“Glamour, I’m back!”
Glamour, who was seated on the couch, looked up from reading a book. “Hey, Coco. Everything go alright at the theater?”
“Yes, it did, thankfully.” Coco set down her saddlebags and moved over to the couch. Letting out a loud sigh, she let herself flop onto the cushion next to Glamour.
“Are you alright?” Glamour asked with a concerned frown.
“I’m fine, Glamour. Thanks for asking. I’m just tired.”
“Not surprising. You’ve been working nonstop for the past few days to fill in for that other sick designer. You didn’t even take a day off after you turned in your order. It’s a good thing Photo Finish hasn’t given us any new stuff since the fashion show.”
“Well, the good news is that the theater really appreciated the extra work I did, and they gave me some time off. While it would be nice to just relax for a bit, it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.” Coco got back up, went to her saddlebags, and took out a thick clasp envelope. “This was in the mailbox when I got back.”
Glamour took the parcel from Coco and looked it over. At the bottom-right side was her name in plain print, and the large, flowery script on the top made it clear that the package was from Photo Finish. “Guess I spoke too soon. Sorry about your break, Coco.”
“It’s alright, Hopefully, it won’t be a big order this time. Go ahead, open it.”
With her magic, Glamour cleanly sheared off the top of the envelope and flipped it upside down. Her jaw almost hit the table the same time a magazine slid out of the envelope because she quickly recognized the title from her cramming session at the library. Back then, the issue had Fluttershy on the cover, but this time, the pony on the cover was none other than herself.
“Oh, wow…” Glamour slowly picked up the magazine and stared at the close up picture of her face. She had a small smile, and her mane covered a little bit of her right eye as her head was turned slightly to the left. Although she knew Photo Finish was going to put her pictures in a magazine, it was still awe-inspiring to see her face, or at least her disguised face, plastered on the front cover.
“The magazines must be ready to be distributed if Photo Finish sent you an advance copy,” Coco said as she turned the magazine in Glamour’s hooves toward her for a better look. “You look beautiful, Glamour.”
“Oh, um, thanks.” Glamour could feel her cheeks warm up a bit.
Based on what happened during the photo shoots, Glamour actually was a bit nervous, guessing that the magazine was just full of photos of herself in all sorts of embarrassing positions. To her surprise, when she flipped to her section, she did not feel embarrassed at all.
Despite all of Glamour’s falling, hiding, hanging, and other awkward stances, Photo Finish had managed to get the right lighting, angle, and timing to capture the perfect moments and turn her impromptu accidents into amazing poses. It was a bizarre mix of clumsiness and elegance that almost made it look like Glamour knew what she was doing.
“These look fantastic,” Glamour said as she continued to turn the pages, marveling at the work Photo Finish put into her pictures. With all the full-page pictures of her that were put in, her section ended up taking up almost half the magazine. “I had my doubts about how the pictures would turn out, but after seeing this… just wow.”
“I have to agree with that. It makes you look innocent and endearing. Which you are in reality,” Coco added with a tiny chuckle. “Photo Finish did a great job. Oh, but we must not forget all of your hard work. All those poses and positioning were really tough work. A big reason that these pictures turned out great was because of you.”
“And a big reason that these pictures turned out great was because of you,” Glamour repeated with a smile.
Coco’s gaze went from the pictures of Glamour to the Glamour beside her. “Me? B-but I didn’t do anything…”
“You didn’t?” Glamour turned back to the first page of the section and pointed to a line under her name. “Dress designs by Coco Pommel.”
“But that’s just a small thing.”
“Then what about getting me into my first show so Photo Finish would see me? Or how about taking me into your home? Point is, Coco, I wouldn’t have made it this far without you. Even if you or other ponies don’t see it, I’ll always appreciate all that you have done for me.”
“Oh, uh, you’re welcome,” Coco replied, a smile and a blush spreading out on her face.
Glamour chuckled, closed the magazine, and tossed it back onto the table. Checking the envelope again, she found a folded letter inside, as well as a smaller, rectangular piece of paper.
Using her magic, she extracted the two objects, unfolded the letter, and let it float in the air so that she and Coco could read it at the same time.
