//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 - Razzled Berries 
// Story: Fermented Hearths 
// by Test4Echo 
//------------------------------//

Distant starlight twinkled in the frigid night air. Painting the quiet town of Ponyville in a soft and subtle glow, they left more than a few ponies wandering outside on such a cold evening in mild wonder. As the days had grown cooler and Nightmare Night passed everycreature had begun to put their attention toward the other most popular holiday of the year, Hearth's Warming. Brilliant garlands and vivid ribbons adorned various buildings throughout Ponyville. In the center of town, near the town hall, a massive pine had been chopped, set up, and decorated with assorted baubles.

Passersby would take a moment to stare at the wondrous display of old and new magic. Because Ponyville was one of the earliest adopters—and testbeds—of the Manehattan-invented matrix power system, strings of magically-powered lights ran up the branches like multicolored shooting stars. Their steady glow reflected off the old-style ornaments, making their basic enchantments glimmer even brighter.

Some ponies, and especially newcomers from foreign lands, had yet to fully adopt the Hearth's Warming cheer. Their houses stuck out like dark, sore hooves. Foggily musing on the figurative black holes of holiday cheer, Berry Punch observed a hippogriff immigrant leave one of the homes and daintily hang up a single, faint light over the door.

From her vantage point at one of the booths near the bar of The Smiling Mare, Berry tiredly fiddled with one of her emptied glasses, drawing a few doodles in the condensation on the glass. Tendrils of ice slowly crept up the exterior wall's window panes, looking like long, reaching grabbers ready to wrap their lengths around anything that got in their way.

She had been raptly watching them, her mind practically empty of whatever thoughts that had plagued them earlier in the day. Almost nothing remained in her brain as she eventually downed another shot of her drink. She winced at the fiery sensation of the liquor sliding down her throat, and she finally gave a small sigh as it rested in her gut. Absentmindedly, she lazily drew a quick, squiggly-lined pony looking back at her with a smoochy face. It made her snigger.

As the shot sent a small radiance of warmth through her, she shivered and poured herself another from the half-consumed bottle of vodka that had been left for her. Unfortunately, the tender, Straight Shot, had only given her a small bottle, so she had had to gingerly meter out how much she drank. She had to make sure that it lasted as long as the other ones she had out, after all.

Filling the shot glass to the brim, she downed it and then coughed, flicking one of her ears as she heard the doors to The Smiling Mare open and the customers be greeted by Flowery Prance. From the back kitchen, somepony swore as there was a crash and clatter, and then there was a howl as a cat bolted from behind the bar and out into the night.

"If I see Fluttershy and that walking flea-breeding-ground again, I'll—" began Charred Grill as he charged out of the kitchen after the cat. When he saw that the customers, even Berry, were staring at him, his flushed face switched from rage to sheepishness, and he went back into the kitchen, grumbling.

Soon enough, the din of conversation returned as ponies at different booths chattered at each other, each completely focused on their own little lives. A crackling fireplace in the corner near Berry provided a bit of extra warmth along with the vodka, but she still felt cold. Some of it must have been seeping in from the windows.

"Berry!"

With a jolt, Berry unsteadily twirled toward the voice that had called her. In the process, one of her hooves crashed against the two or three empty pint glasses that she'd had earlier, and almost knocked them over. A pale grey glow of magic encompassed them, as Straight Shot, who was standing in front of her table, sighed and shook his head.

"Horseapples," Berry slurred a bit as she tried to straighten herself up. Although she had been staring at the ice forming on the window for so long, she found it difficult to keep her vision steady on him. Holding back a small burp, Berry asked, "W-What is it, Shotty?" She giggled. "Here to get me another?"

Straight stared at her for a moment. Bringing the pint glasses next to him, he stated, "Berry, you shouldn't have any more. Besides, you still haven't paid your tab." He tapped the long list of items that had been scratched onto a large piece of paper that was now resting on her table. Berry squinted to try and make out what was on them.

When she did, her vision started to cloud, and she muttered, "Since when did I have tw-tw-twenty Cattle Buckers?"

"You had two," Straight replied. Sighing, he listed off what she had had for the night. "One small bottle of vodka." He glanced over and added, "Half-finished. Four Crimson Comet Ales, two large glasses of Prenchian Pinot, two Cattle Buckers, and three Golden Harvest Lagers." At that, he ripped off the paper and then slammed it down on the table.

Berry winced. It was starting to get a bit hard to concentrate, but she was pretty sure she got all that.

"Come on, Shotty," Berry drawled, leaning forward a bit and smiling awkwardly at him. Although her body felt a bit numb, she could sense that she was flushed and made sure she poured on as much charm as she could. Something she was very good at whenever she was loosened up a bit. If anypony were to ask her, that is. "Can't you just give me a teensy bit more?" She swallowed hard as another burp threatened to break out.

Straight gritted his teeth, and he politely retorted, "Berry, I just can't keep giving you drinks. There are laws about this." At Berry's rather crestfallen expression, he rubbed his forehead and looked back at the rest of the clientele in the room.

At the moment, he and she were completely unnoticed, their growing disagreement the least of anypony's thoughts. Through her doubled tunnel vision, Berry could see that there was an argument raging within himself on what he should do.

Cracking her neck once and shifting herself a bit closer toward him, she grinned. "Hey, it's me, Shotty! You know my limit. Do I look like I hit it?" She giggled.

"If I say yes, will you not cuss me out like last time?"

"N-N-N-Nope."

Glaring at her for a moment, Straight finally grunted and growled, "Celestia dammit, Berry, fine!" He leaned forward, which caused her to stagger back into her seat. From her prone position, she gave a weak and awkward wave and giggled uncontrollably. When her laughter finally died down, Straight huffed, "I've seen you walk off worse. Pay up now, and I'll get you one more thing." He held his forehooves close. "And it'll be tiny, got it?!"

"Y-Yes sir, commander, sir!" Berry cried, making a sloppy, mocking salute. Straight just snorted and motioned for Berry to pay up. While she eased herself back up onto the booth's bench seat, he cleaned up the rest of her glasses, and took away the bottle of vodka. At that, Berry let out a soft whine.

"I'm not letting you spike your drinks like last time, Ber," he huffed. After setting everything onto the bar, he waited, impatiently, for Berry to dig out her money purse and give him the bits she needed to pay.

When she finally found it, craftily buried underneath her scarf and toque, she paused as peered at the list of drinks. "Say," she asked, "did you add another zero to this one?" She tapped, off-mark, next to the line with her lagers.

"No," Straight retorted back. "Each one costs twelve bits, Ber. They've cost that for a while. Thirty-six bits for those, and then another—" Quickly furrowing his brow, he did the mental math on the drinks. "Another ninety-six for everything else. Grand total, one-thirty-four." He tapped on the table. "If you so please."

"Fine, fine," Berry griped. Cracking open her money purse, she rifled through her money and began to pull out, as best she could, the proper tender. Each coin clanked loudly on the tabletop, partly to make a point, partly because she could barely keep from keeling over every time she placed it down. "Damn bucking inflation."

