Glamour yawned as she and Coco walked through the entrance of the fashion building.
“Did you sleep alright last night, Glamour?” Coco asked, looking at her with concern.
“Sort of. You could say I stayed up for a while because of all the excitement,” Glamour replied.
“Oh, I know what you mean. I ended up staying up for a while as well. It’s still a bit hard to believe that we’re actually here.”
“Yeah, I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen. So, what do we have to do first? Pick up your dress?”
“I’m supposed to sign in at the front desk before that,” Coco answered. She led them to the front desk where Grace was busy sorting through her workplace.
Grace noticed their approach and nodded at them. “Hey, Coco. I got you signed in already. Normally, I would be telling you who your assigned model is, but it looks like you brought your own.” Her gaze fell upon the saddlebag Glamour was wearing, and she grinned. “I see you’re already putting her to work with carrying your stuff.”
“Actually, they belong to me,” Glamour pointed out. “Just a little something to help me get ready for the show.”
“Aww, and here I thought you were being the noble gentlemare for your marefriend.”
Coco nuzzled Glamour. “She’s already a noble gentlemare to me.”
Glamour chuckled and returned the nuzzle. “You know I would do anything for you, Coco.”
Grace groaned and rolled her eyes. “Okay, that’s enough of that. You two are so cheesy. I still think you guys are together just to torture me.”
“Well, we can assure you we are not.” Glamour smirked. “It’s just a nice bonus on top of it.”
“Haha, very funny,” Grace dryly replied. “But it’s serious time now. Everypony is gathering backstage. Apparently, Prim has something important to say. Heads up, she’s pretty grumpy today. Well, more than usual.”
“Did something happen?” Coco asked.
Grace checked to see if anypony was nearby and then beckoned both of them to come closer with her hoof as she leaned over the desk. “I’m not too sure,” she said in a whisper, “But I think somepony might have broken into the building last night.”
Coco and Glamour gasped, one a bit more authentic than the other.
“How do you know that?” Glamour asked.
“I overheard Prim talking with some of the security guards. Apparently, the backdoor took a bit of a beating, and a couple of things were knocked over in the hallways.” Grace put on a great, big pout. “What sucks the most is that when I came in today, I found my desk all messed up. I wasted a few good minutes putting everything back.”
Glamour blushed a bit and glanced away, knowing very well how much a pony in a hurry could forget to clean things up after a hasty search.
“Oh my, was it a thief or some sort of vandal?” Coco asked.
Grace shrugged. “I don’t know much beyond that. I’m guessing something did happen if Prim wants all of you to meet her backstage. I suggest you two hurry on up there. Oh, and good luck to you two.”
After saying goodbye to their friend, Glamour and Coco headed to the backstage area and found that many of the other competitors had already congregated into the area. The racks of clothing that were stored overnight were set up on the opposite side of the room and next to them were Prim along with a few security guards. It looked like Prim was talking to a few designers.
Glamour scanned the room full of ponies, and in the back corner, standing by herself, was Suri. The shifty mare seemed to be focusing her gaze on a pony for a few seconds before moving onto another. It looked like she was searching for a certain pony, and Glamour was pretty sure she knew who it was. She might have been successful last night, but she knew she still needed to monitor Suri and make sure she did not try anything else.
Despite the number of ponies in the room, there was not much going on. Some ponies were talking amongst themselves, but there were also quite a few ponies just standing around and eyeing each other. Coco tried to strike up a friendly conversation with a couple of ponies, but they never got past a few words. It reminded Glamour of when she first came to Manehattan and witnessed how abrasive some ponies were. In such a big competition as the Fall Fashion Fantasia, there was bound to be some tension in everypony, especially when it was only a mere hour away.
“Everypony, may I have your attention!” Prim’s voice rang out loud and clear after a few more ponies trickled into the room. “Please listen up, because I have something very important to tell all of you regarding the state of the competition!”
Everypony in the room quickly headed to Prim, forming a semicircle around her, and the noise level in the room quieted down to no more than a few whispers and murmurs.
“Now, you may all be wondering why we are all here instead of preparing for the show. Well, this morning, I received an anonymous tip from somepony, and after talking with a few of you, I can confirm that the message I received was true. Last night, somepony broke into the building and tampered with the entries that were stored here overnight.”
The crowd quickly burst into a clamor of gasps and concerned murmurs. A few ponies took the news a bit more harshly and quickly rushed for the racks, but they were held back by the security guards.
Glamour picked out Suri near the edge of the crowd and noticed that other than a frown, she seemed unperturbed by the situation.
“Quiet!” Prim demanded, instantly restoring order. “Now, I understand that many of you are worried, but I have been informed that not every entry was targeted. Furthermore, for those who have been affected, it appears that the damages done were minor and should be easily fixed. When you pick up your designs, I highly suggest you give it a thorough examination and make any necessary repairs.
“The show will go on, but I have made arrangements so that all of you will have more time to get ready. If, for some reason, you are unable to complete your repairs, please see me as soon as possible. Now, we must not waste any more time. Everypony, please retrieve your creations in an orderly manner and get to work. We have a show to do!”
Coco yelped as she was quickly shoved aside when everypony else rushed to the racks, but Glamour caught her and dragged her to the side where it was safe from the tide of ponies.
“Thanks, Glamour,” Coco said when she got back on her hooves. She let out a heavy sigh soon afterwards. “Do… do you think she was the one who broke in and did this?”
Glamour merely nodded and pointed across the room. There, Suri was just watching the ponies swarming the racks without any hints of worry or fear upon her face.
Coco sighed again and brought her hoof to her forehead. “Oh, Suri…” Her hoof slowly dropped to reveal her widening eyes. “Oh no… Th-the dress I made for you… What if she did something to it?” She stepped towards the crowd of ponies, but Glamour reached out with her hooves and pulled her back.
“Whoa, Coco. Be careful. You almost got trampled earlier, and I don’t want you getting hurt.”
“B-but I need to make sure the dress is alright,” Coco argued, squirming in Glamour’s hooves. “I want to give Suri the benefit of the doubt, but with how she sees me, it’s possible that she might have done more than some minor damage to it.”
Glamour was glad that she had the foresight to hide Coco’s dress last night. It seemed like everypony wanted to give it special attention. With a smile, she said, “Don’t worry about the dress. It’s alright.”
Coco stopped and looked at Glamour with a tilted head. “How do you know that?”
Glamour’s smile promptly disappeared. “Oh, uh… J-just a gut feeling, I guess.”
Coco’s eyes widened a bit in curiosity. “So you can somehow sense that the dress is safe?”
“Of course… Um…” Glamour’s eyes darted over to the clothes racks. “Oh look, the crowd’s thinning out. Why don’t I go get the dress for you?”
She quickly trotted away from Coco, weaving in between the ponies heading in the opposite direction with their creations. Right before she reached the racks, she grunted as somepony roughly bumped into her. She was barely surprised to see that the culprit was Suri, and she received a baleful glare before the pushy mare grabbed her own dress and trotted off.
