The Witch's Tower: Finding One's Path

"Magic carries many forms, some of which may seem boring and uninteresting, but hidden behind that monotony and tediousness, lies a power beyond anything one could possibly imagine."-The Witch

"Really?"

"Indeed."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Why me?"

"do not question the brew, young mage. I too had to learn this when I was your age. By my self I must add, so there is no use in getting mad."

"I know that, but-"

"No buts. You wanted to learn the ways of the brew, did you not? Well, you will continue to watch the pot."

And so she did. With a sigh she turned her head away from her teacher and continued staring into the yellow liquid that was currently bubbling up inside the zebra mare's cauldron.

"But how am I supposed to know when it's done?"

"You will." The zebra drew up behind her, placing her hooves on her shoulders and whispering in her ear "Trust your instincts, and trust your eyes. Wait for the moment, when the magic arrives."

With that, the zebra left to do...whatever it was she was gonna do. Trixie didn't care right now. Her neck hurt from having to watch the pot, her rump was uncomfortable on the stool Zecora used to reach the cauldron spoon, and she was getting sleepy from all the heat coming off of the liquid inside.

'What magic?' She thought to herself. 'The only thing I see is a pot of boiling...'

"Ms. Zecora! What is this stuff?"

"Keep watching and you will see. Look into the pot, and you tell me." Zecora said from somewhere close by, judging by the tone of her voice.

And so, Trixie did as she was instructed, staring into the pot once more. But then, as if out of nowhere, a sudden increase in heat from the pot caused her to blink, and when she looked again...

The pot was empty.

"Wha- How the- Who-"

"Trixie, dear, whatever is the matter? Did some of my brew fall and splatter?"

Trixie's eyes widened in fear, but she chose to tell the truth anyway."No ma'am. I was watching the pot like you asked, and then the...the brew just disappeared! I swear I didn't do anything! It just...vanished!"

Then trixie's look changed from one of fear...to confusion, as she heard her teacher not yelling, but laughing, chuckling away like she'd just told the funniest joke on the face of Equus! "Um...Ms. Zecora...are you alright?"

"Why, yes, my student, I feel just grand, Allow me to join you on my stand."

At that, the zebra left her previous task and walked up to the stool she had Trixie sit on. She watched as the blue mare made room for her, her shoulders still sagging slightly in sadness. She walked up and sat next to her.

Trixie threw her hooves up into the air and screamed in frustration. "I really don't know what happened. It's not my fault. I swear it just plain disappeared on me!"

Zecora placed a hoof around her shoulders and spoke."I know it disappeared on you. That is what it is supposed to do."

Trixie looked back at the zebra like she had gone crazy. "What?"

The older mare just grabbed her hoof. " This brew, young mage, is not something you can see. For it is a potion, of invisibility." She brought Trixie's hoof up to the brew and dipped it in gently, pulling it out and lifting it up so that she could see for herself just what the potion did. She could no longer see the portion of her hoof that her teacher had just dipped into the pot.

"Now do you see why I asked you to watch the pot? The magic of potions has it's own charms, does it not?"

Trixie simply nodded.

Zecora continued speaking. "Do not judge a book by it's cover. Each path of magic has it's own skills, each very different from the other. Now, for the next step, I shall bottle this brew. And then, it's intended target...will be you."

Trixie was brought out of her trance by a hoof in front of her face. When she saw Zecora pointing at her, she grew confused once more. "What?"

"You will drink the potion, and then we'll be at our peak, for the last lesson of the day, is a game of hide and seek."

"But will you be able to find me once I drink it?"

"I may not be the Witch, but I have my ways. I will find you, and it will take much less than a day. In fact, I do not mean to make you cower, but I believe I can spot you, well within the hour."

The sound of gentle breathing could be heard as Trixie Lulamoon hid herself behind a tree, trying her hardest to remain as quiet as possible.

Their game of hide and seek had only just started and they were only five minutes in. She had less than an hour to go before Zecora found her. She was already invisible, so the only thing she had to make sure of was that her breathing wasn't too loud and that she didn't make any sudden moves.

She looked around for a better place to hide. A tree was so obvious in a place filled with dozens of them. She kept her eyes open for any place she could use. Then she spotted a perfect place.

There appeared to be some kind of large boulder near her that she could hide behind. IT wasn't the most original plan, but it was better than a tree.

So, with that in mind, she inched her way out of her hiding spot and slowly, ever so slowly traversed the few feet between her and the rock. It was rather large, just as she'd thought at first, so it would serve as good enough cover for now.

She crouched low and added on some magic to hide her scent just in case her teacher could use that as well. She stayed like this for a good ten minutes before she felt it was time for her to move again. She looked around once again for a place to hide.

Soon, she spotted a tightly packed den of trees. Just inside of it, she thought she saw a small indentation in the ground. Maybe she could hide there and not be spotted! Add that to the fact that the sun had started to set five minutes ago and was now casting a nice long shadow over that particular area, and she was golden. There was only one problem. That particular area was a ways away from the rock she was hiding behind now. There was no way she could make it there without being seen by Zecora. Sure she may have lived there her entire life, but she was different from her teacher, who had both lived and fought to survive in these woods. There was no doubt in her mind that Zecora knew these woods much better than she did. So there was also no doubt in her mind that her words rang true, and that she in fact would be caught within the hour.

