//------------------------------// // Chapter 27: Can't Change Who You Are // Story: A Change In Fashion // by Kevinltk //------------------------------// Glamour slowly walked down the hall, her destination residing at the end of it. It was someplace she had visited several times, yet familiarity did little to diminish the terror in her heart. The thought of what lay in wait made her shudder with fear. She was tempted to just turn around and flee, but she knew that if she did, it would only make things worse. It had been about two weeks since she and Coco had started to mend the fallout that happened between them. With both Coco and Grace’s friendships still intact, Glamour was glad that her mistakes had not permanently caused a rift between her two closest friends. Things were starting to look up for her. Then the letter came. Prim Hemline had summoned Glamour for a meeting, not giving any details or explanations. Grace did not know anything about the matter, but she did mention that Prim had spoken with her for a bit to ask how Glamour was doing. Despite the lack of information, Glamour suspected that the meeting was just a formality, while also giving Prim the chance to yell at her, before she was fired. She had always been on thin ice with Prim and having been exposed as a changeling would be more than enough to break through that ice and drown her in unemployment. She was surprised that it took so long for Prim to get back to her. Glamour took a deep breath when she finally arrived in front of Prim’s office. She slowly raised her hoof toward the door, pausing for a second to make an audible gulping sound, and then knocked on the wood. Her hesitant hoof only earned her a soft thump on the door. Despite the subdued sound, an all too familiar voice from the other side of the door queried with a “Yes?” Her legs trembling a bit, Glamour replied, “I-it’s me, Glamour, Miss Hemline. You sent me a letter asking me to come in today.” “Enter.” Glamour took a deep breath and opened the door. She was immediately met with the sight of Prim sitting behind her desk and looking at her with a steely glare. Even though it had been a while since Glamour had come face to face with her boss, the memories of previous unpleasant meetings resurfaced and made a shiver run through her. “Hurry up, Miss Glamour,” Prim beckoned. “I don’t have all day, and we have much to discuss.” “R-right, sorry, Miss Hemline,” Glamour replied, hurrying into the office and closing the door behind her. “Now then, let’s get right to the point,” Prim said, her gaze locked onto Glamour. “Right now, you are in an indefinite suspension because Princess Twilight had informed me and Photo Finish that you are a changeling while she was conducting an investigation on your time in Manehattan. I called you here to determine what should be done with you.” Prim leaned forward in her chair with a scowl. Even though it was not one of the angriest faces Glamour had seen, it still made her flinch. “I should fire you right on the spot and wipe my hooves clean of you,” Prim continued. “Not only did you lie to me about who you really were, but you put this entire business at risk. If the public ever finds out that a changeling is working here, it would be a publicity nightmare.” Glamour barely kept herself from whimpering. She could pretty much hear the fury Prim was suppressing. The meeting had only just begun, and her fears had been confirmed. She was sure she was about to get fired, and she was wondering how far she would fly after Prim literally kicked her out of the building. But to Glamour’s surprise, Prim took a deep breath, and her scowl softened a little as she calmly sat back into her chair. “But that’s not how things will go. Instead, we are going to talk so that I can decide on the appropriate course of action.” Glamour blinked. “R-really? You’re giving me a chance?” Prim nodded. “Despite your unorthodox methods and questionable background, you have become quite popular. Firing you would produce its own set of complications, not to mention that there are a few advantages with keeping you. However, don’t think that I won’t hesitate to get rid of you if I deem you too much trouble to keep around. And don’t you dare try to lie to me again! Understood?” Glamour quickly nodded. “Yes, Miss Hemline.” “Good.” Prim opened up a desk drawer and pulled out a folder, which Glamour guessed was her file, and looked down at it after opening it. “Let’s start at the beginning. I want to review your history since you first came here. You are going to make sure I have the correct information and fill in any missing gaps.” “Yes, Miss Hemline,” Glamour complied again. “Now, you first came here on one of the first fashion shows of the season. You were given a trial run with Coco Pommel because her assigned model suffered an injury.” She glanced up from the folder at Glamour. “You didn’t happen to have anything to do with that accident, did you?” Glamour frantically shook her head. “No, I didn’t! Honest! I would never do anything to hurt Coco or her career.” Prim’s eyebrow rose. “Oh? I know you and Coco are close, but wasn’t that day your first meeting with her?” Glamour looked down at her hooves while she nervously shuffled them. “Um, not exactly. You see, I first met her during the rehearsal. I was passing by that day, and I saw there were a lot of ponies waiting outside the building. I got curious about what was going on, so I snuck into the backstage area. Coco stumbled upon me, and she was really nice to me. After talking with her for a while, we became friends. I was excited that I got assigned to her for the actual show.” “I see… Is there anything else that I should know about the time before your first show?” “Um…” Glamour paused for a few seconds. “Well, there is another thing… I actually had an interview with you between the rehearsal and the real show. You turned me down. When I snuck into the rehearsal, I did it while disguised as a pegasus named Nutmeg, and I was that same pony when I tried to apply for a modeling position.” “Yes, I do vaguely recall a pegasus that lacked many of the qualities to become a model.” Prim sighed and shook her head. “At least, I know you took my words to heart and improved yourself… somewhat… Anything else that you want to bring to my attention?” Glamour ran through the events in her mind again, making sure she did not leave out any important information, and then shook her head. “No, Miss Hemline. I think that’s everything.” “Very well.” Prim’s gaze went back to the file. “Let’s see, after you almost ruined your first show, Photo Finish hired you, and you chose Coco as your designer. Now, on your profile here, you initially had nothing as your home address, but then it was updated to Coco’s address soon after you were hired. Why is that?” “Um, well, at the time, I just recently moved to Manehattan. Since I didn’t really