Chapter 1

And thus the decision was made. Two bottles of vodka, one whiskey, and two rum. This'd last a day or two.

Berry Punch loaded up her saddlebags with her new alcohol and payed the shop-owner. Quickly hurrying home to take care of her supposedly 'overly protected little filly', Berry Pinch.

An alcoholic pony was a rare sight, though one that actually cared for their foal was even more so. However this thought never crossing Punch's mind, she just naturally felt an equilibrium between a mother's work and her personal 'play'.

Their home was of typical Ponyville flair, it stood tall and tan, with a pink hearted door and a balcony on the second floor. The roof was made of an unknown substance, perhaps wheat or straw. Pinchy loved collecting it when bits fell off, and placing it back on good-as-new.

Punch arrived home in time to see her daughter come back from a day at school. Pinch never liked her class. They made fun of her for not being social, which Punch consistently felt bad for causing. Today seemed like an especially hard day, judging by the young filly's face.

"What's wrong, Pinchy-dear?" asked Berry Punch, concern on her fact.

"The other foals were making fun of us today, and I couldn't stop them" replied the hesitant filly, tears welling up in her eyes.

"What did they say to get you so upset?

"Well, they said that it was weird that I was a unicorn with an earth pony mother, and that I'd probably never see my dad. Then Diamond Tiara stole my lunch, and threw it out the window."

"Did you go to your teacher? I'm sure she could have kept them straight."

By this time the pair was inside and Pinch was full-out crying.

"Do you want to meet your father?" asked Punch, trying to calm the filly down.

Pinch wiped the tears from her eyes and looked at her mother. "You know who he is?" she asked surprised.

"Sadly I do, it's a story for another time and it'll be hard to track him down, though I'll do it for my little girl" stated Punch. "Now, you go upstairs and do your homework, I'll call when dinner's ready.

The little filly ran up to her room and Punch laid down on her favorite couch, laying the bottle of whiskey purchased earlier on the floor next to her. It had been a hectic day, she met with Pinch's father yet again to pick up child support and have a quick drink.

She had been meeting with him often every since the night-at-the-bar-gone-wrong in which her daughter was conceived. He tried to convince Punch to marry him, though his style of life was simply not appropriate for a young filly to be living in. Not that her's was much better, but better is better.

The stallion was a close-in. He was distrustful of everypony, and lived in a small shack at the edge of town. Spending most of the time at a shady bar, drinking his cares away with little care for whatever happened around him.

By the time Punch realized she had dozed off, it was getting dark. She made a couple sandwiches, and ate with her daughter who had calmed down. After spending some time with the filly and sending her off to bed, the exhausted mare laid down and drank her favorite brand of whiskey before passing out on the floor.

Around 2 o'clock in the morning a knocking at the door woke Punch up. Wiping at the spilled alcohol on her coat, she stumbled groggily to the front door. Upon opening the passage to her home, she saw a white pegasus stallion in armor standing outside, a serious look strewn across his face.

The male abruptly handed Berry Punch two letters, one addressed to her and the other to her daughter. Then he departed, vanishing in the night sky.

Berry Punch trotted upstairs to her room, better to sleep there than the couch. Laying on her bed, she opened the letter addressed to her. The paper inside was crumpled and stained, the majority of the words were smudged or were poorly articulated.

Despite the poor appearance, the contents were what truly mattered.

Chapter 2

The following days were troublesome. Berry Punch had the letters, but was hesitant to share what she knew with her daughter, nor give her her letter. Pinch asked every day if her mother had tracked down her father, with no positive response.

Berry Pinch's fellow students were still just as rowdy and rude, however more towards the newly formed Cutie Mark Crusaders than her. Berry Punch's drinking buddies went their separate ways after a recent accident effected the drinking world. Some even went down the path towards sobriety like the normal ponies.

When asked about what she should do with the letters, Berry Punch's friends seemed to clam-up. It was a hard topic to speak about and few said anything after being asked. Though those that did all agreed, Pinch had to know.

Thus began the fateful day, in a long chain of events that would shape the lives of the Berry family.

Berry Punch came home late from her daily 'activities', her daughter was on the couch, examining the empty whiskey and vodka bottles leftover from the past few nights. Today was one of the few days Punch came home completely sober, and she didn't care for it.

"Pinchy, we need to have a chat. Go ahead and sit right where you are, I'll be back."

The filly did as was told, whilst Punch went upstairs to her own room, and picked up Pinch's letter.

"What I've got here is something your father wanted you to have." stated Punch whilst walking down the steps. "It's hard for me to tell you this, but he's gone. For good."

"What do you mean?" asked Pinch, confusion strewn across her face. "Is he dead? What do you mean by gone?"

"That's a story for another time, when you're older." stated Punch, handing her daughter the letter. "If you need any help reading this, just ask.".

Instantly the envelope was in shreds, the little filly was enthusiastic to have word from her father, even if it was the first and last.

The letter inside was perfectly devoid of the crumples and stains apparent in Punch's. On it were many apologies for not being there, and some simple words of advice, "be free". Not sure what any of it really meant or eluded to, Pinch put the paper on the coffee table across from her, and sat quietly.

The both remained quiet for a long time before Punch's slow maternal instincts finally kicked in, she gave her daughter a hug and made dinner for the two of them.

Without a word being spoken the rest of the night, the two sat together in the dark, until the little filly dozed off. Punch carried Pinch up to her room, and tucked the poor thing in, before returning downstairs to think about what she did over the remaining alcohol.

"It's tough being a parent." muttered the old drunk before passing out on the stairs going up.

Chapter 3

Berry Punch woke up to a small pink hoof applied to her head, followed by the owned of that hoof tripping and falling down the stairs.

"Are you okay?" shouted the concerned parent, now looking down at her daughter.

"I think so.." responded the small unicorn who was now picking herself up. "Why were you sleeping on the stairs?"

"I guess I just passed out making my way up" responded Punch, now making her way down to examine the filly for injuries. "How are you this morning?"

"Fine." the little one didn't seem to want to talk about what happened the night before.

"Well, I think you should stay home today, I want to make sure you're okay."

"Mom, I want to go to school, you've already had me stay enough this year."

"Well, my little Pinchy, that's because I love you." The strongly maternal earth pony was now making her way to the kitchen.

"Mom, you don't have to be so protec-"

"Yes I do." Berry Punch stopped in her tracks and whipped around. "You're all I have, Pinch, all I'll ever have."

"Yes mom.." Pinch reluctantly gave in and slowly made her way to the couch in order to rest her sore back.

Pinch was displeased with the fact she couldn't go to school, despite the torment she commonly faced. However, it had been drilled in her head that her mother knew best, and she heeded her matriarch.

The letter she received had kept her up all night. Much of what it said eluded to her mother still having contact with her father. However, Punch constantly told her that he was gone, and that they would never see him. Also, how old was the letter? They never received mail, and nopony had even come up to the door in at least a year.

Was her mother hiding something from her? What was her father like? Why did she never get to meet him? These questions whirled around the young filly's mind for t

Punch was displeased with her daughter's resistance, didn't she know that all the protection was because of the harshness of the world outside?

Sadly there wasn't much she could do, the young one had learned a lot and was likely coming to conclusions of her own. So many possibilities could come for this day, and not all good for the lying mother.

The filly was not blind, perhaps she was catching on the Punch's goals? The stress was too much, all she could do was take a drink and try to forget. But some things could not be forgotten, no matter how much alcohol flowed in her blood.

Inevitably Punch gave in to her daughter's need for independence and let her go play outside. The elder mare stayed put and drank until she fell asleep.

She woke up with a child's blanket draped on her.