> Unshackled Charge
>  by Zoura3025
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prelude: A Quick Dip in the Woods
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bottled Lightning blinked a little as she looked at the forest; it was dark and gloomy under the dim light of the rainy day. "Are… Are you guys sure a race through here would be safe?" The filly asks.

A stallion from the group behind her shoved her forward a bit, "Of cooourse, duh. Like there's actually anything scary in the forest," He comments.

A pegasus would fly above the nervous filly's head, chuckling, "Yeah, I've already scouted the whole route. You just need to run it, y'know? Best time is six minutes," The pegasus says.

Bottle snorts a little, but nervously steps towards the forest. "A-alright…" She says hesitantly, taking a deep breath, the earth pony steadying herself before she runs into the forest.

Bottle raced through the forest, trying to complete her run as fast as possible. She squeaks as she stumbles on a branch, landing in what seemed to be a puddle. However, the blue liquid was thick, and stuck to the filly's belly and hooves. "What is this stuff?" She asks, standing up with a soft huff and splashing around with it. She squeaked as something lightly shocked one of her hooves, jumping back. "Okay, that hurt… I guess I'll just keep running," She say softly, looking up towards the forest and darting off into the dark…
> Chapter 1: Strange New Face
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bottled Lightning yawned sleepily as she stirred awake. It was her 20th birthday today, though the mare didn't have many plans. She stepped out of bed, huffing gently as the carpet shocked her. "Ngh! …Man, this carpet just loves to bite, doesn't it?" She thinks to herself, huffing gently as she slowly trots down the stairs.

The mare sighs softly as she turns on the sink, washing her face. She looked at her hooves again as she turned the sink off. Bottle had been perplexed… For years now, her hooves and lower legs, as well as some of her stomach, were stained a dark, yet vibrant blue. It contrasted sharply against her normally gray fur, but admittedly went with her pale blue mane. She'd never thought about getting it checked out; by the time the mare noticed the colour, she couldn't remember anything that could have caused it.

Bottle stood up straight, and walked to her door, opening it. She figured she might as well spoil herself some for her birthday. The mare hummed softly as the walked along the cobblestone road. Despite the ruralness of her hometown, many of the buildings stretched multiple stories over the ground; the town was home chiefly to Earth Ponies and Pegasi, with unicorns generally only being rare travelers. Despite this, the townsponies made do with what they had.

Bottle's attention was caught, however, as she saw a unicorn standing in town square. Bottle would step forward, as would a few of her fellow townsponies.

The unicorn was setting up what seemed to be an alchemy station. Bottle thought for a moment, "Excuse me, miss…" She trailed off.
The unicorn gazes up at her. Before they can open their mouth, they stumble back as their eyes meet Bottle's, their irises flashing for a moment. Bottle blinked, oftering the stumbling unicorn a hoof, "Hey, are you alright?" She asks.

The dazed unicorn shakes themselves off. "F-fine…" They murmur, taking Bottle's hoof, "I am…" The unicorn takes a minute to catch their breath, "Tincture," They introduce, "But… You must already know who I am. You're…" Tincture would stare over Bottle's legs and chest, noting the stains, "It's all over you."

Bottle steps back a pace. "What do you mean?" She asks, sitting back on her haunches, now self-consciously attempting to cover her stomach.
Tincture pauses for a moment, grabbing a scarecrow from their box of supplies, and putting it in the ground, before blinking over to Bottle's side.

"Alright, just… Put your front legs out," Tincture says, "And, focus."
Bottle hesitates, but outstretches her front legs, closing her eyes as she takes a deep breath.
Tincture paces around Bottle gently, before setting a hoof on her shoulder. "Take a deep breath. When you start to feel a shock, don't fight it. You've been suppressing the magic for a long time…" Tincture says.

A small crowd of spectators had long since gathered at the sight of the strange unicorn, but now the crowd watched in awe as twinkles of lightning creeped forth from Bottle's forehooves.
Tincture nodded slowly. "Good… Keep going…" She says.

Bottle would then make the mistake of opening her eyes. She yelped in surprise as she saw the electricity leaking from her hooves, her sudden panic leading to a large bolt of electricity streaking towards the scarecrow, splashing into a large strike as it connects, blasting the 'crow's arm off. A stripe of her mane would light up into a bright, cool-white, slowly dimming down some seconds after.

Bottle would look at her still sparking hooves, then the partially destroyed scarecrow.
Tincture would hesitate a bit, "...Okay, it must not have been as dormant as I thought it was," She admits.
Bottle stares at her hooves. "What did you do to me?" She asks.
Tincture blinks. "I'm… Not sure. I don't remember giving a lightning tonic to anyone…" She admits.
Bottled Lightning would stare at the mare beside her with a fierce gaze. "You have some explaining to do, right now," She says.

Tincture sighs. "I do owe you an explanation. I am a traveling alchemist who makes potions that allow any pony, not just Unicorns or Alicorns, to use magic," She begins, "I have worked many years to perfect my potions and tonics, but they have always been temporary; one potion only fuels a single cast, or dissipates naturally after some time. But, you…" The unicorn briefly grazes one of Bottle's legs, "It seems like it's… Melded to you, somehow. It should have evaporated after that cast, but it seems like your body's just… Holding onto it."

Bottled Lightning stares at Tincture. "So what you're saying is… I'm stuck like… Like this?" She asks, looking down at her hooves, now free of visible electricity.

Tincture sighs. "That's correct," She admits, "I don't know why it's stuck to you like this, but if I may… I'd like to spend some time with you, to see why this is happening," She expresses.
Bottle hesitates, but nods a little. "Alright," She says softly, "This is a lot to take in, but… I'd rather have a second opinion," She says trustingly, offering an uncomfortable smile.
Tincture sighs softly, "Thank you," She says, "I promise, I'll get to the bottom of this. But first, we should get you more in-control of the spell. With how long it's been dormant, awakening it might have some… Unintended side effects," She comments, her gaze briefly shifting to the half-destroyed scarecrow.
Bottle nods, "Yeah, that'd be good," She says, looking at her front hooves again.

"We should probably go inside. The folks around here aren't used to interacting with magic," Bottle explains.
Tincture would nod, magicking up her things as Bottle leads the way to her home.

After a bit of time spent unpacking, Tincture would find Bottle eating a sandwich in her kitchen.
"You got settled in okay?" Bottle asks.
Tincture nods, "The room is nice, thank you," The mare laughs awkwardly, "I didn't realize I had so much stuff; it's a little… Precarious in there," She concedes.
Bottle just chuckles a bit, "Alright, I'll make sure not to head in there too fast," She comments.

Tincture takes a seat at the table, a small smile on her face. "Well, now that I'm settled in, did you want to practice some control?" She asks.
Bottle nods a bit, finishing off her sandwich and wiping her hooves off, "Alright, what do I need to do?" She asks.
"Okay. Hooves up, a couple inches apart…" Tincture says, pacing behind Bottle and moving her front legs into position, "Close your eyes, focus again. Don't fight it," Tincture instructs.

Bottle was caught off-guard by the sudden proximity, but she steadied herself, closing her eyes as she focused.
Bottled Lightning's hooves would light up with a small arc of electricity, and the stripe of her mane would glow a bright white as the mare's dormant magic activated. "Good. Now, open your eyes; don't freak out this time. Just hold it steady," Tincture says, a small smile on her face.

Bottle took a sharp breath in, opening her eyes. The lightning between her hooves wavered slightly, but remained stuck between her hooves.
Tincture nodded in approval, "Good. It's not so scary, is it?" She asks.
Bottle smiles, "I guess not," She says, "It's kind of nice, actually… Like a hoofwarmer," She admits.
Tincture nods, "When unregulated, electricity is dangerous. However, when controlled, it can be a source of light and heat," She explains.
Bottle looked at the arc in her hands; eyes wide not with fear, but with intrigue.
"You're already doing more than you realize; electricity likes to move. Holding it still like that isn't natural; you can try shaping it more, if you want," Tincture says.
Bottled Lightning would nod slowly, closing her eyes. The arc began to swell into a loop, stretching from her hooves into the air before her. It would be drawn taut into a point, and Bottle would reopen her eyes.

"Interesting…" Bottle murmurs, shaping it into various curves and rings, forking thorns of lightning from the central arc to experiment with the dexterity. However, the arc would soon fizzle out, as the mare's mane flickered, eventually draining.
Bottle winced in exhaustion, as she watched her hooves spark and fizzle with the lingering traces of exhausted magic. "Ugh…"
Tincture was slightly puzzled, "Are you tired, or did the spell run out?" She asked. By now, she had grabbed a quill and paper, and was notetaking as Bottle had experimented.
Bottle thought for a moment. "I think it ran out? My hooves are all tingly, though," She comments, "Though I do feel kinda sleepy…" She admits.
Tincture looked at her ponderously, still furiously scribbling, "Well, it doesn't seem like it's drained from you, anyways… I wonder if…" She'd magic a large book from a small pile next to her, flitting through the pages quickly until she came to a page on earth pony magic.

She mumbled to herself as she quickly skimmed through the page, "...Stored in the body…Grows with time…Tied to physical exhaustion…" She checked her notes, then the book again.
Bottle had stolen one of the books to rest her head on, her ears twitching as she overheard Tincture's muttering.
"I think I have a tentative theory on what's going on," Tincture finally says, "Earth Pony magic normally translates as an increase in strength as they age, but because the spell has been interacting with you for however long, it's essentially become a muscle for you," She explains, "You're tired because you basically just exercised for the first time in forever."

Bottle would roll her head so she could side-eye the unicorn. "So basically I'm going to wake up with a wicked headache tomorrow because I overexerted myself," She says, only half-grasping the other mare's hypothesis.
Tincture nodded, "Well… Something like that," She comments, "Unicorns get headaches from magic exhaustion because our horns are right next to our brains; I'm not sure where your fatigue aches will end up," She supposes.
Bottle yawned a little, "Well, right now, it's just fatigue, no aches," She remarks, "Feel like I just ran a marathon."
Tincture laughs a bit, rubbing the exhausted mare's head. "Get some rest. I'm sure your body will appreciate the break, anyhow."
Bottle needed no further invitation; she was already passed out, leaning in the book on the table, snoring softly.

Tincture just smiled, turning to her notes, jotting down various observations she'd made: The way Bottle's mane glowed when using the magic, how it exhausted her, and how naturally the dormant spell had come back to her. Her smile faded into a curious, neutral frown. She just didn't understand why it "stuck". The spell should have evaporated as soon as it was exhausted, but the markings were still there, and she could sense the energy building back up in the mare as she slept; slowly, of course, and weakly like an aching muscle, but it was coming back.

"How long has it had to soak?" She thought to herself, standing up, looking around for photos. The house was sparsely decorated, but there were a few pictures of Bottled Lightning and some of her family and friends; but all of these pictures were of the adult mare.

Tincture looked to the stairs and bit her lip. It would be rude to snoop, but this was for research! Before she could debate herself, she was already heading up the stairs.

Tincture would creep around the room upstairs, looking for any kind of photo of the mare downstairs. Then, she found a box of old papers. Carefully, Tincture would sit before the box, pulling it off the shelf and carefully opening it to look through the papers, carefully leafing through them one at a time. Her eyes lit up as she started seeing pictures of a visibly younger Bottled Lightning; she kept flipping. Younger, and younger, yet the spellstains remained.

"How long…?" She murmured to herself. She flipped faster, skipping 2 or 3 papers at a time. The pictures reflected a filly now; no older than 10 years. She froze as she finally found a picture without the spell markings. She tried to discern the date from the faded corner of the image.

