Pony POV Series Butterflies Ditzy Doo Part 2

Pony POV Series
Butterflies Optional Canon Ditzy
Preparations and Interventions
By Kendell2
Edited by Alexwarlorn

So I guess you’re here to hear about my time in Canterlot, right? Oh, yes, I guess I am speaking a little clearer, glad you noticed! Before I could only speak normal when I was rhyming, weird huh? What else is weird is somepony dropped a coupon for free diction classes in my mail box a little bit ago with a note making sure I knew they really wanted to help instead of mocking me. I think that was around the time I saw Pinkie running all over the place in a tizzy and the Doctor said someone had ‘borrowed’ his TARDIS without asking. It didn’t help that much, but I can at least get out complete sentences sometimes without my…problem showing up, especially when I concentrate. I wonder who was nice enough to do that. I asked Rarity, but she didn’t do it…I wonder who-Pinkie Pie?!

“Hi there Ditzy!”

W-where’d you come from?!

“Through the door, silly! Oh good, your eyes are still looking in different directions!“

Huh? Of course my eyes are still looking in different directions, why wouldn’t they be?

“And your voice is back to normal! Good, I was afraid you might have been censored!”

My voice is back to normal? When was it different? And what about censoring?

“Oh, don’t worry, that never happened! Well it did, but not here, so you don’t have to worry about it! Well, I‘ve got to go! See yah later!”

Wait! What never happened? What did you mean by…And there she goes…

What was that all about? Pinkie has been acting less crazy recently but she’s still really strange sometimes. The Doctor says she’s some kind of ‘temporal anomaly’, for some reason his timey whimey detector always goes off if she’s nearby. He says she’s like somepony displaced in time or from a time that shouldn‘t even exist or something like that. He says the weird thing is she’s not unraveling the universe just by existing if that’s the case, and he can’t really explain why. And when the Doctor can’t explain something, that means something, trust me.

(Interviewer’s Notes (Pegasus): How DID you meet the Doctor, anyway?)

Oh, well we ran into each other on the day of the Summer Sun Celebration and…I don’t think he’d like me to say…

(Interviewer’s Notes (Unicorn): We’re well aware of who the Doctor is, Ditzy.)

Oh! Well, you see he’d just gotten to Equestria and I was the first pony he met. I actually thought he was kind of crazy at first, since I didn’t know who he really was. He wanted me to be his assistant while he was there, and I agreed, though I agreed mainly to keep him out of trouble. Then we saw Nightmare Moon appear at the Celebration, but we kind of got sidetracked by this cult that worshiped her and were trying to help her succeed. Long story short, I helped the Doctor stop them when I figured out what they were trying to do would hurt Dinky…I can be scary when my Muffins are in danger. Anyway, we stopped them, got them arrested, and saved the day!

Then the Doctor left in the TARDIS and we didn’t see each other again until the Winter Wrap Up when he came back and I got him involved in the Winter Wrap Up. Then we tried going north in the TARDIS so I could do my job but we went the wrong way and ended up stopping an alien to save the world. After that, I became his companion.

So anyway, I guess my diction is a little better now, but I still have problems, especially when I’m really nervous. I’m surprised I was able to keep speaking straight after I accidentally destroyed City Hall after I got back from Canterlot…It wasn’t my fault, really! They told me I was supposed to make it rain near City Hall, I didn’t know they’d given me a thunder cloud instead of a rain cloud! And I think it already needed some repairs anyway, I might not be the lightest pony around but my plot isn’t big enough to smash through the floor! Ok, there WAS that assembly line but that was different and it NEEDED destroyed anyway!

And I’m not an airhead like that Gabby Gums article made me out to be. It said that I had bubbles as my Cutie Mark because I’m an airhead! That was so mean! It was even worse because it was around that time social services tried to take Dinky from me! They did apologize and I know they never really meant to hurt anypony, gossip does have a way of getting out of hoof sometimes. I’m just glad they never said anything about her or Sparkler, there’s no telling how I’d have reacted then.

