DiamondBerry

The next morning over breakfast, Berry Punch noticed Brewberry's packed saddlebags by the door.

“Are you going out for another bank again?”

He shook his head. “No, Aunty, I'm doing work for the mare from yesterday, remember? I'm heading to the woods with her.”

He immediately got a grin from his aunt and groaned. “Not in that way, Aunty. She needs to be along with me to find the right ingredient.”

“Sure, just don't get too busy in those woods,” she said, still grinning, poking at his embarrassment for fun.

Brewberry groaned again and finished his meal before taking his bag. “I'll be back whenever I can. It might be a few days, we'll have to see,” he said on the way out the door, which he closed quickly so his aunt couldn't tease him with another remark. Usually, her little fun games wouldn't have bothered Brewberry if he didn’t think Diamond Tiara was actually kind of cute.

He headed to Sugarcube Corner and waited for Diamond Tiara, who arrived shortly with very pretty saddlebags that looked like something from a fancy store window, stuff Brewberry had only ever walked past. His own saddlebags were sturdy but beaten up, the leather edges were worn and dented, but these bags had served him well. They never tore or were uncomfortable.

“Good morning,” said Diamond Tiara, sounding a bit more aloof than the day before. She was trying to seemingly look more dignified. He wasn't sure why.

“Good morning,” he responded quite cheerily as he waved. “Let's not lose any time. The forest we are heading for is not far; it'll be a short hike and then we'll be pretty much headed straight north to Canterlot. Basically, as long as we can see it in the distance, we are moving in the right direction,” he explained as he started walking, leading the pink mare along the trail into the woods.

“So… how does this entire business work? The ingredients, I mean. Like, how will you figure out if it’s the right one or not?” she asked as they walked together.

“Oh simple. Diamondberries are the key ingredient I'm missing, and they exist in a bunch of subtle varieties, each very slightly different in hue. What I need to figure out is which of them will be sweet for you. Those are the ones that’ll work for your father’s potion,” explained Brewberry. He could see Diamond Tiara thinking about his explanation before she nodded.

“Alright, that makes sense, I think,” she said after a while of thinking and walking.

They kept moving, chatting pleasantly for the remainder of the day. It surprised Brewberry. He hadn't had a conversation that flowed so easily in years. It felt like their ideas and questions just flowed into each other, forming a whirlpool that drew them both in as they talked and walked for hours, barely noticing the sun setting. Before they knew it, the sun was on the horizon and the sky tinted orange through the gaps in the tree leaves above.

“I think now may be a good time to set up camp,” mused Brewberry, and within a few minutes, they had erected two tents and a small fire by which they both sat down to roast marshmallows.

“So… how'd you learn all this stuff? How come you know so much more than most people who do potions?” asked Diamond Tiara.

“Well, it being my talent helps, but mainly it was because I was taught by Zecora and the deer of Everfree. They have some incredible potion knowledge you won't find even in the Canterlot library or Princess Twilight's library.” He pulled out a beaten-up notebook wrapped in a stained white cover with his initials on it. “I think my notebook might be the most comprehensive text about potions in existence right now purely based on how many novel recipes are in here.”

She perked up, curiously eyeing his book. “Oh, so you spent a lot of time honing your talent. That's very cool,” she said with a smile.

“What about you? What's your cutie mark stand for?” he asked.

“I'm headstrong. I tend to have people listen to me a lot. My father said I'm a born leader,” she explained.

“You seem to think quite a lot of your father, doing all of this for him, I mean,” he posited.

She nodded with a soft smile. “He means a lot to me. Unlike my mother, he's been much more accepting.”

Brewberry’s ears flipped down, feeling sorry for bringing up her apparently not quite so happy family life. “Oh, I'm sorry for touching on it,” he said quickly.

She smiled softly and shook her head. “It's fine. You didn't mean to. I can tell you're already much more considerate than she ever was.”

Brewberry hoped the dancing of the fire's light obscured the shade of his face, but he was blushing a bit at the compliment.

“T-thanks, I try to be,” he said, scratching the back of his head nervously as his heart fluttered in his chest.

“It's nice to talk to you. You don't seem to grovel because of my family's wealth. You seem more honest than most stallions I've talked to,” she continued.

“I try to treat everypony about the same. I don't like kissing the horseshoes of those more fortunate even if I'm in need.”

“You're in need?” she asked now, seeming more curious. “Why?”

The stallion sighed. “I've got all this potion-making skill and knowledge, but no bank wants to fund me. I've been all over the place making presentations to get funds to set up a potion workshop of my own where I can brew and sell in peace without having to ask my parents or aunt to lend me a room.”

Her eyes went wide. “Oh, that sucks. And there's no other way for you to get the bits? From family or friends?” she asked, to which he shook his head.

“No, I know nobody with enough money to fund a home, potion lab, and shop all at once. Alchemic equipment costs an arm and a leg. At least good equipment does,” he explained with another sigh.

By now the night had fallen over them. “Maybe I can do something? Well, see how your potion plan goes. Maybe if it works, I can pull some levers for you,” she offered.

“Really, you'd do that?” his face lit up with the first hope he had for his business in weeks.

“IF your potion works, yes,” she said with a smile.

Brewberry was beyond excited. He was certain his potion would work, and as a result, he had great hopes for funding now. But more than anything, he was excited to impress the cute pink mare with his skill when the time would come. When they both retired to their tents that night, Brewberry had a hard time sleeping. His heart was beating like crazy, and he couldn't stop thinking about impressing Diamond Tiara. He hardly slept that night.