2: The Bartender
Time has a funny way of playing with ponies' minds. In the same way that a day will often feel longer than a week, Berry glanced at the clock in dread but was rewarded instead by the blessed sight of each of the old clock's hooves approaching a vertical position. The purple pony sighed in relief; midnight wasn't too bad a time to close up. The hard part was informing her patrons of the change.
With a strange mixture of excitement and dread, Berry Punch took a glass and rapped the side for everypony's attention. After a few moments, all eyes were on her; the bartender gulped before beginning to speak.
“Alright everypony, I need to close up a bit early tonight. You don't have to leave or anything, but I won't be selling any more drinks after midnight. Okay?”
This elicited a chorus of disappointed groans and sighs from the ponies, as well as a mad rush to get enough alcohol to last them through the remaining two hours. Berry made it through only by thinking of the respite that was coming in a few minutes. After five or ten minutes of back-and-forth between the counter and the drink racks, the line had cleared, all except for one pony wearing a stetson.
“Sugarcube,” began Applejack in a less-than-sober voice, “ya alright? Ya don' look so good, I been watchin' ya all night.”
Berry sucked in a sharp breath, caught off guard by the sudden question.
“Uh, yeah, I'm fine, Applejack. Just a little tired, is all.”
The orange mare gave Berry a look of concern that made her wonder whether or not Applejack saw through her little white lie. The purple pony set her expression in a firm stance that she hoped conveyed reassurance.
“Really, I'm okay. Go ahead and have some more fun with your friends,” said Berry Punch, a minuscule break in her facade slipping in during the last word or two. “I'm going to go have a nice talk with mine.”
With finality, the bartender turned away from Applejack and fetched the bottle of Punch. The farmer shook her head and went away, back to the far corner with the Mane Six. Armed with the legendary drink, Berry left the counter and drink racks behind, moving through the room towards the waving, gray pony sitting near the door. Berry finished the last leg of the trip and practically collapsed into the offered chair, setting the bottle onto the table with less reverence than it was due.
Looking up, she found the surprise of her life. Sitting at the table were four other ponies; Octavia, of course, but more interesting was that Derpy, Carrot Top, and Starshine were also present. Berry Punch was stunned into silence for a moment before she began sputtering an incoherent protest.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” said Berry, “when did you girls get here? Well, Derpy, I know you were here, but- but-” Octavia grinned mischievously as she gestured for the midnight blue unicorn to explain.
“You see, Berry, Octavia here was the one who recommended that I visit your establishment,” said Starshine, a teasing smile adorning her face. “We happened to meet at one of her more notorious performances, the Grand Galloping Gala. I'm sure you are acquainted with that.”
“Well, yeah,” said the purple mare, “it was kind of hard to not hear about that one. But, I mean, Octy, I thought it was just going to be you and me.”
“What kind of homecoming would it be for me if the whole gang wasn't here?” asked Octavia. “I mean, as it is, we're missing Vinyl and Redheart, and that's a third of us. I want some of my friends with me, I want to catch up with you girls, and what better way than all of us together?”
Berry's jaw worked up and down for a few moments before she came up with a cohesive response.
“Fair enough, but what about Starshine? I hardly know her,” said the purple pony.
“We are present at this moment, you know,” grumbled Starshine. Berry sighed an apology and rested her head in her hooves.
“Look, I know you're a decent pony, but we've only just met,” Berry said. “I'm not going to share my life's story with you yet. Would you mind?”
“Of course, Miss Punch,” assented the midnight mare. She stood up to leave. “The Punch was quite delectable, by the way. Perhaps we could speak again some-”
Starshine was interrupted by the clattering sounds of glasses being shattered.
“Tha's it, Rainbow Dash,” shouted somepony in a tipsy slur. “I seen you sneakin' those cards! You're a dirty cheater, you!”
The two ponies began throwing punches and wrestling and knocking into tables and making a general mess of the place. One was a rainbow-streaked blue blur, the other an orange juggernaut. A few obscenities flew hither and thither, prompting several of the less intoxicated ponies to wince.
