A loud clattering rang through the apartment as a saucepan hit the kitchen floor.
Glamour groaned and bent down to pick up the saucepan she dropped. After flipping it around in her hoof and finding no signs of damage on it, she placed the saucepan in the sink to give it a quick wash.
With a sponge in her hoof, she began scrubbing the saucepan. The faint squeak of a door opening made Glamour turn her head, and she saw that Coco was silently peeking out of her room to look at her. With a sheepish grin, Glamour said, “Sorry about the noise, Coco. I just dropped a saucepan while I was getting ready to make some white chocolate mocha.”
“Oh, okay,” Coco replied with a nod before immediately retreating back into her room.
Glamour frowned, staring at the closed door for a second, before she let out a sigh and went back to cleaning the saucepan.
It had been a few days since she and Coco returned from the Crystal Empire, and for Glamour, it has been nothing but awkwardness and frustration.
Coco went to visit the theater she worked at the day after they came back. Glamour had offered to accompany her, but she was quickly refused. When Coco came back, she briefly mentioned that she had new work to do before going straight to her room to start on it.
Since then, they had little interaction with each other. Coco would spend most of the day holed up in her room, claiming she was too busy with her work and did not need any distractions. Because of both respect and a fear of causing even more trouble for Coco, Glamour did her best to oblige the request and stayed out of Coco’s room.
With her modeling career on hold, Glamour remained at home to keep the place clean and running. Even though she had already performed this routine often between her previous modeling appearances, her chores this time around felt dull and lonely without Coco’s presence to brighten up her day.
Glamour continued to wash the saucepan until she was sure it was free of any dirt. After one final rinse, she grabbed the clean saucepan with her hooves and awkwardly walked it over to the stove on her hind legs. She let out a sigh of relief and wiped her brow after she managed to set the saucepan down on one of the stove’s burners without dropping it this time.
She then went to grab a kettle from a nearby cupboard and filled it up with water in the sink. Again, she had to get up on her hind hooves to carry the kettle to the stove, but the extra weight made it a bit more troublesome to carry with her hooves. When she tried to set the kettle down on the free burner, she misjudged her balance and set down the kettle too fast, causing another loud clang to ring through the room and some water to splash into her face.
Glamour let out a frustrated huff and dried her face with a towel before trotting over to the refrigerator. Getting on her hind hooves yet again, she grabbed a carton of milk with her forehooves and moved back to lift the carton over the saucepan. Carefully, with her tongue sticking slightly out of her mouth, she fiddled with the carton with her hoof until she got it open and then poured the milk into the saucepan.
Despite some of the milk splashing onto the stove, Glamour was able to get enough of it into the saucepan before the carton emptied its last few drops. She dropped back down onto three hooves and used her remaining forehoof to throw the empty carton toward the trash bin… and miss completely. She gave the offending piece of trash a look of disdain as it mocked her before walking over, picking it up, and properly dropping it the bin.
Glamour trotted back to the counter where a fresh bag of white chocolate chips lay. She ripped open a hole in the bag with her teeth, ignoring the few stray chips that popped out and landed on the counter and floor. She quickly used her hooves to tip the bag over the saucepan, dumping a hooful of chocolate into the milk and, to her chagrin, outside the saucepan as well.
She sighed and plopped the bag back onto the counter before getting started with cleaning up her mess with a brush, dustpan, and washcloth already waiting nearby. Having learned the tediousness of scraping melted chocolate, she made sure to grab every stray chip that escaped onto the stove before she finally turned on the burners.
After she finished cleaning up the rest of her mess, she grabbed a spoon in her mouth. Gingerly, she dipped the spoon into the saucepan and began moving her head in a rough circle to stir the heated mixture.
When the mixture began to boil, one bubble grew right under her face and burst. Even though it was only a few droplets that splashed onto her face, the sudden heat and surprise made her yelp, and the spoon dropped right into the saucepan, completely submerging into the hot milk.
Glamour frowned, and she slowly reached up with a hoof, but then thought better of it. With a frustrated groan, she lit up her horn and fished out the spoon with her magic and used it to continue stirring.
After she finished stirring, Glamour went to the coffee grinder and exercised her mouth again to use a scooper to transfer coffee beans from a nearby bag and into the device. She was thankful that she dropped very few beans, but when she went to start grinding the coffee, she paused.
Lifting up her forehoof to her face, her eyes went back and forth between her hoof and the rather small crank that operated the coffee grinder. They kept on flicking back and forth until the kettle started whistling.