I may have been named best mommy, but I’m not the best pony, I’m not perfect. Dinky has been bullied for so long, because she’s a unicorn with a “retarded” pegasus as her mother. Believe it or not, some ponies make fun of her for just having a Pegasus for a mother when she’s a unicorn. But for most of them, it‘s that they think I‘m retarded and make fun of her for it. I home school Dinky now, I pulled her out of school not long after the incident with Diamond Tiara. When she told me Diamond Tiara pushed her down to take the newspaper she was reading, then just left it on the ground, I thought she meant Diamond had been the pony who’d been picking on her on that time. I was so mad I yelled at Diamond until she cried!

It was only later I found out that, while Diamond Tiara did bully the foals in her class a lot, the foals that bullied Dinky don’t even go to Miss Cheerilee’s school, they were just part of a rollerblade gang that broke up last year. I sent Diamond an apology muffin and letter, but it turned out that it didn‘t get to them until she‘d already disappeared…I hope she’s alright, but I can’t imagine how poor Mr. Tiara is feeling right now, it must be horrible not to have any idea where your daughter is…

Anyway, as I was saying, my Cutie Mark has nothing to do with me being an airhead! I’m just a little clumsy…

(Interviewer’s Notes (Earth Pony): How did you get your Cutie Mark, Derpy?)

(Interviewer’s Notes (Pegasus): Uh, I don’t know if that’s a good idea)

Oh, it’s not problem! When I was a little filly, my parents wanted to teach me to fly. My dad was always really nice to me, but my mom was really cold…I think she didn’t like that my eyes were weird and I had a speech problem. One day she was teaching me how to fly, she wanted me to make it over a big river…on my first try. I was scared, so she gave me a big good luck charm around my neck and a push to get me past that, only I didn’t know how to fly yet, so I fell in.

I had to hold my breath for a long time, I was so scared. But I didn’t want to give up, I had so much more I wanted to do! I didn’t want mom to be disappointed in me! So whenever I started running out of air, I used bubbles that caught in my wing feathers to breathe, it was something I’d seen on one of those nature shows. Just when I thought I’d run out of those, I finally managed to break the surface and grab a tree limb and got back to shore. And there it was on my flank, the bubbles I used to keep myself alive. So I guess you could say my bubbles are how I do my best to never give up…I suppose that’s why Discord tried to make me do that, huh?

Huh? No, why would my mom have tried to get rid of me on purpose? She may have not been the nicest mother, but no way she would do that! Though the next time I saw her, a little before I had Dinky, she didn’t really pay that much attention to me. Dad was happy to see I was alive, but mom hardly said a word to me. In fact, she looked like she‘d seen a ghost, she almost fainted when she opened the door and saw me…

Anyway, after I crawled my way out of the river, some nice unicorn ponies found me and took me in. I didn’t know my parents’ last names or our address, so we couldn’t find them and they became my foster parents, then my adopted ones…My adopted father always called me Ditzy, cause I was always a bit…well, ditzy, and their last name was Doo, so that‘s were Ditzy Doo comes from. My biological parents named me Derpy, I didn‘t find out until I found them that their last name was Hooves, but officially my last name is Doo, and so is Dinky‘s. I use both names because both families are a part of who I am and I love them both. It just seems right I should use both names. Anyway, after that, I went to school in Cloudsdale, since that was the best school for pegasi in Equestria.

Oh, now you want to hear about Canterlot?

Rarity had really outdid herself on the dress, but then again, Rarity’s passion is fashion, so I guess that makes sense. Unfortunately, she refused to make muffins part of the design, but what she came up with was perfect for me. It was a dark grey with golden trim, some yellow were my wings were, and it had bubbles, lots of bubbles. They were all over the bottom of the dress, with some “floating” up stopping near the top of my flank. If you looked close. Around my front shoulders had clusters of crystals in the shape of bubbles as the shoulder pads too. There was also a pair of gold shoes for my front legs, not normal horseshoes but the fancy ones that cover your whole hoof. I’ve never worn then before, they were so beautiful, and had a bubble symbol on each one. There was a matching necklace too, with a bigger bubble crystal that hung down, and mane accessories with the same crystals.

