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.