Colgate carefully settled onto the luxurious reclining couch with a contented sigh. The Princess’s personal physician had cleaned her wounds before wrapping them in bandages soaked in strange-smelling salve, which had caused her aching body to go wonderfully numb. For the first time since losing her leg, Colgate felt truly at peace. She was about to close her eyes and allow herself a long overdue nap when a polite cough alerted her to the arrival of the Princess’s advisor.

“Can this wait?” Colgate muttered, making a point of yawning loudly.

“I fear we can afford very little delay, Chosen One,” the unicorn apologized. “I understand that you must take some time to regain your strength, but as soon as you are recovered you must be prepared with full knowledge of what you must do!”

Colgate groaned and rolled her eyes. “Look, miss…”

“Clover,” the mare stated promptly, offering a hoof in greeting. Colgate looked at the hoof and wiggled her stump at it. Blushing, Clover retracted her hoof and instead bowed her head. “I am Clover the Clever, First Advisor to the Lady Princess Platinum and a student of the great sage, Star Swirl.”

Colgate’s brows furrowed as a vague memory of some old pageant play drifted through the back of her head. She had a strong suspicion that something about the names Clover was saying should mean something to her and an even stronger suspicion that if she had not spent that play trying to think of ways to ask Lyra if she was seeing anypony without making it obvious she would probably be able to recall more of it.

“Reciting the words Klaatu Verata Nikto should allow you to remove the book without difficulty,” Clover continued as Colgate realized with a guilty start that she had missed most of the lecture. “So obviously, I didn’t want to risk not letting you know this before you left.”

Colgate nodded and did her best to look thoughtful. “Yes, yes, very important. I am glad you told me all of that useful… stuff.” Clover beamed as Colgate quickly added, “But it’s probably best if you repeat that again after I have had a chance to sleep, so it’s doubly clear for me.”

“It is my great pleasure to serve.” Clover bowed. “And might I just say what a treat it is to have such a receptive audience! I would not speak ill of my Lady as she has been a most generous benefactor to my studies and those of my mentor, but it sometimes seems as if she is hardly even paying attention to half of what I say!” Clover laughed.

“Yeah, you said it,” Colgate agreed distractedly as she watched the purple earth pony from before enter the room with a bow, followed by a small cadre of servers.

Clover gave Colgate an annoyed look. “Does something about our blacksmith demand your attention, Chosen One?”

“Huh?” Colgate started and blushed. “Oh I mean, no! I was paying attention to what you were saying!”

“Of course you were.” Clover shook her head. “I suppose you were just allowing your eyes to wander as your mind remained focused on me?”

Colgate tried a nervous smile. “Yes?”

Clover rolled her eyes. “What is it exactly that fascinates you so about her?”

Colgate shrugged. “Well I think she hit me in the head with a mug, her foal carries the Princess’s sword, she is an earth pony in a unicorn castle and I am hungry and there’s a bunch of food behind her. So that, mostly.”

“Well, I suppose I can hardly fault you for that.” Clover frowned. “If it will sate your curiosity and allow you to considerate on more pressing matters, she is here in the castle because her former husband was a knight in the service of my lady and because my lady values her skill with a hammer enough to take on her child as a personal squire to give her cause to stay here even after the father’s death.”

“Oh,” Colgate said, unable to think of anything better to say, she added, “How did he… you know?”

Clover looked guiltily at Colgate. “He was sent into the pit to kill the creature you slew earlier.”

“Oh…” Colgate repeated, feeling color rise to her cheeks as the earth pony and the food bearers approached.

“I am not interrupting anything, am I?” The earth pony asked as the servants laid out the platters of food.

“No not at all!” Colgate stammered. “We were just… NOT talking about you!”

The earth pony looked confused as she stared at Colgate, whose face was slowly turning an alarming shade of scarlet. “Are you feeling alright, milady? You look unwell.”

