Chapters 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 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.
"Alright, just… Put your front legs out," Tincture says, "And, focus."
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.
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.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.
"We should probably go inside. The folks around here aren't used to interacting with magic," Bottle explains.
After a bit of time spent unpacking, Tincture would find Bottle eating a sandwich in her kitchen.
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 was caught off-guard by the sudden proximity, but she steadied herself, closing her eyes as she focused.
Bottle took a sharp breath in, opening her eyes. The lightning between her hooves wavered slightly, but remained stuck between her hooves.
"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.
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.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 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 would gently plod over to the unicorn's side. "What are you looking for?" She asked, yawning a bit.
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.
Bottle just sighs softly, "Can't say I've ever wished I was wrong before now," She admits.
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.
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.
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.
The white pegasus giggles, "Wait? Why would I wait? It's not a surprise if you're already prepared for it," She says.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Bottle smiled softly. "What've you got planned for the rest of the day, Angel?" She asks.
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."
Tincture and Bottle both nodded in agreement.
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.
Angel would suddenly leap up a few minutes later, hugging Tincture and giggling, "Bottle, can we keep her? I like her!" She says gleefully.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."
Bottle nodded a bit, standing up, "Well, should we get going?" She asked.
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.
"Oh… That does explain some things. She gets static shocks, like, all the time," Angel comments.
Bottle looked at Angel. "You probably want to stand back for this," The earth pony explains.
Bottle and Tincture both smiled as they turned to face eachother. A glimmering pink shield manifested around the unicorn. "On your ready!" Tincture says.
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 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.
"I think that's all I've got!" Bottle concedes.
"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.
After a bit more back and forth, the three mares would return to Bottle's home, arranging themselves among the sofa and chairs.
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.
Bottle gasped as she looked over Tincture's now exposed frame; acres of bruises and cuts, practically forming a pattern on her back.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
"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.
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.
Eventually, Angel would yawn. "Mmm… I think that was my last game. I gotta get home…" She says softly, blinking sleepily.
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?
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.
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…"
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.
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 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 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'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 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.
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.
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.
"Good morning, Bottle," Tincture says softly, "Did you sleep well?" She asks, despite knowing roughly what had happened the night before.
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.
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.
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."
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.
"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."
Then, a call from the kitchen. "Breakfast's ready!" Chimed Angel, bringing a few plates to the table.
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.
"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; 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.
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 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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
Tincture would nod a bit. It would take the unicorn some time to get her recipe book laid out, noting what she needed.
"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?"have to be cobwebs?" She asks, making a soft "eugh" sound.
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.
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.
"Excuse me," She says politely.
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.
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 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.
Tincture looked unsatisfied at the small flames. "It won't get the water hot enough; there isn't enough airflow in here," She explains.
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 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."
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.
Angel giggles excitedly, clapping her hooves together.
Angel grins, "Mm! This is even better than the last one!" She says with a smile.
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.
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.
"You know," Bottle says, "You can sleep on the couch if you want: it's probably comfier than some blankets on the floor."
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…
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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 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.
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".
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 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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
"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."
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.
The foreman stallion thought for a moment, "Just a couple ground level floors, eh?" He says ponderously.
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 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.
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.
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.
"I pass this money onto you as my landlord; I give you the final say in whether we expand the house or not."real space, not a crammed-up room."our home. You can stay as long as you want," She says, placing a hoof on Tincture's.
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.
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.
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.
"Bring me the one they call Tincture!" Shouted a stern mare's voice.
Bottle had a hunch she knew who this was. "What do you want with her?" She asks in a more or less neutral tone.Haunt me!?" She screams, her voice half-panicked to tears.personally that you burn in tartarus, you ungrateful wretch!"
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.
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.s . 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 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.
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.
Miasma was panting. She didn't understand. This earth pony seemed to be exhausting their magic slower than she was!
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 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.
Miasma wheezed as she laid on the ground, now bound to the stone floor by chains of a dim pink light.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."
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.
Tincture blinked, "I can only imagine how much stress she put on herself," She commented, slowly letting go and sitting back.
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 would look up at Tincture, "Do you want to play a game?" She asked softly.
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 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.
The unicorn blinked. "I have… So many questions," She expresses.Her ," Tincture shudders.
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 a little, grabbing the two mugs of cider and handing one to Tincture. "To your freedom," She says, raising her mug.
Tincture nodded quietly, taking another sip of her drink.
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.exactly what she was doing.
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."are friends, silly. I only 'connive' for your benefit; I don't just want to see you clam up," She explains.
After dinner, the two would bid a short farewell to Hazy, and return home to straighten things out before the waitress got there.
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.
Not more than 10 minutes later, Tincture heard a knock at the door. She took a deep breath, walked over, and opened it.
"Where's Angel gone off to?" Hazy asks, looking around briefly.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’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.
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.
“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.
“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.
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.
“One, two, three, throw!” They’d both cheer, throwing down their cards.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
“I think your magic is your special talent,” Angel expresses, “You just needed to let it all out.”
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.
Angel leaned into the earth pony, sniffling a little, “Th-thank you,” She says softly.
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.
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.
“Looks like the lovebirds are finally up!” Angel would call from just outside the door with a giggle, walking in.
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.