A Change In Fashion

by Kevinltk


Chapter 11: Hang Over

Pain.

That was the first thing Glamour felt in her head as she regained consciousness.

Groaning and moaning, she clutched the blankets draped over her and curled herself into a tight ball, keeping her eyes shut in an attempt to sleep away her troubles. However, it soon became apparent that her headache, the clamminess of her body, a nasty taste on her tongue, and other discomforts were not giving her any rest.

With another loud groan, Glamour slowly opened her eyes, only to see nothing but darkness. She rubbed her eyes with her hooves, but when the darkness lingered, she began to panic. Throwing off the blanket, she quickly sat up, only to clutch at her head and groan as the pain in her head spiked and a bout of dizziness hit her.

Softly whimpering, Glamour sat back down, on the mattress she awoke on until the pain and dizziness ebbed. Slowly, she let her hooves drop back to her sides and turned her head. Her ears perked up as she tried to hear anything in the darkness that would clue her in to wherever she was and how she ended up in this sorry state.

A few seconds later, she turned enough to notice a bit of light coming in from the bottom of a doorway behind her, revealing some very familiar carpeting. She was tempted to smack her face into her hoof when she realized she did not go blind and was just in the dark.

Rolling off the bed and onto the floor, Glamour shakily got up on her hooves and made her way to the light. She reached out with a hoof and felt along the wall next to the door until she found a light switch and flipped it.

Glamour let out a yelp as a sudden surge of light banished the darkness. The burning in her eyes felt worse than what she dealt with in her first show, and she quickly closed her eyes, lest she really did go blind. Slowly, she reopened her eyes, letting them adjust to the light, and saw that she indeed was in her windowless room. While she was glad to find that she was not in any danger, she wondered why she did not remember going to sleep, nor much of last night.

That was when a tension from her lower body told her to think later and address her body’s need. Now.

Glamour stepped out of her room and after glancing at Coco’s closed door, she turned left and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

A flush of the toilet later, Glamour finished relieving one of her discomforts. She still felt groggy and grimy, so she went over to the showerbath. Her horn lit up, only to be extinguished a second later when her headache throbbed. Grumbling over how awful mornings can be, she used her hooves to fumble with the faucet handle until she got it to turn, and a stream of water started rushing out of the faucet and into the drain.

Glamour yawned as she waited for the water to warm up, and her eyelids began drooping until they closed shut. She probably would have fallen asleep standing and flooded the apartment if her head did not also dip down, the sudden movement jerking her awake. Shaking her head, Glamour guessed enough time had passed, stepped into the tub, and flipped the diverter to turn on the shower.

A few seconds later, Glamour let out a shriek when she realized her hooves did not do a good job, and she was blasted with a torrent of cold water. She tried to scramble out of the tub, but one of her hooves slipped on the wet surface. Resorting to her tried and true method of flailing her hooves, she grabbed onto the shower curtain. A series of clinking sounds rang in the bathroom as the curtain hooks broke, falling with Glamour to the bathroom floor.

Glamour moaned and writhed on the tiled floor as her headache became an everythingache. But at least she was awake now.

“Glamour, are you alright in there?” came Coco’s voice from the other side of the door.

“F-fine, just fine,” Glamour replied, trying her best to not groan.

“What was that loud thud I just heard?”

“N-nothing! I uh, I just knocked something over.”

Coco was silent for a few seconds before replying, “Well, alright then. Take your time. I’ll prepare you something to eat when you get out.”

Glamour let out a sigh of relief when she heard Coco’s hoofsteps depart, and she tried to get back up. To her dismay, she was stuck. The curtain had wrapped around her, trapping all four of her hooves inside like a pony burrito. With her headache still present, she kept her magic as a last resort, and she started squirming, trying to free herself from the curtain cocoon.

Glamour was glad that Coco had not come in to see her in such a compromising situation, and she imagined she probably looked ridiculous as her struggles started rolling her back and forth across the bathroom floor. Finally, after what seemed like forever, one of her forehooves slid out of the prison, allowing the rest of her body to swiftly follow it to freedom.

Not wanting to risk another round of hypothermia, Glamour turned off the shower and grabbed a towel from the nearby rack. She went over to the sink, turned on the water, and then made sure she turned on the hot water. As she waited for the water to heat up, she leaned in to run her hooves under the running water and splash her face. She also took the opportunity to drink some water, swish it around, and spit it back out to wash away some of the unpleasant taste stuck in her mouth.

The water had heated up enough at that point, and Glamour thoroughly soaked the towel before using it to rub her body. She let out a contented sigh as she felt the warmth seep into her body, soothing her aches. The heat even helped clear up her addled mind a bit. She had to reheat the towel twice before she went over her whole body.

Although she was still not feeling like her usual self, between the adrenaline rush from the cold water and her warm towel bath, she was feeling a lot better from when she first woke up. Putting the towel back on the rack and making a note to herself to fix the shower curtain later, Glamour exited the bathroom.

“Good morning, Coco,” Glamour greeted her friend who was preparing something in the kitchen area.

Coco chuckled softly. “It’s actually the afternoon, Glamour.”

