Chapters The Turbulent Woods of Cauldron Valley
Chapter 1: That Last Step's a Doozy
Murky shook some fatigue out of her head as Ms. Writ wrapped up the afternoon lesson on Equestrian geography. Geography was, admittedly, one of Murky's favourite classes; she didn't know much about the wider world of Equestria, so she actually had to pay attention.
"Honey Syrup," Murky whispered without breaking her gaze, "Is there always a unicorn outside the school?" She asked.
Murky abruptly stood up, throwing on her scarf and back blanket.
Murky watched as the 'ghost filly' began darting away from the schoolhouse. "W-wait!" She called, giving chase. Murky wasn't the most staminetic runner, but being taller than most fillies allowed her to slowly close the distance.
Murky paid these rumours no heed. She was finally gaining on the 'ghost filly' proper, and running became easier once she passed the forest's edge.
Murky followed suit, nervously hopping onto the fallen log. It let out some creaky noises beneath her weight.
Murky yelped as she felt Honey's legs wrap around her front legs, the young pegasus flapping as hard as she could. "I-I got you, Murky!" She attempted, even though they were still descending.
Thankfully, the hang time had given Murky just enough room to recompose herself.
Honey opened her eyes slowly as she felt Murky's grip go slack on her.
"This is your fault! I-if Murky hadn't seen you, she wouldn'tve run to the forest, a-and we wouldn'tve fallen, a-and…" Honey Syrup's voice became unsteady as she began to cry. She didn't know Murky was just passed out.is all my fault…" She whimpered, "I-I should've stopped… I didn't think she'd climb the tree."
Tincture stared at Hastily Writ with an expression somewhere between horror and rage. "What do you mean they 'ran off again'?" She asked.either of them!?" She asked exasperatedly.
Ms. Writ's eyes squeezed shut, "I'm sorry!" She yelped, "I should have told them to wait until after class!"
The Turbulent Woods of Cauldron Valley
Chapter 2: A Walk in the Woods
Murky groaned softly at the sight that greeted her when she awoke. Both Honey and the 'ghost filly' were staring at her with tear-stained eyes and cheeks, and her blanket had been draped over her.
Murky hugged Honey close as the filly began to sob again.
The 'ghost filly' was a bit larger than Honey Syrup, and had a mint-green-and-pink-striped mane with a light magenta body. More importantly, however, she had both a horn and wings; she was an alicorn.
Murky huffed softly. "You could've at least said something," She reasoned.
"I couldn't just let you fall," Nymph said softly, "You did want to help me… Even if I was too stupid to accept it," She murmured that last bit.
Honey gulped slightly as she looked up the high walls of the gorge, reluctantly uttering a soft, "Fine," Before turning to Nymph, "But I'm only following you because Murky says we should."
Nymph would lead the fillies through a wall of vines, walking into a cave. It quickly opened up into a massive chamber underground, hewn of black stone festooned with all sorts of glowing plants and fungi.
As they walked, Murky felt her stomach growl. She winced lightly, looking away a little.
Honey Syrup's eyes eventually landed on a beehive. "Wait, there's bees down here too?" She asked.
Nymph watched with wide eyes, "Does she always have this effect on bees?" She whispered to Murky.
Nymph looked at the honeycomb and licked her lips. It did look quite tasty; she'd stolen tastes of it before when she'd found remnants from other animals' pilfering of the hive, but had never gotten a full piece.
After their snack, the three fillies pressed on.
"What do they do?" Murky asked.
Murky took a deep breath. "There's this… This really tall unicorn; as tall as Princess Celestia. And she's always just… There, punishing me for doing things wrong. Like, if I walk with my head held too high or if I stumble over something, she just yells at me," She explained, shivering a bit as she recalled the dreams, "She always calls me a failure, a-and I usually believe her because she doesn't stop," She explained with a small whimper.
Nymph blinked as she stared at the two, her pupils dilating slightly.
Honey looked at the ground. "What's with all these pointy stones?" She asked, squinting at the triangular protrusions in the dirt.
A massive worm took shape, hissing loudly. It was longer than fifty ponies, and nearly a quarter of that length was a flailing, twisting mouth.