Glamour rolled her eyes, and with much grumbling, she lit up her horn, turning off the stove and then operating the grinder. With her patience all gone, she continued to use her magic to finish the rest of her cooking.
The remaining steps went by swimmingly with her magic, and before long, Glamour was able to pour her finished white chocolate mocha into two mugs. Having suffered a burnt mouth or ten from previous creations, she knew that she should clean up her mess first before indulging herself. Once the kitchen was clean, she let out an exhausted sigh and grabbed her own cup of mocha.
A small frown appeared on her face when she took a sip of her hot drink. Even though she had made white chocolate mocha dozens of times before, the batches she whipped up these past few days were not as delicious. She knew that at least part of the reason was because she was trying some new methods in her cooking, but she felt that the other reason was because she had to drink it by herself.
Glamour took another sip of her drink. Despite the diminished flavor, it was still pretty tasty, and she certainly was not going to throw out good white chocolate mocha that she literally slaved over a hot stove.
After finishing a few more sips to sate her appetite, she put down her mug and went to Coco’s door. Taking a deep breath, she gently knocked.
After a moment of silence, Coco’s voice replied with a “Y-yes?”
“I finished making some white chocolate mocha. Do you want to come out and have some?”
“Um, no thanks.”
Glamour’s ears drooped a bit, even though she had anticipated that answer. “Then do you want me to bring it to you?”
“Um, not now.”
“Alright, I’ll, uh, I’ll just leave you be then…”
She turned back around, grabbed her mug, and sat down on the couch with a sigh. As she nursed her drink, she looked around the apartment to find something to clean or fix, but she found nothing. Everything had been swept clean of dust, there were no scraps lying around the floor, and she had already cleaned the kitchen. Everything was taken care of. Without Coco, there was nothing for her to do in the apartment.
Glancing down at the last of her drink, she suddenly remembered that she had used up the last of the milk in the white chocolate mocha. Going out to get some more would be another chore, but it was something to do, and it would get her out of the apartment.
After finishing her mocha, she went back to the kitchen and checked what was left in the cupboards and the refrigerator. A quick check of their stocks revealed that besides milk, they needed some other groceries and necessities such as more white chocolate mocha ingredients.
As she formed the shopping list in her head, she went to her room to grab her saddlebag and some bits. When she was ready to go, she exited her room and stopped in front of Coco’s door again.
Knocking on the door, Glamour said, “Hey, um, Coco, I know you’re busy, but you’ve been kind of working nonstop for the past few days. Do you maybe want to take a break and take a walk with me?”
Again, it took a bit of time before Coco replied back. “Why?”
“We kind of need to buy some groceries, and since you’ve been cooped up in the apartment, I thought maybe it would be a good excuse to stretch your legs.”
Glamour patiently waited for a reply, hoping that Coco would accept the idea. Grocery shopping might not be fun or romantic, but she needed every chance she could get to try and break Coco’s shell. Even if Coco ended up shying away from her for most of the trip, spending some time together might help mend their relationship.
“I-I’m fine. Go without me,” was all Coco finally said.
“A-are you sure?” Glamour asked, trying to hide the vast amount of dejection in her voice.
“Y-yes… I have… a lot of work. Just don’t get into trouble or stay out too long.”
“O-oh… Okay…” Glamour sighed, and her shoulders sagged. “I’ll just go then… without you. Oh, and before I forget, your white chocolate mocha is still on the kitchen counter.”
When she got no response in return, Glamour sighed again. “I’ll, uh, I’ll see you later.”
Glamour walked away, and right before she exited the apartment, she took one last glance back, clinging to the faint hope that Coco would change her mind. But Coco’s door remained closed, and after a few moments, Glamour turned back around and made her way through the building. She eventually emerged onto the streets of Manehattan and promptly set a direct course for the supermarket.
This was not only her first outing since she returned from the Crystal Empire, but it was more notably the first time she had wandered Manehattan without Coco by her side for a much longer time. Despite the many ponies walking around her, she felt lonely. Distracted and feeling glum about her worries for Coco, Glamour trudged through the crowded streets, absorbed in her thoughts and ignoring the ponies shoving past her.
When Glamour arrived at the supermarket, she was glad that she could have a respite from her brooding by distracting herself with her errand. She grabbed a shopping basket and immediately began walking through the aisles and grabbing the things she needed. During the course of her shopping, she found out that her popularity as a model was still intact when a couple of ponies approached her to praise her work.
She could have absorbed the adoration of the random ponies, but she resisted the temptation. Even if Twilight or Coco never found out, she felt that it undermined the trial she was going through to prove herself to Coco. Besides, since adoration was far less potent than love, the amount she would have gotten from just a few ponies would not even qualify for a snack.
