“You’re a changeling?!”
Glamour’s eyes immediately shot wide open, and all traces of her slumber were instantly dispelled by Coco’s shrill cry. She quickly sat up in her bed and saw that Coco was standing in her room’s doorway, staring at her with fear.
“W-what did you say?” Glamour asked, dearly hoping that she misheard Coco when she was still asleep.
Coco slowly trotted backwards. “You’re… You’re a changeling… All this time, you were a changeling…”
“Coco, w-wait. It’s not…” Glamour reached for Coco with her hoof, but she froze when she saw that her hoof was not gray, but black. Black and riddled with holes.
“N-no, it can’t be…” Glamour stared at her hoof in horror. She threw off the blanket covering her, and she saw a green carapace and insectoid wings on top of her black body.
Somehow, while she was asleep, her disguise had fallen off, leaving her changeling body open to the mare she loved. Glamour tried to revert back to her pony form to restore what little sense of normalcy she could salvage, but her magic would not cooperate. She had nothing to hide behind now.
“Coco, I-I can explain,” Glamour pleaded as she got up from her bed and walked toward Coco. “I’m so sorry that—”
“S-stay away from me!” Coco yelled, swiftly backing herself into the wall outside the room.
Glamour felt her chest tighten. Coco was afraid of her, something that she wished would never happen. “Coco, please… I know this looks bad, but I promise that I’m not going to hurt you.”
“How am I supposed to believe that!? You lied to me!”
“B-because I love you.”
Coco scowled. “Changelings don’t love. They only steal it, and I certainly have no love for you.”
Glamour found herself backing away, still finding it hard to believe Coco was capable of so much hate. Even worse, Coco’s harsh declaration was true. Glamour was literally unable to sense any trace of love coming from her soon to be ex-marefriend. “B-but at the contest… You said… You said that you would love me no matter what I looked like…”
Coco shot back a glare full of disgust and anger. It was a face that Glamour thought the kind and innocent Coco would never use, and yet here it was, and it was all for her.
“I only said that because I thought you were a pony,” Coco spat out. “You’re not a pony. You’re a monster.”
Glamour’s legs were on the brink of collapsing. Coco could have driven a dagger through her heart, and it still would not have hurt as much as those words she just uttered. “Coco… I’m sorry… Please forgive me... ”
Coco merely gave a dismissive huff and ran away.
Glamour sank to the floor as tears began escaping her eyes. Everything was falling apart. Coco had finally found her true identity and no longer wanted anything to do with her.
Her life with Coco had invoked all sorts of new feelings and experiences within her. Never before had she felt so happy and fulfilled. Love was no longer just a food source for her. All of that was because of Coco, the mare she fell in love with, and now, everything was quickly slipping through her now-holey hooves.
Eventually, Glamour stifled her crying and shakily got back up on her hooves. Her heart still ached, but she was not going to idly sit around anymore. Her job as a model, the bits she made, and the comforts of a furnished home all meant nothing without Coco. Things looked bleak, but she was not going to give up without a fight. She needed, no, had to prove to Coco that her love was genuine and convince her to give her a chance.
Walking proved to be a bit more difficult than normal. Her movements felt sluggish, as though she was wading through quicksand, and it felt like it took a few minutes just to get out of her room and stop in front of Coco’s. Even pushing the door open, making a loud, ominous creak echo through the apartment, took almost all of her strength.
A quick look inside revealed that Coco was not in her room.
“Coco?” Glamour called out as she entered the living room. Again, there was no sign of Coco.
“Please come out,” Glamour begged, even though she was not sure if Coco was even still in the apartment. “I truly am sorry that I deceived you, but I really do love you. I swear that I’m telling the truth, and I’ll do anything to make it up to you.”
The front door was suddenly blown apart by an explosion, and Glamour had to cover her head with her hooves to shield herself from the dust and splinters. Before the cloud of dust fully cleared, Glamour caught sight of several ominous lights from within.
Instinct took over, and she dove to the side as magical bolts struck where she had been standing just a second ago. She scrambled back onto her hooves and through the thinning dust, she could make out at least twenty ponies. To her dismay, they were moving into the apartment, and they were all donning the golden armor of the Royal Guard.
Glamour yelped as she narrowly dodged another barrage of magic, and she sprinted for the balcony. Despite her breakneck pace, the run across the room felt like it was going on forever. In fact, it felt like no matter how fast she ran, the screen door leading to the balcony only drew closer as though she was crawling.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of running and dodging magical bolts, she made it to the screen door. Squeezing out one last burst of speed and raising a hoof to cover her face, she charged through the glass. If any of the shattered glass cut her, she did not feel it. Her hooves barely hit the floor before she leapt again, launching herself off the balcony.
She barely flew away more than a few feet before she grunted as a magic bolt hit her side. She was a bit confused when she felt no pain, but then she noticed that she was starting to lose altitude. She tried to beat her wings faster, but they did not respond. Fear flooded her entire body when she realized she could not move her entire body.