When she had finally placed everything on the table, she pushed herself back and glowered at him with every bit of frustration she could muster. Straight could barely hold back a chuckle at her expression, though, as he swiftly counted through the money. "What else do you want, Ber?" he inquired.

"Another Lager," she huffed. "Give me the kiddie size." A soft pout worked its way onto her face as Straight mentally recorded her request.

"Be thankful that I'm an honest barkeep, Ber," he stated as he swiped the money that was on the table into a small pouch on his chest. "You gave me one-forty. That'll cover the lager. If I wanted to swindle you, I'd just ask for more." At that, he turned and added, "Just be really thankful. 'Tis the season, and all that."

"Yeah, yeah," she dismissed. Angrily, she waved him away with a hoof. Who was he to cut her off just when she started feeling comfortable again? Well, aside from being bucking freezing, but that was beside the point. Just to keep herself a bit warmer, she wobblingly wrapped her scarf around her neck and pulled part of it up toward her muzzle. She shivered again.

It didn't take her long, though, for her to pull it back as the smell of booze filled her nose from her own breath. As she did that, Straight came back with a pint-sized—unfortunately not literally—glass of the golden beauty itself. Its head was still frothing and foaming with minute bubbles, all begging for her to imbibe them and feel the sweet, delicious bite of hops on her tongue.

"Not so fast, my pretty," slurred Berry as she gently wrapped a forehoof around the glass and took a sip. The sugary head carried only the hint of the hoppy body, tantalizing her with an appetizer of the flavors to come. Most of the conversations around her had dimmed to a drone, mainly because she found it harder to even hear her own words, let alone think her own thoughts.

Shaking her head a couple of times, she ridded herself momentarily of the doubled glass, since she needed to focus to keep that golden liquid safe inside. She turned to wave appreciatively at the bar, where Straight had gone back around to service another customer.

When he noticed her, he just gave her a tired nod, his greyish eyes glowing with uncertainty toward her. She just stuck out her tongue playfully and motioned for him to straighten up his spiky, short dark green mane. He simply nickered back and poured the customer their drink.

She went back to nursing her beer, taking occasional sips until she got to about halfway through the glass. It had barely lasted her two minutes.

Groaning and letting go of the glass for a second, she rubbed her forehead as she heard Flowery Prance trot by. The faint whiff of something delicious caught her nose, and Berry mournfully whimpered as she felt her money purse. Briefly following the waitress bringing another table its customers' delightfully foamy ciders, Berry held back a small cough, which was almost followed by a retch.

Breathing rapidly for a moment, she kept her queasiness down, mostly by taking another sip of her drink. When her stomach stopped gurgling and complaining, she peered into the crowd, as she thought she maybe heard a familiar voice. She maybe saw Carrot Top, but it was hard to say. Everything was a bit foggy. Had Charred Grill burned something else?

She couldn't keep it up for long, as the bright chandeliers on the ceiling started to sear into her eye sockets. Whimpering and falling back into her seat, she looked at her beer, the bubbles within the drink itself creating columns of enticing ecstasy, and she blubbered to herself, "What're you doing here, Ber?"

It wasn't uncommon for her to grab a beer or two after work, especially once it got colder and she needed something to keep her blood pumping and warm. Plus, it helped to calm her nerves after a long day dealing with ponies at Ponyville's only bank. Since Twilight's School of Friendship showed up, they'd had to start fielding both normal transactions, plus working with larger institutions and even banks in other countries, to facilitate student loans for internationals.

Assuming, of course, that said country the student was coming from even had a banking infrastructure. Yaks, for example, believed that everything should have just been tit-for-tat. While admirable that they were so family-focused and community-minded, an IOU in place of tens of thousands of bits effectively meant indentured servitude for either the student or the parent or guardian enrolling them.

That didn't go well, but thankfully only a couple of her staff had had to be taken to hospital with broken spines, so it was covered by insurance. Except then premiums went up, and then yaks began to badmouth her branch and all of it just meant she needed something more to calm herself.

Granted, that was the first year the school was open, and now that Twilight was in charge of Equestria, standardizations were coming in across Equus and Griffonia. Still didn't stop the stress of managing the bank, though. Especially today, since she had to explain in excruciating detail to an older griffon why the school cost money. Being verbally assaulted was just a bonus, as well as the griffon's flawless logic that his daughter would be worth more to sell later if she graduated.

Not only was economics 101 in order, but calling Canterlot's diplomatic corps later about the incident was even more fun. Simply thinking on what hazy events she could recall made her drain the rest of her drink without a second thought.

As the last bitter traces of the hops faded from her mouth, she woozily smacked the glass down and exclaimed, "One more!" She winced at the piercing headache that was building in her temples, worsened by her outburst.

When Straight didn't come back to her, she whipped her head to glare at him. As she did, her whole world swam, and darkness started to creep in along the very edges of her peripheral vision. Holding her head in a hoof for a second, she then snapped, "Ey! Shotty! Another!"

A few ponies stopped their jabbering to glower at her, but she paid them absolutely zero attention. Straight Shot finished filling a pint glass for a new customer, and then he brushed down his greyish fur coat. Trotting from behind the bar to grab Berry's empty glass, which still carried some rings of bubbles inside it, he simply stated, "No. That was the last one, Ber. Yell all you want, but you're not getting any more tonight."

"W-Wh—" Berry stammered as her mind momentarily lit up in anxiety. "I-I was just getting started, Shotty! I had a long day at—"

"You've been here for three hours!" Straight shot back. At that, Berry fell back with a whine, a couple of tears bubbling to the surface as she looked at Straight in fear. He glanced at her with worry, and then his posture slumped. "Look, Ber, sorry for snapping at you, but still." He put the glass on the bar. "You've been here since you got off work. You just... need to call it for the night."

Berry didn't respond. Instead, a soft choking sound escaped her lips before she burst out into proper sobs as she rested both her front hooves on the table and cried into them. Immediately making a shushing noise, Straight rushed over, especially after he spotted his manager, Keen Figures looking out from his office. Patting Berry comfortingly a couple of times, Straight stated, "Hey, hey, it's all right. I'm not mad at you."

"But you yelled at me!" Berry bawled.

"Okay, I did. I shouldn't have done that." Straight shushed her again. "Ber, it's been a tough day. I get it. But you need to go home. Sleep this off. Things will be better tomorrow." Under his breath, he grunted, "Minus the migraine."

"Is it Berry again?" Keen asked as he started to move toward Straight and Berry. At Straight's nod, he huffed, "Celestia, Twilight, Luna, Cadance." Grinding his teeth firmly, he snorted, "Cut her off yet?" When Straight nodded, Keen grumped, "Well, send her off." He checked the clock. "If you want, escort her back. It ain't a break, though."

As he marched off, Keen grumbled, "I swear, she's going to make this entire establishment run dry."

"Okay, okay," Straight stated as Berry began to calm down. Only a few sniffles came from her shaking form. Gently pulling her chin up, Straight asked, "Do you want me to help you home?" With a yelp, he was squeezed tight as Berry leaned forward into a hug and pulled him tight. "I-Is that a yes?" he prodded, coughing a couple of times as Berry constricted him further.

