//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3: Learning From Nothing 
// Story: To Raise Herself Over Again 
// by Zoura3025 
//------------------------------//

A short time later, the two mares would bring a plate of sandwiches to the table, setting it down.
"Time for lunch!" Angel declares, smiling at Murky as she looked up towards the noise.
Murky looked up and nodded, "Okay," She replies softly, a small smile on her face.
"Put your drawings to the side for now, okay? You can go back to it after you eat," Tincture requests gently, sitting next to Murky.
Murky hesitated, but nodded and loosely piled up her drawings, settling them to the corner of the table, pencils on top of them.

She watched as Tincture magicked a sandwich over to her, starting to eat it quickly.
Tincture sighed softly in relief; she was thankful that Murky hadn't inherited the memories of food being restricted; the long nights spent starving. She gently rubbed Murky's back, smiling a bit.
Angel would take her own sandwich to eat, as would Tincture.

"So, Murky, Tincture was thinking of taking you to the market with her tomorrow," Angel says, giving the two other ponies a small smile.
Murky looked up, "Oh, okay," She says gently, looking up at Tincture, "What's the market like?" She asks.
Tincture blinked, briefly glancing at Angel, who simply gave an encouraging smile. "Well… It's a part of town where ponies gather to buy and sell things," Tincture explains, "You might meet some other colts and fillies there."
Murky shrank a little, "I-is there a lot of ponies there?" She asks softly.
Tincture waggled her head, "There can be," She supposes, "It's not usually too busy. Don't worry, I'll make sure you have somewhere comfortable to rest if you don't want to talk with anypony," She promises, gently rubbing Murky's head.
Murky leaned into the gentle hoof and nodded a little, "Okay, mom," She replies quietly.

Tincture bit her lip slightly, "Though, I think if I'm going to take you out, we should give you a bath," She says softly, "Your mane's almost as messy as mine usually is," She observes with a soft chuckle, noting the numerous knots in the filly's mane.
"A-a bath?" Murky squeaks a little, her eyes opening wide.
Tincture nodded a bit. "Don't worry, Murky. I'll be gentle," She promises.
"I-I don't like baths," Murky protests, "Th-the water's too hot…"
Tincture sighed a little, "I'll take extra care to ensure the bath isn't too hot, okay?" She bargains, "I'll make sure you don't burn yourself."
Murky blinked a little, but nodded slowly, "Okay, mom," She says gently.
Tincture smiled a little, "Come along, little one," She says gently.
Angel smiled a little, "Need an extra pair of hooves?" She asked.
Tincture shook her head, "I'd like to spend some time alone with Murky," She answers gently.
Angel nodded. "Alright," She says, "I'll keep the fire in check, then."
Murky took a bit of goading to get into the bathroom, but Tincture closed the door once she was inside.

"The bath isn't scary, okay?" Tincture said gently, turning on the taps, warm-hot water beginning to flow into the tub as Tincture set the plug into it.
She felt the water a few times, before gently gesturing for Murky to come over to her.
Murky obliged, squeaking slightly as Tincture gently took her hoof, bringing it over the edge of the tub to the running water.
"Ready?" Tincture asked gently.
Murky nodded, and winced a little as Tincture gently pushed her hoof in the flowing water, before blinking once or twice.
"Is it too hot?" Tincture asked gently.
Murky shook her head, "No mom," She replies softly.
Tincture smiled. "Good," She says, "Ready to get in?"
Murky hesitated a bit.
"I'll help you, okay? I'll be right here," Tincture promises gently.
Murky bit her lip, and put both of her front hooves on the lip of the tub, "O-okay, mom," She stutters.