She was paralyzed.
Her heart plunged along with the rest of her as she could do nothing to resume her flight and gravity took ahold of her. Not able to flail her legs helplessly or even scream, she tumbled through the air, rapidly dropping to the hard pavement below. The last thing she saw was Coco looking down at her from the balcony with pure hatred. Darkness swept over her vision as she waited for the end to claim her.
Glamour soon added, as an afterthought, that the end was taking its sweet time.
After a few minutes, Glamour wondered why she did not feel anything to mark her demise. She opened her eyes, and instead of the blue sky, tall buildings, or a scornful Coco, she saw the ceiling of her room.
It… It was all a dream?
The first thing Glamour checked was her hoof, and to her relief, it was gray and free of any holes. She soon realized that her body was covered in sweat and heaving for air, and the loud thumping in her ears was actually her hammering heart. The details of her nightmare were being blurred as they faded away into the dreamscape, but there was one thing she remembered clearly that still tugged at her heart.
You lied to me. You’re not a pony. You’re a monster.
Glamour shivered and huddled into her blanket as those chilling words played again and again in her mind.
Yesterday, like she said, Suri had stopped by their place so that Coco could accompany her to the train station to see her off. Glamour tagged along to keep an eye on Coco, and other than a halfhearted farewell near the end, she ambivalently stood to the side to let Coco spend time with Suri. When the train finally departed with Suri in it, Glamour was actually kind of relieved. Even though it seemed that Suri was no longer going to antagonize them, Glamour did not appreciate the suspicions about her, even though they were well-founded, that she told Coco.
Glamour sighed and crawled out of bed. Despite having a full night’s sleep, she still felt mentally exhausted. Her never-ending struggle to decide whether or not she should reveal her true self to Coco likely had a time limit now. She had no doubt Coco’s curiosity had been piqued by Suri’s investigation, and it was only a matter of time before the questions would come. Combined with her recent nightmare, it was no wonder she felt weary.
When she exited her room, Glamour was surprised to find Coco sitting at the table in the living room with a cup of coffee in front of her. What was more odd was that she seemed to be just blankly staring straight at a wall.
“Coco?” Glamour said when she trotted closer.
“Hmm?” Coco turned her head and blinked several times. “Oh, Glamour. Sorry, I was just lost in thought.”
“It’s alright.” Glamour moved to sit down on the opposite side of Coco. “What were you thinking about?”
“Oh um, about Suri.”
“How are you doing now that she’s gone?”
“I’m doing just fine. It feels a bit odd knowing that she’s not around, but it’s for the best. She needs time to figure things out. After our lunch together and seeing her off at the train station, it’s almost like I’m seeing the old Suri I used to know.”
“That’s good. Hopefully, when she comes back, she’ll be better, and we won’t have to worry about her trying to cheat again.”
Coco nodded. “I hope so too.”
“And how about the theater? Is there anymore you have to do for them?”
“Not really. My part is done for the moment, so unless there’s some sort of emergency, I don’t have any orders to take care of. I have to admit, after everything that happened during the Fall Fashion Fantasia, it’s nice to have some time off. Oh, we should go to one of the theater’s shows when they start. I can get us backstage passes.”
A smile crept up onto Glamour’s face. “That sounds nice. It would be nice to see your work on stage without actually wearing it.”
After a brief period where neither of them could add anything else to say, Glamour had to stifle a yawn. She was still feeling the effects of her restless sleep, so she decided to go grab a cup of coffee to combat the grogginess that lingered.
As Glamour got up, Coco asked, “Um, could you sit back down, Glamour?”
“Sure, what’s up?” Glamour asked, promptly obliging with the request.
“Um, I was thinking…” Coco bit her lip, and she looked down at her coffee. “Could we… Could we talk a bit more about your past?”
Glamour drew in a sharp breath. She knew where this line of questioning was going to go, and as much as she wanted to appease Coco, she was not ready for this yet. “I… I don’t know, Coco. Perhaps some other time?”
Coco’s brows furrowed in worry. “You don’t want to tell me now?”
Glamour sighed and looked away from Coco. “You know I have trouble talking about my past. I don’t really like that I’m keeping stuff from you, but I’m just not feeling up to it yet. I’m sorry, Coco. I promise I’ll tell you when I’m ready.”
“When will you be ready then?”
Glamour fell silent for a moment. It was a good question she would like to know the answer to as well. With a sigh, she replied, “I don’t know.”
“Oh… I see…” Coco frowned, and her attention went back to her cup once again.
“I’m sorry, Coco. I really am,” Glamour said as she got up and headed for the kitchen area. She grabbed a cup and filled it with the leftover coffee Coco brewed. Not even caring that it was cold and unsweetened, she chugged down the drink to quickly get some caffeine into her. She had just woken up, and she could already tell today was going to be very tiresome.
“Glamour, can you do me a favor?”
Glamour quickly turned around, eager to make up for earlier. “Of course. What do you need?”
“Um, could you go to the fabric store for me?”