Glamour,
The fashion show was a big success! Ponies are clamoring for more of our magnificence! I, Photo Finish, have enclosed an advanced copy of the magazine that shall spread your famous face across the land like a wildfire!
In the meantime, while the ponies bask in our glorious pictures, you are to prepare for your next shining moment. I, Photo Finish, have talked to Hemline and have entered you into the Fall Fashion Fantasia.
This is your chance to outshine all the other models and really show Equestria how fantastic we are!
Until you can meet me again,
Photo Finish
“Huh, she’s just as lively in writing,” Glamour could not help but say as soon as she finished the letter. “I guess you’ll have to make a…” She paused when she saw that Coco was staring blankly at the letter, her mouth hanging slightly open. “Coco?”
“The Fall Fashion Fantasia…” Coco muttered, her eyes still glued to the floating paper.
“Coco? Is there something wrong with the show?” When Coco did not answer, Glamour waved a hoof between Coco’s eyes and the letter. “Hellooo?”
Still not receiving an answer, Glamour rolled up the letter and placed it back on the table before nudging her friend. “Hey, you alright?”
After a bit more prodding, Coco finally shook her head and turned to Glamour. “S-sorry, I just was a bit shocked.”
“It’s alright, but what happened? You seemed to be hung up on the Fall Fashion Fantasia. Is there something special about that show?”
Coco nodded. “The Fall Fashion Fantasia is actually a contest. One of the biggest in Manehattan, in fact.”
“Oh… But that’s not so bad, right? It would let you really show off your talent as a designer.”
“No… Well, yes, but… With a contest as big as that, many of the best designers in Manehattan will be participating. I’m not sure if I’m ready to compete yet, but I’m more worried about one designer that I’m sure that will be there.”
“And who would that be?”
A long, drawn-out sigh came from Coco before she gave her answer. “Suri.”
A scowl flashed across Glamour’s face. “Oh, her. Coco, you don’t have to worry about her.”
“It’s not just me I’m worried about. I’m afraid after what happened at your last show, she’s going to set you in her sights as well. You went through so much to get to where you are now. I don’t want all of your hard work to come crumbling down just because you got dragged into my issues with Suri.”
“If she knows what’s good for her, she’ll stay away from us,” Glamour replied, resisting the urge to growl.
Coco shook her head. “You don’t know her like I do. Suri is crafty.”
“I can handle whatever she tries on us. I've got a few tricks I could do if she crosses us.”
Coco tilted her head. “Like what?”
Glamour blinked a few times. “Uh, well, I got stuff and…” She looked down at the table and saw the small paper that she had not inspected yet and quickly grabbed it. “Oh yeah, there was one more thing Photo Finish sent me. Let’s look at it!”
Coco’s brow furrowed a bit. “Glamour, what did you mean about… Oh my…” Her eyes widened when she looked at the paper Glamour was also gawking at.
Glamour never had that many bits during her travels, nor did she have much use for them, but even she could recognize that the small paper in her hooves was actually a pay check. A very large pay check.
“That’s… that’s quite a lot of bits,” Glamour uttered, looking at the large number next to Photo Finish’s signature.
“Um, yeah, it is. That’s more than I usually make in a few months.”
“Wow… I guess it makes sense, given Photo Finish’s prestige. So, um, what are we going to do with it?”
Coco turned to Glamour with a confused look. “We?”
“Well, yeah. I mean, half of it is yours.”
“What? No, Glamour! That check is meant for you!”
“But what about all the dresses you made for me?”
“Even if I did charge you, it would not add up anywhere near half of what Photo Finish paid you.”
“Then what about letting me stay here?”
“That’s still not enough, especially since you have been such a big help with the chores and my work. Glamour, really, I appreciate what you’re trying to do for me, but I can’t accept all those bits. You should use those bits for…” Coco’s voice trailed off.
“I should use my bits for what?”
“For… For your own place… You have more than enough to get your own place now.”
“Really? Oh, um, well, that’s great. I get my own place, and you get your whole apartment to yourself again.” With their busy schedules, Glamour had forgotten that she should have been searching for a place for herself. Now that she had received her first paycheck, she could go and do just that. For some odd reason, though, she thought she would have felt more relieved or happy. Instead, it felt like there was a small lump in her chest.
“Yeah, um, great,” Coco said softly, her gaze dropping to her hooves.