Colgate began to sweat as she shook her head. “Nope! I am feeling just fine, just a little lightheaded is all.” As the earth pony stared guiltily Colgate mentally kicked herself. “Oh, but not because you hit me in the head with a big wooden cup and knocked me into a horrible pit with a flesh eating zombie that ate your husband, so it’s alright!”

There was a long silence as everypony in the room fell quiet and stared at Colgate. “Um,” Colgate coughed. “Not that I would know anything about that, because I wasn’t talking about you behind your back or... um, anything like that.”

After another long, awkward silence Clover cleared her throat. “Berry Sledge, I apologize for the Chosen One’s candor. She has been administered a strong poultice to ease her pains and I fear it has affected her better judgment.”

The earth pony nodded slowly, eyes drifting to the bandage wrapped tightly around the unicorns head. “I understand.”

“So, are those grapes?” Colgate asked loudly, trying to change the subject. “Because I do love grapes!” She tried to pluck a grape from one of the platters with her magic. She managed to lift the fruit a few inches off the plate before a wave of dizziness overtook her and her magic faltered.

“My apologies Chosen One,” Clover apologized, picking the stray grape off the floor and tossing it away. “But the medication you have been given will leave you rather weak while it heals your wounds.” She smiled sheepishly. “I perhaps should have mentioned some of the effects to you before I prescribed it.”

“You think?” Colgate growled, words beginning to slur slightly.

“Here, let me help,” Berry Sledge muttered, picking up the stem of the grape bunch in her teeth and dangling the berries in front of Colgate’s mouth. The unicorn looked up and felt her cheeks flush once again at the proximity of the other mare’s face to her own.

“Thank you,” Colgate quickly blurted, voice raising half an octave. She tried to lift her head up to eat a grape, but managed to rise only a few millimeters off the couch before a wave of dizziness swept over her again. Slumping back down, she shot a horrified look at Clover who was looking concerned.

“How strong was that stuff?” Colgate demanded weakly.

“Well normally it should dull pain, relax the body and speed recovery, all of which does tire ponies out quite a bit,” Clover explained cautiously. “But given how many wounds needed to be treated and with how potent a dosage I used to speed recovery, the effects might be slightly magnified.” Clover cleared her throat before repeating with more confidence, “Slightly.”

Colgate yawed. “Oh this is just great! I am-” She yawned again. “I am going to probably going to slip into a coma because somepony messed up trying to heal me! That is the most stupidly ironic thing I have ever heard.” Colgate yawed again as Clover frowned. Before she could say anything though, Berry set aside the grapes and laid a hoof on Colgate’s chest.

“There, there Chosen One.” Berry cooed, slowly rubbing Colgate’s chest and belly. “You have had a very big day and now you’re just grumpy and tired.” She gave Colgate a warm smile as the unicorn blushed and closed her eyes. “You saved us all from a terrible evil and everypony in this castle is grateful to you for that.”

Colgate felt like a foal, but could not deny that the familiar panic that had started to seep back into her brain was fading away as the blacksmith lulled her to sleep. As she felt herself drift off, she heard Berry murmur, “And I know you could have either killed my Princess or attacked her when she was distracted with my daughter and that I will never forget.”

* * *

Colgate groaned into a damp patch of droll as she began the slow and laborious process of waking up. She cracked an eye open, then immediately shut it again as a blinding ray of sunlight lanced directly into her sensitive pupil. With another groan she rolled back to face the back of the couch, pulling the blanket over her head with magic.

“Oh good, you’re awake!” An irritatingly loud voice shouted from somewhere at Colgate’s back.

Colgate tried to wave off the speaker with a hoof, but was foiled when her leg proved to be too short to get out from under the blanket. For a long moment this baffled Colgate before the events of the last twenty four hours crashed back down into her like a bucket of ice water.

With a rustle Colgate stuck her head out from under the blanket to stare balefully at Clover, who was accompanied by a servant with a small tray of food. Clover waved at the tray with a hoof. “You slept through the morning meal, but I thought you might appreciate a little food when you came too.”

Colgate made a sound somewhere between a snort and a sigh as she levitated up a piece of toast from the tray and shoved it into her mouth. The servant set down the tray and left with a bow as Clover took a seat across from Colgate.

