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// The Solution 
// Story: Berry Punch's Last Drink 
// by Ranak 
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	For days they trekked on and slept inside the Everfree Forest, facing many challenges, and creatures, such as the encounter with the Cockatrice, its petrifying stare nearly catching both Berry and Pinkie in its reach, or the Bog Hydra nearly engulfing them as they fought through the dense mud. This and more complicated the journey as they trekked on, Berry having a look of determination upon her face as what little light filtered through the thick murky green of the leaves, an ever present feeling of despair attempted to penetrate the  minds of Berry and Pinkie Pie. They crossed creeks, rivers, thorns, dens, and a small mountain range, all in search for the location of the temple, Berry knew what she was looking for, but she just couldn’t find it. Pinkie, not knowing what at all to look for happily bounced around the path after Berry, switching between humming and singing, to talking, yet never was she silent for more than a second.  It’s a good thing I brought Pinkie Pie, I have no idea what I would have done if I didn’t have her to always fill the silence of this place, but where is that temple!  Shoving herself through another wall of plants, Berry stumbles on a vine and tumbles to the dirt, the sound of a Parrot echoes throughout the forest and for the first time in days, a clear view of the sky above is revealed, the purest of blues is in stark contrast to the swampy, jungle-like forests of the Everfree. Birds flit about, their wings silent on the sky, their calls boisterous, but what was most important, was a mountain of blue-gray stone rising up, leaving a stark contrast to the bright jungle below,, caressing the sky as it rose to be in its blue embrace, a single plume of black smoke lazily drifts upwards, this mountain is a volcano, but it seems rather calm. Berry’s eyes light up as she gazes at what she has found. “Pinkie! I found what we were looking for! The temple is in that volcano!”
“Really? How did you know that? What if it is a different volcano? What if that one goes KA-BOOM and pours red hot lava all over us?”
“Pinkie, think about it,  The endurance of a dragon.  what else could it possibly mean besides that there would be a lot of fire and heat? So, a volcano full of lava would be the natural place for it!”
“Okie Dokie Lokie, but how do you know it is this particular volcano?”
“Well, do you know of any others?”
“Nope! Sounds like this’ll be fun!  Berry and Pinkie: Adventures in Fire!  I can’t wait!”
“Only you Pinkie would be excited to go into a volcano full of lava…”
“But you are excited too! I can see it in your eyes!” It was true, the mere thought that Berry would have enough money in order to pay off the bank, as well as have a small fortune waiting for her to use it in order to do whatever it took in order to get her Pinchy back, the small fire of determination that signaled the willingness to walk through fire and flames in order to save her daughter from whatever treachery could or would befall her blazed in her eyes, and thus she moved faster, racing toward the looming mountain, “Hey Berry! Wait up, I can only bounce so fast!”
They half walked, half ran into the jungle of the Everfree, the swampy pines of home left behind them as they entered the heart of the forest. The thick canopy blocking the sun at parts, filtering it in others, to completely nonexistent, those meadows left by the glaring gaze of the sun attracted both the ponies, allowing them to glimpse the volcano as they progressed closer and closer to their destination. At the base of the mountain they stop for rest, Berry gazing at how much farther, and how much work is left to be done before they could even see if this was in fact not a volcano, but THE volcano. The sun now cresting the tops of the trees, Pinkie and Berry continue on toward the top of the volcano, the steep, grey slope baking in the tropical sun, the fine layer of ash from eruptions past leaving hoofprints as they trek their way toward the crater, the still humid air choking the ponies, the sun beating down on the heads of Berry and Pinkie doing nothing to weaken Berry’s resolve, or Pinkie’s love of it all. The bouncing pink pony getting ahead of Berry, stopping to let her catch up, and repeat. By the time the sun was orange in the west, Berry was standing on the edge of the volcano, gazing into its depths to find what could even be remotely considered to be a dragon temple, the mountains hollow interior reassuring Berry, the volcano would not erupt for a long while. In the fleeting, angled, light, Berry was not able to discern anything of worth notice. “Pinkie Pie, I think we should sleep here tonight, we won’t be able to see anything until noon tomorrow. So why don’t you…”
“Done!” Berry turns around to find not only the tents set up, but a small fire going.
“How did you… Oh nevermind, great job there Pinkie.” Why do I even bother to attempt to figure out how she does things anymore! With a grin, and a small chuckle to herself, she sits next to Pinkie Pie, the smell of the burning wood comforting to her. Tomorrow is the day I find out if this truly is the solution, tomorrow I find out if I will be able to go home, to pay off my bills, to get my Pinchy back. Tomorrow is the day! A small smile adorns Berry’s face as she drifts off to sleep slumped against Pinkie Pie, her fluffy pink mane providing the best form of comfort, the comfort of Berry’s first true friend, a pony she could count on.