Glamour frowned. “Is something wrong?”
Coco’s head quickly shot back up. “Oh, I’m fine. Just fine.”
“Come on, Coco. Talk to me.”
“Really, Glamour, there’s nothing you have to worry about.”
“But I am going to worry, because I can tell there’s something bothering you. You can tell me. It’ll make us both feel better.”
“It’s… um… I knew you living here was only supposed to be a temporary thing. I just didn’t expect it to end that fast.”
Glamour rubbed the back of her neck. “Y-yeah, me too. Time flies when you’re enjoying yourself.”
“I’ll admit that I’m a bit sad that you’ll be leaving, but it’s just a spur of the moment thing. I will get over it soon. It’s not like you’re moving out of Manehattan, and we’re still friends.”
Glamour smiled. “Of course. I had a really great time living here with you, and I’m definitely going to miss this place. But it’s not like I’ll be far. Even though we might not be living together anymore, we can still easily visit each other, not to mention our work with Photo Finish.”
“That’s true. I’m just going to miss having you around. The place has been more lively and fun since you moved in.”
“Well, it’s not like I have to leave right away. I need time to find a place, so we still are able to do stuff together like go shopping or having dinner.” Glamour paused for a moment as an idea came to her. “In fact, I got a great idea. Why don’t you let me take you out to a nice dinner? I was thinking of that place Cappuccino was talking about. Um, Le Fine?”
“It’s Le Foin, but you really don’t have to do that, Glamour. Places like that are expensive.”
Glamour waved her paycheck in the air with her magic. “I think I can afford one nice dinner. This is a thank you gift from me to you. Besides, after working so hard for the theater and Photo Finish, you deserve some fun and relaxation. With the Fall Fashion Fantasia coming up, I doubt we’ll have a lot of free time until it’s over.”
“You do make a good point, but we could pick someplace less extravagant.”
“It’s like you said some time ago, sometimes you just need to treat yourself. Come on, Coco, I really want to do this for you. If it makes you feel better, I can skip a couple of meals to even out the cost. I’m supposed to watch my figure, right?”
Coco giggled. “No, you don’t have to do that. But you’re right. We should enjoy the time we have while we can, and I suppose you do have some spare bits now. If you insist on treating me to dinner, then I would be honored.”
Coco got off the couch and started heading to her room. “And based on what Cappuccino said, we’re going to need to dress up a bit.”
Glamour chuckled as she saw a smile bloom on Coco’s face. Tonight was going to be fun.
“Did you see the face of that pony when I showed him the check?”
“Oh yes, I think the poor dear was new and didn’t know what to do with such a big check. I thought he was going to faint.”
Glamour and Coco shared a laugh as they exited the bank. Glamour’s sizeable paycheck had caused a bit of a commotion among the employees when they saw how much it was worth, and it was amusing to see their reactions until one of the higher-ups came over to personally take care of her. It was not long after that before Glamour was set up with her first Equestrian bank account and walked away with enough bits for dinner and any purchases she decided to make in the near future. She found it interesting to see how attentive the bank employees became after they saw the check, and they even gave her a small, complimentary sling pouch to carry the bits she withdrew.
With bits in tow, Glamour and Coco headed straight for Le Foin. As they weaved their way through the evening streets and crowds of Manehattan, Glamour took another look at the dresses she and Coco were wearing.
Back at the apartment, Coco laid out a selection of dresses they could wear. While there were so many choices, Glamour was drawn to a set of one piece dresses that all had the same design, differing only in their colors. They had no frills, decorations, or special stitches, but the elegance was in their simplicity. In Coco’s words, sometimes less was more.
Wanting something easy to wear and thinking it would be kind of fun, Glamour suggested that they both pick from the matching dresses.
Glamour liked the way her blue dress looked, but her attention was fully affixed on Coco and her dress. Coco had taken off her collar to put on her red dress, and the color matched the red petals in her flower hairpin. Even if it was a simple change in clothes, it was the first time Glamour had seen Coco dress up, and she could not stop staring.
Coco glanced at Glamour, and upon noticing her gaze, turned her head and tilted it. “Is something the matter, Glamour?”
