Dresses and Dancesby NadirChaptersAn Introduction of SortsA New Day in StalliongradDisasters and ShowsTerror and LoveAn Introduction of SortsThe Hanged Mare in Stalliongrad played host to many an unfortunate soul. Drifters, vagabonds, criminals, all sorts stayed here, sharing a drink and commiserating in their misery. So long as one played nice and didn’t make trouble, anything went. Seedy deals, clandestine meetings, all sorts of operations were planned under this roof, and today didn’t change the routine even the slightest. A white mare, one recently exiled from Canterlot, nursed a drink as she waited for her current visitor to show himself. She wouldn’t have to wait long, the black coated stallion sitting in the booth across from her. “So, all the way out here, huh? Fallen a bit far, haven’t you?” The mare looked over her drink at the man, the scent of alcohol nearly as strong as the scent of sweat from the stallion. “A mere setback. Nothing more. Things became a little too hot in the capital, and everypony knows that Stalliongrad is the coldest of places.” For such a grungy, beatdown hellhole, the mare couldn’t have been more strangely dressed. Slinky, red dress that hung tight to her body, pearls around her neck, mane styled up in the fancy ways that Canterlotians did it, nothing like the salt of the earth ponies around them. She went on too, glowering over the martini set in front of her, a frown settling into place. “My own daughter, my own kin having me exiled from my city. What a shame, don’t you think so?” she asked, with a dramatic sigh. A commiserating nod from the stallion. “But luckily for you and your ilk, I believe that my people will find ourselves something of a comfortable home here. And that’s what I wanted to speak to you with, Garcin.” Around them, bodies started to move, a few mares and stallions both closing around the booth, getting close, so close that neither of them would be able to leave. The mare herself seemed fine, contented and comfortable, yet the stallion shifted, glancing over with a frown. “Heart, you know I have the most respect for you in the world. What you’ve done with the operation over in Canterlot is nothing short of remarkable. But you can’t come into my territory and-” A knife suddenly found itself at the stallion’s throat, magically levitated up by one of the unicorns from the blockade. The white mare herself leaned forward, hooves crossing one over the other as she looked at the stallion. “It’s Miss Scratch,” she reminded him. Heart Scratch, the den mother of the mafia had moved but she deserved no less respect. “And I need to remind you that I can do whatever I wish. This visit was meant to be nothing but friendly, but I’m afraid that considering circumstances, it can’t remain that way. I’m going to be taking over your operation here. The arms trade will now be going through me.” A far cry from the fine arts and stolen goods she used to traffic in, but she had to land back on her hooves somewhere. The stallion whimpered, an actual whimper from what was supposed to be a tough, strong man. He knew what it meant. With a dispassionate sip of her drink, Heart Scratch watched him die. This city was hers. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Coco Pommel lived a busy life. Between working on her current clothing line, going back to school, and dating her wonderful marefriend Moondancer, Coco barely had any time to herself. That wasn’t really a bad thing most days, but today of all days it suddenly was. You see, Moondancer and Coco had had something of a tiff lately. Neither of them really knew the cause of it, but something had felt off about their relationship, they’d been fighting more, arguing, having a hard time simply being around each other. Every couple went through these rough patches, but Moondancer and Coco had found one that was particularly rough. The two fought nearly every day about something trivial, something stupid, and today didn’t show a lick of difference. “You never pay attention to me! I work so hard on all these outfits and you won’t even wear one for one of our dates!” Coco yipped out. How many times must she make her love something, anything for her to wear that wasn’t a frumpy black sweater? And how many times did she get turned down? Moondancer had only just now put down the book she read, magic slamming the thing against the couch with a furrowed brow and a big frown on the unicorn’s face. “I didn’t ask you to make any of them, you know. I’m just fine with what I have. I don’t have to be all ‘high fashioned or whatever’,” she scoffed. That wasn’t how Moondancer normally talked at all. She was normally a shy thing, anxious and just wanting to read her books. Just like how this wasn’t how Coco tended to talk. But anger made fools of everypony. “You know what? Fine! I’m tired of being underappreciated, I’m tired of you not caring about my art, I’m tired of you just being..” Coco wildly gestured towards the couch. “You! I’m leaving!” It wasn’t the first time that Coco had stormed out, and the way things were going, it wouldn’t be the last time. In fact, Moondancer didn’t even get up to stop her, instead grasping against the book with her magic again, a sigh escaping her as the door slammed behind Coco. She didn’t even have a coat. No time, and frankly, she didn’t care that much. Anywhere but there, anywhere but looking at the insufferable face of the mare she was supposed to love. The winter’s chill, the cold streets of Stalliongrad bit at her flesh as she left the small apartment the two shared, marching away and down the street. Who cares where she went? Coco took the first door that she knew would be open, bars were always open. Coco stepped into the Hanged Mare with everything and nothing on her mind. Only, her thoughts about Moondancer fell away and quite quickly at that. Her pretty yellow face turned white from the sight in front of her, the chaos, the bloodshed unfathomable. Coco screamed, and ran as quickly as she could. A New Day in Stalliongrad~Three Months Earlier~ The market bustled at noon every day. Pretty ponies hurried through stalls and stores, looking to score the next deal. Coco Pommel did the same, but her quarry wasn’t food or toys, instead threads and supplies for her burgeoning business. It had been a scant few weeks since she’d opened her first dress shop. Rarity had helped, her old friend doing the advertising and bounced ideas off her for designs. But Rarity had gone back to Canterlot now, and it was just Coco and her assistant Moondancer. Oddly enough, she wouldn’t have it any other way, despite the way the world loomed large above her, despite how busy she could be. This was, simply put, perfect. And speaking of perfect, she spotted the brightest blue thread she’d ever seen, the greatest choice for her new ocean inspired regalia. For a fair price too! Oh yes, Coco lived a busy life, one always occupied with the next thought, the next adventure, a quick purchase here, a pickup of gemstones there, and off to her shop she’d go. Stalliongrad was known for its harsh, brutal winters. Going outside during the six months of it was practically an expedition in and of itself, so cold, so icy, that just getting down the street had its own challenge. What Stalliongrad was lesser known for, however, was its gorgeous springs and bright summers. The sun shone above lighting the streets, all the normally reclusive ponies roamed out and about, flowers bloomed on window sills, and for a few, precious months, the city seemed alive. These were the best times for Coco, the happiest times, and her spirit stayed just as full as the saddlebags on her flanks. Nothing made her more exuberant than seeing the face of her store. The windows, beautifully set up with dresses made to perfection, each of them accessorized and ready to make some pony ever so happy. The wonderful little entrance walkway with the awning and flowers on each side, all of it together made her heart sway. *Designs by Coco Pommel* proudly proclaimed the banner above it, along with the name of the store: *The Gilded Lily*. Truth be told it was rather small, barely three hundred square feet, and the pony had to use every inch of it to perfection or it just wouldn’t work. Not to mention the need for dressing rooms. But they’d managed, her and Rarity both working the weekend and then some to get all of her designs set in their own space. In she’d go, opening the door up wide and letting the bell tinkle lightly above as she did. Like always, it smelled every so slightly of cinnamon, her favorite flavor in the whole world. Her assistant had a book open at the counter, leafing through the thing while furiously scribbling into another notepad at her side. That was fine, of course, especially since there were currently no customers looking through her stands. Damn. “Good afternoon, Moondancer,” she whispered out in her quiet, careful voice. Coco Pommel had not gotten over her shyness yet, despite running a store and having won quite a few awards for her designs. Luckily, Moondancer had something of the same problem. “Good evening, ma’am,” Moondancer cooed out. She had the sweetest voice, something that Coco always loved to hear. Truth be told, she had something of a crush on the mare, even if she had to ignore it. That was simply the nature of things. You couldn’t date the pony who worked for you, and that being said, she doubted that Moondancer felt that way in return. The mare always studied and worked, never looking at her or anypony really. So there really wasn’t a reason to bother the poor thing, not when she seemed so engrossed in… what was it today anyways? “So what are you reading?” Coco asked, coming around the counter and letting the bags droop