"N-No!" Berry replied cheerfully. "I-I got this. Thanks for being a pal, buddy!" Instead of giving him a noogie like she intended, she gave one of his cheeks a firm squish a few times and almost bopped him in his right eye. She released him, which made him gasp for air, and then she flopped over to grab her toque.

"I really should go back with you, Ber," Straight insisted, returning to the bar and grabbing his own scarf and toque. As he fastened some boots onto his hooves, he looked up to see that Berry had already stumbled her way to the exit. A few ponies had followed her jerking movements with their eyes.

"I'm good!" Berry screamed, resting heavily on the door out and waving back at him. "Stay straight, Shotty!" Unsteadily standing on her hind hooves, she pointed randomly in both directions at different customers. "And buck you all! I'm out!"

Before Straight could protest any further, or go after her, she pushed the doors open and then staggered out into the cold night. As she did, she almost bumped into a couple of customers who were outside. "Excuse you," she stuttered, feeling the absolutely frigid snow bore into her hooves and fetlocks.

The air was silent in the early winter night, as the pegasi had fulfilled their snow quotas for that time of year, leaving the surface of pretty much everything white, although Ponyville's houses were far from encased, like they would be in another month. Each step she took lightly crunched and scrunched underneath her hooves.

"Scrunch. Crunch. Scrunch. Scrunch. Crunch. Uh..." she mumbled to herself as she swaggered along, with every few steps causing her gait to grow unsteady. Every minute that she was out, she felt like her body was growing number and more deadened, which was totally fine with her. Forgetting the events of the day tended to be a plus of her endurance sessions at the pub. In fact, when her head wasn't pounding in pain, the buzzing and floaty feeling she had felt awesome.

Did she even have a day today? She couldn't remember it. It was great!

No stupid customers. No stupid employees. Just her and her booze. Just like how it'd be on Hearth's Warming, too.

She licked her lips. A special surprise from her, just for her, was in the making, if she remembered rightly. If she remembered at all. If she didn't, then she probably would have to write down the list of Hearth's Warming presents from herself to herself. Perhaps some different drinks from Canterlot, or maybe the new Griffonian schnaps that had been imported recently, or whatever the buck those kirins made over in Kiria...

As she was contemplating her wide choices of treats, she paused and felt a wave of nausea wash over her. Holding a hoof to her mouth, she did manage to keep things at bay, although she tasted a bit of bile in the back of her mouth.

She looked to the nearest street light. On it, a sign marking a street was something that she could discern, but aside from that, she couldn't quite tell what it said. Had she been going the right way? She was heading to The Smiling Mare, right?

Smiling happily, she staggered a bit closer to the streetlight, and she giggled, "Maybe just a little peek." Then she fell forward, directly into a small bank of snow around the base of the lamp made earlier by ponies clearing the street.




***




Nary a moment or two later, the sound of laughter drifted up the street. A pair of lonesome figures pranced happily up its cobblestone surface. Both were dressed snugly for the weather, one wearing a large Stetson hat, while the other was bundled in a bright, dark blue coat along with a tight-knit toque that hid most of her locks of mane.

Like wind chimes, the second pony giggled as the first exclaimed, "And then I told Mac, Granny was expecting him and Sugar Belle to make like rabbits the moment they were back from their honeymoon to Las Pegasus. All them great-grandfoals she was missing out on!" The first pony chortled, "Shoulda seen the look on him and Sugar's face as I told him all the presents Granny left for them."

"Oh my Celestia, AJ," the second mare declared, pulling Applejack into a friendly embrace. "I still can't believe that Granny is that... upfront."

"Ya better believe it, Rara," Applejack replied while lightly bumping her companion in the flank with her own. "That Granny Smith, woo, nelly. Like a switch flipped once the prospect o' her being the first Apple of her generation to have great-grandfoals got into her brain."

Breaking out into another series of laughs, they both paused at the end of the street corner as they came around a bend. Their breaths puffed out in soft clouds of condensation, as the residual chuckles worked their way out of their systems. At last, Applejack sighed and scratched the back of her head. "Well, I suppose we should be splitting up for the night. Lots o' time left before ya have to head back, though, right?"

"Of course, AJ. It was great to catch up." Coloratura pulled her into another hug. "Sorry that it just took almost the end of Equestria for me to make time to see you again."

"Aw, ya don't need to apologize none!" Applejack replied, a soft blush working its way onto her cheeks, highlighted by the single nearby streetlamp as she turned away from her friend to avoid the warm smile she was being given. "Y'all are busy, so I—"

"What is it, AJ?" Coloratura turned to follow Applejack's gaze, and she let out a low gasp as she laid eyes upon Berry, who was still facedown in the snow drift. There was little sign that she'd be moving any time soon. "Oh my Celestia!" The mare dashed over with Applejack hot on her hooves.

Skidding to a halt, she glanced back at Applejack for just a second as Applejack exclaimed, "Hey, that's Berry Punch!"

"I don't care who it is!" she snapped back. "We have to see if she's okay."

Applejack scratched the back of her neck for a second, and then trotted up to her friend. "For sure, but, uh, you should probably know that this is kinda normal for Berry." She shrugged. "I don't like going around putting ponies down, but—"

"She's the town drunk?" Coloratura interjected.

"Well, it ain't exactly talked about, but yeah," Applejack admitted, uncomfortably shifting back and forth on her hooves. As the yellow light of the streetlamp beat down on her and her friend, she looked at Berry, who barely coughed once, and the small splatter of pinky-brown snow near where her head was buried.

"AJ!"

"Aw, sorry, I was just rambling and—" She didn't finish. Shaking her head, she ran around to the other side of Berry, working with her friend to gently pull Berry from the drift of snow, which had clearly absorbed some more bile and stomach juices. Berry was barely breathing.

"We need to get her inside. Now!" the other mare exclaimed, carefully propping Berry into a more upright position. As soon as she did, Berry gasped and coughed, mumbling a few things incoherently.

"B-But where?!" Applejack whipped her head around, searching for anything that could be used as temporary shelter. Looking up at the street names, she mentally pathed out where they were in relation to Sweet Apple Acres, the hospital, Twilight's old castle, Carousel Boutique, and Scootaloo's house. "We're about as far out as ya can be from—"

"She's hypothermic!" Immediately, the other mare ripped off her jacket and wrapped Berry in it before carefully rolling Berry onto her left side and placing her head at a slightly upward angle. Leaning down next to Berry, she listened intently before jumping back when Berry coughed a couple of times. A few dribbles of spit slid down Berry's chin. 

Briefly holding a hoof in front of Berry's mouth, Coloratura declared, "She's breathing steadily, we should  take her to my place. It's not far!"

"I-I should nab somepony from Ponyville General! C-Can you handle her by yourself?" Already, Applejack was mapping the fastest route she could take from here to the hospital to grab Nurse Redheart, or whoever was able to be spared at the time. Heck, she'd even take the bedpan cleaner, so long as they knew how to look after Berry.

With a grunt, the other mare stared at Applejack with an arched eyebrow. "At least help me get her resting on my back?" Applejack managed to haul Berry to rest gently on Coloratura's back, keeping the same position that her friend put Berry in.

