeshift plan. As a result, she allowed her judgment to be clouded in all the excitement and rush.

She believed that the job of a model was a simple one, but Prim Hemline made it perfectly clear that was not the case, and her overconfidence left her ill-prepared for reality. She had failed before she even started.

With her master plan in ruins, it looked like she was going to have to resort to the old ways. Trying to drown out her depression, she forced herself to try and figure out how she would be able to find a couple to scrounge love from. She also started poking at possible escape routes out of Manehattan for when the inevitable moment that she was exposed and would be forced to run for her life. She figured she might as well decide what was the next town on her list so that she could repeat the whole process.

Glamour groaned and planted her face into the cloud.

She was tired of worrying when her next meal was, tired of having to pretend to be someone else, and tired of traveling from town to town.

She was tired of the endless cycle of running and hiding.

All her life, she had been fighting just to survive, but she wanted more than that.

She wanted a place to call home, to have fun, and even wanted to give the whole friends thing a try, even if they could never know the real her.

Glamour slowly raised her head off the cloud. For the first time, she had found a glimmer of hope that would break the cycle and give her what she wanted. Despite her miserable failure, she was not going to let her this chance slip away after only one try.

If becoming a fashion model will be able to give her what she wanted, then she wanted to become a fashion model.

“I will become a model, if it’s the last thing I do,” Glamour declared to herself as she got back on her hooves, replacing her depression with determination and a hint of stubbornness.

The one advantage of being a changeling was that if they failed one thing in their disguise, they could always try again with another disguise. But this time, Glamour would make sure she did this right.

With her spirits rekindled, Glamour flew back down into the streets of Manehattan with a plan for her previous plan.

During her time in the big city, she had passed a number of newspaper stands, and many of them carried all sorts of magazines, including fashion. She could use those magazines to get a better idea on what the fashion world was like and prepare herself for her second interview.

It did not take long before she spotted one such stand, and quickly picked out a fashion magazine. She barely got to read more than a few pages before the mare running the stand called her out.

“Hey, if you’re going to read that, you better buy it.”

“Oh, um, I kind of don’t have my bits with me.”

“Then get your grubby hooves off of that and scram. I’m running a business here, not a library.”

“Library? Where’s that?” Glamour asked. The public service would be a lot more friendly to her empty wallet.

“You serious?” the newspaper pony asked. After receiving a nod, she rolled her eyes. “Whatever, weirdo. At least it will get you out of my mane. Go down a couple of blocks until you hit Fifth Street. Take a right and then keep on going until you see it. Now, get out of here, freeloader, before I make you say hello to my little friend.”

“Uh, what little friend?”

“My attack kitten, Mittens.”

“Riiight… Anyway uh, thanks for the directions. I’ll just be going now.” And Glamour was flying off once again, in pursuit of fashionable knowledge.

She eventually came upon a wide building with a short flight of stairs. There were multiple sets of tall doors in between sets of thick pillars, and a giant sign of a book above the building confirmed that she had followed directions correctly.

Trotting inside the building, she was amazed to see every single wall was lined with books. Other than a couple of areas where ponies could sit and read, tall bookshelves filled with even more books were placed through the whole building.

Glamour had never seen so many books in one place before. While she was sure that they covered all sorts of fascinating subjects, she had only one interest at the moment, and it lay somewhere within the labyrinth of paper and ink.

Spying a mare reading a book at the nearby front desk, Glamour went over to ask for help. “Hi, I’m looking for—”

Shh!

Glamour blinked at the mare now giving her a stern gaze and had a hoof in front of her lips. “But I was just—”

Shh!

“Can I just—”

Shh!

“Why—”

Shh!

Glamour let out an exasperated groan.

Shh!

Glamour’s eye twitched. Before she could say something else, the mare pointed to a rather large sign next to her with the words, “Please be quiet. Ponies are reading.”

Glamour wondered if all those facial collisions were beginning to affect her ability to see, or at least see the obvious.

“Ohhh—”

Shh!

“Sorry,” Glamour whispered. She almost let out a sigh of relief when the librarian nodded but kept it to herself lest she be shushed yet again.

“What do you need?” the librarian asked quietly.

“Do you have anything on fashion?”

The librarian merely pointed her to a section in the back before returning to her book.

Glamour bowed her head in thanks, not wanting to provoke the strict librarian’s quiet wrath again, and made her way through the library.

At the fashion section, she found books on how to make clothes, what they were like in earlier years, and even how to properly wear clothes, but they offered little information on how to actually be a fashion model. Eventually, she found a shelf that contained fashion magazines.

Pulling out a random one, she opened it to find that the pages were covered with pictures of models. Like what she saw at the rehearsal, she found both normal and outrageous clothing, but sprinkled throughout the magazine were several articles. While they primarily discussed the details of the model and the clothes they were exhibiting, Glamour was able to glean some tips on how to be a fashion model.

Grabbing a hoofful of magazines from the shelf, she moved herself to a desk and began combing the material for anything that would help achieve her dream.

Several hours, several trips back to the shelf, and a near-death experience involving a paper cut and a collapsing tower of magazines later, Glamour was feeling confident that she would be able to pass Prim Hemline’s interview questions and was now referencing pictures to take care of the other problem.

Prim had already dismissed her current form, so she needed to get herself a new look, in particular, one that looked good enough to be a model. However, she could not just copy one of the models in the magazines. All of them were already known and using one of their images would quickly come back to bite her in the plot.

For her plan to be a fashion model to succeed, she would have to make a disguise from scratch. Conjuring a disguise without any pony to copy off of was going to use up a lot of her stored magic, but despite the risk, it was worth the gamble if it meant she would never have to live in fear again.

Switching to another magazine, Glamour saw a white unicorn with a mane of pink and white on the cover. She had seen this particular unicorn in quite a few covers, and despite not remembering her fancy, complicated name, she knew this model was popular because of her taller, more lithe body.

While Glamour would have liked to have every advantage she could get, she was already going to stretch her magic thin by making a completely new pony. Trying to mimic the unicorn’s elegant features would likely make her spell literally blow up in her face.

Glamour yawned and rubbed her tired eyes. She was beginning to get an idea of the look she wanted in her head, but she decided one more magazine would not hurt.

Sliding another magazine in front of her, she paused when she saw the cover. The magazine was dated earlier than most of the others she had read, but what really drew her attention was the picture of a yellow pegasus. It was clear the model was shy by the way she was hiding behind her pink mane, but Glamour was sure she saw this mare somewhere else before. In fact, she looked just like—

“AHHHHH!”

Glamour had screamed and pushed herself away from the magazine. Since she was still seated in her chair, the push had also caused it to lean backwards. Glamour flailed her hooves to try and balance the chair, but gravity won and brought the chair and her crashing to the ground.

Shh!

Glamour smiled sheepishly from the floor and nervously waved back at the angry glares. She quickly, but quietly, sat back at the table and propped up a different magazine to hide her face behind it.

Slowly, Glamour peeked over the top of her cover to eye the yellow pegasus on the other magazine.

The mare was none other than Fluttershy, one of the Elements of Harmony and defenders of Equestria. Glamour heard that Fluttershy and the rest of the Elements of Harmony had wiped out a whole battalion of changelings by themselves, and it took two more before they were finally subdued.

When Glamour was sure the printed picture would not suddenly come to life and possibly pummel her to pieces, she carefully grabbed Fluttershy’s magazine and began reading it.

The entire magazine was dedicated to the yellow pegasus, and Glamour was surprised to see the supposedly fearsome warrior look so shy and meek in the pictures. Just about every picture of Fluttershy was her trying to hide from the camera. According to one of the articles, she was a really big hit during her career, but it only lasted a short time before she unexpectedly quit.

“Probably got too busy battling dragons and manticores, or something like that,” Glamour mumbled as she set down the magazine.

Glamour leaned back in the chair and glanced over at a clock on the wall. The library was going to close soon, ending her cram session with it. Fortunately, she was almost done with her preparations for the interview. All that was left was her disguise.

Glamour looked around, trying to find a place where she could put on her disguise. Copying a pony’s appearance only took a second, but creating her own would take a bit longer, and if any pony saw her while she was casting the spell, all her efforts would go to waste.

Her first thought was to go use the bathroom, but she realized taking magazines of beautiful mares to the bathroom was probably going to look very suspicious.

Looking around a bit more, she grinned when she spied the section on ancient tax codes. Whether it was ponies, changelings, or any other species on the planet, they would agree that only the super nerds that spend way too much time in books would find any interest in the dull subject.

Taking a few choice magazines with her, Glamour made her way to the deserted section, noting the piles of dust and cobwebs all over the seemingly abandoned part of the library. After laying out the magazines onto a nearby table and giving one last glance at the pictures, she closed her eyes and started imagining the look she wanted.

Her changeling horn appeared on her head, and a soft, green glow bathed the surrounding area. Focusing on the pony in her mind, she felt a familiar tingle as a ring of fire started rising from her hooves. However, instead of it quickly washing over her entire body, the tingling sensation crept slowly up her legs.

Glamour could feel the transformation taking effect, but she kept her eyes shut, keeping her concentration on the picture in her head. She felt the magic work up to her chest, removing the feeling of her feathered wings, and continue up her neck, up to her head, before finally ending at her horn.

When the tingling sensation finally stopped, she let out a big exhale and opened her eyes. She immediately closed her eyes again when she saw the spinning room. A moan escaped her as she brought a hoof up to her aching head, but her dizziness almost made her fall. Carefully, she sat down on her haunches and tried to take in deep breaths.

As expected, the act of using so much magic at once came with some side effects, but they were minor annoyances that would go away quick. While she was anxious to see her new form, her throbbing headache was making it a bit hard to pay attention to anything else.

Eventually, Glamour felt her body recovering from the exertion and let out a sigh of relief. Opening up her eyes, she immediately reached for the compact mirror in her bag and looked at her reflection. She let out a gasp at what she saw.

Staring back at her was a set of pupiled eyes colored in the same blue as a changeling’s. She turned her head around, marveling at her own light-grey coat and cutie mark of a spotlight shining down. On her head was a unicorn horn brushing against the edge of her pink mane.

Glamour had noticed quite a few of the more popular models, including Fluttershy, had long, pink manes, so she had done the same with her mane. The right side was slightly longer and almost reached her chest, while the other side covered a bit of her left eye and curved upwards.

A frown appeared on her face as she took a closer look at her mane. Apparently, there was a little bug in her spell, and it left the bottom of her pink mane a black color instead. Looking back at her swishing pink tail, she saw that a similar effect had also occurred. Yet despite it being unintentional, Glamour found herself liking the pattern the more she looked at it and decided to keep it.

After stuffing all the magazines in a manner that would make whoever who had to clean up after her a sobbing mess, she exited the library and into the Manehattan night.

While the night life in the big city was almost as lively as the day time, Glamour only had one thing in mind and that was to sleep. Creating a new form had left her exhausted, and she needed to be well-rested for the interview tomorrow and then attend the fashion show. Hopefully, tomorrow will finally bring a change to her life.

She looked up into the sky and leapt into the air. She only rose a few inches into the air before landing right back on the ground.

Glamour facehoofed.

She had forgotten that unicorns could not fly, and with her magic reserves running low, she could not afford to switch back to a pegasus and then back to her new look. With no way to get to a cloud and no bits on hoof, Glamour trudged off to find suitable lodgings for the night.

Maybe if she was lucky, she would find a nice box to sleep in.

Chapter 4: Put to the Test

Glamour moaned as a light shone directly onto her covered eyes. She tried to shift her body around to avoid the offending light and return to sleep, but it soon became apparent that the damage was done.

She let out a yawn and slowly got up on her hooves. A quick look around revealed that the sun was at just the right angle to get a tiny ray of light into the alley she was in, through the grated floor of a fire escape, bounced off a shard of glass on the floor, into the cardboard box she holed in for the night, and hit right where her eye was a few moments ago.

As Glamour wondered if Princess Celestia would really use the sun to prank ponies, she rubbed her eyes before taking another glance at the sun, noting its position in the sky.

“AHHH!”

Clamping her forehooves onto sides of her horrified, but now fully awoken face, Glamour yelled out, “I’m late!” before grabbing her belongings and sprinted out of the alley.

Taking on her new form had apparently worn her out more than she thought because she had overslept until well into the afternoon. She had wanted to see Prim Hemline before she got too busy with the show preparations, but at this hour, the chances of that happening were slim. At this rate, she was not going to get her interview today and make it hard for her to enjoy the show later on with Coco.

Glamour slowed down to a trot when she realized that she had, once again, neglected to account for everything until it was too late.

Coco was expecting Nutmeg to come to the show. The problem was that Glamour had underestimated how much energy it would take to create her new form. She had severely depleted her magic supply, and any other transformations would be too risky until tonight’s show. At best, she could absorb energy during the first part of the show, and then find Coco later after it was safe to transform again.

And that was just tonight’s problem.

Even if Glamour did get to spend the rest of the night with Coco, their friendship would only get more complicated if she got the modeling job. With Prim Hemline supervising both the designers and models, it would only be a matter of time before she would get paired up with Coco. There was no way she could juggle being friends with her as one pony and then her coworker as another pony. It would eventually end in disaster for the both of them.

Glamour stopped moving as she started to wonder why she was being so concerned about Coco. After all, she was just a pony, and they had only spent a few hours together.

She had other friends before Coco, but they probably did not really count since they were actually friends of the ponies she posed as. Even when she was still living in the changeling kingdom, she, like many others, were too busy surviving and doing Queen Chrysalis’s bidding to make friends.

When Coco said they were friends, it felt nice. Weird, but nice. Part of the reason was because Coco had shown her more kindness and generosity than any pony or changeling had ever given her before. The other part was that she made friends with Coco on her own, even though she was technically still using another pony’s body.

Glamour groaned. She had wanted to see what being friends with Coco would be like, but now she had to choose between the chance of a better life or being a good friend. Relying on her instincts, she knew she had to end Coco’s friendship with Nutmeg to survive. It would probably upset Coco a bit, but it was better to do it early before the situation became even more entangled. It was the most logical thing to do, but it still left a bad taste in her mouth.

“Sorry, Coco,” Glamour muttered. She let out a sigh before resuming her run towards her interview. When things settled down, maybe she could try to start a new friendship with Coco. Maybe then, she would be able to try and be a better friend.

When Glamour finally arrived at the building, she saw that a line had already started to form outside the entrance, and to her dismay, a guard was already posted at the door. To her further dismay, she recognized that it was the same stallion that tried to apprehend her during the rehearsal.

“Uh, excuse me?” Glamour asked when she approached the guard. “Would it be alright to see Prim Hemline?”

“Sorry, lady. No can do.”

“Even if I have a ticket?” Glamour pulled out the pass from her bag.

“Nope, get in line like everypony—Uh, wait a second…” The guard took Glamour’s ticket and inspected it before giving it back. “This is actually a backstage pass.”

“It is? Er, I mean, of course it is. I got it from my friend who works here.”

“Wait, don’t tell me that Prim Hemline is the one gave this to you.”

A grin sprouted on Glamour’s face at the sight of the guard looking at her with wide eyes. “Well, I did speak with her yesterday, and I do have more business with her right now.” Her grin grew even more smug as she waved the ticket in the guard’s face and said in a singsong voice, “It would be a big shame if she found out that I was late due to a little trouble at the front door.”

The guard was visibly sweating and cleared his throat. “O-oh, I see. M-my apologies for keeping you, miss. Go right on in. Please don’t get me fired..”

Glamour merely smiled, gave a pat on the guard’s head, and proceeded through the doors with her chin held up high. As soon as the door closed behind her, she could not help but giggle.

Inside the lobby, she saw that nopony was behind the receptionist desk. Already knowing the way, she went on ahead to the hallway, but instead of heading up the stairs, she proceeded into the nearby bathroom.

As she checked herself over in front of a mirror, Glamour recounted what just happened at the door. It was not the guard getting nervous at the mention of Prim Hemline’s name that was odd. Glamour already knew Prim was terrifying, and she had fun getting a little revenge.

The thing that did bother her was that she did not even realize Coco’s ticket was actually a backstage pass. Once again, Coco had helped Glamour out with her generosity, even if it was unintentional. While it made it easy to get past the guard, it did not make it any easier on the guilt she had over what she had to do to Coco later. As she finished cleaning herself and exited the bathroom, she hoped that she would be able to do something to repay Coco.

When Glamour arrived at Prim’s office, she made sure to knock on the door. After a gruff, “Enter,” came from the other side, she took in a deep breath and went in to what was hopefully the start of her new job and not on the other end of Prim Hemline’s glares of doom.

“Yes, what is it?” Prim asked, barely glancing up from reading the papers on her desk.

“Hi there, Miss Hemline. I’m here to apply for a position as a fashion model.”

Prim Hemline looked up. “Another one?”

“Um, another what?”

“Never mind. Well, Miss…”

A few seconds passed before Glamour said, “Oh, my name is…” Her eyes widened as her mouth remained open.

“You don’t know your own name?” Prim asked with a raised eyebrow.

“No, no, sorry.” Glamour let out a laugh. “I am just a bit starstruck to be in front of such an important pony.”

Prim rolled her eyes. “Enough with the pointless flattery and get on with it.”

“R-right, well, my name. It’s um, uh, Glamour.”

“Well, Miss Glamour, if you are hoping for an interview, then you’ll have to come back another day.”

“It would really mean a lot if I can do it right now.”

Prim gave Glamour a frown, rather, an even bigger frown than the one she normally had. “In case you haven’t noticed, there is a fashion show that’s starting soon, and I am far too busy to deal with you. Go make an appointment for some other day and let me work.”

“I know you are busy, but it’s just that—” A knock on the door cut Glamour off.

Prim sighed and motioned Glamour to step to the side. “Enter.”

Glamour let out a small gasp when the pony who came in was none other than Coco.

“Ah, Miss Pommel, what brings you here? Shouldn’t you be preparing for the show?”

“I’m sorry to disturb you, Miss Hemline,” Coco replied with a small bow. “But that’s exactly why I had to see you. You see, um, the model you assigned me… She um, she can’t go on stage tonight.”

“What? Why not?”

“There was a bit of an accident with the stage equipment. Don’t worry, she’s fine… mostly. She did injure a leg, and it doesn’t look like it will heal in time for the show. I was wondering if there are any other models that would be able to fill in for her.”

Prim sighed and shook her head. “I’m sorry, Miss Pommel, but all the available models have already been assigned. I’m afraid that your part will have to be…” She trailed off as her gaze went to Glamour.

Following Prim’s line of sight, Coco turned her head and stared at Glamour as well.

Glamour slowly raised a forehoof and waved. “Um, hi.”

“Actually, Miss Pommel,” Prim continued, “could you please wait outside for a few minutes? I have business to finish with this mare first.”

“Oh, um, alright.” Coco left the office, leaving an uncomfortable Glamour under the stern gaze of the pony behind the desk.

“Congratulations, Miss Glamour. You are getting your interview.” The sarcasm in Prim’s voice was thicker than what the rumors suggested about Princess Celestia’s flanks. “Not only that, but you get the special interview.”

“Um, what do you mean by—”

“Now, I have to admit you have the looks to be a model. You have nice colors, the right body, and no visible blemishes. You also have a rather interesting mane. Whether that is a good or bad thing remains to be seen.”

“Oh, um, thanks, but—”

“Do you have any experience in modeling?”

“I uh, well, technically speaking, no, but I have been acting in front of ponies for almost my entire life. Not only that, but I’m also very used to wearing some sort of costume or outfit every time I perform. So while I have not actually modeled, I do have experience performing in front of ponies.”

“Hmm…” Prim leaned back in her chair and tapped her forehooves together. “I suppose that is acceptable…”

Glamour resisted the urge to do a hoof pump.

“Do you at least know what it means to be a model?”

Glamour took a deep breath. “A model is there to show off their clothes. They walk with pride in whatever they are wearing because if they can’t be confident in what they are wearing, how can other ponies do the same? The model is not what makes the show. It’s the clothes that are put on them.”

Prim nodded. “It seems you have a good understanding. If I didn’t know any better, I would say you were actually just reciting something from a book.”

“Yeah, that would be funny.” Glamour let out something that was a mix between a cough and a chuckle.

“Well, that’s enough questions for now. Congratulations, you have passed your interview questions.”

Glamour gasped as a big smile grew on her face. “So does that mean—”

“No.”

“Oh.”

“Could you ask Miss Pommel to come back in?”

Glamour blinked before slowly nodding. “Uh, okay?” She opened the door, called Coco in like she was asked, and moved to the side as Coco came in.

“Um, you wanted to see me now, Miss Hemline? Did you happen to figure out something for me?” Coco asked quietly.

Prim nodded. “Coco, this is Glamour. She came in to apply for a job today. You two will be working together.”

“What?” Glamour and Coco asked at the same time.

“Like I said before, we have no other models on hoof. Coco, you either use Glamour as your replacement model or don’t be in the show. Glamour, this is the second half of your interview. Do a good job on stage, then I will consider hiring you. Is that clear to the both of you?”

Glamour and Coco turned their heads towards each other before turning back to Prim and nodded.

“Good, then off with you two. The show is starting soon.”

Glamour followed Coco out of the office and when they got to the end of the hallway, Coco turned around and extended a hoof.

“It’s nice to meet you, Glamour,” Coco said with a smile. “Thank you so much for helping me out.”

Glamour smiled and bumped Coco’s hoof with her own. “The pleasure is all mine, Coco. I actually should be thanking you. Prim probably would not have given me a chance if you had not come in. Still, are you okay with being stuck with me? I’m not even a real model yet.”

“Like Prim said, there’s nopony else. Um, not that I’m saying I would prefer somepony else. I’m sure you’ll do a good job.”

“Thanks, Coco, that actually means a lot hearing that from you.”

Coco cocked her head a bit before shrugging. “Well, now that we introduced ourselves, is it alright if we continue to the dressing room? I don’t mean to rush you, but we really need to go prepare you for the show.”

“Of course. Lead the way.”

As Glamour followed Coco, she could hardly believe the sudden turn of events. She was not only one step away from realizing her dream, but she was already getting the opportunity to work with Coco. While Coco was not friends with her new form, helping her out would make a good start to a new friendship.

When they arrived in the backstage area, Glamour found a familiar scene and recognized many of the models and clothing from the rehearsal. The big difference was that there were a lot more ponies tonight. More backstage workers were running around all over the place, and it seemed like every single model had a designer checking on whatever they had on.

Coco led them past all the ponies and down another busy hall until they arrived at another door. Going inside the room, Glamour recognized that it was the same dressing room that she had dropped in during the rehearsal. She could have sworn she saw a faint imprint of her Nutmeg face in one of the tiles.

Glamour was taken to a corner where Coco had hung her dress on a clothes rack.

Coco carefully took down her dress, a small smile appearing on her face as she slowly ran a hoof over the white and purple cloth.

“Here you go,” Coco said as she gave the dress to Glamour. “This is what you’ll be wearing tonight. It’s a good thing that you seem to be about the same size as my other model. Do you need any help putting it on?”

Glamour lit up her horn with a green glow, and to her relief, she felt that she still had enough magic to perform basic levitation. Her body gave a tiny shiver when she remembered the last time she tried putting on clothes without her magic.

“I think I can manage,” Glamour said as she floated the dress towards her in a green aura. Going off past experience, she expected that the dress would be uncomfortable and that even putting it on would be an ordeal, but as she started putting on the dress, she found the exact opposite to be true. Between her magic and the soft fabric easily sliding over her body, it took less than a minute to get herself into the surprisingly comfortable outfit.

“Glamour, you look… glamorous,” Coco said with a giggle.

Glamour let out a groan despite a grin forming on her face.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist, but it really does look good on you. Take a look for yourself.”

Glamour was nudged in front of a mirror, and her jaw nearly dropped at her reflection. It was one thing to look at Coco’s dress. It was a whole new thing to actually be able to wear it. Slowly turning around and inspecting every angle of the dress on her body, Glamour marveled at her newest transformation.

“Glamour, I know you’re looking over the dress, but we really need to get your makeup on now.”

Glamour turned back to Coco with a sheepish smile. “Oh, right, sorry.”

Coco waved her hoof over a nearby desk ladened with makeup. “You’re free to use anything you see here. Do you also want to do that by yourself?”

Seeing that she could not even pronounce the names on over half the containers, Glamour shook her head. “Actually, I haven’t used much makeup before. Could you…”

Coco smiled. “No problem. Just give me a few minutes, and you’ll be all ready. You um, might want to close your eyes while I put it on.”

Glamour did as she was told. A moment later, she could feel Coco gently dragging a brush over her cheeks. It was soon replaced by a different kind of brush, and then yet another brush a moment later. As Coco continued to apply makeup on different parts of her face, Glamour’s mind went back to what she saw in the mirror.

Never before had she worn something that made her feel this way. It made her proud and happy to see herself. For the first time in her life, Glamour actually felt pretty. Even if it was not the real her, having a taste of it was pretty exciting. It was like finding something that she never even knew she wanted until she actually found it. And it was all thanks to Coco’s dress.

“I like the dress you made.”

Glamour heard Coco gasp right before she felt a brush drag quickly across her cheek.

“Oh my goodness, I-I’m so sorry, Glamour!”

Glamour opened her eyes and saw through the mirror that a long red streak had marred her left cheek.

“Ohh, please don’t be mad,” Coco pleaded as she used a tissue to start wiping away her mistake. “It was an accident, and I really am sorry. I lost my grip, but—”

“Coco, it’s alright,” Glamour said with a comforting smile.

“But I, uh, oh… You’re not mad?” Coco stopped wiping to look directly at Glamour with wide eyes.

“It was just a small accident, and it’s not like it’s permanent.” Glamour paused. “Uh, it’s not permanent, right?”

“No, no, I can get it off if you just give me a moment,” Coco replied as she resumed wiping away the mark.

Glamour let out a small sigh of relief. “Good. Uh, as I was saying, it was just an accident. I can’t be mad at somepony who has been so kind and generous to me.”

“W-what?” Coco’s cheeks were flooded with red. “Uh, th-thanks for the compliments, but do you really mean that? I mean, we just met.”

Glamour’s eyes widened. “Er, uh, yeah, of course I mean it. Even if we did just meet, you have been nothing but nice and polite to me. It’s not that hard to see what kind of pony you are. I’m glad I got assigned to you.”

Coco relaxed and smiled. “I am too. You’re a nice pony as well, Glamour.” A few seconds later, Coco finished wiping away the red streak. “There we go. Now, just let me touch up that spot, and you’ll be ready for the stage.”

As Coco started applying makeup again, Glamour spoke up again. “If you don’t mind me asking, why did you slip up earlier?”

Coco froze. “W-what do you mean?”

“Well, I heard you gasp right before I felt you making that mark. It was right after I said I liked… your… dress…” Glamour trailed off as she recounted their first meeting and silently cursed her brain for not doing its job.

Coco sighed as her gaze dropped down to the floor. “Sorry, it’s just that when you said that, it reminded me of a friend. She actually said the exact same thing as you when we met. I’m worried about her. It’s funny, she tried to be a fashion model like you, but… she didn’t get it. She took the rejection pretty hard. I should have stayed with her to make sure she’s alright, but instead, I just let her walk off all by herself. I’m hoping that she’s feeling better and will come see the show tonight. Maybe I can even introduce the two of you to each other.”

Glamour silently nodded, not knowing what to say. She did not realize how quickly Coco grew to like Nutmeg, and it was making her plan to make Nutmeg fade away all the much harder. What made it even worse was that since she was now part of the show, there was no way for Nutmeg to show up and spare Coco the disappointment.

Coco was quiet for a few moments before she shook her head and resumed working on Glamour’s makeup. “Sorry, I should not be distracted right now. It’s a big night for the both of us.” A few more strokes with the brush later, Coco backed away. “All done.”

Coco glanced at a clock hanging on the wall. “Looks like we still have a bit of time. Could you walk around a bit in the dress? We have to make sure there’s nothing wrong with it and that you have no trouble moving around in it.”

Glamour nodded and paced back and forth along the room. The dress hardly restricted her movements. It was light and no parts of her body were rubbing uncomfortably against the fabric. In no time at all, she already made several trips around the room. For somepony who just started putting her work on display, Coco seemed to have covered everything it takes to make a good dress.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?”

Glamour and Coco looked to the other side of the room where the voice came from. A pink mare with a violet mane, a blue scarf around her neck, and a cutie mark of three colored buttons was leaning against the door frame.

“S-Suri, what are you doing here?” Coco asked.

Suri walked over to Coco with a smug grin on her face. “Oh, I just heard about what happened to your model and had to see how you were doing. Simply awful that it happened, but imagine my surprise when I see you here with a new model.”

Glamour did not like this mare.

“I went to see Prim Hemline, and she assigned me a new one.”

“Mhmm… Well, how fortunate for you. I didn’t not realize Prim had any others on standby, but I guess that means we’ll get to see how you fare standing on your own hooves after all.” Suri glanced at Glamour before shrugging and trotting back to the door. “I’ll get out of your mane. From what I see, it looks like you still have a lot of work you need to do.”

Just before Suri exited the room, she looked back at Coco, her grin somehow even more haughty than before. “Oh, and since this is your first show, do be careful. You know very well how some designers can be very competitive.” She made her exit by slamming the door shut.

Even with Suri gone, Glamour was glaring at where the mare just left. “Who was she?” she asked. When no response came from Coco, she turned her gaze to find Coco was sitting on her haunches with her head bowed.

“Coco, are you alright?”

“Y-yeah, I’m fine. Just a bit shaken up, I guess.” Coco sighed and got back up on her hooves.

“Who was she?” Glamour asked again.

“That was Suri Polomare. She’s another fashion designer.”

“Is that why she’s so aggressive with you? Because you’re competition?”

“Sort of, she’s already known to be really competitive.” Coco let out another sigh. “The thing is, I actually worked as her assistant for a while, but I resigned not too long ago.”

“So she thinks she can push you around just because she was your old boss? You don’t work for her anymore, Coco. You can fight back and make her stop.”

Coco shook her head. “It’s… It’s a bit more complicated than that, Glamour.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s just that… Coco paused for a moment before shaking her head again. “I’m sorry, Glamour, but I can’t talk about it right now.”

Before Glamour could ask another question, there was a knock on the door followed shortly by a pony shouting, “Showtime, ponies! We need all models on the stage now!”

“Oh no! We need to get moving now!” Coco urged as she nudged Glamour along.

Glamour let out a quiet sigh as she allowed herself to be led back to the backstage area. If Glamour thought everypony was busy before, the scene she saw once she arrived backstage was absolute chaos. Ponies were frantically putting on the last touches of whatever they were working on, whether it was the makeup on the models lining up in front of the curtain, the dresses that were on the models, or a worker setting something up for the show.

Coco left Glamour in a space in between two other models wearing gaudy dresses as she relayed some last minute instructions. “I’m sorry that you didn’t get to practice, but I’m sure you’ll do fine. Just remember to line up with all the models when the curtains rise, and then wait until you hear them announce my name before you walk the runway. I’ll be watching from the side in case you need any help. Good luck, Glamour, and thanks again for helping me out!”

Glamour watched Coco run off before taking another look around her. Just about all of the other ponies had also cleared the stage, leaving her and the other models waiting for showtime.

Glancing over at the models near her, Glamour saw that all of them were just standing there stone-faced, and it made her wonder if some models went through the same training as the royal guard ponies.

The voice of the announcer started coming in through the curtains, and Glamour snapped to attention and took several deep breaths. Here she was, just moments away from realizing her dream that she had since she was two days younger. There was no way she was going to let anything go wrong.

“And now, introducing our lovely fashion line!”

Glamour put on a blank face like the other models and puffed out her chest a bit as the curtains started to slowly rise. She raised one hoof off the ground, ready to strut onto stage, only to freeze when she saw what was on the other side of the curtains.

Barely able to see through the blinding lights shining into her eyes, Glamour saw that the room was filled with ponies. A lot of ponies. As a changeling, she was used to interacting with other ponies. It was a shame that all that experience meant little when dealing with several hundred ponies that were going to be watching her every move.

The pupils in Glamour’s eyes shrunk into the size she wished she could be right now as she felt herself start to hyperventilate.

“Glamour… Glamour!”

Barely hearing her name over the noise, Glamour glanced over to the side and saw Coco with a worried look on her face. She was waving her hoof in the direction of the audience.

Following the hoof’s direction, Glamour looked forward and let out a squeak when she saw that she was the only model that has not walked up. Without actually running, she quickly filled the gap in the line.

Shortly afterwards, the announcer called out the name of the first designer, and the model on the far left side of the stage started making her way down the runway.

Seeing that she was on the far right side of the stage, Glamour figured that she had plenty of time to prepare herself for her walk. Or panic. She decided to do both.

Glamour tried to calm herself with deep breaths, but the lump in her throat refused to go away, and it was also getting difficult to maintain her posture with her shaking legs.

She had thought she was able to be on stage, but by the way she could barely move her own body, she was dead wrong. The sight of so many ponies all looking in her direction was frightening enough, but the scariest thing was that she did not have a persona to hide behind this time. Even though she was disguised as a pony, it was a pony of her own creation, and one that she wanted to remain as for, hopefully, a very long time.

As the show went on and her turn to do the dreaded walk drew nearer and nearer, Glamour was still having trouble keeping her composure.

“And now we have a lovely piece made by Coco Pommel!”

Glamour’s body pretty much fully shut down as she was literally put in the spotlight.

“Uh, well Coco Pommel is one of our newest designers,” the announcer continued after a few moments. “And uh, we’re very excited to see what she has to show for us tonight.”

Glamour could hear the crowd murmur about her frozen body. Not being able to do much except move her eyes, she glanced back at Coco in hopes of any form of help. Instead, she saw that Coco had a hoof over her mouth and was looking at her with both fear and sadness.

Glamour never felt so disappointed in herself. Coco had done so much for her, and here she was repaying her generosity by ruining her debut appearance. Not only was she jeopardizing her friend’s career, but her own dream was also going down in shambles.

Her chance to change her life for the better was slipping further and further away by the second, and she refused to let this moment go when she had already gambled so much already. She had to do this.

Concentrating on her senses, she could feel the adoration permeating the air. Her horn flashed green for just a second as she absorbed a great deal of adoration all at once.

“We seem to experiencing a bit of an issue with our model, and we’re sorry—for uh keeping you waiting, because there she goes right now.”

Glamour was finally able to will her legs to move, but at a slow and stiff pace. Her nerves were still plaguing her, but the sudden spike of energy she took in almost literally shocked her body back to life.

When she made it to the end of the runway, she was almost blinded by the barrage of camera flashes in her eyes. Rapidly blinking away the spots in her vision, she almost tripped over her own hooves when she turned to walk back up to the main stage.

Getting back in her place in the line of models, Glamour let out a deep breath she did not even know she was even holding and immediately began to feel a bit dizzy. The gorging of adoration she had done was similar to how a pony would eat an entire meal in one bite, and she was starting to feel the side effects.

Glamour barely heard the announcer start giving out the closing speech as she struggled to stay on her hooves and making sure her wildly-thumping heart was not going to suddenly escape and go on strike for overworking it.

Even when the curtains finally hid her from the audience and the rest of the models trotted off, her dazed self was rooted to the floor. It was not until she felt hooves wrap around her neck did she regain a bit of her basic motor skills.

“You did it, Glamour!” Coco cheered as she hugged Glamour. “I was so worried when you froze up on stage.”

“So many ponies…”

Coco sighed and released her embrace. “It’s alright, Glamour. It’s over. You can rest now.”

“So many lights…”

Coco frowned. “Um, Glamour are you going to be alright?”

“Y-yeah, I think I’m going to rest now.”

“Oh good, I thought for a second that—Ahh! Glamour!”

Glamour was out cold before she even hit the floor.

Chapter 5: Not Expected

Glamour awoke to what sounded like something rapidly clicking on a hard surface. Accompanying it was the soft hum of what seemed to be a motor. It sounded vaguely familiar, but she was unable to identify it, partly due to it being muffled, and partly because she felt like her head had just suffered through yet another instance of floor force trauma.

The good thing was that whatever she fell asleep on was pretty soft, and judging by the warm fabric draped over her body, she had also managed to scavenge a blanket. Ignoring the noise and the reason why she might have a gap in her memory, Glamour adjusted herself into a more comfortable position and returned to sleep.

Glamour only got a few more minutes of rest before she heard a door opening. The noise from before grew louder and clearer, but she still could not quite put her hoof on what the sound was before the door closed and muffled the sound again.

Glamour’s ears perked up when she heard the soft hoofsteps of somepony walking on the opposite side of the room. Deciding that it was probably a good idea to make sure it was not a pony getting ready to do inappropriate things to her, Glamour jumped out of her bedding and onto her hooves.

Or at least, she tried to. All she was able to achieve was a moan and a small shift in her bedding.

A gasp was heard, followed shortly by rapid hoofsteps coming toward her.

“Glamour, are you awake?”

Glamour gave another soft moan and turned her closed eyes towards the source of a familiar voice. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw an eggshell-white blob with another blob of teal on one small part of it.

After letting out a yawn and rubbing her eyes, the blob of color standing before her started to take shape, and she could have sworn that Coco was looking at her.

Opening and shutting her eyes several times, she could clearly see that Coco was looking at her.

Coco was looking at her.

“Coco!” Glamour’s eyes shot wide open as she tried to quickly get up, but her sudden movement got her hooves tangled up in the blanket and sent her over the edge of her bed. She heard Coco yelp when she rolled onto her and sent them both crashing to the floor.

The moans of two ponies filled the room.

With her eyes still closed due to yet another flooring encounter with flooring adding to her current pains, Glamour let out another moan as she slowly sat up on her haunches and rubbed her aching head.

“Uh, um, G-Glamour?”

Glamour opened her eyes, and her attention was drawn to some movement below her. Looking down, she saw a very red-faced Coco.

A very red-face Coco that she was straddled on top of.

“Ahh! Coco!” Glamour quickly rolled off Coco and onto her back, using her hind legs to backpedal her away as she rapidly chanted “Sorry!”. When her back hit the wall, she deemed the room was not big enough to escape the awkwardness.

“I-it’s alright, Glamour,” Coco assured as she slowly got back on her hooves, the blush on her cheeks still burning quite brightly. “I-it was just an accident, and I should not have startled you.”

“N-no, it was my fault, I should have—” Glamour groaned and brought her hoof up to her head.

Coco was at her side in a second. “Are you alright?”

“Y-yeah, it’s just a headache. I just need a bit of rest, and I should be fine.”

“Alright, let’s get you back on the couch. You’ll be more comfortable there.”

Glamour nodded and allowed Coco to help her back up and walk her back to the couch that had been her bed. Now that she was not panicking or putting herself and Coco in awkward positions, she could see that the room she was in was both a kitchen and a living room.

The standard kitchen appliances, a counter, and a door lined the wall on the far side of the room, and there was a small passageway to two more doors to the side. Looking around the rest of the living room, she saw there all sorts of fabrics, yarn, and other dressmaking materials and tools on all the furniture and even the floor. The only place that was free of the debris was the couch she had slept in.

On the opposite side of the door was a sliding door leading to a balcony. There was a fantastic view of the tall building across the street, and based on the daylight, it was sometime late in the morning.

Just as Glamour was about to ask where she was, she saw, in the corner of the room, a ponyquin wearing the familiar white and purple dress that she had worn to the fashion show.

Glamour’s eyes shot wide open. “The fashion show! What happened?!”

Coco sighed and sat next to Glamour on the couch. “What do you remember?”

Glamour thought back to last night and frowned as the memories started coming back. “I know I got really overwhelmed by everything and froze up on stage. Eventually, I was able to pull myself together and tried to salvage the situation. During my walk down the runway, I started to feel dizzy. When I got back in line, it got worse. Everything after that was a blur. The last thing I remember was me saying something to you before waking up here.” She paused to take another look around the room. “Uh, where is here?”

“You’re in my apartment. The medic said you passed out due to exhaustion and just needed a good night sleep. Since nopony knew where you lived, I brought you here to recover.”

“You carried me here all by yourself?”

Coco shook her head. “No, I’m not that strong. I had a friend help me. Oh, we even remembered to get your saddlebag.”

“My bag?” Glamour’s heart skipped a beat. “You, uh, you didn’t look inside, did you?”

“Oh no.” Coco waved her forehooves defensively in front of her. “Since you weren’t seriously injured or anything, I didn’t think we needed to invade your privacy. It’s safe in the closet.”

Glamour let out a huge sigh of relief. While most of the contents in her bag were inconsequential, the picture of the pony she used for Nutmeg was another story.

“So uh, if you don’t mind me asking… What happened to you?”

Glamour’s ears drooped down with disappointment. “I thought I could handle it, but when I saw how many ponies there were… And then all the bright lights and noise… I just…” She let out a sigh, and her gaze look away from Coco and down at the couch. “I’m so sorry, Coco. I messed up horribly, and I dragged you down with me by ruining your display. I wish you never had to get stuck with me.”

“Oh, Glamour, it’s alright.” Coco wrapped her hooves around Glamour and gave her a hug. “Despite your, um, hiccup, you still did the walk and showed off my work. In fact, I think you got my work a bit more attention.”

Glamour looked up when Coco leaned back from the hug,and she saw a small smile on Coco’s face as she continued talking.

“If anything, I actually am kind of proud of what you did.”

Glamour cocked her head. “You’re proud that I made an idiot of myself on stage?”

“Well, you might have had some difficulties at the beginning… and the middle… and maybe also the end…”

Glamour groaned and planted her face into her forehooves.

“S-sorry, um, what I meant was that despite all the trouble you had, you did not give up. You managed to do the walk despite how nervous you were. That took a lot of courage, and I don’t think I would be able to do the same if I was put in a situation like that. Even if things didn’t go quite as planned, I admire the fact that you were able to overcome your fear and finish what you started.”

“Coco, I…” Glamour could tell that Coco was trying to cheer her up, but she could also detect truth ringing in her words. A small smile appeared on her face as she looked back up. “Thanks, Coco.”

“You’re welcome, Glamour. Um, but that wasn’t quite what I was asking about. I was wondering why did you pass out? You seemed fine before the show started. Was it all because of you being nervous, or did something happen when you did that spell?”

Glamour blinked. “Spell?”

“Well, at least I think you cast a spell. I saw your horn flash green for a second a bit before you started walking.”

“Uhh… do you know if any other ponies noticed it?”

“So there was a spell?”

“Uh, no? I’m just asking… hypothetically…”

Coco stared back blankly.

Glamour sighed. “Okay, yes, I did something. So were there any ponies who saw it?”

“I don’t think so. Whatever you did was quick, and I think ponies were more concentrated on you um, just standing on stage. Why are you asking?” Coco’s brow furrowed, and she made a small frown. “Was it something illegal o-or dangerous? Is that why you fainted?”

“Um…” Glamour squirmed in her seat.

“Glamour, please, I just want to know if you’re going to be alright.”

“I just… It’s a little trick I picked up. It’s uh, a bit hard to explain, but basically, I gave myself a bit of a boost to kind of shock my body into moving. It doesn’t last long, and you already saw what happens after it wears off.”

Coco frown grew bigger. “Glamour, that… that doesn’t sound safe.”

“No, it’s fine, as long as I don’t do it too often. Besides, I’m already feeling better, thanks to you.”

“But still, it sounds like something you should not do to your body. No wonder you didn’t want any other ponies knowing about it. Was it really worth it to put yourself at risk?”

Glamour rubbed the back of her head as she looked away from Coco. “Well, you see… um… it’s like…” She went silent for a few seconds. “I-I wanted a new life, and I thought being a fashion model would help me do that. I was desperate. I did try to look for another way, but when I saw how sad you were about my display, I… I just didn’t want to let you down.”

“Glamour, I was not worried about my dress. I was worried about you. I’m really happy that you are willing to go so far for me, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.” Coco sighed. “But please don’t do something like that again. I don’t want to see you getting hurt. You’re a good friend, and I don’t want anything bad to happen to my… friends…”

“The friend you were talking about didn’t show up, did she?” Glamour quietly said upon seeing Coco’s despondent face.

Coco shook her head. “No… No, she didn’t. I asked around a bit while the medic was examining you, but nopony saw her.”

“What… What are you going to do about her?”

Another head shake from Coco. “I… I don’t know. I don’t know much about her, to be honest, but I still see her as a friend. She seemed a bit lost, but she was nice to me and even helped give me some encouragement. In fact, she kind of reminds me of you.”

Glamour coughed and cleared her throat.

“Are you alright, Glamour?”

“Y-yeah, just a little something in my throat.”

“Let me get you some water.” Coco got up and walked to the kitchen area. As she filled a glass with water, she continued talking. “The last time I saw my friend was the day before the show. When she did not get the modeling job, I tried to comfort her, but she said she wanted to be alone. I almost stopped her from walking away, but I was afraid of making her angry or feel worse. I should have at least made sure she was better before letting her go.”

Coco let out a sigh and moved back to the couch to give Glamour the water. “I didn’t even know she wanted to be a model. I could have helped her prepare or something. I could have been a better friend.”

“Coco, don’t blame yourself. From what I’m hearing, it was all out of your hooves. There was no way you could have known what she was going to do. I’m sure she’s doing fine.”

Coco looked down at her hooves. “Maybe… I just hope she’s okay. For all I know, she had ran away and left Manehattan.”

Glamour bit her lip. “Coco, I… I’m sure she’s still around somewhere. If you were half the friend to her that you are with me, she would not at least try to tell you she’s leaving. Not doing that would be just cruel and… and nasty… and mean…” She faked some more coughing to stop her tirade.

Coco let out a single chuckle. “She’s nothing like that, but I think you’re right about the other thing. She’ll contact me when she’s good and ready… Hopefully…”

Silence descended on the two of them. Coco’s crestfallen face was directed down at the floor, while Glamour drummed a hoof on her seat cushion as she tried to think of something to change the subject.

“So, uh, do you have any idea what I should be doing?” Glamour asked a few moments later.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, since I kind of messed up during the show, it’s pretty safe to say Prim Hemline is not going to give me the job.”

Coco’s forehooves suddenly shot up over her mouth, and she let out a loud gasp. “Oh my goodness, I forgot! Prim Hemline told me to send you over to her office as soon as you felt better.”

Glamour blinked. “She did? Did she say why?”

“I’m afraid not. All she did was ask how I think you performed, and then told me to pass on that message. I don’t know why she wants to see you.”

“I see… So, what did you tell her about me?”

“Oh… I um… Well… You did fine?”

Glamour gave Coco a flat look. “Coco, I know very well how badly I screwed up on stage. I promise I won’t be offended.”

“Well… I said that even though things could have been a little smoother, I suggested that she give you a second chance. You showed that you were able to overcome your difficulties, and I thought that you just needed a bit more practice to become a real model. Was that too harsh of me?”

“Actually, that’s more than I deserve, Coco.” Glamour chuckled softly as she leaned back onto the couch. “Thanks for trying to defend me, but Prim Hemline doesn’t strike me as the type of pony who would let a mistake like I did slide. I’m not sure if I really want to go because I’m guessing she just wants to yell at me.”

“But what if she has good news for you? Like maybe another chance?”

Glamour sighed and nodded. “Yeah, I know.” She got off the couch. “Well, it’s not like I have anything to do today.”

“W-wait, you’re leaving already?” Coco quickly got up as well and looked at Glamour with concern. “Are you sure you’ve rested enough?”

“I feel fine, Coco. Besides, I would rather get the meeting over with, so I don’t spend the rest of the day worrying about it.”

“Well, would you at least like to have a little something to eat? You don’t want to get yelled at on a empty stomach.”

“Thanks for offering, but I’ll have to pass. I don’t think I can eat right now,” Glamour replied. While she could have eaten whatever Coco gave her, pony food was not really filling for a changeling. She was also still feeling full from last night.

Despite the side effects of gorging all that adoration, she retained enough energy to last her for quite a while. While she was delighted to see that her dream plan had merit, it still remained to be seen if it would be able to become a permanent thing.

“Are you sure, Glamour?”

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Glamour replied as Coco retrieved her saddlebag and walked with her to the entrance. “If I don’t do this now, it’s just going to bug me until I do.”

“If you say so.” Coco opened the door and let Glamour out. “I hope everything will be alright for you. Good luck.”

“I think I’m going to need it,” Glamour replied with a quiet chuckle before giving a grateful smile. “Thank you, Coco. For everything. I’m glad that we’re friends. I hope to see you again soon.” She turned around and started heading for the stairs leading down to the exit.

“Glamour, wait!”

Glamour looked back to see Coco still watching from her apartment door.

“Could… could you promise me something, Glamour?”

“What is it, Coco?”

“Whatever happens with Prim, please promise that you’ll at least come back here and tell me what happened.”

Glamour smiled. “Of course. I’ll see you later.”

Thirty-three.

That was the exact number of windows on the building Glamour was standing in front of. She should know. She had taken the time to count them all, and the number had not changed for the past three times either.

Glamour was not sure how long it has been since she arrived in front of the fashion building. She had been fine during the walk over, but when she stepped up to the entrance, she decided to develop a temporary interest in the building’s architecture.

Maybe it was because she had finally tasted the fruits of her labor and was afraid to find out it was going to be snatched away from her.

Maybe it was because she was nervous that other ponies would recognize her and laugh at her failure.

Or maybe because Prim Hemline was still a scary mare that would probably subject her to an endless barrage of torment and despair.

The latter reason had a small lead at the moment.

As yet another passerby walked by and looked up to see Glamour was looking at, only to bump into the nearby lamppost, Glamour took in a deep breath. She would have to see Prim and accept her fate eventually. On top of that, she had promised to go back to Coco, and if she took too long, Coco would worry about her.

Glamour quickly marched in through the doors, through the lobby, up the stairs, and stopped in front of Prim’s door without giving her mind a chance to change. Throwing caution and possibly her life to the wind, she knocked on the door.

“Enter.”

As soon as Glamour entered the office, she was met with a low growl that sounded vaguely like “You…”

“Uh, h-hi, Miss Hemline. Y-yeah, it’s me. You said you wanted to see me, so uh, here I am.”

“Oh, of course I want to see you, Glamour. I am very interested in the pony who made me believe she was a capable model, only to watch her freeze up on stage like an idiotic nitwit, do one of the worst walks I have ever seen, and faint shortly afterwards.”

“Uh, sorry?” Glamour tried to make a face that could beg for forgiveness as well as safety from any bodily injuries.

“Sorry? Sorry?! That’s all you have to say?!” Prim Hemline stood up and slammed her forehooves into the desk. “You could have ruined the show!”

Glamour backed herself against the door, calculating how long it would take to get to the other side of Equestria.

“You had almost ruined weeks of preparation, not to mention a fortune in bits, with your incompetence! I have never seen such a pitiful display in my entire career!” Prim Hemline’s baleful glare lasted for a few moments before she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and sat back down. “So it is with great reluctance…” She let out a heavy sigh and brought a hoof to her eyes. “That I offer you a job as a model.”

“I’m really sorry, Miss Hemline! Please don’t hurt me! I didn’t mean to—Wait, what?”

“Don’t make me repeat it.”

Glamour’s jaw would have dropped if she did not think Prim would berate her for the lack of conduct. “Miss Hemline, I… I don’t know what to say, except, this isn’t some sort of joke, right?”

“Miss Glamour, I do not joke.” Prim replied in a flat voice with an equally flat glare.

“Uh, right. Well, wow, I can honestly say I did not see this coming.”

“My exact thoughts. Miss Glamour, do understand that you are actually very lucky. One of my associates was with me during the show, and she has taken an interest in you. If she were not such a big influence in the fashion world, I would’ve already personally kicked you to the curb, so I highly suggest you do what she asks.”

Glamour gulped. “R-right. Got it. So, what does she want with me?”

“She wants to do photo shoots with you because she thinks you will be the next big thing. Because you will be under my employ, your success will reflect onto this company.”

Glamour was about to comment that sounded easy, but then she remembered the supposedly easy things involved a lot of tears and pain, so she decided to bite her tongue. After recovering from actually biting her tongue, she asked, “So, who is this associate of yours, and where can I find her?”

Before any of them could say another word, the door suddenly flew open, and since Glamour had been standing right in front of it, the force of the door knocked her face first into the ground.

“I, Photo Finish, have arrived!” Glamour heard a mare with a thick Germane accent announce. “Ahhh wunderbar, so this is the pony I was looking for!”

Glamour let out a yelp as she was quickly lifted back up onto her hooves and was brought almost face to face with a light-blue mare, a light-gray mane, and huge magenta shades with black frames that completely obscured her eyes.

“Uh, hi there,” Glamour said as she slowly backed away from Photo Finish. Now that her vision was not confined to just the new mare’s face, she could see that Photo also wore a black and white-striped dress with a thick magenta scarf around her neck.

Behind Photo Finish were two stallions carrying a platform that she assumed Photo Finish rode in on, and two other mares in fullbody chic outfits, each carrying a suitcase.

“Photo, how many times do I have to tell you to stop bringing your entourage into my office?” Prim Hemline asked with a sigh.

Photo Finish shrugged before facing her ponies and pointed out the door. “All of you. You go!”

As quick as they arrived, the other ponies zipped out of the office and closed the door behind them.

“Glamour, this is Photo Finish. She is one of Equestria’s most famous fashion photographers.”

“No, no, no, Hemline,” Photo Finish chided. “The most famous fashion photographer.”

“Yes, yes, my mistake.”

“It’s very nice to meet you, Miss Finish.” Glamour extended her hoof out to her. “I’m very grateful that you—Ack!”

Photo Finish clamped her hooves on Glamour’s cheek and brought their faces uncomfortably close again. “You. You are perfect! As soon as I saw you on that stage, I knew you were the one! You will be the newest sensation in fashion!”

“I am? Why am I so special?”

“Because you, Glamour, are a bumbling buffoon.”

Glamour only had one response. “What?”

“I can wholeheartedly agree with that,” Prim chimed in.

“I-I don’t understand, Miss—”

“Oh, no, no, no, call me Photo Finish.”

“R-right, Photo, I—”

“No, Photo... Finish.”

“Er, right, sorry, Photo Finish. I don’t understand why you want a… bumbling buffoon.”

“We already have all sorts of models who can walk properly and look fabulous. Ponies even complain that they can never look as good as them. But you… you are different. You have clearly shown that you are far from perfect. Regular ponies can relate more closely to you. Not everypony can be a model, but anypony can be a buffoon.”

“I’m not sure if I’m being praised or insulted.”

Photo Finish threw a hoof around Glamour’s neck and made them both look up as she pointed somewhere off in the distance. “Yes, I Photo Finish, can see it now! I, Photo Finish, will make you shine brighter than a star, because I, Photo Finish, am a genius and will use my brilliant talent to make you the next big thing. Ponies from all over will love and adore you.”

“All that love and adoration just for me?” It was difficult for Glamour to not start drooling. “When do I start?”

“Tomorrow morning! We meet at the studio here and start the beginning of a new legacy!”

“I’ll be there, Photo Finish. Thank you for choosing me!”

“Wunderbar!” Photo Finish paused and tapped her chin with her hoof. “Oh, and feel free to choose anypony you want.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“The last pony that I was going to make shine did not understand my vision and quit out of nowhere. I think it had something to do with not using her favorite designer.” Photo Finish let out a scoff. “Some ponies can be such divas.”

“So, you mean I can pick my own designer?” Glamour asked with a growing smile.

“Yes, yes, I know. I’m so generous,” Photo Finish replied, waving her hoof dismissively. “Anypony will do as long as they don’t offend my eyes and can follow my every word.”

“I got the perfect pony in mind already. I just have to ask her if she’s—”

“Just bring her to the shoot. I need to go prepare for tomorrow so that I can work de magicks! So now…” Photo Finish paused for a moment with her chin in the air. “I go!”

And just like that, Photo Finish made a hasty exit out of the office, leaving behind a dazed Glamour who was still half-thinking that this was just some sort of dream.

“Wow, so that was Photo Finish. Is she always that…”

Prim Hemline rolled her eyes. “Yes, she is. She always has to make everything into a performance. I would even bet that after one of her ponies saw you enter my office, she waited and listened behind the door until the right moment. She really has a flair for the dramatics.

“But despite her oddities, she has a keen sense on this sort of thing. If she says you are going to be popular, then you are going to be popular. I strongly recommend that you show her how grateful you are by following her instructions, no matter how odd they may be.”

“I will. Oh, and I should also thank you for hiring me and letting me work with her, Miss Hemline.”

“Oh, make no mistake, Miss Glamour. I’m only doing this because it will benefit me as well. I am still not happy for what happened last night. Until you can show me that you can do better, you will not be walking in any of my shows.”

“R-right, understood, Miss Hemline.”

“Good, you may go now.”

Glamour turned around and opened the door.

“Oh, and one more thing, Miss Glamour.”

“Y-yes?”

“Despite the circumstances, let me be the first to congratulate you on your new job.”

“Miss Hemline?” Maybe she isn’t so bad. Maybe underneath that tough exterior she’s—

“Don’t get any ideas, though. If you mess up again, I’ll make sure you’ll pay for it.”

Just as scary, Glamour finished her thought with a sigh. “R-right. I’ll just be going now.”

For the third day in a row, Glamour left Prim’s office with her head full of thoughts.

She had made it. She was a fashion model.

Although not quite exactly the way she planned it, if Photo Finish could really make her popular, she would never have to worry about love or adoration for the rest of her life.

Best of all, she got to bring Coco along for the ride.

A frown cropped up on Glamour’s face as she slowly made her way back to the lobby. She was excited to be able to work alongside Coco, but she remembered how Coco was still worried over Nutmeg. Now that they were going to be working together, there was no way she could have Nutmeg come back.

Nutmeg was gone, but at the very least, she could give Coco some closure. She just had to figure the best way to go about saying that without having Coco ask too many questions.

Arriving in the lobby, she saw that Grace was behind the reception desk, scribbling something with the pen in her mouth. Watching Grace write, Glamour was struck with an idea.

A letter would let her convey her other fake self’s last words to Coco without giving Coco the chance to ask questions or trace the message back to her. She knew it would not mean as much as a personal visit, but for Glamour, it was a much safer option.

“Excuse me, but could I use a paper and pen?” Glamour asked as she approached the reception desk.

“Hmm?” Grace looked up with a bored face, but it quickly faded away. “Oh, it’s Glamour.”

“You know who I am?”

“Sure do. I helped lugged your sorry butt to Coco’s place. So,” Grace propped up her chin with her hooves and grinned, “what kind of shenanigans did you two get into?”

“Uh, not much? I was kind of unconscious, remember?”

Grace rolled her eyes. “You’re no fun. Anyway, I’m guessing you just saw Prim Hemline. You kind of just marched through the lobby earlier with a weird look on your face.”

“Oh, yeah, I did see her. She made me a fashion model.”

Grace’s eyes widened. “She did? But you stank last night.”

“Gee, thanks…” Glamour said with a deadpan face.

“Hey, I just call it like I see it. To be honest, I half-expected that I would have to haul whatever was left of you back to Coco after Prim was done with you. But hey, glad I was wrong. Congrats to you.”

“Right… So, um, about that pen and paper…”

“Oh, right.” Grace placed the requested items on the desk. “Here you go.”

After thanking Grace, Glamour used her magic to levitate the pen and paper to the other side of the desk, away from Grace’s eyes. Staring at the paper, she scrunched her face up in thought as she tried to think of what to say.

It took her some time before she settled on something simple and quickly penned it out. She returned the pen to Grace and said goodbye to her before leaving the building and heading back to Coco’s place with her letter tucked safely in her bag.

Now that she was getting the hang of how the streets were organized, Glamour had little trouble making it back to Coco’s apartment complex and proceeded right inside, heading straight for the mailboxes lined up on the wall. After finding the box with Coco’s apartment number, she used her magic to levitate her letter in front of her. Glamour stared at it for a few moments before letting out a sigh and slipping it inside Coco’s mailbox.

And with the deed done, Nutmeg had left her last goodbye to Coco.

With no more things holding her excitement back, Glamour rushed up to Coco’s apartment and knocked on the door.

“Hello? Who is it?” came Coco’s voice through the door.

“It’s Glamour.”

The door opened not even a second later. “Glamour, you came back! How did it go?”

“I’m a fashion model,” Glamour replied with a big grin.

Coco’s eyes widened. “You got the job?” Before Glamour could react, Coco had caught her in a hug. “Oh, Glamour, congratulations! I knew you could do it!”

Glamour chuckled. “Thanks, Coco, but that’s not the only thing. Do you know Photo Finish?”

“Photo Finish? As in the famous photographer?”

Glamour nodded. “She liked my uh, unique performance last night, and she wants to work with me. In fact, I have a photo shoot tomorrow.”

“Photo Finish wants to work with you? Glamour, that’s incredible. Everypony she had worked with had become famous, and now that you’re her next project…” Coco smiled. “I’m very happy for you, Glamour.”

“But wait, there’s more.”

“More?”

Glamour was not sure if her grin could get any bigger. “I get to pick anypony I want to design my dresses.”

“That’s great, Glamour. Do you need help finding one? I got a list somewhere, and I can suggest a few ponies I know.” Coco turned around to walk into her apartment.

“Wait, Coco.” Glamour placed a forehoof on Coco’s shoulder. “I already have a pony in mind.”

“Oh? Who is it? Maybe I know them.”

“It’s you.”

Coco was silent, staring at Glamour with wide open eyes. Eventually, she slowly raised a forehoof and pointed it at herself “Me?”

“Yes, you.”

Coco’s mouth opened and closed several times before she asked, “Glamour… I… Are you sure? There’s plenty of other ponies I know who could do better work.”

“But I don’t want any of those better ponies.”

“Um…”

Glamour facehoofed. “What I meant was that I don’t want any those other ponies. Don’t sell yourself short, Coco, you make beautiful dresses. I’m not offering this just because you’re my friend. You’re a really talented pony. You just need to be a bit more confident in yourself and your work.”

“I… I guess if you really want me… Are you sure?”

Glamour nodded.

“Then I would be very happy to work with you, Glamour.” Coco smiled and hugged Glamour again. “Thank you so much for this, Glamour.”

Glamour returned the hug this time. “You’re welcome, Coco. Thank you for being my friend.”

They remained in the embrace for a few seconds until Coco suddenly pulled back. “Oh my goodness, you said the photo shoot was tomorrow. I got to prepare!”

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow, Coco.”

“Bye, Glamour, and thanks again!” Coco waved goodbye before shutting the door.

Glamour walked back through the complex towards the entrance with a big smile on her face. She felt like she was on top of the world. Her plan had took a turn for the better, and her dream was finally coming true. Now, all she had to do was go rest at home.

Glamour’s smile was quickly replaced by a frown and was soon followed by a groan.

Despite all that had happened today, she still needed to find a box to spend the night in.

Chapter 6: First Day

The next morning, Glamour walked into the studio where the photo shoot was taking place and found that the room was already filled with busy ponies. She was happy to see that Coco had already arrived and was following behind a busy Photo Finish as they moved around the room.

Photo Finish was proving herself as a very capable multitasker, yelling out instructions and directions to all the working ponies she passed, all the while keeping a conversation with Coco. And judging by Coco’s growing smile, it seemed that Photo Finish was approving her work.

Seeing Coco getting along with Photo Finish brought a smile on Glamour’s face, and she hoped that this photo shoot would help out her friend.

Coco looked around the room when Photo Finish stopped to order some ponies setting up the lights, and when her gaze fell upon Glamour, her smiled widened. “Oh, good morning Glamour!” Coco greeted and waved from across the room.

All activity in the room ceased immediately, and Glamour’s smile faded when all eyes focused right on her.

“Ah good, you have arrived,” Photo Finish cheerfully said in a loud voice. “We must get you prepared… immediately!”

Glamour did not stand a chance. As soon as Photo Finish gave the word, she was beset by Photo Finish’s entourage and dragged into a huge dressing booth in the corner. Buried under a sea of hooves, the ponies swiftly took off her saddlebag and pulled a dress over her head. As soon as Glamour’s head emerged from the other side, gasping for air, her face was assaulted by an assortment of brushes. Unlike Coco’s gentle application back at the show, she winced as the brushes roughly poked and slathered makeup all over her face, and her mane felt like it was being pulled and tugged in every direction.

Eventually, the booth curtains were withdrawn, and a wide-eyed Glamour found herself pushed in front of Photo Finish.

“Uh, what just happened?” Glamour asked herself. After the first few moments of colors and many violations of her personal space, her memory had decided it was probably best to shut down until it was over.

“Ah, wunderbar, you’re ready!” Photo Finish said. “I was getting impatient.” She frowned at the ponies still in the booth. “Next time, do it faster! Now, finish setting up the shoot! ”

When Photo Finish left to continue directing her ponies, Glamour shook off her daze and trotted over to a nearby mirror to take a look at what the damage was. To her surprise, she found that despite the seemingly elaborate work, she could not notice that big of a difference in her appearance. She had expected an overwhelming amount of makeup would be on her, but with just a bit of eyeshadow here, some mascara there, a bit more shine to her mane, and other minor details all working together, she looked fabulous. She had to admit that she never looked better, and that was saying something since that included all the previous appearances she had before.

Glamour had her doubts when she was being fabulously tortured, but Photo Finish’s ponies really did know what they were doing. She just wished they could have spared the rough treatment. An overzealous makeup session was not the way she wanted to be done in by, no matter how fabulous she may look.

Glamour then inspected the dress that she wore, no doubt made by Coco. It was a white one-piece dress with a simple lace pattern at the base of it. While not as intricate as the one she wore at the show, Glamour liked its simple and graceful style. She liked it even more when she moved around, finding that it was just as comfortable as the last one, if not moreso.

She was glad that she picked Coco as her clothes designer, and it was not just because she was her friend. Glamour shuddered when she remembered some of the more unique outfits she saw at the fashion show.

“How’s the dress?” Coco asked, appearing alongside Glamour in the mirror.

“Beautiful,” Glamour replied, still slowly turning around and admiring her look. She could definitely get used to being pretty. “I saw you were talking quite a bit with Photo Finish with her. How’s working with her?”

“She’s… interesting. A bit challenging as well. I had to show her ten different dresses before she settled on this one.”

“After talking to her yesterday, I kind of expected her to pick something more flashy, to be honest.”

“Well, she said this was the first shoot, so she wanted to start off small.”

“Small?” Glamour looked around the room that was about twice the size of Coco’s apartment. Beside the dressing booth in the corner and various tables ladened with equipment, the biggest thing was that the entire wall on the other side was covered by an enormous white backdrop. Photo Finish’s ponies were setting up several platforms of varying heights along the backdrop, and there were at least twenty huge studio lights set up all around the room.

“Right… Small…” Glamour rolled her eyes.

Coco giggled. “Be nice, Glamour. Like I said, she’s interesting, but she is the most famous photographer for a reason.”

Coco looked down to the floor and used one foreleg to rub the other. “I, uh, also want to thank you again for this, Glamour. Just working with Photo Finish is going to help a lot with my career.”

“It’s the least I could do. After all, Photo Finish only saw me because I modeled for you. And besides, that’s what friends do. They help each other, right?”

Coco smiled and gave Glamour a quick hug. “Yes, they do. You’re a good friend, Glamour. Please, let me know if there’s anything I can do for you.”

“Glamour! It is time to make ze magicks!” Photo Finish bellowed, beckoning Glamour and Coco over.

Eager to start her new career, Glamour quickly trotted over to Photo Finish, only to be stopped by a raised hoof when she got close.

“Wait, something is missing. Hmm…” Photo Finish brought a hoof to her chin and moved closer to Glamour.

“Um, what’s wrong, Photo Finish?” Glamour asked. Even with Photo Finish’s glasses on, she could almost feel the scrutinizing gaze, and she had to step back a bit as Photo Finish leaned forward, almost touching their muzzles together.

“Needs more blush,” Photo Finish suddenly proclaimed and instantly backed away.

Glamour blinked, and a pony with a brush in her mouth suddenly appeared in front of her, and then shoved the brush into her face, causing a pink dust cloud to envelop her.

“Needs more blush,” Photo Finish repeated.

Again, the brush created another pink cloud, and Glamour’s face scrunched up when her nose started itching. She quivered as she tried to hold in her sneeze, but it was no use.

A camera flash went off right as Glamour made a loud sneeze that echoed through the room.

“Ah wunderbar!”

When the dust cloud parted, Glamour sniffed and saw that Photo Finish had somehow set up a large camera within the span of a few seconds. Before she could wonder how or where the camera got here, she heard the dreaded words, “Needs more blush,” yet again, before everything went pink.

“Um, don’t you think that’s enough blush, Photo Finish?” Coco asked.

“Nonsense, it’s not like it can harm her,” Photo Finish replied.

Coughing and hacking, Glamour tried to find her way out of the cloud of pink while using one forehoof to try and wave it away, only to trip into a tall metal object. Letting out a yelp, she clutched onto the object as they both tipped over and fell to the floor with a loud crash.

“Probably…” Photo Finish mumbled before another camera flash went off.

“G-Glamour, are you alright?” Coco asked worriedly.

“I’m fine,” Glamour replied with a groan. No longer blinded by blush, she looked to see that she was lying next to a fallen studio light. “Um, sorry about the light…”

“It is of no importance when we get to witness your brilliance,” Photo Finish said with an eager grin. “We haven’t even started, and you’re already giving us ze magicks. We just need—”

“Please, no more blush!” Glamour begged, raising her hooves up over her face. “I don’t think I can take—” Her vision was temporarily blinded by a point blank camera flash.

“Oh, such a natural. But no, I was about to say we need you to get into place, so that we can actually start and make more of ze magicks!”

Glamour was guided to the backdrop, and Photo Finish placed her camera in front of her.

“Now, are you ready?” Photo Finish asked Glamour.

“Actually, I’m not sure what to—”

“And go!”

Glamour yelped as she scrambled into the first good pose she could think of, raising one hoof slightly off the ground while raising her chin.

“No!”

Glamour blinked before turning around. Recalling a pose from the library magazines, she turned her head to look back at the camera and winked.

“No!”

Resisting the urge to facehoof, Glamour let out a small sigh, and she closed her eyes while extending a forehoof in front of her, and a hind leg behind her, putting herself in a delicate, elegant pose.

“No! No! No!” Photo Finish cried out and trotted up to Glamour. “Where is the pony I saw two nights ago? Where is the pony who was just here a few moments ago?! Now she… she was magnificent!”

“I’m sorry, Photo Finish, but I’m just not really sure if I can just recreate all that anytime I want. It’s just something that just um, happens.”

“Hmm, interesting…” Photo Finish rubbed her chin in thought for a few moments. “I should have known this was not going to be as easy as I thought. Do not worry. I, Photo Finish, love a good challenge.”

“Um, if I could suggest something,” Coco spoke up. “Maybe instead of forcing Glamour to act like how she was at the show, we could try doing something that would let things happen naturally.”

A smirk grew on Photo Finish’s face. “I, Photo Finish, am a genius! We’re going to recreate the moments when you shined!”

“Didn’t Coco just say something—”

“Don’t question my genius! Glamour, here’s what I want you to do. You are to forget everything you know about being a model.

“Done,” Glamour replied immediately, since her knowledge of the profession consisted mainly of a night of cramming random tidbits from fashion magazines.

“Good! Now, when we start shooting again, I want you to remember how you were feeling on the night of the fashion show.”

“I’ll try,” Glamour said with a small frown, “but like I said before, it’s going to be kind of hard to remember all of that.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I, Photo Finish, have already got something to planned. Now, get in position. Everypony else, to me!”

There was a brief thundering of hooves as literally everypony in the room, including one confused Coco, raced to Photo Finish’s side.

Before Glamour could ask what was going on, Photo Finish pointed at a random pony in the group and cried out, “You! Get the lights! All of them!”

The pony nodded and zipped right for the nearest light and turned it on.

Glamour’s face was immediately blasted with a light that felt bright enough to make even Princess Celestia jealous. She raised her hoof to shield herself, only to quickly lower it, and instead tried to withstand the light and maintain her posture.

“No, no, no, Glamour! Remember, act naturally! More lights!”

Glamour yelped as even more lights were projected onto her face, and she was forced to shut her eyes and look away.

“Yes, yes, it’s working! Now, get on that platform to your right!”

Following Photo Finish’s instructions, Glamour slowly made her way to the right with one forehoof raised to her face, but with her vision obscured, she soon misjudged a step and awkwardly hopped a few steps forward when she almost tripped.

Blinking several times, Glamour’s eyes finally adjusted to the flood of light, and she glanced back to Photo Finish.

Her eyes widened for a second, and she unconsciously took a step back when she saw around thirty sets of eyes were all staring intently right at her. While not as intimidating as what she had experienced back at the show, it was still a kind of unnerving to know that the whole room was watching and judging her every move.

Glamour gulped and slowly raised a hoof to wave back.

“Yes, yes! We had done it! The pony from the show is coming back! It is time to make ze magicks!”

Glamour chuckled nervously. What have I gotten myself into?

“Enough!”

Glamour let out a huge sigh upon hearing Photo Finish’s voice, wondering what new thing she was going to have to do now. They had been at it all day, only stopping for a quick lunch. As the photo shoot had progressed, she was thrown into all sorts of situations that she had to fumble through.

She wondered if all the awkward pictures were really going to sell, but Photo Finish seemed confident, and she had been happily shooting pictures the entire time.

So it was to Glamour’s surprise to see Photo Finish had her camera fold up into a briefcase, which was promptly picked up by one of her ponies.

“Wait, we’re done?” Glamour asked.

“Just for today. We shoot more tomorrow,” Photo Finish replied. “Glamour, you were wunderbar! I, Photo Finish, have so much material to work with, and I, Photo Finish, cannot wait until tomorrow. Now, there’s so much to do before the next shoot, and so… I go!”

Photo Finish and her entourage quickly made their exit, leaving Glamour behind with Coco.

Glamour let out a sigh of relief and used her magic to start taking off her dress. “Wow, I didn’t realize getting my picture taken was this tiring.”

“It did seem intense,” Coco agreed, taking her dress back from Glamour’s magic and neatly folding it up. “Photo Finish was really working you hard.”

Despite several dress changes, a couple of falls, both intentional and unintentional, awkward poses, more deadly blush, and the blinding lights, Glamour actually did not find the shoot that unbearable. It was weird, and a bit annoying at certain points, but it was only her first day, and it was already a step up from her old, angry mob-filled life.

“I’m alright with it,” Glamour replied, putting her saddlebag back on after finding it. “Besides, from what everypony is telling me, Photo Finish will be able to do a lot for me once things get rolling, so a little bit of hard work and weirdness is worth it, in my opinion.”

“I know,” Coco said as she put on her own saddlebag after packing away her dresses in it. “I just don’t want you getting too tired or hurt with all the stuff she’s having you do.”

“Hey, don’t worry about me. I’m used to roughing it.”

“Well, if you say so,” Coco said with an unsure frown. “Just please don’t push yourself too hard.”

With their things all packed up, Glamour and Coco made their way through the building and out into the lobby to find Grace putting away things into her own saddlebag.

“Hello, Grace. You’re packing up early. Is Prim already letting you go home?” Coco asked as the two of them went over to the reception desk.

“She’s letting everypony go early today,” Grace answered. “Gives us more time to get home before the storm hits.”

“Wait, there’s a storm coming?” Glamour asked.

Coco and Grace both stared at Glamour.

“What?”

“You don’t know? They’ve been sending out a bunch of notices in the mail. Even then you should’ve at least heard it from somepony else,” Grace informed.

Glamour laughed nervously. Since she did not talk to anypony else besides Coco and her employers, and cardboard boxes usually did not receive mail, it was little wonder that she was not up to date with the local news. “Must’ve missed them all. Is it going to be bad?”

“Biggest one we had for a long time, from what I heard. Something to do with a backlog of clouds. I’m pretty sure part of the reason was because Prim was able to keep on delaying the rain until the show was over.”

Glamour grimaced. She could handle a little rain, but if there really was a big storm coming, she was going to have a really rough night. She immediately started brainstorming a way to find better shelter.

With no bits on hoof and her first paycheck still a ways off, there was no way she could afford renting a room anywhere.

She could try finding a safe place outside the city, but with Manehattan so big, it would take some time to reach the outskirts. She also recalled that the area outside the city was mostly hills and plains, making it even harder to find suitable shelter before the storm hit.

Temporarily turning into a pegasus was an option, since the fashion show did give her an ample amount of energy, but all the clouds were probably already being converted into thunderclouds, and sleeping on a thundercloud was not something she wanted to do again. Her butt still tingled every now and then.

As idea after idea was discarded, it looked like she was just going to have to hope the cardboard box she had been using for the past few nights would be able to withstand the elements.

“Glamour, are you alright? You went quiet all of the sudden,” Coco asked.

“Oh, y-yeah. I’m fine. Just fine. Um, just curious, how long would the storm last?” Glamour asked.

“It’s supposed to start pretty soon, but that’s only the light stuff. The worst part of it will be later, and that will take up the whole night,” Grace answered.

“Oh… Um, also just curious, but will this place be open during the storm?”

Grace gave her a flat stare, while Coco’s face was etched with worry.

“No,” Grace answered. “With everypony going home, Prim is going to have the building locked up. And before you ask, I’m sure it’s going to be the same story for anywhere else.”

“Glamour, do you even have a place to stay?” Coco asked.

“Of course I do. I just don’t like being cooped up at my place, so I was wondering if there was anywhere else I can go to pass the time. I’ll be fine,” Glamour replied with a nervous smile. Maybe…

Between Grace’s raised eyebrow and Coco’s worried frown, Glamour could see that they were not completely buying her story. Not wanting them to get suspicious of her and risk blowing her cover, she decided it was time to leave. “Well, I think I will be heading off now. Don’t want to get caught in the rain on the way home. I’ll see you both tomorrow.”

Glamour hurried to the door but stopped when she heard Coco cry out an “Oh no!”.

“What? What’s wrong, Coco?” Glamour asked, quickly turning back around to find Coco digging through her bag.

“I, uh, I think I left one of my dresses back at the studio. I need to take care of something with Grace before the storm starts, so would you do me a favor and check for me, Glamour?”

“Uh, sure thing, Coco. I’ll get right on that.” Glamour briskly trotted back to the studio, leaving Coco and Grace behind.

Arriving at the studio, Glamour found the room just as they had left it. Even though Photo Finish’s ponies left almost everything they had set up, to save time for tomorrow’s shoot, she was glad that they had done so in a tidy, organized manner.

Glamour checked inside the dressing booth, behind and under all the equipment, and any other nook or cranny she could think of, but she could not find Coco’s dress. After double checking a few more spots, she guessed that Coco must have misplaced the missing dress somewhere else.

When she got back to the lobby, she saw that Coco and Grace were talking quietly about something. For some reason, Grace was frowning while Coco looked even more worried.

“Hey, Coco, I don’t think your dress is in the studio,” Glamour called out, causing the two mares to look up at her. “I looked all over and could not find it.”

“My dress? Oh right, my dress. I actually found it while you were away,” Coco replied.

Glamour paused. “Uh, really? Where was it?”

“Oh, it was um…”

“Coco’s feeling a bit silly since she accidentally folded it into one of her other dresses,” Grace answered instead.

“R-right. Sorry, Glamour, for wasting your time.”

“It’s alright, but if there is nothing else, I’ll be heading off now.” Glamour made it to the door and looked back to see the two mares staring at her. “Aren’t you two going to leave as well?”

“In a few more minutes,” Coco replied. “I still have something I need to do. Don’t worry, we’ll be fine.”

Glamour shrugged and nodded before saying goodbye to the two mares and made her exit.

The first thing Glamour noticed once she stepped outside was the gloomy sky. She could catch glimpses of pegasi pushing huge, dark clouds into position, effectively blocking out all sunlight. The usually busy streets of Manehattan were also empty, devoid of ponies except for a few stragglers who were rushing to get home.

Knowing that she should do the same, Glamour hurried down the streets, hoping to get to her makeshift home before the rain started. She made it through a few blocks before a loud boom of thunder made her do a startled jump. Looking up at the sky again, she saw that the clouds were now an ominous black.

Glamour winced when a drop of water hit her nose. The single drop was promptly joined by its wet brethren, making Glamour resume her travels through the streets, but at a much faster pace. She really needed to get back to her box now, before the rain got any worse.

By the time she made it back to the alleyway where her shabby home was, her fur had gotten all wet and was making her body shiver slightly from the cold. She quickly took shelter in the cardboard box, relieved to at least have a roof over her head.

Her relief was washed away when she felt another drop of water land on her head. Glamour looked up and groaned loudly.

There was a dark, wet spot in the siding above her that was visibly sagging and dripping water. More than likely, when the weather became really bad, that spot was going to give out and expose her to the rain.

Glamour sighed and lit up her horn, producing a translucent green barrier around her. Watching the dripping water slide down her shield, she wondered what she was going to do. The shield could not be maintained the whole night, and there was little chance of her finding a better place before the rain picked up.

With a heavy sigh, Glamour curled up away from the dripping water, leaving her back facing the outside. She closed her eyes, hoping to get some rest in before things got really rough.

“Glamour?”

Glamour’s eyes shot wide open, and her whole body stiffened up at the sound of the familiar voice. Praying that the voice did not belong to who she thought it was, she turned her head slowly, but sure enough, she saw that Coco was standing right outside her box with an umbrella over her head.

Neither of them spoke a word, the silence only broken by the pattering of raindrops around them. Coco’s mouth moved, as though she was about to speak, but no words came out, while Glamour was still shocked.

Glamour could not believe it. Coco actually found her here. She had hoped to keep this part of her a secret, worried that it would lead to her exposure as a changeling, but to her surprise, she was not really feeling much fear. Instead, she felt as if though a heavy pit had grown in her stomach now that her friend was seeing her in this state.

With a sigh, Glamour turned her eyes back towards the back of the box and rested her head on her hooves.

“Hi, Coco…”

“Glamour… I… Please… Please, tell me this isn’t where you live…”

Glamour shook her head. “Sorry, Coco.”

“Oh…” Coco’s gaze faltered and dropped to the ground. “How… How did this happen to you?”

Glamour went silent for a few moments before answering, “I just… I just haven’t had a real job for a long time.” She forced a small smile. “But hey, at least I got one now. It’s not like I’ll be like this forever.”

“B-but the storm…”

“I’ll be fine, Coco. I’m used to roughing it. You should go home before the rain gets any worse.” Glamour laid her head back down on her hooves. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Closing her eyes, Glamour hoped that if she pretended to go to sleep, Coco would give up and leave her be. However, after a few minutes of not hearing Coco walk away, she let out another sigh.

“Coco, really, I’ll be—”

“Get up.”

Glamour opened her eyes and looked up to see Coco’s eyebrows were slanted down and sternly staring at her. It was the first time she saw Coco like this.

“Coco?”

“I’m not going to leave you out here. You’re coming home with me.”

“You want to… I, uh, well… N-no, I couldn’t.” Glamour was not sure why she turned down Coco. She usually had little qualms when she disguised herself and took advantage of other ponies, but now that Coco was offering, it did not feel right doing the same to her. Despite her instincts telling her to accept the offer and get out of the rain, another part of her was telling her to do the exact opposite.

“Glamour, please. You already stayed over once, and it was no trouble to me.”

“But… It just doesn’t feel right. You’ve already done so much for me.”

“Glamour, you cannot stay here. You could get sick, or hurt, or even worse.”

When Glamour remained silent, Coco took a deep breath. “Glamour, think about it this way. If anything happens to you, do you think you will be able to make it to the shoot tomorrow?”

“Um, well…”

“I’m getting to work with Photo Finish because she wants you. If you’re unable to work with Photo Finish, do you think she’ll still need me?”

Glamour bit her lip. While she did not want to trouble Coco at her home, jeopardizing Coco’s chance with Photo Finish was worse. It seemed that no matter which way she chose, Coco was going to be affected as well.

“Fine, you win, Coco.”

Coco sighed with relief, her stern face relaxing. “Thank you, Glamour.”

“But just for tonight.”

Coco stared at her blankly for a few seconds before beckoning Glamour to get up and held out her umbrella.

Glamour grabbed her bag and huddled under the umbrella with Coco as they trotted in the direction of Coco’s apartment.

“So, how did you find me?” Glamour asked.

“Well… I followed you. Remember when I asked you to go back to the studio for my dress?”

“Yes,” Glamour replied slowly.

“Well, um, that was a lie. You were acting funny when Grace and I told you about the storm, and I started wondering if it was because of where you lived. I convinced Grace to look up your address while you were gone. When we found out that you did not register where you were staying, I got worried.

“I know it was wrong of me, and I’m sorry for sneaking around behind your back, but I had to make sure you were safe.”

Glamour kept silent. If only Coco knew what she was doing behind her back.

“Um, if you don’t mind, how long have you been uh…”

“Homeless?”

Coco winced. “Y-yeah.”

“I’ve been traveling around Equestria for quite a while, and I just felt like I had enough of it. I arrived in Manehattan some time before the show, and since I did not have any bits saved up or a job, I’ve been making do for the past few days.”

Coco turned her head to Glamour. “I… I had no idea. You made it seem like you were doing fine. Why didn’t you say anything?”

Glamour sighed. “It’s not exactly something you would like to share with others.”

“I guess… But still…”

Fortunately, Coco did not ask anymore questions and spent the rest of the walk in silence. Eventually, the two of them made it to the complex where Coco lived, and they headed straight for her apartment.

“I hope you don’t mind sleeping on the couch again,” Coco said as they entered her home.

“It’s no problem. After all, I can’t really complain when I had been sleeping in a box.”

“I certainly hope that you’ll be more comfortable tonight. I’ll just be a moment to put my things away and grab a spare pillow and blanket for you.”

Glamour nodded and went to the couch as Coco went into one of the side rooms. Sitting down upright on the couch, allowing her hind legs to hang off the side and idly kick, she looked around the room.

It had been only one day since she had been in here, but there seemed to be a lot more scraps of fabric and other tools scattered around the place. Coco must have been busy since she found out about the photo shoot.

As Glamour’s gaze went to a nearby table, she noticed a paper that looked distinctively familiar.

Could it be? Glamour wondered. She went up to the table, and after checking to see if Coco was not coming back yet, she levitated the paper to her. She immediately recognized the writing before she even began reading.

It was Nutmeg’s goodbye letter.

Glancing over her work, a frown appeared on her face when she noticed that the ink in the last parts of the letter was smudged by what looked like a few drops of water.

“That’s from Nutmeg, the friend I was talking to you about,” came Coco’s voice from behind.

“Coco!” Glamour quickly spun around. cutting off her magic and letting the letter fall to the floor. “I’m sorry for reading it without your permission! I-I just got curious, but I shouldn’t have invaded your privacy!”

“It’s alright,” Coco replied as she bent down to pick the letter back up. She let out a sigh as her eyes read over the letter. “I was actually thinking of telling you about this since I keep on bringing her up with you. Did you read the whole thing?”

“Um, yeah. She said you were a really good friend to her, and she was really sorry for not making it to your show. She was even more sorry that she had to leave Manehattan for an emergency.”

Coco sighed and nodded. “That’s pretty much it. I found it in my mailbox last night. I guess she slipped it in sometime yesterday before she left. I’m glad that she seems okay and that she took the time to write a goodbye letter, but I wish we could’ve said goodbye face to face.”

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah… Mostly… I guess…” Coco placed the letter back on the table with another sigh. “I mean, we barely knew each other, but we still became friends. It doesn’t feel good when a friend has to go away.”

The heavy pit feeling in Glamour’s stomach returned with even more force. “Coco… I… I’m sorry…”

“It’s alright. It’s not your fault.” Coco smiled a little. “Sometimes friends have to go their separate ways, but I’ll be fine. I still have you and Grace as friends, after all.”

A flash of light, followed by the rumbling of thunder, drew their attention to the window.

Moving over to the window, Glamour could see that the storm was well underway now. The dimly-lit streets down below were being pounded by a torrent of water, forming small rivers in certain places, and the heavy wind was blowing debris all over the place.

“Wow, I didn’t realize it was going to be this bad…” Glamour muttered, her mind wondering what kind of state she would have been in if Coco did not come.

“I’m glad that you’re not out there, Glamour.”

“I am too.” Glamour turned back to Coco. “But it feels like I’m taking advantage of you since I can’t really repay you for letting me stay here… again.”

“You’re not, Glamour. Don’t forget what you have done for me. You helped me out of a tight spot at the fashion show, and now you’ve got me working with the most famous fashion photographer in Equestria.

"Besides that, you’re also a really nice pony that I like spending time with. We’re friends, Glamour. Friends do this kind of stuff for each other. And that’s why I’ve decided that you’re staying here until you get back on your hooves.”

Glamour’s eyes were almost bulging out. “What?! Coco, that’s too much! I can’t just—”

“I was not asking you to stay.” Coco stepped forward, her stern glare from outside returning. “I’m telling you to stay.”

Glamour reeled back a bit. When they first met, she had pinned Coco to be a bit on the shy and meek side, but after what happened outside and just now, it seemed like the normally-timid mare had an assertive side that could be brought out under the right conditions.

Coco sighed, her body relaxing. “Look, Glamour, I can understand that you don’t want to rely on others, but it costs a lot to rent a place in Manehattan. It would probably take you a few months before you can save up enough bits to even think about getting a place, and that’s not even including food or other household items.”

Glamour bit her lip. She had figured her housing situation would be a temporary issue, but if what Coco said was true, it was going to take a lot longer than she thought. She had hoped that tonight was just a one-time thing, but if there was another night like this before she could save up enough bits, she knew that she needed a better place than a cardboard box.

“Glamour, please, let me help you. I just lost one friend. Don’t let me lose another.”

Glamour wanted to whimper. First logic and now playing on her emotions, Coco really was not playing fair, even if she did not know using Nutmeg was a lot more effective than she intended.

“I guess… I guess I can try staying for a little,” Glamour said, finally caving in.

Coco was immediately upon Glamour and wrapped her up in a hug. “Oh, Glamour, thank you!”

“H-hey, I’m supposed to be the one saying that! You’re opening up your home to me, after all..”

“I know, I know.” Coco giggled a bit and backed off. “It’s just that I think it’s going to be a lot of fun having you around, and I already feel a lot better knowing that you have a safe place to sleep. Speaking of, we probably should start getting ready for bed.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Glamour agreed and settled back down on the couch. “Today was a lot of work, and with how excited Photo Finish was, it’s probably going to be a lot more like that tomorrow.”

“Sorry again that you have to sleep on the couch. Don’t worry, after a few days, I can clean out the work room, and you can stay there.”

“Coco…” Glamour whined. “Really, you’re going too far. I’m fine with just the couch. It’s a lot more comfy than what I have been using for… a long time. There’s no need to go through so much trouble for me.”

“You deserve a little place of your own, Glamour, and there’s not too much stuff in there. I’ve actually been meaning to do some cleaning around the place, and now, I got a good reason to do that. Besides, it’s my place.”

“You’re not going to let me say no, are you?”

“It’s not looking good for you.”

Glamour gave a sigh before slowly shaking her head with a chuckle. “You’re one of a kind, Coco. I know I’ve said this before, but I really am glad to have a friend like you, and I’m not saying that because of all the stuff you do for me. Thank you for being you.”

Coco smiled back. “I’m happy to do it. Now, we really should get to sleep. I’ll see you in the morning, Glamour. Good night.”

“Good night, Coco.”

Glamour watched as Coco walked toward her door. Right before she went through the door, Coco looked back at Glamour and shot her another smile, before disappearing into her room.

Glamour laid back in the couch, thinking about the situation she had just been thrust into. She had never imagined that she would be living, albeit temporarily, with Coco. But now here she was, and she wondered how this was going to affect her disguise.

If she had to constantly leave the apartment in search of love, it would no doubt make Coco suspicious. But if Photo Finish was able to make her popular and bring in the adoring fans, she would not have to worry about looking for food. It would come to her.

Still, she would have to get a place of her own as soon as possible. There might come a day where she would need to use her changeling form, and having her own place would help keep her secret. She had put too much work into this new lifestyle, so she had to be careful, even with Coco.

There was no way a changeling could live with a pony forever.

But for the time being, living with Coco would be a great deal more comfortable than her previous living arrangements, or rather, lack thereof. And like Coco said, perhaps it would be fun to spend some more time together.

When sleep eventually found Glamour, she had a smile on her face.

Chapter 7: A Date

“Enough!”

Glamour let out a sigh of relief upon hearing Photo Finish’s proclamation, signaling that the second photo shoot was finally done.

She had thought that the second day would be easier than the first, but with everything already set up from the previous day, the photo shoot had started as soon as she arrived at the studio with Coco. Not only that, but Photo Finish had come up with all sorts of new and creative ways to get ze magicks out of her.

At least she did not choke on blush today.

“Another wunderbar shoot, Glamour!” Photo Finish cheerfully praised. “I have more than enough material to send to the publishers now.”

“Wait, so does that mean we’re all done?” Glamour asked.

“Just with this shoot. Don’t worry, I, Photo Finish, have plenty of things planned for you. For now though, I must make sure that your entrance into the fashion world is with a big bang! I cannot wait! You just be ready for when it’s time to make more of ze magicks.”

“Uh, right sure. So, if we’re done for the day, could you maybe—”

“And now, I, Photo Finish, must leave—”

“Um, Photo Finish,” Coco spoke up. “Don’t you think we should get Glamour—”

“—because I, Photo Finish, have art to make! And so—”

“W-wait! Don’t leave yet!”

“I go!”

Glamour and Coco both groaned when Photo Finish and her huge entourage made their usual quick and dramatic exit, leaving them by themselves.

“She’s not very good at listening, is she?” Glamour stated in a flat tone.

“Not really,” Coco replied, looking up at Glamour with her brows furrowed.

“I’m grateful that she’s going to help me become famous, but…”

“It would be nice if she was a bit more careful with you.”

“Yeah…”

Neither of them said a word after that, letting the fact that they were stuck in an awkward situation sink in. After a few moments, Coco started heading for the door.

“I, uh, I’ll go get a ladder. You just wait right there.”

“Not like I can do anything else,” Glamour mumbled, watching an upside down Coco leave the room. She let out another sigh, hoping that Coco would get back soon.

For the time being, she still had to figure out how she ended up all tied up, hanging from the ceiling.

“You sure know how to pick the weird ones, Coco.”

“Thanks again for helping out, Grace.”

“It’s not like I have anything better to do.”

“But weren’t you complaining earlier about those files Prim wanted you to sort?”

“Like I said, it’s not like I have anything better to do.”

Glamour watched as Coco and Grace moved a ladder under her. After a few moments, Grace made it up the ladder and propped her chin on a hoof resting on the top rung of the ladder, looking straight at the upside down Glamour.

“So… How’s it hanging, Glamour?” Grace asked with a smug grin.

Glamour would have facehoofed if her hooves were not already tied, so she settled for a groan and a flat stare. “Just please get me down now, Grace.”

“You do know you have a horn, right?”

Glamour’s gaze went up to the ground high above her and then back to Grace.

“What?” Grace asked, following Glamour’s gaze. “It’s not that far.”

“Yeah… I would like to not have any concussions today, if possible.”

“Yeah, yeah, excuses. Well, never fear, Grace is here. Now. let’s see here. How about we try getting your leg off your head first?”

“Ow, ow, ow! Stop pulling my leg!”

“Hmm, maybe… Hey, Coco, you think you could find me a hammer?”

“No hammer! No hammer!”

Eventually, after a lot of careful maneuvering, some magic, and a bunch of worried cries from Coco, Glamour was set free and came down the ladder with Grace.

“Glamour, are you alright?” Coco asked as soon as Glamour touched the ground.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I just need a bit since my legs kind of fell asleep,” Glamour answered as she tried to shake her limbs back to life.

“I’m doing fine too, by the way,” Grace added. “Thanks for asking.”

“Oh, Grace, I’m so sorry,” Coco quickly apologized. “I didn’t mean to forget you, I just—”

“Whoa, Coco, relax. I was just kidding.”

“Oh uh, right. Regardless, Glamour and I are grateful that you took the time to help us out.”

“Well, when you told me what happened to Glamour, I just had to see it for myself. Kind of wish I had a camera with me. Although, now that I’m here, how about sharing some of the juicy deets about you taking Glamour home again.”

Glamour’s eyes widened. “You know?!”

Grace raised an eyebrow. “Between you acting weird, and Coco looking up your address, it’s not that hard to figure out what was going on. Since Coco already took you in once, I already guessed what was going to happen when you two left yesterday. It also doesn’t help that you two walked in together.”

“Oh, r-right. But could you do me a favor and please not tell anypony else about my housing situation? I don’t want ponies I know getting suspicious of me.”

“Wasn’t planning to. Besides, who’s going to listen to the boring, old secretary anyway?” Grace replied with a shrug before a small frown appeared on her face. “But uh, yeah, so you really don’t have a place to live?”

“Well, I do now. Coco invited me to stay with her for a bit.”

“Seriously?” Grace looked to Coco and received a nod. “Whoa, didn’t see that coming, but I guess it’s good that I have something to put down on your file.”

“Wait, what do you mean by that?”

“You never registered an address. If somepony else looked at your record, they’re going to get suspicious and that could lead into trouble for you. Actually, it sort of did happen already since Coco went all stalker on you.”

“G-Grace! I just needed to know where she lived!” Coco protested over Grace’s snicker.

“Not helping your case, sweetie.”

“So, I guess you’re going to put down I’m living with Coco,” Glamour queried, ignoring the whimpering red Coco.

“Pretty much. It might look a bit weird to some ponies, but it’s a lot better than not having anything.”

“Thanks for looking out for me, Grace. Sounds like you saved me from a bunch of trouble.”

Grace shrugged again and headed for the door. “You can sing my praises later. I should get back to the front desk before Prim finds out I’m gone. Catch you two later.”

After Grace left, Glamour stretched a bit, working out the kinks from being tied up. She glanced over at Coco and saw that her face was no longer as red as the flower in her mane.

“So, what now?” Glamour asked. “Photo Finish ended the shoot pretty early today.”

“Hmm…” Coco took a moment to finish packing her bag with her dresses and putting it on. “Do you have anything else you need to do today?”

“Nope, I’m free for the rest of the day. Actually, I’m completely free until Photo Finish calls on me again.”

“Well, if you’re feeling up to it, how about we go and have a late lunch together?”

“Just you and me?”

“Of course, I mean if that’s alright with you. It’s just that all the time we spent together was either work related or the result of something happening to you. I thought that since we’re both free now, we could finally enjoy some time to ourselves as friends without worrying about anything else.”

Glamour smiled. “That sounds really good. It would be nice to actually relax for once.” Her smile faded. “But uh, I still don’t have bits…”

“Don’t worry, Glamour, it’s my treat.”

Glamour frowned. “Are you sure? I don’t mind just sitting and talking while you eat.”

“Glamour…” Coco’s stern look from last night was returning.

Glamour huffed. “Fine.”

“It’s a date then. Let’s go.”

With their date set, the two of them exited the building, making sure to say goodbye to Grace on their way out, and headed for a restaurant under Coco’s guidance.

Coco ended up picking a cafe not too far away that had most of its tables under a large outdoor canopy, and the perimeter of the dining area was lined with tall plant boxes containing assortments of flowers. Even at this late hour, there were still quite a few ponies dining here.

“This is one of my favorite places,” Coco explained after a waiter showed them to a table and left them with two menus. “Not only do I love the decor, but they make all sorts of delicious things.”

“It sure looks like a nice place,” Glamour commented, taking another look around the decorative dining area.

“Wait until you try the food.”

Eager to do just that, Glamour used her magic to open up the menu and see what the place had to offer. While she still had plenty of energy left from the fashion show, that did not mean she could not eat pony food. They might not be very filling for her, but she could still taste them perfectly fine.

However, her enthusiasm was dampened, and a frown appeared when she saw the numbers next to all the selections. While she may not have been to many pony restaurants, she knew enough to know that just about everything on the menu was a bit on the pricey side.

“Glamour, I know what you’re thinking.”

“W-what?” Glamour looked up at Coco.

“You’re looking at the prices, aren’t you?”

“Uh, maybe?”

“Glamour, we’re here to enjoy ourselves, so it’s alright if we spend a little extra. Besides, all you had was a piece of toast this morning. You have to eat.”

Glamour sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. “Sorry, I’m just not used to having a pony do so much for me.”

“I understand. I know you’re still adjusting to your new lifestyle, but just remember that I’m your friend, and I want to help you. So please, order anything you want, no matter the price.”

Glamour sighed and nodded, returning her attention back to her menu. She tried to ignore the prices, but she could not help it. The numbers were right there!

“Hi there, you two!” a peppy pink unicorn mare in a matching pink waitress dress asked, coming to their table with a smile. “How are you guys? Are you ready to order?”

“We’re doing good, thank you very much,” Coco replied with a smile of her own. “And yes, we’re ready. I think I’ll try the vegetable puffs, and I’ll have an iced tea to go with it.”

“Sure thing!” the waitress chirped before turning her attention to Glamour. “And what about you?”

Having to decide quickly, Glamour settled on something that looked tasty and was not too expensive. “I’ll take the chocolate mousse cake.”

“And to drink?”

“Oh, uh, just water.”

“Alrighty then.” The waitress quickly scribbled their orders onto a notepad. “Thanks for coming. I’ll be back soon with your drinks.”

“Cake for lunch?” Coco asked with an amused smirk when the waitress left.

“Is something wrong with that? I like sweets.”

“No, no, I’m just a bit surprised. That’s all. Usually models would not dare eating something like that because they’re afraid of their figure.”

“Well, like you said, we’re here to enjoy ourselves, and I haven’t had something like this for a long time.”

“Oh, right.” Coco’s smile faded away. “I guess that’s because of your um, situation.”

Glamour nodded. “Yeah, pretty much.”

“I still find it hard to believe you were living in such horrible conditions. I mean, you look so beautiful and healthy. Was it tough to live like that?”

“Sometimes, yes. But I adapted and learned all sorts of tricks to survive.”

“I know you kind of just made do with whatever shelter you could find, but did you at least get enough food before we met?”

“Don’t worry, I’ve been able to do that. Sure, there were a couple of times when I was worried about my next meal, but I always managed to scrape something together.”

Coco sighed and shook her head. “That sounds really rough. I hope you never have to live like that again. At least things are going to be better for you now, right?”

Glamour smiled. “It already is, thanks to a really good friend I made, ” she replied, getting Coco to return her smile along with a small blush.

