It started off ‘snowly’
Cheerilee, Ponyville’s teacher, well, it’s ONLY teacher, has had enough, she’s had enough of the foals squabbling, especially Diamond Tiara (She’s on the list for when the revolution comes).
She’s had enough of being the ONLY teacher in Ponyville, even though she’s asked numerous times for Canterlot to send more. If only she could ask somepony to ask the Princess…
But, the thing she’s had enough of the most, is her sister. Everypony knows her as Berry Punch, they also know her as ‘Berryshine the Drunk!’ That’s what’s gotten her annoyed, how can she convince Ponyville to give her sister a break? Or, even better, how can she convince Berry to give up the juice?
~~~~
Trudging through the snow, 3 days after Winter Wrap Up, “Snow? But it’s spring!” Cheerilee grumbled to herself, “I thought that there wasn’t supposed to be anymore snow!”, there again, Rainbow Dash wasn’t the hardest of working ponies, especially since she’d gotten tied up in more work with Princess Twilight! So, that probably answers that.
Well, that, and the fact that there were OTHER pegasi who were supposed to clear the snow clouds, weren’t THEY working? ‘I’ll have to have a word with Ditzy, when she comes by with Dinky on monday.’, she reminded herself.
Arriving at Berry’s house, Cheerilee had to call up on her courage to actually do what she needed to do. Berry was her sister after all, but, she’s still as stubborn as a mule (get’s that from Father!) And, well, I just hope she listens.
‘Well, better get on with it, just hope she’s up, and relatively sober.’, with that thought out of the way, Cheerilee rapped on the front door, before opening it up, “Hey! Sis!”, yelling with her Teacher Voice, and getting no reply, again, “Berry Punch! Get your flank down here, THIS instant!”
Still, nothing, trudging in, Cheerilee, put the worse thought in the back of her mind, and decided that the best thing would be just to see if she was in her room, probably passed out (again), but instead went to the kitchen, to make some coffee.
Opening the door, she gasped in surprise, Berry was sitting at the table, with a large pot of coffee before her, and the latest copy of Ponyville Express spread out on the table, looking up, Berry just rasped out, “Blast it, didn’ ya hear me call out?”
“Berry, I can hardly make out what you’re saying, and I’m in the same room as you.”, sitting herself down, she helped herself to a mug of the steaming, dark liquid, “So, sis, how’re you feeling?”
“How the hay do you think I’m feeling? I feel like I’ve been dragged backwards through the Everfree forest, and some strange bird used my mouth for a toilet!”, Berry replied, then taking a big slurp from her coffee, continued, “Apart from that, things are going well. The bar is doing roaring trade, you should come down. It’s been years since you an’ I had a drink together.”
“Yeah, well, cheers for the offer, Berry, but there’s a reason I’ve come round to see you, and it wasn’t a social call, either.”, Cheerilee replied, with a hint of annoyance in her voice, “It’s your drinking that I want to talk to you about.”
Berry just looked over her mug in annoyance, “Well, thanks, but no thanks, sis. I think I know how to handle my drinking!”, slamming her mug down on the table, “And you know where the door is!”
“You’re not getting rid of me that easy! Tell me, where’s Berry?”, Cheerilee just replied, treating her sister as if she was a schoolfoal, “She in bed?”
“Um, yeah, sure, she was when I left for work last night. Colegate was looking after her.”, Berry said, “She’s a great tennant, she practically lives here rent free!”, refilling her mug, she got up, and trotted over to the staircase, “I’ll go get her up if you want!”
Cheerilee got up, and stopped her sister, “No, don’t worry. We need to talk, adult to adult.”, and leading her sister back to the kitchen, “But, not here. Let’s go over to my house.”
“You’re not going to give me any choice in the matter, are you?”, Berry said, as she slumped in her chair, “Knowing you, there’s no getting away from this, um, talk.”, she added, more to herself, than anypony else.
