Fountain

  ( Winterwish )

  Wheezing wires pulled at lumbrous limbs. Wooden joints creaked and clonked as she hovered through the void.

  Beneath her carved feet and rattling toes lay those of torn ribbons, tattered bows and severed strings. Their service and sacrifice rewarded only with layers of splinters and sawdust.

  Ahead, the dainty shade floated forever out of reach. Its small hand stretched back, timber fingers grasping at empty air. No matter how much it tried to slow its cords, or she fasten hers, they only ever drifted further apart.

  "Please!" she cried.

  But the squirming stars so very high above would never hear her cries, nor heed them even if they did.

  Below, the disrepaired and discarded began to twitch and spasm with movements that were not their own. Their hollowed carapaces lurched with wet rustling. Their empty sockets and slack jaws started to bleed black, fuzzy bodies.

  Winged carrion took to the air. A ravenous swarm that cared only for the shade.

  She could do nothing but watch and scream.

  Winterwish jolted awake. Flailing limbs locked and bleary eyes peered at the ceiling a moment, until she was certain the nightmares were over. "Urgh... There has to be a way to make them stop." If it weren't for the vivid memories of imagined terror, she'd have thought only a few seconds had passed since closing her tired eyes.

  After dinner, she'd once again spent a few hours exploring the palace, sketching down faces and making notes as she went.

  If I don't stop burning the candle at both ends, I'm going to run out of wick...

  With a half-sigh-half-cry, she shuffled to the edge of her bed. She was seeking her slippers when sweetness tickled her nostrils. With her room still so very empty, it was easy to spot the source. Beneath the distant door lay an envelope.

  Winterwish lazily shuffled across the vast carpet and picked up the perfumed paper. It was sealed with pink wax that'd been pressed by a cake-shaped stamp.

  Puddingpuff...

  The overly flowy and fanciful letters within formed just two words.

  Nursery. Tonight.

  Once dressed and ready for another busy day, Winterwish and Merrymint grabbed breakfast and made their way out of the palace to descend the shaded hillside.

  Winterwish held out her faefire to illuminate their way. "Hey, Merrymint, can I ask you a question?"

  Merrymint, who somehow managed to wake with maximum energy no matter the time, adjusted her spectacles as if she held all the answers in the world. "That's what I'm here for."

  Winterwish nodded and considered her words. The last thing she wanted was to put a downer on her Mentor's recently-delicate mood first thing. "It's about our sisters. Are there any you feel... well, wary of?"

  "Wary? Golly, where's that coming from?" asked Merrymint.

  "I'm just curious, I guess," said Winterwish.

  "Ha!" forced Merrymint, the laugh painfully feigned. "Fair enough."

  They walked a further dozen steps before Winterwish slowed to a stop. "...So, are you going to answer the question?"

  Merrymint's lips drooped, but only momentarily. She quickly shook her head, then beamed her first smile of the day. "No. They're all good girls. We have to trust each other. We're a family, right?"

  ...Does she even believe her own words?

  "What if one of them asked to meet with me?" asked Winterwish. "In private. To discuss doubts."

  For a moment, Merrymint almost appeared wounded. "Doubts? Doubts about what?"

  "Just... well, you know. Our missing memories. The lack of records. All of Queen Titania's rules." Winterwish couldn't help but lower her voice. “...Graduation.”

  Emerald eyes lowered. "...It's Princess Puddingpuff, isn't it?"

  "I..." Winterwish shuffled, "I kind of promised to keep it a secret, but... I trust you more than anyone. So... what do you think?"

  Merrymint's shoulders rolled as she performed the deepest of sighs, almost losing her glasses on the exhale. "I think she's more capable than she lets on. If anyone has secrets around here, it's her..."

  Winterwish bit her tongue.

  What exactly happened between them in the Enchanted Forest? I better come clean before things get any worse...

  She winced. "It wouldn't be the first time either."

  "What?" Creases formed around hurt eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?"

  Winterwish's heart sunk, and with it, her vision. "I didn't want to get you in trouble... but you're right. I'm sorry. I should've. You're my Mentor."

  "...Why would telling me cause trouble?"