Their conversation was put on pause when the waitress came back to serve their drinks.

As Coco drank her iced tea, Glamour thought about what Coco said about her order. It did not take long before a fun idea popped up in her head, and she could not help but chuckle the more she thought about it.

“What’s so funny?” Coco asked.

Glamour smirked. The one advantage of not being able to efficiently process pony food was that she could pretty much eat whatever she wanted without worrying too much about getting fat.

“Oh, I was just thinking what would happen if I decided to go in front of a bunch of models with a slice of cake and eat it. Slowly.”

“Glamour, that’s just evil!” Coco chastised, even though she was trying to stifle her laugh by covering her mouth with her hoof.

Glamour started giggling upon seeing Coco’s reaction, which caused Coco to give in and openly laugh as well.

For Glamour, it was nice to finally be able to have some fun with Coco. She was growing fonder of her friend the more they spent time together. So this lunch date, without any other ponies or responsibilities bothering them, was greatly appreciated. It felt good not having to worry about anything, even if it was only temporary.

When their laughter died down, Coco’s gaze went down to the table for a few seconds before looking back up. “Um, Glamour, I’ve been meaning to ask you something. Is it alright if I ask you about your saddlebag?”

Glamour sighed. “I just have some private stuff I would rather keep to myself. Sorry, Coco.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I know you don’t want me snooping around in there, but I was wondering if I could ask you something about the bag itself.”

Glamour paused for a moment and then slowly nodded her head. “I suppose that’s alright.”

“Did you bring it with you from your old home?”

“No, I actually got it during my travels, not too long after I started my journey.”

“Do you remember where?”

Glamour had to stop and think about it. After a bit, she shook her head. “Sorry, not really. I just know I got it from a store.” She opted to leave out the part that the bag was unknowingly on loan for an indefinite amount of time.

“Oh…” Coco’s ears folded back as she sank down into her seat a bit.

“Did I say something wrong?” Glamour asked with a concerned frown.

“Yes… I mean, no… I mean…” Coco shook her head. “Sorry, I was just asking because I remember that Nutmeg had a bag just like yours.”

Glamour felt a shiver run through her. She gulped a bit of air before replying, “Uh, did she really? But that’s just a coincidence, right? I mean, it’s not like two ponies can’t happen to own the same kind of bag, right?”

“I know, but I was hoping that if you two had the same bags, maybe you got them from the same place. It would be a clue that I could use to find her again. Are you sure you can’t remember?”

Glamour pretended to take another minute to think before shaking her head again. “I’m sorry, Coco.”

Coco sighed, her eyes looking down at the table. “It’s alright, Glamour. It’s not your fault. Thank you for trying though. I guess I’m still a bit worried about her.”

Fortunately, their food arrived at that moment, putting a hold on their talk.

Glamour perked up as a big slice of chocolate cake was placed in front of her. Using her magic on a fork, she cut off a small piece of her cake and put it in her mouth.

A loud moan that would probably be deemed inappropriate by some ponies escaped her as the sweet dessert flooded her taste buds.

During her travels, a couple of her disguises had been treated to various desserts, and she had developed a bit of a sweet tooth over time. Since she was a changeling, the opportunity to enjoy a sweet treat was few and far in between, so being able to have one now after being neglected from it for so long only made it all the more better.

When Glamour descended from her euphoria, she saw that Coco was staring at her with wide eyes. Looking around the area, she saw that the other ponies dining around them were also staring at her.

“Uh, it’s really good cake,” Glamour quietly explained with a sheepish smile.

Slowly, the other ponies nodded and returned to their meal. One pony even flagged down a waiter to tell her, “I’ll have what she’s having.”

After eating another bite of heaven, this time making sure to stay quiet, Glamour glanced at Coco to see that her friend’s mood seemed to have improved with her meal as well. Wanting to make sure they steered the conversation away from dangerous territory, Glamour cleared her throat, getting Coco’s attention.

“So uh, how long have you been a designer?”

“Since I was just a filly. There was an annual community theater event in my neighborhood, and I learned some things from the mare who ran it. It wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I started to try and make a career out of it. After taking a bunch of classes, I met Suri, and she took me in as her assistant.”

Glamour frowned, remembering the hostile, smug mare. “That’s the other designer who was taunting you back at the show, right?”

Coco nodded. “I know it doesn’t seem like it, but Suri is not that bad when you get to know her. I mean, she was still demanding and did work me hard back then, but I also learned a lot from her.”

“So, what made you eventually quit?”

“Not too long ago, Prim held a fashion contest during Fashion Week, and Suri entered it. Now, Suri has always been competitive, but in this contest, she saw one of the other designers as a big threat to her chances of winning. So um, well, Suri got really mean with her and tried to get her to leave. That was when I decided I had enough.”

“And that’s when you started becoming your own designer?”

Coco nodded. “Do you know the Bridleway show, Hinny of the Hills?”

Glamour shook her head.

“It’s a very popular musical, and I’m one of the costume designers. Believe it or not, I got the position because I became good friends with the designer Suri targeted. Right now though, there’s not too much going on at the theater, so I thought I would try getting my work out there. That’s when I entered into the fashion show and well, you know what happens from there.”

“So, who is this other designer friend of yours?” Glamour asked. “Am I going to get to meet her someday?”

“Probably not for some time. She lives in a little place called Ponyville, and she’s quite busy. She’s actually pretty famous and has even designed the bridal gown for Princess Cadance.”

Glamour’s ears perked up. “Princess Cadance? You mean for the Royal Wedding?”

“Oh yes, I heard it was such a grand event. Well, not counting the whole changeling invasion thing.”

Glamour froze, a piece of cake held right in front of her mouth. “Ch-changelings?”

“You know, those bug-like creatures that pretend to be somepony’s loved one, just to feed off their love.”

“Y-yeah, changelings, I know them well,” Glamour replied, struggling to keep a neutral face.

“It was horrible to hear that they made such a mess of things. I don’t know what I would do if I came face to face with one. I know that they were all blown away, but it’s still pretty scary if you think about it. I mean, they can look like anypony they want, and you wouldn’t even know it. I hope I never have to meet one.”

“Right… That would be pretty awful,” Glamour replied quietly.

Fortunately, Coco did not seem to notice Glamour’s discomfort, and she returned to her vegetable puffs, ending their conversation.

Unfortunately for Glamour, the damage was already done. It was a grim reminder of why she had to keep her secret. While she knew perfectly well that most ponies were afraid of changelings, it was still painful to hear that her friend was scared of her, even if Coco was not directly talking about her.

Glamour ate the rest of her dessert lunch in silence, her magic mechanically moving her fork back and forth from her plate and to her mouth. She could barely register the taste of the sweet pastry anymore.

“Glamour. Glamour?”

“Huh? What?” Glamour gave a small start and directed her attention back to Coco.

“Are you alright?”

“Uh, sure. What makes you think I’m not alright?”

“You’ve been trying to eat air for the past minute.”

Glamour blinked and then looked down at her plate. Sure enough, her fork was persistently trying to poke at a cake that was not there anymore. She cut off her magic, letting the utensil drop onto the plate with a clatter.

“Sorry, I just got lost in my thoughts,” Glamour said, giving a sheepish chuckle.

“Do you need to talk about it?”

Glamour shook her head. “No, it’s alright. Nothing you need to worry about.”

“Well… alright. But don’t be afraid to ask me if you feel like talking.”

“I will, Coco. Thanks.”

After Coco settled their bill, they began walking back home, but since it was still early, Coco opted to make a few detours by visiting a few clothes shops on the way.

“Why do you visit these kind of shops anyway, Coco?” Glamour asked when they entered their third one. “Can’t you make your own clothes?”

“I could, Glamour,” Coco responded as she looked over a yellow dress with white ribbons. “But looking at other ponies’ designs can help give me ideas, and it’s always nice to appreciate their hard work.”

“That does make sense, I guess,” Glamour replied as she continued to follow Coco around the store.

“Ohhh, what am I going to do?” came a mare’s voice from the next aisle, followed by a heavy sigh.

To Glamour’s surprise, Coco immediately started moving, and Glamour followed her friend to the next aisle where the voice was coming from.

There, they found a light-brown pegasus mare with a short, cream-colored mane. She was examining a dress and frowned when she looked at the price tag. With a sigh, she put the dress back before repeating the process with another dress.

“Excuse me, is something wrong?” Coco asked.

“Huh?” The mare looked up at Coco with confusion. “Are you talking to me?”

“Yes, it sounded like you were having some trouble.”

The mare cocked her head. “What? Do you work here?”

“Um, no.”

With a shake of her head, the mare returned looking at the clothes. “I’m fine.”

“What are you doing?” Glamour quietly asked Coco.

“She needs help with something,” Coco whispered back.

“Is she somepony you know?”

“No.”

“So you want to help her, even if you don’t know her?”

“Yes, and I think I know what’s wrong with her.”

“Uh, you two do know that you’re bad at whispering, right?” the mare interrupted, looking back at them with a raised eyebrow.

“Sorry,” Coco quickly apologized. “But are you sure you don’t want to at least tell me what’s troubling you? Maybe I could help. I’m Coco Pommel, and this is Glamour.”

The mare shrugged. “Fine, if you insist. The name’s Cappuccino. The thing is, tomorrow is the anniversary of when I started dating my coltfriend.”

“Oh my, congratulations.”

“Yeah. Sure. Thanks. Anyway, the problem is that he is planning to take me to Le Foin.”

“Le what?” Glamour asked.

“Le Foin, it’s a really nice restaurant in the middle of Manehattan,” Coco informed. “But I don’t see what’s wrong with that. It sounds romantic.”

Cappuccino sighed. “It is. The problem is that I don’t have anything that comes remotely close to fit Le Foin’s dress code. I’ve been searching all day for a nice dress, but…” A small blush formed on her face as she looked away. “I can’t really afford any of them…”

“Oh, I see, that is a problem.”

“Even though we’ve been only dating for a year, we’ve been good friends for a lot longer than that,” Cappuccino continued. “He’s so nice and caring, and I love the way his nose scrunches up when we hug…”

Glamour’s eyes widened a bit when she started to sense a bit of love from Cappuccino as she described her coltfriend.

“Do you mind if I take a look at you?” Coco asked. “I make dresses, and I think I can help you out.”

“Uh, sure. Go right ahead, I guess.”

Coco slowly made a circle around Cappuccino, her eyes scanning Cappuccino’s entire body. “Hmm, it looks like you’ll fit,” she said, a smile emerging on her face when she finished a second circle around Cappuccino.

“Fit what?”

“This.” Coco pulled out a brilliant blue dress from her saddlebag, fully displaying it to Cappuccino.

“Oh, wow.” Cappuccino slowly approached the dress, her wide eyes gazing at it as if it was a valuable jewel. She reached out for the dress with a hoof, but retracted it soon afterwards, and her frown returned to her face. “It does look pretty, Coco, but I can’t afford something like that.”

“Don’t worry, we can work something out,” Coco said, placing the dress in Cappuccino’s hooves. “Go try it on.”

“A-alright.” Cappuccino took the dress into a nearby dressing room.

“What are you planning to do?” Glamour asked when Cappuccino shut the door.

“You’ll see,” Coco replied with a smile.

They waited in front of the dressing room, listening to the sounds of ruffling fabric and Cappuccino’s muttering. Eventually, the noise stopped and was followed shortly by a gasp.

The dressing room door opened, revealing a smiling Cappuccino wearing the dress. “So, how does it look on me?”

“It looks really good on you,” Glamour replied.

“You look beautiful in it,” Coco added. “I’m sure your coltfriend will like it very much.”

“Thank you.” The smile on Cappuccino’s face shrunk a bit. “So uh, what now? I don’t think I have enough to pay for this gorgeous dress.”

“Of course you do. Because I’m giving it to you.”

“What?” Glamour and Cappuccino said at the same time.

“Tomorrow is really important to you and your coltfriend, and if I can do something to help make it happen, then that’s all I need.”

“B-but still, I can’t just accept this dress for nothing,” Cappuccino protested. “At the very least, I could give you what I have.”

Coco shook her head. “It’s alright. You should save it so that you can do something special for your coltfriend. Just knowing that I helped your special night is good enough for me.”

“But… I…” Cappuccino’s eyes started to tear up. Sniffling and giggling at the same time, she wiped away at her eyes with her hoof and gave Coco a grateful smile. “Thank you, Coco. This means so much to me.”

“I’m glad to help. Oh!” Coco went back into her bag and took out a pen and a piece of paper. After quickly writing something on the paper and giving it to Cappuccino, she added, “This is my address. Please come see me if you need any adjustments made to the dress, or just come say hi. I would love to hear how your date went.”

“Of course. I’ll be sure to do that,” Cappuccino heartily agreed with a huge smile. “I really can’t thank you enough for this. Thank you, Coco. Thank you so much.”

Eventually, the three of them exited the store, and Glamour and Coco parted ways with Cappuccino to continue on their way home.

“Coco, I have to ask, why did you give away your dress for free?” Glamour asked.

“Like I said earlier, it was going to be a special day for her, and it makes me happy that I could help her with it.”

“But instead of giving the dress away to somepony you just met, you could’ve saved it to sell it to somepony else.” Glamour looked down at her hooves. “I mean, you do kind of have a roommate that can’t pay for her own things yet…”

“Glamour, it’s alright. I have a good amount of bits saved up, and it won’t be too long before you start getting paid. Besides, it was just one dress. What do you think sounds better, me making a few extra bits, or helping a pony live a night that she will never forget?”

“Well, when you put it that way…” Glamour offered a small smile. “I’m sorry for questioning you, Coco. I’m just used to thinking things in a more um… practical sense, if you know what I mean.”

“That’s alright, and I understand. Just remember that sometimes, you have to listen to your heart, and not your head.”

“I’ll try to remember that. What you did for Cappuccino was really generous of you, and I have to admit it was nice to see you make her smile.”

“Well… there is one other reason I helped her,” Coco added, a blush starting to form on her cheeks.

“Oh? And what is that?”

“It’s a bit embarrassing to admit, but I do have a soft spot for romance. Hearing Cappuccino go through so much trouble for her coltfriend was so sweet.” Coco chuckled. “I probably sound silly, but I hope for the one day that I meet my own special somepony.”

“It’s not silly at all, Coco. Love is one of the most precious things in the world. Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll find somepony eventually. You’re too special, and you’ll make someone a very lucky pony.”

“Aww, thank you, Glamour,” Coco said as she gave Glamour a quick hug. “And I hope one day you find your special somepony too.”

“Um, y-yeah… Me too…”

Later that night, Glamour would stay up, laying on the couch as she mulled over what Coco said.

She was being herself in this crafted form of hers. If she could keep up her charade, she could very well stay like this for the rest of her life. And with that, there was a chance that somepony will try to be her special somepony.

What would she do then?

Despite all the time she spent disguised as a pony and leeching off their love, she did not know what she would do if somepony actually loved her.

Thinking about it, she reasoned that the safest option was to just refuse the advances of anypony who wanted her to be their loved one. Accepting somepony would only complicate things and risk blowing her cover. With all that she had obtained already, nopony would be worth all that trouble.

Besides, how would a changeling ever fall in love with a pony?

Author's Note

"Le Foin" = French for "The Hay".

Chapter 8: Coffee Break

Glamour softly whined as she slowly stirred awake from her slumber. Letting out a yawn, she opened her eyes to the sight of her own room.

As Coco had promised, she and Glamour had cleaned out her work room to give Glamour her own space. Glamour’s bed was just an old mattress Coco had brought out of storage, and there was a drawer full of dressmaking supplies that was too much trouble to move, although Coco made sure to at least knock on the door first if she needed anything from there. Other than the aforementioned furniture and a small dresser for Glamour’s things, the room was not decorated with anything else. Not even a window was present to brighten up the dull room.

And Glamour did not mind it at all. It might not be much, but it was a lot better than many of the other places she used that barely passed as shelter. It was also a private place all to herself, a useful perk for any changeling pretending to be a pony.

As she did some stretches, her ears perked upon hearing the faint sounds of Coco’s sewing machine coming from the other side of her door. With a sigh, she went outside her room and knocked on the door right across the corridor.

“Come in,” Coco’s voice replied amidst the noise.

Glamour opened the door, and as expected, Coco was already busily working away, sitting in a chair as she carefully maneuvered a long strip of fabric through her sewing machine.

“Morning, Coco,” Glamour greeted, leaning against Coco’s door frame.

Coco turned to Glamour with a smile. “Oh, good morning, Glamour. I didn’t wake you, did I?”

Glamour shook her head before taking a quick glance over the room. Scraps of fabric and other discarded materials were scattered everywhere, littering the floor and the furniture. It was like a rainbow and a tornado had practiced wrestling in Coco’s room.

“I’m guessing you went right to work when you woke up,” said Glamour, also noting Coco’s unmade bed.

“Pretty much,” Coco replied, grabbing another sheet of fabric and feeding it into her sewing machine. “I have to get all of these costumes for the theater done.”

“Well, it was a good thing we had that lunch date a few days ago. You’ve been busy ever since with this order. Are you at least almost done?”

Coco nodded. “I should be done by tomorrow, if all goes well.”

“That’s good, but don’t overwork yourself. Speaking of, did you forget about breakfast again?”

Coco opened her mouth to say something, but instead, a rumble from her stomach answered for her. Her cheeks glowing red, she let out a whimper as she sank into her chair.

Glamour chuckled and headed for the kitchen. “Thought so.”

Humming to herself, Glamour used her magic to take two slices of bread out of a bag and stuck them inside a toaster. A cabinet door was also opened, and a can of ground coffee floated towards Glamour in a green aura. Popping open the can’s lid, Glamour frowned when she saw that there was not enough coffee in the can to make even one cup. With a sigh, she threw the can into the trash.

As she waited for the toast, Glamour scanned the living room area for any trash. When she first woke up in Coco’s apartment, the living room area was almost as messy as Coco’s room, but thanks to her, she had managed to clear away the clutter and confine it to Coco’s room.

On the other side of the room, there was also a dress rack with the result of Coco’s work over the past few days. Close to twenty different colorful costumes were hanging on it, ready to be delivered to the theater.

The toaster made a dinging noise, prompting Glamour to transfer the warm, crunchy bread to a plate. After applying a generous spread of jam, she took the toast back to Coco, who had returned to her work while she was away.

“Oh, thank you, Glamour,” Coco said when the toast was carefully placed next to her on her worktable. She took a moment to finish working on the fabric she was holding before turning her sewing machine off and grabbing a slice of toast.

“I need to thank you again for looking after me and taking care of the chores. I’m sorry that I’m not exactly the best roommate,” Coco said after she took a bite of toast and turned to Glamour. “And I’m sorry that you’ve been cooped up in here. It must be boring for you. Are you sure you don’t have anything else to do?”

“It’s the least I could do since you are letting me stay here. Besides, it’s kind of interesting to see you work, even if you do tend to forget a few, well actually more than a few, things while you work.”

Coco chuckled nervously. “Sorry about that. I just can’t help it. When I start working, I really get into it and lose sight of everything else. The place could be on fire, and I probably would not notice it.”

“Well, it also means you’re really passionate and dedicated to your work. And it shows in all the great dresses you make.”

Coco giggled. “Thanks. So, have you heard anything from Photo Finish yet?”

Glamour shook her head. “No, I haven’t. I’m starting to wonder if she’s—”

A knock from the front door caused both of them to turn to the source of the noise.

“Were you expecting somepony?” Glamour asked.

“No, although it could be somepony from the theater here to check on my work. Could you answer the door?”

Glamour nodded and went to the front door. Right before she opened the door, she paused when she thought she heard the faint sound of music coming from the other side. Slowly turning the doorknob, Glamour opened the door by only an inch before it was kicked wide open, knocking her onto her flanks.

“I, Photo Finish, have arrived!”

I should have known, Glamour thought as she got back up on her hooves, recalling Prim Hemline’s suspicions of Photo Finish’s need for dramatic entrances. She shuddered a bit at the thought of Photo Finish stalking her, waiting for the right opportunity to pop out. She was probably going to start looking behind her shoulder a bit more often now.

Looking around, Glamour saw that Coco’s modest apartment was suddenly cramped with the arrival of Photo Finish and her entourage, and the music Glamour heard earlier was now being blasted at full force.

“Glamour, darling, how—” The rest of Photo Finish’s words were drowned out by the blaring music.

“What?” Glamour yelled out, craning her ear closer to Photo Finish.

“How are—” Again, the music made it impossible to hear the rest of the sentence.

“What?”

Glamour did not have to look behind Photo Finish’s thick shades to know the photographer was rolling her eyes.

Photo Finish headed to the rear of her entourage as her ponies moved out of her way to reveal a stallion with a boombox on his back. She pressed a button on the boombox, and the music instantly died down to more tolerable levels.

“Glamour, darling, how is my star?” Photo Finish repeated with a smile as if nothing had gone wrong.

“Doing just fine, Photo Finish. It is good to see you again.”

“Of course it is. It’s always good to see Photo Finish.”

Glamour slowly nodded. “Right… So, what brings you here?” She yelped when Photo Finish’s hooves clamped onto her cheeks and brought her face right in front of the eccentric photographer.

“I, Photo Finish, have wunderbar news! My publishers are loving the photos we took, and I didn’t even have to tell them to love it!”

“That’s great!” Glamour replied with a cheerful smile, only to quickly fade away as her brow furrowed. “Uh, so what does that mean?”

“It means it won’t be long before you hit the fashion world by storm! We just need to do one more thing.”

“And what’s that?”

Instead of answering, Photo Finish let go of Glamour, dropping her to the floor, and walked over to the rack of costumes that Coco made. “Are these all of your dresses?” she asked, holding up an outfit that looked like it would fit in a couple of centuries ago.

“No, they are costumes for the theater at—”

“Do you have anything new to wear?”

“Well, no, not really, but—”

“Where is that designer of yours? What’s her name… Momo?”

“It’s Coco.”

“Yes, yes, where is she?”

“Right here, Photo Finish,” Coco called out, rushing into the room and bowing her head to Photo Finish. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“You!” Photo Finish suddenly pointed a hoof at Coco, causing her to back up a few steps.

“Uh, m-me?”

“Glamour needs a new dress tomorrow!”

“T-t-tomorrow?” Coco’s eyes grew wide.

“What’s tomorrow?” Glamour asked.

“You, Glamour, are going to have a fashion show! We need you to make an appearance right before your pictures are released to the masses.”

“A fashion show? Really? Does Prim Hemline know about this? She’s not exactly rushing to get me back on stage.”

“Hemline has no problem with this show because it is about you and only you. She said something about not having to worry about collateral damage.”

“Good to know her faith in me has not changed,” Glamour mumbled to herself before speaking to Photo Finish again. "So uh, what exactly will I be doing? Is it going to be a lot like the photo shoot?”

“Of course not.”

Glamour breathed a sigh of relief.

“Because this time you’ll have an actual stage with hundreds of ponies watching your every move. It will be even more wunderbar!”

“Right… Yay…” Despite getting a chance to feed again, Glamour was not sure she was ready to face another audience yet.

“Good, now I, Photo Finish, must prepare for tomorrow. An artist as great as I, Photo Finish, never rests! And now… I go!”

While Photo Finish made it out of the door just fine, her entourage was apparently not used to making their usual dramatic exit in the cramped space. As they bumped against each other, trying to squeeze through Coco’s narrow doorway, Glamour could not help but feel an odd sense of satisfaction.

When the last of the entourage finally made it out and Glamour closed the door, Coco let out a long sigh.

“You alright, Coco?” Glamour asked right away.

“Yeah, I’m okay… Sort of.” Coco frowned. “The theater costumes are due the day after tomorrow, and I thought I had plenty of time to finish them. But now, not only do I have to make a new dress for you, I’ll get more behind when we have to go to the show tomorrow.”

“Oh…” Glamour bowed her head. “I’m sorry, Coco. I guess you’re going to have a really tough time because of me.”

“It’s not your fault, Glamour. It’s all just unfortunate timing.” Coco sighed again. “I’m going to have to really be careful with my time, but I should still be able to do everything.”

“Couldn’t I just wear one of the dresses you already made?”

Coco shook her head. “I already showed off all my current ones to Photo Finish. She wants a new one, and I’m pretty sure she’ll notice.”

“You could um…” Glamour hesitated before continuing in a halfhearted voice, “skip going to the show. I can just take the dress with me, and you can stay home to finish your work.”

“Oh no, I could not do that. A small part of it is to make sure you’re dressed properly, but I really want to be there and cheer you on.”

Glamour breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. “Thanks, Coco. To be honest, I’m getting kind of nervous about the show, but knowing that you’re coming is already making me feel better.”

“I’m glad to help. Well, I guess I should get started on your dress now,” Coco said, turning back to her room.

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Actually, if it’s not too much trouble, could you brew me some coffee? I’m probably going to need it with all this stuff I have to do.”

“About that… I actually tried to make you a cup earlier, but it looks like you’re out.”

Coco looked back at Glamour with a small frown on her face. “Really?” After receiving a nod, she sighed. “Guess I’ll have to make do without it. Could you remind me to go buy some more the next time I go grocery shopping?”

“Sure, but how about if I go out and grab a cup for you from a coffee shop now?”

“Oh no, you don’t have to make a special trip just for that.”

Glamour scoffed. “It’s no problem at all, Coco. I don’t have much to do until the show, and I want to do whatever little bit I could to help you out. Besides, I could use a little bit of change from cleaning up after you.”

“Hey!” Coco tried to pout, but the sides of her mouth pointing upwards betrayed her. After Glamour giggled, she let out a short chuckle of her own. “Alright, if you really don’t mind…” Coco went into her room for a moment and came back out with a small pouch of bits. “And make sure you get something for yourself too.”

“Sure thing, Coco,” Glamour agreed, levitating the bits over to her. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

When Glamour got onto the streets, she tried to remember if there were any nearby coffee shops. Fortunately, one of the things Glamour had noticed during her stay in Manehattan was that the ponies here really liked their coffee, and because of that, it seemed like there was a coffee shop on every street corner to meet that demand. So while she did not know where the nearest coffee shop was, it only took a few minutes of wandering around before she found one.

Okay, just get a cup of coffee and go, Glamour told herself as she stepped into the shop. Nothing hard about that.

“I got an espresso latte here!”

Glamour stopped. “Wait, what?”

“No whip, nonfat, extra peppermint frappuccino with two shots!”

“Uh…”

“Who ordered the quad, long shot, half cafe, salted caramel mocha latte with added vanilla, white chocolate, and hazelnut with whole milk, no whip, extra hot, extra foam, extra drizzle, extra salt, scoop of vanilla bean powder, and light ice… with sprinkles!”

Glamour’s eye twitched. Her knowledge of coffee was pretty much limited to just brown. The last few orders might as well have been a foreign language to her.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the line.

As the pony in front of her placed her order, Glamour looked up at the menu. She saw coffee and iced coffee, but she could barely understand what the other twenty-eight items were. She never expected that she would need a dictionary just to order coffee.

With her eyes still trying to decipher what exactly was on the menu, Glamour moved up in line when she noticed the pony in front of her had finished and moved out of the way.

“Hi! Welcome to Ponybucks, how can I… Hey wait, you’re Glamour, right?”

Hearing her name, Glamour looked down to see a familiar pony behind the cash register. “Oh hi, it’s uh… um… Cappuccino?”

“Right!” Cappuccino replied with a big smile. “I thought you looked familiar. You were with Coco when she gave me that gorgeous dress for my date.”

Glamour nodded. “How did your date go?”

Somehow, Cappuccino’s smile grew even wider. “It was the best night of my life. My coltfriend could not keep his eyes off of me the entire date. I even got compliments from complete strangers when we were in Le Foin. That’s never happened to me before! Things couldn’t have been better! That is, until we finished our dinner.”

Cappuccino held up a forehoof, showing off a golden band with a diamond on it. “That’s when he proposed.” She let out a squeal and did a little happy trot in place.

“He did? Oh wow, congratulations!”

“Thank you, Glamour, and please say thank you to Coco for me as well. Even though my colt, er, my fiance, was going to propose to me regardless of what I wore, Coco’s dress made the whole night more special. Between feeling prettier than I have ever felt before and getting engaged to my special somepony, it’s like a dream come true.”

As Cappuccino rested her head on her forehooves that were propped up on the counter, her eyes stared off into space. Judging by the traces of love coming from her, Glamour guessed she was reliving her date. Seeing what Coco’s generosity had helped bring made Glamour smile as well.

A moment later, Cappuccino blinked and stood back up in attention. “Oh, I forgot to mention that I actually was planning to visit Coco this weekend to tell her the whole story myself. I was also going to ask if she does wedding dresses. Do you know if she does?”

“She probably could. She’s a great designer, and she makes a bunch of the costumes for a theater on Bridleway.”

“That would be so great if she could. She helped give me a wonderful date with that marvelous dress, and I’m sure she can do the same for my wedding.” Cappuccino paused, looked behind Glamour, and gasped. “Oh, look at me, I’m holding up you and the line. What would you like?”

“Well, Coco has a bunch of work to do today, so I’m just here to get a cup of coffee for her.”

“Sure thing.”

Glamour mentally wiped her brow, glad that she did not have to go through all those confusing terms to order an ordinary cup of coffee.

“So, what kind would you like?”

Glamour blinked. “Sorry, what?”

“We got light, prench roast, espresso roast, decaf, full city roast, dark, Coltlombian, and then there’s our special house blend, and we also have…”

Glamour let out a quiet whimper to herself as she wondered if she had time to curl up in a corner and weep.

“Get a white chocolate mocha, Glamour.”

Glamour’s confounding coffee conundrum was interrupted, not by Cappuccino, but by another familiar voice from behind her. Looking over her shoulder, Glamour found Grace standing right behind her in line, greeting her with a “Sup”.

“Oh hi, Grace. Uh, what were you saying earlier?”

“White chocolate mocha. It’s Coco’s favorite.”

Glamour’s ears perked up. “Really? That’s great. Thanks, Grace.” She turned back to Cappuccino. “Could I get one white chocolate mocky—”

“Mocha.”

“Right, mocha instead?” Glamour paused for a moment, remembering that Coco wanted her to get one for herself. “Actually, make that two.”

“Coming right up,” Cappuccino cheerfully chirped back. “And don’t worry about paying. It’s on me.”

Glamour heard Grace say “Oh really?” right before Grace draped a foreleg over her neck.

“How about adding a cinnamon latte to your order for your good old friend Grace that’s always looking out for you?”

Glamour raised an eyebrow at Grace’s smile. “Didn’t you want to use a hammer on me a few days ago?”

“Hey, it would have gotten you down from the ceiling faster… Maybe.”

“Uh, do you know this pony, Glamour?” Cappuccino asked.

“Unfortunately,” Glamour answered. She gave an exasperated sigh, making sure to make it as loud and long as possible. “Would it be alright to add her drink as well?”

Cappuccino giggled. “It’s no problem. I owe you and Coco a whole lot more than a few free drinks. I’ll get started on your orders right away, and I’ll call you when they’re ready.”

“Yes!” Grace got off Glamour and did a hoof pump. “Free stuff! My favorite! Hey, Glamour, why don’t you sit down with me for a bit? I need something fun to do during my break, but I guess since I’m here with you…”

Glamour rolled her eyes and followed Grace.

“So, what have the two of you been up to?” Grace asked when they sat down at a table. “You two haven’t been around since that whole hanging off the ceiling thing.”

“Coco has been staying home to make costumes for the theater she works at, and I’ve been helping her.”

“Helping her? As in making clothes and stuff?”

“More like doing chores for her.”

“Uh huh… So, is there like a maid costume?”

“Yes.”

Grace’s eyes widened. “Seriously? Wow, didn’t know Coco was into that sort of thing.”

“Not for me!” Glamour cried out, a bit of red tinging her cheeks. “For the theater.”

“Aww.” Grace frowned for a few seconds before reverting back to her usual extrovert self. “Oh yeah, Photo Finish is probably going to be visiting you soon. She asked for your address yesterday.”

“She already did. She’s putting on a fashion show with just me in it tomorrow.”

“Ooh, can I come? I only heard about what happened to you during the last show.”

“Are you coming to watch and support me, or are you coming to watch in hopes that I repeat what happened during the last show?”

“Yes.”

Glamour facehoofed and chuckled. “Figures.”

Their talk took a short break when Glamour heard Cappuccino calling her over with their drinks. As soon as Glamour returned and set the drinks on the table, Grace had quickly grabbed her cup and took a big gulp.

“Isn’t that hot?” Glamour asked.

“Don’t care. Need caffeine,” Grace replied before taking another chug.

Ignoring Grace’s loud slurping, Glamour asked, “So, have you known Coco for a long time?”

Grace put down her drink, letting out a satisfied sigh before answering, “Hmm… Yes and no.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“The thing is, I’ve seen Coco around for at least a couple of years, but we never talked to each other. We actually only became friends a few weeks before you arrived. I was having a really bad day at work, and out of nowhere, she brought me a cup of coffee. We got to talking, then one thing led to another, and then boom, we’re friends.”

“It took you that long to become friends?”

“Pretty much. Back then, Coco kept to herself and hardly spoke with anypony else, so it was a surprise when she was the one who came and talked to me like the Coco we have now.”

“So basically, something happened a few weeks ago to change Coco.” Glamour thought for a moment and recalled her lunch with Coco. “That wouldn’t happen to be after she quit being Suri’s assistant during Fashion Week, would it?”

Grace blinked. “Uh, yeah actually. Coco told you all of that?”

“I know that Coco quit because Suri was going after one of the other competitors, but she didn’t tell me the specifics about it.”

“Mhmm…” Grace hummed as she slowly sipped away at her coffee.

“Could you tell me more about Coco when she was working with Suri?”

“Pretty much everypony, including me, saw her as just Suri’s assistant. That’s it. Like I said, I hardly knew her until after the events of Fashion Week.”

“Then what exactly happened during Fashion Week? It seems like that was a big turning point for her.”

“Um…” For the first time, Glamour saw a Grace who did not know what to say.

“Look, I met Suri during the last show, and I got a glimpse of how she treats Coco. Not only that, but every time the subject of Suri is brought up with her, she acts a bit funny and evasive. I’m just a bit worried for Coco, and I want to be sure she’s okay.”

Grace silently stared stone-faced at Glamour, lightly tapping on the table with a hoof. Seeing Grace so serious and quiet was another first for Glamour.

After a few tense, silent moments passed, Grace finally started talking again. “Well… Alright, fine. But what I tell you next, you are not going to talk about it with anypony else but Coco and I. Got it?”

Glamour nodded immediately.

Grace took a deep breath. “Alright, so this other designer Suri went after, she made some really cool dresses out of some special fabric. Before the rehearsals for the Fashion Week show started, Suri tricked the other designer into giving her that special fabric, and she used it to make copies of the other designer’s dresses, along with a bit of added flair. If things went Suri’s way, the other designer would have been accused of copying off Suri and be disqualified.

“But somehow, the other designer made a whole new set of dresses and won first place while Suri came in second. However, because the other designer ran off the stage to see her friends or something like that, she didn’t know she won. When the designer came back, Suri convinced her that Prim Hemline was angry and that she was to stay away from her. The first place trophy would have defaulted to Suri if Coco didn’t accept it on the other designer’s behalf and gave it to her.”

“So Coco quit because Suri cheated. And I guess that also explains why Suri is really hostile with Coco. Coco cost her the first place trophy, even if she did not deserve it. But why doesn’t Coco just tell me that? It doesn’t seem like it’s something that she needs to hide.”

“That’s what I also want to know. Even before Fashion Week. I noticed that Suri did not exactly treat Coco well, always asking her to fetch coffee or criticizing everything she does. What’s worse is that some ponies suspected that Suri used underhoofed tactics to sometimes come out ahead of the competition, but there’s never been any concrete evidence showing that. But for some reason, Coco stuck by her.”

“But what about the Fashion Week stuff? It seems like you and Coco know enough to turn her in.”

“We do. Between me getting a peek at the other designer’s work before everypony else and Coco’s side of the story, we could get Suri into a lot of trouble.”

“Then why don’t you guys do it?”

“Because Coco doesn’t want to.”

“What? Why not?”

“She wouldn’t say. But if I had to guess, it would be because she’s trying to protect her own reputation. You see, it was Coco who actually stitched up all those copies.”

Glamour gasped. “W-wait, Coco cheated as well?”

“Unknowingly, thankfully. She wasn’t aware that Suri was having her make copies until it was too late. But since she was still Suri’s assistant at the time and had a hoof in the cheating, there’s the risk that ponies would lump her in with Suri. Having a black mark like that on her reputation can pretty much ruin her career.”

“So we’re just supposed to keep quiet about it?”

“Pretty much. While I would like to see Suri get knocked down a couple of pegs, it’s not worth the risk to Coco.”

Glamour sighed and nodded. “Well, thanks anyway for telling me all of this, Grace. It’s something that has been nagging at my mind for a while.”

“Sure, no problem.”

As Glamour let her gaze drop to the table, she saw that she still had not tried out Coco’s favorite coffee. Using her magic, she floated the drink over to her and took a sip.

Glamour’s eyes widened as the sweet drink flooded into her mouth, instantly drowning her gloom in a surge of syrup and sugar. Despite the beverage having cooled to a lukewarm temperature, the delicious drink made her tip her head back farther, allowing her to guzzle down her white chocolate mocha in gusto.

When Glamour finished the drink, she let out a satisfied sigh and looked back to Grace who was staring at her with her mouth slightly agape.

“Whoa…”

Glamour blushed a bit. “Uh, I like sweet stuff?”

“No kidding, and I thought Coco liked white chocolate mocha.”

“Well, now I do too.”

Grace chuckled as she got up. “I noticed. Well, I guess now is a good time for me to head back. I’ll see you at your little fashion show thingy tomorrow. Say hi to Coco for me.”

After saying goodbye to Grace, Glamour turned her attention back to the other white chocolate mocha on the table. It was supposed to be Coco’s drink, but it probably had cooled off as well.

A small smirk appeared on Glamour’s face as the cup was wrapped in a green aura and floated towards her. I really should get a fresh one for Coco, and no point in letting this one go to waste. It’s not like one more is going to hurt.

Glamour’s hoof rapidly knocked on the door to Coco’s apartment until Coco opened it.

“Glamour? What took you so long, I was getting—” Coco was cut off when a hot cup of white chocolate mocha floated into her hooves.

“HiCocoSorryForBeingLateButIMetCappuccinoAndGraceAndITalkedToGraceForAWhileAndIBoughtYouSomeWhiteChocolateMochaButIHadTheFirstOneAndReallyLikedItSoIDrankYoursTooSoIBoughtAnotherTwoAndEndedUpDrinkingThoseToo.”

“Uhh…” Coco slowly blinked. “Wait, did you say you had four cups of white chocolate mocha?”

“YesAndIFeelLikeIHaveSoMuchEnergyAndWhyIsEverythingShaking?” Glamour not so much walked, but rather vibrated her way into the apartment.

“Glamour, all that caffeine and sugar is not good for you.”

“NothingWrongWithMeNopeNopeNopeICanSeeEvenSeeSoundsAnd—”

“Glamour, You might feel uh, fine now, but you’re going to eventually—”

A loud thump rang through the air as Glamour's face planted into the floor, her rump sticking into the air as muffled snores started emitting from her.

“Crash…”

Chapter 9: Confront

“Glamour… Glamour, wake up.”

“Just five more minutes, Mr. Banana, then I’ll play with you.”

“Uh…”

A few seconds later, Glamour felt somepony nudge her sleeping body. With a yawn and a bit of grumbling, she got up and slowly opened her eyes to see the pony that woke her.

“Oh, morning, Coco,” Glamour greeted.

“Morning, Glamour. Are you feeling alright? You slept in quite a bit,” Coco replied.

“Yeah, all that coffee yesterday kind of ruined my sleeping schedule. I couldn’t get to sleep until really late thanks to that crash.”

“Well, maybe you’ll be more careful the next time you try to drink four cups of coffee,” Coco chastised. “Will you be alright for the show today?”

“Oh… Right… The show…”

“Feeling nervous?”

“Kind of,” Glamour replied as she got out of bed. “We’ll just have to see how it goes. What about you? Will you have enough time to finish everything for the theater?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. Speaking of, I finished your dress.”

They moved to the living room where Coco took out a dress hanging from a clothes rack and presented it to Glamour.

“What do you think?” Coco asked.

“Wow…” was all Glamour could reply with as she gawked at the dress.

Coco’s latest creation was a sleek, light blue dress with what looked like to be strips of golden fabric interwoven into spiral patterns around the middle and hemline of the dress. Making it even more dazzling, the golden fabric had something in it that made it shimmer a bit in the light.

“You made that in less than a day, Coco? It looks fantastic.”

“Really?” Coco’s brow furrowed as she looked at her dress. “Are you sure? I did have some extra stuff lying around from the theater costumes, but it’s nothing too special, since I didn’t have much time.”

“Coco, like I said before, you need to have more confidence in yourself and your work. You do amazing work.”

A small blush crept its way onto Coco’s cheeks as she smiled. “Th-thanks, Glamour.”

“I can’t wait to try it on,” Glamour added cheerfully. Her chipper mood dropped a bit when she glanced at the clock. “Oh, guess I’ll have to wait a bit longer. It looks like we should leave really soon.”

“I just need to pack this dress up and clean up a little bit, and then we can go,” Coco replied as she folded up the dress. “Oh, and make sure to at least eat a little something before we leave. I know you’re nervous but having a little food in you will help.”

Glamour nodded and grabbed a slice of bread from the kitchen counter as Coco went into her room. Even though she knew that her real meal would come later, she still nibbled on the simple snack to keep up appearances. After all, pony food did little for her changeling body.

Well, most pony food. Given Coco’s recollection of her shenanigans, yesterday was a firsthoof experience that caffeine was actually one of the few things that actually did have an effect on changelings. Then again, four cups of white chocolate mocha would probably put anything into a sugar-induced, hyperactive, coma.

That did not stop Glamour from wanting another white chocolate mocha, however. Maybe next time she will limit herself to just three cups. Maybe.

The other and possibly slightly less important discovery she made yesterday was more information on Coco’s past. It was surprising to hear how Coco did not interact with anypony, but it was even more surprising to hear that she was involved with cheating. Glamour was just glad that her friend did it unknowingly and got out of it as soon as she found out.

Glamour was curious to hear more about what happened, and she thought about bringing up that part of the conversation when she told Coco about her meeting with Cappuccino and Grace, but given the sensitive nature surrounding the incident, she chose to leave it for another time when the both of them were less busy.

“I’m all ready, Glamour,” Coco announced as she came back into the room, wearing her saddlebags.

Glamour nodded and finished off her bread before joining Coco at the door.

“Oh, Glamour, I’ve been meaning to ask you…” Coco began as they exited the apartment. “Who’s Mr. Banana?”

At that point, Glamour wondered if it was possible if her body could be hotter than the sun. At least then Princess Celestia would come along and smite her, saving her from explaining some of the interesting dreams she had to Coco. Sadly, that was not the case.

It was going to be a long, awkward walk to the show.

One walk that shall never be mentioned ever again later, Glamour and Coco reached their destination. A crowd had already begun lining up at the entrance to the building, but what really drew their attention were a series of huge posters lining the walls.

“Whoa…” Glamour stopped in front of one of the posters, looking up at it with wide eyes. In big, bright, block letters that dominated half the poster were the words “Photo Finish Presents Her Latest Fashion Star”. Below that, in a much smaller font, were the details and other information about the show. What was most astonishing was that an unmistakable silhouette of her spanned the entire background of the poster.

There was no doubt that Photo Finish had somehow got posters like this all over Manehattan, and it was a reminder of how important the upcoming show was. A reminder that made Glamour gulp.

“Glamour, are you alright?” Glamour heard Coco ask as she was poked out of her daze.

“Y-yeah… I just didn’t expect to see all of this,” Glamour replied, not able to take her eyes off the poster in front of her. “Guess this is going to be a bigger deal than I thought.”

“Are you thinking about your first show?"

“Pretty much,” Glamour admitted. “It wasn’t exactly one of my best moments, even if it did get Photo Finish’s attention. Being up on stage was pretty scary and freezing up while in the spotlight did not make it any better.”

“I’m sure this time will be a lot better. After all, Photo Finish doesn’t expect you to be like the other models. There’s also going to be less ponies, and since you already been on stage before, maybe it won’t be as scary this time.”

“That’s what I’m hoping for.”

“Just um, try not to do that magic thing again.”

“Ah right, that thing. Don’t worry, I don’t think I’ll have to resort to that again,” Glamour said, remembering when she absorbed a large amount of adoration at once to help finish her first show. Hopefully, she would not panic and be able to feed at her leisure this time.

Right before she turned to head inside, Glamour noticed something on the bottom half of the poster. She had almost missed it, due to it being buried in the middle of all the other text. Even when she moved closer, she still had to squint her eyes a bit.

“What is it, Glamour?”

“Dress design by Coco Pommel,” Glamour slowly read out loud.

“Really?” Coco moved next to Glamour, and a smile soon appeared on her face. “Wow, Photo Finish actually put my name on the poster.”

“But you can barely see it…”

“It’s alright, Glamour. I’m flattered that Photo Finish even mentioned me. Just having my name on here is quite the honor. Besides, this whole thing is about you, not me.”

“Still feels like you should at least get a bit more attention. I mean, it’s your dress that’s also going to be on stage.”

“Thank you for the concern, Glamour. Um, I think we should be going now. Look.”

Glamour turned to her friend to see that Coco was motioning with her head to look behind her. Following Coco’s direction, Glamour’s attention was drawn to the waiting crowd where a few ponies were looking back and forth between her and the posters.

“Uh, right, let’s go,” Glamour agreed as they swiftly made their way into the building. “Photo Finish probably won’t be happy if half the audience already guessed who I am, and there’s probably going to be all sorts of things she has waiting for me before the show anyway.”

As soon as they stepped inside the lobby, they were greeted by one of Photo Finish’s ponies, who promptly escorted them to the dressing room in the backstage area. When they entered the dressing room, Glamour let out a long groan when she saw Photo Finish standing next to a certain group of ponies that she was starting to loathe and fear.

“Let’s just get this over with,” Glamour muttered before she was dragged into the center of the room by Photo Finish’s makeup ponies.

A lot of poking, some screaming, and a few clouds of blush later, Glamour was all dressed and decorated for the show. While she could not deny the speed and proficiency of the makeup ponies, her blush-filled sinuses and aching face were demanding retribution. Unfortunately, previous experience had shown that retribution usually made it harder to keep a job.

“Ah, my shining star looks wunderbar!” Photo Finish declared with a smile, only for it to drop a few seconds later. “Now go!”

With a mad dash to the door, Photo Finish’s ponies zipped out of the dressing room, leaving their employer, Glamour, and Coco alone.

“So, Photo Finish,” Glamour started, “What am I—” She let out a yelp when Photo Finish suddenly moved to her side and threw a hoof around her neck.

“This is it, Glamour! We are just moments away from making fashion history! The time has come to show Equestria your glorious buffoonery!” Photo Finish proclaimed, tugging Glamour in different directions as she emphasized her words with wide, sweeping gestures. “Oh, I cannot wait to see how the audience will cheer for you. How are you feeling? Thrilled? Excited? Eager? Delighted beyond your wildest imaginations? About to burst with joy in an explosion of artistic magnificence?”

“Uh, a bit of all of that? Actually, to be honest, I’m also kind of nervous as well.”

“Nervous? Don’t be ridiculous,” Photo Finish said with a scoff as she dropped Glamour. “You’re only about to go out in front of hundreds of ponies to do what could be the most important show of your entire life that will either fulfill all of your wildest dreams or brutally crush them into a decrepit husk that would forever haunt you for the rest of your life.”

Glamour and Coco both stared at Photo Finish with their mouths slightly agape.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?” Photo Finish asked, slightly tilting her head.

“Is that how you usually um, encourage ponies?” Coco asked.

“Why yes.” Photo Finish replied with a smile. “In fact, you’re not the first pony to ask about my beautiful, inspiring words.”

“Right… So uh, how is this show going to work out?” Glamour asked. “It’s just me, and you only asked for one dress from Coco. I might be missing something here, but it seems like it’s going to be a really short show.”

“And you would be exactly right! Today will be your grand unveiling. It will be the first time ponies will get to see my latest star, but all they will get is just a glimpse! You will leave them wondering who you are, and they will be raving to find out more about you by the time my brilliant pictures of you are published. Always leave your adoring fans wanting more, and they’ll come flocking back to you!”

“That sounds great, but I’m still not sure what I’m—”

“No time! We must go now to make ze magicks!” Photo Finish proclaimed as she grabbed Glamour and Coco’s hooves, and with a frightening display of strength, she rushed out of the room with two screaming ponies in tow, and then dumped them onto the floor as soon as they reached the backstage area.

“Just wait here until it is time and then you just do what you do,” Photo Finish explained over the sounds of ponies chatting and moving around from the other side of the stage curtains. “Let Photo Finish take care of the rest!”

Before Glamour could ask for more clarification, Photo Finish trotted through an opening in the curtains to the applause of the audience. Her voice clearly rang through the room a few seconds later as she began her opening speech.

Glamour groaned at the lack of guidance. With nothing else to do but prepare for her debut, she closed her eyes and began taking in deep breaths and slowly releasing them as she quickly tried to mentally prepare herself.

She really did hope she could get through this show with a minimal amount of problems. She no longer had to worry about food, and she actually had time to rest and relax, instead of always being on guard. She needed her career as a fashion model to continue this new life of hers she was enjoying.

Glamour’s eyes opened when she felt a hoof on her back, and a quick look revealed that it was Coco.

“Relax, Glamour. You’re going to do fine,” Coco encouraged, gently patting Glamour’s back. “Even if you have a hiccup, I know you’ll be able to pull through, and I’ll be watching and cheering you on from the side the entire time.”

Glamour smiled back at the other reason she did not want this show to fail. Not only did Coco help get her this job, she had been nothing but supportive and had even opened up her home to her. Coco was her first real friend, and Glamour could feel they were becoming better friends every day. Not too surprisingly, Glamour had found that her worry of disappointing Coco was almost as strong as her worry of being able to feed.

After about fifteen minutes and around sixty-seven uses of her own name, Photo Finish finally announced, “And now, making her first official appearance as my newest shimmering, shining, stupendous star, I, Photo Finish, present Glamour!”

Hearing her name, Glamour slowly walked toward the curtains, giving one quick look back at Coco before stepping onto the stage.

She was immediately greeted by her own round of applause, and she winced when a barrage of camera flashes hit her. Her eyes came under more duress when the spotlight quickly moved over to her, and she could feel her nerves starting to act up again. Trying her best to suppress her agitation, she raised a hoof to her eyes and took a better look around the room.

As Photo Finish had boasted, there had to be a few hundred ponies in the room, all clamoring and had their attention focused right on her. Despite the smaller audience and the adoration already permeating the area, it was still enough to send a shiver through Glamour’s body.

Turning her head slightly to the right, she saw Coco, who smiled and gave a small wave back as she mouthed the words “You can do it”.

Glamour quickly smiled back before turning her attention back forward again. There was a horde of energy waiting for her, and on top of that, this was also her chance to get Coco’s work more attention.

After taking a deep breath, Glamour started moving.

Recalling how she was supposed to act during the photo shoots, Glamour guessed that Photo Finish was expecting more of the same thing and just winged it. Going at her own pace, her walk through the stage and onto the runway was slow. It did not help that her legs were still shaking a bit with every step, and she often hesitated when she came near some of the more enthusiastic audience members.

A particularly bright flash from a camera caused her to reel back a bit as her pupils shrunk into pinpricks. Stopping to shake her head a bit to get rid of the spots in her vision, Glamour used the pause to look back at Photo Finish. Seeing the photographer’s big grin and fervent nodding made Glamour breathe a small sigh of relief before turning her attention forward once again.

When she finally made it to the end of the runway, she waved a bit at the audience before beginning a few poses, doing her best to try and show off every inch of Coco’s dress to the crowd. At the same time, she started drawing in the latent adoration all around her.

Taking her time to savor the adoration, a small smile came upon Glamour’s face as each passing moment made her feel a bit more relaxed, the bite of her nerves being overcome by the warming, invigorating energy slowly seeping into her.

Continuing her posing and feeding, Glamour eventually caught sight of Grace seated near the back and leaning back in her chair. While she was glad to see a friendly face, she had to resist the urge to roll her eyes when Grace did a lazy wave while mouthing “Sup”.

Wondering if there were any other ponies she knew that were here, Glamour did a slow turn as her eyes scanned the audience. Halfway through, she let out a sound that sounded like a strangled squirrel being sucked through a straw and lost her balance when she laid eyes on another pony she recognized.

Seated in the middle of the audience with a stoic face was none other than Prim Hemline.

Glamour gulped and felt herself momentarily freeze up when their eyes met and Prim narrowed her eyes into a glare. While she was currently working with Photo Finish, Prim Hemline was technically still her employer. Recalling Prim’s reluctance of her hiring, Glamour hoped that her improvement with this show would please the scary mare enough to leave her alone.

With her meal done some time ago, and her nerves starting to return, thanks to Prim, Glamour shuffled her hooves to discreetly make herself turn faster until Hemline was out of her vision. After one more complete turn, making sure her eyes did not go over the section where Prim was sitting again, Glamour made her way back up the runway and back to Photo Finish.

Receiving another nod and smile from Photo Finish, Glamour made her way to the curtain. She yelped when she felt Photo Finish bump into her, sending her crashing into the floor behind the curtains.

Glamour rolled her eyes when she heard Photo Finish started talking again about herself. Still, she had done her part, and she certainly did not mind that the spotlight was not on her anymore. Getting back up on her hooves, Glamour smiled when she saw Coco walking over to her.

“You did it, Glamour! You did great!” Coco congratulated with a big smile. “How are you feeling?”

“Not too bad, actually. I was still pretty nervous at the beginning, but I didn’t freeze up like last time. Well, not much at least. After a bit, I got over the initial fright and things pretty much got easier from there.”

“So, does that mean you’re okay with performing now?” Coco asked as they started heading to the dressing room.

Glamour chuckled. “Well, we’ll see. I’m certainly getting better with it, but I’m in no rush for the next one. I’m just glad that today is over so that I can relax.”

When they got back to the dressing room, Glamour immediately reached for a towel and began wiping away the makeup off her face. While she had conceded to the ordeal that Photo Finish’s ponies had to slather makeup all over her, it did not change the fact that the makeup always felt icky on her face, and she could not wait to be free of it.

After a few good scrubs with the towel, Glamour tossed it on the table, but just as she was about to start undressing herself, she heard Coco giggle.

“What? What’s so funny?” Glamour asked.

“You missed a little bit on your face,” Coco said, still giggling a little.

Glamour’s eyebrow went up a bit before she checked the mirror and chuckled when she saw that a long, black smudge of mascara ran down her cheek.

“A little bit, huh?” Glamour repeated. All she got was another giggle and a nod in return as she grabbed the towel again and made sure to wipe away the mark.

As she began taking off the dress, Glamour added, “It’s a good thing your dresses are also easy to move around in. Being on stage is intimidating enough. I don’t need worrying about getting tangled up in my clothes on my mind as well.”

“I figured the same thing,” Coco replied as she took the dress from Glamour. “That’s why I tried to keep it light. I’m glad I learned a few tips from my other friend about this.”

“The one from Ponyville?”

“Yes. Even though it’s quite far from here, we still are able to exchange letters every week or so.”

“No doubt just to remain on her good side,” a third, but familiar voice added.

Coco stiffened up for a second, uttering “Suri…”, before she and Glamour turned to the pony at the door.

“Hello there, Coco,” Suri greeted as she slowly walked towards them.

“H-hi, Suri. What are you doing here?”

“Oh, I was just in the neighborhood when I heard there was some sort of show today, and I had to at least take a look. Imagine my surprise when I saw that my dear Coco was involved in the show.”

“Um… yeah,” Coco meekly replied. She backed away as Suri drew closer, and her eyes darted around, looking at everything except the pony smugly smiling right at her. “I-I’m the dress designer for Glamour here.”

“Mmhmm…” Suri stopped to take a look at Glamour. “You’re the model who got assigned to Coco in the last fashion show, right?”

Glamour slowly nodded, keeping her face void of any emotion.

“A pleasure to meet you,” Suri said. “Well, Coco, it’s good to see you’re doing well. You’ve actually gone and managed to get yourself paired up with one of Photo Finish’s pet projects. It would do wonders for your career. You are so lucky, aren’t you?”

Glamour clenched her teeth. Suri’s supposed praise was laced with sarcasm thicker than the goop she coughed up when she caught a cold a few months ago.

“But I’m a bit worried for you, Coco. I’m sure working for Photo Finish is no picnic. Are you sure you can handle all that pressure? I mean, you just started to work on your own.” Suri looked back at Glamour with a smile. “Perhaps Glamour would be more comfortable with a designer with more experience.”

“No, thank you,” Glamour immediately replied.

“Are you sure? In case you didn’t know, Coco used to work for me, and I taught her everything she knows. Surely a talented mare like you would want the best.”

“I am well aware that she was your assistant, but I chose Coco, and I’m sticking with her.”

Suri’s eyebrow went up as her smile went down. “May I ask why?”

“She’s a very talented designer, and she’s my friend.”

“Your friend? Ha!” Suri’s sharp, loud laugh caused both Glamour and Coco to wince. “So that’s how you got the job…” She continued to chuckle as she shook her head. “Here’s a bit of advice for you, Glamour. You can’t trust anypony, let alone making friends, if you want to make it to the top. Coco is no different. She’s just using you.”

“W-what?! No! I would never do that!” Coco cried out.

“Oh? Then let me ask you something, Coco. How did you get that costume designer job on Bridleway?”

“I… uh… Rarity recommended me…”

“And who gave you your first job, taking you in as an assistant and teaching you all sorts of fashion and trade secrets?”

“Y-you did…”

“And how did you really get the job as Glamour’s designer? Did Glamour pick you because you were the best, or was it simply because you were her friend?”

“She… I…” Coco tried to stammer out a response, but she eventually went silent as her gaze fell to the floor. A few moments later, she quietly answered, “I… I don’t know…”

Suri’s devilish grin grew even wider as she approached Coco. “Face it, Coco. You’re not the designer you think you are. You have only gotten this far because you have been riding the coattails of other ponies. All you do is use other ponies. You’re nothing better than a parasite!”

“That’s enough!” Glamour shouted, jumping in between Coco and Suri. She bared her teeth, wishing she could show her changeling fangs, as she glared at Suri. “Coco got the job because she’s my friend and she makes amazing dresses! Coco is the most talented and kindest pony I have ever met!”

“Oh please, the only reason she’s any good is because of me. All she does is pretend to be nice to get ponies to do what she wants. When she’s done with you, she’ll just leave and move on to the next big thing. That’s what she did to me after I spent years teaching her!”

“She left you because you are a cheater!”

Suri gasped loudly as she brought a hoof to her chest. “Cheating? Me?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know!” Glamour pointed a hoof at Suri. “I heard what you did during Fashion Week!”

To Glamour’s surprise, Suri only chuckled at the threat. “Please, enlighten me on what I did then.”

“You used another designer’s fabric to copy her design and pass it off as your own!”

“Oh my, such an accusation. I suppose there might be an inkling of truth in it, but there seems to be a tiny little problem with your facts. You see, Coco here was the one who made those dresses.”

“That’s because you tricked her! She didn’t know they were going to be used to help you cheat!”

Suri only laughed even more. “Did I really? Well, I got news for you, Glamour. Coco actually knew what I was doing the whole time.”

Glamour’s scowl faltered. “W-what?”

“Oh, you didn’t hear me? I’ll say it again. Coco knew the dresses she made were copies the entire time.”

Glamour turned to her friend with concern. “Coco?”

Coco just whimpered as her ears dropped, and she looked away from Glamour.

“It’s quite simple, really.” Suri said with a chuckle. “If I go down, she will too.”

Glamour continued to stare at Coco who still refused to look back at her. It was hard to believe that Coco not only did cheat, but she had lied about it. It made Glamour wonder if her seemingly demure friend had other dark secrets or hidden motives.

But the more she thought about it, the more she realized how crazy that notion was.

Just as Grace had mentioned yesterday, Coco had changed after the events of the Fashion Week show. The Coco Glamour knew was a pony who went out of her way to help others and make them happy. In Glamour’s travels, she had never seen a kinder and more generous soul that would never do something that dishonest.

Most of all, Coco was her friend, and she had learned that friends are supposed to be there for each other. If her friend really did something wrong in the past, was it fair to judge her entirely on that one thing?

Glamour gazed at Coco’s sullen form for a moment longer before turning to Suri. “You know what, Suri? I think I’ll just go ahead and tell everypony what happened.”

“Oh? You are willing to risk having your precious friend get dragged down with me?”

“That doesn’t matter.”

Suri’s eyebrow went up as Coco looked up at Glamour with widened eyes. “Oh? You’re actually giving up on your so called friend? I got to hoof it to you, I did not expect that you would turn your back on her that fast.”

“No, it’s because I know Coco will be fine,” Glamour replied.

“She’ll be fine? Weren’t you listening to me? Coco is guilty as well.”

“That may be, but Coco will be fine, because unlike you, she has friends. Friends who will help pick her back up if she falls. As for you, you don’t trust anypony, and you will be left to fend for yourself. Now, I suggest you leave us alone, or I will make you.”

Suri scoffed. “Yeah, like you’re going to—”

Glamour slammed her hooves into the floor as her horn lit up, plumes of green fire licking across it. “I would…”

Suri glared at Glamour for a few moments before chuckling. “It seems we have a bit of a fighter here. Very well, if you want me to leave, I’ll leave.” She sauntered off to the door but stopped to look back with a grin. “But do be careful. You never know when another accident might occur.”

Glamour’s eyes widened a bit. “You… you caused that accident on Coco’s previous model. You tried to sabotage Coco on her first fashion show.”

“Hmm… who’s to say? I mean, it was an accident, after all. It’s so hard to tell.” Suri chuckled again and flicked her tail. “Well, until next time.”

Glamour growled and used her magic to slam the door shut as soon as Suri was outside. With a sigh, she extinguished her magic and looked back to find Coco seated on the floor, her attention firmly glued to the floor.

When Glamour went to sit down next to Coco, she frowned when her friend made no motion or sound in response.

It was painful to see her friend like this, and Glamour searched her mind for anything she could do to make things better. She then remembered something Coco tried to do for her when she was feeling down.

Scooting herself closer, Glamour slowly raised her forehooves to Coco’s body. Her hooves quaked a bit as she wondered if what she was about to do was appropriate. After a few seconds, her hooves dropped down to her sides. Still debating with herself in her head, her hooves went back up, only to return to her yet again. This process repeated a few more times, and through it all, Coco still paid no attention to her.

Seeing that Coco was not getting better anytime soon, Glamour took a deep breath, and in one quick motion, she wrapped her hooves around Coco and pulled.

Unfortunately, she pulled a bit too hard, and the two of them let out a yelp as Glamour dragged them both to the ground.

“G-Glamour, what are you doing?!” Coco cried out as she tried to quickly get off Glamour.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry!” Glamour quickly apologized as she helped Coco back up. “I was just trying to give you a hug.”

“Oh.” Coco visibly relaxed. “W-wait, you’re not mad?”

Glamour shook her head and moved closer, slowly raising her hooves again for Coco. She made sure to be ready to pull back if Coco protested, but she just sat there, silently staring back, until Glamour finally wrapped her hooves around her.

She felt Coco squirm a bit, but it quickly stopped. “Um, do you want to talk about it?”

Coco stared at Glamour with her mouth opened for a few seconds until she let out a sigh and nodded. “So, you knew what actually happened at Fashion Week?”

“I brought it up with Grace yesterday. She didn’t tell me much until I convinced her to. But uh, she thinks you didn’t know what Suri was doing until the end.”

“Because that’s what I told her.” She took a deep breath and pulled herself away to look Glamour straight in the eye. “Before I say anything else, I need to tell you that Suri was wrong. I am not using you. I would never do that to anypony, especially not my friends, and you… you’re such a great friend, Glamour. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Please, believe me…”

“I know, Coco,” Glamour replied, pulling Coco back into the hug. “You’re a great friend to me too.”

“Thanks, Glamour… I uh, I guess I should tell you more about what happened now…”

“That would be great… Um, I mean, if you’re feeling up to it.”

“It’s alright. Well, like Suri said, I knew what she was doing the entire time, and I helped her. I know it was wrong of me, but I’ve been with Suri for a long time. She showed me how competitive ponies can be, and I thought you could not survive without doing that kind of stuff.

“But then I saw how Rarity overcame our cheating with the help of her friends. Even when she thought she had lost, she looked so happy just because she had her friends. That’s when I figured out that things had to change.”

Rarity. There was that name again. Glamour knew it was the other designer from Fashion Week, but for some reason, the name sounded familiar. She mentally shrugged, guessing that she saw it in a fashion magazine. She needed to be concentrating on Coco right now.

“Since then, I’ve been trying to make up for what I done by being generous, like Rarity,” Coco continued. “I… I know it sounds like I’m making excuses, but…”

When Coco went silent, Glamour hugged her a bit tighter. “Coco?”

“Glamour, am I… am I a bad pony?” Coco quietly asked.

It was still quite the shock for Glamour to hear Coco had willingly cheated, but it was not completely her fault. Fashion design was not the only thing Coco had learned from Suri, and she had followed Suri’s orders because she did not know of any other way.

Kind of like how Glamour used to follow Queen Chrysalis’s rule. She had learned that the only way to survive was to pretend to be a pony’s loved one and siphon their love. And yet, here she was, living like a somewhat regular pony, even if she had special needs, and there were still a kink or two or hundred.

They both were involved in similar situations where their upbringing was sending them down the wrong path, although invading the pony capital in hopes of converting its population into a food source was probably a bit worse than cheating in a fashion competition.

“You’re not a bad pony, Coco,” Glamour answered.

“What makes you so sure?”

“Well, um… I think you just had a bad teacher. You didn’t know better. When you found out what you were doing was wrong, you stopped right away. Look at you now. You’re so nice, and you go out of your way to help ponies. I’ve never seen somepony who is so kind and generous. Look at how happy you made me, Cappuccino, and Grace.” Glamour paused for a moment as her face scrunched up a bit. “Actually, I don’t know about Grace. It’s kind of hard to tell with her.”

To Glamour’s relief, that got a small smile and a short giggle out of Coco. “Look, Coco, just because you’ve done something bad in the past, doesn’t mean you can't change later on. And you already have. You might think you were a bad pony before, but you’re definitely not one now.”

Coco’s smile grew just a little bit more as she leaned into Glamour more. “Thank you, Glamour. It’s actually good to hear that I might not have to worry as much over what I have done.”

“Anytime, Coco,” Glamour replied as they continued to hug. After a few moments, a brilliant idea popped into her head.

“Hey, I know what we can do. Let’s head home, and on the way, we can go grab some white chocolate mocha,” Glamour proposed with a big smile.

“That actually does sound nice,” Coco agreed as they got up and started to head out the door.

Glamour was feeling proud of herself. Not only was she getting better at being a model, but she had helped Coco through a tough time and proven that she was also becoming a better friend. And to top it all off, she was going to get more white chocolate mocha.

“Oh, Glamour, one more thing.”

“Yes?”

“You’re only getting one cup as well.”

“Aww…”

Chapter 10: Rising

“Glamour, I’m back!”

Glamour, who was seated on the couch, looked up from reading a book. “Hey, Coco. Everything go alright at the theater?”

“Yes, it did, thankfully.” Coco set down her saddlebags and moved over to the couch. Letting out a loud sigh, she let herself flop onto the cushion next to Glamour.

“Are you alright?” Glamour asked with a concerned frown.

“I’m fine, Glamour. Thanks for asking. I’m just tired.”

“Not surprising. You’ve been working nonstop for the past few days to fill in for that other sick designer. You didn’t even take a day off after you turned in your order. It’s a good thing Photo Finish hasn’t given us any new stuff since the fashion show.”

“Well, the good news is that the theater really appreciated the extra work I did, and they gave me some time off. While it would be nice to just relax for a bit, it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.” Coco got back up, went to her saddlebags, and took out a thick clasp envelope. “This was in the mailbox when I got back.”

Glamour took the parcel from Coco and looked it over. At the bottom-right side was her name in plain print, and the large, flowery script on the top made it clear that the package was from Photo Finish. “Guess I spoke too soon. Sorry about your break, Coco.”

“It’s alright, Hopefully, it won’t be a big order this time. Go ahead, open it.”

With her magic, Glamour cleanly sheared off the top of the envelope and flipped it upside down. Her jaw almost hit the table the same time a magazine slid out of the envelope because she quickly recognized the title from her cramming session at the library. Back then, the issue had Fluttershy on the cover, but this time, the pony on the cover was none other than herself.

“Oh, wow…” Glamour slowly picked up the magazine and stared at the close up picture of her face. She had a small smile, and her mane covered a little bit of her right eye as her head was turned slightly to the left. Although she knew Photo Finish was going to put her pictures in a magazine, it was still awe-inspiring to see her face, or at least her disguised face, plastered on the front cover.

“The magazines must be ready to be distributed if Photo Finish sent you an advance copy,” Coco said as she turned the magazine in Glamour’s hooves toward her for a better look. “You look beautiful, Glamour.”

“Oh, um, thanks.” Glamour could feel her cheeks warm up a bit.

Based on what happened during the photo shoots, Glamour actually was a bit nervous, guessing that the magazine was just full of photos of herself in all sorts of embarrassing positions. To her surprise, when she flipped to her section, she did not feel embarrassed at all.

Despite all of Glamour’s falling, hiding, hanging, and other awkward stances, Photo Finish had managed to get the right lighting, angle, and timing to capture the perfect moments and turn her impromptu accidents into amazing poses. It was a bizarre mix of clumsiness and elegance that almost made it look like Glamour knew what she was doing.

“These look fantastic,” Glamour said as she continued to turn the pages, marveling at the work Photo Finish put into her pictures. With all the full-page pictures of her that were put in, her section ended up taking up almost half the magazine. “I had my doubts about how the pictures would turn out, but after seeing this… just wow.”

“I have to agree with that. It makes you look innocent and endearing. Which you are in reality,” Coco added with a tiny chuckle. “Photo Finish did a great job. Oh, but we must not forget all of your hard work. All those poses and positioning were really tough work. A big reason that these pictures turned out great was because of you.”

“And a big reason that these pictures turned out great was because of you,” Glamour repeated with a smile.

Coco’s gaze went from the pictures of Glamour to the Glamour beside her. “Me? B-but I didn’t do anything…”

“You didn’t?” Glamour turned back to the first page of the section and pointed to a line under her name. “Dress designs by Coco Pommel.”

“But that’s just a small thing.”

“Then what about getting me into my first show so Photo Finish would see me? Or how about taking me into your home? Point is, Coco, I wouldn’t have made it this far without you. Even if you or other ponies don’t see it, I’ll always appreciate all that you have done for me.”

“Oh, uh, you’re welcome,” Coco replied, a smile and a blush spreading out on her face.

Glamour chuckled, closed the magazine, and tossed it back onto the table. Checking the envelope again, she found a folded letter inside, as well as a smaller, rectangular piece of paper.

Using her magic, she extracted the two objects, unfolded the letter, and let it float in the air so that she and Coco could read it at the same time.

Glamour,

The fashion show was a big success! Ponies are clamoring for more of our magnificence! I, Photo Finish, have enclosed an advanced copy of the magazine that shall spread your famous face across the land like a wildfire!

In the meantime, while the ponies bask in our glorious pictures, you are to prepare for your next shining moment. I, Photo Finish, have talked to Hemline and have entered you into the Fall Fashion Fantasia.

This is your chance to outshine all the other models and really show Equestria how fantastic we are!

Until you can meet me again,
Photo Finish

“Huh, she’s just as lively in writing,” Glamour could not help but say as soon as she finished the letter. “I guess you’ll have to make a…” She paused when she saw that Coco was staring blankly at the letter, her mouth hanging slightly open. “Coco?”

“The Fall Fashion Fantasia…” Coco muttered, her eyes still glued to the floating paper.

“Coco? Is there something wrong with the show?” When Coco did not answer, Glamour waved a hoof between Coco’s eyes and the letter. “Hellooo?”

Still not receiving an answer, Glamour rolled up the letter and placed it back on the table before nudging her friend. “Hey, you alright?”

After a bit more prodding, Coco finally shook her head and turned to Glamour. “S-sorry, I just was a bit shocked.”

“It’s alright, but what happened? You seemed to be hung up on the Fall Fashion Fantasia. Is there something special about that show?”

Coco nodded. “The Fall Fashion Fantasia is actually a contest. One of the biggest in Manehattan, in fact.”

“Oh… But that’s not so bad, right? It would let you really show off your talent as a designer.”

“No… Well, yes, but… With a contest as big as that, many of the best designers in Manehattan will be participating. I’m not sure if I’m ready to compete yet, but I’m more worried about one designer that I’m sure that will be there.”

“And who would that be?”

A long, drawn-out sigh came from Coco before she gave her answer. “Suri.”

A scowl flashed across Glamour’s face. “Oh, her. Coco, you don’t have to worry about her.”

“It’s not just me I’m worried about. I’m afraid after what happened at your last show, she’s going to set you in her sights as well. You went through so much to get to where you are now. I don’t want all of your hard work to come crumbling down just because you got dragged into my issues with Suri.”

“If she knows what’s good for her, she’ll stay away from us,” Glamour replied, resisting the urge to growl.

Coco shook her head. “You don’t know her like I do. Suri is crafty.”

“I can handle whatever she tries on us. I've got a few tricks I could do if she crosses us.”

Coco tilted her head. “Like what?”

Glamour blinked a few times. “Uh, well, I got stuff and…” She looked down at the table and saw the small paper that she had not inspected yet and quickly grabbed it. “Oh yeah, there was one more thing Photo Finish sent me. Let’s look at it!”

Coco’s brow furrowed a bit. “Glamour, what did you mean about… Oh my…” Her eyes widened when she looked at the paper Glamour was also gawking at.

Glamour never had that many bits during her travels, nor did she have much use for them, but even she could recognize that the small paper in her hooves was actually a pay check. A very large pay check.

“That’s… that’s quite a lot of bits,” Glamour uttered, looking at the large number next to Photo Finish’s signature.

“Um, yeah, it is. That’s more than I usually make in a few months.”

“Wow… I guess it makes sense, given Photo Finish’s prestige. So, um, what are we going to do with it?”

Coco turned to Glamour with a confused look. “We?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, half of it is yours.”

“What? No, Glamour! That check is meant for you!”

“But what about all the dresses you made for me?”

“Even if I did charge you, it would not add up anywhere near half of what Photo Finish paid you.”

“Then what about letting me stay here?”

“That’s still not enough, especially since you have been such a big help with the chores and my work. Glamour, really, I appreciate what you’re trying to do for me, but I can’t accept all those bits. You should use those bits for…” Coco’s voice trailed off.

“I should use my bits for what?”

“For… For your own place… You have more than enough to get your own place now.”

“Really? Oh, um, well, that’s great. I get my own place, and you get your whole apartment to yourself again.” With their busy schedules, Glamour had forgotten that she should have been searching for a place for herself. Now that she had received her first paycheck, she could go and do just that. For some odd reason, though, she thought she would have felt more relieved or happy. Instead, it felt like there was a small lump in her chest.

“Yeah, um, great,” Coco said softly, her gaze dropping to her hooves.

Glamour frowned. “Is something wrong?”

Coco’s head quickly shot back up. “Oh, I’m fine. Just fine.”

“Come on, Coco. Talk to me.”

“Really, Glamour, there’s nothing you have to worry about.”

“But I am going to worry, because I can tell there’s something bothering you. You can tell me. It’ll make us both feel better.”

“It’s… um… I knew you living here was only supposed to be a temporary thing. I just didn’t expect it to end that fast.”

Glamour rubbed the back of her neck. “Y-yeah, me too. Time flies when you’re enjoying yourself.”

“I’ll admit that I’m a bit sad that you’ll be leaving, but it’s just a spur of the moment thing. I will get over it soon. It’s not like you’re moving out of Manehattan, and we’re still friends.”

Glamour smiled. “Of course. I had a really great time living here with you, and I’m definitely going to miss this place. But it’s not like I’ll be far. Even though we might not be living together anymore, we can still easily visit each other, not to mention our work with Photo Finish.”

“That’s true. I’m just going to miss having you around. The place has been more lively and fun since you moved in.”

“Well, it’s not like I have to leave right away. I need time to find a place, so we still are able to do stuff together like go shopping or having dinner.” Glamour paused for a moment as an idea came to her. “In fact, I got a great idea. Why don’t you let me take you out to a nice dinner? I was thinking of that place Cappuccino was talking about. Um, Le Fine?”

“It’s Le Foin, but you really don’t have to do that, Glamour. Places like that are expensive.”

Glamour waved her paycheck in the air with her magic. “I think I can afford one nice dinner. This is a thank you gift from me to you. Besides, after working so hard for the theater and Photo Finish, you deserve some fun and relaxation. With the Fall Fashion Fantasia coming up, I doubt we’ll have a lot of free time until it’s over.”

“You do make a good point, but we could pick someplace less extravagant.”

“It’s like you said some time ago, sometimes you just need to treat yourself. Come on, Coco, I really want to do this for you. If it makes you feel better, I can skip a couple of meals to even out the cost. I’m supposed to watch my figure, right?”

Coco giggled. “No, you don’t have to do that. But you’re right. We should enjoy the time we have while we can, and I suppose you do have some spare bits now. If you insist on treating me to dinner, then I would be honored.”

Coco got off the couch and started heading to her room. “And based on what Cappuccino said, we’re going to need to dress up a bit.”

Glamour chuckled as she saw a smile bloom on Coco’s face. Tonight was going to be fun.

“Did you see the face of that pony when I showed him the check?”

“Oh yes, I think the poor dear was new and didn’t know what to do with such a big check. I thought he was going to faint.”

Glamour and Coco shared a laugh as they exited the bank. Glamour’s sizeable paycheck had caused a bit of a commotion among the employees when they saw how much it was worth, and it was amusing to see their reactions until one of the higher-ups came over to personally take care of her. It was not long after that before Glamour was set up with her first Equestrian bank account and walked away with enough bits for dinner and any purchases she decided to make in the near future. She found it interesting to see how attentive the bank employees became after they saw the check, and they even gave her a small, complimentary sling pouch to carry the bits she withdrew.

With bits in tow, Glamour and Coco headed straight for Le Foin. As they weaved their way through the evening streets and crowds of Manehattan, Glamour took another look at the dresses she and Coco were wearing.

Back at the apartment, Coco laid out a selection of dresses they could wear. While there were so many choices, Glamour was drawn to a set of one piece dresses that all had the same design, differing only in their colors. They had no frills, decorations, or special stitches, but the elegance was in their simplicity. In Coco’s words, sometimes less was more.

Wanting something easy to wear and thinking it would be kind of fun, Glamour suggested that they both pick from the matching dresses.

Glamour liked the way her blue dress looked, but her attention was fully affixed on Coco and her dress. Coco had taken off her collar to put on her red dress, and the color matched the red petals in her flower hairpin. Even if it was a simple change in clothes, it was the first time Glamour had seen Coco dress up, and she could not stop staring.

Coco glanced at Glamour, and upon noticing her gaze, turned her head and tilted it. “Is something the matter, Glamour?”

“Oh, uh, no. I was just getting a good look at how you look in your dress. It’s funny. I have already worn so many of your creations, and yet this is the first time I have seen you wear one yourself. You look absolutely amazing in it.”

The smidge of pink that appeared on Coco’s cheeks matched her dress well. “Um, thank you, Glamour. You look beautiful as well, as usual. This is actually the first time I’ve dressed up for… well, a really long time. I was either too busy or too shy to really go anywhere that needed one.”

“Well, I hope tonight will make it worthwhile.”

Coco smiled. “With you, I’m sure it will.”

Eventually, they arrived at Le Foin, a two story corner building with its name adorning the large awning above its gilded doors. There were tall windows next to the entrance, but thick, purple drapes blocked their view of the inside.

Lighting up her horn, Glamour opened the door, letting Coco enter the restaurant first before following right behind her.

A “Wow” escaped Glamour’s mouth when she saw the interior of the restaurant. The whole place was bathed in a dim, warm light coming from a series of ornate chandeliers. In the waiting area they were in was a fountain with a life-sized earth pony statue standing up on its hind legs and water shooting out of the vase it held in one of its forehooves. Tall, marble pillars lined the walls, along with pictures and paintings of breathtaking sceneries from around Equestria. The place was so outstanding even the lush carpet felt soothing on Glamour’s hooves.

“This place is incredible, but do you think we can get a table?” Coco asked. “It looks like they’re full.”

Glamour took another look around and saw that Coco seemed to be right. Every table was filled with ponies, many of them dressed up more extravagantly than what they were wearing. “Well, there’s nopony in the waiting area, so there probably is a table somewhere. That or we just have to wait a bit. Let’s ask.”

They went over to a nearby stallion wearing a black and white waiter uniform and standing behind a podium. When they got close, the stallion bowed his head and greeted them.

“Good evening, and welcome to Le Foin. How may I help you?” the stallion asked with a slight accent.

“Do you have a table for two?” Glamour asked.

“Do you have a reservation?”

“Um, no, we don’t.”

“Then I’m afraid that we won’t be able to seat you tonight.”

Glamour felt her insides twist a bit. “W-what?”

The waiter bowed his head again. “My deepest apologies, madam, but we’re booked solid for the rest of the night. You could try waiting, to see if somepony cancels, but I would recommend that you make a reservation for another day instead.”

“Oh… I see…” Glamour bit her lip. “Could… Could you give us a moment?”

“Of course.”

Glamour sighed as she and Coco went to sit at a nearby bench. “Well, so much for treating you to a nice dinner. I’m sorry, Coco. I should have known that a place like this would be busy.”

Coco patted Glamour’s shoulder. “It’s alright. Sometimes these things happen, and I appreciate the gesture.”

“So, what do we do now? Do we go somewhere else, or do you want to try again another day?”

“Let me think about what’s around here.” Coco brought a hoof to her chin.

“Excuse me, but are you Glamour?”

Glamour turned to the new voice to find an earth pony mare in a similar waiter outfit as the stallion at the podium, but she also wore a golden brooch on her uniform. “Yes, I’m Glamour.”

The mare smiled. “Oh good, I thought I recognized you. I was at your fashion show a few days ago, and I must say you were quite amazing. You are very different from all the other models.”

“Um, thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed the show, Miss… uh…”

“Oh, my apologies. I forgot my manners.” The mare bowed. “I am Fine Cuisine.”

“Nice to meet you, Miss Cuisine.”

“Just Cuisine will be alright, and it is my pleasure to meet you, Glamour. Do forgive me, but I overheard that you did not have a reservation for tonight?”

“No, we didn’t. This is our first time here, and we didn’t realize it would be so busy.”

“Yes, I’m afraid that is a pretty common occurrence, but luckily, there is a table open for you, if you still wish to dine here.”

“Really? But I thought the place was full.”

Cuisine chuckled. “That may be, but the owner can easily fit you in.”

“Oh, are you close with the owner?”

Cuisine chuckled again. “Miss Glamour, I am the proud owner of Le Foin.”

“Ohh… Uh, well, then that would be great if there’s a table.” Glamour looked at her friend. “Coco? Is that alright with you?”

“Um, well, that does sound wonderful, Cuisine, but you don’t have to go to so much trouble. We know that all the tables have been booked, and we would not want to take another pony’s place.”

Cuisine chuckled. “You do not have to worry about that. We actually try to keep one or two of our private tables open for special guests, and a rising model of Photo Finish definitely qualifies as a special guest. It would be our honor to serve you.”

Receiving a nod from Coco, Glamour replied, “Then we would be happy to stay.”

“Excellent,” Cuisine said with a smile as she was hoofed two menus from the stallion at the podium. “If you’ll follow me, I will lead you to your table.”

Glamour and Coco followed Cuisine as she left the waiting area, turned to the right, and up a carpeted spiral staircase. Upstairs was just as lavishly decorated and full of ponies as downstairs, and Cuisine continued to lead them through the floor and into the back where there was a thin, purple curtain.

“This is one of our finest tables, and I hope it is to your liking,” Cuisine said before pulling back the curtains, revealing a small alcove with a table for two. A painting of a couple sitting underneath a tree and looking out at the sea was mounted on the wall, and above them was a miniature version of the elaborate chandeliers that hung above the rest of the restaurant.

“This is very lovely. Thank you so much, Cuisine,” Coco said as she and Glamour took their seats.

Cuisine hoofed them their menus and then produced a smaller one from a pocket, offering it to Glamour. “To express my gratitude for choosing this restaurant and as an apology for the delay at the waiting area, please feel free to pick out any bottle of wine to enjoy with your meal.”

“Oh, um, thanks,” Glamour replied with a forced smile. A quick glance at the menu only gave her an eyeful of names she could not even pronounce. Chuckling sheepishly, she slid the wine menu across the red tablecloth. “Um, Coco, do you have a suggestion?”

Coco gave her a smile before looking down at the list. After a few seconds, she asked, “Would it be alright for us to have the white moscato?”

“Certainly, I will send that up, along with our best waiter.” Cuisine took back the wine menu, bowed, and then waved a hoof at a pullstring near the curtain. “Now, I must be going, but if there’s anything you need, please pull on this, and somepony will be with you shortly. In case I don’t see you two again, let me thank you again for choosing Le Foin, and I hope you enjoy your meal.”

With one last bow, Cuisine departed from their alcove, drawing the curtains close behind her.

“My goodness, this place is amazing,” Coco said as she took another look at their private table. “I can see why Cappuccino was so excited about coming here with her fiance. We’re lucky that Cuisine came along before we left.”

“I’m still surprised that they let us have this special table just because I was in a fashion show,” Glamour replied.

Coco giggled as she picked up her menu. “Believe it or not, Glamour, your work with Photo Finish is kind of making you into a celebrity. You’ll probably see more of this when the magazines go on sale. Ponies can get pretty excited when they’re around somepony famous, and it wouldn’t surprise me if you start getting adoring fans coming to you just for an autograph.”

“Wait, wait, wait, are you saying that if I go take a walk, I’m going to get adoration from random ponies?”

“I’ve seen that happen to some of the more popular actors in Bridleway, so it’s a possibility the same could happen to you.”

“Wow… That’s a lot of adoration.” Glamour was already doing pretty well with the adoration from the fashion shows, but the thought of getting even more adoration from just taking a stroll was making her wonder why more changelings had not tried being a model before.

Then she remembered the soul-crushing Prim Hemline, Photo Finish’s antics, and too much blush.

“Good evening, madams.”

Glamour squeaked and almost fell out of her chair as she was jarred away from her thoughts.

Coco smiled at the stallion who had just entered. “Good evening to you too, sir.”

“Your bottle of white moscato.” The stallion was holding up a tray with the bottle, two wine glasses, and what seemed to be a metal helix attached to a handle big enough for a hoof to fit through. He was wearing the same waiter uniform as the pony in the waiting area, but Glamour found her attention drawn to his face, in particular, his eyebrows. They were so bushy, hiding most of his eyes, and she wondered if the stallion could actually see out of the forest of hair.

“I am High Brow, and it is my privilege to serve you two tonight,” the waiter said before he placed the glasses in front of Glamour and Coco. In one swift motion, the waiter slipped his hoof into the helix’s handle, jammed the metal into the bottle’s cork top, and pulled out the cork with a loud pop. He then gripped the opened bottle in his hoof and tilted the bottle slightly, allowing barely a sip's worth of an almost-transparent liquid with a white tinge to drip into Coco's glass.

Coco picked up her glass and slowly tasted the paltry amount of wine. She then nodded at High Brow with a smile. "It's perfect, thank you."

"Excellent, madam." High Brow proceeded to quickly fill up Coco and Glamour's glasses with the wine and then set the bottle on the table. Not a single drop had stained the red tablecloth.

High Brow then took out a notepad from a pocket in his uniform, along with a quill. “Now then, is there anything else I can get you, or are you two ready to order?”

“I’m ready to order, are you, Glamour?” Coco asked.

“Uh, yeah, sure,” Glamour replied, quickly picking up her menu and skimming through it.

“Then I’ll try the eggplant involtini,” Coco said, pointing at her menu.

“Excellent choice, madam,” High Brow said with a nod, scribbling her order down. He then turned his attention to Glamour. “And what will the other lovely mare have?”

“Uh… I will have…” Glamour tried to quickly find something, but with the two ponies staring at her, she let out a sigh a few seconds later and pointed at a random picture. “I’ll have this.”

“Ah, a pony with exotic tastes.” High Brow nodded as he wrote down Glamour’s order before taking the menus from them. “I will put your orders in right now. Please, feel free to call on me if there’s anything you need. Miss Glamour, thank you again for dining at Le Foin, and I hope you and your marefriend will have an excellent evening.”

Glamour’s eyes widened as she felt the temperature in her cheeks spike. Before she could correct High Brow’s mistake, the stallion had already departed through the curtains.

Laughing nervously, Glamour checked Coco’s reaction and saw that her friend’s face was redder than the dress she was wearing.

“Uh, heh. Th-that was pretty funny, right?” Glamour forced a couple of chuckles out of her throat. “H-he actually thought we were um, m-marefriends.”

“Y-yeah, that… that’s pretty funny.” Coco was doing her best to not look at Glamour. “I-I guess I can see why he was mistaken though. I mean, we are at a really fancy restaurant, and since we’re wearing matching dresses…”

“Oh, right…” Glamour wanted to bury her face into her hoof. “I didn’t think that would happen. I’m sorry, Coco.”

“N-no, it’s alright,” Coco quickly reassured, finally looking at Glamour. The red in her face was slowly fading away. “I thought it would have been fun too, and it was an innocent mistake.”

“Y-yeah, right, just a mistake.” Glamour chuckled again, this time not feeling as forced, as she rubbed the back of her neck. “I really do like you, Coco, but uh, not like that.”

Coco giggled, and the tension in the air started to rapidly disappear. “I really like you too, Glamour. Even though we aren’t um, marefriends, I do feel closer to you than I felt with anypony else.”

Glamour smiled. “Me too. I really like spending time with you, and I hope we can continue being friends for a really long time.”

Coco picked up her wine glass and raised it toward Glamour. “Then how about a toast to our friendship?”

Glamour’s smile shrunk a bit, knowing full well what Coco wanted. Slowly, she picked up her own glass in her hoof and gently clinked Coco’s glass. “To our friendship.” She watched Coco bring her drink to her mouth and take a sip before staring down at her own glass.

“I’m guessing you never really had wine because of your traveling,” Coco said, getting Glamour to look back up at her.

“I got a few chances, but…” Glamour frowned. “I can’t say I really liked it. Sorry.”

“No need to apologize. Wine is sort of an acquired taste for many ponies, and some never get into it. I already guessed you weren’t much of a wine pony when you let me choose, so I picked out something that you may like. If you feel like it, why don’t you give it a try?”

Glamour looked down at her wine again. Several of the ponies she impersonated were offered wine, and she had to drink to keep up her appearance. So far, there has not been a single time where she had enjoyed wine.

Now, she was being offered it again, by her friend, nonetheless. The wine Coco picked out did look and even smelled different than what she had tried before, and Coco did say she might like it. Since she trusted Coco and didn’t want to hurt her friend’s feelings, Glamour figured what was one sip? At worst, her tastebuds would writhe in agony for a few seconds.

Glancing up, Glamour saw that Coco was leaning forward a bit, no doubt waiting for her verdict. With a small smile, Glamour raised her glass to Coco again, saying “To friendship”, and raised the glass to her mouth.

Barely more than a few drops entered her lips before she retracted the glass, and she smacked her lips. To Glamour’s surprise, as the tiny amount of alcohol hit her tongue, she actually found the liquid to be a bit sweet.

Glamour took another drink, this time a proper sip, and got the same sweetness wash over her tastebuds as a brief warmth spread through her insides.

“Hey, I like it!”

Coco let out a sigh of relief. “Oh thank goodness, I thought that I had picked the wrong thing.”

“How did you guess I would like this um… mossy?”

“Moscato. It’s one of the sweeter wines, and I know you like sweets. I also figured you weren’t that experienced with wines, and moscato is pretty light and easy to drink.”

Glamour took another sip. “Yeah, you made a good choice. I actually did try wine a couple of times during my travels, but they always tasted bitter to me. Some of them also kind of had that weird, burning feeling when I drank it, but this moscato is like a nice, warm, tingly, feeling. I could see myself drinking this all night.”

Coco laughed a little as she refilled Glamour’s glass. “I’m glad you like it, but be careful, Glamour. This wine might not have as much alcohol, but it can still affect you if you drink too much. We wouldn’t want another white chocolate mocha incident, would we?”

Glamour’s face scrunched up a bit, and she let out an exasperated sigh. “Yes, mother. I’ll try to be on my best behavior.”

That retort got Coco to giggle, which Glamour shortly followed with her own.

They calmed down moments before High Brow came back through the curtains, holding up a tray with their food. “Good evening again, madams. I trust that you two are having a pleasant evening so far?”

“Yes, we are. Thank you very much, High Brow,” Glamour replied with a smile.

“It is my pleasure. Now, I have your meals right here. I hope you find them to your liking,” High Brow said as he placed Glamour’s plate in front of her first. “Careful, Miss Glamour, it’s hot.”

Glamour curiously looked at the plate set in front of her. There was some yellow rice, but she was more interested in the bowl on the other side of the plate. It was some sort of thick soup in a light-brown color with chopped green onions sprinkled on top of it.

She thought about asking what she actually ordered, but the aromatic smell tantalized her nose and made her mouth water a bit. Guessing that her food would taste as good as it smelled, she kept her mouth shut to save a bit of face.

Looking at Coco, Glamour saw that her friend’s dish looked just as delicious. Slices of eggplant were wrapped around something she could not see and was covered in tomato sauce.

“Is there anything else I can get you two?” High Brow asked.

“No, we’re fine. The food looks delicious,” Coco replied.

“Very well then. Enjoy your meal.” High Brow bowed and left through the curtains.

Glamour picked up a spoon in her magic and used it to stir her soup, seeing that there were potatoes, carrots, onions, and other vegetables hidden in the thick liquid.

“Glamour, what did you order?” Coco asked.

Bringing a spoonful of the stew up to her face, Glamour’s eyes narrowed a bit as she scrutinized her meal. “I’m not sure, to be honest. I didn’t know what to order, so I just picked something that looked good based on the pictures.”

Coco stared at the dish for a few seconds before her eyes widened a bit. “Glamour, I think you ordered the—”

Glamour inserted the spoon into her mouth, and a delighted hum escaped her a moment later. She had never tasted anything that came remotely close. All she knew was that it tasted good.

“Dragonfire curry…” Coco finished with a frown.

“Why is it called dragonfire…” Glamour’s eyes shot wide open when the spices kicked in, and it became apparent that High Brow was not talking about the temperature when he said the curry was hot.

Sweat starting to form on her brow and panting loudly, Glamour opened her mouth wide, letting her tongue stick out a bit, as she tried to use her hoof to try and fan away the growing heat in her mouth. “Hot! Hot! Hot!”

“Um, uh, we need to get you something to drink!” Coco cried out as she quickly got out of her seat. “I’ll go and get you some—”

As soon as Glamour heard Coco say to drink something, she grabbed her glass of moscato and drained it in a few, quick gulps. She breathed out a sigh of relief as she set the empty glass down, feeling the burning on her tongue subside a great deal.

“A-are you alright, Glamour?”

“Y-yeah, I didn’t realize it would be so spicy.” Glamour poured herself some more moscato and took another sip. She saw Coco open her mouth but closed it shortly after. “Something wrong?”

“Um, no.” Coco sat back down in her seat. “I guess you’re feeling better after the moscato?”

“Yeah, it washed away most of the spices. I’m glad you ordered it. I can’t imagine what would’ve happened if it was a wine I didn’t like.” Glamour picked her spoon up again and stirred her curry.

“Wait, are you actually going to try to eat that again? We could ask High Brow to bring you something else.”

Glamour shook her head. “Despite what just happened, I still liked the taste. At least now I know what to expect, and I think if I eat it slow and with the rice, I’ll be fine. I don’t like letting food go to waste, especially if it tastes good.”

“Well, alright then, if you’re sure…” Coco kept her eyes on Glamour as she slowly picked up her fork.

Glamour spooned some of the curry onto her rice and gingerly tasted the mixture. To her relief, the heat was more bearable, and the curry actually tasted better since her mouth did not erupt into flames a few seconds later.

Soon afterwards, Coco began digging into her own food, and the two of them started enjoying their meal as they exchanged small talk.

Even though she was able to eat her meal without a repeat of her first bite, there was still enough heat in her curry to make Glamour reach for her moscato multiple times. Between the big gulp she had earlier and the frequent sips throughout her meal, Glamour's whole body started to warm up, and she was getting a bit lightheaded. While it felt a bit weird, it was an oddly pleasant feeling as well.

After taking yet another sip of her wine, Glamour realized that she and Coco had just been eating quietly for the past few moments. Looking across the table, she saw that Coco was almost done with her food, but for some reason, she was just staring at her. “Coco, are you done eating, or is there something wrong?”

Coco gave a small start then slowly shook her head. “No, sorry. I…” She paused for a few seconds before letting out a sigh and took a quick drink of her wine. “Actually, I’m not sure.”

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s just that I’m still a bit hung up over the news that you’ll be moving out soon. I know you’ll still be in Manehattan, but I’ve really gotten to like having you around the apartment. You’ve become such a good friend to me, always encouraging me, taking care of me, and putting a smile on my face. You even defended me from Suri, something that I am very grateful for.”

Glamour finished off the last bit of wine in her glass and started refilling it. “I liked living with you too.”

Coco remained silent, as if waiting for Glamour to speak some more. After a few seconds, she resumed talking. “Um, anyway, I guess it’s probably me worrying too much again, but it just feels like things are going to change after tonight, I just wanted to let you know that you’re a really special friend to me, and living with you has been some of the best days of my life.”

“I liked living with you too,” Glamour said again after yet another sip.

Coco frowned. “Glamour, you already said that.”

“Oh…” Glamour’s face scrunched up as she tried to focus her eyes on the slightly-blurry pony in front of her. “I like you.”

Coco sighed. “Glamour, how much moscato did you have?”

Glamour was silent for a while as she stared at her wine. “I don’t know.”

Coco sighed again and pulled the bottle out of Glamour’s reach. “Glamour, I think you had enough. You’re drunk.”

“No!” Glamour quickly retorted a bit loudly. She blinked a few times then apologized with a quiet “Sorry”.

“Are you feeling alright, Glamour?”

“Yeah, I’m fine… Fine…” Glamour could feel herself sway left and right, and she had to concentrate on staying in her seat. “But like I was saying, I liked living with you too. I never had a friend like you. Never had friends before you.”

“Really? You didn’t make one during your travels? What about your home before you started traveling?”

“No… Everypony too busy…”

“Oh… Glamour, I’m sorry. You must’ve been pretty lonely.”

Glamour nodded, which was followed by a yawn. Her eyelids starting to get a bit heavy, but she shook it off and stared at Coco.

“What is it, Glamour?” Coco asked.

“You’re a great friend, and I like being around you. You’re generous, talented, kind, and beautiful.” Glamour noticed Coco’s cheeks redden for some reason. “I like learning stuff from you. I like doing stuff with you. I like taking care of you. I like…” Glamour let out another yawn and this time, she could not keep her eyes open as her head dropped. “I like living with you. Don’t… wanna… leave.”

“Wait, Glamour, what do you mean you don’t want to leave? Glamour?”

All Coco got back as a response was a snore.

Chapter 11: Hang Over

Pain.

That was the first thing Glamour felt in her head as she regained consciousness.

Groaning and moaning, she clutched the blankets draped over her and curled herself into a tight ball, keeping her eyes shut in an attempt to sleep away her troubles. However, it soon became apparent that her headache, the clamminess of her body, a nasty taste on her tongue, and other discomforts were not giving her any rest.

With another loud groan, Glamour slowly opened her eyes, only to see nothing but darkness. She rubbed her eyes with her hooves, but when the darkness lingered, she began to panic. Throwing off the blanket, she quickly sat up, only to clutch at her head and groan as the pain in her head spiked and a bout of dizziness hit her.

Softly whimpering, Glamour sat back down, on the mattress she awoke on until the pain and dizziness ebbed. Slowly, she let her hooves drop back to her sides and turned her head. Her ears perked up as she tried to hear anything in the darkness that would clue her in to wherever she was and how she ended up in this sorry state.

A few seconds later, she turned enough to notice a bit of light coming in from the bottom of a doorway behind her, revealing some very familiar carpeting. She was tempted to smack her face into her hoof when she realized she did not go blind and was just in the dark.

Rolling off the bed and onto the floor, Glamour shakily got up on her hooves and made her way to the light. She reached out with a hoof and felt along the wall next to the door until she found a light switch and flipped it.

Glamour let out a yelp as a sudden surge of light banished the darkness. The burning in her eyes felt worse than what she dealt with in her first show, and she quickly closed her eyes, lest she really did go blind. Slowly, she reopened her eyes, letting them adjust to the light, and saw that she indeed was in her windowless room. While she was glad to find that she was not in any danger, she wondered why she did not remember going to sleep, nor much of last night.

That was when a tension from her lower body told her to think later and address her body’s need. Now.

Glamour stepped out of her room and after glancing at Coco’s closed door, she turned left and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

A flush of the toilet later, Glamour finished relieving one of her discomforts. She still felt groggy and grimy, so she went over to the showerbath. Her horn lit up, only to be extinguished a second later when her headache throbbed. Grumbling over how awful mornings can be, she used her hooves to fumble with the faucet handle until she got it to turn, and a stream of water started rushing out of the faucet and into the drain.

Glamour yawned as she waited for the water to warm up, and her eyelids began drooping until they closed shut. She probably would have fallen asleep standing and flooded the apartment if her head did not also dip down, the sudden movement jerking her awake. Shaking her head, Glamour guessed enough time had passed, stepped into the tub, and flipped the diverter to turn on the shower.

