//------------------------------// // Chapter 23: Let the Games Begin // Story: A Change In Fashion // by Kevinltk //------------------------------// The Equestria Games had finally begun. Glamour and Coco had gotten up early in the morning, but there was already a huge line waiting when they got to the stadium. Even with multiple entrances open, it took a while for them to make it to the doors, flash their tickets, and endure the crowd inside the building until they found their seats. Since they first received their tickets from Photo Finish, Glamour was a bit skeptical on the idea of simply watching ponies perform in a variety of athletic competitions. Now that she was sitting in the huge, open-air stadium along with enough ponies to make the Fall Fashion Fantasia seem like just a school play by comparison, she realized that she had vastly underestimated the popularity of the Equestria Games. She found herself eagerly awaiting with everypony else for the opening procession to begin. Sitting right next to her was Coco, and beside her was Grace, who had managed to convince the pony that was seated there before to switch places with her. Both of them were currently talking to each other, while Glamour continued to look around. In the row in front of them was Photo Finish. When she arrived earlier, she had made Glamour’s and her own accomplishments well known to everypony in the vicinity before settling down to get ready to take pictures. To Glamour’s other side, she could see Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie, and Octavia not too far away from them. While they all seemed to be animatedly enjoying themselves, Glamour’s attention was quickly drawn to the box seats they were sitting in front of. High above, she could see several important looking ponies, but she gulped at the sight of the four tall, ornamented thrones in the top-rear row. In each seat were the four alicorn princesses of Equestria. On the farthest seat was Princess Cadance, ruler of the Crystal Empire and one half of the duo that blew the changelings out of Canterlot. Next to her was Princess Luna, the pony who controlled the moon, and beside her was her larger sister, Princess Celestia, the pony who controlled the sun and almost defeated a love-filled Queen Chrysalis in a duel. The last throne was occupied by the smallest of the bunch, Twilight Sparkle, the one princess Glamour got to meet personally. Suddenly, Glamour heard loud music fill the air, and the cheering started to grow louder. “What’s going on?” she asked with a raised voice to be heard over the noise. “The opening procession is starting!” Coco replied loudly. She pointed down at an opening near the stadium’s center. “Look!” Following Coco’s direction, Glamour turned to the field and saw a tall, white unicorn wearing decorative armor march in front of the entrance. A shiver ran through her. The unicorn was Shining Armor. While he was not an alicorn, he was still a former captain of the Royal Guard, and it was his shield spell that kept the changelings out of Canterlot and then later, with Princess Cadance’s help, expelled all the changelings. Glamour was glad that there was a healthy distance between them, and she tried to keep her mind off him by concentrating on the opening procession. The opening ceremonies consisted of Shining Armor announcing a team’s entrance, along with their hometown. A few ponies would then come out and put on a tiny show before one of them would plant a decorative flag in the ground. Following that, more ponies outfitted in jerseys, which were obviously the athletes, would rush out and line up near the center of the field. The process repeated as more and more teams started filling up the field. “So I’m guessing those flags represent each team’s hometown?” Glamour asked. Coco nodded while she kept watching the show. “That’s right. I heard most places even held little contests to determine who the flag bearers were.” “Now, please welcome the delegation from… Ponyville!” Shining Armor’s voice rang clearly across the stadium. Glamour watched a yellow earth pony filly and a white unicorn filly hold up a huge covered hoop in front of the field’s entrance. After a few seconds, an orange pegasus filly riding a scooter with the Ponyville flag attached to it burst through the center of the hoop, and following right behind her was Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and the other athletes from Ponyville. A set of familiar, loud shouts made Glamour look to her side, and she grinned when she saw the Elements of Harmony all wildly cheering. Even Twilight was making a bit of a ruckus in the box seats. “Rarity told me about those fillies. In fact, that unicorn is her little sister,” Coco explained. She directed her hoof at the earth pony filly. “That’s Applejack’s sister.” Her hoof moved in the direction of the scooter-riding pegasus. “And finally, that filly spends a lot of time with Rainbow Dash. Even though they’re not related, Rainbow likes to think she’s like a sister.” After the Ponyville team settled down, Shining Armor announced the next team, continuing the procession. Glamour was a bit surprised to see that one of the teams consisted of griffons, and she was curious to see how they would fare against ponies. Later on, the Manehattan team was introduced, and Glamour chuckled when she saw Coco and Grace loudly cheer for them. She even found herself joining them to celebrate the city she now lived in. Eventually, all the teams were introduced and lined up on the field as Shining Armor walked in front of them. “And now, to complete the opening procession, we will light the ceremonial torch, marking the beginning of the Equestria Games, and to do that, we have The Great and Honorable Spike the Brave and Glorious, hero of the Crystal Empire, and the first dragon to ever light the Equestria Game’s torch.” Again, another loud cheer erupted, and Glamour saw the purple dragon move across a large balcony on the northern part of the field. The torch itself was blue and purple and in a goblet shape, and there were two strips of metal coming from its center, one blue and one purple, that swirled and circled around each other as they rose even higher into the sky. The noise died down a bit as everypony watched Spike climb up a ladder to the top of the torch and waited for the big moment. But after a few minutes, the torch remained unlit, and it was already way past the length for a dramatic pause. “Um, does it usually take this long?” Glamour asked as she continued to keep her eyes on the torch and hear the confused murmurs of the ponies around her. “I don’t think so,” Coco replied, her gaze also fixed to the torch. “Then again, Twilight did mention Spike was going to light it with his own fire breath, and he is a baby dragon so…” Glamour and Coco yelped when the torch suddenly lit up with a huge plume of fire before quickly dying down into a controlled sapphire-blue flame. “Uh, guess he finally got it,” Glamour remarked with a chuckle before they were drowned out by the roaring crowd. When the noise settled down, Shining