Chapter 3.

Still smiling after you lock the door to the pub, you levitate the letter over to you and trot downstairs into the cellar, opening one of your boxes of personal items and placing the invitation inside carefully. You breathe deep, the scent of alcohol mingling with the mustiness of old barrels. Inspecting your boxes again, you can see that they're beginning to get damp, and instead of looking through your things you choose to grab some tools and head upstairs to what would eventually become your home above the pub. You had kept putting off fixing the roof, purely because of the work it would require - you're not too rich financially, so you couldn't just pay somepony to fix the couple of leaks that had poured water onto your bed on your first night staying there, at the time unaware of the gap in the thatched roof.

Opening the book on thatching and roof repair that you had borrowed from Ponyville library, you spend the next few hours tweaking bits of thatch until satisfied. You knew that there was a light rainfall due this evening, so that would serve as an adequate test of your work. Looking out of the window as you move downstairs, you see the small line of punters waiting for you to unlock the door for tonight; your heart skips a beat as you notice Berry Punch there too, chatting animatedly to Ditzy Doo, who had also chosen to grace the bar with her presence tonight.

Stopping by the toilets, you quickly check yourself over in the mirror, smoothing down your hair with a hoof after moistening it with water from the tap. You glance again and cringe, looking close to how you had as a foal, and then run the hoof through your hair, moving backwards instead. "Much better," you say to your reflection, and quickly wander over to the front door, using your magic to insert and twist the key. Tonight's customers allow you to at least get out of the way before making their way inside, which was something else you rather liked about this town - very few ponies were in a rush to do anything and were much more respectful towards employees of their favourite drinking hole.

"Good evening, Paddock!" comes the familiar mock-Cloplin accent of Ditzy Doo. Her attempt at your accent made you cringe slightly, but not in the way of being terrible - she actually sounded very similar to your mother.

"Good evening to you Ditzy, and good evening Ms Punch - it's wonderful to see you well."

Berry nods, blushing slightly. You notice that the bruise on her face has all but gone, presumably the work of somepony at Ponyville Emergency Care. Ditzy orders a bottle of house red wine to keep her and Berry watered whilst you begin to serve your other customers. When you're done, and everypony is drinking, you find an additional stool and sit opposite Ditzy and Berry at the bar.

"Ohh! Paddock! You've JUST reminded me!"

"Of what?"

"I've just remembered that I've got an emergency at home!" Ditzy said, glancing either side of her, "It's a... uhm... muffin based emergency?"

"Right...?" you respond, slightly confused.

The grey pegasus immediately gets up from her seat and says good bye to Berry, who glances at you again. Something in your head clicked, and you understood what was being done; the wedding invitation, the sudden need to leave you alone with Berry... were they trying to set you up with her?

"They're trying to set us up, don't you think?" Berry finally says, sipping her wine and glancing at you once more.

"Aye, I'd say that's the case. I'm game, mind you; especially after last night."

"Ditzy has been trying to get me to talk to you since you opened this place... I hope you didn't mind me kissing you last night?"

"Not at all, Ms Punch. I'm sorry it hadn't been under better conditions though."

"Please, just Berry will do. Thank you for stopping Pokey. He and I were seeing each other a while back, but he wasn't any good for Ruby, he practically ignored her."

"Ah, Ruby would be your little one?"

"That's her. She's the light of my life, I don't know what I'd do without her."

"May I ask where her father is?"

Berry frowns at your last question, before eventually answering with an upset look on her face,

"He just left one day. He didn't even leave a note."

"I'm so sorry, Berry, it must have been tremendously difficult for you."

"It was, at first, but Ruby and I are comfortable now. We'll be alright."

"Well, if there is anything I could ever do, just ask and I'll be there."

Berry looks into your eyes for a moment, and the room seems to go quiet as you stare at each other before you finally tear your eyes off of her to serve somepony waiting patiently for a drink. As the night progresses, you keep chatting to her about various subjects, and she responds looking genuinely happy. By the end of the night, you realise that she isn’t even drinking that much - the equivalent of two glasses of wine for the whole evening, rather than the two bottles she regularly ordered for herself.

As the pub begins to empty, she stays, still chatting to you; Berry even offers to lend a hoof with the cleaning, dealing with the glasses whilst you gather together stools, putting them upside down on the cleaned tables as usual. Glancing back to check, you see her polishing the last glass, humming as she works. You can't help but notice how beautiful she is, her attention held by a pint glass for the moment, allowing you to run your eyes from her deep pink mane, over her light pink coat, to the bunch of grapes on her pert rump.