Glamour blinked. “Just me?”
“Yes.”
“Uh, I guess I could. What do you need?”
“Oh, uh, fabric?”
Glamour’s eyebrow went up. “Is there any specific one or…”
“Red!” Coco replied a bit on the loud side. “Um, lots and lots of red.”
“Okay… And why do you need so much red fabric?”
“For work.”
“But I thought you were done with all the theater costumes.”
“R-right, but uh…” Coco’s eyes darted to the side. “I, uh, need to have them because… Because a lot of costumes are red. Yeah, that’s why I need a lot of red. I can use them for any repairs or additions that might come up.”
Glamour fought the urge to frown when Coco gave her a sheepish smile. “So you just want me to go buy some red fabric. There’s not some other reason you might want me to go out, is there?”
“W-what makes you say that?”
Coco’s poor lying skills were making it hard for Glamour to keep a straight face. “It just seems a bit weird that you’re sending me out to get the fabric. You know I’m not that great with dressmaking, let alone picking out fabric. All those different shades and other stuff are kind of confusing. Maybe you should just come as well.”
Coco glanced away and rubbed her leg. “I uh, I have something I really need to work on today. Any red fabric will do. I know it’s an odd request, but please, Glamour, could you just do this for me?”
Glamour sighed. Coco might be acting a bit suspicious, but she could not say no to her. “Alright, sure. I was just making sure you get the right thing for your work.”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine with whatever you get.”
“If you say so. So, when should I go get them?”
“As soon as possible.” Coco blinked. “Er, if that’s alright with you.”
“Now it is then,” Glamour said with a shrug. She went to her room to grab her sling pouch. As she counted how many bits she had, she noticed that the picture of the pegasus she used to spy on Coco and Suri’s lunch was still inside. She stared at the picture for a few moments before deciding to leave it in, just in case.
“Alright, I’m heading out now,” Glamour told Coco in the living room on the way to the front door.
“Take your time, and feel free to go visit any place you want while you’re out. No need to rush home,” Coco said right as Glamour put her hoof on the doorknob.
Glamour paused and glanced back at Coco. Again, she was met with a forced smile. “Uh, okay then. I’ll see you later.”
As she trotted down the stairs, Glamour pondered over Coco’s odd behavior. The nervous tics and flimsy excuses made it obvious that Coco was planning something, and Glamour was pretty sure that this sudden errand was not for the sake of Coco’s work.
When she made it out onto the streets, Glamour could not help but look up at her home as she still wondered what her marefriend was up to. To her surprise, she could make out Coco looking down at her from their balcony. It only took a moment of thinking before everything fell into place.
Coco wanted her out of the apartment, and Glamour had a feeling she knew why. Between Coco’s talk with Suri and her own reluctance to give more details on her life before Manehattan, Coco was likely using her alone time to prepare some sort of investigation.
Pretending to not notice her marefriend watching her, Glamour took a deep breath and resumed walking. When she rounded a corner, putting her out of Coco’s sight, she stopped. After waiting a bit, she peeked around the corner and up at the balcony. As she expected, it looked like Coco had headed back inside, doing who knows what.
Glamour resumed her walk, but instead of heading to the fabric store, she turned into the first alley she came across. She reached into her pouch and pulled out the pegasus picture. Her horn lit up, getting ready to transform her, but it defused a second later.
Was Coco really planning something behind her back? Was she just being paranoid? Was it possible that Coco was doing this for some more innocent reason? Coco had always been respectful of her need for privacy, and it was hard to believe she would suddenly break that courtesy.
Then again, the timing and circumstances were lining up and telling her that her suspicions were the most plausible explanation for Coco’s odd behavior. As much as Glamour wanted to give Coco the benefit of the doubt, there was too much at risk. She wanted to tell Coco everything, but it had to be when the time was right, and now was certainly not the time.
Her horn lit up again, and she morphed into the red pegasus mare in the picture. She used her new form to quickly fly out of the alley and up to their apartment. Hovering to the right of Coco’s window, she slowly leaned to the left to peer into her marefriend’s room. Despite saying that she was working on something, Coco was not inside. Frowning, Glamour moved over to the balcony and peeked in through the glass screen door. Again, there was no sign of Coco.
Glamour landed on the balcony, shifted back into her unicorn form, and quietly let herself in through the screen door. With Coco so adamant on staying home, that left only the bathroom and her own room. Since Glamour was pretty sure that they were not quite at that stage for her to surprise her marefriend in the bathroom, she carefully made her way to her room.
When she got close to her room, Glamour saw that the door was slightly ajar, and she heard the soft sounds of somepony moving around on her bed.
“Ohh… Should I really be doing this?”
Glamour’s ears perked when she heard Coco’s quiet words. Peeking through the crack in the door, she saw that Coco was sitting on her bed, but what made her blood froze was that Coco had her saddlebag in her hooves.
