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// Fulfillment of a Wish 
// Story: In the Background of the City 
// by Zeck 
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	“So, I hope you aren’t upset about this,” Rarity said sheepishly. “I’m not trying to back out of our deal, honest. It’s just…I feel that Coco here deserves this opportunity more than I do. She has wonderful talent with sewing and design. And I’m certain she’s more than capable of filling in for me. Now that she’s out of Suri’s shadow, I feel she needs a chance to shine. Just once, and then she’ll be amazing. And this seemed like the perfect opportunity for her.”
Fancy Pants frowned, but on the inside he was smiling. Rarity’s generosity had worked flawlessly, and because of that, Fleur and Fancy Pants had finally managed to get what they had been hoping for. 
“Hm…you do seem to have confidence in her,” Fancy Pants said, looking Coco over. She was as stiff as a statue, and her eyes were focused straight ahead. Sweat was starting to form on her brow. “But what if I insist on having you?”
“Then…then I will stay, of course,” Rarity said, trying to hide her disappointment. “It’s just, I think Coco would benefit from this more than I would.”
“That’s very generous of you, Miss Rarity,” Fleur said. “Are you certain though, that Coco can handle this responsibility? She did, after all, work for that dreadful mare before. I am not so certain her heart will be in the right place.”
“Oh, I am positive she can fill in for me,” Rarity said, turning and smiling at Coco, who was still looking ahead, terrified. “Manehattan seems to have finally rubbed off on her in the right way.”
“Very well then,” Fancy Pants said. “You take care now, Miss Rarity. Have a safe trip home. Miss Coco, a moment of your time, if you please.”
Rarity waved goodbye and left the room. It was only then that Coco moved.
“Uncle, what’s this about?” she asked. “You never told me that Rarity was the costume designer! If I had known you were the friend, I don’t think I would have taken the job.”
“And why not, my dear?” Fancy Pants asked as he rubbed his niece’s head. “You have a marvelous talent, and this is the perfect opportunity to test it.”
“It’s just…I wanted to make it on my own,” she said, looking down at the floor. “I didn’t want other ponies to think I was getting special treatment because of you and Auntie Fleur.”
“My dear little Hot Coco,” Fleur said and she wrapped her forelegs around Coco’s neck. “You have done an excellent job of keeping your family ties secret, and far be it from use to spoil your ruse now.”
“And we’re not giving you anything,” Fancy Pants said. “You earned this. Rarity may not seem like it, but soon she will be well known throughout the fashion world. The fact that she picked you to fill her shoes is a great honor. It speaks volumes of your talent if Rarity thinks you are good enough to take over. You must have impressed her with those…designs.”
“Um, yes,” Coco hung her head and kicked the floor “about those…I didn’t—”
“We know, my dear,” Fleur said. Coco stopped kicking the floor and just hung her head.
“And yet, Rarity still showed you a kindness,” Fancy Pants said after a moment, hoping the lesson was sinking in. “Manehattan does not have to be the type of city Suri made it out to be. You do not have to be the pony Suri was trying to make you into. You can be yourself in Manehattan; the kind, caring pony we know you are. And are very happy to have back.”
Coco looked up and smiled, tears coming to her eyes. “Thank you, Uncle. I’ll do my best to honor Rarity’s gift, and remember what she taught me.”
“I would expect nothing less,” Fancy Pants said. 
“I even gave her a present as a thank you gift,” Coco said, her eyes brightening as she spoke. “That rainbow thread you gave me when I first started out. It…seemed like the right thing to do. I don’t know why though.”
“Interesting,” Fancy Pants said, and this time he meant it.  That spool of thread had been a puzzle to him for many a year. When Coco had first discovered her talent in fashion, he had thought she was meant to have it. But she had never used it much, saying that it didn’t feel ‘right’ when she did. Fancy Pants had told her to hold onto it until the time was right, though he had been halfway joking when he had said that.
Now though, he wasn’t so sure.  He wondered if Coco had just set some unseen event in motion.
“Dear, you have that look again,” Fleur said, snapping Fancy Pants out of his thoughts.
“Right, terribly sorry,” he said. “Well then, shall we get started? Fleur and I have come up with some lovely concepts, and we would love to have your input on what you think will work. You have a lot of work ahead of you, dear.”
“I won’t let you down,” Coco said, smiling a smile that Fancy Pants and Fleur had not seen in a long time. “I promise.”