If they don't remember you - they will remember me!
It was an ordinary day...an ordinary day for her. And Photo Finish was hardly an ordinary pony. An actress, a socialite, an arrogant asshole...but definitely not an "ordinary'' filly of middle (or even pre-retirement) age. Yes, fate has notably left her around the world. But, frankly, something worse than this has never happened to her.
Wedding. Countryside, kick you seven, wedding. It was the end - the very bottom reached, from which there may not be a return. Just think, the famous Equestria photographer is forced to shoot a combination of incongruous mule and griffin in some remote village! How is it?..Ponyville.
Why is everything so sad? Alas, life is an extremely unpredictable thing. Yesterday, your chosen ones were printed on the covers of glossy magazines, and today you are nobody and call you in any way. Even in the magical land of colorful horses, business remains business. And he, as you know, has sharp teeth.
Finish was also bitten, having made a fatal mistake in the selection of personnel (the press is decisively silent about the intricacies of the case, but, as far as can be understood from the rumors spread among the people, the protege turned out to be a little more cunning than her patroness and, let's say, brought that out of the game).
However, the past did not matter now. He had a correctly adjusted sight, obliged by all means to capture a couple of faces peeled off from cider and old age.
"Darling, could you move a little further?" with a characteristic smacking came from behind the frame ''It seems that my honey does not fit.''
"She does not fit into her dress, redneck..." the earth mare hissed with a characteristic accent, moving the tripod to a new place. As soon as she saw this sweet couple, she had already managed to hate them.
And the guests? Where did they dig up this rabble? Yes, I could not even imagine that SUCH lives and lives next to us, normal ponies. In the first hours of this damned evening, they had already pushed me, kicked and stepped on my hooves a couple of dozen times, and some freak even spilled wine on my suit! All to the menagerie...and where does the guard only look? Oh yes, this is just the beginning. The holiday will be all night long! It seems to me that there is still an hour of this...''
Hit.
Favorite camera flies down.
Crackle.
The little that remains of her past life has been trampled underfoot.
This means that there is no Photo Finish either.
Well. Some have their hooves untied.
"Oakh! Lady, forgiiiive meee!"
The remains of the car crashed down on the head of the village idiot. With a wild cry, he fell into the mud into which the life of a fashion designer had turned a moment earlier. Forgetting the laws of decency and morality (here she was their last stronghold), she rushed after him - blow after blow, driving the old man's face deeper and deeper into the dusty confusion of the spattered earth. Trouble. Oh yes, she caused quite a stir.
Is that a bottle flew by?..And not even into her?
"What are you doing, you scoundrel?!"
"Beat the bastards! Apples are the coolest!"
"Pathetic ponies! You will pay for your treachery!"
"FIGHT!"
"Eeeeeeee!" well, yes, how could we live without a female squeal.
In a matter of seconds, the place of the festival turned into a dump of bodies beating each other - apparently, also getting uncommon pleasure from it. In front of the mare's eyes, the groom, who had grappled with the bride's father, threw the venerable old man from the backbend onto the table full of food, burying him under a mountain of scraps and broken dishes. In a couple of steps, the daughter of an overgrown bird skillfully knocked out the teeth of the yellow-green stallions approaching her with exclusively "apple'' names, while in the literal sense (but for NotFinish in all) the tamoda donkey tried to smooth out the situation with idiotic anecdotes. Oh, he's not trying anymore - he was just knocked down with a chair.
At some point, the filly caught herself thinking that it was very interesting to watch this mess. At first, the griffins pushed the ponies - then the initiative passed into the ponies' hooves. She had already forgotten about the downtrodden poor fellow, at the moment, with a grunt and obscenities, crawled far away from this "gone fool''.
But then something really strange happened.
A ray of pure light made its way into the realm of pitch darkness, illuminating a casual passer-by.
But it could not be called accidental.
Perfection incarnate, walking somewhere at ease with a basket on its side. An ideal, incomprehensible and unattainable, but achieved in spite of everything. Muse in the flesh. Her salvation and ticket to her former life.
Little Shiny was returning home from a bunshop, enjoying the fresh evening air of a town dear to her heart. The chirping of grasshoppers, fireflies soaring in the twilight, and the tired faces of the few passers-by that she met along the way, only emphasized the elusive charm of this seemingly ordinary, but such a magical place.
From the vast wasteland near the massive oak that until recently served as the city's library (and now the home of some important person), came the lively hum of many voices. Today the Apple family has a big day - for the first time in the history of their clan, the groom is not marrying a pony, but a griffin. What a romance! Surely this exotic couple has a long and interesting story (despite the fact that both spouses will not be called newlyweds in any way). Coming closer, she stopped, watching with emotion the good tradition of the ancient family - a general brawl.