"Are you good to go?" Applejack inquired, antsily prancing in place.

When Berry was secure, Coloratura said , "Yeah, I am. But aren't you—"

Before she could even finish that question, Applejack tore off into the night, kicking up a spray of snow that peppered her friend and Berry in icy crystals. Coloratura tsked and tried to shield Berry from getting anything else cold on her, while also keeping her balanced. After ensuring that Berry was not going to slip from her side, Coloratura whined, "All right, Berry, just work with me here a bit longer."

With a bit of effort, especially after Berry moaned and shifted a bit on her own accord, the mare began to limp with her new charge out toward the edge of Ponyville's town limits. As the lights faded, and the night grew oppressively dark, she muttered, "Your light isn't going out tonight on my watch."




***




The first thing that Berry sensed was blinding pain. Eliciting a small cry of anguish, beams of sunlight snuck through cracks in her eyelids, which felt dry and heavy, and jabbed right into the back of her skull. Her head screamed at her, feeling like it wanted to split open at the slightest movement, while her temples both had the sensation of a whole pack of nails being driven right into them.

Her throat was parched, about as dry as the deserts south of Appleloosa, if tales were to be believed. No, scratch that, it was so dry that it'd probably suck moisture out of completely water-free air. In her mouth, her tongue was an absolute mess, feeling like a heavy, tingly weight that flopped and lolled about without reason.

Even her teeth didn't seem right, as they had a thick film on them that only made her tongue feel even ickier. As she ran her tongue across her cracked lips, she swore that she must have been trampled by yaks hired by that griffon at her bank. Every part of her ached, although her head definitely got the worst of it, and her energy, despite clearly sleeping for hours, was being sapped away every second she was conscious.

A cozy blanket had been pulled over her, which provided only the slightest amount of warmth, since her body, along with being in complete torture, was freezing. Instinctually, she shivered and pulled the sheet a bit closer, and then gingerly cracked an eyelid open.

Instantly regretting her decision, she covered her eye when a golden ray of Celestia's—or Twilight's, depending on who you asked—sun battered her retina. From the incredibly brief moment that she had vision, she could see that she was in a small, plush bed, and that she was facing a finely lacquered and sealed wooden wall, plus an ornate window.

Wherever she was, she wasn't at home.

But she could barely register that worry as another spike of pure mental pain pulsed through her brain when she moved a single inch in her bed. Moaning, she rubbed at one of her temples, but instantly wished she hadn't. The mere action had only made the migraine twice as bad. She sniffled and snorted a couple of times as it finally brought on a couple of tears.

"Hey you, you're finally awake!" she heard a voice declare quietly. It still didn't stop it from feeling like somepony had used a megaphone directly in her ear. Something she could recall from experience, since Pinkie had done just that one time for a party she attended.

Berry heard some shuffling on sheets, followed shortly by a set of hooves thudding onto a wooden floor. Each hoofbeat sounded like a giant tramping toward her, but after a couple of seconds, her roommate sat next to her. "How do you feel?" the mare asked.

Instead of answering in words, Berry just curled herself into a fetal position, which was another mistake as her bones and joints protested against their movement. All of them felt like they were being melted yet frozen simultaneously, which only amplified the headache still pounding away in her head. She didn't even want to think about the rollercoaster that was currently doing loops in her stomach.

Berry merely hissed at all the pain.

In the ensuing silence, which whoever was with her respectfully allowed her, Berry felt her chest well up with tears. She dry-heaved once or twice, as her stomach clenched and unclenched, and then a few whimpering sobs started to work their way out. It soon turned into a whine, and some tears trickled down her muzzle, the fur of it matted and dry. As she sobbed, the mare with her soothingly exclaimed, "Hey, hey, hey! It's okay. You're safe."

"S-Sorry," Berry finally croaked, although the tears didn't stop coming. She wiped at her nose. "I-I-I-I... Sorry..." In her chest, her heartbeat started to skyrocket as the stress of appearing so pathetic shot adrenaline through her veins. If she wasn't so sore and tired, she'd have beelined for the nearest pub, watering hole, or anywhere to find something to calm her down.

And she hated herself for that craving.

As her own state became more apparent to herself, the tears only began to pick up again, and she whimpered, "I just... don't know..." She gulped back a few more retches. "Where am I? Wh-What happened?" She grimaced, not that her fellow pony could see. "I don't remember..."

Letting Berry work out some of her emotions, the mare finally stated when Berry calmed down a bit, "I'll explain, once I can look you in the eye." There was a sad giggle. "Take your time, though."

It was an odd request, but Berry couldn't begrudge the extra time to just stew in her thoughts. Although it took her a minute or two, she finally worked up the courage to crack open her eyelids again. The sunlight was still painful, but it wasn't quite as bad as a short while before. Now she could see that it was actually filtered through a dark blind, which left the room fairly dim, although not completely pitch black.

Good going, Berry, she chided to herself. Hope you didn't do anything stupid last night.

Sometimes, she'd retort back to herself mentally or verbally, but she knew that her self-critic was right. Another mess-up to add to her list that was both long and short. Long, in that she knew it happened, short, because she didn't remember what occurred during those blackouts. Occasionally she wondered if it was really a good thing that those who knew her rarely told her what she did.

All this time, her... rescuer, she supposed, waited patiently for Berry. Resigning herself to being scrutinized in her wretched state, Berry slowly and painfully twisted herself around. It was an awkward motion. Instead of something like a smooth whirl, it was more like a beached whale trying to loll itself to the side, and then flop around to face a different position.

After finally managing to untangle her hooves and face her roommate, she stared straight into the meekly smiling face of a greyish aquamarine earth pony. "Hi!" the mare chirped in a slightly sing-song tone, some of her curly indigo-blue locks flopping back as she did. "Good to see you're able to do that!"

Berry didn't respond, as her brain tried to place through all the mental fog where exactly she'd seen the pony before. The name was on the tip of her tongue, as she swore that she'd seen the mare relatively recently.

Behind the mare, there was indeed a second bed, although it looked like it had been set up there recently, and was not permanent to the room. A slightly sun-faded poster of Countess Coloratura on her Real and Unplugged tour rested over the other window in the room, which was above the second bed.

Berry blinked.

Switching her gaze from the poster, then to the mare, and then back to the poster, Berry's brain immediately clicked where she'd seen her roommate. "C-C-Countess Coloratura!" she squeaked, pulling up her blankets to cover her head and hiding from the pop star.

It could not have been happening. It was all a dream, or a hallucination, or something else that her more than likely strung out on booze brain was making up. There was no way that she had been found by the celebrity of Manehattan and all of Equestria. Absolutely not.

After hearing a small giggle from Countess Coloratura, Berry cautiously pulled down the sheets from her head, and she peeped nervously again when she saw that Countess Coloratura was definitely not a figment of her imagination. That, or she was definitely tripping hard at the moment.