A few seconds later, Glamour let out a shriek when she realized her hooves did not do a good job, and she was blasted with a torrent of cold water. She tried to scramble out of the tub, but one of her hooves slipped on the wet surface. Resorting to her tried and true method of flailing her hooves, she grabbed onto the shower curtain. A series of clinking sounds rang in the bathroom as the curtain hooks broke, falling with Glamour to the bathroom floor.

Glamour moaned and writhed on the tiled floor as her headache became an everythingache. But at least she was awake now.

“Glamour, are you alright in there?” came Coco’s voice from the other side of the door.

“F-fine, just fine,” Glamour replied, trying her best to not groan.

“What was that loud thud I just heard?”

“N-nothing! I uh, I just knocked something over.”

Coco was silent for a few seconds before replying, “Well, alright then. Take your time. I’ll prepare you something to eat when you get out.”

Glamour let out a sigh of relief when she heard Coco’s hoofsteps depart, and she tried to get back up. To her dismay, she was stuck. The curtain had wrapped around her, trapping all four of her hooves inside like a pony burrito. With her headache still present, she kept her magic as a last resort, and she started squirming, trying to free herself from the curtain cocoon.

Glamour was glad that Coco had not come in to see her in such a compromising situation, and she imagined she probably looked ridiculous as her struggles started rolling her back and forth across the bathroom floor. Finally, after what seemed like forever, one of her forehooves slid out of the prison, allowing the rest of her body to swiftly follow it to freedom.

Not wanting to risk another round of hypothermia, Glamour turned off the shower and grabbed a towel from the nearby rack. She went over to the sink, turned on the water, and then made sure she turned on the hot water. As she waited for the water to heat up, she leaned in to run her hooves under the running water and splash her face. She also took the opportunity to drink some water, swish it around, and spit it back out to wash away some of the unpleasant taste stuck in her mouth.

The water had heated up enough at that point, and Glamour thoroughly soaked the towel before using it to rub her body. She let out a contented sigh as she felt the warmth seep into her body, soothing her aches. The heat even helped clear up her addled mind a bit. She had to reheat the towel twice before she went over her whole body.

Although she was still not feeling like her usual self, between the adrenaline rush from the cold water and her warm towel bath, she was feeling a lot better from when she first woke up. Putting the towel back on the rack and making a note to herself to fix the shower curtain later, Glamour exited the bathroom.

“Good morning, Coco,” Glamour greeted her friend who was preparing something in the kitchen area.

Coco chuckled softly. “It’s actually the afternoon, Glamour.”

“Wait, really?” Glamour turned her head to the window, and sure enough, she saw the sun was well past its highest point. “I really slept that much?”

“Considering what happened last night, it’s not that big of a surprise. How are you feeling?”

“A bit dizzy and lightheaded. I think I’m slowly getting better, but um, what did happen last night?”

Coco froze for a moment before slowly turning around. “You don’t remember?”

“Um…” Glamour’s face scrunched up as she tried to dig through her memories. Eventually, pieces of last night started to come back to her. “Oh right, we went out to dinner at… Le Fine.”

“Le Foin.”

“Right, that. We got a private table, we talked a bit after we ordered, then the food came. Yeah, I had that curry and uh, mos… moscato. They were good, but… I don’t think I remember if I finished eating or not.”

“Not really. To put it simply, you got drunk, Glamour.”

“Oh, okay.” A few seconds later, Glamour’s eyes widened. “Wait, I got drunk and passed out?!”

“Well, more like fell asleep. It’s a good thing moscato doesn’t have that much alcohol and that you nodded off before you drank too much. Otherwise, you would probably be feeling a lot worse.” Coco moved from the kitchen counter, bringing a plate of toast and a glass of water to the table. “Here, this will probably help you feel better. At the very least, you should drink some water.”

“Um, thanks,” Glamour replied as she sat down at the table and went straight for the water. She did not realize how parched she was until she actually felt the water go down her throat, and she ended up gulping down most of the glass. “Wow, I really needed that,” she said as she set the glass down.

Coco picked up the glass and refilled it at the kitchen before placing it in front of Glamour again. “Drinking plenty of water should help you recover faster, so make sure to drink a lot.”

Glamour nodded and took another sip before asking, “So, if I was out of it, how did you get us home?”

“High Brow eventually came in to check on us, and when he saw what happened to you, he was very nice. He helped me get you onto a cab. After driving us to the apartment, the cab driver was nice enough to also help me get you to your room.” A frown appeared on Coco’s face. “I’m very sorry, Glamour, I should’ve been keeping a closer watch on how much you drank. It was your first real time drinking wine.”

Glamour shook her head. “It’s not your fault. I should’ve known better.” With a sigh, she mentally added alcohol to the list of pony substances that affected changelings. First white chocolate mocha and now moscato, Glamour wondered why all the fun drinks she liked to binge on could knock her out.

“Well, I um, sort of need to apologize for another thing. You see, since you said it was your treat, I kind of didn’t bring any bits with me. I know I didn’t have your permission, but I had to use your bits to pay for dinner and the ride back, not to mention a generous tip for both High Brow and the cab driver for being so nice to us.”

Glamour shook her head. “No, Coco, that’s perfectly fine. I wanted to treat you to a good time but…” She let out a long sigh. “I should be apologizing to you for ruining the night.”

Coco sat down next to Glamour. “There’s no need. Even though things didn’t go as expected, last night was wonderful. The restaurant was beautiful, the food was great, and I had a lot of fun with you.”

“Even when you had to carry me home?”

A small laugh came from Coco. “Well, let’s just say that part was different and interesting.”

Glamour rolled her eyes. “Well, as long as you had a good time… So, did I do anything else that I should be concerned about?”

“There is one thing I want to ask you, if that’s alright…”

“Of course, what is it?”

“Um… while we were eating, we ended up talking about you moving out again. Do you remember any of that?”

Glamour’s ears drooped a bit as she slowly shook her head. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. I pretty much told you I liked having you living here, and then I was happy to hear that you really liked it as well. You went on to say some really nice things about me.”

“I would hope so. You’re a pretty amazing friend.”

Coco’s cheeks reddened just a tiny bit. “Um, thanks. Anyway, there was one thing you said, right before you fell asleep, and it’s been nagging me ever since.”

Glamour could feel the fake fur on the back of her neck raise up. “Uh, w-what did I say? It wasn’t some sort of secret, was it?”

Coco blinked. “Um, no, not really. You actually said something about not wanting to leave.”

“I did?”

Coco nodded. “Right after we said how much we liked spending time with each other, you told me you didn’t want to leave. Does… does that mean you don’t want to move out?”

“Well… Coco, I’m not sure we can take everything I said so seriously. I was drunk, after all.”

“Maybe, but alcohol does lower your inhibitions, so it’s not unheard of for ponies to blurt out their true feelings. Are you absolutely sure you don’t want to stay?”

Glamour sighed. “Coco, I do like living here with you, honestly, but I can’t stay here.”

“Why not? It’s not like I’m asking you to leave, and it seems like you aren’t so sure yourself.”

“But I am staying here without paying anything. It’s not fair to you, especially now that I have bits.”

“And I already told you before that I’m fine with it, and it’s not like you are just loafing around. Even with your work as a model, you still take the time to regularly clean the place up.”

“But… Wait, why are you so insistent all of a sudden?”

Coco’s eyes widened as red flooded into her cheeks. “Um… You see…”

“Is it because you want me to stay?”

“I just… Maybe…” She looked away, and her next word was uttered quietly. “Y-yes…”

A shiver ran through Glamour’s body. Coco’s answer was a bit of a surprise, but it was not what caused her to flinch. She felt a spark, like a warm, tingly feeling. It felt somewhat familiar, but as fast as it came, it had disappeared. She tried to detect the oddity again, but it did not return.

“Glamour?”

“Oh sorry, Coco,” Glamour apologized, dismissing the spark as a side effect from the alcohol. “I was just a bit shocked to hear your answer.”

Coco sighed and used one forehoof to rub the other. “I really enjoy having you around here. And I just thought if you aren’t sure if you want to leave, I don’t see why you can’t stay, at least for a little longer.

“I can’t explain it, but things just seem better when you’re around. But…” Coco bit her lip and then shook her head. “No, I’m being selfish. I shouldn’t be trying to change your mind, especially when I said I was okay with it yesterday. I’ll be fine, I just…” She paused for a moment and then let out another sigh as she got up. “Could you give me a few minutes?”

Glamour remained silent and nodded as Coco went into her room. She wondered what got Coco to act like this all of a sudden. Seeing her friend like this worried Glamour, and she began pondering if maybe moving out was not the best idea.

She was a changeling, and everything would only end in disaster if anypony found out. Getting her own place would offer her the safety and privacy she needed to keep her disguise. Living with another pony, like Coco, would only complicate things and endanger her career and life. She did not want to return to a life of hiding and running. She had to move out, to ensure her survival. It was the logical thing to do.

But that would mean she would be by herself again. After fending for herself for so long, it was a big change when Coco entered her life and became her friend. Not only was Coco there to help look out for her, Glamour really enjoyed spending time with her friend.

Even though it would still be possible for them to see each other every day after she moved out, the idea of not being around Coco as much made Glamour feel a bit uneasy, and she wondered if she really would be thinking of moving out if she was not a changeling.

Glamour groaned, and her face met the table. She already had a debate between what she wanted and what she needed, and she thought she had settled on the right thing. But now, she had to start all over, this time adding Coco’s feelings into the equation.

She wished this conundrum had come up earlier, before she got too attached to Coco, then this would have been a lot easier. A second later, she felt guilty for even thinking of such an awful thing.

Glamour’s face remained glued to the wooden surface, one question hanging on her mind.

Was risking everything she had worked for worth staying with Coco?

Glamour was not sure how long she stayed there, but after a while, she made up her mind and got up. It was obvious that Coco was not coming out anytime soon, so she went to Coco’s room to inform her friend about her decision.

“Coco, can I come in?” Glamour asked as she knocked on her roommate’s door.

“Come in,” Coco’s voice replied.

Glamour opened the door and went into the room. She caught a glimpse of Coco stashing away something into a drawer, but she pretended not to notice. There was something more important that needed to be addressed.

“Hey, Glamour. Sorry for not coming back out. I lost track of time with… my thoughts.”

“It’s alright. I used the time to think about what I should do, and I think I’m going to—”

“Wait,” Coco interrupted, raising her hoof for silence. “Before you say anything, I want to apologize for how I was acting. I guess with how few friends I have and after what happened with Nutmeg, I like to keep my friends close. I think I’m just scared that when you move out, we would start to slowly drift apart.”

A small smile appeared on Coco’s face. “But I should know better. After all the times we spent, helping each other, and having fun, we’ve developed a strong bond with each other. A little distance would not end our friendship. So, I just want to let you know that if you do move out, we’ll still be friends, and you’ll always have a place here.”

“Well, I’m happy to hear that, Coco,” Glamour replied with a smile of her own. “And you don’t have to worry. You’re the best friend I ever had, and I have no intention of letting our friendship die out.”

“I’m glad,” Coco replied, her smile growing a bit wider. “So uh, when are you going to start searching for a place?”

“Uh, yeah, about that. I’ve been thinking about it, and I was wondering, would it really be alright if I could maybe stay?”

“You… You want to stay now? Why did you… Wait, please don’t tell me you’re doing it because of me.”

“It kind of is, but I want this as well. With all my traveling, I became used to living alone. I thought having a place of my own would help me feel safe. Well, I kind of have that right now, with the room you gave me, and you’ve been great at giving me my privacy. On top of that, I get to stay close to you. Between having what I need and both of us wanting to stay together, I think it would make us both happier if I just stayed.”

“A-are you sure? You really want to stay?”

Glamour nodded. “I’m sure, but I do have one condition, if I’m going to be staying.”

“What? What is it?”

“I have bits now, and I’m staying here by choice, so I will be sharing in all the bills.”

“But—”

“And don’t try to talk me out of it. It’s only fair. What else am I going to spend my bits on? Moscato and white chocolate mocha?” Glamour blinked. “Actually…”

Coco giggled and walked toward Glamour. wrapping her hooves around Glamour’s neck in a hug. “I’m really glad you changed your mind, Glamour. Thank you for staying.”

“I’m happy too,” Glamour replied, returning the hug.

As they lingered in their embrace, Glamour felt that mysterious spark again, but it faded away before she had a chance to investigate it.

“Oh, Glamour, one more thing I want to ask you,” Coco said as they pulled away from each other.

“Yes?”

“Why was the shower curtain on the floor?”

Glamour blinked a few times. “Yeah… About that…”

Chapter 12: Cooking

The sweet scent of sugar saturated the apartment. Glamour was in the kitchen area, preparing the kitchenware, utensils, and the necessary ingredients for another attempt at a recipe she had been working on.

It had been a few days since she agreed to stay with Coco, and with her bits not going into a new home, Glamour decided to use some of it to try and learn a recipe she really liked.

Glamour placed a kettle into the sink, and as she filled it up with water, she sifted through several saucepans that were in the sink. One had white lumps stuck to its surface, while another was charred completely black. She found one that had survived her cooking, and she rinsed it as the water in the kettle reached the halfway point. The kettle was then placed on the stove, and the burner was turned on, slowly heating up the water.

The recently-washed saucepan floated out of the sink in a green aura and settled on the burner next to the kettle as Glamour went to the refrigerator. She was glad that she had her magic, allowing her to multitask and be more precise, and after spending so much time in the kitchen, it was clear she needed every bit of help she could get.

She opened the refrigerator door, reaching in to grab a milk carton. She shook the carton, hearing the liquid slosh inside and noting that it was more than half-empty. She glanced at the nearby trash can, letting out a sigh upon the sight of several empty milk cartons. She only had enough milk for one more try at the recipe.

Glamour closed the refrigerator, trotted back to the saucepan, and carefully poured the milk into it. Despite her caution, the milk splashed into the pan, making her wince as a few drops flew out and onto the counter. Saving the mess for later, she used her magic to grab a nearby spoon and made it stir the liquid as she turned on the second burner under the saucepan.

After a few stirs, she shifted her magic to a fresh bag of white chocolate chips on the counter. The bag floated over to her, and a small hole was ripped open on the top. She gingerly poured the chocolate into a measuring cup, bending down a bit and squinting her eyes as she watched the white chips rise. When the chocolate rose to a certain level, she put the bag back on the counter and then dumped the cup of chocolate into the heated milk.

Glamour picked the spoon back in her mouth and began stirring the milk and chocolate, a small smile blossoming on her face as she took in the sweet scent of the mixture. Hopefully, this attempt would allow her to actually taste the finished product. After she was sure all the chocolate lumps had melted, she turned down the saucepan’s burner to a temperature that would not burn her hard work… again.

After double checking the water and milk, she moved farther down the kitchen counter where a manual coffee grinder, a coffee press, and a bag of coffee beans sat. She scooped some coffee beans into the opening on top of the grinder and then began turning the crank with her magic, watching the coarse, brown powder collect in the container below. When she had enough, she dumped the ground coffee into the press, right as the kettle began whistling.

Quickly using her magic, Glamour turned off the burner, brought the kettle over to her, and poured the hot water into the press, mixing the water and coffee grounds together into a brown slush. Once there was enough water, she set down the kettle and placed the lid on the press.

Glamour wiped her brow with her hoof and let out a relieved sigh. The recipe was almost done, and all she had to do now was wait a few minutes for the coffee to steep. As she stood there, her eyes wandered around the kitchen counter until it stopped right on the bag of white chocolate chips.

She stared at the sweets for a moment before her eyes shifted to the left and then the right, scanning the apartment. Nopony but her was around. Coco was not home at the moment, and Glamour was glad her friend was not here. She wanted to surprise Coco with the finished recipe upon her return, but it also meant there were no witnesses around to watch the heinous and downright despicable deed she was about to do.

Glamour’s horn lit up, and the bag of chocolate floated towards her. After another glance around the room, she scooped up a hooffull of white chocolate chips and shoved them into her mouth, moaning in delight as the flavor hit her tongue.

And then the front door opened.

“Glamour, I’m…” Coco walked in and paused when she saw Glamour with her hoof still in her mouth. “What are you doing?”

“Noofin,” came Glamour’s muffled reply. Her hoof slowly withdrew from her tightly-sealed mouth. Her cheeks were bulging a bit from the unchewed chocolate.

“What’s in your mouth?” Coco asked, her gaze drifting down a bit to the floating bag in front of Glamour.

“Noofin,” Glamour repeated as the bag slowly orbited her body to hide behind her back.

“Okay…” Coco’s eyes shifted her gaze to the left of Glamour and widened. “Uhh…”

Glamour stepped between Coco’s gaze and the mess she made, but there was no way she would be able to hide all the white and brown puddles and stains littering the kitchen. “I—” A blob of white dropped off the ceiling and onto Glamour’s head.

Coco chuckled, and she grabbed a towel to wipe the mess off Glamour. “Go ahead and finish the chocolate in your mouth so that you can actually talk.”

Glamour grinned sheepishly before she put the bag of chocolate on the counter while quickly finishing off the chocolate in her. “I, uh, was going to clean the mess up,” she explained when her mouth was free.

“Were you making something?” Coco asked as she took a sniff. “Coffee?”

“Yeah, I am. It’s for the—” Glamour’s eyes bulged. “Ahh! The coffee!” She quickly turned back to the press and pushed down on the top, filtering the coffee. She popped open the lid, dipped the spoon into the coffee, and tasted it.

“Not too bitter. Finally, got it right,” Glamour muttered. She poured the rest of the coffee into the saucepan, mixing it with the chocolate milk. As she stirred the light-brown liquid, her horn lit up again, opening a cabinet door and floating out two mugs to the counter beside her. After a few more good stirs, she turned off the stove and carefully poured the finished recipe into the two mugs.

“Is this what I think it is?” Coco asked, walking over to Glamour to peer down at the drinks.

Glamour responded by levitating one of the mugs to Coco. She silently watched as Coco glanced at her for a second before taking the offered cup in her hooves. Glamour ran through all of the cooking steps in her head, and she was almost sure that she did not miss anything this time. When Coco slowly brought the drink to her lips, Glamour held her breath and leaned forward, awaiting Coco’s judgement.

Coco sipped the drink, and her eyes widened a bit. “Oh my, it’s good. Very good,” she praised before taking a longer drink.

“Yes! I can make white chocolate mocha!” Glamour cried out, adding a few hoof pumps for good measure.

Coco giggled. “Congratulations, Glamour, but should I be worried that you can make it now?”

Glamour cocked her head. “Why would you be worried?”

“Remember the first time you had white chocolate mocha?”

“One time! It was one time! I bet there are other ponies who had the same thing happen to them… Maybe…”

Coco laughed a bit more. “Regardless, you did a great job, Glamour.” She looked back to the kitchen area. “I can see that you worked hard on it.”

Glamour chuckled sheepishly. “I just wanted to try my hoof at cooking, something a bit more advanced than toast or cereal. Since we both like white chocolate mocha, I decided to try making that. I went to Cappuccino for some advice. She recommended the grinder and press for good coffee, so I bought those from the coffee shop. The rest of of the stuff was bought from the grocery store.

“It’s a good thing I bought extras of all the ingredients because as you can see…” Glamour waved her hoof at the kitchen cataclysm. “It took me a bunch of tries before I finally got the hang of it. I was hoping to clean everything up before you got home, but uh, you came back early.”

“The theater only needed me to help with some costume repairs. They probably could have done it without me, but it was an emergency, and they needed it finished as soon as possible. Even though I’m still on vacation with them, I’m glad I could help. To top it all off, I got a pleasant surprise when I came home.” Coco smiled and took another sip of her mocha.

Glamour could not help but puff out her chest a bit with pride over her success. She grabbed the other mug and took a drink of her creation, letting out a hum of delight as she savored the sweet flavor. It tasted just as good, if not better, than the coffee shop, probably because it was made by her own hooves. She could not wait to try making it again and adding other stuff to the mix.

“Oh, do you have any plans now?” Coco asked.

“Just cleaning up the kitchen, but I can do that later if you have something in mind.”

“Well, I met Grace on the way back. She has today off, so we decided to have lunch together. I was going to go meet her at the cafe after I dropped off my things at home. Would you like to come?”

Glamour nodded. “Sure, it will be great to see her again.”

After they finished their drinks and Coco unpacked her things, the two of them left the apartment and headed to lunch. As they made their way through the streets of Manehattan, Glamour noticed some ponies stopping to stare at her. A few ponies even waved at her once she caught their gaze. The same thing happened earlier when she was buying the cooking supplies, but she recalled what happened at the restaurant and guessed that those ponies attended the fashion show as well.

They eventually arrived at the cafe. It was the same one that Glamour had her first “date” with Coco. It seemed like there were no other ponies at the cafe, other than Grace. The secretary mare was sitting down in the outdoor area, reading a magazine that was lying flat on the table.

“Hey, Coco, I see you brought the superstar with you,” Grace greeted with a smirk when they sat down at the table. “Thank you so much for gracing us with your presence, Miss Glamour.”

Glamour rolled her eyes. “Hello to you too, Grace. I haven’t seen you since the show. Thanks for coming to that, by the way.”

“No problem. I was kind of hoping for things to get more exciting, like explosions or something, but it was still pretty fun to watch you strut your stuff.”

“What are you reading, Grace?” Coco asked.

“Oh, just a little something I picked up at a newsstand today,” Grace replied as she held up the magazine.

Glamour’s eyes widened, immediately recognizing the magazine since it was her image that was dominating the cover. “Photo Finish’s magazine is finally out?”

“Looks like it,” Coco said. “Oh my, are you excited, Glamour? A lot more ponies are going to know who you are now.”

“That would explain why more ponies were staring at me today.”

A shrill shriek startled them, and they quickly turned their heads to see a pink unicorn in a waitress outfit rushing over to their table. Glamour vaguely remembered that she was the same waitress from their first visit.

“Oh my goodness! It’s you! It’s really you!” the waitress squealed, bouncing up and down. “You’re Glamour the model!”

Glamour slowly nodded. “Uh, yeah, I am.”

“I can’t believe it’s you! C-could I maybe get an autograph?”

“I guess if you have a pen and—”

The waitress immediately pulled out a notepad, ripping off a sheet of paper and giving it to Glamour, along with a pen and a huge smile on her face.

Glamour stared at the items for a few seconds before taking the pen in her magic. Sticking out her tongue slightly of the side of her mouth, she tried to write her name using big, exaggerated strokes to make it fancy-looking. The result was an illegible mess that barely looked like her name. In other words, it was similar to most of the signatures she had observed during her travels.

“Oh my gosh! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” the waitress cheered as Glamour passed back the pen and paper. She hugged the autograph to her chest and squealed. “I don’t know how to thank you for this!”

“Uh, how about taking our orders?” Grace suggested with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh, of course!” The waitress promptly stood at attention, her magic holding the pen right above the notepad. “What will it be?”

After the three of them placed their orders, the happy waitress bowed several times to Glamour before literally bouncing back to the kitchen.

“Dang, so that’s what it’s like to hang out with a famous pony,” Grace said. “Pretty soon, you’re going to need to carry around a stick just to beat back all the groupies. What’s it like to be famous, Glamour?”

“Well, I don’t feel any different, but I guess it is kind of weird that a bunch of strangers know about me and come up to me, even going as far as giving me special treatment. For example, I got a private table at Le Fine—”

Coco let out an amused sigh. “Le Foin, Glamour.”

Glamour’s nose scrunched up. “I am never going to get that right.”

“Whoa, whoa , whoa!” Grace cried out. “Le Foin? The fancy restaurant Le Foin? You actually ate there?”

“Um, Glamour actually took me to dinner there,” Coco answered with a smile and a little red in her cheeks.

“Wow, and you can afford that now, Glamour?”

Glamour nodded. “I got my first paycheck from Photo Finish that day, and she paid me a very generous sum.”

“So, what I’m hearing is that lunch is on Glamour.”

Glamour chuckled. “Why am I not surprised?”

“I’m not hearing a no.”

“Grace, isn’t that a bit rude?” Coco chided.

Glamour rolled her eyes with a smile on her face. “It’s alright, Coco. Yes, lunch is on me. After all, you’re also a friend, and you helped me out quite a few times as well.”

“Sweet, free food! Man, I should’ve ordered more,” Grace said with a chuckle. “But in all seriousness, congrats to you, Glamour. I know you had a pretty rough life, and it’s great things are now looking up for you. So, what have you been two up to since the show? Is Photo Finish planning another crazy thing soon?”

“She entered Coco in the Fall Fashion Fantasia for me to model in,” Glamour replied. “She said it would make for great publicity.”

Grace frowned and looked to Coco. “Are you okay with that, Coco? You do know who’s going to be in that contest as well, right?”

Coco sighed and nodded. “I know, and I admit that I’m nervous to be going against Suri, but I guess it was going to happen someday. At least if I do this now, Glamour will be there to help me through it.”

“Of course I will,” Glamour said as she patted Coco’s shoulder. “And don’t worry about Suri. If she tries anything on us, she’ll be sorry.”

Coco shook her head. “Don’t do anything drastic, Glamour. She doesn’t deserve that.”

“She doesn’t? Coco, she cheats, and I don’t like the way she treats you either.”

“I know, but still, she did take me in, and she taught me a lot of things. I still owe her.”

Glamour frowned. “Well, if you ask me, I don’t think you owe her anything, not for what she’s putting you through.”

“Well, whatever happens, just be careful you two,” Grace warned. “That Suri is one sneaky mare, and the Fall Fashion Fantasia is pretty huge. Still, if you two pull it off, I bet Photo Finish will be happy and give you another big check. Guess it won’t be long until you move out of Coco’s apartment, get your own place, and why did you two just look at each other?”

“Well, uh, Glamour and I talked about it, and we both agreed that we would like to continue living with each other for the time being,” Coco explained.

Grace stared at Glamour and Coco for a few moments. She cleared her throat and said, “So let me get this straight, not only are you and Glamour are working together, you guys went to the fanciest restaurant in Manehattan, and now you two are actually living together by choice?”

“Uh, yes?”

Grace blinked a couple of times. “Wow, Coco. When you want something, you want it. You went from stalker to marefriend really quick.”

“G-Grace!” Coco cried out, her face burning brightly with red.

“It’s not like that, Grace,” Glamour said. “After living together for some time, we found that we really enjoyed each other’s company. Combine that with the fact that we’re working together, it would be easier and better for us to stay together. We’re just good friends.”

“You sure? You two seem pretty chummy with each other, if you ask me.”

Glamour nodded. “You’re actually not the first pony to think we’re marefriends. Our situation is just a bit um… unique.”

Grace shrugged. “If you say so. It’s just that you two seem so close, and when you add living together, it wouldn’t be a surprise if you two did end up hooking up.”

Glamour sensed a warm, tingly feeling. It was the same spark that she had felt the same day she decided to stay with Coco. Since then, that spark had occasionally poked at her senses, only to fade away before she could identify it.

Only this time, the spark remained, and Glamour could sense lust starting to fill the air. She could not pinpoint the source, but with nopony else eating at the cafe, that left only two candidates. Glamour glanced at Grace, who had gone back to idly flipping through the magazine while letting out a yawn. She then turned her gaze to Coco and saw that the designer was staring down at the table, her cheeks still red.

Could it be?

“Hey, you’re that new model, aren’t you?” a voice asked from behind her.

The three mares turned around to see that several stallions were standing right outside the garden wall that bordered the outdoor eating area. They were all staring at Glamour.

“I guess you could say that,” Glamour replied slowly.

The stallions chuckled and playfully nudged each other before one stallion said, “Do you have a map? Because I’m getting lost in your eyes.”

The eyes of all three mares widened, and their jaws dropped before Grace let out a groan. “Seriously?” she grumbled. “This is actually happening?”

Glamour continued to look at the stallions. It was obvious where the cloud of lust was coming from now, and she could tell that those stallions did not want just an autograph from her.

“Glamour? Why are you staring at them?” Coco spoke up, getting Glamour to turn to her. “You’re not um, interested in any of them, are you?”

Glamour shook her head. “No, of course not. I know exactly what they want, and I have no desire to go with any of them. I just want to stay here and have a nice lunch with my friends. Besides, I’m pretty sure Prim Hemline and Photo Finish would not appreciate it if I just went out with a random stallion off the streets either.”

Coco breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh good.”

Like the adoration she had been feeding off, lust was another pony emotion that changelings could harvest, but Glamour was not too keen on the methods of stirring up a pony’s lust, and she was grateful that she had her career as a model to sustain her.

“Are you a magnet? Because I’m attracted to you.”

Even if my career attracts some weirdos, Glamour thought to herself as she facehoofed.

“If I had to rate you from one to ten, I would rate you a nine because I’m the one you’re missing.”

Glamour stood up and turned to the stallions. “Okay, I’m flattered that all of you are um, fans, and I know you all are trying to ask me out on a date, but I am sorry to say that I am not interested. If you would kindly just move on and leave us to our meal, my friends and I would really appreciate it.”

“Come on, why not just ask one of us out?” one of the stallions asked with a smirk.

“I think she would rather ask all of you to get out,” Grace retorted. “She’s not going out with any of you. Take a hint.”

To their dismay, the stallions were unfazed, and the pick up lines kept coming.

“I’m not a photographer, but I can picture me and you together.”

Grace sighed and turned back to face Glamour and Coco. “Just ignore them. Eventually, those jerks will get the message and leave us alone.”

Glamour and Coco nodded, and they all sat in silence, doing their best not to look back at the stallions.

“Do you have some gloves? Because you’re hot.”

“Somepony call the police because she just stole my heart.”

As they continued to weather the cheesy pickup lines, Glamour noticed Coco’s hooves were trembling. “Coco, are you alright?”

“I’m fine, Glamour. It’s just kind of hard to have to see this happen to you.”

Glamour sighed. “I’m sorry, you two. I guess it’s sort of my fault that lunch is ruined.”

“Hey, it’s not your fault,” Grace assured. “You worked hard to get where you are. Don’t let some ponies, like those jerks over there, ruin that for you.”

“Can I follow you home?” A stallion cried out. “My parents always told me to follow my dreams.”

“I lost my teddy bear. Would you sleep with me instead?”

A loud crash echoed through the air as two hooves slammed down on their table. To Glamour’s surprise, Coco was the one who did it as she got up and glared at the stallions.

“Alright, listen up! Glamour here is a pony like you and me and deserves to be treated with respect! Yes, she’s beautiful, but she’s also sweet, and caring, and fun, and a fantastic pony all around. She’s not some object to be gawked at and passed around like a trophy, and she’s certainly not interested in any of you ruffians! She has worked too hard to suffer through your pointless babbling, so I suggest you all get out of here and leave us alone before I report all of you to the local authorities for harassment!”

Everypony was silent, staring at Coco after her outburst. Eventually, the stallions were the first to move. They grumbled to each other and shot them a few angry glares as they slowly walked away.

Coco continued to watch the stallions until they were out of sight. She then let out a loud sigh as she slumped back down into her seat. “Oh… Oh my, I-I don’t know what came over me. I can’t believe I just did that.”

“Are you kidding me? That was amazing, Coco!” Grace cheered with a big grin. “You really told those dolts off. It’s about time you showed you got some fight in you.” She leaned over and nudged Coco. “See? Even Glamour is so impressed with you, she’s speechless.”

“Glamour?” Coco glanced at her roommate and saw that Glamour was indeed staring at her with wide eyes and a dropped jaw. “Um, sorry for jumping in all of a sudden and screaming. I just had enough of them treating you like that.”

Glamour blinked a couple of times as her mouth slowly closed. She shook her head and smiled. “No, that’s alright. I’ve been encouraging you to stand up for yourself, and you did just that… Well, sort of, since you were sticking up for me instead.” She scooted over to Coco and hugged her. “Thanks for all of that.”

Coco smiled as she returned the hug. “You’re welcome, Glamour.”

“D’aww,” Grace uttered as she watched them. “That’s pretty sweet. Now, kiss!”

Glamour and Coco quickly ended the hug and turned away from each other, red creeping up on both of their faces as Grace laughed.

As Grace and Coco started talking to each other again, Glamour sighed softly. It was the first time she had seen Coco ever get angry, even when she went up against Suri. She had been encouraging Coco to be more confident and stand up for herself, but Glamour did not expect that it would happen in her defense. And yet that was still not what surprised Glamour the most.

Right as Coco started her rant, Glamour felt that spark again, and this time, the spark lingered and ignited. She was able to quickly recognize it as the most potent energy source for changelings, and it was coming off Coco. Now, as she stared at Coco, it felt like there was a constant wellspring of energy emanating from her friend.

There was no mistake what was happening, and a small frown sneaked onto Glamour’s face.

Coco was falling in love with her.

Author's Note

Pickup line that did not make the cut: "Does this rag smell like chloroform to you?"

Chapter 13: Falling

“I was thinking of maybe doing this one with several different layers, each one a different color.”

“Mhm.”

“Or how about this one? I used ribbons to help accentuate some of the patterns.”

“Mhm.”

“And this is an interesting piece where I could try experimenting with some special gems.”

“Mhm.”

“Ohh, it’s so hard to decide. There’s so many things I could do, but I don’t have the time. I have to make sure this dress for the Fall Fashion Fantasia will be something you and everypony else will love.”

Glamour’s head jerked up and quickly looked left and right. “Huh? Love?! What?”

Coco looked up from her dress sketches to Glamour, her mouth curled into a small frown. “Glamour, were you even paying attention?”

“Um…” Glamour’s ears drooped. “N-not really.”

Coco sighed. “Glamour, I asked you here because I really would like your opinion on what I should make, but this is the third time you zoned out since we started looking at my sketches. Is there something wrong? You’ve been awfully distracted these past few days.”

I could kind of say the same about you, Glamour thought before saying, “I have a lot on my mind.”

“About what, if I may ask?”

“Just… Just thinking about the future.”

Coco’s frown grew. “Is it about the contest?”

“It’s… one of the things… To be honest, I’m more worried about you.”

Coco sighed again and looked back at her sketches. “Thanks for the concern, Glamour, but I’ll be fine. I admit I’m still nervous, but I’m not going to disappoint either of us. I just have to figure out something fantastic for you to wear.”

“I’m sure whatever you make will be great.”

“But I don’t want something that’s just great. We’re going up against some very talented designers, and you’re not going to impress many ponies if you come in last because of me. You deserve to be up on stage with only the best.” Coco grumbled as she quickly shuffled through her sketches. “This dress has to be perfect for you.”

Glamour reached out with a forehoof and wrapped it around the back of Coco’s neck in a quick, one-legged hug. “Please, don’t stress yourself out on this. I really do appreciate how much time and effort you are putting in on this, but I don’t want to see you get sick or hurt because of it. I’m sorry that I can’t help much with your work. Let’s face it, my job might involve wearing a lot of clothes, but I’m pretty lousy when it comes to making them.”

Coco looked up with a small smile. “But you are a big help, Glamour. Even if you can’t help me with my sketches or sewing, you give me the motivation and inspiration I need. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so passionate in creating something before you came along.”

“Well, I guess whatever little I could do, I’m glad I could help.” Glamour smiled as Coco went back to her drawings. She watched Coco quickly draw out shapes and lines, many of them eventually forming into beautiful patterns and designs. She had to hold back a giggle when she noticed Coco’s tongue stick out of her mouth as she concentrated on her work.

While Glamour did find it interesting to watch Coco’s drawings, with nothing much else for her to do beside standing around and listen to the quiet scratching of a pencil, her mind was starting to drift off. “Hey, Coco, we’ve kind of been at this all morning. Since you’re busy sketching again, is it alright if I go take a break in my room?”

Coco’s pencil froze as her attention shifted. “Oh, um, a-alright. I guess it is kind of boring just watching me sketch. Sorry for making you stand there and taking up your time.” She let out a sigh and went back to her sketches.

“Well… um… call me if you need anything,” Glamour replied, walking straight out of Coco’s room and into her own. With a sigh, she closed the door behind her and locked it. She then went to her bed, pulled out her bag from under the pillow, and fished out the compact mirror. Opening up the mirror, she stared at her reflection as she was left alone with her thoughts.

Over the past few days, Glamour had been struggling to figure out what she should do with Coco. The sparks of Coco’s love had ignited into a fire and had been constantly burning ever since their lunch with Grace. She had noticed Coco would stare at her, and like this morning’s sketch session, she seemed to be trying to spend more time with her as well.

As a changeling, she should be relishing the fact that she now had a constant source of love nearby to feed her.

But that felt wrong.

A ring of green fire enveloped Glamour’s body, and she was now looking at her changeling form in the mirror.

Glamour refused to feed from Coco, or at least, she tried to. She had given in to temptation a few times and sampled Coco’s love. It was like sitting in the hearth of a fireplace. The fire of Coco’s love was small, but the cozy, inviting aura was more than enough to fill Glamour’s body with a pleasant warmth. She could not imagine what it would be like once Coco’s love fully blossomed, and a part of her was hoping that event would never happen.

Things had already been complicated enough when she decided to stay in the apartment, but now she had to think of the possible implications of a pony loving a changeling. A part of her was telling her to get out before things got worse, but another part of her was urging her to stay and see what happens.

A normal changeling would likely do whatever it took to cultivate Coco’s love to achieve an optimal output of energy. But Glamour did not want to see Coco as just a food source, so that left only two other options.

The first option would be to somehow put a stop to Coco’s love, but every idea and scenario she came up with would likely hurt Coco, and the thought of breaking her friend’s heart and straining their friendship scared Glamour.

And then there was the other option. Glamour was still learning things about being friends with a pony, but going off Grace’s words, they shared a bond that was stronger than many other ponies. Was it possible that their friendship was slowly treading into the territory of love?

Could she fall in love with Coco?

Should she fall in love with Coco?

A knock on the door interrupted her musing.

“Glamour, are you free now?” Coco asked from the other side.

Glamour glanced at a picture of her pony form on the wall and morphed back into her disguise. “Yes, do you need something?”

“I think I got an idea on what to do for the contest, but I need to buy more fabric at the store. Do you want to come?”

“Sure, I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

“Alright, I’ll be ready to go by then,” Coco replied before the sounds of her hoofsteps went back into her room.

Glamour took a deep breath before stowing away her belongings back under her pillow.

She did not know what she was going to do. All she could do was wait and see what happens.

“So, this is where you always pick up your fabric and stuff?” Glamour asked as she and Coco walked into the fabric store. She had to crane her head back a bit to see how the store took advantage of the narrow, two-story high building to cram as many items as they could into tall, metal shelves.

“Yes, it is,” Coco replied. “I forgot this is your first time here. Since this place is so close to the theater, I would just pick up whatever I needed on the way home.”

“That would explain why you always seem to come home with more stuff than when you left.”

Coco giggled and nodded as she went to a pile of shopping baskets, only to watch the top basket float to Glamour’s side. “Oh, you don’t have to do that, Glamour. I can carry it myself,” Coco said, reaching out with her hoof.

The basket floated out of Coco’s reach as Glamour shook her head. “I insist. I don’t have the eye to help you pick out the materials you need, so I might as well do something useful. You concentrate on getting what you need.”

Coco stared at Glamour for a moment before giving back a smile. “Alright, thank you.”

They commenced shopping, and Glamour did a bit of browsing while Coco started selecting the things she needed. All sorts of items lined the shelves such as spools of thread, bolts of fabric, sewing machines, and a plethora of other clothing goods. With all sorts of creative materials lying around, it was no wonder that Coco liked to come here.

As they continued shopping, Glamour would watch Coco pause in front of anything she found interesting, carefully scrutinizing them and gently running her hoof through the material. Despite her intense concentration, a smile remained on Coco’s face. Glamour wondered if Coco was actually having fun shopping, or if it was because she was here to accompany her. Whatever the reason, she did know that it was also putting a smile on her face.

Anytime Coco found what she want, she would add it to the growing basket of supplies in Glamour’s magic. Eventually, Glamour had to go grab a second and even a third basket to hold Coco’s shopping spree. Luckily, most of the materials were pretty light, and Glamour was able to extend her magic’s field to all three baskets. It took some concentration, but it did not put a big strain on her.

When Coco stopped for the umpteenth time to inspect something, Glamour turned her attention to the shelves next to her to pass the time. She saw a bolt of red fabric, noting the label saying that it was crimson-red. Her eyes went to look at the red fabric on the left, which was actually ruby-red. Looking to the right, she saw scarlet-red. She stared at the three shades of red trying to see a difference in them, but failing. After a while, she gave up and grumbled.

According to Coco, a good designer had a trained eye and could see subtle shade changes with ease. Glamour figured she was not going to be a designer any time soon.

Taking her gaze off the shelves, Glamour was surprised to find that Coco was nowhere in sight. As she looked back and forth along the aisle for her friend, she heard a shuffling sound from above and looked up. Her eyes shot wide open.

Coco had actually climbed up a few shelves and was standing on her hind legs. She was reaching out with a forehoof for a bolt of black fabric on a high up shelf.

“Coco, get down from there! You could fall and get hurt! I can get whatever you need for you,” Glamour urged.

“It’s fine, Glamour. You’re carrying a lot of things, and I’ve done this before.” Coco grunted quietly as she stretched her body more. “Almost got it…” She slowly climbed up another shelf.

That was when one of Coco’s hind legs slipped, and she let out a yelp as she lost her grip and fell backwards through the air.

“Coco!” Before the shopping baskets she released reached the ground, Glamour was under Coco’s falling body. She hastily got on her hind legs, and her forehooves stretched out toward her friend.

Glamour grunted as Coco collided into her, sending them both crashing to the ground. A loud hiss of pain escaped her when her back hit the floor, knocking the air out of her and causing stars to flash into her vision.

Groaning in pain, she remained lying on the floor. Her eyes had clenched shut as a reaction to her body’s agony, but she reopened them slowly when she felt squirming on top of her, followed by a gasp.

Glamour’s eyes flew wide open when she saw Coco’s eyes were right in front of hers. As the ebbing pain slowly gave back her senses, she realized that their noses were also practically touching.

Neither of them moved or made another sound as they gazed into each other’s eyes. Glamour could feel her heart beating faster. Whether it was from the fall or their compromising position, she did not know. Eventually, Glamour noticed Coco’s cheeks were getting a bit rosy, and judging by the heat in her face, her cheeks were doing the same as well.

“C-Coco, are you alright?” were the first words to finally come to Glamour’s mind.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine.”

The sound of a pony clearing their throat made them both look to the end of the aisle. A unicorn stallion wearing a name tag with the store’s logo stood there, watching them with one raised eyebrow. “Um, what’s going on here?”

“S-sorry, I fell, and my friend tried to catch me,” Coco explained.

The store employee slowly blinked, staring at them with a blank face.

“Um…” Coco glanced around and then pointed to where their baskets were. “Could you take all of that to the front? The mess here is my fault, and I’ll clean it up before I pay for my things.”

The stallion smiled and nodded, probably pacified by not having to do the extra work along with a promise of a sale. His horn lit up, wrapping Coco’s materials in his magic, and trotted away with the goods in tow.

They both let out a sigh of relief.

“Well, that was a bit awkward,” said Glamour. “We should probably get up now, so uh, could you get off me first, Coco?”

“Um, I can’t.”

“W-what? Why not? Is something wrong? A-are you hurt? Do you need help? Do we need to call a doctor or an ambulance?”

“No, no, no, I’m fine, Glamour. I can’t get up because um, you’re kind of holding me down.”

Glamour blinked and raised her head up a bit to see that her forehooves were wrapped tightly around Coco’s back as though her life depended on it. “O-oh, sorry,” she replied, letting Coco go.

Coco promptly got back up and then extended a hoof to Glamour’s prone form. Glamour gratefully took Coco’s hoof in her own. but as she was pulled up, she let out another hiss and cringed as a sharp pain ran through her back.

Coco gasped, covering her mouth with a hoof. “O-oh my goodness, are you alright?”

“I think so,” Glamour said with a small grimace. She slowly moved a forehoof to her back and winced when she rubbed the sore spot. “Okay, maybe my back isn’t so alright.”

Coco’s head hung down. “I’m so sorry, Glamour. If I wasn’t so careless, you wouldn’t have had to save me. It’s all my fault you got hurt.”

Glamour grunted as she shifted her body around, trying to see the extent of her injury. “It’s alright. I don’t think it’s anything serious, maybe a small sprain.”

Getting no response from her friend, Glamour glanced at Coco, seeing that she was silently staring at the floor. Ignoring the little spikes of pain her back was causing, Glamour moved closer and used a forehoof to raise Coco’s chin to make their eyes meet. Giving Coco a smile, she said, “Hey, don’t worry about it. It was an accident. I’m just glad I was able to catch you. You’re not hurt, right?”

Coco shook her head. “Only because of you.”

“Good, because I would rather see myself get hurt before letting you.”

Coco stared at Glamour for a few seconds, her mouth opening and closing a few times. She soon settled on smiling and leaned in, carefully moving her hooves around Glamour’s neck in a hug. “Thank you, Glamour.”

Glamour shivered slightly in the embrace as a wave of Coco’s love hit her. She felt it run through her body, rejuvenating her. By the time they ended their hug, a lot of her back pain had been soothed away.

Coco began cleaning up the mess she made, and despite her protests, Glamour joined in too. The accident had ended up knocking down a slew of items from the shelves and onto the floor. While they were putting everything back, Coco saw that a few of her previously picked supplies had been mixed into the mess. As she separated her materials from the mess, she muttered, “I don’t see it here, so I guess the employee must’ve…” She paused when she looked up.

Glamour followed Coco’s gaze and saw that the black fabric that started this whole mess was still laying on the top shelf.

Coco sighed. “All that trouble for nothing.”

Glamour held out her hoof and lit up her horn. The fabric was wrapped in her magic and rolled off the shelf, but instead of landing in her hoof, it unraveled in the air and some of the cloth draped over her head as the rest of it clattered to the floor. “That… that went better in my head…”

Coco chuckled and uncovered Glamour, rolling the fabric back into the bolt. “Guess I can’t do much without you, huh?”

Glamour smirked. “Oh, you can do plenty of things, such as making beautiful dresses or being a good friend, but reaching high places… Not so much.”

They both laughed, and Coco placed the coveted fabric into their pile as they finished cleaning. “Alright, let’s go now. We need to get you home and rest.”

“Are you sure you got everything you needed?”

“Just about. There are a few more things, but they’re not as essential, and I could always come back for them.”

Glamour shook her head. “Let’s finish shopping. No need to waste time making a second trip later on.

“But I don’t want to risk you aggravating your injury.”

“Like I said, it’s nothing serious, and I’m feeling better.” Glamour used her hoof to rub at the sore spot again. She barely held back a flinch when a stinging pain coursed through her back. Coco’s love had dulled the pain, but not completely. Straining a smile, she said, “See? All better.”

“Well… alright then, but…” Coco picked up their things. “You are not carrying anything, even with your magic, until you’re all better. I don’t want you to get hurt again.”

Glamour insisted that she was fine, but Coco would not budge until she relented. It only took them a few more moments of shopping before Coco got everything she needed and went to the front counter to pay. With several bags in tow, they exited the store and headed home.

Along the way, Coco started explaining some of the ideas she had in mind, and Glamour turned her head to give Coco her full attention. It did not take long for Glamour to notice the excitement and eagerness in her friend’s voice, most likely due to the fresh batch of supplies they were carrying. It was good to see that despite her worries, Coco was still excited to be able to participate in the upcoming competition.

After they walked about two blocks, Glamour looked ahead and froze, her smile fading when she saw a certain pony come around the corner in front of them.

“Glamour? What is… Oh…” Coco also stopped when she saw the pony walking toward them. “H-hi, Suri.”

“Coco…” Suri curtly replied as she slowly approached them. Unlike before, when she usually had a smug smile, Glamour saw that the antagonizing designer had a scowl on her face. She glared at Coco, and her gaze went over the bags they were holding. “I see that you’re preparing for something. It wouldn’t happen to be for a certain competition, would it?”

Coco gulped and nodded. “It’s for the Fall Fashion Fantasia.”

Suri huffed. “So it is true, you’re actually entering it. What a joke…”

Glamour gritted her teeth and stepped forward. “Now listen here, Suri, I…” She blinked and stopped when a hoof barred her way. “Coco?”

“It’s alright, Glamour,” Coco said, keeping her eyes on Suri. “I need to do this.”

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“No… But I knew something like this was going to happen sooner or later. Please, let me handle this.”

Glamour frowned, her eyes flicking between Coco and Suri. Eventually, she stepped back, but kept herself ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice.

One of Suri’s eyebrows went up shortly before she chuckled. “Finally getting tired of hiding behind others? Is our little Coco actually starting to grow a spine?”

“Look, Suri, I know you aren’t happy that I’m entering the Fall Fashion Fantasia, but—”

“Happy? Why wouldn’t I be happy?” Suri stomped her hoof on the ground. “It’s not like my former assistant, a pony I taught, is trying to show me up in one of the biggest fashion contests in Manehattan.”

“It’s not like that, Suri. Photo Finish wants Glamour to be in the competition for more publicity. I’m only doing this for Glamour.”

“Spare me the excuses!” Suri spat out. “You’re just like everypony else. You’re just aiming to knock me down on your pitiful attempt of making it big. It wasn’t enough when you practically gave away my first place trophy from Fashion Week, but now, you want to steal the Fall Fashion Fantasia trophy from me as well.”

“I’m not trying to steal anything. It’s… it’s just unfortunate circumstances making us face off against each other. Also, the Fashion Week trophy belonged to Rarity. She beat you fair and square, even after we cheated. Suri, you have to understand that what you were doing was wrong. You’ve been playing dirty for a long time. Please, you have to stop it. You’re better than that.”

“And why should I listen to you? You could barely thread a needle before you started working for me. Under my watch, you actually became a decent designer, and what do you do for me in return?” Suri thrusted a hoof directly at Coco. “You go behind my back to help the enemy and then left me!”

“I… I had to leave, Suri. You never listened to me because you were only seeing me as an assistant. I couldn’t stand idly by while you continued to cheat. It did hurt me to quit, but I… I thought that if I could show you I could stand on my own hooves, you would listen to me. Maybe I could convince you to change your ways, and then we could go back to being friends and—”

“I don’t need friends!” Suri roared. “Friends just get in the way.”

Coco took a steadying breath. “I know you think that way, Suri, but it’s not true. I made a few friends, and I’m much happier because of that.”

“Oh please, you are so naive. Don’t you get it? Ponies always think of themselves first, and they only become friends to use each other. Let’s take your so-called model friend over there as an example. You might be working with her now, but once she gets more famous and sees the work of real designers, she won’t need you anymore. She’s just stringing you along, using you, until a better deal comes up. Eventually, she’ll end up leaving you and forgetting all about you.”

“No!” Coco immediately yelled out, causing both Suri and Glamour to reel back in surprise. “Glamour isn’t like that! She’s a great friend! She helps take care of me and encourages me and makes me smile! Even after I mess things up, she stays and is always there for me! She would never leave me or lie to me!”

Glamour coughed, trying to suppress the lump in her throat.

Suri blinked a couple of times before a wide sneer appeared on her face. “Oh, I see what’s going on here. This is rich. Little Coco is actually falling in love.”

The pupils in Coco’s eyes shrunk into pinpricks. “W-what?”

“I know the signs well enough. You know, I almost pity you. We both know how ruthless ponies can be, but apparently, that lesson didn’t stick. Just you wait, you’ll have nothing but a broken heart. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I got things to do if I’m going to crush you at the competition.”

Coco stepped forward and held out her hoof. “N-no, wait, Suri. Please, I just want things to go back to the way they were. We were friends until—”

Suri swatted away Coco’s hoof, eliciting a yelp from Coco. “Get it through your thick skull! I don’t need friends! We were never friends and are never going to be friends! You were just a worker I hired. Nothing more. I’m surprised I actually kept you around for so long and look at what that brought me. Serves me right for actually trusting you. I hate you.”

“S-Suri…” Coco sank to her hind legs as Suri brushed past her.

Glamour quickly rushed over to Coco, exchanging glares with Suri as they passed each other, and knelt down in front of Coco. It tugged at her heart to find that her friend was sniffling and wiping away at her eyes with her hoof. “Coco, are you alright?”

All Glamour got in response was more sniffling, and she could tell Coco was doing her best to not cry. She brought Coco into a hug, and said, “It’s alright, Coco. You can cry if you want.”

“N-no,” Coco replied. “I-I’m fine. I… I just need a little time.”

Glamour sighed and looked back, seeing that Suri was walking to the fabric store. She stared at Suri, the gears in her head turning, until she decided there was something she had to do. “I’ll be back in a moment. You just wait here, Coco.”

By the time Coco looked up, Glamour had already began running back to the store, and her horn flared up right as Suri pulled open the door.

The door slammed shut in front of Suri, and she growled as she turned to Glamour. “I have no interest in talking to you.”

“Well too bad, because I need to talk to you, and you are going to answer some questions for me,” Glamour demanded. “Why do you hate Coco so much?”

Suri snorted. “Seriously? Are you dense? You already know what happened between us. She betrayed me. Simple as that. There’s nothing more to say.”

“She wasn’t trying to hurt you. She left you because you were cheating. It’s not exactly something many ponies would like to be associated with.”

“Oh please, don’t you go preaching that drivel to me as well. Coco and I got a dose of reality years ago. The world is a cutthroat place, and you have to do whatever it takes to win. It’s the only way to survive. It’s not my problem if she forgot.”

Glamour tilted her head. “What did happen years ago?”

“What? Coco didn’t tell you already?”

“All I know is that you took her in as an assistant.”

Suri rolled her eyes. “Of course she didn’t tell you. I bet she’s too busy feeding you all sorts of slander about me to actually tell you the truth.”

Glamour’s eyes narrowed. “For your information, I don’t think Coco has actually said a bad thing about you. Even after all the grief you give her, she still seems to respect you and still wants to be friends with you.”

“Why do you even want to know?”

“Because it would help me understand you and Coco better. If it helps me to get you two to stop fighting, I want to know. Coco’s always been a bit vague whenever we talked about you, and now I know it’s because she’s hiding something about you.”

“At least she knows how to keep her mouth shut then,” Suri muttered. “Look, I don’t have time for this. If you want to play detective, go ask Coco yourself. Tell her I sent you. Maybe you’ll learn a little something and see things in a different light. Now, if we’re done here, I need to prepare to win the Fall Fashion Fantasia.”

Glamour slowly nodded and backed away, letting Suri open the door.

“Oh, and I suggest you two drop out of the contest,” Suri warned. “It will spare you a lot of time and tears. I will win, and nothing is going to stop me.”

“We are not dropping out,” Glamour replied.

Suri scoffed. “Your loss then,” she said before entering the store and slamming the door shut behind her.

Glamour sighed and shook her head. She was going to have to keep a close watch on Suri. Walking back to Coco, she saw that her friend was now standing again and had a worried frown on her face.

“W-what did you do with Suri?” Coco asked when Glamour got close.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t do anything to her. We just had a little talk about the contest. We’re going to have to be careful with her.”

“That’s all you talked about?”

“Well…” Glamour was about to ask about the thing Suri suggested, but she instead grabbed all of their bags in her magic. “I’ll tell you about it when we get home. I think we both are a bit rattled after what happened.”

She only walked a few steps when she heard, “Glamour?” She turned back around to see Coco was gazing at the ground.

“Um…” Coco remained silent while scuffing the ground with her hoof. Eventually, she shook her head. “Never mind, we can talk about it later. Let’s go home.”

Glamour nodded, and the two of them slowly walked back to the apartment. While the sun was starting to set, signifying the end of the day, the night was about to begin.

Chapter 14: Looking Back, Looking Forward

Glamour sighed as she lay in bed, her eyes slowly combing the walls of her room. She was still processing everything that happened today. Things were complicated enough when she found out Coco had feelings for her, but their little shopping trip had ended up unearthing more questions for her to ponder about.

First and foremost was the reveal that something happened with Coco and Suri years ago. Whatever it was, that seemed to be when the rift between them started to form. With Suri sort of giving her permission, Glamour was waiting for the right moment to talk to Coco about what happened. She hoped that learning about the event would be a step in the right direction to possibly getting Suri off her and Coco’s backs.

The other thing bothering Glamour was her own relationship with Coco. After High Brow’s mistake at the restaurant and Grace’s half-joking, Suri was the third pony to call them out at being more than friends. It made her wonder if ponies were a bit more deluded than she thought or that there was some detail she missed that already marked her and Coco as marefriends.

It was not just the observations of others that puzzled her. Recalling Coco’s accident back at the store, Glamour knew she could have used her magic to slow Coco’s fall, allowing her to come out with no worse than some scrapes and maybe a bruise or two. Instead, Glamour used herself as a cushion, saving her friend from any possible injury at the cost of her own safety. Her rescue went against her survival instincts. Luckily, all she received was some back pain, and that was pretty much gone now, thanks to both her changeling body and the burst of love she received.

Between more and more ponies thinking they were already marefriends, Coco’s already-present love, and her own odd behavior, Glamour was questioning her relationship with Coco and her perception of love. It was all so confusing.

There was one thing Glamour knew for sure though. She really needed to buy a clock for her room.

As soon as they got home, Coco promptly headed to her room, taking the things she bought with her to put away. Glamour had offered to help, but Coco requested that she have some time to herself. With what happened during their encounter with Suri, Glamour agreed and postponed her questioning to allow Coco some rest.

Glamour used the time to retreat into her room and do some of her own thinking. After an unknown time alone with her thoughts, she felt the need to do something else instead of wracking her brain with worry. She got out of bed and quietly exited her room, stopping in front of Coco’s door.

Glamour’s mouth formed into a small frown. During the whole time she was in bed, she did not see Coco come out of her room, and now that she thought about it, she did not hear any sounds either. If Coco was really putting stuff away, there should have been at least a little bit of noise.

Glamour slowly pressed an ear against the door, trying to check up on Coco without intruding into her room. She stayed there for a few moments, listening carefully, but she heard nothing. Just as she was about to give up, figuring that Coco went to sleep, she heard a chair squeak, recognizing it as the one that was in front of Coco’s desk. A sigh and the sounds of the desk drawer opening and closing followed soon after. Hearing nothing else after that, Glamour guessed Coco must have been working at her desk, likely working on the dress sketches again.

Glamour headed into the living room and kitchen area, and she was surprised to see the clock show that it had been more than two hours since they got home. They were holed up in their rooms longer than she thought.

Making her way to the stove, Glamour’s horn lit up, opening up the kitchen cabinets and refrigerator to let her gather up the tools and ingredients for her special recipe, even though it was the only recipe she knew. Coco had a rough day, and Glamour was sure that some white chocolate mocha would help cheer up her friend.

After a few more successes since the first time, Glamour had become a bit more adept at preparing the drink, and she was able to make it to the coffee brewing phase while confining her messy preparations to just one area of the kitchen counter. As she waited on the coffee, another thought came to mind. Coco had also missed dinner during her seclusion, and while white chocolate mocha was delicious, Glamour had to concede that it probably was not enough to make a complete meal for a pony.

Glamour quickly went through the cabinets and refrigerator again, but her search revealed nothing that she could prepare easily or safely except for one thing. Grumbling quietly, she grabbed two slices of bread and stuck them in the toaster. She really needed to learn how to cook better.

After a few more minutes of preparation, Glamour was on her way back to Coco’s door with two cups of white chocolate mocha and a plate of toast levitating next to her. “Coco, it’s me,” she announced, knocking on the door. “You’ve been in there for quite a while, so I brought you something to eat. Can I come in?”

“Of course, Glamour,” Coco’s voice replied.

Glamour opened the door and walked into the room, noticing Coco closing her desk drawer. What interested her more though was what laid on Coco’s bed. “Are you alright, Coco?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” Coco replied, turning around in her desk chair to Glamour. “Why do you ask?”

“All the stuff you bought today is on your bed, and it looks like you barely touched them. You said you were going to put them away. That was over two hours ago.”

Coco winced. “Has it really been that long? I guess I lost track of time while I was thinking.”

“Well, you kind of forgot about dinner while you were in here so…” Glamour made a cup of white chocolate mocha and the plate of toast fly over to settle on Coco’s desk. “I made a little snack for you.”

Coco sniffed the air, and a small smile sprouted on her face. “Mmm, Glamour’s famous white chocolate mocha,” she said, followed by a small chuckle. “And her other specialty, toast.”

Glamour rolled her eyes and settled on the bed with her own cup in her hooves. “I really need to learn how to make something a bit more advanced than toast or cereal.”

Coco giggled. “Thank you anyway, Glamour,” she said before starting her impromptu meal. “Oh, how is your back now?”

Glamour tapped on her back with her hoof and felt nothing more than a small sting. “The pain is pretty much all gone now.”

“That’s good. I was worried it would last for some time, but it seems like you heal quick.”

A small, sheepish laugh escaped Glamour. “I guess it’s a little perk my body has. So… you’ve just been thinking the entire time since we came home?”

“Pretty much.”

“About what happened today?”

“Pretty much…” Coco repeated as her gaze went to the floor. She sat quietly for a few seconds and then glanced up at Glamour, who was sipping her drink and watching her. “I’m guessing that you want to talk about what happened with Suri earlier.”

“If you feel like it. I don’t want to push you if you’re not ready.”

Coco shook her head, and she sat up straight in her chair. “No, now is a good time as any, but before you ask your questions, I need to properly thank you. What you did at the store was very valiant of you, and if that was not enough, you were ready to jump to my defense against Suri. You’re always so quick to help me, whether it’s saving me from a fall, standing up to others for me, or even making me some toast because I forget to eat. It means a lot that you care so much about me, and I’m extremely grateful to have you as a friend. Thank you, Glamour.”

Glamour blushed a bit, both from the praise and feeling the love in the room rise. She had to take another drink of her mocha to hide her blush. “Um, you’re welcome, Coco. I guess that since we became such good friends, I don’t want to see anything bad happen to you, so looking after you just feels like the right thing to do. It’s the first time I actually took care of a pony like this, and well, it’s nice.”

“I’m so glad to hear that, Glamour, because um…” Coco’s face grew red, and she cleared her throat. “Actually, we’re kind of getting sidetracked. You uh, you wanted to ask about Suri and me, right?”

“Right.”

“Well, uh go ahead. Ask away. I never really talked with anypony else about Suri, but you’ve gotten so involved with everything, it’s not fair that I keep so much from you. I can’t promise I’ll be able to answer everything, but I’ll do the best I can.”

“Alright then,” Glamour finished her drink and set the cup to the side. “So um, I know you and Suri used to be friends. Could you tell me more about what she was like?”

Coco nodded. “Like I mentioned before, she actually was pretty nice in the past. Do you think she would’ve taken me in if she wasn’t? I was pretty much only one step above knowing the basics when she accepted me. I had to work hard to keep up with her. She was strict and tough, yes, but because of that, I learned a lot. After a while, it felt like we were partners instead of an assistant and her boss. Well, until she um, changed.”

“What caused her to change into how she is now? Does it have something to do with what you two were talking about earlier? The thing that happened a few years ago?”

“Um well…” Coco glanced away. “Something bad happened to her, and it pretty much changed her outlook on life.”

Glamour blinked. “Um, could you give me a bit more information than that?”

Coco sighed and shook her head. “I’m sorry, Glamour, but I can’t. You know that I still want to be friends with Suri, and I promised her that I would not talk about it with anypony else. Please understand that I do trust you, but I can’t break a promise either.”

“Well, actually… Remember when I stepped away for a bit to talk to Suri?”

Coco flinched. “Y-yes?”

“I asked her about what happened in the past.”

Coco leaned forward as her eyes widened. “Sh-she told you?”

“Actually, she brushed me off.”

Coco sank back into her seat. “Oh.”

“But um, she told me to ask you about it.”

“She… she did? Wait, what exactly did she say? What did you say? W-was she acting differently?

Glamour frowned and rubbed the back of her neck. “I asked her why she did not like you, and she pretty much said that you betrayed her. When she mentioned that the two of you learning a lesson a few years ago, I asked about it. She just wanted me to leave her alone, so she directed me to you. She’s probably thinking that me knowing the truth would change things. Right before she left, she pretty much demanded that we drop out of the contest.”

Coco turned back around in her chair and let her face drop into the desk with a heavy thud that made Glamour wince. “I should’ve known…”

Glamour got up from the bed and went over to Coco. “You were hoping that she had a change of heart, weren’t you?” she asked as she rubbed Coco’s back.

“I’ve been trying for so long to get the old Suri to come back,” came Coco’s reply. Even the wood in her face could not muffle the cracking in her voice. “It’s harder now that she’s so convinced that I wronged her. What really hurts is that it’s true. After all the years we spent together, I left her to try and get things to change. Sometimes, I wonder if I’ll ever get through to her.”

Glamour felt a twinge inside of her. She hated seeing Coco like this. Noting Coco’s cup was still half-full, she urged, “Here, you still have some white chocolate mocha left. Maybe it’ll make you feel a bit better. We can continue talking about this some other time.”

Coco slowly turned her head on its side so she could see her drink.

Glamour knelt down so her head was also resting on the desk, their eyes level with each other. Giving a smile, she nudged the cup with her hoof towards her friend’s head.

A quiet, amused snort escaped Coco, and she reached for her drink as she got up. She quickly drained the remains of her coffee, leaving behind a small smile on her face. “You really do know how to make a good white chocolate mocha, Glamour.”

“I would hope so. It’s the only thing I can make, and I’m still cleaning up the stains on the ceiling from the first time.” Glamour got back up, and her face scrunched up as her eyes narrowed. “Also, I’m pretty sure it’s just my imagination, but I feel like I’m sticky in places that should not be sticky…”

Coco chuckled. “Thank you, Glamour. I needed that.” Shifting in her seat, she moved her empty cup and dish to the edge of the desk. “Alright then, if Suri is alright with you knowing what happened, then I see no reason to keep it from you any longer.”

“Are you sure? You were pretty upset just a moment ago. I can wait until you’re better.”

“You’ve been waiting a long time for this, and you’ve been very patient with me. I’m not going to let you wait any longer.” Coco opened her desk drawer and reached in with a hoof to begin fishing around in it. “You’ll probably want to grab a seat.”

Glamour quickly looked around the room and found a stool with some fabric and thread on top of it. With her magic, the materials were laid to the side, and the stool was moved to the front of Coco’s desk, allowing Glamour to sit next to Coco.

Coco pulled out a brown book from the drawer and laid it flat on the desk. There was nothing on the cover, save for a few wrinkles and faded patches. Combined with the pages showing a faint red-brown tinge, the book had to be at least a few years old.

“Soon after Suri and I became friends, I started this picture book to record our times together,” Coco began explaining as she opened up the book to the first page, revealing a photo of herself and Suri standing in front of a building and smiling.

Glamour watched as Coco slowly flipped through the pages, revealing photo after photo. There were pictures of them working together, shopping, and smiling at the camera. She also recognized some of the places in the pictures, such as the fabric store, the backstage area of the fashion shows, and even Coco’s apartment.

The biggest surprise was seeing Suri’s smile. The smugness that Glamour knew Suri for was also present in the photos, but unlike the present Suri, who looked down at others, the past Suri’s smile was just one of confidence and actually seemed friendly. “Wow, Suri looks so different back then. She doesn’t look so um… evil… Sorry…”

“It’s alright. I know more than anypony else how much she has changed.” Coco sighed and continued to flip through more pages, stopping at a picture with her and Suri eating at a familiar cafe.

“Hey, isn’t that the cafe you keep on taking me to?” Glamour asked, pointing at the picture.

“It’s not only one of my favorite places, but Suri’s as well. That is, until she changed. Now, she hardly eats out, and even then, it’s only for a quick bite. It’s like she’s always restless and doesn’t want to waste time sitting down. This photo was the last time we went there together.”

“So, what caused Suri to change so much? It seems like she was a nice enough pony back then.”

“She met somepony…” Coco turned the page one more time to a different photo. Unlike the others, this picture was not only of Coco and Suri, but also a third pony. The new pony was a unicorn stallion with a dark-yellow coat and an even darker yellow mane. He wore a formal, black coat, complete with a white dress shirt, making him look dapper, but his grin made him seem a bit conceited in Glamour’s opinion.

“A couple of years ago, there was a party, and many of Manehattan’s designers were invited, including Suri,” Coco explained. “She took me along. It was pretty grand soiree, and a lot of ponies were having fun. But being my shy self, I ended up sticking to Suri’s side throughout most of the party. Near the end, I had to excuse myself to go to the restroom, and when I came back, Suri was talking to this stallion.”

Coco tapped her hoof on the yellow pony in the picture. “His name was Golden Thread, and he was also a fashion designer. He seemed friendly enough, and Suri spent the rest of the party with him. Since half the fashion business is knowing the right ponies, he and Suri exchanged contact information with each other at the end. A couple of days later, he invited Suri to lunch.”

“Just Suri? What about you?” Glamour asked.

“I didn’t go. Even though we were friends, I was still Suri’s assistant, and there were sometimes things she had to do alone. We both thought it was going to be more of a business lunch, so I paid it no heed. However, when she got back…” Coco turned the page again to show a closeup of Suri and Golden Thread kissing. “Suri announced that they were going to start dating.”

“Suri started dating a stallion that she only met two times?”

“Apparently, Golden Thread said he had her eye on Suri for some time, and during their lunch, they really hit it off. They shared a lot of interests, and he was such a gentlestallion. Even though they just met, Suri thought he was nice enough to at least give him a try.

“They went out for their first date, then their second, then their third, and then, well you get the picture. Suri would spend more and more time with Golden Thread, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t at least a tiny bit disappointed I didn’t get to see Suri as much. But then I would see how happy Suri was, talking about all the nice things Golden Thread said about her and showing off the gifts he got for her. Even though I didn’t have as much time with my friend as before, I was glad that she found somepony to make her happy.”

Staring at the stallion in the picture, Glamour asked. “Did you get to interact with Golden Thread at all?”

“A bit, when Golden Thread asked to see where Suri and I worked. He was invited to watch us at work a couple of times. He didn’t talk to me that much, but when he did, he always was polite. The two of them frequently went out for at least a couple more months until things slowed down when Golden Thread said he had a lot of work to do. Coincidentally, we had much to do as well because Suri was about to enter a big competition.”

A frown came up on Coco’s face as she stared at the picture of Suri and Golden Thread. “When it was time for the competition rehearsal, we were surprised to find Golden Thread had also entered. Suri talked about the contest with him, but he never mentioned that he was going to be in it as well. That’s when we found out why.”

Coco’s hoof landed roughly on Golden Thread’s picture. “He went before us, and when he unveiled his creation, it was practically the same as Suri’s, only with his own little touch added to it.”

“He… he stole Suri’s design?” Glamour said, her mouth slightly agape.

Coco slowly nodded. “Later on, we would find out that during the few times he came to see where we worked, he snuck out sketches and materials we were planning to use.”

“And you two never noticed the missing things?”

“Um, well…” Coco blushed and looked away from Glamour. “You already know how I’m pretty messy when I’m working. It’s the same story with Suri. Put the two of us together and… Well, when we couldn’t find something, we figured that it was just buried underneath our mess. We didn’t suspect Golden Thread of anything until the rehearsal.”

“I see… I take it that Suri was not happy with Golden Thread.”

Coco closed her eyes and shook her head slowly. “Suri… She was devastated… I won’t ever forget the look of despair on her face when she saw Golden Thread’s betrayal. However, she didn’t remain like that for long. She got really angry and stormed on stage during Golden Thread’s presentation, calling him out and yelling at him for being a cheater. But since we did not have any proof to show he stole Suri’s design, and Golden Thread had more experience and credibility, we couldn’t do anything. In fact, Suri was almost disqualified for misconduct. Not like it mattered… There was no way we could come up with a new design and create it by the next day so… Suri had to forfeit.

“Later on, we found out that Golden Thread actually got second place with the stolen design. Before then, Suri had entered a few contests, even winning one or two, but this was the first time she was going to enter a huge contest like that. Winning second place on her first try would’ve done wonders for Suri’s career, but instead, it was stolen from her.”

Coco sighed again and bowed her head. “Suri loved Golden Thread, but he just used her. He stomped all over her heart, stole her work, and forced Suri to give up her chance at winning one of the biggest fashion contests in Manehattan, The Fall Fashion Fantasia.”

Glamour’s eyes widened. “The Fall Fashion Fantasia? You mean the same one we’re about to enter?”

Coco nodded. “It’s why Suri is so angry that we’re in it. I bet that to her, it’s like what Golden Thread did to her. I was hoping I could convince her that was not the case, but you saw how that turned out.”

Glamour’s heart sank, and her ears drooped. “I… I’m sorry, Coco. Because of me, I’m making you choose between me and Suri.”

“It’s not your fault, Glamour,” Coco replied. She smiled, but Glamour could tell she was faking it. “Things just turned out the way it is. I made my choice already, and I’m seeing it through. I’ve always known that I would have to take a risk and face off against her. Either it will make her take me more seriously, or it will only deepen her hatred of me. At least by doing this, I’m helping you as well.”

“And you’ll have me supporting you with whatever you need to do to get back together with Suri,” Glamour added, giving Coco a warm smile. “I can’t imagine how tough it must be to see your friend change into something completely different.”

Coco turned the page again. The newest photo was just the two of them. Coco’s smile was barely perceivable, and Suri was actually scowling a little. “It was horrible. Since the Fall Fashion Fantasia, she treated me like an employee, nothing more. Suri did not trust anypony, and she treated everypony with scorn. That’s when she also began using underhoofed tactics to win, not caring if it hurt others as well. She was becoming an awful pony like Golden Thread.”

Coco buried her face into her hooves. “I did try to stop her, but she would just yell at me, reminding me about what happened, and saying that she had to win, no matter the cost. Eventually, with how competitive the fashion business is, I started believing her. For the next few years, I just stood to the side, quietly doing what I was told. Partly because I didn’t think I could survive working alone, and partly because I hoped for the old Suri to come back. Things went on like that until the Fashion Week show.”

Glamour tapped her chin in thought. “You know, now that I think about it, what Suri did to Rarity sounds just like what happened with Golden Thread.”

“Well, it worked on her, so Suri figured she could do the same. But it didn’t. Even though the scheme succeeded, Rarity had good friends who were there to support her and inspire her.” Coco hung her head. “Suri only had me, a bumbling assistant who could not do anything to help.”

Glamour brought a hoof around Coco’s back. “You can’t blame yourself for what happened. You’re only one pony. You should be blaming Golden Thread for using Suri like that. Ponies who pretend to love somepony, just to gain something from them, are…” Glamour paused before letting out a sigh. “They’re monsters…”

“Yeah…” Coco quietly agreed, unknowingly making Glamour’s breath hitch. “Anyway, when Rarity won because of her friends, I knew that I could no longer let Suri go on like this. She was furious when I tried to do what was right and give the trophy to Rarity. I tried reasoning with her, telling her what she was doing was wrong, but she would not listen. That’s when I decided to quit. Suri was not going to listen to me because I was only an assistant to her. I had to make it on my own until she saw me as an equal. Then maybe, just maybe, she’ll listen to me, and I can convince her to change back. I’m not giving up on her.”

“I’m sure she’ll come around one day,” Glamour replied. “So, where’s Golden Thread now? Do you think he is going to be in the Fall Fashion Fantasia?”

“We won’t have to worry about him. Suri never got over what happened. I don’t know how, but she eventually got a hold of all sorts of information on him. It turned out that he had done quite a few scandalous and unethical things. She sent the information to the media, and they took care of the rest. Golden Thread’s reputation was ruined, and he was forced to quit as a fashion designer and even had to move out of the city.”

“That was… harsh, but I can’t say he didn’t deserve it,” Glamour admitted.

Coco slowly nodded and closed the picture book. With a sigh, she leaned more into Glamour’s embrace, and Glamour tightened her grip in return. “So, that’s pretty much all of what happened to Suri. She loved a pony, but in the end, she got her heart broken, and I lost a friend.”

“Thank you for telling me all of this, Coco. It must’ve been hard for you to talk about those painful times.”

“Actually, it wasn’t so bad. It was still unpleasant to dredge up those old memories, but talking about it with you was kind of liberating as well. Maybe it’s because I’m no longer keeping a secret from you or maybe because I just feel that comfortable around you. I kind of wish I was able to tell you all of this sooner.”

Glamour glanced up at the clock on the wall and winced. “Wow, we’ve been at this for quite a while. It’s pretty late. After what happened today, I think we both deserve some rest.”

Coco blinked. “Oh um, yeah. We should. Sorry for keeping you, Glamour.”

Glamour got up and collected their empty cups and plate. “Nothing to be sorry about. I’m glad I got to know the truth, and now, maybe we can think of what to do with Suri.”

Coco tilted her head. “We?”

“Well, yeah. I meant it when I said I was going to support you. This competition isn’t about me anymore, it’s about you. I know how important Suri is to you now, and I want to do whatever I can do to help.” Glamour turned towards the door. “Goodnight, Coco.”

Right before she made it out the door, she heard Coco call out, “Um, Glamour?”. She turned back to Coco and tilted her head. “Yes?”

“Um… If it’s alright with you, could we talk a bit more?”

Glamour blinked and then smiled. “Sure.”

Coco smiled back and moved to sit on the bed as Glamour laid the dishes to the side. Coco patted the spot next to her, which Glamour quickly occupied.

“So uh, the thing I want to talk about is um…” Coco drummed a forehoof on the bed. “It’s about another thing Suri said earlier. You know… About me…”

“I think you’re going to have to be a bit more specific. Suri talked quite a lot about you.”

“Uh, right. Actually, I’ve been thinking about this a lot, not just today. It’s about me maybe um…” Coco’s face grew red. She said something, but it was so quiet, Glamour did not hear any of it.

“What was that?” Glamour asked as she leaned closer to Coco.

“A-about me m-maybe l-l-l…” Coco went silent again and bit her lip.

Glamour offered a small smile. “Take your time, Coco.”

Coco nodded. “I want to talk to you about…” She drifted off again, and she held her breath. A few moments later, a loud, exasperated sigh escaped her as she flopped backwards onto her bed. “Ohh… I can’t do this…”

Glamour crawled up the bed so that she could look directly down at Coco’s face with a concerned frown. “Are you alright? Maybe you can’t say whatever you wanted to talk about because you’re tired. We could always try again tomorrow if it’s not important.”

“But it is important, Glamour!” Coco cried out a bit loudly. Noticing Glamour reeling back from the sudden outburst, she laughed nervously. “Uh, sorry. But yes, this is important, and I want to do this now. I’m just having trouble because I’m scared… Scared that you might not like what I say and cause a rift in our friendship.”

“Hey, it’s not like one argument is going to end our friendship. I like to think that we’re two reasonable ponies who can work things out. Even if things don’t go the way you want tonight, I’m sure everything will be fine between us by the next day.”

“Hopefully…” Coco quietly added.

As Glamour waited for Coco to continue, she replayed Coco’s argument with Suri from earlier, trying to figure out what got her friend so flustered. She did not get much done before she noticed Coco sit up and stare at her. “What is it, Coco?”

“I think I want to try something else. Instead of me trying to explain, maybe it would be easier if I tried showing you instead, but…” Coco blushed, and her gaze dropped back to the bed. “Actually, never mind. It’s kind of… kind of stupid, now that I think about it a bit more.”

“Just go for it then. Sometimes you just have to jump into things instead of thinking about it too much. Admittedly, it’s led me to do my share of stupid stuff, but I wouldn’t be here with you if I didn’t take a risk. Besides, I’m sure whatever you do is not as dumb as some of the things I do.”

“Umm, I’ll try… Just promise me that no matter what happens, we’ll still at least be friends.”

“I don’t even have to. With how we are, I’m sure that’s a given.”

“Just say it, please. I need to hear it.”

Glamour was taken aback a bit, but she quickly recovered. “Alright, I promise that no matter what happens, we’ll still at least be friends.”

“Okay then… So I’m just going to…” Coco slid closer to Glamour until their sides were touching. Looking straight into Glamour’s eyes, she slowly raised her forehooves to Glamour’s face.

“Uh…” Glamour was not expecting this, but she remained still, allowing Coco to come closer and closer. Right when the hooves reached her face, they froze for a moment as Coco looked down. Coco took a deep breath before raising her head and resuming her movement.

“W-what are you doing, Coco?” Glamour asked when Coco’s hooves gently clamped down on the sides of her face.

“L-like I said, something very stupid, but I think this is the best way for me to answer my question.”

As Coco’s face drew near, Glamour’s eyes widened when she realized what Coco was about to do. “You… You’re going to kiss me?”

“Y-yes, please let me try, Glamour. It’s been on my mind for a while. I-I promise if this doesn’t work out, I won’t do something like this ever again, and we can pretend it never happened. Please, let me do this. I need to know.”

A part of Glamour was making one of her forehooves rise off the bed to push Coco away, to prevent things from spiraling out of control, but another part was keeping her still, to accept the consequences of what was about to come in the hopes that it would lead to something better as a result.

Unable to decide what to do, Glamour recalled her own advice and stopped thinking, letting her feelings take over. Her hoof dropped back onto the bed.

Coco closed her eyes and pressed her lips against Glamour’s in a gentle kiss.

Glamour could feel her whole body trembling, both from the disbelief that Coco was actually kissing her and the exhilarating rush she was feeling as Coco’s love flooded into her. Never before had she felt such pure love from a pony. It was sweeter and more potent than anything she encountered before. And it was all directed to her.

The kiss only lasted two seconds before Coco slowly pulled back, keeping her gaze down on the bed. “S-sorry, Glamour, and thank you for letting me do that.”

“Wow… You actually did it… You kissed me…” Glamour murmured, her eyes staring off into the distance. Her body was still recovering from the shock of the two most intense seconds of her life, but she felt like she could fly laps around Manehattan without her wings.

Coco blushed. “I-I did… You aren’t angry or anything, are you?”

“No, I’m alright with it,” Glamour replied, taking a deep, composing breath. “I was just surprised. So um, based on what you just did, I’m guessing the question you wanted to ask earlier was…”

“If I loved you…” Coco finished.

“And?” Glamour asked, even though she knew the answer.

A small smile formed on Coco’s face as she held a hoof over her heart. “I… I think I do love you, Glamour. When I kissed you, it was wonderful, as if my whole body was being warmed and comforted by you. It made me feel safe and happy. I would love to do it again, but… ” She sighed as her smile shrunk until it was barely visible, and her gaze rose from the bed. “What do you think of me, Glamour? Do you think you might love me?”

Glamour slowly blinked. “Um…”

“I-it’s alright if you don’t, but if you’re willing, maybe you could give us a chance and see if things develop later on.”

“Um…”

“A-and if you’re not interested at all, th-that’s fine as well.” Coco offered a smile, but her lips were visibly quivering. “I… I would completely understand, and I hope that we can just go back to being friends. I would rather have you as a friend than having you pretend to love me.”

“Um…”

“Oh, uh, and if you can’t answer me now, then it’s alright, and you can tell me later. Take as long as you need, but uh, yeah, the sooner you can answer, the better. Oh goodness, I’m babbling, but I don’t know what to do, a-and I don’t want to pressure you into anything, so I just want to make sure that—” Coco stopped when Glamour covered her mouth with a hoof.

“Relax, Coco,” Glamour said as she slowly let her hoof drop from Coco’s mouth. “I’m not sure of my answer yet, but like I promised earlier, we’re still going to be at least friends, no matter what. Whether we become more than that remains to be seen, but for now, could we talk a bit more?”

Coco nodded. “S-sure.”

“Good. So I have to ask, when did you discover that you were in love?” Glamour asked. She already knew when Coco’s love began, but she wanted to know how and why it started.

“It was pretty much when Suri called me out on it.” Coco paused, and her gaze slowly drifted upwards, as if in thought. “Actually, I think it started a bit after Grace thought we were marefriends. I think what really set me off was when those rude stallions would not leave you alone. For some reason, I felt angry and jealous, and I just had to do something for you. That’s when I believe it all started. Still, I didn’t pay any heed to it until today’s talk with Suri.

“That’s when I began to wonder if there was any merit to Suri’s accusation. I mean, she was not the first pony to mistake us as marefriends. At first, I thought it was because we were such close friends, but then I thought about how much you do for me and how you’re always cheering me up.” Coco smiled. “And it’s not just the things you do. When I’m with you, I feel happier, safer, and even braver. I don’t think I would’ve stood up to Suri if you weren’t there. I don’t think I would’ve done a lot of things without you there. Things are better when I’m around you, and that’s why I was so worried when you were planning to move out. I want to stay by your side, Glamour, so that’s why I’m pretty sure I love you.”

“Well, love or not, I like being around you as well, and I enjoy doing all those stuff for you because it feels good to know I’m helping you,” Glamour replied.

“And I’m thankful for everything that you do. So um, are you okay with me loving you?”

“I… I’m not sure, to be honest.” Glamour’s eyes bulged when she saw Coco sigh and bow her head. “N-no, no, no! It’s not like I don’t want your love. It’s just that…” Glamour frowned and had to think for a moment. “Well, during my travels, I’ve come across many ponies in love and got to observe them. And yet being around all that love, I’ve never actually been in love. There’s so much about it that I thought I knew, but now that you love me, it’s clear I actually hardly know anything about it. So when I’m saying I’m not sure about you loving me, I’m not afraid of you. I’m afraid of not knowing what to do with it.”

“I see… You make a good point, and I have to admit that I’m kind of scared as well. I mean, look at what happened when Suri fell in love. Love can make you happy, but it can also hurt you. But…” Coco took one of Glamour’s forehooves into her own hooves and gave her a small smile. “We’ve been such great friends for a while, and there is no doubt in my mind about how much you care for me. I don’t know if our relationship will succeed or fail, but I am confident that it would not end in disaster like Suri’s.”

“I wish I could share that same confidence… You see Coco, I…. Uh…” Glamour closed her eyes. If she was going to accept Coco’s love, was it right that she would have to hide a big part of herself from her possible marefriend? Should she confess about everything so Coco would know what she was getting into? She did not know how Coco would react, but their entire relationship could be torn to pieces over her one secret.

Glamour remained silent, weighing her options, and in the end, she shook her head and sighed. “Coco, I’m going to be honest with you. I’ve been playing around with the idea for a while as well, but I’ve been wary of it. I have no idea if I love you or not, but I definitely really like you. The problem is that… well… if we become marefriends, it would be all new territory for me. I’m afraid that I might hurt you. Not intentionally, of course, but before we met, I’ve done some stupid stuff. Stupid, dangerous stuff. There’s always the possibility that I’m going to mess things up, and I’m not sure if I want to take that risk with you.”

Coco patted Glamour’s hoof. “Thank you for the concern, but I trust you, Glamour. Whatever may happen, I’m sure we’ll somehow work it out. I just want us to be together, and I think you do too.”

“Me too…” Glamour sighed. “You really think we could be marefriends?”

“I do,” Coco immediately replied.

Glamour sat in silence for a few moments and then smiled. “Alright, as long as we take it slow and are careful, we should at least give the two of us a try as marefriends.”

A big smile blossomed on Coco’s face as she squealed and clapped her hooves. She gave a quick kiss on Glamour’s cheek, sending a quick jolt of love through her body. “Oh, Glamour, I’m so happy that we’re actually doing this! I just know that everything is going to work out between us.”

“I hope so too…” Glamour replied. “I really hope so too…”

“Well, I think we stayed up late enough,” Coco said when she calmed down. “Shall we go to sleep now? We can figure out what we should do, now that we’re marefriends, tomorrow.”

Glamour nodded, letting out a yawn due to the late hour catching up to her. “Sounds good. I’ll see you tomorrow, Coco.”

“Good night, Glamour.”

Glamour made a quick stop to drop off the dirty dishes in the kitchen before heading to her room and bed. But instead of going to sleep, she spent a few more moments thinking about what just happened.

She had done a very stupid thing. She, a changeling, was now in a relationship with a pony, and she still had to hide her true self. Fearing for her new life and ruining Coco’s friendship, she had backed down from the truth. She did not know if it was the right thing to do, but she promised herself that one day, when she was more confident that Coco would accept her as a changeling, she would tell Coco everything.

For now, she would have to live with her stupid decision. At least for now, this stupid decision made her happy, and she drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face.

Chapter 15: Creating Memories

Glamour yawned and groaned as she was unceremoniously booted out of the sweet embrace of sleep. Turning onto her stomach, she let the world know her displeasure with a symphony of moans and groans, a morning ritual that was becoming more and more common.

Feeling the kinks in her body, there was no doubt that she had slept in late, and she wondered what was so worth it to stay up and ruin her sleeping schedule. Smacking her lips, she attempted to open her eyes, but they slowly shut right back up, lulling her back to sleep. Then her eyes shot wide open when her memories finally started working again and slapped her awake with a dose of reality.

As of last night, she and Coco were officially marefriends.

Glamour took an immediate liking to Coco when they first met, but she never expected that their friendship would grow so rapidly that she would eventually accept trying to be in a relationship with a pony. Despite not knowing if she actually did love Coco, she had to admit that the whole idea of it was very appealing.

Except for the fact that she was still a lying changeling. Last night, Coco had divulged the truth of her and Suri’s past. It would have been fitting if Glamour had done the same about her past, but she backed down. She was not ready to take the risk of losing her best friend and everything she worked for. Also, after the story of a pony taking advantage of somepony’s love, it did not feel appropriate to reveal that she belonged to a species that had a history of doing the same thing.

Glamour was having a hard time figuring out what to do. The thought of getting even closer to Coco made her smile, while the thought of her secret identity made her frown. The two conflicting emotions warred on her face until her mouth made some twisted shape that would likely cause other ponies to wonder what sort of brain damage she had.

With no idea what to do, Glamour got out of bed and headed to Coco’s room. At the very least, she needed to check how Coco was doing after everything that happened and maybe ask what marefriends were supposed to do. She approached Coco’s door and raised her hoof to knock, but she paused when she heard something on the other side.

Coco was humming.

It was not the tune that caught her attention, but the way Coco was humming. Disregarding the off-key notes, whatever Coco was humming was upbeat and carefree. She sounded happy.

Is she happy because of me? Glamour wondered before she finally knocked on the door. “Coco, could I come in and talk to you for a second?”

The humming stopped and Coco’s voice replied, “Oh, uh, don’t come in, please. I’ll be out in a few minutes, Glamour.”

Glamour was a bit surprised to have been denied entrance, but she supposed that Coco was working on something. She shrugged her shoulders and headed for the kitchen. A quick glance at the living room clock showed her that it was in the middle of the morning, only a little later than she would normally get up.

Knowing the likelihood that Coco had favored her work over her needs again, Glamour started brewing up some coffee and then washed the dishes and mess she had left over from last night. She had to pause midway to finish preparing the coffee, but it was not long after that before she finished the chores, just as Coco came out from her room.

“Morning, Glamour,” Coco greeted with a big smile.

Glamour felt herself twitching as she felt Coco’s love wash over her. Before last night, Coco’s love was like a steady stream, but now that she had opened up her feelings and heart, the dam was broken, flooding Glamour in a wave of warmth and energy.

“Morning, Coco,” Glamour greeted back. She had to take a moment to compose herself until her body acclimated to the torrent of love before she could fill a cup with the finished coffee and set it out for Coco. “I heard you humming earlier.”

“Oh, I sometimes do that when I’m working and I’m in a very good mood,” Coco replied, grabbing the cup and taking a sip. “As soon as I got up, I had to draw out a new sketch.”

Glamour’s brow furrowed. “You’re still sketching? I thought you already had something in mind, since we went to the fabric store. I don’t mean to pressure you, but the contest is getting pretty close.”

“Well, I did have something in mind yesterday, but when I woke up, I had a great idea that I had to create. I was finishing up the sketch when you knocked on the door.”

“Well, if you’re that confident in it, then it must be really good. Do I get to see the sketch?”

Coco’s smile faded a bit. “Um, well, if you don’t mind, I would like to keep it under wraps. I want to surprise you when it’s all done.”

“That’s fine with me. It’ll just be all the more dazzling when I do get to see it.”

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll love it,” Coco said with a renewed smile.

Glamour poured herself a cup of coffee. She added two spoonfuls of sugar to her drink, and then a few more for good measure. “So, we’re actually marefriends, right?” she asked while she stirred her sugar with coffee.

“That’s what we said last night.” A worried look flashed across Coco’s face. “You… You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”

Glamour quickly shook her head. “No, no, no, it’s just that, remember that I said I don’t know much about love? Well, what does that mean for us? Does this change anything?”

“Um… To be honest, I’m not sure either.” Coco brought a hoof to her chin as she took a moment to think. “Other than feeling happy that we made it official, I don’t feel that much different. Maybe we just keep on doing what we’re doing?”

Glamour tilted her head. “You mean act like we’re friends?”

“Pretty much, except that we’re doing it as marefriends. Although, if we want, we could be more open with how close we are and do other things that friends don’t normally do, like um… kissing,” Coco said with a blush.

Glamour blushed a bit as well. “Uh, yeah. Kissing is good. Kissing is really good. I wouldn’t mind trying that out more.”

Coco giggled. “Me too. Oh! I know what we should do. We should go on a date.”

“Are you sure you have the time for that? We should not waste too much time since you haven’t actually started making the contest dress itself. I don’t want you stressing yourself out.”

“I’ll be fine, Glamour. The stuff we bought from the store can also be used on my new idea, and I’m confident that I can finish it well before the Fall Fashion Fantasia starts.”

“Alright then, if you’re sure. So, what happens on a date?”

“We uh, go out… And do… stuff?” Coco replied with a shrug. “That’s pretty much it. We decide on something and do it together.”

Glamour scratched her head in confusion. “But isn’t that kind of what we already do?”

“Well yes, but um…”

“We’re doing it as marefriends,” Glamour guessed.

Coco nodded. “That’s the idea, I think. Sorry, Glamour, I don’t know too much about this either. Love is kind of hard to explain.”

“Tell me about it. I guess that just means we have to discover how being marefriends works together then.”

Coco smiled. “That sounds like a wonderful idea. So, what shall we do on our date?”

“Hmm… Well, don’t dates usually involve a meal together?”

“It’s not required, but I believe most dates do.”

“How about…” Glamour frowned. “Oh wait, we can’t have lunch. We just had breakfast.”

“Then we can do something else before that, like um…”

Silence befell them as they fell into another gap devoid of ideas. Despite having lived in Manehattan for some time now, Glamour still was pretty unfamiliar with the attractions of the burgeoning city. It did not help that she hardly went outside unless it was with Coco. She really needed to get out more.

A few discarded ideas later, Glamour suggested, “If we don’t know what to do, then how about we just go out and walk? It would be better than sitting here all day, and maybe we’ll find something to do along the way.”

Coco clapped her hooves. “That’s a wonderful idea, Glamour. We don’t have to do anything extravagant for our first da—er, real date. It doesn’t matter what we do, as long as we do it together.”

With a plan finally set, the two of them finished their coffee and prepared to leave. Glamour went back to her room and grabbed the sling pouch she acquired from the bank. The pouch contained a healthy amount of bits that she had withdrawn for their trip to the fabric store yesterday, but Coco refused to let her pay. That just meant that she had a ready supply of bits on hoof for today’s date.

They emerged ready from their rooms at the same time, and with a smile and a nod to each other, they left the apartment. Once they set hoof on the streets of Manehattan, and after picking a random direction, they began their date and walked.

After traversing a few blocks, amidst the smiles and small talk passed between them, Glamour began to notice she was getting into an increasingly familiar situation. A quick look around confirmed her suspicions, and she saw various ponies on the streets were stopping to stare at her.

“How does it feel to have so many fans?” Coco asked after Glamour returned a wave to a group of young mares, who shrieked in delight at the attention.

“It’s nice to see so many ponies are happy to see me. I can practically feel their adoration. And yet, at the same time, it still feels kind of odd to me,” Glamour confessed. “Before Manehattan, I pretty much kept to myself and blended in with the crowd. I’m not as nervous now, but I’m still getting used to all the attention.”

“Well, you certainly could do without certain kinds of attention, such as the rudeness of some stallions,” Coco replied with a shudder.

Glamour smirked. “Oh, I’m not worried about them at all. I got a pony to deal with them.”

“Really? Who?”

“Why the fearsome Coco, of course.”

“Glamour…” Coco whined as her red face looked away. “You know that I’m not like that. I don’t know if I can repeat that again.”

“So, you’re not going to protect me from the big, scary stallions next time?”

“Well… uh… I-I wouldn’t say that…”

“Relax, Coco, I’m teasing,” Glamour said with a snicker. “I know very well what kind of pony you are. I’m glad you broke out of your shell, even if it was only for a bit, for me. It shows how great of a friend, er, marefriend you are.”

Coco smiled. “Well, like I said before, I feel braver when I’m around you. As embarrassing as it was to lose my head for a bit, I’m glad it ended up helping you.”

They crossed another street, weaving through the throng of ponies, and walked down the block until Glamour saw something interesting. She stopped in front of a small store, its display window showing off cameras of various shapes and sizes. Looking at all the equipment made a question creep up in her mind.

“Hey, Coco, how come we never took a photo together?” Glamour asked, still staring at the display cameras.

“Oh, um… I-I guess it never came to my mind.”

Glamour turned her head to Coco. “But you did take a bunch of photos with Suri.”

“Well, that’s because…” Coco trailed off for a second before her eyes widened, and she made a loud gasp. “Oh, Glamour! I didn’t mean to upset you. I assure you it’s not because I don’t value our time together. It’s just that I haven’t felt the urge to take any more photos after what happened with Suri.”

“Don’t worry, Coco. I understand. But what about now? We could take pictures of us together and make better memories for you.”

“Pictures of us?” Coco was silent for a moment, but a smile slowly emerged on her face. “That actually does sound nice. I would love to take some pictures with you. I’ll have to find my old camera… somewhere…” Coco’s smile disappeared. “Actually, it’s been so long since I used it. I wonder if it still works.”

“How about I buy a camera then?” Glamour suggested as she waved a hoof towards the store they were in front of. “In case we don’t find yours, we’ll have one ready.”

“Are you sure? We could try to find and use mine first.”

Glamour shrugged and opened the door. “Either way, we can burn some time in here, and a little look around wouldn’t hurt. Besides, I think a camera of my own would probably be useful.”

The two of them entered the building to find a quaint store with a simple layout. The walls to the side were filled with shelves holding multitudes of cameras. A few ponies were browsing through the shelves as well as a couple of tables set up in the middle of the room displaying camera tools and accessories such as carrying cases, film, and tripods. To the opposite side of the entrance was a counter with a lanky earth pony stallion standing behind a cash register, and next to him was a door leading to the back room.

The stallion perked up when he noticed Glamour and Coco come in, and he put on a smile as he trotted toward them. “Welcome to Snap Shot’s Camera Store, can I help you find something from our selection of fine cameras?”

“Hello there, are you Snap Shot?” Glamour asked as she looked over the stallion. He was wearing what looked like to be an uncomfortable business suit, and even with her limited fashion sense, she could see that the outfit was tacky and a bit too formal for a store like this.

“Um, no, that would be the owner and my boss. I’m Shutter Bug. I’m a salespony he hired.” Shutter Bug cocked his head. “Say, you look familiar. Have we met before?”

Glamour took a moment to think before shaking her head. “No, I don’t think so.”

She felt somepony tap on her shoulder, and she turned to the side to find a mare smiling at her.

“Excuse me, but aren’t you the fashion model, Glamour?” the mare asked.

“Yes, I am.”

The smile on the mare’s face grew wider. “Oh, I knew it! I must say I absolutely adore your work! So avant garde.”

Glamour smiled back, even though she was not sure what avant garde meant. “Thank you. It’s always nice to see how others adore the stuff I do.”

“You… You’re that new, famous model?” Shutter Bug muttered, his eyes slowly growing wider and wider. Before his eyes could grow into disturbingly dangerous levels, he quickly bowed, his head almost touching the floor. “It’s such an honor to meet a star like you! Please, let me know if there’s anything I can do to make your visit here a pleasant experience!”

Glamour stepped back a bit, a nervous smile on her face. She glanced at Coco, who was looking back at her with her brows furrowed in confusion, before turning her attention back to the prostate stallion in front of her. “Um, first of all, please get up. You really don’t have to go to such extremes for me. I’m just here to look at some cameras and maybe buy one.”

“Oh uh, right, sorry,” Shutter Bug said as he quickly stood up and dusted off his front. “So, anything particular you are looking for? I’ll do my best to help you find what you need and answer any questions you have.”

“Well, I never really used a camera before, so I think I need something easy to use. And I’m pretty much going to use it to take pictures of my friends and me doing stuff together.”

Shutter Bug nodded and led them to a particular shelf. “Alright then, I think this section should have something along those lines. We got all sorts of models and varieties. For example…” He took a camera off the shelf. “This one has a nice light weight to it, but what makes it useful is its big aperture. Oh, and this one.” Shutter Bug pointed at a another camera. “It has a really fast shutter speed, a really important feature to look for in a camera. There’s also other things you must consider such as the lenses, white balance, the viewfinder, and…”

Glamour leaned towards Coco slightly, and out of the corner of her mouth, she asked in a whisper, “Do you understand what he is talking about?”

“Not really,” Coco quietly replied. “I picked my old one based on how easy it was to carry around.”

Glamour nodded and tried to listen to Shutter Bug’s detailed explanation, but all the technical jargon was going over her head. Eventually, she held up a hoof, stopping the stallion’s complex rant. “I’m sorry for cutting you off, but would it be alright if we just look for ourselves?”

Shutter Bug nodded and put back several of the cameras he was demonstrating. “Sure, go right ahead.”

Glamour browsed through the cameras with Coco, and Shutter Bug followed right behind them. Thankfully, none of the other ponies in the store bothered them, and Glamour was able to do her shopping in peace.

Every camera she saw was roughly the same rectangular shape with grips on the side. Another thing she noticed was that every single camera could easily be held in a pony’s hooves, bringing up something to her mind.

“You know, now that I think about it, none of these cameras look like the one Photo Finish uses. It’s so big and heavy. Why doesn’t she use a camera like any of these?” Glamour asked, waving a hoof across the shelves. “It seems like it would make her job a lot easier.”

“Actually, I think I read something about that in an article about her some time ago,” Coco replied. “It’s an old folding camera, but while it is kind of outdated, she refuses to use anything else because it was one of the first cameras she owned, and she swears it brings her good luck.”

“Judging by how famous she is, there’s probably some merit to it,” Glamour said as she resumed her search.

Other than the slight changes in appearances, she was having trouble distinguishing the difference between each camera. While she had no doubt that any of the cameras she looked at would suffice, nothing really stood out for her, so she concentrated on the one feature she knew what to look for.