“How are you feeling?” Clover asked as Colgate crammed a chunk of fruit into her mouth along with the toast.

Colgate tried to mumble something around the food in her mouth before giving up and swallowing. “Good. Much better than last night.” She picked up another piece of toast. “Sorry, I didn’t realize how hungry I was till just now. Do you happen to have any hay fries?”

Clover shook her head. “I have no idea what those might be Chosen One, but I can ask the staff to attempt to prepare something to your specifications.” She tapped a hoof. “But that can wait, for now. While you have done us all a great service in slaying the beast in the well, as well as the other beast that we had not realized was also in the well till you also slew it, we have greater troubles to attend to.” She gave Colgate a grave look as the other unicorn paused in her breakfast binge, cheeks bulging with fruit slices.

Colgate nodded slowly and choked out something that sounded similar to ‘I’m listening’ and so Clover continued.

“A week before your arrival a group of knights lead by the captain of the guard left from this castle to retrieve the Necronomicon. As I told you last night, we have been… exaggerating how close we were to actually having the book in our possession, both to keep our own ponies calm, but also to assuage the worries of the other tribes.” Clover looked slightly abashed as she quickly added, “Though we have been able to learn much from those notes and pages kept here in the castle library, so it is hardly that great of an exaggeration!”

Colgate nodded, slowly chewing.

“Even so, we will need to recover the Necronomicon itself to stop this menace once and for all.” Clover continued, getting back into the swing of things. “Princess Platinum led the rescue mission after the knights did not return, but instead found you and Commander Hurricane’s forces.” Clover had the dignity to look abashed as she said, “You have to understand that Princess Platinum has been almost sick with worry after her knights, ever since they went missing. When she found you and the Commander, she let her anger get the better of her.”

Colgate nodded slowly, rolling her eyes as she surreptitiously ate another piece of toast.

“Well,” Clover said uncomfortably. “At any rate, if my readings of what we have copied from the book are to be believed, only the Chosen One, a pony sent from another world to deliver us all from the terror of the deadites, can retrieve the Necronomicon from its resting place. That is why you and you alone, must venture to the ancient resting spot of that terrible book and bring it back to us here.”

Colgate frowned. “OK, so where is this ancient resting place of the evil book? Because I am not much of a long distance runner.” She waggled her stump for emphasis.

“Oh we have something to help with that,” Clover said happily. “And it’s not even that far! Less than a day’s trot!”

Colgate looked surprised. “Wait, why is your castle built within walking distance of unbelievable evil?”

Clover shrugged. “It is a very small area of unspeakable evil and it did not bother anypony who did not go to near it until recently. You can hardly blame us for thinking it was a small price to pay for such an abundant seat for our new capitol.”

Colgate shrugged noncommittally before being struck by a something. “Wait a minute! Did you just say something a second ago about helping me walk?”

“Oh yes!” Clover sat up and clapped her hoofs together. “Our blacksmith has been working through the night on a gift for you! Come, I’ll show it to you!” And with that she hurried Colgate off the couch and out the door.

Soon Colgate found herself lead out into the castle courtyard. All around her, ponies milled about or hurried along, tending to their errands. As the two mares moved through the crowds, many ponies turned their heads and stared, before turning to their companions and whispering. Colgate felt an uncomfortable tightness in her stomach as more and more ponies stopped what they had been doing to watch her.

“Why are there so many ponies here?” She asked Clover, keeping her voice low. “This castle hardly looks big enough to house half of them, so what gives?”

“The deadites.” Clover replied sadly. “Back in the home lands, we had a great fortified city in which many of the tribe lived in comfort and peace.” Clover looked at the watching crowds and sighed. “Back then, Midnight Castle was an impenetrable stronghold and a safe haven in times of danger. Here in this new land though, we are lucky to have even this small keep to call a capitol.” She gave Colgate a sidelong glance as they reached the shop. “More ponies arrive every day seeking protection and we have naught left to give them but a safe place to stay. Soon we will not even have that as space dwindles.”