beside her. She peered over Moondancer’s shoulder, seeing a whole bunch of words that she did not understand. So rarely did she actually understand any of it, Moondancer was working on a Ph.D in a magical field that Coco didn’t even understand the name of, while she just made dresses. Very nice dresses, mind, but still dresses. The slightly disheveled pony looked up from her book, blinking big, lovely eyes from behind square rimmed glasses. It didn’t do well for the image of the shop to have a nerd running the front, but Coco thought it adorable. “Oh. Hi Coco, sorry I didn’t hear you come in. I was engrossed in Haycartes third theorem, it states that…” Moondancer went on for a little more, but Coco could do little more than give nods here or there to indicate she listened. It wasn’t her fault, it was just so far over her head! Eventually, Moondancer noticed and stopped herself with a chuckle. “Sorry, sorry. I just got really caught up in it and we hadn’t opened yet and- Oh! You have more supplies, are you going to make something new today?” The scholar mare asked, getting up to her hooves quite eagerly. And that’s why Coco had hired her. Underneath all the nerdishness was someone who secretly liked fashion, or at least the creative outlet of it. Coco gave a nod, a small blush appearing across her face. “Mhm!” she answered. “I think I have this fun idea with the spring melt, you know when the snow is just getting off the top of the mountains?” It was a hell of a color around there, all greens of new growth mixed with the white of the last vestiges of snow. Moondancer nodded, that being one of Coco’s favorite things about her. No matter how abstract the concept, her friend usually got it and could connect the dots on what she meant. “So then the top would be these white gems trailing to the…?” “The spring green, yes, but it’ll be a bit finicky,” Coco noted, with a sigh. “And if I do too much of it, it’ll just look gaudy. I know that may be all the rage in Canterlot-” perhaps that was a bit of shade that she didn’t need to throw, “but up here, things are a lot more muted.” Coco finished, with a nod of her head. That’s how it was at the end of the day - in the bigger cities, you could get away with a lot in the name of fashion. Out in the frontier towns, fashion tended towards more nature inspired, more relaxed. And that wasn’t to say that Coco didn’t love Rarity too. Her fashion designs were absolutely lovely most of the time, but even she fell victim to the Canterlot syndrome too. Regardless, the image in her mind would look great when it came to life! “It should only take me a couple of days to get the first of the line out,” she finally finished, with a dreamy expression on her face. Moondancer gave a few nods, a mirthful expression on her face. Coco often forgot the mare had come from Canterlot, she didn’t look it, didn’t have the same sort of fashion, nothing like the rest of them. “Well, you aren’t wrong about that,” Moondancer answered, with another hearty chuckle. “I’m really excited to see what you make and, um, hopefully, the premiere will go well!” The two of them may have been the most awkward shop on the strip. Moondancer the scholar, Coco the former assistant, now the lead, how weird. But it worked, and despite being a young store, it felt right. They hadn’t made much money yet, in fact, they had cut into Coco’s savings quite heavily, but it would turn around soon. She hoped. “Oh yes! There’s a fashion show coming to town you know,” Coco reminded her, disappearing into the back part of the store for a moment to drop off her goods. Luckily, it was still pretty easy to talk, the place small enough that one could yell across it and easily hear the other person. “Not one of Hoity Toity’s, but a lesser known one, something about finding all the fashion across Equestria, no matter how small?” Coco snorted as she came back out, shaking her head. “I think the way they’re talking about it is kind of pretentious! As if other places don’t have the same ‘civility’ that Canterlot and Las Pegasus has, you know, places like that.” Out Coco came again, looking over her goods now that she was nice and unburdened. Celestia, she’d put a lot of work into this place! There on the left, her favorite line, a winter inspired one, full of blues and lace, emulating snowflakes, so perfect. Six in total, not a single one sold. Perhaps it simply wasn’t the right season for those colors anymore. They’d been set up on a few pedestals, erected specifically for them, decorated with fake snow and presents and everything that made Hearth’s Warming great. On the right, another line, a night inspired one with dark colors and hanging satin, moon and star shapes, they were perfect! Why didn’t anypony buy them? Her sadness showed on her face, weakness in her limbs. This should have been easier, Rarity didn’t have this problem, why did she have to have it? Coco didn’t even notice Moondancer coming up behind her, didn’t notice until the foreleg closed around her neck and pulled her close. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “They’re going to sell, your dresses are brilliant.” Perhaps Coco didn’t hide her concerns as well as she thought she did, but that was pretty much true for anyone. Still, she let herself be comforted, pulled in against the body as little droplets of tears started to flow. She was fragile, a little weak, but Moondancer was there for her and that meant the world to her. A little nuzzle back and then they’d separate once more. “Thanks, Moondancer. It’s going to be okay, I have enough savings to keep this place going for a while and the fashion show should really help,” she reassured, mostly saying the words to herself rather than her friend. Moondancer smiled right back, as sweet as could be, and Coco felt that little pulse through her heart, the one that told her how much her crush had grown. “Thanks. Really,” she repeated. “I should really get back to work and let you get back to studying, I didn’t mean to have myself a whole thing here in the middle of the store!” she laughed, with a shake of her head. A wave of the hoof answered her as Moondancer trotted back to the front desk. “It’s no big deal, I don’t have an exam until the end of this week and I know how stressful this whole thing has been for you. If you need to, you don’t need to pay me for a little while,” she offered. But no, there was no way that Coco could do that. She shook her head, one hoof going over her muzzle. “Absolutely not!” she countered, just as fast as she could. “You will get paid your wage and I don’t wanna hear another word about it! I do have to get started on this line so it can be ready in time, but I don’t want to hear anything else about you not getting paid, okay?” “Okay!” Monndancer answered, with a laugh. “Fine, fine. You go on, get back there.” She shooed, even making the movement with her hooves and all that. Without another word, Coco retreated, back into her workroom, the little space behind her shop. It was a mess, quite honestly. A sewing machine on one side, plenty of dress forms on another, scraps of fabric and full blown rolls stacked up against a wall. Organized chaos, that’s what it was, because she knew where absolutely everything was. Coco looked over her domain, taking it in before taking a deep breath too. Without any further ado, she got to work. Disasters and ShowsThe fashion show felt like it came in a blink. Time passed in an instant and suddenly it was the day of. Coco had prepared like a workhorse, seven full outfits ready to be worn, displayed, shown off in every way that she could think of. It started flawlessly, it really did. Her models had been paid and arranged, the outfits set up on their stands and now all that she had to do was wait backstage for everything to get started. It filled the main auditorium in Stalliongrad’s concert hall, the stage modified to have a cat walk instead of the wider assortment normally reserved for full orchestras. The floor seats had been moved, pushed back to make room for the extended stage, and lights were focused on it from every angle. Drapes hung from the balconies announcing the participants with each of their brands. From backstage, Coco could see hers: a silhouette for a horse with finery all over it, the pommel of it’s gear emphasized more than the rest. Others hung too but Coco didn’t recognize them, oddly enough. Perhaps that made sense considering that she just recently moved here and this was a local thing. Still, something felt off in the back of her head. Things had gone too well. That meant something had to go wrong. Coco poked her head back behind the curtain, blinking to let her eyes adjust to the relative darkness backstage. Ponies scurried around, working on last second adjustments, stage hands setting up the rest of the stage. Not much needed to be done, but it seemed like they busied themselves regardless of that fact. Somewhere, Moondancer had packed herself into a corner. Coco knew that her best friend had come to support her even if she would have her head in a book for most of the show. Really, that was just fine because Coco knew that she’d bring her head right back out when it came time for her display. Without anything else to do, she wandered. The mare took the time to look over her competition, marveling at all the designs they’d come up with. Quite a few caught her eye, that one over there with the stained glass design in particular. The glimmering bits of it were awe inspiring, and the more she looked at it, the more she seemed to see. All the details, the intricate stitching, the way the actual glass panels were coated with magic gel to make them always seem luminescent. That made the time fly by, and eventually Coco