//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4: Belated "Birth"day 
// Story: To Raise Herself Over Again 
// by Zoura3025 
//------------------------------//

A game or two later, Hazy Stupor would arrive at the house. After some chatter, Bottle and Hazy would head to the kitchen to make dinner and dessert.
Murky had taken turns drawing Bottle and Angel as alicorn princesses as well; drawings that were surprisingly detailed, just as much as the drawing of Tincture.
"Why don't you draw yourself as an alicorn, Murky?" Angel asked, noting Murky's lack of self-representation.
"I wouldn't be a very pretty alicorn," Murky excused softly, shaking her head, "I don't have a horn or wings."
"Neither does Bottle, and you drew her just fine," Angel reasoned.
Murky shrank a little in her chair. "Still, I wouldn't look pretty…" She murmured, avoiding Angel's gaze.
Tincture sighed and hugged Murky close. "Murky… You'd make as beautiful an alicorn as anypony else," She said, gently nuzzling Murky's mane.

"But I don't have a mark, mom," Murky said.
Tincture looked down at Murky gently, "Yet. You don't have it yet… But one day, you'll get your mark, and we'll all be very proud of you," She cooed gently, rubbing Murky's back.
Angel joined in the hug, nodding. "Yeah! Besides, you don't need to have a mark to be a special pony," She said, "I mean, Bottle only got hers, like, a month ago, and she's been helping ponies at the hospital for years."
Murky looked up with sheepish eyes. "You mean it?" She asked softly.
Tincture and Angel both nodded. "Of course, Murky," She cooed gently, nuzzling Murky a little more.
With some encouragement, Murky would uncurl herself and pick up her pencil, beginning to draw herself. Not as an alicorn, however; instead, just a unicorn, without wings.

"You forgot the wings, silly," Angel chided gently.
Murky shook her head, "I don't have my wings yet," She explained, "But this way, I'm a unicorn, so I can do magic like mom. One day, I'll get my mark, and then I'll have my wings."
Angel and Tincture were both slightly stunned by the filly's explanation.
Tincture simply nodded as she bit her lip. "And on that day, I will be the proudest mother in all of Equestria," She expressed, nuzzling Murky gently.
"I love you, mom," Murky said, leaning into Tincture.
"I love you too, Murky. Very, very much," Tincture promised.
Angel couldn't help but smile. These two were so cute! She giggled gently. "I'll go see how dinner's going… Don't do anything I wouldn't," She hummed, gliding lightly over to the kitchen.

Murky looked up at Tincture quietly, "I like it here, mom," She expressed gently.
"So do I, Murky," Tincture replied, still holding the filly close.
Murky looked idly at her drawings, "Mom, what do you think my mark will be?" She asked.
Tincture blinked. "I don't know, Murky. It can vary wildly from pony to pony," She explained, "My mark is for alchemy, for example. Bottle's is for her magic. Angel's is for her talent at handling things carefully. I'm not sure what Hazy's is supposed to represent," She admitted.
Murky nodded a little, "I hope my mark makes you proud, mom; I know you worked hard to get yours," She expressed.
Tincture blinked. "You… You know?" She asked, dumbfounded.
Murky nodded, "That big mean unicorn made you do alchemy stuff until it was your mark, didn't she?" She asked, looking up at Tincture with big eyes.

Tincture paused for a long moment. She felt, albeit briefly, as if she were being choked. She should have seen it coming, really; a pomunculus was formed from the caster's memories. She just wasn't ready to hear such things from a filly who, up until this point, had seemed almost entirely innocent.
"Y-yes," Tincture finally admitted, voice almost a cough, "She did, Murky…"
Murky blinked a little, "Whenever I mess something up, I think about her," Murky admitted.
Tincture's ears pinned back, and she took the filly's chin in a hoof, gently staring into her, "Murky," She began, "I promise you, I will never treat you like she treated me. You're my very special filly, and I love you. Miasma had no love for me; that's what makes us different."
Murky stared at Tincture for a long moment; it was as if the two were having a silent argument. After a few minutes, Murky tightly hugged Tincture, burying her snout in Tincture's chest.
Tincture sighed gently, "I promise, Murky. I promise you'll have a better foalhood than I did," She whispered.