"I-I-I-I am so, so s-sorry th-that you found me, and I didn't m-mean to—" she began. Closing her eyes and counting to five, she opened them again and stated slightly more calmly, "Countess, I apologize for how you found me. I can go so that I don't—"

Before she could finish, Countess Coloratura reached out and gently placed a hoof over Berry's blabbering mouth. She gave a strong shush. "Call me Rara," she stated, retracting her hoof from Berry's muzzle. She flashed Berry a concerned glance. From where she was sitting, she was far enough away that she could keep out of Berry's personal space, but close enough she could immediately catch Berry if she fell out of the bed.

"Applejack said that you're a friend of hers, and any friend of AJ is a friend of mine!" She smiled warmly, which only made Berry cringe back in fear. Apparently Countess Coloratura wasn't the only one to find her last night. How many else knew what happened?

Countess Coloratura added with a shrug, "Besides, it's not like I'm going onstage in the next five minutes, so no need to call me by my stage title." She winked at Berry, probably to try and put her at ease.

"N-No, I can't. Y-You're the Countess! I-I can't believe that—" She sighed. "Besides, Applejack isn't that close of a friend." She whimpered a bit and drew herself into a tighter fetal position, wrapping the blankets, which she could now tell were actually three separate ones, including a duvet, snugly around her.

"Well, AJ would say otherwise," Countess Coloratura stated, her eyes sparkling a bit with warmth. "Not everypony has to know every minute detail of each other's lives to still be counted as a friend." At that, Berry's face grew hot and she pressed her ears against her head. It was the only part of her that wasn't freezing, since despite how many layers she was buried under, she still felt like she was being sucked into a snowbank.

Nodding her head, Berry finally muttered, "Okay, thanks, uh, Coloratura."

"Rara," Coloratura corrected, although she didn't press it any further after that.

As Berry drifted her gaze, she observed that Coloratura had set up a small table alongside the temporary bed. Some washcloths, compresses, as well as some bottles were resting on it. On top of that, a small crystal, which glowed with a sickly, yellowy-green glow, reflected some of the sunlight. From the sun's angle, Berry guessed it was sometime in the afternoon.

Coloratura's face was haggard, as she clearly had not slept much of the night. When she determined that, Berry felt a tug of guilt on her chest, and she bashfully avoided Coloratura's inviting grin.

Pressing a hoof to her forehead, Berry did her best to hide her ashamed expression and instead checked out a bit more of the room. Over the pounding headache, which was definitely made better by her last immediate action, she spotted that there were a few set props and sequin-studded outfits strewn around the room. She could hear a faint buzzing of a ceiling fan, although thankfully the light it probably had was off.

Additionally, posters from Coloratura's various tours were attached to the walls. They went all the way back to her Perform This Way tour, which was her first as Countess Coloratura.

It was one that Berry recalled vividly, since it was her first trip to Manehattan.

Eventually, her mind clicked that she could only be in one place. She was in Coloratura's tour coach! But what was Coloratura doing here? As far as she recalled, there wasn't any announcement of another tour, nor a big charity event going on like last time. Granted, if most of the adverts had been while she was... hugging her booze, then perhaps she simply didn't have memory of it.

Gulping a couple of times, Berry saw that there was a glass of water next to her own bed, and she started to reach for it. Coloratura intercepted her hoof, though, and gently pushed her back to instead be the one to let her sip at the water.

Thoroughly humiliated, Berry flattened her ears against her skull and guzzled down some of the water, before Coloratura pulled the glass back up. "Take it slow," she said as she placed the glass back on the table next to Berry's bed. All the while, she had a warm, but worried smile on her face.

With a dejected sigh, Berry worked up the courage to inquire, "So, what happened? How did you... how did you find me?"

As soon as she asked, a dark cloud seemed to roll across Coloratura's face. Seeing that Berry was going to stay put, she sat on her own bed, and she stared at Berry for a moment as she steepled her forehooves together and rested her chin on them. Coloratura inhaled deeply. "AJ and I found you, passed out in a snowdrift."

Berry winced. "Oh."

"Not just 'oh', Berry. If we hadn't come along, I don't think you would have been found until it was too late." Coloratura sighed. "It wasn't just snow that you were knocked out in." At Berry's realization of what that meant, she continued, "For Twilight's sake, if I hadn't acted first, you might have choked before AJ knew what to do.

Whimpering and drawing her front hooves close to her chest, Berry tried to hide herself as best she could from her rescuer's gaze. Every emotion told her to just ignore it and tune it out, but how Coloratura was saying it, it made her brain want to know more. She wanted... just wanted to know.

"So, when we made sure you weren't going to suffocate in your own puke, I made sure that you were taken here." She tapped the ground with a rear hoof. "You were closest to my carriage, so I took you there to watch you while AJ got help from Nurse... Nurse Redheart, I think." Pointing over to the spell matrix, which Berry now figured must have been virtually overflowing with something or other, Coloratura stated, "That's what that is, by the way."

Berry barely registered, as all that she could think of at the moment was how Redheart saw her, again, at one of her worst points. In the back of her mind, she wondered if Redheart didn't have a bet pool going with the other nurses and doctors on when she'd finally croak. Would serve her right.

"Be thankful Ponyville is a testbed for new magic, or Nurse Redheart might have had to directly pump your stomach," Coloratura declared, which brought Berry out of her reverie. "While it doesn't handle heavy alcohol poisoning well, for what you had, it could absorb enough alcohol from your blood with that little wrist strap thingy there that you'd no longer be in any danger." She shrugged apologetically. "Sorry that it can't remove the hangover, though."

At that, Berry groaned with the reminder of her cripplingly painful migraine. While she was enraptured by Coloratura's tale, it was like the hangover came back with a vengeance when it was mentioned. She did, however, drift her attention over to the small strapped device that was on her right forehoof. Everything was so agonizing that she never noticed it rubbing slightly against her until Coloratura indicated it.

"Neat, huh?" Coloratura asked. "Don't know how it works entirely, but Nurse Redheart said it just pricks you a bit, can monitor your BAC, and is a receptacle for one of these." She pointed out the matrix again, which she slipped into a pack by her bed. "Anyway, Redheart said you were still hypothermic but stable, and since Ponyville General was dealing with a small outbreak of Chaos Feather Flu, one less pony to ward and watch would ease everypony's load. So, now you're here!" When she finished, she waved both forearms wide to emphasize the room.

Furrowing her brow and gazing at Berry intently, she stated, "I don't know what happened before any of that, though, but I think maybe you were trying to get home?" She tilted her head. "AJ said that you had to have been going the wrong way, though." She sighed. "So, yeah, that's all of it." Tiredly flashing Berry a smile, she also quipped, "Oh, and I made sure to watch you in case you had any problems. Nurse's orders, too." She chuckled before she yawned and shook herself to stay awake. "No biggie."

"Yes biggie," murmured Berry as she finally found the words to say. Ashamedly pulling the blankets tight around her, she practically surrounded herself with their plushy comfort, only leaving her muzzle free so that she didn't suffocate. She heard Coloratura belt a small laugh at how she looked. "Major biggie."

"No, not at all," Coloratura cooed, coming up to pull back the blankets enough so that Berry could see her.

