Note: This chapter takes place two weeks after chapter 18, so roughly around the time when Sombra defeats Celestia in her attempt to reclaim the Empire.

Every morning she woke up, hoping it would be different. But then she would catch a glimpse of herself and stifle a scream and realize that this was her now, it always would be, and this was never going away.

She hated how thin she was, how weak she was. Three years ago, her anorexic self would've killed to be here. But her skeletal appearance made her look on the brink of death.

No matter how much she ate, she never felt full. Every day, her need to slake that hunger grew.

Time to go to work, Chrissy thought. She had managed to find a job giving out beauty products samples at the market.

After what happened with the Wish Granter, she had run as far away from that place as she could. She had decided it was better to start anew, so she had set her sights on Dong Cheng, a bustling town in the far east.

Known for its diverse mix of cultures, she had decided to settle there. She rationed out her supplies on the way there, pawning a few things she had originally brought with her to the Wish Granter.

A week ago, she had got the job and rented a small cottage in a quiet neighborhood. Things were starting to come together.

Now for the transformation. She closed her eyes, envisioning Evie. Her skin turned pale, her hair pitch black with ice blue tips. Amber eyes. Five foot one.

Oh, she missed Evie so much! Evie, who was probably back home, taking dance lessons and might be worrying about her. How she wanted to see her again....

No. Not like this. What would she think of you?

But nevertheless, she took Evie's form. Evie was someone who had brought her happiness. Given her confidence. It was easier for her to maintain her form when it was someone she knew and trusted.

Remember Chrissy, today's a new day! She told herself.

*****

The smooth roads were perfect for the sheer number of people who passed through. It was a coastal town where many different people came and went. It was the kind of place that never slept. The market itself was always open, but closed briefly from five to six for the night market to open, and again from six to seven in the morning.

Evie's form, with its almond-shaped eyes, small nose and slender build blended in significantly better than Chrissy's new transformation.

Chrissy gave a wave to Chung-Ae, who sold pickled vegetables. The familiar aromas of garlic and chili swathed the stall in a comforting embrace.Today, the elderly woman was holding up a bowl of pearly white rice mixed with vegetables. When she caught her eye, she immediately broke into a toothy grin.

"Chrissy!" Chung-Ae called.

"Hi!" Chrissy replied , giving a little wave. She continued trudging through the crowd, the density reminding her of a crowded dressing room.

Foreign languages swarmed around her.

"漂亮的裙子！又便宜又很高品质的！" She furrowed her brow. Something about dresses and low prices.

"これはいくらですか?" How much does this cost? She knew basic phrases in most of the languages spoken here.

"너무 비싸요!" Someone exclaimed from her left. Too much. She had heard that phrase uttered hundreds of times a day.

"Chrissy! You're finally here," her boss, who was always out of breath, exclaimed. She was a woman in her forties who looked remarkably good for her age, and ran the widely acclaimed makeup stall. Her name was Lu Ci, but she told Chrissy to call her Lucy after she butchered the pronunciation of her name. "Here are some new samples!"

She thrust a basket filled with tiny lip tint samples in her hands. "Tell them they came from...." Lucy faltered. With Equestrian being her second language, she sometimes ran into roadblocks. "十分十美的地方。"

"A perfect place," one of the other girls translated. "Like, um, some faraway world that you just wish you could be a part of."

Chrissy nodded, already turning left. She wrinkled her nose from the smell of the butcher's, and nearly bumped into a towering giant of a man. "Hey, lady! Watch where you're going!"

"Sorry!" She squeaked.

Fruits, crafts, silks, silk! That was it! It was expensive and glamorous, and just a touch of the perfect lip tint could make a girl look and feel her best.

"Hi!" She greeted a woman in her twenties. The woman examined a mint green gown, running her fingers along the delicate embroidery.

Now for the hardest part. Figuring out what language she spoke.

The woman nodded. "ありがとございます。" Hello.

Chrissy exhaled. A language which she knew just enough to get by.

She introduced the product, fumbling over her words when she tried to explain that "the lip tint would match perfectly with that dress".

The woman frowned in confusion. Chrissy pointed to the mint green lip tint, then to the dress, giving a thumbs-up in the end.

The woman seemed to understand, extending a hand for the sample. After applying it, her face immediately lit up.

She asked where she could buy it, and Chrissy tapped her chest, then pointed to the woman. Follow me.

It was so easy to get lost in the market, with its never-ending paths and new stalls. Treacherous delicacies to try and exquisite crafts to purchase.

Chrissy's stomach grumbled audibly when someone yelled, "Grilled octopus on a stick!"

