Diamond in the Rough

by Wheller

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Trixie awoke to discover that the sun was shining in her face. She raised a hoof over her face, attempting to shield her eyes from the light. She sat up in bed, rubbing the sleepiness from her eyes and yawning loudly. Her head pounded and she felt nauseous.

She needed a drink, of water. Trixie had long since discovered that hair of the dog didn’t work when it came to hangovers. She trotted down the stairs into the kitchen and used her magic to fetch a glass of water, downing the entire thing in less than ten seconds. Trixie looked around to discover that the baby dragon of whom the name that Trixie could never remember was not in the kitchen making breakfast as he usually did.

‘Baby Dragon!?’ Trixie called out. ‘Trixie wonders where you are!’

‘I have a name, you know!’ the baby dragon of whom the name that Trixie could never remember called out, though from where Trixie could not tell.

‘And Trixie does not remember it’, Trixie said. She wasn’t about to ask, and the baby dragon of whom the name that Trixie could never remember wasn’t going to tell, both of them acting out of their mutual spite for each other.

Wait. Maybe that was it? Spite? Was that the name of the baby dragon of whom the name that Trixie could never remember? It sounded sort of familiar, though Trixie eventually dismissed it. Why would Twilight Sparkle name the baby dragon of whom the name that Trixie could never remember Spite? That was silly.

‘I’m not making breakfast for you until you remember my name!’ the baby dragon of whom the name that Trixie could never remember called out from wherever he was.

‘Fine!’ Trixie called back. ‘Trixie thinks you are a terrible cook anyway’.

The baby dragon of which the name that Trixie could never remember offered no reply, Trixie however did not wait for one; instead, she trotted down out of the library towards that obnoxious looking bakery with the obnoxious name that Trixie refused to acknowledge, hoping that she would actually be able to find a decent breakfast there for once.

Trixie pushed open the door of the obnoxious looking building that resembled a gingerbread house and looked around. It was still somewhat early in the morning, but there were a few ponies inside. A crème coloured pony with three pieces of candy for a cutie mark was speaking to the owner, the yellow coated lanky stallion with the over enlarged jaw. Both of whom had names that were so obvious that it was comical. Trixie knew them, but she didn’t acknowledge them for the same reason. Trixie walked up to the counter and began to look around at what was on display.

The other owner, the mare that looked more like a blueberry than a pony trotted up to her. ‘Can I help you?’ she asked.

‘Trixie would like a cinnamon muffin’, Trixie said simply, though rather haughtily, expressing her disdain for the establishment and its silliness though her tone. The blueberry shaped pony retrieved one from her.

‘Two pounds one shilling’, the blueberry mare said.

‘What?’ Trixie asked, that was an outrage! She took a closer look at the price sign. ‘The sign says sixpence!’

The blueberry mare took a look at the sign, picking it up and examining it closely. ‘Ah, yes it does’, she said simply, she picked up a pencil in her teeth and scribbled out the ‘6d’ and replaced it with ‘£2 1s’.

Trixie looked blankly at her as she replaced the price sign and watched as the Blueberry mare smiled at her.

‘Two pounds one shilling please’, the blueberry mare said with a smile.

Trixie scowled at the owner, however she was hungry, so she dug through her saddlebag and dug out the necessary bits and plunked them down on the counter.

‘Thank you! Come again!’ the Blueberry mare said, handing the muffin over. Trixie enveloped it in her magic and began to eat. Well, it was good; at least she could say that. As she left, Trixie noticed out of the corner of her eye that the blueberry mare had taken the price sign out again, and had scribbled out ‘£2 1s’ and had replaced it again with ‘6d’.

Trixie glanced behind her again, she had thought she’d heard something, a faint noise that sounded like the fluttering of wings; she looked out in front of her to see the town’s mailmare. The pale yellow pegasus with the blue mane, a cutie mark of several droplets of water was making her rounds. Trixie attributed the noise to her and continued about on her way.

...

Carrot Top was not looking forward to work this morning. She had just finished watering her carrots and had stepped onto the road for the short walk down to Sweet Apple Acres. She and the Apple family were literally next door neighbours, though technically, the Apples owned everything in the surrounding vicinity except for the five hundred square metres of land that her home sat on. Which was fine, Carrot Top didn’t need much more than that, she grew carrots and various other vegetable crops, though, if she needed more space to grow, the Apples were certainly more than willing to let her it spill over onto what was technically theirs. They were good ponies, and that was why Carrot Top had been glad to help out.