Tincture gently hefted the filly up over the lip of the tub, letting Murky sink into the warm water. Murky squeaked a little as she dove into the water, taking a moment to right herself, head popping up as she gasped for air.
Tincture gently rubbed the filly's head. "There. Still okay?" She asked gently.
Murky nodded, "Mhm! It's comfy, mom!" She replies, leaning into Tincture's hoof.
Tincture smiled, magicking a bottle of mane shampoo over. "That's the hard part done," She says gently, propping herself up on the side of the tub, "Now we just have to get you clean," She adds with a soft chuckle.
Murky blinked up at Tincture, watching as the unicorn squeezed some of the thick shampoo onto her hoof.
"Close your eyes, okay? The soap stings if it gets in there," Tincture says.
Murky closed her eyes tightly, heeding Tincture's warning.

Tincture smiled, gently rubbing the shampoo into Murky's mane, starting from the scalp and working towards the ends. Tincture began to hum gently, sighing softly in relief. She'd heard horror stories about getting young fillies and colts to bathe, but Murky was quite well-behaved. It seemed Murky's fears were a lot more based on certain poor experiences than general fears or rumours. 
Murky breathed softly as she felt Tincture's hooves rub through her mane. There was something calm about having her head gently rubbed; especially by somepony she trusted.

Tincture smiles, "You're very well-behaved, Murky," She observes, "I'm very, very proud of you," She expresses.
"Thank you, mom," Murky replied, "I want to be a good daughter…"
Tincture bit her lip slightly, but simply nodded as she gently turned the filly to soap down lower on her mane, "You're a very good daughter, Murky," Tincture promised, "No matter what anyone tells you, you're my special filly."
Murky smiled a little, "I love you, mom," She expresses softly, leaning back a bit, towards Tincture's voice.

Tincture froze for a moment; the words were like a shot through her heart. Not negatively, of course, but the sincerity in Murky's voice struck her in a way that pierced down to the soul and bones.
"I love you too, Murky," She finally says gently, resuming her washing of Murky's mane.
Tincture would gently pull her hooves away, "Alright, duck your head underwater to rinse off the soap," She says gently.
Murky obediently dove beneath the water, shaking her head to rinse out her mane, before popping her head back up, wiping the remaining bathwater from her eyes before shaking herself off a bit.

"There… Doesn't it feel better to have a clean mane?" Tincture asks, gently rubbing Murky's head.
Murky nodded, "It does, mom," She confirms.
Tincture would take gentle care as she grabbed the coat wash, washing Murky from head to tail.
Murky would allow this without complaint, the soap easily washing bits of dirt and debris from her fur.
Tincture couldn't help but chuckle softly as the bathwater became dirty. It looked like dishwater. "Goodness… You'll practically need a second bath after this one," She jokes gently.
Murky blushes a little, "Am I that dirty, mom?" She asked.
Tincture smiled. "You were. You'll be all clean once we're done," She expresses, "Just look at the bathwater."

Murky's eyes opened slowly. "W-woah…" She stumbled softly, "I didn't know I was that dirty."
Tincture chuckled softly, "Well, now you're not," She says gently, "I think I'm done," She explains, beginning to drain the bathwater.
Murky squeaked from the sudden noise of the draining water. Tincture smiled and grabbed a thick, fluffy towel from the counter.
"Don't worry, the drain won't get you," She says, gently pressing her muzzle into Murky's cheek.
Murky nuzzled her mother back. "O-okay, mom," She says gently.
Tincture would pull away, beginning to gently towel off the filly, smiling. "There… We'll get you all clean and dry, little one," She says contently, smiling warmly in the filly as the tub drained away.
Murky leaned against the towel, just nodding a little, "Mom, why do you have a horn but I don't?" She asked abruptly.
Tincture frowned slightly, "I… I don't know, Murky," She expressed, "It's just life's plan, I suppose."
Murky nodded a little and looked away slightly.
"But, I promise, it doesn't change anything. I love you very much, horn or not," Tincture says, her chest swelling a bit.