One thing that irked her about cameras were the large flash attachments. She knew they were needed to get enough light to take a picture, but they were all so bulky. Some of them were big lightbulbs surrounded by what looked like to be a plastic bowl, while others had lights that were stuck to the top of the camera. Many of the cameras were doubled in size, thanks to the flash components, and Glamour hoped to find a camera with small parts.

Reaching the end of the shelf, Glamour found a camera without any attachments at all. Pointing at the camera, she asked. “Why does this one have none of those flash thingies on it?”

“Oh, I see you found our latest model,” Shutter Bug replied as he took the camera into his hooves. “Thanks to a breakthrough in magic and technology, this particular camera has its light source built inside it. See?”

Glamour blinked and shook her head a little when Shutter Bug took a picture of her with a tiny burst of light.

“It might cost slightly more than most cameras, but you can’t argue with the portability and ease of use this camera offers.”

“What does this dial do?” Coco asked from behind Shutter Bug, pointing to something on the back of the camera.

“This lets you adjust the flash. Sometimes you want more light, and sometimes you need less light to take your pictures. With a simple turn of the knob…” Shutter Bug flicked something on the camera. “You can control it just like that. Now, I turned off the flash and—”

Glamour yelped and quickly reared back as the camera emitted another light, except this one was much brighter and made it feel like her eyes were burning. She flipped over backwards and fell to the floor with a thud.

“Glamour!” Coco immediately cried out.

As spots flooded her vision, she felt two sets of hooves grab onto her forehooves and pull her back up. Glamour let out a faint groan as she rubbed her eyes. “What happened?”

“I’m so sorry!” Glamour heard Shutter Bug apologize. “I thought I turned down the flash settings, but I actually did the opposite. That flash was at the maximum level, and… and… and… Oh, please don’t tell me I blinded a huge star!”

Glamour continued to rub and blink her eyes, and eventually, the burning feeling started to ebb as her vision slowly returned. She eventually was able to see the concerned faces of Coco and Shutter Bug, along with the few other ponies in the store. “I’ll be fine. My eyes are slowly getting better.”

That seemed to appease the other ponies in the store, and they soon went back to their own shopping, but Coco and Shutter Bug still carried worried looks.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Coco asked.

“Yeah, thanks for the concern.” Glamour forced out a chuckle. “You would think that after all my time in front of cameras, I would be used to this sort of thing.”

“I’m so glad you’re alright,” Shutter Bug said. He then bowed deeply. “I am so, so, so sorry about my mistake. I know I have no right to ask this of you, but I beg you, please don’t tell my boss! I just started working here a few days ago, and I really need this job! I’ll do anything you ask!”

“Well, how about you let me see that camera?”

Shutter Bug’s head snapped back up. “You… uh sure. Here you go.”

Glamour took the camera in her hooves and began testing it out. She played with the buttons and dials, paying extra attention to the dial that controlled the flash that almost blinded her. The camera was designed to be pretty intuitive, and it only took a few moments to figure out all the controls and take a few practice shots.

Despite the accident, she was liking this camera more and more. Not only were the controls simple, but the lack of the extra flash attachments made it light and easy to hold. In fact, it was small enough to fit inside her sling pouch, making it all the more convenient to carry around.

“I think I’m going to buy this camera,” Glamour announced.

“You will?” Shutter Bug’s eyes widened, and his jaw hung open for a few seconds before he shook his head and let a smile cross his face. “Th-that’s great! I’ll ring you up right now and set you up with a new one.”

Shutter Bug took back the display camera and put it back on the shelf. He led Glamour to the cash register and then went into the back room. After a few moments, he came back out with a new camera and placed it on the counter in front of Glamour. “There you go. It even comes with a fresh roll of film, so you’re ready to start taking pictures right away.”

“I can’t wait.” Glamour opened up her pouch and began counting out the necessary bits to pay for her new camera. The purchase ended up using almost all the bits in her pouch, but that left plenty of room to fit her camera inside.

“Thank you for your purchase, and thank you for being so understanding over my blunder,” Shutter Bug said after they finished the transaction. “I wish I could at least give you a discount or something in return but uh, well, me being a new worker and all…”

“Well, there’s one thing you could do for me,” Glamour replied.

“Of course, anything.”

Glamour gave back the camera to Shutter Bug and stood next to Coco. “Could you take a picture of my friend and I?”

“Now?” Coco asked. “Oh, uh, sure. That sounds great.”

“I’ll be glad to,” Shutter Bug replied.

Glamour and Coco moved themselves closer together so that their sides were touching, and Glamour wrapped a forehoof around Coco’s back.

Bringing the camera up to his eyes, Shutter Bug said, “Alright, looks good. Now, say ch—Oh!” He quickly lowered the camera and looked down at it as he chuckled nervously. “Sorry, I had to check the flash settings. Don’t want to make the same mistake twice.” After fiddling with the controls, he raised it back up. “Okay, now it’s good. Say cheese!”

With a small burst of light, Glamour’s first photo with Coco was taken.

“Well, feel free to come see me anytime when you need to develop your pictures,” Shutter Bug said as he gave back the camera to Glamour. “Snap Shot has some crazy hours, and I work a lot of them. If you drop by, there’s a good chance you’ll find me again, and I’ll make sure to give you top priority.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks!”

Glamour and Coco bade Shutter Bug goodbye and exited the store. Glamour took a moment to see if her new toy would fit in her sling pouch, and to her delight, it did.

The two of them walked around some more, but nothing else caught their interest. Eventually, they decided it was time for lunch and made their way to Coco’s favorite cafe.

When they arrived, they saw the same pink unicorn waitress from before cleaning the tables. She turned her head in their direction, and she quickly stood up straight with a huge smile. Trotting toward them, she greeted, “Miss Glamour, I’m so excited to see you again! Do you remember me? I served you and your friends the last time you were here. Oh, and thank you so much again for your autograph! It made my friends totally jealous!”

Glamour chuckled sheepishly and backed up a step away from the perky pony. “Uh, you’re welcome?”

“Will you be eating here again? That would be so great if you are because I would get to serve you again.”

“Um, yeah, we are.”

“Great!” the pink unicorn led them to a table in the outdoor area, practically skipping the entire way, and placed two menus on the table. “I need to pop inside for a minute, but I’ll be right back to take your orders. And thank you for coming!”

Glamour and Coco sat down at the table and looked through the menus. With how familiar they were with the cafe’s selection, it took only a quick glance before they set their menus down to talk to each other.

“Seems like everywhere I go, somepony gets all worked up over me,” Glamour said.

“Does it bother you?” Coco asked.

“If I was by myself, then no, not really. It’s when I’m with you that it sometimes annoys me. Everypony only notices me, as if you’re invisible. Your great dresses go up on stage with me. Not only that, but we’re supposed to be on a date, and yet I’ve been spending half the time with fans fussing over me.”

“I admit that it would be nice if there weren’t so many ponies interrupting us, but I guess that’s one of the quirks of dating a fashion model.” Coco offered a small smile. “I’m not one for lots of attention anyway, so I don’t mind if ponies focus more on you. Besides that, I like watching you treat your fans so nicely. Not every pony is as gracious once they become famous, but you’re doing wonderfully.”

Glamour chuckled. “Well, what can I say? It’s almost like I’m living off their adoration.”

The sound of rapid hoofsteps signaled the return of the waitress rushing back to them.

“Alright, I’m back!” the waitress announced with a big smile. “Now, what can I get you two?”

“I’ll take the watercress sandwich,” Coco replied.

“And I’ll have the lemon meringue pie,” said Glamour.

“Gee, you sure like your sweets, Miss Glamour,” the waitress pointed out. “I’m pretty sure you ordered a dessert the last time you were here too. Um, not that there’s anything wrong with that.”

“I just like sweet stuff,” Glamour said with a shrug.

“Alright then, I’ll put in your orders, but um… before I go…” the waitress smiled sheepishly, and she looked down at one of her forehooves which was digging into the ground. “If it’s alright with you, could I maybe get another autograph from you? Some of my friends are unsure if you really gave me the last one. If you write a little message, I’m sure they’ll believe me. I mean, if I’m not bothering you.”

Glamour nodded. “Sure, I don’t see why not.”

“Oh, thank you so much!” The waitress passed over a pen and a piece of paper ripped from her notepad like last time. “I really appreciate this!”

“So this is to…”

“Oh, I’m Pink Lemonade,” the waitress said with a giggle. “I guess with all the excitement, I forgot to introduce myself last time.”

“To Pink Lemonade… One of my favorite waitresses… From Glamour…” With one final stroke, Glamour finished the autograph and hoofed it back to Pink Lemonade.

“Eeeee! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” Pink Lemonade cried out with a huge smile as she hopped up and down. “You’re the greatest, Glamour! I’ll never forget this! Oh, I need to get your orders in! Thank you again!”

With amusement, Glamour and Coco watched Pink Lemonade skitter off, her squeals of delight still audible from within the cafe’s kitchen.

“Another satisfied pony,” Coco said with a giggle. “You really know how to treat your fans.”

“It’s just a little bit of generosity. If I can give a little bit to make somepony’s day special, then it’s worth it.” Glamour smiled. “It’s something you told me on our first outing together.”

“You remember that?”

“You’re not the only pony being influenced in this relationship.”

“Oh, Glamour.” Coco blushed a little. “I’m glad you take the things I say to heart.”

“Hello there, lovebirds! How are you two doing?” a familiar voice from the side called at them.

Glamour and Coco turned their heads to see Grace standing at the entrance to the cafe’s interior.

“Out on a date?” Grace teased as she started to trot over to them.

“Hi, Grace,” Glamour greeted back before she leaned over to Coco. In a whisper, she asked, “Does she know about us?”

“How could she? We just agreed on it last night.” Coco paused for a second and then a smirk crossed her face. “I think we can have a little fun with this. Follow my lead.”

Glamour’s eyebrow went up a bit, but she nodded soon after.

“What? What are you two whispering about?” Grace asked when she sat down at their table. “Nothing too naughty, I hope.”

“Only something we plan to do a bit later,” Coco replied. “It’s good to see you, Grace. I didn’t know you had a day off today.”

“I don’t, but I did get through a bunch of paperwork faster than I thought, so I’m taking an extended lunch break.”

“Prim Hemline lets you do that?” Glamour asked.

“What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her,” Grace replied with a smirk. “That said, I can’t stick around too long. The pasta I had here last time was great, so I’m just grabbing some to take back to the office. What are you two up to today?”

“We’re on a date,” Coco responded right away as she moved her seat closer to Glamour. “A real date.”

Grace was taken aback a bit, but she quickly recovered with a chuckle. “Okay, okay, I get it. You want me to lighten up on the jokes. I know you two said you were just friends.”

“Are we?” Coco smiled and quickly turned to Glamour and kissed her right on the lips.

Glamour’s eyes widened for a second, but she caught on and wrapped her hooves around Coco to deepen their kiss. She might still be wary of their relationship, but Coco’s love-filled kisses were certainly a big perk. They locked their lips for several seconds before slowly backing away from each other.

Turning to look at Grace, Glamour had to restrain herself from laughing out loud at Grace’s shocked face. The secretary’s jaw had almost hit the table, and one of her eyes was twitching.

“Whoa…” Grace uttered a few seconds later. “You two… You just… Whoa…”

“A-anyway, Glamour and I were out for a walk,” Coco said. She was trying to act nonchalant, but the big grin on her face told Glamour she was barely a step away from breaking down into laughter. “We stopped by one or two places before—”

“You two kissed!” Grace cried out loud, shooting out of her seat to point a hoof at them.

That tipped them over, and Glamour and Coco burst into laughter.

Grace blinked a few times before she settled back down with a small, amused chuckle. “Oh, ha ha. I get it now. I gotta admit, that was a good one, Coco. Never knew that you would go that far to pull one over me, but I guess I deserve it after all the teasing I give you.”

“Actually, Grace, I was serious,” said Coco. “Glamour and I really are on a date. We decided to try being marefriends last night.”

Grace blinked several more times She pointed a hoof at Coco. “So you…” The hoof went to Glamour. “And you are together?”

“Yes.”

“Seriously?”

“Right.”

“And you’re not just pulling my leg again?”

“That would be correct.”

“As in an actual relationship with love and all that jazz?”

“It certainly is.”

“Whoa…”

Grace stared at the two of them, and as time passed, Glamour started to get a bit nervous and wondered if Grace actually did not approve of their relationship.

“Wait, so this means I got all sorts of material to use on you guys!” Grace suddenly proclaimed with a proud grin on her face.

Glamour and Coco groaned and chuckled at the same time.

Grace chuckled as well. “But in all seriousness, congrats to you two. The both of you do some crazy things, so I guess that’s why you two fit so well together. I wish you two the best.”

Pink Lemonade came back to their table with a tray in her magic and a bag held in her mouth. “Here’s your takeout order, ma’am,” she said after giving the bag to Grace. “And here’s the lunches for my favorite model and her friend,” she continued, placing their plates on the table.

“Well, I’m heading out now,” Grace said as she got up. “I have to get back before Prim Hemline finds out.”

“Oh, wait a second, Grace. Hey, Pink Lemonade, could you do us a favor?” Glamour asked as she also got up.

“Anything for you, Miss Glamour!”

Glamour took her new camera out of the pouch and gave it to Pink Lemonade. “Could you take a picture of all three of us?”

“Sure thing! Ooh, nice camera,” Pink Lemonade replied as she took the camera and inspected it.

“Seriously?” Grace let out a mock sigh and sat down on the same side as Glamour and Coco. “If I must for my adoring fans.”

Pink Lemonade trotted a few steps back and after taking a few seconds to aim, she pressed on the button on top of the camera, and a picture with Glamour and two of her friends was taken. After Pink Lemonade gave back the camera and started heading back inside, she said, “Feel free to call me again if you need something!”

“It was nice seeing you two again.” Grace got back up from her seat and grabbed her to-go lunch. “And kudos on the whole relationship. I’ll see you two later.”

Glamour and Coco said their goodbyes to their mutual friend as she left, but Grace paused a few steps later to look back at them with a smirk and wagged her eyebrows. “Oh, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, unless you’re in the bedroom, of course.”

Glamour shot back a deadpan look, and Coco squeaked as her face grew red. Grace resumed walking, her cackles ringing loud and clear.

“Maybe we shouldn’t have told her,” Glamour muttered. “We’re never going to hear the end of it from her now.”

Coco giggled. “She means well, and at least, we got a little payback.”

“I’m a bit surprised you actually decided to prank her.”

“What can I say? You’re rubbing off on me as well. Now, let’s eat.”

The happy couple dug into their meal. Glamour let out a hum of delight when she ate a mouthful of her pie. With her new life in Manehattan, she was able to sample all sorts of desserts, and the best part was that she did not have to worry as much about her diet like other models. Now that she proved she can make white chocolate mocha without anything blowing up, she wondered if she could eventually learn how to make all sorts of desserts. There were so many things she would love to try, along with any favorites that her marefriend had.

Glamour stopped eating, her fork stuck in her mouth. As much as she wanted to keep on dreaming of sweets, thinking about her marefriend brought the unpleasant secret of her identity back to the forefront of her mind.

Each time she thought about confessing, she would find some reason to put it off, usually involving her being a coward. She knew that the longer she waited, the more likely it was for things to get out control when her identity was revealed. But at the same time, it was possible that time would not make a difference, and she would have a better chance at trying to keep the secret for the rest of her life.

If only there was a way for Glamour to check Coco’s feelings on changelings.

“What’s the matter, Glamour? Do you not like your food?” Coco asked.

“Oh, I do. I was just thinking um…” Glamour bit her lip, or at least, she tried to. She forgot the fork was still in her mouth and winced as she bit the metal instead. With a “Bleh,” she pulled the fork out and set it on the plate. Clearing her throat, she said, “I never really told you about where I came from, did I?”

“No, you haven’t. All you’ve told me about your past is that you’ve been traveling for a while, and it’s been quite a difficult journey for you.”

“Would you uh… Would you like to hear a bit about where I used to live?”

Coco’s fork clattered onto her plate. “R-really? I would love to hear some things about your past… Um, if it’s not too much trouble for you. I know you are kind of reluctant to talk about it.”

“We are marefriends now, and after you told me so much yesterday, I thought it would make things a bit more fair if I told you about my past.”

Coco sighed. “Glamour, I appreciate the gesture, and I do really want to know more about you but…” Coco caressed one of Glamour’s forehooves resting on the table with her own. “I don’t want you to just do it to make things fair. You should do it when you’re ready and because you want to.”

“I do want to, Coco. But uh, I can’t promise you that I’ll be able to tell you everything.” Or that everything may be completely true.

“That’s alright, and thank you for opening up to me,” Coco said with a reassuring smile.

Glamour nodded. “Right so uh, where do I start… Have you ever heard of a placed called Gallopville?”

“I think I heard of the name before, but otherwise, no.”

“It’s a moderately-sized town in the south, close to the border of the Badlands.”

Coco’s eyes widened. “The Badlands?! But I hear there’s all sorts of wild and dangerous creatures living in there. Why would ponies live so close to that place?”

“The Badlands might be a pretty dangerous place, but all sorts of rare metals and herbs can be found there. Many ponies in Gallopville make their living harvesting the area.”

“I see… I guess that is a good reason then. I’m guessing that since you are talking about Gallopville, you are from there.”

Glamour nodded again. “I used to live there before I started traveling.”

“Was it really dangerous living so close to the Badlands?”

“A bit. Every now and then, something nasty would wander into town. It’s not as bad as it sounds though. A lot of ponies there are tough, and a few members of the Royal Guard are stationed there to help repel the wildlife. So besides the occasional scare, life in Gallopville was pretty safe.”

“That explains why you are so brave and tough yourself, Glamour. You make it sound like it’s no big deal, but I still can’t imagine living so close to a dangerous place.”

Glamour shrugged. “You get used to it.”

“I guess so… If you don’t mind me asking, what did you do there?”

“Oh I um… I never stayed in one job for too long, and I changed quite a bit. Still, life in Gallopville was pretty much the same every day. That is, until the Royal Wedding.”

“Why would the Royal Wedding change…” Coco blinked. “Change…” She gasped and covered her mouth with her hooves. “The changelings!”

Glamour barely held back a cringe. That was not a response she was hoping for.

“I heard that one of the main changeling colonies is located in the Badlands,” said Coco. “Is that why you left Gallopville?”

“S-sort of. You are right about the changeling colony though. The Royal Guards confirmed that there’s a colony somewhere in the Badlands, so Gallopville had to change.”

Coco was pretty much on the edge of her seat at that point. “What happened to Gallopville?”

“A few days after the changelings were expelled out of Canterlot, a battalion of the Royal Guard arrived in town. Because of Gallopville’s proximity to the Badlands and the changeling colony, the guards were there to not only protect the town, but to use it as a watchpost against changelings.”

“That’s good. I would be really scared knowing that there could be a changeling attack ay any moment,” Coco said, not noticing Glamour’s breath hitching. “I bet a lot of ponies were relieved to know that there were so many Royal Guards nearby.”

“That was true for most ponies, but a few, like me, didn’t really like it. Sure, they were protecting the town, but the Royal Guard did have to implement a few rules. Nopony was allowed to leave the town alone, being out too late would likely result in being questioned, and other things like that. I can understand the precautions, but it made life a bit more difficult and annoying.”

“I can see why that might seem problematic, but I would say it’s more than worth it to be safe from those nasty changelings.”

Glamour drew a short, sharp breath. “N-nasty? You don’t really like changelings, do you?”

Coco frowned. “Well, they did try to invade Canterlot. A lot of ponies got hurt because of that.”

“R-right…” Glamour bit her lip. “A-Anyway, between the strict rules and the danger of the Badlands, I decided to leave.”

“So you’ve been traveling around since then?”

Glamour nodded. “Pretty much. I would stop by many places, but I never stayed too long. For one reason or another, I would end up having to resume my travels.”

“What kind of stuff did you do during your travels?”

Glamour fell silent for a couple of moments as her mind worked. Eventually, she let out a heavy sigh. “Um, actually, Coco, if you don’t mind, I think I would like to stop talking about things back then for now.”

Coco blinked. “Oh, uh, right. That’s fine. Thank you for sharing with me all the other stuff. I never would’ve guessed you came from such a uh, rough place.”

Glamour nodded silently. In a way, she did not lie to Coco about her past. She just merely bent the truth and did not tell the whole story.

Gallopville was a popular feeding ground for the changeling colony long before the Royal Wedding. Glamour made many trips to the town, harvesting love to bring back to the colony. She and the other changelings had to be careful to make sure that the ponies in town would not know they even existed. It was nothing special, but it allowed them to live without any disturbances. But that all fell apart after the Royal Wedding.

When the small army of Royal Guards moved into town, harvesting love had become incredibly difficult. More than once, Glamour found herself exposed and barely managed to escape the Royal Guard. Eventually, Gallopville was considered too dangerous to gather love from, and that was when Glamour and the other changelings who were dissatisfied with Queen Chrysalis’s rule set off on their own.

Glamour sighed again. She had hoped Coco’s responses to changelings would have been milder, but each mention of her species was met swiftly by fear and revulsion. Maybe she needed to try a more direct approach.

“Glamour, are you alright? Did your talk bring up some bad memories?” Coco asked.

“I-I’m fine. I was just thinking. Um, since we’re talking about changelings, could I ask you a question about them?”

Coco cocked her head. “Okay, but I don’t really know much about them. I only heard about them in the news and in your story just now.”

“I just want an opinion about something. Um…” Glamour’s hooves tapped nervously on the table. “Do… Do you think all changelings are bad?”

Coco folded her forehooves across her chest and closed her eyes to think. After a few moments, she opened her eyes again. “I’m not sure. I never really thought about something like that. What brought about a question like that?”

Glamour’s eyes widened a bit. “Oh, I uh… Um…” Her eyes darted around as she tried to come up with a good answer. With nothing coming to mind, she took a deep breath and waved her hoof to beckon Coco to come closer.

They both leaned in close to each other, and with a gulp, Glamour whispered, “I… I… I met a changeling during my travels.”

Coco gasped. “Oh my goodness, what happened?”

“We uh, talked.”

“You… talked…” One of Coco’s eyebrows went up. “That’s it?”

“What were you expecting?”

Coco chuckled sheepishly. “Um, I might’ve thought you were attacked or something like that.”

Glamour groaned. “No, she didn’t attack me. We just happened to stumble upon each other, and somehow, we started talking to each other. She was traveling around like me, and she was actually quite nice.”

“What did you two talk about?” Coco asked.

“She told me about how changelings needed to feed on the love of ponies. Food is not exactly easy to come about in the Badlands. Is it wrong of them for just wanting to survive?”

“I suppose not… Not really… But why did they have to invade Canterlot?”

“Well, they didn’t have to, but it would’ve ensured a lot of food for the changelings.”

“I see…” Coco had to take another few moments to think again. She shook her head, and said, “Still, while I can understand that they need food, they did end up hurting a lot of innocent ponies.”

“Oh…” Glamour sagged into her seat a bit. “Um, but what if it wasn’t completely their fault? Their queen was the one who planned the invasion. Could you really blame all of them for following orders?”

“I… I don’t know, Glamour. Why are you asking all these questions anyway? Are you and that changeling friends?”

Glamour quickly shook her head. “N-no, I just talked with her for a bit, but I guess you can say I see changelings in a different light because of that.”

“Well… um… how do you know that she was telling the truth?”

Glamour blinked. “What?”

“Well, from what I heard, changelings use disguises and lies to get what they want. How do you know that the changeling you met was not trying to fool you?”

“I, uh…” Glamour was left speechless.

“I’m sorry for doubting you, Glamour. It’s admirable you’re trying to be nice to changelings, but I don’t know if you can trust a changeling you just met. They meddle with love, and I know very well what happens when somepony’s love is manipulated. You have to be extra careful whenever anything deals with the heart.”

Glamour’s heart sank. She had her answer. “R-right, you’re right. I’ll try to be more careful.”

Coco gave Glamour a quick hug. “Are you going to be alright? I can tell that I didn’t give you the answer you wanted.”

“It’s alright. I heard what I needed to hear. Thanks for putting up with the weird questions. Let’s just finish our meal.” Glamour picked up her fork and started eating her dessert again. Despite the sudden loss of appetite, she needed to keep busy to avoid looking at the worried look Coco was no doubt giving her.

“Glamour… I…”

“You have nothing to be sorry for. Don’t worry about me.”

After their lunch, they walked around a little bit more before deciding to head home. Coco was still worried about her, but eventually, Glamour was able to convince Coco she really was going to be fine.

She was going to be fine… As long as she kept her real self a secret.

Chapter 16: Preparation

Glamour groaned as she was woken up from her sleep by a rapid pounding in her ears. With a yawn, she sat up and rubbed her eyes. Despite feeling no pain or any discomfort, other than the usual lethargy of having to leave the comforts of bed, a throbbing head was something worth investigating. As her eyes slowly opened, she soon realized that the pounding was not in her head, but somepony actually knocking on her door.

“Glamour, are you awake yet?” Coco asked from behind the door.

After another yawn, Glamour replied, “Yeah, I’m awake.” She lit up her horn, bathing her room in a soft, green glow, and she frowned when she saw her recently-purchased alarm clock. “Coco, it’s really early. Is something wrong?”

“Sorry for waking you, but I just couldn’t wait. I’m completely done with the dress!” Coco announced, the excitement fully evident in her voice. “Come on, I want you to see it!”

Even though she was rudely awakened, Glamour could not help but chuckle at Coco’s enthusiasm. “That’s great, Coco. I’ll be out in a minute.”

The days after her first official date with Coco returned them to a familiar routine. Coco had to work on the contest dress, so she spent the majority of her time in her room. Glamour, in turn, played the role of housekeeper, as well as making sure Coco did not neglect her own needs.

The only thing that felt different was the occasional tightness Glamour felt in her chest whenever she thought about the secret she was keeping from Coco. After hearing Coco’s reaction to changelings, Glamour pushed the truth into a corner of her mind. Unfortunately, that did not stop guilt from occasionally creeping out, and she knew that she would have to try again at some point. It just was not going to be within the next few days, especially since the Fall Fashion Fantasia was almost upon them.

With Coco busy with sewing up the dress, Glamour did not get to spend much time with her marefriend. Due to her wanting to keep the dress a surprise, Coco denied Glamour entrance to her room several times, and the times she did allow Glamour in were only after she covered all of her work. Still, they managed to arrange some time every day, no matter how sparse, to sit down together.

And now, the dress was finally done. In reality, Coco had already finished the dress a day or two ago, but she kept it to make sure she got down every last detail. Glamour would not have been surprised if she found out that Coco scanned the dress with a magnifying glass. With the rehearsal for the Fall Fashion Fantasia starting tomorrow and knowing Coco’s tendency to overwork herself, Glamour was glad that her marefriend now had some time to rest.

“I’m so glad you finally got it done,” Glamour said as she went to her door and set her hoof on the doorknob. “You were spending so much time on it, I was getting worried that you were obsessing over it. It’s a good thing that…” Her smile faded when she opened the door and saw her marefriend.

Coco had a small smile on her face, but that was pretty much the only thing right about her appearance. She had slightly reddened eyes that were having trouble staying open, and small bags could be seen under them. Her mane was a bit unkempt in a few spots, and her body was swaying slowly from side to side, as though she could keel over at any moment. A yawn from her confirmed Glamour’s guess on Coco’s condition.

“Coco, did you even go to sleep last night?” Glamour asked, continuing to eye Coco up and down.

Coco raised her hoof to her mouth to cover yet another yawn. “I did… Sort of… I took an hour nap or so… I think…”

Glamour sighed and shook her head. “Coco…”

Coco took Glamour’s forehoof into her own and started pulling. “Oh, don’t worry. I don’t do it often, and I think it was time well spent to get the dress perfect for tomorrow. Now, come on, you have got to see it.”

Glamour allowed herself to be dragged to Coco’s room. Like the few times she had been admitted inside, a large, white cloth completely covering a pony mannequin was in the middle of the room.

Coco let go of Glamour’s hoof and trotted up to the covered display. “I hope you like it, Glamour.” Gripping a piece of the cloth in her teeth, she gave one mighty tug, and the cover was pulled off, revealing the prized dress.

Glamour’s jaw dropped as soon as she laid eyes on Coco’s dress. The top half consisted of a shade of pink that was very similar to her mane and various features were accented with black. The collar of the dress was black with a pink ribbon interwoven into the fabric, while the pink sleeves had a narrow, black strip sewn down the middle that then circled around the end before being tied into an elaborate ribbon.

Separated from the top half by black furls, the bottom half was absolutely breathtaking. The dress had flared out, similar to some of the ballroom costumes Glamour saw Coco make, but not to an extent that would make it troublesome to move around in. It was made up of a thin, pink fabric that she could see through to the layer underneath that was done in a black color. Sequins were sewn and arranged into simple motifs on the top layer. There were not too many sequins to make the dress gaudy, but there were just enough to draw attention to the patterns. Looking closer and through the top layer, she could see that the same patterns were replicated onto the bottom layer, almost overlapping with the designs above it. The dress was the most intricate piece of art that Glamour had ever seen, and she could not help but swell with pride over her marefriend's magnificent work.

“Coco, this… this is fantastic,” Glamour uttered as she continued to gaze in wonder. “And the colors…”

“The idea came to me after that night we became marefriends. As soon as I put my pencil on the paper to sketch it out, everything just flowed out. I never felt so inspired in any of my works.” Coco trotted closer to Glamour, and with a smile, she gently ran her hoof through Glamour’s mane. “You’re my inspiration, Glamour. I wouldn’t have done all of this without you. This dress isn’t just for the contest, but it’s also proof of what we share.”

“Wow…” Glamour gingerly touched the soft fabric of the dress that looked even more beautiful now. “Coco… I… I don’t know what to say.”

Coco kissed Glamour on the cheek. “You don’t have to. Just keep being you.”

Glamour finally tore her gaze from the dress to smile at Coco, but a frown quickly formed when she noticed Coco’s swaying had become more pronounced. “Coco, you did an amazing job, but I really think you should get some rest. You’re barely standing on your own hooves.”

“I’m fine, Glam—” A huge yawn escaped Coco. “Okay, maybe I did overdo it a little.”

“Go to sleep, Coco. You earned it.”

“R-right, sure.” Coco nodded and closed her eyes.

“H-hey!” Glamour’s horn lit up when Coco completely tilted to one side. A green aura quickly formed around Coco and stopped her a few inches from hitting the floor.

With an amused sigh, Glamour carefully used her magic to levitate Coco toward her bed. She pulled out the blankets with her hooves before depositing her sleeping marefriend into the bed and then pulling the blankets back over her.

“Good ni—er morning, Coco,” Glamour said before turning for the door. She took one step away from the bed but stopped immediately when she felt a gentle tug on her tail. Looking back, she saw Coco had her tail in a forehoof with her eyes barely open and a small smile on her face.

“Thank you, Glamour… Love you…” Coco uttered quietly before her eyes closed again, and Glamour’s tail fell from her hoof.

Glamour sighed again, this time much heavier, as she stared at her sleeping marefriend. Coco was truly in love with her and had opened her heart to her. She hoped that she could one day do the same. For now though, one thing came to mind.

Glamour moved to Coco’s side and leaned down. She planted a soft kiss on Coco’s forehead, and she smiled when she saw Coco’s smile grow bigger. “Sweet dreams, Coco. Tomorrow’s going to be a big day.”

“Welcome to the Fall Fashion Fantasia, or to be more accurate, the rehearsal session for it,” Prim Hemline proclaimed as she marched across the front of the stage, eyeing everypony standing in a line. Most of the ponies were paying attention to Prim, but a few ponies were murmuring to each other, while others seemed to have their minds and gazes wandering the room.

With a huff, Prim stomped her hoof on the floor, and the deafening crack caused everypony to jump and turn to her with rapt attention. “Listen up, everypony! I am only going to say all of this once and only once!” she continued in a clear, bellowing voice.

To the side of the stage and at the edge of the curtains, Glamour let out a deep breath as she felt her heart slowly calm down from her own jump. Even when it was not directed at her, just seeing Prim Hemline’s commanding and intimidating demeanor still sent chills through her. She was glad that for once, the glowering organizer was not directing her spite at her.

Turning her attention back to the long line of designer ponies, Glamour zeroed in on Coco again. Despite Coco standing at the end of the line on the opposite side of the stage, Glamour was easily able to pick out her nervous movements. Coco would frequently fidget, and every now and then, she would steal glances back at her.

The other pony of interest was standing near the center. Suri’s face was blank, revealing little of what was going through her head, but Glamour was pretty sure she saw hints of a frown every time Suri took a quick look at her competition. If Suri was going to follow through with what she said, Glamour was going to have to keep an eye on her.

“Now, as you should all know, the Fall Fashion Fantasia is one of the most prestigious fashion events in Manehattan,” Prim Hemline addressed to the designers. “I see many fine competitors here, both new and old, and I’m sure you will all do your best. Keep in mind that you will not only be judged by your creations, but by your behavior as well. A show like this demands professionalism, and I expect all of you to act with the highest decorum. Failure to do so will be met with consequences.”

Glamour shivered when Prim’s gaze wandered to her, and she quickly stepped back to hide herself behind the edge of the stage curtain.

“Today, we shall be going over what you can expect tomorrow, as well as making sure everypony here is ready and able for tomorrow,” Prim explained. “After that, we will be convening in the nearby studio so that I can check all of your creations to make sure that they are following regulations and that they are actually up to the standards of the Fall Fashion Fantasia.

“After I review your design, you have the option of leaving your work with me. They will be stored in a safe and secure location on the premises overnight, and you may pick them up before the contest starts tomorrow.”

Prim took out a clipboard and looked down at it. “Alright now, please pay attention, when I call your name, say that you are here so that I can assign you a number. That number will tell you the order in which you will all appear in the show.”

As Prim started calling name after name, she listened for Coco and Suri’s names, as well as the name of one more pony that might be here. After a while, it seemed like everypony was called except the ponies she were interested in. Finally, near the end, Suri was called, and she responded with a curt “Hi” and a nod. Then with a stroke of either good or bad luck, Coco’s name was called right after. Glamour huffed when she saw Suri’s glare as her marefriend stepped forward to say she was present.

After a few more names, Prim finally announced that everypony was assigned and started going going over the process of the show.

Each contestant would be allotted a few minutes to feature their design, and they would be able to give their models special stage instructions, as long as they were reasonable. Prim also explained that the judges would not know who was assigned each number until the end of the contest. In other words, names and reputation would not affect the decisions of the judges. The only factor would be which design looked the best.

“And that is it for here,” Prim announced at the end of her explanation. “Oh, and before we move to the studio, I must inform you that tomorrow, you must all be here and ready an hour before show time. I do not tolerate tardiness and any late arrivals can and will be disqualified. Understood?”

A chorus of agreements and nods immediately followed.

“Good, please exit the stage and line up with your designs in front of Studio B. I’ll be along shortly.”

Glamour stepped to the side as the line of ponies walked off the stage. When Suri passed by her, she was met with a glare, which she returned with one of her own. Their standoff only lasted a moment before Suri scoffed and walked away with her chin pointed upwards. Glamour rolled her eyes before turning her attention to Coco who was talking up to her.

“Oh my, that was a bit nerve wracking standing up on stage like that, even with only Prim in the audience,” Coco said. “I can see why you had trouble back when we first met. Will you be alright walking tomorrow?”

Glamour nodded. “After Photo Finish’s show, I think I got a lot better, and I should be able to do it with a minimal amount of trouble.” She took a look around and saw that they were the only ones standing around. “Aren’t you going to line up for Prim?”

Coco smiled. “I was going to be last anyway. Why wait in line the whole time when I can spend some of it with you first?”

Glamour chuckled. “I suppose that does sound better then. By the way, since you’re here, I wanted to ask you about something. Is your friend, Rarity, coming? I didn’t hear her name get called. Since she did so well during Fashion Week, I figured she would’ve made an appearance.”

“I didn’t tell you? Oh I’m sorry, Glamour. I guess with everything going on, it slipped my mind. Rarity mentioned in a letter some time ago that she was not planning on entering this contest. She said that Fashion Week was enough to last her for a while. She did want to come cheer us on, but she had to cancel. She was given a huge job to make costumes for Sapphire Shores and her whole crew.”

“Um, two questions. First, who is Sapphire Shores?”

“She’s a famous pop singer that really loves to dress up for her shows. From what I heard, Rarity has become one of her favorite designers.”

“Okay, and the second question… Us? She knows about me?”

“Well, of course. With all that has happened between us, it’s pretty much unavoidable.” Coco’s gaze shifted to her hooves. “Um, you don’t mind that I told her about you and how we’re marefriends, right?”

In truth, Glamour was a bit worried about Rarity appearing for the contest. She had finally remembered that Rarity was also an Element of Harmony, and as one of the biggest threats to changelings, Glamour would have preferred to stay under her radar. Still, like Coco said, the news that they were together was inevitably going to spread. At least it was a relief to find out that Rarity was too busy to come visit and traumatize her.

“No, I don’t mind,” Glamour replied, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. “Just that since she’s an Element of Harmony and all…”

Coco giggled. “I assure you, Glamour, that Rarity is actually quite humble about that part of her. She much rather talk about her success as a designer. I’m kind of disappointed that she could not come, but I was thinking that after all of this is over, maybe we could visit her in Ponyville? She mentioned several times I was always welcome to visit.”

Glamour forgot how to breathe for a moment. “Uh, when you say visit her, do you mean Rarity?”

“That’s who we’re talking about. Don’t worry, Glamour. There’s no need to be afraid of her. She really is a sweet, generous pony. I also hear that Ponyville is a pretty peaceful place, and after all our work, I think it would be a great place to relax for a few days.”

“Well, if you really want to…” Glamour had to strain a smile onto her face. “Then sure…”

Glamour was still not fond of meeting an Element of Harmony, but she knew Coco really looked up to Rarity. Denying her marefriend the opportunity would be mean, and as long as she was careful, she probably would be fine. Besides, it was just one Element. It was not like she was going to meet the others at the same time.

“Well, I think I should go line up now,” Coco said as she went to retrieve her dress from a nearby clothes rack. She had covered the whole thing in a white, plastic sheet that prevented anypony from seeing what was inside.

Glamour nodded, and they walked off the stage to the hallway area. They quickly found Studio B, due to the line of ponies standing outside it, and from the looks of it, over half the other designers had already left, including Suri, during their talk. She got in line with Coco, keeping her company and exchanging small talk. When Coco’s turn finally came, Glamour opened the door for her marefriend, and Coco gave her a smile before proceeding inside by herself.

With nopony else but her standing in the hallway, Glamour took a deep breath. Today was almost over, but she was already starting to feel the anxiety and excitement of tomorrow’s big event. After a bit, she resorted to pacing up and down the hallway to help pass the time and bleed a bit of the nervous energy out of her.

“Miss Glamour.”

Glamour entire body froze when she heard the voice from the studio door behind her. She slowly turned to the pony, and with a gulp, she replied, “H-hi, Miss Hemline.”

Prim was standing at the door staring at her with a stern eye. Coco was by her side, and she was glancing back and forth between the two of them with a small, worried frown.

“Please come to my office in five minutes,” Prim ordered. “Understood?”

“Y-yes, Miss Hemline.”

With a nod, Prim walked past Glamour, no doubt to set up her office for the dreaded meeting.

As soon as she was sure Prim was out of earshot, Glamour began to hyperventilate. “Prim Hemline wants to see me. Prim Hemline wants to see me! What am I going to do?!”

“Glamour, calm down,” Coco quickly said, placing a hoof on Glamour’s shoulder. “She asked me if you were around, and it doesn’t seem like she’s angry or anything like that. You’ll be fine.”

“But it’s still going to be me and her in a small room,” Glamour said, her body twitching nervously. “She wasn’t exactly happy when Photo Finish hired me. I know she doesn’t like me, and most of all, she’s scary!”

Coco sighed. “Yes, Prim Hemline might be intimidating, but she is also a professional. She would not ask you to come if it was not for a good reason. Relax, it’s probably not going to be as bad as you think.”

Glamour looked at Coco, and she saw a comforting smile on her marefriend’s face. She could feel herself starting to calm down, so she closed her eyes for a moment to take a deep breath. “R-right, maybe I am just overreacting. And I should be safe since Photo Finish still wants to work with me… I am going to be safe, right?”

Coco hugged Glamour, and the nervous changeling felt more of her nerves ease. “You’ll be fine, Glamour. She probably wants to check up on you before the big show. But no matter what happens, I’ll be here for you.” She let go of Glamour. “But um, you should probably get going now. Prim Hemline doesn’t like tardiness.”

Glamour’s eyes shot wide open, and she dashed off towards the office. “I’ll see you later, Coco!” she shouted back.

“I’ll wait for you at the front desk with Grace!” Coco called back before Glamour rounded the corner and hurried up the steps.

Glamour quickly trotted up to Prim’s door and then stopped. She took a few deep breaths to compose herself and then raised her hoof to the barrier between her and potential doom. She stood there for a few moments, her hoof hanging in the air. Finally, with another gulp, her hoof knocked on the wooden surface.

“Come in,” Prim’s voice immediately beckoned.

Praying for a quick and painless encounter, Glamour opened the door. “Hello, Miss Hemline. Y-you wanted to see me?” she asked as she walked inside.

“Close the door, Miss Glamour,” Prim ordered, her gaze immediately locking onto Glamour.

Despite her worry that closing the door would allow no witnesses in case of her untimely demise, Glamour did as she was ordered and then stood at attention in front of Prim’s desk. She waited for Prim to continue, but the scowling mare seemed content at just glaring at her. Glamour wanted to know what was going on, but she dared not speak out of turn, so she waited patiently and tried to ignore Prim’s attempts at burning a hole in her head with her eyes.

“Do you know why I called you here, Miss Glamour?” Prim asked as she propped up her forehooves on her desk and rested her head on it.

“Um, no, Miss Hemline.”

“You are here to make sure I did not make the wrong decision to let you walk in tomorrow’s show.”

“Oh… Um, so how do I go about doing that?”

“Tell me anything you think that would appease me.”

“Okay, um…” Glamour took a moment to think and then took a deep breath. “Miss Hemline, I assure you that I will not have a repeat of my first show.”

“And why would I believe that?”

“Um, well you were there at my second show with Photo Finish. I know my performance wasn’t perfect, but it was a big improvement over the last one, right?”

Prim slowly nodded. “Yes, I must admit that I found your performance… passable. But the Fall Fashion Fantasia is not some little show. There will be far more ponies and media coverage than your little walk in the spotlight. Do you really think you can handle tomorrow’s show? Don’t answer right away. I want you to really think about it.”

Glamour did as she was told. While it was true that she had improved, one other thing that kept her going quickly came to mind.

“I can do it,” Glamour answered a moment later.

Prim leaned forward. “And what makes you so sure?”

Glamour stood up straight. “Because I will be modeling for Coco Pommel, and she is very dear to me. She has worked hard to get to where she is now, and I refuse to let all of it go to waste because I messed something up.”

To Glamour’s surprise, one of Prim’s eyebrows went up as her scowl softened. “I see… I knew that you and Coco were working together, but I didn’t realize you two had become such good friends.” She took a deep breath. “You are definitely a much different pony than the bumbling idiot that first stepped hoof in here. You have more confidence, and you’re not tripping over your own hooves as much. Most of all, I heard the conviction in you when you spoke for your friend.”

Did Prim Hemline really praise me? Glamour had to resist the urge to pinch herself to check if she was dreaming.

“I was skeptical when Photo Finish wanted to enter you and Coco to the Fall Fashion Fantasia,” Prim admitted. “But the both of you have proven to have quite a bit of potential, not to mention your popularity as Photo Finish’s project. Please keep up the good work. I am curious to see how the both of you will turn out.”

Prim’s stern glare returned. “But I will be watching you closely, Glamour. Mess up tomorrow’s show, and I will make you regret it. Understood?”

“U-understood.”

Prim waved her hoof to the door and turned her attention to work on some papers on her desk. “Good, then you are free to go. I’ll see you tomorrow, Miss Glamour.”

Glamour did a little bow before making a quick exit. She let out a huge sigh of relief as she walked down the hall to the stairs. Like Coco said, her meeting was not as bad as she thought. She was quite pleased that she even received some praise from Prim. Granted, the praise was sandwiched in between threats and criticisms, but it was a step up from just pure hatred.

She trotted down the stairs to find Coco in the lobby, but she stopped at the last step when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Down the hall, on the opposite side of the lobby entrance, she saw a distinctively familiar tail right before it disappeared behind the corner.

Glamour stood at the bottom step for a few moments, still staring at the spot where the tail was. She probably should not keep Coco waiting. Despite her earlier reassurances, Glamour was sure that Coco would worry if she took too long. But Glamour’s instinct was telling her something was going on, and she had to investigate.

After checking to see no ponies were around, Glamour quietly walked down the hall and then pressed her body against the wall right before the corner. She slowly peeked around the corner and saw another hallway. The walls were lined with doors, but her attention was drawn to the door at the end of the hall. It was the tiniest bit ajar, and when she strained her ears, she could hear the faintest hint of somepony talking.

Glamour carefully made her way to the suspicious door, wishing she could use her wings to quickly and quietly close the gap. Thankfully, a lifetime of sneaking taught her how to silence her hoofsteps, and she soon made it to the door. The noise from within grew louder, and Glamour could make out the voices of a stallion talking to a very familiar mare.

“Now, why do you need to be here so late?”

“Nothing you need to worry about.”

“Yeah… I might just be a janitor here, but I’m not risking my job for nothing.”

The sound of many bits clinking with each other rang in Glamour’s ears.

“So when would you like to be let in, and would you like a red carpet entrance?”

“Midnight.”

“Midnight? But that’s the end of my shift.”

“I know.”

A few moments of silence passed, and Glamour took the opportunity to gently tap the door. The door opened an inch, allowing her to peek into the room. Inside was some sort of meeting room with a long table in the middle and surrounded by chairs. To the side was a stallion in a blue jumpsuit standing next to a mop sticking out of a bucket. He was eyeing two pouches that were being dangled in front of his face by the mare across from him.

“Suri…” Glamour muttered under her breath as she narrowed her eyes. “What are you up to?”

“Come on, all you have to do is open the door for me before you leave, and you get a nice reward,” Suri enticed. She shook the two pouches, and the room was filled with the sounds of jingling bits again. “Nopony has to know.”

The janitor stared at the offered money for a moment before letting out a sigh. He reached for the bits, but Suri quickly pulled them back.

“Wait, are you sure that nopony else will be here?” Suri asked.

“Besides me and the other janitors, Prim Hemline is the only one who sometimes stays late, but not as late as midnight. And since I’m the only one in tonight’s shift, you’ll be all by yourself.”

“Good.” Suri tossed one pouch to the janitor. “You’ll get the other half when you open the door for me tonight. Remember, midnight, back entrance. And don’t speak a word about this to anypony.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” the janitor mumbled while he pocketed his bribe. “Are we done here?”

“For now. Just make sure you keep your end of the bargain.”

Glamour quickly backed off when she saw both ponies turned to the door. She turned to run down the hallway, but stopped immediately when she realized that she would be seen or heard if she tried to run for it. Jumping on the first thing that came to mind, Glamour opened a random door to the side and literally dove in, her magic quickly shutting the door right behind her.

Trapped inside the room, Glamour hoped that her hasty escape went unnoticed. With only a tiny bit of light coming in through the bottom of the door and not wanting to risk using her magic to draw attention, she was pretty much in the dark. She did not even dare to get back up from her dive.

A few seconds later, she heard a door squeak open, followed by the sounds of Suri and the janitor’s mutterings and hoofsteps. Time seemed to drag as she listened to the two ponies move on the other side of the door, and it almost completely stopped when they actually paused in front of the door.

Glamour tried to crawl backwards, away from the door, but because of the dark, she did not see where she was going, and her hoof knocked over something metal. A soft clatter sounded through the air. It was barely noticeable, but to Glamour, it might as well be the wails of a thousand foals who had been denied candy.

“Did you hear something?” Suri’s voice asked.

Glamour almost gasped, but she literally shoved her hoof into her mouth before it could happen.

“It’s just the pipes or something like that,” the janitor replied. “This part of the building makes weird noises from time to time.”

The mutterings continued, but eventually, to Glamour’s immense relief, the hoofsteps resumed again. The hoofsteps grew fainter and fainter, until they were too far away to hear anymore. Slowly, her hoof retracted from her mouth, but she kept her ears pricked up, alert for any sounds of Suri or the janitor’s return.

When she was sure that nopony was coming back, Glamour let out a long sigh and got back on her hooves. She headed for the door, but after a few steps, her right forehoof stepped into some sort of metal hole and tripped her. She tried to regain her balance, but with her hoof stuck inside the metal object, she slid to the side and bumped against the wall on her way down.

Glamour groaned from her fall, but she quickly shook it off and stood up, only for her head to hit something wooden. A yelp escaped her, and as she stepped backwards from the pain, her right hind leg found its way into another metal object. Caught off guard, she ended up slipping again and fell over backwards. Her forehooves flailed around, trying to grab onto something, but in the dark, they only bumped into a few things before she hit the floor again.

Sprawled on her back, Glamour let out another groan, but she was quickly silenced as some sort of long, wooden rod smacked her in the face. That was soon followed by a number of objects landing on her stomach, some soft and some not so soft.

Yet another groan escaped Glamour as she laid on the floor, numerous parts of her body throbbing with pain.

And then the door opened, and the lights came on with a click of the light switch.

“What are you doing in here?”

Glamour’s eyes bulged open, and she slowly raised her head to see the janitor was looking down at her with an annoyed look. “Um, I fell…”

The janitor rolled his eyes. “Yes, I can see that, but why in Equestria are you in the supply closet?”

“Supply closet?” Glamour repeated, and she took a look around. The room was small and narrow, and the walls were lined with shelves full of bathroom supplies and cleaners, except for the section that was now burying her chest. Her right hooves were stuck inside metal buckets, and a mop was resting on her.

“Well?” The janitor snapped, giving Glamour an unhappy glare.

“I was looking for the bathroom?” Glamour ventured, showing off a sheepish smile.

“The bathroom…” The janitor rolled his eyes again and buried his face into his forehoof. “Whatever, just get out.”

“R-right, sorry,” Glamour apologized as she slowly got up. She winced as the mop and the rest of the supplies fell off her and clattered to the floor in a messy pile. “Uh, do you want me to help clean up?”

The janitor sighed and shook his head. “No, that’s alright. I rather not deal with another kooky mare today.”

Glamour probably would have felt insulted if she did not know who the other mare was. “Okay, then uh, bye and sorry again.”

Glamour quickly walked past the janitor, out of the supply closet, and proceeded down the hall. She peeked around the corner to make sure Suri was not around, and when she saw no sign of the sneaky mare, she continued on to the lobby to find Coco talking to Grace.

Coco quickly noticed her coming and waved. “Glamour, there you are! You were taking so long I was getting worried about you. Did everything with Prim Hemline go alright?”

Glamour nodded. “More or less. She wanted to make sure that I won’t have a repeat of my first show. When I convinced her that wouldn’t happen, she went on to say that I’ve changed since I first came to Manehattan. She’s also looking forward to see what we do in the future.”

Grace made a long whistle. “Prim actually said that? You two must have really caught her eye. Praise by her doesn’t come around much. Props to the both of you.”

“Was there anything else that happened, Glamour?” Coco asked. For some reason, her gaze seemed to be looking at something a bit above Glamour’s face.

Glamour shrugged. “Just a promise that I will regret it if I mess up. You know, the usual.”

“Uh huh…” Grace’s eye brow rose. “That doesn’t really explain why you took so long, nor does it explain why you have a sponge stuck in your mane.”

“I what?” Glamour ran a hoof through her mane, and true to Grace’s words, her hoof bumped into something soft, and a sponge plopped onto the ground, likely a souvenir from the supply closet. “Oh, well about that, you see…”

Glamour was about to explain what she investigated, but she held her tongue. Suri was up to something, no doubt involved with some form of cheating. If she told Coco and Grace, they would have no choice but to tell Prim. They might be able to get the janitor to confess and get Suri disqualified, but that would definitely infuriate Suri, and the fragile link between her and Coco would have no chance of ever getting mended. As much as she wanted to put Suri in her place, Glamour did not think she could crush the thing Coco had been chasing for years.

“Uh, I was in the bathroom.”

Coco and Grace both blinked.

“What?” uttered Grace. “That doesn’t make sense unless our bathroom is suddenly giving out sponge baths.”

“Well, I kind of made a mess. A big mess. All sorts of things got on me, and I think the janitor is still cleaning up what I left behind because there was stuff every—”

“Stop! Stop! Stop!” Grace cried out, waving her hooves in front of her. “Too much information!”

Glamour struggled to keep herself from smirking over her crude, yet effective diversion.

“Well, um… Glamour and I should probably get going,” Coco suggested. “We have to rest up for tomorrow.”

“Yeah, no problem. Just make sure you throw your marefriend into the shower when you get home.” Grace eyed Glamour up and down. “On second thought, you probably should hose her down before you let her inside.”

“Aww, it’s not so bad,” Glamour replied with a smirk.

“Tell that to my lunch trying to claw its way out of my stomach. I’ll see you two tomorrow. Oh, and I better not smell you tomorrow, Glamour!”

Glamour chuckled before leaving the building with Coco. As they walked back to the apartment, Glamour’s thinking shifted back to what she was going to do with Suri. She knew where and when Suri would be later, but the question was what the sneaky mare was going to do. If Glamour could find out, then she could form some sort of plan to either prevent it or even turn it into some sort of advantage for her and Coco.

After walking a few blocks, Glamour asked, “Hey, Coco, do you think Suri will try to cheat for this contest?”

“I…” Coco bit her lip. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she did…”

“Would you do something about it if you knew she was?”

“I would definitely ask her to stop.”

“And?” Glamour queried when no further details came forth.

Coco sighed. “I know the right thing to do would be to turn her in, but I don’t know if I could do that.”

“Even if she might harm other ponies?”

Coco stopped walking and hung her head. “I… I just don’t know… If she got caught, it would really hurt her reputation, maybe even end her career. Regardless of how she sees me, I don’t know if I have the heart to do that to her.”

Glamour sighed. She was expecting Coco’s answer to be somewhere along those lines. As much as she loved Coco’s generosity and kindness, sometimes it was not enough. She did not want to ruin Suri’s career, but they could not allow Suri to run rampant with her cheating either. She wished there was a way for her to stop Suri without turning her in.

“Are you asking these questions because you’re worried that Suri is planning something?” Coco asked.

“Pretty much. Between the Fall Fashion Fantasia being a huge thing for her and what she said the last time we met her, she’s definitely planning something.”

“Do you think we can do something about it?”

“Well, what are some of the things she had done before?” Glamour asked. “Maybe we can get some ideas to prepare ourselves.”

“Um, let’s see…” Coco brought a hoof to her chin. “I’m afraid I don’t know much because she would usually stick me with the mundane work while she went off. I might have a few ideas from what I’ve seen though. Oh, I know one thing she sometimes does. Like what she did with Golden Thread, she somehow gets her hooves on some other pony’s information and use that to blackmail ponies to drop out of contests. It’s a good thing neither of us have anything bad to reveal.”

Glamour chuckled nervously “R-right, nothing bad…” She quickly cleared her throat. “Um, what about stealing somepony’s design like she did with Rarity?”

Coco shook her head. “There’s a lot more ponies in this contest, so it would barely do anything for her.”

“Oh.” Glamour frowned as she tried to think of any other ideas. “Anything else you can think of?”

“Um… She had sometimes misled ponies with false information, but I don’t think that will happen after Prim made it loud and clear when and where everything was. I suppose she could try sabotage, but that won’t work.”

Glamour perked up. “Wait, sabotage?”

“In some of her past contests, some contestants would lose because something was wrong with their work. Uneven cuts, loose accessories, and rips to name a few. They were small things, but if a judge sees an error, a contestant could easily lose a lot of points.”

Glamour frowned. “How does Suri pull that off, and why do you think it won’t work?”

“I don’t know how she does it since she always does that kind of stuff by herself. I suppose that she would sneak around sometime before the contest. It won’t work for this contest though because Grace told me that they’re locking up everypony’s designs in the dressing room, and they lock up the whole building after they all go home. Suri won’t be able to get in.”

Unless she gets somepony to open the door for her, Glamour thought. That must be her plan. With everypony’s clothes stashed into one room, she would have easy access to perform whatever nefarious deed she was planning.

Glamour gritted her teeth. After all the work Coco put into her dress, there was no way she was going to allow Suri to lay a hoof on the beautiful work.

“You know, Coco, I don’t think you’ll have to worry about Suri,” Glamour said later as a plan started to form in her mind. “If she tries anything on you, I’ll stop her.”

Coco smiled a little. “Thanks, Glamour. But please don’t go overboard. I rather not see you or Suri get hurt.”

Glamour bit her lip and nodded slowly. “I’ll… I’ll try.”

By the time they got home, Glamour was working out the final parts of her plan to stop Suri. It was going to be dangerous, and Coco likely would not approve of it, but it was something that had to be done. After tonight, she was going to make sure Suri would not bother them anymore.

Chapter 17: The Plan

A green light lit up in Glamour’s room, bathing it in a soft glow. It was not bright enough to reveal the corners of her room, but there was enough to allow Glamour to inspect her pony self in her compact mirror.

She tilted the mirror around to inspect herself from the glowing horn on her head all the way down to her pink and black tail brushing against the floor. Once she took a thorough look at herself, emerald flames wrapped around her, and she was left in her changeling body.

Glamour sighed, staring at her changeling face, and then she glanced at her door, or rather, in the direction of the sleeping mare in the other room. She shook her head before pulling back her attention to the mirror and closed her eyes.

Concentrating hard on the image in her mind, Glamour felt her magic run through her whole body and then fade away. When she opened her eyes, lit up her horn again, and looked at her mirror, she saw her pony self once again.

A satisfied grin spread across her face. She had finally learned how to change into her pony form without having to reference a picture.

After she and Coco came home earlier, they finished their preparations for tomorrow’s contest and then decided to call it an early night. However, Glamour only took a short nap before waking up to prepare for her plan against Suri.

With Coco’s love flooding their home, Glamour had plenty of energy to practice her transformation. It took some time, but she could finally change back and forth from her changeling and unicorn forms at will. She did not know if she was going to need it, but it was no doubt a useful ability to learn. Given how important it was to foil Suri’s plan, she wanted to be sure that she had as many tools as possible at her disposal for tonight.

Glamour took a look at her clock and saw that it was almost eleven at night. It was about time for her to start her plan.

After stowing her mirror back into her bag under the pillows, she grabbed her prepared sling pouch and crept out of her room. She kept an eye on the closed door of Coco’s room as she made her way to the living room and toward the sliding door leading to the balcony. Carefully, she slid the door open, wincing at the squeaking sounds it emitted, and stepped outside.

Glamour double-checked the contents of her sling pouch. Her new camera, a healthy sum of bits, and a photo all laid inside. Satisfied that she had everything, she closed the door behind her, making sure to leave the door a tiny bit ajar for her return.

She took out the photo from her pouch, and after taking a moment to study it, her horn lit up and bathed her in emerald flames. After the magic faded away, she put the picture away and took a look in the glass of the sliding door to check her faint reflection.

Or rather, his faint reflection. Glamour was now a dark-grey pegasus stallion with a brown mane and tail. After spending so long in the unicorn disguise he created, taking on the form of another pony felt foreign to him. He took one last glance in Coco’s direction before spreading his wings and taking off into the air.

Glamour closed his eyes, enjoying the wind rushing past him as he ascended. As much as he loved his unicorn form and the new life he built with it, it felt good to finally stretch his wings again. After making a few circles in the air to get used to flying again, he took off towards the fashion building.

Gliding above the streets, he took the opportunity to take a bird’s eye view of Manehattan at night. As expected, plenty of ponies still were milling about the city, even at this late hour. Luckily, there were not as many pegasi flying about, and with all the streetlights and buildings lighting his way, Glamour arrived at his destination with ease.

He landed near the back alley of the fashion building, slipping inside on hoof when the coast was clear. As he approached the back door, his hoofsteps slowly came to a stop, and he took a good look at the familiar surroundings.

A shiver ran through Glamour’s body, and he was hit with a wave of nostalgia. This was where he first entered, or rather snuck, into the world of fashion. It also was where he first met Coco. It was hard to believe that entering the ventilation shaft high above so long ago would lead him into a whole new world. There had been tears and frustrations along the way, but it was all well worth the new friends and love that he found.

And now here he was once again. He had used his changeling abilities to sneak inside, and now he was about to do the same thing, except this time, he was doing it for another pony’s sake.

With a deep breath, he flew up to the ventilation shaft, revealed his changeling horn, and then used his magic to pop open the grate blocking his way. He flew into the metal tunnel, making sure to replace the grate behind him.

As he crawled through the vent, he had to keep his horn out to light his way. At this late hour, there were no lights filtering in from the rooms below. Eventually, he came upon another grate below him. Peeking through it, he saw the dressing room, and like Coco mentioned, there were racks of what had to be the contestants’ designs lined up in the middle of the room.

The grate was wrapped in a green aura, and Glamour started pulling with his magic. Unlike the one outside though, this grate did not pop out easily. In fact, it did not budge at all. Prim must have had a new, tougher grate installed after he fell through it on his first day here.

Glamour gritted his teeth and poured more of his magic into his horn, and the tight space was filled with quiet grunts as he tried to tug the grate off, but it was to no avail.

A growl escaped Glamour, and he positioned himself directly over the grate. By his estimates, he still had some time before Suri arrived, but not enough to try and find an alternate route. The janitor was still somewhere inside the building, but he could not afford to waste any more time. He did not come all this way just to be stopped by an infuriating piece of metal.

His horn flooded the small space with green light, and he raised both of his forehooves. Once he charged up enough of his magic, he slammed both hooves down at the same time he released a burst of magic, all striking the grate at once.

A booming clang rang through the air, and the grate finally gave away, breaking clean off the ventilation shaft and sending it and Glamour tumbling to the floor below with another loud crash.

Glamour groaned, having landed flat on his face, but he got up and powered through his daze, picking up the fallen grate in his hooves and ducking behind the racks of clothing before extinguishing his light. Trying his best to keep his heavy breathing down, he perked up his ears, listening for anypony that might be coming to investigate his noisy entrance.

After catching his breath and hearing no signs of anypony else, he lit up his horn again. The first thing he checked was the grate in his hooves, and he frowned at the damage. His forceful entrance had put a large dent in the center of the grate. Hopefully, Prim would not notice. With a sigh, he set the metal aside and began looking around the room.

His main priority was to find Coco’s dress hidden amidst all the other designs on the racks. Most of them were sealed inside plastic bags like Coco’s, making it difficult to distinguish them from one another. Luckily, Coco mentioned that she put a sticker of her cutie mark on the bag, and after sifting through the racks, he eventually spied a picture of a purple hat with a red feather sticking out of it.

He grabbed Coco’s dress and flew back up to the hole in the ventilation shaft. Carefully, he folded up the dress and then placed it inside the shaft, out of reach of Suri’s cheating hooves. He gently patted the prized dress with a smile before landing back on the ground.

After he made one more trip back to the vent to tuck the grate inside as well, Glamour looked around the room for a suitable hiding spot. To his dismay, the task was much harder than he thought it would be.

The vent was out of the question because he did not want to risk drawing attention to Coco’s dress. He tried the changing area on the other side of the room, but the curtains moved too much when he tried to peek out of them. Trying to stay hidden behind clothing racks involved too much moving around, and contrary to some rumors he heard, standing still did not make him invisible.

Running out of time and ideas, Glamour’s search became more and more frantic. He combed the room once again looking for anything that would let him safely stalk Suri. Eventually, his gaze stopped on something in the farther corner that was on the same side as the door.

Lying on the floor were several bolts of fabric that were about as tall as a pony. An idea came to him, and he trotted over to the clothing material. He picked up one of the bolts, flipped it upright, and then leaned it against the wall. A small grin spread across his face when he saw the bolt stayed in place, and he quickly did the same with the remaining bolts. When he was done, the bolts were all lined up against the wall with an extra one lying flat against their bases to help keep them in place.

Glamour got on his stomach and carefully backed himself into the small, triangular enclosure between the wall and the bolts of fabric. It was a bit tight, but Glamour was able to get in without too much trouble. He then tested how quick he could slide in and out of the hole, and he found he could do it with relative ease.

Confident that his hiding spot was a success, he pulled out his camera. After fiddling with its settings, he whisked away his horn, plunging the room into darkness again. He was all ready for Suri, and now, all he had to do was wait.

To Glamour’s chagrin, he was left lying in the cramped space for quite some time. He had thought that with all the time he took getting into the room and searching for a hiding spot, Suri’s arrival was imminent, but as he laid in the dark, worry and impatience began to creep up on the waiting changeling. His grip tightened on the camera, and his hind legs twitched from time to time. Suri sabotaging everypony else’s entries seemed to be the most likely crime she would commit, but it was not a guaranteed thing. With no way to check the time, he wondered if it already past midnight or if Suri was actually somewhere else in the building doing who knows what.

Glamour’s ears flicked when he heard faint hoofsteps from outside the room. As the sound slowly grew louder and louder, he took a deep breath and readied himself.

The hoofsteps stopped at the door, and soon after, the doorknob began jiggling. The door was supposed to be locked, but judging by the scratching and clicking noises emanating from the other side of it, Suri had learned to pick locks at some point in time. When the noise ended with a loud click, Glamour held his breath.

The door opened, and sure enough, Suri walked in. She was wearing a saddlebag, and in her mouth was a flashlight, which she slowly directed its light over the entire perimeter of the room.

Glamour retreated further into his hiding spot as Suri scanned the room, and he even tried to curl his body into a smaller size when he saw a few rays of light filter through the fabric. To his relief, the light passed by him with no delay. When he guessed it was safe, he slid out of his hiding spot and saw Suri quietly close the door behind her and make her way to one of the racks of clothing in the middle of the room.

Suri’s experience was clearly shown when she quickly got to work. She set up a stand to hold her flashlight and immediately started sifting through the other contestants’ entries. As she worked, she frequently glanced at the door, and her ears were perked up and alert. She knew what she was doing, and she was keeping a careful watch for anypony who might come in and catch her.

Too bad for Suri that there was a changeling already watching her every move.

Glamour raised the camera to his eyes, aiming at Suri as she took out a pair of scissors out of her bag. When Suri started cutting into somepony’s dress, Glamour pressed the button on his camera, and a picture was taken with a quiet click.

Suri’s head immediately jerked up at the sound, and Glamour retreated back into his hiding spot, praying that his cover was not blown.

After a few seconds, the snipping of scissors resumed, and Glamour heard Suri mutter, “That janitor was right. Prim really needs to get a tuneup for this place.”

Letting out a quiet sigh of relief, Glamour once again creeped out of his hole to resume his watch on Suri. Every now and then, he would take a picture as Suri continued with her devious deed. He was careful to not take too many to draw Suri’s attention, and after every picture, he poised himself to swiftly retreat into his hiding spot in case Suri turned around.

Fortunately, Suri was absorbed in her dirty work and ignored the clicks of the camera except for the occasional ear flick. Glamour could not clearly see what Suri was doing, nor did he fully understand her work, but he did observe Suri doing things such as cutting off pieces to make stuff uneven or loosening threads binding accessories to fabrics.

It was all seemingly small stuff, but Glamour remembered Coco’s words. The designer and model probably would not notice something was wrong until the design was being displayed in front of the judges, and by then, it would be too late.

Glamour also noticed that Suri ignored doing any work on a number of designs. After thinking about it, he guessed that it was probably a precaution to avoid drawing suspicion to her. It also meant that she had more time to concentrate on the ones that she deemed more threatening to her.

After a number of designs were ruined and pictures taken, Glamour noticed that Suri had stopped her sabotage to focus on looking through the rest of the clothes hanging on the racks.

“Where did she put it?” Suri muttered as she sifted through the racks. “I thought that traitor left whatever trash she made here as well.”

Glamour had to bite his lip hard to suppress the urge to growl. It was obvious which pony Suri was talking about, and he could tell Suri would not have held back if Coco’s dress was not safe in the vent above them.

His anger quickly morphed into fear when he felt a tickle on his nose. The tingling sensation was all too familiar, and he knew what was coming. He tried to scrunch up his face to hold it back, but it could not be contained. Glamour dropped the camera on the floor and covered his mouth right before he let out a sneeze. Right after that, he let out a tiny yelp, and he pushed himself back into his hiding spot.

“Is somepony there?” Suri’s voice rang through the room.

Glamour covered his mouth again and tried to retreat further into his hole. Just as the sound of Suri’s hoofsteps started, his eyes widened when he saw his camera was still lying flat on the floor just outside the hole. With Suri’s hoofsteps getting louder, he had no choice but to quickly stretch out his hoof. As soon as his hoof touched the camera, he dragged it back against his body, and just in time, because a beam of light passed over the entrance a moment later.

“This stupid building’s noises are making me paranoid,” Suri mumbled while her hoofsteps trotted away from Glamour’s hiding spot.

A sigh of relief escaped Glamour’s mouth, and he remained in his hole until he heard the snipping of scissors again. Peeking out of his safe spot, it looked like Suri had given up on looking for Coco’s dress and was now working on next to a rack on the opposite side of the room.

Glamour already had a bit of trouble getting some clear shots from his hiding spot, but now that Suri was so far away, he could not see at all what she was doing. Carefully, he crawled out from underneath the bolts of fabric and got up into a crouching position. Making sure Suri’s back was still turned to him, he raised his camera and took another picture.

A bright flash lit up the room, and Glamour’s jaw dropped for a second before he scrambled to get back into his hiding place. Unfortunately, in his haste, one of his hooves bumped into his makeshift shelter, and one of the bolts of fabric at the end slipped and fell to the ground with a dull thud.

“W-what the? Who’s there?!” Suri cried out.

Glamour cursed to himself when the flashlight shone onto his hiding spot. The flash setting on the camera must have been flipped on when he dropped it and dragged it across the floor.

“There’s no use hiding anymore. I know you’re there. I don’t care whoever you are or how you got in here, but you’re going to regret spying on me,” Suri threatened as her hoofsteps slowly drew close to Glamour.

Glamour bit his lip. He was pretty confident he could win in a fight against Suri, even without his magic. The trouble was that he had promised Coco that he would not go overboard, and inflicting any kind of injury on Suri likely fit into that category. And even though Suri was not one of his favorite ponies, Glamour did not really want to hurt her either. It was a shame, judging by the approaching growls, that Suri was not sharing the same sentiment.

Stuck in his current form and unwilling to lay a hoof on Suri, Glamour tried to quickly look around for an escape route. The vents were still out of the question with Coco’s dress up there, and Suri was in a prime position to intercept him if he tried to make a break for the door. His eyes frantically looked around for anything he could use, and they stopped on the camera still in his hooves.

Glamour fiddled with the settings and then immediately raised it up to his face. When he heard an “Aha!” from Suri right as the bolts of fabric were pushed aside, he rapidly slammed his hoof down on the button to take a photo.

Suri yowled when her eyes were assaulted by a flurry of camera flashes in the max setting, the effect amplified by the dark room. She stumbled back as her flashlight clattered to the ground, and she frantically rubbed at her eyes with her hooves.

Seeing his chance, Glamour unraveled a long length of fabric from one of the fallen bolts and threw it over Suri, covering her entirely.

“Arrrgh! When I get my hooves on you!” the livid, squirming mound of fabric cried out.

Glamour rushed around Suri to the door, and after making sure his camera was safely stowed into his pouch, he ran out of the room.

Not sure what to do except put some distance between him and Suri, Glamour started running down the hall. Thankfully, the building kept a few lights on, even during the night. He could not see everything, but it was enough to help him not trip on his own hooves.

At the end of the hall, Glamour flinched when he heard a door slam open. Looking back, he was surprised to see that Suri had already freed herself and was shining her flashlight around the hall until it landed on him.

“You!” Suri snarled before charging right for Glamour.

Glamour yelped and took off in a sprint with Suri hot on his trail. Fortunately, with the time he spent in the building, he knew the general layout, and he led Suri in a circle as he bought time to think of something. Periodically checking on Suri’s position behind him, Glamour was relieved to find that despite her fury, Suri was not able to close the gap between them. Glamour might not be as strong as an earth pony, but his life on the run had trained him to be a much more capable runner than the dress designer. It was only Suri’s earth pony stamina that was keeping her in the chase.

As time passed, Glamour could feel his legs starting to get sore, and he knew that he had to end the chase soon. With Coco’s dress still in the vents, he needed to somehow get back to the dressing room after losing Suri.

He had been trying to find anything that could help him, but the dim lightning and the speed that they were running in made it hard to take in his surroundings. Passing a hall near the stage area, Glamour noticed a door at the end before he ran past it. His eyes widened a bit as an idea came to mind.

Using up the last reserves of his strength, Glamour picked up his speed to make one last lap around the building. When he reached the hallway, he made a sharp turn into it, skidding on his hooves, before bolting straight for the door. He threw open the door and was greeted by the sight of the alley behind the building. Without missing a beat, he jumped straight into the air and made his horn reappear. He used his magic to open the grate above the back door and dove straight into the vent, the grate slamming shut behind him.

Doing his best to stifle his gasps for air, he started shifting his body around, hearing the back door slam open as he did so. When he finally turned around, he peeked through the grate to see Suri searching for him behind the dumpsters in the alley.

Suri looked through the whole alley and even up in the air, but she eventually gave up with a frustrated groan and turned back to the back door that had automatically closed. When she pulled on the handle, the door did not budge. Suri froze for a few seconds before she tried again. The door still did not move, so she tried yet again, and again, and again.

“No, no, no!” Suri cried out as she tugged repeatedly on the door. With her entrance still blocked, she growled, turned around, and began lashing out with her hind hooves. “Stupid janitor was supposed to leave it unlocked!”

Glamour winced as each vicious buck was punctuated with a yell of “Stupid!”, but the door remained wooden and did not budge under the assault. After a few more bucks, he saw Suri slump down to the ground. She got up a moment later, her body clearly shaking with exhaustion, and slowly slinked out of the alley.

After a few minutes and no sign of Suri’s return, Glamour let out a sigh of relief. It was a stroke of luck that Suri was locked outside, and now, he was free to clean things up at his leisure. He turned back around and crawled through the vent until he arrived back above the dressing room, pleased to see the dress was just where he had left it. Carefully, he picked up the dress and floated back down into the dressing room.

A proud smile formed on Glamour’s face as he hung the dress back onto the rack, untouched by Suri’s hooves. The smile faded when he took another look around the room at all the other clothes hanging on the racks. Suri had tampered with at least half of the designs in the room, marking them for easy elimination in tomorrow’s contest. But was it necessarily a bad thing?

Suri’s plan was to eliminate a good deal of her competition, including Coco. But thanks to his efforts, Coco’s dress was safe and could reap the benefits of Suri’s work, giving her a much better chance of finishing near the top or even winning the whole competition. All Glamour had to do was leave things the way they were and return home.

Glamour flew up to the vent, only to stop in midair and frown. He sighed and hung his head. Leaving the things they were right now was no better than cheating. He might not know any of the other ponies who were in the competition, but he was willing to bet many of them had worked just as hard as Coco. Was it really fair to let their efforts go to waste?

Coco would not have thought so. In fact, Glamour knew Coco well enough to know that she would have done whatever she could to help fix everything, even if it hurt her chances of winning.

Slowly and with a sigh, Glamour descended until his hooves touched the floor again. After all the time he spent with Coco, he was disappointed in himself for thinking of such a selfish act. He had to do something to make things right. Unfortunately, he did not know what he could do. He did not have the skills nor the time to fix every single design Suri sabotaged.

After taking some time to think about it, only one thing came to mind. It was not much, but it was better than nothing. He headed for the lobby area of the building. There, he searched around Grace’s desk until he found a pen and paper. After scribbling a few words, he headed up to Prim’s office and slipped the note under the locked door, hoping that it would be found before the contest started.

With nothing left for him to do, Glamour exited the building through the dressing room vent, making sure both grates were put back. Once he was outside, he spread his wings and flew away, but not toward home.

There was one more stop he had to make, and after a bit of searching he finally found what he was looking for. As Snap Shot’s Camera Store came into view, he recalled the friendly salespony, Shutter Bug, and how he said he worked some crazy hours. Hopefully, this late hour would count as crazy.

When he got closer, he saw Shutter Bug right outside the store. To his dismay, he appeared to be locking up for the night. He absolutely needed his pictures ready before the contest started. With no idea how long it would take to develop pictures, he had to try and get Shutter Bug to start on them now.

Glamour looked around for a second and then flew into a nearby alley. As soon as he landed, he closed his eyes and focused on the image in his mind. With a flare of magic, Glamour shed his pegasus disguise and was now a unicorn once again.

She hurried out of the alley and back to the store to find Shutter Bug trotting away. “Excuse me, Shutter Bug.”

Shutter Bug turned around and immediately perked up with a smile when he saw her. “Oh, Miss Glamour, it’s very nice to see you again. What are you doing out so late?”

“I was hoping to see you actually.” Glamour pulled out her camera. “Could you do me a huge favor? I know you’re closed now, but I really need some pictures developed as soon as possible. Do you think you can finish them by the morning?”

“Sure I can,” Shutter Bug replied. “I actually only need about thirty minutes to do it. If you want, I can do it now, and you could wait inside the store while I work.”

“That would be perfect. Thank you so much.” Glamour followed Shutter Bug back into the store and gave him the camera. When Shutter Bug disappeared into the back room, she leaned her body onto the front counter, letting out a tired sigh as she slid down to a sitting position.

She glanced at a clock on the wall before closing her eyes. It had been a few hours since she left home, and now that she was safe in the store, her body was feeling the full effects of all the flying, running, hiding, and magicking she had done tonight. She could not wait to get back to her room to catch a few more hours of sleep before the contest began.

The Fall Fashion Fantasia was going to be a huge show, but she was going to split the spotlight with many other ponies. Factoring in Coco’s fantastic dress and the pictures that were being developed, Glamour was actually not feeling that nervous about the upcoming competition. She was looking forward to what was coming, in particular, what she had planned for Suri. And once the contest was over, she could concentrate on what was most important again: her relationship with Coco.

Glamour’s eyes opened halfway, and her mouth formed into a frown. Tonight’s escapade was a success, but only because of her changeling abilities. While she did not regret using them to help Coco, she did regret the fact that Coco still did not know this side of her. She might be done running and hiding from Suri, but the same could not be said with Coco.

“Miss Glamour?”

Glamour looked up to see Shutter Bug looking down at her from over the counter. “Oh, Shutter Bug. Sorry, I guess I sort of spaced out for a bit. Are you done?”

“Yep.” Shutter Bug waved his hoof to the side where Glamour’s camera was resting next to a thick envelope. “All your pictures are inside. Um, forgive me for prying, but I could not help but notice that some of your later pictures were kind of odd.”

“Let’s just say that I was trying to take some action shots and had some trouble with the flash settings,” Glamour said as she got up and opened up the envelope to take a look at her work.

Glamour smiled as she saw the first pictures were of her and Coco on their date, including the group shot they did with Grace. It was a shame they did not get a chance to get more pictures together before Coco had to work on the dress.

When she got to the pictures of Suri, she found that some of them were actually too dark to make anything out. Luckily, she took enough pictures over the span of her stalking, and a few of them clearly showed Suri’s cheating.

There were a few hitches, exemplified by the last few closeup shots of a surprised, angry Suri, but Glamour’s plan had worked out. She and Coco now had the upper hoof on Suri, and after tomorrow, they would never have to worry about her ever again.

“These turned out great. Thank you again for your hard work.” Glamour held her pouch upside down over the counter and shook it, releasing all the bits held inside.

“M-miss Glamour, there’s no need for that,” Shutter Bug said with wide eyes as the bits streamed onto the counter. “It was an honor to do this for you.”

“Just take it, Shutter Bug. Besides, I kept you from going home.”

“S-still, this is about five times as much for a photo development.”

Glamour smirked. “I figured. Keep the change. You’re a hard worker, and you deserve it. I insist.”

“I-I don’t know what to say. Oh um…” Shutter Bug bowed. “Thank you very much, Miss Glamour. You really are a generous pony, and it’s been a pleasure serving you.”

Glamour chuckled as she packed her camera and pictures into her pouch. “You’re welcome, Shutter Bug. Now if you don’t mind, I really need to get going.”

“Of course,” Shutter Bug said with another bow. “I hope to see you again, Miss Glamour. Thank you!”

Glamour waved goodbye and exited the store. She went into another alley, pulled out the picture of the stallion pegasus, and changed into him before flying back home. Landing back on the balcony of the apartment, Glamour once again changed back into her unicorn form and quietly made her way inside.

She crept through the living room, taking one quick glance in Coco’s direction before entering her own room. Once inside, she collapsed onto her bed.

A lot of things happened today, and tomorrow promised even more things to come. But for now, Glamour really needed some sleep.

Chapter 19: Always Watching

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Chapter 20: Veiled Truths

“You’re a changeling?!”

Glamour’s eyes immediately shot wide open, and all traces of her slumber were instantly dispelled by Coco’s shrill cry. She quickly sat up in her bed and saw that Coco was standing in her room’s doorway, staring at her with fear.

“W-what did you say?” Glamour asked, dearly hoping that she misheard Coco when she was still asleep.

Coco slowly trotted backwards. “You’re… You’re a changeling… All this time, you were a changeling…”

“Coco, w-wait. It’s not…” Glamour reached for Coco with her hoof, but she froze when she saw that her hoof was not gray, but black. Black and riddled with holes.

“N-no, it can’t be…” Glamour stared at her hoof in horror. She threw off the blanket covering her, and she saw a green carapace and insectoid wings on top of her black body.

Somehow, while she was asleep, her disguise had fallen off, leaving her changeling body open to the mare she loved. Glamour tried to revert back to her pony form to restore what little sense of normalcy she could salvage, but her magic would not cooperate. She had nothing to hide behind now.

“Coco, I-I can explain,” Glamour pleaded as she got up from her bed and walked toward Coco. “I’m so sorry that—”

“S-stay away from me!” Coco yelled, swiftly backing herself into the wall outside the room.

Glamour felt her chest tighten. Coco was afraid of her, something that she wished would never happen. “Coco, please… I know this looks bad, but I promise that I’m not going to hurt you.”

“How am I supposed to believe that!? You lied to me!”

“B-because I love you.”

Coco scowled. “Changelings don’t love. They only steal it, and I certainly have no love for you.”

Glamour found herself backing away, still finding it hard to believe Coco was capable of so much hate. Even worse, Coco’s harsh declaration was true. Glamour was literally unable to sense any trace of love coming from her soon to be ex-marefriend. “B-but at the contest… You said… You said that you would love me no matter what I looked like…”

Coco shot back a glare full of disgust and anger. It was a face that Glamour thought the kind and innocent Coco would never use, and yet here it was, and it was all for her.

“I only said that because I thought you were a pony,” Coco spat out. “You’re not a pony. You’re a monster.”

Glamour’s legs were on the brink of collapsing. Coco could have driven a dagger through her heart, and it still would not have hurt as much as those words she just uttered. “Coco… I’m sorry… Please forgive me... ”

Coco merely gave a dismissive huff and ran away.

Glamour sank to the floor as tears began escaping her eyes. Everything was falling apart. Coco had finally found her true identity and no longer wanted anything to do with her.

Her life with Coco had invoked all sorts of new feelings and experiences within her. Never before had she felt so happy and fulfilled. Love was no longer just a food source for her. All of that was because of Coco, the mare she fell in love with, and now, everything was quickly slipping through her now-holey hooves.

Eventually, Glamour stifled her crying and shakily got back up on her hooves. Her heart still ached, but she was not going to idly sit around anymore. Her job as a model, the bits she made, and the comforts of a furnished home all meant nothing without Coco. Things looked bleak, but she was not going to give up without a fight. She needed, no, had to prove to Coco that her love was genuine and convince her to give her a chance.

Walking proved to be a bit more difficult than normal. Her movements felt sluggish, as though she was wading through quicksand, and it felt like it took a few minutes just to get out of her room and stop in front of Coco’s. Even pushing the door open, making a loud, ominous creak echo through the apartment, took almost all of her strength.

A quick look inside revealed that Coco was not in her room.

“Coco?” Glamour called out as she entered the living room. Again, there was no sign of Coco.

“Please come out,” Glamour begged, even though she was not sure if Coco was even still in the apartment. “I truly am sorry that I deceived you, but I really do love you. I swear that I’m telling the truth, and I’ll do anything to make it up to you.”

The front door was suddenly blown apart by an explosion, and Glamour had to cover her head with her hooves to shield herself from the dust and splinters. Before the cloud of dust fully cleared, Glamour caught sight of several ominous lights from within.

Instinct took over, and she dove to the side as magical bolts struck where she had been standing just a second ago. She scrambled back onto her hooves and through the thinning dust, she could make out at least twenty ponies. To her dismay, they were moving into the apartment, and they were all donning the golden armor of the Royal Guard.

Glamour yelped as she narrowly dodged another barrage of magic, and she sprinted for the balcony. Despite her breakneck pace, the run across the room felt like it was going on forever. In fact, it felt like no matter how fast she ran, the screen door leading to the balcony only drew closer as though she was crawling.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of running and dodging magical bolts, she made it to the screen door. Squeezing out one last burst of speed and raising a hoof to cover her face, she charged through the glass. If any of the shattered glass cut her, she did not feel it. Her hooves barely hit the floor before she leapt again, launching herself off the balcony.

She barely flew away more than a few feet before she grunted as a magic bolt hit her side. She was a bit confused when she felt no pain, but then she noticed that she was starting to lose altitude. She tried to beat her wings faster, but they did not respond. Fear flooded her entire body when she realized she could not move her entire body.

She was paralyzed.

Her heart plunged along with the rest of her as she could do nothing to resume her flight and gravity took ahold of her. Not able to flail her legs helplessly or even scream, she tumbled through the air, rapidly dropping to the hard pavement below. The last thing she saw was Coco looking down at her from the balcony with pure hatred. Darkness swept over her vision as she waited for the end to claim her.

Glamour soon added, as an afterthought, that the end was taking its sweet time.

After a few minutes, Glamour wondered why she did not feel anything to mark her demise. She opened her eyes, and instead of the blue sky, tall buildings, or a scornful Coco, she saw the ceiling of her room.

It… It was all a dream?

The first thing Glamour checked was her hoof, and to her relief, it was gray and free of any holes. She soon realized that her body was covered in sweat and heaving for air, and the loud thumping in her ears was actually her hammering heart. The details of her nightmare were being blurred as they faded away into the dreamscape, but there was one thing she remembered clearly that still tugged at her heart.

You lied to me. You’re not a pony. You’re a monster.

Glamour shivered and huddled into her blanket as those chilling words played again and again in her mind.

Yesterday, like she said, Suri had stopped by their place so that Coco could accompany her to the train station to see her off. Glamour tagged along to keep an eye on Coco, and other than a halfhearted farewell near the end, she ambivalently stood to the side to let Coco spend time with Suri. When the train finally departed with Suri in it, Glamour was actually kind of relieved. Even though it seemed that Suri was no longer going to antagonize them, Glamour did not appreciate the suspicions about her, even though they were well-founded, that she told Coco.

Glamour sighed and crawled out of bed. Despite having a full night’s sleep, she still felt mentally exhausted. Her never-ending struggle to decide whether or not she should reveal her true self to Coco likely had a time limit now. She had no doubt Coco’s curiosity had been piqued by Suri’s investigation, and it was only a matter of time before the questions would come. Combined with her recent nightmare, it was no wonder she felt weary.

When she exited her room, Glamour was surprised to find Coco sitting at the table in the living room with a cup of coffee in front of her. What was more odd was that she seemed to be just blankly staring straight at a wall.

“Coco?” Glamour said when she trotted closer.

“Hmm?” Coco turned her head and blinked several times. “Oh, Glamour. Sorry, I was just lost in thought.”

“It’s alright.” Glamour moved to sit down on the opposite side of Coco. “What were you thinking about?”

“Oh um, about Suri.”

“How are you doing now that she’s gone?”

“I’m doing just fine. It feels a bit odd knowing that she’s not around, but it’s for the best. She needs time to figure things out. After our lunch together and seeing her off at the train station, it’s almost like I’m seeing the old Suri I used to know.”

“That’s good. Hopefully, when she comes back, she’ll be better, and we won’t have to worry about her trying to cheat again.”

Coco nodded. “I hope so too.”

“And how about the theater? Is there anymore you have to do for them?”

“Not really. My part is done for the moment, so unless there’s some sort of emergency, I don’t have any orders to take care of. I have to admit, after everything that happened during the Fall Fashion Fantasia, it’s nice to have some time off. Oh, we should go to one of the theater’s shows when they start. I can get us backstage passes.”

A smile crept up onto Glamour’s face. “That sounds nice. It would be nice to see your work on stage without actually wearing it.”

After a brief period where neither of them could add anything else to say, Glamour had to stifle a yawn. She was still feeling the effects of her restless sleep, so she decided to go grab a cup of coffee to combat the grogginess that lingered.

As Glamour got up, Coco asked, “Um, could you sit back down, Glamour?”

“Sure, what’s up?” Glamour asked, promptly obliging with the request.

“Um, I was thinking…” Coco bit her lip, and she looked down at her coffee. “Could we… Could we talk a bit more about your past?”

Glamour drew in a sharp breath. She knew where this line of questioning was going to go, and as much as she wanted to appease Coco, she was not ready for this yet. “I… I don’t know, Coco. Perhaps some other time?”

Coco’s brows furrowed in worry. “You don’t want to tell me now?”

Glamour sighed and looked away from Coco. “You know I have trouble talking about my past. I don’t really like that I’m keeping stuff from you, but I’m just not feeling up to it yet. I’m sorry, Coco. I promise I’ll tell you when I’m ready.”

“When will you be ready then?”

Glamour fell silent for a moment. It was a good question she would like to know the answer to as well. With a sigh, she replied, “I don’t know.”

“Oh… I see…” Coco frowned, and her attention went back to her cup once again.

“I’m sorry, Coco. I really am,” Glamour said as she got up and headed for the kitchen area. She grabbed a cup and filled it with the leftover coffee Coco brewed. Not even caring that it was cold and unsweetened, she chugged down the drink to quickly get some caffeine into her. She had just woken up, and she could already tell today was going to be very tiresome.

“Glamour, can you do me a favor?”

Glamour quickly turned around, eager to make up for earlier. “Of course. What do you need?”

“Um, could you go to the fabric store for me?”

Glamour blinked. “Just me?”

“Yes.”

“Uh, I guess I could. What do you need?”

“Oh, uh, fabric?”

Glamour’s eyebrow went up. “Is there any specific one or…”

“Red!” Coco replied a bit on the loud side. “Um, lots and lots of red.”

“Okay… And why do you need so much red fabric?”

“For work.”

“But I thought you were done with all the theater costumes.”

“R-right, but uh…” Coco’s eyes darted to the side. “I, uh, need to have them because… Because a lot of costumes are red. Yeah, that’s why I need a lot of red. I can use them for any repairs or additions that might come up.”

Glamour fought the urge to frown when Coco gave her a sheepish smile. “So you just want me to go buy some red fabric. There’s not some other reason you might want me to go out, is there?”

“W-what makes you say that?”

Coco’s poor lying skills were making it hard for Glamour to keep a straight face. “It just seems a bit weird that you’re sending me out to get the fabric. You know I’m not that great with dressmaking, let alone picking out fabric. All those different shades and other stuff are kind of confusing. Maybe you should just come as well.”

Coco glanced away and rubbed her leg. “I uh, I have something I really need to work on today. Any red fabric will do. I know it’s an odd request, but please, Glamour, could you just do this for me?”

Glamour sighed. Coco might be acting a bit suspicious, but she could not say no to her. “Alright, sure. I was just making sure you get the right thing for your work.”

“I’m sure I’ll be fine with whatever you get.”

“If you say so. So, when should I go get them?”

“As soon as possible.” Coco blinked. “Er, if that’s alright with you.”

“Now it is then,” Glamour said with a shrug. She went to her room to grab her sling pouch. As she counted how many bits she had, she noticed that the picture of the pegasus she used to spy on Coco and Suri’s lunch was still inside. She stared at the picture for a few moments before deciding to leave it in, just in case.

“Alright, I’m heading out now,” Glamour told Coco in the living room on the way to the front door.

“Take your time, and feel free to go visit any place you want while you’re out. No need to rush home,” Coco said right as Glamour put her hoof on the doorknob.

Glamour paused and glanced back at Coco. Again, she was met with a forced smile. “Uh, okay then. I’ll see you later.”

As she trotted down the stairs, Glamour pondered over Coco’s odd behavior. The nervous tics and flimsy excuses made it obvious that Coco was planning something, and Glamour was pretty sure that this sudden errand was not for the sake of Coco’s work.

When she made it out onto the streets, Glamour could not help but look up at her home as she still wondered what her marefriend was up to. To her surprise, she could make out Coco looking down at her from their balcony. It only took a moment of thinking before everything fell into place.

Coco wanted her out of the apartment, and Glamour had a feeling she knew why. Between Coco’s talk with Suri and her own reluctance to give more details on her life before Manehattan, Coco was likely using her alone time to prepare some sort of investigation.

Pretending to not notice her marefriend watching her, Glamour took a deep breath and resumed walking. When she rounded a corner, putting her out of Coco’s sight, she stopped. After waiting a bit, she peeked around the corner and up at the balcony. As she expected, it looked like Coco had headed back inside, doing who knows what.

Glamour resumed her walk, but instead of heading to the fabric store, she turned into the first alley she came across. She reached into her pouch and pulled out the pegasus picture. Her horn lit up, getting ready to transform her, but it defused a second later.

Was Coco really planning something behind her back? Was she just being paranoid? Was it possible that Coco was doing this for some more innocent reason? Coco had always been respectful of her need for privacy, and it was hard to believe she would suddenly break that courtesy.

Then again, the timing and circumstances were lining up and telling her that her suspicions were the most plausible explanation for Coco’s odd behavior. As much as Glamour wanted to give Coco the benefit of the doubt, there was too much at risk. She wanted to tell Coco everything, but it had to be when the time was right, and now was certainly not the time.

Her horn lit up again, and she morphed into the red pegasus mare in the picture. She used her new form to quickly fly out of the alley and up to their apartment. Hovering to the right of Coco’s window, she slowly leaned to the left to peer into her marefriend’s room. Despite saying that she was working on something, Coco was not inside. Frowning, Glamour moved over to the balcony and peeked in through the glass screen door. Again, there was no sign of Coco.

Glamour landed on the balcony, shifted back into her unicorn form, and quietly let herself in through the screen door. With Coco so adamant on staying home, that left only the bathroom and her own room. Since Glamour was pretty sure that they were not quite at that stage for her to surprise her marefriend in the bathroom, she carefully made her way to her room.

When she got close to her room, Glamour saw that the door was slightly ajar, and she heard the soft sounds of somepony moving around on her bed.

“Ohh… Should I really be doing this?”

Glamour’s ears perked when she heard Coco’s quiet words. Peeking through the crack in the door, she saw that Coco was sitting on her bed, but what made her blood froze was that Coco had her saddlebag in her hooves.

She had told Coco that her bag was off-limits, and until now, Coco had respected that boundary. There were things inside the bag that she knew would lead to questions. Questions that she was not sure she could answer yet.

“I… I have to know. I’m sorry, Glamour…” Coco murmured as her hoof slowly reached to open up the bag.

Glamour pushed the door open and in a surprised tone, she uttered, “Coco?”

Coco yelped and almost tipped over when she suddenly turned to the door. “G-Glamour?! What are you doing back already?!”

“I forgot to take some more bits. What are you doing?”

“I…” Coco looked down at the bag she clutched in her hooves. “I…” Her shoulders then sagged while she let the bag slip out of her hooves and onto the bed. “I… I’m sorry…”

“Why were you searching through my stuff?”

“I-I…” Coco whimpered. “Glamour, please believe me that I really do love you, but there’s still so much I don’t know about you. I thought I was alright with letting you open up at your own pace, but after what you did to Suri…”

Coco paused for a moment and looked down at her hooves. “It’s like there’s a whole other side of you that I never knew about. Since you’re always so reluctant to talk about your past, I… I started worrying that there was something going on, so I tried to take matters into my own hooves. You always were protective with your saddlebag, so I thought that I could find something in it.”

Raising her head, Coco looked back at Glamour with tears starting to form in her eyes. “G-Glamour, I-I’m a bit scared of what you may be hiding, but what I did was inexcusable. I betrayed your trust. I’m so sorry, Glamour. Please, forgive me.”

Coco bowed her head in shame again, and a few choked sobs escaped her.

Glamour wordlessly moved over to sit next to Coco. She wrapped her forehooves around Coco and pulled her in close. Coco quickly buried her face into her shoulder, and her whole body trembled as the sobs became more frequent, which only made Glamour hold her tighter.

Glamour did not know what she was going to do or how she felt about the situation, but one thing was clear. There was a crying Coco that needed to be comforted.

When Coco eventually started to calm down, Glamour finally opened her mouth. “Coco, what you did was deceitful and dishonest.” She felt Coco flinch in her hooves. “I’ve told you that I would talk to you when I’m ready, but you still tried to go behind my back. And yet, I can’t really blame you.”

Coco slowly pulled herself away to look right into Glamour’s eyes. “W-what? Why not?”

It was Glamour’s turn to avert her gaze. “It’s my fault for making you wait so long. It’s not surprising that you started getting curious. The whole Suri thing certainly did not help. Coco, the reason it’s so hard for me to talk to you is because… I’ve done… things…”

“Um, what kind of things?”

“Things I’m not proud of.”

“Oh…”

Glamour bit her lip, not sure if she should be doing this, but she also knew that she had been putting this moment off for a long time. Before she could give herself a chance to back out, she said, “Coco, I’m going to tell you more about me, but could you give me a moment before we do that?”

Coco’s brow furrowed with worry. “You’re making me wait? Again?”

“Just… Just for a little bit more. This isn’t easy for me, but I promise I’ll tell you.”

“Oh, uh, a-alright then. I suppose…” Coco replied as she got up. “I’ll uh, I’ll be in my room then.”

As Coco walked to the door, Glamour called out, “Wait.” She then lifted up her saddlebag in her magic. She stared at it for a while, thinking about what she wanted to do and what she had to do, before sending it over to Coco. “Here.”

“W-what do you want me to do with this?” Coco asked, taking the bag in a hoof.

“Don’t open it. Just hold onto it for now. If I try to avoid talking to you again, you may open it.”

“Glamour, are you sure you want to do this?”

“No… But I have to try…”

Coco opened her mouth to say something, but she instead just nodded and left the room with the bag, closing the door behind her.

Glamour sighed. It pained her heart to see Coco getting so worried about her. Unfortunately, fear also gripped her heart. She had forced herself up against the wall, but there were still things she could do to weasel out of the truth. Snippets of her recent nightmare came back to haunt her, and Glamour was starting to wonder if she was making a huge mistake.

Perhaps she could try easing Coco into the truth again. Her attempt during their first official date was met with disappointment, but this time, she could spin a more elaborate and detailed story. The plan sounded good, but it also left a small, unpleasant taste in her mouth, knowing that she was about to lead Coco in a circle around the truth again instead of going straight for it.

Taking a deep breath, Glamour made her way to Coco’s room and found her marefriend sitting on her bed, staring at the unopened saddlebag that was resting on her desk.

Coco’s attention shifted to Glamour when she walked past the bed to stand in front of the saddlebag.

Glamour closed her eyes, thankful that Coco was patiently waiting in silence, while she figured out the best way to handle this situation. After one more deep breath, she turned around.

“So, you know that I didn’t exactly have an easy life during my travels, right?” Glamour asked.

Coco nodded. “Of course. You said you struggled a lot during your travels, and you had no bits nor a place to live when you arrived in Manehattan. I still shudder whenever I think what could have happened to you if I didn’t take you in.”

“Something that I will always be grateful for,” Glamour replied with a small smile that lasted only a moment before she continued with her explanation. “But you weren’t there to help me during my travels. I did alright in terms of finding places to sleep, but I can’t say the same in terms of hunger.”

Coco gulped. “Y-you didn’t have enough food?”

Glamour’s gaze dropped, and she nodded. “It’s tough when you have to wonder when or even if you’re going to get your next meal. When you’re unable to buy your own food, hunger can push you to use even more desperate measures.”

“W-what did you do?” Coco asked, her eyes slowly widening with rapt attention.

“Coco, I’m…” Glamour bit her lip, and she tried to look up at Coco’s eyes but failed. “I’m a… thief… I’ve lied, cheated, and stole from ponies to feed myself.”

“Y-you’re a criminal?”

“Pretty much…” Glamour admitted. She was pretty sure every changeling was branded a criminal after the Royal Wedding.

“Oh dear… Oh my…” Coco was holding a hoof over her chest as she started to breathe heavily. “So… So I’ve been harboring a fugitive?”

Glamour winced. “Y-yes, but it’s not too bad… I think… I only took what I needed to keep me fed. I also never stayed in one place too long, and I always wore a disguise whenever I did something. Nopony knows what I did or really knows who I am. If by the off-chance that something does happen to me, I will not let anything touch you. I promise you that you will be safe.”

Coco’s breaths seemed to calm down a bit, but it was clear that she was still reeling in shock. “O-okay.” She took one more deep breath, regaining her composure, and looked straight at Glamour. “Glamour, please look at me.”

Glamour raised her head to see Coco’s face showing no hint of emotion. “Yes?”

“Us being friends… marefriends…” Coco’s stern face cracked with a hint of fear, and she had to close her eyes and take a deep breath once again before continuing. “Do you actually love me, or are you… are you just using me?”

That was a question Glamour could easily answer. “Coco, I love you from the bottom of my heart. Even when we first met, I felt myself drawn to you, and I cherish every moment we spend together. There’s nowhere else I would rather be than by your side.

