//------------------------------// // Chapter 28: Mend // Story: A Change In Fashion // by Kevinltk //------------------------------// An incomprehensible blur was all Glamour could see when she slowly opened her eyes. Pain coursed throughout her entire body, and her head felt like it was in a murky haze. She let out a long groan and shut her eyes again. Her consciousness was starting to slip away, and she had the notion to just give in and welcome it. Her aching body was tormenting her, and she could barely move without aggravating something. Going back to sleep would grant her solace. However, a tiny peep was nagging her to get up, and it was steadily growing louder. Glamour’s eyes opened once more. Her vision had cleared up a tad, but it was still impossible to decipher where she was or how she ended up in such a pitiful state. All she knew was that she was lying on her back on a hard surface. She kept on sluggishly opening and closing her eyes, each blink restoring a shred of her consciousness and sense of sight. Eventually, she was able to make out a simple, tiled ceiling above her. Letting out a loud hiss of pain, she gingerly turned her head to the left and right to see that she was in some sort of office building, judging by the fallen cubicle walls and work desks surrounding her. Among the haphazard furniture were pieces of rubble strewn on the tiled floor. She also caught glimpses of her changeling form while checking her surroundings, something that she probably would be more concerned about if it were not for the pain and lethargy she had. Glamour took a few deep breaths and then rolled her body to the right to get back on her hooves. When weight was put onto her right foreleg, she cried out as if a sharp spike was lanced through it, and she quickly collapsed onto her back again. Gasping for air and feeling lightheaded, Glamour had to remain lying on the floor for a while before she caught her breath and could attempt to get back on her hooves again. Carefully, she rolled to the left this time. Her body still protested in anguish, but it was bearable enough for her to eventually get up on three wobbly hooves. She had made sure not to use her right foreleg, but now that she was standing, it was time to test it out again. Slowly, she lowered her right foreleg to the floor and leaned on it a little, but she immediately raised it back up when it flared up again. She sighed, conceding that her leg would be unusable for the time being and hoping that it was not broken. Now that she was on her hooves, she could more freely inspect her surroundings. Looking back down, she saw a large crack that spiderwebbed from where she had just been lying. She guessed that she had somehow crashed into the office building while flying, which would explain her injuries and why she was feeling so discombobulated. Seeing nothing but the wall she almost crashed into in front of her, Glamour turned around. Her eyes widened when she saw the large, gaping hole and debris littering the floor that marked her dynamic entrance. Limping over to the impromptu window, she saw that she was on the second floor of the building and the street down below was unfamiliar. However, she did recognize some tall buildings in the surrounding area, confirming that she was still in Manehattan. Except it did not feel like she was in Manehattan. There was nopony in sight, and beside her ragged breathing, it was deathly silent. The usually loud, bustling city was now a ghost town, and it sent chills through her body to see such a bizarre sight. Trying to piece back her memories, Glamour saw flashes of moments from before she was knocked out. She could remember lots of running and hearing ponies screaming. Whatever was scaring everypony was probably what also made her crash. She hoped that Coco was safe, wherever she was. Glamour blinked several times as her thoughts fixated on Coco. “Coco…” Glamour uttered softly. Saying her best friend’s name was like a catalyst, jumpstarting her mind, and her eyes bugged out when the memories came flooding back. She and Coco had been running away from Tirek, the magic-stealing centaur, but thanks to Discord, they were caught. When the necklace that restricted her magic was shattered, she had tried to free Coco from Tirek’s grasp, but ultimately failed. Tirek retaliated by using his stolen strength to send her rocketing through the air. She would have most certainly died if she had not managed to get a spell off right before she crashed into the building she was now in. It was the same spell that she had used during the Canterlot