Tincture would sigh softly as she looked at the menu, shrinking in her seat. She could feel the curious gazes of the other customers; it felt like she was being walked on by an army.
Bottle felt guilty, and sighed a bit. "I should've warned you we don't have really any unicorns up here; you're the first in moons," She admits, gently placing a hoof on of Tincture's, "They're just curious, that's all."
Tincture offered a weak smile, but she felt out of place anong the other ponies in the restaurants; even beyond the fact she was a unicorn in a non-unicorn town. Her dark fuschia fur and unkept lavender mane were out of place among the usually lighter colors of the townsfolk.
The restaurant would suddenly go silent as a white streak raced through; Bottled Lightning found herself flat on her back, squeaking and scattering panicked sparks of electricity.
"Bottle!" Said a white pegasus, standing atop the gray mare, "You forgot to remind me it was your birthday!" She huffs.
Bottle smiled sheepishly, "Oh, hah… Right. I'm sorry, Angel," She said, a faint pink blush on her cheeks, "You could've at least waited until I was outside to ambush me."
The white pegasus giggles, "Wait? Why would I wait? It's not a surprise if you're already prepared for it," She says.
Tincture blinked, dropping the magic shield she had instinctively casted around herself from the sudden noise. "Bottle, who is…?"
The white pegasus' gaze snapped to the unicorn, eyes wide with intrigue and excitement, a big dumb grin plastered over her face, "Ooh! Do you have a marefriend now Bottle?" She pauses briefly, hoof under her chin, "Uh-oh. Did I crash a date?" She asks, swivelling back to the earth pony beneath her.
Bottle would slide out from under the pegasus, and shook her head. "No, this is Tincture," She introduces, "She's just a… Teacher, of sorts. Tincture, this is Angel's Kiss; she's one of my longest standing friends here," She explains.
Tincture smiled awkwardly; just from looks alone, Angel's name suited her well: She was a bit small for a full-grown pegasus, with fleecy white fur and mane, her mane all puffy and frizzy. She could've blended in with any of the scant clouds overhead.
"Tincture," The unicorn introduces herself quietly.
Angel would smile widely and grab the unicorn's hoof, shaking it enthusiastically. "Nice to meet you!" She says, "Any friend of Bottle's is a friend of mine!"
Bottled Lightning would smile. "Would you like to join us for lunch, Angel?" She asks.
Angel nods, "Sure!" She giggles, taking a seat at the table.
Bottle would shake herself off as she came back to her seat, and Tincture returned to the table as well.
The three mares would gaze over the menus. Tincture had trouble choosing; the more she looked at the names and descriptions of her food, the more she realized her stomach was a hollow in her body; how long had it been since she last ate? Her eyes became frantic. How long had it been? How long had it been?
Tincture was jerked out of her moment by the sudden feeling of legs wrapped around her. Angel's Kiss had attached herself to the unicorn in a hug, and the name became very obvious: Despite being only a little smaller than a typical grown mare, she felt as light as a filly, if not lighter.
"What's wrong? Choice anxiety? It's okay, I get that too; I usually get two mains with no sides so I can have more of the tasty stuff!" Angel says with a grin.
Tincture was offput by the sudden incursion on her personal space, but felt oddly at ease. Further contributing to her growing sense of comfort was the gentle touch of one of Bottle's hooves on her shoulder.
Bottle smiled gently at Tincture, "I recommend their beet burger. It's a little messy, but I promise, it'll fill you up and then some," She hums softly.
Tincture would gently pull the pegasus off of herself, and smiled softly, "Thank you both," She says solemnly, "I guess I just have a lot on my mind right now…" She admits.
Angel gently nodded, giving the unicorn one more pat on the back before returning to her own seat. She debated asking Tincture about what was bothering her, but the pegasus was able to pick up that the unicorn wouldn't open up in public. Instead, she just bobbed her head to a song only she could hear.
Tincture couldn't help but watch her. Her energy was almost infectious; she doubted two ponies in this town had inexplicably-sourced magical powers, but Tincture almost second-guessed her own self-assurance.
Bottle smiled softly. "What've you got planned for the rest of the day, Angel?" She asks.
Angel thought for a moment, rocking back on her flank, her wings the only things keeping her from falling off from the unusual posture.