She had told Coco that her bag was off-limits, and until now, Coco had respected that boundary. There were things inside the bag that she knew would lead to questions. Questions that she was not sure she could answer yet.
“I… I have to know. I’m sorry, Glamour…” Coco murmured as her hoof slowly reached to open up the bag.
Glamour pushed the door open and in a surprised tone, she uttered, “Coco?”
Coco yelped and almost tipped over when she suddenly turned to the door. “G-Glamour?! What are you doing back already?!”
“I forgot to take some more bits. What are you doing?”
“I…” Coco looked down at the bag she clutched in her hooves. “I…” Her shoulders then sagged while she let the bag slip out of her hooves and onto the bed. “I… I’m sorry…”
“Why were you searching through my stuff?”
“I-I…” Coco whimpered. “Glamour, please believe me that I really do love you, but there’s still so much I don’t know about you. I thought I was alright with letting you open up at your own pace, but after what you did to Suri…”
Coco paused for a moment and looked down at her hooves. “It’s like there’s a whole other side of you that I never knew about. Since you’re always so reluctant to talk about your past, I… I started worrying that there was something going on, so I tried to take matters into my own hooves. You always were protective with your saddlebag, so I thought that I could find something in it.”
Raising her head, Coco looked back at Glamour with tears starting to form in her eyes. “G-Glamour, I-I’m a bit scared of what you may be hiding, but what I did was inexcusable. I betrayed your trust. I’m so sorry, Glamour. Please, forgive me.”
Coco bowed her head in shame again, and a few choked sobs escaped her.
Glamour wordlessly moved over to sit next to Coco. She wrapped her forehooves around Coco and pulled her in close. Coco quickly buried her face into her shoulder, and her whole body trembled as the sobs became more frequent, which only made Glamour hold her tighter.
Glamour did not know what she was going to do or how she felt about the situation, but one thing was clear. There was a crying Coco that needed to be comforted.
When Coco eventually started to calm down, Glamour finally opened her mouth. “Coco, what you did was deceitful and dishonest.” She felt Coco flinch in her hooves. “I’ve told you that I would talk to you when I’m ready, but you still tried to go behind my back. And yet, I can’t really blame you.”
Coco slowly pulled herself away to look right into Glamour’s eyes. “W-what? Why not?”
It was Glamour’s turn to avert her gaze. “It’s my fault for making you wait so long. It’s not surprising that you started getting curious. The whole Suri thing certainly did not help. Coco, the reason it’s so hard for me to talk to you is because… I’ve done… things…”
“Um, what kind of things?”
“Things I’m not proud of.”
“Oh…”
Glamour bit her lip, not sure if she should be doing this, but she also knew that she had been putting this moment off for a long time. Before she could give herself a chance to back out, she said, “Coco, I’m going to tell you more about me, but could you give me a moment before we do that?”
Coco’s brow furrowed with worry. “You’re making me wait? Again?”
“Just… Just for a little bit more. This isn’t easy for me, but I promise I’ll tell you.”
“Oh, uh, a-alright then. I suppose…” Coco replied as she got up. “I’ll uh, I’ll be in my room then.”
As Coco walked to the door, Glamour called out, “Wait.” She then lifted up her saddlebag in her magic. She stared at it for a while, thinking about what she wanted to do and what she had to do, before sending it over to Coco. “Here.”
“W-what do you want me to do with this?” Coco asked, taking the bag in a hoof.
“Don’t open it. Just hold onto it for now. If I try to avoid talking to you again, you may open it.”
“Glamour, are you sure you want to do this?”
“No… But I have to try…”
Coco opened her mouth to say something, but she instead just nodded and left the room with the bag, closing the door behind her.
Glamour sighed. It pained her heart to see Coco getting so worried about her. Unfortunately, fear also gripped her heart. She had forced herself up against the wall, but there were still things she could do to weasel out of the truth. Snippets of her recent nightmare came back to haunt her, and Glamour was starting to wonder if she was making a huge mistake.
Perhaps she could try easing Coco into the truth again. Her attempt during their first official date was met with disappointment, but this time, she could spin a more elaborate and detailed story. The plan sounded good, but it also left a small, unpleasant taste in her mouth, knowing that she was about to lead Coco in a circle around the truth again instead of going straight for it.
Taking a deep breath, Glamour made her way to Coco’s room and found her marefriend sitting on her bed, staring at the unopened saddlebag that was resting on her desk.
Coco’s attention shifted to Glamour when she walked past the bed to stand in front of the saddlebag.
Glamour closed her eyes, thankful that Coco was patiently waiting in silence, while she figured out the best way to handle this situation. After one more deep breath, she turned around.
“So, you know that I didn’t exactly have an easy life during my travels, right?” Glamour asked.
Coco nodded. “Of course. You said you struggled a lot during your travels, and you had no bits nor a place to live when you arrived in Manehattan. I still shudder whenever I think what could have happened to you if I didn’t take you in.”