Berry groaned audibly, trudged up to the bar where the mop was kept, and soaked the end in water from the nearby bucket. Gripping the tool tightly in her mouth, she strode towards the brawling pair with an air of resignation. Once in reach, she rapped the wet mop on their heads, eliciting grunts from the orange and blue ponies. She continued her focused attack, driving the two apart with a finesse born of experience. At last Berry separated them, and the three stood panting in the middle of the room, with dead silence in the air and all eyes on them.
“What do you two have to say for yourselves?” demanded Berry Punch, her tone unusually sharp, like that of an adult scolding a child.
Applejack and Rainbow Dash both looked away, like fillies caught red-hoofed.
“Well, shucks, sugarcube, I'm mighty sorry about what we done to your stuff,” said the orange mare. Although verbally apologizing, Applejack sounded like she still wanted to lunge at her rival.
“What we did?” the rainbow-maned pegasus shouted. “What AJ means is, what she did.”
“Now you jus' hold on one buckin'-”
Applejack was silenced by a wet mop to the face, which brought out a laugh from the blue pegasus. That too was quickly suppressed by the mop.
“Both of you are making a mess of my property,” said the purple pony. “I'm tired of it!”
Berry Punch tossed the mop to the ground at their hooves, then stormed off into the back room, her hooves making sharp clop sounds as they stomped forcefully against the hard wood floor.
===
Berry laid on the roof of her building, staring fixedly up at the stars. The night was incredibly comfortable, the air cool and sweet under the silvery light of the quarter moon. Berry took calm, measured breaths, trying to restrain the churning feelings threatening to burst out of her and throw themselves at the sky. She wasn't sure how long she stayed there in such a state, but it felt like a small eternity before she heard the sound of hooves approaching. The purple pony didn't bother to look up; she recognized Octavia by the distinct weight of each step of the hoof.
“Berry, what's wrong?” asked Octavia. “Seriously, you're acting really weird. What happened to the old Berry Punch, the one that let the chips fall as they may, that didn't have a care in the world? This is not like you.”
The bar owner gestured for her friend to come and lie next to her; Octavia obliged, and the two lay on the roof for a minute or so before Berry gestured with a hoof at the sky.
“Do you see those lights up there, Octy?” asked the purple mare. “Sometimes I think we all have one representing us.” She paused for a long time, and sporadic tears began to leak out of her eyes. “And I want so badly to... to be the brightest of them all.” Berry accompanied this with a gesture at the waning crescent moon.
Octavia wrapped a hoof around her friend's frame, and Berry leaned against her gray shoulder.
“I go to work every day, and it's always the same,” said the purple mare, her words and thoughts tumbling out in a flurry. “I have it down to a science, you know. I can run this bar blindfolded and with my hooves tied. And that's it; I'm a bartender, Octy, a bartender in a backwater town, but I want to be so much more. I mean, look at Rainbow Dash, she's the Best Young Flier in Equestria. Look at Twilight Sparkle, she's the Princess' personal student. The six of them even saved the world, for Celestia's sake. And I want to be like that. I don't want to be in the background anymore.”
Berry's light sobs choked out any further words. She pressed her face deeper into Octavia's shoulder, her tears dampening her friend's gray fur. Octavia patted her gently on the back and hugged her purple friend tightly, whispering comforting words to her.
“Shhh, shhh. I know, I know. I know what it's like to want to be somepony. I was there once,” said the musician. “I wanted to be the pony that everypony talks about. So you know what I did? I played my best, I practiced endlessly, and now here I am, performing at the Grand Galloping Gala. And you know what, Berry? It's not all it's cracked up to be.”
Berry looked up with a mix of surprise and disbelief.
“You're joking,” said the purple mare.
“No, I'm not. The biggest thing I learned was that being famous was not the same thing as being somepony,” said Octavia, a knowing and tender smile adorning her face. “No, there are ponies that wreck their lives and get paid millions of bits for it. They have all the things they could ever want, but it's not enough.” Octavia paused for a moment before continuing.
“You see, Berry, sometimes it's better to stay hidden in the background than to come out into the forefront.”