“I know it’s tough to hear the unpleasant things I’ve done, but I’m not like that anymore. When I came to Manehattan, I did not want to continue my old life. Thanks to you, I’ve been able to do that. Coco, you changed my life in more ways than one, and you mean so much to me. The reason I’ve been so reluctant to tell you about my past was because…”

Glamour sighed and ran a hoof through her mane. “I’m sorry. Even after everything we had done together, everything that we’ve been though, I was afraid that you would not want anything to do with me once you knew the real me. I still am, actually. But no matter what you think of me, you were the pony who changed me, and I will always love you, even if you stop.”

Coco closed her eyes, and Glamour silently waited for Coco’s verdict. The minutes ticked by, and Glamour was beginning to wonder if her plan was already careening for the nearest cliff. When Coco opened up her eyes again to look at her, Glamour held her breath.

“Glamour, please come here,” Coco quietly requested, patting the spot next to her. As soon as Glamour sat down, Coco pulled her into a hug. “I’m sorry for doubting you. You might have been a thief, but you did what you had to do to survive. I’m still a bit uneasy about the whole thing, but I can’t let your past be the only thing I see. Because of you, I’ve become a better pony, you helped change Suri back to the good mare she used to be, and most of all, you make me feel loved. You might have done some bad things, but that doesn’t make you a bad pony.”

“Thank you, Coco,” Glamour replied. “That really means a lot to hear you say that.” It was a relief that Coco had accepted the truth. Too bad that the truth was missing some important details. Hopefully, she could rectify that as they continued talking.

Glamour’s horn glowed as she floated the saddlebag toward her so that she could move onto the next part of her confession.

“What are you doing?” Coco asked when she saw Glamour open the saddlebag.

“You wanted to know what’s in here, and now you’re getting to,” Glamour said while she checked the contents. “It’s not so bad now since most of what’s in here is related to what I just told you.”

Coco nodded and scooched back a bit to give Glamour some room.

“Well, these things don’t really need an explanation.” Glamour laid out the remaining bits left in her bag and her camera onto the bed. She then fished out her compact mirror, opening it up and showing it to Coco. “I pretty much found this on the ground one day and kept it. Nothing really special about it except for when I needed to make sure I look presentable. I actually still use it quite a bit.”

“Maybe we should get you a nice, big mirror for your room one of these days,” Coco suggested.

“It would definitely make it easier to check on my appearance,” Glamour agreed before moving on to the next item. She pulled out her map of Equestria, unfolded it, and laid the whole thing out on the bed for Coco to see.

Coco looked down at the map, and her hoof pointed at one of the marks Glamour had made. “Why are there green x’s on so many places?”

“Each one is someplace I stayed for at least a few days.” Glamour’s hoof started on the south part of Equestria near the Badlands. She dragged her hoof through the southwest part of the map before looping back, making sure to give a wide berth from Canterlot and its surroundings, before heading up along the east coast and stopping on Manehattan.

“That’s like half of Equestria,” Coco remarked. “I can’t believe you’ve been to so many places.”

“It’s not like I could afford to stop and see the sights. Don’t forget I had to steal to survive. I could not stay in one place for too long because ponies would get suspicious, or I was chased out.”

Coco’s gaze shot right up to Glamour. “Ch-chased out?”

Glamour chuckled sheepishly. “I might have never been physically caught, but there have been a few close calls, and I had to make a run for it. You’d be surprised how fast an angry mob can form. You’d be even more surprised to find out how fast ponies can break out pitchforks and torches.”

Coco gasped and covered her mouth with her hooves. “Oh my goodness… Y-you didn’t get hurt, did you?”

“Pretty often, to be honest, but never anything too serious. Look on the bright side, all that um, exercise made me fit enough to be a model.” Glamour smiled sheepishly, but it faded away when Coco’s worried look remained. She cleared her throat, folded the map back up, and moved it to the side. “A-anyway, enough of that. Let’s move on.”

The only items left in Glamour’s bag were almost all of the pictures of ponies she used as disguises. She was glad that the pegasus mare’s photo was still in her sling pouch that she left in her room. Coco might have remembered seeing her during her lunch with Suri a few days ago.

She gathered up all the photos in her bag, making sure that one in particular was put in the bottom, and spread them out on the bed. “These are actually the main reason I did not want you looking through my bag.”

“Who are all these ponies?” Coco asked as she picked one up to look at it closer.

“Ponies I’ve met and seen during my travels. While I don’t know most of them very well, I got their photos one way or another and sometimes without their permission… I kept the pictures because um, well, I might have used some of them to help me with my um, stealing.”

Coco blinked and glanced back at Glamour. “Help you steal? How does that work?”

“They make cover up stories and lies a bit more convincing. I uh, I even went as far as to pretend I was somepony else quite a few times.”

“I see…” Coco picked up several more pictures and looked through them. “So you didn’t want me to see these because of the bad things you did with them?”

“Well, yeah. It might also be a bit creepy if you think about it. Why would somepony carry around so many pictures of strangers?” Glamour chuckled sheepishly before clearing her throat. “Anyway, there’s also one or two that I really didn’t want you to see for other reasons.” Glamour searched through the pile of pictures until she found the one she wanted and pointed at it. “I’m sure you’re going to ask about him at some point, so I might as well get over with it now. This stallion right here is the pony that took pictures of Suri.”

“Who is he?”

“He’s somepony I worked with while I was on the road,” Glamour answered, briefly raising her hooves by her head to draw air quotes.

“He was a thief too?”

“Um, yeah, he helped me with some disguises and sneaking around. It was only for a little while though, and after that, I didn’t see him again. Well, until the thing with Suri. He just happened to turn up in Manehattan at the right time, and I got him to help us out.”

“Where is he now?”

Glamour shrugged. “It’s like he disappeared after he gave me the pictures. I guess that after everything that happened that night with Suri, he felt it was too risky to stick around. Since I gave him what he wanted, and he said the city life wasn’t for him, I don’t think we’ll ever see him again.”

“Oh, alright. So uh, just to be sure, you haven’t stolen anything since you moved to Manehattan, right?”

Glamour shook her head. “No, I haven’t.”

“And you promise not to steal anymore?”

Glamour smiled and placed her hoof on Coco’s chest. “Why would I need to when I have everything I need right here?”

Coco giggled. “Flatterer, but thank you. I’m glad that you put those things behind you.”

Glamour started to put everything back in her saddlebag, but in reality, she was moving on to the next step of her plan. This was going to be the last check to make sure it was safe to confess her darkest secret to Coco. She did not like how she was manipulating Coco and dancing around the issue with half-truths, but this was best way she could think of without risking heartbreak for the both of them.

As Glamour piled up the photos, she made sure that the one photo she placed at the bottom would catch Coco’s eye.

Sure enough, after a moment, Coco’s eyes widened, and she stammered out, “W-wait.” She slowly picked up the photo and held it up to her face. “It… It can’t be…” She continued staring at the picture in her trembling hoof.

“Glamour, w-why do you have this? Do you know who this is?” Coco asked, turning the photo to her.

“I figured you would be interested in that one.” Glamour took a deep breath. “Yeah, I know who that is. That’s Nutmeg. The friend you made before me.”

“Th-that’s right… How do you… You actually know her?”

“More than you think.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Remember when I said I knew a changeling?”

Coco slowly nodded. “Y-yes.”

“Well…” Glamour took another deep breath, muttering a silent apology to Coco at the same time. “The thing is… Nutmeg is a changeling.”

The photo fell out of Coco’s hoof, and she stared back at Glamour with a mixture of horror and surprise. “W-what? You… You’re joking. Please tell me you’re joking.”

Glamour gulped. “I’m afraid not. I happened to see Nutmeg on the road one day. She must have not noticed me because I saw her turn into a changeling right before my eyes.”

“S-so the Nutmeg I befriended might have actually been a changeling?” Coco’s breaths became ragged as she brought a hoof over her heart. “N-no, it can’t be. It just can’t be…”

“Coco, I’m sorry about—”

“Why didn’t you tell me any of this when I told you about her?!” Coco asked with a raised voice.

Glamour gulped. Things were rapidly going downhill. “Well, we also just met at the time. What would you think of me if I told you that I knew a changeling that also happened to be somepony you befriended?”

Coco blinked. “I would believe you? Maybe?”

“Really?” Glamour asked with a flat stare. “You wouldn’t think I was crazy or maybe even a changeling myself?”

“I uh…” Coco sighed. “No. I suppose you have a point. It does sound like a rather farfetched story. I probably would not have warmed up to you if that was one of the first things we talked about.”

Glamour nodded. “Exactly. I’m sorry for keeping that from you, but sometimes you need to wait for the proper moment to reveal an uncomfortable truth.”

“True… I guess… It’s just so overwhelming to find out that Nutmeg was not who I thought she was.” Coco sighed. “It… It just feels like a nightmare.”

Glamour tried to ignore the growing pit in her stomach. “Is that really such bad a thing though? I mean, yes, she was a changeling, but wasn’t she also a friend to you?”

“Of course it… No, but… I…” Coco groaned and brought a hoof to her forehead. “I-I don’t know. This is just all so confusing. Yes, she was a friend, but on the other hoof, I barely spent any time with her before she left. Her odd behavior and sudden departure suddenly makes sense now. I hardly knew her, and for all I know, she might have been leading me on… Using me…”

“She seemed like a nice p—er, changeling when I confronted her,” Glamour added. “I know the whole Royal Wedding thing gave them a bad name, but after meeting her, I don’t think all changelings are bad…”

“I guess this moment is why you’ve been trying to get me to be a bit more sympathetic to changelings, huh?”

Glamour nodded. “I figured it would make things easier for the both of us. So, what do you think? Would you give a changeling a chance if you met one?”

Coco groaned. “I just don’t know, Glamour. It’s all so complicated. I’m not the only pony who’s wary of them, and I heard all sorts of scary stories about them. They’re notorious for lying. It’s scary to find out somepony you thought you knew is actually somepony completely different. I’m not sure if I can really trust somepony like that.”

“You mean like me?”

Coco looked up at Glamour with a horrified look. “G-Glamour, I-I didn’t mean…”

Glamour sighed heavily. As she nodded, she quietly replied, “Yeah… I know…”

“I-I’m sorry.”

“Yeah… I know…” Glamour replied again while she dropped her gaze to her bag and slowly finished packing. “I-I think that’s everything,” she said when all her things were back in her bag. “I’m just going to head back to my room now.”

Coco grabbed Glamour’s hoof when she got up. “Glamour, I really am sorry. What I said… It just slipped out. I didn’t mean to lump you in with changelings.”

Glamour could feel her composure falling apart, and she looked away to the door. “I-it’s alright...”

“Are you sure?”

Glamour pulled her hoof away and headed for the door. “I’m fine. Just… tired…”

Was she really going to walk away now? She had managed to bring Coco closer to her true self, but she knew that unless she took that last step, everything she just told Coco was meaningless. She had spent so much time building up to this moment. If she gave up now, who knows when or even if she would ever find the willpower to try something like this again?

“Actually, there’s one more thing, Coco.” Glamour turned around. “I… I’m… I’m…”

And yet, after seeing how troubled Coco was when she found that Nutmeg was a changeling, Glamour was unsure if she could go through with her confession. Fragments of her nightmare came back to her mind, and Glamour knew she would do anything to keep Coco’s love.

Her entire body trembled as she warred with herself on what was the right thing to do. In the end, she let her instincts dictate the next words to come out of her mouth.

“I’m… Sorry… I’m sorry for keeping stuff from you. I love you.”

Coco offered up a small smile. “I love you too, Glamour.”

“I’ll uh, see you later.” Glamour did her best to try and smile back, and she was not sure she was successful before she quickly turned back around and headed into her room. The door barely finished closing behind her before she dropped her bag and flopped into her bed.

The tears started as soon as her face hit the pillow.

She was a failure and a coward. Once again, she had backed out of revealing the truth. It pained her to continue lying to Coco, but she just could not do it. She had faced many dangers and took many risks to survive and to make it this far, but her relationship with Coco was far too precious to gamble on. And it scared her. Sometimes it was easier to live a lie than to face the truth.

Glamour did not know how long she cried as she stayed in her bed. Except for the occasional choked sob, she made almost no other movement or sound. It was like the whole world had been put on pause.

She remained in her catatonic state for so long, deaf to the world around her, that she almost did not hear the knocking on her door. Wordlessly and not budging from her prone position, she lit up her horn to open the door.

“Hey, Glamour, how are you feeling?” Coco asked when she came in. “It’s been a few hours since you came in here after you told me everything.”

Everything… That word felt so wrong to Glamour in this situation. Glancing up at Coco, she took a deep breath and said, “Yeah, it’s just… It took a lot out of me.”

“I can imagine.” Coco sat down on the bed and began soothingly rubbing Glamour’s back. “It was pretty tough for me to hear those things. It must have been so much worse for you to admit those things.”

“You have no idea…”

“I just want you to know that despite it all, my feelings for you haven’t changed. No, that’s not right. I actually appreciate you even more now.”

Glamour’s ears flicked. “You like me more? Even after knowing what I did, what I kept from you?”

“Well, I’m not saying I really approve of your stealing, but I made peace with that. I’m talking about your perseverance. You’ve been through so much, and yet you still managed to become the positive, caring pony that I love. Never change, Glamour.”

Glamour chuckled nervously. “I’ll try.”

Glamour continued lying in bed for a bit longer. Mentally, she was still feeling broken, but the feeling of Coco’s hoof on her back was doing wonders in calming her down, at least physically.

Not wanting to keep Coco waiting, she slowly sat up and then noticed that Coco was holding an envelope in her hoof. Pointing at it, she asked, “What’s that?”

“Oh.” Coco raised the envelope to give Glamour a better look. “I went to check the mail while you were in bed. It’s from Photo Finish. Since it’s addressed to the both of us, and I wasn’t sure how you were feeling, I already read it.”

“What does she want us to do now?”

“Actually, she’s giving us a vacation. Here, see for yourself.”

Glamour took the letter in her hooves and began reading. Sure enough, between all the expected praise Photo Finish heaped on herself, she also was very pleased with their roles in the Fall Fashion Fantasia. With all the shots she took of both Glamour and the rest of the contestants, she was busy working with all the new material. Finally, as a reward for all their hard work, Photo Finish had provided two tickets for the Equestria Games.

Glamour tilted her head at that last part. “Equestria Games?”

“You don’t know what that is?”

“Well, I think I heard it’s a big athletic competition, but that’s about it.”

“That’s an understatement. The Equestria Games only come once every few years, and cities from all over send their best athletes to compete in all sorts of events. This year is particularly special because it will be held in the Crystal Empire.”

Glamour chuckled nervously, feeling a bit awkward with all these new names. “Uh, Crystal Empire?”

“Oh, I suppose you didn’t hear the news when you were on the road. The Crystal Empire is a kingdom up in the north that recently reappeared. I don’t know much about it yet, but Rarity told me that she and her friends had to go there to save the place from an evil king. He was the one who made the entire kingdom disappear many years ago. Anyway, despite being in the snowy mountains, I hear that it’s such a beautiful place with all sorts of gems and crystals integrated into the architecture. I would love to go see it.”

“Well, I guess this is your chance, now that we get to go see the Equestria Games,” Glamour replied as she read the letter again. “Oh wait, there’s something I missed. P.S. Make sure you let everypony know who you are and look fabulous.” She rolled her eyes. “Is this a vacation or a publicity stunt?”

Coco giggled. “I suppose it’s both, but I don’t think it will be a big deal if you choose to skimp on that detail a bit. Anyway, this whole Equestria Game thing has given me an idea. The games are less than a month away, and since we are both pretty much free from work, this would be the perfect time for us to visit Ponyville.”

Glamour flinched. “Ponyville? You mean where Rarity lives?”

Coco nodded. “Ponyville is on the way to the Crystal Empire, and I was thinking that we could spend some time there.”

Glamour bit her lip. “You uh, really want to see Rarity, right?”

“Very much so. She’s such a wonderful, supportive friend, not to mention how she helped turn my life around. Writing letters to her is nice, but it’s not the same as actually talking with her face to face.”

Glamour sighed inwardly and nodded. "Then I don’t see why we can’t go see her. Let’s do it."

Coco smiled and clapped her forehooves in delight. “Great! I’ll go send her a letter right away with our plans. If everything goes well, we might be able to leave within a few days, giving us plenty of time to tour Ponyville.”

Glamour put on a fake smile. “Yay, Ponyville…”

Coco got up to go contact Rarity, but she stopped at the door and turned back around. “Oh, Glamour, thank you again for talking to me. It really means a lot that you finally opened to me. It’s been pretty crazy with everything going on, and I think this vacation is exactly what we need. I can’t wait to be able to relax and spend more time with you.”

“I can’t wait either.”

After Coco left, Glamour lay back down in her bed while she reviewed the vacation plan. The Crystal Empire and the Equestria Games both sounded like really fun things. She did wish that they were not going to Ponyville though, and from the sound of it, Coco was hoping to spend at least a few days there, no doubt to catch up with Rarity.

Glamour was not looking forward to meeting a pony who supposedly fought off a battalion of changelings. But if Coco wanted to see Rarity, then it was well worth the risk. Not only did she want Coco to be happy, but Glamour felt that she owed her marefriend for hiding the truth.

Glamour sighed. The fact that she failed yet again with her confession was weighing heavily on her mind. How long was she going to keep this charade?

At least they had a relaxing vacation coming up to help set things straight.

Chapter 21: Friendship is Magically Terrifying

Glamour watched the green, rolling plains and patches of trees whiz by outside her window. It was a few days after her half-confession, and she had started her vacation with Coco. They were now on a train that they had boarded early in the morning and was now speeding towards Ponyville.

This was not Glamour’s first time riding inside a train, but it was the first time she actually paid for a ticket. She was pleased to find out that sitting in the passenger car was more comfortable than being cooped up in the cargo cart.

She felt movement brushing against her side, and upon turning her head, she smiled. Resting on her shoulder was Coco, who had dozed off some time ago. Even with the loud clacking of the train riding along the tracks, Glamour found peace in tuning the noise out to listen to Coco’s soft breathing.

Glamour carefully wrapped a hoof around Coco’s back and planted a gentle kiss right between her ears. She was rewarded with a small smile that crept up on Coco’s face.

Yes, this was certainly a lot more comfortable than being cooped up in the cargo cart.

Turning her attention to the windows on the other side of the car, all Glamour could see was a rock wall. The train was currently circling the tall mountain that Canterlot was built upon. According to Coco, Ponyville was located close to Canterlot, meaning that they were on the last leg of their journey.

Even though Glamour could not see the actual city, the proximity to Canterlot was making her think of her last visit to Canterlot. Or rather, her last invasion of it. At first, she was apathetic with her participation in the invasion. But now, with everything she had been through as a pony and even befriended some, thinking back about the damage she helped cause and the ponies she frightened, she felt shame for her actions. As much as she wanted to put those times behind her, she knew that those memories would linger around for a really long time. She knew that the same could be said for a lot of ponies.

“We will be arriving in Ponyville in twenty minutes. All passengers who are disembarking, please make sure you have all of your belongings,” announced a stallion in a train conductor’s uniform as he entered the passenger car and walked down the aisle.

When the conductor exited through the door on the other side, Glamour looked down at Coco and grinned when she saw that her marefriend was still snoozing away. Using her muzzle, she gently prodded Coco on her forehead. “Coco, wake up.”

Coco mumbled a few incoherent words before her eyes slowly fluttered open.

“Had a nice nap?”

“Mhmm.” Instead of sitting up, Coco let out a short yawn, closed her eyes, and snuggled even deeper into Glamour’s shoulder. “You make for a wonderful pillow, Glamour.”

Glamour chuckled. “I’m glad that you find me comfortable, but I’m afraid that you’re going to have to get up. We’re almost there. You don’t want to sleep through Ponyville, would you?”

Coco gave a mock huff of indignation. “Oh, fine.”

When Coco finally got up, they began packing up their things, and by the time the train finally pulled into the station, they were ready to immediately leave. Stepping onto the platform, Glamour was given a first, clear view of Ponyville.

She had to admit that she was a bit underwhelmed at what she saw.

Ponyville was a huge contrast to Manehattan. Instead of a sprawling urban metropolis, she saw a simple, rural community. Many of the buildings were just two story houses with straw-thatched roofs, and the streets were hardly paved. There were also no huge crowds, and the ponies she saw roaming the streets were doing so at a leisurely pace.

“This is where Rarity lives?” Glamour could not help but ask. “From how you described her, I was convinced she would feel more at home with someplace more like Manehattan or even Canterlot.”

“She does enjoy the things associated with high society life, but she once told me that despite all of that, she could not stay away from her friends and family here in Ponyville,” Coco replied while she also looked around. “I actually think this place is nice. It’s quiet. A good place to relax and get away from the busy crowds.”

Glamour took another look around and found herself agreeing. Despite its rustic nature, not having to worry about fighting the crowd was a big appeal, and the air did seem to feel cleaner.

“Yoo hoo, Coco darling, over here!”

Glamour and Coco turned to see a white unicorn with an elaborate, curled purple mane waving at them on the other side of the platform.

“Rarity!” Coco shouted back to the unicorn with a huge smile and quickly trotted over to her.

“It’s so good to see you again!” Rarity gave Coco a huge hug. “How was the train ride over?”

As Coco talked with Rarity, Glamour slowly approached them, taking deep breaths. This was it, her fated meeting with one of the dreaded Elements of Harmony. One slip-up in front of the fearsome pony might ruin everything, but as long as she played it cool and kept Coco by her side, she should be alright.

“And you must be the famous Glamour that I’ve been hearing so much about,” Rarity said when she noticed her, causing Glamour to freeze for a second.

“H-hi, Miss Rarity. It’s an honor to meet you.”

Rarity chuckled lightly. “Let’s dispense with the formalities. Just Rarity is fine, and I must say, it is my pleasure to meet you. Coco has told me all sorts of interesting things about you and the things you do with her.”

“And Coco speaks very highly of you, Rarity.”

Thankfully, Coco was understanding and had not told Rarity the unsavory parts of her travels nor the shady tactics she used on Suri. As far as she knew, Rarity only was aware that she moved to Manehattan to become a fashion model, moved in with Coco due to money issues, and their work with Photo Finish.

“Now then, shall we move along now?” Rarity asked. “The others are also all excited to meet you two, so we set up a little get-together at a nearby cafe.”

Coco nodded. “That sounds wonder—”

“Hi there!” a cheerful voice chirped from behind them.

Glamour and Coco turned around, and both of their eyes shot wide open when they found themselves staring down the barrel of a cannon. Glamour’s forehooves shot straight up into the air, and she screamed, “Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot!”

The cannon shot her in the face.

Glamour was knocked off her hooves, although it was more from reeling back in surprise than what hit her. Instead of a big heated ball of metal, she and Coco were showered with confetti and streamers. After getting up and the ringing cleared from her ears, she heard the sound of giggling and saw that it was coming from a pink earth pony mare with an even pinker poofy mane and tail, and she was rolling on the floor with laughter.

Glamour’s dropped jaw probably would have splintered the wood of the train platform if it reached it. She was staring at yet another Element of Harmony.

“Oh my goodness, are you alright, you two?” Rarity asked.

“Y-yeah,” Glamour answered, her gaze not leaving the giggling mare on the floor. “I was just caught off guard by Pinkie Pie’s cannon.”

“Pinkie, what did we tell you about surprising ponies with your party cannon?” Rarity chided, shooting a disapproving glare.

“Don’t mix cake batter in it?” Pinkie replied.

“Well, yes, but—”

“Or don’t do it when I’m sleepy?”

“That was certainly a very trying day, but—”

“Oh, oh, I know! You meant—”

“Pinkie, I meant that you should try to not do it to ponies who are unfamiliar with your um, exuberance. You might give somepony the wrong impression of you. Look at Glamour and Coco, you gave them such a fright.”

“Ohhh.” Pinkie nodded in understanding and smiled at Coco and Glamour. “Sorry about that. Rarity was so excited that you two were coming, so I thought I could make a super duper exciting welcome to help her out.”

“It’s alright, Pinkie,” Coco replied. “I remember how energetic you were back when you visited Manehattan. Your surprise welcome was very nice.”

“Er, right, a nice surprise,” Glamour added. It was definitely a surprise to her. Coco had failed to mention that there was more than one Element of Harmony living in Ponyville.

Rarity sighed. “Well, I suppose nopony did get hurt. Just be careful next time, Pinkie.”

“Okie dokie!”

Looking to Coco and Glamour, Rarity explained, “Please excuse her. It’s just Pinkie being Pinkie. She’s a sweet dear that just sometimes gets a little overzealous with things.”

“Uh, alright.” Glamour stole a glance at Pinkie, who was now happily alternating bounces between her left and right hooves, and noticed something was off. “Wait, what happened to your cannon, Pinkie?”

“Oh, I didn’t need it anymore,” Pinkie answered simply.

Glamour took a quick look around and saw that there were no suitable places to quickly hide the party weapon. “Okay, but where did you put it?”

“Silly Glammy, I put it away.”

“G-Glammy? What?”

“Like I said, darling. It’s Pinkie being Pinkie,” Rarity chimed in. “It’s best not to think about it. It will save you time and trouble. Now then, we really must be going.”

“Oh, oh, are we going to go eat now? I’ll lead the way!” Pinkie started pronking down the street.

Glamour merely nodded and followed along quietly. When her mental faculties finally recovered from the crazy, pink mare’s antics, she thought about protesting about her new nickname. Then she decided it was probably not a wise idea to risk agitating one of the Elements of Harmony, especially if said Element of Harmony had a cannon and seemed to regard physics as a guideline instead of a law.

Glamour found it really hard to not scream when they arrived at the cafe. Sitting at a large table was a familiar looking pony, and her identity was confirmed when Pinkie quickly went over to said pony. The seated pony was none other than Fluttershy, the yellow pegasus mare with a pink mane that she saw on the cover of a magazine a long time ago, who also happened to be yet another member of the Elements of Harmony.

“Hello there, Coco,” Fluttershy greeted as they sat down. “Welcome to Ponyville.”

“Thank you, Fluttershy,” Coco replied. “I’m so glad that I finally found the time to visit here and see all of you again. Best of all, I get to do it with my marefriend, Glamour.”

“That’s nice, but uh, is your marefriend alright? She seems kind of um… tense.”

Glamour was indeed tense. She was sitting in the same table with three of the worst threats to the changeling race. She was sitting rigidly straight, and she could not stop her hooves from trembling. It certainly did not help when everypony turned to stare at her at Fluttershy’s observation.

“Oh my, what’s wrong, Glamour?” Coco asked with a worried frown, touching Glamour’s hoof with her own.

“N-nothing. W-well, nothing serious. I just did not expect to be meeting so many of the Elements of Harmony today.”

Rarity chuckled. “Darling, there’s no need to be so nervous. Yes, we might have accomplished a few notable things, but we’re all still ponies in the end. And it’s not like you don’t have any of your own accomplishments to be proud of. I’ve seen your name and pictures come up quite often, and I must say you are making quite the storm up in Manehattan.”

Rarity turned to Coco. “And the same goes for you as well, Coco. I was so happy to hear that you’re doing so well, and I’m not just talking about your career. You made friends and even found somepony to love since the last time I saw you. I’m really proud of how much you’ve grown in such a short time.”

“Oh, thank you, Rarity.” Coco’s gaze dropped to the table as she smiled with a big blush on her face. “But honestly, I’m just lucky to have met such great ponies to help me out, like you and Glamour.”

“Nonsense, you have far more talent than you give yourself credit for. Don’t you agree, Glamour?”

“Oh, uh right!” Glamour quickly agreed, snapping out of her nerves to talk to Coco. “We just gave you a nudge in the direction, Coco. The rest of it was all you. Remember what I keep telling you.”

“Yes, yes, I know. I need to have more confidence in myself and my work.” Coco leaned over to kiss Glamour on the cheek. “That doesn’t change the fact that you are a big part of my life.”

A chorus of “Aww”s came from Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie, making both Glamour and Coco retreat to their seats with blushes on their faces.

“So, um, anyway, I’ve been meaning to ask you something, Fluttershy,” Glamour said when her face was no longer so red.

“Oh, what is it?” Fluttershy tilted her head in curiosity.

“I knew you were once a model as well. Why did you quit?”

Fluttershy squeaked and sank into her chair a bit while her face reddened. “Ponies still remember that?”

Glamour frowned. “Did I say something wrong?”

“Do forgive Fluttershy,” Rarity interjected. “It was a long time ago. Photo Finish came here to Ponyville to photograph one of my fashion lines, but instead, she ended up picking Fluttershy as a model. Fluttershy was not too keen on the idea, but I saw it as a wonderful opportunity for the both of us, so I encouraged her to go along with it. Things got awkward when I started to get jealous of all the attention and she received. Still, I wanted to be a good friend, so I hid that from her. The problem was that Fluttershy was uncomfortable in the spotlight, but she did not quit because she thought she would disappoint me.”

Rarity chuckled. “Eventually, we did tell each other how we really felt, and Fluttershy was able to quit without any worries. It’s actually quite silly. If we simply told each other the truth, we could’ve avoided a lot of fuss. Let that be a lesson that it’s important not to hide your true feelings to your friends… or your special somepony.”

Glamour slowly blinked. “Uh, yeah, that’s… that’s a very good lesson.” Clearing her throat, she turned her attention back to the yellow pegasus. “Well, even if you are not a model anymore, Fluttershy, I still need to thank you.” She paused a moment to blow a lock of her pink mane out of her eyes. “I saw an old magazine with you in a library one day, and you could say I got some of my inspiration as a model from you.”

“Oh, uh, you’re welcome, even though I didn’t really do anything,” Fluttershy replied with a smile. “I mean, I’m glad I could help.”

“Now that we took care of that,” Rarity said. “You two must tell me everything on how you met each other and then found out you were destined for each other.”

Glamour and Coco both glanced at each other and nodded before Coco started. “Well, it all began when—”

Everypony yelped and hunkered down when a sudden gust of wind swept over them. Glamour noticed that the gale was made by a light-blue blur with a rainbow trail behind it, and when she looked up to investigate it, she saw that the object was now soaring high up into the air.

Glamour blinked a few times, making out the object into a pegasus mare. Her eyes grew even wider when she saw that the pegasus had turned around and was rapidly approaching them. She yelped and covered her face for the inevitable collision.

“Sup.”

Glamour slowly lowered her hooves upon hearing a new voice, and she saw that the blue pegasus was now seated across the table with a smirk on her face. Now that she was up close, she noted that the pegasus’s mane looked just like a rainbow.

Wait a minute, a fast-flying pegasus with a rainbow-colored mane… Don’t tell me that this is actually—

“Rainbow Dash! That was very rude of you! You startled all of us!” Rarity scolded the new pegasus. “Not to mention that you are late.”

“What? I just wanted to make a cool entrance,” Rainbow protested.

“And it was a great entrance!” Pinkie cheered. “You were like whoosh, and then you were like zoom, and Glammy was like ahh!” She acted out each sound effect with her hooves for everypony’s benefit.

Glamour might have been a bit annoyed with Pinkie’s exaggerated reenactment of her cowering, but she was too busy screaming internally. Rainbow Dash was yet another Element of Harmony, bringing the number of ponies that gave her a heart attack today to four.

“Besides, what are you getting all worked up for?” Rainbow asked. “It’s not like I’m the last one here.”

“Unlike you, the others have informed us that they had important things to take care of and would be coming a bit later.”

Glamour had a sinking feeling that she could guess who the others were at this point.

“Hey, I was doing something important as well,” Rainbow protested.

Rarity gave Rainbow a deadpan stare. “Let me guess, a nap?”

“Well, uh, maybe, but naps are important too!”

While Pinkie munched on some popcorn she somehow acquired within the past few seconds and watch Rarity and Rainbow bicker, Fluttershy turned back to Glamour and Coco with an apologetic smile. “Sorry about Rainbow Dash and Rarity. They sometimes act like this, but… Oh dear, it looks like Glamour froze up again.”

“What’s her deal anyway?” Rainbow asked. “I know I’m awesome and all, but she’s been kind of staring at me since I got here.”

“It seems like Glamour has heard quite a bit about our adventures and feels a tad intimidated by us,” Rarity informed.

“A tad? She’s as stiff as a board. I don’t think she’s even blinking.”

Pinkie crawled on top of the table and scrunched up her face as she gave a closeup examination of Glamour’s face. “Hmm… Oh, I know what might work!”

Pinkie raised her hoof and conked Glamour’s head. “Knock, knock!” she chirped in a sing song voice, somehow also making the sound of her hoof hitting wood.

“Ow!”

“Oops, I knocked too hard. Sorry, Glammy.”

“It’s fine, I guess,” Glamour replied, rubbing the sore spot on her head. “Sorry about zoning out… Again…”

“It’s alright, darling. No real harm done.” Rarity gave her a reassuring smile.

“But uh, just to be clear, you’re all Elements of Harmony?” Glamour received four nods. “And you all live here in Ponyville?” Again, she received four nods. With a sigh, she continued, “Let me guess, the other two also live here and are coming to this meeting?”

Glamour had to congratulate herself for not flipping the table and running off screaming when she received four nods yet again. That did not stop her from banging her head on the table though.

“Sheesh, you weren’t kidding when you said she’s a bit crazy about us,” Rainbow remarked.

“Oh Glamour, I’m so sorry that I didn’t make things clear,” Coco apologized, rubbing Glamour’s back. “I thought it was implied that Rarity’s friends were the rest of the Elements. I didn’t know you would be this distraught over meeting them.”

Glamour got up and shook her head. “No, no, it’s alright. It’s my fault for not figuring that out sooner. It’s the initial shock that’s been getting to me. I’m sorry for worrying you all. Just ignore any of my uh, oddities, and things will be just fine.”

While it seemed that the Elements in front of her accepted her explanation and did not suspect anything unusual about her, minus the whole freezing up thing, Glamour was still worried about one of the two members that was not here yet.

Glamour knew that the leader of the bunch was a unicorn named Twilight Sparkle. What was most disturbing was that Twilight was able to see through Queen Chrysalis’s disguise during the Royal Wedding. With Queen Chrysalis’s skills and magic far surpassing her own, Glamour knew that she would not stand a chance against the unicorn She had to come up with something to excuse herself before Twilight arrived.

“Hey, everypony, sorry I’m late!”

Glamour froze when she heard the voice come from behind. Slowly, she turned around, and her heart stopped at what she saw.

Barely noticing the short, purple lizard thing standing nearby, Glamour saw the dreaded unicorn with her menacing lavender coat and dark-blue mane with streaks of magenta and purple running down its middle.

Glamour was now face to face with the bane of changelings, Twilight Sparkle. She quickly noted that her problems were worse than she thought when she noticed one additional feature on Twilight that seemed to be different from what she had heard.

She has a horn and wings?! She’s an alicorn?!

Twilight extended her hoof towards Glamour with a smile. “Nice to meet you, I’m Twilight Sparkle.”

Glamour’s eyes glazed over and then everything went black.

A short time later, Glamour found herself spluttering and coughing on the ground when cold liquid splashed onto her face.

“Rainbow, was that really necessary?”

“Actually, Rarity, applying water onto somepony’s face does sometimes help a pony who fainted wake up. Granted, you’re only supposed to use a small amount, not a full glass… Rainbow…”

“Hey, it worked, didn’t it? Besides, I’m just speeding things up. This whole freezing up thing is getting old.”

Glamour groaned and slowly opened her eyes, only to find herself wishing she had not. She had apparently fallen off her seat and was now on her back, and looking down at her were Coco, and more troubling, the Elements of Harmony.

Glamour gulped. “Uh, h-hi there.”

“My goodness, Glamour, you scared me.” Coco sighed in relief. She helped Glamour back on her hooves as everypony else backed away to give her room. “Are you sure you’re going to be alright?”

“Y-yeah, I’ll be fine… I think…”

“I’m sorry for surprising you,” Twilight apologized. “The others already told me that you were pretty nervous to meet all of us, and I guess I came up at a bad time.”

“It’s fine, I was just worried that—” Glamour blinked. “Wait, you don’t find anything wrong or weird with me?”

Twilight tilted her head. “Um, no, not really. Is there something I should know about?”

“N-no! Nope! Nothing wrong with me!” Glamour chuckled sheepishly and then cleared her throat. “Uh, sorry. It’s just that, I was surprised… really surprised to find out that you’re an alicorn. Does um, does this mean you’re actually a princess?”

“Yep,” Rainbow informed. “Had a big old celebration and parade and everything. Pretty hard to miss something like that.”

Coco came to the rescue on her behalf. “Glamour had been traveling a lot, so she has missed quite a few things in the news.”

“Um, yeah,” Glamour pointed to Coco. “What she said.”

“Well, to answer your question, yes, I am technically a princess,” Twilight answered. “Um, a recently crowned princess. And before you ask, yes, I used to be a unicorn as well, but that all changed not too long ago when I finished a centuries old spell by none other than Star Swirl the Bearded.”

“Star Who the What?”

Twilight let out a loud, frustrated groan. “Seriously? You too? You don’t know who Star Swirl the Bearded is or what he’s known for?”

“Um, he had a really big beard?”

“Well, that’s kind of up for debate as many historians have debated about many aspects of Star Swirl’s signature beard such as the color, its length, and even how he trimmed it.” Twilight cleared her throat. “Er, besides his beard, he’s one of the most important magic users in Equestrian history. He created over two hundred spells while also accomplishing other great feats of magic. I still can’t believe that so many ponies don’t know who he is. Maybe I should see if I could issue an edict to make ponies read more about him.”

Rainbow leaned over and whispered in Glamour’s ear, “Princess of Books.”

Glamour could not help but snicker.

“I heard that, Rainbow.”

“Tell me that you would not at least be a little bit happy to have that as your official title.”

Twilight’s quiet grumble and Rainbow’s ensuing smirk spoke volumes.

When Glamour sat back down at the table, she found that there was a slice of cake waiting for her. Coco also had a slice, and Pinkie seemed to have the rest of the cake their slices came from shoved halfway into her mouth. Rainbow and Twilight had hayburgers, while Fluttershy and Rarity had salads in front of them. Finally, that purple lizard Glamour saw before she fainted was sitting in between Twilight and Rarity, and it looked like it was eating a bowl of gems.

“Was I really out that long?” Glamour asked. “I don’t think we even ordered before I uh, fainted.”

“Not as long as you think,” Twilight replied. “When Rainbow asked for some water to wake you up, Pinkie went inside for it. She was in there for only a minute, and she came out with all the food we were going to order along with the water.”

Glamour’s eye twitched. She was beginning to wonder if she should be more worried about Pinkie than Twilight. “Right…”

She turned her attention to the purple lizard. She remembered that it was standing on its two rear legs, but even then, she could only see it reaching the chin of the average pony. She also noted the green scales that ran from the top of his head to the tip of his tail. It seemed like it was a male, and for some reason, it looked like he was sneaking wistful glances at Rarity while he used his claws to eat his gems.

The lizard paused with a claw full of gems in front of his mouth when he noticed that Glamour was staring at him. “What? Do I have something on my face?”

Glamour yelped. “It talks!”

The talking lizard rolled his eyes. “Of course I can talk, what do you think I am?”

“Um, I-I’m not sure, to be honest.”

“Well, I’m a dragon.”

Glamour blinked. “A dragon? Really?”

“Uh, yeah. The name’s Spike, and I’m Twilight’s Number One Assistant.”

Glamour’s head quickly turned to the alicorn princess. “You actually tamed a dragon?!”

Twilight chuckled. “No, no, no. I actually hatched Spike’s egg when I was just a filly, and we grew up together. You could almost say that we’re family.”

“Yep, Twilight's even got the whole nagging mother thing going on,” Spike added.

“Spike! Don’t say things like that.”

“See what I mean?”

As everypony laughed and Twilight scolded Spike, Glamour could feel her tension ease, but only a little bit. Despite their formidable reputation, the Elements seemed to be just like normal ponies. Still, even though they did not seem to be suspicious of her, she was still on edge. Whenever any of them talked to her, she made sure to be polite and choose her words carefully. Eating her cake sure did help a lot though.

As she listened to Coco explaining to them about Suri’s changes, Rarity said, “Oh, Coco, I don’t think I actually congratulated you on placing second in the Fall Fashion Fantasia. That is certainly an impressive feat, especially since it was also your first competition.”

Coco blushed. “Thank you, Rarity. But really, without Glamour, I wouldn’t have been able to set hoof in the competition. Not to mention that the dress I made was because of the inspiration she gave me.”

“Yes, I did see a picture of your entry, and I must say it is absolutely gorgeous. And to think, it was because of your love for each other that sparked its creation.” Rarity let out a wistful sigh. “Oh, it’s so romantic.”

“I must say that I’m really proud of it.” Coco glanced at Glamour and smiled. “In more ways than one.”

“So, any plans for your next masterpiece?”

“Not really. I don’t have to worry about making anything for the theater for a while, and we won’t know what Photo Finish will want from us until at least some time after the Equestria Games are over.”

“Well, if you’re not too busy, I was thinking that we could have some fun together. A little collaboration between us.”

Coco’s eyes widened. “R-really? You would want to work with me?”

“Darling, I’ve been thinking about it since I last saw you. You’re a talented pony, and I would be honored to work with such a fine designer, not to mention a good friend.”

“I-I would too. If you really think it’s a good idea, then I would be happy to. I just hope I won’t mess anything up.”

“I highly doubt that would be the case. And who knows, maybe we can take a step further and make a little show out of it. I doubt Glamour would say no to modeling for us. Oh, and I bet that I could convince Octavia and her DJ friend Vinyl Scratch to provide the music for us.”

Coco blinked. “Octavia? As in Octavia Melody, the famous cellist?”

“The one and the same.”

“W-wow, I knew she moved to Ponyville, but I didn’t realize you actually knew her. Do you really think she would work with us? ”

Rarity chuckled. “I’m sure she would be happy to do it. After all, she’s a good friend to all of us here. If push comes to shove though, I’m sure I can convince Applejack to ask her for me.”

“Why Applejack?”

Rarity smirked. “You’ll see.”

“Speaking of Applejack, where is she?” Twilight asked.

“She had a large order to take care of today, but she assured me that she would be here. In fact, I think I can see her coming right now.” Rarity sat up a bit in her seat and waved.

Glamour took a deep breath. She already met five of the six Elements, including Twilight Sparkle. There was no need for her to get so worked up and worry everypony again over the last one.

Turning around, she saw Applejack, an orange earth pony with a brown Stetson on top of her head. Thankfully, Glamour’s urge to panic only went up just a little. That is, until she saw the mare walking next to Applejack.

The second mare was also an earth pony, but she had a gray coat, and her well-groomed mane was almost like the color of charcoal. She also wore a pink bow around her neck, and she walked with an air of dignity around her, similar to Rarity. For some reason, Glamour felt like she had seen this mare before.

As Glamour continued to ponder who the mystery mare was, Applejack and the mare trotted up to the table and exchanged greetings with everypony.

“Howdy, Ah’m Applejack,” Applejack said as she took Glamour’s hoof and gave her a very hearty hoofshake.

Even though Applejack’s hoofshake felt like her leg was being pulled off, Glamour was able to smile through the the ordeal and not scream at all.

When the gray mare moved in front of her to greet her, Glamour’s eyes widened, finally remembering where she saw the mare before.

“And I’m Oc—”

Glamour screamed and dove under the table.

“Oh dear, did I do something wrong?”

“Don’t worry about it too much, Octavia,” Rarity assured. “Glamour here is a bit jumpy with meeting all of us, although, I’m a bit surprised that she reacted to you instead of Applejack.”

Glamour chuckled nervously and peeked out from under the table. “Uh, sorry about that. It’s just that Octavia made a lasting impression on me before.”

Octavia crouched down to get a closer look at Glamour. “Oh? Have we met before?”

“In Ca—er, somewhere else that I certainly don’t remember. You wouldn’t know who I was since I was just one face among many.”

“Ah, I get it now.” Octavia nodded understandingly. “I suppose this means that you are a fan of my music then? I did play in quite a few concerts all around Equestria.”

“Uh, sure.”

In truth, Glamour remembered Octavia from the invasion of Canterlot. After the Elements of Harmony were captured, she and two other changelings were sent to investigate a flare of love that came from an apartment building. While she searched through one floor, her companions had moved on to the next one. When she heard a couple of loud thumps, she rushed upstairs and found Octavia standing over the unconscious bodies of her fellow changelings. Before she could recover from her shock, Octavia had rushed her, promptly knocking her out.

When she and the other two changelings came to, Octavia was long gone, but when they stumbled out of the building, they were met by the giant pink shield that blew them, and the rest of the changelings, out of Canterlot.

“If you don’t mind me asking, were you able to finish that order, Applejack?” Fluttershy asked.

“Ah sure did.” Applejack smiled and laid a hoof on Octavia’s shoulder. “And Ah could not have done it all without this filly’s help either.”

“You work at Sweet Apple Acres with Applejack, Octavia?” Coco asked.

“Not officially, but I do spend a lot of time there. Unfortunately, that gives Applejack plenty of opportunities to exploit some free labor from me.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Applejack said with a smirk.

Glamour’s eyes widened. Now that her nerves had faded away, she could sense what was going on between Applejack and Octavia. “W-wait, you two are in love with each other?”

“Really?” Coco asked, expressing her surprise as well.

As everypony else chuckled, Applejack gave them an amused smirk, “Yeah, we are. Been like that for quite a while actually, and we have no plans of stopping that.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude,” Coco apologized. “I was just surprised.”

“Yeah, Ah don’t blame you. We are kind of an odd pair. Ah mean, she’s a fancy, high-class musician, and Ah’m just an apple farmer.”

“An apple farmer who goes off and saves the world on the weekends,” Octavia added.

“Right. The point is that even though we’re two completely different ponies, we bonded over a common interest. It took us awhile, but we eventually found out that we really liked spending time with each other, and one thing led to another and well, we decided to become marefriends. Haven’t regretted it since.”

“It didn’t matter who we were or where we came from. What was important was how we felt for each other,” Octavia finished.

Glamour slowly nodded. As she allowed those words to sink into her mind, Pinkie had, at some point, disappeared from her seat to bring about another round of cake for everypony, causing Glamour to momentarily push aside her worries in favor of sugar.

Before Glamour could dig into her second piece, she heard Rarity ask, “Oh, Twilight, how are the preparations for the Equestria Games going? If I recall correctly, you were helping Princess Cadance and Shining Armor with a few things.”

“It seems like everything’s right on schedule,” Twilight replied. “I was just helping them with some logistics and planning, and I sent those things off before we came here. I helped plan out the times and schedules for all the events, mapped out the seating charts for the VIP sections, projected the number of ponies attending the games, along with suggestions to accommodate them all, and came up with several dozen contingency plans for various situations that might arise. Nothing much.”

“Right, nothing much,” Rainbow dryly repeated.

“Um, excuse me, Princess Twilight?” Glamour spoke up. “I couldn’t help but overhear, but did you say Princess Cadance and Shining Armor will be at the Equestria Games?”

Not only were Princess Cadance and Shining Armor the bride and groom of the fabled Royal Wedding, they were both targets for the Canterlot invasion. In fact, Queen Chrysalis herself was the one that dealt with them. She had kidnapped and replaced Princess Cadance so that she could put Shining Armor, the captain of the Royal Guard, under her control, allowing her to weaken the shield that had been erected around Canterlot for the invasion to start. More importantly, it was Princess Cadance and Shining Armor that had casted the giant barrier that threw every changeling out of Canterlot, effectively thwarting the whole invasion.

“Right, I guess you didn’t hear that either,” Twilight answered. “Well, Cadance and Shining Armor are the rulers of the Crystal Empire, so they have a lot of organizing to do to make sure everything is ready for the games. Since I’m not sure what my duties as a princess are yet, I was more than happy to help out.”

“Twi, princess or not, you would still want to do whatever you can to help them out,” said Applejack. “Bet you can’t wait to see them.”

Twilight chuckled. “Good point. I would do anything for my BBBFF and my favorite foalsitter.”

“Uh, BBBFF?” Glamour asked.

“Ah, sorry again for making you feel left out, Glamour. Shining Armor is my BBBFF, my big brother best friend forever, and Cadance was my foalsitter when I was a filly.”

“You… you’re joking, right?”

Twilight cocked her head. “Uh, no, I’m not.”

“So let me get this straight, your brother is the captain of the Royal Guard—”

“Former captain.”

“Former captain of the Royal Guard, your old foalsitter was a princess and is now your sister-in-law, and you are now a princess. Not only that, but you live here in Ponyville with the rest of the Elements of Harmony that’s a short trip away from Canterlot?”

“Um, yes, that’s all right.”

Glamour had figured the whole invasion was a shortsighted idea after its failure, but now she was seeing how ill-planned it was as well. With the Elements of Harmony based nearby, and not to mention their leader being closely related to the main targets of the invasion, it was no wonder that the invasion met all sorts of snags.

“One last thing, am I right to assume that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna will also be there?” Glamour asked.

“Of course. Celestia has not missed a single one since the games first started, and this will be Luna’s first one since she returned from her banishment. Is something wrong, Glamour?”

“No, everything is just… great.” It was great that she was currently sharing a table with the Elements of Harmony and a mare who had assaulted her during the invasion. Not only that, but the Equestria Games were being hosted by Princess Cadance and Shining Armor, the bane of the changeling race, and to top it all off, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, the almighty alicorns that controlled the sun and the moon, will also be there.

Glamour sighed heavily and picked up her fork. With so many things stacked against her, she wondered how much cake she might be able to stuff herself with before something blew up in her face.

Glamour’s cake blew up in her face.

Amidst everypony’s yelps, a deep, menacing laugh could be heard right in front of Glamour. Guessing that the layer of cream covering her face was not sufficient protection from whatever impending doom that was attached to that laugh, she slowly wiped off her face, and she gasped at what she saw.

Floating right above the table was some sort of large creature that consisted of many animal parts mashed together. He had a long, brown body like a snake, a bat and pegasus wings on its back, a lion paw and an eagle claw as arms, a lizard and goat legs, and a dragon’s tail with a tuft of white hair at its tip. On his head was a goat horn and a deer antler, and his creepy, yellow eyes had differently-sized red pupils, giving him an even more bizarre look.

“Hello there,” the creature greeted, showing off his single, long fang in a toothy grin.

“Discord, that was not nice,” Fluttershy said with a small frown as she flew up to the creature. “You got Glamour all dirty.”

“Oh pish posh, Fluttershy. A little cake doesn’t hurt anypony,” Discord replied. “Maybe pie, but never cake.”

“What are you doing here, Discord?” Twilight asked with a stern glare.

“Oh, I’m just here because Fluttershy happened to mention that you were all meeting some friends today, and I was wondering why I was not invited to this little get together.”

“Because you’re you?” Rainbow replied.

“But that’s reason enough to invite me! After all, who wouldn’t want to have me around?”

Everypony but Fluttershy’s flat stares was answer enough.

“Well, we’re sorry for not inviting you, Discord,” Fluttershy apologized. “We just thought you wouldn’t be interested.”

“Oh, of course I’m interested. I always enjoy meeting new ponies, especially ones you all deemed fit to call friends. Now, Fluttershy, do be so kind and introduce me to them.”

“Um, sure. Coco, Glamour this is Discord.”

A tuxedo complete with a top hat appeared in a flash of light on Discord. “Discord, Master of Chaos, at your service.” He bowed, taking his hat off in the process, revealing a miniature Discord that repeated the action. Glamour squinted and noticed that an even smaller Discord was bowing as well from the head of the second Discord.

“Discord, this is Coco Pommel,” Fluttershy continued, waving at Coco. “She’s a dressmaker like Rarity. We met her the last time we all went to Manehattan.”

“Hmm, Coco Pommel, was it?” Discord disappeared and appeared again without his suit right in front of Coco’s face, making her yelp and lean back in fear.

“H-hey, stop that!” Glamour cried out, moving next to Coco and pushing Discord back.

“My apologies,” Discord said, but it was offset by the grin he was still wearing. “Rarity, is this Coco Pommel the same one that generously gave you that lovely spool of thread you have out on display?”

“Yes, she is, but how do you know about that?” Rarity asked, shooting glare of suspicion.

“Well, I do need something to do during my free time, and what better way than to snoop around my friends’ homes?”

Everypony at the table shuddered.

“Um, moving on now,” Fluttershy continued, pointing at Glamour. “And this is Glamour. She’s marefriends with Coco Pommel, and she’s becoming a popular model in Manehattan.”

“You don’t say…” Discord stared at Glamour for a few seconds, stroking his white goatee. A grin appeared on his face, and he pulled out a giant magnifying glass and brought it up to Glamour.

To Glamour, all she could see was a giant, yellow eye, and it felt like it was staring into her soul. She whimpered as she tried to sink down into her seat.

“Discord, stop that,” Twilight ordered.

“Oh fine, if I must.” Discord threw the magnifying glass away with a loud squish, to Glamour’s relief. “Apologies for frightening the little model here. For some reason, I find her incredibly fascinating.”

Before anypony could ask what he meant, Discord cried out. “Oh, oh, oh, I know let’s take a picture to commemorate this glorious moment!” He reached behind him and pulled out a familiar-looking camera.

Glamour quickly checked into her saddlebag. “Hey, that’s my camera!”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’ll return it afterwards.” Discord tossed the camera into the air before stretching his arms again and bringing everypony together in a tight embrace. “Now say, cheese!”

A giant block of cheese with arms appeared in a flash of light on the other side of the table, caught the camera, and took the group picture.

Another flash of light later, everypony was back in their seats, albeit a bit dazed, and Glamour’s camera was sitting on the plate where her cake used to be before it exploded into Discord.

“Now, I do have to get going soon. You know, the usual things to undo, but I would really like a word with Glamour here,” Discord said.

Glamour pointed at herself with a shaky hoof. “M-me?”

“Yes, you, although, I’m not surprised you got a bit confused. I could be a model myself. I have the legs for it.”

“I-I’m not sure if I—”

“Oh, it’ll be over in a snap.” Discord snapped his fingers, and Glamour yelped as her seat rocketed high up into the air.

Twilight flew up after Glamour. “Discord, what are you—Oof!” She flew into a pillow that appeared in front of her.

“Don’t worry, everypony, she’ll be fine! I promise I won’t touch a hair on her,” Discord yelled before he flew up after Glamour.

Glamour gulped and clutched onto her seat as Discord floated in front of her and sat down in a lawn chair he pulled out from thin air. Looking down, she could see that everypony else was looking up at them. “Uh… Do we really have to be up here?”

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll appreciate the privacy in just a minute.”

“I appreciate not having to worry about falling to my doom!”

Discord scoffed. “That just means you and gravity are not on good terms. I know she can be a bit of a downer, but I heard she absolutely loves cookies. Although, if you ask me, I think she should learn to lighten up a bit.”

“Could you please get to the point so that we can finish this conversation faster and get back on the ground?! What’s so important that you have to talk to me about?”

“Oh, I thought you would be interested in taking a look at the picture we just took,” Discord explained, waving a photograph in his claw.

“But you just took the picture. How could you—” Glamour paused when Discord gave her a deadpan face and waved his paw to indicate where they were right now. “Right, Master of Chaos.”

Discord smirked, and the photograph folded up into an airplane and flew towards Glamour.

Glamour sighed and used her magic to grab and unfold the photograph. She screamed at what she saw. As expected, it was everypony being uncomfortably squished up against Discord’s smirking face, but instead of Glamour the pony next to Coco, there was a changeling.

“H-how… Discord, you know?”

“But of course. Being a powerful deity has its perks. That flimsy disguise of yours can’t fool me..”

Glamour gulped. “P-please, don’t tell anypony! I promise I’m not up to anything bad, and I’m not going to hurt anypony! I just want to live in peace!”

“Hmm…” The photograph flew back to Discord, and he twirled it around in his claw.

“Please, Discord, I’m begging you…” Glamour pleaded with a whimper.

Discord gave a smirk that sent chills through Glamour’s body. “Alright.”

A pair of scissors appeared in front of the photo and cut it up into several tiny butterflies. The paper butterflies then flew off… And then they exploded.

Glamour blinked, not quite believing what just happened or what she just saw. “Uh, really? Just like that?”

“Yep.”

Glamour felt relief wash over her. “Th-thank you, Discord, you don’t know how much this means to me.”

“Oh, it’s not hard to figure that out. The question is, do you know how much this means to me?”

“Er, what do you mean?”

“You see, my little changeling, it’s actually quite simple. I might be a reformed being of chaos, but admittedly, being all goodie-goodie is a bit on the boring side. I need some fun and chaos to keep things interesting, and I believe you are going to give me that. I can feel it in my bones.” Discord somehow rolled the scales off his eagle claw like a sleeve, revealing a banner that said “Glamour equals fun!”

Suddenly, Glamour was not feeling so relieved that Discord was letting her free. “W-wait, are you saying that something bad is going to happen to me?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Then something good is going to happen to me?”

“I didn’t say that either,” Discord replied with a wagging finger.

“Th-then what’s going to happen to me?”

“Well, that would ruin the fun then.” Discord smirked again and snapped his fingers.

Glamour blinked, and found that she was seated back at the table with everypony surprised by her sudden reappearance.

“Are you alright, Glamour?” Coco asked.

“Oh, she’s fine,” Discord said as he appeared in a floating lounge chair above the table. “I just found her interesting and wanted to get to know her better. In fact, I like her so much, I’m giving her my seal of approval!”

Discord snapped his fingers, and a live seal flopped onto the table with a foam hand in the shape of a thumbs-up on one of its flippers.

“Discord, what did I tell you about bothering the animals?” Fluttershy chided.

Discord rolled his eyes. “Yes, yes, I know. Sorry, Fluttershy.” Another snap of the fingers later, and the seal was gone. “Now, with all that taken care of, I must bid you all goodbye!” His chair morphed into a sailboat, and Discord, now decked out in a sailor’s outfit, flew away in his nautical vehicle.

Glamour groaned and slumped into her chair in exhaustion. “Finally, he’s gone. That… that was pretty scary, to be honest.”

Twilight sighed. “Discord has that effect on ponies. I’m sorry, Glamour. He was only just recently reformed. Combined with how unpredictable he is, I’m afraid it’s going to take a long time before he can comfortably interact with other ponies.”

“I think he’s progressing just fine,” said Fluttershy. Her eyes widened when the rest of her friends gave her deadpan stares. “Uh, okay, maybe he could be a teensy-weensy bit better.”

Eventually, everypony started conversing with each other again, but Glamour paid little heed to it as she kept on thinking about what Discord was talking about. She looked up when she felt Coco brush her hoof, looking at her with a concerned frown.

“Are you sure you’re alright, Glamour?” Coco asked. “What did Discord say to you up there?”

“It’s just… I think he’s predicting something bad is going to happen to me.”

“Don’t pay too much mind to his words. He’s probably just being a troublemaker, and if by the off chance that he’s right, don’t worry about it. Whatever happens, we’ll get through it together.”

A small smile appeared on Glamour’s face. “Thanks, Coco. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Coco smiled back. “You’re always there for me when I need it. I want to be there for you when you need it.”

The two of them kissed, this time ignoring the chuckles and coos of their friends.

When they pulled themselves away from each other, Coco turned to Octavia and Applejack. “So uh, if you don’t mind me asking, how did you two ended up being together?”

Octavia chuckled. “It’s a long story.”

Author's Note

That's right, this fic is a sequel to Fiddling with Her Heart, the first long length story that I posted. No, you don't have to read it because this will be the only real reference to it, but if you want to read a slowburn romance like this story, or just want to see how I managed to pair up Octavia and Applejack, trying giving Fiddling with Her Heart a try if you haven't.

Chapter 22: Love is in the Air

Author's Note

I got another piece of fanart from SilverWolfFTW. Be sure to check it out in the fanart section.

Chapter 22: Love is in the Air

The train ride to the Crystal Empire was not as simple as the trip from Manehattan to Ponyville due to the snowy mountains that surrounded the area. Fortunately, Glamour and Coco got to ride in a private car with Princess Twilight and most of the friends they made in Ponyville. Unfortunately, Glamour had to ride in a private car with Princess Twilight and most of the friends she made in Ponyville.

But before the train ride, Glamour and Coco got to spend a few days in Ponyville with the Elements. Spending time with them, Glamour realized that they were not the fearsome, battle-hardened warriors that she assumed they were, and all of them, except Princess Twilight and the perplexing Pinkie Pie, were just like every other pony. Then she listened to some more tales of the adventures they went on, and she decided she would go right on ahead and keep on fearing them. Her notion was confirmed when she personally witnessed them chasing off a monster from the nearby forest and dismissing the annoyance as something that they do almost every Saturday.

There was a bit of a silver lining though. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were actually participating in the Equestria Games, so they were taking a later train along with the rest of the athletes from Ponyville. But despite there being two less Elements, Glamour still felt a bit uneasy to be riding with the remaining ones.

Glamour was sitting with Coco, half-listening to her marefriend talk with Rarity about fashion. Applejack was sharing a seat with Octavia near the corner as they talked, while Pinkie was gorging herself with the abundance of sweets that she emptied out of the snack cart. That left Twilight who was in the next seat, quietly reading from a stack of books next to her.

Glamour flinched when Twilight looked up at her.

“So, Glamour, do you know much about the Crystal Empire?” Twilight asked, probably trying to strike up a conversation since Glamour was not really talking with anypony at the moment.

“Um, no, I don’t,” Glamour admitted. She regretted her answer as soon as she saw Twilight pull out a titanic tome that likely weighed more than her.

And then the lecture started.

Not even a minute passed and Glamour was already lost amidst the dates and names that spewed out of Twilight’s mouth. Not wanting to offend the purple alicorn, Glamour tried to grin and bear through the lecture, but after half an hour of nonstop talking, black started creeping up in her vision, and she wondered if she was actually dying of boredom.

“Twilight, darling, perhaps you are overdoing it,” Rarity’s voice suddenly interrupted. “I do believe you might be losing your audience.”

Feeling somepony nudge her, Glamour’s eyes blinked as she returned to the realm of the living. “Huh, w-what happened?”

“You were falling asleep because of Twilight’s lesson,” Coco replied with a small smile as she pulled her hoof away from Glamour’s shoulder.

“O-oh…” Glamour’s eyes shot wide open. “P-Princess Twilight, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you!” she apologized, fearing that she was about to get a rainbow laser to the face.

Twilight chuckled sheepishly. “It’s alright, Glamour. I got carried away… again. I get the same reaction when I try to teach Rainbow something. Sorry, I often forget that many other ponies don’t share my passion for ancient history.”

“Well, uh, if it’s any consolation, I do remember a few things, mainly that Crystal Heart thing. It’s a really important magical artifact for the crystal ponies, and when the Crystal Empire reappeared, you had to find the Crystal Heart to restore the empire’s magic or something like that before that evil unicorn, Sombra, came back.”

Twilight nodded. “That’s right. The Crystal Heart is connected to the crystal ponies and the empire itself. Sombra hid it when he was banished, and it was imperative that we find it before he came back. In fact, Spike was the one who got it to Cadance when Sombra got into the empire. From what Cadance tells me, the crystal ponies see Spike as a really big hero, so we’re planning on letting him light the opening ceremony torch for the Equestria Games to commemorate his deed.”

“Hey, everypony, look!” Pinkie cried out, pointing at the windows. “I can see the Crystal Empire! We’re almost there!”

Glamour moved to the window with Coco to take her first look at the Crystal Empire. True to its name, she immediately saw that many of the buildings seemed to glimmer in the sunlight, and she soon realized that it was because they were all literally made out of crystal. The buildings were all in some shade of red, blue, or purple. Despite being in the snowy north, Glamour saw greenery surrounding a large area around the city, and she remembered Twilight mentioning that the Crystal Heart protected the city from danger, including the frigid temperatures.

At the center was a big, white, crystalline castle with a massive spire reaching high up into the sky that would put all of Manehattan’s skyscrapers to shame. When Glamour asked about the structure, Twilight informed her that it was where Cadance and Shining Armor ruled, and at its base was the Crystal Heart.

By the time the train pulled into the station, it was past dinner time. Luckily, there was enough food that escaped Pinkie’s grasp to make up for it, but it did mean that it was not too long before they had to start thinking about bed.

When they all got off the train, Glamour was surprised to find out that even the crystal ponies were named in a literal sense. While all of them looked like earth ponies, their bodies glistened in the light, and she could not tell if it was because the ponies were actually made of crystal, or if it was some magical trait that they all possessed. Glamour had the morbid curiosity of wondering what would happen if a crystal pony tripped.

Glamour shivered when she felt a slight tingling run through her entire body and fill her with warmth that felt distinctly familiar.

“Are you cold, Glamour?” Coco asked.

“No,” Glamour replied as she swiveled her head around, trying to locate the odd sensation. “I just thought I felt something, as though something is in the air.”

“Oh, that would be the Crystal Heart I told you about earlier,” Twilight explained. “Since it’s connected to the light and love of the crystal ponies, it’s pretty much constantly projecting magic. I’m guessing you must be pretty sensitive to magic if you can feel it, but it’s nothing to worry about, and you’ll get used to it quick.”

“Uh, right, sensitive to magic.” Glamour blinked. “Wait, so are you saying there’s love in the air?”

“Um, I guess you could say that in the literal sense.” Twilight paused for a moment and then giggled. “Actually, we could say that metaphorically as well, since we have two couples here. You and Coco, as well as Applejack and Octavia.”

“Almost sounds like a perfect place for couples then,” Coco remarked with a chuckle. “I’m so glad that I got to come here with you, Glamour.”

“Me too, Coco,” Glamour said as she took in the love from both her marefriend and her surroundings.

It was a pleasant surprise to find out that the Crystal Heart was literally emitting love into the air. Combined with the love she was getting from Coco, she could feel her magic reserves overflowing with energy.

While the love in the air was not the most potent, probably due to being spread across such a wide area, Glamour could see a changeling living quite comfortably in the Crystal Empire, as long as they used their magic in moderation. That is, if they did not mind being in the same city as the bane of all changelings, Princess Cadance and Shining Armor.

“Gee, Rarity, are you sure you packed enough?” they heard Applejack dryly ask.

Near the train, Applejack and Octavia were watching Rarity supervise a few train conductors as they unloaded luggage into a pile next to her. The mountain of bags and cases was already taller than the train itself.

“A lady is always prepared for whatever may come up,” Rarity replied, thanking the conductors after they were done. “And this is the Equestria Games, Applejack. A special event like this demands you look your best, and you never know what kind of surprise might pop up.”

“Ah suppose… It’s a good thing Princess Cadance and Shining Armor have rooms big enough to fit all of your stuff at their place.”

“Wait, their place? Does that mean you’re all staying at the castle?” Coco asked.

Rarity quickly turned to Coco and gasped. “Oh dear, I completely forgot about you two. Yes, Coco, we all are staying at the castle, given our, um, statuses. I suppose we could try asking them if they have an extra room for you and Glamour.”

Coco waved her hooves in protest. “Oh, no, no, no. I was just making sure. You don’t have to go through the trouble. Photo Finish actually reserved a suite for us at the hotel.”

“Are you sure? It really would not be too much trouble.”

“We already got to ride in a private car with all of you,” Glamour added. “We don’t want to take advantage of your hospitality. Besides, I think Coco and I would feel a bit out of place to suddenly be roomed so close to so many important ponies.” Not to mention that it would be nice to be as far away as possible from Shining Armor and Cadance, she silently added.

“I suppose if you two are sure then.”

“Well, I need to get going,” Twilight said. “I have to help Cadance and Shining Armor with the rest of the preparations.”

“And Ah suppose the rest of us should get our stuff to the castle, while you two check into the hotel,” Applejack finished. “Ah’m pretty beat, and wouldn’t mind hittin’ the hay pretty soon.”

“Yes, it is getting a bit late,” Rarity agreed. She turned back to Coco and Glamour with a smile. “We’ll see you two tomorrow then. We'll have a bit of time to have some fun together before the games start.”

“That sounds lovely, Rarity,” Coco replied. She waved her hoof as she and Glamour walked in the other direction. “Bye, everypony!”

Making their way to the hotel, Glamour and Coco quickly found that the streets were teeming with ponies, both of the crystal and furry varieties. Still, with their experience in navigating the Manehattan crowds, it was actually pretty easy for them to keep moving, and following the directions of some helpful crystal ponies, they found themselves in front of the hotel.

As soon as Glamour and Coco entered the building, they balked at the sight of the busy lobby. Ponies were busily running and fussing about the hotel floor, and there were even quite a few griffons and donkeys mingling amongst the horde. Worst of all, the line for the check-in desk snaked along the walls and ended right where they were standing at the entrance.

With a sigh, Glamour and Coco got into the enormous line and hoped that it would not take too long. The check-in desk was fully staffed with crystal ponies, and even from a distance, Glamour could see that they were trying their best to keep the line moving. Coco was hoping that they could squeeze in a bit of sightseeing before bedtime, but unfortunately, that idea was discarded when they saw all the ponies, griffons, and donkeys in front of them.

“Well, well, well, looks like I did manage to find you two.”

Glamour and Coco turned their heads to find Grace trotting up to them with a grin on her face and a shopping bag by her side.

“Oh my goodness, Grace, what are you doing here?” Coco cheerfully asked. She went to go hug their friend while Glamour held their place in line.

“Taking a nice deserved break. You wouldn’t believe all the paperwork I had to go through after the Fall Fashion Fantasia.”

“I didn’t know you were planning to come to the Crystal Empire,” Glamour remarked.

“I didn’t know I was coming here either, but when I got all the work done, I just had to take some time off. I remembered that you two were coming here on your vacation, and I figured that sounded good to me too. I get to watch some intense competition and get to tour a shiny, new place at the same time.”

“When did you get in?” Coco asked. “We only just arrived from Ponyville.”

“Yesterday. Spent most of today touring the place and get some shopping done. Look what I got!” Grace grinned and pulled out a big glass bottle from her bag. “Crystal berry wine! I hear that it’s all the rage up here.”

Coco eyed the bottle warily. “You’re drinking all of that by yourself?”

“Not all at once. Of course I can handle my alcohol really well. I’m not like some ponies that get plastered in one of the fanciest restaurants in the city.”

Glamour shot Grace a flat stare when she smirked at her.

Grace stuck around to keep them company, but even then, the wait in line was draining. Even with the extra energy floating around in the air, by the time it was finally their turn, Glamour could not wait to get to bed.

“Hello there, and welcome to the Crystal Empire,” a weary, but still cheerful crystal pony mare greeted Glamour and Coco when they approached the check-in desk. “Do you have a reservation?”

“Yes, we do,” Glamour replied. “It should be under Glamour and Coco.”

“Alright then, let’s see, Glamour and Coco… Glamour and Coco…” The crystal receptionist muttered while she leafed through a stack of papers. After a bit, the crystal pony pulled out one of the papers. “Ah, here it is. We have a one-bed suite reserved by a Photo Finish for Glamour and Coco Pommel. Is that correct?”

Glamour nodded, but Coco’s eyebrow raised, and she asked, “W-wait? Did you say there’s only one bed?”

“Um…” The crystal mare looked down at the paper again. “Yep, one bed.”

A small frown formed on Glamour’s face when she caught on to the problem. “But there’s two of us.”

“Not to worry, our suite beds are princess sized, and they should easily accommodate the both of you.”

For some reason, Grace began to snicker.

“Uh, that’s nice, but we would very much prefer to sleep in separate beds,” said Glamour. “We would very much appreciate it if we can switch to a different room.”

The crystal mare quickly flipped through another stack of papers and shook her head. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but I’m afraid all the suites we have left only have single beds. Everything else has been booked up.”

Glamour groaned. “Why would Photo Finish get us only one bed?”

“Er, if I may, ma’am, we have been getting reservations ever since word got out that the Equestria Games were being hosted here. I do notice that this Photo Finish put in an order for a suite not too long ago, and it’s possible that we only had single bed suites left by that time.”

“So there’s nothing we can do?”

“Um, well, I guess you could downgrade into a standard room. We definitely have two-bed rooms for those. The rooms are still nice just… not as nice.”

“Hold on,” Grace suddenly spoke up. “Are you two serious? You’re actually thinking of giving up a sweet room because of a bed? It’s like you two never slept together or something.”

Grace’s jaw dropped when Glamour and Coco blushed and looked away. “Seriously? Not even once?”

“Um, Coco did lean on me while she slept on the train,” Glamour pointed out. “Does that count?”

Grace groaned and slapped her hoof into her forehead. “Wow, I didn’t realize you two were such prudes. Okay, I think you two need a little helping hoof here. Just leave this little problem to Dr. Grace here.”

Before Glamour or Coco could ask her what she meant, Grace went up to the crystal receptionist who had been patiently waiting. “Hello there, ma’am. So sorry for the wait, but my friends will go ahead and stick with the suite.”

“Um, are you sure, ma’am?”

Grace nodded. “They’re really sorry for taking up so much of your time, especially when there’s still so many ponies you have to deal with. So why don’t you go ahead and give me the room key, and I’ll sort out this little problem for you. These two lovebirds here are a bit shy, but they go so well together, and I’m sure they’ll be just fine in their suite.”

“Oh, uh, okay then.” The crystal pony passed the room key to Grace and smiled. “Thank you for helping out, and again, we’re sorry for the mixup. I hope that you and your friends can enjoy the rest of your stay here at the Crystal Empire.”

“Don’t worry about that. I’ll make sure they will.”

“Um, what are you doing, Grace?” Glamour asked as they were led away from the counter.

“Making sure you two don’t pass up an awesome opportunity. Look, you two make a great couple, and I know you also do everything together. Well, almost everything. Seriously, I still can’t believe you two haven’t slept together. I mean with all the kissing and hugging I see you two do.” Grace made a gagging noise. “Anyway, sleeping together might be a bit awkward, but you’re two awkward ponies, so it all works out just fine.”

“I don’t think that’s how it works…” Glamour remarked.

“It does when you prefer to give up a suite instead of getting a bit more touchy feely with each other. And before you say anything, no, I’m not pushing you guys to do anything funny in bed. Although, if it does go in that direction…”

“Grace…” Glamour said in a warning tone.

Grace chuckled. “Yeah, yeah, one step at a time. Look, you two need to loosen up a bit. You’re pretty crazy for each other, so don’t be afraid to try something a little new. It can lead to some fun things and bring you two even closer together.”

Glamour felt Coco poke her side and turned her head.

“Glamour, if it’s alright with you, maybe we could just follow Grace’s advice?” Coco asked.

“Are you sure?”

“We can work something out.” Coco blushed a little. “We’re on vacation, so maybe we can try something a little different.”

For some reason, Glamour could feel her cheeks heat up. “Well, I guess if you’re okay with it…” She turned back to Grace. “Alright, Grace, you win. We’ll take the suite.”

“That’s what I want to hear!” Grace tossed the key to Glamour. “Don’t worry, you two will be thanking me for this later. Just don’t forget to bring some nice gifts when you do.”

Coco chuckled. “We’ll be sure to remember that. Good night, Grace.”

Parting ways with their friend, Glamour and Coco made their way up the stairs and down a hallway to their room. When they found the room number that matched the number on the key, Glamour unlocked the door, held it open for Coco, and followed her in.

Glamour was already starting to thank Grace for persuading them to take the suite when she saw their room. They were greeted by a large, spacious living room that was almost as big as their entire apartment home. There was a small dining table made out of crystal with matching silverware, or rather crystalware, and a bowl filled with small, colorful fruits, which Glamour assumed to be the famed crystal berries. On the other side was a comfy-looking couch, a wooden writing desk, and a cabinet filled with complimentary snacks and crystal berry juice. The main attraction was the wide window on the opposite side of the entrance, giving them a clear view toward the center of the Crystal Empire.

Yet despite the luxurious living room, Glamour and Coco quickly unpacked and prepped themselves for bed and then headed for the suite’s bedroom. Like the living room, there were some fancy furniture pieces made out of crystal, but their eyes were focused on the single, big bed in the center of the room.

Despite Grace’s words giving them the nudge they needed to get all the way here, they found their confidence waning now that they were only one step away.

“So…” Glamour said, staring down at the bed.

“So…” Coco replied, her gaze also fixed to the bed.

After a brief silence, Glamour cleared her throat and asked, “Are you sure you want us to try this? If you feel uncomfortable, I could just sleep on the couch.”

Coco shook her head. “No, stay, Glamour. I know this feels awkward, but Grace is right. We’re so close with each other, and yet, we never tried sleeping together. We’re two perfectly mature ponies that respect each other’s boundaries. This is something that could be good for our relationship.” The red in her cheeks became more prominent. “And um, to tell you the truth, I might have thought about asking you to sleep with me once or twice before.”

Glamour chuckled nervously and scratched the back of her head. “I have to say the thought crossed my mind a couple of times as well.”

“So if we both thought about it… And we’re right here…” Coco glanced up at Glamour and down at the bed before giggling. “I guess Grace did know what she was doing.”

“I guess she did.” Glamour rolled her eyes. “Great, now we have to get her a thank you gift.”

Coco giggled again and then, with a nod to Glamour, she slipped into her side of the bed. Once she situated herself comfortably, she looked up expectantly at Glamour.

Glamour smiled back and got into the bed on the other side. She was not too surprised to find that the bedsheets were warm and silky smooth, and whatever material the pillow was made of almost felt like she was lying on a cloud, the one comfort that she got to enjoy quite a few times before moving to Manehattan. It was many times better than her own bed, and she was already beginning to think about investing in some upgrades when they returned home. For now though, she had to bring her attention back to the other pony in the bed.

“Good night, Glamour,” Coco said with a yawn.

Glamour switched off the lamp on a nearby nightstand with her magic, plunging the room into darkness. “Good night, Coco.”

Glamour closed her eyes, but she soon found it was going to be impossible to sleep because of a nagging thought.

Like the receptionist mentioned, the bed was wide enough to easily hold both of them. In fact, it fit them too easily. Lying on opposite sides, Glamour and Coco could fit a third and maybe even a fourth pony between them. Even though they were finally sharing the same bed, all that space between them kind of defeated the purpose, and Glamour was pretty sure this was not what Grace had intended. Glamour had to admit that she expected a bit more as well.

Quietly, she slid herself across the bed, but when she made it to the center, she bumped into something that made a familiar squeak.

“G-Glamour?” Coco’s voice came from the object she bumped into.

Glamour lit up her horn, and through the faint green light, she saw Coco right next to her. “Uh, hi, Coco.”

“Um, I guess we kind of had the same idea, huh?”

Glamour nodded automatically. “Guess we did.”

Glamour and Coco both stayed where they were. There were only a few inches in between them now, but they just stared at each other, neither of them making the move to close the remaining gap.

“So… we already made it this far…” Coco said.

“Mhmm…”

“And yet, this still feels a bit awkward… But at the same time, we both want this to happen, right?”

“Mhmm…”

While they did not retreat from each other, they still didn’t move closer either. All they did was silently stare at each other.

“Um, Glamour,” Coco uttered. “Maybe we should—”

Glamour, tired of waiting and wanting to get to sleep, took a deep breath and quickly reached out with her forehooves, pulling Coco close to her and getting another squeak out of her marefriend. When Coco made no movement to break the hold, she wrapped her hooves securely around Coco’s back. She soon felt Coco’s hooves move to her back, locking themselves together.

“This… this is nice,” Coco said with a sigh of content as she nuzzled into the crook of Glamour’s neck.

“Mhmm…” Glamour smiled and rested her chin on top of Coco’s. They had hugged plenty of times before, but never this intimately. And it was perfect.

It was not just the ample waves of love flooding into her. She already knew that finding Coco was the best thing that ever happened to her, but holding her in her hooves was the best feeling she ever felt before. She felt full, not in terms of hunger, but what she felt in her heart. She was happy.

“I wish we could be like this forever,” Coco murmured.

Glamour hugged Coco tighter as though she was the most precious thing in the world, and from the way she saw it, Coco fit that description perfectly. She let her magic fade, returning them to the darkness where all they could sense were their bodies entwined together. “Me too, Coco. Me too…”

The games would begin soon, but for tonight, nothing else mattered to Glamour except what she held in her hooves as she finally drifted off into a peaceful sleep beside her special somepony.

Chapter 23: Let the Games Begin

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Chapter 24: Questions

Loneliness and guilt was all Glamour could feel as she lay in bed, staring up at the white-blue crystal ceiling in her changeling form. She had been confined to a small guest room located somewhere inside the Crystal Empire’s castle. Her room was about the same size as her own room back in Manehattan, and it only contained the bed she was lying on, a chair, and a small dresser. With no windows, the only way out was through the locked door.

Even if the door was not locked, she knew that there was at least a guard or two outside her room, and in her current state, it would not take much to subdue her. After the huge shield spell, she had only siphoned a modest amount of love from Coco. It was enough to take away the brunt of her own ailments without risking any form of side effects on Coco. However, it did not do much to refill the exorbitant amount of magic she expended. All Glamour could muster now with the Crystal Heart’s love in the air was the most basic of spells, as well as shifting into her pony form. Escape was pretty much impossible, not that she was planning to.

Just as Glamour had feared, the disabling spell interfered with her disguise, cancelling each other out. The security team had arrested her on the spot, and to avoid a panic, they covered Glamour up in a spare uniform to escort her to the castle, away from the public eye.

As she was being escorted out of the stadium, Glamour saw the look of fear and despair on Coco’s face. Even now, after at least a few hours alone in the room, the sight was still etched into her mind, haunting her.

Coco finally found out who she was, and Glamour knew she was going to have to face the consequences of her lies and cowardice.

Glamour’s ears twitched when she heard hoofsteps from the other side of the locked door, and she quickly sat up, wondering if it was the pony she both hoped and dreaded to see.

When the door opened, she gulped, only seeing a pony she dreaded to see. “P-Princess Twilight…”

“Hello there, changeling,” Twilight greeted, closing the door behind her. Her tone was even, and her face showed no emotion.

“W-what are you doing here?” Glamour wondered if she should begin packing her bags for her one-way trip to the moon.

“I am one of the ponies in charge of Changeling Affairs in Equestria, and I have taken it upon myself to personally look into this matter.” Twilight must have noticed the look of terror that flashed across Glamour’s face because she continued with, “And no, I am not here to inflict any sort of bodily harm on you.”

“Um, so does that mean I’m being banished?”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “No banishment either. Look, you are not being automatically branded as a threat. You will be able to plead your case before I decide on the appropriate actions to handle you.”

“R-really? You’re really giving me a chance? Even though—”

“Even though Shining Armor is my brother and Cadance was my foalsitter? Even though it might be possible that I still have a grudge and decided to preside over Changeling Affairs just so that I could go on a vindictive crusade against changelings?” Twilight asked with a flat stare.

Glamour blinked and slowly nodded. “Yeah, that.”

Twilight sighed. “You are actually not the first changeling I have had to deal with, nor are you the first to have the same thoughts. With how big of a concern changelings have become, the Changeling Affairs Branch was created, and we deemed it necessary for at least one princess to help manage it. Cadance could not do it because of too many emotional attachments, not to mention Shining Armor’s as well. I thought it would be the same case for me, but not only did Celestia and Luna think that I would be perfect for the job, they said I would learn something from it. Since they have other duties to keep them busy and I don’t really have any big responsibilities as a princess yet, I accepted.”

“Oh, um, good for you,” Glamour replied with a sheepish smile. “So, just curious, what happened to the changelings before me?”

Twilight shook her head. “That’s classified. Anyway, that’s enough of me answering your questions. I have questions of my own.” She took a quick look around the room. “By the way, it’s a good thing that you did not resist arrest when you were exposed. It’s not much, but this room is certainly better than the prison cells here. They’re leftovers from Sombra’s rule, and they’re not pretty.”

Glamour sighed and looked away. “There was no point in me running away. Everything that mattered to me fell apart when my disguise did.”

“I see…” After a moment’s pause, Twilight took a breath. “Well, let’s just move along, shall we? First, what is your name?”

“It’s… It’s Glamour.”

“I meant your real name.”

“That is my real name.”

Twilight’s eyebrow climbed up to her tiara. “So your name is Glamour, and you happened to impersonate a pony named Glamour?”

Glamour shook her head. “There is no pony named Glamour. I created my own pony form and used my name on top of it. If you don’t believe me, you can check the records, and you’ll find no mention of me before I settled down in Manehattan.”

“That’s going to make things a bit more complicated. I’ll have to look into that and get back to you another time. We’ll just proceed to the next question in the meantime. Now, you were in a relationship with Coco Pommel. We did a thorough scan of her, and we did not uncover any spells or other outside forces influencing her actions. What were your intentions with her?”

Glamour cringed. Hearing Coco’s name made her guilt resurge, making her fall silent as her thoughts were filled with nothing but the mare she loved.

“Glamour, answer the question, please. What were your intentions with—”

“How’s Coco?”

Twilight blinked. “Excuse me?”

“How’s Coco?” Glamour repeated as she got off the bed.

“Why do you want to know?”

“Because… Because she’s very important to me. She was never my target, and I had no intentions of harming her. We met simply by accident. But when we started to spend time together, we became friends… And then we spent more time together and then… And then we fell in love with each other.” Glamour’s gaze fell for a moment as she let out a heavy sigh. Looking back up with a forlorn frown, she begged, “Please, Princess Twilight, I need to know if she’s doing alright.”

Twilight simply continued to blankly stare, and Glamour wondered if she had overstepped her boundaries and was about to get an angry laser to the face as a response.

“Coco is upset, to put it mildly,” Twilight finally answered. “I was not informed about you until after the closing ceremony, but from what I heard, Coco did not attend the ceremony and spent the whole time being comforted by her friend Grace in the security office.”

Glamour felt her heart twist. She had figured Coco was going to be upset, but to actually hear about it was another story. She hung her head, knowing that she was the reason Coco was so distressed now.

“We’re moving her into the castle,” Twilight added when Glamour remained silent.

Glamour’s gaze shot back up at Twilight. “W-what?”

“It was under my recommendation that Coco, along with Grace, be moved into the castle until she feels better. Coco needs to be close to friends that will help support and take care of her during these tough times, and Grace, my friends, and I will do just that.”

Glamour was not sure why Twilight told her that extra information, but hearing that Coco was getting help made her feel just a little bit better. “Th-thank you for telling me that, Princess Twilight. And thank you for taking care of her.”

A small smile spread across Twilight’s face, but it faded away after a few seconds. “May we please continue with the questions?”

Glamour opened her mouth to agree, but she closed it as a realization came to her. She knew she should be answering Princess’s Twilight’s questions, but it did not feel right to her, at least not right now. She should be doing something much more important first. “Actually, can I please make a request?”

“What is it?”

“May I see Coco?”

Twilight’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Why?”

Glamour flinched from Twilight’s stern glare, but she took a deep breath and continued. “I… I need to apologize to her… for everything I did to her.”

“Considering how she is right now, I’m not sure if that’s a good idea.”

“Please, just ask her, Princess Twilight. She deserves to be the first to know the truth about me. After I speak with her, I promise I will answer all of your questions.”

Twilight sighed and ran a hoof through her mane, stopping when it ran into her tiara. She then resorted to pacing around the entrance, mumbling to herself and frequently turning her head in Glamour’s direction with a frown.

Glamour knew she was wearing away Twilight’s patience and treading on thin ice, but she needed to do this. Even if she did manage to be set free, what was the point if Coco refused to have anything to do with her?

After a few moments, Twilight stopped her pacing and looked back at Glamour. “I’ll do it on two conditions.”

“Name them,” Glamour replied immediately.

“The first condition is that I will be allowed to preside over your meeting with her to make sure you don’t try to do anything to her.”

Glamour nodded. “Fair enough. And the second condition?”

“I am just going to ask Coco if she wishes to see you. If she is too upset or does not wish to see you, then I will not force her.”

Glamour nodded again. “I would not want you to do that anyway.”

“Very well then,” Twilight said as she turned to open the door. “I’ll see what I can do with Coco. I’ll be back, with or without her.”

Glamour sighed after Twilight left. She was not sure how Coco was going to react to her after everything that had happened. For all she knew, Coco had nothing but hatred for her now.

And Glamour knew she deserved it.

There was more than enough time and opportunities for her to confess the truth, but every chance she got was swallowed up by her fear. She might have started inching toward revealing to Coco her true self, but she had taken too long. Her time and luck had finally run out.

All Glamour could do was apologize for what she had done and hope for the best.

Time passed as Glamour waited for Twilight to come back, and she soon took a page out of the princess’s book and began pacing around the room. The wait to see if she either had a chance of redeeming herself or to truly lose everything was making her heart race and driving her mad.

After what seemed like forever, Glamour heard hoofsteps outside her room again, and she held her breath as the door opened.

Twilight walked into the room, but she remained at the entrance. Just when disappointment began to tread onto Glamour’s hopes, Twilight stepped to the side, revealing the pony behind her.

“Coco…” Glamour muttered under her breath. Even though it had been only a few hours since she last saw her, it was a few hours too many.

“Come in, Coco,” Twilight quietly beckoned, looking at the shy mare with a small smile. “Don’t worry, you’ll be safe. I’ll be here the entire time.”

Coco nodded meekly, and she took a hesitant step forward, pausing for a bit before she actually walked into the room.

Twilight closed the door behind them with her magic. “Would you like to sit down or anything?”

“N-no, I’m fine, Princess Twilight.” Coco sneaked a peek at Glamour and took a deep breath. “I just… I just need a moment.”

“Take your time.” Twilight nodded back at Coco before trotting forward to face Glamour. “Coco has agreed to meet with you. Keep in mind that I haven’t told her the little information you have told me so far, only that you refused to speak unless you saw her. I’ll allow this meeting to continue until you or Coco declare it’s over. Is that alright with you?”

“Yes, thank you, Princess Twilight,” Glamour replied, her gaze remaining fixed on Coco.

Twilight turned her head to the pony behind her. “Are you going to be alright, Coco?”

Coco nodded, and she slowly moved to stand near the center of the room, while Twilight went to wait in front of the door.

Glamour took a deep breath and took a step toward Coco, but she stopped immediately when she saw Coco reel back in response, and a pit grew in her stomach.

Coco was afraid of her.

“H-hi, Coco…” Glamour greeted, making sure not to get any closer to Coco for the time being.

Coco winced at Glamour’s voice, and she remained silent as she bit her lip. She took several deep breaths before finally looking away and mumbling something.

“Um, sorry, did you say something?” Glamour asked.

Coco’s gaze went to Glamour’s hooves, and she mumbled again, this time a bit louder.

Glamour heard her name uttered this time, but everything else was indecipherable. “I’m sorry, Coco, but I still can’t hear you.”

Coco took another deep breath and looked Glamour straight in the eye. “Where’s Glamour?”

Glamour gulped. “I… I’m sorry, Coco. I don’t know how to tell you this, but um…” She took a deep breath and pointed a hoof at herself. “I’m Glamour. I’ve been in disguise the entire time.”

Coco was silent for a few moments before quietly uttering, “You’re not Glamour.”

The way Coco said that, almost devoid of all emotion but a hint of anger, sent chills through Glamour’s body. “Coco, I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s true. A-and I can prove it, if you’ll let me.” Hoping that it would help her case, she transformed into her unicorn form. “Look, Coco, I—”

“You’re not Glamour! Don’t you dare pretend to be her!” Coco screamed, suddenly pointing an accusatory hoof at Glamour.

Startled by Coco’s sudden outburst, Glamour yelped, immediately reverting back into a changeling as she backed away a few steps.

Coco’s shout must have given her confidence, because she stomped closer to Glamour with an angry glare. “You’re not Glamour! You’re just a lying changeling!”

“C-Coco, I’m… I’m…” Stunned by Coco’s aggression, Glamour could not do anything but keep backing away from the normally demure mare. She had never seen Coco so angry before, not even in her dreams.

“What did you do with her?!” Coco was practically yelling, still advancing on the retreating Glamour.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Glamour kept repeating as a few tears escaped her eyes, not sure if it was despair or fear that coaxed them out. She gasped when she felt she hit something behind her, and a quick glance showed that she was up against the wall with nowhere left to run.

Coco was upon her immediately, jabbing her forehoof into Glamour’s chest. “Give her back! Give back the mare I love!”

“Coco, calm down!” Twilight suddenly appeared next to Coco in a burst of magenta magic and placed her hoof on Coco’s shoulder.

Coco turned her head to Twilight with desperation written on her face. “B-but I need to find Glamour!”

“I know you do, but scaring this changeling is not how you’re going to get the truth. Just take a deep breath.”

“I… I…” Coco stared at Twilight for a few seconds before doing as she was told. After taking several more calming breaths, she took a longer time to breathe out her last one as her head bowed. “You’re right. I’m sorry, Princess Twilight.”

“It’s alright,” Twilight replied, guiding Coco away from Glamour.

Glamour slumped against the wall, sniffling and sinking down to sit on her haunches as she briefly touched where Coco’s hoof had been. Physically, it did not hurt, but it did feel like Coco’s anger had pierced straight into her heart.

Heaving for breath, Glamour used a hoof to quickly wipe away at her eyes, and when she calmed down, she lifted her gaze, her remorseful eyes barely able to gaze upon Coco’s face. “I’m sorry… I’m so, so, so sorry, Coco… I never meant to hurt you.”

“You can make up for it by telling us where Glamour is,” Coco said, placing a hoof over her heart. “Please, I’m begging you. I’m sorry for scaring you, but the pony you impersonated is very important to me. If anything happened to her… I… I don’t know what I would do.”

“Don’t worry, she’s not in any real danger, at least, I don’t think she is.” Glamour sighed, her gaze lowering to the ground. “You really love her, don’t you?” she asked, even though she could already sense it.

“With all my heart. You don’t know how much she means to me.”

“Is it because she makes you feel safe?”

Coco blinked. “Um, yes, that’s one of the reasons.”

“How about when she encourages you when you feel that your work isn’t good enough, and how she’s always telling you that you need to be more confident in yourself?” Glamour continued, still staring at the floor. “What about all the times she makes you laugh whenever you’re feeling down, or when she’s always ready to make you a white chocolate mocha after a tiring day of work?”

Coco’s eyes slowly widened as Glamour talked. “That’s… That’s right… You’re right with all of those things… How could you have known all of that? Have you been spying on us?”

“It’s not spying if you have been living it.” Glamour glanced up from her seated position. “Coco, my name is Glamour. The pony named Glamour does not exist. There’s only me, a changeling that pretended to be a pony. This entire time, I’ve been lying to you about who I really am. How else would I know everything we did together and how we felt for each other?”

Coco stepped back, slowly shaking her head as her eyes widened. “N-no, you’re lying. You can’t possibly know everything.”

Glamour bit her lip. She could tell that her words were causing Coco pain and confusion, and it was tearing her apart to see Coco like this. But there was no way around with it. She just hoped that the both of them would be able to endure the torture.

“I remember and treasured every moment with you, Coco. I was the one who froze on stage of your first fashion show. I was the one who chose you to work beside me with Photo Finish. I was the one who you took off the streets and generously opened up your home to.”

“S-stop… Please stop…”

“I took you out to Le Fine, no wait… You’re always correcting me on it, it’s Le Foin. I listened to you talk about your friendship with Suri. You made a beautiful dress for me so that we could win second place in the Fall Fashion Fantasia. We did so many things together, Coco.”

“Liar!” Coco desperately shouted. “You’re lying… You just have to be…”

Glamour winced at the shout. “I’m sorry, Coco, but it’s true. I’ve been a changeling in disguise this entire time. Doesn’t it make sense when you think about it? That stallion that took Suri’s picture? That was actually me. I even followed you as somepony else when you went to lunch with Suri. Are you still wondering why there is so little information about me before I moved to Manehattan? Or how about how I’m always reluctant to tell you about my past? Well, that’s because Glamour the pony never existed.”

Glamour bowed her head in shame. “There… There was only me… Glamour the changeling… I was afraid of telling you because I didn’t want to lose you. I did try to tell you, honest. I tried several times in fact, but I always failed… because I’m a coward. I know it was wrong of me, but I was so afraid of losing you.”

Coco sank to her haunches, her eyes lost in a glazed, empty gaze. “But… But… It can’t be… And yet… All those memories… All those missing pieces… It all makes sense…” Wrapping her hooves around her own trembling body, Coco whimpered. “It’s you… I can’t believe it, but it really is you…”

In a whisper that was laced with defeat and pain, Coco uttered her realization. “I… I was in love with a changeling.”

Silence fell over the room as Glamour stared at Coco’s hunched form, unsure of what she should do.

“S-so, it really is you?” Coco asked softly. “All this time you’ve been lying to me?”

“I was, but now I’m telling you the truth.” Glamour paused, and then she sighed and closed her eyes. “And that means telling you everything. There’s one more thing that I kept from you… Something that I really regret doing…”

“What? What else could you possible say to make this any worse?” Coco asked with a shudder.

Glamour gulped. “The first time we met… it wasn’t in your first show where I froze up. It was before that, during the rehearsal. You just don’t know that because I… I was somepony else…”

“Somepony else?” Coco slowly looked up. She stared at Glamour until her eyes widened with realization, and she gasped, covering her mouth with her hoof. “N-no… It can’t be…”

Glamour's breath hitched by the remembrance of how much worry and sorrow she caused by her carelessness. It was yet another sin that she wrongfully inflicted on Coco. Ashamed, she looked away and rubbed her leg with a hoof. “Yeah, Nutmeg… That friend you met at the rehearsal, who disappeared on you despite the kindness you showed, was also me.”

“So you… You were always…” Coco’s eyes began to shrink into pinpricks as her gaze lost focus. “Do you know how awful I felt? I thought that it was my fault that I lost a friend! Why… Why would you do this to me? What did I ever do to you?” Coco clutched her head in her hooves and began to sob. “What did I do to deserve this?”

“Coco, you didn’t do anything to deserve this,” Glamour replied. She walked forward with her hoof stretched out to comfort Coco, but she stopped, looked at her changeling hoof, and dropped it back down to the floor with a sigh. “I wasn't trying to hurt you or anything. I was just stupid and careless. I wanted to become a model to feed off the adoration of the audience. When Nutmeg failed her model interview, I tried again with the form you know so well. I was so focused on becoming a model, I made mistakes… mistakes that dragged you into my mess. And I feel horrible for doing that to you.”

“So what was I to you?” Coco quietly asked, her hooves slowly dropping from her face so that she could get up and look at Glamour with a tear-stricken face. Her voice grew louder and louder with each question as more rage was injected into each word. “Was I some sort of free meal for you? Did you seduce me just so that I could feed you?! A-and if that wasn’t enough for you, you had to play with your food?! You strung me along, manipulating me and dragging me through you sick, twisted games! You… you… you monster!”

Coco's final words echoed through the room as her tears now freely flowed from her eyes. Loud sobs racked her entire body, and she collapsed to the floor.

Glamour felt her heart being torn asunder, not because Coco called her a monster, but because she was sickened by the destruction she caused. “N-no! I never had any intentions to get you involved with anything! Things… Things just happened… I tried to not become too attached to you, but I couldn't help it. I was drawn by your generosity and kindness, so I wanted to help you. Then you helped me and took me in and then we became good friends and then… And then we fell in love…” She bit her lip. “Coco, I know that I’ve been nothing but a liar to you, but please, you have to believe me… All the love and care I felt and showed you… That was all real… Coco, I love you…”

“I just… I…” Coco stammered between sobs. “I opened my heart to you… I trusted you…”

Glamour could feel her own tears streaming down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry, Coco… Please forgive me… Remember all of the things I did for you? I did whatever I could to help you with your career. I did my best to reunite you with Suri. I risked my life for you today. And I would do it all again in a heartbeat. I know that cannot compare to all the pain I caused you, but I promise, if you give me a second chance… I will do anything I can do make it up to you. I love you, Coco…”

Coco slowly looked up to Glamour.

Glamour took a deep breath and shifted into her unicorn form. When she did not get any protest from Coco, she gave a small but comforting smile as she offered her hoof to help her up. “Please, I just want to make things right with you.”

“Glamour… I… I…” Coco stared at Glamour’s smile, her eyes still dripping with tears and her lips quivering. Suddenly, she got back up on her hooves and ran straight for the door. “I can’t do this!”

“Coco!” Glamour and Twilight cried out as Coco brushed past Twilight and rushed out of the room.

Glamour moved to give chase, but Twilight quickly stepped in front of the door with a hoof raised to stop her.

“I’m sorry, Glamour, but the meeting is over,” Twilight said. “I’m afraid you’re still confined to this room. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of Coco.”

Before Glamour could respond, Twilight quickly exited the room, closing the door behind her.

Glamour stood where she was, staring at the door. When Coco fled the room, it felt like Glamour’s hopes went along with her. Sighing heavily, Glamour dropped her unicorn form and flopped back into bed.

She had finally told the truth, but was it too much for Coco? Was it too late? She dearly hoped that Coco’s sudden retreat was just a result of her needing time to process everything. If it was because she could not stand being in Glamour’s presence anymore…

Glamour whimpered as a tear escaped her.

After brooding in her bed for a while, Glamour heard somepony coming once again. She was upright before the door finished opening to reveal that Twilight was back.

“How’s Coco?” Glamour asked before Twilight could say anything.

“She’s right now in Rarity’s room with everypony. When I left her, she had calmed down a bit as she talked about what went on in here.”

“Did she, um… Did she say anything about what she might want to do with me?”

Twilight frowned and shook her head. “Sorry, that’s classified.”

“Oh…” Glamour sighed before her head shot up. “W-wait, she’s telling everypony? Does this mean everypony is going to know who I really am?”

“These matters always have to be handled with discretion. For now, only the rest of the Elements and Grace know about this. Cadance and Shining Armor were also informed, but they agreed to stay out of it, and they instructed the security team that detained you and the few guards that have seen you to also not say a word about this.”

Glamour slowly nodded. It was a small drop of relief in the cesspool of sorrow that she was still drowning in. “So, um… I guess now that the meeting with Coco is over, you’re going to question me some more?”

To Glamour’s surprise, Twilight shook her head again. “That’s alright. I got more than enough from your meeting with Coco. We’re done for today.”

“Then what’s going to happen to me?”

“That is yet to be determined. I will need time to figure out what to do with you, but I can tell you that my decision will be influenced by Coco, since she is the victim of… well, you.”

“I see…” Glamour found it fitting that Coco would be able to decide her fate.

“I suggest you get some rest. I know that you had a very tiring day, and I will be spending most of tomorrow trying to come to a decision. In the meantime, you’re going to have to stay in here. I did tell the guards to bring you anything you might need, within reason, of course.”

“Thank you, Princess Twilight,” Glamour quietly replied as she let herself flop back into the bed.

“Is there anything I can get you before I leave?”