Still, she had to try. She couldn't sneak her way past the trees, as that would take too long, and she couldn't make too much noise, lest she just make it even easier for Zecora to find her. She would have to risk exposure. She turned right and bolted towards the cluster of trees, hoping the slowly fading light would hide her long enough for her to win the game and pass the test.

She could hear her feet crunching on fallen leaves and often she had to dodge and weave past several branches just to avoid giving even more evidence of her location by screaming in pain.

Soon enough, however, she was able to cross the distance between the rock and the tree cluster, and then, only then, was she able to relax.

She let out a sigh of relief as she laid her back against a tree and tried to catch her breath. She shouldn't even be tired, in all honesty, she had barely moved since the game started, but she was feeling like this because of the stress of being caught. She wanted to win. She wanted to pass, and that was enough to make her give it her all even just to hide in one spot for as long as she could. She had to make sure her teacher didn't find her.

But, now that she thought about it, where was Zecora? What was she doing? surely she hadn't given up on the game? Surely she was still searching for her? She wouldn't abandom her out in the woods would she? Or maybe... Maybe she had hidden so well that she still couldn't find her? She stayed like that for another ten minutes, before finally deciding that it must be the latter option. She smiled a haughty smile and pranced around in a small circle for a bit.

"Ha! Looks like I win, teacher! You didn't even find me in less than thirty minutes."

"Don't be so sure of yourself just yet, little one, the hour is still not done."

Trixie froze, not even turning around to face her. "No! You couldn't be... how did you get here before me?"

"I've always known where you were, Trixie. There is not a place in this forest where you can hide from me."

"What? Then why did you let me think I could win?!" Trixie yelled, finally turning to face Zecora.

"Forgive me for deceiving you. It was the only way to see what you could do. By letting you believe you had a chance, you could try your hardest to be the victor in our little dance. I wanted to show you the skills you possessed, so I played a little game, to put them to the test."

Trixie sighed. "So I guess that means I failed, didn't i?"

Zecora came up to her and put a hoof around her shoulders. "There is no pass or fail. This game was meant for you. I wanted to show you something that I will soon teach you how to do."

"You mean...you were using magic to find me?" Trixie asked.

"yes indeed i did. I followed your magic signature to every place you hid." Zecora said.

"No fair! You cheated! No fair using magic!"

"Ah, but what about you, Trixie? You were using magic too, don't you see? That potion i gave you made you invisible, so there was no other way. I had to use my magic to follow you on our way."

Trixie's eyes widened at that. "You mean, you gave yourself the disadvantage?"

"Yes. Now you get it don't you? This training was as much for me, as it was for you." Zecora answered.

Trixie looked on in awe at her teacher, before shaking her head and saying, "So, how did you do it?"

Zecora smiled as she trotted around Trixie, watching her sit on her rump and meditate. "To sense another's magic signature, your training will start simply. You have only to open your mind, and allow it to be empty. Let your magic flow out of your body, and envelop the area around you, then you will be able to find anyone who surrounds you"

Zecora trotted around her for a little bit more, watching as her student struggled to send her magic out of her body. She was relaxing, and that was okay, but she was trying a little too hard to get her magic to do what she wanted.

"Trixie, do not force it, simply relax. Your magic will do the rest, you have but to ask. Imagine your magic flowing out of you like the wind. When you find someone, it will return back again."

She watched as Trixie visibly relaxed. She seemed to understand now, at least. Now all she had to do was send out her magic, and she would be able to see Zecora currently standing in front of her.

"Um...Teacher? What are you doing?" Trixie asked.

And there it was. She had done it. She could see her. And her eyes were still closed. Perfect.

"I am not doing anything, dearest Trixie. It appears you have learned the technique, and are now able to see me."

Trixie let a smile grace her lips as she slowly opened her eyes. "I learned it... I know more magic now. I...I'm gonna become a mage...I can do it..."

With that, Trixie started bawling like a baby, hugging Zecora with all she had. "Oh, thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Thank you for believing in me. I was so worried i'd never become a mage for as long as I lived but...you showed me different. I know now, that even someone like me can do magic. Real magic."

"There is no such thing as real or fake magic. The fact that you think so is quite tragic. Magic can only exist my dear, so please, put away your fear. You are quite strong, this I know, you just need time for it to grow."

"But wait. Teacher. What about the game? Why did you play it with me if you only wanted to show me this?"

"This was not the only thing I wished to reveal to you. The way you handled the game of hide and seek shows that you have the mind of a mage, too. You assessed the situation and determined the best possible solution, and you acted on your decisions without any doubt or confusion. You took a risk and it was the right one. You've shown that you are wise and can get things done. Your quick choices and movements are needed in a mage, and you're very strong willed for someone your age. All of these are strengths you possess, you just didn't see them buried under all your stress."

At those words, Trixie started crying all over again. She buried her muzzle into her fur and nuzzled her softly, saying, "Thank you, teacher."

"How many times must I remind you. Calling me Zecora is fine by itself, too." Nevertheless she didn't tell her to stop. Because that's what they were now. teacher and student, as they were once before. And she vowed at this point to teacher her everything she knew, down to the smallest detail if need be. She would make sure that Trixie lulamoon never doubted her abilities again.