Armor started speaking again, explaining that the opening ceremonies were now over. The first event would start in about two hours to allow everypony else the time to stretch their hooves and grab a quick lunch while the field was prepared for the games. It took a while, but Glamour, Coco, and Grace made it out of the stadium. After they talked for a bit, complimenting the show and saying what teams they were going to keep an eye on, Grace left them to head back to her room, while Glamour and Coco went off to search for their friends. Before long, they found the Elements, excluding Fluttershy. They could also see that Octavia and the fillies that carried the Ponyville flag were also with them, and in the distance, Spike was dragging his feet as he slowly walked away from them. He was so slumped over with dejection, it almost looked like he was walking on all fours. “Oh dear, what’s wrong with Spike?” Coco asked as they approached the group. “Oh, hello, Coco, Glamour,” Rarity greeted, turning to them with a small frown across her face. She sighed heavily. “I’m afraid Spikey Wikey is quite upset right now. To put it simply, he pretty much froze up when he saw everypony watching him when he was trying to light the torch. That was why it took so long to light it.” Even though Glamour wanted to chuckle a bit at “Spikey Wikey”, she sympathized with the dragon. “I can understand how he feels. Stage fright is really scary. My first show was pretty much a disaster, ask Coco. Actually, I probably had it better. He had to face a lot more ponies, not to mention that he’s still a kid. At least, he was able to finally get the torch lit at the end though.” This time, Twilight sighed. “I’m afraid that was not him. When I noticed he was having so much trouble, I cast a secret spell to light it for him. That’s why he’s feeling so down. He feels like he failed everypony.” “Shouldn’t somepony go with him to help him feel better?” Coco asked. Twilight shook her head with a frown. “He said he wanted to be alone. I’ll give him some space, but not for too long. If he doesn’t get better soon, I’ll go find him. In the meantime, though, I got to head back to Shining Armor and help him with the preparations. I’ll see you all later.” After Twilight flew off, Rainbow said. “And I have to head back to the locker rooms to help Fluttershy get the Ponyville team ready.” With a grin, she ruffled the pegasus filly’s purple mane. “Again, nice job, squirt. Be sure to save me a seat for after the relay race.” “Sure thing, Rainbow Dash!” the pegasus filly cheerfully replied, her small wings buzzing with excitement. “Good luck on the race!” As they watched Rainbow fly away, Glamour felt somepony tapping her foreleg, and she turned her head to find the unicorn filly staring up at her. “Excuse me, you’re Glamour, right?” the filly asked. Glamour nodded. “Yes, I am. You’re Rarity’s sister, right?” “Sure am! I’m Sweetie Belle!” Sweetie chirped back with the slightest crack in her voice. She pointed at the earth pony filly, saying, “That’s Apple Bloom,” before moving on to the pegasus filly and saying, “And that’s Scootaloo. And the three of us are…” For some reason, as the three fillies gathered together, Glamour saw the Elements cover their ears. “THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS! YAY!” After her hearing came back, Glamour asked, “Um, and what are the Cutie Mark Crusaders?” “It’s what we call ourselves,” explained Apple Bloom. “We’re all blank flanks, and we do all sorts of stuff to try and find our special talents so that we can get our cutie marks.” “And we were wondering if you could maybe help us with our cutie marks,” Scootaloo finished. Glamour tilted her head in confusion. “Uh, what can I do to help?” As far as she knew, cutie marks appeared on a pony’s flanks only when they discovered their special talent. “Could you tell us how you got your cutie mark?” Glamour’s heart skipped a beat, and her eyes bulged. “H-how I got my cutie mark?” “Ooh, I would like to know that too,” Coco said, looking at Glamour with a smile. Glamour gulped, and her eyes darted around, seeing that not only were Coco and the fillies giving her their full attention, but the Elements were eyeing her with interest as well. “W-well, you see um, it wasn’t that special of a moment. It’s boring, and you wouldn’t be interested in it.” “Yes, we would,” Sweetie protested. “Even if it might not be exciting, we might learn something.” “Glamour, go ahead and tell it,” Coco encouraged. “It doesn’t matter if you think it’s boring or not. As long as I get to know more about you, I’ll find it interesting.” “But… Um…” Glamour really did not want to complicate her disguise even more, but it looked like there was no way she was going to get out of this, especially since she could not say no to Coco. With a sigh, Glamour said, “Fine, I’ll tell you how I got my cutie mark.” “Yay, story time from Glammy!” Pinkie cheered as she sat down with a bag of popcorn from… somewhere. “Um, okay, where do I start?” Glamour scratched her head as she tried to piece together a story. “What’s the holdup, Glamour?” Applejack asked when a few moments of silence passed. “H-hold on. It was a long time ago, and I want to make sure I get everything straight.” Glamour cleared her throat. “Okay, my memory is a bit hazy since it happened so long ago, so if something seems out of place, that’s, um, that’s why.” After her audience nodded in agreement, Glamour began her story. “Well, um, when I was still a filly, a traveling show came into my hometown, and they put on a play. I ended up liking the play so much, I—” “What was the play?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Uh, it was… That thing with the thing and the other thing… with things…” “So you say you really liked the play, but you don’t remember what it was?” Apple Bloom asked with a raised eyebrow. “Of course I do. I… I just had a momentary lapse in my memory. It was, uh, Beauty and the Beast,” Glamour blurted out, remembering the title of a book she was reading back in Manehattan. “Anyway, I liked the play so much, I wanted to see more. I ended up sneaking into the wagon where the performers kept their props and stuff. What caught my attention were all the costumes hanging around. Even though they were all too big for me, I went ahead and tried on as many as I could.” Coco giggled. “That sounds adorable.” Glamour blushed a bit. “Er, yeah. So I was actually in there for a while before one of the performers found me. When I left the wagon, I noticed that I now had my cutie mark. I guess that while I was trying out all the costumes, it appeared without me noticing.” “So you got your cutie mark by sneaking into somepony’s belongings and wearing all their stuff?” Scootaloo asked as all three fillies leaned in closer to hear Glamour’s answer. A glare from Rarity and Applejack told Glamour that she should choose her next words carefully. “Uh, while that was technically what I did, I don’t think that’s the main reason I got my cutie mark. I think wearing the costumes got me thinking on how great it would be to be on