Glamour closed her eyes. “The only thing I want is something only Coco can give me.”

Twilight was silent for a few moments until Glamour heard the door open. “Good night, Glamour.”

With a click of the door closing, Glamour was alone again. She turned to her side, reaching out with her hooves at the pony she loved that was not there. With a whimper, tears began dripping onto her pillow, and it would be a long time before her weariness would finally overcome her. Right before sleep claimed her, she muttered one last apology.

“I’m sorry, Coco.”

Chapter 25: Barriers

Glamour spent the following day doing little but lie in her bed, stewing in her regrets and shame in her changeling form as she recalled the previous night’s events. She had anticipated that Coco would be upset, but she had hoped that she would be able to get her lover to understand her actions, even if they were pretty dumb.

But Glamour was once again taught that her plans have a tendency to not go her way.

Before she could really begin to apologize and explain herself, the situation quickly spiraled out of control. Coco’s love for her, or rather the pony version of her, provoked her into a terrifying fit of anger. Glamour was so surprised to see that side of Coco, she was unable to do anything but babble apologies. She was glad that Twilight had intervened on her behalf.

While seeing Coco’s fury was indeed intimidating, it was not her rage that scared Glamour. It was the pain and confusion that she could see behind Coco’s anger.

Glamour knew that she had betrayed Coco’s trust, and she wished that she could go back and do a better job of easing Coco into the truth instead of having it suddenly overwhelm her all at once. But with no access to time travel magic, all Glamour could do now was wait and hope that Coco’s kindness and generosity would give her a second chance, even if she might not deserve it.

With no window or clock in her room, Glamour had no way of keeping track of the time, so she took advantage of Twilight’s offer and had asked the guards to simply tell her the time. After several requests, one of the guards ended up coming into her room, giving her a flat stare and a small clock. Glamour supposed that she might have overdone it after the twentieth or so request, but in her defense, the wait was making her antsy.

Not wanting to agitate the guards any more, Glamour quietly remained in bed and resumed her brooding.

Night time eventually came, and to Glamour’s disappointment, it looked like neither Twilight or Coco were coming, and she would have to spend another day in solitude. But just as she was about to get ready for another night filled with attempts of trying to sleep, there was a knock on the door.

Glamour quickly sat up as the door opened. Twilight marched in, and right behind the alicorn was Coco, who kept her gaze fixed to the floor.

“Coco? Princess Twilight?” Glamour asked, her eyes flicking back and forth between her visitors. “Did something happen?”

“We’ve finally decided what to do with you,” Twilight explained. “Based on my investigations of your time in Manehattan, my interactions with you, and your bravery during the Equestria Games, I have decided that you are not a threat to Equestria.”

Twilight paused to wave a wing at Coco. “Unfortunately, since your actions have also led to much emotional distress and confusion for Coco, I’m not sure if you should be able to continue seeing her.”

Despite seeing the truth and reasoning in Twilight’s words, Glamour immediately leapt off the bed to stare at the princess with an incredulous look. “What?! Please, Princess Twilight, I—”

“Let me finish,” Twilight interrupted with a raised hoof. “I was just considering it, Glamour. The Changeling Affairs Branch also does its best to help ponies that have been affected by changelings. Coco falls into that category, and the both of us must take her feelings and well-being into account.”

Glamour froze, and in her mind, she immediately cursed at herself for placing her own feelings above Coco’s… again. “I-I’m sorry. You’re right, Coco is most important here.”

“Which is why I asked Coco for her opinion on what we should do with you. It took a while, but she has finally made up her mind.”

Glamour glanced at Coco, seeing that the mare in question had still refused to look at anything but the floor. “A-and what did Coco say?”

“She has decided to take you into her custody, and I have approved it.”

Glamour could feel hope bubbling up in her chest. “Coco… Does… Does this mean you forgive me?”

“No…” Coco replied, to Glamour’s immense disappointment. With her eyes refusing to meet Glamour’s, she continued. “I… I still don’t know if I can trust you, Glamour. You betrayed and lied to me, but like you mentioned, you have also done some pretty amazing things for me, including saving my life. I just don’t know if you really did it out of love or that you are just trying to appease me to continue using me.”

“I do love you, I really do,” Glamour replied. “You have essentially given me a second chance, and that means all the world to me, because it means I might be able to make amends with you. Coco, I just want to be by your side, and I am going to prove to you that I love you.”

Coco sighed. “That might be more difficult than you think.”

Glamour flinched at the words, but she could sense why Coco said that. Coco’s love was almost nonexistent, with barely a trickle the only evidence left of what used to be there. It was like Coco had walled off her heart toward her. But Glamour was going to do her best to open it back up again, because she knew that if she failed, any chance of them getting back together would be lost forever.

And for Glamour, a life without Coco was not much of a life.

“There are a few more things,” Twilight began, bringing Glamour’s attention back to her. “While Coco has agreed to take you in, we will have to take some precautions to ensure her safety. That will take some more time for me to hammer out the details, and I’ll explain the process later on when I’m more prepared.

"Also, while I was investigating your activity in Manehattan, I found out your employers, Prim Hemline and Photo Finish, both attended the Equestria Games and were still in the Crystal Empire. I talked to them to find out more information about you, but I’m afraid, that in the process, I had to tell them who you really are. I’m sorry, Glamour, but even though they agreed to keep your secret for the time being, they have suspended your work with them until further notice.”

Glamour balked. Just as she was starting to get good at modeling, her career might be over. She would be more upset with that part if there was not a slightly more important issue on hoof. “S-suspended? W-wait, how am I going to feed myself? Without my modeling job, I don’t have an audience to get adoration from, and I’m most certainly not going to force Coco to give me love.”

“Don’t worry, that issue will also be covered in my plan,” Twilight replied. “Again, you’ll find out about it in due time. Anyway, if that is all, I’ll go finish the preparations so that we can get you two back to Manehattan in a day or so.” She paused and looked to Coco. “Unless you would like to stay and talk with Glamour some more.”

Coco shook her head. “No, Princess Twilight. I don’t.”

“Alright then.” Twilight nodded at Glamour. “Good night, Glamour,” she bade before exiting the room.

Coco followed, but as she placed her hoof on the door to close it, she paused. “Glamour?”

“Yes, Coco?”

Coco finally looked at Glamour. “Please don’t make me regret this.”

Before Glamour could respond, Coco closed the door. With Coco’s departing words still ringing clearly in her ears, she kept her gaze on the door. Even though Coco probably could not hear her, she made her vow.

“Don’t worry, Coco. I will do everything I can to make sure you won’t.”

Two days later, Glamour, Coco, and Grace were at the Crystal Empire’s train station, getting ready to board a direct train all the way to Manehattan.

Back in her pony form, Glamour concentrated on loading their luggage into the train as Coco and Grace said their farewells to the Elements. Even though the Elements were still pretty friendly to her, she noticed it was a lot more subdued than before her real identity was revealed. Applejack was the exception though, giving her the cold shoulder and being gruff with her. It was like the apple farmer wanted nothing to do with her.

While she was still pretty scared of the Elements, Glamour had actually started to warm up to them. She felt a pang of sorrow knowing that her budding friendship with them had pretty much been thrown into disarray, and that she had to leave before she could try to do a bit of mending.

Rarity had asked if Coco and Grace would like to come back to Ponyville with them to spend a bit more time together, but they had to turn her down. Grace had to return to work soon, and Coco said she needed to help make sure the theater was all ready for their upcoming season.

After some more hugs and goodbyes, Glamour, Coco, and Grace boarded the train and were on their way back to Manehattan.

Since there were still plenty of ponies going home from the Equestria Games, all the passenger cars were pretty crowded, but the three of them were able to get some seats in the corner of one of the rear cars.

Glamour let out an almost indiscernible sigh as she gazed at Coco and Grace seated on the bench across from her. Even though she knew Coco would choose not to sit with her, Glamour still felt a twinge of pain over the empty void that had formed between them.

Part of that empty feeling was because she could not sense any love from Coco, but it was not due to Coco not having anymore feelings toward her, although she would not be surprised if that was the case as well. It was because of what now hung from Coco’s neck.

Coco was wearing a new necklace with a turquoise crystal in the shape of a diamond and was roughly the size of a plum. Surrounding the diamond was a crystal hoop that had a green tinge on its white surface.

To the average pony, the necklace looked like a simple souvenir from the Crystal Empire, but Glamour knew what it really was when Princess Twilight presented it to her and Coco last night.

“Do you know what this is?” Twilight asked, holding a diamond with a white, crystalline hoop. A silver chain was attached to the top of the hoop and wrapped around Twilight’s hoof, allowing Glamour and Coco to get a good look at the jewelry.

“Um, it’s a pretty nice necklace,” Coco said, tilting her head slightly.

“It kind of reminds me of the Crystal Heart,” Glamour replied, staring at the turquoise diamond and recalling her visit with the magical artifact before the Equestria Games started.

“You’re not that far off, Glamour,” Twilight remarked. “This diamond and the Crystal Heart are made of the same type of crystal. Granted, the Crystal Heart came from a far more potent source. You see, Cadance and I have been working on this, and even though it’s still a work in progress, it will suffice for what I have in mind.

“Glamour, this type of crystal has an affinity with love magic, allowing it to hold a great deal of it. This diamond, when fully charged, can probably feed you for two or three months, assuming you’re careful with how much magic you use.”

“W-what? You mean I would not have to worry about having to feed?” Glamour asked, now staring at the diamond with widened eyes and newfound wonder. “This is amazing! This could revolutionize changeling life!”

Twilight sighed. “I wish that was the case, but unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Love magic, like love itself, is powerful yet unpredictable. Even Cadance, with her affinity with love, doesn’t understand all of its mysteries.

“When I said you would have to be careful with your magic, I meant it. If you limited yourself to just wearing your disguise and using your magic sparingly, then yes, the crystal can sustain you for quite a while. However, using more than that would drain it much faster. I’ve tested it with a few other changelings, and when they tried to use their magic normally, they ended up depleting it within a few days. As you can already guess, it’s not exactly a viable alternative for all changelings.”

Glamour frowned and slowly nodded in understanding. While those crystals might have potential for changelings, it was a poor substitute for the love derived from ponies. She was sure that more than a few changelings would not be happy if they had to always keep a close watch on their magic usage. It would severely limit their freedom and capabilities. But to Glamour, those limitations were just fine if it meant that she could go back to Manehattan with Coco.

“So, I’m guessing you want me to wear that necklace so that I don’t have to steal love from Coco or any other pony when I go back to Manehattan?” Glamour asked.

“You are partially right. You should be able to draw energy from it by just being in the same room. Coco will actually be the one who will wear it.”

“M-me?” Coco asked, pointing to herself.

“The diamond is not only meant to sustain Glamour. It’s also a battery.” Twilight sat on her haunches so that she could use her other forehoof to trace around the hoop. “This other part is meant for you, Coco. It’s been enchanted with two spells. The first will cancel any of Glamour’s spells if they are directed at you or if she attempts to cast something dangerous. The second spell will activate if you get scared when Glamour touches you. When that happens, the necklace will produce a miniature version of the love barrier that blew away the changelings during the Royal Wedding. In other words, it will knock Glamour away from you.”

“So this necklace will protect me from changelings?” Coco asked.

Twilight shook her head. “No, just Glamour.”

“Wait, wait, wait, are you serious? You made an anti-Glamour necklace?” Glamour asked with an incredulous look.

Twilight gave Glamour a flat stare. “Of course not. Have you noticed that I’ve been using my hooves instead of my magic to hold up this necklace? Those two spells are actually dormant right now, but they will turn on when they are exposed to somepony’s magic. That’s where you come in. You will activate the spells, and by doing so, they will record your magic signature, allowing them to react against you and only you.”

“So it’s going to be an anti-Glamour necklace.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Fine, it’s an anti-Glamour necklace, but that’s not its only purpose. It’s also going to be a test. The two spells only need a little magic to maintain themselves, however, as you can guess, they will use up a big chunk of magic from the diamond whenever they go off. When the diamond is low on magic, it will start to turn gray, and Coco will inform me about it. Basically, if I receive a letter from Coco too soon, I am going to assume you have either been threatening her or are unable to control your feeding urges. I will then have no choice but assume that you are a danger to Coco. Not only will you never be allowed to see her again, but there might be other forms of punishments depending on how severe your actions were.”

Glamour gulped. “A-and if I pass the test?”

“Then we’ll discuss some long term plans to allow you to live peacefully in Equestria.” Twilight looked to Coco. “Are you alright with all of this, Coco?”

Coco turned her head to Glamour, staring at her with uncertainty and fear. After a few moments and receiving a pleading look from Glamour, she took a breath and nodded. “That sounds fine to me, Princess Twilight.”

Twilight held out the necklace to Glamour. “Then that just leaves your consent, Glamour. If you accept, then just hold this in your magic.”

Glamour took a deep breath, nodded, and lit up her horn, taking the necklace from Twilight’s hoof in her green magic. After about a minute passed, Twilight took the necklace back, and the white crystal hoop now had a faint green color to it.

“There, it’s done,” Twilight said as she hoofed over the necklace to Coco. “You two are free to go back to Manehattan whenever you are ready. I hope everything works out between you two.”

As Glamour watched Coco put on the necklace, she sighed and replied, “I hope so too, Princess Twilight.”

The train ride back to Manehattan was long and awkward. Despite the other ponies sharing their car, Glamour, Coco, and Grace remained in their own little bubble of stifling silence in the corner.

Glamour noticed Grace paid little attention to anything but her and Coco. She knew that Grace was just making sure Coco was safe, but it still filled Glamour with even more dejection. Besides Coco, Grace was the only other real friend Glamour had, and it was driving her a bit crazy that she could not discern the stoic-faced secretary’s feelings toward her now that she knew she was a changeling. Glamour was sure of one thing though. Despite the sometimes annoying snark, she found herself missing the normally talkative, wisecracking Grace.

As for Coco, Glamour was doing her best to get Coco to warm up to her again, but it was met with little success. Ever since she told Coco everything, her former marefriend hardly looked at her and tried not to stand too close to her. Any attempt at starting a conversation with Coco quickly died from one word responses.

Eventually, they made it back home, despite the tense air that surrounded them the entire trip.

Without asking for permission, Grace ended up joining Glamour and Coco when they started heading back to their apartment. It did not take Glamour long after they started walking to notice that Coco was still giving her a wide berth and pretty much was pressing against Grace’s side. Disappointed as she was, Glamour conceded to playing it safe, and she silently elected to trail behind, allowing Coco and Grace to walk a bit more comfortably together.

When they finally arrived home in the early evening, Grace watched them go inside the apartment before finally breaking the silence. “Well, it’s been one crazy trip. I’ll see you two… whenever, I guess. But feel free to hit me up if there’s anything you need.”

Glamour was not sure if that last part was just meant for Coco or the both of them.

After wishing Grace a goodnight, Glamour closed the door and turned to look at her home. The apartment was pretty much how they left it, except for a few thin films of dust that had gathered up on some of the surfaces. As Glamour continued to look around, her ears flicked when she heard some rustling, and she turned her head to see that Coco had just dumped her bags on the floor and was heading for her room.

“Um, are you alright, Coco?” Glamour asked.

Coco paused, taking a moment to look down and bring a hoof to her necklace, before replying, “I’m… I’m just going to bed. I’m tired.”

“Oh, uh, alright then. Good night, Coco,” Glamour replied with an uneasy smile.

Coco did not even glance at her and just merely nodded before going into the room and shutting the door behind her.

Glamour let out a heavy sigh. Coco barely wanted to have anything to do with her, and it felt like her chances of getting back together with her were hanging by a thread. She tried to rationalize that it would take time before things could even begin to heal, but it did little to quell her aching heart.

With nothing to do, Glamour decided to call it an early night herself. She went into her room, letting her bags fall to the floor before flopping into her bed. It soon became apparent that sleep, once again, was going to elude her.

She was uncomfortable, and it was not due to missing the luxurious bed from the hotel suite. Home was someplace where she was supposed to feel safe and happy, but she felt none of those things. Until Coco started warming up to her again, Glamour knew that she was going to have to carefully think about every single word and action that came out of her. One wrong move could easily end in disaster.

She might finally be home again, and yet, it did not feel like she was.

Chapter 26: Fears and Frustrations

A loud clattering rang through the apartment as a saucepan hit the kitchen floor.

Glamour groaned and bent down to pick up the saucepan she dropped. After flipping it around in her hoof and finding no signs of damage on it, she placed the saucepan in the sink to give it a quick wash.

With a sponge in her hoof, she began scrubbing the saucepan. The faint squeak of a door opening made Glamour turn her head, and she saw that Coco was silently peeking out of her room to look at her. With a sheepish grin, Glamour said, “Sorry about the noise, Coco. I just dropped a saucepan while I was getting ready to make some white chocolate mocha.”

“Oh, okay,” Coco replied with a nod before immediately retreating back into her room.

Glamour frowned, staring at the closed door for a second, before she let out a sigh and went back to cleaning the saucepan.

It had been a few days since she and Coco returned from the Crystal Empire, and for Glamour, it has been nothing but awkwardness and frustration.

Coco went to visit the theater she worked at the day after they came back. Glamour had offered to accompany her, but she was quickly refused. When Coco came back, she briefly mentioned that she had new work to do before going straight to her room to start on it.

Since then, they had little interaction with each other. Coco would spend most of the day holed up in her room, claiming she was too busy with her work and did not need any distractions. Because of both respect and a fear of causing even more trouble for Coco, Glamour did her best to oblige the request and stayed out of Coco’s room.

With her modeling career on hold, Glamour remained at home to keep the place clean and running. Even though she had already performed this routine often between her previous modeling appearances, her chores this time around felt dull and lonely without Coco’s presence to brighten up her day.

Glamour continued to wash the saucepan until she was sure it was free of any dirt. After one final rinse, she grabbed the clean saucepan with her hooves and awkwardly walked it over to the stove on her hind legs. She let out a sigh of relief and wiped her brow after she managed to set the saucepan down on one of the stove’s burners without dropping it this time.

She then went to grab a kettle from a nearby cupboard and filled it up with water in the sink. Again, she had to get up on her hind hooves to carry the kettle to the stove, but the extra weight made it a bit more troublesome to carry with her hooves. When she tried to set the kettle down on the free burner, she misjudged her balance and set down the kettle too fast, causing another loud clang to ring through the room and some water to splash into her face.

Glamour let out a frustrated huff and dried her face with a towel before trotting over to the refrigerator. Getting on her hind hooves yet again, she grabbed a carton of milk with her forehooves and moved back to lift the carton over the saucepan. Carefully, with her tongue sticking slightly out of her mouth, she fiddled with the carton with her hoof until she got it open and then poured the milk into the saucepan.

Despite some of the milk splashing onto the stove, Glamour was able to get enough of it into the saucepan before the carton emptied its last few drops. She dropped back down onto three hooves and used her remaining forehoof to throw the empty carton toward the trash bin… and miss completely. She gave the offending piece of trash a look of disdain as it mocked her before walking over, picking it up, and properly dropping it the bin.

Glamour trotted back to the counter where a fresh bag of white chocolate chips lay. She ripped open a hole in the bag with her teeth, ignoring the few stray chips that popped out and landed on the counter and floor. She quickly used her hooves to tip the bag over the saucepan, dumping a hooful of chocolate into the milk and, to her chagrin, outside the saucepan as well.

She sighed and plopped the bag back onto the counter before getting started with cleaning up her mess with a brush, dustpan, and washcloth already waiting nearby. Having learned the tediousness of scraping melted chocolate, she made sure to grab every stray chip that escaped onto the stove before she finally turned on the burners.

After she finished cleaning up the rest of her mess, she grabbed a spoon in her mouth. Gingerly, she dipped the spoon into the saucepan and began moving her head in a rough circle to stir the heated mixture.

When the mixture began to boil, one bubble grew right under her face and burst. Even though it was only a few droplets that splashed onto her face, the sudden heat and surprise made her yelp, and the spoon dropped right into the saucepan, completely submerging into the hot milk.

Glamour frowned, and she slowly reached up with a hoof, but then thought better of it. With a frustrated groan, she lit up her horn and fished out the spoon with her magic and used it to continue stirring.

After she finished stirring, Glamour went to the coffee grinder and exercised her mouth again to use a scooper to transfer coffee beans from a nearby bag and into the device. She was thankful that she dropped very few beans, but when she went to start grinding the coffee, she paused.

Lifting up her forehoof to her face, her eyes went back and forth between her hoof and the rather small crank that operated the coffee grinder. They kept on flicking back and forth until the kettle started whistling.

Glamour rolled her eyes, and with much grumbling, she lit up her horn, turning off the stove and then operating the grinder. With her patience all gone, she continued to use her magic to finish the rest of her cooking.

The remaining steps went by swimmingly with her magic, and before long, Glamour was able to pour her finished white chocolate mocha into two mugs. Having suffered a burnt mouth or ten from previous creations, she knew that she should clean up her mess first before indulging herself. Once the kitchen was clean, she let out an exhausted sigh and grabbed her own cup of mocha.

A small frown appeared on her face when she took a sip of her hot drink. Even though she had made white chocolate mocha dozens of times before, the batches she whipped up these past few days were not as delicious. She knew that at least part of the reason was because she was trying some new methods in her cooking, but she felt that the other reason was because she had to drink it by herself.

Glamour took another sip of her drink. Despite the diminished flavor, it was still pretty tasty, and she certainly was not going to throw out good white chocolate mocha that she literally slaved over a hot stove.

After finishing a few more sips to sate her appetite, she put down her mug and went to Coco’s door. Taking a deep breath, she gently knocked.

After a moment of silence, Coco’s voice replied with a “Y-yes?”

“I finished making some white chocolate mocha. Do you want to come out and have some?”

“Um, no thanks.”

Glamour’s ears drooped a bit, even though she had anticipated that answer. “Then do you want me to bring it to you?”

“Um, not now.”

“Alright, I’ll, uh, I’ll just leave you be then…”

She turned back around, grabbed her mug, and sat down on the couch with a sigh. As she nursed her drink, she looked around the apartment to find something to clean or fix, but she found nothing. Everything had been swept clean of dust, there were no scraps lying around the floor, and she had already cleaned the kitchen. Everything was taken care of. Without Coco, there was nothing for her to do in the apartment.

Glancing down at the last of her drink, she suddenly remembered that she had used up the last of the milk in the white chocolate mocha. Going out to get some more would be another chore, but it was something to do, and it would get her out of the apartment.

After finishing her mocha, she went back to the kitchen and checked what was left in the cupboards and the refrigerator. A quick check of their stocks revealed that besides milk, they needed some other groceries and necessities such as more white chocolate mocha ingredients.

As she formed the shopping list in her head, she went to her room to grab her saddlebag and some bits. When she was ready to go, she exited her room and stopped in front of Coco’s door again.

Knocking on the door, Glamour said, “Hey, um, Coco, I know you’re busy, but you’ve been kind of working nonstop for the past few days. Do you maybe want to take a break and take a walk with me?”

Again, it took a bit of time before Coco replied back. “Why?”

“We kind of need to buy some groceries, and since you’ve been cooped up in the apartment, I thought maybe it would be a good excuse to stretch your legs.”

Glamour patiently waited for a reply, hoping that Coco would accept the idea. Grocery shopping might not be fun or romantic, but she needed every chance she could get to try and break Coco’s shell. Even if Coco ended up shying away from her for most of the trip, spending some time together might help mend their relationship.

“I-I’m fine. Go without me,” was all Coco finally said.

“A-are you sure?” Glamour asked, trying to hide the vast amount of dejection in her voice.

“Y-yes… I have… a lot of work. Just don’t get into trouble or stay out too long.”

“O-oh… Okay…” Glamour sighed, and her shoulders sagged. “I’ll just go then… without you. Oh, and before I forget, your white chocolate mocha is still on the kitchen counter.”

When she got no response in return, Glamour sighed again. “I’ll, uh, I’ll see you later.”

Glamour walked away, and right before she exited the apartment, she took one last glance back, clinging to the faint hope that Coco would change her mind. But Coco’s door remained closed, and after a few moments, Glamour turned back around and made her way through the building. She eventually emerged onto the streets of Manehattan and promptly set a direct course for the supermarket.

This was not only her first outing since she returned from the Crystal Empire, but it was more notably the first time she had wandered Manehattan without Coco by her side for a much longer time. Despite the many ponies walking around her, she felt lonely. Distracted and feeling glum about her worries for Coco, Glamour trudged through the crowded streets, absorbed in her thoughts and ignoring the ponies shoving past her.

When Glamour arrived at the supermarket, she was glad that she could have a respite from her brooding by distracting herself with her errand. She grabbed a shopping basket and immediately began walking through the aisles and grabbing the things she needed. During the course of her shopping, she found out that her popularity as a model was still intact when a couple of ponies approached her to praise her work.

She could have absorbed the adoration of the random ponies, but she resisted the temptation. Even if Twilight or Coco never found out, she felt that it undermined the trial she was going through to prove herself to Coco. Besides, since adoration was far less potent than love, the amount she would have gotten from just a few ponies would not even qualify for a snack.

A few of her fans ended up asking when was her next show, and it was a reminder of another thing that she had been worrying about. Modeling was a way for her to feed herself without having to lie and cheat other ponies, or at least not too much. She honestly told her fans that she was on a sort of break until she got some issues resolved. Before they could ask her further questions about it, she politely told them that she was busy and that she had to go.

When she eventually got everything on her mental list, she paid for her groceries, and after stashing them into her saddlebag, she left the market.

With nothing for her to do in the apartment and Coco buried in her work and not wanting to talk to her much, there was not much point for Glamour to return home right away. Figuring that she could burn a bit of boredom and time while she was already out, she began wandering aimlessly around Manehattan.

Whether it was by a subconscious desire or pure coincidence, Glamour found herself walking up to the same cafe that she and her friends frequented. She halted in her tracks right in front of it when she caught sight of Grace seated in one of the outdoor tables with one hoof propping up her head as she stared at the glass of juice she was sipping up with a straw.

Now that Glamour thought about it, she never got the chance to really talk to Grace since she was exposed as a changeling. Despite that, she had the notion that Grace was not happy with her either, due to the silent, stone-faced treatment she got during the train ride back to Manehattan. And given Grace’s demeanor, Glamour guessed Grace would express her discontent in a more physical manner than Coco.

Glamour immediately crouched down, thankful that this block was not crowded and for the tall plants that framed the exterior of the cafe. She thought about just turning back, but since the cafe was near the corner, there was a good chance she would be spotted before she made it out of Grace’s line of sight if she happened to look up. The alternative was sneaking past Grace and then going around the corner behind her.

Taking a deep breath, Glamour began crawling her way along the line of plants, ignoring the odd looks she was getting as ponies walked by her. Just as she reached the end of the plant wall, which was a short, quick dash away from the corner, Glamour winced when she heard Grace say in an even tone, “I know you’re there, Glamour. You might as well park your butt here before I make you.”

Glamour groaned and got back on her hooves to see that Grace was pretty much in the same position she was when she first saw her, except that she was now staring right at her with a raised eyebrow. Glamour gave her a small wave of her forehoof along with an uneasy smile. “H-hi, Grace.”

Grace just merely waved her hoof at the empty chair in front of her.

Glamour sighed, nodded, and made her way to the cafe entrance so that she could get to Grace’s table.

“So, where’s Coco at, and how is she?” Grace asked as soon as Glamour sat down and put her bag to the side.

Glamour was a bit put off by the gruff manner, but she understood why Grace did it. “She’s back home. She has been spending almost all of her time in her room doing work for the theater.”

“The theater? The same theater that’s about to open up its next season in less than two weeks?”

Glamour cocked her head. “Um, yeah, that sounds right. Is there a problem?”

Grace paused for a moment and then shook her head. “No, not really. I just thought she had that taken care of before the vacation.”

“I thought so too, but I guess they had some last minute stuff for her to take care of,” Glamour replied with a shrug.

Grace nodded, and her gaze went to Glamour’s saddlebag. “So then what are you doing out? Not planning on skipping town, are you?”

“Of course not!” Glamour reached for her bag and opened it so that Grace could see what was inside. “See? I was just buying groceries.”

Grace peered into the bag. “Bread, apples, white chocolate, milk, coffee…” She rolled her eyes as she settled back into her seat. “Well, at least I know it’s really you. Seriously, it’s like you’re addicted to white chocolate mocha.”

“It’s not just for me. I’ve been making it for Coco almost every day.”

“If you say so.” Grace finished her juice and then used her straw to idly play and stir the leftover ice while keeping her eyes on Glamour. “So, what about you? What have you been doing?”

“Since Coco is stuck working, I’ve just been staying home as well, cleaning and taking care of her. It’s kind of how things used to be, except I don’t see Coco as much.”

“And how’s that working for you?”

“It’s…” Glamour bit her lip. “It’s alright… I guess…”

“Are you sure? It doesn’t sound like you’re alright with it.”

“Really, Grace, there’s nothing wrong. I’m just a bit tired that’s all.”

Grace frowned. “I thought you would know by now that it’s easier to come clean than trying to hide something.”

Glamour winced as she remained silent, but after a few moments of Grace’s unwavering gaze, she sighed and nodded. “Okay, you’re right. Things aren’t going so great. When I said Coco stays in her room to work, I mean that literally. I hardly see her, and she does her best to keep our conversations short.”

“I take it you’re not happy with that.”

“Of course not. I love her, and yet I hardly see her. I know I messed up horribly by not telling her the truth, but I want to fix things with her. How am I supposed to do that if she keeps pushing me away?” Glamour groaned and plopped her head onto the table. “It’s… It’s just so frustrating…”

“What would you do if she ends up never loving you again?” Grace asked.

Glamour grimaced at the thought. She hoped that it would never happen, but she also knew that it was a definite possibility. She could feel an uncomfortable pit forming in her chest. Eventually, after a few steadying breaths, she glanced up to find that Grace was patiently waiting for her.

Not wanting to keep Grace waiting and possibly agitate her further, Glamour took one more deep breath and answered, “Well, it depends on my food supply. Without Coco’s love, I would need my modeling job for adoration, and if I don’t get that back, I would probably have to sneak around and steal love again.” She paused to bite her lip. “No, I can't do that. If I do, I would have to leave Manehattan or else I would cause trouble for you and Coco. And I really don’t want to leave Manehattan, because that would mean I would never see Coco again. I’ll find a way… somehow…”

Silence descended on the table after Glamour said her piece. She kept her gaze on the table, not sure how Grace would take her answer.

Grace broke the silence by asking, “You really care for Coco, huh?”

Glamour raised her head and nodded. “Of course I do. She’s not some food source to me. She makes me happy, and I want to make her happy. I cherish her greatly, and I would do anything for her.”

“That’s good to hear.” Grace’s stoic face softened a bit as the faintest smile crossed her face. “Just hang in there. I’m sure things will turn around eventually.”

Glamour was surprised to hear encouragement from Grace, whom she thought would rather be threatening her. Now, she was not too sure, and she had to know. “Grace, if you don’t mind me asking, how, um, how do you feel about me?”

“Since I know who you really are?”

Glamour nodded. “And don’t be afraid to tell me the truth. I would understand if you do hate me. I just want to know how I stand with you.”

“Hmm…” Grace sat back in her chair, and her eyes drifted up as she began to think. “Let’s see, you’ve been pretty much lying to me the entire time. It ticks me off that I unknowingly helped that by fudging up your paperwork on some of your missing info. But most of all, you caused a lot of heartbreak and pain for my best friend. Seriously, you weren’t around to see her after you were dragged off. Coco was a real mess.”

Glamour shamefully sank into her seat. “I… I’m sorry I put you and Coco through that. I know that what I did was stupid.”

“Very stupid,” Grace interjected.

“Right, very stupid. I just hope that one day, I can make it up to you, and we can be friends again.”

Grace shrugged. “Eh, just pay for my drink, and we’ll call it even.”

Glamour slowly blinked. “What?”

Grace dropped the rest of her deadpan face and chuckled. “Sorry about the cold shoulder earlier, but I just had to be sure. Listen, even though you lied about who you really were, you do seem sincere about your feelings toward me and Coco. I’ve also spent enough time with you to know that you’re really a good pony, er, figuratively speaking. I don’t think you intentionally tried to hurt any of us. You were just being dumb. Actually, beyond dumb, and I should know because I have to deal with a lot of ponies during work, and you would not believe some of the things that happen. Like I remember this one time—”

“I think I get it, Grace,” Glamour replied with a roll of her eyes.

“Right, back to the main point where you’re dumb. So, yeah, you made a mistake, a huge mistake, but you’re trying to make amends for that, and I respect that. Oh, and the whole saving my life might have helped a bit.”

“So, does that mean you still think of me as a friend?”

“I think you’re an idiot.” Grace smirked. “But yeah, I guess you can say I’m still your friend.”

For the first time in a while, Glamour smiled. “Thank you, Grace. Besides Coco, you’re the only other good friend I have, and I’m really happy to hear that I haven’t completely ruined our friendship.”

“Hey, you’re a nice enough pony most of the time, not to mention pretty fun to hang out with. Giving me plenty of material to tease you with is also a big plus. I’m still annoyed that you’ve been hiding who you are for such a long time, but I can get why you did it. You guys didn’t really make a good first impression on a lot of ponies.”

Glamour shook her head. “No, we didn’t, but that’s all behind me now. I’ve completely changed, and I don’t mean just my appearance. I just want to move on with my life and live here with you and Coco.”

“Well, hope that works out for you. Would suck to have you move away. Speaking of, how is your, um, food supply? Coco told me about that necklace thingy she has to wear for the both of you.”

“I’ve been really careful with it, only taking a little bit of love from it whenever I start to feel hungry. The way I see it, the longer the diamond lasts, the better chance I’ll have of showing Twilight that I really do want to be with Coco. I’ve even tried to forego using magic for everyday stuff like levitation.”

“Wow, you’re really committed to this.”

“It’s the only way I can think of right now that might convince Coco I’m serious about her, but I have to admit that it has been really tough. Unless I get back to modeling, I’m pretty much going to have to get used to relying on my hooves and mouth. Say, you wouldn’t have happened to hear anything from Prim about my suspension, would you?”

Grace shook her head. “Nope, sorry. And even if she was planning something, she knows I’m your friend, and she’s smart enough to not let me handle anything related to you in case I felt like blabbing it all to you.”

Glamour let out a groan. “Figures…”

“Guess you just have to hope Coco warms up to you again if you want to use your magic more, huh?”

“Pretty much, but I don’t see that happening anytime soon. It feels like she does not want anything to do with me. Sometimes I wonder why she chose to watch over me when in reality, she can’t even stand to look at me for more than a few seconds. Tell me I’m not just wasting my time trying to win her back.”

Grace stared at Glamour for a few moments before asking, “Did you know that Princess Twilight almost took you back to Ponyville with her so that she could keep an eye on you?”

Glamour’s eyes widened. “Really? I knew she was thinking of protecting Coco, but I didn’t think she would go so far as actually relocating me to another city.”

“And she almost did. Heck, she was almost out the door before Coco stopped her and pleaded not to take you away.”

“Sh-she did? Why?”

Grace shrugged. “I don’t know. You’ll have to ask Coco. All I know was that Coco was really desperate to make sure you stayed together. Now, does that sound like somepony who didn’t care for you?”

“I… I guess not, but if she wanted us to stay together, then why is she avoiding me now?”

Grace sighed. “Again, I don’t know. You’ll have to ask Coco.”

“Assuming that she will talk to me in the first place,” Glamour mumbled.

“Just hang in there, Glamour. Coco took it really rough when she found out who you are, so she’s probably still figuring out her feelings for you. She probably needs time. Don’t be afraid to try prodding her a bit, just don’t overdo it. I’m sure you’ll get through to her eventually.”

Glamour smiled. “Thank you, Grace. It’s really good to hear that I have your support.”

Grace yawned and stretched her hooves. “Anywho, I think it’s about time I get going. Good luck to you and Coco.” When she got up, she blinked and then started rummaging through her pockets. “Shoot, almost forgot to pay the bill.”

Glamour quickly reached into her bag, pulling out some bits and placing them on the table. “I got you, Grace.”

Grace gave Glamour an amused smile and a raised eyebrow. “You don’t have to do that, Glamour. We’re cool. I was just kidding about that getting even thing.”

“It’s a bit of a thank you gift,” Glamour replied. “For being my friend despite my dumb mistakes, and for looking after Coco when I was not there. Both of those things mean a lot to me.”

Grace chuckled. “Well, when you put it that way, how can I say no to a freebie? I’ll see you later, Glamour.” She walked past Glamour, but she stopped at the entrance to look back at her. “Oh, and one more thing. Screw up with Coco again, and I’ll be coming for you with a hammer. A nice, big hammer.”

Glamour gave a nervous grin and nodded. Knowing Grace, she would likely follow through on that. “R-right, I’ll be sure to keep that in mind, Grace. Bye.”

With her mood much better after her talk with Grace and the sun starting to set, Glamour decided to head back home.

When Glamour arrived at the apartment, she heard the muffled sound of Coco’s sewing machine running from within her room. Checking the kitchen counter, Glamour sighed when she saw an untouched mug of white chocolate mocha, meaning that Coco had likely stayed in her room the entire time.

Guessing that Coco had also neglected to eat, Glamour immediately went to work. Using her magic to speed things up, she poured Coco’s mocha back into the saucepan and turned on the burner. While she waited for Coco’s drink to heat up, she retrieved from her bag a fresh loaf of bread that she bought, cutting two slices of it before stuffing them into the toaster. When everything was heated and cooked, Glamour poured the hot mocha back into Coco’s cup and spread some jam onto the toast.

She wrapped the food and drink in her green aura and walked over to Coco’s door as the impromptu meal floated beside her.

“Hey, Coco, I came back a few minutes ago, and I noticed that you didn’t drink your white chocolate mocha,” Glamour said as she knocked on Coco’s door. “I’m guessing you didn’t eat either, so I made you a snack as well. I know you’re busy, but you need to eat.”

Glamour waited for a response, but all she heard was the constant clacking of the sewing machine.

“Coco?” Glamour asked in a louder voice. She waited again, but there was still no response.

Biting her lip, Glamour wondered if she should go right inside Coco’s room. With the loud sewing machine running, Coco probably could not hear her knocking. Glamour did not want to go inside uninvited, but she did not know when Coco was going to be done with the sewing machine, and she was concerned since Coco had not really eaten anything yet today.

Hoping that Coco would not be mad, Glamour slowly opened the door.

Glamour cringed a bit when she saw Coco’s room. Coco had indeed been busy. Multiple copies of costumes that Glamour had seen Coco make before were laying all over the room, and the floor was riddled with all sorts of scraps. Coco herself was sitting at her desk with her back to the door and was busily working at the sewing machine.

“Coco?” Glamour called out again, but she still did not get any response. Slowly, she walked up to the mare until she was right next to her. Leaning forward a bit, she uttered, “Coco”, close to her ear.

Coco finally heard her, but she let out a startled yelp, and as she quickly turned around, her hoof hit the mug that was moving through the air in Glamour’s magic. The impact made the mug wobble, and Glamour quickly channeled a little bit more magic to stabilize it. Unfortunately, she was not fast enough to prevent some mocha from sloshing out and spilling onto the bright-blue fabric that was going through the sewing machine, creating a sizeable brown stain.

Glamour’s eyes grew wide with horror. “C-Coco, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to!” She reached for the fabric with a hoof to try and salvage it. “Let me just—”

“N-no, I’m fine, Glamour!” Coco quickly said as she batted Glamour’s hoof away.

Glamour noticed Coco’s necklace glow pink for a split second before she was flung across the room by a pink barrier. She grunted when she hit the opposite wall with a thud, but she shrieked a second later when she hit the floor and felt hot liquid splash onto her back.

“Glamour!” Coco cried out.

Clenching her eyes and whimpering, Glamour’s instincts took over as pain and shock overcame her senses, and she rolled around the floor to try and get the hot liquid off her. She was stopped by firm hooves and was flipped onto her stomach as fabric draped over her back. She started to calm down when the hooves began gently patting where her back was wet, taking away some of the heat.

“J-just stay there, Glamour. I’ll be right back,” Coco said before the sound of rapid hoofsteps went out of the room.

Glamour did as she was told and stayed lying on the floor on her belly. She slowly reopened her eyes, panting from both the exertion and the pain. Coco had wiped off most of the mocha, and the brunt of the heat had dissipated. The affected area was still pretty hot though, and a few whimpers escaped her as she felt its stinging pain.

Glamour looked up when she heard Coco rush back with a wet towel in her hoof and then replace the fabric with the towel. Glamour groaned when the stinging flared up before being soothed as Coco gently rubbed the cold, wet towel around the burned area.

“I need to grab a few more towels. You just rest, Glamour,” Coco instructed as she got up and left the room again.

With her burn now watered down to a dull pain, Glamour turned her head to check the damage around her. The mug and plate she had been holding were lying to the side and thankfully not broken. There was a few small mocha stains that had seeped into the carpet, and both pieces of toast had landed with the sides that had jam on them face down on the floor.

Most notable was the blue fabric that lay not too far from her. It was the same one Coco had been working on, and subsequently used to wipe the mocha off her back. Glamour blanched when she saw that the fabric was actually an almost complete dress. Now, there were multiple brown stains to go along with the first one she made, making it impossible to salvage.

Glamour groaned, and her head sank to join the rest of her body on the floor. She was grateful that Coco had put aside her trepidations to help her, but she was going to have to face the consequences of her careless actions later on. Not only did she ruin one of Coco’s creations, wasting her time and effort, but more importantly, she had set off the necklace. All the careful magic conservation she had been doing was wasted in the blink of an eye.

Coco came back into the room with her hooves full of wet towels, and she sat back down next to Glamour to replace the one already on her.

Unsure of what to say yet, Glamour remained silent as Coco quietly continued to rub her burnt spot and periodically change the towels to a fresh one. After a few minutes had passed, Glamour could feel the stinging ebb away to the point that she could hardly feel it anymore.

Now that she had calmed down and was no longer distracted by pain, Glamour’s senses started picking up love. It was a tiny amount, but she immediately recognized it as Coco’s love. She could hardly believe it, not only because of the way Coco had been avoiding her, but because it was supposed to be impossible. The necklace blocked any of her magic directed at Coco, including her ability to sense her love, and Coco was wearing it. Or at least Glamour thought she was until she looked at Coco’s neck.

“Coco, where’s your necklace?” Glamour asked.

Coco’s body jumped a bit at the sudden question, but she recovered quickly and kept her eyes focused on the towel covering Glamour’s back. “Oh, um, I took it off. It’s on the bed.”

“But why?”

“I… I had to help you. I couldn’t risk setting off the spell again.”

“Oh, um, thanks…” Glamour glanced at the ruined dress on the floor and bit her lip. “I… I’m sorry, Coco.”

Coco shook her head. “No, I should be sorry. I didn’t mean for you to get hurt.”

“It’s my fault. I startled you.” Glamour sighed and looked away. “And now, instead of helping you, I made you stop working to take care of me. Even worse, I ruined one of your creations. I’m really sorry for causing so much trouble, Coco, especially since you’re so busy with your work.”

Coco’s hooves stopped rubbing, but they resumed after a moment. “It’s… It’s alright.”

“No, it’s not. I should have been more careful. I knew you were scared of me, but I got careless. I wanted to prove that I do care for you, but all that I have proven is that I just mess things up… again.”

Coco remained silent while she continued to tend to Glamour’s wound. After a few moments, she removed the towel and inspected the burn. “You got a bit of a red spot, but I think you’re okay now.”

“Oh, um, thanks,” Glamour replied quietly.

Coco simply nodded and got back up. She trotted over to sit down on the bed to grab her necklace and put it back on. To Glamour’s surprise, instead of going right back to work, Coco remained seated on the bed with her head slightly bowed.

Taking the silence as a sign that Coco needed some time to herself, Glamour got back on her hooves and began collecting the things she dropped and the wet towels in her magic. “I’ll, uh, I’ll just clean up for you really quick.”

Once she had gathered everything, Glamour paused to look at the stains on the floor and then back to Coco, who had been quietly staring at the floor the entire time. “Um, there’s still some coffee stains left, but I can try working on them another time, if you want. The more important issue is that you haven’t really eaten anything today. Since what I made you ended up on the floor, do you… do you want me to bring you something?”

When Coco did not respond, Glamour sighed and turned to the door. “Al-alright, I’ll just leave you be then. You still need to eat something, but I’ll try not to bother you too much.”

“Wait, Glamour.”

Glamour stopped immediately and looked back to find Coco was staring at her, or to be more accurate, her hooves. “Y-yes, Coco?”

“Do you… Do you feel like talking for a bit?”

Glamour blinked several times, hardly believing what she just heard. “I… I would like that, but are you sure? I know you’ve been busy with the theater costumes, and I don’t want to waste even more of your time.”

Coco sighed. “I have more time than you think. Come here, Glamour.”

Intrigued, Glamour set aside the stuff she was carrying and sat down on the bed, making sure to leave plenty of space between them, for Coco’s benefit.

“Glamour, I have to confess something,” Coco said after a brief silence. “I… I already finished all the costumes for the theater.”

“Really? When?”

“The, um, day I went to the theater. In fact, they didn’t really have a job for me, but I kept on insisting until they said I could try making a few spares in case there was an emergency. I pretty much finished those by the end of the day.”

Glamour’s brows furrowed with confusion. “Then what have you been working on these past few days?”

“I kept making spare costumes, even though the theater doesn’t need it. I just wanted to keep on working.”

It took a moment before Glamour realized why, and her head bowed with dejection. “You were just pretending to work as an excuse to keep me away.”

Coco’s gaze drifted down, and she solemnly nodded. “Yeah…”

Glamour forgot about her burn injury when she felt her heart hurt instead. Taking a deep breath, she asked, “Coco, be honest, do you even want me here?”

“I… I don’t know…”

“Can I do anything to make things easier for you?”

“I don’t know,” Coco repeated.

Glamour groaned. While she was not being flat out told that she was not wanted, not knowing what was happening made her just as uneasy. She then remembered her talk with Grace. “You know, I met Grace while I was out.”

Coco looked up at Glamour. “How is she?”

“She’s doing fine. Mainly worrying about the both of us. She did tell me that you stopped Princess Twilight from taking me to Ponyville.”

Coco’s eyes widened a bit. “Oh, she told you that.”

“Could I ask why you did that? I’m thankful that you brought me back, but I don’t get why you did it since all you have been doing is avoiding me.”

“Well…” Coco bit her lip. “I’m not exactly sure…”

Glamour groaned again and planted her face into her forehoof.

“Sorry, I know I’m being very confusing, but that’s because I’m so confused myself,” Coco continued, getting Glamour’s attention. “All I know is that when Princess Twilight said she was going to take you away, it… it felt wrong…”

“Wrong? How so?”

“Like a piece of me was slipping away. I… I think I was afraid. Afraid of being separated from you.”

Glamour perked up. “R-really? That’s… That’s great! Er, not that I’m glad that you’re feeling so conflicted.” She cleared her throat and calmed down. “But then why is it so hard to be around me?”

“Because I’m also afraid of you.”

Glamour’s rising hopes were swatted out of the sky and smacked into her face. “Oh… Guess I should have seen that coming, me being a scary changeling and all.”

“It’s not because you’re a changeling.” Coco paused for a moment. “Okay, it’s part of the reason, but the main reason I’m afraid of you is because you lied to me. And it wasn’t a few simple white lies. You hid such a huge, dangerous secret that could have easily changed my life.”

“Yeah… I did… And I deeply regret not telling you.”

“I was barely keeping myself together when I thought you were kidnapped, but when you confessed to who you really were, that’s when everything started to fall apart. I started to fear that you had some ulterior motive.”

“I… I know my words probably don’t mean much now, Coco, but I really am trying my best to make it up to you. I’m not doing all of this for any reason except to show you that I love you.”

Coco looked straight at Glamour with weary eyes. “I want to believe you, but I’m also afraid. I don’t want to get hurt again. I’ve seen what happens to a pony when love goes wrong.”

Glamour immediately knew what Coco was talking about. “Suri…”

Coco nodded. “I don’t want to go through what she'd been through. I don’t want to become what she became. I don’t want to lose my trust in everypony and end up causing them a lot of grief and pain.”

Glamour shook her head. “You will never become like that. You’re such a kind pony, and you’re stronger than you give yourself credit for.”

“Every pony has their breaking point, Glamour. It was painful to find out how much you have been keeping from me, and I’m not sure if I can withstand another trauma like that again.” Coco sighed and lifted a hoof to her heart. “And yet, it doesn’t feel right to just push you away. I was so happy before I found out who you really are, and I’m grateful for the things you did for me. A part of me wants things to go back to the way they were before.

“I’m so confused, and I’m scared that I might make the wrong decision. I have to be sure I pick the right one. That’s why I holed myself up in my room. Dressmaking sometimes helps me think, but more importantly, I needed to get away from you to figure out my feelings for you. But even after these past few days, I was just as confused as before, that is, until I hurt you. I’m really sorry that I did that to you.”

“Coco, I already told you that it was my fault.”

“Regardless, when I heard you scream, I reacted without thinking. I was lucky that the necklace was still glowing so brightly, otherwise, I might not have noticed it. It could have made things worse. The point is, I was afraid of you, and yet, my instincts rushed me to your side to help you. While I was tending to your injury, that’s when I realized, I still care about you.”

“Y-you do?”

“I think I do. I guess that deep down, I still see the pony who loved me and protected me, even though my head is telling me that you’re a changeling that lied to me.” Coco sighed and looked down at her necklace as she held it up with her forehooves. “What should I do, Glamour? I know I can’t keep hiding from you, but I’m not ready to just let things go back to the way they were before I found out who you really were.”

“Um…” Glamour desperately tried to think of a plan. Coco was giving her a chance to help guide her, but she knew that if she suggested something wrong, it could end up hurting their relationship instead. It was a difficult decision that she was being forced to take. She really wished that she had been more truthful from the beginning to avoid all the agony that they had been put through.

Glamour blinked as an idea came to her head. “We should start over,” she suggested.

“Start over? What do you mean?”

“Well first, do you think you could at least come out of your room more and actually talk to me?” Glamour asked hopefully.

Coco looked at Glamour and slowly nodded. “I… I can do that, yeah.”

“Then how about we go back to being friends?”

“Friends? You just want to be friends?” Coco asked with a tilt of her head.

“Don’t get me wrong, I still love you, Coco, but we also had a great time as friends. We bonded over everything we did together, and over time, it turned into love. I suggest we become friends again, taking things step by step, so that we can rebuild our relationship. Maybe, with enough time and care, we’ll rekindle the love between us. The big difference this time around is that I won’t be holding back any secrets from you. I promise to be completely honest with you.”

Coco thought about it for a minute and nodded. “That does sound nice, Glamour, but what if I end up never regaining my feelings toward you?”

Glamour sighed, but she kept a small smile on her face. “Then we stay friends. Coco, I want you in my life. The closer, the better, but if you’re unable to love me again, then I… I’ll be fine as just a friend. As long as I get to be with you, I’ll be fine.” Glamour offered a small smile and extended her hoof to Coco. “So, friends?”

Coco reached for Glamour’s hoof, but stopped when she glanced down at her necklace. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before slowly letting out the air. When she opened her eyes, she gave Glamour a small smile in return and gently touched her hoof. “Friends.”

Chapter 27: Can't Change Who You Are

Glamour slowly walked down the hall, her destination residing at the end of it. It was someplace she had visited several times, yet familiarity did little to diminish the terror in her heart. The thought of what lay in wait made her shudder with fear. She was tempted to just turn around and flee, but she knew that if she did, it would only make things worse.

It had been about two weeks since she and Coco had started to mend the fallout that happened between them. With both Coco and Grace’s friendships still intact, Glamour was glad that her mistakes had not permanently caused a rift between her two closest friends. Things were starting to look up for her.

Then the letter came.

Prim Hemline had summoned Glamour for a meeting, not giving any details or explanations. Grace did not know anything about the matter, but she did mention that Prim had spoken with her for a bit to ask how Glamour was doing. Despite the lack of information, Glamour suspected that the meeting was just a formality, while also giving Prim the chance to yell at her, before she was fired.

She had always been on thin ice with Prim and having been exposed as a changeling would be more than enough to break through that ice and drown her in unemployment. She was surprised that it took so long for Prim to get back to her.

Glamour took a deep breath when she finally arrived in front of Prim’s office. She slowly raised her hoof toward the door, pausing for a second to make an audible gulping sound, and then knocked on the wood. Her hesitant hoof only earned her a soft thump on the door.

Despite the subdued sound, an all too familiar voice from the other side of the door queried with a “Yes?”

Her legs trembling a bit, Glamour replied, “I-it’s me, Glamour, Miss Hemline. You sent me a letter asking me to come in today.”

“Enter.”

Glamour took a deep breath and opened the door. She was immediately met with the sight of Prim sitting behind her desk and looking at her with a steely glare. Even though it had been a while since Glamour had come face to face with her boss, the memories of previous unpleasant meetings resurfaced and made a shiver run through her.

“Hurry up, Miss Glamour,” Prim beckoned. “I don’t have all day, and we have much to discuss.”

“R-right, sorry, Miss Hemline,” Glamour replied, hurrying into the office and closing the door behind her.

“Now then, let’s get right to the point,” Prim said, her gaze locked onto Glamour. “Right now, you are in an indefinite suspension because Princess Twilight had informed me and Photo Finish that you are a changeling while she was conducting an investigation on your time in Manehattan. I called you here to determine what should be done with you.”

Prim leaned forward in her chair with a scowl. Even though it was not one of the angriest faces Glamour had seen, it still made her flinch.

“I should fire you right on the spot and wipe my hooves clean of you,” Prim continued. “Not only did you lie to me about who you really were, but you put this entire business at risk. If the public ever finds out that a changeling is working here, it would be a publicity nightmare.”

Glamour barely kept herself from whimpering. She could pretty much hear the fury Prim was suppressing. The meeting had only just begun, and her fears had been confirmed. She was sure she was about to get fired, and she was wondering how far she would fly after Prim literally kicked her out of the building.

But to Glamour’s surprise, Prim took a deep breath, and her scowl softened a little as she calmly sat back into her chair. “But that’s not how things will go. Instead, we are going to talk so that I can decide on the appropriate course of action.”

Glamour blinked. “R-really? You’re giving me a chance?”

Prim nodded. “Despite your unorthodox methods and questionable background, you have become quite popular. Firing you would produce its own set of complications, not to mention that there are a few advantages with keeping you. However, don’t think that I won’t hesitate to get rid of you if I deem you too much trouble to keep around. And don’t you dare try to lie to me again! Understood?”

Glamour quickly nodded. “Yes, Miss Hemline.”

“Good.” Prim opened up a desk drawer and pulled out a folder, which Glamour guessed was her file, and looked down at it after opening it. “Let’s start at the beginning. I want to review your history since you first came here. You are going to make sure I have the correct information and fill in any missing gaps.”

“Yes, Miss Hemline,” Glamour complied again.

“Now, you first came here on one of the first fashion shows of the season. You were given a trial run with Coco Pommel because her assigned model suffered an injury.” She glanced up from the folder at Glamour. “You didn’t happen to have anything to do with that accident, did you?”

Glamour frantically shook her head. “No, I didn’t! Honest! I would never do anything to hurt Coco or her career.”

Prim’s eyebrow rose. “Oh? I know you and Coco are close, but wasn’t that day your first meeting with her?”

Glamour looked down at her hooves while she nervously shuffled them. “Um, not exactly. You see, I first met her during the rehearsal. I was passing by that day, and I saw there were a lot of ponies waiting outside the building. I got curious about what was going on, so I snuck into the backstage area. Coco stumbled upon me, and she was really nice to me. After talking with her for a while, we became friends. I was excited that I got assigned to her for the actual show.”

“I see… Is there anything else that I should know about the time before your first show?”

“Um…” Glamour paused for a few seconds. “Well, there is another thing… I actually had an interview with you between the rehearsal and the real show. You turned me down. When I snuck into the rehearsal, I did it while disguised as a pegasus named Nutmeg, and I was that same pony when I tried to apply for a modeling position.”

“Yes, I do vaguely recall a pegasus that lacked many of the qualities to become a model.” Prim sighed and shook her head. “At least, I know you took my words to heart and improved yourself… somewhat… Anything else that you want to bring to my attention?”

Glamour ran through the events in her mind again, making sure she did not leave out any important information, and then shook her head. “No, Miss Hemline. I think that’s everything.”

“Very well.” Prim’s gaze went back to the file. “Let’s see, after you almost ruined your first show, Photo Finish hired you, and you chose Coco as your designer. Now, on your profile here, you initially had nothing as your home address, but then it was updated to Coco’s address soon after you were hired. Why is that?”

“Um, well, at the time, I just recently moved to Manehattan. Since I didn’t really have any bits with me and was too busy to find suitable accommodations…”

“You were living on the streets…” Prim finished with a flat stare.

Glamour rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. “Y-yeah… but Coco found out about it, and she took me into her home. I’ve been living with her ever since.”

Prim sighed again. “Miss Glamour, you are really lucky that I was too busy to remember to check your profile. Even more so since Coco took you in. That was very generous of her, seeing as how you two just became friends.”

“One of the many reasons that she’s so important to me, and I will be forever grateful to her,” Glamour said with conviction.

Prim stared at Glamour for a few seconds before returning to the folder. “Moving on then. Your work with Photo Finish was met with great success, and I must concede that you showed an ample amount of improvement in your next show. After the success of your magazine debut and your solo show, Photo Finish set you and Coco up to compete in the Fall Fashion Fantasia.”

Prim set down the folder on the desk to give Glamour her full attention. “I never got the chance to congratulate you and Coco, especially for Coco. Winning second place in her first contest, and a very prestigious one to boot, is very impressive. Considering how close you two were at the time and the colors she used in her design, I suspect you had a hoof in helping her.”

Glamour could not help but grin a bit. “She said I was her inspiration.”

Prim nodded. “Well, with that out of the way, I have another matter concerning the Fall Fashion Fantasia. I’m sure you remember the troubles we had right before the show, correct?”

Glamour slowly nodded. “Somepony sabotaged the designs of many contestants.”

“Having the works of so many prominent designers fall apart on stage would make ponies question the integrity and proficiency of this entire institute.” Prim reached into her drawer again and pulled out a piece of paper and held it up to Glamour. “It’s a good thing that an anonymous tipster slipped this into my office so that I would find it when I arrived in the morning.”

Glamour kept a straight face, not needing more than a quick glance to know what was written on the familiar paper in front of her. “Yes, that is a really good thing indeed.”

“You wouldn’t happen to know who this anonymous tipster is, would you? I really would like to thank whoever did such a good deed.”

“Um, well…” Glamour thought that she should go ahead and admit it was her. After all, it seemed that Prim already had a feeling it was her and wanted to thank her. But she then remembered something and thought about the potential consequences of her confession. She decided to keep quiet about the matter. “Why do you think I would know who the tipster was?”

“Well, I was looking through your files after I came back from the Crystal Empire, and I noticed that your hoofwriting looked very familiar. Imagine my surprise when I compared it to the note the anonymous tipster wrote and found out that the hoofwriting matched yours. Miss Glamour, I know it was you.”

“Oh…” Glamour bit her lip. “Then why are you asking me about it then?”

“I was hoping you could help identify the culprit who tried to sabotage the show.”

Glamour winced. That was the followup question she had hoped to avoid. While she might not care for Suri too much, Coco certainly did. From the looks of it, Suri did seem to be improving herself, and Glamour did not want to take away what Coco had been striving for such a long time.

With a sigh, Glamour slowly shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t help you with that.” She stood her ground when Prim’s eyes narrowed and glared at her, even if her heart was getting an excessive workout.

“Miss Glamour, you did say you were not going to lie to me earlier, or did I hear you wrong?” Prim asked.

“You heard right, Miss Hemline, but I’m not lying now. I’m just choosing to not tell you what you want because I’m worried that if I do, it would lead to something that would upset a dear friend of mine. I know that you’re upset with my choice, but I do think the one who tried to sabotage the show is changing for the better. If the pony responsible becomes a problem again in the future, then I promise I will tell you everything.”

Glamour fidgeted as Prim continued to give her a steely gaze, hoping that her choice did not have too much of an negative impact on her interview.

After a while, to Glamour’s relief, Prim returned her attention to the file on her desk with a heavy sigh. “I must say, Miss Glamour, that I am disappointed that you would not help me with this matter. However, I must concede it is also quite admirable that you are willing to risk your career for a friend. While I would like more information about the incident, I will allow it to slide only because you saved me from a huge headache. But I expect you to keep your promise if the pony in question happens to cause trouble again.”

“Of course, Miss Hemline, and thank you for being so understanding,” Glamour replied with a grateful bow of her head.

“Anyway, getting back to the matter on hoof, after the Fall Fashion Fantasia, Photo Finish gave you some time off to go to the Equestria Games, and that’s where you were exposed as a changeling. From what Princess Twilight has informed me, one of the main reasons you were found out was because you used your magic to protect Coco and Grace.”

Glamour nodded. “Coco got injured during the ice archery incident, so Grace and I had to carry her. Because I snuck past the disabling spell, I was able to use my magic when a chunk of ice was about to hit us. While security did not like how I bypassed the disabling spell, they were willing to look the other way if I agreed to get it for the rest of the Equestria Games. When I did, that’s when my disguise fell. From there, I was escorted to a private room, and Princess Twilight took over.”

“Which brings us to the present. Princess Twilight said you were not a threat to ponies and that Coco would be watching over you for the time being. What have you been doing since you returned from the Crystal Empire?”

“Well, not much. I don’t have anything to prepare for since I’m suspended from modeling. Coco has been doing things for the theater she works at, and I’ve been assisting her with that by taking care of the chores at home.”

Prim nodded. “Now, just to be sure, did Coco know she was harboring a changeling before you were exposed?”

The hairs on the back of Glamour’s neck bristled. “N-no, she didn’t. She was as clueless about my real identity as everypony else. She’s completely innocent. Please don’t blame her for any of my actions, Miss Hemline.”

“It’s alright, Miss Glamour. I was just making sure. She is not in any trouble. Anyway, how has Coco taken to the news that you are a changeling? I knew you two were close, but I did not realize you two were actually in love until Princess Twilight told me about it. I don’t think such a revelation would be easy for anypony.”

Glamour grimaced, remembering the first days after her exposure. “Coco… She did not take it really well. She was really hurt that I kept such a big secret from her for such a long time, and I deeply regret that I could not find the courage to confess it to her earlier. Even though we patched things up a few days after we returned to Manehattan, we only went back to being friends. I can tell she’s still adjusting to the new me, but I think things are slowly improving. I’m just glad I didn’t completely lose her.”

“I see…” Prim closed the folder and looked directly into Glamour’s eyes. “One final question. Why did you become a model? Princess Twilight said that you were using it as a food source, but I want to know if that’s the only reason.”

Glamour took a moment to think about it before she replied, trying to choose her words carefully. “It was, at first. When I snuck into the rehearsal, I found out that fashion shows created a lot of adoration due to the number of ponies they attracted. Adoration is less potent than love, but with so many ponies in the audience, there was more than enough to feed me. I became a model to soak in that adoration and because I thought modeling was easy.”

Glamour’s eyes widened when Prim shot her a glare. Waving her hooves frantically in front of her, she hastily added, “N-not that I’m saying being a model is easy. I know that now, and I have nothing but respect for the profession, not to mention all the work that you do to keep things together."

She let out a sigh of relief when Prim’s face returned to a neutral state. “Anyway, yes, I became a model to feed myself, but when I found out I was going to help Coco at my first show, I didn’t want to let her down. When I chose Coco as my designer after you and Photo Finish hired me, Coco’s success became tied to my own. Modeling wasn’t just for me anymore.

“As I improved and my relationship with Coco grew, I found myself enjoying modeling even more. It was becoming less about feeding myself and more about showing off Coco’s work and getting into the spirit of performing. When we became marefriends, I could have quit being a model with all the love Coco was giving me, but I remained one because it wasn’t just something to feed myself. In fact, when I walked the runway during the Fall Fashion Fantasia, I was only thinking about doing my best to help Coco’s design win.

“Miss Hemline, modeling has become a very important thing for me. Yes, it’s a food source for me, but it’s become much more. I also have grown really fond of it, and I have a lot of fun being able to show off in front of so many ponies. But most of all, it gives me the chance to work with Coco, allowing us to spend more time together and take part in each other’s lives. I know I’ve made mistakes, but it would mean a lot if I could continue modeling.”

Prim stared at Glamour, as though she was trying to look inside her to make sure she was telling the truth. After a few moments, she leaned back in her chair. “Alright, Miss Glamour, based on what I’ve learned about you and from what I’ve heard, I’ve come to a decision. Your suspension stands…”

Glamour’s ears drooped a bit, but she resisted the urge to groan. Still, it was better than being fired.

“For two more weeks.”

Glamour’s eyes widened. “W-what? You mean I’m going to be able to model again?”

Prim nodded. “Yes, we will—”

Prim stopped when rapid hoofsteps could be heard from outside, and they looked to the door. A second later, the door flew wide open, and a familiar pony strode right on in.

“I, Photo Finish, have arrived!”

Prim sighed. “Photo Finish, I thought I told you to wait until I called for you.”

“But I, Photo Finish, have finished my brilliant work, and it could not wait any longer!” Photo Finish proclaimed, pulling out a magazine. “Did you tell her yet?!”

“She only knows she will be able to model again. I was going to explain the details, but I was rudely interrupted.”

Photo Finish cocked her head. “Oh, by who?”

Prim groaned and buried her face into her forehoof. “Nevermind…”

Even with Prim’s face still hidden by her forehoof, Glamour could practically hear the eye roll in Prim’s reply. “Um, if I may ask, what’s going on?”

“Some ponies knew you were at the Equestria Games, and they have been asking about you. We could not say much during Princess Twilight’s investigation, but when she said you were safe, we were allowed to talk about you again. Photo Finish has been preparing something to help explain what happened while also drumming up a bit of publicity for you. Since she is already here, you might as well take a look at what she has,” Prim replied.

“Yes, I, Photo Finish, am sure you will absolutely love it!” Photo Finish proclaimed, taking out a magazine from a pocket in her dress and shoving it into Glamour’s hooves.

Glamour reeled back a bit from Photo Finish’s enthusiasm. When she looked down at the magazine, her jaw dropped when she saw a picture of her on the cover, and the headline was “Heroic Model Returns After Brief Hiatus”.

“You wrote an article on me?” Glamour asked, still looking at the cover.

“Yes, it is. Now, hurry up!” Photo Finish urged.

Glamour let out a squeak when Photo Finish pressed against her side to turn the pages toward an article. Ignoring Photo Finish literally breathing down her neck, she started reading, her eyes slowly growing wider as she read more and more.

The article started with a brief summary about her rise to fame and then went on to explain how Glamour went to go watch the Equestria Games thanks to the generosity of Photo Finish. When the ice archery incident happened, she was able to use her magic, thanks to a complication with the disabling spell, and save several ponies. The heavy magic usage had left her weakened, and the reason for her brief hiatus was for her to rest and settle the issues that arose because of the accident.

Through clever wording and giving the right details, the article was pretty much telling the truth without telling the whole truth. What Glamour found interesting was that the magazine noted that she was expected to return in about two weeks, the same thing Prim said right before Photo Finish barged in.

“When will this magazine start going around Manehattan?” Glamour asked.

“I, Photo Finish, just finished it today. Everypony will hear of your wondrous return tomorrow!” Photo Finish replied with a big grin.

“Tomorrow? But how could you have already known that I would be returning?” Glamour blinked and looked at Prim. “Unless…”

Prim gave out an exasperated sigh. “Yes, Miss Glamour, I was already leaning toward lifting your suspension when I sent you the letter. This meeting was to dispel the last of my trepidations about accepting a changeling into my employment.” She stopped to frown at Photo Finish. “I would’ve liked a bit more time to discuss some matters, but somepony got too excited and has already set things in motion.”

“But of course I, Photo Finish, am excited! My shining star is so much brighter than I had initially thought! She is going to dazzle the land!” Photo Finished gleefully stated.

“I hope you don’t mean for her to begin modeling as a changeling,” Prim said with a raised eyebrow. “The public is not quite ready for that.”

“Yes, yes, yes, Photo Finish knows,” Photo Finish replied with a dismissal wave with her hoof. She gave Glamour a big smile. “But think of the potential. The possibilities! You, my dear Glamour, can be the biggest thing in Equestrian fashion! Now, change for me!”

Glamour blinked. “Um, what?”

“Change for me! I, Photo Finish, want to see the real Glamour!”

“Um…” Glamour looked at Prim, and she got a nod in response. Seeing nothing wrong with showing her changeling form to two ponies that already knew about it, she went ahead and dropped her disguise. As soon as the green flames revealed her changeling form, Photo Finish was upon her immediately.

“Fascinating… So exotic!” Photo Finish said, her hooves invading Glamour’s personal space.

Trying to ignore Photo Finish’s uncomfortable inspection, Glamour looked back to Prim. “So, uh, what do you think, Miss Hemline?”

Prim shrugged. “Other than this being my first time seeing a changeling up close, it does not really matter to me that much. If Princess Twilight says you’re not a threat, then I trust her judgement. Just make sure you don’t go around scaring ponies.”

“Uh, right, I promise I won’t do that. So what will I be doing once my suspension is over?”

“Photo Finish and I will be using the time leading up to that to figure out something. We’ll have to play it safe though, so I can’t promise you’ll get the same amount of attention and exposure you had before this incident.”

Glamour nodded. “I understand. I’m just glad that the both of you are giving me a chance, and I—Photo Finish, can you please not poke me there?!”

“But this is prime material right here!” Photo Finish replied, continuing her poking of Glamour’s body. “It’s a crime to have such inspiration bottled up here! If only I, Photo Finish, could show off your uniqueness! Oh how life can be so cruel for a brilliant artist!”

“Not much we can do about it now,” Prim remarked. “At least if there comes a day when changelings are accepted into Equestrian society, you’ll be the first photographer to have a changeling model.”

“But of course. I, Photo Finish, am a pioneer of the arts, and I shall lead the way for changeling fashion when the time comes!” Photo Finish proudly proclaimed, raising her hoof into the air in triumph and, to Glamour’s relief, ceasing her poking. “Now, I must go and finish the preparations so that my shining star will have her triumphant return. And now, I go!”

Photo Finish rushed out, leaving Glamour alone with Prim again, and she looked down at the magazine still in her hooves. “Er, I think she forgot her magazine.”

“Just keep it as a souvenir or something. She can easily grab one of the thousands she’s probably going to go print right now, and I have no interest in it,” Prim said.

Glamour nodded as she shifted back into a pony and rolled up the magazine in her hoof. “Again, I need to thank you, Miss Hemline, for giving me a second chance.”

“I would be lying if I said I was doing it just out of the kindness out of my heart,” Prim replied. “I am passionate about fashion, but I am also running a business. When Princess Twilight revealed that you were a changeling when she questioned me and Photo Finish, I almost fired you on the spot. Photo Finish, however, recovered from the initial shock and exhibited a great deal of excitement. We could not agree on what to do with you, so we decided to suspend you instead.

“I’ve been spending my time since our return to review your files and carefully weigh the pros and cons on keeping you. When I first allowed you to work with Photo Finish, I figured that you were going to be trouble. Turns out, I was right. But your work with Photo Finish has gone really well, and more ponies have shown interest in our shows since your first magazine feature. So despite your complicated situation, I would be a fool to let such a valuable asset go.”

A rare smirk graced Prim’s face. “And if changelings happen to be accepted into society, then having the first changeling model will be a valuable boon.”

Glamour slowly nodded. It felt a bit odd knowing that being a changeling actually helped her case for once, but she was not going to complain about it. “I’ll, uh, try not to let you down, Miss Hemline.”

“See that you don’t,” Prim replied as she put Glamour’s file away. “That’s all the business I have with you at the moment. I’ll send you another letter when I find something for you to do. Unless you have any questions, you may leave.”

“I’m fine, Miss Hemline. Thank you for your time.” Glamour politely bowed her head to Prim and then proceeded to the door.

“Actually, there is one more thing, Miss Glamour, that I need to say to you.”

Glamour flinched a bit, but she calmly turned back around to face Prim. To her surprise, Prim took a breath and gave her a smile. It was small, but it had a bit of warmth in it, and it was a sight Glamour could not recall ever seeing.

“Business matters aside,” Prim began, “I do have to say I admire your tenacity, Miss Glamour. I might not know what you’ve been through, but I can imagine it was not easy, and I suspect that it will continue to be like that for a while. Yet despite all your difficulties, you’ve shown that you are dedicated and are willing to put in the hard work to achieve your goals, and I respect that. I might not always like what you may do, but I do hope things will work out for you.”

“Th-thank you, Miss Hemline,” a wide-eyed Glamour replied. She remembered receiving praise from Prim once or twice, but it was laced with a condescending, sarcastic tone and ended with a threat. This time, the praise was filled with nothing but sincerity.

“I will continue to keep my eye on you,” Prim continued. “But not just to make sure you don’t cause trouble, but because I’m genuinely interested to see what you may have in store for the future. I look forward to it. Keep up the good work.”

“Thank you, Miss Hemline,” Glamour said again, but more heartfelt and with a wide smile on her face. “I’ll be sure to do just that.”

“Good. Now go, I have my own work that I need to get to.”

Glamour exited the office and proceeded down the hall with a giddy grin upon her face. Unable to contain her excitement, she stopped in the middle to let out a squeal of delight and started hopping with joy.

Today was proving to be a great day. Prim Hemline and Photo Finish both seemed to accept her as a changeling and were willing to give her another chance. Not only was she excited about getting to model again, but the prospect of being able to work with Coco again was easily the best part.

Glamour gasped when she was reminded about something, accidentally releasing the magazine into the air. She almost fell flat on her face to catch the magazine in her mouth. In all the excitement, she had forgotten that Coco was waiting for her at the front desk. She resumed her trotting, heading through the building until she arrived in the lobby area where Coco was speaking to Grace. She trotted up to her friends with the magazine still held in her mouth.

“Oh, Glamour, how was the meeting? Did you also see Photo Finish? She ran by not too long ago.” Coco asked when she noticed her approach. She tilted her head slightly when her gaze focused on the magazine. “What’s that you have there?”

Glamour smiled, and she set the magazine down on Grace’s desk, making sure her friends could not see the cover yet. “I think the meeting went alright, and yes, I did see Photo Finish.” She slid the magazine toward her friends. “She left me this, and I think it should give you a good idea on what happened in my meeting.”

“What? No way!” Grace cried out, grabbing the magazine first and flipping through it until she found the article page so that she and Coco could read.

Glamour’s grin widened as she watched the smiles grow on Coco and Grace’s faces.

“Glamour, this is wonderful news!” Coco cheered, looking up from the magazine to give her a smile. “You get to be a model again! I’m so happy for you!”

“Part of the reason is because of how well I have been doing before all the, uh, things happened. They also think that me being a changeling would be useful in the future.”

Grace gave off an amused chuckle. “Figures. You certainly would cause a lot of buzz if they play their cards right. But still, congrats to you. I bet that getting your job back is a big relief for you. I know that modeling literally puts food on your plate for you.”

Glamour nodded. “Yeah, I can feed without having to lie to ponies, or at least not much. But what I’m really looking forward to is being able to model for Coco again.” She paused to turn her head to Coco. “That is, um, if that’s alright with you, Coco. I really do enjoy modeling for you.”

Coco nodded with a soft smile. “Of course, Glamour. I know things are still a bit awkward between us, but I would be delighted to make dresses for you again.”

A grateful smile formed on Glamour’s face. “Thank you, Coco.”

Grace’s eyes darted back and forth between Glamour and Coco. “So you two are still doing the ‘just friends’ thing?”

“Yes, we are, Grace,” Coco replied. “After everything that happened, we decided it was better for us to play it safe, at least for the time being.” She glanced down at the diamond hanging around her neck. “Maybe after this whole necklace thing is over and when things calm down we can see if I’m ready to try a relationship again.”

“And you’re alright with that, Glamour?”

Glamour slowly nodded. “I don’t want to push Coco into anything. I’m fine with just being friends, as long as we’re able to stay together. ”

Grace shrugged. “Well, whatever floats your boat, I guess. As long as you two are happy, I’m happy. I’m guessing you two are heading to the theater really soon, huh?”

“We are,” Coco answered. “Are you sure you can’t come with us? I got backstage passes for all of us, and it’s the first show of the season.”

“I wish,” Grace said with a sigh. “But Prim already gave me some extra time-off when I was helping you two out. I need to catch up on my work.” Her mouth slowly grew into a smirk. “That is, unless somepony can take my place. Somepony that can look exactly like me.”

“No,” Glamour immediately replied with a flat stare when Grace turned to her and started waggling her eyebrows.

“It was worth a try,” Grace remarked with a snicker. “You two go and have fun. Don’t worry about me.”

After saying their farewells to Grace, Glamour and Coco made their way to the theater. Since Coco had to get there early, they concentrated on hurrying their way through the crowded streets.

When they arrived at the theater, they saw that a long line of ponies had already formed in front of the ticket booths. With how popular many of the theater’s previous shows had been, it was no surprise to see that so many ponies were eager to see the upcoming one.

Glamour herself was also excited to see the show. Not only was it going to be her first time watching a theater production, but she had seen many of the costumes Coco had made back home, and she was going to be able to see them in action.

They were admitted through the staff entrance, and Coco got to work as soon as she stepped into the backstage area. Glamour followed Coco around, lending an extra hoof whenever it was needed, as Coco made sure each costume was all ready. Glamour was pleased to see that many of the other theater workers seemed to hold her friend in high regard. Even if Coco was still a bit shy, her peers paid attention to her whenever she wanted to say something, no doubt because of her kind nature and all the hard work she contributed.

Eventually, Coco finished inspecting all the costumes and helping the performers into them. With her part done, Coco led Glamour to the back where they could watch the rest of the preparations without getting in the way.

Glamour’s ears flicked when she heard a familiar, growing noise from the other side of the curtains. The theater was being filled to capacity with ponies, meaning that the show was going to start soon.

“I’m really looking forward to finally seeing your costumes on stage,” Glamour said. “Thanks for getting me a backstage pass.”

“It’s no problem, Glamour,” Coco replied with a small smile. “I did say I wanted to bring you when everything was ready. I’m glad that I was able to do that because we were able to, um, resolve our issues.” Her smile disappeared, and she glanced down at her necklace as she touched it with her hoof. “Well, at least most of them.”

“It’s been tough, but we’re slowly getting back to the way things were,” Glamour replied, her gaze also fixing on the necklace. “I’m sure with enough time, we’ll work through our problems and put it all behind us.”

Coco continued staring and fiddling with her necklace. “I hope so.”

“Hey, what’s going on?” a theater worker asked out loud as he walked past them.

Glamour and Coco watched the worker until he joined a small crowd of ponies that had gathered on the sidelines of the stage. Moving a bit closer while still staying out of the way, they saw that the curtains were still closed, but there was a curious top hat that would be a few sizes too big for most ponies lying in the center of the stage with a spotlight shining right on it.

“Is the show already starting or something?” one worker asked.

“It shouldn’t be,” replied another worker. “There’s still some time left, and nopony has announced it.”

“Then why are we staring at a hat?”

“Because there’s something really fishy about it. Somepony said they saw it just appear out of thin air, and the director said it wasn’t part of the show. We tried to get rid of it, but the thing feels like it weighs a ton.”

Suddenly, a loud voice boomed from the top hat. “And now, mares and gentlecolts, presenting a show that you will never forget!”

While the thunderous applause of the audience reached her ears, Glamour’s eyes widened with fear. “W-wait, I know that voice…”

The top hat suddenly jumped high into the air. From the hat’s bottom, Discord slid out, wearing a gray suit with white stripes. He had a red sash to hold up his gray pants that reached down to a set of formal black shoes. A dark-gray cape draped around his back, and a large red bow hung from his neck. When Discord’s feet landed on the floor, the top hat neatly plopped onto his head, covering his horns.

“Discord?! What is he doing here?” Coco asked out loud.

With a smirk on his face, Discord raised his claws into the air in a spreading motion, parting the curtains. The audience’s applause quickly died out when they saw the chaotic creature, and the sound of ponies gasping and confused murmurs filled the air.

Discord bowed, as though he was performing, and took off his hat. He flew to the front of the stage, placed his hat on the floor, and pulled out a magician’s wand. His smirk grew into a more sinister form as he tapped the hat with his wand.

The top hat violently shook for a moment before a large, cloaked figure rose from the bottom of the hat. When the mysterious figure stopped growing, it was as tall as Princess Celestia, and two dull-red hands emerged from the cloak to rip it off.

Startled cries and gasps as an entirely new creature now stood on stage. The intruder had a pair of arms and a body like a minotaur’s, but the bottom of his torso merged into the body of a tall pony with dark-gray fur. Glamour had never seen anything like it before, but the bodily features of the creature matched the descriptions of stories she had heard about. She was looking at a centaur.

The centaur’s face had a large goat’s beard, and he wore a thick iron hoop as a nose piercing with matching bracers around his wrists. A gold triangular necklace with an etched decorative sigil was around his neck, and short, black horns emerged from the top of his head.

Even though the centaur looked a bit old and frail, Glamour’s instincts were screaming at her to run away.

“Coco, we need to go!” Glamour urgently whispered.

“W-what? What do you mean?” Coco asked.

“I’ll explain later,” Glamour grabbed Coco’s hoof so that she could pull her away from the impending danger. “We have to—”

Glamour yelped when Coco’s necklace glowed and knocked her back. She flew a few yards away from Coco and roughly landed on the ground, sliding along the floor until she hit the wall with a groan.

“Glamour!” Coco cried out, rushing towards her. She reached out with a hoof, but quickly pulled it back. “I-I’m sorry, but you startled me when you grabbed me.”

Glamour grunted and got up. “It’s alright. We really need to go though.” She saw that a few ponies had looked back at the commotion she caused, but they soon returned their attention to the much larger thing on stage.

“But what’s going—”

The screams of the audience filled the air, causing Glamour and Coco to look to the stage. Beams of magic were shooting out of the bodies of everypony and feeding directly into the centaur’s mouth.

Glamour’s blood ran cold, swiftly realizing what was going on. He’s draining everypony’s magic!

“W-what’s happening?” Coco winced in pain and brought a hoof to her head. “Why do I—?”

“Coco, we need to go! It’s not safe here!” Glamour was glad that she had been knocked back by the necklace. Judging by the ponies that were standing on the sidelines and were now passed out on the floor, she and Coco were far enough to escape the worst of the centaur’s magic drain, however, it seemed that it was starting to affect Coco.

To make matters worse, Glamour saw that the centaur was slowly turning his head in their direction. “He’s coming for us! Run!”

Coco shook off her daze and nodded, and they rushed through the staff entrance. They emerged into the streets and immediately began running away from the theater.

Coco tried yelling at everypony they passed to run, warning them that there was a monster, but all she got were weird looks. When they reached the end of the block, an explosion was heard behind them.

They glanced back to see that the centaur had bursted through the theater’s doors. To their horror, it seemed that the magic he drained had allowed him to grow in both height and strength. He was noticeably taller, his previously thin arms were thicker, and the horns on his head had grown longer, curving upwards.

“Run!” Glamour cried out again when the centaur started to move through the streets in their direction, rapidly draining the magic of everypony nearby.

As they tried to get away from the centaur, Glamour checked on Coco, who was doing her best to follow right behind her. Coco was clearly scared. Her eyes were wide with fear, and Glamour was pretty sure the rapid breathing was not only because of their running. It pained Glamour to see Coco like this, but with the centaur growing more and more powerful by the second, there was nothing she could do except try and lead her friend to safety.

Running through the crowded streets was difficult for Glamour and Coco. It did also slow down the centaur, but that was only because he would pause to steal everypony’s magic. Eventually, the crowds began to thin out as word that the centaur was rampaging through town was spread. However, even with everypony running around, the centaur’s reach was getting longer, allowing him to drain any pony he could find with ease. No matter where Glamour and Coco ran to, the centaur remained in their sights, almost as if he was trying to chase them down.

Glamour took another look at Coco, and her brow furrowed with concern. Coco was panting heavily and coughing, and it seemed like she was about to stumble over at any moment. She guessed that despite Coco’s earth pony stamina and being able to stay ahead of the centaur, some of her strength must have been sapped back at the theater. They could not run away for much longer, especially since the centaur was slowly closing the gap between them. They needed to hide.

“Come on, let’s cut through here!” Glamour urged, guiding Coco to a backstreet. She hoped that this way would be better than running around in the open streets and give them enough time to hopefully find a hiding spot.

Just as they made it to the middle of the backstreet, there was a sudden flash of light right in front of Glamour. Blinded by the light, she yelped when she ran into something. Whatever she hit felt slightly wet, and it caved into her weight like rubber for a brief moment before snapping back into place and knocking her onto her back.

“Glamour, are you okay?” Coco promptly asked.

“Yeah,” Glamour replied after a groan. She got back on her hooves and blinked several times, hardly believing at what she had run into. “Jello?”

A giant block of green jello completely blocked their way. It towered high above them, making it impossible for them to climb over. Glamour wondered where the bizarre obstacle came from, but she knew they had to get moving again. She supposed that she could try turning into a changeling and try to carry Coco over the jello, but she was not exactly at full strength, and she would need some rest before she could attempt it. The only options she could think of was to go back the way they came from or try and dig their way through the dessert.

“Come on, let’s just go back and…” Glamour turned around and halted in her tracks to find Discord with a plate made of jello with jello on top and a fork made of jello. He was also sitting in a chair made of jello.

Glamour groaned. She should have known where the wall of jello came from.

“Why hello there, you two! Fancy meeting you here!” Discord cheerfully said as he daintily used his jello utensils to carve a thin slice of jello before throwing the whole set into his mouth.

“Discord!” Glamour angrily cried out. “What have you done?! Who is that centaur, and what is he doing?!”

“You mean Tirek?” Discord got up from his jello chair and kicked it away, shattering like glass when it hit the ground. “Tirek is just a visitor from a distant land, but Celestia and Luna, the prudes they are, didn’t really think his plans of stealing all of Equestria’s magic was all too nice, so they imprisoned him in Tartarus for a couple of centuries.”

Discord paused to stroke his goatee in thought. “Or was it a couple of millennia…” He shrieked when his beard popped off, and he hurriedly stuck it back on his chin.

“And you freed him?!” an incredulous Glamour shouted.

“Oh no. He was able to escape by himself. Actually, the princesses sent me to find him, but when I did, he made such an enticing offer that I could not refuse. I help him regain his powers, and I get to play around and spread chaos without having to worry about any frowny princesses or rainbow lasers of doom.”

“But I thought you were reformed!” Coco spoke up. “What would your friends think of this?”

“Friends? You mean Twilight and the others? Oh please,” Discord said as he rolled his eyes, which he promptly retrieved from the ground and popped them back in his head. “You pull a couple of pranks, and then suddenly everypony thinks you’re dangerous. I can’t do anything without getting a disapproving glare or a boring lecture in return. Twilight and the others might say they’re my friends, but they merely tolerate me and are just keeping an eye on me.”

“Even Fluttershy?” Coco asked. “Rarity did mention that you were a lot closer to Fluttershy.”

The smile faded from Discord and was replaced by a remorseful frown. He let out a huge sigh and snapped his fingers. A flash of light later, he was lying down on a floating red fainting couch with the back of one of his claws resting on his forehead. In a loud, dramatic voice, he bellowed, “Oh, woe is me! Sweet, innocent Fluttershy! Why must I be so weak!? I cannot bear to let her see me like this!”

“I guess that’s a no then…” Coco said with a disappointed sigh.

Discord snapped his fingers again, and the couch disappeared while he continued to float in the air. “On the contrary, I know very well that she would not approve of what I’m doing, and I admit that I’m not looking forward to when I have to confront her.” He pulled out a picture of Fluttershy with a crude, crayon drawing of himself glued right next to her. “Fluttershy is the only one who has ever shown me true compassion and kindness, and she is also the first friend I ever made. Believe it or not, I do like hanging around with her.”

“Then why are you doing all of this if her friendship means that much to you?” Glamour asked.

The picture disappeared from Discord’s claws with a flash. “Because I’m Discord, a spirit of chaos. While this whole friends business has been a pleasant change of pace, having to restrain my chaotic urges has been a real pain. I cannot change who I am.” He pointed at Glamour. “Just like you cannot, my little buggy.”

Glamour reared back a bit from Discord’s claw. “W-what do you mean by that?”

“Oh come now, it’s not that hard to understand. You might be able to change what you look like, but you cannot change who you are on the inside. Whether you like it or not, you have to feed on love.

“You see, after our little introduction back in Ponyville, I’ve been keeping tabs on you in hopes of some quality entertainment. While your little magic display during the Equestria Games was pretty neat, I was disappointed to find out that you were exposed by a simple disabling spell. I expected a lot more action! At least add in some explosions! Everything’s better with explosions! And there was so much talking, and sulking, and…” Discord shuddered. “Feelings…”

“Your point?” Glamour asked with an annoyed glare.

“The ponies did not take it really well when they found it who you really are. Face it, we both have urges that make ponies fear us, and that’s why we will never fit in with ponies.”

“N-no! That’s not true!” Glamour cried out. “It’s been difficult, but I’ve found a way to survive without hurting ponies, and my friends have accepted me even after they found out who I really am!”

Discord’s eyebrow rose, and he had to push it back down when it started flying up into the air. “Are you sure about that? From what I heard, that necklace your marefriend is wearing keeps you in check. If she has truly accepted who you really are, why hasn’t she asked Twilight for one that gives you a bit more freedom, hmm?”

“Well, she’s… um…” Glamour bit her lip.

“Glamour…” Coco uttered softly. “I… I’m sorry, but I really am trying…”

Glamour nodded at Coco. “I know you are. Don’t worry. I know I can’t change who I am or my urges, but I can choose how to deal with them. I won’t leave you.”

Discord groaned. “Fine, whatever. If you want to keep deluding yourself, then go right ahead. As for me, I take the initiative. I’d say sacrificing a bit of friendship is well worth being able to do what you want.”

“Discord! Where are you?!” a booming voice filled the air.

“And it looks like our talk has come to an end. Tirek has gotten curious about that little spike of magic the two of you put out back at the theater. I tried to tell him it was nothing, but the guy is a bit of a glutton and can’t help himself. Be right back!”

Discord snapped his fingers, and he appeared at the beginning of the backstreet, holding up a giant neon sign of an arrow pointing in the direction of Glamour and Coco. A few moments later, Glamour could feel the ground start to shake.

Discord appeared again in front of them. “Oh goodie! The big guy still wants to see you! He’s coming right now!” His face turned serious. “I highly suggest that you do as he says, or else I fear somepony will get hurt. And just to be clear, when I say somepony, I mean you two.” Discord suddenly smiled maniacally again. “Now, I must be off now so that I can have a bit of fun before Tirek says it’s time to go. Ta ta, my little ponies!”

Discord vanished in a burst of light at the same time Tirek appeared at the entrance to the backstreets and started stomping towards them.

Now standing at more than twice the average pony’s height, Tirek had grown into a more fierce version of the frail-looking centaur that had been on stage not too long ago. His arms were now a menacing bright-red, and they started to bulge with muscles, along with the rest of his body. Every step he took made cracks spiderweb from his hoof, and Glamour could feel the air change from the stored magic within the centaur.

“So, you two are the ones I’ve been chasing?” Tirek boomed. He stared at them for a second before nodding. “Yes, I can sense there is something different about you two.”

Glamour gulped and moved herself in front of Coco. “S-stay back! We don’t want any trouble!”

Tirek only gave her an unamused look, and an orb of swirling fire appeared over his head as hums of magic began ringing through the air.

Glamour cried out in pain when she felt her entire body being squeezed, and she was lifted toward Tirek. She tried to break free while Coco yelled out at her, but she could barely move an inch in Tirek’s magic. Brought up to Tirek’s face, Glamour’s futile struggles increased, doing her best to squirm away when Tirek leaned in to scrutinize her.

Tirek let out an annoyed scoff. “You’re no pony. You’re one of those parasites that feed off the energy of others.”

Glamour cried out again when the hold on her suddenly disappeared, and the distance from Tirek’s head to the floor was lofty enough to make her hiss in pain when she hit the ground.

“You are of no use to me. Begone, insect,” Tirek commanded Glamour before turning his gaze to Coco. “You, however, are of at least a little bit of use to me.”

Glamour scrambled to her hooves when she heard Coco scream. She swiftly turned her head to see Coco wrapped in a ominous, orange glow and was being lifted into the air. “You leave Coco alone!” Glamour yelled as she aimed her horn at Tirek.

Glamour shot a green beam at Tirek’s face, making him drop Coco. With her opponent stunned, Glamour helped Coco back up on her hooves, and they ran past Tirek to safety.

Or at least that was what Glamour had hoped would have happened.

Instead, all she got were a few sparks to spurt out of her horn before it completely fizzled out.

Glamour stared up at her horn in silent horror, and even the fearsome Tirek stopped his rampage of terror to look down at Glamour with wide eyes.

“G-Glamour…”

Hearing Coco’s call, Glamour looked up, and her eyes widened when she saw that Coco’s necklace was glowing. She had completely forgotten that the necklace would also neutralize any of her spells that were considered dangerous.

Tirek’s bellowing laughter filled the entire backstreet. “So this is the anomaly that I have been chasing? It’s just a set of spells meant to shackle a puny insect to a worthless pony! What a pathetic sight!”

Coco cried out when Tirek reached for her with a hand.

“Hey, stop that!” Glamour tried to ram into one of Tirek’s legs, but she was easily swatted back.

Tirek ripped the necklace from Coco’s neck, and without any sign of effort, he clenched his hand into a fist. The sound of glass shattering rang through the air, and when Tirek reopened his hand, the crushed remains of the necklace fell to the floor. The green diamond was now nothing more than a few gray shards.

“There, a small gift from one being to another who had been subjugated by the worthless ponies,” Tirek told Glamour. “Do not waste this act of mercy I generously gave you and leave.”

Glamour knew that even with the necklace no longer blocking her spells, she stood no chance against Tirek. She was being allowed to walk away, but by doing so, she would have to leave Coco behind. She did not know specifically what Tirek would do to her friend, but it was certainly something harmful, and she refused to see Coco get hurt.

“What are you planning, insect?” Tirek asked when Glamour did not move.

“I… I’m not leaving Coco,” Glamour replied. “Give her back, or else I will make you.”

“Glamour, don’t!” Coco urged as she struggled in Tirek’s grasp. “It’s too dangerous!”

“I know, but I swore to protect you, Coco. I know it’s a long shot, but I have to try.”

Tirek howled with mocking laughter. “This is just too rich! The insect that feeds on love had actually fallen in love! A worthless ideal that—”

Glamour suddenly shot a big, green bolt of fire at Tirek. She knew that she could not do much against the centaur, but she hoped that the element of surprise and the amount of magic she put behind her spell would at least daze him long enough for her and Coco to get away.

The magic bolt hit Tirek directly in the face, but to Glamour’s immense dismay, Tirek did not even flinch and shot an unamused glare at her.

Glamour yelped as she was once again picked up in Tirek’s magic, and she was brought up to look directly into his baleful eyes.

“You are becoming a nuisance. Are you really so foolish to choose to fight me for the sake of a pathetic pony?” Tirek questioned.

“Coco is not pathetic!” Glamour shouted back. “She’s a wonderful pony that means the world to me, and I would gladly risk my life to protect her!”

Tirek’s eyes narrowed. “Then consider your life forfeit.”

Glamour gasped in pain, feeling Tirek’s hold on her tighten. As the squeezing intensified, she found that it was getting hard to breathe, and she swore she could hear her bones cracking. She could hear Coco screaming her name and begging Tirek to stop.

As her vision started to fade, she noticed that Tirek was turning around as she was helplessly moved through the air. With a mighty roar, Tirek made a throwing motion with his arm, and Glamour screamed when she was propelled forward at the same time the magic holding her was released.

“Glamour!”

With Coco’s shout rapidly fading behind her, Glamour flailed her hooves as she was sent flying high into the air at a frightening speed. Out of desperation, she shed her pony form to try and use her changeling wings to regain flight, but the injuries she received from Tirek had made it impossible for her wings to flap hard enough to control her flight.

Glamour’s eyes bulged when she saw the buildings below her were starting to grow bigger. She desperately tried to think of a plan, any plan. Just as she was moments away from colliding with a tall building, she chanted “Come on, come on, come on,” as she tried to channel all of her remaining magic into a spell.

Green flames flooded her vision right before she crashed into the building and then there was nothing but darkness.

Chapter 28: Mend

Author's Note

Another piece of fan art came in by Sintakhra, so make sure to check it out in the fan art page!

Chapter 28: Mend

An incomprehensible blur was all Glamour could see when she slowly opened her eyes. Pain coursed throughout her entire body, and her head felt like it was in a murky haze. She let out a long groan and shut her eyes again.

Her consciousness was starting to slip away, and she had the notion to just give in and welcome it. Her aching body was tormenting her, and she could barely move without aggravating something. Going back to sleep would grant her solace. However, a tiny peep was nagging her to get up, and it was steadily growing louder.

Glamour’s eyes opened once more. Her vision had cleared up a tad, but it was still impossible to decipher where she was or how she ended up in such a pitiful state. All she knew was that she was lying on her back on a hard surface.

She kept on sluggishly opening and closing her eyes, each blink restoring a shred of her consciousness and sense of sight. Eventually, she was able to make out a simple, tiled ceiling above her.

Letting out a loud hiss of pain, she gingerly turned her head to the left and right to see that she was in some sort of office building, judging by the fallen cubicle walls and work desks surrounding her. Among the haphazard furniture were pieces of rubble strewn on the tiled floor. She also caught glimpses of her changeling form while checking her surroundings, something that she probably would be more concerned about if it were not for the pain and lethargy she had.

Glamour took a few deep breaths and then rolled her body to the right to get back on her hooves. When weight was put onto her right foreleg, she cried out as if a sharp spike was lanced through it, and she quickly collapsed onto her back again.

Gasping for air and feeling lightheaded, Glamour had to remain lying on the floor for a while before she caught her breath and could attempt to get back on her hooves again.

Carefully, she rolled to the left this time. Her body still protested in anguish, but it was bearable enough for her to eventually get up on three wobbly hooves. She had made sure not to use her right foreleg, but now that she was standing, it was time to test it out again.

Slowly, she lowered her right foreleg to the floor and leaned on it a little, but she immediately raised it back up when it flared up again. She sighed, conceding that her leg would be unusable for the time being and hoping that it was not broken.

Now that she was on her hooves, she could more freely inspect her surroundings. Looking back down, she saw a large crack that spiderwebbed from where she had just been lying. She guessed that she had somehow crashed into the office building while flying, which would explain her injuries and why she was feeling so discombobulated.

Seeing nothing but the wall she almost crashed into in front of her, Glamour turned around. Her eyes widened when she saw the large, gaping hole and debris littering the floor that marked her dynamic entrance.

Limping over to the impromptu window, she saw that she was on the second floor of the building and the street down below was unfamiliar. However, she did recognize some tall buildings in the surrounding area, confirming that she was still in Manehattan. Except it did not feel like she was in Manehattan.

There was nopony in sight, and beside her ragged breathing, it was deathly silent. The usually loud, bustling city was now a ghost town, and it sent chills through her body to see such a bizarre sight.

Trying to piece back her memories, Glamour saw flashes of moments from before she was knocked out. She could remember lots of running and hearing ponies screaming. Whatever was scaring everypony was probably what also made her crash. She hoped that Coco was safe, wherever she was.

Glamour blinked several times as her thoughts fixated on Coco.

“Coco…” Glamour uttered softly. Saying her best friend’s name was like a catalyst, jumpstarting her mind, and her eyes bugged out when the memories came flooding back.

She and Coco had been running away from Tirek, the magic-stealing centaur, but thanks to Discord, they were caught. When the necklace that restricted her magic was shattered, she had tried to free Coco from Tirek’s grasp, but ultimately failed. Tirek retaliated by using his stolen strength to send her rocketing through the air. She would have most certainly died if she had not managed to get a spell off right before she crashed into the building she was now in.

It was the same spell that she had used during the Canterlot invasion when she and many other changelings wrapped themselves in a protective barrier to literally dive-bomb into the city. However, because she had only remembered about the spell mere seconds before her collision, she was not able to properly cast it. While she managed to absorb the brunt of the impact with her magic, there was still plenty of force left to make for a very painful landing.

It made Glamour’s stomach turn knowing that she had narrowly escaped death, but what caused her more distress was knowing that Coco was left in Tirek’s clutches. Glamour knew she had stood no chance against the centaur, but it still upset her that she had failed to protect Coco. She dearly hoped that Coco was not seriously hurt. The only thing she could do now was try and find her.

Glamour looked back at her wings and tried fluttering them, but all she got was a spike of pain rippling through her back. It looked like she was going to have to hoof it.

At least her magic was still working. Glamour shifted back into her pony form in case she encountered any other ponies along the way. She could not afford anypony interfering with her search for Coco. She just hoped that her disguise would hold long enough for her to do just that.

She had never fully recovered from her massive shield back at the Equestria Games. Between her concern for Coco and limited resources, she had been able to keep her hunger at bay, but she had to keep her spell casting to a minimum. The crudely cast shield that she used before crashing into the building had eaten up almost all of her remaining magic to make up for the lack of setup time.

With jumping and flying down to the street out of the question in her crippled state, Glamour turned back around and limped her way through the second floor until she found the stairs. She almost tripped several times on her way down, but she eventually made it to the ground floor and out the door.

Glamour groaned as soon as she stepped out onto the streets and leaned against the building while huffing for air. She might have made it outside without adding another wound to herself, but her existing ones were already making it tough and painful enough, especially since her right foreleg remained out of commission.

Still, she had to find Coco, preferably before night descended and made her search even more difficult. It was late in the afternoon, meaning that she had a few hours. That is, unless Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were unable to do their duties, but what were the chances of that happening?

Gritting her teeth, Glamour took a deep breath and began slowly walking down the street. Even though she was unfamiliar with the block she was in, she figured that she would just head in the opposite direction of the hole she left behind. She hoped that by heading in that general direction, she would eventually find the street she last saw Coco.