invasion when she and many other changelings wrapped themselves in a protective barrier to literally dive-bomb into the city. However, because she had only remembered about the spell mere seconds before her collision, she was not able to properly cast it. While she managed to absorb the brunt of the impact with her magic, there was still plenty of force left to make for a very painful landing. It made Glamour’s stomach turn knowing that she had narrowly escaped death, but what caused her more distress was knowing that Coco was left in Tirek’s clutches. Glamour knew she had stood no chance against the centaur, but it still upset her that she had failed to protect Coco. She dearly hoped that Coco was not seriously hurt. The only thing she could do now was try and find her. Glamour looked back at her wings and tried fluttering them, but all she got was a spike of pain rippling through her back. It looked like she was going to have to hoof it. At least her magic was still working. Glamour shifted back into her pony form in case she encountered any other ponies along the way. She could not afford anypony interfering with her search for Coco. She just hoped that her disguise would hold long enough for her to do just that. She had never fully recovered from her massive shield back at the Equestria Games. Between her concern for Coco and limited resources, she had been able to keep her hunger at bay, but she had to keep her spell casting to a minimum. The crudely cast shield that she used before crashing into the building had eaten up almost all of her remaining magic to make up for the lack of setup time. With jumping and flying down to the street out of the question in her crippled state, Glamour turned back around and limped her way through the second floor until she found the stairs. She almost tripped several times on her way down, but she eventually made it to the ground floor and out the door. Glamour groaned as soon as she stepped out onto the streets and leaned against the building while huffing for air. She might have made it outside without adding another wound to herself, but her existing ones were already making it tough and painful enough, especially since her right foreleg remained out of commission. Still, she had to find Coco, preferably before night descended and made her search even more difficult. It was late in the afternoon, meaning that she had a few hours. That is, unless Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were unable to do their duties, but what were the chances of that happening? Gritting her teeth, Glamour took a deep breath and began slowly walking down the street. Even though she was unfamiliar with the block she was in, she figured that she would just head in the opposite direction of the hole she left behind. She hoped that by heading in that general direction, she would eventually find the street she last saw Coco. For the first part of her ordeal, Glamour kept her ears perked and often stopped to scan her surroundings in case Tirek was still around. But after not hearing any screaming or explosions and continuing to see nothing but empty streets, Glamour guessed that Tirek had moved on to another city. It was easy to see which streets Tirek went through as Glamour traversed block by block. With all the spiderweb cracks in the streets, it seemed that the hulking centaur was fond of stomping around with his increasing size. Many buildings were also going to need repairs in one form or another, but at least none of the damages were major. Tirek was focused on draining ponies rather than causing widespread destruction. Glamour encountered quite a few ponies as well during her journey. Most had passed out from Tirek’s rampage, just like she had witnessed back at the theater. There were some ponies that were conscious, and they were either tending to the unconscious ponies or slowly trudging through the streets like her. She noted that despite being awake, the ponies that were up and about were moving around as though they had no energy. A few ponies looked up and even called out to Glamour. They were concerned about her injuries, but other than describing Coco’s features and asking if they saw her, Glamour declined their help and pressed on. Seeing the pitiful states of the ponies Tirek’s magic drain left them in spurred Glamour on to find Coco. Glamour was not sure how many blocks she went through, but she had eventually acclimated to her sore and tired body. However, her agonizingly slow pace made worry and impatience rise within her every time she had looked up to see the sun