A few of her fans ended up asking when was her next show, and it was a reminder of another thing that she had been worrying about. Modeling was a way for her to feed herself without having to lie and cheat other ponies, or at least not too much. She honestly told her fans that she was on a sort of break until she got some issues resolved. Before they could ask her further questions about it, she politely told them that she was busy and that she had to go.
When she eventually got everything on her mental list, she paid for her groceries, and after stashing them into her saddlebag, she left the market.
With nothing for her to do in the apartment and Coco buried in her work and not wanting to talk to her much, there was not much point for Glamour to return home right away. Figuring that she could burn a bit of boredom and time while she was already out, she began wandering aimlessly around Manehattan.
Whether it was by a subconscious desire or pure coincidence, Glamour found herself walking up to the same cafe that she and her friends frequented. She halted in her tracks right in front of it when she caught sight of Grace seated in one of the outdoor tables with one hoof propping up her head as she stared at the glass of juice she was sipping up with a straw.
Now that Glamour thought about it, she never got the chance to really talk to Grace since she was exposed as a changeling. Despite that, she had the notion that Grace was not happy with her either, due to the silent, stone-faced treatment she got during the train ride back to Manehattan. And given Grace’s demeanor, Glamour guessed Grace would express her discontent in a more physical manner than Coco.
Glamour immediately crouched down, thankful that this block was not crowded and for the tall plants that framed the exterior of the cafe. She thought about just turning back, but since the cafe was near the corner, there was a good chance she would be spotted before she made it out of Grace’s line of sight if she happened to look up. The alternative was sneaking past Grace and then going around the corner behind her.
Taking a deep breath, Glamour began crawling her way along the line of plants, ignoring the odd looks she was getting as ponies walked by her. Just as she reached the end of the plant wall, which was a short, quick dash away from the corner, Glamour winced when she heard Grace say in an even tone, “I know you’re there, Glamour. You might as well park your butt here before I make you.”
Glamour groaned and got back on her hooves to see that Grace was pretty much in the same position she was when she first saw her, except that she was now staring right at her with a raised eyebrow. Glamour gave her a small wave of her forehoof along with an uneasy smile. “H-hi, Grace.”
Grace just merely waved her hoof at the empty chair in front of her.
Glamour sighed, nodded, and made her way to the cafe entrance so that she could get to Grace’s table.
“So, where’s Coco at, and how is she?” Grace asked as soon as Glamour sat down and put her bag to the side.
Glamour was a bit put off by the gruff manner, but she understood why Grace did it. “She’s back home. She has been spending almost all of her time in her room doing work for the theater.”
“The theater? The same theater that’s about to open up its next season in less than two weeks?”
Glamour cocked her head. “Um, yeah, that sounds right. Is there a problem?”
Grace paused for a moment and then shook her head. “No, not really. I just thought she had that taken care of before the vacation.”
“I thought so too, but I guess they had some last minute stuff for her to take care of,” Glamour replied with a shrug.
Grace nodded, and her gaze went to Glamour’s saddlebag. “So then what are you doing out? Not planning on skipping town, are you?”
“Of course not!” Glamour reached for her bag and opened it so that Grace could see what was inside. “See? I was just buying groceries.”
Grace peered into the bag. “Bread, apples, white chocolate, milk, coffee…” She rolled her eyes as she settled back into her seat. “Well, at least I know it’s really you. Seriously, it’s like you’re addicted to white chocolate mocha.”
“It’s not just for me. I’ve been making it for Coco almost every day.”
“If you say so.” Grace finished her juice and then used her straw to idly play and stir the leftover ice while keeping her eyes on Glamour. “So, what about you? What have you been doing?”
“Since Coco is stuck working, I’ve just been staying home as well, cleaning and taking care of her. It’s kind of how things used to be, except I don’t see Coco as much.”
“And how’s that working for you?”
“It’s…” Glamour bit her lip. “It’s alright… I guess…”
“Are you sure? It doesn’t sound like you’re alright with it.”
“Really, Grace, there’s nothing wrong. I’m just a bit tired that’s all.”
Grace frowned. “I thought you would know by now that it’s easier to come clean than trying to hide something.”
Glamour winced as she remained silent, but after a few moments of Grace’s unwavering gaze, she sighed and nodded. “Okay, you’re right. Things aren’t going so great. When I said Coco stays in her room to work, I mean that literally. I hardly see her, and she does her best to keep our conversations short.”
“I take it you’re not happy with that.”