Cheerilee finished her coffee, and took her sister by the hoof, “Come on, it won’t take long, you’ll be back before supper.”, smiling she proceeded to trot to the front door.
“Yeah, coming! Lemme leave Colegate a note, telling her where I’ll be, and not to worry.”, writing said note and leaving it under the coffee pot, followed her sister to the front door, and outside, “You coming, or not?”
“Oh, it is on!”, Cheerilee replied, trotting past her. This started a race across Ponyville, and a series of events.
~~~~
Running past Sugarcube Corner, Cheerilee skidded to a halt, causing Berry to run into her flank, “Heck, Cheerilee! What did ya go an’ do that for?”
“I thought we could have some breakfast before we head over to mine.”, she replied, pointing to the door, and without looking back, proceeded to go inside, “Coming?”
The bell above the door tinkled to announce a customer, behind the counter, a pink maned pony looked out, “Cheerilee! Whatcha doing here at this time of the morning though it’s actually quite late for me I’ve been up for hours already preparing this mornings cupcakes and muffins for everyponies breakfast though to be honest there hasn’t been that many ponies here so far and we’ve got lots and lots and lots left so what can I get you two?”, all without taking a breath or pausing for any grammar.
Cheerilee just smiled at Pinkie, “Hi ya, Pinkie. Me and Berry would like the full Trottingham breakfast”, and seeing the smile slip slightly from Pinkie’s face, she added, “and 5 muffins and two pots of coffee.”
“You got it!”, Pinkie replied, and racing away to the back of the shop, Cheerilee took a seat and waited for her sister to join her.
“She does seem a bit too hyper for me, especially at this time of the morning!”, Berry said, “But, thanks for buying me breakfast. Though, to be honest, I could have cooked us something back at home if you’d have wanted.”
“Nah, it’s no problem.”, Cheerilee responded with a smile, “What are big sisters for, if they can’t buy their younger siblings breakfast, every now and then?”, then adding, “Besides, it’s a great opportunity for us to have a chat.” The hyperactive pink mare had, by this time, returned with two trays, filled to the brim, with a Full Trottingham breakfast, and more than enough muffins to feed a small army.
“Here you go, Cheerilee!”, she chirped, “I’ll bring the coffee over in a minute. Oh, and Berry?”
“Uh, yeah Pinkie?”, Berry replied, with a bit of trepidation in her voice, “You need something?”
“Yeah I’d like to book a table at your bar for next Friday night for a small party just for the 6 of us you know which 6 I’m talking about well I think you do I could be wrong…”, Pinkie started to ramble on at about 100 miles per hour, but was suddenly stopped with a hoof being stuffed in her mouth by Berry.
“I’ll sort your reservation out, just as soon as I get into work, Pinkie, and don’t worry, I won’t forget, and there’s no need to thank me, either.”, Berry got the words out, before Pinkie could try and continue, “And, there’ll be no charge for the reservation either. Mates rates.”. Pinkie just nodded at this, which made Berry remove her hoof quickly, lest it get broken off.
Pinkie, satisfied by Berrys’ response, trotted off to get their pots of coffee, “Why...why...why…”, and faceplanting the table, Berry continued with a groan, “Why does she act like THAT at this time of the day? How much sugar does that one pony eat?”
“Some ponies think that she’s made of sugar, that’s how she’s able to do this things she does.”, Cheerilee replied, stifling a giggle at her sister, “Anyhow, come on, let’s eat.”
Pinkie hopped over to the two mares, balancing two large pots of coffee on her mane, and holding two cups in her tail, “Here you go! Your coffee.”, adding, as subtly as possible, “And don’t worry Berry, I haven’t put ANY alcohol in it!”
With this, Cheerilee couldn’t hold her laughter in any longer, Berry, on the other hoof, groaned out loud, “Oh for Celestia’s sake! Is that all anypony thinks of me?”, looking at her sister, sitting across from her, Berry adds, “I’m guessing this is what you’ve been going on about?”, Cheerilee just nods, “Okay, okay, you win! We’ll have THAT chat, but, on my terms.”
