Diamond in the Rough

by Wheller

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Berry Punch had taken to sitting in the corner of the room. Trixie huddled up next to her and laid her head down upon her shoulder, hoping the stabilisation would make the room stop spinning. Berry Punch’s head leaned band and began to rest upon Trixie’s. Ordinarily, Trixie would have objected, but was far too drunk to care.

That was when Berry Punch was crying. Now it was annoying Trixie to no end, it was giving her a headache. ‘Stop that’, Trixie commanded, but Berry Punch would not stop crying. ‘Trixie orders you to stop! Or else’.

Berry Punch froze, she tried to force herself to stop crying, knowing full well that Trixie would carry though on her threats. ‘I can’t’, Berry Punch sobbed.

‘Trixie will tell if you do not stop crying!’ Trixie snapped.

Berry Punch let out a sniffle, but turned and looked at her. Tears were streaming down Berry Punch’s face, she looked right into Trixie’s eyes and let out a small squeak, and then she spoke. ‘Then Trixie will tell’.

Berry Punch pushed Trixie off of her, causing the mare to fall backwards onto the stone floor of the cellar; Berry Punch rose to her hooves and staggered over to the steps, nearly falling over several times, though she soon enough found her balance. Berry Punch had become very good at walking while drunk. She staggered up the stairs and forced the lock on the door, opening up the cellar and trotting out into the sunny March evening air. It had been early morning when they had gone in.

Trixie felt strange. There was this feeling that didn’t quite make sense to her. It was like... she felt bad about what she had done. Trixie shook the thought off and went back to the Library; she had a nice warm bed waiting for her.

...

Berry Punch stumbled through the streets, she didn’t know where she was going, and she didn’t care. She felt nothing but shame now, she may not have had a choice to have taken the first sip, but she did have a choice at the second bottle. She had a choice at the third bottle. She had a choice at the fourth bottle. She had a choice at the fifth bottle, and the sixth, and the seventh, and the eighth, and the ninth, and the tenth, and the eleventh, and the twelfth.

She had had a choice, and she had made the wrong one, she had failed, she had failed herself, and she had failed...

‘Berry Punch! There you are!’ called out a voice from across the high street, Berry Punch knew who it was instantly, it was her best friend, her only real friend. Colgate.

‘I’ve been looking for you all day! Where have you...’ Colgate had approached her friend, but stopped cold in her tracks. Colgate could smell the alcohol on her. ‘Berry? Have you been drinking?’

Berry Punch’s eyes began to water she collapsed at Colgate’s hooves, she began to sob heavily. The sun was about to set, but there still quite a few town ponies out and they all stopped and began to stare.

Colgate got down to Berry’s level and wrapped her hooves around her friend and pulled her close. ‘Hey... Berry. It’s okay... it’s okay! Shh... shh...’

‘I tried... I tried so hard...’ Berry Punch sobbed. Colgate frowned and helped the pony to her hooves and began to walk her back to her house. There was simply no way she was leaving her alone tonight.

...

Carrot Top and Caramel finished up the day’s work slightly behind schedule... well, more than a little behind schedule. Okay, so maybe Carrot Top was sugar coating it, they didn’t finish the day’s work until three hours after they were supposed to be done. It had been Carrot Top’s turn to sell apples today, and against her better judgement, she had left Caramel alone at Sweet Apple Acres to take care of the farm side operation.

By Celestia! That pony was so spacey that Carrot Top had no idea how he hadn’t died of oxygen deprivation by now.

‘Caramel...’ Carrot Top began as he approached him. Caramel looked at her and she could see a look of guilt forming on his face. He knew what was coming. ‘Caramel... you really need to pay more attention to what you’re doing! Big McIntosh is counting on us to do a good job while he’s away’.

‘I know... I know! I’m sorry’, Caramel said, his deep voice cutting through the quiet air. ‘It’s hard not to get distracted... It’s a problem, I know it is...’ Caramel glanced towards the ground shyly, there was something on his mind, but Carrot Top could tell that he wasn’t going to say anything without encouragement.

‘Something up, Caramel?’ She asked.

‘Uh... it’s uh... well... I... uh’, Caramel said.

Carrot Top looked blankly at him; she would not be putting up with any of this crap. ‘Out, now, otherwise I’m going to hit you’.

