Berry Punch's Last Drink

by Ranak

Filly Services?

“What did I do? How did this happen?” For the third time Berry Punch was empty, the drained bottle of wine taunting her with its spent promise of relief from the pains of everyday life. “I mean sure, we rushed it a bit, but the least he could’ve done was stick around and help raise the child! I mean really! What kind of stallion deserts his pregnant girlfriend!” Tilting the bottle in an attempt to spy any liquid still left, she continues on her drunken tirade, “Such an asshole! He could’ve at least left some money...” With her daughter of 7 years sleeping in her room upstairs she gazes at the pile of receipts on her table, stumbling over she begins to read, ‘Ponyville Liquors: 3 cases of Cider, 30 bits.’ ‘Sweet Apple Acres: 10 barrels of preordered cider, 1500 bits’ ‘Ponyville Liquors: Special order: Itaily wine, 20 bottles, 700 bits’ and the stack goes on and on, each and every single one having something to do with alcohol, her bills also lay nearby, most of them loans or credit, all of them unpaid. Throwing the bottle to the corner with the other two she goes through those, “And THESE! What are these things!? I didn’t take out a loan... I think, and what's with this ‘overdue’ stamp on all of them?” One stuck out, it was in a red envelope, with the return address of Filly Services. “The FS? Isn’t that the uh... child repossession or something?” she grabs the unopened letter, and finally opens it, and reads.
Dear Berry Punch,

It has come to our attention that you have begun to neglect the care of your daughter, as such we have arranged a meeting to be held at the tenth hour of the twentieth day of June for an interview to decide if you are infact fit to continue to raise the child in your custody, followed by a sweep of your financial records, as well as the current state of your home. Should you be late or otherwise fail the examination, your daughter will be put into foster care until you get control of the situation, or until a 12 month period has expired upon which your daughter will be available for adoption to the general public.

Signed

Spiral Notebook.

“What?” Looking at her calendar, yet not understanding any of it due to her less then stable vision, she continues to mumble to herself, “What day is it again? Ugh, I figure it out tomorrow.” She attempt to climb the stairs, stumbling awkwardly up to stairs to her room, she gazes at her daughter’s, a warm feeling pierces through the drunken stuper, no matter what happens Berry will ALWAYS love her Berry Pinch, and there would be no way she could live with herself if something were to happen to her. Her last thoughts as she climbed into bed that night, was of Berry Pinch, her little daughter, the best thing to happen to her in the world. As she closes her eyes the clock shifts from 11:59 PM to 12:00 AM, and with it the date displayed shifts to June 20th.

A pounding noise hits Berry Punch’s head as she awakes, the light from the new day causing an instant headache.

“Don’t worry mama! I got it just stay and rest, I know how you feel in the mornings! I’ll ask them to be quite!” A cheerful young shout enters the room, but it was spoken just softly enough as to not cause any more pain for the hungover mare. ‘I sure am lucky to have such an amazing daughter to help care for me. Care... wait a minute...’ her mind flashes back to what she remembers of the note left last night, something about the 20th of June... and Filly Services... ‘FILLY SERVICES!?’ the two words hit her like a truck and she instantly stands up and gazes at her clock, before falling back onto the floor in a fit of pain so intense she loses consciousness.

Berry awakens for the second time that day, but this time no longer hung over, and in a daze she looks around the room, at her clock which reads 6 PM, another day wasted from the after effects of her habits, but something seems different, the home seems empty, silent, cold, yet it is the middle of summer, how can it be cold? She gazes at her desk, two notes are left there, one with a wax seal with fancy script etched into it, a large ‘FS’, another sealed with a small heart sticker, one that Berry remembers going with Pinch to get her for her arts and crafts, while Pinch has a talent with cocktails, she doesn’t want her daughter to get lost in that world, like she has so many years ago, she always did say how she was teased because of her cutie mark being drink mixing, so to take her mind off it, she bought Berry Pinch those stickers for her. Her smile and the way her eyes lit up, moments like that makes Berry remember she is a good mother, even if she really should be there more often. She opens the one from her daughter, her messy script familiar to the mare,