“Wow, Rarity! This is so blue!” I exclaimed, looking myself over in the mirror. I looked so…different! Like I was a completely different pony! “I mean cool.” Part of the lessons on my diction were to catch and correct yourself when you said the wrong thing, that way you make a habit of correcting it before you actually say it. That’s what the teacher said anyway.

Rarity gave me a smile and put the necklace around my neck. “I’m glad you’re pleased darling, it does look fabulous on you, the yellows and golds go wonderfully with your mane and eye color,” she said, making me blush a little bit. “Now, about your daughters’ dresses.”

“Huh?” I turn to look at her, not sure what she meant. “What presses? I mean dresses?”

“Why Ditzy, you simply cannot expect Dinky and Sparkler to go naked in Canterlot, it’s not proper.”

“Naked? But ponies don’t usually bear clothes,” I reply, raising an eyebrow.

“In Ponyville,” Rarity replied. “In Canterlot, wearing clothes is a must, at least in the city proper as it were. Even just a jacket will do, but you’ll be accepting an award! Everything must be perfect!”

“But I don’t have a tot of funny…” I say, swinging my leg nervously. Not only does my speech impediment get worse when I’m nervous, my focus on keeping it in check tends to not work as well as it should.

“No need to worry about a thing, dear,” the white unicorn reply, putting a hoof on my shoulder and giving me a sympathetic smile. “No charge.”

I think my heart skipped a beat. “But I couldn’t!”

Rarity chuckled. “Darling, think about it for a second. You’re going to be awarded by Princess Luna herself, wearing one of my dresses. Three dresses are well worth the publicity it’ll bring me. Don’t worry.”

I guess that made sense, but just the way she’s acting…I can’t help but feel there’s something weird going on. Then again, she is the Element of Generosity, so it does make sense she‘d be generous. What? You’re surprised I know that? Who do you think that Nightmare Moon cult was trying to stop? And I think a lot more ponies in Ponyville know they’re the ones who saved Equestria than is let on, but those six…they’re just so humble about it. They don’t rub it in that they saved us all, they don’t exploit it, they hardly ever even mention it to anypony…They seem to just want to live normal lives like the rest of us, so we let them.

I brought Sparkler and Dinky in later that day to get fitted for their dressed, since Rarity wasn’t that busy now. Dinky has been hanging out with a colt named Pipsqueak a lot recently, they’re really good friends now. That makes me happy I suppose, it’s wonderful to see my little muffin having fun with friends. There’s another filly with them too, Dinky said her name is Moonlight. Something about that filly…I don’t know what it is, but she seems really familiar for some reason, especially her eyes.

Anyway, they like to play pirates all the time, so Dinky kept wanting something that looked more like a swim suit than a dress, but Rarity wouldn’t budge on it. But she did work the pirate motif into it a little bit. Dinky’s dress was modeled like mine, only the bubbles on the bottom were replaced with ocean waves and she got a gold headband too. Her necklace had a little treasure chest in it, which I thought looked so cute! It looked a lot like mine, but we are mother and daughter after all.

Sparkler…I’ll admit, Sparkler and I didn’t get along at first. She’s always been really serious, and she thought I was too silly sometimes. I think it embarrassed her when she was younger. Then she came with me on Take Your Daughter To Work Day and saw how hard I worked.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sparkler panted, hauling two small saddle bags full of mail, proportionally the same weight I carried for a filly her size, about as old as Dinky is now. “How blue doing, Sparkler?” I ask, looking down to her. We’d only gone about a block. I hadn’t let her out of my sight the whole time. “You bed delivering the mail was breezy,” I said, wanting her to see for herself. I don’t punish my muffins very much, or that badly, but I felt like Sparkler needed to see how hard my job was.

“No fair! You can fly!” she exclaimed, never liking to be proven wrong.

“Oh really?” I ask, and land next to her, folding my wings up. “Fine, bet’s talk.”

And so I did. I walked the entire mail run, even if it was a longer distance than if I flew. Sparkler was determined to keep up with me, but she was really surprised I knew every address by memory, even from the ground.

At the end, she collapsed panting and I had to carry her home. “Momma…” she muttered. “How did you know how to do that on foot?”

