Chapter 56: Glitterati
Fresh cobb salad, buttery corn on the cob, potatoes, and garlic bread. A dinner Glitterati hadn’t eaten in years sat in front of her, getting colder with each passing moment. The selection was a personal favorite of her mother, Upper Crust, mostly for how easily the ingredients were thrown together. Preparation didn’t take long and the whole thing could be whipped up while doing other, more important things.
“Dear, your wig is slipping again.”
“I’m sorry,” Glitterati mumbled as she pulled at her hair.
“No, no. Not like that. You’re just making it worse.” Upper Crust sighed as she fired up her horn to adjust the wig herself. “Sometimes I wonder how you’re able to dress yourself in the morning.”
She didn’t. Glitterati didn’t even like clothes. If it was up to her, she’d just hop out of bed and shake the tangles out of her mane. Besides, her fur was enough to keep her warm, at least outside of winter. If she did wear something, it was always something easy to throw on in a second or two. That was before, though. This was now. Mother didn’t need excuses. She needed results, or she’d get upset again. Glitterati liked the clothes more than the yelling.
“There we are. There’s my daughter,” Upper Crust said with a smile as she tousled the fake hair just right to hide the stitches. “It’s so good to have you home again, right Jet?”
“It certainly makes things more interesting,” he noted while stabbing another bite of lettuce.
“Interesting?” Upper Crust glared at her husband with utter contempt. “Glitterati has come back home and all you have to say is ‘interesting?’”
Jet Set shrugged. “Seeing her again was probably the last thing I expected to trot in on last night. Is that not interesting?”
“Our daughter finally came home after six years, Jet Set,” she reiterated tersely.
“I did notice, and I said I found it interesting.” He took a relaxed bite of his salad before glancing towards Glitterati. “Welcome home, dear.”
“She actually came home the night before last, while you were on one of your vacations. Again. I barely had time to get her halfway presentable at the castle.”
Jet Set nearly fumbled the fork in his magical grasp. “You took her to the castle?”
“Of course I did. I wasn’t just going to leave her at home. Now that the fever has broken, she needs us more than ever.” The mare glowed with motherly pride as she smiled at Glitterati.
He looked towards the pony in question again and frowned. “And you think it was a good idea to take her there looking like that?”
“Excuse me! I did my best, no thanks to you,” she complained with a pointed glare at her useless husband. “My poor Glitter’s sparkle was an absolute mess, and this was the best I could do on such short notice. She was the visage of death itself!”
“That’s not…” he trailed and sighed. “You must have known that somepony would recognize her!”
Glitterati sank into her seat. “Please, don’t fight.”
“That was the whole point, Jet! I wanted her to be recognized! She missed her debut, among many other milestones in a young noble’s life. Our little Glitter has a lot of catching up to do now that we’re a family again.”
“And so everypony simply forgot Vinyl Scratch overnight?” Jet Set asked pointedly.
Glitterati flinched and her ears pinned back over her head as the room went completely still. She couldn’t smell the food over her mother’s palpable anger.
“I told you never to say that name in this house,” Upper Crust hissed. “That deplorable mare is out of our lives for good.”
Jet Set’s eyebrow rose as he eyed Glitterati. “Is that true?”
“Of course it’s true!” Upper Crust slammed a hoof on the table, nearly knocking over her red wine. “You’re the one who convinced me to let her entertain that half-baked idea in the first place! Now that I’ve finally fixed it, we can go back to how things should have always been.”
“I suppose you're right, honey.”
“I am right! Now you need to finally step up and be a father after I’ve done so much to correct the damage you did.”
“That I did?” he asked indignantly.
“Yes, that you did. You’re the one who took her down to the registry to let her change her name in the first place. Against my better judgment, may I remind you.”
“Because she got her cutie mark,” Jet Set explained.
“But really? To such an ugly, ill-fitting name for our lovely Glitterati?”
“You didn’t seem to have a problem with it at first.”
“I humored it, Jet. Tolerated it. Everypony goes through a bit of a cutie mark obsession when they get theirs, but that’s simply no reason to go overboard.” Upper Crust’s eyes widened before she groaned to herself. “And now I’ll have to go back there with her to undo it. Celestia knows I can’t trust you with it. You’d probably just get bored and wander off again!”
“It’s a wanderlust cutie mark, not an absent-mindedness one.”
“Well you have yet to prove that to me since our honeymoon, Jet!”
And so the discussion came back once again to the part of the argument she’d heard a hundred times: cutie marks. Despite not feeling hungry, Glitterati grabbed her fork and took her first bite, hoping the sound of her chewing would drown out the argument. The flavor was just how she remembered: lukewarm and bland. It didn’t bear any of the zest of Dapper’s pasta or ma—Éclair’s warm treats. A meal of necessity to fulfill her family role. But Glitterati was no better at cooking, maybe because of her poor teacher. At least the bread was toasted. She couldn’t even hear herself think over the crunch in her mouth.
“Glitterati!” Upper Crust shouted over her deafening chews, sending the younger mare rigid. “Slow down for goodness’ sake! Don’t stuff your mouth like a dragon!”
“M’ shorry,” Glitterati quickly replied.
“And don’t talk with your mouth full!” Her mother heaved an exhaustive sigh into her hooves. “Please, don’t tell me you’ve forgotten everything from finishing school.”
Glitterati quickly shook her head no to answer.
“Is that a ‘no, you haven’t’ or a ‘no you’ve forgotten?’” she asked impatiently.
Not wanting to make Mother wait, she forced herself to swallow, trying not to choke on the less-chewed food that scraped her throat on the way down. “I-I haven’t.”
“Then start acting like it, please!” Upper Crust leaned back in her chair and massaged her forehead. “Gracious me, you two can give me such a headache sometimes.”
“I’m sorry.”
Upper Crust sighed to herself before pushing her frustration down and smiling across the table. “I know you are, Glitterati. And Mommy is sorry for losing her temper. She just has a lot of things going on with the Crystal Summit. Or rather, she would if she was allowed to attend this evening,” she added bitterly. With a patient sigh, she refixed her smile and looked upon Glitterati with what little love she could muster. “I’m just so happy you’re finally home, even if it did come at the worst possible time.”