Just you wait, Suri. Glamour huffed at the rude mare and then turned her attention back to the racks. It was a bit of a tussle to search for Coco’s dress amidst the hustle and bustle. Upon finding the familiar sticker of her marefriend’s cutie mark, she took the dress and made her way back to Coco.
As soon as it reached her hooves, Coco took the dress out of its plastic covering. “Could you hold it up for me while I look it over?”
Glamour nodded, and the dress left Coco’s hooves in a green aura to float in front of her.
Coco promptly began inspecting her work, almost pressing her face against the fabric as she slowly orbited the dress. Other than straightening out a wrinkle or two, Coco made several loops around the dress without doing anything else.
Eventually, Coco stepped away from the dress with her mouth slightly agape. “There’s… There’s nothing wrong with it…” she murmured. “Did Suri really leave it alone?”
“Maybe she couldn’t find it,” Glamour suggested, doing her best to contain her chest from swelling with pride.
“Or maybe she had a change of heart?” Coco suggested with an uneasy smile. Upon seeing Glamour looking away nervously, she sighed. “Yeah, I guess that’s a bit too much to hope for. Her not finding it is probably the only plausible explanation.”
“I’m sure she’ll change in time,” Glamour said and glanced at her bag.
Coco nodded. “Anyway, you were right. I’m glad nothing happened to the dress. Given how important it is to us, I wouldn’t know what I would do if I found out she ruined it.”
“Lucky us that she didn’t then.” Glamour took a look around the backstage area and noticed that Suri was not around anymore. With their dress safe and everypony else busy with their own designs, now was a good time to find Suri and commence the next part of her plan.
“Um, Coco, since we still have some time, do you mind if I step away for a bit?” Glamour asked. “I need to do something to make sure everything is ready for the show.”
“Oh, sure, Glamour,” Coco replied as she took the dress back. “Are you sure you don’t need my help or anything?”
“Nah, it’s something I would rather do alone anyway.”
“Alright then, I think I’ll go check on some of the other ponies. I want to see what Suri might have done. I’ll meet you in the dressing room later.”
Parting ways with her marefriend, Glamour exited the backstage area. Guessing that Suri was already preparing her model for the show, she headed straight for the dressing room. Sure enough, when she got close to her destination, she found the mare, or rather heard her.
“And you better not rip my dress! It’s going to be the winning entry this year!” Suri’s barks sounded clearly from the other side of the closed door.
Glamour rolled her eyes. She then entered the room and easily found the source of the noise in the corner. Suri was still loudly ordering a model around that was putting on what had to be her entry into the competition. There were a few other designers in the room, either fixing up their own creations or helping their models put them on, and Glamour noted that most of them were shooting the loud Suri irritated glances.
Glamour also noticed that the fabric she had hid behind last night was cleaned out, and when she looked up, she saw the vent grate she busted through was still mostly intact, save for the dent in it. Fortunately, the damage was not that noticeable unless somepony was concentrating on it.
“No, no, no! Can’t you even put on a sleeve by yourself?!” Suri’s voice rang through the room again.
Glamour felt a pang of pity for the model assigned to Suri, even if she was grinding her teeth and had a look that foretold something was going to be smashed in the near future.
“Why can’t anything go right?!”
“Problem, Suri?” Glamour asked as she walked toward the angry mare. She was sure the huge smirk she was wearing was extremely aggravating, but with what she had stowed in her bag, she was feeling confident she would be able to put Suri in her place.
Suri turned to her with a huff. “Yes, you’re the problem. What do you want?”
“Just checking up on you,” Glamour replied with a shrug. “Although, you don’t seem that rattled by the news of the break-in.”
“Of course not. Only amateurs would worry about that. I don’t need distractions getting in the way of my winning, and that includes you,” Suri spat before turning back to her model.
“Right… So I take it your dress was unharmed then, huh?”
“Didn’t you hear Prim earlier when she said that not everypony was affected, or were you just too busy wiping your hooves on that kiss-up of yours?”
Glamour’s smirk faded, leaving her with the tiniest hint of a scowl. “You must be so lucky that whoever broke in seemed to have no interest in your dress.”
Suri let out an exasperated sigh and glanced back at Glamour with a bored look. “Look, this beating around the bush is getting annoying. If you have something you want to say, just say it now. Otherwise, stop bothering me.”
“Fine then.” Glamour leaned in and whispered, “I know what you did last night.” She was sure she noticed a small flinch from Suri.
“Do you now? And why should I believe you?” Suri asked with a raised eyebrow.
Glamour patted her saddlebag. “I have proof.”
Suri’s gaze went to the bag for a moment before flicking back to Glamour’s face. Her eyes narrowed, but no other hints of emotion crossed her face.
For all the trouble she caused her and Coco, Glamour had to admit that Suri handled herself well under pressure. “Perhaps you would like to talk somewhere more private?” Glamour offered, waving her hoof at the door.
Suri slowly nodded and followed Glamour out of the dressing room. As they walked through the hallways, Glamour kept looking forward, trying her best to keep a straight face. She knew that she had Suri, but if she was not careful, things could still turn for the worse.
Eventually, they ended up in the same hallway that Glamour eavesdropped on Suri the previous day. She picked out a room, making sure it was not the supply closet again, and went inside with Suri.
“Alright, we’re alone now,” Suri said as soon as Glamour closed the door. “This better not be a waste of my time. What do you want?”
“You were the one who broke in last night and tried to ruin everypony’s dress,” Glamour replied.
Suri brushed off the accusation with a single, haughty laugh. “Oh really? And what makes you think that?”
“Like I said, I got proof.” Glamour used her magic to pull the clasp envelope she got last night out of her bag. From the envelope, she extracted a few pictures from the middle of the stack and flipped them around so Suri could clearly see its contents.
Suri’s scowl vanished as her mouth hung open. “How… How did you…”
“Never mind how I got these,” Glamour snapped, quickly seizing control of the conversation. “This is undeniable evidence that you tried to cheat everypony. I think you know very well what could happen if I gave these pictures to the right pony.”
Suri grinded her teeth, and a low growl escaped her. “So what, you just wanted to gloat before you turn them in and try to ruin me?”
“I’m not turning them in, Suri.”
“Y-you’re not?” Suri’s face softened a bit, only to harden back up a moment later. “Why?”
“Because you’re going to do something for me.”
“Oh, blackmail. Alright, I see where this is going. You want me to drop out of the contest. If you think that’s going to help you, well I got news for you and Coco. You two aren’t going to win. Even if I’m not there, whatever scraps you two pieced together would not last a second out there.”
Glamour sighed and rolled her eyes. “I’m not asking you to drop out either, Suri. Will you please stop thinking that I’m here to ruin you and let me speak?”
Suri’s eyebrow raised. “Then what do you want me to do?”