For the first part of her ordeal, Glamour kept her ears perked and often stopped to scan her surroundings in case Tirek was still around. But after not hearing any screaming or explosions and continuing to see nothing but empty streets, Glamour guessed that Tirek had moved on to another city.

It was easy to see which streets Tirek went through as Glamour traversed block by block. With all the spiderweb cracks in the streets, it seemed that the hulking centaur was fond of stomping around with his increasing size. Many buildings were also going to need repairs in one form or another, but at least none of the damages were major. Tirek was focused on draining ponies rather than causing widespread destruction.

Glamour encountered quite a few ponies as well during her journey. Most had passed out from Tirek’s rampage, just like she had witnessed back at the theater. There were some ponies that were conscious, and they were either tending to the unconscious ponies or slowly trudging through the streets like her. She noted that despite being awake, the ponies that were up and about were moving around as though they had no energy.

A few ponies looked up and even called out to Glamour. They were concerned about her injuries, but other than describing Coco’s features and asking if they saw her, Glamour declined their help and pressed on. Seeing the pitiful states of the ponies Tirek’s magic drain left them in spurred Glamour on to find Coco.

Glamour was not sure how many blocks she went through, but she had eventually acclimated to her sore and tired body. However, her agonizingly slow pace made worry and impatience rise within her every time she had looked up to see the sun gradually make its way across the sky. So when she finally came to a familiar looking street, she picked up her pace and went down it to investigate it, dearly hoping that it was the right one.

Glamour’s heart raced when she found it was indeed the correct place when she came upon the same backstreet, and when she stepped inside it, her breath hitched. Discord’s jello wall had disappeared, but more importantly, Coco was lying on her side with her back toward her. She was not moving.

“Coco!” Glamour cried out as she powered through her wounds to rush toward Coco’s body and knelt down beside her. Using her uninjured forehoof, she gently shook her friend. “Please, please, please… Wake up! I-it’s me, Glamour.”

To Glamour’s immense relief, Coco turned her head, but when she slowly opened her eyes and Glamour gazed into them, she gasped. Coco’s normally bright-cyan eyes were now a faded color, a shadow of their former selves.

“C-Coco? Are you alright?”

“G-Glamour, is that really you?” Coco quietly asked with her mouth slightly agape.

Glamour nodded and smiled.

“You… You’re…” Coco’s lower lip quivered, and she reached up with a forehoof to gently touch Glamour’s cheek. “It is you… You’re alive… You’re really alive…”

Glamour nodded again, bringing her uninjured forehoof to Coco’s hoof. “I’m here, Coco. Don’t worry.”

Coco’s eyes started to water, and she cried out Glamour’s name before throwing herself toward her.

A surprised Glamour grunted when she was knocked onto her back, and a wailing Coco hugged her tightly. She winced as Coco squeezed her right foreleg. “C-Coco, I’m glad to see you too, but you’re on my right foreleg, and it really hurts.”

Coco kept on crying, but she shifted her weight off Glamour’s right side and wrapped her hooves around her neck to continue hugging and bury her muzzle into Glamour’s chest.

Glamour breathed a sigh of relief, both from the release of her foreleg and her reunion with Coco. Upon hearing repeated cries of “You’re alive!”, she hooked her left foreleg around to pat Coco’s head.

Glamour could feel Coco’s love for her flood out, but despite being so tantalizing, she dared not take any of it. She knew there were potential side effects from siphoning love from a pony, and she always took in Coco’s love in moderation to avoid any of those harmful effects. Since she had no idea what Tirek’s magic drain did to Coco, she was certainly not going to risk complicating Coco’s condition, even if she was going to go hungry for a bit longer. At the very least, she would put it off until Coco was feeling better.

The sun had started to set by the time Coco’s crying ceased, and they helped each other onto their haunches.

“How are you feeling, Coco?” Glamour asked.

“I… I’ll be fine, now that you’re here,” Coco said as she wiped at her eyes with her hoof. “When Tirek got rid of you, I… I thought that I had lost you…”

Glamour gave a comforting smile. “It’s going to take more than a crazy centaur to keep me away from you for long. I’ll always find my way back to you.”

Coco began to sob again, and she moved closer to hug Glamour again.

Glamour wrapped her left hoof around Coco, and they rested each other’s heads on their shoulders. Her gaze trailed down Coco’s back, gratefully noting that there did not seem to be any wounds, but her eyes widened when she noticed something was off. She had not been paying attention earlier, but now that she was up close, she could see something was missing. “Y-your cutie mark. It’s gone.”

“I-it is?” Coco quickly pulled back and turned her head to look at her flank. “My… My cutie mark…”

“Tirek must’ve stolen it. What did he do to you?”

Coco sighed. “He drained me right after you were gone. I was so scared, feeling all my strength and energy fade away. I thought I was going to die with how weak I felt, and I eventually blacked out. When I came to, I was alone and lying here.” She sniffed and had to rub her eyes. “I felt so cold and empty, but I was sure that it’s because I missed you. I cried for who knows how long, thinking that you were dead. Even when I finally stopped, I didn’t have the will to get up. I just stayed here and kept on thinking about you.”

Glamour reached out to rub Coco’s leg in a soothing motion. “But I’m here now. I managed to use my magic to save myself. I was knocked out for a while, but when I woke up and gathered my thoughts, all I could think about was finding you. I trekked through who knows how many blocks looking for you. I had to… Because I said I would protect you, and…” Glamour frowned and bowed her head. “And I failed…”

Coco shook her head. “Please don’t apologize, Glamour. You were no match for Tirek, and yet you still went up against him for my sake, even after how unfairly I treated you.”

“That doesn’t matter to me. I love you, Coco, and I would do anything for you.”

Coco’s gaze dropped to the ground, and she sniffled. “I know, Glamour… I know…”

Glamour took another look around, taking note of the fading light as the sun continued to disappear. “We should probably get moving.”

“W-why? Is Tirek still around?”

“No, I think he’s moved onto another city.” Glamour sighed. “Guess this is something for Princess Twilight and the others to handle.”

“Then what should we do?”

“I think we should just go home. Even though Tirek might be gone, we need to rest, and I don’t think we’ll get much of that on the streets.”

“But what about your leg? Maybe we should go to a hospital?”

Glamour shook her head. “On my way here, I saw many ponies that were drained. I don’t think they’ll have anypony well enough to take care of us, let alone all the other ponies that probably are flocking there right now. It’s not like we’re seriously hurt, right?”

“Um, I’m not, but…” Coco’s looked up and down Glamour’s body. “I don’t think I could say the same for you.”

“There’s still no guarantee there will be anypony at the hospital. I’ll be fine with some rest.”

“Well…” Coco bit her lip and then slowly nodded. “Alright, fine. I at least have a first aid kit back home.”

“Then home it is. Can you walk, Coco?”

“Sure, I—” Coco stood up and almost tipped over to one side. “W-whoa…”

“Are you okay?” Glamour asked with a concerned frown while she moved closer in case Coco started losing her balance again.

“I-I’m fine,” Coco replied, holding up a hoof to her head. “Just a bit dizzy, and I still feel very tired.”

Glamour frowned with concern. “You had your magic drained. It’s not exactly something you should take lightly.”

“I’m fine enough to walk,” Coco said as she began moving. “We need to get home so that I may help with your injuries.”

“Alright then, just take it easy and—I got you!” Glamour rushed over to catch Coco as she was about to tip over again. “Come on, Coco. You’re in no shape to walk by yourself. Let me help you.”

Coco groaned as she breathed heavily. “But what about you? You’re not exactly in good shape either, especially with your hurt leg.”

“Then we’ll help each other. How does that sound?”

“Help each other…” Coco smiled and nodded. “That sounds good to me.”

It only took a little bit of time before they found a suitable solution to their disabilities by leaning against each other while they moved at the same pace. Glamour did not have to worry about putting weight on her right leg, and Coco was kept safe from losing her balance. Working together, they slowly, but surely, made their way home. Even when night came, there were still a few functioning streetlamps and the moon to light their way.

As soon as Coco opened their apartment door, she immediately guided Glamour to her bedroom.

“You just rest, Glamour,” Coco said, seating Glamour on her bed and then going to her closet to rummage through it.

“Coco, you’re tired,” Glamour remarked. “You should be the one resting. We can take care of me tomorrow.”

“No, it’s better to treat you now.” Coco emerged from the closet with a first aid kit in her mouth and sat down next to Glamour. She set the kit on the bed and started digging through it. “You’ve done so much for me, so please, let me do this for you.”

Glamour opened her mouth to protest, but decided to quietly nod instead. She was sure that Coco would not rest until she was allowed to do her work, so rather than wasting time, she allowed her to proceed without any more fuss.

Coco first took out a small, plastic bag filled with a blue liquid. She squished it between her hooves and shook it a bit before pressing it against Glamour’s injured leg.

Glamour winced, both from the cold seeping into her leg and the pain that came with touching her injury, but they were soon dulled by the cold.

“Just hold that there while I fix you up, alright?” Coco said.

Glamour nodded and used her other foreleg to follow Coco’s instruction. As Coco dug out a variety of bandages, cotton swabs, and a bottle of rubbing alcohol, Glamour turned her head to look at herself in one of the room’s mirrors. She winced at what she saw.

She had not been able to take a good look at herself when she woke up from her crash, and even if she could, she paid more attention to her crippled wings and leg. With finding Coco becoming her sole focus, she did not take the time to really take note of the smaller wounds that she had received.

Patches of red dotted her coat where the blood from cuts and scrapes had dried up. None of them were big enough to warrant too much concern, but the fact that there seemed to be so many made Glamour understand why Coco was so worried. She shuddered a bit thinking how she might have looked like if she had not managed to cast her spell in time before the crash.

“So, um, this is going to sting a bit,” Coco warned, showing Glamour that she was applying the rubbing alcohol to the cotton swabs.

Glamour chuckled quietly and smirked. “It’s alright. I think I can withstand a little bit of alcohol after everything else I went through today.”

Coco nodded and gently dabbed one of Glamour’s cuts with a drenched cotton swab.

Glamour grimaced, her face twisting into a silent scream of agony, and her body shook as it felt like her cut was being rubbed by sandpaper that was set on fire and doused with lemon juice.

“Uh, Glamour, are you okay?” Coco asked.

“J-just fine!” Glamour replied back in a voice that was a couple of octaves higher. She was wrong. This was the worst pain she had felt all day, no, her entire life. And yet, despite the torment, she knew she had to endure it to make sure she was properly treated. With a small whimper, she nodded and resigned herself to the torture.

Coco cocked an eyebrow at Glamour for a second before resuming cleaning her cut. After a couple of cleaning swabs, she placed an adhesive bandage on the cut and and then moved on to the next injury.

Glamour squirmed some more and bit her lip as the fiery liquid was applied to her wounds, but to her relief, she got used to it, and the agonizing, burning death feeling was downgraded to an agonizing, burning sting.

“It’s a good thing I remembered some of the stuff the doctor told me back when I sprained my leg at the Equestria Games. Hopefully, you just sprained your leg as well,” Coco said after she finished treating all the cuts and was now wrapping Glamour’s leg with a roll of bandages.

Once Coco bound the leg in a tight wrap, she tore off the roll of bandages and gently patted Glamour’s leg. “There, all…” she had to pause to let out a big yawn. “done…”

“Thank you,” Glamour replied with a smile.

As Coco put away all the first aid stuff back into the kit, she said, “Glamour, I want to talk to you about…” She stopped when she had to yawn yet again.

“Coco, we’re both tired,” Glamour remarked. “I noticed you nodding off several times while you were helping me, and you’re barely able to stay awake now. Let’s go to bed. We can talk tomorrow.”

“But—”

“Tomorrow, Coco.” Glamour gave her a warm smile. “We’ll both feel better and be able to properly talk to each other without yawning every few seconds. I’ll still be here when you wake up and will listen to whatever you have to say.”

Coco sighed. “Alright then.”

Glamour gave Coco a quick hug and got off the bed to head to her room. “Good night, Coco.”

“W-wait, Glamour.”

“Could you…” A bit of pink spread through Coco’s cheeks. “Could you sleep with me?”

Glamour’s eyes shot wide open. “Wh-what? Are you sure?”

Coco nodded, and her blush grew even bigger. “I would feel a lot safer if you were nearby. So, uh, please?”

A big grin was plastered on Glamour’s face, and she trotted back to the bed. “Of course, Coco. I would be happy to.”

Tired and exhausted, the two of them quickly got into bed. Coco’s bed was only meant for one pony, but they were able to squeeze in together. They laid down right next to each other with their bodies touching and their muzzles only inches apart. Glamour was a bit worried that Coco would be uncomfortable with the close contact, but that notion was quickly dispelled when Coco wrapped her hooves around her back.

“I’m so glad you came back,” Coco murmured, her eyes closing. “I’m never letting you go again.”

Glamour could feel Coco’s love radiate out of her, and while she still decided to not risk Coco’s health, she was happy to feel Coco’s love again. She just hoped that this Coco would last, and all this love was not just euphoria from surviving their encounter with Tirek. Regardless, she was sure that as frightening as today’s events had been, the silver lining was that she knew it had brought her and Coco closer together.

As she watched Coco drift to sleep and felt her own eyes start to close, Glamour carefully maneuvered her injured hoof to wrap around Coco’s body.

“And I’ll always stay by your side,” Glamour whispered before drifting off to sleep.

Tirek might still be on the loose, but for that night, Glamour and Coco could take comfort in each other’s hooves to face whatever may come the next day together.

Chapter B29: Love

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 29: Acceptance

Bit by bit, Glamour awoke from her slumber, and her eyes opened. A lazy smile formed on her face when she was met with a most welcome sight.

Coco was right in front of her, still sleeping. Just like they had fallen asleep, they were face to face, entwined in each other’s hooves. Coco had a small smile of her own, and Glamour was sure she heard her name escaping Coco’s lips at least once.

A quick glance at a clock told her that they had completely slept past the morning, and it was now the middle of the afternoon. Considering everything that happened, a bit of extra rest was well-deserved, and Glamour was glad that they were able to have a restful and blissful sleep.

She was also happy to note that many of her injuries had been reduced to dull aches and minor bouts of soreness. Even her injured foreleg felt better, and she raised her bandaged hoof to inspect it.

Her smile was wiped clean off her face, and her eyes bugged out when she did not see her pony hoof. Instead, she saw her black, changeling hoof. Feeling a twinge of dread in her chest, she threw the blanket off herself and confirmed that her disguise was completely gone.

With how exhausted she and Coco were and the ensuing conversation they shared when they got home, Glamour had been too tired to sense or remember her waning magic supply. The last of her magic must have run out overnight, and without it, she was stuck in her changeling form.

Even though Coco had accepted the fact that she was a changeling, Glamour was not sure that having her friend wake up to the sight of one would make for a good morning. Especially since the last time Coco saw her true self was back at the Crystal Empire, and Glamour clearly remembered all the anger and sorrow that had erupted. She did not want to go through any of that again.

Glamour had to find a way to replenish her magic. She could sense love emanating from Coco’s sleeping body. It would be easy to take some of it, and Coco would never know. A simple solution to her problem.

But it was not so simple to Glamour. Honor and loyalty to Coco forbade her from just taking love without permission, not after she had snuck so much of it before Coco knew who she really was. It was one of the reasons that got her into this mess.

She also had to continue being mindful of Coco’s health. For purely scientific reasons, Glamour subtly lifted the blankets to inspect Coco’s flanks. She was disappointed to find no cutie mark. Even though she had a good night’s sleep, Coco was still weakened, and Glamour would have to be careful with her.

Glamour was grateful that at least Coco was still asleep. She was not sure what she was going to do, but getting out of Coco’s bed without being seen was a good start. Maybe she could go hide in her room afterwards, and when Coco was awake and feeling better, they could find a way for her to get some sorely-needed energy.

Glamour held her breath as she began carefully extracting herself from Coco’s hooves. She first gently nudged Coco’s forehoof that was resting on top of her right side. Once Coco’s forehoof fell to the tiny empty space between them, Glamour started moving backwards. Since Coco’s other forehoof had slipped under her neck and hooked around her back, Glamour had to move slowly to make sure she did not wake Coco, and her strained, sore muscles ached every time she had to lift her body up so that she would not drag herself over Coco’s hoof.

After what seemed like forever, Glamour had made it to the edge of the bed without waking Coco. Just as she was about to get off the bed, Glamour squeaked when Coco’s hooves suddenly shot forward, wrapped around her, and pulled her back, effectively resetting her progress.

“Glamour…” Coco quietly mumbled in a drowsy voice, her eyes still closed shut.

Glamour would have screamed in frustration if she was not also enjoying the affection. Unfortunately, she could not linger in the embrace, and she really needed to get out of bed before Coco awakened.

Again, Glamour gingerly slid herself out of Coco’s grasp and began moving back to the edge of the bed. She made it to the halfway point when her ears perked at the sounds of rustling sheets.

“Glamour…” Coco murmured again, except this time, to Glamour’s horror, her eyes were starting to open.

With no time to think, Glamour went for the first thing that came to mind that would hide her changeling form from Coco’s eyes. She dove under the blankets.

“W-what? What’s going on?” Glamour heard Coco ask as she scrambled to make sure she was completely hidden in her blanket fortress. “Glamour, what are you doing?”

“It’s, um, nothing for you to worry about. Just go back to sleep, Coco. Nothing wrong here, yep,” Glamour replied with a sheepish grin, even though Coco could not see it. She held on to the tiny hope that Coco would leave things be, but instead, she could feel the bed’s motions of Coco moving closer to her.

“Glamour, why are you hiding under the blankets?”

“Er, no reason, just a bit cold. Brrr!” Glamour shook her body to make it look like she was shivering, but in reality, she overdid it, and to Coco, it looked like she was having a seizure.

“Glamour, I know that something is wrong. Come on, you can tell me,” Coco urged.

“I-it’s nothing, really. I, uh, I have a cold, yeah that’s it. So you probably should not come too close or else you might get sick.” When Coco did not respond, Glamour wondered if her excuse had worked. Her nervousness started to abate, only to spike back up when she felt a tug on the blanket.

“No, don’t!” Glamour cried out, quickly pulling the blanket back down and securing it with her hooves.

“Glamour, please!” Coco begged. “I just want to help you. I promise that whatever it is, we will be able to work through it together. I… I know that our relationship is a bit strained, but I want to make things better again. I can’t do that unless you let me help you. Please, tell me what’s wrong.”

Glamour heard the distress and pleading in Coco’s voice. She had hoped that she would have refrained from making Coco panic and worry, but in her haste and desperation, she was doing just that and making a mess of things.

With a sigh, Glamour apologized, “Sorry, Coco. It’s just that I didn’t know how you were going to react if you saw me now. You see, um, I don’t really look like what you’re used to.”

It took a few seconds before Coco replied, “You… You don’t look like a pony now?”

Glamour slowly shook her head, but then remembered that Coco probably could not see it. “I’m not. Under these blankets is a changeling.”

“I-is something wrong with you?” Coco asked, fear creeping up into her voice. “I-I mean, I assume there’s something wrong, given the situation. It’s nothing too bad, right? Please tell me you’re going to be alright.”

“I’m fine, Coco. It’s just that after everything that happened yesterday, my magic ran out while we were asleep. I’m stuck as a changeling until I find a way to get back some magic.”

“Wait, but I thought changelings eat love.”

“Um, yeah, that’s correct.”

“Th-then how could you be out of magic? We spent so much time together. We even slept together.” Coco gasped. “Did… Did I not love you enough?”

“No, Coco, you certainly were loving me enough. It really does make me happy that I can sense your love again. Even now, I can feel so much of it pouring out of you. I just haven’t been taking any of it.”

“You… You don’t want my love?” There was a slight pause before Coco continued in a glum tone. “I see how it is. My love isn’t good for you anymore. It’s tainted because of what I put you through.”

“No, no, no, that’s not it, Coco! It’s just that… Look, I don’t want to scare you, but sometimes ponies can feel sick when a changeling takes their love, but it’s nothing too serious. Headaches, dizziness, fatigue, that kind of stuff. But that’s for a normal, healthy pony. You were weakened by Tirek. I don’t know what taking your love in your current state would do to you, and I am certainly not going to risk doing anything that might hurt you, even if it means letting my magic run out.”

“S-so you’re starving yourself for my sake?”

Glamour bit her lip. “Well, I wouldn’t necessarily call it starving, although, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t at least a little bit hungry.”

Coco did not say anything after that, and Glamour was left wondering what was the cause of the silence. She had expected Coco would be pressing her for more information or showing more concern. Just as she was about to open her mouth to speak, Coco beat her to the punch.

“Oh Glamour…” Coco mumbled, which was followed by a sniffle.

Glamour kept her mouth shut and listened. She heard several more soft sniffles, and her eyes widened when she was sure she had heard a restrained sob. “Coco, are… are you crying?”

“N-no…” Coco sniffled again. “Yes…”

“It’s because of me, isn’t it?”

“Yes…”

Glamour sighed. “Look, Coco, I’m sorry for worrying you, but—”

“Don’t apologize, Glamour. I should be the one apologizing to you. All you ever think about is my well-being. You take care of me, you protect me, and even now when you’re starving, you are afraid that you might hurt me. You always place me first above your own needs, and I was a fool to forget that. I’ve been a terrible friend to you. It’s only a drop in the bucket, but I need to fix things between you and me, and my first act will be giving you my love.”

“Coco, I’m grateful that you want to help, but I already told you of the potential risk. I’m just not comfortable in taking your love right now.”

“Then how about a trade? Would that make you feel better?”

Glamour could not help but frown. “A trade? Coco, your love is invaluable to me. You shouldn’t have to risk your health bargaining with me.”

“Just hear me out. In return for you taking my love, you are going to do something for me first.”

“And what’s that?”

“I am going to remove the blanket you are hiding under, and you are going to let me.”

“Um, what?”

“I am going to remove the blanket you are hiding under, and you are going to let me,” Coco repeated. “So that I can see the real you.”

“B-but—”

“Glamour, this is something I really want, no, need to do. I promise that you won’t regret it. This is going to help the both of us.”

Glamour could hear the conviction in Coco’s tone and knew that she would not be able to sway the mare from this matter. Taking a deep breath, she uttered a quiet “Okay” and sat up on her haunches. When she felt the blanket being pulled off her, she dropped her gaze down to the bed.

Light briefly filled Glamour’s vision when she was pulled out of her hiding, but even when her eyes had adjusted, she kept her head down. That is, until Coco’s hoof gently pushed up on her chin. Glamour kept still as her gaze met the watery eyes of the most important pony in her life.

“So, this is the real you, huh?” Coco quietly said with a small but comforting smile. Her hoof slowly moved to caress Glamour’s face. “It’s like I’m seeing you for the first time.”

“But you did see me like this when I was being kept in the castle at the Crystal Empire.”

“But that was when I let my emotions get the better of me. Fear and anger clouded my eyes. What I saw back then and what I see right now are two very different things.”

Glamour’s ears perked up with interest. “What did you see back then?”

Coco’s hoof dropped down to the bed, along with her gaze. “A changeling that lied to me.”

“Oh, r-right…” Glamour’s ears fell back against her head. “Well, it’s pretty much true. I kept my real self a secret from you for so long, and that was wrong of me.”

“Yes, that was wrong, but it’s not like you had much of a choice. Looking back, there were little hints that you were not as you seemed, but the biggest ones were the times you tried to talk to me about changelings. I imagine telling you how afraid I was of changelings did not make it easy for you to come forth with the truth.”

Glamour nodded slowly. “It’s not like your fears were unfounded though. I really did want to tell you every time we talked about changelings, but I would always give up because I was afraid of what would happen to our relationship. It was a mistake that I allowed to build up until it blew up in our faces. I was not strong enough to tell you myself and let things fall apart between us.”

“You made one mistake. It was a big mistake, but it was still only one.” Coco sighed, bowing her head so that Glamour could not see her face. “I… I’ve been very stupid. I latched onto that one mistake and forgot all the great times we shared and the things you did for me before that. I convinced myself that all of your kindness and generosity were just a hoax. I was afraid that you were the same as Golden Thread or even worse. Even when we rekindled our friendship, my doubts and fears lingered. But I was wrong, you’ve been nothing but sincere with your feelings to me. Glamour, do you know what I saw when I looked at you just now?”

“N-no, what?”

“A changeling that is very dear to me. A changeling that loves me with all her heart.” Coco raised her head, revealing tears streaming down her cheeks. “A changeling that I hurt terribly and did not deserve the pain I caused her.”

Glamour’s jaw hung open in shock. “W-what? No, Coco. It’s alright.”

“No, it’s not!” Coco replied loudly. “I put you through so much, and yet you stayed by my side. You even risked your life for me! I’ve been a terrible and selfish pony that made you needlessly suffer because of some stupid fears!”

Glamour took a deep breath. “They were not stupid fears, Coco. During the Canterlot invasion, I got to witness the scared faces of so many innocent ponies, and even though I was just following orders, I deeply regret that I was a part of it. When I started to travel by myself, I saw that the invasion had left fear in the hearts of every pony. Changelings did not exactly leave a good first impression. It’s understandable why you were afraid of me, even more so given the similarities to what Golden Thread and I did.”

Coco shook her head. “But you’re not Golden Thread. You’re not like him at all. You’re not some scary invader. You might have lied about who you were, but your love and actions were genuine. If I…” Coco paused to sniffle and wipe her eyes. “If I had been more understanding with you back at the Crystal Empire, I wouldn’t have been so scared. Princess Twilight would not have had to give us that necklace, and maybe then, we could have gotten away from Tirek, and I wouldn’t have almost lost you.”

Coco reached over and gripped Glamour’s forehooves in her own. “Glamour, I’m not afraid of you. I love you. I… I might not deserve your love, but you certainly deserve mine. Please, take my love, Glamour. I know you’re concerned about my health, but I am concerned about yours. You can’t keep starving yourself for me. I don’t know what I would do without you. Do it for the both of us.”

Glamour’s brows furrowed with concern. “Are you sure about this?”

A soft smile crossed Coco’s face. “If I get sick, then I get sick, but I know that you, the wonderful changeling that you are, will fuss and care for me even if I insist that I am fine. I know it isn’t much, but this is one way for me to show that I accept who you are. I trust you, and I want you to do this.”

“O-okay then, if you’re really sure about this…” Glamour gulped. She still had qualms over feeding from Coco, but they had no idea when the whole Tirek situation would be resolved. She might be doing okay now, but she could go without food for only so long before her health started deteriorating. If Coco was willing to go through with this, it was better that they did this now, rather than waiting for a miracle.

“I’m just going to take a little, just to stay on the safe side, alright?” Glamour informed.

Coco nodded, still smiling.

Glamour took a deep breath, but right before she started taking in Coco’s love, she felt Coco pull on her hooves and reel her into a hug. Glamour smiled and returned the gesture. “Thank you for doing this for me, Coco,” she whispered.

“Thank you for being there for me,” Coco replied.

Glamour’s horn emitted a soft, green glow as she began taking in Coco’s love. Maybe it was simply her being hungry. Maybe it was because she had missed Coco’s love. Maybe it was because Coco’s love for her had grown. Whatever the reason was, Coco’s love felt purer and more exhilarating than ever before, and Glamour relished in it. It was the sweetest thing she had ever tasted, and her whole body was suffused with a pleasant warmth. She could feel her strength and energy returning, and even the soreness from some of her injuries faded away.

But just like she said, as soon as she got enough energy to last her a day or two, Glamour stopped her meal and pulled back from the hug. She immediately scanned Coco’s whole body, looking for any changes. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine,” Coco said with a nod. “I didn’t feel a thing.”

“Are you sure? Nothing hurts? You don’t feel weak or tired, er, I mean even weaker or more tired?”

Coco giggled. “See? You’re fussing over me. Really, Glamour, you can get quite overprotective of me. I’m alright. The important question is are you alright?”

Glamour chuckled sheepishly. “Guess I did kind of worry a bit too much. And to answer your question, I do feel a lot better, thanks to you.” She shifted back into her pony form. “See? I can use magic again.”

Coco stared at Glamour for a few seconds and then said, “You don’t have to do that, Glamour.”

“Do what?”

Coco closed her eyes. “No matter what you wear, no matter what you look like, you will always be beautiful to me, and I will always love you.”

Glamour’s eyes slightly widened, her memories quickly recalling when she heard those words. “That’s… that’s what you said to me before I walked on stage for the Fall Fashion Fantasia.”

“It was supposed to be a promise.” Coco sighed, only opening her eyes halfway to look down with guilt. “A promise that I’ve done a horrible job in keeping. I was scared of you when I should not have been. Even when we went back to being friends, I kept my guard up. But I’m not like that anymore.

“I know that you cannot show your true self to other ponies, but when it’s just you and me in our home, you don’t have to hide behind a disguise. I want the real Glamour. Other ponies might be afraid of you, but I promise you that I won’t be. How could I be afraid of somepony who I love so much?”

Glamour bit her lip and slowly nodded. She shed her disguise, revealing her true self to Coco. With a nervous grin and averting her gaze slightly to the side, she asked, “S-so, what do you think?”

Coco smiled and placed her hooves on Glamour’s cheeks. She turned Glamour’s head to look directly at her and leaned forward. “You’re beautiful.”

Glamour’s eyes widened when Coco pressed her lips against hers, but it only last a moment before she closed them to let herself enjoy the affection.

She had kissed many ponies before, as well as kissing Coco plenty of times, but this moment was special, and it would forever remain as one of the most treasured moments of her life. This was her first kiss as a changeling. She had found a pony that loved her as a changeling.

Glamour could only describe what she was feeling as complete and utter bliss. Many of her happiest memories were made with Coco, but this moment easily outshone them all. Even though she did not feed on Coco’s love, this moment was perfect for her, and she could feel her whole body tingle as though magic filled the air.

Eventually, Glamour realized that it was not the euphoria from their kiss that was tugging on her senses and that there really was magic in the air. She opened her eyes and noticed a flashing light. She would have gasped if her mouth was not seized by Coco’s.

Glamour wrenched herself away from their kiss and pointed at Coco’s flanks. “Coco, your cutie mark! It’s back!”

“It is?” Coco opened her eyes, revealing that they were now restored to their vibrant cyan, and turned her head. “Oh my goodness, it is!”

“Are you feeling better as well?” Glamour asked.

“Now that you mention it, I don’t feel tired or weak anymore,” Coco replied while she moved her legs and inspected herself. “I thought it was just because I felt so good kissing you, but I guess I’m cured now. But how?”

“Well, it happened while we kissed, so maybe…” Glamour smiled. “Maybe it was our love. I mean, love is very potent, so, uh, kissing you was what probably healed you.”

“Um, Glamour, no offense, but I think you’re wrong.” Coco pointed to the window.

Glamour turned her head, and her eyes bulged when she saw a giant rainbow ring in the sky as it swept across Manehattan.

“I guess Princess Twilight and her friends defeated Tirek,” Coco remarked.

Glamour huffed, folded her hooves across her chest, and pouted. “Yeah, I guess they did,” she said in a sarcastic tone.

Coco stared at her with a raised eyebrow. “Is something wrong?”

“Is it too much to ask that I helped you recover with the power of love instead of a giant friendship rainbow?” Glamour asked with annoyance. She then blinked several times, going over what she just uttered.

“Confound you ponies and your weird friendship magic,” Glamour muttered with a deadpan face.

Coco hugged Glamour again as she giggled. Her infectious joy quickly got Glamour to smile, and their laughter soon filled the room. Everything was now fixed. Tirek was gone, and everypony he drained were now healed. And of course, more importantly, their relationship was fixed.

When they calmed down, Coco leaned her head on Glamour’s shoulder as they both let out a contented sigh. “Glamour, I know it’s pretty much a formality at this point, but just to make it official, would you be my marefriend again?” Coco asked.

Glamour replied by kissing Coco between her ears. “I would be more than happy to.”

Glamour had finally found the love she was looking for. It was not love that she would feed on, but love that she would cherish in her heart and return in kind. There was no more running, no more hiding, and no more lying. She had reached the end of her travels and found a home with a wonderful pony.

Chapter 30: Reunion

“Then you just press down on the top when it’s done.”

“And how long will that take?”

“Only a few minutes,” Glamour explained. “I’ll tell you when, but let’s check on the white chocolate again while we wait.”

Coco nodded and followed Glamour to the stove.

Glamour grabbed a nearby spoon in her magic and stirred the sweet mixture bubbling in the sauce pan. “This is looking good as well. You did much better than my first time making white chocolate mocha.”

“That’s because you’re here teaching me how to make it.” Coco grinned. “Well, that and I don’t feel like scraping chocolate off the ceiling.”

“You probably would get me to do it anyway,” Glamour joked with a smirk.

Coco chuckled and nuzzled Glamour’s black, carapaced cheek. “Well, you are the one who can levitate things…”

Glamour shot back a wry grin, trying not to show how happy she was that Coco was not bothered with touching her changeling form, and continued to stir the chocolate.

It had been a few days since they had become marefriends again, and to Glamour, things could not be better. They had both made a full recovery from Tirek’s rampage, and their relationship was stronger than ever after all the trials they had endured together. Best of all, Glamour no longer had to hide her true self from Coco anymore.

Glamour had followed through with Coco’s request and had started walking around their apartment home without her pony disguise. Of course, they had to make sure all the window curtains were closed in case of any pegasi that might happen to fly by, but it was a minor inconvenience for Glamour to be able to be herself around the pony she loved.

Coco had a few more days off while the theater finished getting ready for the second attempt of the first show of the season. Until then, they were going to relax and enjoy the fact that they were marefriends again.

They knew that they would have to contact Princess Twilight about the destroyed necklace and the change in their relationship, but they thought that with everything that had happened, they could have at least wait a bit longer so that things could settle down.

“Um, Glamour, where did you get this coffee?” Coco asked.

“Just the supermarket. It’s the same one I always use,” Glamour replied, her attention still focused on stirring the saucepan.

“I think there’s something wrong with it. Coffee is not supposed to move on its own, right?”

Glamour stopped stirring and turned to look at Coco. She was tempted to shift into her pony form just so that she could have an eyebrow to raise. “Uh, what?”

Coco pointed at the coffee press and like she said, the coffee was somehow moving on its own as a stream of the caffeinated liquid jumped out of the spout and into a nearby mug.

Glamour and Coco stared wide-eyed at the stream of coffee until it stopped flowing when the mug was full. They slowly approached the mug, only to back away when it began bubbling. A blob rose from the mug and two tendrils grew from its side, both shooting straight out before bending upwards in the middle to form a ‘L’ shape.

“Is… Is it just me or is it flexing at us?” Coco asked.

“I see it too,” Glamour replied with her mouth agape. “I heard of strong coffee, but this is ridiculous.”

To their bemusement and slight horror, the blob grew bigger and bigger as it continued to perform all sorts of poses to show off its dripping muscles. Before long, the coffee blob had grown far beyond the amount of liquid that was in the mug, and sections of the blob were hardening into distinct features.

Two distinct horns grew on the top of it as a muzzle began to form, and the tendrils began to turn into claws. The blob’s body began to slim down into a long, snake-like form, while one bat and one pegasi wing sprouted from its back.

Glamour growled when she realized what got into their coffee. “Discord…”

“Hello there, you two!” Coffee Discord greeted, still dripping as though he were actually made of liquid. His upper half had fully formed into the shape of his actual body, but his bottom half was still somehow contained in the mug. Pulling off a striking pose, he cheerfully asked, “Aren’t you two glad to see me?”

Glamour gave him a flat stare before picking up the mug in her magic. Interestingly enough, it weighed as much as a regular cup of coffee, so she was easily able to turn the mug over with ease and dump Discord into the sink.

“Nope,” Glamour replied as she watched Discord literally go down the drain, wishing that their sink had a garbage disposal installed.

“Now that was just rude,” Discord scolded as he popped out of the sink in his usual form without a single drop of coffee. “I thought mares like guys that are tall, dark, and handsome.”

Glamour and Coco both shot him angry glares.

“Get it? Dark? As in dark coffee?” Discord pointed out with a broad grin. When Glamour and Coco did not change their baleful faces, he pouted and let out an annoyed huff. “Sheesh, tough crowd.”

“What do you want, Discord?” Glamour asked with vehemence. “You’re not exactly welcome here after what you did.”

There was a flash of light, and Glamour yelped when she found that Discord was now wrapped around her like a snake.

“Aww, don’t be like that, my little buggy,” Discord chastised in a teasing tone. “Is that any way to treat a friend? I just wanted to come by and check up on my favorite—”

“Excuse me, Discord?” Coco interrupted, tapping Discord from behind.

Discord craned his head back so that he could look at Coco upside down. “Yes, what is—”

BONG

Glamour was surprised, both by the loud sound and when she was freed from Discord’s grasp after he crumpled to the floor. She turned around to find Coco standing on her hind legs and brandishing a frying pan in her forehooves.

“Uh, nice one, Coco.”

“Thanks…” Coco replied as she took some deep breaths. “Oh my, I can’t believe I did that. Um, is he…” She pointed at the twitching body on the ground.

“I really doubt a single hit on the head with a frying pan will do in the Spirit of Chaos. At best, he’s just unconscious right now.”

“Should we do something about him?”

“Think he’ll fit into a trash bag?” Glamour asked with a devilish smirk.

“A trash bag, really?!” Discord cried out, suddenly sitting upright and throwing his claws into the air in frustration. After his claws came back down and reattached to his body, he folded them across his chest. “At least have the decency to carve out a casket made out of the finest chocolate! Your marefriend could have killed me if I didn’t have such a thick skull. In fact, I’m pretty sure I have some traumatic brain damage!”

“You mean you didn’t have brain damage before?” Glamour asked.

Discord raised a digit on one of his claws as he opened his mouth to protest, but he paused before slowly closing it. “Good point. Still, perfectly scrambled head or not, it’s not fun getting brained by a kitchen utensil. Was that really necessary?”

“Yes!” Coco immediately replied with a angry glare and thrust the pan in Discord’s direction. “Because of you, Glamour was almost killed by Tirek, and I almost lost my special somepony!”

Both Glamour and Discord looked at Coco with wide eyes. To Glamour’s surprise, Discord let out a regretful sigh. “Yes, I do admit that was an… unfortunate effect due to my lapse in judgement. That’s why I’m here. I want to do a little something to make up for my mistake.” A grin grew back on his face. “That’s why I went ahead and arranged a little meeting with Twilight for you two.”

Glamour and Coco blinked several times before they both cried out, “You did what?!”

“In fact, that’s the other reason I’m here! She wants to see you, so I thought I could save you all the trouble of a boring train ride and take you to her right now on the much more awesome and only slightly more dangerous Discord Express.” Discord snapped his fingers, and he was suddenly donning a train engineer’s outfit, complete with a blue and white striped cap and blue overalls.

“Right now? As in this very moment?” Glamour asked with disbelief. Even though she knew Coco would be vouching for her, the thought of visiting the alicorn princess still sent a chill down her spine.

“Yes, yes, right now,” Discord said as he reached out with both arms. Coco yelped, dropping the frying pan to the floor as she was picked up in one arm, and Glamour made the same sound when she was picked up in the other. “Now, please keep all hooves inside the vehicle at all times because I am not responsible for any lost limbs or sanity! Onward to Ponyville!”

“W-wait! We’re not ready! Discord, let us go, or else, um, why are we in front of the refrigerator?” Glamour could not help but ask when they were carried over to the appliance.

“There’s a door, and all doors lead somewhere, don’t they?”

“But that’s just a refrigerator door. There’s only our groceries inside.”

Discord smirked. “Then we’ll have plenty of snacks for the trip.”

Glamour and Coco cried out when Discord kicked open the refrigerator and threw them inside, but instead of hitting a shelf or the back of the refrigerator, there was a flash of light. To their surprise, they found themselves floating in midair as though there was no gravity.

“W-what? Where are we?” Glamour looked around in wide-eyed wonder. She saw that they had emerged from an exact replica of their refrigerator hanging in the air behind them. The sky was a constantly-shifting mess of colors, and there were floating islands everywhere with all sorts of bizarre creatures and plants that defied both the laws of physics and reality.

“Oh, we’re just passing through my neck of the woods,” Discord’s voice replied before the draconequus himself appeared right above them without his costume. “Come now, while I would love to give you two the tour, I do not want to be late for my tea time with Fluttershy,” he said as he grabbed them again and flew towards another refrigerator floating nearby.

As Discord headbutted the new refrigerator open, Glamour yelled out, “Discord, would you at least please not throw us ahhhh!”

There was another flash of light when Glamour was tossed into the refrigerator. For a split second, she saw somebody that was short, purple, and had eyes that were wide open with surprise before they collided with each other and fell to the floor.

Glamour’s groans mixed with the groans of whoever she landed on. She carefully got up to get a better look at who she landed on, and her eyes bugged out at who she saw. “S-sorry, Spike!”

Spike let out an annoyed huff while Glamour scrambled off of him, and he sat up with a flat stare. “It’s a good thing dragons are built tough. Now, who are you and—”

A shriek was heard when there was another flash of light from the refrigerator, and Coco was shot out of it, bowling over Glamour and Spike and knocking them back to the ground.

“Oh my goodness, I’m sorry!” Coco apologized when she saw who was writhing in pain underneath her.

“Oh, you’re Coco, so this changeling must be Glamour. So nice of you two to drop in, but could you please explain why the refrigerator spat out a changeling and a pony in my face?” a grumpy Spike asked. “All I wanted was a snack, not pain!”

“That’s what you get for trying to sneak in some gems before dinnertime, Spike Wikey,” Discord replied, swimming out of the refrigerator with a snicker.

“Oh, Discord,” Spike muttered with a bored tone. “Question retracted.”

“Spike, are you alright? I heard a crash and some yelling,” a familiar voice called into the kitchen as Glamour, Coco, and Spike helped each other up.

“I’m fine, Twilight,” Spike replied. “You’re going to want to come in here though. We have guests.”

“Visitors? I didn’t hear the front door. Who is…” Twilight trailed off when she entered the kitchen and examined the scene before her.

“H-hi, P-Princess Twilight,” Glamour greeted with a feeble wave. She gasped when she saw her changeling hoof, and she quickly changed into her pony form.

Glamour gulped, feeling a nervous tension building up in her chest as she desperately hoped their meeting would go well. As her body began to tremble, she felt somepony brushing her side. A quick look revealed that it was Coco with a comforting smile on her face. Suddenly, Glamour did not feel so nervous.

“Glamour and Coco, this is certainly a surprise.” With a sigh, Twilight turned her attention to the draconequus looking up at the ceiling and whistling an out of tune melody. “Discord, what did you do?”

Discord placed a claw on his chest. “Moi?” he asked in a hurt tone. “Why do you think it’s my fault?”

Twilight’s eyes narrowed into an unamused glare. “Do I have to get Fluttershy?”

Discord defensively waved his claws in front of him. “Alright, alright, sheesh. I was just helping. You mentioned that you wanted to talk with Glamour and Coco, so I did you a favor.”

“You really didn’t have to do that. I was going to send them a letter to invite them over.”

“See? Why wait when the Discord Express, no wait, Discord’s Delightfully Dynamic Delivery can bring your guests to you?”

Twilight facehoofed. “Coco, Glamour, could you two please explain what happened?”

“We were in our apartment, making some coffee, when Discord suddenly appeared,” Glamour paused as she went over her words again. “Wait… Discord grabbed us while we were still cooking.” Her eyes slowly widened. “That means the stove is still on. That’s… That’s bad, isn’t it?”

The pupils in Coco’s eyes shrank. “Oh dear, that could be a problem.”

“No worries! I’ll fix that right up… for a teensy, weensy little favor,” Discord replied with a toothy grin.

“Discord…” Twilight chastised in a warning tone.

“Oh, don’t get your royal feathers in a bunch. I was just going to ask if I could use their kitchen to prepare a few snacks. It’s almost my tea time with Fluttershy, and I owe it to her to bring more than just cucumber sandwiches.”

“Well… I suppose it’s alright if you want to make something for Fluttershy,” Coco slowly responded.

“But you better not make a huge mess for us to clean up!” Glamour quickly added, pointing an accusatory hoof at Discord.

Discord frowned. “But what about my special exploding cupcakes?”

“No!” Glamour and Coco immediately rejected.

“Fine, fine, party poopers,” Discord grumbled. He flew over to the refrigerator and went right inside it, closing the door behind him. A second later, the door opened slightly to reveal Discord’s head peaking out. “Oh, and for the record…” He sighed. “I really do apologize for my part in the whole Tirek fiasco.”

And with that, Discord closed the door.

“Did he actually apologize to us?” Glamour asked out loud, staring at the refrigerator and not quite believing what she had just heard.

“It sure seemed like it,” Coco replied, her gaze also locked on the appliance.

“I know it might seem odd, but he really is genuinely sorry,” Twilight explained, causing Glamour and Coco to turn to her.

“How can you be so sure?” Glamour asked. “And is it really wise to let him roam free after everything he has done?”

“I admit that I am not happy with the choices he made either, but he also played a big part in defeating Tirek. Since then, he has been busy repairing all the damages he helped cause, and I imagine that’s also why he seems so eager to help you too. We’ll be sure to keep a close eye on him, but to me, Discord is finally understanding the magic of friendship. Let me worry about him.”

“If you say so, Princess Twilight,” Glamour said with a shrug.

“He was right about one thing though. I did want to see you two again. He told me that you don’t have the necklace anymore.”

Glamour blanched. “Oh… R-right…”

“Spike, I’m going to go to the study room to speak with Glamour and Coco in private,” Twilight informed.

“Sure, no problem,” Spike answered. “I think I’ll go check up on Rarity in the meantime. See ya later.”

When Spike left, Twilight turned to her guests. “Now, would you two please follow me? The study room will be a more comfortable setting to continue our discussion.”

Glamour and Coco slowly nodded and followed Twilight out of the kitchen. As they walked through the vast hallways, they took notice of their surroundings and realized that they were in an unfamiliar place. Looking around in wonder, they saw that the walls and floor both shone and glistened as though they were made out of crystal and were a blend of white, blue, and violet colors. They passed through numerous, tall double doors, decorative pillars, and other fabulous features that were fitting in a home for a princess.

“Princess Twilight, where are we?” Coco asked.

“Oh, right.” Twilight looked back at them with a small smile while she continued walking. “This is, um, this is my home.”

Glamour remembered from their last visit that Twilight used to live in a huge tree that was hollowed out to serve as both her home and Ponyville’s library. “Then what happened to your old home?” she asked.

Twilight stopped in her tracks and looked forward so that they could not see her face. “It… It’s gone…” She took a deep breath. “Tirek destroyed it.”

Glamour felt a brief pang in her chest, both out of sympathy for Twilight’s loss and guilt over her hoof in mouth question.

“I’m… I’m sorry to hear that, Princess Twilight,” Coco replied with a gasp, a hoof held up to her mouth in horror.

“It’s alright,” Twilight replied, resuming their walk. “My friends and I defeated Tirek with the help of the Tree of Harmony, the birthplace of the Elements of Harmony. After Tirek was imprisoned back in Tartarus, the Tree of Harmony somehow conjured this whole castle. This place is huge and feels kind of empty with just Spike and I, but I’m sure we’ll adjust to our new home… eventually…”

Glamour and Coco glanced at each other, noting Twilight’s hesitance, and decided to let the subject drop.

Twilight eventually opened one of the many hallway doors to lead them into a cozy study room with bookshelves on each wall. In the middle were a small table and multiple cushions surrounding it.

“Please, have a seat,” Twilight offered as she sat down on a cushion. “Now, let’s get right to business. I—”

“Princess Twilight, may I please say something before we start?” Coco interceded.

Twilight’s eyes widened slightly with surprise before she nodded and waved her hoof to tell Coco to proceed.

Coco took a deep breath. “Princess Twilight, I should have never agreed to the whole necklace ordeal. Despite hiding her real identity from me, Glamour has proven that she is a kind and caring changeling. She has put my needs and safety above her own time and time again, but I was too caught up with my own fears to realize that. Because of my weakness, we subjugated an innocent changeling to an incredibly harrowing experience.

“The only reason we lost the necklace you gave us was because Tirek captured me. Glamour tried her best to free me, and she almost died because of it. Even after Tirek moved on, Glamour pushed through her injuries to take care of me. I was a fool to ever doubt her loyalty and dedication to me, and now it’s my turn to do something for her in return.”

Coco bowed toward the alicorn princess. “Please, Princess Twilight, I beg of you. Glamour doesn’t deserve to be put through any more trials or restrictions. I love her very much, and the both of us just want to live peacefully together.”

“Coco…” Glamour’s heart surged with pride at hearing her marefriend speak so strongly in her defense. She could literally feel the love within each heartfelt word.

“So you’re perfectly fine with Glamour as a changeling?” Twilight asked.

Coco nodded and wrapped one hoof around Glamour. “I have even asked her to be herself when it’s just us in our home. It doesn’t matter what she looks like or who she is. Glamour is Glamour to me, and I love her.”

Twilight nodded and then turned her attention to Glamour. “And I assume you’re happy with living with Coco?”

“Of course. I’ve never felt closer to any changeling or pony.” Glamour placed her hoof on Coco’s shoulder. “I have everything I need right here.”

Twilight’s eyes flicked back and forth between Glamour and Coco, closely examining their embrace. A few seconds later, a warm smile blossomed on her face. “Then I see no reason to give Glamour any more trouble.”

Glamour blinked several times. “W-wait? Really? Just like that?”

Twilight chuckled. “To be honest, Discord already gave me a detailed description about what happened when you two went up against Tirek and even recommended that I let you go free. While I imagine that there weren’t as many explosions or lasers like he claimed, the fact still remains that you were very heroic. Like I said, Discord might not be good at showing it, but he is sorry for what he did to you two.”

“So you were already planning to let me go before we got here?”

“That’s right. The main reason I wanted to see you both is so that I could check on Coco. I had already believed Glamour was not a threat to Equestria, but the main issue back at the Crystal Empire was Coco’s well-being. I needed to see you two were getting along again and possibly work out any lingering issues.”

Coco’s smile wilted into a frown. “So it really is my fault that we put Glamour through such a hard time.”

Glamour gave Coco a comforting nuzzle on her cheek. “Coco, it’s not your fault. I kept my secret from you for far too long, and it just so happened to affect you deeply because of your past. Things just spiraled out of control.”

“I still feel awful that you had to go to such lengths to convince me that you loved me,” Coco said, her head bowed.

“Don’t feel too bad, Coco,” Twilight replied. “Given my position in Changeling Affairs, I’ve seen this situation plenty of times, and you are not the only pony who got distraught when they find out a loved one was actually a changeling.” Her smile faded, and she let out a sigh. “Just be glad that things worked out between you two. Some cases don’t end so well, so cherish the fact that you have a bright future together.”

Coco gave a smile and nodded. “I guess you’re right, Princess Twilight. I should be looking forward to the rest of my life with Glamour instead of dwelling on the past.”

“Sounds good to me,” Glamour remarked with a grin, earning her a giggle from Coco.

Twilight nodded in approval before directing her attention back to Glamour. “Now, Glamour, while you don’t have to worry about any more restrictions from me, I’m afraid that you’ll still have to be careful with your identity. I’m sure you very well know how the average pony will react if they do see a changeling walking down the street.”

Glamour’s ears drooped slightly, her mood dampened a bit by Twilight’s warning. “Yeah… I know…”

“It’s really sad that so many ponies automatically assume all changelings are evil,” Coco added. “I know I’m guilty of the same thing.”

“I’m sure given enough time, things will change,” Twilight assured. “Look at me. After the changelings went after my brother and favorite foalsitter during the Royal Wedding, I have to admit that I held a grudge against them. I did not get why Celestia and Luna thought it would be a good idea for me to preside over Changeling Affairs, given my personal feelings.

“But when I started meeting with changelings like Glamour, I realized that not all changelings are bad. I think that’s what Celestia and Luna wanted me to learn, that changelings are like ponies. Some are good and some are bad. It’s something that everypony has to learn before peace between us can be achieved. I’m hoping that one day, we can show that there are changelings like Glamour already living in Equestria so that ponies can let go of their fear.

“Until then, I’m afraid Glamour will just have to be careful. Fortunately, that’s where Changeling Affairs comes in. While one of our main purposes is to help ponies deal with changelings, the reverse is true as well. It’s tough for changelings to fit into Equestria, and we want to help changelings like Glamour. As you can guess, the latter reason is not exactly popular with some ponies, so it’s not something we make well-known. Still, if there’s any help you need, please feel free to contact me, Glamour.”

“Thank you, Princess Twilight,” Glamour said with a bow of her head. “It really is a relief to hear that I have more ponies to turn to. I’ll be sure to keep you in mind.”

A knock on the door caused them to turn their heads.

“Come in,” Twilight beckoned.

The door opened to reveal Spike. “Hey, guys, are you still busy with your meeting?”

“I think we’re just about finished. Is there something you need, Spike?”

“Well, I told Rarity that Glamour and Coco were here, and she wanted me to send them over when they were done with you.”

“Did she say about what?” Glamour asked.

Spike shrugged. “Just that there is a surprise.”

“We’ll be sure to go see her then. Thank you, Spike,” Coco replied.

Spike nodded and exited the room.

“Well then, I think that pretty much covers everything,” Twilight said as they got up. “I’m really glad that we can give this case a happy ending. I wish you two the best of luck, and please feel free to visit whenever you have the chance.”

Glamour and Coco were guided by Twilight to the entrance of her castle. As they waved goodbye to the princess, Glamour got a good look at the castle’s exterior and saw that it looked like a giant crystal tree. In fact, despite seeing only a portion of the castle, Twilight’s new home seemed a lot bigger on the inside than on the outside. Given the fact that it was a giant tree grown by a magical tree, she guessed that the whole space issue was some sort of freaky pony magic thing.

With Twilight’s directions and memories of their last time in Ponyville, Glamour and Coco were able to find Rarity’s boutique without any trouble. Coco went ahead and knocked on the door.

“Who is it?” Rarity’s voice called back shortly after.

“It’s Coco and Glamour, Rarity,” Coco replied. “Spike said you wanted to see us.”

“Oh, you’re here! Just give me one minute, and I’ll be right out!”

The sound of hurried hoofsteps reached Glamour and Coco’s ears, and after the requested minute had passed, Rarity finally opened the door with a big smile. “Coco, it’s so good to see you again!” She glanced back and forth between Coco and Glamour, and her smile faded a bit. “So, um, Spike told me that Discord brought you both to Ponyville to talk with Twilight. I trust that everything went alright?”

Coco nodded happily. “Glamour is pretty much a free changeling, and we can live together without worry now.”

Rarity’s smile returned. “I take it from that answer that you two are marefriends again as well?”

Coco nodded again before nuzzling Glamour’s cheek. “We are. Glamour had always loved me, and I should have never been afraid of her. It doesn’t matter who she is. What matters is that we love each other very much.”

Rarity chuckled. “A perfect reason for a couple. If you’re happy together, Coco, then I’m happy for you. And I must congratulate you as well, Glamour. Not just for your newfound freedom, but I hope you also realize that you’re lucky to have a mare like Coco.”

“Of course I do,” Glamour replied. “She literally changed my life, and I’m looking forward to spending the rest of my life with her.”

“So, anyway, Spike told us that you had a surprise for us,” Coco remarked.

“Ah, yes. Please, come in, come in!” Rarity stepped to the side to allow Glamour and Coco inside the boutique. “You two actually came to town at a most fortuitous time. You see, I have a special guest that I want you to meet. She was only meant to be in town for a few days, but she was stuck here in Ponyville during the whole Tirek incident. Anyway, I wasn’t sure if you were going to need cheering up in case your meeting with Twilight did not turn out so well, but since it did, let’s call this the icing on the cake.”

“Who is this special guest?” Coco asked.

“Somepony who I think you’ll be happy to see.” Rarity trotted to the back of the room and called up the staircase in a loud voice, “You can come down now!”

Shortly afterwards, hoofsteps could be heard coming down the stairs, and a mare came into view that made Coco and Glamour gasp.

“S-Suri?” Coco uttered. “What are you doing here?”

“Good to see you too, Coco,” Suri said with a roll of her eyes.

“S-sorry, I’m just surprised to see you here. I mean, you weren’t too thrilled by the idea of coming here before you left Manehattan.”

Suri shrugged. “Yeah, well, traveling around has done me good. I guess without the stress of trying to claw my way to the top, I started to relax and think more clearly. Not sure if I was thinking clearly when I did decide to visit Ponyville though. I guess part of it is because I remembered that you were nagging me to try and apologize to Rarity…” She shrugged again. “Since I was close by, I said what the hay and tried talking with her.”

“You… You actually apologized?” Coco asked with wide eyes. Behind her, Glamour’s mouth was also hung open with disbelief.

“Well… not right away…”

“I was certainly surprised to see you when you knocked on my door,” Rarity chimed in. “That was an… interesting visit.”

“Oh yeah, totally not awkward at all,” Suri’s reply came, dripping with sarcasm.

“At least we managed to sit down for some nice tea once you made it clear that you had no ill intentions. I’d say we had a pleasant talk about various stitching techniques before we called it a day.”

“Is that when you apologized, Suri?” Coco asked.

Suri shook her head. “Nope, I ended up trying again the next day… and the day after that… and the day after—you know what, you can see where this is going. Point is, I wasn’t going to apologize to her right away. I needed to spend more time with her. Turns out, she’s not as big of a chump as I thought she was back at Manehattan.”

“Your praise flatters me, darling,” Rarity said dryly.

Suri chuckled. “After a few days, I finally felt comfortable enough to apologize to her about the whole Fashion Week thing. And well… I don’t know. We got to talking about why I did all that junk, and she somehow got me to talk about Golden Thread and the things that happened because of that jerk.”

“Oh dear,” Coco uttered. “Are you alright? I know talking about him is really difficult for you.”

Suri sighed. “Yeah well, after I made peace with you, I started loosening up, and talking about it with Rarity wasn’t as hard as I thought. I also figured it was about time for me to move on. I have to admit, now that I had the time to look back on the stuff I did, I was a really big jerk myself, especially to you. I was planning to talk to you when I eventually returned to Manehattan, but since you’re here, I might as well get this over with.”

Suri closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. “Coco, I made you put up with a lot of my crazy schemes and plots, and even though you stuck by my side, I treated you like dirt. I don’t blame you for wanting to go your separate way. I was a real jerk to you, and you did not deserve that.”

“Suri, are you… are you trying to apologize to me?” Coco asked.

Suri slowly nodded. “Pretty much. Despite all the cruddy things I put you through, you still treated me as a friend. Even when you had the perfect opportunity to get some payback, you showed that you were above that. You’re a good pony, and I’m sorry for how I treated you. I promise that I won’t cheat anymore, and if you still want me as a friend, then I promise I’ll do a better job with it.”

Coco’s eyes widened. “F-friends? You want to be friends again?”

“Well, duh. I wouldn’t have said all those sappy things if that wasn’t my intention, and what are you doing?” Suri asked with a raised eyebrow when Coco walked up to her.

“Oh, Suri! I’ve waited so long to hear you say that!” Coco cried out, quickly wrapping her hooves around Suri in a hug.

Suri groaned and made a show of feebly pushing Coco away. “Ugh, hugs. Coco, get off.”

Coco, however, refused to let go while she squealed in delight, much to Glamour and Rarity’s amusement.

“Seriously, Coco, this is getting weird.”

“We’ll leave you two alone for a bit,” Rarity said, covering her mouth with a hoof as she tried not to giggle.

Glamour made no effort to hide the giant smirk she was wearing.

“Yeah, sure. Just bring back a crowbar to pry her off me when you get back,” Suri replied with a deadpan face.

Rarity and Glamour chuckled again while they headed for the front door.

Glamour breathed a big sigh of relief when she stepped outside. She was happy for Coco. She knew how arduous it had been for her marefriend, and she was glad that Coco had finally regained her old friend.

“So, what are you planning to do now that you’re a free changeling?” Rarity asked, grabbing Glamour’s attention.

“Well, I’m technically still suspended from modeling, but Prim Hemline and Photo Finish are planning something for me, so I should be returning to work sometime soon.”

“Oh, so you’re going to continue modeling, even with Coco’s love?”

Glamour nodded. “I’ve taken a real liking to modeling, but a big part of it is because I get to continue working with Coco. Even though I’m not great at making dresses, I can still help her career by letting everypony see the beautiful creations she makes, and I know she really enjoys making them for me.”

Rarity chuckled. “Always thinking of each other. I must admit that you two are a bit of an odd pair, but don’t let me or anypony else make you doubt each other. It’s very obvious how much you two love each other.”

“Yeah, after everything we've been through, I’m definitely not going to let her go.”

“That’s good.” Rarity sighed. “Coco has changed so much from the timid, little assistant that she was when we first met, and I know that you played a big part in making her into the strong, confident mare that she is today. I am very glad that she has a loving po… er, changeling to look after her. I wish you two a long and prosperous life together.”

“Thank you, Rarity.”

The door opened behind them to reveal Coco and Suri standing side by side instead of one pony clinging onto another.

“Ah, done with your little, uh, reunion?” Rarity asked with a faint smirk.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Suri replied. “Look, I’m starving, so I’m going to go and grab a bite.”

“Oh, idea!” Rarity sang. “How about we have a late lunch together, a little celebration now that you and Coco are friends again?”

Suri shrugged. “Yeah, sure.”

“Then it’s settled, and I know the perfect place. Just give me a few moments to freshen up before we leave.”

“I might as well do the same then,” Suri added, following Rarity into the boutique.

“Glamour and I will just wait out here,” Coco replied, moving to Glamour’s side so that they could lean on each other.

“So, did you finally get tired of hugging Suri, or did she manage to escape your grasp?” Glamour asked with a grin.

Coco giggled. “I suppose I did get a bit too excited to have her back.”

Glamour’s grin grew wider. “A bit?”

Coco playfully nudged Glamour in response.

“But in all seriousness, I’m really glad that Suri is now your friend again. I know how important to you that is.”

Coco nodded. “It is, and I’m really looking forward to catching up with her when she does return to Manehattan. She said she was going to travel to a few more places before she finally goes back.”

“Did you tell her about us?”

“She knows we’re marefriends, but I didn’t explain to her about everything that happened to us. Oh, she did tell me to say that she was sorry for being so mean to you as well.”

“Wow, she’s also apologizing to me? She really has changed.”

“She also told me that if you break my heart, she’ll break your legs.”

Glamour frowned. “Maybe she didn’t change that much.”

Coco giggled again.

Glamour cleared her throat. “Are you, um, going to tell her about me? The real me?”

“That’s not my secret to tell.”

“But we should probably tell her at some point.”

“That would be nice, but I can understand if you don’t want to.”

“I’ll tell her when she and I know each other better. We know how much trouble secrets can cause.”

“Thanks, Glamour.”

Coco walked over to sit down on Rarity’s lawn, and she let out a happy sigh. “It feels so unreal. After what seems like forever, I finally got back one of my dearest friends. Not only that, but my career is taking off, and I got to experience so many crazy and fantastic things. Most of all, I have a wonderful marefriend. I can’t imagine my life being anymore perfect.”

Glamour smiled and sat down next to Coco so that they could lean on each other. “Me too. I no longer have to wander around from town to town by myself. I have a home with you, a pony that loves me for who I am, not what I am. I could not be happier. I love you, Coco.”

Coco let out a hum of satisfaction, kissing Glamour’s cheek before leaning into her neck. “I love you too, Glamour.”

Glamour smiled, feeling the love between them coalesce into an unbreakable bond. She might not have changed the world or the changeling race, but she had certainly changed the life of one very special pony, as well as her own. Now, she had a future to look forward to where she did not just take love, but share it with her marefriend.

Author's Note

And here we are, the end of "A Change In Fashion", or at least the main story. There's still one more bonus chapter that should be coming along. There's also a possibility that there might be one or two more even further down the future.

Thanks to Twilight-the-Pony for drawing a pretty picture for this story, poking me with some edits, and helping me with some of ideas, even if a majority of those ideas would turn this into a clopfic.

Thanks to jeffh4 for commissioning fan art and also for sending in many edit fixes for every chapter.

Thanks to docontra for also sending in a bunch of editing material for almost every chapter.

Thanks to fantazyme, SilverWolfFTW, and Sintakhra for putting in the time and effort to give me pretty pictures about this story. Readers should definitely visit the Fan Art Section if they haven't already.

And a thanks to everypony who has read and commented throughout the whole story. I know I'm terrible at replying to comments, but I am happy to read both praise and criticisms.

Be sure to check this blog post if you are interested in what lies ahead.

Bonus Chapter: Pictures

Author's Note

This contains minor spoilers for the 16th episode of Season 5.

With the boring warning over, this little blurb is just for random fun. You probably should not consider this canon with the main story. Or you could, if you want, since I'm not liable for any insanity or bodily injuries caused.

Bonus Chapter: Pictures

It was just another day of staying in the apartment for Glamour and Coco. Coco had another big order to fill, and Glamour stayed home to help look after her friend.

Glamour usually spent days like this doing chores, but this time, she found herself completing the list of chores with still over half the day left. With nothing else to do, she went to see how Coco was doing.

“Come in,” Coco replied after Glamour knocked on the door.

“Hey, Coco. I just finished doing all the chores, and I was wondering if there’s anything else to do.”

Coco turned away from her work to look at Glamour with a frown and her brows slightly furrowed. “You’re already done with everything, and you want more stuff to do? Glamour, you know you don’t have to do all this, right?”

Glamour shrugged. “I really don’t mind, and I do have a lot of free time between shows. Come on, there has to be something that needs to be done.”

“Well…” Coco brought a hoof up to her chin as she silently thinked. After a few moments, she pointed at the closet on the other side of her room. “My closet has a few boxes full of stuff that I haven’t really unpacked when I moved here. If you feel like it, you could go through some of them and take out anything that may seem useful.”

“Sure, no problem.”

Glamour went over to Coco’s closet and opened it. Her life flashed before her eyes when she saw a tower of boxes tipping toward her. She barely slammed the door close and threw her back onto the door, narrowly escaping a cardboard demise.

“A few boxes? Really?”

“I might or might not be a bit of a pack rat.”

Glamour rolled her eyes. Still, she had a job to do. She said that she would do the chore, and she was going to do it. Her pride as the Chore Master of Coco’s apartment was at stake. It was not a prestigious title, and it might have been a title she had bestowed upon herself, but it was hers.

Slowly, she turned around and faced the door again. Placing her hoof on the doorknob, she took a deep breath and threw the closet door open. With a quick burst of magic, she made the topmost box fly out, landing safely on Coco’s bed, before slamming the door once again.

After hearing a loud crash from behind the door, Glamour shrugged and turned to quickly open the spoils of her harrowing endeavor.

“Books?” Glamour muttered as she saw the box was filled to the brim with literature. She was not sure what kind of books Coco would like to keep out, but Glamour dug through the box anyway, seeing if there were any that caught her own interest.

Halfway through the box, she found a grayish-blue book that was pretty worn out. The cover had a golden border, and in the center was a golden wreath with, to her surprise, Coco’s cutie mark above it and in the same golden color.

Curious to see what a book about her friend contained, Glamour picked it up and was surprised again to find that the book was a lot heavier than it looked. Opening up to a random page, she found pictures of what looked like to be an outdoor stage with random actors and ponies Glamour did not recognize.

Glamour noticed that most of the photos seemed to be centered on an elderly mare. She had a yellow coat and a mane with both a blue and a lighter blue shade. Behind her big, red-rimmed glasses were kind eyes, and she wore an orange necklace with her violet coat that stopped right before her cutie mark of a heart with two sewing pins on it.

Still wondering what this photo book had to do with Coco, Glamour turned the page, and her eyes widened at what she found. There was another photograph of the elderly mare from earlier, and she was holding a flower brooch that looked exactly like the one Coco wore.

In fact, it was the exact same flower brooch Coco wore, because right next to the mare was Coco, but smaller.

Glamour started to find it hard to breathe as she took in the sight of her friend as an adorable filly. Coco’s petite size was already unbearably cute, but the effect was magnified many times over when it was paired with her big, adorable eyes. Even the way her mane was tied to her side by a purple band was beyond loveable.

The words, “So cute…” escaped her mouth right before her attention was wrenched away.

Glamour’s hoof sped to her chest when she felt a sharp pain from within, and her vision started to get blurry as each breath became more and more strained. With her body losing control and swaying, Glamour’s eyes accidentally drifted to the next picture.

And that was when she saw the filly Coco’s huge, sweet smile as she now wore the flower brooch that was comically huge on her tiny, lovable body.

“HNNNNNG!”

Coco, who had been diligently working at her sewing machine the entire time, turned around when she heard a heavy thud from behind her.

“Glamour, are you al—Glamour!”

Coco rushed over to where Glamour was now lying on the floor and found that not only was she not moving, but she was not breathing as well.

“Oh my goodness, Glamour! What happened… to…” Coco’s panicked face slowly fell away as she laid eyes on the picture book next to Glamour.

Coco’s hoof rammed into her face as she grumbled, “Not this again…” With an exasperated sigh, she flipped Glamour onto her back and placed the book on the floor next to her chest.

Coco opened the book to the back to reveal that the book had been hollowed out to hold two metal plates with hoofstraps. Both plates had a wire that connected to a magic crystal in a glass case, and right next to that was a big, red button.

After strapping the metal onto her forehooves, Coco slammed down on the button, and the crystal began glowing as a faint hum filled the room.

With a deadpan face, Coco briefly rubbed the two plates together before holding them right above Glamour’s corpse.

“Clear!”

The metal plates were thrusted into Glamour’s chest, and the room lights dimmed for a moment as magical energy flooded into Glamour, causing her aerodynamic body to jump several feet into the air.

Seeing that no other movement came from Glamour, other than her body crashing back onto the floor, Coco yelled out another “Clear!” and sent another jolt into Glamour’s body.

This time, screaming could be heard as Glamour was suddenly awakened to the feeling of her body being rocketed into the air before falling back down onto the hard, unforgiving floor. Groaning from her aching body, she slowly rolled back off her back and shakily got back on her hooves.

“Ugh, what happened?” Glamour groggily asked when she stood up.

“You had a heart attack,” Coco explained as she took off the plates off her hooves.

“Oh, okay… Wait, what?”

“You looked in this book, didn’t you?”

“Um, yeah.”

“This book is dangerous because it contains pictures of me as a foal. You aren’t the first to have tried going through it. You are lucky that you’re still alive.”

Glamour silently stared at Coco. After a few moments, she repeated saying, “Wait, what?”

“Guess I forgot to warn you. I’m considered adorable in quite a few places. Too adorable, actually. There have been multiple incidents of ponies having a cuteness overload after prolonged exposure to me.”

“Cuteness overload?”

“Yes, cuteness overload. It can result in insanity, seizures, and even death. I’m actually considered a health hazard in some cities, and my foal pictures have been declared as weapons grade material.”

Glamour’s jaw hit the floor before she let out a scoff and picked up the book. “You’ve got to be kidding me. There’s no way that a pony can be dangerous just because they are too cute. It was all just a big coincidence. Maybe I overworked myself or something.” She opened the book again to a random page. “See, I’m looking at your pictures and…”

The words dried up in Glamour’s mouth as she took in the sight of the excessively adorable filly Coco wearing a plaid skirt with her mane and tail both tied into braids, and the picture next to it was filly Coco holding a paintbrush in her mouth with splotches of various paints on her mane and face.

Feeling a familiar burning sensation in her chest and darkness creeping up in her vision, Glamour managed to say, “Okay… You win…” before her eyes rolled to the back of her head and her body fell to the floor again.

Coco sighed as she restrapped the metal plates back on.

“Clear…”

Bonus Chapter: Acceptance

Author's Note

This bonus chapter contains some big spoilers for Fiddling with her Heart.

Bonus Chapter: Acceptance

“Now, would you please turn around for us, darling?”

Glamour let out a barely audible sigh and did what she was told, slowly rotating herself in a clockwise direction. She had done this same thing today so many times, she had lost count.

Some time after she was granted her freedom by Princess Twilight as well as resuming a loving relationship with Coco, Rarity contacted them. Now that everything had settled down, she had wanted to see if Coco was still interested in the fashion show collaboration they discussed during their first visit to Ponyville.

Unsurprisingly, Coco was more than happy to leap at such such a grand opportunity, and Glamour dutifully followed her marefriend back to Ponyville. She even found herself actively helping Coco and Rarity pick out what designs they could showcase. And by that, it meant standing on the raised platform in Rarity’s home, Carousel Boutique, and modeling their clothes.

“This dress is amazing, Rarity,” Coco praised. “I love the gem arrangement you put into it. The rubies and sapphires really brings out the violet in the fabric and the yellow in Glamour’s coat.”

“Thank you, Coco,” Rarity replied, giving her a delighted smile. “I’ve had a lot of practice incorporating gems into my designs, and I do adore using them. There really is no other kind of material that can match their brilliance. Have you been able to try your hoof with gems?”

Coco shook her head. “Not really. Back in Manehattan, gems aren’t exactly the cheapest things to acquire.”

“Would you like me to send you some?”

Coco gasped as her eyes widened. “Oh my goodness, Rarity, that’s really generous of you, but you don’t have to do that!”

“Nonsense, there is an abundance of gems in the area surrounding Ponyville, and between my gem locator spell and Spike’s help, I always have plenty of them. Sending you some gems every now and then would be no trouble, and I think it will be a wonderful experience for you to work with them. It would be my pleasure.”

“W-well, if you are sure. Thank you, Rarity. I’m really looking forward to it.”

“Uh, guys, am I still supposed to be turning around?” Glamour asked. While she did like the frilly, violet dress she was wearing, the rubies and sapphires embedded into it made it a bit heavy.

“Oh, I’m sorry, darling!” Rarity apologized. “Coco and I got sidetracked with our conversation. Yes, we are done with that one. You can get out of that dress and form now.”

Glamour nodded, and she took off the dress she was modeling. Once she was free, green flames quickly washed over as her coat changed from yellow back to her usual gray.

“I must say, changelings are very useful in the art of fashion,” Rarity remarked while she delicately put away the dress in her magic. “The ability to change your coat makes it so much easier to pick out colors.”

“Yes, I do so enjoy being a living ponyquin,” Glamour dryly said with a wry grin. “Especially when there’s been so many dresses in the past few hours.”

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic, darling. You’re just exaggerating.”

Glamour glanced at the large stack of clothes and then at the clock on the wall to confirm that she was not exaggerating.

“We have been working all afternoon,” Coco pointed out. “I think we can afford at least one break.”

“I suppose a short respite would not hurt, even if we are having so much fun,” Rarity conceded.

Glamour shot Coco a smile filled with gratitude before she trotted off the stage to seat herself on a nearby red fainting couch that she had witnessed Rarity dramatically flopping onto several times.

“So have you talked to Octavia about providing music for the show?” Coco asked.

Rarity nodded with an eager grin. “I did, and she had agreed to do it. We still have to set up a time and location for our show, but that should not be hard to do. Everything is falling into place.” She glanced at Glamour who was still lounging on the couch. “Now, if only we could finish with picking out our dress selections…”

Glamour’s eyes widened, hearing the implications in Rarity’s tone. As much as she would like to continue helping Coco and Rarity, there was a limit to how much she could stand around and look pretty in an afternoon. Her legs were getting stiff from standing and walking in a slow circle for hours on end, and there was only so much dress wearing she could take in one day.

“Do we really have to pick everything out now?” Glamour asked with a nervous laugh. “I think I had enough for today, and it’s not like one more day or so will be a big deal, right?”

“Oh, but this is for the sake of fashion, darling, and fashion waits for nopony!” Rarity stuck out her quivering bottom lip to look at Glamour with big, shimmering eyes. “You must push on, darling! You must!"

Ignoring Coco quietly giggling behind Rarity, Glamour snuck a glance at the door. “Well, I, uh, really would like to help out, but I've kind of got something to do.”

“Oh? And what would that be?” Rarity asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Something.”

“Something…” Rarity repeated, her eyebrow rising higher.

“Yeah, something…” Glamour’s eyes shifted left and right before she let out a huge gasp. With one hoof brought to the side of her head and the other pointing behind Rarity, she yelled, “Oh my gosh! What’s that?!”

Rarity quickly turned around. “Wha? What’s—”

“SorryI’llseeyoulaterBye!” Glamour shouted, suddenly leaping off the couch and sprinting out the door.

She galloped down the street, ignoring Rarity’s quickly fading shouts and her tired hooves. She had hung around Rarity enough to know that she had a slight obsession with fashion that some might consider unhealthy, and Glamour half-expected the dressmaking unicorn to be coming after her.

When the boutique was completely out of sight and there was no sign of an angry unicorn coming at her with a net, Glamour finally slowed down to a trot. She hoped that Coco would keep Rarity busy until she eventually had to go back, but in the meantime, Glamour was going to take the chance to walk around for a while and stretch her legs.

A quick look revealed that she was close to the entrance of the market square. She knew from previous visits that ponies all over Ponyville, especially the farmers, would come here to set up stalls and sell their wares. While her bits were back at the boutique, some window shopping would not hurt, and it was a welcome change from standing around Rarity’s shop.

Glamour entered the square and began lazily walking around to browse the various shops. There were quite a few ponies milling about and purchasing stuff from the various vendors, and the air was filled with sellers hawking their wares, but the crowds and noise paled in comparison to bustling Manehattan.

Eventually, Glamour came upon a wagon that doubled as a stall and was selling apples, but her attention was drawn to the familiar pony working it. With her orange coat and the Stetson hat that never seemed to leave her head, Applejack was easy to identify.

Glamour hesitated, wondering if she should at least go say hello to Applejack. The last time she saw the apple farmer was back at the Crystal Empire. After she was exposed as a changeling, most of the Elements became wary of her, which was understandable due to everything that happened, but they still interacted with her. Applejack, however, was different.

Applejack pretty much ostracized Glamour, treating her as though she was not there. The few times Glamour happened to meet Applejack’s gaze, she received a baleful glare that would have given Prim a run for her money.

Still, that was back before the Elements knew that she really was a peaceful changeling. After Princess Twilight let her go free, Glamour had been able to interact with most of the other Elements in one way or another, and they all seemed to accept her as a changeling. The only Element that she had not had the chance to talk with was, again, Applejack.

Glamour knew that she was likely going to come face to face with Applejack sooner or later, so she decided that she might as well speak to her now. She assumed that Applejack would also be accepting, now that the whole mess she made had blown over, and there was certainly no harm in just saying hello.

She waited to the side for a few moments so that Applejack could finish up with some customers, and as soon as the apple farmer was free, Glamour walked on over to the wagon. Just as she was about to grab Applejack’s attention, the orange pony turned away from her to fiddle with something in the back of the wagon.

“Er, hi, Applejack,” Glamour greeted.

“Howdy! Ah’ll be right with you in just a moment,” Applejack replied. After a second, she turned back around with a fresh basket of apples in her hooves and a big smile on her face. “Sorry about that. Now what can Ah do for…” She paused when she looked at Glamour, and after blinking a few times, her smile shifted into a frown as her eyes narrowed. “you…”

Caught off-guard by the sudden mood change, all Glamour could stammer out was, “W-what?”

“What do you want?” Applejack asked with disdain clear in her voice. She plopped down the basket of apples on the wagon with a heavy thud, her eyes never leaving Glamour.

“I-I just wanted to say hi.”

“And hi right back at you,” came Applejack’s non-heartfelt reply. “Are we done here?”

“Well… Um… I did want to find out how you felt about me, you know, since Princess Twilight says I’m not a threat and all that.”

“Yeah, Ah know what Twilight said,” Applejack replied, her frown still present.

“O-oh…” Glamour’s ears drooped. “I just thought that since we were pretty friendly before I messed up everything and your friends seemed to be fine with me now, I could maybe try and be friends with you so that we—”

“Stop,” Applejack uttered, halting Glamour’s babbling. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Look, Ah’m just goin’ to give it to you straight. Ah respect Twilight’s decision, but that doesn’t mean Ah’m goin’ to pretend Ah like you. Ah just don’t feel comfortable around you. Now, that doesn’t mean Ah’m goin’ to come after you or any of that sort of stuff. Ah'd rather just have nothin’ to do with you.” She opened up her eyes to look directly into Glamour’s. “Just leave me be, and Ah promise that Ah won’t give you any trouble. Got it?”

“But I, uh…” Glamour sighed and solemnly nodded her head. “Got it…” she replied quietly and laced with disappointment. She turned away and began walking. “I-it was nice seeing you, Applejack.”

Applejack slowly shook her head and looked away. “Can’t really say the same to you. Bye.”

Glamour gloomily trotted away, sparing a glance back at Applejack, only to find that the apple farmer had already turned her attention to a new customer.

Glamour knew that there would be bumps as she integrated into pony society. Not everypony would accept a changeling. It still hurt to find out that Applejack was not happy with her being a changeling though, especially since the apple farmer was pretty much a friend before the whole fiasco at the Crystal Empire.

No longer feeling the urge to walk around anymore and be by herself, Glamour started trudging her way back to Carousel Boutique where Coco was waiting for her.

Soon after she exited the market square, Glamour heard a familiar voice call out from behind, “Excuse me, Glamour.”

Glamour turned around, and her eyes bulged to see a gray pony that she knew quite well. “Uh, h-hi, Octavia,” she greeted. She noted Octavia’s neutral face, but since the gray pony was also Applejack’s marefriend, she was more concerned about making sure the earth pony’s hooves were not going for her face. “Is, um, is there something you need?”

“I was wondering if you would like to join me for a cup of coffee and a little chat?” Octavia waved her hoof at a nearby cafe.

“Er, what for, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I saw what happened between you and Applejack. While I am not going to apologize for her actions, I do think you at least deserve an explanation for her behavior.”

Glamour blinked a few times. “Oh, well, um…” She was tempted to just say no, but curiosity was quickly overwhelming her desire to run away screaming. Taking a deep breath, she gave an uneasy smile and said, “That sounds great.”

Octavia nodded and headed straight for the cafe without another word.

Glamour bit her lip, watching Octavia trot away. After a few seconds, she followed her into the cafe.

Inside, Octavia directed Glamour to a table in the corner where they could have a little bit of privacy for their talk while she ordered their drinks.

While Glamour waited for Octavia at their table, she wondered if this meeting was a good idea. She never told Octavia that they had sort of met during the invasion, and even though it ended with her being knocked out by the earth pony, Glamour still felt guilty about the whole situation. That and she did not want another hoof to the face.

But Glamour also wanted to smooth things over with Applejack if it was possible. Not for just her sake, but for Coco and Rarity as well, and she hoped that Octavia would be able to provide some information so that she could fix things.

It was also nice that there were ponies around in the cafe that would act as witnesses in case Octavia was planning to talk with her hooves instead.

Glamour looked up when Octavia came back to the table and set one tall mug in front of her.

“I heard that you liked white chocolate mocha so that’s what I got for you,” Octavia remarked, sitting down on the chair opposite to Glamour with her own drink.

“Thank you, Octavia,” Glamour replied with a polite nod and a small smile. She promptly grabbed the drink in her hooves and took a sip, letting out a satisfied hum when the familiar sweetness hit her taste buds.

“So, how are things with you and Coco?” Octavia asked after taking a sip of her own drink.

“Things have been great. We’re not too busy with our work at the moment, so we have plenty of time to enjoy our time together, including coming here. It’s kind of hard to describe why, but the one thing I am sure of is that I’m happy with her.” Glamour paused for a moment. “You, uh, you know the whole story about what happened between Coco and I, right?”

“Twilight talked about it with me and the others during one of our get-togethers. It’s good to hear that everything has worked out.”

Glamour merely nodded back, not sure what else to say. An awkward silence descended between them, the sounds of the other ponies in the cafe just background noise, as they nursed their drinks.

“I suppose I should get to the point of this little meeting, huh?” Octavia asked.

“Um, yeah, that would be nice,” Glamour replied with a sheepish grin. “You said you were going to explain why Applejack was a bit, um, not friendly to me.”

Octavia sighed. “I love Applejack very much, and I know very well one of her flaws is that she can be stubborn. Yes, it’s true that she dislikes you, but don’t take it too personally. She, um…” She paused to look around before leaning forward to continue in a quieter voice. “She doesn’t like all changelings.”

“Oh… Uh, okay…” Glamour let out a deep sigh. “I guess I should have seen that coming. A lot of ponies share the same sentiment after the Royal Wedding. The whole invasion thing pretty much made us into scary monsters.”

“Actually, her reasons go a bit deeper than just simply seeing changelings as invaders. You see, Applejack does not do well in hospitals.”

“You mean she had to go to the hospital because of all the changelings she had to fight?” Glamour asked, recalling that Applejack and the other Elements were captured before she and all the other changelings were blown out of Canterlot.

“No, I mean she has a really hard time seeing her friends and family in the hospital. Applejack cherishes the ponies she loves very much, and she can’t bear to see them get hurt or sick. Do you remember us telling our story when we first met?”

Glamour had to take a few moments to dig through her thoughts, but her eyes widened when she realized what Octavia was getting at. “You were knocked out when you tried to find Applejack and ended up in the hospital.”

Octavia nodded. “We weren’t marefriends yet, but our love for each other was definitely there, even if we didn’t know it yet. We glazed over that part of the story when we told it to you before, but for Applejack, seeing me in the hospital was really tough for her.”

“So Applejack doesn’t like changelings because you got hurt by them?”

Octavia nodded again. “Because of what happened to me, she thinks all changelings are dangerous. She even argued with Twilight when she started working with changelings, claiming that all changelings can’t be trusted. Thankfully, Applejack saw that she was getting out of hoof and apologized. She’s calmed down about it since then, but she still is very wary of changelings, as you already have seen.”

“Yeah… Still, I get it now. She loves you very much and just wants to protect you. I know I would do the same for Coco. Love can make you do some crazy things.”

Octavia chuckled. “Oh, I know that very well. I certainly did some outrageous things for her. My best moment has got to be when I thought I could somehow rescue her after she was captured during the invasion. Looking back, trying to sneak through a changeling-filled Canterlot was a very stupid idea, even if I was able to take down a few of them. Um, no offense.”

“N-none taken,” Glamour said with a sheepish grin. “I have no doubt that you are able to do that. No doubt, whatsoever."

Octavia stared at Glamour with a raised eyebrow for a few seconds. “Glamour, I’ve been meaning to ask you something ever since I found out who you really are.”

“Go right ahead,” Glamour replied, glad for the change in subject. “You took the time to help me out, so I would be glad to answer any question you have.”

“Why do you always seem so nervous around me?”

Glamour froze. “W-what do you mean?”

“I could tell you were nervous being around Applejack and the others, given who they are, but I do not understand why you would also be so tense around me. You said you were a fan of mine back when we first met, but I doubt that’s the reason. It feels like you’re afraid of me.”

“Oh… Uh…”

“Well?” Octavia uttered, her eyebrow rising higher with suspicion.

“Um… You see…” Glamour took a deep breath. “Alright, I did really meet you before, but not because of your music. It was brief, but you definitely made it memorable for me. During the invasion, there was a spike of love detected in one of the apartment buildings, and I, along with two others, were sent to investigate it. While I was lagging behind to search through some rooms, my companions continued on to the next floor. Soon afterwards, I heard some loud thumps from upstairs, and I rushed up. The last thing I saw before I was knocked out was a pony rushing toward me.” Glamour gave Octavia a flat look. “Guess who that pony was?”

Octavia brought a hoof to cover her mouth, but Glamour could hear the sounds of a stifled laugh, and she rolled her eyes.

“Oh my, that was you?” Octavia said with amusement. “So that’s why you’re always on edge around me.”

“Yeah, I got a nice close-up of your hoof when you ran into me,” Glamour dryly remarked. She moved her jaw around, recalling the memory. “You pack a mean punch.”

“A lifetime of cello playing is quite the workout,” Octavia said with a smirk. “Not to mention the time I put in to help Applejack with the apple-bucking. Be thankful that you were not your companions. I think they received a lot worse than you.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Glamour grumbled.

Octavia chuckled. “In all seriousness though, I do hope you understand that I only did what I had to do back then.”

Glamour sighed. “Yeah, I don’t blame you. I probably would have tried to capture you myself if I had the chance back then. But I've changed a lot since then, er, both figuratively and literally. You don’t have to be afraid of me.”

“It’s a bit hard to be afraid of somepony you have knocked out before,” Octavia quipped with a grin.

Glamour rolled her eyes again and huffed. “I guess I can’t argue with that.”

Octavia chuckled again. “Sorry, it’s just a bit of a shock that we actually met before, even if I didn’t know about it. You really are quite nice, and I hope we don’t have to do something like that ever again.” She stretched out her hoof, stopping halfway across the table. With a smile, she asked, “No hard feelings?”

Glamour glanced down at the hoof for a moment before smiling back and giving Octavia a hoofbump. “No hard feelings.”

Octavia nodded in approval. “I am glad that you allowed me to talk to you, even after what happened in the past.”

Glamour paused for a moment to take another sip of her mocha. After setting down her mug, she asked, “Just curious, what made you decide to tell me about Applejack?”

“A big reason is because you and Coco are pretty close to Rarity, and I’m hoping that this talk will clear up any animosity so that nopony’s friendships become strained. The other reason is, well, I thought about how you were before and after knowing who you really were, and you seemed like a nice pony, er, changeling. It’s why I thought you deserved to at least know why Applejack is like that.”

“Well, I feel a bit better that it isn’t completely my fault that she doesn’t like me. Still, I would like to be friends with Applejack again, or at the very least, try and fix things up with her. Is there anything I can do to maybe change her mind?” Glamour asked hopefully.

“Well…” Octavia paused for a few moments, tapping her hoof on her chin in thought, before she shook her head. “I don’t think so. Like I said, she can be stubborn, but I’m sure she’ll lighten up eventually, especially if Twilight keeps on working with changelings like you. For now, I think it’s best you just leave her to the ponies that are closer to her.”

Glamour sighed. “If you say so. I suppose that it is the safest option.” She gave Octavia a small smile. “Thank you for taking the time to talk with me. It means a lot that you chose to help me, even though you know what I really am.”

Octavia smiled back. “It was my pleasure, and I quite enjoyed our talk, especially when I found out about our first meeting together.” She picked up her mug and finished off the rest of her drink. “Now, I must be going soon, so is there anything else you would like to ask me before I go?”

“Actually, yes, there is one thing. I know you’re not afraid of me, so after talking with me, do you consider us…” Glamour took a breath. “Um, friends?”

Octavia blinked several times. “Friends? Well… Um…”

Glamour was disappointed when Octavia went silent. She had wished for a quick confirmation, but she still held on to the hope that Octavia would say yes at the end.

Octavia finally sighed and gave an apologetic frown. “I’m sorry, Glamour, but I don’t think we’re that close.”

“Oh…” Glamour sunk into her seat a bit.

“It’s just that you kind of avoided me when you were afraid of me, so we didn’t really spend much time together before I found out who you were, and now that I do know, it feels a bit odd to suddenly be friends after finding out our first meeting was not so pleasant.” Octavia rubbed the back of her neck and glanced away. “Sorry, Glamour.”

“No, it’s alright. I understand,” Glamour replied, keeping her gaze on the table.

“But that doesn’t mean we can't try to be friends.”

Glamour’s ears immediately perked up, and she looked back up at Octavia. “Really?”

Octavia smiled. “I did want to talk to you, so that does mean I have at least some interest in getting to know you. And since I’ll be helping with the music for Coco and Rarity’s show, I’m definitely going to be working with you, and I think that’s the perfect opportunity for us to spend some time with each other and become friends.”

“That sounds great,” Glamour said with a broad grin.

“Then I look forward to the next time I see you,” Octavia said as she got up. “It was a pleasure talking to you, Glamour.”

“Same to you, Octavia,” Glamour replied, remaining seated at the table and bidding Octavia goodbye with a wave and a smile as the earth pony left the cafe.

Despite the tiff she had with Applejack, Glamour felt good. Coco and Rarity’s show was well on its way, and with that, it brought an opportunity to make a new friend, Best of all, she still had at least half a mug of white chocolate mocha left.

Bonus Chapter: Sick

Author's Note

Contains some minor spoilers for the episode, Saddle Row Review.

Bonus Chapter: Sick

Glamour murmured incoherently, and her eyes slowly cracked open from her slumber. She had been enjoying a good night’s sleep, nestled warmly in bed, when something loud woke her up. The sound had been brief, and her sleep-addled mind was unable to identify it.

Glancing at the alarm clock on the nearby nightstand, Glamour noted that it was only a few minutes before it was set to go off. While she had the day off and would like to sleep in, the mare wrapped in her gray hooves did not have that luxury. Her horn glowed softly, and the alarm was turned off, allowing her to give a more gentle wakeup call.

Leaning close to the pony’s ear, she whispered, “Coco, it’s time to wake up. You have a very busy day today.”

“Ah… Ah… Ah-choo!”

Glamour blinked. With a sneeze that loud, no wonder she was jolted out of her sleep. She was glad that Coco had fallen asleep facing away from her.

“Um, gesundheit.” Glamour pulled back her hooves and sat up to try and get a look at Coco’s face. “You alright, Coco?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Coco replied with a small moan as she turned to Glamour.

Glamour frowned when she saw the tip of Coco’s muzzle was a bit red. “Are you sure? I think you’re coming down with something.”

“I just have a little bit of the sniffles. It’s nothing serious. I’ll probably be all better after a shower and some food.”

Glamour’s frown remained, but she did not give any more protest as they got out of bed. While she prepared breakfast in the kitchen area, her worries only increased when she heard several loud sneezes coming from Coco, who was taking a shower in the bathroom.

By the time Coco came out, Glamour had a plate of toast and a steaming mug of coffee waiting for her on the table. To her dismay, Coco did not look better from her shower. In fact, Coco’s face was a bit redder, and she was frequently sniffling.

“Coco, really, you’re sick. You should stay home and rest today,” Glamour recommended.

“What? No, I can’t,” Coco protested with a shake of her head. “You know how important today is.”

Glamour sighed. “Yes, I know. You’re supposed to help Rarity with the grand opening of her new shop here in Manehattan after work.”

Coco nodded as she sat down at the table and began eating her breakfast. “That’s right, and I am definitely not going to miss that. I feel bad enough that we were too busy to help her when she was looking for a location for her shop. She has done so much for us.”

Glamour was also looking forward to seeing their friends again, but she had to focus on what was more important. “It still doesn’t change the fact that you’re coming down with something. Couldn’t you at least skip working at the theater today so that you can get some more rest before you have to go see Rarity?”

“I… I… Ah-choo!” Coco groaned quietly and sniffed. “I can’t do that either. The theater already gave me a half day so that I could help Rarity, and there are a bunch of costume revisions that have to be done as soon as possible.”

“But—”

“Glamour, please, that’s enough.” A soft smile crossed Coco’s face. “I know you’re concerned, but there’s just too much going on for me to stay home. I’ll be fine.”

Glamour bit her lip. “Just… Just don’t push yourself too hard… Please?”

“I’ll do my best.” Coco looked to the clock on the wall and then stood up. “I really should be going now.”

“Then I’ll meet you at Rarity’s shop later,” Glamour said, walking Coco to the door and sharing a quick nuzzle with her. “Please, take care of yourself.”

“I will.” Coco smiled and leaned toward Glamour for a kiss, but when she started gasping with the beginnings of a sneeze, Glamour yelped and dove out of the way.

After the explosion from Coco’s mouth went off, Glamour got up and eyed a few flecks of green that now decorated the wall. “Um, maybe I’ll skip the goodbye kiss…”

“S-sorry…” Coco mumbled, her cheeks tinged red with embarrassment and probably with whatever she was coming down with. “I’ll see you later. Goodbye, Glamour.”

Glamour gave Coco a smile, even though it was kind of difficult to do with her worries. When she closed the door behind the departing Coco, she let out a huge sigh. She had felt that Coco was warmer than usual when they nuzzled, and the unfinished meal still on the table only deepened her concerns for her marefriend.

She did wish Coco would rest, but she knew how stubborn the generous mare was when it came to helping others.

With another sigh, Glamour knew all she could do now was to hope Coco would be fine until they saw each other again later today.

Glamour wiped her brow after she finished wiping off the furniture and tossed the rag into the kitchen sink. A quick check told her that she still had plenty of time before she had to go meet Coco at Rarity’s shop, but with no chores left to do, she wondered what she could do to pass the time.

To her surprise, she heard the front door open, and she turned around to see who it was. Her jaw dropped at the same time her heart did. “Oh my gosh, Coco!”

Coco’s condition had deteriorated since she left the apartment. She was a lot redder with it spreading around her face, the parts of her muzzle that were not hidden by green snot, and inside her watery eyes. Her mane and a few parts of her coat had become frazzled, and it looked like she was barely able to stand up.

“H-hi, Glamour,” Coco greeted in a weary, raspy voice.

“Coco, you look awful!” Glamour rushed up to her marefriend and placed a hoof on Coco’s forehead. She retracted her hoof almost instantly. “You’re burning up… Please tell me you came home early to rest.”

Coco nodded before she released a sneeze.

Glamour breathed a huge sigh of relief. “Good. You need your rest. I’ll go tell Rarity that you can’t make it tonight.”

“I already told her on the way home,” Coco replied with a heavy sigh. “It’s not like I can do much like this. I was sneezing so much at the theater that I was messing up all my stitching and was just creating more work for everypony. I don’t want to do the same to her.”

Glamour gave Coco a hug. “I know you really wanted to help Rarity, but you did the right thing. Your health is more important, and I’m sure she agrees after seeing you like this. We can still go see her when you’re feeling better.”

“It’s just a cold. I’m just glad that everypony was all so understanding and let me go without any fuss.”

“It’s because they all know you’re such a hard worker,” Glamour said as she took Coco to their room and ushered her into bed. “Rarity would not want you to get worse on her account, and I’m sure the theater is not going to mind if you miss a few days.”

Coco bolted upright. “A few days?!” she shrieked, only to have a sneezing fit right after.

“Yes, a few days,” Glamour repeated, using a forehoof to gently push Coco back down. “Something like this needs time and a lot of rest to get better.”

“But there’s so much—”

“Coco, that’s enough.” Glamour’s eyebrows slanted into a stern gaze, and she frowned at Coco. It was time to put her hoof down. “You said that you can hardly do anything in your condition, and pushing yourself is only going to make yourself and other ponies miserable, especially me.” Her expression softened as she looked directly into Coco’s eyes. “You know how I worry for you. It’s tough enough to see you like this. How am I supposed to react if you get even more sick? Please, Coco, for me, just take it easy until you get better.”

“Glamour…” Coco stared lovingly back into Glamour’s eyes. “I… I… Ah-choo!” She let out a long groan. “Oh fine, I’ll rest…” With a small smile, she added, “Thank you for caring so much about me.”

“Always. Now, you probably should be drinking something, so how about some white chocolate mocha?” Glamour asked with a big grin.

Coco giggled. “Thanks, Glamour, but I’m going to have to pass. I don’t think it’s good for me now.”

“Whaaat?” Glamour’s jaw dropped. “But… but it’s white chocolate mocha…”

“Not everything can be made better with white chocolate mocha, Glamour.” Before Glamour could protest against such blasphemy, Coco suggested, “But I think I should have some tea. That along with some honey and lemon in it is good for a cold.”

With her need to care for her marefriend slightly winning over her urge to sing the wonders of white chocolate mocha, Glamour nodded. “I’ll get that for you right away.”

Glamour went to the kitchen to prepare Coco her tea and began with putting a fresh kettle of water on the stove. Considering how often she prepared white chocolate mocha, the vastly superior beverage, she was proud of her mastery of being able to boil water.

While the water was heated, Glamour went through the cupboards to find the other things she needed. Thankfully, Coco had some tea bags on hoof, so that simplified things. She also found that they had plenty of honey and lemons.

During the tea preparation, Glamour was treated to the sounds of trumpets being run over by a cart, or to be more accurate after she investigated the noise, Coco blowing her nose. When Glamour returned to their room with a hot mug of tea for Coco, she found that the sick pony was lying in bed with a big box of tissues and surrounded by the remains of said tissues.

“Here’s your tea,” Glamour said, passing the mug to Coco in her magic.

“Thank you, Glamour,” Coco replied in a nasally voice. She took the mug with both of her forehooves, blew on it a bit, and then took a long, slow sip. “Wow, it’s pretty sweet.”

“I must have put a bit too much honey then.” Glamour had to resist the urge to comment about how Coco was so much sweeter. After Coco stopped drinking, Glamour took the mug and set it on the nearby nightstand. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m al… al… Ah-coo!” Coco moaned and grabbed another tissue. She blew into it, the paper almost dancing in the nasal wind, before crumpling it up and letting it fall to the bed. “Okay, maybe not so great.”

“Just get your rest then, Coco,” Glamour said as she began to clean up the mess. She was grateful that she had her magic, but she still grimaced when she moved the wastebasket next to Coco’s side of the bed and then transferred all the used tissues into it.

A thought suddenly came to Glamour’s mind. “Hey, Coco, have you eaten anything since breakfast?”

“Um, does the tea you just made me count?”

Glamour slowly shook her head.

“Then, um, no…”

“You must be hungry then. It’s past lunchtime, and you hardly touched your breakfast.”

“Actually, I don’t really feel like eating…”

“That’s because you feel sick. You still need to eat to help you get better. How about some vegetable soup? That’s easy to eat, right?”

“That does sound nice… ”

“Then one bowl of vegetable soup coming up. Do you need anything else before I get started on that?”

Coco sneezed again and blew her nose on yet another tissue. “I think I’m going to need another box of tissues… or five…”

Glamour gave Coco a sympathetic smile before she leaned in and ventured a quick kiss on her sick marefriend’s cheek. “Get better soon, Coco.”

After receiving a small smile in return, Glamour went to grab some more tissues for Coco before returning to the kitchen area to cook some soup.

Her cooking skills had grown since the days where she fumbled through making white chocolate mocha. It took some time, and a few fire extinguishers, but she had gotten the hang of things. She was no iron pony chef, but at least she could make a bit more variety than just toast.

It was easy with her magic to get a pot of water on the stove, and as it started to boil, Glamour scoured the cabinets again for any vegetables that happened to be lying around. She found some peas and beans that went straight into the pot, while some slicing and dicing was needed for the carrots, tomatoes, and celery she found.

With the soup well underway, Glamour turned to the last vegetable she found still lying on the counter. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of an onion.