“Wait, really?” Glamour turned her head to the window, and sure enough, she saw the sun was well past its highest point. “I really slept that much?”

“Considering what happened last night, it’s not that big of a surprise. How are you feeling?”

“A bit dizzy and lightheaded. I think I’m slowly getting better, but um, what did happen last night?”

Coco froze for a moment before slowly turning around. “You don’t remember?”

“Um…” Glamour’s face scrunched up as she tried to dig through her memories. Eventually, pieces of last night started to come back to her. “Oh right, we went out to dinner at… Le Fine.”

“Le Foin.”

“Right, that. We got a private table, we talked a bit after we ordered, then the food came. Yeah, I had that curry and uh, mos… moscato. They were good, but… I don’t think I remember if I finished eating or not.”

“Not really. To put it simply, you got drunk, Glamour.”

“Oh, okay.” A few seconds later, Glamour’s eyes widened. “Wait, I got drunk and passed out?!”

“Well, more like fell asleep. It’s a good thing moscato doesn’t have that much alcohol and that you nodded off before you drank too much. Otherwise, you would probably be feeling a lot worse.” Coco moved from the kitchen counter, bringing a plate of toast and a glass of water to the table. “Here, this will probably help you feel better. At the very least, you should drink some water.”

“Um, thanks,” Glamour replied as she sat down at the table and went straight for the water. She did not realize how parched she was until she actually felt the water go down her throat, and she ended up gulping down most of the glass. “Wow, I really needed that,” she said as she set the glass down.

Coco picked up the glass and refilled it at the kitchen before placing it in front of Glamour again. “Drinking plenty of water should help you recover faster, so make sure to drink a lot.”

Glamour nodded and took another sip before asking, “So, if I was out of it, how did you get us home?”

“High Brow eventually came in to check on us, and when he saw what happened to you, he was very nice. He helped me get you onto a cab. After driving us to the apartment, the cab driver was nice enough to also help me get you to your room.” A frown appeared on Coco’s face. “I’m very sorry, Glamour, I should’ve been keeping a closer watch on how much you drank. It was your first real time drinking wine.”

Glamour shook her head. “It’s not your fault. I should’ve known better.” With a sigh, she mentally added alcohol to the list of pony substances that affected changelings. First white chocolate mocha and now moscato, Glamour wondered why all the fun drinks she liked to binge on could knock her out.

“Well, I um, sort of need to apologize for another thing. You see, since you said it was your treat, I kind of didn’t bring any bits with me. I know I didn’t have your permission, but I had to use your bits to pay for dinner and the ride back, not to mention a generous tip for both High Brow and the cab driver for being so nice to us.”

Glamour shook her head. “No, Coco, that’s perfectly fine. I wanted to treat you to a good time but…” She let out a long sigh. “I should be apologizing to you for ruining the night.”

Coco sat down next to Glamour. “There’s no need. Even though things didn’t go as expected, last night was wonderful. The restaurant was beautiful, the food was great, and I had a lot of fun with you.”

“Even when you had to carry me home?”

A small laugh came from Coco. “Well, let’s just say that part was different and interesting.”

Glamour rolled her eyes. “Well, as long as you had a good time… So, did I do anything else that I should be concerned about?”

“There is one thing I want to ask you, if that’s alright…”

“Of course, what is it?”

“Um… while we were eating, we ended up talking about you moving out again. Do you remember any of that?”

Glamour’s ears drooped a bit as she slowly shook her head. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. I pretty much told you I liked having you living here, and then I was happy to hear that you really liked it as well. You went on to say some really nice things about me.”

“I would hope so. You’re a pretty amazing friend.”

Coco’s cheeks reddened just a tiny bit. “Um, thanks. Anyway, there was one thing you said, right before you fell asleep, and it’s been nagging me ever since.”

Glamour could feel the fake fur on the back of her neck raise up. “Uh, w-what did I say? It wasn’t some sort of secret, was it?”

Coco blinked. “Um, no, not really. You actually said something about not wanting to leave.”

“I did?”

Coco nodded. “Right after we said how much we liked spending time with each other, you told me you didn’t want to leave. Does… does that mean you don’t want to move out?”

“Well… Coco, I’m not sure we can take everything I said so seriously. I was drunk, after all.”

“Maybe, but alcohol does lower your inhibitions, so it’s not unheard of for ponies to blurt out their true feelings. Are you absolutely sure you don’t want to stay?”

Glamour sighed. “Coco, I do like living here with you, honestly, but I can’t stay here.”

“Why not? It’s not like I’m asking you to leave, and it seems like you aren’t so sure yourself.”

“But I am staying here without paying anything. It’s not fair to you, especially now that I have bits.”

“And I already told you before that I’m fine with it, and it’s not like you are just loafing around. Even with your work as a model, you still take the time to regularly clean the place up.”

“But… Wait, why are you so insistent all of a sudden?”

Coco’s eyes widened as red flooded into her cheeks. “Um… You see…”

“Is it because you want me to stay?”

“I just… Maybe…” She looked away, and her next word was uttered quietly. “Y-yes…”

A shiver ran through Glamour’s body. Coco’s answer was a bit of a surprise, but it was not what caused her to flinch. She felt a spark, like a warm, tingly feeling. It felt somewhat familiar, but as fast as it came, it had disappeared. She tried to detect the oddity again, but it did not return.