Glitterati said nothing, but nodded. It wasn’t like she had anywhere else to go, not after Vinyl Scratch had messed up and ruined everything.
Upper Crust took the last bite out of her properly portioned, miniscule meal. “If you will excuse me, I need to get some fresh air. Thank you for getting the dishes, dear.”
With that, she stood up with her drink and left the table. As she passed her daughter, she stopped and took a warm look at Glitterati. The older mare reached her hoof over and adjusted the wig once more, trying to hide the mess underneath. Smiling at her good work, she began to ascend the stairs towards the balcony, but stopped for a moment to look back down.
“Oh, and Gitter? Don’t forget, Mommy loves you.”
Fancy Pants took a moment to recenter himself as he crossed the threshold to Jet Set’s and Upper Crust’s property. He’d spent years preparing for moments like this during his tenure of ambassadorship, and even longer negotiating the businessworld. This, however, was like nothing he’d ever faced. Even at the griffons’ most aggressive times, he’d never felt he was stepping into enemy territory.
Still, now was not the time for fear. Luckily for him, he wasn’t alone this time. He’d spent the day getting things in order, and with some ideas from Fleur, he was ready, for better and for worse. Now, all he needed to do was get the upper hoof on the perpetually prepared Upper Crust. He reached for the doorbell and readied himself for one last negotiation.
After a few moments of waiting, his heart clenched at the sight of the familiar curl of purple and white bob through the front door’s frosted glass. He adjusted his glasses and ran his magic along the side of the quartz in his pocket. Fancy couldn’t afford to show a shred of weakness in front of the mare. The door swung open and he was face-to-face with one of the ascendant queens of Canterlot.
“Sir Fancy Pants? What an unexpected surprise!” The mare shot a glance behind her as she placed a wine glass she’d brought with her on a nearby table. “I would've thought you'd be busy with important matters with the Crystal Empire, but judging by your more casual attire, I guess something has come up?”
“I suppose you could say that, Upper Crust,” he noted, his lips taut from stopping himself from frowning outright.
“Oh, don’t be like that. So many good things are coming together at once. Tomorrow will be the signing of the treaty, renewing our ancient bonds with the Crystal Empire. You add yet another illustrious achievement to your ambassadorial legacy alongside your wealth once Horst and our partners begin working with the Empire. To top it all off, my precious Glitterati has finally come home!”
“You mean Vinyl Scratch.”
He barely had managed to finish saying her name before Upper Crust’s displeasure fell across her face in a bitter scowl. “No, I don’t,” she corrected sharply, before burying it under a plastic smile. “But I do owe you my thanks for finally snapping my daughter out of that phase of hers.”
“The feeling is not mutual, I assure you.”
“Touchy.” A ghost of a snide grin rested on the mare’s lips. “In fairness, I did warn you about involving yourself with her. To think she really did end up exploding,” she said with an airy chuckle to herself. “I would’ve preferred a method that didn’t leave such a mess behind, but I guess that rebellious DJ wouldn’t have gone out any other way. Tell me, what exactly did you do to set her straight?”
“I rejected her when she confessed her love for me,” Fancy admitted as calmly as he could manage.
“She what?” Upper Crust froze briefly as her mind caught up to the news. Then, a wide smile split her face as she broke into her raucous laughter.
Fancy wished he could be surprised by the mare’s callous outburst. He closed his eyes and tried his best not to hear the insufferable guffaws, but it only brought to mind the image of the blasted-out audio lab. The fact that she knew about the explosion and was still laughing it off made it so much worse. The last thing he needed was to let her genuine glee at Vinyl’s expense get under his skin.
Letting the joy out of her system, she fanned herself with a hoof. “Oh goodness! You’ll have to forgive me, Fancy Pants, but that’s one of the most ridiculous things I’ve ever heard.” After one last giggle, she finally recollected herself. “I guess going after Canterlot’s most eligible bachelor wasn’t the worst idea. She should’ve known better than to try gold-digging before cleaning up her act. Had she wisened up sooner, I might’ve even offered her my support so she’d actually have a shot with you.”
The mere thought of being related to the mare in any way made him blanche. “I’m not interested in dating your daughter. I’ve suffered enough humiliation at your hooves.”
“Oh, don’t be like that. It was just a joke, Fancy.”
“I’m well aware,” Fancy fired back with a stern frown. “You’ve been making them nonstop at my expense for months now, haven’t you?”
Upper Crust paused at the sudden terse turn and she tilted her head. “What are you talking about?”
“Tell me, how many headlines do you need to squeeze out of me before you’re satisfied? First the Festival of Flakes, then Regal Cents’ public breakdown, and now Vinyl Scratch—a pony all of Canterlot knows I’ve been housing for months—blows up a department at Celestia’s School? And she’s your daughter?”
“Wait, slow down. You’re not seriously suggesting—”
“That you’ve been pillorying me in the press? Dragging me through the mud with sensational stories that you just so happen to keep magically catching me in the middle of?” Fancy accused as he stood up straighter. “I don’t know what your game is, Upper Crust, but I’m no longer going to play any part of this scheme you have with your daughter, Vinyl, Glitterati, or whatever you’re calling her next.”
Any sense of meekness vanished as Upper Crust’s eyes flared to life with indignation. She slammed the front door behind her and stomped right up to the stallion with unbridled fury. “How dare you compare that reprobate to my precious girl!” the mare screeched with a twitch of her eye.
“Compare? They’re one in the same.”
“That delusion died in that explosion! As far as anypony is concerned, DJ Pon-3 no longer exists! For goodness’ sake, why do you think I kept that hellion’s face out of the paper? Without those gaudy shades, nopony would even make the connection between her and my wonderful Glitter, let alone believe it if they did!”
“For once, we agree. The DJ’s a ghost now, allowing this Glitterati of yours to return to society. Which forces me to deal with the substantial mess she left in her wake.”
Upper Crust turned her nose up at the notion. “Now you’re just spouting nonsense! None of her messes are your responsibility.”
“How can you even say that when everypony knows that I’ve vocally and financially supported her? Vinyl Scratch was Fleur’s best friend, Éclair loved her, you might have forgotten, but I even recommended her for the Summit as a representative of modern Equestrian culture! Princess Luna is a fan!”