“Something that I will always be grateful for,” Glamour replied with a small smile that lasted only a moment before she continued with her explanation. “But you weren’t there to help me during my travels. I did alright in terms of finding places to sleep, but I can’t say the same in terms of hunger.”
Coco gulped. “Y-you didn’t have enough food?”
Glamour’s gaze dropped, and she nodded. “It’s tough when you have to wonder when or even if you’re going to get your next meal. When you’re unable to buy your own food, hunger can push you to use even more desperate measures.”
“W-what did you do?” Coco asked, her eyes slowly widening with rapt attention.
“Coco, I’m…” Glamour bit her lip, and she tried to look up at Coco’s eyes but failed. “I’m a… thief… I’ve lied, cheated, and stole from ponies to feed myself.”
“Y-you’re a criminal?”
“Pretty much…” Glamour admitted. She was pretty sure every changeling was branded a criminal after the Royal Wedding.
“Oh dear… Oh my…” Coco was holding a hoof over her chest as she started to breathe heavily. “So… So I’ve been harboring a fugitive?”
Glamour winced. “Y-yes, but it’s not too bad… I think… I only took what I needed to keep me fed. I also never stayed in one place too long, and I always wore a disguise whenever I did something. Nopony knows what I did or really knows who I am. If by the off-chance that something does happen to me, I will not let anything touch you. I promise you that you will be safe.”
Coco’s breaths seemed to calm down a bit, but it was clear that she was still reeling in shock. “O-okay.” She took one more deep breath, regaining her composure, and looked straight at Glamour. “Glamour, please look at me.”
Glamour raised her head to see Coco’s face showing no hint of emotion. “Yes?”
“Us being friends… marefriends…” Coco’s stern face cracked with a hint of fear, and she had to close her eyes and take a deep breath once again before continuing. “Do you actually love me, or are you… are you just using me?”
That was a question Glamour could easily answer. “Coco, I love you from the bottom of my heart. Even when we first met, I felt myself drawn to you, and I cherish every moment we spend together. There’s nowhere else I would rather be than by your side.
“I know it’s tough to hear the unpleasant things I’ve done, but I’m not like that anymore. When I came to Manehattan, I did not want to continue my old life. Thanks to you, I’ve been able to do that. Coco, you changed my life in more ways than one, and you mean so much to me. The reason I’ve been so reluctant to tell you about my past was because…”
Glamour sighed and ran a hoof through her mane. “I’m sorry. Even after everything we had done together, everything that we’ve been though, I was afraid that you would not want anything to do with me once you knew the real me. I still am, actually. But no matter what you think of me, you were the pony who changed me, and I will always love you, even if you stop.”
Coco closed her eyes, and Glamour silently waited for Coco’s verdict. The minutes ticked by, and Glamour was beginning to wonder if her plan was already careening for the nearest cliff. When Coco opened up her eyes again to look at her, Glamour held her breath.
“Glamour, please come here,” Coco quietly requested, patting the spot next to her. As soon as Glamour sat down, Coco pulled her into a hug. “I’m sorry for doubting you. You might have been a thief, but you did what you had to do to survive. I’m still a bit uneasy about the whole thing, but I can’t let your past be the only thing I see. Because of you, I’ve become a better pony, you helped change Suri back to the good mare she used to be, and most of all, you make me feel loved. You might have done some bad things, but that doesn’t make you a bad pony.”
“Thank you, Coco,” Glamour replied. “That really means a lot to hear you say that.” It was a relief that Coco had accepted the truth. Too bad that the truth was missing some important details. Hopefully, she could rectify that as they continued talking.
Glamour’s horn glowed as she floated the saddlebag toward her so that she could move onto the next part of her confession.
“What are you doing?” Coco asked when she saw Glamour open the saddlebag.
“You wanted to know what’s in here, and now you’re getting to,” Glamour said while she checked the contents. “It’s not so bad now since most of what’s in here is related to what I just told you.”
Coco nodded and scooched back a bit to give Glamour some room.
“Well, these things don’t really need an explanation.” Glamour laid out the remaining bits left in her bag and her camera onto the bed. She then fished out her compact mirror, opening it up and showing it to Coco. “I pretty much found this on the ground one day and kept it. Nothing really special about it except for when I needed to make sure I look presentable. I actually still use it quite a bit.”
“Maybe we should get you a nice, big mirror for your room one of these days,” Coco suggested.
“It would definitely make it easier to check on my appearance,” Glamour agreed before moving on to the next item. She pulled out her map of Equestria, unfolded it, and laid the whole thing out on the bed for Coco to see.
Coco looked down at the map, and her hoof pointed at one of the marks Glamour had made. “Why are there green x’s on so many places?”
“Each one is someplace I stayed for at least a few days.” Glamour’s hoof started on the south part of Equestria near the Badlands. She dragged her hoof through the southwest part of the map before looping back, making sure to give a wide berth from Canterlot and its surroundings, before heading up along the east coast and stopping on Manehattan.
“That’s like half of Equestria,” Coco remarked. “I can’t believe you’ve been to so many places.”