“Oh, uh, no. I was just getting a good look at how you look in your dress. It’s funny. I have already worn so many of your creations, and yet this is the first time I have seen you wear one yourself. You look absolutely amazing in it.”
The smidge of pink that appeared on Coco’s cheeks matched her dress well. “Um, thank you, Glamour. You look beautiful as well, as usual. This is actually the first time I’ve dressed up for… well, a really long time. I was either too busy or too shy to really go anywhere that needed one.”
“Well, I hope tonight will make it worthwhile.”
Coco smiled. “With you, I’m sure it will.”
Eventually, they arrived at Le Foin, a two story corner building with its name adorning the large awning above its gilded doors. There were tall windows next to the entrance, but thick, purple drapes blocked their view of the inside.
Lighting up her horn, Glamour opened the door, letting Coco enter the restaurant first before following right behind her.
A “Wow” escaped Glamour’s mouth when she saw the interior of the restaurant. The whole place was bathed in a dim, warm light coming from a series of ornate chandeliers. In the waiting area they were in was a fountain with a life-sized earth pony statue standing up on its hind legs and water shooting out of the vase it held in one of its forehooves. Tall, marble pillars lined the walls, along with pictures and paintings of breathtaking sceneries from around Equestria. The place was so outstanding even the lush carpet felt soothing on Glamour’s hooves.
“This place is incredible, but do you think we can get a table?” Coco asked. “It looks like they’re full.”
Glamour took another look around and saw that Coco seemed to be right. Every table was filled with ponies, many of them dressed up more extravagantly than what they were wearing. “Well, there’s nopony in the waiting area, so there probably is a table somewhere. That or we just have to wait a bit. Let’s ask.”
They went over to a nearby stallion wearing a black and white waiter uniform and standing behind a podium. When they got close, the stallion bowed his head and greeted them.
“Good evening, and welcome to Le Foin. How may I help you?” the stallion asked with a slight accent.
“Do you have a table for two?” Glamour asked.
“Do you have a reservation?”
“Um, no, we don’t.”
“Then I’m afraid that we won’t be able to seat you tonight.”
Glamour felt her insides twist a bit. “W-what?”
The waiter bowed his head again. “My deepest apologies, madam, but we’re booked solid for the rest of the night. You could try waiting, to see if somepony cancels, but I would recommend that you make a reservation for another day instead.”
“Oh… I see…” Glamour bit her lip. “Could… Could you give us a moment?”
“Of course.”
Glamour sighed as she and Coco went to sit at a nearby bench. “Well, so much for treating you to a nice dinner. I’m sorry, Coco. I should have known that a place like this would be busy.”
Coco patted Glamour’s shoulder. “It’s alright. Sometimes these things happen, and I appreciate the gesture.”
“So, what do we do now? Do we go somewhere else, or do you want to try again another day?”
“Let me think about what’s around here.” Coco brought a hoof to her chin.
“Excuse me, but are you Glamour?”
Glamour turned to the new voice to find an earth pony mare in a similar waiter outfit as the stallion at the podium, but she also wore a golden brooch on her uniform. “Yes, I’m Glamour.”
The mare smiled. “Oh good, I thought I recognized you. I was at your fashion show a few days ago, and I must say you were quite amazing. You are very different from all the other models.”
“Um, thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed the show, Miss… uh…”
“Oh, my apologies. I forgot my manners.” The mare bowed. “I am Fine Cuisine.”
“Nice to meet you, Miss Cuisine.”
“Just Cuisine will be alright, and it is my pleasure to meet you, Glamour. Do forgive me, but I overheard that you did not have a reservation for tonight?”
“No, we didn’t. This is our first time here, and we didn’t realize it would be so busy.”
“Yes, I’m afraid that is a pretty common occurrence, but luckily, there is a table open for you, if you still wish to dine here.”
“Really? But I thought the place was full.”
Cuisine chuckled. “That may be, but the owner can easily fit you in.”
“Oh, are you close with the owner?”
Cuisine chuckled again. “Miss Glamour, I am the proud owner of Le Foin.”
“Ohh… Uh, well, then that would be great if there’s a table.” Glamour looked at her friend. “Coco? Is that alright with you?”
“Um, well, that does sound wonderful, Cuisine, but you don’t have to go to so much trouble. We know that all the tables have been booked, and we would not want to take another pony’s place.”