"This has to have been years ago. Over a decade," Tincture said to herself, a quill furiously taking notes on her almost full sheet of blank paper, "But… I didn't start my training until…" She trailed off, before rapidly refiling the paper, closing the box, and putting it back on the shelf. She practically ran down the stairs, only marginally careful to not wake the mare sleeping at the table below.

Tincture rushed to her new room, pulling out a leather-bound bundle of books, the door closing behind her as she thumps a thick book about historical alchemists on her crowded desk. Tincture froze as she realized what else she needed to look for the answers she needed, slowly peeking her head out from around the door, looking at the sleeping earth pony…

Bottled Lightning groaned gently as she awoke. She was in… A bed was being generous; it was a cot, on the floor, and she felt a bit… Itchy. She huffed softly, scratching at a sticky spot on her chest. "What the…?" She murmurs. She caught a look at Tincture pouring over a thick book, looking at her notes, then a page in the book would flip, and the process would repeat.
Bottle squirmed lightly out of the cot, which was crammed beneath a large table in the back corner of the room. "Tincture…?" Bottle questions.
The unicorn would look up from her book, "Sorry, I meant to put you back at the table," Tincture would comment idly, looking back to her notes.

Bottle would gently plod over to the unicorn's side. "What are you looking for?" She asked, yawning a bit.
"Even when following the same recipe, any alchemist leaves a fingerprint on each potion they make," Tincture explains, "If I can match the magic in you to someone in this book, we could find the pony responsible."
Bottle thought for a moment, "Makes sense…" She supposes, taking a seat, "Any luck? You look like you're most of the way through."
Tincture sighs and shakes her head, "Nothing… I just don't understand…" She murmurs, "I have to be missing something," She hisses, facedesking into the book.

Bottle thought for a moment. "Now, I don't know the first thing about magic, but… You said it's grown into a part of me, right?" She asks.
Tincture would slowly lift herself from her book, giving the earth pony an attentive gaze and nodding.
"Well… If it's a part of me… Doesn't that mean it'd inherit my 'fingerprint' or whatever?" Bottle asks, her ears flattening in anticipation of a "that's not how it works" response.
A number of emotions flickered over Tincture's face, until she settled on an unamused scowl, facehoofing. "That… Makes perfect sense," She mutters, "If your body can regenerate the magic, it means that it and your body work have figured out how to co-operate. You aren't letting it go because it's not foreign to you anymore; it's a new part of your body, long since accepted," Tincture theorizes, sitting back on her haunches and rubbing her temples.
Bottle blinks in surprise. "O…kay. I didn't think I'd get it right," She admits, "Though… That means there isn't much hope of figuring out where it's from, right?"
Tincture sighs. "I'm sorry, but you're 2 for 2."

Bottle just sighs softly, "Can't say I've ever wished I was wrong before now," She admits.
Tincture would share the earth pony's sigh. "Believe me, I wish so too. This… Makes things difficult," She concedes, taking a seat, "Without some way to trace the spell attached to you back to its owner, well… We can't find out where it came from," She admits.
Bottle thinks for a moment. "...Now that I think about it, does it matter where it came from?" She asks, voice somewhat low.
Tincture looked at her, "Don't you want to know?" She asks.
Bottle shrugs a bit, "Well, it would be nice, I guess, but it's not like it matters. It's not gonna leave regardless, right?" She supposes.
Tincture nods a bit, her ears lowering slightly as she turned away. She couldn't help but feel like she had failed the mare before her. "...I'm sorry," She says softly.
Bottle would set a gentle hoof on her shoulder. "Hey," She begins, "The fact that you're so willing to help someone you barely know says a world more than not knowing how something works."
One of Tincture's ears twitched, and she looked up some. "But…" She attempts, before Bottle shushed her with a hoof.
"Sometimes the optimal result doesn't come to fruition," Bottle says, "All you can do is try."

Tincture just nodded a bit, sitting up straight as she recomposed herself, taking a breath. "I… I suppose you're right. Thank you," She says, offering a weak smile.
Bottled Lightning nodded slowly. "Of course," She says, pausing for a moment, "Let's go get some lunch. Some fresh air and hot food would probably do both of us good."
Tincture nodded in agreement, briefly throwing her book a conflicted glance. "I… That sounds lovely," She agrees softly.
> Chapter 2: An Abnormally Normal Day
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.
> Chapter 3: Settling in for the Winter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tincture would stir awake some hours later. She had slept in, she thought, though it was hard to tell in the back room. She felt an odd weight on her side, and blushed faintly as she recognized the blue hoof gently resting on her shoulder.
Tincture would gently push the hoof off of her, and she carefully slid out from under the table. The mare soon realized why her nightmares seemed to soften over the course of the night; she thought about the gentle, reassuring voice that had permeated the memories, making them easier to bear. It made the unicorn smile gently.

Tincture would levitate the earth pony gently, taking her out of the back room and up the stairs, laying the earth pony on her bed and laying the blankets over her, "Thank you," Tincture would whisper softly, before slowly slinking back down the stairs.

She was interrupted on her way back to her room by the yawn of a pegasus behind her. Tincture turned to face Angel, the white pegasus stirring awake. "Mmm… Good morning, Tincture," She says.
Tincture would sit on the floor in the far corner of the room. She thought for an oddly long moment about her reply. "I… Yes. It is a good morning, isn't it?" She supposes, unable to suppress the smile creeping across her face.
Angel's Kiss blinked herself a bit more awake, sitting up and tilting her head at the smiling unicorn, "What's got you so perky?" She asks.
Tincture shrugged. "I suppose I realized… I'm free," She admits, "I'm not living under my teacher's hoof anymore… I'm not the slime beneath her hooves, and no longer is able to mold my life to her every whim," She says.
Angel's ears drooped a bit, but she nodded. "Well… Yeah," She replies, "I guess I'd be happy about that too," She supposes, fiddling with her hooves.

Tincture sighs a little, "I'm sorry, I know it's not a comfortable topic," She says, "But it really does mean a lot to me, that you'd welcome a stranger such as myself into your lives with open forelegs…" She expresses.
Angel smiled a bit, "Bottle's always been like that… I've crashed at her place so many times, like… If I stayed here any more, we'd be common-law," The pegasus admits with a giggle.
Tincture chuckled softly, "Why not move in, if that's the case?" She asks.
Angel shrugged, "It's a little far from the cotton farm. I like my commute of just having to jump out of the barn window," She giggles, "Though, I usually stay here in the winter when it's cold," She admits.
The unicorn smiles and nods, "Well, the seasons are turning. I suppose we'll be seeing each other a lot soon," Tincture supposed.
Angel giggles. "Yup! You're gonna be stuck with me 'till thaw!" She says, laughing mischievously, "You and… Huh, where is Bottle, anyhow?" She asks.
Tincture looked away a bit, her faint blush returning. "She's still asleep… She spent the night trying to ease my nightmares," She explains sheepishly.

Angel's Kiss thought for a long moment. "Mmm… Yup. That sounds like Bottled Lightning. Last time I came to her when I had a cold, she put me up for like, a week until I felt better," She comments, "I've always been surprised she didn't get a cutie mark in healthcare or something."
Tincture tilted her head, "What is her cutie mark?" She asks, briefly glancing at her own flank, as if self-conscious. Her mark was a small collection of 3 flasks, each filled with a different color of fluid.
Angel shook her head, "She doesn't have one. Never got it," She comments, "She helps out at the hospital, though, at least when someone's sick enough to end up there," She explains.

Tincture thought for a long moment. Her magic searched her room for her notetaking scroll and pen, which both squeezed out from beneath the door so she could jot a bit more down. Her scroll looked like an absolute mess; the ravings of a madmare. But, every piece of information was important.
"Hmm… I wonder if there's something we're missing," She says, "Her cutie mark could be tied to her magic…"
Angel nods. "That would make sense; I mean, why else would she not get her cutie mark for doing so much to help other ponies?" She supposes, "It seems like a passion to me!"
Tincture shrugged. "Traumatic events, in the most literal definition of the term, being a significant event that alters one's life, are believed to impact a pony's cutie mark… It's a subject of hot debate; whether it's mortal intervention into a higher power's plan, or simply determinism working in strange ways," She explains.
Angel shrugs, "If the magic is her cutie mark… Shouldn't it have cropped up as soon as she started training?" She asks.
Tincture nodded, "That's what bothers me. It should have…" She says, "Her magical stamina is also bothering me… A 15 minute sparring session shouldn't drain her like it does; it would be like if you needed a nap after flying from here to the restaurant."

Angel's Kiss thought for a long moment. "Well… I guess all we can do is support her, right? That's what friends do," The pegasus says with a gentle smile.
The word struck Tincture like a stone. She tensed up briefly, but nodded. "Yes… I suppose we are friends… And that's what we should do. Support each other," She said. She didn't mean to sound so off-kilter, but it was an unusual phrase to her.
The two mares would share banter over the course of the morning. Angel would even start brewing some tea for them, and the two would enjoy a calm morning as the sun slowly rose.

Eventually, Bottled Lightning would stir awake, groaning softly. She was back in her bed… Maybe getting up at night had been a dream? She shrugged. All of yesterday felt sort of unreal, but a quick scatter of small sparks from her hooves reinforced that that was not in fact true.
She slowly stepped out of bed, bracing herself for a shock from the carpet, but was spared this time. "...Huh," She murmured to herself, "Neat."
Bottled Lightning would smile a bit as she saw her two friends sat together on the couch, drinking tea and enjoying each other's company. Bottle almost didn't want to intrude, but she'd quietly walk down the stairs and pull herself into a chair.

"Good morning, Bottle," Tincture says softly, "Did you sleep well?" She asks, despite knowing roughly what had happened the night before.
Bottle nods, "Like a rock," She remarks, "I'm pretty sure if I were any more asleep I would've been considered dead," She says with a soft chuckle.
Tincture smiles a little. "I… Want to thank you, for last night," She expresses, "You helped immensely."
Bottle blinked for a moment, before remembering her interactions with the sleeping unicorn. "Oh, hah… It was nothing, really. I guess I just let my emotions get the better of me," She excuses.
Tincture shakes her head, "It was one of the best sleeps I've had in a long time," She expresses, "The fact that you'd be so willing to take care of a stranger like myself is…" The unicorn trailed off, her soft eyes and smile finishing her thought for her.

Angel's Kiss giggled, "I think you lost your right to be called a stranger when I kicked your flank at Coltan last night," She says with a giggle.
Tincture smiled. "Hah… I suppose so," She says gently.
Bottle chuckles softly, "I take it you two have been spending some time together this morning?" She asks.
Angel nodded, "The farm won't miss me for one day; besides, I took care of a lot of the picking yesterday," She says with a giggle, "So I've just made myself at home and taken Tincture with me!" She declares, still giggling.

Bottle chuckled softly, "Well, you're both welcome here as long as you like," She said, her attention turned more to Tincture than Angel; Angel already knew she could call this place home when desired.
Tincture smiled sheepishly, "Hah… As if I have anywhere else to go," She says softly, "I'd be a vagrant were it not for you."
Bottle smiles a little. "Well, so long as I'm around, that's not happening," She promises.
Tincture would mouth a small thank you, before Angel took charge of the conversation, "Oh! Can I be on breakfast duty?" She asks, "One of the other farmers told me about this omelet recipe, and now I wanna try it! So, please?" She asks, eyes wide with excitement.
Bottle simply nodded, "Hah… Alright, Angel," She says, "Just holler if you need any help," She says.
Angel simply giggled with glee, zipping off to the kitchen. Not that it was that far, of course, but it was the next room over.