The room fell quiet as the two spent some time embracing each other. Tincture was, admittedly, conflicted by Murky's apparent cognizance of past events… She wondered how much of Murky's psyche had been influenced by these memories. The fear of failure made a great deal of sense, now; Tincture had certainly developed a similar fear as a part of her "training". Tincture rubbed Murky's back idly, staring off into space.
Tincture's somewhat trancelike state was broken as she watched Hazy bring out a large plate of steamed vegetables, "Dinner's ready, huns," Hazy explained simply.
Tincture blinked a couple times, "Alright, thanks Hazy," She replied, gently releasing her hold on Murky.

Murky clung to Tincture for another moment before letting go, setting her papers aside as dinner was laid out before her.
Tincture returned to her own seat, watching as Bottle and Angel came out with plates of what appeared to be fried beets and mashed carrots.
Tincture smiled, "Seems like you three were busy," She commented.
Bottle chuckled softly, "Cooking goes much faster when you've more than one pair of hooves," She explained, taking a seat as Angel and Hazy returned to the table; Hazy had a large pot of porridge in her mouth, setting it down on the table as Angel put a trivet down.
Hazy gave a small smile to Murky, "Your cinnamon buns are in the oven, don't worry hun," She said, "They just need a bit more time to finish up."

The five would begin eating; Murky watched as Tincture spooned a large amount of porridge on her plate, in addition to laying the steamed vegetables and a large slice of fried beat to the side.
Murky eyed the thick porridge with suspicion, and gave it a short sniff. It hardly smelled like anything. Carefully, she nipped the side of her plate lightly, scraping a small sample of the porridge into her mouth. She smacked her lips as she tasted it; it wasn't displeasant, but it wasn't pleasant, either. It tasted like what she imagined "food", with no special traits, would taste like.

Tincture chuckles softly, "Try eating the porridge with some vegetables, Murky; they'll make it taste much better," She explains.
Murky nodded a little, beginning to attack the plate of food; carefully, at first. She had liked breakfast more, but this was still suitable sustenance, she decided.
The adults would banter most of the way through dinner; calm conversation about the day's events, both in and outside the house.

Bottle would briefly leave the table as the oven timer went off, only to return a few moments later, wearing a thick blanket over her back to protect it from the still hot tray of large, plush cinnamon buns she was balancing over.
Murky's eyes widened. Despite how vehemently her mind believed they were her favourite, the filly actually hadn't ever had them before. They did, however, look very tasty, and she hardly noticed herself drooling.
Hazy and Angel would carefully help Bottle get the large tray onto the table.
Tincture's eyes widened, "You made all of these from scratch?" She asked in disbelief.
Bottle chuckled, "I did have to learn to cook for myself; what I learned to cook was up for me to decide," She explained, grabbing the large bread knife from the side of the tray to start cutting buns for everyone.

Angel giggled, "I'm pretty sure if her mark wasn't representative of her magic, it would've been taking care of other ponies," She commented.
Hazy smiled, "She's definitely one of the better bakers around town…" She admitted, "Gotta admit, nothing compares to home baking."
Bottle smiled, plating up the cinammon buns and passing them out; the first one, of course, went to Murky. "It's really not that special, you two. I just wanted to do something nice for Murky, seeing as she's part of our home now," Bottle reasoned.
Angel giggled more, "You're such a mom, Bottle," She snorted, lightly nudging the earth pony's side.
Tincture gave a weak smile. She hoped she could be 'such a mom', as Angel had put it, someday.

Tincture watched as Murky attempted to sneak a nibble of the cinnamon bun before her; it was still quite hot, so it was a bit like watching a wild animal slowly encroach on something they knew wasn't theirs.
Tincture smiled gently, "You could blow on it so it cools off faster, Murky," She advised.
Murky's eyes lit up, and she started blowing quite hard on the cinnamon bun so it would cool down.
Angel giggled, "Sheesh, and here I thought pegasi were in charge of wind," She joked.