“And I tried to stop you at every turn, but you kept meddling—” Upper Crust’s shrill grunt scratched like glass on glass. She tossed her mane and turned away, unable to stand looking at the sheer idiocy on display. “Just think for a second and ask yourself: why would I want to ruin the reputation of one of the most beloved and respected ponies in Canterlot? You’re one of my top clients!”
“To be frank, I’m not sure. Your maneuvering and machinations still make no sense to me, but I can at least see the game being played before my eyes. So, instead of playing a losing match, I’m ending it now and cutting my losses. I quit.”
The energy behind the banker’s tirade crashed faster than a pump and dump. “You quit?”
“Yes. Congratulations, Upper Crust, on your most recent conquest.” Fancy slowly applauded with a single hoof against the ground. “From this day forward, Fancy Pants is no longer the Kingmaker of Canterlot.”
Upper Crust recoiled from the blowback of the sudden, confusing news. Her eyes flitted about trying to figure out what it was he meant, but then froze as they flickered with understanding. “Oh, wait. I see how it is.” She laughed the drama off with a haughty smile. “You really had me going for a moment there.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“This little gambit of yours. I can’t believe I almost fell for it.” She laughed again as her nerves resettled. “You and I both know you were rather fond of that pernicious pet DJ of yours. Why else would Princess Luna be so interested in her when she had no value? Because you liked her,” she accused with a light poke into his chest. The mare narrowed her eyes and leaned closer to Fancy with vicious delight. “That worthless distraction is dead and gone, and now my family can get back on track. Whatever it is you’re doing, it won’t work.”
Fancy snorted, pushing the mare off of him. “You think this is about Vinyl?”
“Of course it is. It has to be, though I have no idea why. Unlike her, you actually have a good talent to leverage. An incredible one actually. Getting the Kingmaker's recommendation is practically a rite of passage these days. You’re one of the pillars within the Canterlot investment community. Do you actually expect me to believe that you, the royals’ favorite stallion, would simply stop?” She laughed at the absurdity. “Please. What would you quitting even look like?”
“I’d imagine something like this.”
Fancy reached into his saddlebag and produced a short stack of papers bound together with a large clip. Seeing the documents, Upper Crust rolled her eyes and took them for her review. Unable to see in the dark, she opened the door again to shine a light from inside as she looked them over. Her brow furrowed as her trained eyes skimmed over the important details.
“You’re closing your accounts,” she remarked with a hint of worry as she studied one sheet after the other. “A lot of your accounts…”
“Yes. I spent most of the day sorting out the details. Once the legalese is sorted and they don’t find anything fraudulent, they will be closed and I’ll be out of the market entirely.”
“So, what you’re saying is that you’re retaliating against Horst Holdings for a personal grievance you have with me?” Upper Crust clicked and passed them back with a confident smile. “Such a sad excuse for risking securities fraud. I’m sure my lawyers will have something to say about such a sudden, targeted, and dramatic change to our working relationship.”
“I’m sure you would if it was targeted, but that was just the first one. I spent the afternoon visiting every bank in Canterlot, including Horst.” Fancy pulled out three more equally thick stacks of account closure notices.
The mare raised her eyebrow and pulled the added documentation towards her to study them. “Every bank in Canterlot?”
“Well, not every bank. Most of the accounts are already frozen while a few will require review, but I can assure you this is not isolated to you. I’ve closed every account I’ve ever used to invest and am unilaterally pulling my support out of all of Canterlot. Every security, every bond, every derivative.”
Upper Crust’s eyes widened at the sheer scope of his fiscal irresponsibility. “You can’t be serious. This will ruin you!”
“In a certain sense, yes. I’ll likely be taking substantial losses in liquidating them at market value, but I should be able to comfortably weather the storm. I’m sure you will be fine as well without my backing. With all of the success on the horizon, Horst Holdings won’t even miss the relative pittance I invested.”
“I don’t understand. Why go so far? It’s just one disc jockey.”
“Don’t try to pin this solely on her. I’m simply refusing to play your games any longer, Upper Crust, and consolidating my assets into something more manageable. As you said, the Kingmaker of Canterlot is a pillar of the community. If you want to be that pillar so badly, then the title is yours.”
“M-me? But I never—” The mare stopped herself and cleared her throat. “What I mean to say is that my talents… lie elsewhere. There’s plenty of smaller, desperate ponies who would never see a single bit if not for your insight and gracious generosity. Not only that, but you're uniquely connected to potential partners around the world, not to mention the princesses down the street!”
“Perhaps you should’ve thought about that before you went on the offensive,” Fancy spat, eying the mare with contempt. “I might’ve been blind to your machinations before, but now I can clearly see the writing on the wall. I’m sure you’ll have enough clout to step into the role soon enough. Knowing your fondness for making the news, I’ve already talked to the media about it.”
“Oh, you have?” she asked, her steeled nerves fraying at the seams. “What did you say to them?”
“I believe it should be on the front page tomorrow. ‘Crust Crushes Canterlot’s Kingmaker’ or something along those lines. While it stings, it does have a certain ring to it. I’m not too proud to admit defeat.”
With that, Upper Crust thrust open the door wide and stepped aside. “Fancy—Sir Fancy Pants? Would you mind joining me for a drink in my office?”
“I’d rather not. After all, there’s nothing left to be said.”
“As one of your concerned friends and business partners”—she grabbed the wine from the table and downed it in a large gulp—“I insist.”
Fancy sighed and relented with a nod. As he stepped inside, he shot a glance to the far side of the house, leaving the rest to fate.
After finishing dinner and the dishes, Glitterati dragged herself to her room. She wanted to toss her stupid wig into the trash, but she placed it back on the ponnequin head like she was supposed to. It was the exact same gift she’d received from Mother after she’d “lopped her mane off” years ago. In fact, everything was the same as she’d left it, thanks to the dust sheets sealing it all away. Nothing had changed. Absolutely nothing.
Her daybed under the window was the same. The vertical piano in the corner of the room was the same. Her foalhood clothes were the same. The only things out of place were the family photos and picture frames stacked in her closet. It was almost comforting to know they hadn’t thrown everything out.
But then again, everything she’d left behind was still here. Upper Crust had hidden Glitterati’s existence completely after disowning Vinyl Scratch, but it was all still here, waiting for her eventual return. Ready to be slotted back into her proper place. Right where Mother wanted her to be. Nothing had changed. Absolutely nothing.