“Glamour?”

“Oh sorry, Coco,” Glamour apologized, dismissing the spark as a side effect from the alcohol. “I was just a bit shocked to hear your answer.”

Coco sighed and used one forehoof to rub the other. “I really enjoy having you around here. And I just thought if you aren’t sure if you want to leave, I don’t see why you can’t stay, at least for a little longer.

“I can’t explain it, but things just seem better when you’re around. But…” Coco bit her lip and then shook her head. “No, I’m being selfish. I shouldn’t be trying to change your mind, especially when I said I was okay with it yesterday. I’ll be fine, I just…” She paused for a moment and then let out another sigh as she got up. “Could you give me a few minutes?”

Glamour remained silent and nodded as Coco went into her room. She wondered what got Coco to act like this all of a sudden. Seeing her friend like this worried Glamour, and she began pondering if maybe moving out was not the best idea.

She was a changeling, and everything would only end in disaster if anypony found out. Getting her own place would offer her the safety and privacy she needed to keep her disguise. Living with another pony, like Coco, would only complicate things and endanger her career and life. She did not want to return to a life of hiding and running. She had to move out, to ensure her survival. It was the logical thing to do.

But that would mean she would be by herself again. After fending for herself for so long, it was a big change when Coco entered her life and became her friend. Not only was Coco there to help look out for her, Glamour really enjoyed spending time with her friend.

Even though it would still be possible for them to see each other every day after she moved out, the idea of not being around Coco as much made Glamour feel a bit uneasy, and she wondered if she really would be thinking of moving out if she was not a changeling.

Glamour groaned, and her face met the table. She already had a debate between what she wanted and what she needed, and she thought she had settled on the right thing. But now, she had to start all over, this time adding Coco’s feelings into the equation.

She wished this conundrum had come up earlier, before she got too attached to Coco, then this would have been a lot easier. A second later, she felt guilty for even thinking of such an awful thing.

Glamour’s face remained glued to the wooden surface, one question hanging on her mind.

Was risking everything she had worked for worth staying with Coco?

Glamour was not sure how long she stayed there, but after a while, she made up her mind and got up. It was obvious that Coco was not coming out anytime soon, so she went to Coco’s room to inform her friend about her decision.

“Coco, can I come in?” Glamour asked as she knocked on her roommate’s door.

“Come in,” Coco’s voice replied.

Glamour opened the door and went into the room. She caught a glimpse of Coco stashing away something into a drawer, but she pretended not to notice. There was something more important that needed to be addressed.

“Hey, Glamour. Sorry for not coming back out. I lost track of time with… my thoughts.”

“It’s alright. I used the time to think about what I should do, and I think I’m going to—”

“Wait,” Coco interrupted, raising her hoof for silence. “Before you say anything, I want to apologize for how I was acting. I guess with how few friends I have and after what happened with Nutmeg, I like to keep my friends close. I think I’m just scared that when you move out, we would start to slowly drift apart.”

A small smile appeared on Coco’s face. “But I should know better. After all the times we spent, helping each other, and having fun, we’ve developed a strong bond with each other. A little distance would not end our friendship. So, I just want to let you know that if you do move out, we’ll still be friends, and you’ll always have a place here.”

“Well, I’m happy to hear that, Coco,” Glamour replied with a smile of her own. “And you don’t have to worry. You’re the best friend I ever had, and I have no intention of letting our friendship die out.”

“I’m glad,” Coco replied, her smile growing a bit wider. “So uh, when are you going to start searching for a place?”

“Uh, yeah, about that. I’ve been thinking about it, and I was wondering, would it really be alright if I could maybe stay?”

“You… You want to stay now? Why did you… Wait, please don’t tell me you’re doing it because of me.”

“It kind of is, but I want this as well. With all my traveling, I became used to living alone. I thought having a place of my own would help me feel safe. Well, I kind of have that right now, with the room you gave me, and you’ve been great at giving me my privacy. On top of that, I get to stay close to you. Between having what I need and both of us wanting to stay together, I think it would make us both happier if I just stayed.”

“A-are you sure? You really want to stay?”

Glamour nodded. “I’m sure, but I do have one condition, if I’m going to be staying.”

“What? What is it?”

“I have bits now, and I’m staying here by choice, so I will be sharing in all the bills.”

“But—”

“And don’t try to talk me out of it. It’s only fair. What else am I going to spend my bits on? Moscato and white chocolate mocha?” Glamour blinked. “Actually…”

Coco giggled and walked toward Glamour. wrapping her hooves around Glamour’s neck in a hug. “I’m really glad you changed your mind, Glamour. Thank you for staying.”

“I’m happy too,” Glamour replied, returning the hug.

As they lingered in their embrace, Glamour felt that mysterious spark again, but it faded away before she had a chance to investigate it.

“Oh, Glamour, one more thing I want to ask you,” Coco said as they pulled away from each other.

“Yes?”

“Why was the shower curtain on the floor?”

Glamour blinked a few times. “Yeah… About that…”