stage to entertain others. In other words, I figured out what I wanted to do with my life.” She glanced at Applejack and Rarity. “Also, sneaking is bad, and you should listen to your sisters.” “Ohh,” the Cutie Mark Crusaders replied as Applejack and Rarity nodded in approval. “So what did you do after you got your cutie mark?” Coco asked. “I did a bit of acting, but it was all small after-school stuff. Then life got in the way, and I wouldn’t step hoof on stage until I moved to Manehattan and started working with you.” Coco smiled. “Well, I’m happy that I got to meet you and help fulfill that foalhood dream of yours.” Glamour smiled back. “Yeah, I was very lucky to find you.” “Well, that was a lovely story, Glamour,” Rarity said. “But unfortunately, we must be going. We need to get these fillies back to our rooms to get them cleaned and fed before the games start.” “Do you need any help?” Coco asked. “Nah, we’re fine,” Applejack replied. “We don’t want you worryin’ about the fillies. You two should enjoy some alone time. We’ll see you back at the stadium.” With Applejack and Rarity’s continued insistences, Glamour and Coco left their friends and headed off to spend the remainder of the intermission together. They sampled some crystal berry desserts for lunch before going off to do a little bit of shopping. Among the trinkets and souvenirs they ended up purchasing, Coco was interested in the different fabric materials that the Crystal Empire had on sale, in particular, the ones that looked like they had powdered gems within them. When it was almost time for the games to start, they made a quick trip back to the hotel to drop off the things they bought before heading for the stadium. Fortunately, the lines seemed to go by faster than before, and it was not long before Glamour and Coco were able to enter the building. As they walked down the entry hall, one of the security guards, a burly stallion wearing a dark-gray trench coat, shades, and a security guard cap, stepped in front of Glamour. “Excuse me, Miss.” Glamour froze for a second. “I-Is there a problem, officer?” “We just need you to get in that line.” The security guard pointed to a few ponies lining up in front of several golden arches that each had a transparent, shimmering, teal wall in the middle. A unicorn walked through an arch, and as he went through the wall, it looked like a strip of magic swirled around his horn before settling inside it. Glamour then realized that all the ponies in the line were unicorns. “Why do I need to get in that line?” “Unicorns will no longer be admitted without a disabling spell,” the guard replied in a slightly monotone voice, as though he had recited the answer many times. “To prevent cheating.” Glamour sighed and walked over to the short line, while Coco went to wait for her on the other side of the checkpoint. As she waited for her turn, her eyes widened when a sudden realization hit her. Even though maintaining her pony disguise was easy, it still needed a constant upkeep of magic. If she received the disabling spell, it was very much possible her disguise would fall off, revealing to everypony that she was a changeling. “Miss? Miss? It’s your turn,” a security guard called out to Glamour from the other side of the checkpoint. “Please step through.” Glamour just stood where she was as she frantically tried to find a way to get past the disabling spell. She could not risk letting Coco find out who she really was. “Miss, you’re holding up the line. If you don’t walk through, you’re not going to—” “Bathroom!” Glamour yelled out, drawing everypony’s wide eyes to her. “Er, what?” “Bathroom! I got to go!” Before anypony could react, Glamour turned around and sprinted for the bathroom located near the entrance. She charged through the door, to the surprise of everypony inside, and headed straight into an empty stall, slamming the door and locking it behind her. Glamour both groaned and sighed in relief as she sat down on the toilet. She had bought herself a bit of time, but it was not much. She had to figure out a way to get past the guards quick before a guard or Coco came to investigate. Seated on the porcelain throne, it did not take her long before she got an idea, and she wondered if the myth really was true that some of Equestria’s greatest ideas came while somepony was sitting on the toilet. She flipped the toilet’s cover down and climbed on it so that she could peek out from the top of her stall. Picking out a random pegasus mare in the crowd, Glamour kept her focus on her until the mare exited the bathroom. With the image still fresh in her mind, Glamour settled back down on the toilet, closed her eyes, and let her transformation magic flow through her. Once the magic settled down, she waited a few moments to make sure the pony she copied had time to put some distance between them before exiting her stall. She took a quick look at herself in the mirrors above the bathroom sinks and saw that she had successfully turned into a whole new mare. Glamour trotted out of the bathroom in her new disguise and was able to walk through the checkpoint without any trouble. She passed by Coco, who was standing to the side and had her eyes on the bathroom door. As soon as she turned the corner, Glamour started searching for a secluded spot until she found a door. Glamour was never happier to find a supply closet, and she discreetly entered it when nopony was paying attention. When she came out of the closet, she was back to her familiar unicorn form. She went back to the entry hall, and she saw Coco started walking toward the bathroom. Rushing over, Glamour reached out and placed her hoof on Coco’s shoulder. “Hey, Coco.” Coco jumped a bit and gasped before quickly turning around. “Glamour! My goodness, you startled me.” Glamour smiled sheepishly. “Sorry about that.” “It’s alright. How are you feeling though? You rushed to the bathroom all of a sudden, and you were in there for quite some time. I was just about to go check up on you.” “Yeah, I just had some, uh, difficulties.” Glamour patted her stomach. “I guess I ate something bad during lunch. Don’t worry, I’m fine now.” Coco blinked. “Oh… Um, anyway, how did you get past me? I didn’t even see you come out of the bathroom, let alone go through the checkpoint.” “Oh, um, I guess you must have missed me with all the ponies around,” Glamour replied with a strained smile. “I mean, I did almost walk past you.” Coco stared at Glamour for a few seconds, and a small frown started forming. Leaning closer, she whispered, “Glamour, you’re not up to something sneaky, are you?” “N-no! I really did have to go to the bathroom to take care of, uh, an urgent need. I promise you that I’m not planning anything bad.” Coco sighed, and her frown disappeared. “Okay, Glamour, I trust you. You know I’m just worried for you, right?” Glamour threw her hoof around Coco’s neck for a quick hug. “I know you are. Believe me, I am doing my best to be very careful. Now, come on, let’s get to our seats.” After they returned to their seats, Grace rejoined them shortly afterwards. They chatted