“Mommy? Mommy, are you awake?”
Berry Punch’s eyes snapped open. It didn’t matter how deep she slept; the sound of her daughter’s voice always brought her back to the realm of the waking in under a second. She sat bolt upright, and to her surprise found that the action didn’t make her head swim and the room spin for a change. Confused, she blinked to clear her head. Nope, there was nothing.
That’s right. I didn’t have anything to drink, she thought with a smile as her mind began to catch up with her body. She felt a gentle tapping on her stomach and looked down.
“Sorry I woke you,” Pinchy said, lowering her head a little and giving her best puppy dog pout.
“That’s okay, sweetie,” Berry said. She reached out and rubbed Pinchy’s mane feverishly, causing the little filly to giggle. “Now, what’s the matter?” Berry began to move over to make room on her bed for Pinchy—she had probably had another nightmare was all—when she suddenly realized that she wasn’t on her bed. She was on the couch. Only, it wasn’t her couch.
“I’m worried about Mom,” Pinchy said, sitting down on the plush red carpet and staring up at Berry. Plush red carpet? Berry didn’t have that in her cottage. Where was she?
The last sleepy cobwebs left her brain and she suddenly remembered where she was. She was in Canterlot, staying in a fancy hotel with her family. Minuette was going to be a bridesmaid at Princess Cadance’s wedding, and because of that all three of them were staying in Canterlot for the week.
“Right,” Berry said, sitting up the rest of the way and pushing herself off of the couch. The incredibly soft, plush, please-don’t-make-me-move couch. Her hooves settled on the floor and she blinked again to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. “Why are you worried about me, dear?” she asked after a second.
Pinchy frowned. “Not you,” she said with a smile. “I mean Mom. “
Right. Minuette. Where was Minuette? Why hadn’t she been cuddled up next to Berry on the couch? “Where is Minuette, Pinchy?” Berry asked, even as the answer came flooding back to her.
The bachelorette party. Of course.
“She’s at Princess Cadance’s party,” Pinchy said with a frown. It really annoyed her when her Mommy had trouble remembering simple things, but to be fair, Berry had just woken up from a deep sleep.
“Okay, so why are you worried about Mom?” Berry asked. Pinchy pointed to the clock on the wall of the hotel room. It said it was one in the morning. So? What was the big deal about that? Besides the fact that Pinchy was awake, there wasn’t anything out of the ordinary for Berry to be up this late. Minuette was usually the one who—
Berry’s blood ran cold. Minuette wasn’t home yet. She never stayed out this late. She was a very proper pony, always doing things to the best of her ability and making sure everything went smoothly. For her to stay out any later than ten was a rarity. And for her to be out past eleven was unheard of. Berry remembered lounging on the couch, waiting for her to come home. She must have dozed off while she was waiting.
Trying to hide her panic from Pinchy, Berry walked over to the nightstand by the door. Minuette had left the name of the place where the party was going to be held. Horse Trot. It was some fancy dance club about four blocks from the hotel. Good. It wouldn’t take her too long to walk there. She’d ask around. Somepony was sure to know where Minuette was.
“Are you going to go look for her?” Pinchy asked.
Berry turned around, trying to put on a brave face. “I’m sure she’s just having a good time with the other bridesmaids, sweetie. I’m just going to go check on her, okay?”
Pinchy didn’t look convinced, but she nodded. “Okay.”
Berry wrapped a blue scarf around her purple coat and fluffed her dark plum mane, then threw on her saddlebag. “Now, you lock the door while I’m out, okay? Don’t open it for anypony but me or Mom, okay?”
“I know that, Mommy,” Pinchy said, rolling her eyes. Berry wasn’t terribly worried about anything happening to Pinchy. They were, after all, in the heart of Canterlot, and there was a giant security bubble around the city for the wedding, but it never hurt to be careful. If something did happen to her, Berry knew she would not be able to go on living, even with Minuette’s help.
“Okay dear,” Berry said with a smile. “I’ll be back in a bit. Go tuck yourself back into bed. You better not be awake when I come home, young lady.”
“Okay,” Pinchy said with a smile, and Berry knew that she’d find her daughter waitng patiently for her and Minuette on the couch when she came back. She really needed to start being firmer with the girl.