Tincture hefted the filly out of the tub to finish drying her, grunting from the effort. Tincture had done heavy lifting before, but Murky weighed the same as a full-grown mare. Murky squeaked a little, curling up slightly in Tincture's front legs, looking up at Tincture as she was set on the floor.
Tincture huffed and puffed slightly, but magicked the towel over to finish drying Murky off.
"What's wrong, mom?" Murky asked gently, tilting her head at Tincture's heavy breathing.
Tincture forced a smile, "Nothing, Murky… I'm just not very physically strong," She admitted.
Murky nodded a little, "It's okay, mom. I don't think I'm very strong either," She reasoned, pressing her still-damp muzzle into Tincture.
Tincture smiled gently, "And that's perfectly alright, Murky," She said warmly, "You don't need to be physically strong to be strong."

Murky was a bit confused by her mother's wording, but simply nodded.
Once Murky was adequately dried, Tincture grabbed a brush from the counter, beginning to meticulously brush down Murky's mane.
Murky squirmed a little, "It kind hurts, mom," She whined.
Tincture sighed a little, "It always does the first few times; eventually, your mane will get used to flowing straight, and it won't be as bad," She explained, trying to go a bit slower so as not to cause the filly any more pain.
Murky closed her eyes, and squeezed them shut each time Tincture ran into a particularly stubborn knot. She did open her eyes eventually, however, as Tincture worked on brushing her tail.
Murky looked at herself in the mirror. Her mane was noticeably longer now that it was properly brushed out; some natural curls, however, gave it a wavy appearance in the drier spots.

"Why is my mane all wiggly, mom?" Murky asked, "Yours isn't."
Tincture smiled. Finally, a question she could give a concrete, reasonable answer to. "It depends on the pony, Murky," She explained, "Angel, for example, has a very frizzy mane; Bottle and I both have straight manes. It's just a matter of what we're born with."
Murky nodded, seeming satisfied with the explanation, "What about Hazy?" She asked.
Tincture thought for a long moment, "I don't know, actually. I haven't seen her with her mane unstyled," She admitted.
Murky simply nodded again, "Can I style my mane?" She asked.
Tincture nodded, "I don't see why not," She replied, "Did you know how you wanted it styled?" She asked.
Murky shook her head, "I… Have to think about it," She answered.
Tincture smiled gently, "Think about it as long as you want, Murky. There's no rush," She said warmly, walking up alongside the filly and giving her a gentle nuzzle, now done with Murky's tail.

Tincture opened the bathroom door and smiled gently, "There; you're all clean now," Tincture said with a gentle chuckle.
Murky nodded a little, walking out of the bathroom. "What now, mom?" She asked quietly.
Tincture followed her out, and shrugged, "Whatever you'd like; I don't have much planned for today," She supposed softly.
The two walked out into the front room, where Angel was settling some fresh pieces of wood in the fire.

Angel smiled up at the two as she stepped away from the fire. "I take it the bath went well?" She asked.
Murky nodded, "Mhm! Mom says I'm all clean now!" She explained with a small giggle.
Angel smiled, "Good," She replied, hopping over and patting the filly's head.
Tincture smiled, "She was quite co-operative," She explained, taking a seat on the couch, watching the two interact. She found it a bit funny that Murky was larger than Angel despite their ages.

Angel, however, didn't seem to mind. Her hoof briefly stroked her chin. "Hmm… You ever had a raspberry, Murky?" She asked.
Murky blinked. "No, I haven't… What's a raspberry?" She asked in return.
Angel giggled, rolling the earth pony onto her side and taking a deep breath in.
Before Tincture could ask what Angel was doing, she was cut off by a loud,
PBBBBBBBBBBBBT!!!
As Angel blew a loud raspberry on Murky's belly.
Murky giggled uncontrollably; it seemed someone was ticklish.
Angel couldn't blow a second one; she was too busy giggling along with Murky, a wide smile on her face.