have any bits with me and was too busy to find suitable accommodations…” “You were living on the streets…” Prim finished with a flat stare. Glamour rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. “Y-yeah… but Coco found out about it, and she took me into her home. I’ve been living with her ever since.” Prim sighed again. “Miss Glamour, you are really lucky that I was too busy to remember to check your profile. Even more so since Coco took you in. That was very generous of her, seeing as how you two just became friends.” “One of the many reasons that she’s so important to me, and I will be forever grateful to her,” Glamour said with conviction. Prim stared at Glamour for a few seconds before returning to the folder. “Moving on then. Your work with Photo Finish was met with great success, and I must concede that you showed an ample amount of improvement in your next show. After the success of your magazine debut and your solo show, Photo Finish set you and Coco up to compete in the Fall Fashion Fantasia.” Prim set down the folder on the desk to give Glamour her full attention. “I never got the chance to congratulate you and Coco, especially for Coco. Winning second place in her first contest, and a very prestigious one to boot, is very impressive. Considering how close you two were at the time and the colors she used in her design, I suspect you had a hoof in helping her.” Glamour could not help but grin a bit. “She said I was her inspiration.” Prim nodded. “Well, with that out of the way, I have another matter concerning the Fall Fashion Fantasia. I’m sure you remember the troubles we had right before the show, correct?” Glamour slowly nodded. “Somepony sabotaged the designs of many contestants.” “Having the works of so many prominent designers fall apart on stage would make ponies question the integrity and proficiency of this entire institute.” Prim reached into her drawer again and pulled out a piece of paper and held it up to Glamour. “It’s a good thing that an anonymous tipster slipped this into my office so that I would find it when I arrived in the morning.” Glamour kept a straight face, not needing more than a quick glance to know what was written on the familiar paper in front of her. “Yes, that is a really good thing indeed.” “You wouldn’t happen to know who this anonymous tipster is, would you? I really would like to thank whoever did such a good deed.” “Um, well…” Glamour thought that she should go ahead and admit it was her. After all, it seemed that Prim already had a feeling it was her and wanted to thank her. But she then remembered something and thought about the potential consequences of her confession. She decided to keep quiet about the matter. “Why do you think I would know who the tipster was?” “Well, I was looking through your files after I came back from the Crystal Empire, and I noticed that your hoofwriting looked very familiar. Imagine my surprise when I compared it to the note the anonymous tipster wrote and found out that the hoofwriting matched yours. Miss Glamour, I know it was you.” “Oh…” Glamour bit her lip. “Then why are you asking me about it then?” “I was hoping you could help identify the culprit who tried to sabotage the show.” Glamour winced. That was the followup question she had hoped to avoid. While she might not care for Suri too much, Coco certainly did. From the looks of it, Suri did seem to be improving herself, and Glamour did not want to take away what Coco had been striving for such a long time. With a sigh, Glamour slowly shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t help you with that.” She stood her ground when Prim’s eyes narrowed and glared at her, even if her heart was getting an excessive workout. “Miss Glamour, you did say you were not going to lie to me earlier, or did I hear you wrong?” Prim asked. “You heard right, Miss Hemline, but I’m not lying now. I’m just choosing to not tell you what you want because I’m worried that if I do, it would lead to something that would upset a dear friend of mine. I know that you’re upset with my choice, but I do think the one who tried to sabotage the show is changing for the better. If the pony responsible becomes a problem again in the future, then I promise I will tell you everything.” Glamour fidgeted as Prim continued to give her a steely gaze, hoping that her choice did not have too much of an negative impact on her interview. After a while, to Glamour’s relief, Prim returned her attention to the file on her desk with a heavy sigh. “I must say, Miss Glamour, that I am disappointed that you would not help me with this matter. However, I must concede it is also quite admirable that you are willing to risk your career for a friend. While I would like more information about the incident, I will allow it to slide only because you saved me from a huge headache. But I expect you to keep your promise if the pony in question happens to cause trouble again.” “Of course, Miss Hemline, and thank you for being so understanding,” Glamour replied with a grateful bow of her head. “Anyway, getting back to the matter on hoof, after the Fall Fashion Fantasia, Photo Finish gave you some time off to go to the Equestria Games, and that’s where you were exposed as a changeling. From what Princess Twilight has informed me, one of the main reasons you were found out was because you used your magic to protect Coco and Grace.” Glamour nodded. “Coco got injured during the ice archery incident, so Grace and I had to carry her. Because I snuck past the disabling spell, I was able to use my magic when a chunk of ice was about to hit us. While security did not like how I bypassed the disabling spell, they were willing to look the other way if I agreed to get it for the rest of the Equestria Games. When I did, that’s when my disguise fell. From there, I was escorted to a private room, and Princess Twilight took over.” “Which brings us to the present. Princess Twilight said you were not a threat to ponies and that Coco would be watching over you for the time being. What have you been doing since you returned from the Crystal Empire?” “Well, not much. I don’t have anything to prepare for since I’m suspended from modeling. Coco has been doing things for the theater she works at, and I’ve been assisting her with that by taking care of the chores at home.” Prim nodded. “Now, just to be sure, did Coco know she was harboring a changeling before you were exposed?” The hairs on the back of Glamour’s neck bristled. “N-no, she didn’t. She was as clueless about my real identity as everypony else. She’s completely innocent. Please don’t blame her for any of my actions, Miss Hemline.” “It’s alright, Miss Glamour. I was just making sure. She is not in any trouble. Anyway, how has Coco taken to the news that you are a changeling? I knew you two were close, but I did not realize you two were actually in love until Princess