Berry opened the door, blew a kiss to Pinchy over her shoulder her, then walked out into the hallway and locked the door. She tested the handle just to make sure that it was locked, then tucked the key into her saddlebag and walked down the hallway.
In about five minutes, she was outside of the hotel and she finally allowed her panic to show. Her breathing picked up and she found it hard to stay standing. Where was Minuette? Where was her Unicorn? She wouldn’t have left, would she? No, Minuette wouldn’t do that. She was too nice. She loved Berry, and more importantly, she loved Pinchy. She couldn’t just leave them in the middle of the night, could she?
Berry wasn’t sure she’d be able to handle that level of rejection again. If Minuette had indeed just—
Stop it! Berry thought with a stomp of her hoof. No. Minuette wouldn’t just abandon them. But that just made the situation even more worrisome. If she wouldn’t abandon them, then what had happened to her?
Countless horrifying scenarios ran through Berry’s mind as she broke into a quick trot down the street. She kept telling herself that it was ridiculous for Minuette to be hurt or something of that nature—they were in Canterlot, after all—but her mind just would not let the thoughts go. She picked up her pace until she was moving at a gallop down the street.
The night air was just cold enough to bite into her cheeks. Normally something like that wouldn’t have bothered Berry. She walked home countless times in the dark, and many times in weather far colder than this. But all those times she had had the warm feeling of cider flowing through her veins, keeping her body toasty. Tonight she was fully aware and sober, and while it made seeing where she was going easy, it also meant that she was painfully aware of the cold.
Is this what Minuette goes through every time she has to come get me? Berry thought as she ran down the dark streets, passing several guards in full body armor. If no pony at Horse Trot knew where Minuette was, she would ask each one of these guards. She would turn this entire city upside down if she had to.
And if somepony had hurt Minuette, she would turn that pony inside out. And then bury them.
A dull thumping noise began to vibrate through the air. As Berry kept running, the noise slowly became the sound of pulsing beats that began to vibrate through her. As she rounded the last block, she knew she had come to the right place.
Most of the street was dark. Or rather, it was dim. This part of Canterlot was never truly dark, but Horse Trot may as well have been a blazing star. Colors and sound flooded from the building, even though Berry knew that there was a sound dampening spell around the place. There had to be, otherwise it would have caused complaints and the place would have been shut down.
Berry walked up to the club without a second thought, but then she noticed something. The lights hurt her eyes. She winced and shielded them for a moment. The constant flashing colors began to beat on her brain, and she wondered why that was. She had never had trouble with the flashing lights of clubs and bars before. She shook it off and walked through the door.
And immediately cringed in pain as her ears exploded. The sound dampening spell clearly wasn’t in effect inside the club, and Berry struggled to stay on her hooves as the music blasted into her skull. The music, no, the noise shook her down to her core, pulsing through her body so hard that she could feel her muscles beginning to strain.
And then there was the smell. Berry could make out several different kinds of cider and other beverages in the air, but most of it was drowned out by the smell of sweaty ponies, spilt drinks, and Celestia knew what else. It was revolting. What in Equestria was Minuette doing in a place like this? This was the type of place where Berry went when she wanted to just get completely—
“Woo hoo! Look at me!” a voice shouted above all the noise. Berry looked up and her mouth fell open.
A blue Unicorn with a toothpaste colored mane was standing on a table in the middle of the club. She was standing on her hind legs and shaking her flank in a very suggestive manner. She used her magic to raise a glass of…something up to her mouth, but she tripped over another empty bottle on the table and the drink spilled down her body. Colts, and mares, cheered as the Unicorn bowed and then whipped her mane, sending liquid everywhere.
“What. The. Actual. Buck?” Berry said out loud as she stared at Minuette.
“Sure, I’d love to do that with you, hot stuff,” a stallion said. Berry was barely able to hear him over the noise in the club. She pretended she hadn’t heard him at all and began to make her way through the crowd. She was used to this sort of thing. She, unfortunately, spent a great deal of her free time in places such as this, but all those times she was at least a bit tipsy. Now that she was seeing Horse Trot through sober eyes, she couldn’t imagine ever going into another night club or bar in her life. The music was so loud that it hurt and she couldn’t hear herself talk unless she shouted. Ponies kept bumping into her, and she was positive that a lot of them weren’t exactly accidents, considering how many times she felt hooves on her flank. Her hooves kept sticking to the floor, and everypony kept breathing on her, causing her eyes to water and forcing her to keep her stomach in check; something other ponies were apparently having trouble with.