“So, no pressure on me then, right?” Colgate gulped.

Clover looked confused and annoyed as she opened the door the blacksmith’s shop. “On the contrary, Chosen One! There is immense pressure on you to succeed and quickly! Honestly, it’s like you have deliberately missed my point!”

Colgate groaned as she followed Clover into the cramped workshop. Along the walls, tools hung in neat rows, while in the center of the room was a great forge alive with the embers of rosy red coals. To the side of the forge stood a large anvil, coated black save for its worn and silvery head. Alongside that was placed a wooden bucket, filled with sooty water. Curled around the bucket, snoring softly, was the blacksmith.

Clover snorted and stamped a hoof, giving the sleeping pony a disapproving look. “Berry, what, pray tell, are you doing?”

“Sleeping,” the earth pony replied as she stretched out her limbs in a way that made her look less like a pony and more like an oversized cat. “I worked a miracle forging this wonder in but one night, so mayhaps you would be so kind as to seize crawling up my rump about…” Berry trailed off as she saw Colgate. She scrambled to her hoofs, face suddenly reddening as she dusted herself off.

“My apologies, lady Chosen One! I have forgotten my manners.” Berry bowed.

“Oh don’t worry about that,” Colgate offered, waving off the bow with a smile. “I’ve said way worse things to my marefriends when they have woken me up before I was good and ready!” Colgate grinned sheepishly. “Or I did, a really long time ago.”

There was a long uncomfortable pause as Berry’s face slowly turned the color of a tomato and Clover looked uncomfortably anywhere other than Colgate. Eventually Colgate broke the silence. “Um, this isn’t a touch subject with you two is it? Because I know some ponies get a bit weird talking about private stuff.”

“Leg!” Berry blurted out quickly ducking behind her anvil. “I need to get your leg!”

Clover cleared her throat. “I am sorry Chosen One, but you must understand that, while customs where you come from may be…” She took a moment then finished, “Lax on matters of propriety, we unicorns are not so debauched as our Pegasus kin. We share in the earnest virtues of our earth pony sisters.”

Colgate frowned. “Hey, you don’t need to get personal! It wasn’t like I was sleeping around or anything, wow! Way to be judgmental, Clover.”

Clover shook her head. “That’s not what I meant, it’s just that… Oh forget it!” She rolled her eyes. “Your importance transcends any personal qualms I may have, but just know that you may not wish to be so open with your… affairs of the heart while you are here at the castle.”

“Gosh, you would think we were living in a children’s play listening to you.” Colgate grumbled. “I never thought olden day ponies would be so sensitive about the idea of-”

“Hard work all through the night!” Berry cried, slamming a metal leg on the anvil with a clang. “But I think you will agree that the fruits of my labor have been worth the effort.” Colgate’s eyes widened at the sight of the leg as her jaw slackened. What she had expected to see was a fancy metal peg leg, which would certainly beat strapping a poker to her stump certainly, but nothing overly fancy. What she had not expected was a contraption that looked like a comic book pony’s leg! As she tentatively bent the metal marvel’s foreleg at the joint, Berry grinned.

“How did you make something like this?” Colgate asked, looking up at the blacksmith in astonishment.

“Well, making a jointed device was hardly an effort,” Berry said, running a hoof over the metal surface, though carefully removing her hoof before it got too near to Colgate’s. “A bit of work with springs and gears allow it to bend and move, without swaying about, but its unicorn magic that helps build it to do what you will need it for.”

Colgate bent the knee and peered into the surprisingly complex mechanism. “How did you make something like this so quickly?”

“You are too kind milady Chosen One.” Berry bowed her head. “Though this is not the first time I have made something like this before. My late husband had been wounded by a stray arrow while the unicorn tribe and earth pony tribes were driving out a group of savage slavers. I made him something similar to this, to help him walk again afterwards, as thanks for his service.” She sighed, looking at the leg and through it to some far off place and time only she could see. “I owe so much to that experimental device. My life here, my daughter and her place of honor and privilege at the Princess’s side…”

Clover tapped a hoof and coughed pointedly, causing Berry to start. “The Chosen One has much to do, Mrs Sledge.” The unicorn stated, giving the earth pony a pointed look.