Glitterati flopped onto her bed, not even bothering to turn on the lights. She wasn’t tired. It wasn’t late enough to go to sleep. It just didn’t matter. Nothing mattered. She was back now. She’d be sent off to parties, talk to rich ponies about nothing, meet potential suitors, be scolded by her mother when she messed up. Glitterati was always messing things up. She was hopeless without her mother’s guiding hoof. A catastrophe waiting to happen. When Glitterati tried, she made mistakes she couldn’t fix. She couldn’t say the right words, she couldn’t make the right decisions. If she ever thought she was doing something right…
“Stay back!”
… it always exploded in her face. Just another failure. Even when she just wanted to be happy…
“You can’t.”
… she was wrong. She wanted to forget…
“Oh, no! Your monocle!”
…but she couldn’t.
No. She couldn’t do anything right. She could never do anything right. She was always wrong. She would always be wrong. Nothing had changed. Absolutely nothing.
So there was no point in dwelling on the inevitable. Disappointment, anger, sadness, none of it mattered.
It was best not to feel those things.
Best not to feel anything.
Best to do nothing at all.
To be static.
Within the hum of the void, there was a firm knock at the door.
“Are you still awake?” a paternal voice asked through the darkness.
“Yes, Father,” Glitterati mumbled back as her room came back into focus.
“Good.” Jet Set stepped through the door, turning on the lights as he came in. “You have company.”
“Company?” she parroted from somewhere bordering curiosity.
Her father gave a single nod as he entered. The stallion trotted closer to the bed, keeping his eyes locked on hers with an unreadable passivity. His approach stopped just shy of her bedside as his magic reached over to flick open the latches on the window behind her.
“It’s this one,” he called out in mild annoyance, before turning back around and walking out of the room. She began to lean up from the bed to ask about the guests, but then a clumsy clattering of hooves caught her ears.
“Seriously?” a familiar voice complained from outside. “I tried knocking on this one before, but—woah!”
Before she could fully turn around, Glitterati’s vision was filled with pink and white as a heavy weight collapsed on her.
“Sorry! Are you okay, Fleur?” a husky whisper called from outside.
“I’m fine!” Fleur swore quietly as she rolled off of Glitterati and popped up to the window sill. “Just keep quiet and stand still! Even moving your lips will strain the enchantment!”
“Sorry…”
“Athena!” Fleur hissed again.
The minotaur corrected herself by humming sheepishly in agreement.
“Fleur?” Glitterati asked as she pulled herself up, shaking the stars from her eyes.
The mare was barely up for a second before she was wrapped in a tight, desperate embrace. She could feel the hoof at the back of her head, stroking her shorter fur as Fleur tried to muster every ounce of love she could.
“I was so scared! Thank goodness you’re alright.” Fleur kissed the side of Glitterati’s face and pulled back. “Well, all things considered, at least.”
Glitterati shook her head, completely at a loss for words. “How…”
“I got a little help from your big minotaur friend,” Fleur answered as she tilted her horn towards the outside and looked out the window. “Check it out!”
Glitterati followed Fleur’s gaze. At first, she couldn’t see anything as she glanced around the backyard. But then, for just a moment, she saw the outline of a hand wiggling her fingers in a little greeting before disappearing.
“Cloak of Refracted Reflections?” Glitterati asked, seeing the telltale signs of the fragile illusionary spell.
Fleur hummed proudly and nodded as she stood up, pulling Glitter’s hoof along with her. “Much easier to enchant than pure invisibility on short notice. Now c’mon, let’s get you outta here before she drains the crystal.”
Glitterati tilted her head. “What do you mean?”
“I mean that we’re saving you, stupid.”
“But—”
“Look, we can talk all you want about your secret origin story later. Right now, you and me have gotta jump into the thick arms of a two story minotaur.”
“I’m not that big!” Athena whined.
“I meant it as a compliment!” Fleur shushed again. “Look, Crusty will flip if she catches us. Kinda thought it was all over when Jet Set opened the window, but he seems pretty chill. Guess we got lucky, right?”
“That’s not a surprise. Father doesn’t care about anything,” Glitter clarified.
“‘Father?’” Fleur stuck out her tongue and gagged disgust. “Do you even hear yourself? I knew we should’ve broken into here last night. Gotta get you back into a soundbooth, stat!”
Glitterati ripped her hoof back and turned away. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“We aren’t going just anywhere, we’re going back to my place, Vy.”
“I’m not Vinyl Scratch.”
Fleur frowned to herself as she inspected the mare in front of her. “Let’s see. Beautiful blue mane, strikingly magenta-ish eyes, quarter note cutie mark, adorably scratchy voice? Unless you’re a changeling, I say you’re my one and only sister, Vinyl Scratch.”
“No. You’re mistaken. She’s gone,” Glitterati corrected. “That mare was nothing but trouble.”
“Yep. You are the best troublemaker that there is, at least besides yours truly. Now, let’s go! Out the window!” she repeated and leaned out the window.
“Please. Just leave. You’re all better off without her.”
“Oh, come on! You’re really going to do this now? I turned over all of Canterlot looking for you, you know!”
“I never asked you to do that.”
“Didn’t have to. I was ready to make Fancy buy me an airship to track you down."
“Well, you found me. Congratulations.”
“I sure did. Now for my prize, let’s go get lost together. In Athena’s general direction,” Fleur urged as she waved her hooves towards the window.
“Why did you have to come? You couldn’t just leave me alone, could you?”
“Wha—why are…” Fleur bit her tongue down as a fire sparked behind it. “No, I couldn’t. Counterpoint: what happened to you coming to bother me when things got too tough? You promised that you’d find me anytime you were feeling overwhelmed!”
“I—I never promised you anything.”
Fleur growled. “Fine! We’ll do things your way!” She leaned away on the bed and extended her hoof. “Hello, Glitterati! I’m Fleur de Lis. We’re going to be such good friends because you look, walk, and talk exactly like my friend Vinyl when she’s super depressed! If you need to unload on me, I’m here for you. I promise that you can always talk to me about anything. Good?” She took Glitter’s hoof and bumped it with her own. “Good. Now that we’re the bestest of friends, mind talking to me?”
