After a long and hard day’s work at the fruit farm, Berry Punch walked into the Ponyville bar with a staggered motion, slightly covered in sweat and smelling a mixture of body odor and fruit, a smell bearable enough for a bar at least. She then trotted on over to the nearest empty bar stool and plopped herself down on her haunches while dropping a bag of thirty bits onto the countertop. She thought to herself what would one more broken promise mean after a thousand broken ones before it?
“Come on Whiskey, you know the Drill!”
“Aah my favorite customer. How are you today Berry Punch?”
“THIRSTY! Now pour me a drink!”
“Fine fine, that’ll be four bits please.”
Berry Punch then slammed four bits onto the countertop and snatched the glass from Whiskey’s hoof before he could set it down. Like she normally did with her first one of the night she gulped it down furiously before banging it on the table and yelling for her next one. About two hours later though Berry Punch had trouble sitting upright from her drunkenness and stammered while asking for another drink with only two bits remaining.
“I’m sorry Berry you know my rules. Bits upfront for all drinks.”
“Oh *hic* c-come on Wrishkey! *hic* Y-you know”
“Beside Berry I’m cutting you off anyways. You look much too drunk, so just go home.”
Berry who was too drunk to continue the argument fumbled around to put her last two bits back into her bag and then left the bar to go home, almost falling over several times in the process from being so tipsy. When she arrived home, well actually it was her current coltfriend’s home; Berry could hear the sounds of a filly crying somewhere and she also had found her pink suitcase thrown onto the front porch. Lastly she discovered her key no longer worked on the locked door as she fumbled to put it in. Angry and confused she knocked on the door loudly until her colftfriend answered.
“H-Hey! *hic* Why duzzn’t m-my *hic* key werk! *hic*”
“This is why! You are drunk again! Always spending your money and stealing mine for booze, and never helping with rent. We are over! Now get lost!”
“FINE! B-But where *hic* is sche? *hic*”
“Who?”
“Roobie” *hic*
“Oh you mean your little brat? I didn't let her in when she came back from school. I don’t know or care where she ran off to.”
*SLAM*
The stallion then bucked the door close leaving Berry Punch stranded and homeless on the front porch, but she was used to it as this was the third time it happened. She just stood there drunkenly trying to maintain her balance as she tried to figure out where to go or what to do about her daughter. Not long after the door slammed shut though the cries became louder until they changed into forced sobs. Almost taken by surprise Berry Punch felt a pair of shaking and slightly damp legs wrap around her right hind leg causing her to turn her head. As she did Berry Punch saw that it was her little unicorn filly Ruby Pinch, whose face was red from crying and coat stained with tears, with her mane and tail covered in twigs. As it turned out she heard the whole conversation and had been crying in a bush nearby ever since she tried to go home.
“Mommy! *snif* *snif* I’m so glad you’re here. *snif* The mean pony locked me outside, and it’s so cold. *snif*”
Before she could say anything Berry Punch fell to her knees and threw up a few times off of the side of the porch, making her feel a hundred times better, and slightly less drunk.
“I kn-know Ruby. Now come on, we sl-sleep in the park tonight.”
“Again mommy? Why? But it’s so cold!”
Berry Punch then raised a hoof up in a motion signaling she was about to strike, which made Ruby Pinch instantly withdraw back a little bit and whimper. Berry Punch then clamed herself down enough and began walking down the steps.
“NOW! We a-are going.”
“Yes. Mommy.”
Ruby Pinch caught up to her mother and walked behind a few paces back, just far enough to give Berry her space when she was irritable and drunk but close enough to help her from falling over. As time went on the pair eventually pass a snack cart that was closing up for the day.
“Mommy! Mommy! Can I please have some bits for food? I’m so hungry!”
“F-FINE!”
Berry Punch then hastily threw her last two bits at Ruby and the coins clattered as they bounced off of Ruby’s face and onto the street. Using her weak and unrefined magic Ruby is able to clumsily levitate them over and set them onto the cart.
“I’ll take a small bag of hayfries please!”
“Huh what? Who said that?”
“Down here.”
The stallion running the snack cart looked down at the little filly and a frown fell upon his face.
“I’m sorry little missy but I’m closing for the day, besides even a small bag of hay fries is at least three bits.”
“Please mister! I’m so hungry and so cold.”
“Look I’m afraid I just can’t… wait a minute, aren’t you Berry Punch’s kid?”
“Yup”
“Here keep your bits and take a large bag of hayfries, but I’m afraid they aren’t that warm anymore.”
“Thank you! Thank you! Mister! My tummy thanks you as well.”
Ruby then collects her bits and hayfries and trots off to catch up with her mother. The two ponies are now at the park and Ruby follows Berry over to the tree they sleep under, which shields them if it should rain. As they lay down Ruby offers some fries to Berry but just the sight of food makes her feel like throwing up again so she declines. Ruby happily gobbles down the barely lukewarm fries and lets out a satisfying burp when she finishes. Ruby then snuggles up against Berry while pulling her mother’s tail in close for warmth, and before she falls asleep she asks:
“So I guess you didn’t keep it again mommy? That’s okay, I didn’t expect anything better; but today wasn’t so bad I guess, at least I’m not going to sleep hungry again.”
After drifting off to sleep Berry looks down at her shivering filly with a saddened face and tells her:
“Tomorrow Ruby I prom… No I swear, that I’ll stop drinking for you, my sweet little angel."