"Now you know!" Angel proclaimed, still giggling loudly.
Tincture tilted her head, unable to resist a smile. "How'd you do that?" She asked.
Angel giggled, "It's real easy! You just take a deep breath, and…" She trailed off, taking another breath in.
PBBBBBBBBBBBBBBT!!
Angel blew another loud raspberry on Murky's side, the poor filly now weakly smacking the floor as she giggled loudly.
Tincture crawled from the side of the couch, looking at Murky, then Angel.

Tincture took a deep breath, before leaning down and attempting to blow a raspberry on Murky's side. It took her a moment to find the correct mouth shape, but her eyes widened as she caught noise on the tail end; a soft bbbt.
Murky squeaked a little, "Mom, nooo!" She attempts, before being caught by another fit of giggles as Tincture blows a successful raspberry on her side.

Angel giggled, "My parents used to do that to me all the time when I was a foal," She explained.
Murky giggles a little, finally recomposing herself enough to roll back onto her front.
Tincture smiled. "I'll keep that in mind," She supposed softly, "Being able to cheer your foal up on demand never hurts," She expressed, gently nuzzling Murky.
Murky nuzzled back, panting a bit to catch her breath from all the laughter.
The three would spend some quiet time in the living room; Murky would pass out after having crawled onto the couch, leaning against Tincture as she snored softly. Angel and Tincture spoke quietly about plans for the upcoming weeks, now that they had a filly to take care of.

Eventually, Bottled Lightning would return home, looking at the three ponies in the living room. She smiled gently as she saw the sleeping filly, quietly climbing into a chair. "So, what'd you three get up to?" She asked, keeping her voice low.
Angel giggled, "Just a quiet day around the house," She answered.
Tincture smiled and nodded, "Nothing crazy, thankfully… Though I did give the little one a bath," She explained, nuzzling the sleeping filly's head gently.
Bottle nodded and smiled. "Oh, good. Seems you two managed to take care of her," She expressed with a gentle giggle.

Angel giggled along, and Tincture smiled, "She's very well-behaved; I think Angel would get bored if she tried to take care of Murky by herself," She joked softly, chuckling.
Bottle chuckled, and Angel huffed. "Hey," Angel snorted, "I taught you how to blow a raspberry, didn't I? I could take care of her just fine."
Bottle chuckled gently, "I'm sure Tincture was just poking fun, Angel. You can be a bit rambunctious," She reminded.
Angel blinked. "What? It's not like I'd take her out to meet stallions or something," She huffed.
Tincture and Bottle both laughed some, and Angel eventually conceded, giggling along.

Murky would stir awake from the collective laughter, nuzzling into Tincture's side a bit.
Tincture smiled softly, "Hello, little one," She greeted quietly, "Did you have a nice nap?" She asked.
Murky let out a soft "Mmm-hmm" as she nuzzled into Tincture, and the unicorn gently shuffled a bit, hugging the groggy earth pony to her chest.
Bottle giggled. "These two didn't tucker you out, did they?" She asked softly.
Murky shook her head, "They didn't; I just got comfy, snuggled up to mom," She explained.
Bottle could've fawned over Murky then and there, but managed to maintain her composure, just giving a warm smile, "Aww… That's plenty alright, sweetheart," She said gently, "Growing fillies need their rest, after all."

Angel giggled a little, "Y'know, if she's still a 'growing filly' at her size, she's gonna wind up taller than Tincture," She commented.
Tincture smiled awkwardly, "I suppose that would be the expected pattern…" She hummed softly, "Do you have any idea how old you are, Murky?" She asked, gently gazing into Murky's tired eyes.
Murky shook her head, "I don't, mom… All I remember is yesterday," She admitted.
Tincture gently stroked her mane. "That's quite alright, little one… We'll figure it out eventually, okay?" She promised softly.
Angel nodded slowly, "Well, if you don't know… I guess yesterday can be your birthday, right?" She asked.
Tincture looked at Murky, who simply gave her a small idle nod.
"That sounds good," Tincture agreed, rubbing Murky's back.
Bottle smiled gently, "Is there something special you'd like for a late birthday treat, Murky?" She asked.