found her way back towards her own setup, her models chatting amongst themselves and… wait. Six models. She had seven dresses. Moondancer still sat in her chair, but somepony wasn’t there that should have been. Her mind had already started to race, to try and comprehend it as Moondancer moved from her seat. “She didn’t show up.” For a second, Coco wanted to cry, to fall apart. How could she have had everything go right and end up like this? Six models, seven dresses. The girl wracked her mind for what to do. Perhaps one of the other ladies here would let her borrow a model. But then again, the makeup process and getting ponies ready alone would be enough to take up anypony’s entire evening. She could try and go find somepony new, but by the time that happened there wouldn't be any time to get them ready. No, there was really only one way to get out of this. Coco’s eyes locked onto Moondancer with a deathly serious look. “I need you to put down the book and put on a dress for me,” Coco said, brow furrowing up. Moondancer laughed because how could she see this as anything but a joke? It was obviously a joke, no one would want her to model. But already, Coco had started to lead her by the forelegs, over towards the side of the dressing room, where her models had been getting themselves ready all day. “You really must be my model, Moonie!” Coco cooed, dragging her over whether she wanted it or not. “I know, I know, it isn’t ideal-” Moondancer yipped out and dug her hooves in. Why was Coco stronger than her!? “Stop that! I can’t be a model, Coco, what are you doing!?” But Coco didn’t stop! Coco actually pushed her down into the makeup chair, wrapping a full black cloak around her. “Mooney,” she cooed, stopping in front of her best friend and pressing against the chair, blocking her in. “You’re going to be my model. I really, really need a new model and you’re so pretty. You can do this for me, can’t you? Just let me dress you up. All you have to do is walk down the runway and come back.” There was a lot more to it than that. Modeling was hard work, incredibly difficult work, but Moondancer and the one who had quit on her had nearly the same size and that meant she could adjust it close enough. If she had one weak walker in the mix of her seven, she could still win, but having six instead of seven and leaving her set incomplete… that would ruin her. Moondancer looked damned uncomfortable. The mare shifted in the seat, trying to scoot away from all the touching but Coco wouldn’t let her. “Coco!” Moondancer snapped, letting out a little squeak of surprise. “I can’t do this! I’m not a model like those other girls are, I’m not even pretty!” But that, that was the trigger word for Coco. “You!? Not pretty!?” she gasped. Already, she’d started trying to work on her current victim, letting her hair down and trying to get her settled into the chair. The first part was easy, a single pull of the tied up knot and boom, Moondancer’s mane hung down around her muzzle instead of staying up in the most frumpy of ways. “You are the most gorgeous mare that I have ever met Moonie, and you need to see that! You are going to be my model!” Moondancer’s magic stopped her, levitating both her and the makeup supplies from the table up and into the air. “I said no!” she squeaked out, though the blush on her face showed more embarrassed than mad. And speaking of embarrassment, Coco flailed in the air, trying to get her hooves on the ground and only succeeding when the magic ended, sending her and the supplies clattering down. She stayed on the ground, however, looking up with big, wide eyes, pleading ones directed towards her best friend in the whole world. “Please, Moondancer,” she cooed out, her words soft as silk. “Do this for me and I’ll do anything for you. I’ll even help you with your stu- I mean, with your amazing flash cards!” The girl’s tail went between her legs and everything, nothing more pathetic in the entire world. Moondancer groaned and facehoofed, looking away as if unable to stand the sight of such groveling. “Look,” she started, forehooves reaching out to try and pick the poor thing up. “You need to stop looking like that, it’s humiliating,” she chastised. There was silence for a second, but only a second as Moondancer sighed. “I’ll do it, but you have to never, ever say anything about this to anypony besides those here, otherwise I will absolutely kill you, okay?” It wasn’t meant seriously, not with that look that Moonie gave her, but the sentiment couldn’t have been clearer. Up the mare went, getting onto her hooves again and trying to throw her forelegs around Moondancer’s body. “Okay! Okay, we have to get you ready!” she squeaked out. What happened next came in a flurry of activity that seemed to move from one thing to the next without a single break in between. On makeup went, hair straightened and brushed, hooves painted, coat brushed, everything touched up and the glasses taken away. It left Moondancer looking… well, not like a model, but beautiful in Coco’s eyes nonetheless. She looked on her work with an appreciative eye and a croon. “You look so nice, Moony,” she sighed out, scooting to the side so Moondancer could see herself in the mirror. It was interesting to watch Moondancer do a double take at seeing herself. “I’ve never done all this before,” she admitted, a faint blush coming up underneath the blush that Coco had already applied. “I didn’t know that it could look this good. But I’m still no model,” she complained, glancing over towards the gaggle of giggling girls that were Coco’s real models. Of course, she agreed with a nod of her head. “You aren’t, but you’re still beautiful all the same,” Coco cooed, a blush appearing on her face that stained those light cheeks red. “And you’re going to do amazing. We need to get you into wardrobe, okay?” Another flurry of action followed, shrugging Moondancer out of the same turtleneck she always wore and into a flowing green number, this one all about the beauty and joy of nature itself. The top half was a gauzy green, light and nearly see through with sparkling fabric interlaced inside each stitch. The trail of it changed to flowers of all colors, pink roses, lilac tulips, each one hoof made with way too many hours spent making it perfect. The top of it flared out in an aqua high collar, symbolizing the rains that came down to make everything green. Moondancer couldn’t have looked more perfect in it if she tried. The two of them stood in front of a full length mirror in silence for several seconds. Coco broke it first. “You look perfect.” Simple but true, with something akin to reverence in her voice. Moondancer had always been pretty to Coco, though she admittedly did have her bias. Now, she looked gorgeous. Still no model, the stupid TV trope about the girl taking off her glasses and letting her hair down stayed in fiction, but beautiful nonetheless. Coco nudged Moondancer’s side, breaking her out of the trance she’d apparently been stuck in. “Oh,” Moondancer finally spoke. The studious mare gave a shake of her head, the hair moving with it and shimmering in the light. It still looked good. “Maybe I’ll let you do this a bit more often,” she said weakly. Already, the show had started without them. Coco’s line didn’t go first, or even second. In truth, they went nearly last, so they had had time. Yet, even now, as they spoke, their turn swiftly approached. From the corner of her eye, Coco saw her first model go out on the stage and worry peaked through her. “Okay!” She squeaked again, hurrying Moondancer over towards the waiting line, the order set perfectly so she’d go last. “Just do what the rest of the girls do, okay?” she asked, trying to stress that last bit. “It’s not as easy as it looks, but I believe in you. I think we can win this whole thing, we just gotta make sure that we do it right.” A quick hug around the neck and Coco took a step back. The second model had already started to go, her first returning with a beaming smile. Moondancer suddenly looked stressed. The nice talk had certainly calmed her down, but now being on stage? Too much, too quickly. “I can’t do this,” she whispered out in a hushed, but hurried tone. Third model. “Yes you can!” Coco assured, moving up the line with her. “You can, you can do it, I believe in you-” Fourth, “and you’re going to kill it. It’s almost your turn, eyes up front, watch how your fellow models do it!” she urged. The fifth and sixth followed quickly, and finally, Moondancer’s turn had come. Terror and LoveMoondancer stepped onto the stage. Despite her name, the mare had never danced. She’d never taken ballet. Hell, she had even skipped most of her gym classes, about as uncoordinated as one could possibly be. And now, she’d been asked to walk down a catwalk, something that requires you to exude grace. Quite frankly, she was fucked. Still, the lights shone on her, making her feel so damned small. She’d felt this feeling before, back during her first Chem final. No studying, a night without sleep, and a feeling of anxiety taking over and over and over. Suddenly, her hooves started moving on their own. They clopped against the catwalk as she stepped down it, echoing through the room. All eyes focused on her, Moondancer feeling like the ant on the other side of a magnifying glass. Yet still she walked, on and on, closer and closer to the end of the catwalk. It’s not like she danced down it, or pranced, or anything artistic like that. Quite frankly, she stumbled down the catwalk, lacking the experience of the actual models. She merely had to stop herself from being a complete disaster, lest she ruin all the work that had gone into making this dress. And she succeeded, mostly. The crowd didn’t jeer, and she