“Please. I can’t. Not about this.”
“What? That you’re Crusty’s kid? Who the hay cares who popped you out? Maman and I actually love you.”
“No, it’s not that.”
“Then what? Fancy making the absolute biggest mistake of his life rejecting you? Which, by the way, seriously? You go native because of him? Overreaction much.”
Glitterati’s face fell as she thought back to that painful moment again. The sheer panic on Fancy’s face, his pleading for forgiveness, the hatred, the self-loathing. Vinyl had made the biggest mistake of her life, and it was Glitterati that would always pay the price.
“Sorry, sorry! That was way too harsh,” Fleur begged as she tried to get Glitterati’s attention. “I know you really like him, but there’s other ponies out there. You shouldn’t get hung up on a loser like him.”
“Stop!” Glitterati begged as she covered her ears with her hooves. “Please. Just stop it! It wasn’t his fault!”
Fleur’s jaw fell slack in disbelief. “You’re defending him? He’s the one who broke your heart! Why are you blaming yourself?”
“Because I wanted you to choose him!”
Fleur’s ears pinned back as she flinched from the shrill cry and leaned away from the other mare. “What are you talking about?”
Glitterati grabbed at Vinyl’s sister, pulling Fleur closer as she leaned her head onto the other mare’s chest. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! You begged me not to make you, but… I got greedy and messed everything up!”
“Woah, woah! Slow down there, Vy.”
“You—you didn’t want me to hate Fancy Pants and didn’t want me to make you choose between me and him, but then I got to know him and started liking him and fell in love with him when it was wrong of me—” Glitterati’s rambling broke as she tried and failed to catch her breath.
Fleur grabbed Glitterati’s hoof and stroked it trying to calm her down. “It’s gonna be okay, sis.”
“No! No it’s not! You’re mad at him because of me!”
“Of course I’m mad at him. But this is all his fault.”
“No! It’s mine! I wasn’t supposed to love him, and I ruined everything like I always do! I’m sorry!”
Glitterati’s strength gave out as she slumped down further into Fleur’s tenderness and cried like she always did. Like she always would when she couldn’t deal with things, but she couldn't help it. Everything had gone wrong, and she couldn’t hope to fix it. Now, Fleur would feel bad and hug her back trying to comfort her, to help her stop crying. The cheap sympathy of the poor little girl who had no recourse. All she had was to spill her heart out and hope Fleur would understand.
“It’s going to be okay, Vinyl. We can talk all about this when we’re not here. Let’s just go back home.”
“Just go already!” she begged, pulling away from the tempting warmth. “I am home!”
“Are you crazy? You’ve always hated Upper Crust! Heck, she hates you too! It’s no wonder you ran away from all of this. I would too at the first chance I had.”
“Mother can’t hate me more than I already hate myself.”
Fleur bit her lip. She laid down next to Glitterati. “You don’t mean that. You’re my best of the best, ain’t no contest, awesome friend sister. There’s nopony else I love more in the whole wide world. You’re so smart and talented, way too good to be cooped up in here.”
“If I was smart, I wouldn’t have left. I would’ve stayed here like a good girl is supposed to and accepted it. Nopony would’ve gotten hurt.”
“The only pony here who’s hurt is you, sis.”
“What about Fancy Pants?”
“What about him?”
“I… hurt him. I told him how I felt.”
“Yeah, and then he said no, right? You’re the one who got hurt.”
“You weren’t there!” Glitterati shrieked back as she sat up. “I should’ve never done that! Everything I—that Vinyl wanted just hurt ponies in the end. She was selfish and wrong! She never did anything right!” Glitterati’s frown bittered as she shook her head. “The stupid mare couldn’t even drain her stupid desires out of her head.”
“Drain? How would you even—” Fleur’s eyes widened as she lurched back up. “Sweet Celestia. You tried it with a cacophony crystal?”
Glitterati nodded grimly as she sucked in her lips and looked away.
“You know how dangerous that is!”
“I had to try something! I didn’t want to feel this way anymore! I don’t want to feel anything anymore!” Glitterati panted for breath as she sank back down into her bed. “I’m tired, Fleur. I’m so tired of everything. It’s easier just to go back to the way things were before I left.” She could feel her magic reaching for the locket in her nightstand. “What I want is wrong. It’s always wrong. I’m not normal.”
“And I am? What does ‘normal’ even mean? Actually, better question, why is it that you being miserable is normal?”
“It’s only bad when I act out,” Glitterati argued weakly.
“You mean when you try to be your own pony,” Fleur clarified.
Glitterati sank lower. “Please. Just go.”
“No can do without you.”
Not wanting anything to do with the conversation anymore, Glitterati buried her head in her pillow, refusing to budge.
“Sis… please.” Fleur begged. Hearing no response, she sighed to herself. “He told me not to say anything, but Fancy’s here too.”
Glitterati’s ears perked up at the name as she turned her head to look up. “He is?”
“Of course that’d get a reaction…” Fleur laughed sardonically to herself. “He’s distracting Upper Crust while we’re supposed to be getting you out of here.”
“What?” She felt her heart drop into her throat. “But why would he do that?”
“He might’ve been dumb enough to reject you, but even an idiot like him knows you shouldn’t be here.”
Glitterati scrambled to her hooves. Fancy couldn’t talk to her. Not again. Not so soon. She’d say something cruel, something to get under his skin or stress him out. Glitterati couldn’t let him get hurt again. It’d be her fault, again. She’d already put Fancy through enough herself.
“Woah, settle down, Vy! You don’t—”
Not wanting to listen to her a second longer, Glitterati kicked Fleur in the barrel, throwing the bigger mare off, and allowing her to make a break for the door.
“Wait! Vy!” Fleur wheezed as she tried to get the air back in her lungs.
Ignoring the mare’s plea, Glitterati burst out of her room, closing the door behind her and hoping Fleur wouldn’t risk getting caught. She looked around, trying to recall which set of stairs was closer to Mother’s office. The last thing she wanted was for Fancy to suffer talking to Upper Crust at her expense. He didn’t deserve that.