Cuisine chuckled. “You do not have to worry about that. We actually try to keep one or two of our private tables open for special guests, and a rising model of Photo Finish definitely qualifies as a special guest. It would be our honor to serve you.”
Receiving a nod from Coco, Glamour replied, “Then we would be happy to stay.”
“Excellent,” Cuisine said with a smile as she was hoofed two menus from the stallion at the podium. “If you’ll follow me, I will lead you to your table.”
Glamour and Coco followed Cuisine as she left the waiting area, turned to the right, and up a carpeted spiral staircase. Upstairs was just as lavishly decorated and full of ponies as downstairs, and Cuisine continued to lead them through the floor and into the back where there was a thin, purple curtain.
“This is one of our finest tables, and I hope it is to your liking,” Cuisine said before pulling back the curtains, revealing a small alcove with a table for two. A painting of a couple sitting underneath a tree and looking out at the sea was mounted on the wall, and above them was a miniature version of the elaborate chandeliers that hung above the rest of the restaurant.
“This is very lovely. Thank you so much, Cuisine,” Coco said as she and Glamour took their seats.
Cuisine hoofed them their menus and then produced a smaller one from a pocket, offering it to Glamour. “To express my gratitude for choosing this restaurant and as an apology for the delay at the waiting area, please feel free to pick out any bottle of wine to enjoy with your meal.”
“Oh, um, thanks,” Glamour replied with a forced smile. A quick glance at the menu only gave her an eyeful of names she could not even pronounce. Chuckling sheepishly, she slid the wine menu across the red tablecloth. “Um, Coco, do you have a suggestion?”
Coco gave her a smile before looking down at the list. After a few seconds, she asked, “Would it be alright for us to have the white moscato?”
“Certainly, I will send that up, along with our best waiter.” Cuisine took back the wine menu, bowed, and then waved a hoof at a pullstring near the curtain. “Now, I must be going, but if there’s anything you need, please pull on this, and somepony will be with you shortly. In case I don’t see you two again, let me thank you again for choosing Le Foin, and I hope you enjoy your meal.”
With one last bow, Cuisine departed from their alcove, drawing the curtains close behind her.
“My goodness, this place is amazing,” Coco said as she took another look at their private table. “I can see why Cappuccino was so excited about coming here with her fiance. We’re lucky that Cuisine came along before we left.”
“I’m still surprised that they let us have this special table just because I was in a fashion show,” Glamour replied.
Coco giggled as she picked up her menu. “Believe it or not, Glamour, your work with Photo Finish is kind of making you into a celebrity. You’ll probably see more of this when the magazines go on sale. Ponies can get pretty excited when they’re around somepony famous, and it wouldn’t surprise me if you start getting adoring fans coming to you just for an autograph.”
“Wait, wait, wait, are you saying that if I go take a walk, I’m going to get adoration from random ponies?”
“I’ve seen that happen to some of the more popular actors in Bridleway, so it’s a possibility the same could happen to you.”
“Wow… That’s a lot of adoration.” Glamour was already doing pretty well with the adoration from the fashion shows, but the thought of getting even more adoration from just taking a stroll was making her wonder why more changelings had not tried being a model before.
Then she remembered the soul-crushing Prim Hemline, Photo Finish’s antics, and too much blush.
“Good evening, madams.”
Glamour squeaked and almost fell out of her chair as she was jarred away from her thoughts.
Coco smiled at the stallion who had just entered. “Good evening to you too, sir.”
“Your bottle of white moscato.” The stallion was holding up a tray with the bottle, two wine glasses, and what seemed to be a metal helix attached to a handle big enough for a hoof to fit through. He was wearing the same waiter uniform as the pony in the waiting area, but Glamour found her attention drawn to his face, in particular, his eyebrows. They were so bushy, hiding most of his eyes, and she wondered if the stallion could actually see out of the forest of hair.
“I am High Brow, and it is my privilege to serve you two tonight,” the waiter said before he placed the glasses in front of Glamour and Coco. In one swift motion, the waiter slipped his hoof into the helix’s handle, jammed the metal into the bottle’s cork top, and pulled out the cork with a loud pop. He then gripped the opened bottle in his hoof and tilted the bottle slightly, allowing barely a sip's worth of an almost-transparent liquid with a white tinge to drip into Coco's glass.