‘I... uh, was wondering if maybe... you’d like to go to dinner with me?’ Caramel asked nervously.

It took a moment for Carrot Top to register that Caramel had just asked her out, and she frankly didn’t know how exactly to respond. It hit her that Caramel had a crush on her, and now it was blatantly obvious.

‘Uh...’ Carrot Top said.

Caramel looked extremely uneasy, like he was about to be sick. ‘Sorry forget I said anything bye!’ He said quickly and took off back towards town. Carrot Top’s ears began to droop; this was going to be incredibly awkward.

...

Trixie had taken to spooning her pillow, hugging it tightly and resting her head upon it like it was her lover. After she had climbed into bed, she had quickly nodded off to sleep, she’d been asleep for a while, dreaming of far off days gone by, where the name ‘The Great and Powerful Trixie’ still meant something.

She was awake now, it was three o’clock in the morning, and she had no idea why. Trixie found that she was unable to stop thinking about Berry Punch. Trixie had forced her into drinking again... and she felt bad about it.

When did she start caring about other ponies? Other ponies had never cared about her before. So why should she care? Trixie didn’t have an answer to any of these questions, and maybe that was the problem.

Trixie drank because she had been ruined in the eyes of her peers, and she drank because she was so, very, alone. Maybe that was the problem.

Trixie wanted a drink.

That thought brought her right back to Berry Punch, she had looked so sad, Trixie felt bad again, and then she thought about why she cared. Other ponies had never cared about her, why should she care about them? Trixie had no answers to this question, and maybe that was the problem.

Trixie wanted a drink.

This cycle of thoughts continued to occupy the magical mare’s mind for the entire night.

Eventually she fell asleep, and the thoughts continued to run through her mind. She decided that, when she awoke, she would seek Berry Punch out. Things needed to be set straight.

...

Colgate had set Berry Punch down on the sofa, and took up a place next to her. Berry Punch just lay still, sobbing quietly, tears streaming down her face and onto the sofa.

This was a common sight to be held at Colgate’s home. Ever since she first came to Ponyville what felt like ages ago. Berry Punch was Colgate’s first and, really her only friend. Colgate had something of a temper, and most of the ponies in town gave her a wide birth, except for Berry Punch. Berry Punch and Colgate, the drunk and the pony who could benefit anger management. Weren’t they just made for each other?

Colgate thought back to when she had first come to Ponyville. It seemed like it had been an eternity ago, Colgate had arrived in town from a place that none of the town ponies had ever even heard of before, and never would, because it was gone now. Now she worked in Doctor Nightly’s clinic as the receptionist and Berry Punch being her only friend. She glanced down to the hourglass cutie mark on her flank. It was the only thing she had of the place that she had come from before, and no one, not even Berry Punch knew what it meant.

And she could never tell.

Colgate lay down next to Berry Punch, wrapping her forelegs around her best friend and holding her close. Berry Punch had fallen asleep by this point, still crying in her sleep. Colgate huddled close to her friend and closed her eyes.

‘Don’t worry... everything will be okay, I promise’, Colgate whispered, knowing that Berry Punch couldn’t even hear her. Soon enough, Colgate drifted off to sleep.

...

It was the dead of night, Princess Luna looked out upon Canterlot, despite being late at night; the town below was still full of life. As such was normal in the big city. Princess Luna looked out to the horizon; she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Her ears began to twitch; she heard the rapid flutter of wings. She opened her eyes to discover that what she had been waiting for had finally arrived.

‘I was wondering if you were going to show up at all’, Princess Luna said with a smile. ‘Please, come inside, tell me everything’.

Comments

[DreadedCandiru2]

Well, it is clear that Trixie's feelings of self-loathing are running up against the conscience she's trying to drown. It's almost equally clear that Caramel is probably what Jay Kay called a space cowboy, that Colgate is really Romana of Gallifrey and that Luna's guest has something interesting to say. I just hope that it's her ear in the Nephite community.

[Fallen Knight]

Why do i have a feeling Legion is the mysterious visitor? probably because the visitor has wings *shrugs* or derpy is on a secret mission from god..err Luna

Lol so Doctor Whooves will have a comeback eventually if we again mention Gallopfrey