That only caused Berry's eyes to well up in tears, and she rested her head into the mattress instead, soon staining the sheets with her crying. "I messed up. Again," she bemoaned, some wracking sobs making her shake and quiver. She barely heard Coloratura make a concerned shushing noise.

Soon, her whole body was vibrating as her wails became rather audible, even through the mattress. How could she have been so careless and stupid, especially since she'd known that it was going to be a colder night? She could have just walked right on by, but no, she had to have given in and gotten just a "little drink". Of course that'd always turn into a big one, and then a major one, and then—

She just stopped. Why bother processing it all when she'd probably be right back to another bottle once she could walk steady? Drink away the failures and then just make another one, right?

As she continued to sob, Coloratura rested a hoof on Berry's back. "Hey, it's okay. What you're feeling is okay. You'll feel a bit better once it's all out."

Through bleary, reddened eyes, Berry just looked up at Coloratura and stared at her, slightly dumbfounded. Weakly wiping at her muzzle, she sniffled and snorted, but didn't say anything, as she was simply too panicked at her lack of control to really process what was said.

Lightly squeezing Berry's side with a forehoof, Coloratura beamed reassuringly. "I know what's going through that head of yours right now." She pointed at Berry's forehead.

"You don't," Berry retorted, sullenly glancing away and placing her head limply on the mattress. She sighed. "Nopony does. Don't lie. Applejack wouldn't take kindly to that."

"Am I, though?" Coloratura hummed knowingly and let go of Berry. Brushing aside a bit of her mane, she yawned again and rubbed at an eye before she muttered, "I know more than you think." At Berry's quizzical eyebrow raise, she simply shook her head. "Don't worry about that right now, though. Get some more sleep. You're exhausted because being blackout drunk isn't really, well, conducive to resting."

Exuding a bit of levity and mirth, she cackled softly, "And probably your head feels like Celestia just sat on it after eating her normal allotment of cake." At that, she burst into a fit of giggles, which even Berry felt the urge to follow along with. It soon turned into a proper bout of laughter, although Berry soon winced and held her forehooves to her temples.

Drawing some air between her teeth, she grimaced harder and moaned softly. What else could she really say to Coloratura, though? She was simply being too nice. She was the queen of pop, for buck's sake, and she was just treating Berry, with all of her problems, like a normal pony? Sure, she had said all those words about being authentic and the like during the Helping Hooves festival, but seriously, what celebrity actually believed most of what they said?

Seemingly Coloratura—Rara—did.

Berry closed her eyes. It was true that sleep sounded very enticing right now, even more than another drink. When Coloratura saw that Berry was getting ready to rest, she withdrew to her own bed and grabbed the small bag with the absorption matrix in it. She momentarily looked at it, a sad frown on her face.

"Nurse Redheart will be stopping by for the last portion of her shift." She peered at a nearby, thankfully silent, clock. "Should be later this evening. She'll check up on you, and properly dispose of this." She hoofed the matrix back into the bag, and placed the bag around her withers. "I wanted that to emphasize how close things were.

"In the meantime..." She spun around, although Berry was now thoroughly working on keeping her eyes sealed shut. "Just sleep things off. The worst has passed, you just need to recover for a bit." Jabbing a forehoof toward Berry as the latter cracked an eyelid open, she added, "And don't feel like you've ruined my visit here. I'd never have forgiven myself if I just ignored you. You're not ruining anything."

"I didn't even—" Berry began with a cough.

"No, but you were thinking it. I know you were," Coloratura quipped, which earned a small, pained nod from Berry.

Her tone growing a bit happier, or at the very least, forced to sound happier, Coloratura exclaimed, "Consider this a Hearth's Warming gift from me, to you, my new friend!" At that, she started to skip out. "I'll help you in whatever way I can, and in whatever way you need." She poked her head around the door. "Sounds like a plan, Berry?" As she grinned widely, her teeth veritably sparkled in the sunlight that filtered into the room.

Holding back a couple of sobs, Berry mumbled, "Okay." As Coloratura trotted out, she repeated, "Okay, Coloratura." It didn't take long for the floodgates to open, as she cried herself into a stupor that sleep willingly embraced.


 



***



 


Through the haze of sleep and the continued mental fog of her hangover, Berry heard a pair of voices going back and forth outside her room's door. Whether it was because her blankets had ended up over her head again, or because she was still recovering from the hangover, she couldn't quite determine, but either way, their owners' were muffled and hard to discern.

Orange sunlight slipped under the bottom edge of the curtains that were used to keep the room darkened, which meant that the rays of sun painted portions of the opposite wall in brilliant splendor. One beam rested directly over Coloratura's poster of her Real and Unplugged tour, which made Berry whine pathetically. Memories of the morning came flooding back, adding to the overwhelming shame that was forcing her deeper into her mattress.

Her left hindleg spasmed. Within seconds, pain shot up through her muscles as they cramped and pulled her entire hindleg tight. Howling in pain, Berry tried to adjust herself, and the voices that were on the other side of the door stopped, and hoofbeats moved closer.

The door burst open, and both Nurse Redheart and Coloratura marched in. When Berry saw them, she managed to whimper out, "Cramp! Cramp! Cramp!" Before she could even finish, the first signs of the muscle relaxing sent waves of pleasure up her flanks, and she gave a sigh and mumbled, "Better."

Trotting around Redheart, Coloratura offered Berry more water from the glass by her bed, which Berry eagerly took. After she had drained the third or so that remained, she hoofed it back to Coloratura, who replaced it with a full one from a tray that she had brought in with her.

Redheart gave Coloratura a side-eyed glance. She was still dressed in a warm parka, which made Berry shiver just looking at it. Alternatively, it might have been because Redheart was visually examining her, with the scrutiny of a medical professional too many years in the trade could only give. Her nurse's cap was a tad askew, probably from rushing over to Berry's room.

When Redheart saw that Berry was looking at her, she put on a strained, beaming grin, which did little to actually comfort Berry. "Good to see you awake and kicking, Berry," Redheart quipped as she moved closer to Berry's bed. "You have to thank Countess Coloratura—"

"Rara," Coloratura interjected.

"Countess Coloratura for you still breathing," Redheart finished as she sat down and undid her parka. She simply let it fall to the floor. Eyeing the complete supper of a salad, pureed soup, and a cookie that was also resting on the tray that Coloratura brought in, Redheart added, "Maybe hold off on feeding her full-sized portions until tomorrow? Her stomach absorbed far too much alcohol to have settled down yet."

In response, Berry's gut growled and gurgled, as she kept her gaze longingly on the small salad and chopped peach that Coloratura had made. At that, Redheart rolled her eyes and huffed, "Nevermind. You never cease to amaze me, Berry."

Berry hung her head. Although Redheart was always helpful to her, for the couple of times that she ended up needing a bit more assistance than just getting home, she couldn't stop from feeling judged by the nurse's stare. In all honesty, she definitely deserved that ire, since it wasn't like Redheart hadn't strongly recommended that she look at some different support programs.

Nothing had really gone this far, though. What would be recommended by Redheart afterwards was something that she couldn't possibly imagine. All she knew was that Redheart would not take it lying down. It was undeniable, given how much fire and passion was in her eyes. And, if Berry was right, worry.