She had tried to cook with onions before, and it was a nightmare. Maybe it was because of her changeling senses, or maybe it was because the vegetable was just evil, but when she cut open the troublesome vegetable, the acrid fumes assaulted her. Her eyes felt like they were set on fire, and she was wailing in pain from the torture. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to her, the knife was still held in her magic, and with all of her flailing around, the sharp tool was also being swung wildly around the room.

Glamour shuddered as she remembered all the red that had splattered everywhere. It had taken her ages to scrub out all the tomato juice.

Reaching into a drawer, she pulled out her secret weapon, a pair of onion goggles. Perhaps wearing goggles specially made to shield her eyes from the baneful onion vapors was a bit much, but Glamour was not going to let some annoying vegetable get the better of her, especially if it was in the name of making a more delicious soup for her marefriend.

With a menacing grin across her face, Glamour donned the goggles and pierced the onion with the knife. The beginnings of an almost maniacal cackle escaped her before it was stifled by a brief coughing fit thanks to the onion smell that entered her unprotected mouth.

Glamour really hated preparing onions.

Eventually, Glamour bested the onion and added it to the soup, along with some salt and pepper for taste. After letting the soup cook for a sufficient amount of time, she dipped a spoon into the pot to sample her cooking. To her delight, her creation was quite delicious, and she made a mental note to save some for herself after Coco had eaten. The onions in particular were fantastic, especially because they tasted like victory and sweet revenge.

Glamour paused to wonder if she was perhaps starting to get a bit obsessed with onions.

Focusing back on the main task on hoof, Glamour returned to Coco, carrying a bed tray with a full bowl of soup on top of it. Her eyes widened a bit when she saw how busy Coco had been while she was busy cooking.

“Wow, you produce more green goop than a changeling,” Glamour remarked, eyeing the overflowing wastebasket of discarded tissues. She was not sure if the ensuing groan she heard was because of Coco’s sickness or that her quip was not so well-received.

“Here, have some soup. It should help you feel a bit better,” Glamour said, placing the bed tray on the bed so that it stood over Coco’s hind legs.

“Thanks, Glamour,” Coco replied with a tired smile. She gingerly used both of her forehooves to pick up the bowl. As she raised it to her lips, she let out another huge sneeze, and the bowl shook in her hooves, causing some soup to slosh out. Luckily, none of the hot soup got on Coco, landing on the tray and the bed sheets.

Coco moaned and set the bowl back down on the tray, while Glamour hastily got some tissues to clean up the mess with her magic. “Sorry, for the mess, Glamour.”

“It’s alright. It’s not like you can control your sneezes.”

Coco giggled a little. “I wish. I’ve been doing it all day, and it’s going to make it difficult to drink your soup.”

“Hmm…” Glamour thought for a moment before a brilliant idea struck her. “Oh, I know! Give me a second.” She rushed back to the kitchen, grabbed a spoon in her magic, and returned to the room. She used the utensil to raise a spoonful of soup up to Coco’s mouth.

Coco’s eyes slightly crossed to stare at the floating spoon. “Um, what are you doing, Glamour?”

“Feeding you,” Glamour said simply.

“What? Glamour…” Coco whined. “You don’t have to do that. I can take care of myself.” A powerful sneeze shook her body right afterwards.

“Are you sure about that? Are you sure that you’re not going to sneeze again and spill more of the soup that I slaved over a hot stove for you, forcing me to clean up after you?” Glamour stuck out her lip and looked at Coco with big, pleading eyes.

Coco blinked several times before she let out a huge sigh and opened her mouth.

Glamour grinned triumphantly and inserted the spoon into Coco’s awaiting mouth.

Coco’s eyes widened a bit. “Oh, this is great, Glamour! Your cooking skills are getting better.”

Glamour’s chest puffed out in pride, and she continued to use her magic to feed Coco. Several times, she had to quickly move the spoon away when she saw Coco was about to sneeze, but no further mess was made. Watching Coco eat each spoonful and smile back at her filled her heart with joy, and she had to admit that she really liked doing this caring act for her marefriend.

Then Glamour got an idea to make things better.

Glamour stuck the spoon’s handle in her mouth, and instead of using her magic, she bowed her head to get a spoonful of soup and presented it to Coco.

“Glamour, what are you doing?” Coco asked again, this time with a raised eyebrow when their muzzles were mere inches apart.

“Feeding you,” Glamour replied with the same answer through her clenched teeth.

“Like this?”

“Yep.”

“You’re having a bit too much fun with this.”

Glamour only smirked in reply.

Coco rolled her eyes with a smile of her own before opening her mouth again, allowing Glamour to lean in and dump the tasty liquid within.

Several more spoons of soup were delivered in the same intimate manner, and Glamour was even able to sneak in a few nuzzles during her feeding. She was quite happy with the change.

That is, until Coco sneezed again right as Glamour was leaning in.

Using her mouth to manipulate the spoon made it harder for her to react quickly, and with her close proximity to Coco’s mouth, she was not able to pull back in time, and she was treated to a face-full of soup and snot.

“Uh…” Coco chuckled nervously. “S-sorry, Glamour.”

Glamour only shrugged and grabbed a tissue with a hoof to wipe herself. “I guess that’s what I get for teasing you.” She got up and grabbed the nearly empty bowl in her magic. “I’m just going to go wash my face really quick.”

Glamour continued to care for Coco for the remainder of the day and night, and by the time it was time for them to go to sleep, Coco was not sneezing as much, and her temperature had gone down a bit.

As Glamour lifted the bed sheet to get into the other side of the bed, Coco asked, “Um, are you sure we should sleep together, Glamour?”

Glamour cocked her head. “Why not?”

“Because I’m sick?” Coco replied as though the answer was obvious, because it was.

Glamour merely shrugged and crawled into bed. “I’ll be fine.”

“But, Glamour, I don’t want you to catch my cold.”

Glamour wrapped her hooves around Coco. “Do you feel more comfortable like this?”

“Well, yes…”

“Then that’s good enough for me. I want to help you get better and that also means making sure you sleep well. As a bonus, I’ll be by your side in case you need anything. Just, uh, make sure to sleep facing away from me. I love you, but there are some things you should probably keep to yourself.”

Coco laughed and then rubbed her back into Glamour’s chest. “Thank you, Glamour. Just make sure to be careful and not catch whatever I have.”

“Eh, it’s not like a changeling can catch a pony cold, right?”

“You’re an idiot, Glamour.”

Glamour slowly nodded as she lay in bed. She was dying. She was sure of it.

“Oh, don’t be so hard on her, Grace,” a sick Coco replied, lying next to Glamour. “She only wanted to make sure I was comfortable, and she thought pony germs would not affect her.”

“Guess I was wrong,” Glamour said with a sheepish smile.

Grace rolled her eyes. “Maybe if you were a bit more careful. From what you told me, I’m surprised you did not feed Coco by literally going mouth-to-mouth. You guys are really too lovey-dovey for your own good.”

Glamour and Coco sneezed at the same time, reached for a tissue from the box next to them, and blew their nose in completely synchronized motions.

“Yeah, that’s not creepy at all…”

“How was Rarity’s opening last night, anyway?” Coco asked.

“It was a big hit. Lots of ponies, free food, and some nice tunes from DJ-PON3. She even had some raccoons as waiters, which was both a bit weird and awesome. Oh, she told me to say hi for her when she told me that you were sick. She also mentioned that she wants to come check on you tomorrow when things at her store settle down. She was going to come today, but I told her I got it.”

“And we’re thankful for you coming over and helping out,” Coco said with a smile.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m a saint. So, anything you need right now?”

“Maybe some white chocolate mocha?” Glamour asked.

Grace shot her with a flat, unamused glare that screamed “Seriously?”

“Uh, I’m fine,” Glamour amended, sinking into the blankets as Coco giggled.

“If it’s not too much trouble, some honey lemon tea would be nice for the both of us,” said Coco.

Grace nodded and trotted off to the kitchen.

Glamour huddled into the bed sheets and tried to shift into a more comfortable position. It felt like she had no energy, her throat was itchy, her whole body was hot and sweaty, and she was getting irritated by the constant sneezing and coughing.

“I’m sorry you caught my cold,” Coco said.

“It’s not really your fault, and I should’ve been more careful, like Grace said,” Glamour replied. She chuckled lightly. “Guess I’m a bit too literal when I said I always want to be with you and do everything together.”

Coco scooched closer. “Well, I’m really grateful that you took such great care of me yesterday. At least now that we’re both sick, I can do this to you without worry.” She wrapped her hooves around Glamour and buried her muzzle into Glamour’s neck.

Glamour smiled, enjoying the feeling of Coco’s fur brushing against her and the love that poured from her.

This was definitely worth getting sick for.

Chapter 1: Small Town Troubles

The ponies of Equestria have built cities and towns of all shapes and sizes across the magical land, yet very few could match what lay on the eastern coast. What had started out as ports to the griffon empire and other realms, cities such as Baltimare, Fillydelphia, and Manehattan grew over time into the sprawling metropolises they were today. They dominated the region as hubs of trade and culture, and ponies from all over congregated to the huge cities.

However, not everypony was suited for that kind of life. There were some who wished to avoid the hustle and bustle of the big cities, and they ended up settling in one of the few smaller towns in the region instead.

One of those small towns was named Ambleton.

Nestled between Fillydelphia and Manehattan, Ambleton did not get too many visitors. Even then, most visitors did not stay for long, not when it was just a short trip to the bigger cities. Other than the main road through town where travelers sometimes passed through, there was not much activity. Nonetheless, the quaint town was home to a small population of ponies and was a great place for those who wanted a quiet environment and not a lot of attention.

Born and raised in Ambleton, Oak Tree was an earth pony living in the small town. He was a healthy stallion and happily married, but other than his wife and a few friends around town, he was not really well-known. He was just an average pony with nothing really noteworthy about him.

His job at the lumber mill was nothing fantastic and made up the bulk of his routine. Every day pretty much consisted of getting up early, going to work, and then heading home to spend the rest of the day with his loving wife. It was a simple life, but he was content.

Of course, the only constant in life is change, so every now and then, it does something to break up the routine, and today was one such instance when Oak Tree arrived at his house early.

“Syrup, I’m home!” Oak Tree called out to his wife as he entered through the front door.

“I’m in our room, Oak!” a mare’s voice responded from upstairs.

An eager grin appeared on Oak’s face, and he rushed up the stairs. He paused to check himself over in a mirror hanging in the hallway, making sure his dark-red coat, blue mane, and his cutie mark of an axe cutting wood were all in place. Satisfied that his appearance was in order, he continued on to the open room at the end of the hall and saw his target inside.

Lying on the bed was a chestnut-colored earth pony mare with a dark-brown mane. Her cutie mark was a pitcher of a brown liquid, no doubt the same sweet substance that she was named after. She was resting on her stomach, flipping through the pages of a book.

Oak raised an eyebrow when he caught a glimpse of the book’s title, The Lusty Dragon Assistant. Mentally shrugging, he pretended to have not seen that.

“You’re home early,” Syrup stated, glancing up at Oak.

“There was a bit of a mixup with the equipment, so I got the rest of the day off,” Oak explained.

Syrup nodded and turned her attention back to the book. “That’s nice, dear. I’m guessing you’re going out again soon, so have fun. I’m just going to stay here and read a bit more, if you don’t mind.”

Oak frowned. He did not rush back to the house just to have Syrup dismiss him so quickly. He wanted—no, needed her love. Fortunately, he knew exactly what to do. Without saying a word, he crawled onto the bed.

“Oak, what are you—Oh, oh my…” Syrup let out a hum of content when Oak started gently rubbing his muzzle into her neck. “This is a surprise. Did something happen today?”

“Nope, I just thought this would be better than leaving you alone to read some old book.”

“And I must say, you’re making quite a convincing case.” She giggled and leaned into the nuzzle. “This is nice. We haven’t done this for quite some time.”

“Well, today is going to be different.”

Oak and Syrup continued to nuzzle, taking turns in using their muzzles to explore each others necks and faces. While it was nice to feel the warm touch of another pony showing affection to him, Oak yearned for more.

Oak brought a hoof around Syrup’s neck and dragged her closer.

Syrup’s eyes widened for just a second before closing them when Oak kissed her deeply on the lips. She let out another satisfied hum and quickly returned the gesture.

Oak closed his eyes as well, relishing in the wave of emotion washing over him. He could practically taste the love emanating from the mare. It was like a hunger being sated, and every passing second made him feel more invigorated. It certainly has been a while since he felt this good, and he wished this moment would last for a long time.

“Hey, Syrup, I got off work, and by the princess’s pudgy pimple, what the hay is happening here?!”

Oak’s eyes shot wide open when he heard his voice, something that should not have been possible since his mouth was currently occupied with Syrup’s. Both he and Syrup released their lip lock and turned to see an exact duplicate of Oak Tree standing in the doorway. He was staring at them with a dropped jaw that showcased the elasticity of the pony anatomy, a baffling feature that had confounded scientists for centuries.

“Oak? But you… But you’re…” Syrup looked back and forth between the Oak holding her and the Oak still gawking at them.

Syrup let out a loud shriek and pushed Oak number one and herself off opposite ends of the bed.

“Why are there two of you?!” Syrup shouted, putting the bed between her and the Oak clones.

“He’s a fake!” the two Oaks cried out, pointing an accusatory hoof at each other. They glared at each other. “What? You’re the fake!”

Both Oaks butted their foreheads together. Letting out snorts of hot air, they engaged in an intense staring contest as each one started to provide a compelling argument on how they were the real deal.

“I’m the real Oak!”

“No, I am!”

“No, me!”

“No—”

“Quiet!”

The two stallions jumped into the air with a frightened squeak before quickly turning to face the scowling Syrup.

“Both of you, get over here, now!”

The Oak twins immediately lined up in front of the angry mare as she sat down on the bed.

“You two are behaving like foals. There’s an easier way to find the fake without giving me a headache,” Syrup chastised. “I’ll just ask a few questions that the real Oak should know, and whoever can answer them is obviously my husband, alright?”

“Right!”

“R-right.”

Syrup took a deep breath and calmly smiled. “This one should be easy. What is my favorite flower?”

One Oak just stood there, while the other opened his mouth, only to close it right away.

The smile on Syrup’s face shrunk. “Okay, what’s my favorite play?”

Again, neither Oak could come up with an answer.

By now, Syrup’s smile had been replaced with a frown. “Favorite food?”

One Oak rubbed the back of his neck, while the other tried, but failed, to whistle.

“When’s my birthday?”

The room started to get a bit warmer, and beads of sweat started dripping down the heads of both Oaks.

“When’s our anniversary?”

Both Oaks remained silent, suddenly finding an interest in everything in the room except the mare shooting them a glare that promised holes the size of ponies would soon be needed.

Syrup let out a loud groan and buried a hoof into her face. Quietly, she grumbled, “I swear, the things I sometimes have to put up with…” She let out a huge sigh and looked back up at the Oaks with a deadpan face. “What did we have for dinner four days ago?”

Oak number two quickly raised a hoof into the air and waved it around like an overenthusiastic student answering a question. “Oh! Oh! I know this one! We had my favorite, vegetable lasagna!”

Syrup rolled her eyes. “Well, at least we found the real Oak,” she said as she trotted up to the Oak who responded and wrapped her hooves around the stallion’s neck.

“Um, Syrup,” Oak replied in a strained voice. “I’m glad that we’re together again, but you’re kind of hugging me a bit too tight. It’s getting hard to breathe.”

“I know, dear. I’m just letting you know we’re going to spend a nice, long time having the talk.”

The fake Oak started inching away from the couple. He was not sure he wanted to know what was the talk.

When the whimpering real Oak was starting to get little blue in the face, the clone was sure he did not want to know what the talk was.

“But first things first,” Syrup said as she released her husband, who had to take a few gasps of air, and turned their attention to the fake. “Who are you, and what do you want?”

The fake Oak’s eyes darted around as he looked for an escape, but the only way out was either trying to get past the two earth ponies guarding the doorway or jumping out of a second story window. The only viable option was to talk his way out of it.

“I wandered into the wrong house?”

“Doesn’t explain why you look like Oak and tried to seduce me.”

“This is all a dream?”

“If it was, he wouldn’t be here.”

“Hey!”

“Uh… I’m Oak’s evil twin?”

The sound of hooves meeting faces told the imposter that he probably ran out of chances.

“Hold on a minute,” the real Oak suddenly said. “Somepony who can look like somepony else and tries to pretend to be a loved one? That sounds awfully like those things that invaded Canterlot a while ago. I think they were called—”

The fake Oak decided there was no longer any need to stick around. Before the couple could react, he quickly jumped through the window with a loud crash as he shattered the glass.

As the fake Oak fell through the air, a green ring of fire rose from his hooves and up his body. Gaps appeared in the legs as red fur was replaced by glossy, black carapace, and an equally-black horn revealed itself on its head. On its back, a pair of insect-like wings sprouted from a blue shell and immediately began beating rapidly.

The creature gritted its fangs as it landed on the ground with a heavy thump, but thanks to its wings, it was able to slow down enough to avoid injury.

Taking a quick look around with its featureless, blue eyes, the creature noticed that a few nearby ponies were gawking at it.

“It’s a changeling, and it just tried to feed on us! Don’t let it get away!” Oak shouted from the window.

That yell shook the nearby ponies out of their daze. Some backed away in fear, but the rest started approaching the changeling slowly with stern looks on their faces.

Not wanting to find out what happens next, the changeling poised itself to fly away, but it discarded the idea upon the sight of even more ponies arriving on the scene.

If there were just earth ponies, then the changeling could easily escape, but pegasi and unicorns were also rushing in. Even a few pegasi would easily be able to outmaneuver the changeling in the air, and if they did not get it, then the unicorns’ magic surely would.

Luckily, the changeling was quick on its hooves and concocted a plan.

With a mighty yell of terror, the changeling picked out an open spot in the crowd and ran as fast as it could for its life. While it did not have a good idea of where it was running to, it figured that if it kept moving in one direction, it would reach the outskirts of town, and from there, it would make its way to the nearby forest and hide until it was safe.

A smirk appeared on the changeling’s face as it silently congratulated itself on its master plan. It chanced a glance behind it to check on its pursuers, and the smirk was quickly wiped from its face.

At least ten ponies were on its tail, and judging by the pitchforks and torches they were waving, they probably were not there to talk. That is, unless it was Syrup’s version of the talk.

Pushing aside the question of where the ponies got the standard tools of angry mobbing so fast, the changeling let out another frightened scream as it pumped its running hooves even faster.

In its frantic dash for freedom, it did not take long before the changeling lost any sense of direction except away from the angry mob. Only by constantly ducking through alleys, dumping obstacles behind it, and probably having a lot of luck, did the changeling manage to keep its distance from its pursuers.

But it could not keep this up forever. The chase lasted for what seemed like hours, and all the running was taking its toll as the changeling could feel its stamina waning.

Panting heavily, the changeling emerged out of its umpteenth alley. It glanced to the side, and it gasped at what it saw.

The outskirts were only a block away, and not only that, but the forest was also in sight, just beyond the town’s border.

The changeling’s aching hooves were so relieved that all that aimless wandering turned out for the better. The changeling was so happy, it could not help but stop to make a delighted squee.

A pitchfork stabbing into the ground a few inches away cut the celebration short and made the changeling blanch. It was quickly reminded that it was supposed to be running for its life.

“Why is it always pitchforks?!” the changeling screamed in a slightly distorted, but unmistakably feminine voice. “Why can’t it be something nice like pillows or plushies?!”

With a second wind pumping through her body, partly derived from seeing her goal and partly derived from fear of sharp, pointy objects, the changeling sprinted for the forest sanctuary.

It did not take long before the changeling reached the forest, and as soon as she put a couple of trees between her and the ponies, the changeling flew up into the tree canopy and landed on a big branch secluded from the ground by a dense foliage.

She held her breath as the sound of hooves stomping on the ground grew louder. Other than a small peephole in the leaves she could use to monitor down below, the changeling was hidden from view. As long as she stayed quiet, she should be fine.

A few seconds later, the group of ponies ran straight past her spot.

Remaining in her hiding spot, the changeling stayed frozen in place, even when the thundering of hooves faded away into nothing. She already made it this far, and it would not hurt to stay on guard for a little bit longer.

The changeling was so focused on scanning the ground below that she did not notice a butterfly fluttering around until it perched on her nose.

The changeling scrunched up her nose, eyeing the little bug. With a quick snort, she blew the butterfly away and resumed her watch.

The butterfly returned a few seconds later, hovering in front of the changeling’s vision.

The changeling tried to swat the butterfly away with a hoof, but the annoying insect was unharmed when it passed through one of the holes in her hoof.

The changeling’s eye twitched.

With a quiet growl, she frantically waved her hoof at the butterfly, but the tiny bug continued to somehow evade all attempts at shooing it away.

Having enough of the impudent insect, the changeling stood up on the branch and with a cry of anger, she used both of her forehooves to try and swat the butterfly away.

It only took a few seconds of swinging wildly before the changeling lost her balance. Yelping loudly, she flailed around her hooves as she teetered off the edge. Out of sheer luck, a nearby branch threaded its way through one of the holes in her forehooves. She was left hanging by one leg, but at least she managed to prevent her fall.

The changeling let out a loud sigh of relief, only for her eyes to pop wide open with fear and immediately clamp a hoof over her mouth. During her epic struggle, she had forgotten to stay quiet.

She returned to a tense silence as her eyes darted around, and her ears perked up, scanning the area for any signs of life that wanted to investigate the noise she had been making. She was so nervous, she did not dare to move from her precariously hanging position and even feared that her hammering heart was thumping too loudly.

However, nothing came, and as time passed, the changeling began to calm down. The air was filled with the soft buzzing of the changeling’s wings as she started to untangle her hoof from the branch.

However, she immediately stopped when she heard voices approaching.

The same group of ponies slowly walked into view, talking with each other. Picking up bits and pieces of the conversation, the changeling heard that they were done searching and wanted to return to town.

A leaf fell from the branch the changeling was hanging from, and her eyes bulged when she noticed that it was falling towards the group of ponies. She tried to grab the descending debris with her free hoof, but it was unable to due to its restricted movement.

The changeling’s mouth was open in a silent scream of terror as the leaf slowly drifted lower and lower. That one leaf would draw the ponies’ attention, and she would be hauled back to town for what was probably not going to be a party.

Each passing second was excruciatingly long as the changeling saw its doom approach until finally it happened.

The leaf landed right on top of a pony’s head.

The pony did not even glance up and casually brushed off the offending object, continuing on with its fellow ponies until they disappeared from view.

Even after seeing the ponies move on, the changeling remained dangling and vigilant. While she wondered if the day’s events were making her exhausted mind a little paranoid, she watched for any returning ponies, as well as any ninja ponies trying to sneak up on her.

The changeling did not know how long she kept her watch, but the leg attached to the branch was becoming sore and tired. Only after what seemed like forever, the changeling finally was convinced it was safe and let out an enormous groan of relief. She freed her hoof from the branch and flew onto another nearby sturdy branch.

No longer fearing for her life, the changeling started to feel the effects of everything that happened to her today.

She had infiltrated a couple’s home, got a decent dose of love, been chased through town by an angry mob of ponies, spent who knows how long hanging from a branch, and survived an emotional roller coaster of panic and terror. All that was left was for her to wearily slump down onto the branch she was on.

“Just another day in the life of Glamour the changeling,” the changeling murmured before drifting off to sleep.

Chapter 2: New Sights

The next day found Glamour still asleep from the events of yesterday and dreaming about one of her past encounters.

“But I like it when you do that, Mr. Banana.”

Suffice to say, Glamour had experienced some rather interesting moments.

She was brought back to the real world when the branch she was resting on jolted upwards. Groaning over being rudely awakened, she rolled around on the metal surface, trying to catch a few more minutes of sleep.

Her brain then finished booting up and reminded her that branches were not made of metal.

Quickly sitting up, she immediately took in her surroundings. What she saw made her let out a loud wail of despair.

She was stuck inside a caged wagon and was being hauled through Ambleton. Somehow, the ponies of Ambleton had captured her and were now noisily parading her through town.

What made it worse was that besides the ponies pulling her prison, a large mob had surrounded the wagon and were walking along with it. Every pony Glamour met eyes with shot her a nasty look or shouted insults at her.

Glamour wondered how in Equestria did she manage to stay asleep until now. She knew she was a heavy sleeper, but not waking up to witness being captured by a town of angry ponies was ridiculous.

Glamour let out a yelp and fell back on the metal floor when the caged wagon gave another jolt from hitting a bump in the road. Instead of getting back up, she let out a whimper and curled up into a ball, trying to block out all the noise and spiteful faces around her.

As she tried to think of some way to escape her predicament, Glamour was surprised when her personal prison parade marched out of Ambleton. Eventually, they ended up near a cliff not too far from town. A short, makeshift platform was erected near the edge, and on top of that was a podium.

Again, Glamour was wondering if there was something wrong with her. She had scouted the surrounding area while gathering information on Oak and Syrup, and she could not believe she had somehow missed seeing this huge landmark.

When the cage door opened, Glamour tried to fly out as a last desperate attempt at freedom, but the ponies were upon her instantly. Before she knew it, she was placed on the platform with her legs chained together, her wings bound by rope, and a magic-suppressing ring slipped onto her horn.

Glamour was barely able to hear her own gulp as she looked out at the clamoring crowd. It was like one giant blur of scowling faces, all directed at her.

“Alright, alright, quiet down, everypony,” a stallion wearing a black robe and a powdered wig said as he got behind a podium set up next to Glamour. “Let’s make this quick so that we can all go home. Will the victims please come forth?”

From the crowd, Syrup walked up to the platform. The glare she gave Glamour was the bane of all husbands, but was just as effective on any other living creature.

“Syrup, where is your husband?” the judge asked.

“He couldn’t make it today.”

“Is it because this changeling hurt him?”

“Actually, it’s because I might’ve gone a bit overboard last night when I gave him the talk.”

“Um, can I please go back in the cage?”

“No, you may not, changeling,” the judge replied before turning his attention back to the crowd. “Oak will not be able to attend due to unfortunate circumstances, but we shall go right on ahead with the trial. Now, this changeling is accused of impersonating one of our town’s citizens, Oak Tree, and attempting to feed off of his wife, Syrup. The changeling is also accused of littering and causing a ruckus when it tried to escape. Are there any other crimes that we should know of?”

“It also broke our bedroom window,” Syrup added.

Glamour was momentarily dazed both from the sound and the sudden drop in oxygen from the huge, unified gasp from the crowd.

The judge shook his head. “Such villainy. Based on overwhelming witnesses accounts, I find this changeling guilty of all crimes. Syrup, by our town’s custom, you have the honors of administering its punishment since it has done you the most wrong.”

The grin Syrup had on her face made Glamour wonder how her husband managed to survive for so long.

“Um, can’t we talk about this?” Glamour asked as she tried to hobble away from the menacing mare walking towards her.

To her surprise, Syrup stopped. She brought a hoof up to her chin as though in deep thought. “Oh alright, I suppose that we can—Oh my gosh, what’s that?!”

Glamour turned around to see what Syrup was pointing at behind her. She looked all around the area, but she could not see anything worth noting. “What? I don’t see any—AHHHH!”

Two hooves bucked Glamour from behind, and she was sent screaming off the edge.

Unable to free her wings, use her magic, or even flail her hooves in terror, Glamour continued to yell. It got louder when she saw the bottom was riddled with hundreds or even thousands of tall, jagged rocks. While it would easily give her enough holes to make even Queen Chrysalis jealous, the whole dying part kind of put a damper on that dream.

With nothing she could do to avoid the rapidly approaching rocks, she shut her eyes and waited for the end.

But instead of meeting a pointy demise, she felt her body land on grass. Unfortunately, falling face first onto any surface still hurts a lot.

Rolling over onto her back, Glamour clutched her muzzle as she groaned. Opening her eyes, she saw glimpses of the branch that she slept on high above her.

“It was all a dream,” Glamour mumbled.

With how popular her true self was with angry mobs, her mind had inadvertently made up a few unpleasant scenarios if she did get captured. As a result, nightmares like the one she just had popped up every now and then. She heard the pony princess of the night helped those plagued by bad dreams, but Glamour figured that service did not apply to those who invaded her kingdom.

Glamour remained on the ground for a few more moments, waiting for the pain to ebb away, before deciding that she should probably do something productive today.

With a big yawn, she stretched out her body, working out all the kinks from her awkward bed and fall. When her body was fully awake and her face was not aching anymore, she got up and took flight.

Glamour flew around for a bit until she spotted a familiar grouping of trees. Finding one with a couple of scratch marks on it, she flew up to a hole in the trunk and pulled out a saddlebag.

She took out a map of Equestria and let out a heavy, weary sigh as her magic drew a cross over Ambleton. The same mark could be seen on many other towns on the map.

After the failed invasion of Canterlot, Glamour, along with a number of other changelings, had become unhappy with Queen Chrysalis’s rule and eventually left the hive to live on their own in hopes of finding a better life.

Since then, Glamour had survived by using the old tried and true method of impersonating another pony’s loved one. However, now that many ponies were aware of changelings, it had become harder for her to maintain her disguise, and being chased out of town in one form or another was becoming more and more frequent.

She wished there was a more reliable, safer way to feed, but until she did find one, she would have to keep on making do with the traditional changeling method.

Scanning her map, Glamour frowned when she saw that the only viable places nearby were Fillydelphia and Manehattan. She knew they were both much bigger places than the small towns she targeted, and other than invading Canterlot, she had not been to a big city like them.

While it was easier to blend in with the crowd, she heard that there were all sorts of troubles and annoyances. She wished she could recall more of the specifics, but she fell asleep during that lesson.

Still, with no other alternatives, she had to try her luck and adapt to the new place. Her eyes went back and forth between the two cities, seeing that both places were about the same distance away and equally intimidating. Unable to figure out which place she should travel to, she resorted to a tried and true ancient ritual to decide for her.

“Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. Catch a dragon by the claw. If it hollers, run for your life. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.”

And with her hoof stopping on Manehattan, Glamour's next destination was set.

Glamour went back into her bag, replacing her map with a hooffull of photographs. They were all pictures of ponies, but she was not stalking them. They were pictures of ponies she used to help her stalk other ponies.

Like all other changelings, Glamour was able to disguise herself as any pony, but changing into another pony that she could see required the least amount of magic. Due to the difficulty of getting love, conservation was vital. Of course, with no actual pony nearby, having a stolen photo of a pony was a decent enough substitute.

Picking out a photo, Glamour concentrated on the pony in the picture. Her horn started to glow green, and a second later, a ring of fire enveloped her. She quickly pulled out a compact mirror from the bag, and in its reflection, there was a pegasus mare instead of a changeling.

After double checking herself to make sure her tan fur, green mane, and cutie mark of nutmeg matched the photo, Glamour packed up all of her stuff and put on her saddlebag. With a beat of her now-feathered wings, she flew through a hole in the canopy and was soon on her way to the big city of Manehattan.

If there was one thing Glamour hated about traveling, it was having to do it alone. Her body had pretty much been flying on autopilot for the past few hours since all she had to do was follow the coastline up to Manehattan. While the trip so far had been incident free, it was also incredibly boring.

She let her mind wander to various subjects such as what Manehattan would may be like or how some housewives could be so terrifying, but they were all just brief respites. Running out of things to keep her mind occupied, she decided to do a mental checklist for when she arrived.

The first thing to do was to explore the city and get familiar with the new environment. Since she was not used to big cities, it would no doubt take a longer time to get used to the place.

She would also have to find a suitable place to spend her nights. Impersonating other ponies did not exactly pay well, so she would be hard pressed to pay anything more than free. In a pinch, she could always make do with sleeping on a cloud.

The last thing was to find a target. That pretty much involved either finding a couple or getting information from other ponies. She guessed that part should be easy with more ponies around.

Glamour’s attention was brought back to her flightpath when she caught a glimpse of something in the ocean. Guessing that it was her destination, she put on a burst of speed as the city came into view. Her jaw dropped when she got close enough to take in the full sight of Manehattan.

The bustling city was nothing like she had imagined. Built entirely on an island just off the coast, the city was completely covered with a labyrinth of paved streets, and a swarm of metal skyscrapers stretched high above her. A quick glance showed that the only ways out of the city for non-flyers were either by boat or the train that used the one bridge connecting to the mainland.

Not too far away from the port, Glamour felt a pang of fear when she saw a statue of a pony that was as tall as a building. Seeing the torch in her hoof and the spiky crown on her head, Glamour guessed it was some sort of monument to angry mobbing and was tempted to turn around right then and there. However, since it was possible that it stood for something completely different, she swallowed her fear and entered the city limits.

She had never seen so many ponies in one place before. Hordes of ponies flooded the streets, and every one of them seemed to be in a rush. They were practically shoulder to shoulder as they pushed their way through the crowd. There were also lanes for carriages, but with so many of them moving about, there were traffic jams all over the place.

It took a while before she found an opening in the crowd to land, but as soon as she did, she was swept up by the tide.

“Watch it, lady.”

“Move out of the way!”

“Hey, I’m not that kind of pony.”

Glamour yelped as she was pushed and shoved around. She tried to move in any direction, but she was helpless among the sea of bodies. After stumbling onto the streets and being nearly run over by a carriage, she went back into the air.

Unfortunately, flying was not too much better. While she was not being shoved around, she still had to be careful of the many other pegasi who had the same idea as her. Her attention became entirely focused on dodging speeding pegasi and avoiding mid-air collisions. This was further complicated by the multitude of skyscrapers that limited the amount of air space.

After about an hour or so of braving the crowds, an exhausted Glamour noticed the traffic was finally starting to lighten up. Unbeknownst to her, she had just survived her first rush hour.

While she was finally able to proceed at her own pace, Glamour was still lost and unsure what she should be looking for and ended up just wandering aimlessly around the confusing city. No longer having to concentrate on avoiding being trampled or crashing, she was able to take a better look at her surroundings.

The streets were still pretty crowded, but they were nowhere near as bad as before. She noticed that quite a lot of of ponies were wearing some form of clothing and judging by the many clothing shops she passed, she concluded that fashion was a pretty big deal in the city.

There were also so many massive buildings, some of them even bigger than the castle in Canterlot, and everywhere she looked, she saw some sort of colorful sign or advertisement. It was all so amazing and overwhelming at the same time. She could see why other changelings were wary of the big city.

After crossing what was probably her hundredth street, she noticed that a horde of ponies had congregated in front of a large building down the block. Letting her curiosity guide her, she flew over to the scene.

As she got closer, she detected traces of adoration in the air. Adoration was a lesser form of love, and in sufficient amounts, it could also feed a changeling. This only made Glamour even more curious to find out what was going on.

Landing at the edge of the crowd, Glamour went over to a random mare in a simple dress and asked her, “Excuse me, what’s everypony lining up for?”

The mare scoffed. “Then what are you even doing here if you don’t know?”

“I was just passing by and saw the crowd.”

“Whatever. If you have to know, there’s a fashion show rehearsal that’s about to start.”

Glamour tilted her head in confusion. She already guessed fashion was a popular thing in Manehattan, but she did not expect it would get this much attention. Nonetheless, this fashion show was somehow sowing adoration amongst the ponies, and she had to investigate it.

“What’s so great about a fashion show, and why not just wait for the actual show?”

“Seriously?” The pony gave her a look of disbelief. “These shows tells us what’s going to be in, and wearing the right stuff can make you super popular. I just have to know what’s going to be hot this season before anypony else.” She let out a huff. “Too bad, it’s going to be tough with those guys.”

Glamour looked to where the mare was directing her gaze and saw that a couple of security guards were posted at the door. Anypony who approached them were turned away, but there were one or two that were somehow able to get in after a few words.

“Why is there so much security for a fashion show?”

Just then, a screaming stallion was sent flying out of the front doors of the building and landed in a dumpster across the street.

“And don’t let me catch you trying to flirt with the models again, or I’ll break every bone in your body!” an angry mare’s voice shouted before the doors were slammed shut.

“Never mind,” Glamour mumbled. “Anyway, how do you get in?”

The mare let out a loud exasperated sigh. “Why don’t you go ask the security guards themselves instead and stop bothering me?”

Glamour rolled her eyes and left the mare to do just that. While she knew it was a long shot, she could still try and see if the guards will let her in. If anything, she might be able to find out more about the show.

Flying over the crowd got her some scornful looks, but she ignored them and went up to the entrance.

“Hi,” Glamour greeted one of the guards.

“What?” The stallion did not even look at her.

“Can I go in?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

The guard sighed before explaining in a bored tone, “Only ponies with passes may attend.”

“Would you believe me if I said I left my pass at home?”

“Oh sure, go right ahead.”

Glamour’s eyes widened. “Really?”

“No.”

Glamour gave the guard a deadpan face.

“Unless you have a pass, you’re not getting in through this door. Now, get going before I get mad.”

“Fiiiiine.” With a huff, Glamour flew away.

So far, Manehattan was quickly becoming the worst place she had infiltrated. The city was like a massive metal maze, but what irked her the most was that so many ponies had such nasty dispositions. She was used to the terrible treatment in her real form, but the fake her should have at least fared better. The only thing urging her on was her curiosity of the fashion show and the adoration it seemed to generate.

As soon as she was out of sight of the crowd, she made a circle and went to the back of the building.

The guard only said she could not get in through the front door. For a changeling, not being able to use the front door was usually just a minor inconvenience. They learned how to look or even make their own entrances. Since making her own entrance usually involved a lot of screaming and third degree burns, she opted to look for one for the time being.

Glamour immediately found a backdoor when she arrived in the alley behind the building, but as expected, it was locked. She checked to see if any ponies were around, and when none were found, her changeling horn appeared on her head in a plume of emerald fire.

She tried picking the lock with her magic, but it seemed that the hotel had invested in magic-resistant locks when all she could do was jiggle the doorknob.

With a sigh, she looked around for any other alternatives and perked up when she noticed a vent about a story up the building. Given how popular vents were, it was a pretty common method to place them high up to prevent intruders. Earth ponies and unicorns would not be able to reach that high, and pegasi usually did not have the means to pry open the grate.

Fortunately, Glamour was not any of those. While changelings were not as agile in flight as a pegasus or as strong in magic as unicorns, the ability to use both at once certainly made up for it.

After stowing her saddlebag behind some trash, she flew up to the grate and popped it open with a flash of magic. Glamour grinned and made her way inside.

This was not her first time sneaking in through a vent, so she knew how to proceed slowly and carefully to muffle her movements, but as she crawled through the metal tunnel, she could not get rid of the nagging feeling that she forgot something. She stopped to scratch her head in thought when her hoof bumped into something hard.

Crossing her eyes and looking up, she let out a small chuckle when she saw her horn. While she was still disguised as a pony, she was pretty sure being an alicorn would attract attention. It was not like there was some sort of ancient spell that could turn a pony into an alicorn.

“Silly me,” she said to herself as she made her horn vanish. “Glad I caught that before anything went wrong.”

And that is when the grate Glamour happened to stop on collapsed under her weight. She did not even get a chance to scream before gravity introduced her to the floor.

Glamour groaned as she wondered if she should be cursing the fact that her face was slammed into the ground for the second time today, or that she should be grateful that her face had survived being slammed into the ground for the second time today.

Shaking off the pain, she got up and noticed that the room she was full of mirrors mounted to the walls, and in front of those mirrors were desks filled with all sorts of bottle and containers, some of which Glamour recognized as makeup.

Glamour breathed out a sigh of relief. An empty dressing room meant that the show was about to start, and she was not too far away from it.

As soon as she opened the door to peek outside, the sound of electronic music filled the air. It was pretty catchy, but nothing memorable. What was important was that it gave her something to follow.

Following the sounds, she passed by a few ponies, but they barely gave her more than a glance when she pretended to be a busy worker hurrying down the hall.

The music eventually let Glamour to the backstage area of the fashion show and what she found made her eyes shoot wide open.

Glamour had worn a few outfits with her disguises, but she found most of them were uncomfortable and stifling. There were still a few that she did like, and she expected the fashion show to at least have some stuff that would capture her interest.

She was disappointed.

Glamour rubbed her eyes in hopes that it was just her recent face plant giving her hallucinations, but she was met with the same disappointment.

A bunch of models were all standing around, getting ready for the show, but it was not the models themselves that made Glamour question the sanity of ponies. It was what they were wearing.

There was a pony in a dress that made her look more like a giant ball with hooves. Another was bogged down by so many bells and whistles, there were actually bells and whistles on her dress, and one pony looked like a blimp—in the literal sense and not saying she was actually fat. There was even an outfit made up of items that would be found in a hotel bathroom, but Glamour had to admit that particular piece somehow worked.

Almost every pony donned an outfit that Glamour could only describe as outrageous. Fortunately, there were a few designers that gone with the more normal look. Those looked way better, in Glamour’s opinion, but there was one in particular that stood out to her.

In the back, a model was wearing an elegant dress as an eggshell-white mare, which Glamour assumed was the designer, was putting on the finishing touches.

The dress was mostly white in color, but it had multiple layers throughout it, and the edge of each layer was tinted purple. It was a pretty simple design, but it made for a remarkable flowing effect. To Glamour, it was her favorite dress out of the bunch.

There was a flurry of activity when another pony came in, announcing that the show was about to start. The models immediately lined up in front of the closed curtain, while the few designers still present either headed to the audience seats or wandered off somewhere else backstage.

With everypony’s attention on the models, Glamour found a place to the side where she could observe the show while still remaining inconspicuous. She could not help being a little excited now that she was going to finally see what all the fuss was about.

Looking out onto the stage, Glamour could see the runway where the models would be walking down. There must have been at least a hundred lights shining down on the platform, and ponies were crowding around it. It was not a big crowd, due to it being a rehearsal, but Glamour could clearly see their excitement.

A moment later, the curtains opened, revealing the models to the audience. The models then marched forward and lined up on the stage to the sound of the audience stomping on their hooves in applause.

After a brief introduction by the announcer and another round of applause, the models started taking turns in walking down the runway, doing a few poses when they got to the end of it, and then walking back to their fellow models.

Glamour already got a good look at the appearances of the models backstage, but seeing them on stage, under the spotlight, was another thing. Every single one of them walked with a sense of grace and confidence, and the bright lights only seemed to accentuate their beauty. She was further impressed with the strength of some of them since a couple of the dresses looked heavier than the pony wearing it.

As the show went on, Glamour could sense adoration growing in the air. While there was not enough to make a decent meal now, there would be a lot more ponies on the actual show day. All that adoration would be more than enough to feed one lone changeling. She started wondering if there was a way she could exploit that opportunity.

“Um, hello?”

Glamour gave a small jump and turned around to find the maker of the dress she really liked staring at her.

“Uh, hi there,” Glamour replied. Up close, she could see the mare wore a purple collar tied together by a red ribbon. Her cutie mark was of a purple, wide rim hat with a red feather. On her two tone cyan mane was a hairpin in the shape of a flower with red petals and a purple center.

“Oh, I’m sorry if I startled you. You work here, right?”

“Um, yeah, I do. I’m just making sure things are okay in this area.”

The mare opened her mouth to speak again, but her attention was drawn to the stage at the announcer’s voice.

“And now we have a lovely outfit made by another new designer, Coco Pommel.”

Glamour looked to see the model wearing the mare’s dress was now strutting down the runway. The bright lights made the dress seem to sparkle, and the model was able to move and pose with ease, showing off the flowing shape of the dress.

Glamour had already liked Coco’s dress, and now, it was even better than before. From the looks of things in the audience, the ponies there had similar opinions.

Looking back at the mare she now knew was Coco Pommel, she could see that a small smile was now upon her face. Not knowing what to do in this situation, Glamour decided to just say the first thing on her mind.

“I like the dress you made.”

Coco’s eyes widened slightly and turned back to Glamour. “Oh, um, thank you,” she replied with a small blush on her face.

An awkward silence fell between the two. The fashion show was still going on, but Glamour’s attention was on the odd pony before her.

“Oh, sorry, I got distracted,” Coco said all of a sudden. “Some of the guards were looking for somepony, and I kind of promised to help them. Have you seen anything suspicious?”

“Suspicious? What do you mean?” Glamour asked slowly.

“They mentioned something about an open vent in the back.”

Glamour did a mental facehoof. In her eagerness, she had forgotten to replace the grate after getting in the vent. “No, I haven’t, but I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for things,” she quickly replied before setting her eyes back on the stage.

She tried to focus on the show, but even with her back turned towards Coco, she could almost feel Coco’s gaze upon her skull. She suspected that Coco had seen through her ruse and at any moment, would turn her in.

“Did you really mean it when you liked the dress I made?”

Glamour blinked before nodding at Coco. “It’s my favorite one. Sorry if I can’t really explain it. I don’t know too much about fashion, but I do know that part of the reason is that a lot of the other clothes seem so… weird. Er, n-not that I mean you’re only good because I don’t like the others.”

Coco giggled. “It’s alright. I know what you mean. A lot of designers want to try all kinds of different things in hopes of becoming the next big thing, so it’s pretty common to see something weird.”

“So why didn’t you try something like them?”

“Oh, um…” Coco gaze dropped to the floor. “I didn’t want to take a risk because this is my first show. The only reason I got in was because somepony had to drop out at the last minute. It’s a chance to put my work on display and since first impressions can make a big impact, I thought I would just play it safe. I know that tonight was just a practice run, but I’m so relieved that nopony seems to hate my work.”

Glamour frowned. “Hey, give yourself more credit. Look at the audience. It seems to me that they are reacting better than simply not hating it.”

Coco smiled again. “They are, aren’t they? Sorry if I seem so nervous. This is just all so new to me, but what you just said does help.”

“Hey, you there!”

The two mares turned to see a security guard marching towards them. Glamour gulped when she saw that it was the same guard that she was speaking to at the front door.

“Alright, missy,” the guard said as he backed Glamour into the wall with a stern look. “You’re coming with me.”

“W-wait, what’s going on?” Coco asked.

“This mare right here tried to get into the building, but she didn’t have a pass. Now she’s here after we found the vent busted open. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what’s wrong.”

Glamour yelped when the guard grabbed one of her hooves and started dragging her away.

“Now, come along quietly, and we might not have you arrested for breaking and entering.”

“Wait!”

The guard halted and looked at Coco. “Yeah?”

“She’s… um… she’s with me.”

Glamour’s eyes widened at the same time the guard’s eyebrow went up.

“Seriously? You know her?”

“She’s somepony I got to help out.”

“Then why did she not have a pass?”

“Like I said, I forgot it at home,” Glamour quickly replied. “I didn’t have enough time to go back and get it, and with no way to contact Coco, I had no other choice but to sneak in.”

The guard looked at Coco, who nodded her head frantically, and then back at Glamour. His eyes narrowed as Glamour gave a sheepish smile.

“Fine, whatever.” The guard let go of Glamour. “I don’t get paid enough to deal with this.” He pointed a hoof at Coco. “But if she causes any trouble, it’s going to be on you.”

Both Coco and Glamour breathed out a sigh of relief when the guard finally left them alone.

“Thank you,” Glamour said. “But why did you risk yourself for me? We just met.”

“Well, you’re a nice pony, and it doesn’t look like you’re trying to make trouble. Even though it was wrong for you to sneak in, I think you’re a good pony at heart, and I didn’t want you to get in a lot of trouble.”

Glamour chuckled nervously. “Um, right, a good pony. That’s right.”

“So you went through all this trouble just to see a rehearsal?”

“I just arrived in Manehattan, and when I found out about this fashion show, I could not help but want to see what it was like. I figured it would be easier to get into a rehearsal.”

“Well, I hope you enjoy the rest of it. Oh, where are my manners?” Coco extended a hoof towards Glamour. “I guess you already heard the announcer earlier, but my name is Coco Pommel.”

“I’m G—I mean, Nutmeg,” Glamour replied, bumping Coco’s hoof with her own. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

Glamour spent the remainder of the show with Coco. As she expected, none of the other dresses captured her attention like Coco’s, and she was happy to have Coco explain any other fashion questions she had. When the show finally ended, Coco showed off her generosity by giving her a free ticket to the actual show.

The day had been an exhausting one for Glamour, so after she retrieved her saddlebag, she flew straight up to a cloud. A smile creeped up on her face as she started to drift off into slumber. Even though she had not made much progress in finding a pony to leech love from, she might have found a temporary solution to her food needs. But what was on the forefront of her mind was the fun she had watching the fashion show and meeting Coco.

Maybe Manehattan was not going to be so bad.

Chapter 18: The Big Show

Author's Note

This chapter features a wonderful fanart piece commissioned by jeffh4 and drawn by fantazyme. Be sure to click on the picture or visit the fanart section to find links to a bigger picture!

Chapter 18: The Big Show

Glamour yawned as she and Coco walked through the entrance of the fashion building.

“Did you sleep alright last night, Glamour?” Coco asked, looking at her with concern.

“Sort of. You could say I stayed up for a while because of all the excitement,” Glamour replied.

“Oh, I know what you mean. I ended up staying up for a while as well. It’s still a bit hard to believe that we’re actually here.”

“Yeah, I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen. So, what do we have to do first? Pick up your dress?”

“I’m supposed to sign in at the front desk before that,” Coco answered. She led them to the front desk where Grace was busy sorting through her workplace.

Grace noticed their approach and nodded at them. “Hey, Coco. I got you signed in already. Normally, I would be telling you who your assigned model is, but it looks like you brought your own.” Her gaze fell upon the saddlebag Glamour was wearing, and she grinned. “I see you’re already putting her to work with carrying your stuff.”

“Actually, they belong to me,” Glamour pointed out. “Just a little something to help me get ready for the show.”

“Aww, and here I thought you were being the noble gentlemare for your marefriend.”

Coco nuzzled Glamour. “She’s already a noble gentlemare to me.”

Glamour chuckled and returned the nuzzle. “You know I would do anything for you, Coco.”

Grace groaned and rolled her eyes. “Okay, that’s enough of that. You two are so cheesy. I still think you guys are together just to torture me.”

“Well, we can assure you we are not.” Glamour smirked. “It’s just a nice bonus on top of it.”

“Haha, very funny,” Grace dryly replied. “But it’s serious time now. Everypony is gathering backstage. Apparently, Prim has something important to say. Heads up, she’s pretty grumpy today. Well, more than usual.”

“Did something happen?” Coco asked.

Grace checked to see if anypony was nearby and then beckoned both of them to come closer with her hoof as she leaned over the desk. “I’m not too sure,” she said in a whisper, “But I think somepony might have broken into the building last night.”

Coco and Glamour gasped, one a bit more authentic than the other.

“How do you know that?” Glamour asked.

“I overheard Prim talking with some of the security guards. Apparently, the backdoor took a bit of a beating, and a couple of things were knocked over in the hallways.” Grace put on a great, big pout. “What sucks the most is that when I came in today, I found my desk all messed up. I wasted a few good minutes putting everything back.”

Glamour blushed a bit and glanced away, knowing very well how much a pony in a hurry could forget to clean things up after a hasty search.

“Oh my, was it a thief or some sort of vandal?” Coco asked.

Grace shrugged. “I don’t know much beyond that. I’m guessing something did happen if Prim wants all of you to meet her backstage. I suggest you two hurry on up there. Oh, and good luck to you two.”

After saying goodbye to their friend, Glamour and Coco headed to the backstage area and found that many of the other competitors had already congregated into the area. The racks of clothing that were stored overnight were set up on the opposite side of the room and next to them were Prim along with a few security guards. It looked like Prim was talking to a few designers.

Glamour scanned the room full of ponies, and in the back corner, standing by herself, was Suri. The shifty mare seemed to be focusing her gaze on a pony for a few seconds before moving onto another. It looked like she was searching for a certain pony, and Glamour was pretty sure she knew who it was. She might have been successful last night, but she knew she still needed to monitor Suri and make sure she did not try anything else.

Despite the number of ponies in the room, there was not much going on. Some ponies were talking amongst themselves, but there were also quite a few ponies just standing around and eyeing each other. Coco tried to strike up a friendly conversation with a couple of ponies, but they never got past a few words. It reminded Glamour of when she first came to Manehattan and witnessed how abrasive some ponies were. In such a big competition as the Fall Fashion Fantasia, there was bound to be some tension in everypony, especially when it was only a mere hour away.

“Everypony, may I have your attention!” Prim’s voice rang out loud and clear after a few more ponies trickled into the room. “Please listen up, because I have something very important to tell all of you regarding the state of the competition!”

Everypony in the room quickly headed to Prim, forming a semicircle around her, and the noise level in the room quieted down to no more than a few whispers and murmurs.

“Now, you may all be wondering why we are all here instead of preparing for the show. Well, this morning, I received an anonymous tip from somepony, and after talking with a few of you, I can confirm that the message I received was true. Last night, somepony broke into the building and tampered with the entries that were stored here overnight.”

The crowd quickly burst into a clamor of gasps and concerned murmurs. A few ponies took the news a bit more harshly and quickly rushed for the racks, but they were held back by the security guards.

Glamour picked out Suri near the edge of the crowd and noticed that other than a frown, she seemed unperturbed by the situation.

“Quiet!” Prim demanded, instantly restoring order. “Now, I understand that many of you are worried, but I have been informed that not every entry was targeted. Furthermore, for those who have been affected, it appears that the damages done were minor and should be easily fixed. When you pick up your designs, I highly suggest you give it a thorough examination and make any necessary repairs.

“The show will go on, but I have made arrangements so that all of you will have more time to get ready. If, for some reason, you are unable to complete your repairs, please see me as soon as possible. Now, we must not waste any more time. Everypony, please retrieve your creations in an orderly manner and get to work. We have a show to do!”

Coco yelped as she was quickly shoved aside when everypony else rushed to the racks, but Glamour caught her and dragged her to the side where it was safe from the tide of ponies.

“Thanks, Glamour,” Coco said when she got back on her hooves. She let out a heavy sigh soon afterwards. “Do… do you think she was the one who broke in and did this?”

Glamour merely nodded and pointed across the room. There, Suri was just watching the ponies swarming the racks without any hints of worry or fear upon her face.

Coco sighed again and brought her hoof to her forehead. “Oh, Suri…” Her hoof slowly dropped to reveal her widening eyes. “Oh no… Th-the dress I made for you… What if she did something to it?” She stepped towards the crowd of ponies, but Glamour reached out with her hooves and pulled her back.

“Whoa, Coco. Be careful. You almost got trampled earlier, and I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“B-but I need to make sure the dress is alright,” Coco argued, squirming in Glamour’s hooves. “I want to give Suri the benefit of the doubt, but with how she sees me, it’s possible that she might have done more than some minor damage to it.”

Glamour was glad that she had the foresight to hide Coco’s dress last night. It seemed like everypony wanted to give it special attention. With a smile, she said, “Don’t worry about the dress. It’s alright.”

Coco stopped and looked at Glamour with a tilted head. “How do you know that?”

Glamour’s smile promptly disappeared. “Oh, uh… J-just a gut feeling, I guess.”

Coco’s eyes widened a bit in curiosity. “So you can somehow sense that the dress is safe?”

“Of course… Um…” Glamour’s eyes darted over to the clothes racks. “Oh look, the crowd’s thinning out. Why don’t I go get the dress for you?”

She quickly trotted away from Coco, weaving in between the ponies heading in the opposite direction with their creations. Right before she reached the racks, she grunted as somepony roughly bumped into her. She was barely surprised to see that the culprit was Suri, and she received a baleful glare before the pushy mare grabbed her own dress and trotted off.

Just you wait, Suri. Glamour huffed at the rude mare and then turned her attention back to the racks. It was a bit of a tussle to search for Coco’s dress amidst the hustle and bustle. Upon finding the familiar sticker of her marefriend’s cutie mark, she took the dress and made her way back to Coco.

As soon as it reached her hooves, Coco took the dress out of its plastic covering. “Could you hold it up for me while I look it over?”

Glamour nodded, and the dress left Coco’s hooves in a green aura to float in front of her.

Coco promptly began inspecting her work, almost pressing her face against the fabric as she slowly orbited the dress. Other than straightening out a wrinkle or two, Coco made several loops around the dress without doing anything else.

Eventually, Coco stepped away from the dress with her mouth slightly agape. “There’s… There’s nothing wrong with it…” she murmured. “Did Suri really leave it alone?”

“Maybe she couldn’t find it,” Glamour suggested, doing her best to contain her chest from swelling with pride.

“Or maybe she had a change of heart?” Coco suggested with an uneasy smile. Upon seeing Glamour looking away nervously, she sighed. “Yeah, I guess that’s a bit too much to hope for. Her not finding it is probably the only plausible explanation.”

“I’m sure she’ll change in time,” Glamour said and glanced at her bag.

Coco nodded. “Anyway, you were right. I’m glad nothing happened to the dress. Given how important it is to us, I wouldn’t know what I would do if I found out she ruined it.”

“Lucky us that she didn’t then.” Glamour took a look around the backstage area and noticed that Suri was not around anymore. With their dress safe and everypony else busy with their own designs, now was a good time to find Suri and commence the next part of her plan.

“Um, Coco, since we still have some time, do you mind if I step away for a bit?” Glamour asked. “I need to do something to make sure everything is ready for the show.”

“Oh, sure, Glamour,” Coco replied as she took the dress back. “Are you sure you don’t need my help or anything?”

“Nah, it’s something I would rather do alone anyway.”

“Alright then, I think I’ll go check on some of the other ponies. I want to see what Suri might have done. I’ll meet you in the dressing room later.”

Parting ways with her marefriend, Glamour exited the backstage area. Guessing that Suri was already preparing her model for the show, she headed straight for the dressing room. Sure enough, when she got close to her destination, she found the mare, or rather heard her.

“And you better not rip my dress! It’s going to be the winning entry this year!” Suri’s barks sounded clearly from the other side of the closed door.

Glamour rolled her eyes. She then entered the room and easily found the source of the noise in the corner. Suri was still loudly ordering a model around that was putting on what had to be her entry into the competition. There were a few other designers in the room, either fixing up their own creations or helping their models put them on, and Glamour noted that most of them were shooting the loud Suri irritated glances.

Glamour also noticed that the fabric she had hid behind last night was cleaned out, and when she looked up, she saw the vent grate she busted through was still mostly intact, save for the dent in it. Fortunately, the damage was not that noticeable unless somepony was concentrating on it.

“No, no, no! Can’t you even put on a sleeve by yourself?!” Suri’s voice rang through the room again.

Glamour felt a pang of pity for the model assigned to Suri, even if she was grinding her teeth and had a look that foretold something was going to be smashed in the near future.

“Why can’t anything go right?!”

“Problem, Suri?” Glamour asked as she walked toward the angry mare. She was sure the huge smirk she was wearing was extremely aggravating, but with what she had stowed in her bag, she was feeling confident she would be able to put Suri in her place.

Suri turned to her with a huff. “Yes, you’re the problem. What do you want?”

“Just checking up on you,” Glamour replied with a shrug. “Although, you don’t seem that rattled by the news of the break-in.”

“Of course not. Only amateurs would worry about that. I don’t need distractions getting in the way of my winning, and that includes you,” Suri spat before turning back to her model.

“Right… So I take it your dress was unharmed then, huh?”

“Didn’t you hear Prim earlier when she said that not everypony was affected, or were you just too busy wiping your hooves on that kiss-up of yours?”

Glamour’s smirk faded, leaving her with the tiniest hint of a scowl. “You must be so lucky that whoever broke in seemed to have no interest in your dress.”

Suri let out an exasperated sigh and glanced back at Glamour with a bored look. “Look, this beating around the bush is getting annoying. If you have something you want to say, just say it now. Otherwise, stop bothering me.”

“Fine then.” Glamour leaned in and whispered, “I know what you did last night.” She was sure she noticed a small flinch from Suri.

“Do you now? And why should I believe you?” Suri asked with a raised eyebrow.

Glamour patted her saddlebag. “I have proof.”

Suri’s gaze went to the bag for a moment before flicking back to Glamour’s face. Her eyes narrowed, but no other hints of emotion crossed her face.

For all the trouble she caused her and Coco, Glamour had to admit that Suri handled herself well under pressure. “Perhaps you would like to talk somewhere more private?” Glamour offered, waving her hoof at the door.

Suri slowly nodded and followed Glamour out of the dressing room. As they walked through the hallways, Glamour kept looking forward, trying her best to keep a straight face. She knew that she had Suri, but if she was not careful, things could still turn for the worse.

Eventually, they ended up in the same hallway that Glamour eavesdropped on Suri the previous day. She picked out a room, making sure it was not the supply closet again, and went inside with Suri.

“Alright, we’re alone now,” Suri said as soon as Glamour closed the door. “This better not be a waste of my time. What do you want?”

“You were the one who broke in last night and tried to ruin everypony’s dress,” Glamour replied.

Suri brushed off the accusation with a single, haughty laugh. “Oh really? And what makes you think that?”

“Like I said, I got proof.” Glamour used her magic to pull the clasp envelope she got last night out of her bag. From the envelope, she extracted a few pictures from the middle of the stack and flipped them around so Suri could clearly see its contents.

Suri’s scowl vanished as her mouth hung open. “How… How did you…”

“Never mind how I got these,” Glamour snapped, quickly seizing control of the conversation. “This is undeniable evidence that you tried to cheat everypony. I think you know very well what could happen if I gave these pictures to the right pony.”

Suri grinded her teeth, and a low growl escaped her. “So what, you just wanted to gloat before you turn them in and try to ruin me?”

“I’m not turning them in, Suri.”

“Y-you’re not?” Suri’s face softened a bit, only to harden back up a moment later. “Why?”

“Because you’re going to do something for me.”

“Oh, blackmail. Alright, I see where this is going. You want me to drop out of the contest. If you think that’s going to help you, well I got news for you and Coco. You two aren’t going to win. Even if I’m not there, whatever scraps you two pieced together would not last a second out there.”

Glamour sighed and rolled her eyes. “I’m not asking you to drop out either, Suri. Will you please stop thinking that I’m here to ruin you and let me speak?”

Suri’s eyebrow raised. “Then what do you want me to do?”

“Two things actually. First, no more cheating.”

Suri stared back with half-lidded eyes. “I thought you said you were not trying to ruin me.”

“How is asking you to stop cheating an attempt to ruin you?”

“That’s because you’re still new to this business,” Suri replied with a wave of her hoof. “You might be popular now, but your luck is going to run out. If you want to climb to the top and stay there, you have to do whatever it takes. What you call cheating, I call it leveling the playing field. Just because I stop doing it, doesn’t mean that others will do the same. You’re pretty much crippling me with this ridiculous demand of yours.”

“Not everypony is a cheater, Suri. I know what happened to you and Golden Thread, and I’m sorry—”

“Don’t you dare mention him…” Suri warned in a low voice that almost sounded like a growl.

Glamour reeled back a bit at the sudden venomous tone. “Uh… alright.”

“And I don’t want your pity either. I was hoping that letting Coco tell you about what happened would get you off my back, but apparently, I was wrong. Whatever. I’ll consider your first demand, but for now, hurry up and tell me the other thing you want.”

“Fine. I want you to start treating Coco better.”

“What does she want me to do? Grovel at her hooves?”

Glamour groaned and smacked a hoof into her face. “No, I just want you to treat her with some respect.”

“Yeah, that’s not happening. Just because you two have those pictures, doesn’t mean I’m going to pretend that she hasn’t done anything to me. Coco might think she can buy me off like that, but I am not—”

“Coco does not know about these pictures. In fact, she doesn’t even know I’m talking to you right now. All of this is by me and only me. Do not blame her for this.”

“Oh? Then why are you doing all of this? What I do has little impact on your career, and you’re eventually going to move on from Coco, so I don’t see why you’re wasting—”

Glamour snarled and rushed forward so that her head was butting against Suri’s. Glaring right into Suri’s eyes, she cried out, “Coco is not a waste! I’m doing this because I love her. Believe it or not, she really does care about you, and I’m trying to help her. But the way I see it, you can’t seem to stop hating her.” She roughly shook the photos in the air next to their faces with her magic. “Maybe she’s better off without you. Maybe I should turn these pictures in instead and—”

“Glamour? Suri?”

All traces of anger in Glamour instantly vanished. She and Suri slowly turned their heads to see Coco at the door, looking at them with her brow furrowed in concern and worry.

“W-what’s going on here?”

“Coco… I…” Glamour opened her mouth, but she could barely process a thought. This was not part of the plan.

Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, Suri was quick to recover and answered for her. “Your marefriend and I were negotiating.”

“Negotiating what?” Coco walked closer to the pair, and her gaze fell upon the envelope and pictures still floating in Glamour’s magic. “What are those?”

“Um, they’re pictures of Suri,” Glamour replied. “Pictures of her sabotaging everypony’s entries last night.”

Coco’s eyes shot wide open. “What?! H-how did you get those?!”

“I would like to know that myself,” Suri added, glaring at Glamour.

“Oh uh, you see…” Glamour looked away and rubbed the back of her neck. “I uh, I got somepony to do it.”

“That was you?!” Suri cried out. “That stallion was working for you?!”

“W-what stallion?” Coco asked.

“There was a male pegasus taking my picture last night. When I found him, he made a run for it and disappeared into the night. I was hoping to find out who that was, but I never would’ve guessed that he was actually hired by your model.”

“Glamour, is this true?” Coco received a slow nod from Glamour in response. “C-could you please tell us everything that you did?”

“Uh, sure.” Glamour rubbed her foreleg as she quickly fabricated her story. “Well, after the rehearsal, I overheard Suri bribing the janitor to let her into the building at midnight. When I figured out what she was planning to do, I hired that other pony to protect your dress and to try to get some pictures of Suri in the act.”

“Who is that pony, and how was he able to get inside before me?” Suri demanded.

Glamour looked to Coco, and upon seeing her inquisitive look, she answered, “He’s somepony… Somepony I used to know from a while back. I’ll just say he has experience in this sort of thing, and I wouldn’t have used him if I wasn’t desperate. As for how he did everything last night…” With a shrug she said, “All I did was tell him what I needed him to do, and then I met him later so he could give me the pictures. I don’t know how he did it.”

Suri grumbled.

“What were you planning to do with the pictures then?” Coco asked.

“I was using them to bargain with Suri before you came in. I wouldn’t turn them in, and in return, Suri would stop cheating and stop being so mean to you.”

“You wanted her to… Oh, Glamour…” Coco closed her eyes and sighed. “Glamour, please give me the photos.”

“I uh, okay…” Glamour transferred the pictures back into the envelope and then floated the envelope to Coco.

Coco took the envelope in her hoof and walked over to stand right in front of Suri with a blank face.

“I guess now that you’re in command, you’re not going to offer me the same deal as your sneaky marefriend, huh?” Suri asked with a frown.

“No, I’m not.” Coco held out the envelope. “Here.”

“What?” Glamour and Suri both uttered.

Coco remained silent, her hoof still offering the envelope to Suri.

Suri’s gaze flicked back and forth from the envelope and Coco’s face several times before settling on Glamour. “Are there any other copies lying around?”

“Well…” Glamour paused when Coco turned her head to look at her and then sighed. “No… No there aren’t…”

Again, Suri’s gaze scrutinized Coco and envelope, as though one of them might suddenly attack her. “What’s the catch?”

“No catch, Suri,” Coco immediately replied. “I want you to have them.”

Suri stared at Coco for a few more seconds before slowly raising her forehoof. Keeping her focus on Coco, she quickly swiped the envelope and then backed off. When Coco did not give any reaction except lowering her hoof back to the floor, Suri asked, “Why?”

“Why what?”

“You could have ruined me or got me to do almost anything you want, and yet you wasted a perfectly good opportunity. Why?”

A small smile formed on Coco’s face. “Because you’re my friend.”

Silence befell them all. Glamour’s gaze constantly switched between the two mares. Coco continued to smile, while Suri’s gaze had dropped down to the floor, making it hard to discern her emotion.

“You are so naive…” Suri uttered in a low voice and slowly raised her head to show a frown. “Why do you keep on insisting that we are friends after all that we had done to each other?”

“Because I never stopped seeing you as one. I’m sorry that I quit being your assistant, but I honestly did try to stay by your side and help you in whatever way I could.”

Suri scoffed. “Yeah, big help you were. When I’m finally about to win something worthwhile, you go and ruin everything.”

“That’s because I finally saw that you were going down the wrong path. I tried to convince you to stop being so dishonest, but no matter how much I pleaded with you to do the right thing, you just would not listen. I had no choice but to correct your mistake.”

Suri jabbed a hoof in Coco’s direction. “My mistake was thinking that you were actually somepony I could trust! You betrayed me and then left me! You’re just like him!”

Coco drew a sharp breath. “N-no, Suri. I’m not like him. I might have stepped away from you, but it was so I could find a way to help you. I care about you. What Golden Thread—”

“I don’t want to hear that worthless piece of trash’s name.”

Coco took a deep breath. “What Golden Thread did to you,” she continued, earning her an audible snarl from Suri, “was inexcusable, but it was also a long time ago. You have clung onto that pain and used it to justify your actions. But look at you, Suri. You closed off your heart and lash out at everypony around you, including me. You rely on lies and cheats to help you win, but in the process, you hurt innocent ponies. You even did the same thing he did to you with Rarity. Golden Thread was a bad pony, and you’re becoming like him. ”

Suri’s hooves crashed into the floor as she let out a deafening yell. “I said I don’t want to hear his name! I’m warning you, Coco,” Suri spat as she stomped towards Coco. “You’re treading a very thin line with me, and I’m this close to shutting your mouth for you.”

Glamour quickly rushed to Coco’s side, ready to defend her marefriend in case things started to get violent. Fortunately, Suri made no move to get closer.

She heard Coco gulp, and when she snuck a couple of glances at her marefriend, she could see Coco was trembling with fear. Despite that, Coco was doing her best to keep a stern face and stood her ground.

“I wasted enough time with you two,” Suri stated as she turned around. She tightened the clutch she had on the photos and then started walking out of the room. “I have a contest to win.”

“W-wait, Suri!” Coco cried out, and she reached out with a hoof to grab onto Suri’s shoulder.

“What now?” Suri asked harshly, barely glancing back at Coco.

“I… I know I cannot understand the pain you felt when your heart was broken, but you weren’t the only one who got hurt by Golden Thread. I also lost my friend. You no longer saw me as an equal and treated me with scorn. And yet I still clung onto the hope that I would have the old Suri back. When I saw that you were not going to change on your own, I knew I had to do something. Quitting my position as your assistant was one of the hardest things I ever had to do, but I had to do it.

“You see me as a weak pony and refuse to listen to me. But I know that you can’t keep living like this. I want to help you, but to do that, I had to show you that I am not worthless, that I am somepony worth listening to. I did not leave for fame or money. I did it to try and help you. All I want is to see you get better.”

Coco sniffed, and her eyes teared up. “P-please, Suri. I’ve been doing all of this for you. I’m your friend, and I want to help you. Please listen to me…”

Glamour wondered if Coco was finally getting through to Suri when the mare remained where she was, but her hopes were dashed when Suri suddenly yanked her shoulder away from Coco’s grasp and wordlessly trotted out the door.

Coco sank to her haunches. A couple more sniffles escaped her, and she wiped her eyes with her hoof.

“You alright, Coco?” Glamour asked, placing a comforting hoof on Coco’s shoulder.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine.” Coco let out a heavy sigh. “You know how I am when things get heated between Suri and I.”

“Hey, I think you did a fantastic job standing up to her. You’re gaining more and more confidence every time you talk with her. If you keep at it, I’m sure you’ll get through to her eventually.”

“Hopefully…” Coco took another deep breath and then turned her head to Glamour. “So… About what you did…”

Glamour chuckled nervously and waved her hooves defensively. “Uh, right. Look, Coco, I’m sorry about that. I could not let Suri touch your dress, not after all the work you put into it. I also thought that I could maybe help solve your problems with Suri at the same time. I know it was underhoofed, but I did it for you.”

Coco stared at Glamour. After a few seconds, she got up and walked over to her.

Glamour gulped, and she was tempted to back away, but she knew that it would not do her any good, and she would just have to accept her scolding.

Coco remained silent and stopped right in front of Glamour. They were so close, their muzzles were only a few inches apart. Slowly, Coco leaned in closer and then kissed her on the cheek.

Glamour blinked several times. “W-wait, so you’re not angry?”

“Angry? No. I am disappointed though.”

Glamour cringed, feeling her insides twist into a knot. She might not have seen angry Coco before, but disappointed Coco was certainly not pleasant.

“But only a little,” Coco added. “I assume you were the one who also tipped off Prim Hemline?”

Glamour nodded.

Coco produced a small smile. “It’s because of you that our dress is safe and everypony else can compete fairly. I’m not sure I approve of you sneaking around like that, but at the same time, you did it to help me and the others. How could I not be proud of that?”

A frown quickly replaced Coco’s smile, and she prodded Glamour’s chest. “But what you were trying to do to Suri was not right. While you had good intentions, forcing anypony to do something against their will is wrong. I want Suri to change, but blackmailing her into it will only make things worse. She has to change by her own free will. Do you understand?”

Glamour immediately nodded. “Got it.”

“Good.” Coco took a breath, and her kind smile returned. “Now, while there are a few more things I would like to ask about, we’ll have to save them for another time. The show is starting soon, and we need to get you changed.”

The two of them quickly headed back to the dressing room. Inside, the room was more crowded than earlier. Most of the designers had finished their repairs and were outfitting their models. Suri was also back in her corner and ordering her model around again, but at least she was doing so in a normal volume.

Glamour stashed her bag in a locker, while Coco retrieved their dress from a nearby rack. They then moved over to one of the few remaining spaces and started getting ready.

Soft and smooth were the first things that came to Glamour’s mind when she slipped into the fabric. With Coco’s help, it did not take long before she was fully outfitted. Glamour did a few test movements while Coco did a final check on the dress, and as usual, Coco had made sure the dress would be comfortable and easy for her to move around in.

“It’s even better than I thought, now that I’m wearing it,” Glamour remarked as she looked at herself in the mirror. “You’re sure to win first prize, Coco.”

Coco chuckled. “Thank you for the vote of confidence, Glamour, but to be honest, I don’t really care if I win or not.”

“What?” Glamour’s head quickly turned to Coco. “Why not?”

“Some ponies here have been in the business for years. Just being able to show my work alongside so many talented ponies is an honor itself. Most of all though, I wouldn’t be here if it were not for you. I’m just happy that I get to do this with you.”

Glamour hugged Coco. “Me too, Coco.”

Coco finished her inspection and clapped her forehooves together. “Okay, the dress is all set. I just need to get some makeup on you, and then you’ll be ready for the stage.”

“Yay, makeup…” Glamour dryly replied. Her enthusiasm for the use of cosmetics was abysmally low due to the rough treatment of Photo Finish’s ponies and the icky feeling makeup felt on her.

It was a good thing that Coco was the exact opposite of Photo Finish’s ponies, and she always made sure to be careful with the makeup. Glamour closed her eyes and let her marefriend do her work.

After the makeup had been applied to her face, Glamour felt Coco’s hoof on her mane, and it was shortly followed by the sensation of a brush running through it. She began to hear Coco humming and recalling the last time she heard it, she could not help but speak up. “You’re humming. That means you’re happy, right? Does that mean you like brushing my mane?”

The brushing paused for a moment before resuming. “Oh, uh, I guess I do. I haven’t done this for you since we became marefriends. I guess it just feels nice to be this close to you.” There was another pause. “Actually, I think the last time I did this for you was when we first met, in our first show.”

“We’ve come a long way since then, huh?”

“We sure have, and now look where we are. We do just about everything together, we became marefriends, and we’re taking part in one of the biggest fashion competitions in Equestria.”

“Yeah…” Glamour was silent as Coco continued to work through her mane, but she suddenly got an enticing idea. “Hey, Coco? When we’re not so busy, would you like me to try brushing your mane?”

“I… I would like that,” Coco replied in a warm voice.

Even with her closed eyes, Glamour knew there was a big smile on Coco’s face.

With the time ticking down, Glamour and Coco hurried to the backstage area as soon as they were ready. They were immediately greeted by the chaos of everypony finishing their last minute tasks before the show began. Stagehands were running all over the place, and designers were making sure their models were properly fitted into their creations. Combined with the rising din of the audience gathering on the other side of the curtains, the noise was ringing in Glamour’s ears, and she had to raise her voice if she wanted to speak to Coco.

Since she was all prepared, Glamour took the time to take stock of the other contestants’ outfits that were now being displayed. To her relief, there were far less outlandish creations than what she had witnessed in her first show. However, with such an influential show on the line, that just meant the more unique designers were even more unique.

One example was a dress that used so many different color fabrics, Glamour was sure even a rainbow would be disgusted. Another one caused her to do a double take until she realized that she was looking at a pony literally wearing a pony over her. There was even one dress that looked a bit similar to Coco’s, assuming she had used eighteen more layers and a couple more buckets of sequins. It was one of those moments where things looked so bad that it was difficult to not stare at them, but she was eventually able to tear her gaze away from the offending sights.

She moved on to the more ordinary entries, and she quickly noticed that many of them could easily be perceived as high quality, even to her untrained eye. Elegant folds, a variety of complementing colors, and elaborate shapes were all over the place, and Glamour could understand Coco’s initial misgivings about being entered in the contest. It was a good thing she was able to overcome her trepidation to produce a dress that easily, in her eyes, outshone everything else in the room.

Glamour felt a tapping on her shoulder, and she looked to see that Coco was pointing to the back with her brows furrowed in worry. There, a group of designers were still frantically working on the repairs to their creations.

“The show is about to start,” Glamour said in a voice loud enough to be heard over the noise. “Do you think they—” She winced when she was cut off by the voice of the show announcer ringing through the air, followed closely by the thunderous applause of the audience.

Seeing the straggling designers look up with fear in their faces at the noise, Glamour felt a pang of sympathy for them, especially the ones that were assigned an early number. The show had started, and their time was rapidly running out.

“Out of my way! Move!” a familiar voice bellowed.

Glamour and Coco had to quickly step out of the way when Prim rushed through the room.

“Make sure all of you are ready in fifteen minutes because that’s all you are going to get!” Prim ordered. She stopped right before the wing entrance to compose herself and then stepped out onto the stage, receiving a round of applause.

“Glamour, I’m going to go help them,” Coco informed as Prim Hemline’s voice started speaking to the audience.

“Oh, uh, okay.” Glamour followed Coco to the struggling designers and watched her marefriend approach them.

A few of them eyed Coco warily when she told them what she wanted to do, but one of them was desperate enough to jump on her offer. Grabbing a needle and thread from a nearby toolbox, Coco helped the designer stitch up some rips, and after a few minutes, she was done. Seeing Coco’s sincerity, the rest of the designers were quick to accept her help.

As Coco continued to assist the designers, Glamour looked back when she heard Prim’s voice again. Prim had returned to the wing entrance after buying some time with her speech, and she was now organizing the first models to begin their walk.

Amidst the crowd, Glamour spotted Suri looking straight at her and Coco. She was frowning, but something was a bit off. It might have been because of the distance or the lighting, but it did not seem like Suri was angry. Before Glamour could get a better look, Suri trotted away.

“Weird…” Glamour mumbled to herself before turning back to Coco. To her surprise, she saw that a few of the designers Coco helped were now giving their assistance to the ones still in need. Even though she guessed it was going to be a one-time gesture for most of them, it was still astounding to see how Coco’s generosity had actually inspired some of her fellow designers to show a bit of generosity of their own. Coco really was an amazing pony.

With everypony working together, all the designs were finally repaired, and the straggling designers scrambled to get their models fitted as the very first model started their walk on the runway.

“You did a great job, Coco,” Glamour praised as soon as Coco returned.

Coco nodded with a smile. “Thank you, Glamour. It was so nice to see the others join me. Just goes to show that if you give a bit of kindness to ponies, they’ll do the same for others.”

With the show underway, the models were coming and going as they took their turns on the runway. There was nothing else left for Glamour to do but wait for her turn. She wished that she could at least take a peek to see how many ponies there were in the audience, but with Prim keeping a watchful eye on everything going on, she could not risk breaking her professionalism and agitating her boss. All she could do was guess by the sounds coming from the other side of the curtain, and she concluded that there were a lot of ponies.

Glamour passed the time just standing with Coco. She was a bit antsy, partly from the usual stage jitters, and partly from the anticipation of wanting to show everypony Coco’s incredible dress. She would have probably been a lot more restless if Coco was not there to keep her company and share the occasional nuzzle.

After a while, Glamour stood up in attention when she heard Prim call out, “Number thirty-three, you’re up next!” It was not their number, but it did belong to the pony right before them. The pony that they knew very well.

Trotting over to the entrance to the stage was Suri and her model, and Glamour was able to finally get a good look of her dress on her model. Suri had outfitted her model in a pink dress with a purple layer draped over it, almost like a cape, and the sleeves were strips of pink fabric that wrapped around the model’s hooves. Looking at Suri again, it was easy to see where she got the color choice from. Glamour thought Suri’s dress looked nice, but there was no way it could rival Coco’s work, at least in her opinion.

Regardless, with Suri’s model about to walk, that meant her turn was coming up next. Closing her eyes, she began breathing in and out to relax herself. The success of her solo show gave her some confidence, but there was still some lingering bits of stage fright within her.

“Glamour.”

Glamour opened her eyes upon hearing Coco’s voice to see her marefriend’s smile. It was promptly followed by a kiss on her lips, and the nerves she had melted away as they were replaced by the love flooding into her.

“You’re going to do great, Glamour,” Coco said when she pulled back.

“I hope so,” Glamour replied with a grin. “I don’t want to mess up after you created this beautiful dress, and I really want you to win.”

“It’s alright, Glamour. Don’t worry about me. Win or lose, I want you to know one thing.” Coco wrapped her forehooves around Glamour’s neck and raised herself up so that she could speak clearly into her ear. “I might make your clothes, but no matter what you wear, no matter what you look like, you will always be beautiful to me, and I will always love you.”

Glamour’s smile faded. “W-what? Do you really mean that?”

“Of course.” Coco planted another quick kiss on Glamour’s cheek before she dropped back onto her hooves.

“Number thirty-four, places please!”

That was her call, but Glamour felt her resolve faltering as she clung onto Coco’s words, and she could only stare at Coco.

“Glamour, what’s wrong?” Coco asked with a worried frown.

Still, Glamour could not respond. Coco’s words meant more to her than what Coco had intended. As much as she wanted to believe it was completely true, she could not help but wonder if there was a limit to Coco’s declaration.

“Number thirty-four, get over here now!”

Glamour grunted, and she shook off her daze. There was a time and place to worry about her future, but now was Coco’s time, and she was certainly not going to mess up her marefriend’s chance at this contest. “Oh, uh, I’m fine. Just my nerves again. I got to go.”

Glamour quickly rushed over to the entrance to the stage where Prim stood. Already, she could feel Prim’s eyes on her, but she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil within her.

Once she felt she was ready, she opened her eyes and looked directly into Prim’s stern gaze. Despite the slight trembling still present in her legs, Glamour kept her determined eyes on Prim. Eventually, Prim gave her a nod, and she nodded back.

When Suri’s model started walking off the stage on the opposite side, Prim gave the cue, and Glamour stepped onto the stage. She only walked a few steps before freezing midstep upon seeing the audience.

The amount of ponies she had in her last two shows paled in comparison to the throng of ponies she saw. In fact, she was sure that there were more ponies here than the previous shows combined. Before she could completely freeze up, she mentally slapped herself with a reminder why she was doing this. She was not here to merely feed on the adoration of the audience, she was here to repay Coco’s love.

Taking another deep breath, Glamour resumed her walk and proceeded down the runway. The roaring crowd was almost deafening to her ears, and she was immediately assaulted from all angles by light. From above, spotlights shone down on her, and to her sides, cameras barraged her with flashes. Even with the distracting lights, she managed to catch glimpses of Photo Finish from within the horde of ponies, and judging by the constantly flashing light emitting from her camera, Glamour would not be surprised if Photo Finish was taking more pictures of her than all the other contestants combined.

Glamour did her best to power through the strenuous atmosphere, and despite her uneven pace, she finally made it to the end of the runway. Right in front of the stage was a table with five ponies seated behind it. They were all dressed in fine, formal wear, holding clipboards in their hooves, and were all examining her very closely.

Glamour forced a smile on her face and began turning around to show everypony Coco’s amazing dress. However, it soon became obvious that her body had stiffened up in fear, and she was just turning in a slow circle, an act that hardly displayed the full grandeur of Coco’s dress. She had thought that she had overcome her stage fright, but the high stakes and the enormity of everything around her were overwhelming the progress she had made.

Her pitiful performance was failing to properly show off Coco's dress. After all they had been through, she was determined to not let Coco’s efforts go to waste. She just needed to focus.

Still doing her best to keep herself moving, she closed her eyes and tried to block out everything around her as she concentrated on all the happy memories she had with Coco. The conversations they shared, the things they did for each other, and the love she literally felt whenever they were together, Glamour remembered those moments and many others, and soon, the smile she wore no longer felt so forced.

As her heart started to calm down, her hooves also felt lighter, and she was able to start moving around with ease. She heard the crowd’s cheers grow louder as a result, and she reopened her eyes to start performing more elaborate movements and striking poses.

Glamour gasped softly when she saw how the back half responded to her movements. The pink layer flowed through the air, and the decorative motifs embroidered into the fabric gracefully moved against the ones inside the black layer. The intertwining, flowing patterns almost made it look like the dress was dancing along with her. With such a dazzling, ethereal effect, Glamour wondered if it was even possible that Coco’s dress would lose.

Fueled by the cheering crowd and her desire to put on a great show in Coco’s dress, Glamour’s smile grew even wider. Feeling her confidence and joy rise, she let whatever felt most natural to dictate her movements. She never felt like this on her previous performances. She was so caught up in her act that she almost missed her cue to return backstage.

With one final spin, Glamour turned away from the audience and began to walk back through the runway, this time with a bounce in her step. As soon as she exited the stage through the side, she was immediately greeted with a huge hug by Coco.

“Glamour, you were wonderful!” Coco cheered with a big, beaming smile. “That was your best performance yet!”

“Thanks, Coco. I was pretty worried at the beginning, but I was able to push through it.”

“Oh, the beginning. It was… interesting…” Coco’s face scrunched up a bit.

Glamour chuckled. “Go ahead, be honest. I can take it. It will help me improve for the next time.”

“Well…” Coco tapped her chin in thought. “Okay, you did seem nervous and stiff, but it was only for a short while. You started to loosen up, and eventually, it kind of looked like you were dancing between poses. I think there were a few moments where you were moving a bit oddly, but it looked like you were having fun, and that’s what’s important.”

Glamour nodded. “I was caught off-guard at first, but then I thought about all the great times we had together, and it helped me get back on track. I wanted to make sure everypony got a good look at your dress, and with you inspiring me, I didn’t feel scared anymore.”

Glamour trotted close to Coco and hugged her. “Your love helped spur me on. I know you don’t really care if you win, but I would like to see it happen. You’re such a special and talented pony, and I wish more ponies could see that.”

Coco’s face lit up in a soft shade of red. “Glamour…”

After they finished hugging, they moved to the side to let the rest of the contestants continue the show. Since their assigned number was near the end, it did not take long before the last model returned from her walk, and shortly afterwards, the stage curtains were closed. The voice of the announcer then followed, informing everypony that there would be a brief intermission as the judges decided on the winners.

Things quieted down a little during the break, but the tension in the air backstage was still palpable. Almost everypony there was on edge, eagerly waiting to see who was going to win. Glamour found herself anxiously wondering the same thing.

The tension was momentarily broken when a few of the stragglers that Coco had helped earlier came up to her. They had put aside the fact that they were competing against each other to properly thank her for her help. A few even complimented the dress she made when they realized Glamour was her model.

They did not stay for long, but after the friendly designers wished them good luck before returning to their own models, Glamour felt some of the pressure she was feeling had dissipated. A little bit of friendship did make a difference, and she wished more ponies were like Coco and those other designers so contests would not feel so intimidating.

Everypony’s ears perked up when the announcer started talking again and said that the judges were now ready to award the winners. Prim Hemline promptly instructed Glamour and all the other models to move onto the stage while everypony else cleared the area.

Glamour gave Coco a quick hug before rushing to all the models lining up in front of the curtains. When everypony was in place, the curtains were raised, and they were met with the wild applause of the audience.

“And here are all of our lovely models again in their beautiful attire!” announced a unicorn stallion standing at the edge of the stage. He was wearing a standard tuxedo with a big, red bowtie, and a microphone was held in his magic. Glamour did not see him earlier and guessed the announcer was standing somewhere to the side to give all the attention to the models.

“Please give everypony here a round of applause for putting on yet another amazing showing of the Fall Fashion Fantasia!” the announcer continued as Glamour and the other models stepped forward to the ensuing, thunderous applause.

“Now, ponies, every design you see up here on stage is a worthy work of art, but as you all know, only a few will be walking away with a trophy. The judges certainly had their work cut out for them, but after a difficult deliberation, they finally picked out our winners. Judges, may I please have the results?”

One of the ponies from the table walked over to where the announcer was standing on stage and passed him an envelope.

Holding up the envelope, the announcer shouted out in a loud, cheerful voice, “And now, the moment all of you have been waiting for, here are our winners for this year’s Fall Fashion Fantasia!”

“Please, let Coco win. Please, let Coco win,” Glamour quietly chanted to herself as she watched the announcer open the envelope.

“Alright then, our third place trophy goes to…” The announcer slowly lifted a card out of the envelope, just enough so the top part could be read.

Glamour held her breath, feeling her body tense up and her heart pounding. It felt like time had come to a halt as the entire audience quieted down, and the announcer continued to stare at the card silently. After a few moments, a flash of irritation crossed her face when she realized the announcer was actually pausing on purpose for dramatic effect.

“Suri Polomare!” the announcer suddenly cried out. “Third place goes to Suri Polomare!”

Glamour released her breath, granting her body a moment of relief, before glancing over to Suri’s model further down the line.

Suri’s model walked forward, and she was soon joined by the designer herself when Suri trotted onto the stage to stand by the outfit she made. Glamour guessed that Suri had to remain professional because instead of an expected scowl on the antagonizing mare, she was completely stone-faced, making it impossible to perceive her emotion.

After the third place trophy was given to Suri and the applause died down, the announcer, once again, returned his attention to the envelope and slowly pulled out the result card even more. “And now onto our second place award…”

Again, Glamour felt herself tense up as she prayed for Coco. She so dearly wanted Coco to win, and as long as her name was not called now, that meant she had a chance for first place. With the amazing work she done, Coco had to win. She just had to.

“Coco Pommel! Our second place winner is Coco Pommel!”

The tension Glamour had suddenly felt like it was squeezing her heart. “W-what?”

She must have spaced out as soon as she heard Coco’s name because a moment later, one of the models next to her nudged her forward just as Coco walked in front of her. With her mind still in a daze, she automatically followed Coco to stand in front of the line.

Glamour’s senses pretty much tuned out everything while she still struggled with the fact that Coco had lost. She did not notice the applause that she and Coco received, nor the trophy that was given to her marefriend. Glamour was so out of it, she did not even notice who won first place and the closing speech that followed. She finally snapped out of her stupor when Coco touched her side, and she saw that all the other models were already walking off the stage.

As soon as they stepped into the backstage area, Glamour broke away from the group to head to the back wall and sit down on her haunches. With a heavy sigh, she let her side slump against the wall.

“Glamour, are you alright?” Coco asked as she trotted up to her.

“Yeah… No… No, I don’t think so…” Glamour sighed again, not even looking at Coco. The euphoria she had felt during her walk had been drained immediately after hearing the announcer say Coco’s name.

Coco appeared in front of her and sat down on her haunches as well, giving Glamour a clear view of the trophy held in her hoof. Seeing the inscribed “Second Place Winner” written upon the base felt like a blow to her chest.

Coco followed Glamour’s gaze and then sighed. “You’re upset we didn’t get first place.”

Glamour nodded solemnly. “Pretty much. I was really hoping you would win, Coco.”

“I know you were, Glamour. Why are you so hung up on me winning?”

“I… I guess…” Glamour looked up at Coco. “Because you deserve it. You’ve been through so much, and yet you still find the energy and time to help others. I mean just today, you helped those designers, even though they were competing against you, and then what you did for Suri…”

Glamour tried her best to not frown, but failed. “You’re so patient with her, despite the hard time she gives you. You had a chance to get her to back off, but you gave her the pictures without asking for anything. I know it was wrong, but it still amazes me to see how forgiving you can be. You’re such a generous pony, and I just thought that you should get something in return as thanks.”

“Glamour, I don’t do things and expect something in return. I do it because I like helping ponies.” Coco set the trophy on the floor. “As for the competition, I already told you that I didn’t care if I win or lose. I’m honestly surprised I made second place. Glamour, I’m flattered that you think so highly of me, but you must remember that despite my time as an assistant, I’ve only been working on my own for a few months. I’m still learning, and I’m certainly not some prodigy. Many of the other competitors, including the first place winner, have many more years of experience than me.”

Coco scooched forward to hold Glamour’s hooves. “And I think I’ve already been rewarded for my efforts when you came into my life. Not many ponies can say they’re in a relationship with a hot model, right?”

Glamour snorted, and a smile crept up onto her face. “Yeah, I suppose I was being kind of unrealistic. I certainly am lucky I have somepony to help keep me in check.”

“Besides, we entered the contest because of Photo Finish, and I think she’ll be happy that we made it this far.”

The sound of approaching hoofsteps caused the both of them to look up, and Glamour’s smile dropped when she saw it was Suri.

“Oh uh, hi, Suri,” Coco greeted as she got back up.

Suri’s gaze shifted from Coco, to Glamour, to the trophy on the floor, and then went back to Coco. After a few seconds, she said in a flat tone, “You beat me.”

“Um, I guess you could put it that way…”

“How?”

“How what?”

“Don’t be coy. You must have cheated or something to beat me.” Despite the accusation, there was barely a scowl on Suri’s face.

Coco sighed. “Suri, I swear that I did not cheat in any way.”

“Then what were you doing with those other designers?”

“I was just helping them repair the damages you did to their work.”

Some emotion finally came to Suri, and she reeled back a bit as confusion settled on her face. “Seriously? You helped the competition?”

“They’re not competition. They’re ponies who needed help.”

Suri’s face twitched a few times, and then she let out a loud groan. Pointing a hoof at Coco, she said, “I don’t get you, Coco. You could have eliminated me, but you didn’t. You could have just left those other ponies alone, but you didn’t. You’re supposed to be doing whatever you can to win, but you don’t. Everything you’re doing is wrong, and yet you somehow still beat me. How is that possible?!”

“Maybe you just underestimate her,” Glamour pointed out. “Just because she was your assistant before doesn’t mean she’s the same pony now.”

“Whatever.” Suri rolled her eyes and fixed her gaze on Glamour. “What about you then? After that stunt you pulled, I wouldn’t be surprised if you did something.”

Glamour shook her head. “Those pictures Coco generously gave back to you were the only thing I had. I did nothing else but wear Coco’s dress.”

Suri threw up her hooves in exasperation. “You two are so infuriating! It does not make sense! Am I really supposed to believe that Coco, a complete novice, got second place in one of the most prestigious fashion contests in Manehattan without any tricks?!”

“Yes, because it just happened,” Glamour calmly answered.

Suri growled. “This is all nonsense. If anything, I should’ve at least beat Coco.”

“Um…” Coco fell silent for a few moments. She took a deep breath and then looked straight into Suri’s face. “I think I might have an idea why I beat your design. Suri, I’m guessing that you made your dress all by yourself?”

“That’s how I do everything, and it’s the best way to prevent anypony from stealing my designs… again.”

“R-right, and I guess that you only made your dress just for the purpose of winning?”

“Um, of course? Is this going somewhere, or are you just going to keep on asking silly questions?”

“Just one more question. Um, did you enjoy working on your dress?”

“What kind of question is that? Does it really matter? The important thing when you make a dress is that it serves its purpose. I made it to win. Granted, I didn’t get first place, but I did beat a whole lot of other chumps.”

“And that’s why I think I beat you, Suri.”

“What?” Suri scoffed and tilted her head. “You’re acting weird. Well, weirder than usual.”

“It’s not weird, Suri. I won because I had Glamour’s help.”

Suri’s eyebrow went up, and she glanced at Glamour. “Really? So what? The model can actually sew?”

Glamour frowned. “Of course I…” She paused for a second and then sighed. “Can’t…”

“Glamour didn’t have to touch the dress to help me make it. She helped me by just being there for me.” Coco smiled and brushed her hoof over a part of the dress on Glamour’s side. “I made this dress for her, not just because she had to be in the show, but because she inspires me. I put everything I had into making this dress because I wanted to give her something to show how much I love her. That’s why I think I won.”

Suri made a gagging sound. “Ugh, love. All it does is blind you and complicate things. I still think Glamour here is just stringing you along.”

“I would never hurt Coco,” Glamour retorted quickly.

“Yeah, yeah, words are cheap. It’s only a matter of time before we see your true nature.”

“Suri, you were hurt deeply by Golden Thread,” Coco continued. “But it was so long ago, and yet you still haven’t let the pain and sorrow go. You’ve convinced yourself that everypony else is a cheater, so you started doing it yourself. The problem is that in reality, nopony is cheating except for you. You’ve become obsessed by it, thinking it’s the only thing you can do. You put so much effort into your underhoofed tactics that you no longer put your heart into your creations, and your designs suffer because of that.”

“So basically, you’re saying that I’m only hurting myself if I cheat,” Suri said with a deadpan face.

Coco nodded. “Yes.”

Suri scoffed. “Just more idealistic ranting.”

Coco’s ears drooped with disappointment, and she sighed. “Suri, I’m just trying to help you.”

“Why are you so obsessed on winning anyway?” Glamour asked.

Suri looked at Glamour as though she had asked what the color of the sky was instead. “Who doesn’t want to win? Winning means you’re the best.”

“And how are you the best if you have to cheat?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Suri replied with a wave of a dismissal hoof. “What matters is that everypony sees you as the best so that you’ll command respect.”

“But Suri, you don’t need to be the best to get respect,” Coco argued. “You can earn a lot if you take the time to make friends and help other ponies.”

“That’s not real respect. Those ponies tolerate you only because they know you can do something for them. They’ll just pretend to be friendly while they keep on taking from you until you have nothing left. You need ponies to see you as somepony strong. They’ll fear your skills and power, and they would not dare to do anything you.”

“So you think that winning makes you feel more safe?”

“Of course. Otherwise, they will see you as a loser, somepony weak and powerless. You become a target for others to take advantage of you, and before you know it, you get used and then thrown away.”

Glamour’s ears perked up. “You mean just like what Golden Thread did to you?” Her question was pretty much answered when Suri flinched and then glared at her. “I’m right, aren’t I? You’re afraid somepony is going to use you again.”

“I am not afraid of anything,” Suri snapped.

Glamour rolled her eyes. “Fine, whatever, the main point is that you don’t want somepony to betray you, right?”

All Glamour got in response was grumbling.

“Is that why you’re so angry with me?” Coco asked. “I’m so sorry, Suri. When I quit being your assistant, I didn’t realize it would hurt you so much. I wish you would have told me about that.”

Suri glanced away. “Would it have made a difference? Would you have still left me?”

“I… I guess it depends… Would you have stopped cheating?”

“Nope.”

“Then yes, I would have still quit so that I could find a way to change your ways.”

Suri snorted. “Figures. You’re just full of excuses.”

“I’m not trying to make excuses. I just… I just want you to understand…” Coco gaze fell to the floor. “Why can’t you see that what you’re doing is wrong? You’re not just hurting others, you’re putting yourself in unnecessary danger as well. What if you get caught? You could lose more than just your career.”

“Coco’s right,” Glamour agreed. “I was able to catch you. You got off fine because Coco cares so much about you, but I don’t think other ponies would be so understanding.”

“Suri, please,” Coco continued. “This isn’t just about how you affect other ponies. You’re getting out of control, and I’m afraid that one day, you’re going to take things too far. I don’t want to see you get hurt. I’m begging you, Suri. Please stop your scheming.”

Suri looked directly into Coco’s eyes and gave her a hard look. “And what if I do? I still don’t get how you beat me, but you did. It’s very well possible that I’m losing my touch, and things are only going to go downhill if I don’t do a little extra work behind the scenes.”

“That’s not true, Suri. You are an amazing and talented pony that just got hurt. When you turned to your schemes and plots, you lost the reason you made your dresses. If you stop cheating and put all of your efforts back into your work, I’m sure you’ll regain that joy and spark I knew you had before. I’ll even help you in any way I can. I… I cannot promise that you’ll win, but I know that you’ll be happier. Just try, Suri. I know you can do it.”

Suri eyes narrowed while she stared at Coco. Coco, in return, stood her ground with an unwavering gaze.

“This was a waste of time.” Suri suddenly turned around and started walking away.

“W-wait, Suri!” Coco cried out.

To Glamour’s surprise, Suri stopped.

“Just think about we said, please?”

Suri stood in place for a few more seconds before she resumed her walk, disappearing through the backstage entrance without a word and leaving the two of them alone.

“Do… do you think I got to her?” Coco asked quietly, staring at where Suri departed.

Glamour sighed. “It’s hard to tell with her. But she did listen to you instead of yelling over you or brushing you off like usual. That’s progress, right?”

“Yeah… Yeah, she did. I guess I’m no longer just an assistant to her anymore, huh?”

“She did acknowledge the fact that you beat her.”

Coco chuckled a little, and a small smile remained on her face. “You know what? I think she did take some of my words to heart. I think she’ll be alright.”

“That would be nice.” Glamour yawned, feeling the events of today’s contest exhausting the few hours of sleep she squeezed in after last night’s scheme.

“I suppose we should head home and let you rest,” Coco suggested. “Looks like somepony stayed up way past their bedtime last night.”

“Well, you did say I am a hot model, and we beautiful ponies need plenty of beauty sleep,” Glamour said in a haughty tone.

Coco giggled and kissed Glamour on the cheek before they went back to the dressing room to get ready to go back home for a well-deserved rest.

Fanart (Updated as of 3/29/2016)

Author's Note

This section is dedicated to people who have enjoyed the fic enough to actually make pretty pictures for it.

Fanart (Updated as of 3/29/2016)

Artist: Twilight-the-Pony
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Commissioner: jeffh4
Artist: fantazyme
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Artist: SilverWolfFTW
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Artist: Sintakhra
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