The purple pony let out a last sniffle or two even as she nodded for her friend to continue.
“You've got everything you want already,” said Octavia, nudging her friend with a hoof. “You should've seen everypony's reaction when you stomped out like that. They all wanted to come up and see what was the matter.
“It's true,” said the musician, answering Berry's suspicious look. “Derpy and Carrot Top calmed them all down, and everypony helped clean up all the mess, and even started up a collection to pay for the damage. You should've seen Applejack, she was almost crying, she felt so bad. I guess my point is, Berry, that you have so much more love than you can even know. The love of your neighbors is in the friendly hello at the marketplace, the warm smiles during a conversation, the minutes you spend waiting together in line at Sugarcube Corner. You just don't see it, because it's in the little things.
“And before I forget, you know that I can't go without a good drink every now and then. So, living in Canterlot, I have access to many of the classier clubs. And you know what? They can't compare at all to the love that surrounds the Punch Bowl. Up in Canterlot, all of the fancy bars are as cold as ice and lofty as the stars. You'd be surprised how many side conversations I've been a part of where the Punch Bowl becomes the subject of wistful thoughts. The work, the life that you put into the Punch Bowl makes it more than just a business- it's a legend. You know what that means, Berry? You already are somepony, not just a bartender- you are the bartender.”
A soft smile broke into the purple pony's countenance.
“You still say 'you know what' way too much,” said Berry. Both ponies giggled a bit.
The purple mare smiled wider, and felt laughter beginning to bubble up inside of her; it was a feeling she hadn't had in a long time. Berry laughed a good, hearty laugh and it felt fantastic. She gripped her friend in a light-hearted hug, her enthusiasm infecting the gray musician. The two shared a moment of giggling before they heard a relieved sigh from the opening into the building.
Whipping around to see who was there, both were surprised to see Starshine.
“Oh, hey,” said Berry, her shoulders and posture relaxed, but healthy. “How long have you been standing there?”
“Long enough,” replied Starshine. She looked up at the stars. “That was an interesting comparison you made. One that I am quite familiar with.”
Berry cocked her head inquisitively. Starshine smiled a wicked grin, and her horn began to glow. Before the purple pony's eyes, the slight frame of the strange unicorn distorted and grew until standing proudly before them was none other than Princess Luna. Octavia bowed respectfully, and her eyes widened when Berry didn't do the same.
Instead, the purple pony walked right up to the midnight alicorn and wrapped her in a big bear hug.
“Heya, Princess!” said Berry. “I didn't recognize you in your disguise. It was pretty clever, actually.”
Luna was stunned for a moment at the levity with which this purple pony treated her royal presence.
“Thy- Your lightness of spirit, it is... most intriguing,” said the princess. “Most ponies tremble at our approach. You simply treat us- me- as a normal pony.”
Berry Punch released the bear hug and took a step back.
“Oh, well, I guess if you wanted me to, I could-”
“No, no, it is quite alright,” interrupted Luna. “I would welcome such behavior from my subjects.”
Berry beamed.
“And, ah, while we are on the topic of behavior, I would like to commend you for yours, Berry Punch,” said the princess, a glimmering smile appearing on her face. “You were willing to part with something of great value to a stranger, out of kindness alone. I thank you for that, and I promise, it will not be forgotten.”
“Well, thank you, Luna,” said the purple pony, “but it was nothing. I mean, any pony would have done the same.”
“No, my little pony, and that is what makes you the perfect choice for the assignment I had in mind,” the princess said, obviously pleased by Berry's reply. “As you know, I was... away for a long time, and I am still in the process of adjusting to the times. If you noticed, I still slip into the old way of speaking when I am anxious. Anyway, I want you to help me. I need to learn what normal life is like in Equestria these days, and using a disguise is an excellent way to do that.
“Therefore, I request that you show me around Ponyville for a time, so that I may gain a feel for the societal patterns of the age. Also, when I cannot be here, I request that you send me letters detailing your day-to-day experiences. I am certain you are familiar with the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, and that they send reports on friendship to my sister; I ask that you do the same for me, only that nopony be privy to the knowledge of it. Are you up to the task, Berry Punch?”