Choosing left, she bolted down the vaguely familiar hallways, nearly missing the stairs from losing her bearings amid the ostentatious sea of decoration. She didn’t even know where she was going as she looked around the blindingly extravagant rooms reflecting Upper Crust’s good fortunes. She clambered down and rushed towards her mother’s office, only to find a bar in its place. Glitterati looked to the next room to see another remodeled space she didn’t recognize. She barreled into the sitting room for any signs of life, but only saw her father nearly fumbling his book in surprise.
“What are you doing here?” Jet Set asked.
“Where’s Fancy Pants?” Glitterati asked as she began running for the kitchen.
“Never mind that. Why are you still here?”
The question stopped Glitterati in her tracks. She turned to face her father. “What?”
“Fleur de Lis and… I think her name is Athens or something?” Jet Set paused trying to recall it briefly, but shrugged, deciding it didn’t matter. “That monster friend of yours outside. They came to collect you, right? So why are you still here?”
“They want me to leave with them.”
He nodded absently. “I figured as much.”
“No. You don’t understand. They want to take me away and not come back,” she clarified.
“I understand perfectly. What’s the problem?”
“Oh… right.” Glitterati slumped down. She’d forgotten who she was talking to for a second. “I just thought, maybe now that I was back, that you’d want me to stay?”
The stallion raised an eyebrow. “I’m barely in Canterlot as it is these days. What makes you think I’d want you here?” he asked as he flipped through the book to find his page.
Ignoring her father’s bluntness, she pressed forward. “Could you just tell me where Fancy and Mother are?”
“I believe she’s in her office with him. After she disowned you, she moved into your old playroom.”
“Right. Thanks.”
“But I’d advise not going there,” the stallion stated firmly before Glitterati could run off. “Since Upper Crust won that deal with the Empire, she’s become intolerable. I’ve avoided coming back here as much as possible. I Imagine it’s going to make things even worse now that you’re here.”
Glitterati deflated at her father’s berating. “I’m sorry. I tried to make it on my own, but I couldn’t. I ruined it.”
“I never expected you to actually take it seriously. The terms were vague at best, so I expected you were just cutting ties and leaving forever.”
Glitterati recoiled back in disbelief. “What? But I didn’t want that! I stayed in school and kept trying to make a name for myself. I earned every bit that I could without any help!”
“Yes you did, to my genuine surprise.” Taking a deeper interest in the conversation, Jet Set tossed a bookmark onto his page and set his reading material down on the table. “For the longest time, I thought you were just putting on a show for her rather than trying to appease her. At the very least, you are aware that she didn’t define the exact terms of the agreement so she could change them on a whim, right? What did you expect to get in return?”
“I… I just wanted you two to accept me.”
Jet Set tilted his head. “When did I not accept you, Vinyl?”
There were no words. Glitterati could only balk at the gall of his question. How could he ask that so genuinely? Her father had never shown her an ounce of tenderness for as long as she could remember. He was always passive, cold, and uncaring. It was almost unnerving how completely oblivious he was to it.
“If I recall, it was always your mother who hated that name and the rather useless cutie mark that came with it. Her words, not mine,” he quickly deflected before she could say anything like it was a defense. “She always said you got it from my side of the family.” He rolled his eyes under the weight of a thousand blame-shifting arguments. “Perhaps it is, but you actually want to make something of yourself. You got that drive from her, for better or worse. It’s just unfortunate you never realized it was impossible.”
“I know it wasn’t fair, but I tried! I worked so hard and did everything she asked me to do!” Glitterati wilted as she looked down at her hooves. “I knew it didn’t matter. That it was probably hopeless, but I still pulled myself by the reins like she wanted. Doesn’t that count for anything?”
“You do realize that turn of phrase is absurd on its face, right? It’s an old earth pony expression. Pulling yourself forward is clearly impossible. No matter how hard you work, you’ll never get ahead.” The stallion shook his head at the nonsense.
“I thought if I did what she wanted, Mother would go back to being like she was before. She was always excited to see me. When she said she loved me back then, she actually meant it—”
“You’re mistaken. She’s always been like this. You were just too young to notice. Too caught up in discovering who you were, which made her worry more and more every time you bounced off of what she wanted you to do. The moment that music note showed up on your flank was the moment your mother finally gave up on you.”
Despite knowing the answer, Glitterati’s heart still clenched. “So there was nothing I could do?”
“To appease your mother? Well, you could attract and marry a rich, well-connected stallion to continue the line,” he answered with a shrug. “Apropos of nothing, your mother’s reins were pulled out of that dead-end rock farm she came from by me.”
“What about you?” Glitterati asked with growing impatience.
“What about me?”
“What did you want me to do?”
“Anything but come back here. Your absence was good to leverage against her every time your mother brought up the idea of us having another foal. She’s the one who drove you away, after all.”
“How can you say that? You were behind her the entire time! If you accepted me, why didn’t you stand up for me? Why did you just let her throw me away?”
“You turned fifteen, meaning you didn’t have to be here anymore. It seemed like the best outcome for everypony,” he answered without hesitation. “I never wanted to be a father in the first place.”
Glitterati waited for a “but” or “however” that she knew would never come. This was the father she always remembered barely being around. After all of these years, he hadn’t changed in the slightest. The dispassionate candidness he spoke with lacked any sway one way or the other. Each callous answer drove into her with the piercing sting of a javelin. He was so brutally honest, showing no regard for how hurtful his truths were to hear. She almost envied it. Life would be so much easier if she didn’t care, but she did. Even after everything, after trying to purge herself with the crystal, she couldn’t help but desire their approval. Their acceptance. Their love.
And that made her a fool. What little hope she’d forgotten she had flickered out. Glitterati thought she’d failed to meet their expectations as Vinyl Scratch, but no, she was even wrong about that. Glitterati, Vinyl Scratch, it didn’t matter. They never stood a chance. The expectations were impossible for her to meet short of turning into Mother herself. Even if she cried, it wouldn’t matter. Father wouldn’t hear her. He wouldn’t care. He’d throw something like a toy or ice cream to distract it as always and then walk away if his gifts didn’t make the noise stop. His presence now was not out of love, but simple obligation.
It was almost haunting looking into his eyes now. She could see herself perfectly in the hollow reflection, but that was all. He was lifeless. Anything within had been drained dry and smothered a long, long time ago. She couldn’t remember if he’d ever looked at her any differently than with the indifference he had now. If Glitterati got lost in his placid gaze, she feared that she’d never find a way out.