gradually make its way across the sky. So when she finally came to a familiar looking street, she picked up her pace and went down it to investigate it, dearly hoping that it was the right one. Glamour’s heart raced when she found it was indeed the correct place when she came upon the same backstreet, and when she stepped inside it, her breath hitched. Discord’s jello wall had disappeared, but more importantly, Coco was lying on her side with her back toward her. She was not moving. “Coco!” Glamour cried out as she powered through her wounds to rush toward Coco’s body and knelt down beside her. Using her uninjured forehoof, she gently shook her friend. “Please, please, please… Wake up! I-it’s me, Glamour.” To Glamour’s immense relief, Coco turned her head, but when she slowly opened her eyes and Glamour gazed into them, she gasped. Coco’s normally bright-cyan eyes were now a faded color, a shadow of their former selves. “C-Coco? Are you alright?” “G-Glamour, is that really you?” Coco quietly asked with her mouth slightly agape. Glamour nodded and smiled. “You… You’re…” Coco’s lower lip quivered, and she reached up with a forehoof to gently touch Glamour’s cheek. “It is you… You’re alive… You’re really alive…” Glamour nodded again, bringing her uninjured forehoof to Coco’s hoof. “I’m here, Coco. Don’t worry.” Coco’s eyes started to water, and she cried out Glamour’s name before throwing herself toward her. A surprised Glamour grunted when she was knocked onto her back, and a wailing Coco hugged her tightly. She winced as Coco squeezed her right foreleg. “C-Coco, I’m glad to see you too, but you’re on my right foreleg, and it really hurts.” Coco kept on crying, but she shifted her weight off Glamour’s right side and wrapped her hooves around her neck to continue hugging and bury her muzzle into Glamour’s chest. Glamour breathed a sigh of relief, both from the release of her foreleg and her reunion with Coco. Upon hearing repeated cries of “You’re alive!”, she hooked her left foreleg around to pat Coco’s head. Glamour could feel Coco’s love for her flood out, but despite being so tantalizing, she dared not take any of it. She knew there were potential side effects from siphoning love from a pony, and she always took in Coco’s love in moderation to avoid any of those harmful effects. Since she had no idea what Tirek’s magic drain did to Coco, she was certainly not going to risk complicating Coco’s condition, even if she was going to go hungry for a bit longer. At the very least, she would put it off until Coco was feeling better. The sun had started to set by the time Coco’s crying ceased, and they helped each other onto their haunches. “How are you feeling, Coco?” Glamour asked. “I… I’ll be fine, now that you’re here,” Coco said as she wiped at her eyes with her hoof. “When Tirek got rid of you, I… I thought that I had lost you…” Glamour gave a comforting smile. “It’s going to take more than a crazy centaur to keep me away from you for long. I’ll always find my way back to you.” Coco began to sob again, and she moved closer to hug Glamour again. Glamour wrapped her left hoof around Coco, and they rested each other’s heads on their shoulders. Her gaze trailed down Coco’s back, gratefully noting that there did not seem to be any wounds, but her eyes widened when she noticed something was off. She had not been paying attention earlier, but now that she was up close, she could see something was missing. “Y-your cutie mark. It’s gone.” “I-it is?” Coco quickly pulled back and turned her head to look at her flank. “My… My cutie mark…” “Tirek must’ve stolen it. What did he do to you?” Coco sighed. “He drained me right after you were gone. I was so scared, feeling all my strength and energy fade away. I thought I was going to die with how weak I felt, and I eventually blacked out. When I came to, I was alone and lying here.” She sniffed and had to rub her eyes. “I felt so cold and empty, but I was sure that it’s because I missed you. I cried for who knows how long, thinking that you were dead. Even when I finally stopped, I didn’t have the will to get up. I just stayed here and kept on thinking about you.” Glamour reached out to rub Coco’s leg in a soothing motion. “But I’m here now. I managed to use my magic to save myself. I was knocked out for a while, but when I woke up and gathered my thoughts, all I could think about was finding you. I trekked through who knows how many blocks looking for you. I had to… Because I said I would protect you, and…” Glamour frowned and bowed her head. “And I failed…” Coco shook her head. “Please don’t