Twilight told me about it. I don’t think such a revelation would be easy for anypony.” Glamour grimaced, remembering the first days after her exposure. “Coco… She did not take it really well. She was really hurt that I kept such a big secret from her for such a long time, and I deeply regret that I could not find the courage to confess it to her earlier. Even though we patched things up a few days after we returned to Manehattan, we only went back to being friends. I can tell she’s still adjusting to the new me, but I think things are slowly improving. I’m just glad I didn’t completely lose her.” “I see…” Prim closed the folder and looked directly into Glamour’s eyes. “One final question. Why did you become a model? Princess Twilight said that you were using it as a food source, but I want to know if that’s the only reason.” Glamour took a moment to think about it before she replied, trying to choose her words carefully. “It was, at first. When I snuck into the rehearsal, I found out that fashion shows created a lot of adoration due to the number of ponies they attracted. Adoration is less potent than love, but with so many ponies in the audience, there was more than enough to feed me. I became a model to soak in that adoration and because I thought modeling was easy.” Glamour’s eyes widened when Prim shot her a glare. Waving her hooves frantically in front of her, she hastily added, “N-not that I’m saying being a model is easy. I know that now, and I have nothing but respect for the profession, not to mention all the work that you do to keep things together." She let out a sigh of relief when Prim’s face returned to a neutral state. “Anyway, yes, I became a model to feed myself, but when I found out I was going to help Coco at my first show, I didn’t want to let her down. When I chose Coco as my designer after you and Photo Finish hired me, Coco’s success became tied to my own. Modeling wasn’t just for me anymore. “As I improved and my relationship with Coco grew, I found myself enjoying modeling even more. It was becoming less about feeding myself and more about showing off Coco’s work and getting into the spirit of performing. When we became marefriends, I could have quit being a model with all the love Coco was giving me, but I remained one because it wasn’t just something to feed myself. In fact, when I walked the runway during the Fall Fashion Fantasia, I was only thinking about doing my best to help Coco’s design win. “Miss Hemline, modeling has become a very important thing for me. Yes, it’s a food source for me, but it’s become much more. I also have grown really fond of it, and I have a lot of fun being able to show off in front of so many ponies. But most of all, it gives me the chance to work with Coco, allowing us to spend more time together and take part in each other’s lives. I know I’ve made mistakes, but it would mean a lot if I could continue modeling.” Prim stared at Glamour, as though she was trying to look inside her to make sure she was telling the truth. After a few moments, she leaned back in her chair. “Alright, Miss Glamour, based on what I’ve learned about you and from what I’ve heard, I’ve come to a decision. Your suspension stands…” Glamour’s ears drooped a bit, but she resisted the urge to groan. Still, it was better than being fired. “For two more weeks.” Glamour’s eyes widened. “W-what? You mean I’m going to be able to model again?” Prim nodded. “Yes, we will—” Prim stopped when rapid hoofsteps could be heard from outside, and they looked to the door. A second later, the door flew wide open, and a familiar pony strode right on in. “I, Photo Finish, have arrived!” Prim sighed. “Photo Finish, I thought I told you to wait until I called for you.” “But I, Photo Finish, have finished my brilliant work, and it could not wait any longer!” Photo Finish proclaimed, pulling out a magazine. “Did you tell her yet?!” “She only knows she will be able to model again. I was going to explain the details, but I was rudely interrupted.” Photo Finish cocked her head. “Oh, by who?” Prim groaned and buried her face into her forehoof. “Nevermind…” Even with Prim’s face still hidden by her forehoof, Glamour could practically hear the eye roll in Prim’s reply. “Um, if I may ask, what’s going on?” “Some ponies knew you were at the Equestria Games, and they have been asking about you. We could not say much during Princess Twilight’s investigation, but when she said you were safe, we were allowed to talk about you again. Photo Finish has been preparing something to help explain what happened while also drumming up a bit of publicity for you. Since she is already here, you might as well take a look at what she has,” Prim replied. “Yes, I, Photo Finish, am sure you will absolutely love it!” Photo Finish proclaimed, taking out a magazine from a pocket in her dress and shoving it into Glamour’s hooves. Glamour reeled back a bit from Photo Finish’s enthusiasm. When she looked down at the magazine, her jaw dropped when she saw a picture of her on the cover, and the headline was “Heroic Model Returns After Brief Hiatus”. “You wrote an article on me?” Glamour asked, still looking at the cover. “Yes, it is. Now, hurry up!” Photo Finish urged. Glamour let out a squeak when Photo Finish pressed against her side to turn the pages toward an article. Ignoring Photo Finish literally breathing down her neck, she started reading, her eyes slowly growing wider as she read more and more. The article started with a brief summary about her rise to fame and then went on to explain how Glamour went to go watch the Equestria Games thanks to the generosity of Photo Finish. When the ice archery incident happened, she was able to use her magic, thanks to a complication with the disabling spell, and save several ponies. The heavy magic usage had left her weakened, and the reason for her brief hiatus was for her to rest and settle the issues that arose because of the accident. Through clever wording and giving the right details, the article was pretty much telling the truth without telling the whole truth. What Glamour found interesting was that the magazine noted that she was expected to return in about two weeks, the same thing Prim said right before Photo Finish barged in. “When will this magazine start going around Manehattan?” Glamour asked. “I, Photo Finish, just finished it today. Everypony will hear of your wondrous return tomorrow!” Photo Finish replied with a big grin. “Tomorrow? But how could you have already known that I would be returning?” Glamour blinked and looked at Prim. “Unless…” Prim gave out an exasperated sigh. “Yes, Miss Glamour, I was already leaning toward lifting your suspension when I sent you the letter. This meeting was to dispel the last of my trepidations about accepting a changeling into my employment.” She stopped to frown at Photo Finish. “I would’ve liked a bit more time to