didn’t magically find herself in her undergarments like so many of her dreams seemed to imply. No, it was startlingly normal considering the situation. Finally, she’d reached the end of the walk, a slightly unnatural smile occupying her muzzle as she tried to pose like the model before her. In fact, she’d try several different poses, each of them as stilted and uncertain as the last. Just like that, it became time to turn around and start back down. Her tail swished as she turned, trying to add some flare to it but not quite sure she managed to land it. The walk back actually felt easier than the one forward, she didn’t have to look at anypony’s face. Then again, it’s not like she could feel much through the darkness, the lights shining directly on her making the contrast all the more heavy. It could have gone worse, she could have tripped over her dress. Or she could have fallen off the edge of the stage. Hell, she even could have ripped part of it and ruined all the hard work that her best friend had put into it. Thinking about it only made it worse. Instead of seeing herself from a bird’s eye view, that weird out of body experience, she suddenly felt cramped. How did her body get so small? Why did the dress feel so tight? She’d nearly made it back, so close, when the proverbial shoe finally dropped. Moondancer tripped, right at the last second. She stumbled forward, the sound of a rip echoing through the room. The ripping noise did get drowned out by the pumping music, but anypony close enough would have definitely heard it. Tears in her eyes, Moondancer stumbled backstage. She could feel the dress start to come apart. A few gems tinkled against the ground. Without even knowing how she got there, Moondancer found herself in the same chair she’d gotten ready in. Magic pulled at the dress, undoing each and every clasp that she could remember. Her frantic movement felt desperate to get herself out. Thank Celestia, it didn’t take long. A sob finally broke through her as her magic lay the thing across the top of a mannequin, sight blurring from the tears. Moondancer curled up, pressing into the chair as the tears started to stain her cheeks. Just like that, somepony suddenly touched her. Not just touched, but wrapped forelegs around. Moondancer could guess who it was, and the wall of cyan hair in front of her face confirmed her suspicions. She wanted to say something, anything to apologize, to make her mistakes right, but nothing would come out. Tears still fell, choking out any words that she tried to say. But apparently, she didn’t need to start the conversation. Coco did it for her, quiet words coming out ever so silently. “It’s okay. You did great, I’m so proud of you.” The words were so gentle and so kind, yet they didn’t do anything to stop the tears from flowing. If anything, her sadness only spiked from the way that Coco spoke to her. She’d always been so sweet to Moondancer. All of the favors that Coco had done for her ran through her mind: a job, help with an apartment, late study nights, everything a friend could do and more. What did Moondancer give in return? A shredded, broken dress and a failure in the fashion show. “I’m so sorry,” she finally managed to get out, voice so full of emotion that it very nearly overflowed. “I didn’t mean to, I thought I was doing okay, I just slipped,” she rambled out, the words coming out like a waterfall now that the floodgates had opened. “Shh, shh,” Coco hushed her, even the sounds careful as could be. “You’re okay. Moonie,” Well, that was certainly new, “you did everything that you could. It really wasn’t your fault that this happened, it’s mine. I shouldn’t have put you on the spot like that, I shouldn’t have made you deal with this.” While she spoke, Coco’s hug got all the tighter, and belatedly, Moondancer realized that it wasn’t just her crying. Her eyes opened once more, peeking out nuzzling close. Coco’s eyes reflected her own, the same sadness, the same worry. They both cared. Moondancer already knew it, but in her own self absorbed sadness, she’d forgotten that Coco had given her all those things for a reason. They were friends, dammit! Another sniffle, but ever so slowly, her own tears started to slow. “You didn’t make me.” Coco sort of did. “I wanted to help you, you didn’t make me. I wanted to help you out and I’m really just, um, sorry that I couldn’t,” Moondancer whispered, nuzzling up against her friend. Coco whimpered, even as the show went on around them. The music still thumped and Coco’s other models still went on. Yet, for a while, the world zoomed in, just the two of them and nopony else in the entire world. “You’re the best, Moonie. You’re always so nice a-and I just- I really wanted this to work out,” she tried to explain, though the words came out so strangled and choppy. Moondancer started to come out of that small, dark place that she’d found herself in, a smile finally gracing her lips. “No, you’re the best,” she whispered right back. “Shouldn’t you uh, shouldn’t you be paying attention to the fashion show?” she asked. Coco separated the two of them finally, just enough for her to look over her shoulder. “Oh,” she managed to get out, a quiet word. “I suppose you’re right. As long as… as long as you’re okay. Moonie, you should go get some water and cool off, okay? You did great and I- you’re my best friend.” For just a second, it seemed like Coco had wanted to say something else but Moondancer had no idea what it could have been. Still, she nodded her head, sniffling one last time to clear her eyes. “Thanks Coco. I will, you make sure that everything works out, alright? I’ll be back,” she promised. Up from the chair she’d go, one last wave to Coco. She spotted her book off the side still, hair tye before it. That would be levitated over, magicked into her hair to tie it up once more, getting it out of her face and out of the ridiculous style that Coco had left it in. Well, that was a lie. It had been beautiful, really. Coco’s styling always looked impeccable and even Moondancer had looked good with it. Idly, the girl made her way to the bathroom, the further away that she made it, the quieter it seemed. The noise from the show died down in the halls, and soon, it was just the clacking of her hooves against the tile floor beneath her. She’d head into the little mares room just as her head started to run away once more. Moondancer would peer into the mirror, looking at the makeup on her face, the last remnants of the hairstyle in her mane. Moondancer almost looked like a different mare entirely, a mare from another life, some kind of alternate universe. She could just imagine herself speaking in some affected accent and quoting poetry wherever she went, or quite literally dancing as an intro. A snort escaped her at the idea, though it slowly drifted away as more serious thoughts took its place. Her mind’s eye drifted back to Coco, a smile crossing her face once more. A sigh escaped her, and nothing but pleasant thoughts filled her head. They were such good friends, how long had they known each other now? A couple months? Half a year? Somewhere in between all of that. Thinking about Coco made her feel so warm and fuzzy. Moondancer had never really felt like that before. Sure, she’d had friends. Back in Canterlot she could even call the Princess her friend, along with a few other wonderful unicorn mares from her school days. Still, none of them had made Moondancer feel so amazing every time she saw them. With a sigh, the unicorn splashed water on her face. Hooves came up, working it against the bits of makeup left. It couldn’t stay on forever or it’d play havoc with her skin. It was also something to do rather than fester in her feelings, thinking about them too much simply messed with her head! So why was it so damned hard to get them to stop? Moondancer was a master of her own mental domain, she could sleep at will, could switch subjects on a whim, but now that Coco had gotten in her head, she didn’t want to leave. She thought about all the things that made Coco amazing. Her kindness, her love, her beauty, her absolutely astounding talent with the needle and thread. She had a devotion to her craft that few could rival, even Moondancer didn’t study as hard as Coco. And by Celestia, every time she came into the store with that perfect smile on her face, Moondancer’s heart skipped a beat. Moondancer knew models, absurdly beautiful ponies that nopony could dare to compare to. She even knew one of the princesses, and yet, none of them made her feel the same way that Coco did. The same warmth didn’t fill up her soul, her heart didn’t skip a beat when she saw the rest of those ponies, it just wasn’t the same and she couldn’t figure out why. Of course, she’d think about it, and the more she thought about all the romance novels, the more she realized what it could be. She didn’t want to admit it, not just because it didn’t make sense. But what would happen to her relationship if she let this train of thought run it’s course? They were friends, and just friends at that. No guarantee that Coco liked her the same way, and honestly, Moondancer couldn’t have blamed her either way. Moondancer had to face the facts. Whether she liked it or not, the love bug had bitten her and it didn’t intend to go away. The mare groaned, looking at herself in the mirror with quite the large frown, tail swishing behind her in frustration and annoyance. This was going to take so much time away from her studies, wasn’t it? Studies, work, and now a budding crush, Moondancer absolutely did not have enough time in the day for this! A sigh escaped her, magic levitating over paper towels, wiping her face off. Time to go back outside, time to rejoin the party, and time to see Coco once more. Despite it all, she couldn’t wait.