apologize, Glamour. You were no match for Tirek, and yet you still went up against him for my sake, even after how unfairly I treated you.” “That doesn’t matter to me. I love you, Coco, and I would do anything for you.” Coco’s gaze dropped to the ground, and she sniffled. “I know, Glamour… I know…” Glamour took another look around, taking note of the fading light as the sun continued to disappear. “We should probably get moving.” “W-why? Is Tirek still around?” “No, I think he’s moved onto another city.” Glamour sighed. “Guess this is something for Princess Twilight and the others to handle.” “Then what should we do?” “I think we should just go home. Even though Tirek might be gone, we need to rest, and I don’t think we’ll get much of that on the streets.” “But what about your leg? Maybe we should go to a hospital?” Glamour shook her head. “On my way here, I saw many ponies that were drained. I don’t think they’ll have anypony well enough to take care of us, let alone all the other ponies that probably are flocking there right now. It’s not like we’re seriously hurt, right?” “Um, I’m not, but…” Coco’s looked up and down Glamour’s body. “I don’t think I could say the same for you.” “There’s still no guarantee there will be anypony at the hospital. I’ll be fine with some rest.” “Well…” Coco bit her lip and then slowly nodded. “Alright, fine. I at least have a first aid kit back home.” “Then home it is. Can you walk, Coco?” “Sure, I—” Coco stood up and almost tipped over to one side. “W-whoa…” “Are you okay?” Glamour asked with a concerned frown while she moved closer in case Coco started losing her balance again. “I-I’m fine,” Coco replied, holding up a hoof to her head. “Just a bit dizzy, and I still feel very tired.” Glamour frowned with concern. “You had your magic drained. It’s not exactly something you should take lightly.” “I’m fine enough to walk,” Coco said as she began moving. “We need to get home so that I may help with your injuries.” “Alright then, just take it easy and—I got you!” Glamour rushed over to catch Coco as she was about to tip over again. “Come on, Coco. You’re in no shape to walk by yourself. Let me help you.” Coco groaned as she breathed heavily. “But what about you? You’re not exactly in good shape either, especially with your hurt leg.” “Then we’ll help each other. How does that sound?” “Help each other…” Coco smiled and nodded. “That sounds good to me.” It only took a little bit of time before they found a suitable solution to their disabilities by leaning against each other while they moved at the same pace. Glamour did not have to worry about putting weight on her right leg, and Coco was kept safe from losing her balance. Working together, they slowly, but surely, made their way home. Even when night came, there were still a few functioning streetlamps and the moon to light their way. As soon as Coco opened their apartment door, she immediately guided Glamour to her bedroom. “You just rest, Glamour,” Coco said, seating Glamour on her bed and then going to her closet to rummage through it. “Coco, you’re tired,” Glamour remarked. “You should be the one resting. We can take care of me tomorrow.” “No, it’s better to treat you now.” Coco emerged from the closet with a first aid kit in her mouth and sat down next to Glamour. She set the kit on the bed and started digging through it. “You’ve done so much for me, so please, let me do this for you.” Glamour opened her mouth to protest, but decided to quietly nod instead. She was sure that Coco would not rest until she was allowed to do her work, so rather than wasting time, she allowed her to proceed without any more fuss. Coco first took out a small, plastic bag filled with a blue liquid. She squished it between her hooves and shook it a bit before pressing it against Glamour’s injured leg. Glamour winced, both from the cold seeping into her leg and the pain that came with touching her injury, but they were soon dulled by the cold. “Just hold that there while I fix you up, alright?” Coco said. Glamour nodded and used her other foreleg to follow Coco’s instruction. As Coco dug out a variety of bandages, cotton swabs, and a bottle of rubbing alcohol, Glamour turned her head to look at herself in one of the room’s mirrors. She winced at what she saw. She had not been able to take a good look at herself when she woke up from her crash, and even if she could, she paid more attention to her crippled wings and leg. With finding Coco becoming her sole focus, she did not take the time to really take note of the smaller wounds that she had received. Patches of