But then someone really strange happened.
On the way, tearing a dress covered in mud, a blue-haired earth pony with luxurious purple glasses on a face twisted either with anger or wild happiness ran towards her. A tangled snow-white mane wriggled madly above her galloping head, completing the already frightening image of a stranger. The closer she was to Saini, the more she wanted to get out of here somewhere far away. When the mare was a couple of meters away from her, the nerves of the formerly imperturbable villager surrendered completely and irrevocably, forcing her to rush from all her hooves...but anywhere, if only HER was not there.
"Stop being silly - I'll make you famous!"
The calm evening slowly turned into a stormy night. And while her first news was engaged in active massacre, the other, without understanding the path, rushed through the peaceful streets of the sleeping town. Aside, a bystander! Watch out for the apple-filled crate! Although, in fact, it was necessary to be careful directly running...
Straight straight.
Passage on the right side - turn!
Barrel - jump!
Fork - to the left!
Second barrel - second jump!
Fork - to the right!
Why are there so many barrels filled with apples?!
And again in a straight line, and then go home with a hoof.
As it turned out, the rescue did not want to rescue the Photo Finish at all. Moreover, she still had to be caught.
"What a farce is this...''
''Go Toiti, where are you when you need it? With the girls you ...''
"Well, after all, she is as quick as a lynx, but she is as smart as...but, however, this bitch was not so stupid.''
Thoughts chaotically swept through the inflamed mind, not having time to linger in this place enveloped in lights for a split second. However, sometimes she had to think even faster - however, then any garbage did not fly under the feet of the fashion designer. And where are SO MANY apples from?
Aki, a real runner, who had never run at all Finish before, briskly jumped over the trials that fell to her hard lot, now approaching, then moving away from the victim of her fashionable sentence. The tail of the latter whirled like a propeller, unpleasantly small right in front of the designer's muzzle. Suddenly, the filly was visited by a brilliant (but extremely disgusting) idea.
Catching the right moment, she rushed forward, closing her jaws on a fan - only to fly her muzzle into the heavy oak door.
Shiny's chest flew up and down, accompanying the fugitive's insane panting. Wiping away the sweat that had appeared on her forehead, she settled in exhaustion on a dense barrier, which a moment ago saved her psyche, and, possibly, her life.
"What, the wolves were chasing you?" came from the other end of the long corridor.
"It would be better if they were wolves..."
The filly, rolling backwards, fell to its croup, its purple eyes rolling wildly. Shaking her head, she found herself sitting in the middle of a completely clean street at the doorstep of a typical country house. As she climbed, she almost stepped on the glasses that had fallen from her nose, and she threw a formidable glance into the curtained windows.
"Ungrateful! Yes, I can introduce you to Canterlot's finest fashion houses! I can make you the queen of this shithole! I..."
"That's it" the cup dropped on the table "It's funny. In my time, only stallions ran after filly."
"Aunt!" Shiny, who was sitting opposite, exclaimed with a slight blush.
"I'm kidding, just kidding..." aunt Melbrook, a stately red-haired mare who never took off her favorite green blanket from her shoulders, said through laughter "Maybe she wanted to tell you something important, but you just did not understand each other?"
"That crazy one shouted about fashion houses and a celebrity..."
"Hmm, curious. I think this lady should be invited for a cup of tea."
"No no! For sisters' sake, no!" the muzzle of the filly twisted in horror.
"Calm down, Shai. If you are so afraid of your new friend, I will talk to her myself."
The old school pony rose from the table and stalked ceremoniously into the hallway under the dismayed gaze of her timid niece.
It didn't take a minute.
"So that your spirit is not here!" a rumble burst in the doorway, giving way to a ringing silence. The clatter of hooves rang out again and aunt, crimson with rage, appeared before Saini "I will still spoil the girl here..." she snorted, knocking the dust off the blanket "Pf, went out of fashion a hundred years ago. You, witch, know a lot about fashion..."
"H-how did the conversation go?"
"We could not find a common language...but you should not worry.
"Really?" with a reliable one in her eyes the baby whispered.
"Otherwise, she will have to explain to the mayor about her civil status."
Meanwhile, a homeless mare who did not understand fashion was sitting on a park bench in frustrated feelings.
"What did I say? This flaw went out of fashion even before the expulsion of the Nightmaker" the fashionista grimaced, looking doomed at her own hooves "I missed such a chance!" she exclaimed, staring at the starfull firmament.
"Or not?.." suddenly flashed through her head. Oh, she was not the type to give up without a drop of blood.