  "Because..." Winterwish braced herself for the worst. "...it happened in a prohibited place." She forced herself to meet Merrymint's disappointed gaze. "A door was left unlocked, and I got curious..."

  Merrymint seemed to find fresh resolve. She grabbed at Winterwish's shoulders. "So long as I'm your Mentor, you are my priority. You can talk to me about anything, ok?" Her grip squeezed. "I'm sorry if I didn't make that clear before. I'm here for you, understand? Your concerns are my concerns."

  Uh-oh...

  Winterwish felt her eyes moisten. She fought to restrain the rush of emotion.

  She's the best! The very best! And I'll never go behind her back again!

  "Right!" Winterwish nodded eagerly. "And yours mine! We're in this together."

  Merrymint released her, then motioned for them to continue down the hill. "Just... don't go sneaking around where you're not supposed to again, ok?"

  "Yes, Mentor!"

  Merrymint rolled her eyes. "So, are you going to accept this invitation?"

  "I think it's a good idea. I know she's a little..." Winterwish searched for the right word.

  Pretentious? No, I can't say that. Suspicious? Self-centered?

  "Talkative? Inquisitive? Independent?" asked Merrymint.

  That's the Merrymint I know!

  "Sure, let's go with those," said Winterwish. "I know she can be frustrating at times, but I can't just shut her out. Things would be better if we were friends, right? All us. Every Fairy Princess united."

  Merrymint suddenly halted within the circle of purple light. She screwed her eyelids to a close and began to hum, louder and louder. Her whole body trembled like a kettle coming to a boil. "Yes!" She threw her hands high. "This is why you're awesome, Winter'! I love it! Let's make it happen! Every Fairy Princess united! That settles it. We'll go together!"

  Winterwish blinked in surprise. "...Wait, together? But then she'll know I told you."

  But it was too late. Merrymint had already slung an arm over Winterwish's shoulder and was guiding her down toward Candy Town. "Well that's the deal. I told you before. From now on, I'm not letting you out of my sight!"

  Winterwish simply couldn't deny such joyous enthusiasm. While having Merrymint attend the meeting might make things initially awkward, she would be glad to have her closest ally by her side.

  "Would you look at that." Merrymint squinted through the pre-dawn dark. "Seems someone beat us to it."

  Winterwish searched the gloom until she too spotted the figure perched atop the chocolate coin bank. The hunched shadow's identity only remained a mystery until their wings spread and great orbs of glowing gold opened wide.

  "Urgh..." Winterwish felt all of the optimism exhale from her body, like she were a deflating balloon. "This is going to be awkward."

  "How come?" asked Merrymint.

  "Everything I do seems to make her angry. It just feels hopeless."

  "Hey-hey-hey!" sung Merrymint. "What happened to all that passion? I thought we were going to unite the sisterhood!"

  "I know, but..."

  "Nope! No buts! Only future friends!" chirped Merrymint.

  "I just don't know how to get through to her," said Winterwish. "Where do I even start?"

  Merrymint flicked her spectacles. "A relentless barrage of positivity and acceptance!"

  Winterwish groaned.

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  There's that undeniable enthusiasm again...

  The pair entered the central courtyard where the caramel fountain pumped molten sugar. Considering Sunshine was already present, there was remarkably little damage. Aside from a single scatter of crumble, everything seemed to be in perfect condition, though oddly, an array of lollipops bathed the area in a variety of vibrant hues.

  "What's with all these lanterns?" Winterwish whispered from the corner of her mouth.

  "Heck if I know. Maybe Sunny requested them?" Merrymint casually kicked at the pile of gingerbread crumbs and icing fragments, before cupping her hands to her mouth. "Ahoy-hoy, Sunny!"

  The feathered fairy flapped her wings before crashing down, shattering the confectionery paving beneath her sandals.

  Relentless barrage of positivity and acceptance, huh?

  "Morning, Sunshine. It's good to see you," tried Winterwish.

  "...Where have you two been hiding?" asked Sunshine. "What are you up to?"

  "We just got here," said Merrymint. "How come you're up so early? Looking for the worm?" she joked.

  Sunshine did not appear amused. Her large, shining spheres narrowed. Their focus shifted to the soda tavern, then the neighbouring lawns of sprinkles, across wafer market stalls, before finally resting upon the distant cookie bell tower.