Soon enough, they were at the beauty stall. "I'll talk with her. Go, advertise some more samples," Lucy urged, excited to serve the new customer.

The hours blurred into an endless journey through the colorful paths. Somewhere along the way, Chrissy had stopped for lunch at Chung-Ae's stall. Gotten cussed at in a foreign language. Had brief but humorous conversations that made her realize there were so many intriguing people in the world.

By the end of the day, she and the two other sales people met back with Lucy. "Well done girls! We made LOTS of money today!"

Chrissy gasped in delight as she tucked her money safely away into her purse. The woman who she'd met earlier had tipped generously.

"And you guys can each take home a lip tint," Lucy finished, beaming with pride.

"I want coral!" Seunghee declared.

"Dibs on mint green," Chrissy stepped in, reaching in to grab the glossy tube.

"Um....red," Midori decided. "You can never go wrong with red."

"See you all tomorrow!"

******

Chrissy squinted at the foreign writing: 照明月亮。 "Moon dessert," the vendor translated with a thick accent. It appeared to be a chewy rice ball dusted in snow-white powdered sugar.

Around them, various customers were biting into their deserts. Some had black in the center, along with orange, red and green.

"Get the matcha filling," a youthful voice advised from behind her. The speaker happened to be a boy about her age, with a mop of blood-red hair, almond-shaped eyes and tan skin.

"What?" Chrissy asked.

"The matcha filling. I mean, black sesame, red-bean and sweet potato are all good too. But, black sesame kinda gets stuck in your teeth, and red-bean has a really distinctive taste. It's pretty controversial. Sweet potato tends to be a bit sickly sweet," the boy elaborated. "Of course, you don't have to listen to me. I'm Yu Jin, by the way."

"I'm Chrissy. How did you-"

He shrugged. "Just a feeling. You looked confused on which one to get. Besides," he added. "I've never seen you around here before. The people who come here tend to be pretty consistent."

"Thanks for the advice," she said. The person in front of her left, and she hesitated for a moment, trying to string a few words together. "May I have the matcha?" She asked the vendor cautiously, struggling with the tones.

The man understood. "That will be eight dollars."

Chrissy pulled out some cash and paid, receiving her treat. She moved off to the left, where there were a few tables.

"Watching newcomers' reactions to the Moon Dessert is always exciting," Yu Jin admitted as he paid. "You ready? I'll go with you. One, two, three."

A burst of sweetness exploded in her mouth, followed by the chewy, nutty rice cake. It was sticky, but mingled well with the sugar. She caught sight of a little patch of light green. Must be the matcha. It reminded her of ice cream, being cold and creamy. Vegetal undertones, a gratifying but not astringent bitterness, grassy and sweet. It tasted like a beautiful summer day.

"Good, right?"

She nodded, liking a bit of powdered sugar off her lip.

He grinned, satisfied with his work. "I suppose matcha is the most popular flavor for a reason."

"So....do you work at the market?" Chrissy asked.

"Yeah. I sell clothes a few stalls away from here."

"Um, which one? There are a lot of clothing booths," Chrissy emphasized.

"The one that sells tunics and kaftans," Yu Jin specified. "Do you work here too?"

"I work for the makeup booth. I go around the market advertising samples,"

"Oh." His eyes lit up in recognition. " Lu Ci's the vendor, right?"

"Yes, but I call her Lucy. After I butchered the pronunciation."

He laughed. "Pronunciation is quite hard! You don't really seem like you're from around here," Yu Jin noted.

"No. I'm from Canterlot, actually."

Yu Jin gaped at her in surprise. "Canterlot! That's amazing! I've always wanted to travel there. Well, not anymore, considering what's been going on."

Chrissy nodded. "It's like nowhere's really safe anymore."

"And I thought the Crystal Empire was strong, but look how easily they fell. First the Dusks. Now they have a new leader. This guy called Sombra. They call him the King of Shadows. He used to be a successful magician in Canterlot. Some even say he dated Princess Luna. But then dark magic messed with his brain and he turned evil. There's a rumor going around that he recently defeated Princess Celestia of all people!"

Rage curled through her veins when she remembered him. You did this to me. You were my friend but you betrayed me. And now you betrayed Lulu, and your own homeland. How could you? What gives you the right to hurt other people?

"Chrissy, you ok?" Yu Jin worried.

"Yeah," she muttered, pretending to be very interested in a half-smushed red bean a few feet away from her.

"These times are so hard," Yu Jin sighed. "It can be pretty scary. I get it."

"Thanks. It was even harder living in Canterlot, because we weren't really shielded from all the bad stuff. And that's where a lot of the political stuff went on," Chrissy explained.