An Introduction of SortsThe Hanged Mare in Stalliongrad played host to many an unfortunate soul. Drifters, vagabonds, criminals, all sorts stayed here, sharing a drink and commiserating in their misery. So long as one played nice and didn’t make trouble, anything went. Seedy deals, clandestine meetings, all sorts of operations were planned under this roof, and today didn’t change the routine even the slightest. A white mare, one recently exiled from Canterlot, nursed a drink as she waited for her current visitor to show himself. She wouldn’t have to wait long, the black coated stallion sitting in the booth across from her. “So, all the way out here, huh? Fallen a bit far, haven’t you?” The mare looked over her drink at the man, the scent of alcohol nearly as strong as the scent of sweat from the stallion. “A mere setback. Nothing more. Things became a little too hot in the capital, and everypony knows that Stalliongrad is the coldest of places.” For such a grungy, beatdown hellhole, the mare couldn’t have been more strangely dressed. Slinky, red dress that hung tight to her body, pearls around her neck, mane styled up in the fancy ways that Canterlotians did it, nothing like the salt of the earth ponies around them. She went on too, glowering over the martini set in front of her, a frown settling into place. “My own daughter, my own kin having me exiled from my city. What a shame, don’t you think so?” she asked, with a dramatic sigh. A commiserating nod from the stallion. “But luckily for you and your ilk, I believe that my people will find ourselves something of a comfortable home here. And that’s what I wanted to speak to you with, Garcin.” Around them, bodies started to move, a few mares and stallions both closing around the booth, getting close, so close that neither of them would be able to leave. The mare herself seemed fine, contented and comfortable, yet the stallion shifted, glancing over with a frown. “Heart, you know I have the most respect for you in the world. What you’ve done with the operation over in Canterlot is nothing short of remarkable. But you can’t come into my territory and-” A knife suddenly found itself at the stallion’s throat, magically levitated up by one of the unicorns from the blockade. The white mare herself leaned forward, hooves crossing one over the other as she looked at the stallion. “It’s Miss Scratch,” she reminded him. Heart Scratch, the den mother of the mafia had moved but she deserved no less respect. “And I need to remind you that I can do whatever I wish. This visit was meant to be nothing but friendly, but I’m afraid that considering circumstances, it can’t remain that way. I’m going to be taking over your operation here. The arms trade will now be going through me.” A far cry from the fine arts and stolen goods she used to traffic in, but she had to land back on her hooves somewhere. The stallion whimpered, an actual whimper from what was supposed to be a tough, strong man. He knew what it meant. With a dispassionate sip of her drink, Heart Scratch watched him die. This city was hers. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Coco Pommel lived a busy life. Between working on her current clothing line, going back to school, and dating her wonderful marefriend Moondancer, Coco barely had any time to herself. That wasn’t really a bad thing most days, but today of all days it suddenly was. You see, Moondancer and Coco had had something of a tiff lately. Neither of them really knew the cause of it, but something had felt off about their relationship, they’d been fighting more, arguing, having a hard time simply being around each other. Every couple went through these rough patches, but Moondancer and Coco had found one that was particularly rough. The two fought nearly every day about something trivial, something stupid, and today didn’t show a lick of difference. “You never pay attention to me! I work so hard on all these outfits and you won’t even wear one for one of our dates!” Coco yipped out. How many times must she make her love something, anything for her to wear that wasn’t a frumpy black sweater? And how many times did she get turned down? Moondancer had only just now put down the book she read, magic slamming the thing against the couch with a furrowed brow and a big frown on the unicorn’s face. “I didn’t ask you to make any of them, you know. I’m just fine with what I have. I don’t have to be all ‘high fashioned or whatever’,” she scoffed. That wasn’t how Moondancer normally talked at all. She was normally a shy thing, anxious and just wanting to read her books. Just like how this wasn’t how Coco tended to talk. But anger made fools of everypony. “You know what? Fine! I’m tired of being underappreciated, I’m tired of you not caring about my art, I’m tired of you just being..” Coco wildly gestured towards the couch. “You! I’m leaving!” It wasn’t the first time that Coco had stormed out, and the way things were going, it wouldn’t be the last time. In fact, Moondancer didn’t even get up to stop her, instead grasping against the book with her magic again, a sigh escaping her as the door slammed behind Coco. She didn’t even have a coat. No time, and frankly, she didn’t care that much. Anywhere but there, anywhere but looking at the insufferable face of the mare she was supposed to love. The winter’s chill, the cold streets of Stalliongrad bit at her flesh as she left the small apartment the two shared, marching away and down the street. Who cares where she went? Coco took the first door that she knew would be open, bars were always open. Coco stepped into the Hanged Mare with everything and nothing on her mind. Only, her thoughts about Moondancer fell away and quite quickly at that. Her pretty yellow face turned white from the sight in front of her, the chaos, the bloodshed unfathomable. Coco screamed, and ran as quickly as she could.
A New Day in Stalliongrad~Three Months Earlier~ The market bustled at noon every day. Pretty ponies hurried through stalls and stores, looking to score the next deal. Coco Pommel did the same, but her quarry wasn’t food or toys, instead threads and supplies for her burgeoning business. It had been a scant few weeks since she’d opened her first dress shop. Rarity had helped, her old friend doing the advertising and bounced ideas off her for designs. But Rarity had gone back to Canterlot now, and it was just Coco and her assistant Moondancer. Oddly enough, she wouldn’t have it any other way, despite the way the world loomed large above her, despite how busy she could be. This was, simply put, perfect. And speaking of perfect, she spotted the brightest blue thread she’d ever seen, the greatest choice for her new ocean inspired regalia. For a fair price too! Oh yes, Coco lived a busy life, one always occupied with the next thought, the next adventure, a quick purchase here, a pickup of gemstones there, and off to her shop she’d go. Stalliongrad was known for its harsh, brutal winters. Going outside during the six months of it was practically an expedition in and of itself, so cold, so icy, that just getting down the street had its own challenge. What Stalliongrad was lesser known for, however, was its gorgeous springs and bright summers. The sun shone above lighting the streets, all the normally reclusive ponies roamed out and about, flowers bloomed on window sills, and for a few, precious months, the city seemed alive. These were the best times for Coco, the happiest times, and her spirit stayed just as full as the saddlebags on her flanks. Nothing made her more exuberant than seeing the face of her store. The windows, beautifully set up with dresses made to perfection, each of them accessorized and ready to make some pony ever so happy. The wonderful little entrance walkway with the awning and flowers on each side, all of it together made her heart sway. *Designs by Coco Pommel* proudly proclaimed the banner above it, along with the name of the store: *The Gilded Lily*. Truth be told it was rather small, barely three hundred square feet, and the pony had to use every inch of it to perfection or it just wouldn’t work. Not to mention the need for dressing rooms. But they’d managed, her and Rarity both working the weekend and then some to get all of her designs set in their own space. In she’d go, opening the door up wide and letting the bell tinkle lightly above as she did. Like always, it smelled every so slightly of cinnamon, her favorite flavor in the whole world. Her assistant had a book open at the counter, leafing through the thing while furiously scribbling into another notepad at her side. That was fine, of course, especially since there were currently no customers looking through her stands. Damn. “Good afternoon, Moondancer,” she whispered out in her quiet, careful voice. Coco Pommel had not gotten over her shyness yet, despite running a store and having won quite a few awards for her designs. Luckily, Moondancer had something of the same problem. “Good evening, ma’am,” Moondancer cooed out. She had the sweetest voice, something that Coco always loved to hear. Truth be told, she had something of a crush on the mare, even if she had to ignore it. That was simply the nature of things. You couldn’t date the pony who worked for you, and that being said, she doubted that Moondancer felt that way in return. The mare always studied and worked, never looking at her or anypony really. So there really wasn’t a reason to bother the poor thing, not when she seemed so engrossed in… what was it today anyways? “So what are you reading?” Coco asked, coming around the counter and letting the bags droop beside her. She peered over Moondancer’s shoulder, seeing a