Murky thought for a long moment, squirming a little in Tincture's grasp so she was looking at Bottle more comfortably. "Umm… Cinnamon buns," She decided after a few minutes.
Tincture smiled gently, "Seems like the apple didn't fall far from the tree this time," She joked softly.
Bottle nodded, "I should be able to put something together… I'll ask Hazy to help me with the baking tonight," She decided.
The room fell quiet as the short-lived conversation ran its course. After a few moments, Angel grinned, "Oh, wait! We could teach Murky to play Coltan!" She declared with a giggle.
Tincture smiled, "That would be nice," She said gently, "Would you like to play a game with all of us, Murky?" She asked.
Murky looked up and nodded a little, "Okay, mom," She replied, shaking herself off and hopping down from the couch.

The four ponies made their way to the table, Angel grabbing the game to lay it all out.
Murky watched as the board was set up before her. Her eyes widened at the detail of the art on the pieces; she wanted to draw like that.
So she grabbed her piece of paper and her pencil, and started drawing a forest, like the one on the tile.
Bottle smiled gently, "Hehe… You're quite the artist, aren't you, sweetheart?" She asked.
Murky looked up, pencil still in her mouth, and nodded. "Mhm!" She replied.
Angel smiled. "What colour do you want, Murky?" She asked.
Murky looked at the colours available: Blue, Purple, White, and Pink. "Purple," Murky said.

Murky watched as Angel set out the pieces before her. The little pieces were quite simple, but represented their roles well; simple rectangles for roads, small houses for towns, and troughs for castles.
Murky listened attentively as the rules were explained to her, thoughtfully chewing on her pencil.
Murky would draw throughout the Coltan session, enjoying the warm comfort of the house, as well as the gentle voices of the older mares as they bantered.
Murky would take inspiration from the game as they played; her drawings were that of sprawling kingdoms, featuring grand castles that overlooked forests and fields with roads and towns in them.
Tincture watched Murky carefully, amazed by the detail the filly had put into the art. She was a bit perplexed as she watched Murky abruptly set the landscape art to the side, getting another paper.
Murky looked at her mother for a good long moment, passing the pencil between the sides of her mouth, before nodding and returning to her paper.
"What are you drawing now, Murky?" Tincture asked, looking over.
Murky ignored her, focusing on her art.

Tincture watched as the filly's drawing took shape, her eyes widening slightly as she started putting two and two together.
Murky pulled back and dropped her pencil, smiling up at Tincture. "It's Princess Mom!" She explains with a giggle. The drawing was of Tincture, but as an alicorn, her cloak replaced with a long, elegant gown. Her mane was lined and shaded in to look like a lava lamp; flowing, blobular shapes. "I don't have colours," Murky admitted, her ears flattening slightly.
Tincture shook her head dismissively, "It's beautiful, Murky," She expressed, leaning down and gently kissing Murky on the cheek.
The other two mares at the table giggled and "Aww"ed.
Murky blinked a little, nuzzling into Tincture, "Mom… You've said that about everything I've drawn," She said.
"Because everything you've drawn is beautiful, Murky," Tincture replied supportively, "As your mother, it's my job to support you."

Murky sniffled a little and teared up, abruptly hugging Tincture tightly, "Th-thank you, mom," She whispered.
Tincture gently hugged Murky, pulling her close, "Of course, Murky," She cooed gently, her face turned into a warm smile.
Bottle giggled gently, "Well, she certainly got your sensitivity," She observed.
Tincture nodded, "She's just a filly… It's normal for them to be emotional, is it not?" She asked gently.
Bottle nodded in affirmation, "It's very normal, Tincture; healthy, even."
Angel blinked. "Well… I mean, it's healthy to let your emotions out, but it's not a good thing if she cries all the time, is it?" She reasoned.
Bottle bit her lip, "It might tie in to being adopted, Angel. We just don't know enough about her," She replied.
Tincture just nodded slowly, "I will support her, no matter what," She insisted.