“Two things actually. First, no more cheating.”
Suri stared back with half-lidded eyes. “I thought you said you were not trying to ruin me.”
“How is asking you to stop cheating an attempt to ruin you?”
“That’s because you’re still new to this business,” Suri replied with a wave of her hoof. “You might be popular now, but your luck is going to run out. If you want to climb to the top and stay there, you have to do whatever it takes. What you call cheating, I call it leveling the playing field. Just because I stop doing it, doesn’t mean that others will do the same. You’re pretty much crippling me with this ridiculous demand of yours.”
“Not everypony is a cheater, Suri. I know what happened to you and Golden Thread, and I’m sorry—”
“Don’t you dare mention him…” Suri warned in a low voice that almost sounded like a growl.
Glamour reeled back a bit at the sudden venomous tone. “Uh… alright.”
“And I don’t want your pity either. I was hoping that letting Coco tell you about what happened would get you off my back, but apparently, I was wrong. Whatever. I’ll consider your first demand, but for now, hurry up and tell me the other thing you want.”
“Fine. I want you to start treating Coco better.”
“What does she want me to do? Grovel at her hooves?”
Glamour groaned and smacked a hoof into her face. “No, I just want you to treat her with some respect.”
“Yeah, that’s not happening. Just because you two have those pictures, doesn’t mean I’m going to pretend that she hasn’t done anything to me. Coco might think she can buy me off like that, but I am not—”
“Coco does not know about these pictures. In fact, she doesn’t even know I’m talking to you right now. All of this is by me and only me. Do not blame her for this.”
“Oh? Then why are you doing all of this? What I do has little impact on your career, and you’re eventually going to move on from Coco, so I don’t see why you’re wasting—”
Glamour snarled and rushed forward so that her head was butting against Suri’s. Glaring right into Suri’s eyes, she cried out, “Coco is not a waste! I’m doing this because I love her. Believe it or not, she really does care about you, and I’m trying to help her. But the way I see it, you can’t seem to stop hating her.” She roughly shook the photos in the air next to their faces with her magic. “Maybe she’s better off without you. Maybe I should turn these pictures in instead and—”
“Glamour? Suri?”
All traces of anger in Glamour instantly vanished. She and Suri slowly turned their heads to see Coco at the door, looking at them with her brow furrowed in concern and worry.
“W-what’s going on here?”
“Coco… I…” Glamour opened her mouth, but she could barely process a thought. This was not part of the plan.
Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, Suri was quick to recover and answered for her. “Your marefriend and I were negotiating.”
“Negotiating what?” Coco walked closer to the pair, and her gaze fell upon the envelope and pictures still floating in Glamour’s magic. “What are those?”
“Um, they’re pictures of Suri,” Glamour replied. “Pictures of her sabotaging everypony’s entries last night.”
Coco’s eyes shot wide open. “What?! H-how did you get those?!”
“I would like to know that myself,” Suri added, glaring at Glamour.
“Oh uh, you see…” Glamour looked away and rubbed the back of her neck. “I uh, I got somepony to do it.”
“That was you?!” Suri cried out. “That stallion was working for you?!”
“W-what stallion?” Coco asked.
“There was a male pegasus taking my picture last night. When I found him, he made a run for it and disappeared into the night. I was hoping to find out who that was, but I never would’ve guessed that he was actually hired by your model.”
“Glamour, is this true?” Coco received a slow nod from Glamour in response. “C-could you please tell us everything that you did?”
“Uh, sure.” Glamour rubbed her foreleg as she quickly fabricated her story. “Well, after the rehearsal, I overheard Suri bribing the janitor to let her into the building at midnight. When I figured out what she was planning to do, I hired that other pony to protect your dress and to try to get some pictures of Suri in the act.”
“Who is that pony, and how was he able to get inside before me?” Suri demanded.
Glamour looked to Coco, and upon seeing her inquisitive look, she answered, “He’s somepony… Somepony I used to know from a while back. I’ll just say he has experience in this sort of thing, and I wouldn’t have used him if I wasn’t desperate. As for how he did everything last night…” With a shrug she said, “All I did was tell him what I needed him to do, and then I met him later so he could give me the pictures. I don’t know how he did it.”
Suri grumbled.
“What were you planning to do with the pictures then?” Coco asked.
“I was using them to bargain with Suri before you came in. I wouldn’t turn them in, and in return, Suri would stop cheating and stop being so mean to you.”
“You wanted her to… Oh, Glamour…” Coco closed her eyes and sighed. “Glamour, please give me the photos.”
“I uh, okay…” Glamour transferred the pictures back into the envelope and then floated the envelope to Coco.
Coco took the envelope in her hoof and walked over to stand right in front of Suri with a blank face.
“I guess now that you’re in command, you’re not going to offer me the same deal as your sneaky marefriend, huh?” Suri asked with a frown.
“No, I’m not.” Coco held out the envelope. “Here.”
“What?” Glamour and Suri both uttered.
Coco remained silent, her hoof still offering the envelope to Suri.
Suri’s gaze flicked back and forth from the envelope and Coco’s face several times before settling on Glamour. “Are there any other copies lying around?”
“Well…” Glamour paused when Coco turned her head to look at her and then sighed. “No… No there aren’t…”
Again, Suri’s gaze scrutinized Coco and envelope, as though one of them might suddenly attack her. “What’s the catch?”
“No catch, Suri,” Coco immediately replied. “I want you to have them.”
Suri stared at Coco for a few more seconds before slowly raising her forehoof. Keeping her focus on Coco, she quickly swiped the envelope and then backed off. When Coco did not give any reaction except lowering her hoof back to the floor, Suri asked, “Why?”
“Why what?”
“You could have ruined me or got me to do almost anything you want, and yet you wasted a perfectly good opportunity. Why?”
A small smile formed on Coco’s face. “Because you’re my friend.”
Silence befell them all. Glamour’s gaze constantly switched between the two mares. Coco continued to smile, while Suri’s gaze had dropped down to the floor, making it hard to discern her emotion.
“You are so naive…” Suri uttered in a low voice and slowly raised her head to show a frown. “Why do you keep on insisting that we are friends after all that we had done to each other?”
“Because I never stopped seeing you as one. I’m sorry that I quit being your assistant, but I honestly did try to stay by your side and help you in whatever way I could.”
Suri scoffed. “Yeah, big help you were. When I’m finally about to win something worthwhile, you go and ruin everything.”
“That’s because I finally saw that you were going down the wrong path. I tried to convince you to stop being so dishonest, but no matter how much I pleaded with you to do the right thing, you just would not listen. I had no choice but to correct your mistake.”
Suri jabbed a hoof in Coco’s direction. “My mistake was thinking that you were actually somepony I could trust! You betrayed me and then left me! You’re just like him!”
Coco drew a sharp breath. “N-no, Suri. I’m not like him. I might have stepped away from you, but it was so I could find a way to help you. I care about you. What Golden Thread—”
“I don’t want to hear that worthless piece of trash’s name.”
