== Chapter 2: Remedy ==

Piña Colada was already used to the smell of vomit behind the house, even as it mixed with the thick aroma of alcohol and rotting garbage slashed by broken glass. She and her cousin had to clean it up frequently and with Ruby Pinch not feeling well, she would probably have to do it alone this next time.

The lavender filly's tail sank, the tip sliding on the ground back and forth in thought. She closed her eyes, held her breath, and walked in.

At the sound of active scrubbing, she sighed with relief. The living room still didn't smell the best, stained and molded in some places but at least there was some lemon-berry scented cleaner in the air. Piña saw her older sister Berry Punch by the sink wearing a bandana on her head as she cleaned the counters. "Oh, hello, Piña! What took you so long this time?"

Piña closed the door and and faked a grin. "Some of my frie—classmates—were doing something silly, and I just had to watch."

Berry looked over at the young filly's awkward smile and tsked. "I know that look, Piña," she said turning to the fridge. "And I know something is troubling you."

Piña Colada's smile unstitched into a frown as she walked to the couch and plopped on the side, placing her head on the armrest as her eyes dimmed and mouth scrunched from the pain ebbing throughout her entire body. She heard the familiar sound of a bottle's uncorking squeak and shut her eyes, listening to the gentle trotting on the living room rug followed by feeling the weight of her older sister sit beside her.

Berry Punch scooped up the filly and readjusted as she laid next to her, stroking her mane with her chin. "Here."

Piña shook her head.

"Piña Colada," Berry gently scolded.

The filly dared to open her eyes. Just as her nose told her, an open greenish bottle of strong liquor greeted her sight. Piña twisted her body away from it and looked up at her sister. "Everything—everything hurts, Berry," she started to cry.

"I know it does."

"I'm tired of it. I don't want anymore. Why don't you ever ask me what's wrong? Why can't we just talk? You think this is the cure to everything! And I'm fed up with me, you, and Pinchy being sick all the time."

Berry's motherly face straightened. "Piña, do you know why Pinchy is so sick today? Because she was being stubborn. You can't go too long without this anymore. Now then Piña, do as I say. Both of us don't want this, but it's for your own good, so be a good filly—and drink your alcohol."

Piña curled up her lip as Berry pushed the green-glass bottle to her younger sister. The lavender little one pinched her face in defiance and mumbled. "I'm—thirsty. My throat—burns. I want some water." She waited a few moments as she looked up and sternly finished, "Please."

Berry began petting Piña's choppy hair with her left hoof and suddenly slammed it hard on her forehead. The filly yelped and Berry jammed the bottle into her sister's mouth and tipped it up, using her weight to forcefully pin it between her lips.

Berry whispered loudly with a cough, "This hurts me more than it hurts you." She rubbed her other arm into her little sister's stomach, making sure she didn't try just spitting it all out over the couch she just cleaned. After completely controlling her sister's movements and waiting a moment, she bowed her head, sighing with satisfaction upon hearing the loud, unwilling gulps. The little one struggled, her tail flicking angry and her arms and legs shifted under Berry's weight, but it was really no use.

"I'm sorry, Piña. You know I am," Berry moved around the bottle and kissed her on the spot she had struck. Piña's eyes went from angered defiance to limp drowsiness. Berry smiled upon seeing her sister give up the struggle and accept her remedy. She picked up the filly and cradled her like a babe as she tipped the bottle back, reducing the forceful flow. The older sibling whipped her head back and looked towards the window at the brilliant-red curtains shading the cruel world within. And on a ledge beside it was a photo of them winning the Sisterhooves Social.

"There's no use talking about our problems anymore. All we can do is—forget." She shook her head and looked at Piña, her eyes droopy and face bubbling so she eased the bottle away and petted her. "All better?"

Piña lazily nodded her head.

"Awe, you're so cute when you're drunk," Berry Punch said. She scooted her sister off the couch and poured some of the liquor into a plastic cup. "Here, take this upstairs to your cousin. And try not to spill. And I'll clean things up outside today, okay?"

Piña took the cup in her mouth and began the unstable walk to her chore.

"And Piña, if she needs anything, you give it to her. Do you hear me?"

"Mhmm."

Piña made it upstairs without incident, fully realized that she wasn't her total self. She couldn't think completely straight, and she knew things weren't right, but in her stupor, she didn't care as much. She sidestepped to push the door open.

Ruby Pinch wasn't in bed anymore. The bright pink filly was hunched upside down beside it, using her magic to bounce a ball against the walls, furniture, and ceiling. Everything was a junk pile of old toys, paper, cans of various drinks, and wrappers to snacks. Piña took a few steps in and heard a loud crunch beneath her hoof. She looked down and stepping the side discovered a cockroach, which was probably there for the past day or two already.

"Hey Piña," the unicorn said without moving, "So uh, how was school?"

Piña wiped her hoof on the rug and set the cup down next to her cousin. Ruby made the ball bounce onto her own chest before focusing her magic on the cup, taking a calm, ginger sip. Piña shook her head. "It was fine."

"How's Rumble and Jelly Splat?" she asked in-between sips.

Piña sat down next to her cousin. "They're—they're fighting over—um…"

"Fine then. I don't want to know." She closed her eyes and took another sip. "They're as good as dead."

Piña raised an eyebrow and hiccupped. "What do you know?"

Ruby grinned. "Mom was talking about it. We're going to have another harvest tomorrow. Mom said this Nightmare Night was going to be perfect for the biggest one yet."

Piña wobbled a bit before shaking her head. "I don't believe you. We just had one—a few nights ago!" Piña didn't know how to feel. She was upset, confused, and trying to stay in denial. "You're toying with me again, aren't you?"

Ruby shifted over. "No, I'm not. But speaking of toying," she took multiple gulps to the last of her drink before tossing the empty cup on the floor. "Mom say anything about coming up here?"

Piña raised a hoof and squinted an eye. "Uh—she…"

"Ha! Knew it."

Piña puckered her lip and lowered her head. "You don't seem all that—sick."

"That's because I wasn't," the light pink unicorn said standing up and and pressing her forehead against Piña's. Piña tried backing away but stumbled on some toy blocks and fell to her back. "I like the alcohol Mom gives us. It helps a lot. I faked so I could skip going to that crappy school today. You shouldn't be so stubborn. Accept it all, like me. You'd be better off. Ha! Not like you have any friends or life out of here anyway."

Piña wrinkled her eyebrows as she looked up at her cousin and pleaded. "Pinchy, please…"

Ruby Pinch gently placed her left hoof down on Piña's mane and pressed hard to keep her in place. Her cousin winced and gritted her teeth, folded her legs and wrapped her choppy tail over them. But Pinchy used her magic to peel her tail back and force her legs apart. The strength of the Earth filly being under the influence wasn't enough to resist, while the unicorn felt empowered.

"Come on, Piña Colada! You're such a baby. We're lucky, you know, to be allowed to do this together and see what it's like." She pressed her muzzle against her cousin's left cheek and gave it a lick. "I want to use my horn this time."

Piña's tearful eyes widened before squinting shut, her whole body shivering. She wanted to shake her head or do something, but her hair was being pulled and yanked. Her only hope was that the alcohol doesn't make it so bad.

"Girls!"

The two flipped on opposite sides in heavy breathing at the sharp sound of Berry Punch coming upstairs.

"Girls," she pried open the door and saw them on the floor of the messy room. "We're needed. Come on, get ready to go out to the vineyard."