discuss some matters, but somepony got too excited and has already set things in motion.” “But of course I, Photo Finish, am excited! My shining star is so much brighter than I had initially thought! She is going to dazzle the land!” Photo Finished gleefully stated. “I hope you don’t mean for her to begin modeling as a changeling,” Prim said with a raised eyebrow. “The public is not quite ready for that.” “Yes, yes, yes, Photo Finish knows,” Photo Finish replied with a dismissal wave with her hoof. She gave Glamour a big smile. “But think of the potential. The possibilities! You, my dear Glamour, can be the biggest thing in Equestrian fashion! Now, change for me!” Glamour blinked. “Um, what?” “Change for me! I, Photo Finish, want to see the real Glamour!” “Um…” Glamour looked at Prim, and she got a nod in response. Seeing nothing wrong with showing her changeling form to two ponies that already knew about it, she went ahead and dropped her disguise. As soon as the green flames revealed her changeling form, Photo Finish was upon her immediately. “Fascinating… So exotic!” Photo Finish said, her hooves invading Glamour’s personal space. Trying to ignore Photo Finish’s uncomfortable inspection, Glamour looked back to Prim. “So, uh, what do you think, Miss Hemline?” Prim shrugged. “Other than this being my first time seeing a changeling up close, it does not really matter to me that much. If Princess Twilight says you’re not a threat, then I trust her judgement. Just make sure you don’t go around scaring ponies.” “Uh, right, I promise I won’t do that. So what will I be doing once my suspension is over?” “Photo Finish and I will be using the time leading up to that to figure out something. We’ll have to play it safe though, so I can’t promise you’ll get the same amount of attention and exposure you had before this incident.” Glamour nodded. “I understand. I’m just glad that the both of you are giving me a chance, and I—Photo Finish, can you please not poke me there?!” “But this is prime material right here!” Photo Finish replied, continuing her poking of Glamour’s body. “It’s a crime to have such inspiration bottled up here! If only I, Photo Finish, could show off your uniqueness! Oh how life can be so cruel for a brilliant artist!” “Not much we can do about it now,” Prim remarked. “At least if there comes a day when changelings are accepted into Equestrian society, you’ll be the first photographer to have a changeling model.” “But of course. I, Photo Finish, am a pioneer of the arts, and I shall lead the way for changeling fashion when the time comes!” Photo Finish proudly proclaimed, raising her hoof into the air in triumph and, to Glamour’s relief, ceasing her poking. “Now, I must go and finish the preparations so that my shining star will have her triumphant return. And now, I go!” Photo Finish rushed out, leaving Glamour alone with Prim again, and she looked down at the magazine still in her hooves. “Er, I think she forgot her magazine.” “Just keep it as a souvenir or something. She can easily grab one of the thousands she’s probably going to go print right now, and I have no interest in it,” Prim said. Glamour nodded as she shifted back into a pony and rolled up the magazine in her hoof. “Again, I need to thank you, Miss Hemline, for giving me a second chance.” “I would be lying if I said I was doing it just out of the kindness out of my heart,” Prim replied. “I am passionate about fashion, but I am also running a business. When Princess Twilight revealed that you were a changeling when she questioned me and Photo Finish, I almost fired you on the spot. Photo Finish, however, recovered from the initial shock and exhibited a great deal of excitement. We could not agree on what to do with you, so we decided to suspend you instead. “I’ve been spending my time since our return to review your files and carefully weigh the pros and cons on keeping you. When I first allowed you to work with Photo Finish, I figured that you were going to be trouble. Turns out, I was right. But your work with Photo Finish has gone really well, and more ponies have shown interest in our shows since your first magazine feature. So despite your complicated situation, I would be a fool to let such a valuable asset go.” A rare smirk graced Prim’s face. “And if changelings happen to be accepted into society, then having the first changeling model will be a valuable boon.” Glamour slowly nodded. It felt a bit odd knowing that being a changeling actually helped her case for once, but she was not going to complain about it. “I’ll, uh, try not to let you down, Miss Hemline.” “See that you don’t,” Prim replied as she put Glamour’s file away. “That’s all the business I have with you at the moment. I’ll send you another letter when I find something for you to do. Unless you have any questions, you may leave.” “I’m fine, Miss Hemline. Thank you for your time.” Glamour politely bowed her head to Prim and then proceeded to the door. “Actually, there is one more thing, Miss Glamour, that I need to say to you.” Glamour flinched a bit, but she calmly turned back around to face Prim. To her surprise, Prim took a breath and gave her a smile. It was small, but it had a bit of warmth in it, and it was a sight Glamour could not recall ever seeing. “Business matters aside,” Prim began, “I do have to say I admire your tenacity, Miss Glamour. I might not know what you’ve been through, but I can imagine it was not easy, and I suspect that it will continue to be like that for a while. Yet despite all your difficulties, you’ve shown that you are dedicated and are willing to put in the hard work to achieve your goals, and I respect that. I might not always like what you may do, but I do hope things will work out for you.” “Th-thank you, Miss Hemline,” a wide-eyed Glamour replied. She remembered receiving praise from Prim once or twice, but it was laced with a condescending, sarcastic tone and ended with a threat. This time, the praise was filled with nothing but sincerity. “I will continue to keep my eye on you,” Prim continued. “But not just to make sure you don’t cause trouble, but because I’m genuinely interested to see what you may have in store for the future. I look forward to it. Keep up the good work.” “Thank you, Miss Hemline,” Glamour said again, but more heartfelt and with a wide smile on her face. “I’ll be sure to do just that.” “Good. Now go, I have my own work that I need to get to.” Glamour exited the office and proceeded down the hall with a giddy grin upon her face. Unable to contain her excitement, she stopped in the middle to let out a squeal of delight and started hopping with joy. Today was proving to be a great day. Prim Hemline and Photo Finish both seemed to accept her as a changeling and were willing to give her another chance. Not only was she excited about getting to model again, but the prospect of being able to work with