with each other until Shining Armor walked out on the field again, announcing the beginning of the games. The first event was the hoof race, and as the competitors lined up on the track, Glamour glanced over to where the Elements were seated and was a bit surprised to see that they were not in their seats. Guessing that the Cutie Mark Crusaders were keeping them busy, she returned her attention back to the field. When the race began, Glamour’s jaw pretty much hit her seat as soon as the flag dropped. Every racer left her field of vision almost instantly. She had never seen a pony run so fast, and it was quickly becoming apparent to her why the Equestria Games was so widely celebrated. The games were not just simple sporting events. It was a chance for everypony to see the best of the best demonstrate incredible feats of prowess. A loud roaring cheer rippled through the whole stadium, and Glamour found herself adding to the noise as well now that she was swept up in the frenzy. The race ended with a runner from Ponyville claiming an easy win. Glamour then remembered the Elements commenting on what kind of stuff happens in Ponyville, and it suddenly made sense how a pony that had to run from monsters on an almost weekly basis would win a hoof race. A short ceremony followed, complete with music, as Shining Armor congratulated and awarded the medals to the winners. After the runners exited the field, Shining Armor raised his voice again, announcing, “Our next event, the aerial relay!” “Oh, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy are in this!” Coco pointed out in excitement. “Does Manehattan have a team in this?” Glamour asked. “I think so.” Glamour smirked. “Then who are you going to root for? Our friends from Ponyville, or our team from home?” Coco’s face scrunched up. “Um, both?” Glamour chuckled. “Well, as much as I would like to root for our hometown,” Grace spoke up, “I’m going to have to put my bits on Cloudsdale.” “What’s so special about Cloudsdale?” Grace scoffed. “Because they got the Wonderbolts.” Glamour remembered hearing some stuff about them before the invasion. “They’re those special flyers that are sometimes dispatched to take care of dangerous things, right?” “Er, well yeah, it’s true that they’re part of the military, but they’re most known for the awesome stunts they do. They’re pretty much the best flyers in all of Equestria. A race should be a piece of cake for them.” “Look, they’re coming out,” Coco said, pointing down at the field. Glamour saw Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy walk out onto the field along with a bunch of other pegasi, and there was also a team of griffins. As they started to get ready at the starting line, she took a quick look at the course that was set up. A series of tall poles with hoops and tunnels on top had been set up on the field, each big enough for a pony or griffin to fly through. Hanging pennants and flags would lead the flyers from obstacle to obstacle, and at the end was a steep climb to a floating platform with a wide hole in the center that acted as the finish line. Returning her attention to the competitors, Glamour could see that each team comprised of three ponies. She saw the Wonderbolts, and she could quickly see why Grace was so optimistic with their chances. Even though they were doing some stretches, they were doing it in complete unison, showcasing their training and teamwork. The last ponies in the line were the Ponyville team, and Glamour did a double take on the third member of Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy’s team. Huge would be an understatement as she continued to gawk at the behemoth. Standing more than a head taller than all the other ponies, the stallion was pretty much all bulky biceps, and his almost comically-small wings were a sharp contrast to his muscular body. Her attention was drawn away from the wall of muscles when she heard some familiar voices to the side. She turned her head and saw that the Elements, along with the fillies and Octavia, had made it just in time as Shining Armor began counting down. “Racers, on my mark!” Glamour quickly returned her gaze to the starting line, and she saw that the teams were all split up now with a group of flyers waiting at each section of the relay race. “Get set!” “Go!” Again, Glamour was amazed by the speed of Equestria’s top athletes. Well, most of the athletes. The bulky pegasus was starting for Ponyville, and he dragged behind the pack. While everypony cleanly zipped through each hoop along the course, the muscular pegasus barely fit through each one of them. By the time the small-winged pegasus passed the relay to Fluttershy, the Wonderbolts were in the lead with about a third of the second stretch already done. That lead grew even larger as Fluttershy was only able to muster a frustratingly mediocre speed and continued trailing behind the other ponies. When Fluttershy was about to pass it off to Rainbow Dash, Glamour was sure that Ponyville was going to finish dead last. Glamour’s eyes flew wide open as soon as Rainbow took off. With her signature rainbow trail behind her, Rainbow sped through the course, weaving through the other competitors and hoops as though they were not there. Her incredible sprint rocketed her all the way to the front of the pack, and she went neck and neck with the leading Wonderbolt as her speed tapered off. When they started the steep climb to the finish together, it was a ferocious battle as the two pegasi constantly overtook each other, and Glamour found herself holding her breath and leaning forward in her seat all the way. Just as it seemed like it was going to be a draw, the Wonderbolt pulled ahead at the last moment, crossing the finish line with not even a hoof length before Rainbow Dash. Glamour was cheering along with the rest of the ponies in the stadium, not because of who won, but because of the intense competition that had got her blood pumping. Like the hoof race, another award ceremony was held. The Wonderbolts, Ponyville’s team, and the third place winners, the griffons, were all standing on the winners podium as Shining Armor awarded their medals. “Congratulations to all our medalists,” Shining Armor said loudly as he walked in front of the podium. “And now, the anthem of—” “And I shall do the honor of singing!” Spike suddenly appeared in front of Shining Armor and announced, provoking a cheer from everypony. “Er, is that part of the program?” Glamour asked. “They didn’t do it for the hoof race winners.” Grace shrugged. “I don’t think so. Usually, they only play the music.” “I know all the words to our anthem and will sing them all for you now, loud and proud, to the enjoyment of all!” Spike continued. “Something tells me this is going to end badly,” Grace said as a pegasus with a spotlight flew above Shining Armor and shone the light down on him. “And now, um, the Cloudsdale anthem as sung by… Spike!” Shining Armor announced as the light moved from him to the dragon who was suddenly standing stiffly. Grace sighed. “Yep, this is going to end in tears.” The next few moments