Bottle would turn back to face Tincture, gently trotting over to the couch to sit next to her. Bottle's voice was low, and gentle. "I don't know exactly how your old teacher treated you, but I promise, I won't throw you out just because you stop saying thank you or apologizing all the time," She says, a gentle hoof on Tincture's shoulder, "You're as much of a pony as anyone else. You deserve all the things they do."
Tincture set her tea down, looking at the earth pony with slightly watering eyes, "I-I…" She fidgeted with her hooves, "I was going to say I'm sorry, but I guess that'd defeat the point," She supposes, smiling dumbly to herself.
Bottle giggles gently, wrapping her front legs around the unicorn, "I know it won't happen overnight, it's okay. Just know that you have a right to speak up around here," She promises gently.
Tincture would hug back, hiding her teary eyes in the other mare's shoulder. "Th-thank you…" She whines softly.

After some minutes of being comforted, Tincture would pull back, wiping her nose some. "H-hah… I must look like a mess, considering how many times I've broken down at simple affection," She says.
Bottle shakes her head, "Angel's pretty much the same, just in the opposite direction; she laughs at even the slightest provocation," She chuckles softly.
The two mares would banter about plans for the day ahead; more training, no doubt, though Tincture also wanted to find some sort of occupation.

"Well… You'll be more or less the only unicorn in town," Bottle says, "And you're an alchemist, right? You could probably earn some bits just by selling some of your less…" She looks down at her hooves, "Violent potions."
Tincture nodded a bit, "I suppose that makes sense. I have some potions that might be appreciated… Tonics for healing and such," She supposes.
Bottle nodded, "That ration stuff, too. We get quite a few wandering traders through here; something they could carry that wouldn't go bad would surely be valued," She supposed.
Tincture nods, "I'll try making some extra batches then… I kept all my recipes," She says, now deep in thought.

Then, a call from the kitchen. "Breakfast's ready!" Chimed Angel, bringing a few plates to the table.
The two other mares would trot over, having a seat.
Bottle would sniff softly; it smelled vaguely sweet and creamy.
Angel would sit down after bringing some toast to the table, grinning, "It turned out exactly how I wanted!" She exclaimed excitedly.

Tincture would take a bite, pausing for a moment as she chewed. It was a… Complex mix of flavours, more complicated than most of her potions. Notes of sweetness, nuts, various fruits… It was like someone had fried scrambled eggs over trail mix. It wasn't bad, but the unicorn's palate wasn't suited to such… Vibrant flavours.
Bottle, meanwhile, quite enjoyed the dish, eating hers quite quickly, "It's really good, Angel," She says, "Tell that friend of yours they know how to cook."
Angel would look at the unicorn across from her, who seemed to be struggling a bit. "Is everything okay? You can say if you don't like it," She says.
Tincture shook her head, "It's good, I'm just… Well, you tasted what sort of food I'm used to living off of. This is… A lot," She expresses sheepishly.
Angel giggles, "Yeah, we like our noisy foods out here," She says, "You'll get used to it eventually."
Bottle smiled. "Trust me, when I first moved here, I had more or less the same reaction," She comments.
Tincture would eventually finish her meal. "Thank you, Angel; it was good," She says.
Angel just grinned at the unicorn. "Hehe! If you say so," She says, "So, are you guys gonna go train some more? I can clean up!" She offers.
Bottle shrugged, "That's probably a good idea," She says, "Maybe I'll be a bit more staminetic than yesterday."
Tincture nodded, putting her cloak on before leading the way to the outskirts of town.

"I think today I'd like to see if you can shield yourself. Lightning is more of a linear force than an area one, but you have good control over yours…" Tincture explains.
Bottle nodded, "Oh, okay," She says.
"I'll shoot at you; it'll just be a concussion spell. It'll knock you on your flank and make you dizzy for a minute, but nothing dangerous, okay?" She says.

Bottle nodded; she hadn't been presented any reason not to trust Tincture thus far, so as they stepped some paces away from each other, the earth pony was at ease as she briefly closed her eyes, bringing forth the lightning from inside of her. It came easier today, channeling comfortably into her hooves. She spun an arc, attempting to project it into a sheet.
The lightning fought this effort; it liked being narrow and linear, as Tincture had said. However, with enough coaxing, and some extra oomph, it would slowly form a ringular form before her, before branches snaked inwards, connecting in the center, forming an undulating shield before her.
It took a lot of effort to make the shield, but once the lightning seemed happy with its new shape, the load lessened.
"Alright, fire away!" Bottle calls.

Tincture was hesitant, seeing how much effort it had taken the earth pony to form the shield, but fired a concussive beam at it. The beam splashed against the shield, displacing it briefly, before it reformed. The sudden leap in effort make Bottle grunt, but she managed to keep the shield steady.

Tincture fired another beam. Then another. Then a volley of 2 in short order. It was impressive… The shield wasn't very durable, but Bottle's magical output was keeping it up regardless. Tincture fired a blast of 3 beams at once, wanting to test her theory. The shield nearly collapsed this time, shorting to just a ring before Bottle managed to reign it back into shape.
Tincture fired another pair of beams, with a few seconds between them. However, when the first knocked down the shield, it didn't come back. The second beam would hit the earth pony, sending her tumbling back a few paces.
Tincture gasped slightly, trotting over to her downed friend, as Bottle groaned gently. It didn't hurt all that much, but like Tincture had said, it was a bit disorienting.

Tincture looked at Bottle as she arrived, "Are you ok- eep!" She squeaked as a hoof lifted, lightly tapping her nose and delivering a small zap; not enough to hurt, it was just like touching her nose to a staticy carpet.
"That's for sending me flank over teakettle," Bottle huffs, before having a laugh.
Tincture would laugh a bit and help the earth pony to her feet, "Sorry, you were doing well with the shield, I thought after a blast of 3 a single bolt would've been fine," She says. The mood was jovial, despite the circumstances.
"I was, then I started getting tired," Bottle said, "It really didn't like being formed into a sheet like that… Took a lot of effort to keep it from collapsing," She admits, "The blasts… Actually kinda lightened the load, at least until you started throwing multiple."
Tincture nods, "It's all about maintaining focus," She says, "Some magicians can quickly flick shields as a reactionary spell, but it's generally easier to hold them. I take it that took all you had?" She asks.

Bottle nodded, "Yeah, I think that's all I've got for now… I feel like I had more magic available than yesterday," She says, "Like, the change from full of energy to tired was more gradual."
Tincture smiled, "That's progress. It'll take lots of practice for your body to get used to handling it, but I promise it does get easier," She says, "We might as well head home for now; if we have to push-and-rest you a few times a day, that's what we'll do," She says.
Bottle nods in agreement, leading the way back to her home, "I guess that's how training from nothing goes," She supposes.

When the pair returned home, the kitchen was clean, and Angel's Kiss was just putting the last of the dishes away. "How'd training go?" She asked with a smile.
"Well enough, save for being thrown around like a paper sack in the wind," Bottle remarks.
Tincture chuckled awkwardly, "I did my best to make it safe," She huffs.
Bottle smiled softly, "Regardless, I think I'm improving… Slowly but steadily," She says, flopping on the couch.
Tincture nodded, taking one of the chairs in the room. "Manifesting a shield is an acquired skill," She comments, "Especially with a force like lightning."

Angel would finish putting this away, plopping herself down on the couch next to Bottle and smiling, "That sounds like fun!" She says, patting the head of the exhausted mare next to her.
"I think Tincture just enjoyed shooting at me," Bottle comments with a soft laugh.
Tincture froze for a brief moment, but relaxed and laughed along with the earth pony, "If I had my choice, it wouldn'tve been me, but I wanted to make sure it was something safe being hurled at you," She expresses.
The group of mares would laugh a bit, and the group would continue to chatter for some time.

Eventually, Tincture would stand up, "I'd like to go take stock of my recipes," She declares, "I have some potions I could sell here, but I need the ingredients to make them," She explains.
"Ooh!" Angel's eyes lit up, "Are you gonna sell that bread stuff at the market?" She asks, "I know a few farmers who need a good field ration."
Tincture nods a bit, "Should I be able to find what I need, I'd like to start selling my potions at the market, yes," She expresses.
Bottle nods a bit, "Just call us if you need anything; and don't be afraid to take a break," She says.

Tincture would nod a bit. It would take the unicorn some time to get her recipe book laid out, noting what she needed.
Like any good spell, the ration spell was based in water; however, she also needed hay, salt, and sawdust. She also noted cherries, mint, and cobwebs for a topical, salve-like potion. She didn't want to just be a one-trick pony.
Tincture would jot down her grocery list, leaving the room.

"I'll start small for now," She says, magicking the note over to her two friends, "Do you know where I could find these things?"
Both Bottle and Angel would read the list. "The only thing I know that market doesn't have is cobwebs," She explains.
Angel thought for a moment, "Does it have to be cobwebs?" She asks, making a soft "eugh" sound.
Tincture shook her head, "Anything fibrous should do…" She said, "You said you worked on a cotton farm, right?" She asks.
Angel nodded, "Uh-huh! Some of the cleanest cotton this side of Canterlot!" She says, beaming proudly.
Tincture nods, "Cotton should do… Some of these ingredients are admittedly just improvisations based on what I had at school," She admits.
Bottle cocked a brow, "You had a steady supply of cobwebs?" She asks.
Tincture looks away a bit, "The building was… Very old," She concedes.
Bottle just nods. "Well, I can help you at the market. Angel, do you want to go ask for some cotton?" She asks.
Angel nods frenetically, "Sure thing! I'll bring back enough to stuff a mattress!" She giggles.
She'd zip off just before Tincture would try to say that she only needed a bit for the batch size of her potions, and the unicorn chuckles softly, "She really doesn't give time for additional instructions, huh?" Tincture supposed softly.
Bottle chuckled. "No. No she does not."

The pair would walk over to the market, Tincture holding her list before her. Most of the ingredients were easy enough to find at the market; hay was in no short supply, and salt and mint were easy enough to procure from a food vendor. Cherries proved a little bit trickier to find, but still possible. "So where are we getting sawdust, exactly?" Tincture would ask.
Bottle lead her down a cobblestone road, smiling, "We have a small lumber mill just outside of town for cutting construction pieces," She explains.

Tincture was in awe at the size of the supposedly "small" mill. Teams of several ponies worked to haul what seemed to be full-sized trees into one end, with planks being offloaded from the other. Even with magic, a production facility of this sort would've been impressive; nevermind a lack of it.
Bottle and Tincture would step inside, briefly deafened by the sound of large, metal grinders being spun around the massive tree trunk, shearing it down to a roughly square shape.
Tincture's ears would pin to her head to try and negate some of the noise, but Bottle would walk on, stepping up next to a stallion who seemed to be in charge of the operation.

"Excuse me," She says politely.
The stallion turned to her, "Well, howdy Lightning! Been a good minute since you came to us for anything. Looking to put another room on the house?" He asks.
Bottle smiled, but shook her head, "No, not yet," She says with a laugh, "My friend here is looking for sawdust."
The stallion would look at Tincture, who was still cowering slightly in anticipation of another noise. "Sawdust?" He asks, "Well, shucks, dig in! We have enough to make a whole other forest!" He says with a laugh, "Just throw it in some of the paper bags up against the wall there before you try taking it home; you'll never stop findin' it if you put it right in your saddle," He says with a laugh.
Bottle smiled, mouthing a thank you as the loud blades spun up again, now shearing the wood down its height to form planks.