whole bunch of words that she did not understand. So rarely did she actually understand any of it, Moondancer was working on a Ph.D in a magical field that Coco didn’t even understand the name of, while she just made dresses. Very nice dresses, mind, but still dresses. The slightly disheveled pony looked up from her book, blinking big, lovely eyes from behind square rimmed glasses. It didn’t do well for the image of the shop to have a nerd running the front, but Coco thought it adorable. “Oh. Hi Coco, sorry I didn’t hear you come in. I was engrossed in Haycartes third theorem, it states that…” Moondancer went on for a little more, but Coco could do little more than give nods here or there to indicate she listened. It wasn’t her fault, it was just so far over her head! Eventually, Moondancer noticed and stopped herself with a chuckle. “Sorry, sorry. I just got really caught up in it and we hadn’t opened yet and- Oh! You have more supplies, are you going to make something new today?” The scholar mare asked, getting up to her hooves quite eagerly. And that’s why Coco had hired her. Underneath all the nerdishness was someone who secretly liked fashion, or at least the creative outlet of it. Coco gave a nod, a small blush appearing across her face. “Mhm!” she answered. “I think I have this fun idea with the spring melt, you know when the snow is just getting off the top of the mountains?” It was a hell of a color around there, all greens of new growth mixed with the white of the last vestiges of snow. Moondancer nodded, that being one of Coco’s favorite things about her. No matter how abstract the concept, her friend usually got it and could connect the dots on what she meant. “So then the top would be these white gems trailing to the…?” “The spring green, yes, but it’ll be a bit finicky,” Coco noted, with a sigh. “And if I do too much of it, it’ll just look gaudy. I know that may be all the rage in Canterlot-” perhaps that was a bit of shade that she didn’t need to throw, “but up here, things are a lot more muted.” Coco finished, with a nod of her head. That’s how it was at the end of the day - in the bigger cities, you could get away with a lot in the name of fashion. Out in the frontier towns, fashion tended towards more nature inspired, more relaxed. And that wasn’t to say that Coco didn’t love Rarity too. Her fashion designs were absolutely lovely most of the time, but even she fell victim to the Canterlot syndrome too. Regardless, the image in her mind would look great when it came to life! “It should only take me a couple of days to get the first of the line out,” she finally finished, with a dreamy expression on her face. Moondancer gave a few nods, a mirthful expression on her face. Coco often forgot the mare had come from Canterlot, she didn’t look it, didn’t have the same sort of fashion, nothing like the rest of them. “Well, you aren’t wrong about that,” Moondancer answered, with another hearty chuckle. “I’m really excited to see what you make and, um, hopefully, the premiere will go well!” The two of them may have been the most awkward shop on the strip. Moondancer the scholar, Coco the former assistant, now the lead, how weird. But it worked, and despite being a young store, it felt right. They hadn’t made much money yet, in fact, they had cut into Coco’s savings quite heavily, but it would turn around soon. She hoped. “Oh yes! There’s a fashion show coming to town you know,” Coco reminded her, disappearing into the back part of the store for a moment to drop off her goods. Luckily, it was still pretty easy to talk, the place small enough that one could yell across it and easily hear the other person. “Not one of Hoity Toity’s, but a lesser known one, something about finding all the fashion across Equestria, no matter how small?” Coco snorted as she came back out, shaking her head. “I think the way they’re talking about it is kind of pretentious! As if other places don’t have the same ‘civility’ that Canterlot and Las Pegasus has, you know, places like that.” Out Coco came again, looking over her goods now that she was nice and unburdened. Celestia, she’d put a lot of work into this place! There on the left, her favorite line, a winter inspired one, full of blues and lace, emulating snowflakes, so perfect. Six in total, not a single one sold. Perhaps it simply wasn’t the right season for those colors anymore. They’d been set up on a few pedestals, erected specifically for them, decorated with fake snow and presents and everything that made Hearth’s Warming great. On the right, another line, a night inspired one with dark colors and hanging satin, moon and star shapes, they were perfect! Why didn’t anypony buy them? Her sadness showed on her face, weakness in her limbs. This should have been easier, Rarity didn’t have this problem, why did she have to have it? Coco didn’t even notice Moondancer coming up behind her, didn’t notice until the foreleg closed around her neck and pulled her close. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “They’re going to sell, your dresses are brilliant.” Perhaps Coco didn’t hide her concerns as well as she thought she did, but that was pretty much true for anyone. Still, she let herself be comforted, pulled in against the body as little droplets of tears started to flow. She was fragile, a little weak, but Moondancer was there for her and that meant the world to her. A little nuzzle back and then they’d separate once more. “Thanks, Moondancer. It’s going to be okay, I have enough savings to keep this place going for a while and the fashion show should really help,” she reassured, mostly saying the words to herself rather than her friend. Moondancer smiled right back, as sweet as could be, and Coco felt that little pulse through her heart, the one that told her how much her crush had grown. “Thanks. Really,” she repeated. “I should really get back to work and let you get back to studying, I didn’t mean to have myself a whole thing here in the middle of the store!” she laughed, with a shake of her head. A wave of the hoof answered her as Moondancer trotted back to the front desk. “It’s no big deal, I don’t have an exam until the end of this week and I know how stressful this whole thing has been for you. If you need to, you don’t need to pay me for a little while,” she offered. But no, there was no way that Coco could do that. She shook her head, one hoof going over her muzzle. “Absolutely not!” she countered, just as fast as she could. “You will get paid your wage and I don’t wanna hear another word about it! I do have to get started on this line so it can be ready in time, but I don’t want to hear anything else about you not getting paid, okay?” “Okay!” Monndancer answered, with a laugh. “Fine, fine. You go on, get back there.” She shooed, even making the movement with her hooves and all that. Without another word, Coco retreated, back into her workroom, the little space behind her shop. It was a mess, quite honestly. A sewing machine on one side, plenty of dress forms on another, scraps of fabric and full blown rolls stacked up against a wall. Organized chaos, that’s what it was, because she knew where absolutely everything was. Coco looked over her domain, taking it in before taking a deep breath too. Without any further ado, she got to work.
Disasters and ShowsThe fashion show felt like it came in a blink. Time passed in an instant and suddenly it was the day of. Coco had prepared like a workhorse, seven full outfits ready to be worn, displayed, shown off in every way that she could think of. It started flawlessly, it really did. Her models had been paid and arranged, the outfits set up on their stands and now all that she had to do was wait backstage for everything to get started. It filled the main auditorium in Stalliongrad’s concert hall, the stage modified to have a cat walk instead of the wider assortment normally reserved for full orchestras. The floor seats had been moved, pushed back to make room for the extended stage, and lights were focused on it from every angle. Drapes hung from the balconies announcing the participants with each of their brands. From backstage, Coco could see hers: a silhouette for a horse with finery all over it, the pommel of it’s gear emphasized more than the rest. Others hung too but Coco didn’t recognize them, oddly enough. Perhaps that made sense considering that she just recently moved here and this was a local thing. Still, something felt off in the back of her head. Things had gone too well. That meant something had to go wrong. Coco poked her head back behind the curtain, blinking to let her eyes adjust to the relative darkness backstage. Ponies scurried around, working on last second adjustments, stage hands setting up the rest of the stage. Not much needed to be done, but it seemed like they busied themselves regardless of that fact. Somewhere, Moondancer had packed herself into a corner. Coco knew that her best friend had come to support her even if she would have her head in a book for most of the show. Really, that was just fine because Coco knew that she’d bring her head right back out when it came time for her display. Without anything else to do, she wandered. The mare took the time to look over her competition, marveling at all the designs they’d come up with. Quite a few caught her eye, that one over there with the stained glass design in particular. The glimmering bits of it were awe inspiring, and the more she looked at it, the more she seemed to see. All the details, the intricate stitching, the way the actual glass panels were coated with magic gel to make them always seem luminescent. That made the time fly by, and eventually Coco found her way back towards her own setup, her models chatting