Berry nodded. “I will need to fit your injured leg for a harness to hold the leg.” Berry explained, picking up a leather contraption with a metal cap slung in the middle of it. “The leg can then be socketed into it and removed at will.” She hoofed the harness to Colgate who draped it over her neck. “Once you have returned I shall try to have finished another gift, which I lacked the time to finish last night.”

“Cool,” Colgate said, hopping though the largest loop and proceeding to immediately tangle her good front leg. “Can I get a little help?” She asked plaintively, trying not to fall flat on her face.

Clover sighed in exasperation as she turned to the door. “Berry, see to the Chosen One. I will see to getting her supplies and a map.” And with that she was out the door, slamming it behind her with a bang. Colgate, startled by the noise, lost her balance and flopped to the floor. As she tried to disentangle herself, Colgate felt herself being helped up by the blacksmith.

“Here, let me set that properly for you,” Berry muttered, twisting the harness around Colgate’s body till the metal cap more closely aligned with her stump. The black smith pulled the cap up over Colgate’s stump, then tightened it till it was held firmly in place. Quickly, she picked up the leg and braced herself against Colgate and began to affix the leg to the cap. As she did so, Berry refused to look at Colgate, though she seemed more and more uncomfortable the longer they remained close. Eventually Colgate felt the awkwardness had reached a peak and broke the uncomfortable silence.

“Are you alright?”

Berry started guiltily and shook her head. “No milady! I mean yes milady, I am quite alright!” She hid her face from Colgate as she tightened the leg. “There is no reason why two grown mares should not be able to be close to one another without feeling anything strange or unnatural milady, so I don’t know why you would assume that they would!”

Colgate gave the suddenly flustered blacksmith a confused look. “So you’re ok then?”

“Should that word mean that I am not abnormal, then indeed!” Berry nodded quickly. “Though milady, I wish to ask…” She trailed off nervously.

Colgate stirred at the back of her head intently. “Ask away. I won’t get mad.”

Berry cleared her throat several times before taking hold of Colgate’s leg and giving it one final push into place. “Did you mean what you said about other mares?”

“Sure,” Colgate responded without hesitation. “I haven’t dated anypony in a good long while though. There was this one mare, a friend of mine, but she ended up with some jerk after I didn’t ask her out when I had the chance.” Colgate thought about it for a moment then amended, “OK maybe that’s not exactly how it happened, but it was sorta like that. Why do you ask?”

“Ideal curiosity!” Berry almost squeaked. “Well you had better go and save the world now, bye!” Before Colgate could protest she was shoved out of the shop and out into the court yard. Behind her the door of the shop slammed shut with a bang, leaving Colgate feeling extremely confused. Before she had a chance to sort out what had just happened she heard the door open again.

“You will return?” Berry asked; face an unreadable storm of emotions. “I will have something for you when you return, so you will come back, won’t you?”

Colgate nodded slowly, still feeling like there was something important she was missing.

Berry’s face suddenly flushed a deep scarlet and she slammed the door to her shop again, leaving Colgate feeling utterly lost. Soon Clover returned, carrying a pair of heavily leaden saddlebags. She looked from Colgate to the closed shop door in confusion.

“What happened while I was away?” She asked, passing Colgate the saddlebags.

Colgate picked them up with her new leg and slid them over her back, before shrugging. “I have no idea.”

Author's Note

Ship ship ship... Honestly did't know there was even a Berry Punch/Colgate thing till I started writing this, just liked Berry Punch as a back ground character and thought I would toss her in here since I could not fit her into Pony Dead. Then I found out that my two favorite back ground ponies are a fannon thing! What do you know? Anyway, at that point I more or less changed the romantic sub plot from a thing with Clover too Berry.

Not sure if I will have it go anywhere yet, but we will let it develop as the story go's on and see what happens.