"Well, I don't know if this makes you feel any better, but at least we're pretty safe? Dong Cheng is quite close to the Empire, but Sombra has made no attempt to claim it," Yu Jin reassured her.

"Thanks."

"Let's move away from this depressing talk. What's your story?"

"I was born and raised in Canterlot. Since I was sixteen, I started working in nightclubs as a performer. It was pretty great. I danced, sang, even made a few friends," Chrissy said. Were there nightclubs here? She'd have to check....

"How did you end up here?"

Chrissy swore internally. Just make up a story. "Um...after everything started getting really bad, I decided to leave to find somewhere else. I tried living in a few places, but nothing really stuck with me. So I came here."

"That's cool! I moved here a few months ago to support my family. I used to live in Mejai, it's South West of here."

"I've never been there before. I haven't really done much traveling," Chrissy said.

"I haven't either. It's so expensive, but I'm technically broke so....." Yu Jin trailed off.

"Me too! That's what traveling does to your wallet."

"Hey, Chrissy, I gotta go, now that it's getting dark. Wait. Do you want me to walk you home?" Yu Jin offered.

"Oh, thanks for offering but it's ok. I have a friend I meet up with," Chrissy told him. "It was really nice chatting with you!"

"Yeah. Since tomorrow's a Sunday, do you want to meet back here and hang out?" Yu Jin shifted from foot to foot.

"I'd love to!" Chrissy said too eagerly. "Bye!"

******

Seunghee waited for her at the market's entrance, her bangs partially covering her annoyance.

"Sorry I'm late," Chrissy squeaked. Twenty whole minutes. She must've lost track of time.

"Where were you?" Seunghee demanded.

"Um...at the Moon Cafe," Chrissy admitted, wringing her hands.

Seunghee raised an eyebrow, clearly disatisfied. "I warned you, girl! At some point, a boyfriend will take up all of your time!"

"He's not my boyfriend," Chrissy mused.

Seunghee rolled her eyes mischievously. "Yup. He's totally not your boyfriend. Just keep telling yourself that."

"He really isn't!" Chrissy persisted. "We only met today."

"Ah, I bet he asked you out on a date too," Seunghee gave her a sly smile.

"I mean, he wanted to hang out with me tomorrow-"

Seunghee took her by the shoulders and shook her. "Girl! That's called a date!"

"Oh," Chrissy realized. "Never thought of that."

"Wait. Did you not know?" Seunghee gasped dramatically, then turned to the people nearest her. "Did she not know?"

An elderly couple frowned at her strangely.

"Sorry! Wow, you're so oblivious. It's kind of cute actually," Seunghee playfully ruffled her hair. "I love being an older sister!"

"So....who's the guy?" Seunghee crooned eagerly.

"This boy named Yu Jin. He sells tunics and kaftans. Deep red hair, brown eyes, about five foot seven-"

"Never heard of him!" Seunghee declared. "Oh well. It's always fun to hear about a guy shrouded in mystery, don't you think?"

"I guess."

"I bet you guys look so good together!"

"We're not even a couple," Chrissy argued.

Seunghee smirked. "That's really sweet Chrissy! But you're totally falling for him already!"

"But we don't even know if he-"

"He obviously likes you!" Seunghee groaned. "Logic! Besides, you're you. Who wouldn't like you? If I were a boy, I would too!"

Chrissy laughed. "Thanks! If I were a boy, I'd have a crush on me too!"

"Oh, we're here already. See you on Monday, now that your new boyfriend stole our plans." She poked her tongue out playfully. "See ya!"

"Bye Seunghee!" Chrissy gave her a wave before opening the front door. She locked it behind her, threw her bag onto the table.

With a not-so-graceful plop, she collapsed onto the bed, Evie's form fading away.

This was a pretty good day! Everyone is so nice here! Chung-Ae, Yu Jin, Seunghee-

The Wish Granter's words sliced through her rose-tinted thoughts, the flashback swallowing everything up-

You, Chrissy, really just wanted something whole in your life. Something fulfilling. That will never happen again. For your whole life, you've wanted to be someone you're not, hoping that if you change, people will accept you. You still run from who you are. Well now, you can change to your heart's content.Perhaps the roots of your wishes were for the love in your life to last. Romantic love. The love you share with friends. Your love for dance. But it's gone now. You'll have to take love to survive. You're nothing more than a parasite.

"You're wrong," Chrissy whispered, quivering, shaking. She was going to overcome this. She'd battled anorexia, bulimia, depression. She'd battled death and starvation and loss. She could fight one more time. "You're wrong."

P.S. The three languages I used in that order were: Mandarin Chinese, Japanese and Korean . I know this chapter was different from what I usually do, so what did you guys think? Any predictions?