She finally forced her way to the front of the circle that had gathered around the table that Minuette was standing on. A few ponies glared at her when she pushed them aside, but she shot them a look that made them back away rather quickly.
“Minuette!” Berry shouted, trying to be heard over the roaring music. “Minuette, what the hay are you doing?”
“I’m dancing,” the Unicorn replied, twirling on her back hooves to the cheering of the crowd. “What’s it to you?”
“Minuette, get down before you hurt yourself,” Berry said, entering the clear zone around the table. Glasses and cups where everywhere, some of them still holding strange colored drinks while others were chipped or broken. Minuette kicked a semi-full one over and began to lose her balance. Berry jumped up on the table and caught the Unicorn on her back, trying to steady her.
“Oh, you wanna dance?” Minuette asked, rolling her head across Berry’s spine so that she could look her in the eye. “Well, okay. But don’t tell Berry Punch. She’ll get jealous. I’m her wife.”
“Sweet Celestia, what have you been drinking?” Berry asked. Minuette enjoyed a good glass of wine every once in a while, and Berry had seen her get drunk before, but never like this. She was beyond drunk. She was wasted.
“I have no idea,” the Unicorn said. “Princess Cadance said it was something special. Whatever it was, it sure tasted great.”
Just then, Berry found herself and Minuette floating off of the table. For a minute she panicked, afraid somepony had flipped the table in a drunken display of joy, anger, or for no reason at all, but when she realized she was literally floating and not flying through the air, she relaxed a bit.
Minuette just stared at her hooves and giggled. “Cool, I’m a Pegasus.”
Berry came to rest on the far side of the room, away from most of crowd and where the music was only slightly less ear splitting. She looked up to see a tall, slender pink pony smiling sheepishly down at her.
“Princess Cadance,” Berry said, bowing slightly, then she stood bolt upright and pointed to Minuette, who was still being held by Princess Cadance’s magic and laughing to herself as she spun through the air. “What did you do to my wife?!”
Princess Cadance winced. “I apologize, Berry Punch,” she said. “I…I didn’t know Minuette would react like this. It was just a drink that Celestia showed me how to make once. Being an Alicorn, our bodies are…slightly different than a normal pony’s.”
“Lesson learned,” another pony said, who was leaning face down on the table. “I only took a small sip and my head is killing me.”
“I’m so sorry, Twinkle Shine,” Princess Cadance said as she looked at the pony.
“How much did Minuette have?” Berry asked. “It’s not fatal, is it?”
“Oh no,” Cadance said, shaking her head furiously. “Just…more potent. She and Lyra both had a full glass. Minuette said she could handle it since you’re—er, well, what I mean is…”
Berry’s ears fell slightly. Everypony always saw her as the town drunk. Granted, she didn’t do much to change their minds, but it still hurt. That’s why she loved Minuette so much. She looked past all of that and loved Berry for who she really was.
“Where’s Lyra?” she asked, trying to take her mind off of certain memories.
Cadance tilted her head down. “Passed out under the table. I’ve been watching over them both to make sure they didn’t do anything foolish.”
A little late for that, Berry thought as she recalled the sight of Minuette shaking her flank and spilling drinks on herself. Still, it was nothing Berry hadn’t done on countless occasions, and it had been rather funny to see.
“Well, Your Highness,” Berry laced the words with just a bit of venom. The part of her that usually loved this scene was telling her that she was being unfair. This was Cadance’s bachelorette party after all, and Berry had to admit that she was rather impressed that a Princess was able to cut loose this much. But the protective part of her, the part that treasured Pinchy and Minuette above her own life, was fuming that the Princess would allow Minuette to do this. “I think it’s time I take Minuette home.”
“Home?” Minuette asked as she stopped trying to swim through the air. “I can’t go home, silly. I have to be in Princess Cadence’s—”
“Cadance,” Berry said.
“That’s what I said. I have to be in her wedding this weekend.”
Princess Cadance smiled awkwardly. “Minuette, dear, this pony is going to take you back to your room, okay?”
“Aw, do I have to?”