There was a drawn-out yawn. Lazily, pretty eyes opened and the body, which rose above the crumpled sheet, stretched reluctantly. The hooves sank to the floor, and the filly, wobbling asleep, walked to the windows that were drawn with blackout curtains.
With an expressive "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" scratching her bruised back, the filly did not take her gaze, complete with horror, from the large letters painted with something scarlet and slowly flowing down the glass.
The ominous inscription read "G L O R Y A W A I T S''.
Under the puzzled gaze of her aunt who appeared in the doorway, the filly pointed at the message with a shaking hoof.
Aunt retreated. Face to the floor.
A sleepy crimson unicorn appeared in the doorway.
"Bah, who do I see! Surely not my kind boss?"
Under the malicious gaze of the raspberry, Finish, who was wiping her glasses, coughed, as if by chance.
"Can i...spend the night?"
The look became openly mocking. The way only rejected women can look.
"Oh, she also asks to LAY NIGHT? Holy sisters, what's going on in the world..."
"Um, Blueberry, I understand that in the past...some disagreements have arisen between us..."
"So you call the dismissal with the biggest fashion scandal of the year?" in the voice of the respondent there were notes of a murderous chill.
"You got it all wrong...the company was on the brink of a crisis. I couldn't afford to keep another hoover...a model. Yes, even if you went through the competition organized by me, but, you know, how much sense does it have when you can lose all connections from day to day? .."
"So why then arrange it?!" shouted the unicorn in tears from nowhere (oh, those thrown models) "I killed several months to prepare! Miss Equestria, Nightmare take you! Where is my contract?! Where is my glory?!"
"Listen. You will give me an overnight stay, and I will help you regain your undeservedly lost popularity. Okay?.."
The filly sobbed.
"Really? But you yourself...retired?"
The Finish shook tangibly. There was an unintentional grinding of teeth rubbing against each other.
"No, this, not, so. And I am actively working on a sudden return."
Bluebury stared at her for a moment. Then she took a long sigh.
"I'm too kind pony. And you are only wearing branded glasses...by the way, where is the branded dress?"
"Let's not talk about this."
"Okay. Eh, Blue, you soft nag...come in. Just wipe the hooves in the hallway - it was not enough to bring dirt into the house."
"Like the good old days, huh, baby?"
"I'm Bluebury East for you, Finish. And from now on we are on an equal hoofing."
The first thing that Aunt Melbrook saw, opening the front door with her hoof, was a sheet of text laid right at the entrance. Barely glancing at him, the filly immediately brushed the paper off the steps and went out into the street.
But the oddities didn't end there.
Passing the familiar fruit shop, she unnoticed for herself turned her eyes to the colorful sign. And she was stunned. The letters skillfully carved into the wood covered FOUR leaves, one to one similar to the one lying in front of her house.
"Well, okay, this, after all, is not the end of the world.''
Yes, it was the end.
The leaves were glued to the cider barrels. Instead of colored flags, they hung between houses. Cobblestones covered the road. We covered the bark of the trees. And one even settled down on the back of a random stallion that slipped past her.
Malbrook's eyes were beginning to twitch.
''Calm down. You are a strong girl. You can handle it.''
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Bluebury glanced at the hunched figure at the writing table. Of course, she was against finding this figure in her sister's room, but there were simply no others left in the house. Leaning against the wall, the filly began to observe the zealous letter of that on the set of unclear pieces of paper that had come from. Eh, but she asked not to drag the garbage into the house.
Finish's diligence could only be envied - knowing this mare, she could not sleep a wink all night, working on new fashionable creations for her collections. Even though Blue considered her an outright bastard, she could not admit it.
The beholder did not notice the finish or did not consider it necessary to notice, without looking up from the case. Therefore, she walked with impunity behind the blue lady in a night gown and peered at what she had already written.
"Canterlot, 3rd block, 22nd street, Couture atelier, first door on the right.''
And so 50 more times ...
Who is she writing this for? Isn't the once venerable woman going to engage in obsessive advertising? Such personalities in Equestria did not yet know, but they clearly would not want to know.
With an eyebrow raised inquiringly, the crimson unicorn continued to stare and stared until she could see to the point of complete fatigue from viewing. She yawned long, only now drawing the attention of the fashion designer and silently left the room.
"Paint, you say?" the interlocutor who covered her mouth with a hoof asked with a breath.
"Imagine this. And how did someone have the audacity to pull off such a dirty trick?"
"Yeah, I would also be a little scared if I saw such a thing early. Have they even found the culprit?"
Let the mouth of an old (in every sense) friend of Melbrook's and turned to her, the eyes of the venerable mare looked behind her back - strictly at the blue beast in purple glasses, who diligently laid apples from the basket of her lover of her green blanket. The sight was so surreal and frankly insolent that she did not dare to say a word.