"Weeelllllll… I guess not much! We picked a lot of the cotton today, so now we're just waiting for more to spring up," She says, "I thought I could spend some time with you for your birthday, you know?"
Tincture tilted her head, "It's your birthday?" She asks.
Before Bottle could offer an answer, Angel nodded, "Yup! 23 whole years!" She says with a giggle, "Which means I've known her for 12!" She adds.
Tincture's eyes widened slightly. "Angel, has… Has Bottle always had the blue markings on her stomach and chest?" She asked, brain on auto-pilot as she went back to trying to make sense of Bottle's magic's origin.
Angel grins, "Oh, yeah! I remember when she first came to town; they're sooooo cool, aren't they!?" She asks, now bouncing in her seat.
Tincture thought for a long moment. "Yeah… They really are," She says, her train of thought interrupted by the sudden appearance of a waitress, asking the mares for their orders.
After the orders had been placed, Bottle would smile a bit, "If you want, you can come visit with me and Tincture," She offers to Angel, "She's teaching me how to…" Bottle abruptly lowered her voice, "Use magic."
Angel gasped in excitement, "Wait, WHAT!?" She squeaks, catching most of the restaurant's attention, "You can- MMM-MMMMMPH!?" Angel is suddenly cut off as Bottle covers her mouth in a hoof.
"Don't be so loud about it, you know how this town is with magic," Bottle hushes, having forgotten the crowd that had seen her throw lightning from her hooves earlier this morning.
Angel's Kiss calmed down, gently removing Bottle's hoof from her muzzle with a soft huff. "Okay, okay," She huffs softly, "But you two need to explain after lunch."
Tincture and Bottle both nodded in agreement.
The mares would small talk among themselves until their food arrived; all three of them had ordered two entrees without a side; beetburgers across the board, though the other component varied between the three.
The table went quiet as the three mares dug in; all of them were focused on the food before. Anyone looking at the group would have assumed they were all feral beasts, who had been starving for months, having an eating contest.
Angel's Kiss huffed softly as she wiped off her hooves, giggling a little, "Done!" She says, before her eyes gazed over at Tincture, whose food had been finished for a few minutes now.
Tincture smiled sheepishly; an awkward, toothy smile. "Hah… If that was a contest, I hope you're okay with second," She says meekly.
Angel just started laughing maniacally, giggling as she hit the floor with a soft thump.
Tincture couldn't help but laugh, and Bottled Lightning would join in as she finished her last few bites.
Angel would suddenly leap up a few minutes later, hugging Tincture and giggling, "Bottle, can we keep her? I like her!" She says gleefully.
Bottle smiles a bit, "Well, if nothing else, I'm glad you two like each other's company," She says contently.
Tincture smiled a bit, helping the pegasus down off of her head.
Bottled Lightning would fumble around a little bit, producing a sum of bits from nowhere in particular to pay for the meal.
Angel gasped and shook her head, "Nuh-uh, missy!" She says, zipping over to Bottle and shoving the bits back into her lap, "It's your birthday! You're supposed to be treated!" She says, rummaging around in her own mane to produce payment.
Tincture settled several bits on the table. "I would like to pay as well," She says, "Bottle is being very generous, allowing me to stay at her home. I owe the same courtesy."
Angel put bits on the table to match Tincture's contribution; the combined payment matched the meal's cost and then some. "Okay, okay, you win," She huffs.
Bottled Lightning couldn't help but smile a bit as her friends' "argument". "Please, Tincture, don't feel indebted. Everypony deserves a place to stay," She expresses.
Tincture looked down a bit, "...I know someone who would disagree with that statement," She murmurs, before readjusting her tone to full volume, "Thank you, though, Bottle. If everyone was as welcoming as you and Angel, Equestria would be a far nicer place," She expresses.
Bottle nodded a bit, standing up, "Well, should we get going?" She asked.
Angel immediately zipped out of the restaurant, leaving a few strings of frizzy white fur behind. Bottle and Tincture would follow suit, both smiling at the pegasus' energy.
Tincture looked at Bottle and softly suggested, "You should practice your magic, if you're feeling up to it. It's best to exercise a muscle thoroughly when you want it to strengthen," She says.