Berry rolled her eyes. Minuette was beyond wasted. She could probably give Berry a run for her bits even.
“Yes, Minuette,” she said. “The party’s over. At least for you.”
“Fine…” Princess Cadance lowered the Unicorn to the floor and Berry walked over to steady her. “But don’t trying anything. Berry will hurt you something fierce if you do.”
Berry couldn’t help but smile. “I’ll keep that in mind,” she said as she guided Minuette toward the exit. A few ponies tried to block them, hoping that there was room for one more wherever they were going—Minuette had apparently developed a reputation thanks to her little display—but Berry gave them all a look that shut down even the drunkest of the bunch.
“Brrrr,” Minuette said as soon as the two ponies exited the club. “Why’s it so cold? Can’t we go back inside? It’s so warm in there.”
Berry was just glad that the roaring noise and awful smells were gone. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, letting the night air cleanse the sensations from her body. The idea of going back into that place for even a second repulsed her.
“No, we’re going home,” she said. She saw that Minuette had turned back toward the club entrance and was heading toward it. Berry reached out and grabbed the Unicorn’s tail with her teeth, halting her advance. “You’ve had more than enough. Trust me, I know.”
“Woah there, filly!” Minuette said, rounding on Berry so fast that the Earth pony was pretty certain she had ripped some hair out of Minuette’s tail. “No pony gets to grab my tail except Berry. I already told you that! Don’t think you can get fresh with me just because I’m a bit tipsy.”
Berry rolled her eyes. Was this what she was like with Minuette? How did the Unicorn manage to put up with this so frequently? “Babe, you’re more than just a bit tipsy. You’re wasted.”
“Am not!” Minuette said. “See? I can still speak just fine.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean anything.”
“Fine,” Minuette said, her head lolling to one side slightly. She wobbled a bit, then sat down on the sidewalk. “Prove that I’m drunk. I don’t believe you.”
“Well, first of all, I’m Berry. I’m your wife!”
Minuette stuck her tongue out and waved her hoof. “Psssh. You’re not Berry. Berry doesn’t wear a scarf. That’s my thing.”
Berry just stared at Minuette. She was a complete wreck. Her mane, which she normally kept so neat and clean, was disheveled. Parts of it were still soaked from the drinks while other parts were poking wildly in every direction. Her soft blue coat was matted and stained with who knew what, and her eyes were having trouble focusing on anything in front of her. And her breath. Her breath stank worst than anything. That was the hardest thing for Berry to see, or smell. Minuette always took such good care of her teeth. If she remembered anything from tonight tomorrow morning, she was probably going to spend the entire day scrubbing her teeth and washing her mouth out.
The Unicorn wrapped her arms around herself and shivered again. Her teeth started to chatter as she rubbed herself to get warm.
Is this what she sees when she sees me? Berry pulled her scarf off and wrapped it around Minuette’s neck. She then leaned forward and kissed her gently on the forehead. She tasted a bit of cider, some sort of wine, and…wow. Whatever that drink was that Cadance had given Minuette, it sure was potent. Berry felt her body tingle just from the small taste she got off of Minuette’s coat. She’d have to ask Princess Cadance what that recipe was.
“Oh, hey Berry. When did you get here?” Minuette asked as Berry pulled out of the kiss.
“Seriously, Minuette?” Berry asked in a deadpan voice.
“I mean it! There was this pony that was trying to get fresh with me! She was wearing a scarf. Probably thought I’d go for her because of that. She was trying to take me home with her. I was getting ready to stomp her into paste. You’re the only one for me.” The Unicorn tried to stand up, but she stumbled. Berry raced forward and caught her.
“You really don’t…?” Berry asked, but she stopped as she felt Minuette’s forelegs wrap around her neck in a hug and her muzzle dig into Berry’s neck. “Uh…Minuette? You okay?”
“You know I’d never go with her or anypony else, right?” Minuette asked. She began to shake as she held on to Berry’s neck. Celestia, was she crying? “You…you and Pinchy mean everything to me. I don’t want you to think I’d ever be unfaithful. I would have said no. I promise I would have. Please don’t hate me…”
“Ooookay,” Berry said, stroking Minuette’s mane. Maybe asking Princess Cadance for that drink mix wasn’t such a good idea. If it did this to Minuette, she was terrified of what it would do to her. She went to bed so many nights with those very words echoing in her mind. “Don’t worry about it, dear. Although, I think you might want to take it easy the next time a Princess offers you a drink. Uh, Minuette?”