Tincture's eyes would be transfixed on the machinery in action, despite the ear-piercing noise. Earth ponies worked the ground, both driving the blades and pulling the log through the track, while pegasi sprinkled water from above to keep the contraptions both cool and lubricated.
As the log was finished, Bottle would come up to her side, shoving a paper bag in one of Tincture's saddlebags. "Grab as much as you need; he said they have plenty," She says with a soft laugh.
Tincture wound magic one of the smallest sawdust piles into the paper bag, filling it, "This should be plenty for a long time; it's for flavour," She explains.
Bottle simply nodded, and the two would leave to head back to Bottle's home.

Angel's kiss was already there, with a sack full of a cotton; she wasn't kidding, it really did look like enough to fill a mattress. "Did you find everything you need?" She asks.
Tincture nodded, "Yes," She replies, "I should have plenty of ingredients for some initial batches; I might need a bigger cauldron to use all of it," She concedes with a soft laugh.
Bottle chuckles. "You're probably covered on sawdust and cotton at least until thaw, aren'tcha?" She asks with a laugh.
Tincture nodded as she was lead inside, walking to her room, "Thank goodness… The mill operator seemed nice, but the noise would be enough to make a foal wet themselves," She huffs softly.
Bottle giggles, "Yeah, it's pretty loud," She comments, "Shame they don't make corks for their ears," She remarks.

Tincture would lead the two other mares into her room. The small alchemy set she had mostly fit in the spare space: It consisted of a trio of five-gallon cauldrons over a low brazier. Tincture had already filled the cauldrons during her initial preparations, but the brazier remained unlit.
After some unpacking, Bottle went and got some firewood, neatly setting it in the brazier and lighting some of the smaller pieces to start the blaze.

Tincture looked unsatisfied at the small flames. "It won't get the water hot enough; there isn't enough airflow in here," She explains.
Angel giggles, "Leave it to a pegasus to fix airflow problems!" She declares, sitting a short distance away from the flames and fanning them with her wings.
The blaze would quickly pick up with the extra air, and Tincture would smile a bit. "Well that's helpful, considering I didn't bring a bellows," She admits, "Thank you, Angel."
Angel giggles, "Don't mention it! I need a little more exercise in my day, anyways."
Tincture blinks. It felt weird to have somepony manually fanning the flames; but then again, Angel hadn't made a big deal out of it. Was this what friends did?

With some help from Bottle, Tincture would measure out her ingredients. "The rations come as a pair; a base that contains all the nutrition, and a catalyst that makes it bake without heat," She explains, "The hay and sawdust goes in two cauldrons, and the salt goes in the one left over."
Bottle blinks, "How does saltwater turn into the catalyst?" She asks.
Tincture smirked a little. "Magic," She says with a cheeky snicker.
Bottle facehooved, "Leave it to me to get baited by a unicorn," She snorted, giggling a bit regardless of how bad the joke was.
The ingredients would be added as the pots came to a boil; Bottle would feed the flames as Tincture began stirring the pots with large metal spoons, looking at her recipe book.

Bottle would close her eyes, setting her utensils and book down as her horn glowed brighter, and the liquids in the cauldrons began to change colour; the hay and sawdust melted into yellow liquids, whereas the saltwater turned a pale shade of pink. Bottle opened her eyes and smiled, "Good, that's the hard part done. Now these simmer for a while, until they're about half as full as they started. You don't need to fan the flames anymore, Angel; the fire should be hot enough," She says.

Angel sighed softly in relief as she allowed her wings to fold in. "Good," She says with a gentle huff, "My wings were getting tired."
Tincture chuckled softly, "This is why good quality potions can be very expensive," She says, "This is a simple recipe I made as a student, using very cheap and available ingredients, and it's still taken us a few hours to assemble, measure, and cook everything," She explains, "Nevermind the magic-" She cuts herself off with a yawn, "...Investment required to manipulate and enchant everything involved as needed."
Bottle chuckled softly, "So what you're saying is you're gonna be making good money off of these," She says.
Tincture nodded, "I'll price them fairly, but labor isn't cheap," She snorts, "Especially magical labor in a town with one whole unicorn."
"We helped you for free, didn't we?" Angel says with a cheeky giggle.
Tincture smiled awkwardly and laughed. "Got me there," She says.

While they waited, the three mares would play a card game; blackjack. Not for anything in particular; just to kill time while the potions boiled down. A faint cinnamony smell would fill the house as the potions cooked.
Every so often, Tincture would set the cards down to check on the potions, until they were ready, at which point she called the other mares into her room. The colours of the potions had solidified and emboldened into a deep, rich yellow and a vibrant pink. Tincture was already laying out a large amount of glassware; larger bottles with spherical bases, and smaller tubular vials. They were carefully marked; the bottles labeled "2", the vials "1".
The masses of liquid were drawn into the air via magic, funneled meticulously into the correct containers; yellow to bottles, pink to vials. Corks were then applied, and the potions were carefully laid out on a rack to cool, except for one sample of each. Tincture grabbed a plate and smiled, "Well, we'd be awful cooks if we didn't test the product," She says with a small smile.

Angel giggles excitedly, clapping her hooves together.
Bottle simply nods. "By your ready, Ms. Alchemist," She says with a small smile.
Tincture would uncork each piece of glassware, pouring them onto the plate. The chemicals mixed into a warm brown liquid, and then sprang to life, forming a large lump of bread that spilled over the plate some. Each mare would take a piece, testing it.
It was chewier than the batch Tincture had "brought from home", with a stronger, sweeter flavour. It was also a bit more moist.

Angel grins, "Mm! This is even better than the last one!" She says with a smile.
Bottle nodded, "That chew is addictive," She comments, already reaching for another piece.
Tincture thought for a moment, "That was with some extra sawdust, and wasn't overboiled like my last batch," She comments, "It's definitely nicer like this… Feels more like food than a ration," She comments, laughing.
"Think you'll be ready to sell this tomorrow?" Bottle asks.
Tincture nodded, "If we're all this pleased with it, I think it'll prove popular. Thank you both for your help," She expresses, wafting the plate of bread aside to hug both of her new friends.
The other two mares needed no more invitation; they both hugged back.

After a particularly bread-based meal, the three would head outside; having had most of a day to rest, Bottle's magic was raring to go again.
The training would consist of some basic trading of blows; Bottle would sling a few bolts at a shielded Tincture, who would then fire back some concussive bolts, which Bottle would shield. They repeated this routine a few times, until Bottle ran out of steam. Angel, of course, would be there as moral support, though she'd also be there to help Bottle to her feet should she not shield herself in time.

After training, the three would wind down with Settlers of Coltan, talking excitedly about tomorrow. Though she was nervous about her new business, Tincture felt confident that, with her friends' help, it would succeed.
The three didn't even need dinner, the ration spells having done a good job filling them up, despite the activities of the day.
Eventually, Angel would have to leave; the farm would need tending tomorrow, so she wanted to be over there. She promised Tincture she'd come by to see the new business in action.
A hug later, and the pegasus left, leaving the two other mares alone to get ready for bed.

"You know," Bottle says, "You can sleep on the couch if you want: it's probably comfier than some blankets on the floor."
Tincture smiled gently, "Thank you for the offer, but I like my corner. It makes me feel safe," She expresses.
Bottle nodded. "Well… Alright. Have a good sleep, okay? Tomorrow'll be a good day," She promises.
Tincture nods, "It will," She replies, moving to her room, "Good night, Bottled Lightning. Thank you for everything," She expresses.
Bottle giggles gently, "Really, Bottle is fine. You don't need to be so formal with your housemate," She promises, giggling as she strolls up to bed.

Both mares would sleep soundly that night; Tincture didn't even have any nightmares. She was too excited for tomorrow! Finally, a chance to be a normal, functional member of society…
> Chapter 4: Money, Open Markets, and a Lifetime Ahead
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tincture awoke with an energy she hadn't felt in a long time. She hummed softly as she carefully organized her potions on a rack, setting it on a small cart she used for carrying her things from one place to another. It was a bit big for just a rack of potions, but at least it was low enough to double as a display counter. She would bring the cart out front, a dumb grin plastered on her face. It was a new day - no, a new life - for the unicorn.

Bottle would step down the stairs, yawning gently. "Mmm… Morning," She murmurs.
Tincture smiled, "Good morning," She says.
Bottle smiled a bit at the unicorn's energy, "Heh… Seems like someone got a good sleep," She says contently, "All ready to head out the market?" She asks.
Tincture nodded slowly. "I think so…" She murmurs.
Bottle would gaze over the cart for a moment, before shaking her head and walking away for a moment, moving into a back closet behind the stairs for a moment. "Hmmm…" She murmured, rummaging for something.

Tincture was perplexed, wondering what she could've forgot. She was reminded when the the earth pony grabbed a reasonably sized wooden box with a hinged lid and a lockless latch.
"A shopkeep needs somewhere to put their sales money," Bottle says gently, placing the box on the cart.
Tincture sighed softly, "Hah… It's always the small things," She says gently.
Bottle giggled and hugged Tincture, "Good luck out there, okay?" She says gently.
Tincture smiled softly, "Thank you, Bottle. I hope to do you proud," She expresses, hugging back.
Bottle smiled and nodded, allowing the unicorn to head out.

Tincture would walk to the market, looking around for a spot not already occupied by a stall. She found a nice corner, and would set up her cart so it stood on its own, setting her potion rack on one side of herself and the box on the other. A small sign would be set on the cart: "Ration Potions: 7 Bits".
A few other vendors would be out setting up their stalls, and one would approach her: A green and orange stallion. "Some new meat at the market, hm?" He remarks.
Tincture smiles uncomfortably at the stallion, "Well, not exactly," She says, "Rations," She explains.
The stallion rolls his eyes, "It's an expression. You're new around here, right?" He says.
Tincture blinks, "Oh, yes, I am," She says, "I'm Tincture."

The stallion nods slowly, "Well, Tincture," He begins, "You'd best keep to your own stall, get me? Unicorns like you aren't very welcome around here after last time," He says, tone suddenly much less jovial.
Tincture shrank a bit, "What… What did the last unicorn do?" She asks.
The stallion rolls his eyes and snorts, "Tried claiming our town was their property," He snarls, "Said we were a bunch of hicks who didn't know culture from a stone in the ground. We'll show 'em," He slams his hoof into the cart with a loud bang, causing Tincture to flinch.
"I-I… I see," Tincture stammers, "Well… Not to worry. I'm just here to make an honest living for myself," She expresses, ears slowly unpinning.
The stallion just huffs dismissively, walking back to his stall.

Tincture sighed, remaining sat at her stall, hoping that not all of the townsfolk would be as opposed to her presence as the stallion from earlier was. She did, however, remember the two mares who welcomed her so graciously. She smiled a bit, checking over her supply some. The batch-recipe had made around 60 mixes of the potions, so she should have plenty for her first few days.
The first few patrons in the market didn't seem very interested in her items, but eventually one would come over. "Excuse me, miss, what are you selling?" They'd ask.
Tincture would smile gently, "Ah, it's a ration spell," She explains, magicking both a bottle and vial onto the counter before her, "Just mix the two potions on a plate or bowl of some kind, and it will provide a day or two's worth of nutrition in the form of bread," She explains.
The pony across the counter thought for a moment, "Does it keep well?" They ask.
Tincture nods. "The potions are shelf-stable until opened, and the mixed bread keeps for a couple weeks," She explains.
The pony would set 7 bits on the counter, "Well, you should practice your sales pitch voice a bit more, but your honesty's refreshing. I'll take them," They state. Tincture nodded, magicking the potions into the pony's saddlebag. "Thank you… Please let me know if you enjoy it," She says.
The pony nods and walks off, leaving Tincture to stew in her thoughts yet again.