I give a small smile. “Because I‘ve broken a bing before, but splat didn‘t top be,” I reply, a little tired, especially in the hooves, but it was a good tired. “I blurred the route while I peeled.”

I heard her gasp. “B-but, why would you do that, momma?”

“Because I need the money,” I reply. I stop and reach back to nuzzle her. “Because I have a little muffin who needs to sweet.”

She looked surprised. “…Momma…why did you walk all the way?”

“Because, muffin, you were bright, it wasn‘t right for me blue fly while you bad to walk. I‘d never take my muffin do something I wouldn‘t do myself.”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After that, we got along a lot better. I think she saw just how much I really cared about her…I really meant what I said though, I do work so hard for my muffins. That’s what drives me to be so good at my job.

When she grew up, Sparkler moved away, but came back for holidays, like the Winter Wrap Up. She’s really good with animals, so she was team leader for that group. Fluttershy was naturally Mayor Mare’s first choice, but she was too shy to take a leadership position. Sparkler finally moved back permanently not that long ago, during that whole mess with social services. I’d never seen her so sad as when she heard what might have happened to Dinky. She loves Dinky, always has, the idea of losing her baby sister just broke her heart. She didn’t get mad, though, she doesn’t get mad that often, I mean not really angry. But she did everything she could to help me keep Dinky, and I’m grateful.

Sparkler’s dress was pretty simple over all. It was a nice yellow that went well with the flower she liked to wear in her hair at parties, with purple highlights for the patterns, the shade looked really nice with her mane. Rarity wanted to add diamonds to go with her Cutie Mark, but Sparkler said she didn’t want anything fancy. Still, Rarity was persistent.

“Now let’s see,” Rarity said, circling Sparkler. I could tell Sparkler was bored stiff modeling the dress. “It’s just too simple, darling. I mean not that simple doesn’t work, but it looks too…plain compared to the others.

“Maybe they look too fancy compared to it,” I heard Sparkler mutter, rolling her eyes.

“Ah, I’ve got just the thing,” said Rarity, digging into a box of gems. “A necklace with a nice piece of-”

Before she could finish, I saw what Rarity was pulling out.

I rushed over and put myself between her and the stone. “Rarity! Put bat way!”

“But it’d go perfect with her man-”

“Rarity, Discord burned her into amethyst!” I whispered, not wanting to embarrass Sparkler too much. Sparkler had hated amethyst ever since the Day of Chaos, she didn’t like to look at it and be reminded of being it for that time. She said it wasn’t being the amethyst that frightened her, it was seeing the world around her go to Pony Hell and be unable to do anything about it. And seeing amethyst reminded her of that. I think it was because she used to love it, that’s why she went by Amethyst Star as another name sometimes.  

Rarity’s eyes went wide and she hid the stone. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t realiz-”

“It’s ok,” Sparkler said, giving a sigh. “I got over it thanks to Princess Gaia.”

I blinked. “R-really?”

Sparkler nodded. “She reminded me of how stupid it is to be afraid of a rock, I’m fine with it.”

“Oh…sorry, Muffin…” That was twice now Fluttershy has helped one of my muffins…I know she wasn’t right, and I’m still a little mad…but I am grateful she helped my muffins.

“It’s fine, you didn’t know,” Sparkler said, sounding a little annoyed before Rarity put the gold necklace with an amethyst charm around Sparkler’s neck. She then directed Sparkler to the mirror.

“Wow! That‘s me?!” Sparkler exclaimed out as she looked n the mirror. I shook off my surprise and trotted over and stood next to her.

“You book beautiful, Sparkler,” I tell her, giving her a smile.

“…Thanks mom,” Sparkler gave me a little smile, but a real one, and that’s enough.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“So we’ll be coming on the Friendship Express,” explained Carrot Top, packing her and Noi’s bags. “Me, Noi, and Doctor Hooves,” she explained to me as I stood in the door way, Dinky playing with Noi outside. Oh! Noi is Orange Top, she just likes to go by that name sometimes, just like Carrot Top also goes by Golden Harvest.

(Interviewer’s Notes (Pegasus): Alright, just how many ponies in Ponyville have multiple names?)