“Of course not. I love her, and yet I hardly see her. I know I messed up horribly by not telling her the truth, but I want to fix things with her. How am I supposed to do that if she keeps pushing me away?” Glamour groaned and plopped her head onto the table. “It’s… It’s just so frustrating…”
“What would you do if she ends up never loving you again?” Grace asked.
Glamour grimaced at the thought. She hoped that it would never happen, but she also knew that it was a definite possibility. She could feel an uncomfortable pit forming in her chest. Eventually, after a few steadying breaths, she glanced up to find that Grace was patiently waiting for her.
Not wanting to keep Grace waiting and possibly agitate her further, Glamour took one more deep breath and answered, “Well, it depends on my food supply. Without Coco’s love, I would need my modeling job for adoration, and if I don’t get that back, I would probably have to sneak around and steal love again.” She paused to bite her lip. “No, I can't do that. If I do, I would have to leave Manehattan or else I would cause trouble for you and Coco. And I really don’t want to leave Manehattan, because that would mean I would never see Coco again. I’ll find a way… somehow…”
Silence descended on the table after Glamour said her piece. She kept her gaze on the table, not sure how Grace would take her answer.
Grace broke the silence by asking, “You really care for Coco, huh?”
Glamour raised her head and nodded. “Of course I do. She’s not some food source to me. She makes me happy, and I want to make her happy. I cherish her greatly, and I would do anything for her.”
“That’s good to hear.” Grace’s stoic face softened a bit as the faintest smile crossed her face. “Just hang in there. I’m sure things will turn around eventually.”
Glamour was surprised to hear encouragement from Grace, whom she thought would rather be threatening her. Now, she was not too sure, and she had to know. “Grace, if you don’t mind me asking, how, um, how do you feel about me?”
“Since I know who you really are?”
Glamour nodded. “And don’t be afraid to tell me the truth. I would understand if you do hate me. I just want to know how I stand with you.”
“Hmm…” Grace sat back in her chair, and her eyes drifted up as she began to think. “Let’s see, you’ve been pretty much lying to me the entire time. It ticks me off that I unknowingly helped that by fudging up your paperwork on some of your missing info. But most of all, you caused a lot of heartbreak and pain for my best friend. Seriously, you weren’t around to see her after you were dragged off. Coco was a real mess.”
Glamour shamefully sank into her seat. “I… I’m sorry I put you and Coco through that. I know that what I did was stupid.”
“Very stupid,” Grace interjected.
“Right, very stupid. I just hope that one day, I can make it up to you, and we can be friends again.”
Grace shrugged. “Eh, just pay for my drink, and we’ll call it even.”
Glamour slowly blinked. “What?”
Grace dropped the rest of her deadpan face and chuckled. “Sorry about the cold shoulder earlier, but I just had to be sure. Listen, even though you lied about who you really were, you do seem sincere about your feelings toward me and Coco. I’ve also spent enough time with you to know that you’re really a good pony, er, figuratively speaking. I don’t think you intentionally tried to hurt any of us. You were just being dumb. Actually, beyond dumb, and I should know because I have to deal with a lot of ponies during work, and you would not believe some of the things that happen. Like I remember this one time—”
“I think I get it, Grace,” Glamour replied with a roll of her eyes.
“Right, back to the main point where you’re dumb. So, yeah, you made a mistake, a huge mistake, but you’re trying to make amends for that, and I respect that. Oh, and the whole saving my life might have helped a bit.”
“So, does that mean you still think of me as a friend?”
“I think you’re an idiot.” Grace smirked. “But yeah, I guess you can say I’m still your friend.”
For the first time in a while, Glamour smiled. “Thank you, Grace. Besides Coco, you’re the only other good friend I have, and I’m really happy to hear that I haven’t completely ruined our friendship.”
“Hey, you’re a nice enough pony most of the time, not to mention pretty fun to hang out with. Giving me plenty of material to tease you with is also a big plus. I’m still annoyed that you’ve been hiding who you are for such a long time, but I can get why you did it. You guys didn’t really make a good first impression on a lot of ponies.”
Glamour shook her head. “No, we didn’t, but that’s all behind me now. I’ve completely changed, and I don’t mean just my appearance. I just want to move on with my life and live here with you and Coco.”
“Well, hope that works out for you. Would suck to have you move away. Speaking of, how is your, um, food supply? Coco told me about that necklace thingy she has to wear for the both of you.”
“I’ve been really careful with it, only taking a little bit of love from it whenever I start to feel hungry. The way I see it, the longer the diamond lasts, the better chance I’ll have of showing Twilight that I really do want to be with Coco. I’ve even tried to forego using magic for everyday stuff like levitation.”