"Imagine - no! But nothing. I’ll tell the mayor everything - she’ll tell me why all sorts of robbers are roaming the streets of our seemingly decent town!"
"And that's right, and that's right..."
The beast began with zeal to put a lot of colored pieces of paper into the basket, not at all embarrassed by the surprised look. Their gazes met.
"Shhhhh..." having already raised her hoof, the earthly monkey hissed.
And it was like that.
The friend shook her head. Couldn't she have dreamed of this utterly strange stranger?..
As practice has shown, the hat still protected her head from the sun's rays. Barely covering her eyes, Melbrook reached for a fresh apple when she fell into a pile of rough muculature. Snorting and dusting herself off, she with bulging eyes read the message presented in such an original way.
A disapproving sigh rang out nearby.
The mayor barely dodged the bundle flying at her very temple.
"AND SO - ALL WEEK! ALL WEEK I'M TELLING YOU!" came from the door of her office.
"Actually, only two days..." someone coughed nearby.
"Why not create an impression?" as the obvious one answered the shout.
The unnamed terrestrial monkey under work number 5 quickly found shelter at her own desk, covering her head with her upper legs just in case.
"Calm down! You're not in the barn!" only she could squeak before the next volley of colorful bundles.
When the shelling stopped, before the pink-snow-white-maned lady, who poked her nose out from behind the shelter, appeared a decent-looking mare with a serene calm on her serene face.
"And so..." with the caution inherent in a true politician, the mayor began "you claim that..."
"Robbers, yes," the visitor interrupted without changing her expression.
"That's what it means. Your property..."
"Damaged."
"Exactly. And you demand, let me guess, compensation?"
"Exactly."
Someone's ears perked up.
A week has passed - seven days full of fruitless attempts to get close to the cherished goal. What Finish hasn't tried: hired actors, dressing up, acting ... advertising from all the cracks, conveying one utterly simple idea - fame can and should come to baby Saini.
But Saini and her aunt were of the opposite opinion. With all their might, they tried to prevent the interference of the blue beast in their lives - they ignored, resisted and shook the poor mayor.
However, very soon it all turned into a vicious circle. A circle that someone had been unwittingly watching all this time.
But then came a terrible day for one person, and absolutely beautiful day for another. Rumors reached Finish about the planned move of the tortured filly to Mainhattan. It was absolutely impossible to allow this.
It's time for the last trump card.
Downpour rained down from the cloud-blackened sky.
She stood alone on the station platform - meekly looking around, completely defenseless. The evening breeze ruffled her blue mane, and a simple dress hid her frail body. Nothing, very soon he will be covered with a brilliant outfit, which will be admired in the highest circles of Canterlot ... but what else is there, Equestria!
Flashes of fireworks turned the platform into a podium flooded with colorful flowers. The thunder of trombones heralded the arrival in the rays of light of a figure in full combat gear, who appeared before a filly who opened its mouth from deafening shock. Photo finish has been at the forefront of modern fashion. However, as always. Like a queen, she walked to the speechless plebeian, holding out an envelope sealed with scarlet sealing wax to that one.
The filly's eyes dropped from the face, struck with a solemn smile, to meet the envelope. The hooves accepted the paper. What was inside really boggled the imagination.
Contract. With the country's most influential fashion house. Money, fans, fame ...
But there was only laughter in response.
"Strange, I in her place would not refuse such an offer."
The colors faded, giving way to the surrounding dullness. The solemn sounds died away, cut short by the musicians who had awkwardly lowered their instruments to the ground. And Finish froze in complete confusion.
"Y-what are you..."
The filly pulled the wig off her head, revealing a scattering of golden hair.
"Who would have thought that we are so similar with this Shiny? Yeah, the baby’s been through a lot..."
Bluebury looked at her with that look.
Glasses slowly slid off Finish's face. Her legs buckled and put her body on the ground. And in the next second, there was a hysterical cry.
The look has changed.
The deceived fashionista felt someone's hoof on her shoulder.
"I knew from the very beginning that you were only interested in her..." there was a heavy sigh "It is a pity that you did not interest her at all. Not everyone wants wealth and fame. For some, a simple life in a quiet town is enough - they love what is understandable and close."
Close.
These words cut through the cry. Finish looked at the rails going somewhere beyond the horizon. Where her hope fled, taking with her all her thoughts and dreams...
But was the one running her?
Close.
Only then did the realization come to the finish.
"Forgive me, Blue...forgive, please!"
The fashionista threw herself on the neck of a recent worker, hanging on her as the most expensive thing in this world.
"For what?.."
"For everything that only happened between us!"
Tears were still pouring from her eyes. But they were tears of happiness.