As the sun fully rose, more patrons would flood the market, and Tincture would have opportunities to sell many more of her potions. She felt herself swell with pride with each sale; it made her feel like she was finally making a name for herself.
Tincture's eyes would widen as several ponies walked towards her stall, lead by a familiar pegasus.
"I told you the farmers needed a good field ration, didn't I?" Angel asks with a giggle.
Tincture nods slowly, her stunned expression slowly curling into a smile, "Well, I've still got plenty. How many do you all want?" She asks.
Though it stressed her slightly, the massive boom in business on her first day excited her.

Meanwhile, Bottle had set up some rocks to use as targets, readying her magic. Just because Tincture wasn't around the house didn't mean she could stop training. She felt there was something more to her magic… She shouldn't get winded as fast as was, right? Was she really that out of shape?
Regardless, she began slinging bolts at the rock pile, trying to push herself harder than she'd gone before. She picked up the pace, throwing bolts that forked and twisted towards their targets. She felt fatigue pull at her, but kept going. Her mane tried to fizzle out, and she managed to push herself further, throwing more bolts, even if they were wimpier than before.

She bore her teeth, trying to keep going, "C'mon…" She murmurs, "I need to- Ugh!" She yelps in strain as she fizzles out, losing her footing and winding up on the ground, panting. Okay, now she felt the fatigue pains. They radiated out from her hooves, creeping back into her body. "Uurgh…" She groaned, rolling over onto her front and standing up slowly, wincing a bit as she felt her weight rest on her now aching legs, "Yup, that did it alright," She whined, walking back to her house, posture sagged.
She didn't even make it up the stairs, just crawling onto the couch and passing out.

An exhausted Tincture would come in some hours later. She had had a very busy day; a little too busy, actually. She'd left the market somewhat early, in need of some quiet time. Her potion rack was more than half empty; what she thought would've been a substantial batch turned out to only kind of be enough. She looked around the front room of the house as she entered. "I'm home!" She says.
The house was silent in return, save for the soft snoring of the sleeping earth pony on the couch.
Tincture smiled softly, "Looks like I'm not the only one who had a busy day," She says, settling the now overflowing box of bits next to the door to her room.
With nothing else to do, Tincture would look to her recipe book, bringing it, her alchemy station, and the ingredients for the salve she wanted to make outside. She'd need a good natural breeze without Angel here to fan the flames.

Sometime later, Bottled Lightning would stir awake. Her hooves still ached some, but she at least wasn't as tired, and managed to get up to follow the fruity smell outside.
She opened the door, stepping out, to see Tincture checking over the boiling pots of tonic.
"So, how'd your first day go?" Bottle asks, smiling.
Tincture would look up, sitting back on her haunches and chuckling a little. "Well, I certainly have a reputation already," She comments, "Angel held true on her word about the farmers… I won't have enough potions for tomorrow, if today was any indication," She says with a soft laugh.
Bottle smiles, "Don't overexert yourself, okay? You're only one pony, no one'll blame you if you can't have everything in stock all the time," She expresses.
Tincture nods a bit, her ears drooping slightly. "I… I know. Thank you, Bottle," She says, voice noticeably lower.
Bottle would gently pat the unicorn's back.

"Changing the subject, I've been thinking about going back to the lumber mill to ask for an extra room on the house," She explains, "I figure it'd be nice for you to have your own space, especially if Angel's going to be staying during the winter."
Tincture blinks, "You don't expect to pay for it all yourself, do you?" She asks abruptly.
Bottle smiled sheepishly, "Actually, I was hoping you'd be willing to pitch in, as a part of the household," She expresses, "I… Don't think I'll have enough bits saved before the cold season rolls around. The hospital hasn't been very busy lately."
Tincture nodded, "I'd be happy to; it's only reasonable I contribute, if you're permitting me to stay," She says, "I'm sure between the two of us, we'll be able to make it work."
The rest of the evening would go by fairly smoothly. Tincture would finish and bottle up all of her potions, and the two mares would go out for dinner. After that, they would head home, spend some time training, and then they would head to bed.

The next day would be a relatively standard day for their new lives; Tincture would head to the hospital to offer first pick of her salves to the nurses and doctors, before heading to the market with her merchandise to sell. Thankfully, the threatening stallion from yesterday didn't come to try and scare her away again.
Bottle would do some magic practice, though she'd be more careful than yesterday so as to not completely exhaust herself. Life needed to go on, after all. She'd head to the lumber mill for a quote on some new walls and whatnot for her house.

The foreman stallion thought for a moment, "Just a couple ground level floors, eh?" He says ponderously.
Bottle nodded, "Enough space for some guest rooms… I'm going to have a few housemates come cold season," She expresses.
The stallion nodded, looking over a pre-existing blueprint for the house; the lumber mill also doubled as the primary construction firm for the small town, so they kept prints on file for the instance where people wanted additions to their homes.
"That's doable… We can work from that multipurpose room at the back of your house; an extra room should fit on there no problem…" He thinks for a long moment, "We could make some adjustments to your front room so you can have another room off there. Another fireplace to heat the rooms on the far end of the house is probably out of your budget, eh?" He supposes.
Bottle winced slightly at the mention of a budget, "I'd… Like to keep it under 300 bits if I can; your folks do quality work, though, so don't short-change yourselves," She replies.

The stallion nodded, grabbing a piece of tracing paper, quickly copying the blueprint and then beginning to draft out some further expansions. "300's a bit on the shallow side, but we're lucky you're working from an existing house…" He hums, "If we…" He'd go into an in-depth explanation about expanding the front room so the fireplace was in its own nook of the room, with two rooms wrapped around the back of the house, "Opening up the far side of the fireplace will be a lot easier and cheaper than building another one; looping the rooms around like that should keep them warm during the cold season. It'll be a bit pricier than 300 bits, but it'll fit a good few more bodies. 330's my guess," He says.
Bottle smiled gently at him, "I'll talk it over with my housemates," She says, "Thank you for being such a big help."

Bottle would then go to the hospital to put a few hours in; she smiled as she saw a small rack of Tincture's red potions on the wall. There wasn't anything particularly crucial to do around the hospital, but the other nurse seemed thankful for an opportunity to take a break.
After getting home, Bottle and Tincture would converse about the housing plans over dinner.
"The foreman says it'll be around 330 bits for everything," She explains, "It's… A bit more costly than I'd hoped, but it'll be enough room for the three of us and then some."
Tincture nodded, "I made some more good money from sales today," She expresses, "The salve wasn't as popular as the rations, but I've still made over 300 bits in 2 days," She says, "Discounting all the materials I've used, I've managed around 150 bits of profit."
Bottle nodded, "That's very good for your first couple days," She says with a smile.
Tincture nodded. "I'm going to make more rations tomorrow; I'm almost out. Business was a bit slower today, though," She says.
Bottle would smile gently, "I still have a tidy sum of my savings stashed away; don't be afraid to pace yourself," She says.
Tincture nods a bit, "I know, thank you," She says, before remembering what Bottle had said last night about savings through the winter. Tincture appreciated Bottle's care, but couldn't help but wonder about the conflicting statements.

Bottle then sighed slightly, "If we want the house renovated, we need to make a decision soon," She expresses, "I don't want the house ripped open when the first frost comes," She says with a small chuckle.
Tincture nods, "Can we agree on it at sundown tomorrow?" She asks.
Bottle nods in agreement. The two mares would hug, and then head to bed, in preparation for another day.

The next day came and went without event; a nice, quiet day in a quiet town. Some overcast skies had Tincture worried about rain, but thankfully, nature had mercy on her, and the sky was simply greyed over.
Bottle decided that, after some training, she'd go and put some more time in at the hospital. There were a couple of ponies who would come in with small injuries, but otherwise, it would be easy money for the earth pony.
Come dinner time, Tincture sighed gently as she sat down, set in her decision.
Bottle would sit across from her, "Well… We've both come to a decision?" She asks softly.
Tincture nodded, magicking a large pile of bits onto the table. "This is 200 bits, to pay you back for the investment you made in my potion ingredients, plus some extra to repay your hospitality," She declares.
"Tincture, I-" Bottle began, but was cut off.

"I pass this money onto you as my landlord; I give you the final say in whether we expand the house or not."
Bottle looked at the large stash of bits. "Well… I'd like to go through with it," She expresses, "You deserve your own space; real space, not a crammed-up room."
Tincture looked away a bit. She felt a twinge of guilt that Bottle was putting herself before her own needs, but the conviction in the earth pony's voice was particularly resolute. Tincture simply nodded, "It's your home," She replies softly.
Bottle shakes her head. "No. It's our home. You can stay as long as you want," She says, placing a hoof on Tincture's.
Tincture blushed faintly, "I… Thank you, Bottle. I'm sure this is just an act of kindness to you, but believe me, it's… It's gigantic, in my head. Everything you've done has been," She expresses.
Bottle smiles gently, "You're welcome, Tincture; I stand by what I said: You have rights. If I have to prove each one to you, one by one, I will," She says with a small laugh.
Tincture smiles softly, "I… Alright," She says gently.

The two mares would eat dinner, before heading to bed. Bottle couldn't help but have a little trouble sleeping. It would be nice to have a housemate, really, and enlarging the house just settled it. Sleep would eventually come to the earth pony, though, and she would sleep soundly through to the morning.

The next few days would come and go; Bottle would approach the foreman with the money, and construction would begin. With a full crew, a few extra rooms shouldn't take long; though of course, the wall of the house that had been ripped off would contribute a bit of draft. However, the builders worked quickly, and things were already mostly framed by the second day.
Tincture's potion selling had slowed to a more steady rate; not enough that she was worried about starving, but enough that she didn't have to make fresh batches of potions every single day.

Bottle would spend a good amount of her time at the hospital, taking over for the other nurse. She'd keep up with her training as well, and the two mares would occasionally spar to see how she'd come.
Angel would even come to visit once or twice, joining the mares for dinner or a game of Coltan. She seemed almost as excited for the enlarged house as Bottle had; an undeniable light in her eyes, with plenty of excited hoof-bouncing.
> Chapter 5: Air's A Bit Funny, Ain't It?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tincture felt uneasy as she walked into town one day. The weather was clement, and it was surprisingly warm for a morning so close to the winter season. Something just felt off to her.
A groggy Bottle would take her place at the hospital; the mare had slept fine, but had woken up late. She sat behind the front desk of the hospital, before she heard the sound of a booming voice from outside.

"Bring me the one they call Tincture!" Shouted a stern mare's voice.
Bottle's ears shot up, and she shook the last traces of sleep from her face.
Bottle's eyes widened as she got a look at the perpetrator; a tall unicorn, coloured a deep pink like the early morning sky, with a long crimson mane. The earth pony almost mistook them for an Alicorn due to their size, but the lack of vestments the stranger was wearing displayed a lack of wings.

Bottle had a hunch she knew who this was. "What do you want with her?" She asks in a more or less neutral tone.
"That is none of your concern, mud filly," The stranger huffs, slowly approaching Bottled Lightning, "You will tell me where she is. If you do not, I will bury this town in an entire freeze season's worth of ice," She hisses.
Bottle's hooves sparked lightly. Just before she was about to retort, she heard Tincture's voice from behind her.
"Why must you seek me!?" The smaller unicorn asks, tears welling in her eyes, "I left you so I could pursue a better life! Why must you… You… Haunt me!?" She screams, her voice half-panicked to tears.
The stranger snarled, "You chose your path the second you crossed mine," She hisses, "For your insolence, I will see to it personally that you burn in tartarus, you ungrateful wretch!"
A large blast of light erupted from the tall unicorn's horn, showering bolts of white hot magic at Tincture, who shielded herself, but was still thrown back from the sheer force.