“Wow, you’re really committed to this.”
“It’s the only way I can think of right now that might convince Coco I’m serious about her, but I have to admit that it has been really tough. Unless I get back to modeling, I’m pretty much going to have to get used to relying on my hooves and mouth. Say, you wouldn’t have happened to hear anything from Prim about my suspension, would you?”
Grace shook her head. “Nope, sorry. And even if she was planning something, she knows I’m your friend, and she’s smart enough to not let me handle anything related to you in case I felt like blabbing it all to you.”
Glamour let out a groan. “Figures…”
“Guess you just have to hope Coco warms up to you again if you want to use your magic more, huh?”
“Pretty much, but I don’t see that happening anytime soon. It feels like she does not want anything to do with me. Sometimes I wonder why she chose to watch over me when in reality, she can’t even stand to look at me for more than a few seconds. Tell me I’m not just wasting my time trying to win her back.”
Grace stared at Glamour for a few moments before asking, “Did you know that Princess Twilight almost took you back to Ponyville with her so that she could keep an eye on you?”
Glamour’s eyes widened. “Really? I knew she was thinking of protecting Coco, but I didn’t think she would go so far as actually relocating me to another city.”
“And she almost did. Heck, she was almost out the door before Coco stopped her and pleaded not to take you away.”
“Sh-she did? Why?”
Grace shrugged. “I don’t know. You’ll have to ask Coco. All I know was that Coco was really desperate to make sure you stayed together. Now, does that sound like somepony who didn’t care for you?”
“I… I guess not, but if she wanted us to stay together, then why is she avoiding me now?”
Grace sighed. “Again, I don’t know. You’ll have to ask Coco.”
“Assuming that she will talk to me in the first place,” Glamour mumbled.
“Just hang in there, Glamour. Coco took it really rough when she found out who you are, so she’s probably still figuring out her feelings for you. She probably needs time. Don’t be afraid to try prodding her a bit, just don’t overdo it. I’m sure you’ll get through to her eventually.”
Glamour smiled. “Thank you, Grace. It’s really good to hear that I have your support.”
Grace yawned and stretched her hooves. “Anywho, I think it’s about time I get going. Good luck to you and Coco.” When she got up, she blinked and then started rummaging through her pockets. “Shoot, almost forgot to pay the bill.”
Glamour quickly reached into her bag, pulling out some bits and placing them on the table. “I got you, Grace.”
Grace gave Glamour an amused smile and a raised eyebrow. “You don’t have to do that, Glamour. We’re cool. I was just kidding about that getting even thing.”
“It’s a bit of a thank you gift,” Glamour replied. “For being my friend despite my dumb mistakes, and for looking after Coco when I was not there. Both of those things mean a lot to me.”
Grace chuckled. “Well, when you put it that way, how can I say no to a freebie? I’ll see you later, Glamour.” She walked past Glamour, but she stopped at the entrance to look back at her. “Oh, and one more thing. Screw up with Coco again, and I’ll be coming for you with a hammer. A nice, big hammer.”
Glamour gave a nervous grin and nodded. Knowing Grace, she would likely follow through on that. “R-right, I’ll be sure to keep that in mind, Grace. Bye.”
With her mood much better after her talk with Grace and the sun starting to set, Glamour decided to head back home.
When Glamour arrived at the apartment, she heard the muffled sound of Coco’s sewing machine running from within her room. Checking the kitchen counter, Glamour sighed when she saw an untouched mug of white chocolate mocha, meaning that Coco had likely stayed in her room the entire time.
Guessing that Coco had also neglected to eat, Glamour immediately went to work. Using her magic to speed things up, she poured Coco’s mocha back into the saucepan and turned on the burner. While she waited for Coco’s drink to heat up, she retrieved from her bag a fresh loaf of bread that she bought, cutting two slices of it before stuffing them into the toaster. When everything was heated and cooked, Glamour poured the hot mocha back into Coco’s cup and spread some jam onto the toast.
She wrapped the food and drink in her green aura and walked over to Coco’s door as the impromptu meal floated beside her.
“Hey, Coco, I came back a few minutes ago, and I noticed that you didn’t drink your white chocolate mocha,” Glamour said as she knocked on Coco’s door. “I’m guessing you didn’t eat either, so I made you a snack as well. I know you’re busy, but you need to eat.”
Glamour waited for a response, but all she heard was the constant clacking of the sewing machine.
“Coco?” Glamour asked in a louder voice. She waited again, but there was still no response.
