//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4 
// Story: Diamond in the Rough 
// by Wheller 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 4


Colgate had taken Berry Punch out. The mare needed something to keep her mind off the pain, a nice, pleasant walk through Whitetail Wood sounded like it would be just the thing she needed. Colgate watched Berry Punch as she walked; she still shivered slightly with each step.

Berry glanced around the street, looking at nothing in particular, then, however, her eyes feel upon something that made her panic. Berry Punch’s eyes widened and she started to back away.

‘Berry?’ Colgate asked. Berry Punch did not reply, however she did not take her eyes off whatever had frightened her. Colgate turned her head to look, it was still early in the morning, so there weren’t any... scratch that, there was one pony out besides them. An azure coated unicorn. The ‘Great and Powerful’ Trixie, Berry Punch was clearly afraid of Trixie. Colgate started putting the pieces back together, and she did not like the conclusion that she had come to.

Colgate’s eyes flared with rage, she had jumped to the conclusion that Trixie had something to do with Berry Punch’s relapse; she let out a shout of anger and charged down the unicorn.

Trixie was taken by surprise and before she knew what was going on, Colgate was on top of her. ‘What did you do?’ Colgate asked dangerously.

‘I... I...’ Trixie sputtered. ‘Trixie does not know what...’ she didn’t get a chance to finish that sentence before Colgate started beating on her. She drove her hoof into Trixie’s stomach, knocking the wind out of her. Trixie gasped for breath, but found it difficult to bring one in.

‘Having fun?’ Colgate asked through gritted teeth, her voice seething with anger. ‘I know I am! I can do this all day! Can you?’

Trixie did not have a chance to reply, as Colgate drove her hoof into her stomach again. Trixie looked over and discovered Berry Punch had backed up against a building, a look of terror on her face. She understood what was going on instantly. ‘Stop... please... Trixie... has... something... she wants...’

Colgate hit her again, causing Trixie to gasp again.

‘To say... for herself’.

Colgate raised an eyebrow, against her better judgement, she got off of Trixie and watched as the azure mare rose to her hooves and limped over in the direction of Berry Punch. Colgate kept close, making sure that she was going to behave herself.

Trixie struggled to get her breath. She looked at Berry Punch, who was absolutely terrified about the situation she was in. This had done it; Trixie’s guilt over what she had done had fleshed itself out. Trixie was... sorry. Now she only hoped she could catch enough breath to actually say it.

‘Trixie... wants... to say... that Trixie... is sorry...’ Trixie said, gasping for breath.

Berry Punch’s demeanour began to calm, she looked Trixie in the eyes, and she could tell that Trixie really meant it, and that she wasn’t just saying it to get Colgate to stop beating on her.

Berry Punch’s eyes began to water, and she gave Trixie a hug. ‘I forgive you’, she said with a sniffle.

Trixie returned the hug, tears were forming in her eyes, and that was when she realised that she didn’t have to be alone.

‘Trixie thinks... that there is something... we need to do’, Trixie said.

Berry Punch looked at her with confusion for a moment, but then the idea dawned upon her, and she nodded her head in agreement.

Berry Punch released Trixie and the three of them made their way over to Berry Punch’s home, heading around back to the cellar doors.

Colgate was more than a little confused when the two mares opened the doors up and trotted down the stairs, she followed them, only to find that her mouth falling open in shock. Colgate looked at the rows upon rows, shelves upon shelves of alcohol that Berry Punch had been keeping in her home. She looked at Berry Punch for an explanation; however, she was already more than a little busy.

Trixie and Berry Punch had both taken a bottle of alcohol in their hooves. They looked each other in the eye and nodded, and simultaneously smashed their respective bottles against the stone floor. They each picked up another and did the same, and then another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and another, and then, soon enough, there were no more bottles left anywhere in Berry Punch’s cellar, just empty rows and shelves, and an almost endless coating of glass upon the floor.

The two mares trotted carefully around the glass, making sure not to cut themselves as they made their way back to where Colgate was standing.

Colgate was smiling at them. She knew at that moment that both of them had made a new friend, and that they could both kick their habits.

Colgate’s ears began to twitch, the sound, the flutter of wings, she heard it again. She turned around, but once again, she saw nothing. She turned around to ask Trixie or Berry Punch if they had heard it, but they were far too preoccupied to have noticed. Colgate shrugged as the three of them walked out of the cellar. It probably wasn’t anything important anyway.

...