would scar Glamour for the rest of her life. After the music started, it quickly became obvious that Spike was expecting to sing something else. Words were constantly either crammed or stretched too far and often accompanied with stutters. While it was impressive that he was able to go through most of the song with his obviously adlibbed lyrics, the blatantly-wrong words were painful to listen to and made her cringe. And yet, despite the horrors that were being wrought, Glamour could not bring herself to cover her ears or make a run for it. All she could do was witness the carnage unfolding. When the anthem finally finished, other than a loud “Nailed it!” from Pinkie, there was complete and utter silence. Glamour, along with everypony within sight, was staring at Spike with wide eyes and their mouths agape. After a few moments, Shining Armor motioned for the light to come back down on him as he said, “Uh, let’s hear it for Spike for his um, unique interpretation of the Cloudsdale anthem, everypony.” A pitiful smattering of applause was all Spike got as he weakly waved before running off the field. “Poor Spike. I can’t imagine how awful it must have been to go through that,” Coco said. “Yeah, that was just rough,” Grace agreed. “I really feel sorry for the kid.” Glamour nodded as well. She had already felt sympathetic for Spike over his previous plight, and it only grew after his latest performance. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Twilight was rushing out of the box seats. There was no doubt she was going to look for Spike, and Glamour hoped that Twilight would be able to help him. With nothing she could do to help, Glamour turned her attention back to the games. The Equestria Games continued for the rest of the day, ending with a show from Princess Celestia and Princess Luna lowering the sun and raising the moon and promising more fun the next day. For several days, Glamour’s day consisted of attending the Equestria Games, watching entertaining sports and intense competitions such as jousting, high-jumping, and swimming, to name a few, and ending with the lowering of the sun. She would spend the rest of the night with her friends before heading back to her room with Coco and falling asleep in each other’s embrace. It was some of the most enjoyable days she had ever had, but like all things, they must eventually come to an end, and the last day of the Equestria Games had arrived, continuing well past sundown. “And so the games conclude as they always do, with the ice archery finals!” Shining Armor proclaimed, waving his hoof at a set of round targets set up on one side of the field. “Ice archers, take your places!” “I've never seen an ice archery competition before,” Glamour remarked, watching four ponies each walk up to a bow made out of crystal that was fixed to the ground. Next to each bow was a bucket of what looked like to be arrows also made out of crystal. “Not much to explain,” Grace replied. “Those arrows are made of enchanted ice that freeze whatever they hit. Whoever covers their target with ice is the winner.” “Ice archers, on my mark!” “Get set.” “Freeze!” All four archers quickly began launching arrows at their targets. Like Grace said, each arrow made a patch of ice spread from wherever they hit. It was an interesting twist to the standard archery competition because instead of aiming for just the center, the ice archers had to try and spread their shots out to cover as much area as possible. “I’m a bit surprised there’s only four ice archers,” Glamour commented. “Every other competition had a lot more ponies.” “Yeah, I heard ice archery takes a lot of training.” Grace snickered. “You try grabbing ice arrows with your mouth without freezing your tongue to them. Hmm, it looks like Cloudsdale is getting another medal. He already froze half his target.” “They sure won a lot of medals today.” “It’s a shame Manehattan hardly won any,” Coco added. “But I’m sure our friends from Ponyville are happy. They won a lot too.” “That’s true. I still enjoyed the aerial relay the—” “Whoa! Look at that!” Grace suddenly shouted. Glamour was still watching the arrows fly while she was talking, and even before Grace cried out, she saw one of the ice archers accidentally knock over his bucket of arrows. Just as he nocked an arrow in his bow, he tripped over the bucket, and the bow fell with him, firing the arrow straight into the middle of a large cloud. “That’s… That’s not good…” Grace uttered with a gulp. Before Glamour could ask why, she saw ice starting to form on the cloud, completely freezing it and causing large, frozen spikes to protrude out of it. The cloud-turned-iceberg continued to grow bigger, and it started to fall into the stadium. Chaos erupted in the audience as screams echoed through the air, and ponies scrambled to evacuate the area. Glamour and Coco watched as a swarm of pegasi flew straight for the falling iceberg and tried to push it away from the crowd, but it quickly became apparent that their efforts were barely doing anything. The iceberg had grown large enough to crush at least a third of the stadium. Shining Armor’s yells to cut the magic disabling spell could be heard. Unfortunately, the yells of the security guards saying there was not enough time could also be heard. The situation got worse when chunks of ice big enough to crush several ponies started breaking off and rapidly falling through the air. Luckily, the princesses seemed to still have their magic, and they were flying about and doing their best to protect as many ponies as they could. “Come on, you two!” Grace shouted, pulling their attention back to the ground. “This is no time for sightseeing! That thing is coming straight for us!” The three of them joined the mad rush of ponies heading for the exits, but the sheer number of ponies made progress slow, and Glamour dared not look back up to see the looming ice grow bigger and bigger. Ponies were shoving and squeezing past each other as they tried to run for their lives. Suddenly, Coco yelped as she was pushed back, and she tripped over the seats, falling down several rows and disappearing into the tide of ponies. “Coco!” Glamour immediately shoved her way through the crowd to head back to where she last saw her marefriend. With everypony frantically running around, Glamour feared that Coco would be trampled if she was not found soon. When Glamour found her, Coco was whimpering and had one leg covering her head. Numerous scratches covered her body, but it looked like there were no major injuries. Glamour dove through the crowd, landing next to Coco and immediately wrapping her in a hug to shield her from the hooves of the panicking ponies. Grace emerged from the crowd a few moments later and herded the ponies away from them as she cried out, “Come on, come on, we need to get going!” Glamour nodded and quickly helped Coco up, but as soon as Coco got on her hooves, she yelped and fell back down again. “Coco, what’s wrong?!” Glamour cried out. “My… My leg,” Coco replied with a pained hiss as she let slowly lifted one of her forelegs. “I-it