red dotted her coat where the blood from cuts and scrapes had dried up. None of them were big enough to warrant too much concern, but the fact that there seemed to be so many made Glamour understand why Coco was so worried. She shuddered a bit thinking how she might have looked like if she had not managed to cast her spell in time before the crash. “So, um, this is going to sting a bit,” Coco warned, showing Glamour that she was applying the rubbing alcohol to the cotton swabs. Glamour chuckled quietly and smirked. “It’s alright. I think I can withstand a little bit of alcohol after everything else I went through today.” Coco nodded and gently dabbed one of Glamour’s cuts with a drenched cotton swab. Glamour grimaced, her face twisting into a silent scream of agony, and her body shook as it felt like her cut was being rubbed by sandpaper that was set on fire and doused with lemon juice. “Uh, Glamour, are you okay?” Coco asked. “J-just fine!” Glamour replied back in a voice that was a couple of octaves higher. She was wrong. This was the worst pain she had felt all day, no, her entire life. And yet, despite the torment, she knew she had to endure it to make sure she was properly treated. With a small whimper, she nodded and resigned herself to the torture. Coco cocked an eyebrow at Glamour for a second before resuming cleaning her cut. After a couple of cleaning swabs, she placed an adhesive bandage on the cut and and then moved on to the next injury. Glamour squirmed some more and bit her lip as the fiery liquid was applied to her wounds, but to her relief, she got used to it, and the agonizing, burning death feeling was downgraded to an agonizing, burning sting. “It’s a good thing I remembered some of the stuff the doctor told me back when I sprained my leg at the Equestria Games. Hopefully, you just sprained your leg as well,” Coco said after she finished treating all the cuts and was now wrapping Glamour’s leg with a roll of bandages. Once Coco bound the leg in a tight wrap, she tore off the roll of bandages and gently patted Glamour’s leg. “There, all…” she had to pause to let out a big yawn. “done…” “Thank you,” Glamour replied with a smile. As Coco put away all the first aid stuff back into the kit, she said, “Glamour, I want to talk to you about…” She stopped when she had to yawn yet again. “Coco, we’re both tired,” Glamour remarked. “I noticed you nodding off several times while you were helping me, and you’re barely able to stay awake now. Let’s go to bed. We can talk tomorrow.” “But—” “Tomorrow, Coco.” Glamour gave her a warm smile. “We’ll both feel better and be able to properly talk to each other without yawning every few seconds. I’ll still be here when you wake up and will listen to whatever you have to say.” Coco sighed. “Alright then.” Glamour gave Coco a quick hug and got off the bed to head to her room. “Good night, Coco.” “W-wait, Glamour.” “Could you…” A bit of pink spread through Coco’s cheeks. “Could you sleep with me?” Glamour’s eyes shot wide open. “Wh-what? Are you sure?” Coco nodded, and her blush grew even bigger. “I would feel a lot safer if you were nearby. So, uh, please?” A big grin was plastered on Glamour’s face, and she trotted back to the bed. “Of course, Coco. I would be happy to.” Tired and exhausted, the two of them quickly got into bed. Coco’s bed was only meant for one pony, but they were able to squeeze in together. They laid down right next to each other with their bodies touching and their muzzles only inches apart. Glamour was a bit worried that Coco would be uncomfortable with the close contact, but that notion was quickly dispelled when Coco wrapped her hooves around her back. “I’m so glad you came back,” Coco murmured, her eyes closing. “I’m never letting you go again.” Glamour could feel Coco’s love radiate out of her, and while she still decided to not risk Coco’s health, she was happy to feel Coco’s love again. She just hoped that this Coco would last, and all this love was not just euphoria from surviving their encounter with Tirek. Regardless, she was sure that as frightening as today’s events had been, the silver lining was that she knew it had brought her and Coco closer together. As she watched Coco drift to sleep and felt her own eyes start to close, Glamour carefully maneuvered her injured hoof to wrap around Coco’s body. “And I’ll always stay by your side,” Glamour whispered before drifting off to sleep. Tirek might still be on the loose, but for that night, Glamour and Coco could take comfort in each other’s hooves to face whatever may come the next day together.