Well there’s me, Carrot Top, Noi, and the Doctor sometimes goes by Time Turner or Doctor Whooves if he needs to. It’s funny, me and Carrot Top actually met because there was a mix up and the record said we were married to ourselves and Noi was her own twin sister!

“The Doctor said riding the train there would be ‘thrilling’, so he’s looking forwards to it.”

I nod, knowing how interested the Doctor could be about everything. “I’m really plaid you’re gumming, I mean glad you’re coming!”

Carrot Top gave a chuckle. “Ditzy, there’s no need to correct yourself around me, your speech impediment doesn’t matter to me one bit.”

I blush a little bit under my fur. “Yeah, I show…but I’m just practicing is fall.”

Carrot Top nodded. “I know, but I don’t think you need to change a thing, it doesn’t matter to me, the Doctor, or Dinky. We like you just the way you are…By the way, is Berry Punch coming?”

I blink a little bit. I try not to look as surprised as I really am, or as guilty. “Well I really…I haven’t thought it pup to bur. She had that bad tall awhile ago, I didn’t taunt to fake her feel bad if she couldn’t go.”

I knew how flimsy an excuse it was. But truth be told, that wasn’t exactly why I didn’t want Berry Punch to come. There was sure to be drinks there, and Berry…she’s had a problem for a long time, since not long after Discord showed his ugly face. Berry Punch and her daughter Ruby Pinch have been friends of mine and Dinky’s for a long time. Dinky still plays with Ruby, I think Ruby’s part of Pipsqueak’s ’crew’ along with her, but…it’s not that I don’t like Berry anymore, she’s my friend it’s just…She used to drink a bit, but only got drunk sometimes. Her talent is actually being a wine taster and maker, and she was really good at it…then Discord happened. Discord made everything she drank taste like battery acid, it must’ve been horrible.

It took us a week just to get her to drink water without being forced, the psychiatrists practically had to force it down her throat just to keep her hydrated. Then was the hard part. Discord had made alcoholic drinks, her livelihood and favorite drink, the most painful to drink, so getting her to be near it again was a challenge…I guess she went overboard on it. Berry Punch is an alcoholic now, and I don’t want to tempt her by taking her to a place where she’ll be surrounded by drinks. Her sister Cheerilee has been helping her some…but not enough.

For awhile, it didn’t hurt anyone. She was still taking care of Ruby Pinch, she loves her daughter with all her heart…Then one day, Ruby came running to get me. Berry Punch had gotten drunk and fallen down a flight of stairs. She was hurt pretty bad and had to spend some time in the hospital. I think that jolted her out of it a bit, but not nearly enough.

(Interviewer’s Notes (Pegasus): And you weren’t bitter social services were looking the other way for her but not for you?)

I…I’m not bitter! She’s my friend!

(Intewviewer’s Notes (Unicorn): Ditzy, just because she’s your friend doesn’t mean you can’t have negative feelings about her. And you need to face them.)

…Yeah…I guess I was…I had to go through Pony Hell to keep my little Muffin because I talk weird and a drunk doesn’t even get a slap on the fetlock…But I know that’s unfair. They were just doing their jobs after all, but still…I guess I felt a little bitter.

Carrot Top looked to me with a serious face. “Ditzy, I know Berry Punch is having drinking problems, but she’s our friend,” she said, putting a hoof on my shoulder. “And ignoring her is just going to make this worse. Maybe getting out with her real friends will help her put down that bottle.”

So the two of us headed over to Berry Punch’s house, leaving Noi and Dinky with the Squeaks so they could play with Moonlight and Pipsqueak. Dinky said that their game of pirates was really really realistic this time. She said she had actually forgotten for a bit they were just pretending, ready to pillage and plunder all in her path. And the pretend ship and pretend ocean were so real that Dinky was sure they were for a bit. Apparently Moonlight said she wanted to try a new way to play…But afterwards, she was apologizing for something. Fillies can be a little weird sometimes.

When we got to Berry Punch’s house, Big Macintosh had finally managed to get it back on its foundations after the “Love Poison” Incident. Her house had ended up dragged half way across Ponyville when he and Cheerliee were accidentally geassed by his little sister and her friends. Sometimes, I wonder why the Doctor settled down in Ponyville to take a break from the weird stuff.