amongst themselves and… wait. Six models. She had seven dresses. Moondancer still sat in her chair, but somepony wasn’t there that should have been. Her mind had already started to race, to try and comprehend it as Moondancer moved from her seat. “She didn’t show up.” For a second, Coco wanted to cry, to fall apart. How could she have had everything go right and end up like this? Six models, seven dresses. The girl wracked her mind for what to do. Perhaps one of the other ladies here would let her borrow a model. But then again, the makeup process and getting ponies ready alone would be enough to take up anypony’s entire evening. She could try and go find somepony new, but by the time that happened there wouldn't be any time to get them ready. No, there was really only one way to get out of this. Coco’s eyes locked onto Moondancer with a deathly serious look. “I need you to put down the book and put on a dress for me,” Coco said, brow furrowing up. Moondancer laughed because how could she see this as anything but a joke? It was obviously a joke, no one would want her to model. But already, Coco had started to lead her by the forelegs, over towards the side of the dressing room, where her models had been getting themselves ready all day. “You really must be my model, Moonie!” Coco cooed, dragging her over whether she wanted it or not. “I know, I know, it isn’t ideal-” Moondancer yipped out and dug her hooves in. Why was Coco stronger than her!? “Stop that! I can’t be a model, Coco, what are you doing!?” But Coco didn’t stop! Coco actually pushed her down into the makeup chair, wrapping a full black cloak around her. “Mooney,” she cooed, stopping in front of her best friend and pressing against the chair, blocking her in. “You’re going to be my model. I really, really need a new model and you’re so pretty. You can do this for me, can’t you? Just let me dress you up. All you have to do is walk down the runway and come back.” There was a lot more to it than that. Modeling was hard work, incredibly difficult work, but Moondancer and the one who had quit on her had nearly the same size and that meant she could adjust it close enough. If she had one weak walker in the mix of her seven, she could still win, but having six instead of seven and leaving her set incomplete… that would ruin her. Moondancer looked damned uncomfortable. The mare shifted in the seat, trying to scoot away from all the touching but Coco wouldn’t let her. “Coco!” Moondancer snapped, letting out a little squeak of surprise. “I can’t do this! I’m not a model like those other girls are, I’m not even pretty!” But that, that was the trigger word for Coco. “You!? Not pretty!?” she gasped. Already, she’d started trying to work on her current victim, letting her hair down and trying to get her settled into the chair. The first part was easy, a single pull of the tied up knot and boom, Moondancer’s mane hung down around her muzzle instead of staying up in the most frumpy of ways. “You are the most gorgeous mare that I have ever met Moonie, and you need to see that! You are going to be my model!” Moondancer’s magic stopped her, levitating both her and the makeup supplies from the table up and into the air. “I said no!” she squeaked out, though the blush on her face showed more embarrassed than mad. And speaking of embarrassment, Coco flailed in the air, trying to get her hooves on the ground and only succeeding when the magic ended, sending her and the supplies clattering down. She stayed on the ground, however, looking up with big, wide eyes, pleading ones directed towards her best friend in the whole world. “Please, Moondancer,” she cooed out, her words soft as silk. “Do this for me and I’ll do anything for you. I’ll even help you with your stu- I mean, with your amazing flash cards!” The girl’s tail went between her legs and everything, nothing more pathetic in the entire world. Moondancer groaned and facehoofed, looking away as if unable to stand the sight of such groveling. “Look,” she started, forehooves reaching out to try and pick the poor thing up. “You need to stop looking like that, it’s humiliating,” she chastised. There was silence for a second, but only a second as Moondancer sighed. “I’ll do it, but you have to never, ever say anything about this to anypony besides those here, otherwise I will absolutely kill you, okay?” It wasn’t meant seriously, not with that look that Moonie gave her, but the sentiment couldn’t have been clearer. Up the mare went, getting onto her hooves again and trying to throw her forelegs around Moondancer’s body. “Okay! Okay, we have to get you ready!” she squeaked out. What happened next came in a flurry of activity that seemed to move from one thing to the next without a single break in between. On makeup went, hair straightened and brushed, hooves painted, coat brushed, everything touched up and the glasses taken away. It left Moondancer looking… well, not like a model, but beautiful in Coco’s eyes nonetheless. She looked on her work with an appreciative eye and a croon. “You look so nice, Moony,” she sighed out, scooting to the side so Moondancer could see herself in the mirror. It was interesting to watch Moondancer do a double take at seeing herself. “I’ve never done all this before,” she admitted, a faint blush coming up underneath the blush that Coco had already applied. “I didn’t know that it could look this good. But I’m still no model,” she complained, glancing over towards the gaggle of giggling girls that were Coco’s real models. Of course, she agreed with a nod of her head. “You aren’t, but you’re still beautiful all the same,” Coco cooed, a blush appearing on her face that stained those light cheeks red. “And you’re going to do amazing. We need to get you into wardrobe, okay?” Another flurry of action followed, shrugging Moondancer out of the same turtleneck she always wore and into a flowing green number, this one all about the beauty and joy of nature itself. The top half was a gauzy green, light and nearly see through with sparkling fabric interlaced inside each stitch. The trail of it changed to flowers of all colors, pink roses, lilac tulips, each one hoof made with way too many hours spent making it perfect. The top of it flared out in an aqua high collar, symbolizing the rains that came down to make everything green. Moondancer couldn’t have looked more perfect in it if she tried. The two of them stood in front of a full length mirror in silence for several seconds. Coco broke it first. “You look perfect.” Simple but true, with something akin to reverence in her voice. Moondancer had always been pretty to Coco, though she admittedly did have her bias. Now, she looked gorgeous. Still no model, the stupid TV trope about the girl taking off her glasses and letting her hair down stayed in fiction, but beautiful nonetheless. Coco nudged Moondancer’s side, breaking her out of the trance she’d apparently been stuck in. “Oh,” Moondancer finally spoke. The studious mare gave a shake of her head, the hair moving with it and shimmering in the light. It still looked good. “Maybe I’ll let you do this a bit more often,” she said weakly. Already, the show had started without them. Coco’s line didn’t go first, or even second. In truth, they went nearly last, so they had had time. Yet, even now, as they spoke, their turn swiftly approached. From the corner of her eye, Coco saw her first model go out on the stage and worry peaked through her. “Okay!” She squeaked again, hurrying Moondancer over towards the waiting line, the order set perfectly so she’d go last. “Just do what the rest of the girls do, okay?” she asked, trying to stress that last bit. “It’s not as easy as it looks, but I believe in you. I think we can win this whole thing, we just gotta make sure that we do it right.” A quick hug around the neck and Coco took a step back. The second model had already started to go, her first returning with a beaming smile. Moondancer suddenly looked stressed. The nice talk had certainly calmed her down, but now being on stage? Too much, too quickly. “I can’t do this,” she whispered out in a hushed, but hurried tone. Third model. “Yes you can!” Coco assured, moving up the line with her. “You can, you can do it, I believe in you-” Fourth, “and you’re going to kill it. It’s almost your turn, eyes up front, watch how your fellow models do it!” she urged. The fifth and sixth followed quickly, and finally, Moondancer’s turn had come.