Coco again was easily the best part. Glamour gasped when she was reminded about something, accidentally releasing the magazine into the air. She almost fell flat on her face to catch the magazine in her mouth. In all the excitement, she had forgotten that Coco was waiting for her at the front desk. She resumed her trotting, heading through the building until she arrived in the lobby area where Coco was speaking to Grace. She trotted up to her friends with the magazine still held in her mouth. “Oh, Glamour, how was the meeting? Did you also see Photo Finish? She ran by not too long ago.” Coco asked when she noticed her approach. She tilted her head slightly when her gaze focused on the magazine. “What’s that you have there?” Glamour smiled, and she set the magazine down on Grace’s desk, making sure her friends could not see the cover yet. “I think the meeting went alright, and yes, I did see Photo Finish.” She slid the magazine toward her friends. “She left me this, and I think it should give you a good idea on what happened in my meeting.” “What? No way!” Grace cried out, grabbing the magazine first and flipping through it until she found the article page so that she and Coco could read. Glamour’s grin widened as she watched the smiles grow on Coco and Grace’s faces. “Glamour, this is wonderful news!” Coco cheered, looking up from the magazine to give her a smile. “You get to be a model again! I’m so happy for you!” “Part of the reason is because of how well I have been doing before all the, uh, things happened. They also think that me being a changeling would be useful in the future.” Grace gave off an amused chuckle. “Figures. You certainly would cause a lot of buzz if they play their cards right. But still, congrats to you. I bet that getting your job back is a big relief for you. I know that modeling literally puts food on your plate for you.” Glamour nodded. “Yeah, I can feed without having to lie to ponies, or at least not much. But what I’m really looking forward to is being able to model for Coco again.” She paused to turn her head to Coco. “That is, um, if that’s alright with you, Coco. I really do enjoy modeling for you.” Coco nodded with a soft smile. “Of course, Glamour. I know things are still a bit awkward between us, but I would be delighted to make dresses for you again.” A grateful smile formed on Glamour’s face. “Thank you, Coco.” Grace’s eyes darted back and forth between Glamour and Coco. “So you two are still doing the ‘just friends’ thing?” “Yes, we are, Grace,” Coco replied. “After everything that happened, we decided it was better for us to play it safe, at least for the time being.” She glanced down at the diamond hanging around her neck. “Maybe after this whole necklace thing is over and when things calm down we can see if I’m ready to try a relationship again.” “And you’re alright with that, Glamour?” Glamour slowly nodded. “I don’t want to push Coco into anything. I’m fine with just being friends, as long as we’re able to stay together. ” Grace shrugged. “Well, whatever floats your boat, I guess. As long as you two are happy, I’m happy. I’m guessing you two are heading to the theater really soon, huh?” “We are,” Coco answered. “Are you sure you can’t come with us? I got backstage passes for all of us, and it’s the first show of the season.” “I wish,” Grace said with a sigh. “But Prim already gave me some extra time-off when I was helping you two out. I need to catch up on my work.” Her mouth slowly grew into a smirk. “That is, unless somepony can take my place. Somepony that can look exactly like me.” “No,” Glamour immediately replied with a flat stare when Grace turned to her and started waggling her eyebrows. “It was worth a try,” Grace remarked with a snicker. “You two go and have fun. Don’t worry about me.” After saying their farewells to Grace, Glamour and Coco made their way to the theater. Since Coco had to get there early, they concentrated on hurrying their way through the crowded streets. When they arrived at the theater, they saw that a long line of ponies had already formed in front of the ticket booths. With how popular many of the theater’s previous shows had been, it was no surprise to see that so many ponies were eager to see the upcoming one. Glamour herself was also excited to see the show. Not only was it going to be her first time watching a theater production, but she had seen many of the costumes Coco had made back home, and she was going to be able to see them in action. They were admitted through the staff entrance, and Coco got to work as soon as she stepped into the backstage area. Glamour followed Coco around, lending an extra hoof whenever it was needed, as Coco made sure each costume was all ready. Glamour was pleased to see that many of the other theater workers seemed to hold her friend in high regard. Even if Coco was still a bit shy, her peers paid attention to her whenever she wanted to say something, no doubt because of her kind nature and all the hard work she contributed. Eventually, Coco finished inspecting all the costumes and helping the performers into them. With her part done, Coco led Glamour to the back where they could watch the rest of the preparations without getting in the way. Glamour’s ears flicked when she heard a familiar, growing noise from the other side of the curtains. The theater was being filled to capacity with ponies, meaning that the show was going to start soon. “I’m really looking forward to finally seeing your costumes on stage,” Glamour said. “Thanks for getting me a backstage pass.” “It’s no problem, Glamour,” Coco replied with a small smile. “I did say I wanted to bring you when everything was ready. I’m glad that I was able to do that because we were able to, um, resolve our issues.” Her smile disappeared, and she glanced down at her necklace as she touched it with her hoof. “Well, at least most of them.” “It’s been tough, but we’re slowly getting back to the way things were,” Glamour replied, her gaze also fixing on the necklace. “I’m sure with enough time, we’ll work through our problems and put it all behind us.” Coco continued staring and fiddling with her necklace. “I hope so.” “Hey, what’s going on?” a theater worker asked out loud as he walked past them. Glamour and Coco watched the worker until he joined a small crowd of ponies that had gathered on the sidelines of the stage. Moving a bit closer while still staying out of the way, they saw that the curtains were still closed, but there was a curious top hat that would be a few sizes too big for most ponies lying in the center of the stage with a spotlight shining right on it. “Is the show already starting or something?” one worker asked. “It shouldn’t be,” replied another worker. “There’s still some time left, and nopony has announced it.” “Then why are we staring at a hat?” “Because there’s something really fishy about it. Somepony said