“Heh...oh, eh, what?”, Cheerilee responds, before realizing what’s just been said, “Eh…*snigger* yeah, okay, what would they be then?”
“We don’t go round to your house, we’ll have the chat at my bar.”, Berry says, in between mouthfuls of breakfast, “To be honest, I think it’ll be for the best. There’ll be nopony to disturb us, and I can do some of last nights paperwork too.”, Cheerilee just continues to eat, then, after a short while, nods.
“Okay then, let’s get this finished, and we’ll make a move to my bar!”, Berry says to her sister, “Pinkie Pie!”, she shouts to the baker, “Can we have these muffins to go? And we’ll need the coffee in take out cups too!”
Pinkie bounds over to the two sisters, “Silly filly!”, and taps Berry on the nose, “You can take the pots with you, I’ll collect them when I have my party.”, and taking out a large paper bag from within her mane, puts the remaining muffins in, and hoofs them over to Cheerilee, turning back to Berry, “Can you give us the table in the private stall? I’ll pay double!”
Berry places a hoof under her chin, as if in thought, and says, “You really need a table for the six of you, AND a private stall? You better not be planning something, I don’t want my bar to have a reputation!”
At this, both Pinkie and Cheerilee burst out laughing, with Cheerilee responding, “Berry! Your bar ALREADY has a reputation!”
“Yeah, the place is has less alcohol in it than you at times, silly!”, Pinkie says, “Though”, she adds when she sees the look on Berry’s face, “I’m sure you’re not always drunk whilst at work otherwise you’d never be able to do things like paperwork which I know is very hard at times cos I have to do paperwork too.”, and she departs quickly to the kitchens, and waits there while Berry and Cheerilee leave.
Cheerilee turns and waves to Pinkie, “Thank you Pinkie!”, before finally getting dragged away by her sister.
“Humph! Okay, let’s just get to the bar and let’s get this chat over with.”, Berry says to nopony in particular, “Sometimes, I just wish that Luna would smite that pink baker down with a spell, or something!”
~~~~
Trotting along the main street, Berry turns to her older sister, and asks, “Cheerilee, can you answer a question for me? And, please be honest.”
Thinking for a short while, Cheerilee turn and replies, “Sure Berry, what did you want to know?”
Berry just stops, and whispers, “Does everypony think I’m an alcoholic?”
With years of teaching practice behind her, Cheerilee comes to a halt, turns to her sister, and trots back to her, “Can you repeat that?”
“Does...does all anypony think of me, is that I’m a drunk?”, her voice begins to crack, “That all I every want to do is get drunk, fall over, and make a total mule of myself?”, at this point, a mule happens to walk past, and just glares at Berry.
“No offence.”, Cheerilee says, the mule just humphs in reply, “Berry, oh Berry! I don’t think that's what everypony thinks of you. But, are you sure you want to ask me this, out here? In the open?”
“Yes, by Celestia’s bearded hind leg, yes!”, Berry replied, tears forming in the corner of her eyes.
Putting her foreleg around her sisters shoulder, Cheerilee says, “Okay, okay”, and quietly whispers, “Berry, you’re a fine mother, a great friend, a wonderful sister, but the drink has just gotten to you. What everypony else thinks, well, don’t let it bother you.”, looking around at the other ponies who’ve stopped to watch the scene unfold, “Gowan, scram! Otherwise I’ll be putting all of you in detention!”, in her best, and some would say, finest schoolmistress voice. This seems to do the trick, as they all realize that they’ve got better places to be, than annoying the town teacher.
“Sis? You can let go of me now, I’m beginning to choke here!”, Berry croaks out, causing Cheerilee to release her almost death grip, “Let’s get to the pub, and we’ll talk a bit more about what I asked, and what you want to ask.”
~~~~