“It’s not like I could afford to stop and see the sights. Don’t forget I had to steal to survive. I could not stay in one place for too long because ponies would get suspicious, or I was chased out.”
Coco’s gaze shot right up to Glamour. “Ch-chased out?”
Glamour chuckled sheepishly. “I might have never been physically caught, but there have been a few close calls, and I had to make a run for it. You’d be surprised how fast an angry mob can form. You’d be even more surprised to find out how fast ponies can break out pitchforks and torches.”
Coco gasped and covered her mouth with her hooves. “Oh my goodness… Y-you didn’t get hurt, did you?”
“Pretty often, to be honest, but never anything too serious. Look on the bright side, all that um, exercise made me fit enough to be a model.” Glamour smiled sheepishly, but it faded away when Coco’s worried look remained. She cleared her throat, folded the map back up, and moved it to the side. “A-anyway, enough of that. Let’s move on.”
The only items left in Glamour’s bag were almost all of the pictures of ponies she used as disguises. She was glad that the pegasus mare’s photo was still in her sling pouch that she left in her room. Coco might have remembered seeing her during her lunch with Suri a few days ago.
She gathered up all the photos in her bag, making sure that one in particular was put in the bottom, and spread them out on the bed. “These are actually the main reason I did not want you looking through my bag.”
“Who are all these ponies?” Coco asked as she picked one up to look at it closer.
“Ponies I’ve met and seen during my travels. While I don’t know most of them very well, I got their photos one way or another and sometimes without their permission… I kept the pictures because um, well, I might have used some of them to help me with my um, stealing.”
Coco blinked and glanced back at Glamour. “Help you steal? How does that work?”
“They make cover up stories and lies a bit more convincing. I uh, I even went as far as to pretend I was somepony else quite a few times.”
“I see…” Coco picked up several more pictures and looked through them. “So you didn’t want me to see these because of the bad things you did with them?”
“Well, yeah. It might also be a bit creepy if you think about it. Why would somepony carry around so many pictures of strangers?” Glamour chuckled sheepishly before clearing her throat. “Anyway, there’s also one or two that I really didn’t want you to see for other reasons.” Glamour searched through the pile of pictures until she found the one she wanted and pointed at it. “I’m sure you’re going to ask about him at some point, so I might as well get over with it now. This stallion right here is the pony that took pictures of Suri.”
“Who is he?”
“He’s somepony I worked with while I was on the road,” Glamour answered, briefly raising her hooves by her head to draw air quotes.
“He was a thief too?”
“Um, yeah, he helped me with some disguises and sneaking around. It was only for a little while though, and after that, I didn’t see him again. Well, until the thing with Suri. He just happened to turn up in Manehattan at the right time, and I got him to help us out.”
“Where is he now?”
Glamour shrugged. “It’s like he disappeared after he gave me the pictures. I guess that after everything that happened that night with Suri, he felt it was too risky to stick around. Since I gave him what he wanted, and he said the city life wasn’t for him, I don’t think we’ll ever see him again.”
“Oh, alright. So uh, just to be sure, you haven’t stolen anything since you moved to Manehattan, right?”
Glamour shook her head. “No, I haven’t.”
“And you promise not to steal anymore?”
Glamour smiled and placed her hoof on Coco’s chest. “Why would I need to when I have everything I need right here?”
Coco giggled. “Flatterer, but thank you. I’m glad that you put those things behind you.”
Glamour started to put everything back in her saddlebag, but in reality, she was moving on to the next step of her plan. This was going to be the last check to make sure it was safe to confess her darkest secret to Coco. She did not like how she was manipulating Coco and dancing around the issue with half-truths, but this was best way she could think of without risking heartbreak for the both of them.
As Glamour piled up the photos, she made sure that the one photo she placed at the bottom would catch Coco’s eye.
Sure enough, after a moment, Coco’s eyes widened, and she stammered out, “W-wait.” She slowly picked up the photo and held it up to her face. “It… It can’t be…” She continued staring at the picture in her trembling hoof.
“Glamour, w-why do you have this? Do you know who this is?” Coco asked, turning the photo to her.
“I figured you would be interested in that one.” Glamour took a deep breath. “Yeah, I know who that is. That’s Nutmeg. The friend you made before me.”
“Th-that’s right… How do you… You actually know her?”
“More than you think.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Remember when I said I knew a changeling?”
Coco slowly nodded. “Y-yes.”
“Well…” Glamour took another deep breath, muttering a silent apology to Coco at the same time. “The thing is… Nutmeg is a changeling.”
The photo fell out of Coco’s hoof, and she stared back at Glamour with a mixture of horror and surprise. “W-what? You… You’re joking. Please tell me you’re joking.”
Glamour gulped. “I’m afraid not. I happened to see Nutmeg on the road one day. She must have not noticed me because I saw her turn into a changeling right before my eyes.”