Honey and Murky watched in shock as mint green and pink flames engulfed Nymph's body.
Honey was hiding behind Murky now, "N-Nymph?" Honey squeaked.
Murky smiled gently, "It all makes sense now: You can fly and use magic, you're scared of ponies, and you didn't want to be caught," She declared, as if she'd just put together the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.do , not what you are . And last time I checked, monsters don't save fillies they just met," She commented.
Murky helped Nymph to her hooves, but the changeling collapsed back to the ground.
Honey did, however, want to change the subject. "So, if you're a changeling, and we already know you're a changeling, why are you still disguised as a pony?" Honey asked.
Murky blinked, "So your disguise takes energy to maintain?" She asked.
Nymph simply nodded, and her eyes closed. The warmth of the pony she was laying on was starting to get to her tired head.
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The Turbulent Woods of Cauldron Valley
Chapter 3: Wave to the Nightmares, They Say "Hello"
Tincture paced back and forth. "They're still not back yet, they're still not back yet…" She repeated over and over in a mumble of a tone, "It's after dark, and they're still not back yet."should be home by now."
Tinned Syrup nodded, "My little Honey can't stand the dark," She expressed, "Those two must be terrified, all alone out in the woods…"
Hazy stood before Tincture and Tinned. "Alright, huns. Both of you, eyes on me," Hazy demanded.
Tincture nodded a little, "Mhm… I feel a little dizzy, but…" She blinked a few times to defog her vision, never to finish her thought.
Honey Syrup yawned. It was late at night, moonlight faintly illuminating cracks in the forest floor.
Murky kept walking, despite the extra weight. Her mother said she was strong. Tinned Syrup said she was brave. Murky wanted to be both of those things for her friends when they needed it. No, everyone needed her to be strong.
She froze for a moment as she thought she heard a familiar voice.
The voice only got louder. "Oh, Murky. Silly silly Murky. I may not have raised you, but I still own you. You are my daughter, and mine alone."loves you , does she?" She asked, "She only loves that she can keep you away from me, your true mother. She doesn't raise you right. Only I can teach you properly."
Murky backed away slightly and cowered. "N-no," She whimpered, beginning to sob, "No, mom loves me! She wants me to be happy!"
She felt Miasma standing over her. "Stupid, stupid filly. You can justify it all you want. The truth is, Tincture raised you poorly because she did everything I didn't do. She doesn't discipline you, she doesn't set any expectations; you will grow up to be a lazy layabout who acts as a parasite to everypony around her," Miasma growled.
Nymph groaned softly as she awoke some hours later.
"Murky, what happened?" Nymph asked gently.
Nymph grabbed Murky's hoof and waved it in front of her.
Murky yawned as they kept walking. The plant's poison had worn off now, so she was finally no longer running on fear. "Mmm… I'm really sleepy now," She expressed, "You two together were kind of heavy…" She admitted.
Nymph sat in front of her. "I'll keep watch," She promised softly.
Bottle, Hazy, and Angel looked at the two mares who were now collapsed in a heap together, passed out.
Bottle bit her lip. She was starting to feel hesitant about allowing the fillies to stay out overnight.will find them. We just need to plan," She expressed.
The Turbulent Woods of Cauldron Valley
It had only been a few hours before Murky awoke, shaking her head a bit. She felt an odd weight press against her.
Nymph carefully untied the scarf from around Murky's torso and wrapped it around herself. It was more like a short coat, given its length and how the changeling had put it around herself. Nymph was thankful for the warm clothing; it still radiated with Murky's body heat.
Murky looked at Nymph as she walked. "So… How long have you been alone in the forest?" She asked hesitantly.
Tincture and Tinned Syrup woke up at around the same time. Which was good, because they were muzzle to muzzle, holding each other rather intimately. An odd spot to sleep… Especially given that it was in the middle of the floor of the front room. The fire hadn't even completely burned down yet; hot coals still worked away at a couple of large pieces of wood.
Tinned Syrup took a deep breath, shaking herself off. "Ugh, my head…" She murmured gently.
Tinned Syrup blinked, "You say that like you have personal experience," She said.