Coco picked up her glass and slowly tasted the paltry amount of wine. She then nodded at High Brow with a smile. "It's perfect, thank you."
"Excellent, madam." High Brow proceeded to quickly fill up Coco and Glamour's glasses with the wine and then set the bottle on the table. Not a single drop had stained the red tablecloth.
High Brow then took out a notepad from a pocket in his uniform, along with a quill. “Now then, is there anything else I can get you, or are you two ready to order?”
“I’m ready to order, are you, Glamour?” Coco asked.
“Uh, yeah, sure,” Glamour replied, quickly picking up her menu and skimming through it.
“Then I’ll try the eggplant involtini,” Coco said, pointing at her menu.
“Excellent choice, madam,” High Brow said with a nod, scribbling her order down. He then turned his attention to Glamour. “And what will the other lovely mare have?”
“Uh… I will have…” Glamour tried to quickly find something, but with the two ponies staring at her, she let out a sigh a few seconds later and pointed at a random picture. “I’ll have this.”
“Ah, a pony with exotic tastes.” High Brow nodded as he wrote down Glamour’s order before taking the menus from them. “I will put your orders in right now. Please, feel free to call on me if there’s anything you need. Miss Glamour, thank you again for dining at Le Foin, and I hope you and your marefriend will have an excellent evening.”
Glamour’s eyes widened as she felt the temperature in her cheeks spike. Before she could correct High Brow’s mistake, the stallion had already departed through the curtains.
Laughing nervously, Glamour checked Coco’s reaction and saw that her friend’s face was redder than the dress she was wearing.
“Uh, heh. Th-that was pretty funny, right?” Glamour forced a couple of chuckles out of her throat. “H-he actually thought we were um, m-marefriends.”
“Y-yeah, that… that’s pretty funny.” Coco was doing her best to not look at Glamour. “I-I guess I can see why he was mistaken though. I mean, we are at a really fancy restaurant, and since we’re wearing matching dresses…”
“Oh, right…” Glamour wanted to bury her face into her hoof. “I didn’t think that would happen. I’m sorry, Coco.”
“N-no, it’s alright,” Coco quickly reassured, finally looking at Glamour. The red in her face was slowly fading away. “I thought it would have been fun too, and it was an innocent mistake.”
“Y-yeah, right, just a mistake.” Glamour chuckled again, this time not feeling as forced, as she rubbed the back of her neck. “I really do like you, Coco, but uh, not like that.”
Coco giggled, and the tension in the air started to rapidly disappear. “I really like you too, Glamour. Even though we aren’t um, marefriends, I do feel closer to you than I felt with anypony else.”
Glamour smiled. “Me too. I really like spending time with you, and I hope we can continue being friends for a really long time.”
Coco picked up her wine glass and raised it toward Glamour. “Then how about a toast to our friendship?”
Glamour’s smile shrunk a bit, knowing full well what Coco wanted. Slowly, she picked up her own glass in her hoof and gently clinked Coco’s glass. “To our friendship.” She watched Coco bring her drink to her mouth and take a sip before staring down at her own glass.
“I’m guessing you never really had wine because of your traveling,” Coco said, getting Glamour to look back up at her.
“I got a few chances, but…” Glamour frowned. “I can’t say I really liked it. Sorry.”
“No need to apologize. Wine is sort of an acquired taste for many ponies, and some never get into it. I already guessed you weren’t much of a wine pony when you let me choose, so I picked out something that you may like. If you feel like it, why don’t you give it a try?”
Glamour looked down at her wine again. Several of the ponies she impersonated were offered wine, and she had to drink to keep up her appearance. So far, there has not been a single time where she had enjoyed wine.
Now, she was being offered it again, by her friend, nonetheless. The wine Coco picked out did look and even smelled different than what she had tried before, and Coco did say she might like it. Since she trusted Coco and didn’t want to hurt her friend’s feelings, Glamour figured what was one sip? At worst, her tastebuds would writhe in agony for a few seconds.
Glancing up, Glamour saw that Coco was leaning forward a bit, no doubt waiting for her verdict. With a small smile, Glamour raised her glass to Coco again, saying “To friendship”, and raised the glass to her mouth.