Berry looked down and saw that the Unicorn had fallen asleep. She had the cutest little smile on her face as she hung off of Berry’s neck. She snuggled deeper into Berry’s coat and tried to bury her face under her scarf.
“Okay, let’s get you home,” Berry whispered, kissing Minuette again on the forehead. She gently lowered Minuette to the sidewalk, then huddled down next to her. She carefully wiggled herself under Minuette’s stomach until the Unicorn was draped over her back like her saddlebag. She then stood up, careful not to lose her balance, and began walking home, Minuette snoring quietly on her back.
As Berry turned a corner, she almost walked straight into another pony. “Oh, excuse us,” she said, then she recognized the pony before her. “Hi Bon Bon.”
Bon Bon just looked at them for a moment, then she blinked. “Well this is…different. Bachelorette party?”
“Bachelorette party.”
“Lyra?”
“Passed out under the table. Back of Horse Trot. Look for Princess Cadance.”
“Thanks.”
Bon Bon walked away and Berry continued walking back to their hotel. Minuette wasn’t heavy at all, what with Berry being an Earth pony, but she kept twisting and giggling while she slept, and several times Berry almost dropped her. When they reached the hotel, getting Minuette up the stairs without cracking her head open had been a real challenge and taken another ten minutes of careful planning and maneuvering. She wondered if Minuette was this careful with her. She probably had an easier time of it, seeing as she could just use her magic to carry Berry.
Finally they reached the room. Berry looked over her shoulder at her saddlebag. In order to reach it and the room key inside, she’d have to move Minuette, and that was something she didn’t want to do until she could move her into a soft bed. So she decided to try knocking first.
She reached out and tapped on the door in the secret code that she, Minuette, and Pinchy had come up with. A few seconds later there was the counter knock from the other side, and then Berry knocked a third time. She heard the sound of the door being unlocked and a moment later it opened just a bit to reveal a small pink face and green eyes peering out at her.
“I thought I told you to go to bed,” Berry said, trying to be serious as she opened the door, but the look on Pinchy’s face told her that the filly wasn’t buying it.
“Did you find Mom?” Pinchy asked as Berry walked back into the plush room. Her eyes fell on Minuette and they went wide. “Is Mom alright?”
“She’s just sleeping, sweetie,” Berry said, ruffling Pinchy’s mane again. “She had a very busy night it seems.”
“She looks like you, Mommy,” Pinchy said as she walked around to look at Minuette’s face.
“Oh,” Berry said, trying to keep her pain hidden. Even her daughter saw her as a drunk. That hurt worst of all. She could put up with the smirks, the gossip, and the downright judgmental looks that ponies gave her because she had her family. But hearing that Pinchy saw her the same way as so many other ponies did really hurt. She felt tears beginning to form in her eyes.
“Yeah,” Pinchy said. “She looks so happy and relaxed. She looks really pretty when she’s like that. I like it when you and Mom look so happy.”
Berry felt tears run down her cheeks, but they were no longer tears of pain and sadness. “She does look kind of cute like that, doesn’t she?” she said and she wiped her face.
“Ugh…where am I?” Minuette said as Berry felt her stir on her back. “Pinchy? Young lady, what are you still doing up?”
“Hi Mom! Mommy went out to find you because you hadn’t come home yet.”
“She did?” Berry looked over her shoulder and met Minuette’s confused gaze. She smiled and nodded. “Oh, well, still…you should be in bed. Now go.”
“But Mom…”
“Miss Ruby Pinch Punch, go to bed. Mommy will be along in a minute to tuck you in. After she gets me an ice pack for my head.”
Pinchy gave Berry her best puppy dog pout, but Berry shook her head and pointed down the hall to the bedroom where Pinchy was sleeping. The filly hung her head, but then skipped down the hall. She was clearly happy to have her Mom back.
“I wasn’t kidding about that ice pack,” Minuette said after Pinchy left.
“Oh, you’re going to need more than that. Trust me,” Berry said as she walked over and gently lowered Minuette onto the couch in the room.