"Murky is not a natural-born foal. She wasn't even born to begin with; she is a magical conjuration in the form of a younger version of myself, born from my own memories, both those repressed and not repressed," Tincture explained, "In essence, she is a physical manifestation of me trying to heal my own traumas. When I protect her, I'm protecting myself… In a manner of speaking."
Tinned Syrup's mouth was agape. She had known magic could do some bizarre things, but this was beyond her wildest dreams. To conjure a child…
"I've slowly pieced together the memories she's inherited… Some are good. The curiosity brought on by Bottle and Hazy's magic, Angel's indomitable spirit to treat other ponies right. She even has some of my talent for creation, though hers manifests differently than my own. However…" Tincture's ears flattened as she continued, "She also inherited the trauma. The mortal terror I felt, living under Miasma. Her fear of failure and crowds are born of my own. Every time she wakes up with a nightmare, it's because she's remembering a memory I gave her."
Tinned Syrup sat up straight. This was a lot to take in; no wonder Tincture didn't want to say this around any of the foals, nevermind Murky herself. "Okay, but… If she's a younger version of you, why does she look so different?" She asked, punching herself mentally for such an unimportant question. It was, however, the only one that came to mind.
"As part of my training… Miasma instructed me to make a concoction. It was a powerful brew; one not found in any spellbook. It was her attempt to make me into a second version of herself," Tincture explained.
"Did… Did she ever follow through, after you completed the spell?" She asked.
Tinned Syrup hugged Tincture gently as she began to cry.
Some stops for food and naps later, the three fillies were making decent progress. Day was beginning to break.
The three pulled tight together, attempting to look like a larger target than they were.
Murky reacted quickly. The worm hissed as it struck the suddenly present purple bubble, its jaws opening to wrap around the protective sphere, jagged teeth scraping on the surface like nails on a chalkboard.
Honey found one, however.
The worm ignored the first few stings, but soon dozens of angry insects were coating it, stinging it relentlessly. The worm hissed angrily; what had once been a vice grip on the shield became a pair of hopelessly waving, flailing tendrils, attempting to bat away the angry insects.
Murky's shield collapsed into white and purple sparks as her magic finally gave out, her mane fizzling.
The Turbulent Woods of Cauldron Valley
Chapter 5: The Daring Rescue
Bottle awoke as soon as her room began to lighten. She immediately climbed out of bed. They had two fillies to find, and wanted to start getting things on the road as soon as possible; every minute of daylight was valuable.
Hazy's eyes shot open, "They're already gone?" She asked. Bottle nodded, and Hazy cursed, "...Alright, let's get going to town hall then."
Angel crashed through the door, tumbling head-over-tail as she struck the counter, looking at the groggy receptionist.
The secretary walked to the back of their area and pulled on a large rope; a loud bell began to ring. A bell reserved only for emergencies.
Tinned Syrup's ear twitched as she heard the distant ringing of the bell.
Bottled Lightning looked around in the blue light cast by the arcing electricity between her hooves.
Bottle peered over the side, "Yeesh, that's a drop… Let's hope the kids didn't take the fast way down," She expressed.Oh, Celestia… " She murmured, before she spoke up, "We follow the river, then. If they fell, they would've ended up downstream," She said, beginning to walk in the direction of the water's flow.
Angel looked over the gathering crowd of groggy ponies. "Okay, listen up!" She shouted, "We have two fillies and two mares who've gone off into the forest, and we need to find them! Pair up, and we will scour the forest until they are found!" She declared.
Murky's ear twitched as she thought she heard shouting. She couldn't make out what it was; just that it was at all.
Nymph's eyes squeezed shut, "C-can we talk for a minute!?" She squeaked as she came to a screeching halt.
Tincture's eyes widened as she heard a quiet echo of a filly's voice.
They froze as they caught a glimpse of two familiar fillies. One in red and blonde, the other in dazzling shades of yellow. They were bruised; beaten, really. Murky had some small cuts on her leg. Honey Syrup had several visible bruises. Both of them were covered in dirt.
"Murky, thank Celestia… I was so, so worried about you," Tincture expressed, holding Murky close, telling her how much she had missed the filly.