Barely more than a few drops entered her lips before she retracted the glass, and she smacked her lips. To Glamour’s surprise, as the tiny amount of alcohol hit her tongue, she actually found the liquid to be a bit sweet.
Glamour took another drink, this time a proper sip, and got the same sweetness wash over her tastebuds as a brief warmth spread through her insides.
“Hey, I like it!”
Coco let out a sigh of relief. “Oh thank goodness, I thought that I had picked the wrong thing.”
“How did you guess I would like this um… mossy?”
“Moscato. It’s one of the sweeter wines, and I know you like sweets. I also figured you weren’t that experienced with wines, and moscato is pretty light and easy to drink.”
Glamour took another sip. “Yeah, you made a good choice. I actually did try wine a couple of times during my travels, but they always tasted bitter to me. Some of them also kind of had that weird, burning feeling when I drank it, but this moscato is like a nice, warm, tingly, feeling. I could see myself drinking this all night.”
Coco laughed a little as she refilled Glamour’s glass. “I’m glad you like it, but be careful, Glamour. This wine might not have as much alcohol, but it can still affect you if you drink too much. We wouldn’t want another white chocolate mocha incident, would we?”
Glamour’s face scrunched up a bit, and she let out an exasperated sigh. “Yes, mother. I’ll try to be on my best behavior.”
That retort got Coco to giggle, which Glamour shortly followed with her own.
They calmed down moments before High Brow came back through the curtains, holding up a tray with their food. “Good evening again, madams. I trust that you two are having a pleasant evening so far?”
“Yes, we are. Thank you very much, High Brow,” Glamour replied with a smile.
“It is my pleasure. Now, I have your meals right here. I hope you find them to your liking,” High Brow said as he placed Glamour’s plate in front of her first. “Careful, Miss Glamour, it’s hot.”
Glamour curiously looked at the plate set in front of her. There was some yellow rice, but she was more interested in the bowl on the other side of the plate. It was some sort of thick soup in a light-brown color with chopped green onions sprinkled on top of it.
She thought about asking what she actually ordered, but the aromatic smell tantalized her nose and made her mouth water a bit. Guessing that her food would taste as good as it smelled, she kept her mouth shut to save a bit of face.
Looking at Coco, Glamour saw that her friend’s dish looked just as delicious. Slices of eggplant were wrapped around something she could not see and was covered in tomato sauce.
“Is there anything else I can get you two?” High Brow asked.
“No, we’re fine. The food looks delicious,” Coco replied.
“Very well then. Enjoy your meal.” High Brow bowed and left through the curtains.
Glamour picked up a spoon in her magic and used it to stir her soup, seeing that there were potatoes, carrots, onions, and other vegetables hidden in the thick liquid.
“Glamour, what did you order?” Coco asked.
Bringing a spoonful of the stew up to her face, Glamour’s eyes narrowed a bit as she scrutinized her meal. “I’m not sure, to be honest. I didn’t know what to order, so I just picked something that looked good based on the pictures.”
Coco stared at the dish for a few seconds before her eyes widened a bit. “Glamour, I think you ordered the—”
Glamour inserted the spoon into her mouth, and a delighted hum escaped her a moment later. She had never tasted anything that came remotely close. All she knew was that it tasted good.
“Dragonfire curry…” Coco finished with a frown.
“Why is it called dragonfire…” Glamour’s eyes shot wide open when the spices kicked in, and it became apparent that High Brow was not talking about the temperature when he said the curry was hot.
Sweat starting to form on her brow and panting loudly, Glamour opened her mouth wide, letting her tongue stick out a bit, as she tried to use her hoof to try and fan away the growing heat in her mouth. “Hot! Hot! Hot!”
“Um, uh, we need to get you something to drink!” Coco cried out as she quickly got out of her seat. “I’ll go and get you some—”
As soon as Glamour heard Coco say to drink something, she grabbed her glass of moscato and drained it in a few, quick gulps. She breathed out a sigh of relief as she set the empty glass down, feeling the burning on her tongue subside a great deal.
“A-are you alright, Glamour?”