When I knocked on the door, Ruby Pinch opened the door. “Bellow, Ruby. Is blur mother home?” I asked, looking down at the little filly.

Ruby nodded. “Yeah, she’s in the living room…Ditzy, is momma ever going to be like she used to be again?”

I almost cried looking down into those little puppy dog eyes of hers. “Sure she bill, Ruby…” I replied, trying to smile as convincingly as I possibly could.

Me and Carrot Top trotted into the living room. It stunk of alcohol, but Berry wasn’t drinking. She was just laying on the couch, looking at a bottle of hard cider sitting on the small table next to it. At least it was back to Sweet Apple Acres Cider, she’d been drinking whatever she got her hooves on before she had a talk with Cheerilee. She looked like she was crying. “Berry?” Carrot Top asked.

Berry Punch jumped about a foot in the air, then looked at us, quickly wiping her eyes. “…O-oh, hello, Ditzy, Carrot Top…”

Berry tried to get up, but staggered, falling back down into the chair. She was drunk again, or getting there. She was at the point where her motor skills started to be impaired, but her mind isn’t as impaired yet. “Oh, sorry…my hooves must be asleep…” she said, giving a fake smile.

I looked her in the eyes, I could tell, she was hiding something. I looked to Carrot Top, who gave me the same worried look I was giving her. I think maybe both of us were just tired playing games with Berry Punch, enabling her. I think that was the moment we both decided to put our hooves down.

Carrot Top sighed and set down next to her. “Berry…Look…This has to stop, alright?” she asked, seriously. “I don’t want to hurt you, but…look at yourself, you’re a mess.”

Berry suddenly looked scared, not angry like she had previous times we’d confronted her, but scared. “…I…”

“Berry, blue have a problem,” I said, coming out and saying it. I was sick of letting her do this to herself. She was my friend, I…I just couldn’t watch her ruin herself anymore. “And it’s tot going to get better until blue admit it.”

She looked down and muttered something under her breath.

“What was that?” asked Carrot Top, calmly.

Berry growled. “I know! Alright! I…I’ve got a problem, there, I admitted it…” she said, tears starting down her face as she gave a sob. “I’m just a weakling who can’t throw away a stupid bottle for her daughter!” she sobbed, resting her head on Carrot Top’s shoulder and crying. “Is that what you wanted to hear?! I know I‘m messed up! I’ve known since Cheerilee tried talking some sense into me! You think I want to be like this?!”

Seeing where this is going, I went out and looked to Ruby. “Ruby, could you breeze go to Pipsqueak’s house? Dinky is blare.”

After Ruby was on her way, I returned to the room. “…I’m sick of myself…” Berry sobbed, looking down. “I tried to quit…but I’m too weak…I can’t do it…Princess Gaia or Fluttershy…whatever she calls herself…she showed me what I was like without this habit of mine…but…but I just can‘t be that pony! I…I can see the me I could be, but I‘m too weak to throw the bottle away and be her!”

“You can’t do it alone, Berry,” said Carrot Top. “But maybe the psycha-”

“What? Let them take Ruby away like they tried to Dinky?!” Berry yelled suddenly. I felt my heart skip a beat.

“Blue are afraid, aren’t you Berry?” I asked, as calmly as I could.

Berry finally completely broke down, sinking to the floor and crying as she nodded. “I am…I don’t want them to take her…she’s all I’ve got…” she muttered, shaking her head. “But if I don’t…then I’ll hurt her! Either I’ll kill myself drinking and leave her alone or I’ll hurt her when I’m drunk! I…I just feel like there’s nothing I can do that won’t hurt her…”

I gave a gasp, that sounded familiar.  It was…it was a lot like what he did to me…Then I noticed it. Starting at the tip of her tail and moving up her body. Her colors slowly fading away, leaving only grey behind. I felt my heart sink. “No…”

I couldn’t…I couldn’t let her fall into darkness again! Not after everything we’d done to pull her out of it when she nearly dehydrated herself! But…but how? When Discord…when he did this…I broke…How can I help her do what I couldn’t?