Tincture winced, screeching to a halt on her hooves, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks, "Please, for the love of Celestia, leave me alone, Miasma!" The smaller unicorn cried, firing back her own blast of magic.
Miasma snarled as she raised her own shield. "Attack me? You're rotten to the core," She hissed. Before she could launch another attack, the unicorn roared in pain as blue lightning scraped up her side, knocking her to the ground.
A fuming, seething Bottle was standing to her side, "You have 10 seconds to leave, before I hurt you like you hurt her," She snarls.
Miasma snickered, "That's all the time I need, stupid mud pony," She sneers, her horn lighting up.

Angel's Kiss would peek out from behind a stall in the market, having been drawn to town by the loud noises of magic, that had been audible all the way from the farm. She squeaked as she watched a massive blast of light engulf Tincture. As the blast faded into twinkles, Angel darted in to catch an unconscious Tincture, passed out from shielding herself.
"TINCTURE!!" Bottle screamed, staring down the tall unicorn before her. All at once, Bottle felt herself become overwhelmed with emotions. No, not emotions. That implied she felt more than one.

All the earth pony felt was rage; incomprehensible fury, directed at the scourge of a unicorn before her. Bottle screamed, dropping to her stomach as an aura of lightning stretched from her; dozens of "arms" of electricity, springing from her as if they were being ripped out of her body. The stripe of her mane lit up so brightly, it looked as if it were electric in its own right.
Bottle shot to her feet, engulfed in a chaotic whirl of furious lightning. She slung her hoof, crashing a wake of bolts over Miasma's side. The unicorn screeched in pain.
"You!" Miasma hisses, "I will make an example out of-" She was cut off as another cascade of electricity was thrown at her, and she shielded herself to block the blast.

Bottle didn't stop. The electric "arms" coming from her torso stretched towards the shielded unicorn, as if they were magnetized to it. Bottle threw blow after blow of electricity. Her stamina didn't seem to exist anymore; every bolt she hurled crackled like an entire storm, splashing across the shield as if it were a starving creature trying to hunt its prey.
Miasma couldn't catch an angle of attack. The bolts were too plentiful; too persistent. She could feel the energy ripping away at her shield, trying to find any opening. Then, a smile crept across her face. She grinned as she dropped her shield, taking the persistent arms of lightning into her horn. She laughed as she slung her head back, throwing the earth pony up into the air.

Bottle sailed upwards, her voice gone; all that was left were bestial noises, even as she landed with a harsh CRACK of one of her hooves splitting on the stone road. Bottle didn't care. She watched the unicorn wind up a blast of magic, whipping her own lightning into a broad, flat shield. She blocked two beams. Then four. Then six. Then, a massive blast knocked her back, splashing the lightning off her body and sending her tumbling back.
Angel would dive in to catch her, and Bottle would return to her feet, meeting Miasma's gaze.

Miasma was panting. She didn't understand. This earth pony seemed to be exhausting their magic slower than she was!
Miasma's lowered guard was quickly punished. Bottle slammed her front hooves into the ground, sending a cascade of lightning through the earth. It ripped through the ground, erupting into a flow of bolts that blasted the unicorn skyward.
Bottle roared as she threw bolt after bolt at the tumbling unicorn, who cried in pain as she was shocked over and over.
The unicorn managed to right herself in mid air, however, throwing a flurry of light at Bottle. In her panic, Miasma missed most of her shots, but a few of the whistling blades managed to draw blood. Once again, Bottle hardly flinched. The earth pony's mind was too overloaded with mortal rage to even process the pain.

Miasma sneered as she landed, barely having time to put up her shield before a large lance of lightning was whipped at her. Miasma winced as she watched the bolt barely pierce her shield. Miasma realized, all too late, she had angered the wrong pony, but she was now determined to take the ball of lightning and rage with her.

Tincture would slowly stir from the stand Angel had hidden her behind. She stood up, her eyes wide as she watched a furious Bottle face down her old teacher. The one who had robbed her of so much of her life and freedom…
She watched as Miasma was thrown to the ground by a blast of lightning. Miasma wouldn't take much more of this; it was really impressive she'd lived as many shocks as she did.
Tincture felt conflicted. She couldn't let Bottle finish the job; that would have made both of them lower than Miasma was.

She closed her eyes, and fired a powerful concussive bolt at Bottle, who was blown to the ground and stripped of her furious aura. "Stop!!" She shouted.
Angel would quickly dart off to try and hold back Bottle, who was already standing up, electricity still sparking from her hooves. "Bottle!" Angel cried, trying to get her friend's attention.
Bottle didn't verbally reply, but hesitated in the panicked hug of her friend, as her vision finally cleared enough to see the crumpled unicorn being approached by Tincture.

Miasma wheezed as she laid on the ground, now bound to the stone floor by chains of a dim pink light.
"What do you want, insolent filly?" Miasma sneered, twitching from the occasional pangs of electricity that had infested her body.

Tincture looked at her with a cold expression. "I left you because I swore to myself that I was better than you; that I could surpass you. Not necessarily as an alchemist, and definitely not as a sorcerer, but…" She took a sharp breath in, "I can surpass you as a pony. If you were me, you would have already killed me. You do not consider me worth your breath. Likewise, I no longer consider you worth my time," She states, her horn lighting up, "When you awake, you will be comfortably lodged in one of Canterlot's prison cells. I do not know what will happen to you after that. All I know is that this is my final report on how I have truly surpassed you, in the only way that truly matters."
Miasma hissed in angry denial, screaming obscenities as she writhed against the chains. However, Tincture would calmly step forward, touching her horn to her teacher's side, and all at once, the larger unicorn would be blinked away.

Bottle had finally calmed down. She looked at her hooves, including the cracked one. "I-I… I don't know what happened," She murmurs, "All I saw was… Red," She says, her voice fading to a whisper, leaning against Angel some.
Angel blinked, "You saved the day, Bottle… Tincture's okay because of you," She promises, voice gentle.
Bottle looked up at Tincture as she approached, wincing a bit as she's hugged from a second side.
"Thank you," Tincture says, voice shaky as she tears up, "Thank you so very much…"
Bottle's front legs dropped limp as she fell back into Angel, eyes closing.
The unicorn and pegasus froze as the earth pony went slack in their arms, but were reassured by the only other sound on the road: Soft snoring.

Tincture blinked, "I can only imagine how much stress she put on herself," She commented, slowly letting go and sitting back.
Angel was going to say something, but then caught a glimpse of Bottle's flank. "Wait, look!" She exclaims, pointing, "She finally got her mark!"
Sure enough, adorning the gray mare's flank was a mark of a bolt of lightning erupting forth from a bottle, shattering a hole in the glass as it did so.
Tincture smiled softly, "She finally found herself," She said gently.
> Epilogue: Soft Lights and Warm Towns
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tincture frowned as she overlooked the sleeping earth pony. Bottle had been gently tucked in, her wounds healed with salve. "She's been asleep for a day and a half," Tincture observed, tone choked.
Angel gently put a hoof on Tincture's shoulder. "I think… It might be time soon. To check her into the hospital, so they can take care of her.
Tincture winced, "No, I… I need to watch over her. It's my fault this happened. She's comatose because I brought my past to-" She was hushed by Angel suddenly gripping her face.
Angel shook her head, "Tincture. Bottle fought tooth and hoof to give you your freedom. I won't stand here and watch you beat yourself down," She said sternly, before pulling Tincture into a hug, "We'll give her one more day to wake up. Then, we let the hospital take care of her."
Tincture hugs back, sighing. "Alright," She says, fighting back some tears.
The two would head downstairs after some time; it was really coming along. The adjustments to the front room were done, the fireplace now opening to two sides, and the outer 2 rooms were almost done.

Angel would look up at Tincture, "Do you want to play a game?" She asked softly.
Tincture sighed a little, "It wouldn't be the same without Bottle…" She replied.
Angel huffs a little. "Well… Let's go get something to eat. I think you need some time out of the house," She insisted.
"I need to stay here in case Bottle wakes u- Hey!" She squeaked as she was suddenly pushed out the door.
"I wasn't asking," Angel huffed with a soft grunt, closing the door behind them.
Tincture huffed softly, "I never took you for the pushy type…" She murmured.
"I'm not, but standing over a sleeping mare constantly for a day and a half is doing things to your head," Angel said, "C'mon, let's go find somewhere we can sit down and eat."
Tincture just sighed softly, knowing she wouldn't be able to convince the pegasus otherwise.

Angel took Tincture out to a nice, quiet restaurant out in the suburbs. It was quaint, but not too quiet, with a local singer singing a soft melody to set an ambient mood.
Tincture would look around as Angel lead her to a table. The interior was… Oddly decorated; the walls were painted garish colours, and were plastered with posters, some of which seemed to be old pinups.
Angel's Kiss smiled as she sat down, "This is one of my favourite places in town; it's so… Different!" She explained with a grin.
Tincture nodded. "It's certainly different compared to most of the town," She observed.
A waitress would come to the table, setting down a pair of menus.
"Well, hey Angel! Been a while since your last mare's night out; who's the new fillyfriend?" The waitress asked.
Angel giggles, "This is Tincture! She's living with Bottle right now," She introduced.
The waitress nods, "Well, let me welcome you to the Sloshing Stallion," She says with a smile, "My name's Hazy Stupor, I'll be your server," She says.

Tincture would smile softly, "It's nice to meet you," She says. Tincture couldn't help but gaze over Hazy. The waitress was a plum earth pony; a bit on the short side like Angel, but she was also a fair bit plumper, and had a round-styled mane that looked black, but iridesced blue and green in the light. Her cutie mark was a soft pink swirl over a translucent white star.
Hazy would look at the unicorn, "Can I get you something to drink, hun?" She asks, smiling at the unicorn.
Angel blinked and looked over at Tincture, giving her transfixed friend a little nudge with a hoof.
"Um- yes- ah- Just water, please," Tincture stammers.
Angel smiles, "A soft cider for me tonight! I need to be a good filly," She giggles.
Hazy smiles. "I'll bring those right out for you, girls," She says, giving Tincture a wink as she walked away.

The unicorn blinked. "I have… So many questions," She expresses.
Angel's Kiss giggles, "Waitress culture is a mystery to all outsiders, and her special talent is breaking up fights by calming people with a tap on the head," She answers.
Tincture sits still for a minute. "I have… Substantially fewer questions," She concedes, before fumbling with her hooves, "She was very pretty."
Angel giggles and wraps a leg around Tincture, "She really does rock her low-maintenance look, huh?" She supposes.
Tincture nods quietly, her face going a light pink.
Angel would giggle softly at her friend's apparent awkwardness, "Guess that big meanie didn't let you out to live a little, huh?" She supposes.
Tincture blinks. "I… Well, to be frank, you and Bottle were among the first ponies I'd ever met, aside from… Her," Tincture shudders.
Angel nods a little, "Well, now you're able to meet a bunch of other ponies!" She promises, "No more big meanie teacher to keep you out of sight!"
Tincture smiles a little, "I guess so…" She supposes, "I just don't know how to talk to ponies; I can barely sell my wares."
Angel smiles, "You'll learn! We were all bad talkers at some point," She insists.

Tincture's train of thought was interrupted as Hazy came back, setting a tray of waters and ciders on the table, "A water and cider for each of you; drink up, huns," She says kindly, "Didja figure out what you want to eat?" She asks.
Angel giggles, "My usual!" She says.
Tincture hesitated a little. "Is there… Something you recommend?" She asks softly.
Hazy Stupor smiled, "Me? Well, I gotta be honest, the desserts here are more of my forte," She says with a giggle, "But, I'd suggest the dump lasagna. Terrible name, but trust me, the boys the back know what they're doing," She promises.
Tincture simply nods in approval, and Hazy takes both the mares' menus. "I'll get those cooking for you; just holler if you need anything, okay?" She says as she walks away.