“If that’s all you needed, I believe Fleur de Lis has been trying to get your attention for a while,” he finally said, breaking the spellbound stare and returning to his book.
Glitterati shook the darkness away and checked over her shoulder to see Fleur skulking in from around the corner. She kept her head down, but her irritation at the stallion was plain to see.
“What is with him catching me all the time?” Fleur cursed under her breath as she drew closer.
“You’re not exactly hard to miss, Miss de Lis. Now, would you kindly take Vinyl Scratch out of here before your little diversion fails? I’d rather not deal with the aftermath if Upper Crust finds you in here with me.”
Fleur clicked her tongue at the stallion. “What’s his problem? Come on, Vy, let’s just go.”
Glitterati barely managed to shake her head, unable to answer. She simply tottered away, Fleur keeping her close to her side. There was nothing she could do. No bar to step over, no milestone to reach, nothing. She could do exactly what was expected of her, but nothing short of becoming a completely different pony would be enough. It didn’t matter that she’d suspected it for years. It didn’t matter if she told herself that she didn’t care what they thought. She knew it was difficult to think about them. It was why she’d fueled her time as Vinyl with resentment. She wanted to prove them wrong. Everypony wrong.
But being told she wasn’t wanted… it still hurt.
“I-I did what they asked. I tried. Why can’t… why?” Glitterati crumbled under the oppressive expectations, the impossible standards, the loveless home. It was less than nothing to them, but weighed more than the world upon her heart.
Fleur wrapped a foreleg around the smaller mare’s back and pulled her close. “You know, there was a time I thought I needed to change myself. I thought it was my fault that my brother didn’t love me. But then, my sister came by and told me that I was perfect just the way I was; that she wouldn’t change anything about me.” Fleur squeezed, pouring every ounce of love that she could into her hug. “She said that anypony that really knew the two of us would know that he loves me, and that he was lucky to have a sister like me. There’s not a doubt in my mind that anypony that really knows my sister would love her just the way she is, too. I love her more than anything else in the world, and I’d do anything to see her again.”
“I-I’m here, sis,” Vinyl whispered as she leaned against her sister. “I’m right here. I’m so sor—.”
Fleur gently shushed her sister and kissed her on the forehead. “The only thing that matters is that I found you, Vy. Let’s go home.”
If there was anything worse than Upper Crust, it was a furious Upper Crust. The mare had dragged Fancy up to her office to pour over Fancy’s closure notices for any hint of malfeasance. As far as he was concerned, there couldn’t possibly be unless there was a rule against consolidation he’d missed. Upper Crust had been digging though every page trying to find the trick to the game he was playing.
Of course, the trick to it was that there was no trick. Save the embellishment of Glitterati’s involvement, there wasn’t even a game to it. The only thing he needed to do was create a diversion and give Fleur and Athena time to convince Glitterati to leave with them. So, he’d taken a page from Luna’s book and flipped the table, blasting the mare with two simple words: I quit.
Upper Crust’s free hoof was tapping at an anxious pace as her eyes darted over every detail of each page of the papers, looking for the falsehoods that weren’t there. “Oh? What’s this?” she asked with a wicked smile. “Harmonic Capital International. A rather large transfer of funds to a different account prior to closing it today. What might that be?”
“That would be for any payments and fees that might incur as I transfer the ownership of some land I own in town to a friend of mine. It was a little money to help her on her way to fully owning the property her restaurant is built under.”
“Did you say under?”
“Athena Cypriel, the minotaur you referred to as an oafish brute before.”
Upper Crust spared little more than a thin smile for Fancy. “Of course it is. Because you’re such a kind-hearted soul.”
“I was only holding the land temporarily anyway. Now seemed like a good time to begin that process.”
The mare growled as she threw the papers down on the desk. “Fine. So, you’re going through with this bone-headed move. Destroying all the hard work you’ve done over the years just to get back at me for my daughter coming back home.”
“As I said a million times at this point, my exit from the market is not any sort of individualized retaliation against you or your family.”
“For legal reasons, I’m sure,” she spat.
“I’m simply done being a laughingstock. I have every right to do with my money what I want within the bounds of the law, Upper Crust.”
“I know you do!” Upper Crust yelled as she jumped up from her seat and slammed her hooves on her desk. “You can always do whatever stupid thing you want and sink your entire livelihood! Just leave me out of it!”
“I asked you to do the same with the press before, but you refused and went with your smear campaign against ‘Vinyl Scratch,’ which just so happened to drag me along for the ride as well,” Fancy reminded with a stern frown. “This setup was simply the last straw needed to break me over your back.”
“I just wanted my daughter back!”
“Is that so? Then what about the Regal Cents story? You clearly used me as your kingly prop to get an edge over him. What part of that involved Glitterati?”
“Nothing, of course! That was just business! And besides, it was objectively complimentary of your wonderful talents. You helped me finally take that racist idiot down!”
“Yet I was still caught in the middle, candidly on camera, looking like a bumbling fool at a complete loss for words as you wrapped yourself behind me. I didn’t ask you to intervene in that conversation in the first place. You were the one who thrust yourself into the spotlight that night.”
The mare quaked with volcanic fury. She was stopping just short of blowing up, releasing her rage upon Fancy Pants. Her clenched teeth could crush diamonds under the pressure with her patience finally reaching its end along with Fancy’s bank documents. There was nowhere left to go, no loophole to leap through, no oversight to exploit. Fancy was being honest, and there was nothing that Upper Crust could do except to accept reality.
Fancy cleared his throat. “If that is all you needed—”
Before he could finish, the tectonic plates cracked under the pressure. With one furious burst of primal magic, she sent an earth-shattering blast with her hooves onto her desk.
“GET OUT!”
Not wanting to risk spending one more second next to the mare frothing at the mouth, Fancy quickly stepped out the door without uttering another word. Making a swift break for the stairs, he heard the sharp sound of glass shattering and wood splintering under the mare’s pyroclastic outrage. He calmly trotted down the stairs, hoping the girls were long gone to spare them from suffering the mad mare’s wrath. As he descended the final flight, he spotted Jet Set waiting at the bottom for him with a large paper grocery bag.
“I take it your conversation didn’t end too well for her?” Jet Set asked, already knowing the answer.