Carrot Top found herself distracted. She joked to herself that she was getting as bad as Caramel. Then it happened again, Carrot Top found that she was blushing at the mere thought of Caramel, and she thought that she had figured out why.

Caramel liked her, she knew that for sure. She thought back about her life, when she’d been in her adolescent years, she’d had a few coltfriends, sure... but now, it was like Carrot Top was just another face in the crowd, she did things, she had a good time with her life and her friends, but it was like... nopony was really paying attention to her.

And then here comes Caramel, asking her out like that. He wasn’t a bad looking colt, she admitted. Actually she thought he was kind of cute, and then she had the thought, why not? Why not go out with Caramel? It wouldn’t hurt. In fact she might be surprised and have fun with him.

She opened her saddlebag and pulled on the chain of the pocket watch inside it, taking it out and examining the time. She’d been working for several hours going over the trees, making sure that they all looked healthy, and then tending to the maize that the Apples grew for their pigs. It was almost time to break for lunch.

Carrot Top had made her decision, she was going into town and she and Caramel would go somewhere for lunch, and they would both have a good time.

She finished up the task that she had been doing, and looked back at the pocket watch, two ticks to one. Carrot Top placed the watch back into her bag and trotted off to town, within a few minutes, she was trotting onto the High Street. She smiled at Berry Punch, Colgate and... Trixie? Carrot Top did a double take at the sight. Trixie was not only interacting with ponies, but she was actually being friendly with them? Oh the calamity! Carrot Top quietly joked to herself that it was a good thing that Lily wasn’t around or she’d be crying some nonsense that Trixie had enchanted them or something.

Carrot Top couldn’t help but snicker, even though she thought that it wasn’t exactly the nicest thought. Lily had anxiety issues, and it wasn’t polite to laugh at other ponies problems.

Carrot Top could tell she was nearing the apple cart when she looked around to discover that there were many ponies eating them.

Carrot Top spotted a pair of ponies, both of them were eating an apple, and they had the distinction of both being clad in beige greatcoats. ‘I’m telling you Banana Crème, It is totally worth the walk to Ponyville just for a Sweet Apple Acres apple’, said a blue coated pony with a jet black mane speaking to his friend.

‘Whatever you say Lucky’, the yellow coated unicorn identified as Banana Crème said, rolling her eyes slightly.

‘Oi! That’s going to be DS Lucky to you with that tone!’ the one identified as Lucky said with a chuckle. He looked towards Carrot Top and gave her a smile. ‘Miss’, he said nodding his head.

Carrot Top smiled back and went about her way, she approached the apple cart, just as Caramel was closing up to go to lunch.

‘Caramel!’ Carrot Top called out to him.

Caramel looked up in surprise as Carrot Top trotted up to him. ‘Oh... uh, hey Carrot Top, uh... what’s going on?’

Carrot Top smiled at him. ‘Well, it’s lunch time, I was wondering if you wanted to get lunch? My treat’.

Caramel blinked slowly for a few seconds before making a response, but upon realising that she was serious, he smiled at her. ‘Well sure! But no, I insist on it being my treat, and there’s nothing you can say to convince me otherwise’.

‘Well, I guess if I can’t persuade you otherwise, I accept’, Carrot Top chuckled.

The two of them began walking down the street, Carrot Top found that her ears were twitching; she looked around, thinking that she had heard something, the flutter of wings. She looked up and saw several members of the Ponyville weather team above her. It must be them.

Carrot Top turned back around and looked forward, nearly running into another pony as a result, Cloud Kicker, the purple coated, blonde mare with a cutie mark of a sun and a cloud.

‘Oh! Sorry Carrot Top!’ Cloud Kicker said. ‘I’ve been really busy and not paying enough attention to where I’m going’.

‘Everything okay Cloud Kicker?’ Carrot Top asked.

‘Oh, yeah, super’, Cloud Kicker said sarcastically, rolling her eyes at the question. ‘Rainbow Dash is on holiday, and Whirlwind hasn’t shown up for work in like, four months, we’re short staffed and we’re always running behind! Worst of all, Rainbow Dash refuses to fire his useless butt and hire someone else... sorry, I’m ranting, I need to get back to work anyway, bye Carrot Top! Bye Caramel’.

Cloud Kicker leapt into the air and went about her business. Carrot Top shrugged and looked back to Caramel, he shrugged as well, and the two earth ponies continued on about their way towards a delicious lunch.