“My head is killing me,” Minuette said as she rubbed her forehead. “What did you give me?”
Berry smiled. “Oh no. This one was all you. I didn’t have a single thing to drink.”
“Liar,” Minuette said, but the slowly dawning realization on her face made the statement completely meaningless, and Berry knew it.
“I wasn’t even there, dear,” Berry said with a smirk. “Now lay down. It’s my turn to take care of your hangover. When it starts, anyway.”
Minuette groaned. “You mean this pounding in my head isn’t it? And why am I all sticky?”
“Oh no. You haven’t even started yet. You’re head is going to feel like it split open tomorrow morning.” Berry looked at the clock. It was past two. “Or, perhaps I should say this morning.”
“Not helping,” Minuette said as she lay down and closed her eyes. She put her foreleg over her face and groaned. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
Berry filled a bag with ice and gently put it on Minuette’s head. “Maybe just a little. By the way, the things you can do with your flank…I had no idea. You’ll have to do a private dance for me sometime.”
“What?” Minuette shouted as she sat up fast, then immediately winced in pain and collapsed back onto the sofa, closing her beautiful sapphire eyes. “Ugh…do I even want to know what you’re talking about?”
“Probably not, but I’ll tell you all about it anyway,” Berry said. She pulled a blanket out of their luggage and placed it over Minuette’s body. “Tomorrow though, when you’re sober enough to be properly embarrassed.”
“I hate you. You know that, right?” She reached out and pawed at the air. Berry leaned forward until Minuette’s hoof touched her face and then wrapped around the back of her neck, pulling her into a gentle hug.
“Love you too,” Berry said as she kissed Minuette’s cheek. “Good night.” As she pulled away, she saw that Minuette had already fallen asleep. She smiled down at her, then walked down the hall to tuck Pinchy in.
If this is what Minuette had to go through, maybe it wasn’t so bad. Seeing her completely helpless and utterly reliant on Berry was a rare sight, and it only made Berry love her more. Still, taking care of her had been a lot of work. Berry decided that maybe she could ease up a bit on her own drinking for Minuette’s sake.
Princess Cadance walked out of Horse Trot with a smile on her face. Her body was still tingling from the drink, but she could already feel her Alicorn magic beginning to purge it from her system. Still, it had been nice to spend time with her bridesmaids before the wedding. Things had gotten a little out of hoof at the end there, but she supposed that was what these parties were for.
Plus, she now had some priceless memories of Minuette and Lyra. She giggled to herself as she walked down the street, heading for the castle. Poor Twinkle Shine though. Cadance would have to find a way to make it up to her.
“Excuse me, Princess,” a voice said from the alley she was walking past.
“Yes?” Cadance said as she turned her head. A pair of green eyes stared out at her from the shadows and Cadance suddenly uncomfortable. Still, she was a Princess, and in Canterlot no less. It was probably just the drink that was making her feel uneasy.
“I was wondering if you could help me with something,” the pony said.
“Certainly,” Cadance said. Maybe it was because of the drink again, but Cadance found herself walking down the alley toward the green eyes. “What is it?”
“Oh, nothing much.” A green fire began to swirl around the ground and make its way up the pony. Cadance stared in shock. When the flames faded, she found herself looking…at herself. Okay, maybe the drink was affecting her more than she realized. “I just need your help with my wedding.”
There was another flash of green light and then Cadance blacked out.
Author's Note
So...this is a thing. I've been reading the Berry Punch Replies blog and I must admit that I'm a fan. I tried to make her character based off of that version of her. Somepony who knows she has a problem and tries to put on a brave face, but it still hurts her. And the most important ponies in her life are Pinchy and Minuette (yeah, sorry, not calling her Colgate. I just can't).
The prompt said that two ponies switched roles this time. I didn't want to do Vinyl and Octavia because it would be too obvious. I tried to think of a pair that probably wouldn't be that popular. This is what I came up with. I hope everypony enjoyed reading it.
There will be a sequel to this story. Or rather, I should say that this is a prequel to another story. I'm writing one that shows what Bon Bon and Berry Punch were up to once the Changelings attacked (thus that scene at the end with Cadance). After all, you can't expect those two to sit on their hooves while their loves are fillynapped. Feel sorry for the Changelings. Very, very sorry...