Biting her lip, Glamour wondered if she should go right inside Coco’s room. With the loud sewing machine running, Coco probably could not hear her knocking. Glamour did not want to go inside uninvited, but she did not know when Coco was going to be done with the sewing machine, and she was concerned since Coco had not really eaten anything yet today.
Hoping that Coco would not be mad, Glamour slowly opened the door.
Glamour cringed a bit when she saw Coco’s room. Coco had indeed been busy. Multiple copies of costumes that Glamour had seen Coco make before were laying all over the room, and the floor was riddled with all sorts of scraps. Coco herself was sitting at her desk with her back to the door and was busily working at the sewing machine.
“Coco?” Glamour called out again, but she still did not get any response. Slowly, she walked up to the mare until she was right next to her. Leaning forward a bit, she uttered, “Coco”, close to her ear.
Coco finally heard her, but she let out a startled yelp, and as she quickly turned around, her hoof hit the mug that was moving through the air in Glamour’s magic. The impact made the mug wobble, and Glamour quickly channeled a little bit more magic to stabilize it. Unfortunately, she was not fast enough to prevent some mocha from sloshing out and spilling onto the bright-blue fabric that was going through the sewing machine, creating a sizeable brown stain.
Glamour’s eyes grew wide with horror. “C-Coco, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to!” She reached for the fabric with a hoof to try and salvage it. “Let me just—”
“N-no, I’m fine, Glamour!” Coco quickly said as she batted Glamour’s hoof away.
Glamour noticed Coco’s necklace glow pink for a split second before she was flung across the room by a pink barrier. She grunted when she hit the opposite wall with a thud, but she shrieked a second later when she hit the floor and felt hot liquid splash onto her back.
“Glamour!” Coco cried out.
Clenching her eyes and whimpering, Glamour’s instincts took over as pain and shock overcame her senses, and she rolled around the floor to try and get the hot liquid off her. She was stopped by firm hooves and was flipped onto her stomach as fabric draped over her back. She started to calm down when the hooves began gently patting where her back was wet, taking away some of the heat.
“J-just stay there, Glamour. I’ll be right back,” Coco said before the sound of rapid hoofsteps went out of the room.
Glamour did as she was told and stayed lying on the floor on her belly. She slowly reopened her eyes, panting from both the exertion and the pain. Coco had wiped off most of the mocha, and the brunt of the heat had dissipated. The affected area was still pretty hot though, and a few whimpers escaped her as she felt its stinging pain.
Glamour looked up when she heard Coco rush back with a wet towel in her hoof and then replace the fabric with the towel. Glamour groaned when the stinging flared up before being soothed as Coco gently rubbed the cold, wet towel around the burned area.
“I need to grab a few more towels. You just rest, Glamour,” Coco instructed as she got up and left the room again.
With her burn now watered down to a dull pain, Glamour turned her head to check the damage around her. The mug and plate she had been holding were lying to the side and thankfully not broken. There was a few small mocha stains that had seeped into the carpet, and both pieces of toast had landed with the sides that had jam on them face down on the floor.
Most notable was the blue fabric that lay not too far from her. It was the same one Coco had been working on, and subsequently used to wipe the mocha off her back. Glamour blanched when she saw that the fabric was actually an almost complete dress. Now, there were multiple brown stains to go along with the first one she made, making it impossible to salvage.
Glamour groaned, and her head sank to join the rest of her body on the floor. She was grateful that Coco had put aside her trepidations to help her, but she was going to have to face the consequences of her careless actions later on. Not only did she ruin one of Coco’s creations, wasting her time and effort, but more importantly, she had set off the necklace. All the careful magic conservation she had been doing was wasted in the blink of an eye.
Coco came back into the room with her hooves full of wet towels, and she sat back down next to Glamour to replace the one already on her.
Unsure of what to say yet, Glamour remained silent as Coco quietly continued to rub her burnt spot and periodically change the towels to a fresh one. After a few minutes had passed, Glamour could feel the stinging ebb away to the point that she could hardly feel it anymore.
Now that she had calmed down and was no longer distracted by pain, Glamour’s senses started picking up love. It was a tiny amount, but she immediately recognized it as Coco’s love. She could hardly believe it, not only because of the way Coco had been avoiding her, but because it was supposed to be impossible. The necklace blocked any of her magic directed at Coco, including her ability to sense her love, and Coco was wearing it. Or at least Glamour thought she was until she looked at Coco’s neck.
“Coco, where’s your necklace?” Glamour asked.
Coco’s body jumped a bit at the sudden question, but she recovered quickly and kept her eyes focused on the towel covering Glamour’s back. “Oh, um, I took it off. It’s on the bed.”