The reunion was cut short as Tinned Syrup winced at a sudden pain in her leg. She looked down at the white, jagged stone that had cut her hoof.had to do something.
This worm was much larger than the one she had fought off, but Nymph had to try. She lunged at the worm, arresting it in her claws. It roared and screeched, a tendril of its mouth lashing at her face. The thick chitin of her beast form would protect from the wounds, though of course, any additional strain would only shorten her time like this.
"Go, Nymph! You can do it!" Honey cheered.
Tincture watched this, noticing Murky's worried reaction.
"We won't let you hurt these foals!" Tincture roared, seizing a pair of the flailing tendrils with her magic. The worm was a large target; she couldn't hope to pin all of it in place. However, she could reduce the danger for the other mare, who was currently winding up to deal another blow.
Nymph squeaked as her form finally gave out; in a flash of green and pink, she was back to her small, alicorn disguised self, still trapped in a coil of the worm's tail.
The worm screeched again as Tinned Syrup's back hooves slammed into the side of its head, tentacles flailing around as they tried to snatch up the pegasus.
"No!" The fillies cried in unison, watching as the Helmintide achieved the upper hand.
Bottle rolled to the side, leaving a large column of electricity in her wake. The worm hissed and convulsed as it dove headfirst into the cascade of bolts.
The worm convulsed and writhed, until it finally laid limp on the ground. The smell of cooked flesh emanated through the clearing.
"Over here," Murky said softly, walking out from behind a set of bushes with Nymph on her back and Honey Syrup at her side.
"We should get her to the hospital," Murky said.
The Turbulent Woods of Cauldron Valley
Epilogue: A Change(ling) of Pace
Nymph awoke with a soft whine. There was a stiff blanket laid over her, and she was laying on a strange bed.
"It's alright," The mare cooed gently, rubbing Nymph's head, "I won't hurt you, okay? I promise."
Nymph's eyes widened, "Wh-where's Murky? Where's Honey?" She chirped.
Nymph closed her eyes, allowing her mind to catch up with all this information. The gentle rubbing of her head relaxed her… Maybe this mare wasn't so scary. She was kind and spoke softly.
The room fell silent, Bottle continuing to rub Nymph's head gently.
Nymph whined softly as the hoof was pulled away, looking up at Bottle. "C-can I come with you?" She asked softly as Bottle walked to the door.
Angel's Kiss was sitting in the room. "Oh, there you are," She said, voice gentle.
Tincture sat on the couch, sighing deeply. She couldn't forgive herself. Her filly had run away from school, and had gotten all beaten up out in the woods.
Tincture bit her lip. "It-" Her voice caught in her throat, "It doesn't matter now. She's home, snug in her bed, resting up after a quick bath," She reasoned, speaking quickly.
Tincture blinked a little. "Is… Is that what I sound like?" She asked, suddenly very self-conscious.
Tincture's eyes went wide. She didn't fight it, but she didn't embrace it either.mwah~ and returned to her snuggly position on Tincture's chest.
The two mares looked up as Angel came through the door. The pegasus blushed slightly. "Uh… Put a pin in it, you two, we've got a filly in tow," Angel commented.
"Thank you," Tincture murmured gently, "I-If it weren't for you, my daughter wouldn't be home, sleeping soundly in her bed. I don't know what anyone else told you, but you're welcome in our home any time," She expressed.
The door was closed, and Nymph watched as the mares walked to assorted chairs and couches.
Nymph blinked, "Wh-why are you all so nice to me?" She asked, voice slightly distressed.
There was a knock at the door. Angel flew up and opened it.
Tinned Syrup walked over, hugging Nymph, though a bit more hesitantly than her daughter had. She had seen what the faux-alicorn could become. …Even if it did contribute directly to her daughter's rescue.
Tincture's ears perked up as she heard her door open. "Good morning…" Murky murmured gently, rubbing her eyes as she paced into the living room.
Tincture and Bottled Lightning looked at the schoolyard.
Tincture nodded and stood up, "Thank you, Tinned… Please give Ms. Writ my apologies for my outburst the other day," She requested.
"Two in two days, huh? Someone's popular," Bottle quipped.