Terror and LoveMoondancer stepped onto the stage. Despite her name, the mare had never danced. She’d never taken ballet. Hell, she had even skipped most of her gym classes, about as uncoordinated as one could possibly be. And now, she’d been asked to walk down a catwalk, something that requires you to exude grace. Quite frankly, she was fucked. Still, the lights shone on her, making her feel so damned small. She’d felt this feeling before, back during her first Chem final. No studying, a night without sleep, and a feeling of anxiety taking over and over and over. Suddenly, her hooves started moving on their own. They clopped against the catwalk as she stepped down it, echoing through the room. All eyes focused on her, Moondancer feeling like the ant on the other side of a magnifying glass. Yet still she walked, on and on, closer and closer to the end of the catwalk. It’s not like she danced down it, or pranced, or anything artistic like that. Quite frankly, she stumbled down the catwalk, lacking the experience of the actual models. She merely had to stop herself from being a complete disaster, lest she ruin all the work that had gone into making this dress. And she succeeded, mostly. The crowd didn’t jeer, and she didn’t magically find herself in her undergarments like so many of her dreams seemed to imply. No, it was startlingly normal considering the situation. Finally, she’d reached the end of the walk, a slightly unnatural smile occupying her muzzle as she tried to pose like the model before her. In fact, she’d try several different poses, each of them as stilted and uncertain as the last. Just like that, it became time to turn around and start back down. Her tail swished as she turned, trying to add some flare to it but not quite sure she managed to land it. The walk back actually felt easier than the one forward, she didn’t have to look at anypony’s face. Then again, it’s not like she could feel much through the darkness, the lights shining directly on her making the contrast all the more heavy. It could have gone worse, she could have tripped over her dress. Or she could have fallen off the edge of the stage. Hell, she even could have ripped part of it and ruined all the hard work that her best friend had put into it. Thinking about it only made it worse. Instead of seeing herself from a bird’s eye view, that weird out of body experience, she suddenly felt cramped. How did her body get so small? Why did the dress feel so tight? She’d nearly made it back, so close, when the proverbial shoe finally dropped. Moondancer tripped, right at the last second. She stumbled forward, the sound of a rip echoing through the room. The ripping noise did get drowned out by the pumping music, but anypony close enough would have definitely heard it. Tears in her eyes, Moondancer stumbled backstage. She could feel the dress start to come apart. A few gems tinkled against the ground. Without even knowing how she got there, Moondancer found herself in the same chair she’d gotten ready in. Magic pulled at the dress, undoing each and every clasp that she could remember. Her frantic movement felt desperate to get herself out. Thank Celestia, it didn’t take long. A sob finally broke through her as her magic lay the thing across the top of a mannequin, sight blurring from the tears. Moondancer curled up, pressing into the chair as the tears started to stain her cheeks. Just like that, somepony suddenly touched her. Not just touched, but wrapped forelegs around. Moondancer could guess who it was, and the wall of cyan hair in front of her face confirmed her suspicions. She wanted to say something, anything to apologize, to make her mistakes right, but nothing would come out. Tears still fell, choking out any words that she tried to say. But apparently, she didn’t need to start the conversation. Coco did it for her, quiet words coming out ever so silently. “It’s okay. You did great, I’m so proud of you.” The words were so gentle and so kind, yet they didn’t do anything to stop the tears from flowing. If anything, her sadness only spiked from the way that Coco spoke to her. She’d always been so sweet to Moondancer. All of the favors that Coco had done for her ran through her mind: a job, help with an apartment, late study nights, everything a friend could do and more. What did Moondancer give in return? A shredded, broken dress and a failure in the fashion show. “I’m so sorry,” she finally managed to get out, voice so full of emotion that it very nearly overflowed. “I didn’t mean to, I thought I was doing okay, I just slipped,” she rambled out, the words coming out like a waterfall now that the floodgates had opened. “Shh, shh,” Coco hushed her, even the sounds careful as could be. “You’re okay. Moonie,” Well, that was certainly new, “you did everything that you could. It really wasn’t your fault that this happened, it’s mine. I shouldn’t have put you on the spot like that, I shouldn’t have made you deal with this.” While she spoke, Coco’s hug got all the tighter, and belatedly, Moondancer realized that it wasn’t just her crying. Her eyes opened once more, peeking out nuzzling close. Coco’s eyes reflected her own, the same sadness, the same worry. They both cared. Moondancer already knew it, but in her own self absorbed sadness, she’d forgotten that Coco had given her all those things for a reason. They were friends, dammit! Another sniffle, but ever so slowly, her own tears started to slow. “You didn’t make me.” Coco sort of did. “I wanted to help you, you didn’t make me. I wanted to help you out and I’m really just, um, sorry that I couldn’t,” Moondancer whispered, nuzzling up against her friend. Coco whimpered, even as the show went on around them. The music still thumped and Coco’s other models still went on. Yet, for a while, the world zoomed in, just the two of them and nopony else in the entire world. “You’re the best, Moonie. You’re always so nice a-and I just- I really wanted this to work out,” she tried to explain, though the words came out so strangled and choppy. Moondancer started to come out of that small, dark place that she’d found herself in, a smile finally gracing her lips. “No, you’re the best,” she whispered right back. “Shouldn’t you uh, shouldn’t you be paying attention to the fashion show?” she asked. Coco separated the two of them finally, just enough for her to look over her shoulder. “Oh,” she managed to get out, a quiet word. “I suppose you’re right. As long as… as long as you’re okay. Moonie, you should go get some water and cool off, okay? You did great and I- you’re my best friend.” For just a second, it seemed like Coco had wanted to say something else but Moondancer had no idea what it could have been. Still, she nodded her head, sniffling one last time to clear her eyes. “Thanks Coco. I will, you make sure that everything works out, alright? I’ll be back,” she promised. Up from the chair she’d go, one last wave to Coco. She spotted her book off the side still, hair tye before it. That would be levitated over, magicked into her hair to tie it up once more, getting it out of her face and out of the ridiculous style that Coco had left it in. Well, that was a lie. It had been beautiful, really. Coco’s styling always looked impeccable and even Moondancer had looked good with it. Idly, the girl made her way to the bathroom, the further away that she made it, the quieter it seemed. The noise from the show died down in the halls, and soon, it was just the clacking of her hooves against the tile floor beneath her. She’d head into the little mares room just as her head started to run away once more. Moondancer would peer into the mirror, looking at the makeup on her face, the last remnants of the hairstyle in her mane. Moondancer almost looked like a different mare entirely, a mare from another life, some kind of alternate universe. She could just imagine herself speaking in some affected accent and quoting poetry wherever she went, or quite literally dancing as an intro. A snort escaped her at the idea, though it slowly drifted away as more serious thoughts took its place. Her mind’s eye drifted back to Coco, a smile crossing her face once more. A sigh escaped her, and nothing but pleasant thoughts filled her head. They were such good friends, how long had they known each other now? A couple months? Half a year? Somewhere in between all of that. Thinking about Coco made her feel so warm and fuzzy. Moondancer had never really felt like that before. Sure, she’d had friends. Back in Canterlot she could even call the Princess her friend, along with a few other wonderful unicorn mares from her school days. Still, none of them had made Moondancer feel so amazing every time she saw them. With a sigh, the unicorn splashed water on her face. Hooves came up, working it against the bits of makeup left. It couldn’t stay on forever or it’d play havoc with her skin. It was also something to do rather than fester in her feelings, thinking about them too much simply messed with her head! So why was it so damned hard to get them to stop? Moondancer was a master of her own mental domain, she could sleep at will, could switch subjects on a whim, but now that Coco had gotten in her head, she didn’t want to leave. She thought about all the things that made Coco amazing. Her kindness, her love, her beauty, her absolutely astounding talent with the needle and thread. She had a devotion to her craft that few could rival, even Moondancer didn’t study as hard as Coco. And by Celestia, every time she came into the store with that perfect smile on her face, Moondancer’s heart skipped a beat. Moondancer knew models, absurdly beautiful ponies that nopony could dare to compare to. She even knew one of the princesses, and yet, none of them made her feel the same way that Coco did. The same warmth didn’t fill up her soul, her heart didn’t skip a beat when she saw the rest of those ponies, it just wasn’t the same and she couldn’t figure out why. Of course, she’d think about it, and the more she thought about all the romance novels, the more she realized what it could be. She didn’t want to admit it, not just because it didn’t make sense. But what would happen to her relationship if she let this train of thought run it’s course? They were friends, and just friends at that. No guarantee that Coco liked her the same way, and honestly, Moondancer couldn’t have blamed her either way. Moondancer had to face the facts. Whether she liked it or not, the love bug had bitten her and it didn’t intend to go away. The mare groaned, looking at herself in the mirror with quite the large frown, tail swishing behind her in frustration and annoyance. This was going to take so much time away from her studies, wasn’t it? Studies, work, and now a budding crush, Moondancer absolutely did not have enough time in the day for this! A sigh escaped her, magic levitating over paper towels, wiping her face off. Time to go back outside, time to rejoin the party, and time to see Coco once more. Despite it all, she couldn’t wait.