Fancy shrugged. “She didn’t like what I had to say all that much.”
“It happens,” Jet Set admitted with a shrug. “I’m sure I’ll be on the receiving end for a little bit, especially now that Vinyl’s left again.”
“She’s gone?” Fancy asked while feigning shock.
“No need to act surprised. She left with Fleur and that minotaur while you were speaking with my wife,” Jet complained with a smirk. He lifted the bag and shook it in his magical grasp. “She forgot a few things on the way out.”
The bag piqued Fancy’s curiosity as he took it from the stallion. Vinyl hadn’t taken anything with her on the way out of the mansion, at least as far as he knew. While Jet led him to the foyer, Fancy reached into the bag with his magic to see what was inside. Expecting perhaps a few photos or fillyhood knickknacks, he instead found stacks of pamphlets and programmes for various events. He hovered a selection in front of him, recognizing the ESPA logos on most of them. A few were from venues he didn’t recognize.
Fancy flipped open one at random and began skimming the contents. “What is all this?”
Jet Set hummed to himself in thought as he opened the door. “I suppose they were an insurance policy of sorts, but it doesn’t matter much now. I’m sure they’ll be a liability soon enough.”
As Fancy searched through the booklets one after the other, a pattern began to emerge. Each one had at least one performance from Vinyl Scratch. He reached inside once more and bumped up against something more solid. Pulling it out, he saw a familiar album cover: DJ Pon-3’s Cantrips LP.
Before Fancy could ask, Jet pushed the album back down into the bag and rolled the top down to close it. “Thank you for stopping by, Fancy Pants. Give my regards to Fleur de Lis and your minotaur friend next time you see them.”
“Of course, Jet Set. Have a good night.”
After giving Jet Set a polite bow, Fancy placed the bag of DJ Pon-3 paraphernalia on his back and trotted down the front porch stairs at a healthy clip. He wanted to put as much distance as he possibly could before the erupting volcano inside realized her daughter had left.
“Oh, Fancy Pants?” Jet called out from the door. “Would you do me a favor?”
“What is it?”
“Make sure that girl never steps one hoof into this house again. There is nothing left for her here.”
Jet Set gave a final nod before closing the door. Fancy heard the clicks of the door lock and the deadbolt as the lights turned off. Everypony who was supposed to be there was already inside for the night. Nopony else was welcome.
If you find a simple mistake in the GSP (Grammar, Spelling, or Punctuation), please let me know through a private message rather than leaving it in the comment section. Thank you for reading!
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This is gonna hurt, isn't it?
I strongly dislike you.
If it's taken you this long to notice that your wife is an abusive, elitist piece of garbage, you're not very perceptive.
Ah that hits way too close to home for comfort.
Fixed it, hm? Alright. I see.
Go to hell, Gothel.
God you need therapy.
Everything you say makes me violently angry. Seriously, I've not been this angry at a fictional character in a LONG time.
Your idea of a joke isn't funny.
They're one and the same.
The only winning move is not to play.
Cue the proof.
Called it.
Shouldn't have been an abusive cunt.
So much therapy. And a support network. And friends.
Definitely depression.
Rescue mission! It's not gonna work, is it?
I love Fleur so much. She just fucking bulldozes through the bullshit.
You'd be surprised.
Pretty much.
He knows. He's an enabler, not an idiot.
You enabled Upper Crust's abuse, you useless idiot.
No, she was always an abusive cunt. You just didn't notice.
A hypocrite as well. Of course.
You callous piece of shit.
For the best.
And it's working.
No you didn't. You wanted an obedient puppet.
And that's the most support you've shown Vinyl in her entire life. Your apathy was just as damaging as your wife's hate.
The worst kind of parent.
I stand corrected.
Man, I'm not sure what to think about Jet Set.
On one hand, cold, dude. Goddamn cold. On the other, 'never bring her back' is probably the best possible thing for her.
Jet Set obviously feels nothing for her. He is ice cold.
He reminds me a little bit of Death in Discworld. Death adopts a daughter,and it's suggested he felt sorry for her. It is rightly pointed out that Death cannot feel anything, and it is suggested that he thought sorry for her.
I wonder if Jet Set thought sorry for his daughter. Aware he didn't love her. Knows, on an intellectual level, that this is probably not ideal for her development. He is still cold, distant, and unwilling to feel true affection for her. I wonder if he tried, like someone trying Sushi, and reflecting on balance, that it's not for them.
I think I understand Jet Set a bit. He does love Vinyl. But he is also emotionally distant as a rule. He loves his wife, he doesn't like her though so the best bet is to distance himself. The end shows that while Vinyl was out if the House he was keeping track of her progress. He probably also behind the scenes did more. The bag he gave to Fancy Pants kind of shows that he was always there. It just kind of hit me, all the 'business trips'? They were probably on the same dates Vinyl had concerts. Man is a fan of his daughter. And like he himself said, he never wanted to be a father. I think he wanted to be a Dad.
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I'm with both of you on this one. Jet Set never really understood Vinyl. But he knows the damage Upper Crust has done to her. He's doing the right thing, if in a callous manner.
I'd bet a hundred bits they're divorced in three months, once Vinyl's gone.
I cannot wait to see the fallout of this.
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Upper Crust is just the worst isn't she?
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And I guess Jet Set too.
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(Source: Yakovlev-vad on DeviantArt)
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Oof. If I can ask, how are you doing in this moment in time?
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Much, much better. Moved to Japan and am teaching English here. Probably one of the best things I've ever done for myself and my mental health is fling myself to the other side of the world.
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Ah, that’s wonderful! May God bless you and guide you in that country! While I won’t specify where I currently live, it’s in Asia. So, hello, neighbor?
Blessings!
-Davidtin, reader of this story.
Family to the rescue. You love to see it.
Vinyl being Upper and Jet's daughter was mind blowing. Wow. Upper Crust is such a horrible person now that I look back on what she's done in previous chapters. How does she even think dressing Vinyl up as Glitterati will even go over well with the public? They're going to see Vinyl Screech and go wtf.
It's such a shame that Jet Set's callousness is more loving than what Upper Crust has ever shown her. He's helpful, but....yeesh. Vinyl really needs therapy if these are the parents she grew up with.