Berry rubbed a hoof against her chin for a moment before offering her hoof to Luna. The princess stared at it curiously.
“Er, Miss Punch, why are you pointing your hoof at me?”
“I'm not pointing at you, I'm offering to shake on it,” explained Berry. “Alright, lesson number one; a pony that offers their hoof like so is asking you to shake it, like this.” The purple pony demonstrated with a smiling Octavia, who had receded into the background during this exchange. “Usually a hoofshake is a sign of trust, good faith, and friendliness.”
“I... see. It is an interesting custom, certainly.”
Berry continued to discuss hoof-shaking and other modern customs with Luna as the purple mare trotted back into her building's interior, leading the princess. Octavia waited a moment before coming after them, a faint smile on her lips.
The ponies in the bar all sat around in their chairs, their half-glazed eyes reflecting a general feeling of concern. Many tapped their hooves anxiously or twitched their tails. When at last there came the sound of hooves clopping through the back room, everypony, regardless of their level of intoxication, became unnaturally silent and still in anticipation.
Berry Punch trotted slowly out of the back room and into the main area behind the counter. She whispered something in a low tone to Starshine, who was directly behind her; the loudness of her whisper forced her to notice just how quiet the room was. Standing near the front of the now-spotless bar were Rainbow Dash and Applejack, both looking uncomfortable and apologetic. Rainbow Dash stepped forward, rubbing a hoof nervously through her mane.
“Uh, hey Berry,” Dash began, her voice tinny compared to her normal volume, “Me and AJ are, uh, really sorry about what happened, and, uh-”
“Oh, that?” said the bar owner, cutting of Rainbow mid-sentence. “I understand, it happens sometimes. Just try not to do it again, okay?” Then, turning to the rest of the ponies, she continued, her speech more robust than the last time she'd spoken to the group. “And seriously, what's up with you all? It's like a tomb in here.”
At that, there was an audible, collective sigh in the room, and the buzz of conversation once again filled the warm hall.
Smiling at the spirit that permeated the familiar space, Berry held out a hoof to stop the two former combatants from leaving. They cocked their heads in sync, waiting to hear what the purple pony had to say.
“I know you wanted to apologize, Rainbow,” said Berry, “but really, I'm the one who should be apologizing to you and your friends.”
Applejack shook her head and was about to protest, but Berry Punch continued despite it.
“I overreacted to you two, and for that, I'm sorry. I, uh, I was kind of jealous of you, and that might have had something to do with it,” said Berry, a blush creeping onto her face.
“Jealous? Of me?” the farmer asked, her eyebrows raised doubtfully.
“Well, really it's you and Rainbow, and Twilight, and Pinkie and the others. I wanted to be somepony important, that pony that everypony knows, and you all were outshining me. I guess I let that affect my attitude towards you.”
“Shucks, sugarcube, it's all good,” said Applejack. She ran a hoof through her mane, looking down at the floor with a bit of color creeping into her cheeks.
“Yeah, really, you don't have to apologize. It's natural to be jealous of a pony like me,” Dash said, which earned her a sharp jab in the side from her orange rival. “Hey!”
Berry smiled and left the two to their argument. She sat on her haunches, leaning comfortably on the counter. She heard a pony come up next to her, and glanced over to see Starshine grinning at her.
“You seem to have come to the knowledge of some great truth; perhaps you wouldn't mind sharing?” asked the midnight pony.
“Sure!” Berry enthused. “I learned that when you're feeling like you're a nopony in the background, just remember that you are surrounded by the love and friendship of countless ponies, even if it doesn't always make itself apparent.”
“Very insightful, Miss Punch. You have quite the level head for a pony as young as yourself,” commented Starshine. “That is a lesson that I have unfortunately had to learn the hard way.” A wistful gleam flashed in her eyes for a brief moment. “But enough of that, I had another thing I wanted to mention. You may not know it, but before my exile I was known for my patronage of the arts, including that of the brewery. As a matter of fact, I used to make my own special Moonshine, and your Punch tasted almost exactly like it. I would love to spend some time with you going over it, if you are free.”