hurts…” “Oh, for crying out… Glamour, you grab her other side. We need to get her out of here!” Grace urged as she bent down to drape one of Coco’s forelegs around her neck. Glamour did as she was ordered, and they made their way toward the exit. Their pace was bogged down by Coco, and it seemed like Coco herself was only half-conscious because they had to stop for a moment to readjust their grip on her when she started slipping several times. “Look out!” somepony shouted out. Glamour looked up and saw a large piece of ice had escaped the princess’ detection and was speeding straight for them. At their current pace, they would not be able to escape the impact area in time, not unless they abandoned their burden. Her survival instincts were shouting at her to leave behind Coco so that she could escape, but she knew that she could never do that. Taking a deep breath, she pushed Coco off her and onto Grace’s back. “W-what are you doing, Glamour?!” a surprised Grace yelled as she struggled to secure Coco’s body. Without answering, Glamour’s horn bristled with green fire as she began channeling as much magic as she could. “H-how are you…” a wide-eyed Grace uttered. “J-just… move…” was all Glamour could say, concentrating on her magic. She grunted and gritted her teeth as her head already started to ache from the exertion. She had never used so much magic at once before, and she knew she was going to feel sore the next day, assuming she survived. Through her increasingly blurry vision, she could see that the ice was almost upon them. Using all the magic she charged up, she formed a large, green barrier above them. The block of ice struck Glamour’s barrier, and she screamed as pain exploded in her head. It felt like she had been struck directly by the ice. Sweat drenched her entire body as she tried to hold the heavy object up, trying to buy as much time as possible, but she was barely able to maintain the shield for more than a few seconds before the pain consumed her, causing her to momentarily black out. Glamour was not sure how long she was out, but she was pulled back to consciousness, coughing and sputtering, as drops of liquid splashed onto her face. With a groan, she slowly opened her eyes. She was still in the stadium with Coco and Grace’s staring down at her from her sides, both sighing in relief at seeing her open eyes. It’s… raining? Before she could get her bearings, the rain suddenly stopped, and shortly after that, Grace asked, “Hey, you alright there, Glamour?” “I got a massive headache.” Glamour groaned again. “No, scratch that, my everything aches, but my head feels like it’s being split open.” “Not too surprising. That was one heck of a spell you pulled off.” “What happened?” “You saved us, Glamour,” Coco said. “You kept the ice at bay long enough for one of the princesses to take over…” She bit her lip and looked down. “But when that ice hit your shield, I… I heard you screaming. It… It was…” Grunting through her sore body, Glamour lifted a hoof and touched Coco’s face. “Hey, I’m still here.” Coco’s breath hitched, and she nodded as she used a hoof to press Glamour’s hoof into her face. Glamour felt Coco’s love for her pouring out, and she eagerly took it in. When she had her fill, making sure not to take too much from Coco, the pain and exhaustion were a lot more bearable. Turning, her head to Grace, she asked, “So what happened to the rest of the ice?” “It was that little dragon kid from earlier. He pretty much jumped on the backs of some pegasi to get close enough to the iceberg and breathed this huge fire that melted the whole thing.” That would explain the short rain then, Glamour though. Miraculously, she had not only managed to save her friends, but her disguise was able to keep together despite the enormous drain. She doubted any of those would have happened if it were not for all the stored love she got from Coco, as well as the extra love pumping out from the Crystal Heart. “Excuse us, ma’ams?” They all turned their heads to see three security guards were walking toward them. One of them was wearing a more decorative uniform, meaning that he was likely the chief of the security team. “Are any of you injured?” the chief asked. Grace pointed at Coco. “She fell, and she can’t really walk on one of her legs.” She then pointed to Glamour, and explained, “And she just dumped a whole bunch of magic to save us.” The chief nodded. “Yes, we noticed that. Well, we’re here to help take all of you to the infirmary, but after your injuries are treated…” He directed his attention to Glamour. “We’re going to need to ask you a couple of questions. While it was a good thing you did have your magic, you are breaking the rules.” “Are you seriously going to punish Glamour for saving the lives of ponies?” Grace growled. “Well, as long as Glamour here does what we say, we can work something out.” Glamour bit her lip, but she nodded. She knew she was in trouble for bypassing the disabling spell, and she was certainly in no state to try and do anything to avoid the guards now. Fortunately, her good deed seemed to be taken into consideration, and she might be able to talk her way out of the situation. Glamour and Coco were helped up and supported by the guards as they were escorted to the infirmary. As they moved through the hallways, Glamour could see more guards leading crowds of ponies to the exit. “What’s going to happen to the games now?” Glamour asked. “Thanks to Spike, damage has been kept to a minimum,” replied the chief. “We’re clearing out the stadium to clean up the water and ice, but that should not take too long. We’ll have everypony come back and finish the last of the Equestria Games before the night is over. Don’t worry, we should have you all back before the show resumes… if you cooperate.” They arrived at a set of double doors that had a sign clearly marking that inside was the infirmary. The guards opened the doors and helped Coco onto a nearby gurney. As the chief headed further inside, Glamour was guided to another gurney on the opposite side of the room. Looking around, she noted that it seemed that only a few ponies got hurt during the disaster, and even then, all the injuries were minor. The chief soon came back to her, and trotting beside him was a unicorn doctor. “You must be, Glamour, correct?” the doctor asked. “I was informed of the circumstances, and I’ll go ahead and take a look at you right now.” Glamour pointed at Coco. “Could you take take care of my friend first?” “I was instructed to treat you first. Your friend does not seem to be in any danger, but I’ll be sure to check her over as soon as I’m done with you.” “Please follow the doctor’s instructions, ma’am,” the chief stated. “We’ll have you two fixed up and back in your seats in no time.” Glamour sighed again and nodded. The chief walked away, and the doctor pulled the curtains around them, shutting out the rest of the room, and sat down in a chair next to Glamour. “Now, I was told you somehow used too much magic, is that correct?” the doctor asked as he grabbed a blood pressure cuff from a nearby basket and