“S-so the Nutmeg I befriended might have actually been a changeling?” Coco’s breaths became ragged as she brought a hoof over her heart. “N-no, it can’t be. It just can’t be…”
“Coco, I’m sorry about—”
“Why didn’t you tell me any of this when I told you about her?!” Coco asked with a raised voice.
Glamour gulped. Things were rapidly going downhill. “Well, we also just met at the time. What would you think of me if I told you that I knew a changeling that also happened to be somepony you befriended?”
Coco blinked. “I would believe you? Maybe?”
“Really?” Glamour asked with a flat stare. “You wouldn’t think I was crazy or maybe even a changeling myself?”
“I uh…” Coco sighed. “No. I suppose you have a point. It does sound like a rather farfetched story. I probably would not have warmed up to you if that was one of the first things we talked about.”
Glamour nodded. “Exactly. I’m sorry for keeping that from you, but sometimes you need to wait for the proper moment to reveal an uncomfortable truth.”
“True… I guess… It’s just so overwhelming to find out that Nutmeg was not who I thought she was.” Coco sighed. “It… It just feels like a nightmare.”
Glamour tried to ignore the growing pit in her stomach. “Is that really such bad a thing though? I mean, yes, she was a changeling, but wasn’t she also a friend to you?”
“Of course it… No, but… I…” Coco groaned and brought a hoof to her forehead. “I-I don’t know. This is just all so confusing. Yes, she was a friend, but on the other hoof, I barely spent any time with her before she left. Her odd behavior and sudden departure suddenly makes sense now. I hardly knew her, and for all I know, she might have been leading me on… Using me…”
“She seemed like a nice p—er, changeling when I confronted her,” Glamour added. “I know the whole Royal Wedding thing gave them a bad name, but after meeting her, I don’t think all changelings are bad…”
“I guess this moment is why you’ve been trying to get me to be a bit more sympathetic to changelings, huh?”
Glamour nodded. “I figured it would make things easier for the both of us. So, what do you think? Would you give a changeling a chance if you met one?”
Coco groaned. “I just don’t know, Glamour. It’s all so complicated. I’m not the only pony who’s wary of them, and I heard all sorts of scary stories about them. They’re notorious for lying. It’s scary to find out somepony you thought you knew is actually somepony completely different. I’m not sure if I can really trust somepony like that.”
“You mean like me?”
Coco looked up at Glamour with a horrified look. “G-Glamour, I-I didn’t mean…”
Glamour sighed heavily. As she nodded, she quietly replied, “Yeah… I know…”
“I-I’m sorry.”
“Yeah… I know…” Glamour replied again while she dropped her gaze to her bag and slowly finished packing. “I-I think that’s everything,” she said when all her things were back in her bag. “I’m just going to head back to my room now.”
Coco grabbed Glamour’s hoof when she got up. “Glamour, I really am sorry. What I said… It just slipped out. I didn’t mean to lump you in with changelings.”
Glamour could feel her composure falling apart, and she looked away to the door. “I-it’s alright...”
“Are you sure?”
Glamour pulled her hoof away and headed for the door. “I’m fine. Just… tired…”
Was she really going to walk away now? She had managed to bring Coco closer to her true self, but she knew that unless she took that last step, everything she just told Coco was meaningless. She had spent so much time building up to this moment. If she gave up now, who knows when or even if she would ever find the willpower to try something like this again?
“Actually, there’s one more thing, Coco.” Glamour turned around. “I… I’m… I’m…”
And yet, after seeing how troubled Coco was when she found that Nutmeg was a changeling, Glamour was unsure if she could go through with her confession. Fragments of her nightmare came back to her mind, and Glamour knew she would do anything to keep Coco’s love.
Her entire body trembled as she warred with herself on what was the right thing to do. In the end, she let her instincts dictate the next words to come out of her mouth.
“I’m… Sorry… I’m sorry for keeping stuff from you. I love you.”
Coco offered up a small smile. “I love you too, Glamour.”
“I’ll uh, see you later.” Glamour did her best to try and smile back, and she was not sure she was successful before she quickly turned back around and headed into her room. The door barely finished closing behind her before she dropped her bag and flopped into her bed.
The tears started as soon as her face hit the pillow.
She was a failure and a coward. Once again, she had backed out of revealing the truth. It pained her to continue lying to Coco, but she just could not do it. She had faced many dangers and took many risks to survive and to make it this far, but her relationship with Coco was far too precious to gamble on. And it scared her. Sometimes it was easier to live a lie than to face the truth.
Glamour did not know how long she cried as she stayed in her bed. Except for the occasional choked sob, she made almost no other movement or sound. It was like the whole world had been put on pause.
She remained in her catatonic state for so long, deaf to the world around her, that she almost did not hear the knocking on her door. Wordlessly and not budging from her prone position, she lit up her horn to open the door.
“Hey, Glamour, how are you feeling?” Coco asked when she came in. “It’s been a few hours since you came in here after you told me everything.”
Everything… That word felt so wrong to Glamour in this situation. Glancing up at Coco, she took a deep breath and said, “Yeah, it’s just… It took a lot out of me.”