Once satisfied with her handiwork, Murky attempted a sheepish nibble at the bun, tearing some of the exterior layer free with her teeth. It was coated in icing, but didn't have too much cinnamon sugar on it. Murky's eyes widened with delight.
"It'sh really good!" Murky squeaked, not waiting for her mouth to be empty before speaking or taking another bite.
Bottle smiled widely, "I'm glad you like them, Murky," She said, "Happy birthday."
Murky blinked as the other adults chimed in with their own "Happy birthday"s.
"Thank you…" She replied softly, feeling a bit bashful from all the attention. She did sit up a bit, however, since these were her family; at least, that was how she thought of them.
Dessert went by fairly quickly; it was a nice meal, accompanied by soft chatter.

Murky yawned as she finished her food.
Tincture looked at her. "Are you still tired, Murky?" She asked gently.
Murky nodded, "I'm sleepy… The food was really good and I'm full," She admitted, voice having a slightly slow, trawling inflection.
Tincture smiled gently, "You don't have to stay up, Murky… Do you want to go to bed?" She asked gently.
Murky nodded a little.
Tincture smiled gently, standing up, "Alright, Murky. Let's get you to bed," She replied.
"Oh, you said Murky was cold last night, didn't you?" Bottle asked, "I'll grab you some extra blankets," She added, walking to the closet.
Hazy chuckled softly. "You and your blankets, Bottle… You'd think you were preparing for the return of the Windigos," She remarked. Bottle just chuckled softly at the comment.
Tincture just smiled, "Thank you, Bottle; I'm sure the little one would appreciate some extra insulation," She said.
Murky nodded a bit, mumbling a quiet "Thank you," as she was led into the back of the house by Tincture, Bottle following behind with a few heavy woolen blankets.

Bottle smiled gently as she watched Tincture help Murky into the bed; Tincture's horn ignited as she pulled the covers up, tucking Murky in snugly. Bottle laid one blanket by the bed and another on top of it, further swaddling the filly in warmth.
"You just tell me or mama if you need anything, okay sweetheart?" Bottle said gently, rubbing Murky's head.
Tincture blushed slightly at being called "mama", but nodded in agreement.
"Okay… Good night mom, good night Bottle," Murky said, eyelids already drooping.
Tincture gently leaned down, kissing the side of Murky's head, "Good night, little one. Have a good sleep," She cooed warmly.
Bottle smiled, leaving the room.
"I love you…" Murky trailed off as she yawned, "...Mom."
Tincture smiled. "I love you too, Murky," She replied as she left the room, her horn illuminating to shutter the small magical light that was staving off the darkness.
Murky's eyes closed as she settled under the covers, and Tincture gently shut the door behind her.

Tincture walked to the couch, feeling somewhat trepid all of a sudden as she climbed up onto it, sitting next to Bottle.
Bottle smiled gently, pulling Tincture into a one-legged hug. "You'll be a wonderful mother, Tincture," She said gently.
Tincture closed her eyes, leaning into the earth pony some. "I hope so…" She expressed gently, "I've decided I want to take notes from all of you. I'm not ready to do this on my own, but I think I have it in me to do it with help," She expressed. Despite her hopeful tone, Tincture felt tears welling in her eyes.
Bottle rubbed Tincture's back gently, "There there, Tincture… We'll be with you every step of the way," She promised.
Tincture murmured a soft "Thank you" and nuzzled into Bottle a bit.

Angel and Hazy would enter the room, sharing the other couch.
Hazy smiled gently at Tincture, who'd recomposed herself by now. "Well, I take it the little one's all snug as a bug in a rug?" She asked.
Tincture nodded, "Yes, she's very comfortable, thanks to Bottle… I'll be sure to check on her," She said, voice slightly absentminded, as if she were having two conversations at once.
"Why would you need to check on her?" Angel asked.
Hazy elbowed her and gave her a side-eyed look. Angel's ears flattened; the insensitivity of the comment was not lost on her, but she'd only realized it all too late.