"Berry. Look at me," Redheart ordered, which Berry dutifully obeyed. However, she couldn't keep at it for long, as Redheart shone a brilliant, pinpoint light into her eyes, rapidly swapping from one to the other.

"AAAAAHHHH!" Berry screeched as it felt like the entire majesty of the sun was concentrated down into a pinpoint beam and delivered directly into the back of her retina. "It burns!"

"Well, nothing out of the ordinary for having a massive hangover." Redheart smirked. "And that's a medical term." Coloratura tittered once or twice, but she pressed a hoof against her muzzle fast enough that she silenced any more that threatened to escape her lips.

"Haw, haw," Berry retorted as she wiped at her eyes to try and get as many tears from them as possible. Despite the device no longer being in use, her eyes still stung and smarted from the bright light, and multiple afterimages flashed through her vision, blocking parts of it entirely. To compensate, she had to crane her head further to keep looking at the other mares in the room. "You're so funny, Redheart. Forgot to laugh."

"Dammit, Berry, I'm a nurse, not a comedian." Redheart rolled her eyes. "If you want good care and a kind bedside manner, I'm your mare. You want to laugh and roll onto the floor, and maybe break a few ribs, talk with Pinkie Pie."

"Sorry," whined Berry as she hung her head again. As Redheart gently took her foreleg with the device that Coloratura had indicated earlier, Berry gave no resistance. She heard a few clicks and a beep or two as Redheart hummed and hawed over it. One or two jolts went down her foreleg as Redheart tapped something on the device, then there was another clack as it stopped making any noise.

"BAC is almost back to zero. Berry, you might have to let Princess Twilight analyze your liver at some point. It's a marvel of biology that it's lasted this long." Although, from Redheart's smile, it was clearly meant as a compliment or at least not a disparaging statement, it didn't really resonate any ease to Berry. All it managed to do was make her feel self-conscious about her abdomen. Somehow, she could almost feel her liver struggling to break down the rest of the alcohol.

Although she surmised that that had to be the end of Redheart's prodding, it was far from the case. After pulling back some of her blankets so that she could get a better look at Berry's physical appearance, Redheart rested a hoof against Berry's neck. Berry, again, offered no resistance, as she simply lay on her side and stared plaintively at Coloratura's poster across from her bed.

The pressure from Redheart's hoof was beginning to get a bit unbearable, and she would have protested if Redheart hadn't finally declared, "Pulse seems normal and strong. No palpitations. No unusual sweating." She hummed. Placing a fetlock against Berry's forehead, she waited a moment and stated, "Body temperature is still a tad low, but it's within safe range. No longer hypothermic, not that I expected her to be at this point." She released Berry.

As soon as Redheart was done, Berry shivered and pulled her blankets closer to herself as she clattered her teeth together because of the chill that she just got. She observed Redheart as the latter trotted around the room, scratching a few things in a notepad. As she did, she also dropped a matrix crystal, which was glowing a much fainter yellow-green, into a pocket on her parka, which she passed by in her rounds.

The silence was beginning to kill Berry, as she awaited what Redheart's final verdict would be. She bucked up. She knew it. Redheart knew it. Buck, Coloratura knew it, and probably would blather later with her other pop star friends about how she met some loser drunk from Ponyville. Whatever semblance of respect that she still had for herself was effectively nonexistent. Then again, why did she even care at this point? If she couldn't control her impulses while she was Ponyville's open secret, then what did it matter if some Manehattanite mocked her behind her back?

After a bit more scribbling, Redheart slapped her notepad closed and put her pencil away. "Well," she began as she shared a glance with Coloratura, "you're doing far better than I had hoped after Applejack brought me here last night." She pointed at Coloratura. "But you better thank each and every lucky horseapple you have that Applejack and Countess Coloratura—"

"Rara," Coloratura corrected.

"—were out and nearby last night." Redheart finished with a snort as she shot Coloratura another side-eyed glower. However, her expression quickly changed when she turned her head and smiled at Coloratura. Berry couldn't tell if it was genuine or not. Redheart appeared to have had a long day, since her mane's bun was partly undone and frazzled, and dark circles were visible under her eyes. All her joy, no matter how close to Hearth's Warming it was, could have been sapped for the day.

"So, I want to thank you, Countess—" Coloratura simply nickered "—for helping Berry when she needed it most. Your quick thinking saved her life." As she faced Berry again, which made Berry feel like she was going to be scolded like a small foal, Redheart sighed exasperatedly, "You're lucky you didn't walk away with brain damage, Berry. You definitely had a risk for it."

Berry whimpered. Crystally tears trickled down her muzzle, but she didn't bother to wipe them. Redheart was right. She was always right.

"By Celestia's flaming flank, what possessed you to tempt fate now of all times?" Redheart shook her head. "How much you drank would have been dangerous in the summertime, but winter? That's like mixing a lead and mercury cocktail." She tsked a couple of times and then looked back over to Coloratura, who was doing her best to keep her expression from growing cross. However, given that her brow was wrinkling a bit toward a scowl, she was clearly failing.

"Since she's recovered enough that I can safely move her, I will intend to bring her back to Ponyville General tomorrow morning." Struggling to fight back a yawn, Redheart arched her back, much like a cat and then rolled a shoulder to work out a muscle kink. "Grauy—" She coughed and blushed "—Doctor Stable was able to pull a few strings and a couple of nurses could be spared from Canterlot to help us with the Chaos Feather Flu outbreak." She groaned as she rolled her neck and got a couple of pops. "We now have enough bandwidth to monitor her and start to wean her off the drinks." She snorted. "Afraid cold turnip isn't an option."

Although Berry didn't exactly know what Redheart meant, she felt a twisting, sinking sensation in her gut, and her blood ran cold. A few tremors worked their way up her forelegs, and as much as she tried to get them back under control, she couldn't.

In the back of her mind, she fearfully thought, Uh oh. Already, the craving for another drink, something to warm her body or to give a buzz to her head was returning with a vengeance. Given how late in the afternoon, or even the early evening it was, normally it'd be about this time that she'd be at The Smiling Mare for a beer or two. Maybe a nice, hot cider.

She shook her head. Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Don't think about it, she told herself. All this while Coloratura was arguing with Redheart about something, but she wasn't paying attention. All she knew was that she couldn't go to the hospital. Everypony, and she knew it'd be everypony, would find out. She'd be a laughing stock. Probably more than she already was by now.

"She has to go, so that medical professionals can—" Redheart was insisting before Berry gave a small whine.

"I don't want to!" Berry finally whimpered, drawing her quivering hooves close to her chest. She stared in fright at the two ponies, and she repeated, "I don't! I can't!"

Taking a long, deep breath, Redheart put on a smile and calmly stated, "Berry, I know that it's a hard choice for you to make, so at this point, I'm going to have to pull rank and make it for you." She scratched the back of her neck. "I can't in due diligence let you keep hurting yourself like this. Ponyville General may not be the biggest hospital around, and there may be a bit of an outbreak issue, but Princess Twilight always gives us some of the best programs around. We can help you."