Mommy,
This man named Spiral Notebook came by today at 10, he said he wanted to talk to you, but I told him you had a headache and that he should come back later, but he said he really really really needed to talk to you mama. He said that since he can’t talk to you that I should come down to the Police Station with him, I am really really really excited to go! I haven’t ever been to the Police Station! The police ponies are so brave mama! I want to grow up brave like them, and caring like you mama! I don’t know when I’ll be back, the man says that depends on you! So come on down to the station mama! I’ll see you soon!

Love,

Pinch.

Spiral Notebook? Where did she see that name before? Thinking long and hard it suddenly comes to her. “FILLY SERVICES! OH CELESTIA WHAT DAY IS IT!?” Gazing at her clock for the second time that day she looked, and say the big red 6-20. Those red numbers sent a chill down her spine, and she weakly called out, “Pinch... Berry Pinch? Are you there?” Nothing. “Pinchy?” Using the nickname Berry Pinch was so fond of, she got it when she and Berry Punch had a pinching war, which Pinch won spectacular. Memories of the times she had with Berry Pinch flooded her mind, with tears in her eyes she shouts, “BERRY PINCH!? BERRY PINCH!? WHY OH WHY WAS I SUCH A BAD MOTHER! WHY DID I LET THIS HAPPEN!!!!!” She gazes around, and looks at the unread letter still sitting on her desk, quickly opening she reads,

You have 12 months, come to the station today to talk about the conditions of your retaining custody.

So that was her next task, she slowly walked down the stairs to the kitchen, and noticed the bottles from last night stacked in a corner, gazing at them in disgust she throws them in the garbage can, and gallops out the door to the police station, the sun heading towards the horizon. Within minutes, she bursts into the doors, the secretary typing away at the computer, she looks up notices who you are and gestures to the first door down the left hallway of the bland, white, harshly lit station. With a bang the door opens revealing a gray pony, with his brown hair in a professional crop cut, a notebook on his flank. “Are you Mr. Notebook?” Berry says with all the professionalism she can muster.

“Yes, have a seat Mrs. Punch, we have a lot to discuss about your daughter.” She sits, the harsh white fluorescent lights straining her eyes. “So, Berry Punch, mother of Berry Pinch, are you aware of what has happened?”

“I am.”

“Then, I’ll make it quick, you have drank too much, spent too much on alcoholic beverages, and are not taking proper care of your daughter. You have 12 months to rectify the situation, otherwise your daughter will be put up for adoption.”

“Can I see my daughter?”

“Do you agree to the terms?”

“Can I... see... my daughter?” Berry begins to lose her patience.

“No.” This is where she break down. Tears fill Berry’s eyes and she breaks down into a fit of sobbing,

“Please... let me see my daughter! It may be the last time I can, I will try my hardest to clean up! But... but I just want to know my daughter still cares!”

Spiral pulls out a hanky, his gaze softening from the hard professional outlook he had, to the soft gaze of one who is taking the child of a loving parent.

“I’ll let you in on a secret, all day now little Pinch has been raving on and on about how you are the best mommy in the world. You are her idol, please, Berry Punch, for her sake, follow through, be strong, and prove to us that you are the best mommy in the world. Please, this job has me breaking up many families, and yet, those few that I know for a fact I have helped, make me able to sleep at night, and I want to think of the Berry family as one of the ones I have helped, one of the ones that allow me to sleep at night, to feel confident in myself. Now go Berry, fix your life.” Sniffling, Berry Punch rises, and she walks solemnly out the door, into the night, starting her new life in the face, a vow is made, and she walks home.

Comments

[Obsi]

This Concept is rather new here, can´t wait for more

[Ranak]

I'll be happy to oblige!

[Fishberry]

It looks good so far, but it's riddled with errors. I find that detracts from the experience of reading the story.

Do you need an editor? I can help.