Coco took a deep breath. “What Golden Thread did to you,” she continued, earning her an audible snarl from Suri, “was inexcusable, but it was also a long time ago. You have clung onto that pain and used it to justify your actions. But look at you, Suri. You closed off your heart and lash out at everypony around you, including me. You rely on lies and cheats to help you win, but in the process, you hurt innocent ponies. You even did the same thing he did to you with Rarity. Golden Thread was a bad pony, and you’re becoming like him. ”
Suri’s hooves crashed into the floor as she let out a deafening yell. “I said I don’t want to hear his name! I’m warning you, Coco,” Suri spat as she stomped towards Coco. “You’re treading a very thin line with me, and I’m this close to shutting your mouth for you.”
Glamour quickly rushed to Coco’s side, ready to defend her marefriend in case things started to get violent. Fortunately, Suri made no move to get closer.
She heard Coco gulp, and when she snuck a couple of glances at her marefriend, she could see Coco was trembling with fear. Despite that, Coco was doing her best to keep a stern face and stood her ground.
“I wasted enough time with you two,” Suri stated as she turned around. She tightened the clutch she had on the photos and then started walking out of the room. “I have a contest to win.”
“W-wait, Suri!” Coco cried out, and she reached out with a hoof to grab onto Suri’s shoulder.
“What now?” Suri asked harshly, barely glancing back at Coco.
“I… I know I cannot understand the pain you felt when your heart was broken, but you weren’t the only one who got hurt by Golden Thread. I also lost my friend. You no longer saw me as an equal and treated me with scorn. And yet I still clung onto the hope that I would have the old Suri back. When I saw that you were not going to change on your own, I knew I had to do something. Quitting my position as your assistant was one of the hardest things I ever had to do, but I had to do it.
“You see me as a weak pony and refuse to listen to me. But I know that you can’t keep living like this. I want to help you, but to do that, I had to show you that I am not worthless, that I am somepony worth listening to. I did not leave for fame or money. I did it to try and help you. All I want is to see you get better.”
Coco sniffed, and her eyes teared up. “P-please, Suri. I’ve been doing all of this for you. I’m your friend, and I want to help you. Please listen to me…”
Glamour wondered if Coco was finally getting through to Suri when the mare remained where she was, but her hopes were dashed when Suri suddenly yanked her shoulder away from Coco’s grasp and wordlessly trotted out the door.
Coco sank to her haunches. A couple more sniffles escaped her, and she wiped her eyes with her hoof.
“You alright, Coco?” Glamour asked, placing a comforting hoof on Coco’s shoulder.
“Y-yeah, I’m fine.” Coco let out a heavy sigh. “You know how I am when things get heated between Suri and I.”
“Hey, I think you did a fantastic job standing up to her. You’re gaining more and more confidence every time you talk with her. If you keep at it, I’m sure you’ll get through to her eventually.”
“Hopefully…” Coco took another deep breath and then turned her head to Glamour. “So… About what you did…”
Glamour chuckled nervously and waved her hooves defensively. “Uh, right. Look, Coco, I’m sorry about that. I could not let Suri touch your dress, not after all the work you put into it. I also thought that I could maybe help solve your problems with Suri at the same time. I know it was underhoofed, but I did it for you.”
Coco stared at Glamour. After a few seconds, she got up and walked over to her.
Glamour gulped, and she was tempted to back away, but she knew that it would not do her any good, and she would just have to accept her scolding.
Coco remained silent and stopped right in front of Glamour. They were so close, their muzzles were only a few inches apart. Slowly, Coco leaned in closer and then kissed her on the cheek.
Glamour blinked several times. “W-wait, so you’re not angry?”
“Angry? No. I am disappointed though.”
Glamour cringed, feeling her insides twist into a knot. She might not have seen angry Coco before, but disappointed Coco was certainly not pleasant.
“But only a little,” Coco added. “I assume you were the one who also tipped off Prim Hemline?”
Glamour nodded.
Coco produced a small smile. “It’s because of you that our dress is safe and everypony else can compete fairly. I’m not sure I approve of you sneaking around like that, but at the same time, you did it to help me and the others. How could I not be proud of that?”
A frown quickly replaced Coco’s smile, and she prodded Glamour’s chest. “But what you were trying to do to Suri was not right. While you had good intentions, forcing anypony to do something against their will is wrong. I want Suri to change, but blackmailing her into it will only make things worse. She has to change by her own free will. Do you understand?”
Glamour immediately nodded. “Got it.”
“Good.” Coco took a breath, and her kind smile returned. “Now, while there are a few more things I would like to ask about, we’ll have to save them for another time. The show is starting soon, and we need to get you changed.”
The two of them quickly headed back to the dressing room. Inside, the room was more crowded than earlier. Most of the designers had finished their repairs and were outfitting their models. Suri was also back in her corner and ordering her model around again, but at least she was doing so in a normal volume.
Glamour stashed her bag in a locker, while Coco retrieved their dress from a nearby rack. They then moved over to one of the few remaining spaces and started getting ready.
Soft and smooth were the first things that came to Glamour’s mind when she slipped into the fabric. With Coco’s help, it did not take long before she was fully outfitted. Glamour did a few test movements while Coco did a final check on the dress, and as usual, Coco had made sure the dress would be comfortable and easy for her to move around in.
“It’s even better than I thought, now that I’m wearing it,” Glamour remarked as she looked at herself in the mirror. “You’re sure to win first prize, Coco.”
Coco chuckled. “Thank you for the vote of confidence, Glamour, but to be honest, I don’t really care if I win or not.”
“What?” Glamour’s head quickly turned to Coco. “Why not?”
“Some ponies here have been in the business for years. Just being able to show my work alongside so many talented ponies is an honor itself. Most of all though, I wouldn’t be here if it were not for you. I’m just happy that I get to do this with you.”
Glamour hugged Coco. “Me too, Coco.”
Coco finished her inspection and clapped her forehooves together. “Okay, the dress is all set. I just need to get some makeup on you, and then you’ll be ready for the stage.”
“Yay, makeup…” Glamour dryly replied. Her enthusiasm for the use of cosmetics was abysmally low due to the rough treatment of Photo Finish’s ponies and the icky feeling makeup felt on her.
It was a good thing that Coco was the exact opposite of Photo Finish’s ponies, and she always made sure to be careful with the makeup. Glamour closed her eyes and let her marefriend do her work.
After the makeup had been applied to her face, Glamour felt Coco’s hoof on her mane, and it was shortly followed by the sensation of a brush running through it. She began to hear Coco humming and recalling the last time she heard it, she could not help but speak up. “You’re humming. That means you’re happy, right? Does that mean you like brushing my mane?”
The brushing paused for a moment before resuming. “Oh, uh, I guess I do. I haven’t done this for you since we became marefriends. I guess it just feels nice to be this close to you.” There was another pause. “Actually, I think the last time I did this for you was when we first met, in our first show.”