Bottle nodded, "That sounds like a good idea… It's definitely back. I feel more awake than ever," She said, illustrating her point by ushering forth a small crackle of sparks on the ground with one of her hooves. They jittered across the ground, before evaporating away into nothing.
Tincture nodded simply, looking at the pegasus that was now hopping between hers and Bottle's backs. She barely felt the pegasus' hooves on her back, as if Angel were as light as a feather.
"So… What kind of magic does Bottle have?" Angel asks.
Bottle and Tincture would explain Bottle's "condition" to the pegasus as they walked out to an open field.
"Oh… That does explain some things. She gets static shocks, like, all the time," Angel comments.
Bottle nods slowly. "Yeah… So now I'm trying to exercise it, so I can control it," She explains.
Tincture nods. "That's where I come in… I don't know exactly how it works, but I'll figure it out," She says.
Tincture would then trot away, some two dozen paces, before turning to face Bottle. "Alright," She says, voice loud so the other two mares could hear, "I want you to try throwing lightning at me."
Bottle blinks, "What? Why?" She asks.
"Controlling your magic is one thing, but projecting it effectively is another. Electricity doesn't like to travel," Tincture explains.
Bottle sighs a bit and nods, "Alright," She says softly.
"Don't worry about me, I can shield myself. Just focus on throwing coherent bolts," Tincture promises.
Bottle looked at Angel. "You probably want to stand back for this," The earth pony explains.
"Oh! Okay!" Angel says. She'd briefly zip around the clearing, grabbing a low cloud and setting it up a few dozen paces away, so she could spectate, "You can do it, Bottle! I believe in you!" She cheers.
Bottle and Tincture both smiled as they turned to face eachother. A glimmering pink shield manifested around the unicorn. "On your ready!" Tincture says.
Bottle nods, looking at her hooves. She closed her eyes, focusing on drawing the magic out of herself. Her hooves sparked briefly, then lit up with an arc of electricity. Her mane glowed to life, and she prepared herself. "Ready!" She calls, opening her eyes.
Tincture watched the earth pony fumble around for a moment, before she slung one of her hooves forward, loosing a bolt. It went wide, but then quickly snapped into a long, thin bolt, crashing into the ground behind her, as if it had "caught up" with how it was supposed to act.
Bottle noticed this; she wondered, if she told it to snap at the right time…
She slung a few bolts; slowly, in a sort of glacial rhythm. Slowly, their spread narrowed. And then, a bolt snapped the right way, striking the unicorn's shield.
Tincture grunted in slight surprise, but smiled. "She's starting to get the hang of it already," She thought to herself.
Bottle would throw a few more bolts; one even collided with the shield directly, scattering branches of lightning across the pink shield, making it shimmer with magical effort. Tincture had gotten good at maintaining shield spells; she could almost literally do this all day.
Bottle managed a few more bolts, before her mane fizzled out. She panted from exhaustion. That was more bolts than she thought she would get out.
Tincture watched for a moment, still maintaining her shield, just in case.
Bottle tried throwing another bolt, but it just came out as a small, hesitant arc that quickly receded back into her hoof.
"I think that's all I've got!" Bottle concedes.
Tincture would trot over to her, and Angel would dive off her cloud and glide over to the two convening mares.
"Stamina definitely seems to be your biggest flaw," Tincture observes, "You have good control, and notable accuracy, given how you need to swing your hooves to throw properly. We'll have to keep training it," Tincture says.
Bottle almost had time to nod, before she was tackled by an excitable white streak from above.
"Bottle, that was so cool!" Angel says, "Like, when you threw your hoof forward and lightning came out; I haven't even seen a unicorn do that!" She expresses, grin as wide as the horizon.
Bottle smiles awkwardly, "Well… I'm still getting the hang of it," She admits, "And even just those dozen or so bolts tired me out."
Angel would hop off the earth pony, helping her to her hooves. "It probably just takes practice! I mean, you've never done it before, right?" She asks.
Bottle would shake her head off a bit, "I guess so, yeah," She replies.
Tincture smiled a bit at the earth pony, "Considering the circumstances, you show a lot of promise," She said, "I hope you don't mind if I stick around for a while," She said, her ears lowering.
Bottle shakes her head, "Not at all," She says, "The house gets a little lonely, anyhow," She admits.