“But why?”
“I… I had to help you. I couldn’t risk setting off the spell again.”
“Oh, um, thanks…” Glamour glanced at the ruined dress on the floor and bit her lip. “I… I’m sorry, Coco.”
Coco shook her head. “No, I should be sorry. I didn’t mean for you to get hurt.”
“It’s my fault. I startled you.” Glamour sighed and looked away. “And now, instead of helping you, I made you stop working to take care of me. Even worse, I ruined one of your creations. I’m really sorry for causing so much trouble, Coco, especially since you’re so busy with your work.”
Coco’s hooves stopped rubbing, but they resumed after a moment. “It’s… It’s alright.”
“No, it’s not. I should have been more careful. I knew you were scared of me, but I got careless. I wanted to prove that I do care for you, but all that I have proven is that I just mess things up… again.”
Coco remained silent while she continued to tend to Glamour’s wound. After a few moments, she removed the towel and inspected the burn. “You got a bit of a red spot, but I think you’re okay now.”
“Oh, um, thanks,” Glamour replied quietly.
Coco simply nodded and got back up. She trotted over to sit down on the bed to grab her necklace and put it back on. To Glamour’s surprise, instead of going right back to work, Coco remained seated on the bed with her head slightly bowed.
Taking the silence as a sign that Coco needed some time to herself, Glamour got back on her hooves and began collecting the things she dropped and the wet towels in her magic. “I’ll, uh, I’ll just clean up for you really quick.”
Once she had gathered everything, Glamour paused to look at the stains on the floor and then back to Coco, who had been quietly staring at the floor the entire time. “Um, there’s still some coffee stains left, but I can try working on them another time, if you want. The more important issue is that you haven’t really eaten anything today. Since what I made you ended up on the floor, do you… do you want me to bring you something?”
When Coco did not respond, Glamour sighed and turned to the door. “Al-alright, I’ll just leave you be then. You still need to eat something, but I’ll try not to bother you too much.”
“Wait, Glamour.”
Glamour stopped immediately and looked back to find Coco was staring at her, or to be more accurate, her hooves. “Y-yes, Coco?”
“Do you… Do you feel like talking for a bit?”
Glamour blinked several times, hardly believing what she just heard. “I… I would like that, but are you sure? I know you’ve been busy with the theater costumes, and I don’t want to waste even more of your time.”
Coco sighed. “I have more time than you think. Come here, Glamour.”
Intrigued, Glamour set aside the stuff she was carrying and sat down on the bed, making sure to leave plenty of space between them, for Coco’s benefit.
“Glamour, I have to confess something,” Coco said after a brief silence. “I… I already finished all the costumes for the theater.”
“Really? When?”
“The, um, day I went to the theater. In fact, they didn’t really have a job for me, but I kept on insisting until they said I could try making a few spares in case there was an emergency. I pretty much finished those by the end of the day.”
Glamour’s brows furrowed with confusion. “Then what have you been working on these past few days?”
“I kept making spare costumes, even though the theater doesn’t need it. I just wanted to keep on working.”
It took a moment before Glamour realized why, and her head bowed with dejection. “You were just pretending to work as an excuse to keep me away.”
Coco’s gaze drifted down, and she solemnly nodded. “Yeah…”
Glamour forgot about her burn injury when she felt her heart hurt instead. Taking a deep breath, she asked, “Coco, be honest, do you even want me here?”
“I… I don’t know…”
“Can I do anything to make things easier for you?”
“I don’t know,” Coco repeated.
Glamour groaned. While she was not being flat out told that she was not wanted, not knowing what was happening made her just as uneasy. She then remembered her talk with Grace. “You know, I met Grace while I was out.”
Coco looked up at Glamour. “How is she?”
“She’s doing fine. Mainly worrying about the both of us. She did tell me that you stopped Princess Twilight from taking me to Ponyville.”
Coco’s eyes widened a bit. “Oh, she told you that.”
“Could I ask why you did that? I’m thankful that you brought me back, but I don’t get why you did it since all you have been doing is avoiding me.”
“Well…” Coco bit her lip. “I’m not exactly sure…”
Glamour groaned again and planted her face into her forehoof.
“Sorry, I know I’m being very confusing, but that’s because I’m so confused myself,” Coco continued, getting Glamour’s attention. “All I know is that when Princess Twilight said she was going to take you away, it… it felt wrong…”
“Wrong? How so?”
“Like a piece of me was slipping away. I… I think I was afraid. Afraid of being separated from you.”