  "You ok, Sunny?" asked Merrymint.

  "Something's off..." whispered Sunshine.

  What is she talking about?

  Then, as if on cue, the chocolate buttons below their feet began to rumble. Biscuit buildings cracked and lollipops swayed. All three Fairy Princesses tensed and adjusted their stance defensively.

  "Winter'. Get back to the palace, now," said Merrymint.

  Winterwish called to the magic within. Ice crackled across the fluff of her mittens. "My concerns are yours, and yours mine. We face our troubles together."

  "I'm serious!" cried Merrymint. "Get to safety!"

  The central fountain gurgled. Its clumsy flow began to struggle. It spluttered and spat like a choking throat, until caramel ceased emerging entirely. Then, the tremors stopped.

  Silence.

  The trio looked to one another. Wordless seconds dragged by. Keen ears eagerly awaited some kind of sound, but nothing came. As one, they slowly and cautiously shuffled toward the draining fountain just in time to see the final traces of syrup seep away.

  Winterwish covered her mouth to stifle a gasp. At the bottom of the shallow pool was a ring of sticky remains. Butchered human meat. Limbs and organs carved with runes, and not like those she'd seen in Titania's study. These shapes were neither smooth nor rounded, but sharp and jagged. Vicious lines crossed, ripped and torn into a circle of sacrificial flesh.

  "What is this?" asked Winterwish.

  "I don't know, but we need to call for help!" said Merrymint.

  Yet Sunshine made no effort to take flight, rather, she readied her mace. "We can handle this!"

  "Don't be silly, Sunny. Go get Queeny from the forest!" said Merrymint.

  "Idiot!" snapped Sunshine. "Don't you see? This is our chance! We can finally prove ourse-"

  The fountain exploded with a piercing shriek. Fragments launched high. Blood so dark it blended into the lingering night erupted. A sickly, stygian spout of ichor.

  Winterwish froze, and not from her own cold. Overwhelming dread snared her heart and crippled her body. Deadly discharge was descending, and all she could do was tremble whilst Dollymop's words rang in her head like a death knell.

  It only takes one drop!

  Merrymint's arms flung out and unleashed twin torrents, blasting both Winterwish and Sunshine clear of the ruinous rain. Ichor splattered down, spilling and spoiling like a plague. Everything it touched began to perish, withering and crumbling to sludge.

  Winterwish scrambled to her feet and watched in horror. Her Mentor was completely stranded amidst a sanguinary swamp. The only thing stopping the spew from showering down upon her were the cyclones spinning from her raised palms.

  That was when Winterwish noticed. Ichor wasn't just an inanimate liquid. No. It oozed with fetal forms. Countless underdeveloped heads broke the surface like rising bubbles. Uneven sockets gaped soft skulls, empty and unblinking. Brittle, translucent chests quivered with the subtle drumming of weak hearts.

  Deformed mouths yawned impossibly wide. Gooey gums wailed like an inconsolable choir. Not the instinctual screeches of infants, but a drone of tragic lamentations that should be utterly alien to such ignorant minds. It was neither hunger nor rage that spurred the tormented tots, but despairing desperation. Their tiny, misshapen hands reached out, as if grasping for unattainable attention. Some cradled their miserable kin in futile attempts to experience love. Others smeared the ground with feeble fingers, dragging the gory soup forth.

  The sight was as haunting as it was heartbreaking, yet as much as Winterwish's gut twisted, there was no time for empathy. Merrymint's small isle of safety was shrinking before her eyes.

  I... I have to help! I have to do something!

  Winterwish forced herself to action. Her Mentor had taught her well. She knew exactly what to do.

  Faefire!

  She clutched at the glowing vial in her hand.

  Crack...

  She jabbed her thumb down on the cap until glass fractured.

  ...then throw!

  "Look out!" Winterwish bellowed with all her lungs could muster.

  The bottle and its fluttering, fuchsia cargo whizzed through the air until it struck the slimy spurt. Violent violet spread quickly, engulfing the entire eruption. The top of the spout's bloom burned away, its range retreating until the foul flow fell back down beneath the breach.

  Yes! I did it!