“We’ve come a long way since then, huh?”
“We sure have, and now look where we are. We do just about everything together, we became marefriends, and we’re taking part in one of the biggest fashion competitions in Equestria.”
“Yeah…” Glamour was silent as Coco continued to work through her mane, but she suddenly got an enticing idea. “Hey, Coco? When we’re not so busy, would you like me to try brushing your mane?”
“I… I would like that,” Coco replied in a warm voice.
Even with her closed eyes, Glamour knew there was a big smile on Coco’s face.
With the time ticking down, Glamour and Coco hurried to the backstage area as soon as they were ready. They were immediately greeted by the chaos of everypony finishing their last minute tasks before the show began. Stagehands were running all over the place, and designers were making sure their models were properly fitted into their creations. Combined with the rising din of the audience gathering on the other side of the curtains, the noise was ringing in Glamour’s ears, and she had to raise her voice if she wanted to speak to Coco.
Since she was all prepared, Glamour took the time to take stock of the other contestants’ outfits that were now being displayed. To her relief, there were far less outlandish creations than what she had witnessed in her first show. However, with such an influential show on the line, that just meant the more unique designers were even more unique.
One example was a dress that used so many different color fabrics, Glamour was sure even a rainbow would be disgusted. Another one caused her to do a double take until she realized that she was looking at a pony literally wearing a pony over her. There was even one dress that looked a bit similar to Coco’s, assuming she had used eighteen more layers and a couple more buckets of sequins. It was one of those moments where things looked so bad that it was difficult to not stare at them, but she was eventually able to tear her gaze away from the offending sights.
She moved on to the more ordinary entries, and she quickly noticed that many of them could easily be perceived as high quality, even to her untrained eye. Elegant folds, a variety of complementing colors, and elaborate shapes were all over the place, and Glamour could understand Coco’s initial misgivings about being entered in the contest. It was a good thing she was able to overcome her trepidation to produce a dress that easily, in her eyes, outshone everything else in the room.
Glamour felt a tapping on her shoulder, and she looked to see that Coco was pointing to the back with her brows furrowed in worry. There, a group of designers were still frantically working on the repairs to their creations.
“The show is about to start,” Glamour said in a voice loud enough to be heard over the noise. “Do you think they—” She winced when she was cut off by the voice of the show announcer ringing through the air, followed closely by the thunderous applause of the audience.
Seeing the straggling designers look up with fear in their faces at the noise, Glamour felt a pang of sympathy for them, especially the ones that were assigned an early number. The show had started, and their time was rapidly running out.
“Out of my way! Move!” a familiar voice bellowed.
Glamour and Coco had to quickly step out of the way when Prim rushed through the room.
“Make sure all of you are ready in fifteen minutes because that’s all you are going to get!” Prim ordered. She stopped right before the wing entrance to compose herself and then stepped out onto the stage, receiving a round of applause.
“Glamour, I’m going to go help them,” Coco informed as Prim Hemline’s voice started speaking to the audience.
“Oh, uh, okay.” Glamour followed Coco to the struggling designers and watched her marefriend approach them.
A few of them eyed Coco warily when she told them what she wanted to do, but one of them was desperate enough to jump on her offer. Grabbing a needle and thread from a nearby toolbox, Coco helped the designer stitch up some rips, and after a few minutes, she was done. Seeing Coco’s sincerity, the rest of the designers were quick to accept her help.
As Coco continued to assist the designers, Glamour looked back when she heard Prim’s voice again. Prim had returned to the wing entrance after buying some time with her speech, and she was now organizing the first models to begin their walk.
Amidst the crowd, Glamour spotted Suri looking straight at her and Coco. She was frowning, but something was a bit off. It might have been because of the distance or the lighting, but it did not seem like Suri was angry. Before Glamour could get a better look, Suri trotted away.
“Weird…” Glamour mumbled to herself before turning back to Coco. To her surprise, she saw that a few of the designers Coco helped were now giving their assistance to the ones still in need. Even though she guessed it was going to be a one-time gesture for most of them, it was still astounding to see how Coco’s generosity had actually inspired some of her fellow designers to show a bit of generosity of their own. Coco really was an amazing pony.
With everypony working together, all the designs were finally repaired, and the straggling designers scrambled to get their models fitted as the very first model started their walk on the runway.
“You did a great job, Coco,” Glamour praised as soon as Coco returned.
Coco nodded with a smile. “Thank you, Glamour. It was so nice to see the others join me. Just goes to show that if you give a bit of kindness to ponies, they’ll do the same for others.”
With the show underway, the models were coming and going as they took their turns on the runway. There was nothing else left for Glamour to do but wait for her turn. She wished that she could at least take a peek to see how many ponies there were in the audience, but with Prim keeping a watchful eye on everything going on, she could not risk breaking her professionalism and agitating her boss. All she could do was guess by the sounds coming from the other side of the curtain, and she concluded that there were a lot of ponies.
Glamour passed the time just standing with Coco. She was a bit antsy, partly from the usual stage jitters, and partly from the anticipation of wanting to show everypony Coco’s incredible dress. She would have probably been a lot more restless if Coco was not there to keep her company and share the occasional nuzzle.
After a while, Glamour stood up in attention when she heard Prim call out, “Number thirty-three, you’re up next!” It was not their number, but it did belong to the pony right before them. The pony that they knew very well.
Trotting over to the entrance to the stage was Suri and her model, and Glamour was able to finally get a good look of her dress on her model. Suri had outfitted her model in a pink dress with a purple layer draped over it, almost like a cape, and the sleeves were strips of pink fabric that wrapped around the model’s hooves. Looking at Suri again, it was easy to see where she got the color choice from. Glamour thought Suri’s dress looked nice, but there was no way it could rival Coco’s work, at least in her opinion.
Regardless, with Suri’s model about to walk, that meant her turn was coming up next. Closing her eyes, she began breathing in and out to relax herself. The success of her solo show gave her some confidence, but there was still some lingering bits of stage fright within her.
“Glamour.”
Glamour opened her eyes upon hearing Coco’s voice to see her marefriend’s smile. It was promptly followed by a kiss on her lips, and the nerves she had melted away as they were replaced by the love flooding into her.
“You’re going to do great, Glamour,” Coco said when she pulled back.
“I hope so,” Glamour replied with a grin. “I don’t want to mess up after you created this beautiful dress, and I really want you to win.”
“It’s alright, Glamour. Don’t worry about me. Win or lose, I want you to know one thing.” Coco wrapped her forehooves around Glamour’s neck and raised herself up so that she could speak clearly into her ear. “I might make your clothes, but no matter what you wear, no matter what you look like, you will always be beautiful to me, and I will always love you.”
Glamour’s smile faded. “W-what? Do you really mean that?”
“Of course.” Coco planted another quick kiss on Glamour’s cheek before she dropped back onto her hooves.