I watched the fading continue up her body. Did Carrot Top notice it? If she did, she was too busy hugging her to notice…Too busy supporting her to notice!

“Don’t pay that!” I yelled. “That’s not true!”

“Yes it is…There’s nothing I can do…” she replied, miserably.

“You don’t need to boo anything except get come help!” I told her.

“But what if…what if they try to take Ruby?” she asked, looking at me in the eyes. The grey had traveled up most of her body now.

“Then we’ll help blue!” I told her. I knew my speech problem probably didn’t help, but rhyming would sound funnier…So, I decided to rhyme in a way that might work. I didn’t do it often, last time I did it was showing the Doctor around during his first Winter Wrap-Up, but now seemed like a good time.

“I know times seem very hard right now
You feel like you’re trapped in a bad way
If there’s a way out, you can’t see how.
But I won‘t let you give up today.” I sung, looking her in the eyes.

“I’ve been there, I know how you feel
It feels like you’re stuck with no way out
But I am here to help you begin to heal
That’s what friends are all about,”

“Berry dear, I know it has to hurt
I know don’t want Ruby to pay
Your fall we‘ll help to avert
We‘re not going to lose you today,” sung another voice, Carrot Top’s voice. I was surprised, I’d never heard her sing before. But I was glad to hear her sing now.

“You‘ve been lost for so long
You‘ve stopped looking for a way out
But we‘ll take your hoof and guide you along
Because that‘s what friends are all about,” she sung, Berry looking up at as both. I think the grey stopped spreading.

“Berry, we were all hurt by Discord’s ‘fun’
He made me do nothing but hate…”

“Anypony colored green I made run
Or else I’d deal them a grisly fate,”

“But we can heal from what he has done.
But not if we sit and pout.”

“We have to reach out to a loved one.
Because that’s what friends are all about.”

“Please, Berry, it‘s time for you to heal.
If things go bad, we’ll come to your side.
My friends helped me deal.
Their support they did provide.
If it comes to what you fear.
We’ll be there to help you out.
If you need us, we’ll be right here.
Because that’s what friends are all about.”

“We won’t let them take Ruby away
In our support there can be no doubt.
We promise to be there for you all the way.

Because that’s what friends are all about.”

We both looked at Berry, watching her close. “Y-you really mean that?” she asked, looking up at us with fearful eyes, now I was sure of it, the fading had stopped.

We both nodded without a moment of hesitation. “Berry, did you really think that if it came to it, we’d let you lose Ruby any sooner than the Doctor and I would let Ditzy lose Dinky?” Carrot Top asked, serious as could be.

“Besides, blur a great mother!” I continued the train of thought. “Blue didn’t neglect Ruby! You still paid sure she was taken care of! And I’m not afraid to bell a judge that! But what will she blue if you just give up and do nothing? Get help, not just for you but for blur! And if something toes wrong, me, Carrot Top, the Doctor, and everypony else that cares pout you will be there to support you! We‘ll kelp blue be the pony…the pony Fluttershy blowed two you could be!”

Carrot Top nodded with me.

Berry Punch broke down crying, and we hugged her as the colors flowed back into her.

As we’d find out latter, Berry had actually nearly killed herself to save Ruby from one of Discord’s games…that monster, he’d told her he’d take the curse he put on her away if she split a lot of alcohol with Ruby, enough to kill a filly…Berry drank it all so Discord couldn’t make her do that to her daughter.

The next day, she enrolled in Alcohorse’s Anonymous to get help. Yes, I know it’s a silly horse pun, the Doctor laughed for about thirty minutes about it when I told him. Reminded me of that one time we went to the future and that one guy said all those horse puns…I mean he will say them…I mean we will have said them…Talking about where I’ve gone with the Doctor always makes my head hurt…Cheerilee promised to help Berry however she could

Oh, look at me, I got side tracked, didn’t I?

(Interviewer’s Notes (Pegasus): You think?)

(Interviewer’s Notes (Unicorn): Don’t worry, Derpy, this has all been fascinating, but mind telling us about Canterlot now?)

Yeah, I guess I can…