wrapped it around Glamour’s leg. Glamour nodded. “A big chunk of ice broke off and was falling toward us. I had to cast a shield spell to save us.” “Very admirable, but as you probably already know, your magic should have been disabled. Why were you able to use your magic?” Glamour bit her lip, both from the question and the tightening cuff on her leg. “Um, well…” “I do suggest you tell me the truth so that I can properly diagnose you, not to mention that the guards will be asking you the same question later. You don’t have to give me the details, but I have to at least know if the disabling spell was on you in the first place. Remember, the faster I can treat you, the faster I can treat your friend.” Glamour was silent for a few moments before she sighed. “I snuck past the checkpoint,” she confessed as the doctor finished taking her blood pressure and took off the cuff. The doctor nodded. “That makes things easier. I was afraid that you overpowered the disabling spell. Doing that along with your shield spell would have put a much more dangerous burden on your body, and we would have had to run more extensive tests to make sure there was not any permanent damage.” “And since I didn’t get the disabling spell?” “Well, that just cuts things down to a simple checkup.” The doctor exchanged the cuffs for a thermometer. “Leave this under your tongue please,” he requested, sticking it in Glamour’s mouth. “And please sit still, I’ll need to do a quick magical scan.” “Hmm?!” came Glamour’s muffled protest. “Please, relax, Glamour. It’s just a simple scan to check your magic levels and vitals. It should not take more than a few minutes.” Glamour pulled out the thermometer with her hoof. “Um, could we just skip the scan, please? I really do feel fine now… mostly…” The doctor frowned. “Nonetheless, I still have to give you a check up, so I suggest you let me do my job.” “But, uh, I’m concerned about my privacy. Don’t I have patient rights or something like that?” The doctor’s frown grew even bigger as he glared at Glamour. Waving his hoof in a scolding motion, he answered, “That might apply if this were another scenario, but magic-related problems have to be treated with more care because they can become a threat to others as well. Not only that, but sneaking past the checkpoint is highly incriminating. “If you value your privacy, I suggest you let me do my job, or else I will be forced to ask the guards to detain you on suspicions of criminal activity. You’ll have more to worry about than just a simple health scan.” Glamour groaned, but she gave in and stuck the thermometer back in her mouth. The doctor’s face returned to a neutral state, and his horn started glowing. “Thank you, Glamour. I’m sorry for being curt with you, but it had to be done. Now please, sit still while I check you over.” Glamour’s jaw clenched tightly on the thermometer in her mouth as she felt magic wash over her, dearly hoping that the scan was as simple as the doctor claimed and did not dig too deep. Every time the doctor made a hum of interest or confusion, Glamour’s heart skipped a beat. After a few minutes, the doctor’s horn finally stopped glowing, and he took the thermometer out of Glamour’s mouth. “So, uh, how am I, doc?” Glamour asked. “Did you find anything suspicious?” “Well, your heart rate and blood pressure are both high, but you did just put your body under a lot of stress. The same applies to your temperature, but at least you don’t have a fever. As for your magic, it seems to be in a state of flux, as though it’s constantly changing. It’s highly irregular, but again, that’s likely a result of using too much magic at once. Other than that, I don’t detect any dangerous anomalies.” Glamour breathed a sigh of relief. “So in other words, I’m pretty much fine.” “More or less. I was told you were exhausted and in pain. How are you feeling now?” “A bit of both, but a lot better. I think I’ll be fine.” “Are you sure? I can give you some medicine or a quick spell to help with that.” Glamour shook her head. “No, it’s alright. I should be able to recover by myself.” The doctor shrugged. “It’s your choice then, but don’t be afraid to ask for help. Anyway, I think it’s safe for you to go back and see the rest of the show, but when the games end, I want you to go straight to bed. Also, try to refrain from using magic as much as possible, and please get another check up as soon as you can, especially if you notice anything out of the ordinary.” “Will do, doctor. Thank you for your help.” The doctor nodded and got off the chair. “Now, please stay here. Security wants to speak with you, and in the meantime, I’ll check on your friend.” “I… I understand…” The doctor disappeared through the curtains, and after a few moments, the chief walked into the seclusion and sat down in the chair next to Glamour. “Alright then, let’s get straight to the point,” the chief said. “Just answer truthfully, and we’ll have no trouble, understood?” “O-okay.” “So, the doctor already told us you snuck through the checkpoint, but how did you do that?” “I pretended that I had to go to the bathroom, and then I blended in with the crowd to sneak past it.” “Did you have any help with that?” “No!” Glamour protested immediately. “My friends were completely unaware of what I did. Do not blame them for my actions. They are completely innocent.” “Alright then. Hmm…” the guard rubbed his chin with a hoof. “I guess you make a plausible case. Things were pretty hectic at the entrance. The big question is, why did you do it?” “Um… well…” Glamour’s eyes darted around. “Uh, did you know I’m a model?” “If you’re trying to seduce me, ma’am, it’s not going to work.” Glamour’s face turned red. “No, no, no, it’s part of my explanation. Honest!” One of the chief’s eyebrows came out of hiding from behind his shades to take shelter in his cap. “Then no, I do not.” “Well, I am, and I’m kind of famous in Manehattan. Because of that, I’ve been harassed before by some unsavory types. I didn’t want to disable my magic in case something similar happens here.” She sighed heavily, trying her best to put distress and sorrow in her voice. “I mean, with a huge event like the Equestria Games going on, I’m kind of afraid of all the rowdy types that might be lurking around, waiting to prey on tourists like me.” “So what you’re trying to say is that this was a concern for your own safety.” “That’s right.” The chief sighed. “Ma’am, I can understand your concerns, but it still doesn’t change the fact that you broke the rules. On the other hoof, you did put yourself at risk to save other ponies. That’s evidence showing that you had no malicious intentions, but just to be sure, did you use your magic to influence any of the competitions?” Glamour quickly shook her head. “No, like I said, I was only concerned about my safety.” “Hmm…” the chief folded his hooves across his chest for a few moments to silently ponder the situation. “Alright then, Glamour, here’s how things are going to work out,” he suddenly spoke up. “On account of your bravery, we’re letting you go.” “Thank you so—” “But only if you