they saw it just appear out of thin air, and the director said it wasn’t part of the show. We tried to get rid of it, but the thing feels like it weighs a ton.” Suddenly, a loud voice boomed from the top hat. “And now, mares and gentlecolts, presenting a show that you will never forget!” While the thunderous applause of the audience reached her ears, Glamour’s eyes widened with fear. “W-wait, I know that voice…” The top hat suddenly jumped high into the air. From the hat’s bottom, Discord slid out, wearing a gray suit with white stripes. He had a red sash to hold up his gray pants that reached down to a set of formal black shoes. A dark-gray cape draped around his back, and a large red bow hung from his neck. When Discord’s feet landed on the floor, the top hat neatly plopped onto his head, covering his horns. “Discord?! What is he doing here?” Coco asked out loud. With a smirk on his face, Discord raised his claws into the air in a spreading motion, parting the curtains. The audience’s applause quickly died out when they saw the chaotic creature, and the sound of ponies gasping and confused murmurs filled the air. Discord bowed, as though he was performing, and took off his hat. He flew to the front of the stage, placed his hat on the floor, and pulled out a magician’s wand. His smirk grew into a more sinister form as he tapped the hat with his wand. The top hat violently shook for a moment before a large, cloaked figure rose from the bottom of the hat. When the mysterious figure stopped growing, it was as tall as Princess Celestia, and two dull-red hands emerged from the cloak to rip it off. Startled cries and gasps as an entirely new creature now stood on stage. The intruder had a pair of arms and a body like a minotaur’s, but the bottom of his torso merged into the body of a tall pony with dark-gray fur. Glamour had never seen anything like it before, but the bodily features of the creature matched the descriptions of stories she had heard about. She was looking at a centaur. The centaur’s face had a large goat’s beard, and he wore a thick iron hoop as a nose piercing with matching bracers around his wrists. A gold triangular necklace with an etched decorative sigil was around his neck, and short, black horns emerged from the top of his head. Even though the centaur looked a bit old and frail, Glamour’s instincts were screaming at her to run away. “Coco, we need to go!” Glamour urgently whispered. “W-what? What do you mean?” Coco asked. “I’ll explain later,” Glamour grabbed Coco’s hoof so that she could pull her away from the impending danger. “We have to—” Glamour yelped when Coco’s necklace glowed and knocked her back. She flew a few yards away from Coco and roughly landed on the ground, sliding along the floor until she hit the wall with a groan. “Glamour!” Coco cried out, rushing towards her. She reached out with a hoof, but quickly pulled it back. “I-I’m sorry, but you startled me when you grabbed me.” Glamour grunted and got up. “It’s alright. We really need to go though.” She saw that a few ponies had looked back at the commotion she caused, but they soon returned their attention to the much larger thing on stage. “But what’s going—” The screams of the audience filled the air, causing Glamour and Coco to look to the stage. Beams of magic were shooting out of the bodies of everypony and feeding directly into the centaur’s mouth. Glamour’s blood ran cold, swiftly realizing what was going on. He’s draining everypony’s magic! “W-what’s happening?” Coco winced in pain and brought a hoof to her head. “Why do I—?” “Coco, we need to go! It’s not safe here!” Glamour was glad that she had been knocked back by the necklace. Judging by the ponies that were standing on the sidelines and were now passed out on the floor, she and Coco were far enough to escape the worst of the centaur’s magic drain, however, it seemed that it was starting to affect Coco. To make matters worse, Glamour saw that the centaur was slowly turning his head in their direction. “He’s coming for us! Run!” Coco shook off her daze and nodded, and they rushed through the staff entrance. They emerged into the streets and immediately began running away from the theater. Coco tried yelling at everypony they passed to run, warning them that there was a monster, but all she got were weird looks. When they reached the end of the block, an explosion was heard behind them. They glanced back to see that the centaur had bursted through the theater’s doors. To their horror, it seemed that the magic he drained had allowed him to grow in both height and strength. He was noticeably taller, his previously thin arms were thicker, and the horns on his head had grown longer, curving upwards. “Run!” Glamour cried out again when the centaur started to move through the streets in their direction, rapidly draining the magic of everypony nearby. As they tried to get away from the centaur, Glamour checked on Coco, who was doing her best to follow right behind her. Coco was clearly scared. Her eyes were wide with fear, and Glamour was pretty sure the rapid breathing was not only because of their running. It pained Glamour to see Coco like this, but with the centaur growing more and more powerful by the second, there was nothing she could do except try and lead her friend to safety. Running through the crowded streets was difficult for Glamour and Coco. It did also slow down the centaur, but that was only because he would pause to steal everypony’s magic. Eventually, the crowds began to thin out as word that the centaur was rampaging through town was spread. However, even with everypony running around, the centaur’s reach was getting longer, allowing him to drain any pony he could find with ease. No matter where Glamour and Coco ran to, the centaur remained in their sights, almost as if he was trying to chase them down. Glamour took another look at Coco, and her brow furrowed with concern. Coco was panting heavily and coughing, and it seemed like she was about to stumble over at any moment. She guessed that despite Coco’s earth pony stamina and being able to stay ahead of the centaur, some of her strength must have been sapped back at the theater. They could not run away for much longer, especially since the centaur was slowly closing the gap between them. They needed to hide. “Come on, let’s cut through here!” Glamour urged, guiding Coco to a backstreet. She hoped that this way would be better than running around in the open streets and give them enough time to hopefully find a hiding spot. Just as they made it to the middle of the backstreet, there was a sudden flash of light right in front of Glamour. Blinded by the light, she yelped when she ran into something. Whatever she hit felt slightly wet, and it caved into her weight like rubber for a brief moment before snapping back into place and knocking her onto her back. “Glamour, are you okay?” Coco