Tincture's ears perked back up, and she smiled sheepishly, looking away, "Thank you," She said softly.
After a bit more back and forth, the three mares would return to Bottle's home, arranging themselves among the sofa and chairs.
"So, what should we do?" Angel's Kiss asked, bouncing lightly in her seat.
Bottle shrugged, "I… Don't know, actually," She turned to Tincture, "What do you normally do for fun?"
Tincture smiled awkwardly, "Hah… I study until I'm bored of studying, then find something new to study," She concedes, "I'm… Not a very 'fun' pony."
Angel would abruptly tack herself to the unicorn's side, "Nonsense!" She huffs, "I bet you have all sorts of funny tricks! I mean, you have magic! What's the limit?" She asks.
Tincture looked away a bit, "I never learned any fun magic," She admitted, "My teacher was very… Strict."
Bottle's face softened. "Well… I have some board games," She says, walking to a small closet and nudging some winter wear aside. She carefully pulled a large box from the corner, "Ever played Settlers of Coltan before?" She asks.
Angel's face lit up excitedly, and before Tincture knew it, she was at the table, overlooking a game board as she read off the rules. Tincture let out a small smile. This was an unfamiliar house, in an unfamiliar town, with unfamiliar ponies, and yet, she felt as though she were at home, with friends.
Her guard lowered in the calm air, as the three bantered over the game board, and she removed her cloak.
Bottle gasped as she looked over Tincture's now exposed frame; acres of bruises and cuts, practically forming a pattern on her back.
"Tincture, are you okay?" She asks, looking over at the unicorn.
Tincture immediately put her cloak back on. "Y-yes, fine," She stammers.
Bottle paused for a moment, gently walking around the table and rubbing the unicorn's back, "Hey, we're not judging you," She says gently, "We're just concerned," She expresses.
Tincture felt Angel press against her side, "Yeah…" The pegasus said, voice surprisingly soft and quiet, "You don't have to be afraid."
Tincture's eyes closed tightly, and she felt as though she was having trouble breathing.
Bottle remembered back to what Tincture had said earlier, "Your… Your teacher used to…" She tried to think of a lighter word, "Discipline you, didn't they?" She asked.
Tincture trembled on her seat; she couldn't speak. She simply nodded, tears trickling down her face.
Tincture found herself wrapped in a hug from both sides. Her horn stopped glowing as her cards hit the table, and she started sobbing. Tincture didn't care; these two ponies were strangers, but they had welcomed her so graciously that any defenses she had were gone.
It took several moments for Tincture to do anything other than cry; her horn lit up, and she shed her cloak again, letting it crumple to the floor. She slowly opened her now red eyes. "I-I… I ran away," She says, "I was tired of it. She ran my whole life to her whim; when she wanted me to study, I studied. When she allowed me to eat, I ate. When something angered her…" Tincture trailed off.
Bottle gently rubbed her back, avoiding the most heavily bruised areas.
It was Angel who spoke up, still using her softest, most gentle voice, "It's okay," She says gently, "She's not here any more. You can live life how you want to," She expresses.
Bottle nodded, "You're free," She says gently, "I promise, you don't have to feel indebted to me. If you wanted to leave right now, I wouldn't stop you; but you may stay as long as you like," She insists.
Tincture rested her head on the table. "Thank you, both," She says softly.
It would be a few moments before Tincture recomposed herself, lifting her head from the table. "N-now," She stumbles a bit as she tries to resteady her tone, "I have a game to win," She says cheekily.
The other two mares smiled and laughed, returning to their seats to continue playing.
Coming here had been a gamble on Tincture's part, but as far as she was concerned, she had hit the jackpot.
The sun began to go down, during the dawn of the third round of Coltan the mares had played. The mood of the house was warm; laughter was shared freely. Tincture's sorrow had melted away into a jovial comfort, as the mares told her stories of life in the town; without unicorns to use magic, everything was done by hand, tasks carefully divied amongst earth ponies and pegasi to ensure efficiency.
Truth be told, the lack of unicorns was why she had come to town; Tincture had figured that this would be the last place anyone would look for a unicorn.
Bottle smiled a bit, looking outside, "Sundown already?" She supposes, "Well, I guess three games of Coltan'll do that to your day," She says with a small laugh.
