As usual her hangover left Berry Punch with a throbbing headache that woke her up before Ruby Pinch. Surprisingly enough she remembered that new promise or rather "swear" she made to her little filly the night before. Berry noticed that even though Ruby was snuggled up tightly in her tail her daughter was still shivering from the cold morning air. This only further pushed Berry to want to keep her promise as this was no way to raise a young filly.
"There there my little gem. I'll finally start working towards a better future for us today."
Berry gently brushed Ruby's mane with her hoof as she said those words; taking care to carefully remove any twigs or leaves without waking Ruby. Within the next few moments Berry's headache throbs again and she really felt like having another drink. Berry stood up as best she could without falling over or disturbing Ruby too much. The filly let out a quiet moan as her shivering intensified. It wasn't much but Berry draped her nearly empty saddlebag over Ruby which seemed to comfort her some from the morning's cool breeze. She then walked over to the other side of the tree and kicked a rock over that she had left there. Before proceeding further she took one last glance to make sure her daughter was still sound asleep. Berry didn't pick this tree in the park just because it made for great shade and rain cover, but also because the trunk had a hollowed out center at the base. Here Berry always kept a bottle of wine stolen from the fruit farm she worked at. It was a last resort to keep her addiction fed until she got paid again. She then picked it up while staring at it intensely. She whispered:
"You. You cause all of my problems, and yet I want you more now than ever. I can't this time though. My little gem needs... no she deserves a better life than I'm giving her, and there's no room for you in that life."
As much as Berry desperately wanted to chug the bottle to soothe her hangover headache. She then turned it upside down and let it pour out completely. However as the last few drops began to drip out Berry noticed a familiar reflection begin to grow on the side of the now voided bottle. It was Ruby who had woken up from the sound of the wine splashing on to the ground. She had started walking over as she let out a quiet little yawn and began to complain about the chilly weather.
*yawn* "Mo-Mommy. I'm really cold and... oh. I see you're drinking your medicine. I won't disturb you."
Ruby's voice had started off at a solid tone but quickly grew quieter when she thought her mother was drinking again. Ruby then took a few steps back and sat down with her head hanging low. She expected to be yelled at to go away and pipe down. Usually Berry hated being disturbed and bothered by Ruby's whines and complaints but this time was different. Berry wasn't bothered at all but was actually glad Ruby was awake to enjoy this special moment with her. From this point on Berry could finally be the loving and caring mother Ruby deserved instead of the mean, selfish, and drunk pony she had been.
"No no it's okay Ruby. Mommy doesn't need her medicine anymore. I'm going to get better all on my own. Now come and give me a big hug."
Ruby quickly galloped over to her mom and gave her the biggest hug she ever tried to give anypony. Both mother and daughter began to cry tears of joy as they felt each other's embrace.