Wandering up the short flight of steps onto the stage, the mop animated by your magic glides around like a ballerina performing alone for an audience of furniture. Humming to yourself, you roll out power lines for the band coming to perform tomorrow night, as well as a small lighting setup that their manager had dropped off the previous week. Turning back to see if Berry had finished her work, you see her stood on the stage close by.

"I'll just be another minute, then I can walk you home, if you'd like?"

She shakes her head and steps closer, avoiding the still working mop. Time seems to slow down as Berry Punch comes closer, until she is less than a foot away.

"Thank you, Paddock."

Standing on her hooftips, she brings her lips to yours, fluttering her eyelids closed. You close your eyes too, your sense of feel heightening slightly, feeling her mouth moving in response to your own, the faint flavour of wine on her soft pink lips. The sound of the mop falling to the ground makes you both jump and pull away, Berry giggles upon seeing how distracted she had made you and pecks you on the cheek, blushing.

"Oh, you enjoyed that, did you?" She asks,

"Aye. That I did, Berry... that I did. I think I should get you back to your home. Isn't Ruby waiting for you?"

"She's staying over with Ditzy and Dinky tonight. Ditz has actually offered to take her off my hooves for a few more days... wouldn't even take no for an answer."

The pair of you laugh and you embrace her once more.

"Then how about a moonlit stroll by the river?"

She nods in agreement, and then nuzzles your neck. Smiling, you guide her between the tables to the door, your cap floating over and nestling behind your horn, the key on a nail behind the bar also floats over, and you lock up for the night once you and Berry have stepped outside.

It's a beautiful clear autumn night outside, the moon can be seen directly overhead, full and round, a beautiful sight. Marvelling at it, you nudge Berry, who also stops to look and gasps gently, amazed by the sphere. She snuggles up close to you and rests her head on your shoulder. You take a slight sniff of her mane, the aroma of forest fruits filling your nose, making your heart flutter slightly. This fluttering was a new feeling to you completely, but you thoroughly enjoy it.

After a few minutes, the chill of the night air becomes obvious, and the two of you begin to walk, hooves clopping gently against the cold ground. The silence begins to feel awkward, so you decide to try and strike up a conversation.

"So, how did you end up in Ponyville?" You ask, your side brushing against Berry as you continue to walk, reaching Sugar Cube Corner.

"I was born in the wine country near Fillydelphia, moved here for work. Although I wasn't expecting to meet Ruby's father... when I found out I was expecting, I chose to leave my job to take care of her. My parents are vineyard owners, so I rely on them for money."

You could feel your chest getting tight.

"Are you sure you're alright for money? I could do with an extra pair of hooves at the pub?"

"I'll have to think about that, but thank you for the offer" Berry replies, kissing your cheek as you both trot down the street, "Are you as crazily cold as I am?

"Definitely."

Berry smiles, flicking her eyes over to you,

"Let’s forget the river. Chase me, Paddock." she says with a wink, before cantering away. You take chase, laughing as you warm up. She seems to speed up just as you get close enough to catch her, and before long, you're both in front of her front door once again. Berry flings her forelegs around your neck, kissing all over your face. You pull back, and she gives a mischievous grin as one of her hind legs flicks back to push the door open. Balancing on her hind legs, she pulls you over the threshold, still planting gentle kisses on your face. Her home is nicely decorated, not following a set style, but obviously well loved; the sofa that she pulls you over to holds a simple striped pattern and feels soft as she pulls you down onto it with her.

She kisses you again, slightly more passionately than before, her small pink tongue poking at your lips. You open your mouth, allowing your tongue to dance with hers, the flutter in your chest accelerated by the deep breaths of the mare held between your hooves.

"Berry, are you sure you want this?"

"Yes!" she says enthusiastically, her face buried in your neck, nipping and biting at you.

You groan slightly as she bites a little harder. You'd never had a mare bite you before, and it was certainly something you wish had happened sooner. The bites turn to kisses and she slowly and seductively makes her way down your body. You can feel her hooves travelling over every single part of you, before they settle on your flanks, massaging your muscles through your coat. You breathe deep, her scent of wild forest fruits filling your nostrils, with the sharp tang of red grapes lingering on your senses.

She kisses you somewhere very sensitive, and you moan out loud,

"I thought you'd enjoy that..." she says, coming back up and kissing your lips, "That's all you're getting for now though..."

"I didn't have you down as a tease, Berry?"

"I'm full of surprises..." she says, with a yawn and a wink, kissing you again weakly.

Eventually, Berry rests her head on your chest, her tiredness preventing her from trying to take things any further. You smile, and stroke her mane for a few minutes before drifting to sleep yourself.

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