“Number thirty-four, places please!”
That was her call, but Glamour felt her resolve faltering as she clung onto Coco’s words, and she could only stare at Coco.
“Glamour, what’s wrong?” Coco asked with a worried frown.
Still, Glamour could not respond. Coco’s words meant more to her than what Coco had intended. As much as she wanted to believe it was completely true, she could not help but wonder if there was a limit to Coco’s declaration.
“Number thirty-four, get over here now!”
Glamour grunted, and she shook off her daze. There was a time and place to worry about her future, but now was Coco’s time, and she was certainly not going to mess up her marefriend’s chance at this contest. “Oh, uh, I’m fine. Just my nerves again. I got to go.”
Glamour quickly rushed over to the entrance to the stage where Prim stood. Already, she could feel Prim’s eyes on her, but she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil within her.
Once she felt she was ready, she opened her eyes and looked directly into Prim’s stern gaze. Despite the slight trembling still present in her legs, Glamour kept her determined eyes on Prim. Eventually, Prim gave her a nod, and she nodded back.
When Suri’s model started walking off the stage on the opposite side, Prim gave the cue, and Glamour stepped onto the stage. She only walked a few steps before freezing midstep upon seeing the audience.
The amount of ponies she had in her last two shows paled in comparison to the throng of ponies she saw. In fact, she was sure that there were more ponies here than the previous shows combined. Before she could completely freeze up, she mentally slapped herself with a reminder why she was doing this. She was not here to merely feed on the adoration of the audience, she was here to repay Coco’s love.
Taking another deep breath, Glamour resumed her walk and proceeded down the runway. The roaring crowd was almost deafening to her ears, and she was immediately assaulted from all angles by light. From above, spotlights shone down on her, and to her sides, cameras barraged her with flashes. Even with the distracting lights, she managed to catch glimpses of Photo Finish from within the horde of ponies, and judging by the constantly flashing light emitting from her camera, Glamour would not be surprised if Photo Finish was taking more pictures of her than all the other contestants combined.
Glamour did her best to power through the strenuous atmosphere, and despite her uneven pace, she finally made it to the end of the runway. Right in front of the stage was a table with five ponies seated behind it. They were all dressed in fine, formal wear, holding clipboards in their hooves, and were all examining her very closely.
Glamour forced a smile on her face and began turning around to show everypony Coco’s amazing dress. However, it soon became obvious that her body had stiffened up in fear, and she was just turning in a slow circle, an act that hardly displayed the full grandeur of Coco’s dress. She had thought that she had overcome her stage fright, but the high stakes and the enormity of everything around her were overwhelming the progress she had made.
Her pitiful performance was failing to properly show off Coco's dress. After all they had been through, she was determined to not let Coco’s efforts go to waste. She just needed to focus.
Still doing her best to keep herself moving, she closed her eyes and tried to block out everything around her as she concentrated on all the happy memories she had with Coco. The conversations they shared, the things they did for each other, and the love she literally felt whenever they were together, Glamour remembered those moments and many others, and soon, the smile she wore no longer felt so forced.
As her heart started to calm down, her hooves also felt lighter, and she was able to start moving around with ease. She heard the crowd’s cheers grow louder as a result, and she reopened her eyes to start performing more elaborate movements and striking poses.
Glamour gasped softly when she saw how the back half responded to her movements. The pink layer flowed through the air, and the decorative motifs embroidered into the fabric gracefully moved against the ones inside the black layer. The intertwining, flowing patterns almost made it look like the dress was dancing along with her. With such a dazzling, ethereal effect, Glamour wondered if it was even possible that Coco’s dress would lose.
Fueled by the cheering crowd and her desire to put on a great show in Coco’s dress, Glamour’s smile grew even wider. Feeling her confidence and joy rise, she let whatever felt most natural to dictate her movements. She never felt like this on her previous performances. She was so caught up in her act that she almost missed her cue to return backstage.
With one final spin, Glamour turned away from the audience and began to walk back through the runway, this time with a bounce in her step. As soon as she exited the stage through the side, she was immediately greeted with a huge hug by Coco.
“Glamour, you were wonderful!” Coco cheered with a big, beaming smile. “That was your best performance yet!”
“Thanks, Coco. I was pretty worried at the beginning, but I was able to push through it.”
“Oh, the beginning. It was… interesting…” Coco’s face scrunched up a bit.
Glamour chuckled. “Go ahead, be honest. I can take it. It will help me improve for the next time.”
“Well…” Coco tapped her chin in thought. “Okay, you did seem nervous and stiff, but it was only for a short while. You started to loosen up, and eventually, it kind of looked like you were dancing between poses. I think there were a few moments where you were moving a bit oddly, but it looked like you were having fun, and that’s what’s important.”
Glamour nodded. “I was caught off-guard at first, but then I thought about all the great times we had together, and it helped me get back on track. I wanted to make sure everypony got a good look at your dress, and with you inspiring me, I didn’t feel scared anymore.”
Glamour trotted close to Coco and hugged her. “Your love helped spur me on. I know you don’t really care if you win, but I would like to see it happen. You’re such a special and talented pony, and I wish more ponies could see that.”
Coco’s face lit up in a soft shade of red. “Glamour…”
After they finished hugging, they moved to the side to let the rest of the contestants continue the show. Since their assigned number was near the end, it did not take long before the last model returned from her walk, and shortly afterwards, the stage curtains were closed. The voice of the announcer then followed, informing everypony that there would be a brief intermission as the judges decided on the winners.
Things quieted down a little during the break, but the tension in the air backstage was still palpable. Almost everypony there was on edge, eagerly waiting to see who was going to win. Glamour found herself anxiously wondering the same thing.
The tension was momentarily broken when a few of the stragglers that Coco had helped earlier came up to her. They had put aside the fact that they were competing against each other to properly thank her for her help. A few even complimented the dress she made when they realized Glamour was her model.
They did not stay for long, but after the friendly designers wished them good luck before returning to their own models, Glamour felt some of the pressure she was feeling had dissipated. A little bit of friendship did make a difference, and she wished more ponies were like Coco and those other designers so contests would not feel so intimidating.
Everypony’s ears perked up when the announcer started talking again and said that the judges were now ready to award the winners. Prim Hemline promptly instructed Glamour and all the other models to move onto the stage while everypony else cleared the area.
Glamour gave Coco a quick hug before rushing to all the models lining up in front of the curtains. When everypony was in place, the curtains were raised, and they were met with the wild applause of the audience.
“And here are all of our lovely models again in their beautiful attire!” announced a unicorn stallion standing at the edge of the stage. He was wearing a standard tuxedo with a big, red bowtie, and a microphone was held in his magic. Glamour did not see him earlier and guessed the announcer was standing somewhere to the side to give all the attention to the models.
“Please give everypony here a round of applause for putting on yet another amazing showing of the Fall Fashion Fantasia!” the announcer continued as Glamour and the other models stepped forward to the ensuing, thunderous applause.