  "Are you ok?" called Winterwish.

  "Not for long!" cried Merrymint.

  The source may have been stemmed, but plenty of pitiful spillage remained. A tide of amniotic abominations continued to crawl toward Merrymint, dripping, dribbling and drooling as they drew closer and closer. It was almost as though they were possessed of a profound need to be held, just as true babes, yet to embrace them would be mutagenic suicide.

  "Sunshine! I need some help!" called Merrymint.

  On the other side of the courtyard, Sunshine remained where she'd landed after being blown back. She was shaking. Her face was contorted, and wide eyes fixated upon the embryonic entropy.

  "Get up, Sunshine!" Winterwish cried.

  But the feathered fairy seemed unable to budge. Loose fingers twitched upon Truth's handle, incapable of gripping.

  Sobbing viscera was spreading throughout the courtyard, buckling sugary structures to morbid mush. Any living thing it managed to meet was rewritten with biological madness. A stray weed coiled into knots, its fibres fraying in self-destruction. A lone spider's abdomen swelled with excessive silk until it ruptured, releasing ropes of gruesome gossamer.

  Winterwish reached for the second vial of faefire within her pocket, but couldn't bring herself to throw it. Her priority was saving Merrymint, yet the verdant princess was surrounded on all sides. If the distorted aberrants were to ignite so close, the inferno would surely consume her too.

  Gale-force gusts pushed portions back, but not nearly enough. Merrymint wouldn't last much longer.

  Winterwish took a deep breath and strode forth.

  If I can't rely on faefire... I'll just have to use my own magic!

  Numbing pain coalesced in her core then surged through her arms. Scorchthread and magmasilk heated as frost rolled from fingertips. She threw her hands forward and cast her cold at the sorrowful sea. Fleshless faces turned towards her, bawling for mercy as chill spikes spread. The gooey grief slowed until it solidified into woeful statues, but only up to several feet. That was as much as she'd managed in practice too, yet to save her Mentor she'd need to project power far further.

  With a feral, saliva-spraying roar, Winterwish unleashed all that she could. The air before her started to glimmer as its moisture crystallised. Enchanted fabric seared at her skin and billowed steam. Ice inched forth, but at an erratic pace. One moment it raced, the next it crept. No matter how much she willed, or how loudly she yelled, it wasn't enough. The freeze would never reach Merrymint in time. Panic pulsed through her anew.

  Why? Why is it lurching so inconsistently?

  Winterwish watched as Merrymint desperately fought to survive, blasting this way and that. Then it hit her. It was so obvious.

  The currents!

  "Merrymint! Up and away!" she called.

  Frightful emeralds darted toward her.

  "Up and away!" repeated Winterwish. "Everything you've got! Trust me!"

  Without another moment's hesitation, Merrymint put her life in Winterwish's hands. No longer did she try and defend herself from the gelatinous gestation, but instead raised her hands and launched a tremendous tornado in the opposite direction.

  Wind bustled all around, tugging at clothes and hair, but more importantly, the summoned tempest sucked up cold air. A glacial road flashed across the ichor.

  "Now!" shouted Winterwish.

  Merrymint leapt onto the frozen path and began to run. On both sides of the thawing rime, primordial palms reached and ill-made maws mewled. Heels crunched and arms flailed every slippery, slidy step of the way until Merrymint was close enough to leap into Winterwish's arms. Reunited once more, the pair fell backward with a thud.

  "You saved me!" cried Merrymint.

  "You saved me first!" echoed Winterwish.

  Despite the still-present danger, they couldn't help but spare a second to smile.

  "Sunshine!" they gasped in unison.

  To their combined relief, the feathered fairy appeared shaken but safe.

  "We need to stop the spread before it gets out of control." Merrymint jumped up.

  Winterwish accepted her Mentor's hand and was hauled to her feet. "Right. We've five vials left between the three of us. That should be more than enough!"

  But she was wrong. To their absolute dismay, they heard the shrill shriek of another eruption. This time from the next street over. Then another, and another.

  That morning, nightmarish reality dawned before the sun. The ring of runes they'd discovered in the fountain wasn't alone, but just the first to activate. All across Candy Town, rituals rained ichor.