Though after what had happened with Caramel yesterday? Carrot Top was more than a little nervous. It was going to be awkward. It was his turn to sell today, so he’d be gone most of the day... but still.

Carrot Top didn’t know how she felt about it, to be perfectly honest, Caramel was a nice enough colt. He tried hard; even though he was a little spacey... well, more than a little spacey.

Carrot top was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn’t noticed that she had walked into him until several seconds, sending her face beet red.

Though for some odd reason, Caramel too was blushing hard.

‘H-hi Carrot Top’, Caramel said nervously.

‘Oh... uh, hey Caramel’, Carrot Top was just as nervous, why was she nervous? It was only Caramel, they’d been working together for the last fortnight or so, why was she nervous now? She’d never been nervous around Caramel before.

‘Uh... I guess... we should get started, huh?’ Caramel asked.

‘Uh... yeah, I guess so...’ Carrot Top said. Her face was burning red with embarrassment.

Behind her Carrot Top heard and odd noise, she looked around and found that there was nothing behind her. It was so strange, it sounded like a bird or something, the fluttering of wings.

‘Carrot Top?’ Caramel asked.

‘I’m fine’, Carrot top said. ‘Let’s get to work’.

Today was going to be a long day.

...

Colgate had not slept at all that night, she lie awake, holding Berry Punch close to her, stroking the mare gently, trying to comfort her, trying to let her know that she wasn’t alone. Berry Punch had fallen asleep long ago; she probably couldn’t even feel Colgate’s touch.

Berry Punch’s eyes slowly opened and she sat up and looked around. She then glanced back towards Colgate, who smiled at her.

‘Hey Berry’, Colgate said quietly. ‘You okay?’

Berry Punch made a small sniffle noise and shook her head.

‘I hurt all over’, Berry Punch said, tears began to flow down her face as she looked down at her friend. ‘Please help me Colgate... I need a drink! I want the pain to go away!’

Colgate’s chest felt heavy at Berry Punch’s words. It was heart breaking to see her friend in so much pain. Berry Punch had laid herself down on the floor and was beginning to shake. Withdrawal was a terrible, terrible thing.

When Berry Punch had been sober for ten days, she had come to her, pulled her aside and made Colgate sware to her, that no matter how much she begged, no matter how much she pleaded for Colgate to let her have a drink, that she would not let her. Colgate had promised to Berry Punch that she would never let her drink again.

Now here she was, looking at her best friend as she lay on the floor in so much pain. Colgate had let Berry Punch down, but she could only imagine how much worse it was for her. Berry Punch had let herself down.

Berry Punch had had a child once, several years ago; she had gotten pregnant after a drunken romp with a stallion from out of town. She’d given birth to a daughter. Several months ago, social services had taken her daughter away from her. She had a sister, much younger than her, but after her drinking problem became public, her parents kept the two of them apart. Berry Punch was alone. Because of her problem, she had no friends in town with the exception of Colgate. She was so incredibly alone.

Colgate had problems of her own; it was hard for her to be the caring, nurturing, loving force that Berry Punch needed in her life. Colgate desperately wanted to be that for Berry Punch, she cared about her very much and she knew that Berry Punch cared about her.

Colgate was carrying a lot of emotion from her old life, she had a lot of anger about what had happened to her, but she couldn’t share it. She had to keep it bottled up because no one would understand even if she told them about it. Colgate got down on the floor and huddled next to Berry Punch, holding her closely. This wasn’t enough, but it would have to do.

Her ears twitched, Colgate began to hear something that sounded like the fluttering of wings, but when she looked around her home, she found that nothing was there. Nothing at all.

Comments

[DreadedCandiru2]

1) Again with the whole "Trixie does not care to remember names" thing? It's kind of no wonder that the Cakes are playing "Gouge the idiot."
2) I doubt that the locals will treat Raindrops half as shabbily as they did Ditzy.
3) Carrot Top is still conflicted about how she feels about Caramel.
4) Colgate is still sort of messed up from the Time Wars.
5) Would my guessing that, even if I don't know who or what Luna met with last chapter, "it" is in Ponyville elicit the reaction "Spoilers!!"?