“I can imagine.” Coco sat down on the bed and began soothingly rubbing Glamour’s back. “It was pretty tough for me to hear those things. It must have been so much worse for you to admit those things.”
“You have no idea…”
“I just want you to know that despite it all, my feelings for you haven’t changed. No, that’s not right. I actually appreciate you even more now.”
Glamour’s ears flicked. “You like me more? Even after knowing what I did, what I kept from you?”
“Well, I’m not saying I really approve of your stealing, but I made peace with that. I’m talking about your perseverance. You’ve been through so much, and yet you still managed to become the positive, caring pony that I love. Never change, Glamour.”
Glamour chuckled nervously. “I’ll try.”
Glamour continued lying in bed for a bit longer. Mentally, she was still feeling broken, but the feeling of Coco’s hoof on her back was doing wonders in calming her down, at least physically.
Not wanting to keep Coco waiting, she slowly sat up and then noticed that Coco was holding an envelope in her hoof. Pointing at it, she asked, “What’s that?”
“Oh.” Coco raised the envelope to give Glamour a better look. “I went to check the mail while you were in bed. It’s from Photo Finish. Since it’s addressed to the both of us, and I wasn’t sure how you were feeling, I already read it.”
“What does she want us to do now?”
“Actually, she’s giving us a vacation. Here, see for yourself.”
Glamour took the letter in her hooves and began reading. Sure enough, between all the expected praise Photo Finish heaped on herself, she also was very pleased with their roles in the Fall Fashion Fantasia. With all the shots she took of both Glamour and the rest of the contestants, she was busy working with all the new material. Finally, as a reward for all their hard work, Photo Finish had provided two tickets for the Equestria Games.
Glamour tilted her head at that last part. “Equestria Games?”
“You don’t know what that is?”
“Well, I think I heard it’s a big athletic competition, but that’s about it.”
“That’s an understatement. The Equestria Games only come once every few years, and cities from all over send their best athletes to compete in all sorts of events. This year is particularly special because it will be held in the Crystal Empire.”
Glamour chuckled nervously, feeling a bit awkward with all these new names. “Uh, Crystal Empire?”
“Oh, I suppose you didn’t hear the news when you were on the road. The Crystal Empire is a kingdom up in the north that recently reappeared. I don’t know much about it yet, but Rarity told me that she and her friends had to go there to save the place from an evil king. He was the one who made the entire kingdom disappear many years ago. Anyway, despite being in the snowy mountains, I hear that it’s such a beautiful place with all sorts of gems and crystals integrated into the architecture. I would love to go see it.”
“Well, I guess this is your chance, now that we get to go see the Equestria Games,” Glamour replied as she read the letter again. “Oh wait, there’s something I missed. P.S. Make sure you let everypony know who you are and look fabulous.” She rolled her eyes. “Is this a vacation or a publicity stunt?”
Coco giggled. “I suppose it’s both, but I don’t think it will be a big deal if you choose to skimp on that detail a bit. Anyway, this whole Equestria Game thing has given me an idea. The games are less than a month away, and since we are both pretty much free from work, this would be the perfect time for us to visit Ponyville.”
Glamour flinched. “Ponyville? You mean where Rarity lives?”
Coco nodded. “Ponyville is on the way to the Crystal Empire, and I was thinking that we could spend some time there.”
Glamour bit her lip. “You uh, really want to see Rarity, right?”
“Very much so. She’s such a wonderful, supportive friend, not to mention how she helped turn my life around. Writing letters to her is nice, but it’s not the same as actually talking with her face to face.”
Glamour sighed inwardly and nodded. "Then I don’t see why we can’t go see her. Let’s do it."
Coco smiled and clapped her forehooves in delight. “Great! I’ll go send her a letter right away with our plans. If everything goes well, we might be able to leave within a few days, giving us plenty of time to tour Ponyville.”
Glamour put on a fake smile. “Yay, Ponyville…”
Coco got up to go contact Rarity, but she stopped at the door and turned back around. “Oh, Glamour, thank you again for talking to me. It really means a lot that you finally opened to me. It’s been pretty crazy with everything going on, and I think this vacation is exactly what we need. I can’t wait to be able to relax and spend more time with you.”
“I can’t wait either.”
After Coco left, Glamour lay back down in her bed while she reviewed the vacation plan. The Crystal Empire and the Equestria Games both sounded like really fun things. She did wish that they were not going to Ponyville though, and from the sound of it, Coco was hoping to spend at least a few days there, no doubt to catch up with Rarity.
Glamour was not looking forward to meeting a pony who supposedly fought off a battalion of changelings. But if Coco wanted to see Rarity, then it was well worth the risk. Not only did she want Coco to be happy, but Glamour felt that she owed her marefriend for hiding the truth.
Glamour sighed. The fact that she failed yet again with her confession was weighing heavily on her mind. How long was she going to keep this charade?
At least they had a relaxing vacation coming up to help set things straight.