Tincture sighed gently, "Before dinner, she told me she has… Memories. My memories," She explained, "These memories included Miasma, and most likely at least some of the many times she disciplined me."
Bottle gasped slightly, "So you're saying she might have nightmares like you do?" She asked.
Tincture simply nodded, and the other three mares' eyes went wide.
"...Once again, I have doomed her to suffer because I willed her into existence," Tincture murmured grimly.
Angel bit her tongue, and Hazy looked at her. "Angel…" Hazy murmured, reaching to hold Angel back.
Angel leapt from her seat on the couch, storming over to Tincture and taking her hooves, looking straight into Tincture's eyes.

Tincture felt afraid; she had never seen Angel so bothered like this.
"Tincture," Angel begins, "Did you ask to conjure Murky last night?" She asked.
Tincture shrank a bit, but shook her head.
"It's not your fault that you weren't ready for something that happened. And it doesn't matter," Angel continued, "The fact that you stepped up to care for a filly you weren't ready to handle says way more than the fact she exists at all. You can't blame yourself for the world being a messy place where things happen to ponies who aren't ready."

Bottle and Hazy sat in shock.
Tincture looked at Angel with a mix of sorrow, fear, and just a twinge of repose.
Angel huffed gently. Now she was getting a bit wet in the eyes. "You just need to… To give it your all, okay? You can't give Murky a perfect life; none of us can. But that doesn't mean you're not a good mom," She says, leaning into Tincture a bit.
Tincture's eyes squeezed shut, and she looked away.
Bottle bit her lip, gently pulling Angel away from Tincture. "Angel's right, Tincture… She seems to know some things I don't, but if Murky is here because of something beyond your control, then it's not your fault," Bottle said gingerly.
Tincture just took choked, shaky breaths, barely managing to croak out a soft "Thank you".

Hazy stood up and walked over, sitting on Tincture's other side. "I know it's a lot, Tincture, but you've got all of us here to help you through it," Hazy said gently.
The group would grow quiet as Tincture began to sob. The unicorn was overwhelmed; she had experienced so, so much in a matter of a couple days. It was too much, really, but that was okay. She had her friends to fall back on.

"When I first came here… I had no idea what I was doing with my life," Tincture admitted, "I was a refugee; a vagrant, even. I ran away from someone who controlled me for so long. These past months… I've lost control of so much, in such a short order; but it feels good. To allow life to push me around, is-" Her voice caught, and tears made themselves known as she felt a stinging pain in her clenched throat, "It's been ugly, but so, so beautiful, all at once. Like a gorgeous mosaic of the most hideous colours imaginable," She explained.

Bottle nuzzled her gently, "That's how life is, Tincture. It's messy, but there's nothing wrong with that," She explained.
Hazy smiled at Tincture, lifting her chin some, "You probably know better than all of us, Tincture… Sure, last night was messy, but now you have a beautiful filly because of it," She reasoned, "If that doesn't show you firsthand that beautiful things can come from messy places, I don't know what will."
Tincture nodded a bit. "You're… You're right," She replied softly, "It will be messy; I know it will. But this is my chance to finally do something unequivocally right," She agreed.
Angel smiled a little, "Atta mare," She remarked gently, "And if the mess gets too big for just your two front hooves, you have three other sets just waiting to help you."

The group fell into a hug, centered on Tincture. Tincture was happy. Perhaps a little battered by the storm of emotions inside of her, but she was surrounded by friends and the warmth of the house.
She yawned a bit. "Mmm… I think I'll go check on Murky, and see you all in the morning," She said.
The other three mares nodded, allowing her to get up.
"Good night, everyone," Tincture bade, walking to the door of her room.
"Good night," Replied Bottle, Angel, and Hazy in unison.

Tincture carefully crept into the room, slowly crawling up onto the bed, sliding herself under the heavy blankets and gently hugging Murky close.
Murky's ear twitched, but she didn't stir; the only sound was her soft snoring.
Tincture smiled gently, "Sleep tight, little one," She whispered. Tincture swore she saw Murky smile slightly in her sleep. She nuzzled gently into Murky's mane, closing her eyes to sleep.
Tincture liked holding Murky close like this; it made her feel protective. She should protect her foal, should she not?
Before long, sleep claimed Tincture's mind.