“Now, ponies, every design you see up here on stage is a worthy work of art, but as you all know, only a few will be walking away with a trophy. The judges certainly had their work cut out for them, but after a difficult deliberation, they finally picked out our winners. Judges, may I please have the results?”
One of the ponies from the table walked over to where the announcer was standing on stage and passed him an envelope.
Holding up the envelope, the announcer shouted out in a loud, cheerful voice, “And now, the moment all of you have been waiting for, here are our winners for this year’s Fall Fashion Fantasia!”
“Please, let Coco win. Please, let Coco win,” Glamour quietly chanted to herself as she watched the announcer open the envelope.
“Alright then, our third place trophy goes to…” The announcer slowly lifted a card out of the envelope, just enough so the top part could be read.
Glamour held her breath, feeling her body tense up and her heart pounding. It felt like time had come to a halt as the entire audience quieted down, and the announcer continued to stare at the card silently. After a few moments, a flash of irritation crossed her face when she realized the announcer was actually pausing on purpose for dramatic effect.
“Suri Polomare!” the announcer suddenly cried out. “Third place goes to Suri Polomare!”
Glamour released her breath, granting her body a moment of relief, before glancing over to Suri’s model further down the line.
Suri’s model walked forward, and she was soon joined by the designer herself when Suri trotted onto the stage to stand by the outfit she made. Glamour guessed that Suri had to remain professional because instead of an expected scowl on the antagonizing mare, she was completely stone-faced, making it impossible to perceive her emotion.
After the third place trophy was given to Suri and the applause died down, the announcer, once again, returned his attention to the envelope and slowly pulled out the result card even more. “And now onto our second place award…”
Again, Glamour felt herself tense up as she prayed for Coco. She so dearly wanted Coco to win, and as long as her name was not called now, that meant she had a chance for first place. With the amazing work she done, Coco had to win. She just had to.
“Coco Pommel! Our second place winner is Coco Pommel!”
The tension Glamour had suddenly felt like it was squeezing her heart. “W-what?”
She must have spaced out as soon as she heard Coco’s name because a moment later, one of the models next to her nudged her forward just as Coco walked in front of her. With her mind still in a daze, she automatically followed Coco to stand in front of the line.
Glamour’s senses pretty much tuned out everything while she still struggled with the fact that Coco had lost. She did not notice the applause that she and Coco received, nor the trophy that was given to her marefriend. Glamour was so out of it, she did not even notice who won first place and the closing speech that followed. She finally snapped out of her stupor when Coco touched her side, and she saw that all the other models were already walking off the stage.
As soon as they stepped into the backstage area, Glamour broke away from the group to head to the back wall and sit down on her haunches. With a heavy sigh, she let her side slump against the wall.
“Glamour, are you alright?” Coco asked as she trotted up to her.
“Yeah… No… No, I don’t think so…” Glamour sighed again, not even looking at Coco. The euphoria she had felt during her walk had been drained immediately after hearing the announcer say Coco’s name.
Coco appeared in front of her and sat down on her haunches as well, giving Glamour a clear view of the trophy held in her hoof. Seeing the inscribed “Second Place Winner” written upon the base felt like a blow to her chest.
Coco followed Glamour’s gaze and then sighed. “You’re upset we didn’t get first place.”
Glamour nodded solemnly. “Pretty much. I was really hoping you would win, Coco.”
“I know you were, Glamour. Why are you so hung up on me winning?”
“I… I guess…” Glamour looked up at Coco. “Because you deserve it. You’ve been through so much, and yet you still find the energy and time to help others. I mean just today, you helped those designers, even though they were competing against you, and then what you did for Suri…”
Glamour tried her best to not frown, but failed. “You’re so patient with her, despite the hard time she gives you. You had a chance to get her to back off, but you gave her the pictures without asking for anything. I know it was wrong, but it still amazes me to see how forgiving you can be. You’re such a generous pony, and I just thought that you should get something in return as thanks.”
“Glamour, I don’t do things and expect something in return. I do it because I like helping ponies.” Coco set the trophy on the floor. “As for the competition, I already told you that I didn’t care if I win or lose. I’m honestly surprised I made second place. Glamour, I’m flattered that you think so highly of me, but you must remember that despite my time as an assistant, I’ve only been working on my own for a few months. I’m still learning, and I’m certainly not some prodigy. Many of the other competitors, including the first place winner, have many more years of experience than me.”
Coco scooched forward to hold Glamour’s hooves. “And I think I’ve already been rewarded for my efforts when you came into my life. Not many ponies can say they’re in a relationship with a hot model, right?”
Glamour snorted, and a smile crept up onto her face. “Yeah, I suppose I was being kind of unrealistic. I certainly am lucky I have somepony to help keep me in check.”
“Besides, we entered the contest because of Photo Finish, and I think she’ll be happy that we made it this far.”
The sound of approaching hoofsteps caused the both of them to look up, and Glamour’s smile dropped when she saw it was Suri.
“Oh uh, hi, Suri,” Coco greeted as she got back up.
Suri’s gaze shifted from Coco, to Glamour, to the trophy on the floor, and then went back to Coco. After a few seconds, she said in a flat tone, “You beat me.”
“Um, I guess you could put it that way…”
“How?”
“How what?”
“Don’t be coy. You must have cheated or something to beat me.” Despite the accusation, there was barely a scowl on Suri’s face.
Coco sighed. “Suri, I swear that I did not cheat in any way.”
“Then what were you doing with those other designers?”
“I was just helping them repair the damages you did to their work.”
Some emotion finally came to Suri, and she reeled back a bit as confusion settled on her face. “Seriously? You helped the competition?”
“They’re not competition. They’re ponies who needed help.”
Suri’s face twitched a few times, and then she let out a loud groan. Pointing a hoof at Coco, she said, “I don’t get you, Coco. You could have eliminated me, but you didn’t. You could have just left those other ponies alone, but you didn’t. You’re supposed to be doing whatever you can to win, but you don’t. Everything you’re doing is wrong, and yet you somehow still beat me. How is that possible?!”
“Maybe you just underestimate her,” Glamour pointed out. “Just because she was your assistant before doesn’t mean she’s the same pony now.”
“Whatever.” Suri rolled her eyes and fixed her gaze on Glamour. “What about you then? After that stunt you pulled, I wouldn’t be surprised if you did something.”
Glamour shook her head. “Those pictures Coco generously gave back to you were the only thing I had. I did nothing else but wear Coco’s dress.”
Suri threw up her hooves in exasperation. “You two are so infuriating! It does not make sense! Am I really supposed to believe that Coco, a complete novice, got second place in one of the most prestigious fashion contests in Manehattan without any tricks?!”
“Yes, because it just happened,” Glamour calmly answered.
Suri growled. “This is all nonsense. If anything, I should’ve at least beat Coco.”