agree to two conditions.” “Oh…” “First, you have to consent to us doing a little investigation to make sure your story checks out.” “Now?” “No, we can do it later so that you can enjoy the rest of the show. We’re only going to check to make sure you really are a model and that you don’t have a criminal record.” “Well, I can assure you that my record is very clean.” “So does that mean you’re allowing us to look into that?” Glamour nodded. “That’s fine with me. What’s the second condition?” “You have to go through the disabling spell.” Glamour’s eyes widened a bit. “W-what? But the Equestria Games are almost over!” “Almost over doesn't mean it’s over. The ice archery finals did not get to finish.” “But I promise I won’t use it to cheat.” The guard shook his head. “Sorry, but rules are rules. No magic allowed during competitions.” “B-but—” “Nopony is going to bother you while you’re in the stadium, not with so many ponies around, and as soon as the closing ceremonies are over, we’ll be turning off the disabling spell. If you’re that concerned about your safety, we can assign a guard to your section.” “B-but—” “But what? I took care of your safety concerns, and I think it’s rather generous that we’re letting you go. What else could there be?” “Um… I’m allergic to the disabling spell?” Even though his eyes were hidden by the shades, Glamour could tell she was getting a flat glare from the chief. “Ma’am, we’ve been using the same disabling spell for years, and not once have I ever heard of a pony being allergic to it.” Glamour chuckled nervously. “Uh, I’m the first then?” “Ma’am, is there some other reason that you don’t want to receive the disabling spell? Are you planning some sort of illegal activity?” “N-no…” “Then there should be no problem. If you refuse, we will have no choice but deem you as a potential threat. Please, do not force my hoof, ma’am.” “I…” Glamour’s gaze drifted to the floor, and she sighed. “I’ll take the disabling spell.” “Thank you, ma’am. I know you’re just concerned for your safety, especially after what happened. I’ll go ahead and assign somepony to watch over you for the rest of the night. I can even have him escort you back to wherever you’re staying afterwards, if you want.” “Um, thanks, but I think we can skip that last part.” The guard nodded and got up. “If you say so. Let’s go see if your friend is ready now. If she is, we’ll have you go through the disabling spell, and then find someplace for all of you to rest while we finish cleaning up the stadium.” Glamour followed the guard out of the enclosure, and she quickly saw Coco was now standing with Grace’s help. The scratches and cuts she received were now gone, and the only injury she had left was her right foreleg now in a sling. Rushing over, she asked, “Coco, how are you feeling?” “I’m fine now. The doctors here used some magic to fix the little stuff, but I still might get some bruises later.” Coco looked down at her sling and moved it around a bit. “As for this, it’s just a sprain. It also got some magic treatment, but just to be safe, I need to keep this for at least another day. What about you?” “Nothing bad. I just have to take it easy for a while.” “So what did security do with you?” Grace asked. “It was literally a lifesaver that you had your magic, but how did you still have it?” Glamour sighed. “I pretty much snuck past the checkpoint. As for why, I—” “Sorry for interrupting, but could we take you to the disabling spell now?” the chief asked with the other two guards by his side again. “We need to keep things moving so that we can go back to help with the cleanup.” “Wait, what’s going on?” Coco asked. “They’re going to let me go if I get the disabling spell,” Glamour replied. “Oh, that’s it? I was afraid you were in trouble for keeping your magic. Grace, could you help me?” “Sure.” Grace moved up so that Coco could lean on her side for support. Glamour blinked. “Uh, what are you doing?” Coco tilted her head. “I’m coming with you. The doctor says I’m well enough.” Glamour gulped. If things were going to get hectic, she'd rather not have Coco around. “A-are you sure? Maybe you should stay here and rest for a bit longer.” Coco shook her head. “No, what you did was brave, but also reckless. I’m not letting you out of my sight.” “But I’ll be fine, and it’s just—” “Stop being a worrywart, Glamour,” Grace chided. “Give Coco a break. We all went through quite a scare, and she needs you.” “But—” “Come on, let’s move this along,” the chief urged. Glamour sighed and nodded, allowing herself to be escorted to the security checkpoint with Coco and Grace trailing behind. She was still afraid that the disabling spell would do something to her disguise, and every step she took felt like she was walking towards her execution. When they arrived at the golden arches containing the disabling spell, Glamour found herself frozen right in front of it. “A-are you sure I have to do this?” Glamour asked. “Like I mentioned before, ma’am, this is protocol. If you’re not plotting something, you should have no problem doing this,” the chief replied. Glamour bit her lip and looked toward Coco and Grace who were standing nearby and watching her. She had to take the disabling spell. If she refused, not only would she be subjected to a much more thorough investigation, likely revealing her real identity, but it was very much possible that her friends would get entangled in her mess. She still did not want to do the disabling spell, but she was left with no other choice. It was the lesser of two evils. Taking a deep breath, she slowly walked forward. Please don’t break. she rapidly chanted in her head. She closed her eyes and winced when she finally stepped through the spell. She felt a tingling sensation run through her whole body before it moved up to concentrate on her horn. Slowly, she opened one eye and looked up, catching a glimpse of the disabling spell entering her horn. She lifted a hoof and looked down, and to her immense relief, it was grey and free of holes. A grin broke out on her face, and she found it was extremely hard for her not to laugh at her luck. So all that worrying was for nothing? “Thank you for your cooperation, ma'am,” the chief said. “We’ll just go on ahead and—” Suddenly, green sparks shot out of Glamour’s horn, and then there was a blinding flash of light. Glamour’s eyes slowly looked up, and they widened when she saw that her horn was now black and jagged. Breaking her shocked gaze from her changeling horn, she saw that the guards and her friends were all staring with their mouths wide open. Pointing up at her horn, she said, “Um, that’s not supposed to happen.” Glamour winced when there was another flash of light, and she did not even need to check herself to know what she looked like now. She could see it now. Everything that she had built, her career and more importantly, her relationship with Coco, was crumbling away. There was only one last desperate thing she could think of that might salvage the situation. Slowly, her now black and holey hoof pointed back at the golden arches. “I think it’s broken.”