The warm light of the Sun's rays that came through the window hit Berry Punch's eyes so hard that she was afraid she was going to go blind. Struggling to get up, she rolled off of what she thought was her bed. Instead of hitting the hard embrace of the floor, she fell onto a table that shouldn't have been there. As she adjusted her eyes slowly, she realized that she was still in the main room. Berry Punch had passed out on the couch from the night before. There were more bottles deprived of their sweet alcoholic goodness than she remembered around her. At least she wasn't hungover this morning. That was something to be thankful for.
Berry Punch got up and went to the kitchen where a new bottle of her special brew was waiting for her. She took a drink, remembering Colgate's visit the day before. Maybe I should see if Colgate wants to do something today. Taking another drink she remembered how she had rebuked her earlier invitation to to hang out. Actually, I should probably go apologize. Setting firm in this plan, Berry Punch packed a few bottles into her Saddlebags and proceeded out the door.
It was unusually warm today. Or was it actually that unusual? Berry Punch had barely been outside lately and those few times that she had, she had been completely trashed. She wasn't even sure she remembered what season it was. Not that it had actually concerned her in any way lately. Taking a break from wine-making was a much needed vacation for her anyway. Plus, she had stockpiled tons of wine in her cellar for when she opened her store back up. Maybe she would get back to it sometime soon. However, as of now her main focus was getting to Colgate's house in a straight line.
Berry Punch waited at Colgate's door for what seemed like hours to her. She had knocked countless times and still no answer. Maybe she was ignoring her. After all, she had been a bit harsh to her. She deserved to be ignored by the one pony who had stuck by her through thick and thin. Berry Punch had just finished a bottle of wine by the time that she realized waiting for Colgate was a moot point. She'd just have to try again tomorrow. As she turned to walk away, a sudden, familiar pink face appeared in front of her, causing her to jump in alarm.
"Hi, Berry Punch!"
"Oh...hi Pinkie Pie."
The pink mare's constant bouncing was unsettling to Berry Punch whose mood was far from hospitable for a hyper-energetic pink pony. It made it hard for her to focus.
"Can you stop jumping please?"
"Sorry. I'm just so excited right now and I had to come get you right away."
"Wait...what?"
"I was told to come get you. We're gonna make a trip to Canterlot!"
"Why are we going to Canterlot?"
"It's a surprise!"
"But why Canterlot? And why do I need to go?"
"Silly, if I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise!"
"Listen, Pinkie Pie. I don't really feel like going anywhere but back home. I also don't really have time to deal with your riddles."
Berry Punch was far too annoyed by this random occurrence. She decided to go back home and drink the night away. The only problem was the fact that the pink ball of energy was following her. The entire way back to her house was spent trying to ignore the constant barrages of "Party!" and "Surprise!" What did I do to be stuck with this? I swear, if she keeps this up I'm going to-
She was interrupted in her thoughts when she heard "Colgate" escape the whirlwind of random words. Stopping dead in her tracks, she turned towards Pinkie Pie.
"What was that you said about Colgate?"
"Oh. Did I say something about her? Oopsie." Pinkie smiled. And looked to the side as if avoiding eye contact.
"Yes, you did say something. What was it?"
"It must have been a slip up. I don't know what she has to do with Canterlot."
Pinkie Pie definitely said something about Colgate. Could it be that she is part of this "surprise" that Pinkie was talking about? If so, maybe she'll be able to explain this to me. Berry Punch let out a sigh. She definitely didn't like the idea of going to Canterlot with a perpetual sugar machine, but it seemed that if she wanted to see Colgate today, this was her best chance.
"Alright Pinkie Pie. You win, I'll go with you to Canterlot, but it had better be worth it."
"Oh it will be! I'm so excited, this is going to be like the best party ever! I wonder if they already have everything set up. I mean, I offered to help considering I'm the party pony and everything, but no, Twilight just has to be in control of everything. You know how she is. Besides, she's had tons of practice being around me and all. I bet she has books on it. Do you think she has books? Of course she has books."
"Pinkie Pie. Can we go before I change my mind?"
"Oh sure!"
Berry Punch thought that Pinkie would have tired of all her rambling, but even the trip to the train station was filled with hyper words that almost translated into gibberish with how fast she was talking. The newly drained bottle of wine that Berry had in her hand was the only thing distracting her from the barrage of words. By the time they made it, she was contently tipsy. She almost didn't notice the gray stallion addressing them.
"You must be Ms. Berry Punch. Your ticket has already been covered. Please, step on board and watch your step."
She mumbled a slurred "thanks" and found a seat in the third car. Thankfully, the train wasn't populated, minus a couple of older unicorns a couple rows ahead of her. Pinkie Pie was, to Berry Punch's joy, distracted by the tray of sweets that was making it's way down the aisle. This gave her the chance to sit back and relax. Looking out the window, Berry Punch started to think. Not too much, but she let her thoughts drift. Most of them led to images of Colgate and how after all of these years, the two of them had been through so much. Then the image of disappointed sadness when she sent Colgate away the last time she had seen her forced its way back into her head. This left her with a terrible sense of guilt. Colgate was always there for her, but she had never realized just how much Berry Punch needed her. That was always how it was. She was never really good at opening up and even when she was able to with Colgate, it was usually with the aid of some form of alcoholic consumption. She had begun to wonder how Colgate was able to put up with her quirks for so long. I guess that's just a sign of true friendship.
Friendship. Or was there more to it? The very idea of it made her chuckle. Her mind was one hell of a place while intoxicated. Maybe that was why she enjoyed it so much. She could live in these small hilarious moments in her head without any cares in the world. It was definitely easier than living with the harsh realities of the outside world. She had been so lost in thought that when Pinkie Pie found her, still carrying loads of sweets, cheerfully told her they were in Canterlot.
She let Pinkie lead her through the streets, still unaware of where they were even going. The trip there was at least quieter considering the pink pony was still stuffing her face and, as such, wasn't too keen on talking. Berry Punch found it amusing that Pinkie Pie was able to consume so much without getting sick. Maybe they were similar in that sense.
With no idea of where they were going, Berry Punch waited for Pinkie to finish eating before she asked the obvious question.
"Where exactly are we going, Pinkie Pie? We've been walking for quite awhile."
Pinkie turned to face Berry Punch with a smile on her face.
"We're going to Canterlot Castle, silly."
The response caught Berry Punch so off guard that she almost froze in her tracks. Pinkie had mentioned a party, but the idea of one being held in the castle of all places was a bit daunting. Just what sort of surprise had she been invited to that would be there? More importantly, if Colgate was there, what did she have to do with any of this? And to think that I had merely been looking to apologize for yesterday. What have I gotten myself into?
Berry Punch did not have much time to dwell on her thoughts because soon, the two ponies stood before the impending impressiveness and sheer size of the castle walls. She swallowed hard in an attempt to straighten up as they approached the two guards at the gate. The guards said nothing, but nodded their heads signaling an affirmative that Berry and Pinkie could proceed. This was becoming too real for Berry Punch whose first instinct was to break out another bottle of wine. Without missing a beat, Pinkie Pie put a hoof on Berry Punch's bag. "
"Oh, you can't have any of that yet! We haven't even made it to the party!"
She continued behind the bouncing pink pony, starting to sober up, and just wishing to know where exactly they were headed. Little did she know that the answers were about to come in full force, and they would hit her like a ton of bricks.