"This couch pulls out into a bed," Coco Pommel said, using her teeth to gently fold it out. "Let me get you some sheets from the closet." She trotted out of the living room, leaving Berry to herself for a while.
Coco's apartment was small. Spookily small. She expected a pony who participated in fashion week (or so she was told) to live somewhere far more lavish than this dump. The door of the apartment couldn't even be opened all the way without hitting the wall directly in front of it. The kitchen was just a sink and a hotplate on a counter, no table. There was a distinct lack of any furniture at all, actually, which was probably because of how little space they had to spare. There was hardly any room for one pony, let alone two, to live here, yet Coco had talked extensively about her two roommates who were already fast asleep. Where on earth did they GO? she thought. There was only one bedroom-
Wait. That must mean that Coco was sharing her tiny bedroom with two other ponies. How on earth did somepony live with so little privacy?
Berry pondered this, absent-mindedly rubbing her full belly. Coco had taken her to a small deli down the street. It was cheap and surprisingly good. She forgot how rich in culture and food Manehatten really was.
"Here you go," Coco said, shuffling into the living room with the blankets on her back. She dropped them onto the bed. "By the way, you can watch T.V. if you want, but try to keep it down. The remote's over there. We don't have cable, though."
Berry mumbled her thanks as she felt a feeling of guilt wash over her. This time, she didn't think that it had anything to do with indigestion.
Coco began to trot out of the room before turning around. "And Berry? I hope you sleep well." She smiled.
"You too, Miss Pommel," Berry said, yawning.
"You can call me Coco," the yellow earth pony chuckled.
"Right, Miss....Pommel...." the fuchsia mare replied drowsily, falling asleep immediately after she finished her sentence. Coco stared at her for a couple of seconds before retreating to her room. She walked in as quietly as possible, thinking about how she wished "roommates" didn't have to be such a literal term in her situation. She thought to herself about how she would decorate her own room if she had one to herself.
"Wow, you're up late," A bronx-accented pony chuckled in the dark.
Coco sighed and smiled. "You are too. Isn't a filly like you supposed to be asleep by now? You need your eight hours so you can grow big and strong."
"Aw, come on, Missus Pommel. You know that once a pony goes off on her own in the world, she don't count as a filly no more."
She knew that it was too dark for the young mare to see her facial expressions, but she glowered playfully anyway. "I'm not married, and my name is Coco, thank you very much. You make me feel so old with that kind of talk."
"Awww, come on. What would you rather me call you, 'Ma'?"
They chuckled heartily together.
"Will you both shut up? I've got work early tomorrow!" piped up a stallion's voice. Coco could see his shadow pop up.
"Aw, shut up yourself, Luggage Cart," the filly said. The stallion mumbled something incomprehensible before pulling his pillow over his head and crawling back onto his mattress, which was placed directly on the floor.
Coco waited to hear his snores again before she continued her conversation with the young mare, taking extra care to be more quiet than she was before. "Do you have everything you need for work tomorrow?"
"Of course!" the filly grinned. "I got my uniform, my barber kit 'n everything. Don't even worry about it, Coco."
"Oh, gosh, I'm so proud of you," Coco Pommel said. She hugged her in a tight embrace. The filly squirmed a bit uncomfortably before finally deciding to hug her back. "Sorry, Pom," she muttered. "S'just, well, you know what it's like on the streets. I'm not used to somepony putting their arms around me without them mugging me right after."
They giggled together again, but it quickly faltered when they both realized how bad it really used to be for the filly out on the streets. There was a thick silence between them once more. Coco could feel the filly's sad, large green eyes staring into her despite the darkness of the room. Suddenly, the young mare burst into quiet sobs.
"Shhh...it's okay. It's alright." Coco pulled her in and stroked her mane. "I'm sorry. I should have asked before I hugged you. Shhhhh...I know, I know. You're safe now, sweetheart. You're safe."
The filly let out a chuckle in between her sobs. "Wow, it's like you WANT me to call you Ma." She sniffed and choked up a few more sick and helpless sobs. It's easy to forget she's just a foal fighting to survive with this tough exterior, Coco mused to herself as the young mare buried her face further into her coat.
"Everything's going to be alright," Coco muttered, now stroking the filly's mane out of habit rather than an attempt to comfort at this point. "You're going to be the best barber in Manehatten."
"Aw, shut up, Missus Pommel," the filly whispered, giggling again. "That's just a pipe dream."
"No, I mean it," Coco said, pulling the filly off of her so she could look her in the eye. "You're going to be a fantastic barber, and you're going to have a fantastic first day tomorrow. Seriously. I can't think of anypony who is better at what they do than you. I think you're going to be grooming the likes of Sapphire Shores within a month, tops."
The foal wiped the last of her tears off of her face. "You think so?"
"I know so," Coco replied. "Now get some rest. That's an order."
"Uh, Missus Pommel..." the young mare started nervously. "Look, I'll go right out and ask. Is there any way I can sleep in your bed tonight? I've been having nightmares, and you uh...you make me feel a little safer."
Coco smiled warmly. "Of course, Babs."