“I’m starting to have second thoughts about this…” Curtain Call said as he eyed himself over.

“C’mon C.C, you said you’d help. No backsies!” Angel replied
as he kept on adding more red clay to his brother’s mane.

Curtain Call’s otherwise pink mane was now an earthy red with large clumps of hair sticking together
in places making it look like he had some really bad dreadlocks. On top of all that they had also
stolen one of their dad’s paints and diluted it with water in order to stain his coat. The baby
turquoise had been replaced by what could only be described as a dirt brown, almost gray, color.

“Y-yeah I know but. Do you really think she is going to fall for it?” C.C scratched his left leg.

This paint is really itchy. He thought to himself.

“Why wouldn’t she? You look like somepony else entirely” Angel said, his voice filled
with confidence as he admired his work. “Just need to add a little more in the tail.”

Curtain Call levitated the small compact mirror they had brought with them in front of
his face. He agreed that he sure did look different, mostly however he just felt dirty.
The leaves and tiny twigs sticking out of his mane only made the feeling worse. He
was certain Cheerilee would look right through this disguise they had conjured up.

He felt like he couldn’t possibly disappoint his brother, but then again
if they got caught then who knows how much trouble they would be in.

“Is it a good idea though? Can you even hold a shape for that long?” Curtain Call
fidgeted as he got more and more nervous over what was to come, hoping that maybe
with some reasoning be able to talk Angel out of this before it was too late.

“I told you, I’ve been practicing!” Angel scoffed, annoyed at his brother’s change in attitude.
“This is the only way for me to fit in at school. Don’t you want to hang out with your
new cousin Bunny?” Angel teased as he rubbed the clay in the small unicorn’s long tail.

I’d rather hang out with my brother Angel.

“I’m even using the name you came up with, you should feel honored” Angel mused on.

Curtain Call snickered as he remembered the names Angel had picked out on his own.

“Well I don’t think ‘Super Mega Death Laser’ or ‘Space
Captain’ would have been very convincing” He laughed.

“They would have been majorly cool though” Angel smiled “Everypony would have
turned their heads and wondered who was calling out for Super Mega Death Laser.”

“I thought the whole point of all this was to give yourself less attention.”

“Well yeah, that’s why I’m going with your suggestion!”

Silence fell over them for a few seconds before Curtain Call once again spoke his mind.

“Do we really have to give you a whole new identity? Can’t we just tell mom and dad, or principal
Cheerilee or just… any of the teachers? If they can just talk to all the foals maybe they’d stop.”

Angel stopped fiddling with Curtain Call’s tail.

“I’ve told you this already, I’ve already tried. I tried telling mom and she just went on
about how special I am. I tried telling the principal she said she’d contact some parents.
I tried telling dad and he rambled on about composition or some other crap I didn’t under-
-stand. Nothing helps, everyone just keeps being mean at school” He bit his lip trying
to keep himself from crying yet again over all of this ”Everyone is scared of me because
I look like a monster, that won’t change until I stop looking like one…” He stared
down at his paws. “Ponies don’t have these,” he said and unfolded his claws.

Curtain Call didn’t know what to say anymore. He felt so bad for questioning his brother yet at the
same time all he really wanted was for Angel to be happy as he was and that he didn’t need to hide.

He placed his hoof on top of Angel’s paw and simply said.

“Let’s go before we’re late”

Angel looked up, wiping his teary eyes on his arm and smiled softly “Yeah”

–

They walked back to school in silence.

Angel had told Cheerilee the day before that his mother needed to speak to her
about his supposed “transfer” to another school and that their cousin was to
come live with them instead. She had seemed confused about this at first
but she had ultimately agreed to meet “their mother” after school today.

Before entering the school building Angel and Curtain
Call made sure that nopony was around to see them.

“I think it’s clear” Curtain Call whispered, still afraid that someone could have heard him.

Angel nodded and took a deep breath. He was quickly enveloped in a
green light and seconds later there he stood in the form of Fluttershy.

“Okay let’s get this over with quickly” He said in his mother’s sweet and gentle voice. It felt
weird he thought yet this is what they had to do in order to sneak his new persona into the school.

The two kids tried their best to mask their nerves as they finally entered the building.

Inside they were met by Cheerilee who had been waiting for them outside her office.
She hit them with a wide smile and then shook hooves with the Fluttershy imposter.

“Mrs Shy, welcome! This must be the boys’ cousin, they
were telling me a great deal about you yesterday.”

Angel suddenly felt a wave of anxiety flood over him, how did grown-ups talk?
The only thing he managed to utter was a meek “Hi… yes he is” and nothing more.

Unfaced however Cheerilee simply lead them into her office to have a seat.

“To be honest I’m kind of surprised Angel wasn’t with
you.” Cheerilee continued whilst seated behind her desk.

“I- no, he had to…” Angel was locking up, how could he have
been so stupid as to not think through what to say beforehand.

Curtain Call picked up on this quickly however and shifted the principal’s attention towards himself.

“Auntie Fluttershy is just a bit stressed. I wasn’t supposed to arrive in Ponyville
until tomorrow you see. However my father had to drop me off sooner… and so…
Angel had to go with him back to Canterlot” He tried his best to put on some sort
of accent he had heard his dad’s parents use to sort of mask his own voice.

Miraculously it seemed to be working as she seemed content with his answer.

They continued talking for another half an hour or so, Curtain Call answering most,
if not all, of Mrs Cheerilee’s questions. As they spoke Curtain Call got completely
into the role of their fictional cousin and started speaking about all sorts of things
from his also fictional old school back in Canterlot. They had been lucky that their
mother was such a shy and timid pony, otherwise having a little kid explain the
situation for an adult would have been a way further stretch than it already was.

After the talk they said their goodbyes and exited the
school. Once out the door Angel hugged his brother tightly.

“It worked! It worked!” He exclaimed excitedly as he shifted back into his original
form. “You did it C.C! Thank you, thank you, thank you! You are the best brother ever!”

Curtain Call had a huge smile on his face as the adrenaline from the whole ordeal still hadn’t subsided.
“That was amazing! She really thought I was ´cousin Bunny´” As he laughed in relief and excitement
at how their plan had actually worked he didn’t notice when his flank lit up in a bright white light.

Angel however did and gasped. “C.C, Look!”

There, underneath his discolored fur, his brand new cutie-mark shone through.
A purple rose glimmering like it had been thrown under a stage light.

“No way!”