Coco Pommel didn’t know what to expect when she first stepped hoof in Manehattan. All she brought with her was a small suitcase, a few designs, and dreams of making it in this enormity of a place. Her first few days in Manehattan were rough to say the least. As hopeful as she tried to be, there just wasn't enough room for her, as ironic as it may sound. And then she met Suri Polomare. She was the only mare in Manehattan to take notice of her. So Coco agreed to be her assistant. Coco spent most of her time doing most of Suri's work, such as putting together all of her designs, but she didn't mind. After all, wasn't that the duty of an assistant? She was doing what she loved, and it kept bits in her purse, so she was happy. At first everything seemed fine, until Suri and her started to enter in competitions, that's when things started to go awry. Suri trotted to her, brown eyes beaming, telling her to stop everything she was doing and to immediately work on the designs she gave to her. Whilst studying the designs, she asked why should they change what they worked so hard for, then it clicked: these weren't Suri's designs. She specifically remembered these coming from another pony in the competition, this wasn't fair, it was cheating! Coco tried to voice her opinion, but Suri simply refused to comply. Instead, the light pink pony simply stated that in Manehattan, it was everypony for themselves, and if she didn't like that, she could easily find someone that did. So reluctantly, Coco made the dresses, and sure enough, they won that competition.
Later on, Coco thought to herself, is this really how ponies make it in Manehattan? Is Suri right? And so the days went on, and as the duo signed up for another competition, another dress was snagged, eventually, the ordeal became somewhat routine for Coco now. Accepting the fact that this is what it took to be successful, Coco continued to help Suri.
That was, until this year’s Fashion Year rolled around. It was then that the light amber pony met a unicorn that completely changed her view on Manehattan. She was so nice and generous, and she was a success too! It was heartbreaking when she discovered when Suri stole her designs, but she carried on despite her thoughts. It was only when Suri asked that they keep Rarity’s victory a secret when she finally decided to do what she felt was the right thing. But it was anything but easy. Coco had been with Suri for so long now that she saw her as a friend; so it was with a heavy heart that she quit her job and gave the trophy to Rarity. Even in the end, when Rarity gave Coco a new job designing dresses for the costume designer of Hinny of the Hills, it was a bittersweet feeling. On one hoof, she now had an opportunity to design for a major Broadway production, something not everypony can do. On the other hoof, it came at the cost of a friend. Coco tried to look for Suri, but to no avail, she was simply gone.
It had been a few weeks since the events took place, and Coco Pommel was out in the city, searching for a coffee place. It seemed like there was one around every corner except when you actually want to go to one. But at last, she found one, as she trotted inside, Coco took a view of her surroundings. And as she looked, she nearly dropped her bags; the purple mane looked the same, but there would only be one way to know for sure. Coco went up to the lady and as the lady turned around, Coco’s guess had been right.
Suri Polomare said, “Well… I didn’t expect to see you around these parts of Manehattan!”
Coco was overjoyed to see her old friend, it had been a while since she last seen Suri, but something seemed off about her. For starters, her tone was different; she usually had a very Manehattan-like tone to her. Coco could now only barely hear that now, it seemed like if it was replaced with a melancholic voice.
“Suri! I can’t believe that you’re actually here! Where have you been all this time?”
“Well, I’ve been here and there, doing all sorts of things ever since…wait, you missed me?”
With that, Coco grabbed a seat and sat down, she had a feeling she was going to be a tad late for her appointment with the costume designer. Coco told Suri about everything that happened after she quit, Rarity giving her getting a job for Hinny of the Hills, how she can finally show Manehattan what she has to offer. But Coco was interested in what Suri had been up to since Fashion Week, so she asked, what she heard wasn’t what she expected however.
“Well, after Fashion Week, I just slowly kinda stopped designing entirely. I just no longer saw anything redeeming about it.”
Coco was flabbergasted, “Y-you just stopped? But you’re a great designer though, you make lovely dresses!”
“It’s nice that you think that, but all I did was steal from everypony, and what was my excuse?”
“It’s everypony for herself in this big city.” Both the girls said in unison.
“You see my point,” Suri continued. “and then… Coco, you are my only friend, so when you left, I just….”
Coco couldn’t believe the words coming from the earth pony. Was this really the real Suri Polomare? Because it sure didn’t sound like her. But right now her friend needed her, and she wouldn’t let a change of personality question everything about Suri.
“I didn’t leave Suri, as soon as Rarity gave me the job I tried to find you, but you were gone! Why did you leave?”
“Trust me,” Suri sighed, “you wouldn’t want little old me in your life. I did you a favor and left so that you wouldn't have to bear with me.”
“You’re not a burden, why would you think that? I’m your friend, right? So that means no matter what, I’m always there for you. After all, you were the one who showed me Manehattan!”
“So we’re still friends? Even after everything I did you?” Suri said, tears welling up in her brown eyes.
“We never stopped Suri. So, how about you get back into fashion; just…try not to steal anything anymore, please?”
“Yes yes! Of course, anything for you Coco.” Suri said with a slight chuckle.
As the day wore on, the two mares talked on, and formed a strong bond of friendship. It’s amazing how one unicorn and her friends can change two ponies lives, and it all happened in Manehattan.
Author's Note
Alright... This story i made a loooooong time ago, it's only now that I publish it here. Anyways, sorry for not being so active, a lot of things have happened to me recently, and I can't find time to write. Hopefully I'll get back to writing some more short stories soon and maybe even go for another long one! I have an idea or two in my head right now :D ...just need time to write it!!!