Angel giggles a little, grabbing the two mugs of cider and handing one to Tincture. "To your freedom," She says, raising her mug.
Tincture looks at her own mug, lifting it from the table with a confused look.
Angel giggles and clinks her mug against the unicorn, "We really need to get you out more," She teases, before taking a long swig of her cider.
Tincture would follow suit; the strong flavour of the spiced apple juice nearly made her gag at first. "This town and their strong flavours…" She thinks to herself, though she found herself coming back for another sip.
Angel giggles at the flicker of emotions on the unicorn's face. "First time, huh?" She teases.

Tincture nodded quietly, taking another sip of her drink.
Angel smiles, "Well, enjoy our night out, okay? Bottle wouldn't want you moping around at home," She insists.
Tincture nodded a little, sighing gently. She didn't like it, but the pegasus was right. "I… Okay," She says gently, offering a conflicted smile.
Angel and Tincture would banter as they waited for their food to arrive, passing the time. Tincture had to admit, this was nice; thoughts about Bottle still clawed at the back of her mind, but she was able to at least relax some, enjoying the atmosphere of the restaurant and Angel's company.

Eventually, Hazy would come back with their food, smiling. "Here y'are huns, sorry 'bout the wait," She says, unloading her tray on the table.
Angel smiles, "Thanks Haze!" She says, before deciding to sow a little chaos, "Say, you wanna come over tonight? A certain someone wouldn't mind some company," She says.
Tincture blinks, flushing in surprise. Angel wore an innocent smile on her face, but Tincture knew she knew exactly what she was doing.
Hazy smiles. "I've got an hour or two left on my shift, but I can swing by after that," She says, "Though, a certain someone shouldn't be afraid to ask for themselves," She adds, winking at Tincture before turning and walking back to the counter.

Tincture looked at Angel, who was still giving her a smile. "You have none of the malice, nor delusional grandeur that she did," Tincture begins, "But you are more conniving than she could ever know. Were she to gaze upon you, even she would tremble upon the depths of which you can scheme."
Angel giggles a little, "Aw, don't be like that. You said you wanted to get better at talking to other ponies!" She says, "Sometimes you have to throw someone in the deep end to teach them how to swim."
Tincture would smile a bit and roll her eyes, beginning to eat. The pegasus' invitation would certainly lead to an interesting night.
"I'll tell you what," Angel says, "You have a nice relaxing evening with Haze, and I'll keep watch over Bottle, okay?" She offers.
Tincture bit her lip, "Well… If you're sure," She supposes, "Thank you for taking my priority into consideration," She expresses.
Angel giggles and nuzzles Tincture a bit, "We are friends, silly. I only 'connive' for your benefit; I don't just want to see you clam up," She explains.
Tincture just smiled a little, and the two would eat.

After dinner, the two would bid a short farewell to Hazy, and return home to straighten things out before the waitress got there.
Angel looked at Tincture, "You don't have to be nervous, Haze is like, super chill," She promises, "She probably won't even notice the front room's gotten expanded like 8 feet out," She giggles.
Tincture blinks, "Thank you for the reassurance, but I doubt I'll calm down until she leaves," She replies, looking at the floor.
Angel gave Tincture a hug and giggled, "You're funny, you know that? You're all grown up, but up here," She lightly taps Tincture on the head, "You still have a lot to learn," Angel giggles.
Tincture blushes faintly, but frowns and turn away. "I… Hah… I guess so," She says.

Angel frowned a little; that little joke backfired spectacularly. "It's not your fault, Tincture. Just, you know… Let things happen. The heart knows things from birth that the mind could never hope to learn," Angel expresses.
Tincture nodded, slowly hugging back. "I… I guess you're right," She replies hesitantly, "Thank you, Angel. I'll try and trust your judgement a little more."
Angel smiles a little, "Alright, Tincture. Remember, just let instinct and manners guide you," She says, "Like I said, Haze's about as low-maintenance as a mare gets. She puts me and Bottle to shame," She giggles.
Tincture nodded. Angel would give her a tight squeeze, before darting up the stairs to keep watch over Bottle, who was still asleep.

Not more than 10 minutes later, Tincture heard a knock at the door. She took a deep breath, walked over, and opened it.
On the other side was Hazy Stupor, smiling gently, "Hey hun," She greets, "May I come in?" She asks.
Tincture nodded, and Hazy would walk in as Tincture gently closed the door behind her. "It's been a good while since I was out in this neck of town last," Hazy admits, "Looks like Bottle's been doing some redecorating."
Tincture nods a bit, "She has," The unicorn offers, "Would you like something to drink?" She asks.
Hazy shakes her head, "I'm alright, hun; I drink enough to drown a mule whenever I'm on shift," She says with a soft chuckle.
Tincture nodded, walking to one of the couches around the newly expanded fireplace and taking a seat. The unicorn blushed faintly as Hazy followed suit, sitting next to her.

"Where's Angel gone off to?" Hazy asks, looking around briefly.
Tincture smiles awkwardly, "She's… Keeping watch," She admits, "We're both waiting for Bottle to wake up."
Hazy nodded slowly, "Wake up?" She asks, "Like, from a nap or from a coma?"
Tincture's smile dropped into a small frown. "It's… Looking like the latter," She explains, "If you remember the ruckus from a couple days ago, well… That was Bottle pushing herself harder than any of us thought possible. And now, she’s-” Tincture’s voice caught in her throat, “She’s not waking up.”
Hazy stared at the unicorn for a minute, gently caressing Tincture’s muzzle with a hoof, “Hun, I… I don’t know what to say,” She expresses, “I’d only heard tales; I thought it was just fish stories.”
Tincture shrank against the side of the couch, “I just… It’s my fault that I came here, it’s my fault that I brought that… That witch to this town, and now it’s my fault the Bottle’s not-” Tincture’s cut off by a small squeak as Hazy lightly plants a hoof on her forehead. She felt an otherworldly sense of comfort wash over her; all of a sudden, everything seemed… Just a little less unmanageable.

Hazy sighed softly, “There, there, hun… Bottle’s a strong pony; I’m sure she’ll wake up feeling right as rain soon.”
Tincture shook herself off a bit. “I… I guess you’re right,” She says, trying to figure out why she felt so relaxed all of a sudden. The fire seemed warmer, the couch softer… She felt her head rest on the cushions, as Hazy rubbed her back gently.
“Now then, what do you do for fun around here?” Hazy Stupor asked, wanting to get the unicorn’s mind off of her distress.
“Well… I usually play games with Angel and Bottle,” Tincture says, her voice soft; not a whisper, just… Quiet. Eased.
Hazy nods, “Ahh… I see,” She says, “You and Angel had a nice time out tonight, didn’tcha?” She asks gently.
Tincture nods, “We did,” She says, “The food was lovely, as was your service.”
It was Hazy’s turn to blush a bit, “Well, I’m glad you liked it, hun,” She replies, “Those colts at the back know what they’re doing with food, that’s for sure; worked with ‘em since before most folks’d call me a grown mare.”

Tincture’s eyes were fixed on the slowly dancing fire; it had taken a bit of time to get it started without Bottle’s help, but the warmth and comfort it radiated still helped relax the unicorn.
“Angel wouldn’t want me to tell you this, but she invited you over because I thought you were pretty,” Tincture admits, her brain still fogged over with the strange comfort that had enveloped her.
Hazy chuckles softly, her face’s redness brightening. “Well, shucks, hun. Angel’s just a little schemer like that, ain’t she?” She supposes.
Tincture smiled. “I called her conniving,” She adds.
The two mares shared a laugh, with Hazy nodding in agreement, “That’s a fine word for it,” She says.
Tincture smiled gently, “This is nice,” She expresses, “Usually I’d go to bed right after dinner…”
Hazy smiles, “You don’t need to stay up just for my sake, hun,” She says, “You look mighty comfy,” She expresses.
Tincture shakes her head, “I’m not sleepy,” She promises, “Just comfortable.”
Tincture felt Hazy lie down next to her, and she shifted a bit to accommodate.

Hazy didn't seem to notice much, smiling gently at the unicorn. “Hah… I live in one of the longhouses, so I don’t get to relax in front of a fire like this at home,” She admits.
Tincture nodded absentmindedly, only have paying attention to the earth pony. The warm light of the flames refracted as oranges and purples in Hazy’s hair, and the unicorn found herself a bit dumbstruck at the sight. “Fire was my only light before I ran away,” Tincture says, “I’d awaken to darkness if I slept long enough for the fire to burn down.”
Hazy nods gently, “Well, the whole world’s yours for the taking now, hun,” She says with a small smile. Hazy thought she saw Tincture’s eyelids droop for a moment, but the unicorn blinked back awake.

“I don’t think I’m going to make it very far into the night if I just sit here next to the fire,” She admits, her horn briefly lighting as she settles a new log in the fireplace, “Would you like to play a game?” She asks gently.
Hazy nodded a bit, “Sure, what do you have?” She asks.
“Coltan is what we usually play, but it’s a bit uneventful with only two players,” Tincture says, yawning a bit as she sits up, “We have cards, though,” She says.
Hazy would gently slide off the couch, and the two mares would walk to the table, “Cards is fine; do you have a favourite game?” She asks.
Tincture blinked, “The only card game I’ve played is blackjack,” She admits, sitting at the table.
Hazy would sit across from her, pondering for a moment. “Hmm… When Angel was younger, she used to play this… Sort of fight game, with a plain deck of cards. Do you have a piece of paper?” She asks.
Tincture nodded, grabbing a piece of paper from a small stack she had purchased, making sure it didn’t have notes on it, before grabbing a quill.

“Let me see if I can remember all the rules…” Hazy began, “First you remove the Jokers, and set up a score sheet where every player starts with 30 ‘health’. Then, every card is given a value; numbered cards do 2-10 damage based on their number. An Ace can block any amount of damage in one turn. Playing a Jack lets you throw - and subsequently draw - two cards in one turn. Playing a Queen heals you for 7 ‘health’, even if that would put you over 30 total. The King reflects half your opponent’s damage back at them, but you still take the other half; the player who throws the card takes the lesser half, when an odd number comes up,” She recites from memory, “Both players get a hand of 6 cards to start, and you always draw back to 6 at the end of each turn. Both players throw at the same time. The game ends when either player hits 0 or less health, or when the draw deck is run dry; in that case, the player with less health loses.”

Tincture looked at the rather detailed rulesheet before her. “I’m surprised you remembered all that, if you played the game as fillies,” She comments, eyes slightly widened.
Hazy chuckled, “To be honest, I am too. I guess it makes sense, considering how often Angel asked me to play it with her,” She admits.
Tincture nodded, unboxing the deck and quickly sorting out the Jokers and setting them aside, shuffling it. “Well, it seems fairly well-thought out. I’d be happy to try at least one round,” She says.
Hazy grins, “You’re on,” She says with a small smirk.

Tincture would set out 6 cards for each of them, setting the rest of the deck facedown. The two mares smiled at each other before picking up their cards to “duel”, as it were. The first few rounds would go slowly as the two mares spent some time getting familiar with the rules and throwing on a count, but the games would quickly accelerate in speed as they each got comfier, and eventually the mares would be laughing, completing entire games in just a few minutes as they got good at throwing on a count of three. It was fairly close, but after no less than 20 the games over the course of a few hours, they got to the final hand. Tincture had 6 health. Hazy had 4.
The two mares leered playfully at each other, selecting their cards. They spoke in unison, “One. Two. Three. Throw!” They cheered, practically slamming their cards on the table. It felt much more dramatic than it actually was, of course.
The two mares stared blankly at the table. Tincture’s 5 to Hazy’s King.
They each chuckled, setting the cards in the discard pile as Tincture wrote both of their healths down as 2. “Okay, last hand for real,” She says with a soft chuckle.
Hazy giggles, “And here you were so confident,” She says.
Tincture smirks, “Game’s not over 'till it’s over,” She says, peering through her hand for another card.
Hazy giggles, “Ready?” She asks.
Tincture nods.