However, as tears started to stream down her face again, Berry shook her head emphatically and buried her muzzle in her pillow. "No!" she screamed, a flash of anger working into her brain. Maybe they'd fix her, but did Redheart even know what she was asking? All her coworkers would find out. The bank might replace her. Manager wasn't an irreplaceable position, after all, and she had reviews coming up.

Furrowing her brow, she snapped, "I can't!" Almost immediately, like a switch flipped, she blubbered pathetically, "Everypony will see me as the town idiot who almost died!" She rolled over and then, through the jitters, mimicked ponies talking with her hooves. "'Oh gee, there goes Berry Punchdrunk, wonder where she's going to pass out today!' 'Maybe Berry Blackout could finish that drink for ya!' 'Hey! Let's see if this new drink will be strong enough for a yak! Let's just get—'"

She paused when Coloratura placed a hoof on her shoulder, and saw that even Redheart was looking at her worriedly. Not as a doctor at a patient, but as an anxious friend. At that realization, Berry shattered. Weeping and covering her face with her hooves, which were still shaky, she shook Coloratura's grip free and rolled away from them.

She barely heard Coloratura trot back to Redheart and start talking about something. Over the course of about half a minute, Berry's sobbing subsided, and she tried to listen in on what was being discussed. To her disappointment, Redheart and Coloratura were both too quiet for her to discern. Occasionally they did jabber a bit higher, but nothing more than a couple of words. All she managed to glean was that it was about her.

After another minute or two, they finally stopped, and Redheart cleared her throat. Berry, face downcast and her heart heavy, rolled over. She could feel that her mane was a mess, and her facial fur was nothing but a matted disaster. Her bloodshot eyes took in that Redheart was doing her best not to scowl too harshly, but couldn't hold back a small frown. Next to her, Coloratura was beaming brightly, and she nudged Redheart to speak.

Grunting, Redheart snapped quickly to Coloratura, "This is not a good idea."

"I don't care," Coloratura hissed back melodically.

Redheart whinnied. Shooting a deadpan look at Coloratura, she then looked back at Berry and grumbled, "It seems that your luck continues, Berry." She sighed. "Your gracious host has demanded that you be allowed to stay here over the Hearth's Warming season. To help ease the burden of Ponyville General, I'm sure." Furrowing her brow, Redheart grunted, "So you have about two weeks before you're back to me and the hospital. Understood?"

Berry nodded. Her mind was racing as she tried to figure out how Coloratura was able to convince Redheart. Normally, the nurse was rather stubborn.

"During that time," Redheart continued as she grabbed her parka and donned it. "You will do exactly whatever she tells you, as I've given her instructions. Understood?" She brushed down some of the hairs along the parka's neck.

Mechanically, Berry nodded again. If she was being honest, all that she really heard was that she was under Coloratura's care. That was enough to make all other thoughts simply leave her head. There was a mental haze, sure, but not from being drunk. At least, not from being alcohol-drunk. Maybe celebrity-drunk.

Counting on the tip of her hoof, Redheart began to list off some things that Berry would have to do. However, Berry didn't pay attention at all, as she simply stared, dumbfounded, at Coloratura. The pop star occasionally glanced between Redheart and Berry, but mostly kept her gaze, which she made as warm as possible, on Berry. Deep down, Berry felt like she was going to be sick.

Not because she was hungover, no. Simply because somepony wanted to do this.

Instead, she simply started to whimper and sniffle a bit.

"Berry," Redheart began, which broke Berry from her stupor. Berry could see that Redheart was giving her a look of worry. "These are important. It'll be hard to start, but the Countess has promised she'll help. Can you do that for her? For us?"

Barely comprehending the question, Berry nodded one last time. Afterwards, she rested her head on her pillow. Even the mental effort of the last twenty minutes had been exhausting, and all she really wanted was to sleep. Still, she remained attentive to what Redheart was now speaking with Coloratura about.

"I can leave some medications to help with some of the withdrawal symptoms, but I'll leave it to your judgment," Redheart stated. There was a clacking sound as she put some bottles on the table near Coloratura's temporary bed. "I don't like saying this, but if she starts getting them really badly, let her drink something. Going cold turnip could be disastrous." She leveled a hoof at Coloratura, who kept the same, confident and welcoming smile. "If you do, log it, send it to me, and I'll make a note of it."

"Absolutely, Nurse," Coloratura declared with a nod of her head. She even gave a quick salute. Redheart merely snorted.

On top of that, Redheart marched back toward Berry, carrying a smaller crystal matrix, which glittered in the room's light. Berry eyed it worriedly, but Redheart smiled tiredly, although it was reassuring. As Redheart did, Berry could tell that she was causing undue strain on the nurse. Sure, she and Redheart were far from friends, but Redheart had been nothing but caring to her when she was at the hospital in the past. It was undeniable she thought about every patient.

Redheart motioned for Berry to put out her right forearm, which Berry reluctantly did. Firmly taking it, Redheart did a final inspection of the matrix, and she nodded. One end of the matrix was slightly tapered compared to the other and she slid it into a tiny receptacle next to the main matrix indent. Seconds afterward, there was a small flash and a shimmer of magic over the device, and then it gave a soft beep.

She glanced back at Coloratura. "This will monitor Berry's BAC. If it gets above anything but baseline, it will sound an alert. Not that I think Berry will infiltrate anything in here, but still." She shrugged. "It's sensitive within a few hundredths of a percent. It isn't perfect, so please make sure to record any relapses."

Coloratura nodded, her face rather placid at this point.

Facing Berry, Redheart placed a very warm hoof on Berry's shoulder. Briefly, her frown deepened, as she felt the uncontrollable shivers that were constantly going up and down Berry's body. "And at least tonight keep a close eye on Berry," she told Coloratura without breaking eye contact with Berry. "She's probably going to have it rough." At that, Berry whined and peered at the floor.

Gazing directly into Berry's soul, she added, "Follow everything the Countess tells you. When she's left after her charity performance and Hearth's Warming, you'll be spending some time in Ponyville General for rehab, public perception be damned. Am. I. Clear?"

In defeat, Berry simply whimpered and nodded her head. "Yes," she finally choked out. Exhausted, she closed her eyes as she momentarily listened to Redheart say something else to Coloratura. Soon, Redheart trotted toward the door.

"If I do not speak with you again, Countess, I wish you a Happy Hearth's Warming," she stated. There was a pregnant pause, and then she added, "Stay safe, Berry. Happy Hearth's Warming." At that, she left with a click of the door. It was enough to bore into Berry's skull through the rest of her hangover, and Berry hissed.

Almost instantly, Coloratura walked over, and she gently squeezed one of Berry's forehooves with a hoof of her own. For a brief second, Berry's tremors ceased, and she barely smiled in a wordless thanks.

"I'll check on you later tonight," declared Coloratura. She finally let go of Berry's hoof, which was getting a bit cold and clammy. Cantering to the door herself, she paused and then called back, "I mean what I said, Berry. I know what's going through your head." When Berry didn't respond, she simply stated, "Goodnight, Berry."

Before she left, Berry coughed out, "Goodnight, Rara."