Berry gasped.
“You know the recipe for it?”
“Of course I do; I created it,” said Starshine with a wink.
The purple pony let out a whoop and grabbed the midnight unicorn in a giant hug. At that, Octavia approached from her vantage point and tapped Berry lightly on the shoulder.
“Does this mean you're back to normal? No more depressed Berry Punch?”
“Yes, Octy, I'm done being depressed. How can I not be, when I have you all? Speaking of which,” said the purple pony, dropping her hug with Starshine and turning to address the other ponies in the bar. “The Punch Bowl will be staying open until normal time, everypony! And you know what, drinks are on the house!”
Everypony in the bar drank their fill and laughed and partied until the night began to give way to dawn. Pinkie Pie whipped out her party cannon and produced something akin to a massive flash rave party, somehow acquiring and setting up strobe lights throughout the room. Octavia played a quick and lively melody on her cello, accompanied by Lyra and Noteworthy. Everypony contributed something, no matter how small, and everything that could possibly go wrong did; this was likely due to the high amounts of alcohol imbibed by all involved. Fortunately, though, somepony always had a solution, and the multitude of problems that arose faded into the past just as quickly as they arose.
After several ponies began to collapse from exhaustion and intoxication, Berry began to shoo the revelers away, but each insisted on staying to help clean up. Finally, after the very last pony, Octavia, had left the bar, Berry was left standing alone in the room, a tired smile on her face and a crooked party hat resting on her head.
She surveyed the bar; it looked cleaner than it had in months. Sighing contentedly, the purple pony ambled up to her bedroom on the second floor. Berry collapsed onto her bed, on the verge of passing out from giddy exhaustion.
“My name is Berry Punch,” she mumbled to herself as she began to drift off, “and I am the bartender.”
High above in the night sky, a bright star twinkled.
Also LikedSimilarAuthor
- LordOfTape · 18k words · 39 3 · 2.2k views
- Zeck · 14k words · 34 1 · 793 views
- FlutterDash777 · 19k words · 58 5 · 2.4k views
- generalsnaz · 135k words · 436 12 · 7.1k views
- starshine_dash · 28k words · 161 9 · 3.6k views
- The Bricklayer · 4.5k words · 68 3 · 1.4k views
- Jersey Lightning · 1.2k words · 89 3 · 1.4k views
Stats
Page generated in 0.079 seconds
Total duration
984 users online
1,989,487 hits today, 2,167,270 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
I've had this sitting around in a state of partial completion for several months now, and I finally decided to polish it up and publish it. Feedback is greatly appreciated, as always. Also, this story has no relation to "A Pony Walks Into A Bar"; I began work on my story a loooong time before I saw that in the featured box.
1374458
I appreciate the grammar help, every little bit counts. And I am very glad you enjoyed it, it was very fun to write.
Wow, thanks so much!
1374558
And that's awesome, nothing's more important than to enjoy what you're writing.
Glad I could be of help!
Berry Punch is best pony.
The having her send letters to Luna felt stilted, but the rest flowed well and gave nice insight to Berry Punch.
And, of course, all the backgrounders know each other. Octavia is rather inspirational at times, isn't she?
1375899
Thanks for pointing that out. And thanks for taking the time to comment!
Hm. Yeah, that was a little over the top, wasn't it.
I finally got to read this story.
Good work and a good read.
A nice little fic with a good message and good writing. Thanks for the read!
This was an amazing little story.
1380479>>1405307>>1435070
Thank you! I'm glad you all enjoyed it.
1435441 It'd be awesome if you'd make a sequal.
I had all da feels.
Well played my friend. I look forward to more in this little world of Berry Punch letter to Luna you've set up. True, it did seem a tad stilted, but you recovered very quickly and made it work.
So in short hand:
files.sharenator.com/moar10-s750x600-263864.jpg
2511626
Wow, thanks! I did try really hard to flesh it out, so I'm glad you picked up on that! I'll do my best to keep it up in future side stories.