“Y-yeah, I didn’t realize it would be so spicy.” Glamour poured herself some more moscato and took another sip. She saw Coco open her mouth but closed it shortly after. “Something wrong?”
“Um, no.” Coco sat back down in her seat. “I guess you’re feeling better after the moscato?”
“Yeah, it washed away most of the spices. I’m glad you ordered it. I can’t imagine what would’ve happened if it was a wine I didn’t like.” Glamour picked her spoon up again and stirred her curry.
“Wait, are you actually going to try to eat that again? We could ask High Brow to bring you something else.”
Glamour shook her head. “Despite what just happened, I still liked the taste. At least now I know what to expect, and I think if I eat it slow and with the rice, I’ll be fine. I don’t like letting food go to waste, especially if it tastes good.”
“Well, alright then, if you’re sure…” Coco kept her eyes on Glamour as she slowly picked up her fork.
Glamour spooned some of the curry onto her rice and gingerly tasted the mixture. To her relief, the heat was more bearable, and the curry actually tasted better since her mouth did not erupt into flames a few seconds later.
Soon afterwards, Coco began digging into her own food, and the two of them started enjoying their meal as they exchanged small talk.
Even though she was able to eat her meal without a repeat of her first bite, there was still enough heat in her curry to make Glamour reach for her moscato multiple times. Between the big gulp she had earlier and the frequent sips throughout her meal, Glamour's whole body started to warm up, and she was getting a bit lightheaded. While it felt a bit weird, it was an oddly pleasant feeling as well.
After taking yet another sip of her wine, Glamour realized that she and Coco had just been eating quietly for the past few moments. Looking across the table, she saw that Coco was almost done with her food, but for some reason, she was just staring at her. “Coco, are you done eating, or is there something wrong?”
Coco gave a small start then slowly shook her head. “No, sorry. I…” She paused for a few seconds before letting out a sigh and took a quick drink of her wine. “Actually, I’m not sure.”
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s just that I’m still a bit hung up over the news that you’ll be moving out soon. I know you’ll still be in Manehattan, but I’ve really gotten to like having you around the apartment. You’ve become such a good friend to me, always encouraging me, taking care of me, and putting a smile on my face. You even defended me from Suri, something that I am very grateful for.”
Glamour finished off the last bit of wine in her glass and started refilling it. “I liked living with you too.”
Coco remained silent, as if waiting for Glamour to speak some more. After a few seconds, she resumed talking. “Um, anyway, I guess it’s probably me worrying too much again, but it just feels like things are going to change after tonight, I just wanted to let you know that you’re a really special friend to me, and living with you has been some of the best days of my life.”
“I liked living with you too,” Glamour said again after yet another sip.
Coco frowned. “Glamour, you already said that.”
“Oh…” Glamour’s face scrunched up as she tried to focus her eyes on the slightly-blurry pony in front of her. “I like you.”
Coco sighed. “Glamour, how much moscato did you have?”
Glamour was silent for a while as she stared at her wine. “I don’t know.”
Coco sighed again and pulled the bottle out of Glamour’s reach. “Glamour, I think you had enough. You’re drunk.”
“No!” Glamour quickly retorted a bit loudly. She blinked a few times then apologized with a quiet “Sorry”.
“Are you feeling alright, Glamour?”
“Yeah, I’m fine… Fine…” Glamour could feel herself sway left and right, and she had to concentrate on staying in her seat. “But like I was saying, I liked living with you too. I never had a friend like you. Never had friends before you.”
“Really? You didn’t make one during your travels? What about your home before you started traveling?”
“No… Everypony too busy…”
“Oh… Glamour, I’m sorry. You must’ve been pretty lonely.”
Glamour nodded, which was followed by a yawn. Her eyelids starting to get a bit heavy, but she shook it off and stared at Coco.
“What is it, Glamour?” Coco asked.
“You’re a great friend, and I like being around you. You’re generous, talented, kind, and beautiful.” Glamour noticed Coco’s cheeks redden for some reason. “I like learning stuff from you. I like doing stuff with you. I like taking care of you. I like…” Glamour let out another yawn and this time, she could not keep her eyes open as her head dropped. “I like living with you. Don’t… wanna… leave.”
“Wait, Glamour, what do you mean you don’t want to leave? Glamour?”
All Coco got back as a response was a snore.