promptly asked. “Yeah,” Glamour replied after a groan. She got back on her hooves and blinked several times, hardly believing at what she had run into. “Jello?” A giant block of green jello completely blocked their way. It towered high above them, making it impossible for them to climb over. Glamour wondered where the bizarre obstacle came from, but she knew they had to get moving again. She supposed that she could try turning into a changeling and try to carry Coco over the jello, but she was not exactly at full strength, and she would need some rest before she could attempt it. The only options she could think of was to go back the way they came from or try and dig their way through the dessert. “Come on, let’s just go back and…” Glamour turned around and halted in her tracks to find Discord with a plate made of jello with jello on top and a fork made of jello. He was also sitting in a chair made of jello. Glamour groaned. She should have known where the wall of jello came from. “Why hello there, you two! Fancy meeting you here!” Discord cheerfully said as he daintily used his jello utensils to carve a thin slice of jello before throwing the whole set into his mouth. “Discord!” Glamour angrily cried out. “What have you done?! Who is that centaur, and what is he doing?!” “You mean Tirek?” Discord got up from his jello chair and kicked it away, shattering like glass when it hit the ground. “Tirek is just a visitor from a distant land, but Celestia and Luna, the prudes they are, didn’t really think his plans of stealing all of Equestria’s magic was all too nice, so they imprisoned him in Tartarus for a couple of centuries.” Discord paused to stroke his goatee in thought. “Or was it a couple of millennia…” He shrieked when his beard popped off, and he hurriedly stuck it back on his chin. “And you freed him?!” an incredulous Glamour shouted. “Oh no. He was able to escape by himself. Actually, the princesses sent me to find him, but when I did, he made such an enticing offer that I could not refuse. I help him regain his powers, and I get to play around and spread chaos without having to worry about any frowny princesses or rainbow lasers of doom.” “But I thought you were reformed!” Coco spoke up. “What would your friends think of this?” “Friends? You mean Twilight and the others? Oh please,” Discord said as he rolled his eyes, which he promptly retrieved from the ground and popped them back in his head. “You pull a couple of pranks, and then suddenly everypony thinks you’re dangerous. I can’t do anything without getting a disapproving glare or a boring lecture in return. Twilight and the others might say they’re my friends, but they merely tolerate me and are just keeping an eye on me.” “Even Fluttershy?” Coco asked. “Rarity did mention that you were a lot closer to Fluttershy.” The smile faded from Discord and was replaced by a remorseful frown. He let out a huge sigh and snapped his fingers. A flash of light later, he was lying down on a floating red fainting couch with the back of one of his claws resting on his forehead. In a loud, dramatic voice, he bellowed, “Oh, woe is me! Sweet, innocent Fluttershy! Why must I be so weak!? I cannot bear to let her see me like this!” “I guess that’s a no then…” Coco said with a disappointed sigh. Discord snapped his fingers again, and the couch disappeared while he continued to float in the air. “On the contrary, I know very well that she would not approve of what I’m doing, and I admit that I’m not looking forward to when I have to confront her.” He pulled out a picture of Fluttershy with a crude, crayon drawing of himself glued right next to her. “Fluttershy is the only one who has ever shown me true compassion and kindness, and she is also the first friend I ever made. Believe it or not, I do like hanging around with her.” “Then why are you doing all of this if her friendship means that much to you?” Glamour asked. The picture disappeared from Discord’s claws with a flash. “Because I’m Discord, a spirit of chaos. While this whole friends business has been a pleasant change of pace, having to restrain my chaotic urges has been a real pain. I cannot change who I am.” He pointed at Glamour. “Just like you cannot, my little buggy.” Glamour reared back a bit from Discord’s claw. “W-what do you mean by that?” “Oh come now, it’s not that hard to understand. You might be able to change what you look like, but you cannot change who you are on the inside. Whether you like it or not, you have to feed on love. “You see, after our little introduction back in Ponyville, I’ve been keeping tabs on you in hopes of some quality entertainment. While your little magic display during the Equestria Games was pretty neat, I was disappointed to find out that you were exposed by a simple disabling spell. I expected a lot more action! At least add in some explosions! Everything’s better with explosions! And there was so much talking, and sulking, and…” Discord shuddered. “Feelings…” “Your point?” Glamour asked with an annoyed glare. “The ponies did not take it really well when they found it who you really are. Face it, we both have urges that make ponies fear us, and that’s why we will never fit in with ponies.” “N-no! That’s not true!” Glamour cried out. “It’s been difficult, but I’ve found a way to survive without hurting ponies, and my friends have accepted me even after they found out who I really am!” Discord’s eyebrow rose, and he had to push it back down when it started flying up into the air. “Are you sure about that? From what I heard, that necklace your marefriend is wearing keeps you in check. If she has truly accepted who you really are, why hasn’t she asked Twilight for one that gives you a bit more freedom, hmm?” “Well, she’s… um…” Glamour bit her lip. “Glamour…” Coco uttered softly. “I… I’m sorry, but I really am trying…” Glamour nodded at Coco. “I know you are. Don’t worry. I know I can’t change who I am or my urges, but I can choose how to deal with them. I won’t leave you.” Discord groaned. “Fine, whatever. If you want to keep deluding yourself, then go right ahead. As for me, I take the initiative. I’d say sacrificing a bit of friendship is well worth being able to do what you want.” “Discord! Where are you?!” a booming voice filled the air. “And it looks like our talk has come to an end. Tirek has gotten curious about that little spike of magic the two of you put out back at the theater. I tried to tell him it was nothing, but the guy is a bit of a glutton and can’t help himself. Be right back!” Discord snapped his fingers, and he appeared at the beginning of the backstreet, holding up a giant neon sign of an arrow pointing in the direction of Glamour and Coco. A few moments later, Glamour could feel the ground start to shake. Discord appeared again in front of them. “Oh goodie! The big guy still wants to see you! He’s coming right now!” His face turned