“One, two, three, throw!” They’d both cheer, throwing down their cards.
Tincture played a 10. Hazy played a Jack, a Queen, and a 4. The mares giggled as they looked over the card.
“Even with a handful of face cards, you still only managed to tie up the game,” Tincture laughs.
Hazy smiles and giggles along; she didn’t mind losing. Just seeing Tincture unabashedly happy was… Really nice. “Yup. That means it’s 12.5 to 10.5, right?” She asks.
Tincture giggles as she looks over her scoresheet, nodding.
After taking a moment to laugh out their excitement, the two mares would smile at each other. “I think I’m done for the night,” Hazy Stupor said, “I’m gonna throw up if I laugh any harder from your gaming theatrics.”
Tincture smiles, “Hehehe… Alright, alright, that’s game for tonight. You’ll kick my flank eventually,” She giggles, packing up all the cards and resting the box neatly on the scoresheet.

The two mares laughed, retiring back to the couch. Tincture sat down, but her residual giggling was cut short as she felt Hazy sit next to her, the earth pony leaning her weight on the unicorn, still giggling.
“You’re so cute when you get into a game, you know that?’ Hazy asks.
Tincture couldn’t help but feel a little awkward at the sudden cuddliness. “Yeah, haha… I had a lot of fun,” She says gently.
The two mares would quip back and forth a bit as Tincture stoked the flames with some fresh wood. The heat could be felt from the couch; it wasn’t hot, just… Cozy. Tincture felt her eyelids get heavy; so did Hazy. The two mares slowly spoke less and less, both of them steadily succumbing to sleep.
Tincture barely registered that Hazy had fallen asleep on her, and in turn, the sleeping Hazy didn’t even notice the unicorn roll to the side, dozing off.

Angel would come down the stairs sometime after; she had assumed Hazy had gone home, by the sudden lull in noise. What she didn’t expect was to see the two mares passed out on the couch, Hazy lazily clinging to Tincture’s side. Angel smiled widely and brought a blanket over, draping it over the two slumbering ponies, carefully lifting Hazy up to Tincture’s shoulder so they could share the blanket better. Angel giggles softly, laying down on the chair opposite to the two, lowering her head to sleep. “And here she didn’t want to leave the house,” Angel says, satisfied with her own handiwork.





Angel stirred awake to the sound of hoofsteps. She slowly slid off of her perch on the chair, walking to the stairs and quickly slunk up them. She saw a dazed earth pony reaching out stiffly to grab a glass of water on the beside table.
“Bottle!” Angel chirps, darting over to the earth pony’s side and hugging her tightly, “Oh, we were so worried about you! I mean, you slept for like, two days!” She expresses, burying her snout in Bottled Lightning’s neck.
Bottle coughed softly, weakly hugging back, “C-can I have a drink of water first?” She groans softly, her voice a dry rasp.
Angel nodded, “Oh, sorry,” She stumbles, grabbing the glass of water and putting it to the aching pony’s lips, “Here…”
Bottle would drink quite fervently, gasping a bit as she finished the entire cup. “Much better,” She she huffs softly, attempting to shake the sleep out of her head. For all the power of her outburst, Bottle’s body had visibly taken it well; the only scar was the stripe of her mane, now a ghostly, fiber-optic white, as if it had been glassed.

“Just hold on a minute, I’ll get you some more water,” Angel says gently, darting downstairs before coming back up with a jug of water.
Bottle barely had time to process the pegasus leaving and coming back, smiling gently, “Thanks, Angel,” She murmurs, before asking, “Where’s Tincture?”
The earth pony would shakily take the jug and guzzle straight from it; her body was agonizingly thirsty.
“She’s…” Angel smiles a bit, “She’s downstairs… She was so worried about you; I made her leave the house, and… May or may not have introduced her to Haze,” She explains with a faux-innocent smile.
Bottle blinked once or twice. “Hazy Stupor?” She asked, before chuckling softly as Angel nods, “Oh dear,” Bottle comments.
“I’m surprised they didn’t wake you up. They were having the greatest time playing cards last night,” Angel explains with a giggle.
Bottle smiles, “It’s good to hear she’s loosening up a bit,” She expresses.

Angel nodded, sitting on the bed next to Bottle as she drank; the contents of the jug were now almost completely gone. “How are you feeling?” She asks gently.
“Still tired,” Bottle answers, “You said I was out for 2 days?”
Angel nods, “You really put your all into it… You looked ready to kill Miasma,” She recounts.
Bottle nods. “I was. All I could see with rage. Everything I hated in a pony was standing before me, taunting me… When she fired that beam at Tincture, I snapped,” She recalls, groaning slightly as she holds her head.
Angel nodded a little, “Well, she’s gone now. Tincture’s safe and comfy at home, the house is almost done… Oh, and, look at your flank,” Angel says, voice turning slightly giddy towards the end.
Bottle stiffly turned, looking at her flank. She smiled a little, “About time it showed up,” She remarks.

“I think your magic is your special talent,” Angel expresses, “You just needed to let it all out.”
Bottle nodded, “Certainly seems like it,” She says softly, putting the now-empty jug down and groaning in discontent as she steps onto the floor, her body trembling as she stretches.
“B-Bottle!” Angel squeaks, diving out of the bed to keep her friend upright, “Please, don’t strain yourself…” She says gently.
Bottle huffs softly, “I need to stretch some; let’s go for a walk,” She groans stubbornly, taking a few careful paces forward, assorted joints letting out irate snaps and pops.
Angel nodded a bit, helping Bottle down the stairs, slowly.
“I’m not crippled, I’m just tired,” Bottle huffs.
“You were in a coma for 2 days,” Angel retorts.
Bottle just sighs softly, smiling a bit as she sees Tincture and Hazy cuddled on the couch downstairs. “Heh… Well, they definitely hit it off,” She whispers.

Angel just giggles gently and nods, helping Bottle out the door. Bottle took a deep breath of the cool, early morning air; the sun had only just begun to creep out into view, the sky a deep pink.
“Mmm… Feels good to get some fresh air,” Bottle expresses, stretching a bit, much to her body’s chagrin.
“I bet it does,” Angel says with a soft giggle, “Folks have been asking about you, you know; Tincture’s been a little… Protective with letting people visit,” She admits.
Bottle nodded, letting out more huffs and snorts of pain as she stretched further. “Heh… That checks out, I guess. She probably put it all on herself after the fight, right?” She supposes.
Angel nods a little, “Mhm… Really hard. I couldn’t just watch her sit around and mope, so that’s why I took her out last night,” She says, sitting down with a soft huff, “I’m still not sure if it was the right thing to do, to be honest… You always seemed to figure out ponies better than I did.”
Bottle would hug the pegasus gently, “Well then, let me be confident for you,” She says, “Judging by the fact she’s sleeping without nightmares, and you managed to get her out of the house without hurting anyone, I think you did just fine,” Bottle says gently.

Angel leaned into the earth pony, sniffling a little, “Th-thank you,” She says softly.
Bottled Lightning gently brushed a hoof through the pegasus’ mane. “Angel, hey…” She says gently, looking the smaller pony in the eyes, “It’s okay. It’s all okay. I’m up and mobile, Tincture’s happy, things’ll go back to normal… And, we’ll have extra space for you to come stay in by the winter season,” She assures.
Angel just nodded, hugging the earth pony tightly, letting herself get all the pent-up emotions off of her chest.
Bottle smiled softly, gently rubbing Angel’s back. She had been sleeping for a few days, she could spare her friend the time.





Tincture would awaken with a soft murmur, shuffling as bit. She found it hard to move; there was a substantial amount of weight on her. As her eyes flitted open, she blushed vibrantly as she saw a plum-coloured earth pony resting on her chest, snout nuzzled into her shoulder. Tincture didn’t want to move; disturbing the sleeping pony would no doubt make both of them less happy. She did, however, carefully creep her front legs around Hazy, pulling the blanket up just a little higher.
Tincture closed her eyes and breathed slowly, trying to ease her now racing heart. Despite how flustering this situation was, Tincture felt… Surprisingly good. Comfortable, even! Maybe this was among the “things” she had been missing with her stunted foalhood. Tincture smiled gently, relaxing a bit.

Eventually, she felt Hazy Stupor slowly stir awake on top of her. The groggy pony lifted her muzzle in a soft yawn, and looked around. “Mmm… Where’d I end up now?” She murmurs.
Tincture’s eyes opened, and she smiled gently, “Good morning, hah…” She says gently.
Hazy’s gaze snapped to the mare beneath her. “Why are we…?” She questions, face quickly reddening.
Tincture shrugged a little, “I’m… Not sure how we ended up like this. The last thing I remember was sitting back on the couch,” She says, tensing up a bit, “And… I didn’t want to wake you up,” She expresses bashfully.
Hazy smiled a little at the timid unicorn. “Well… I can’t say I had a bad sleep,” She says, with a softer voice, trying not to irritate Tincture. She had seen firsthand just how quickly the unicorn could lose control of a situation.
Tincture nodded slowly, “Nor can I…” She expresses gently, “This is a little ‘fast’, though, isn’t it?” She asks.
Hazy’s smile would widen slightly, into a warm grin. “Fast is about our comfort, and no one else’s,” She says with a soft giggle, “Obviously, we made a good first impression if we ended up like this,” She adds.
Tincture smiles sheepishly at the other mare’s supposed acceptance of the whole ordeal. “I… I guess so,” She supposes.

“Looks like the lovebirds are finally up!” Angel would call from just outside the door with a giggle, walking in.
Hazy would blush, sliding off of the unicorn so they could both sit up.
“Who are you talking to, Angel?” Tincture asked as she sat up.
Her eyes went wide as a familiar blue and gray earth pony walked in. “Just a creaky old mare,” Bottle joked, giving a small smile and a giggle.
Tincture practically jumped over the couch to hug the mare tightly, “You’re awake!” She exclaims gratefully, tears welling up in her eyes.
Hazy smiled a little, walking over to the reunion sight, “About time you woke up; I was wondering when I’d get to see you again, hun,” She says, smiling warmly at Bottle.
Bottle hugged Tincture back, smiling a little, “It’s nice to see you too, Hazy. I take it you took good care of Tincture for me while I was having my nap?” Bottle jokes, laughing gently as she rubs Tincture’s back.
Bottle, Hazy, and Angel all laughed at the remark, but Tincture took a moment before she pulled back, blinking away some tears.

Tincture huffed gently, “Do you still have your magic, or did it finally evaporate?” She asks softly, voice now a bit more analytical, though still slightly croaky from almost crying.
Bottle thought for a moment, making her way over to the fireplace, “Well, let’s see,” She says, taking a piece of wood in her hooves.
Closing her eyes, and taking a deep breath, the group watched in anticipation, before the wood burst into flames.
“Yeah, I think it’s here to stay for real now,” Bottle giggles, placing the freshly lit wood in the fireplace.
The group would file into the furniture around the fire; Bottle, Tincture, Hazy would take the three seats on the couch, and Angel would perch atop it.
The group would begin bantering over the slowly warming blaze. And thus, all was peaceful.