Tincture's stomach growled softly. She flushed a bit in embarrassment, and she stood up, trotting to her room of the house, coming back with a small plate and a pair of bottles of liquid, one pink and one yellow.
"What're those?" Angel asks, tilting her head.
"Ration spells," Tincture explained, sitting down, setting the plate down, then uncorking both bottles and tipping them onto the plate. The mixtures creeped together, mixing into a pale brown liquid, before springing up into a fairly large mass of lumpy, uneven bread.
"My teacher would sometimes deny me food after magic lessons, even though magic is derived from the nutrients we eat," Tincture explains, "So, I learned to make rations for myself; a pile like this could last me a day in addition to the food provided to me. It's the only reason I'm not skin and bones," She admits.
She'd rip a chunk off of the lumpy bread pile, scarfing it down with a gulp, "You can try some if you want; it is a bit dry," She offers.
Both of the other mares would take pieces from the pile, Angel's smaller than Bottle's.
Bottle's face turned ponderous as she chewed and swallowed the bread. It was fairly bland, but had a faint sweet, cinnamony taste that lingered on the back of her throat like a spicy cinnamon candy, only much less severe.
Angel grinned as she scoffed hers back like Tincture had done, "Oh! It's like a stale cinnamon bun," She says with a small smile, "No offense."
Tincture shakes her head and smiles, "None taken. It wasn't ever supposed to be pleasant… Just something to fill my belly and keep me going," She explains, taking another piece.
Bottle nodded, "It's certainly better than starving," She comments.
Tincture nodded in agreement, and the group would pick at the rations as they continued playing. It would disappear over the course of the night, more games of Coltan taking them into the dark hours, the only lights being those of the house.
A fire would be started at somepoint to warm the cooling room: Tincture would show Bottle how to ignite logs using her magic, leading to a roaring fire in no time flat.
Eventually, Angel would yawn. "Mmm… I think that was my last game. I gotta get home…" She says softly, blinking sleepily.
"You could stay the night, if you're okay with the couch," Bottle said.
Angel nodded, "Okay!" She says, zipping over to the couch and plopping down on it.
Tincture smiles a bit, "I suppose some rest would be in order," She says, "Thank you both for welcoming me so graciously."
Bottle smiled, "Really, it's no problem," She says, gently patting Tincture on the shoulder, "Have a good sleep," She says gently.
"Thank you," Tincture said, retiring to her room and sliding into the cot beneath the table.
Bottle would turn off the lights, leaving the fireplace to burn down of its own accord, and would retire upstairs. It had been an eventful birthday… But then again, they were supposed to be eventful, weren't they?
Regardless, the mare had no problem settling into her bed, her eyes quickly lidding over as she fell into a deep, exhausted slumber.
Bottle would wake up in the middle of night, however. Nature called. The mare slunk down the stairs quietly, did her business, and… Paused by the door of her improvised guest room. She pressed her ear to the door, and thought she could hear sobbing.
She gently opened the door, peering briefly inside. Tincture was curled up in her under-table cot, whimpering small sobs and whines. Bottle slowly snuck inside, closing the door silently behind her, before gently pacing towards the whimpering unicorn.
"Tincture?" Bottle says, her voice a low whisper, unfit to stir a fly. The unicorn didn't react, curled tightly inward on herself.
Bottle gently placed a hoof on one of the unicorn's shoulders, shrinking back as she heard the unicorn quietly whimper, "No, please!... I wasn't eating…"
Bottle tensed up. The recalling of Tincture's recollection of abuse made the earth pony's blood boil. However, she calmed herself, returning her gentle hoof, "Tincture…" She says gently, her voice soft.
The unicorn whined a bit, but seemed to loosen up slightly. Was she asleep?
Bottle had never seen someone cry during their sleep. She gently rubbed the unicorn's shoulder. "It's okay…" She said gently, "You're not in trouble," She promised, her voice a bit more assertive, but still quiet.
Tincture still whimpered, but relaxed more. Bottle would stay for a few moments, trying to comfort the struggling unicorn. Tincture did, eventually, relax some. Bottle hadn't checked the clock. It might've been minutes, it might've been hours.
Bottle felt her eyes droop. She kept up her gentle reassurances, but she felt her body demanding rest. She'd pass out, her hoof gently resting on Tincture's side.