serious. “I highly suggest that you do as he says, or else I fear somepony will get hurt. And just to be clear, when I say somepony, I mean you two.” Discord suddenly smiled maniacally again. “Now, I must be off now so that I can have a bit of fun before Tirek says it’s time to go. Ta ta, my little ponies!” Discord vanished in a burst of light at the same time Tirek appeared at the entrance to the backstreets and started stomping towards them. Now standing at more than twice the average pony’s height, Tirek had grown into a more fierce version of the frail-looking centaur that had been on stage not too long ago. His arms were now a menacing bright-red, and they started to bulge with muscles, along with the rest of his body. Every step he took made cracks spiderweb from his hoof, and Glamour could feel the air change from the stored magic within the centaur. “So, you two are the ones I’ve been chasing?” Tirek boomed. He stared at them for a second before nodding. “Yes, I can sense there is something different about you two.” Glamour gulped and moved herself in front of Coco. “S-stay back! We don’t want any trouble!” Tirek only gave her an unamused look, and an orb of swirling fire appeared over his head as hums of magic began ringing through the air. Glamour cried out in pain when she felt her entire body being squeezed, and she was lifted toward Tirek. She tried to break free while Coco yelled out at her, but she could barely move an inch in Tirek’s magic. Brought up to Tirek’s face, Glamour’s futile struggles increased, doing her best to squirm away when Tirek leaned in to scrutinize her. Tirek let out an annoyed scoff. “You’re no pony. You’re one of those parasites that feed off the energy of others.” Glamour cried out again when the hold on her suddenly disappeared, and the distance from Tirek’s head to the floor was lofty enough to make her hiss in pain when she hit the ground. “You are of no use to me. Begone, insect,” Tirek commanded Glamour before turning his gaze to Coco. “You, however, are of at least a little bit of use to me.” Glamour scrambled to her hooves when she heard Coco scream. She swiftly turned her head to see Coco wrapped in a ominous, orange glow and was being lifted into the air. “You leave Coco alone!” Glamour yelled as she aimed her horn at Tirek. Glamour shot a green beam at Tirek’s face, making him drop Coco. With her opponent stunned, Glamour helped Coco back up on her hooves, and they ran past Tirek to safety. Or at least that was what Glamour had hoped would have happened. Instead, all she got were a few sparks to spurt out of her horn before it completely fizzled out. Glamour stared up at her horn in silent horror, and even the fearsome Tirek stopped his rampage of terror to look down at Glamour with wide eyes. “G-Glamour…” Hearing Coco’s call, Glamour looked up, and her eyes widened when she saw that Coco’s necklace was glowing. She had completely forgotten that the necklace would also neutralize any of her spells that were considered dangerous. Tirek’s bellowing laughter filled the entire backstreet. “So this is the anomaly that I have been chasing? It’s just a set of spells meant to shackle a puny insect to a worthless pony! What a pathetic sight!” Coco cried out when Tirek reached for her with a hand. “Hey, stop that!” Glamour tried to ram into one of Tirek’s legs, but she was easily swatted back. Tirek ripped the necklace from Coco’s neck, and without any sign of effort, he clenched his hand into a fist. The sound of glass shattering rang through the air, and when Tirek reopened his hand, the crushed remains of the necklace fell to the floor. The green diamond was now nothing more than a few gray shards. “There, a small gift from one being to another who had been subjugated by the worthless ponies,” Tirek told Glamour. “Do not waste this act of mercy I generously gave you and leave.” Glamour knew that even with the necklace no longer blocking her spells, she stood no chance against Tirek. She was being allowed to walk away, but by doing so, she would have to leave Coco behind. She did not know specifically what Tirek would do to her friend, but it was certainly something harmful, and she refused to see Coco get hurt. “What are you planning, insect?” Tirek asked when Glamour did not move. “I… I’m not leaving Coco,” Glamour replied. “Give her back, or else I will make you.” “Glamour, don’t!” Coco urged as she struggled in Tirek’s grasp. “It’s too dangerous!” “I know, but I swore to protect you, Coco. I know it’s a long shot, but I have to try.” Tirek howled with mocking laughter. “This is just too rich! The insect that feeds on love had actually fallen in love! A worthless ideal that—” Glamour suddenly shot a big, green bolt of fire at Tirek. She knew that she could not do much against the centaur, but she hoped that the element of surprise and the amount of magic she put behind her spell would at least daze him long enough for her and Coco to get away. The magic bolt hit Tirek directly in the face, but to Glamour’s immense dismay, Tirek did not even flinch and shot an unamused glare at her. Glamour yelped as she was once again picked up in Tirek’s magic, and she was brought up to look directly into his baleful eyes. “You are becoming a nuisance. Are you really so foolish to choose to fight me for the sake of a pathetic pony?” Tirek questioned. “Coco is not pathetic!” Glamour shouted back. “She’s a wonderful pony that means the world to me, and I would gladly risk my life to protect her!” Tirek’s eyes narrowed. “Then consider your life forfeit.” Glamour gasped in pain, feeling Tirek’s hold on her tighten. As the squeezing intensified, she found that it was getting hard to breathe, and she swore she could hear her bones cracking. She could hear Coco screaming her name and begging Tirek to stop. As her vision started to fade, she noticed that Tirek was turning around as she was helplessly moved through the air. With a mighty roar, Tirek made a throwing motion with his arm, and Glamour screamed when she was propelled forward at the same time the magic holding her was released. “Glamour!” With Coco’s shout rapidly fading behind her, Glamour flailed her hooves as she was sent flying high into the air at a frightening speed. Out of desperation, she shed her pony form to try and use her changeling wings to regain flight, but the injuries she received from Tirek had made it impossible for her wings to flap hard enough to control her flight. Glamour’s eyes bulged when she saw the buildings below her were starting to grow bigger. She desperately tried to think of a plan, any plan. Just as she was moments away from colliding with a tall building, she chanted “Come on, come on, come on,” as she tried to channel all of her remaining magic into a spell. Green flames flooded her vision right before she crashed into the building and then there was nothing but darkness.