Glamour perked up. “R-really? That’s… That’s great! Er, not that I’m glad that you’re feeling so conflicted.” She cleared her throat and calmed down. “But then why is it so hard to be around me?”
“Because I’m also afraid of you.”
Glamour’s rising hopes were swatted out of the sky and smacked into her face. “Oh… Guess I should have seen that coming, me being a scary changeling and all.”
“It’s not because you’re a changeling.” Coco paused for a moment. “Okay, it’s part of the reason, but the main reason I’m afraid of you is because you lied to me. And it wasn’t a few simple white lies. You hid such a huge, dangerous secret that could have easily changed my life.”
“Yeah… I did… And I deeply regret not telling you.”
“I was barely keeping myself together when I thought you were kidnapped, but when you confessed to who you really were, that’s when everything started to fall apart. I started to fear that you had some ulterior motive.”
“I… I know my words probably don’t mean much now, Coco, but I really am trying my best to make it up to you. I’m not doing all of this for any reason except to show you that I love you.”
Coco looked straight at Glamour with weary eyes. “I want to believe you, but I’m also afraid. I don’t want to get hurt again. I’ve seen what happens to a pony when love goes wrong.”
Glamour immediately knew what Coco was talking about. “Suri…”
Coco nodded. “I don’t want to go through what she'd been through. I don’t want to become what she became. I don’t want to lose my trust in everypony and end up causing them a lot of grief and pain.”
Glamour shook her head. “You will never become like that. You’re such a kind pony, and you’re stronger than you give yourself credit for.”
“Every pony has their breaking point, Glamour. It was painful to find out how much you have been keeping from me, and I’m not sure if I can withstand another trauma like that again.” Coco sighed and lifted a hoof to her heart. “And yet, it doesn’t feel right to just push you away. I was so happy before I found out who you really are, and I’m grateful for the things you did for me. A part of me wants things to go back to the way they were before.
“I’m so confused, and I’m scared that I might make the wrong decision. I have to be sure I pick the right one. That’s why I holed myself up in my room. Dressmaking sometimes helps me think, but more importantly, I needed to get away from you to figure out my feelings for you. But even after these past few days, I was just as confused as before, that is, until I hurt you. I’m really sorry that I did that to you.”
“Coco, I already told you that it was my fault.”
“Regardless, when I heard you scream, I reacted without thinking. I was lucky that the necklace was still glowing so brightly, otherwise, I might not have noticed it. It could have made things worse. The point is, I was afraid of you, and yet, my instincts rushed me to your side to help you. While I was tending to your injury, that’s when I realized, I still care about you.”
“Y-you do?”
“I think I do. I guess that deep down, I still see the pony who loved me and protected me, even though my head is telling me that you’re a changeling that lied to me.” Coco sighed and looked down at her necklace as she held it up with her forehooves. “What should I do, Glamour? I know I can’t keep hiding from you, but I’m not ready to just let things go back to the way they were before I found out who you really were.”
“Um…” Glamour desperately tried to think of a plan. Coco was giving her a chance to help guide her, but she knew that if she suggested something wrong, it could end up hurting their relationship instead. It was a difficult decision that she was being forced to take. She really wished that she had been more truthful from the beginning to avoid all the agony that they had been put through.
Glamour blinked as an idea came to her head. “We should start over,” she suggested.
“Start over? What do you mean?”
“Well first, do you think you could at least come out of your room more and actually talk to me?” Glamour asked hopefully.
Coco looked at Glamour and slowly nodded. “I… I can do that, yeah.”
“Then how about we go back to being friends?”
“Friends? You just want to be friends?” Coco asked with a tilt of her head.
“Don’t get me wrong, I still love you, Coco, but we also had a great time as friends. We bonded over everything we did together, and over time, it turned into love. I suggest we become friends again, taking things step by step, so that we can rebuild our relationship. Maybe, with enough time and care, we’ll rekindle the love between us. The big difference this time around is that I won’t be holding back any secrets from you. I promise to be completely honest with you.”
Coco thought about it for a minute and nodded. “That does sound nice, Glamour, but what if I end up never regaining my feelings toward you?”
Glamour sighed, but she kept a small smile on her face. “Then we stay friends. Coco, I want you in my life. The closer, the better, but if you’re unable to love me again, then I… I’ll be fine as just a friend. As long as I get to be with you, I’ll be fine.” Glamour offered a small smile and extended her hoof to Coco. “So, friends?”
Coco reached for Glamour’s hoof, but stopped when she glanced down at her necklace. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before slowly letting out the air. When she opened her eyes, she gave Glamour a small smile in return and gently touched her hoof. “Friends.”