“Um…” Coco fell silent for a few moments. She took a deep breath and then looked straight into Suri’s face. “I think I might have an idea why I beat your design. Suri, I’m guessing that you made your dress all by yourself?”
“That’s how I do everything, and it’s the best way to prevent anypony from stealing my designs… again.”
“R-right, and I guess that you only made your dress just for the purpose of winning?”
“Um, of course? Is this going somewhere, or are you just going to keep on asking silly questions?”
“Just one more question. Um, did you enjoy working on your dress?”
“What kind of question is that? Does it really matter? The important thing when you make a dress is that it serves its purpose. I made it to win. Granted, I didn’t get first place, but I did beat a whole lot of other chumps.”
“And that’s why I think I beat you, Suri.”
“What?” Suri scoffed and tilted her head. “You’re acting weird. Well, weirder than usual.”
“It’s not weird, Suri. I won because I had Glamour’s help.”
Suri’s eyebrow went up, and she glanced at Glamour. “Really? So what? The model can actually sew?”
Glamour frowned. “Of course I…” She paused for a second and then sighed. “Can’t…”
“Glamour didn’t have to touch the dress to help me make it. She helped me by just being there for me.” Coco smiled and brushed her hoof over a part of the dress on Glamour’s side. “I made this dress for her, not just because she had to be in the show, but because she inspires me. I put everything I had into making this dress because I wanted to give her something to show how much I love her. That’s why I think I won.”
Suri made a gagging sound. “Ugh, love. All it does is blind you and complicate things. I still think Glamour here is just stringing you along.”
“I would never hurt Coco,” Glamour retorted quickly.
“Yeah, yeah, words are cheap. It’s only a matter of time before we see your true nature.”
“Suri, you were hurt deeply by Golden Thread,” Coco continued. “But it was so long ago, and yet you still haven’t let the pain and sorrow go. You’ve convinced yourself that everypony else is a cheater, so you started doing it yourself. The problem is that in reality, nopony is cheating except for you. You’ve become obsessed by it, thinking it’s the only thing you can do. You put so much effort into your underhoofed tactics that you no longer put your heart into your creations, and your designs suffer because of that.”
“So basically, you’re saying that I’m only hurting myself if I cheat,” Suri said with a deadpan face.
Coco nodded. “Yes.”
Suri scoffed. “Just more idealistic ranting.”
Coco’s ears drooped with disappointment, and she sighed. “Suri, I’m just trying to help you.”
“Why are you so obsessed on winning anyway?” Glamour asked.
Suri looked at Glamour as though she had asked what the color of the sky was instead. “Who doesn’t want to win? Winning means you’re the best.”
“And how are you the best if you have to cheat?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Suri replied with a wave of a dismissal hoof. “What matters is that everypony sees you as the best so that you’ll command respect.”
“But Suri, you don’t need to be the best to get respect,” Coco argued. “You can earn a lot if you take the time to make friends and help other ponies.”
“That’s not real respect. Those ponies tolerate you only because they know you can do something for them. They’ll just pretend to be friendly while they keep on taking from you until you have nothing left. You need ponies to see you as somepony strong. They’ll fear your skills and power, and they would not dare to do anything you.”
“So you think that winning makes you feel more safe?”
“Of course. Otherwise, they will see you as a loser, somepony weak and powerless. You become a target for others to take advantage of you, and before you know it, you get used and then thrown away.”
Glamour’s ears perked up. “You mean just like what Golden Thread did to you?” Her question was pretty much answered when Suri flinched and then glared at her. “I’m right, aren’t I? You’re afraid somepony is going to use you again.”
“I am not afraid of anything,” Suri snapped.
Glamour rolled her eyes. “Fine, whatever, the main point is that you don’t want somepony to betray you, right?”
All Glamour got in response was grumbling.
“Is that why you’re so angry with me?” Coco asked. “I’m so sorry, Suri. When I quit being your assistant, I didn’t realize it would hurt you so much. I wish you would have told me about that.”
Suri glanced away. “Would it have made a difference? Would you have still left me?”
“I… I guess it depends… Would you have stopped cheating?”
“Nope.”
“Then yes, I would have still quit so that I could find a way to change your ways.”
Suri snorted. “Figures. You’re just full of excuses.”
“I’m not trying to make excuses. I just… I just want you to understand…” Coco gaze fell to the floor. “Why can’t you see that what you’re doing is wrong? You’re not just hurting others, you’re putting yourself in unnecessary danger as well. What if you get caught? You could lose more than just your career.”
“Coco’s right,” Glamour agreed. “I was able to catch you. You got off fine because Coco cares so much about you, but I don’t think other ponies would be so understanding.”
“Suri, please,” Coco continued. “This isn’t just about how you affect other ponies. You’re getting out of control, and I’m afraid that one day, you’re going to take things too far. I don’t want to see you get hurt. I’m begging you, Suri. Please stop your scheming.”
Suri looked directly into Coco’s eyes and gave her a hard look. “And what if I do? I still don’t get how you beat me, but you did. It’s very well possible that I’m losing my touch, and things are only going to go downhill if I don’t do a little extra work behind the scenes.”
“That’s not true, Suri. You are an amazing and talented pony that just got hurt. When you turned to your schemes and plots, you lost the reason you made your dresses. If you stop cheating and put all of your efforts back into your work, I’m sure you’ll regain that joy and spark I knew you had before. I’ll even help you in any way I can. I… I cannot promise that you’ll win, but I know that you’ll be happier. Just try, Suri. I know you can do it.”
Suri eyes narrowed while she stared at Coco. Coco, in return, stood her ground with an unwavering gaze.
“This was a waste of time.” Suri suddenly turned around and started walking away.
“W-wait, Suri!” Coco cried out.
To Glamour’s surprise, Suri stopped.
“Just think about we said, please?”
Suri stood in place for a few more seconds before she resumed her walk, disappearing through the backstage entrance without a word and leaving the two of them alone.
“Do… do you think I got to her?” Coco asked quietly, staring at where Suri departed.
Glamour sighed. “It’s hard to tell with her. But she did listen to you instead of yelling over you or brushing you off like usual. That’s progress, right?”
“Yeah… Yeah, she did. I guess I’m no longer just an assistant to her anymore, huh?”
“She did acknowledge the fact that you beat her.”
Coco chuckled a little, and a small smile remained on her face. “You know what? I think she did take some of my words to heart. I think she’ll be alright.”
“That would be nice.” Glamour yawned, feeling the events of today’s contest exhausting the few hours of sleep she squeezed in after last night’s scheme.
“I suppose we should head home and let you rest,” Coco suggested. “Looks like somepony stayed up way past their bedtime last night.”
“Well, you did say I am a hot model, and we beautiful ponies need plenty of beauty sleep,” Glamour said in a haughty tone.
Coco giggled and kissed Glamour on the cheek before they went back to the dressing room to get ready to go back home for a well-deserved rest.