The Witch's Tower: Finding One's Path

Trixie woke up with a smile on her face. She had finally done it. She had learned more magic!

She sat up on her haunches and stared out at a wall in front of the couch she had been sleeping on. Zecora had offered to let her sleep in the guest room she had carved into the tree, but she refused, saying that the couch was beginning to feel increasingly more comfortable the more she slept on it. She briefly wondered if this was yet another example of magic, but Zecora simply smiled and corrected her, saying that it was simply her own body having gotten used to the feeling of it after two days.

She allowed herself a small grin. She just couldn't stop the feeling of pride that was welling up inside of her from coming forth. She stood up and strutted about, puffing her chest out in a haughty manner as she did so.

Unfortunately, this was stopped cold when she heard a voice say, "Well, I see someone is in a good mood. I wonder what could have happened to change your attitude."

Trixie's face quickly went from shock to embarrassment as she turned to see her teacher trotting into the room, a small smirk on her face.

"D-did you...see any of that?" Trixie asked, hoping that she hadn't just embarrassed herself in front of Zecora.

"I only saw what I walked in on, but I still had no idea what was going on. I was preparing tea for when you woke up, but I must admit, I almost dropped the cup."

Trixie's head fell, and her eyes stared dejectedly at the ground, her ears splayed back in shame.

"Being proud of one's self is nothing to hide. Celebrate and shout with joy. Hold your head up with pride!" Zecora spoke as she walked up to Trixie, setting the tray down on the table and lifting her head up in her hooves.

"Are you still doubting yourself? Do you need more convincing? Or do you feel like you could do just about anything?" She asked, a grin spreading across her face as she thought of her own pride in her student.

"The last one! I feel like I could take on the world!" Trixie exclaimed, returning her teacher's grin.

"Well, maybe not that much just yet. Perhaps we should wait and see how strong you can get?" She asked, still smiling.

"Yeah...I guess you're right." Trixie let out a light chuckle. "So, what will you teach me today? Got anymore amazing spells you could show off?"

At that, Zecora laughed.

"I'm afraid not, my dear Trixie, but I do have things I wish for you to see. Now if you would please just follow me, we will take another look at my tree."

Trixie looked around until her eyes landed on the tray, containing the cups of tea, which were most likely getting cold, by now.

"Um...teacher?" Trixie pointed to the tea.

Zecora gave a blush of her own. "But...perhaps we should have tea first. There is no point in enduring thirst."

After their tea session, Trixie and Zecora left to stand outside of her tree, trotting in circles around the base of the great wooden tower.

After a while, Trixie had to ask, "Teacher? What are we doing out here?"

"We are here to begin your next test. Now pay attention, for this is more difficult than the rest."

"What about the Timberwolves?" Trixie asked, looking around quickly as they continued trotting in circles around the tree.

Zecora simply smiled at her. "Do not fret, young mage, you shall not face a Timberwoles' rage. They have gone about their way, and are not as active during the day."

Trixie seemed to relax at that, and she looked up at Zecora to ask, "So, what is my next test anyway?"

"Your next task requires quite a search." She pointed a hoof at a rather strange looking flower. "You must learn the ways of magical research. We will bring this flower into my tree and you will scour my library. You will look for all the information you can get, and bundle it all into a single set."

Trixie groaned aloud and rolled her eyes. "Really? Research? That's my training? Why do I have to study out of some dusty old books? Isn't there another way you could teach me?"

When Trixie had finished griping, she turned her attention to her teacher, only to be met with a glare that looked as if it could make mountains quake in fear.

Trixie started sweating. She was absolutely sure she was gonna get scolded. Why did she have to go and be such a loudmouth pony?

But, to her surprise, Zecora smiled, and laughed out loud, saying, "Perhaps you are correct. Maybe we should try something more direct. Come with me, and we shall start. Bring the flower, it is an important part."

Trixie made her way over to the flower and picked it up in her magic. She examined it for a bit, scanning every inch of its fiery orange-red color. Even the stem was yellow, and the petals looked just like a rising flame. All in all it was unbelievably...

"Beautiful!" Trixie said as she stared at the flower, transfixed by it's magnificent appearance.

Meanwhile, Zecora came up beside her and stood at her side. "Yes, it is quite the sight to behold. It's beauty is said to have survived since days of old."

"Really? It's so cool!" Trixie exclaimed.

"Indeed it is, beauty it does not lack, but perhaps we should get inside before we both lose track." Zecora said, placing a hoof on Trixie's shoulder.

Trixie seemed to snap out of it when she heard that. "Oh, yes! Sorry, teacher!" Trixie galloped back up the tree, taking the flower with her in her magic the whole way. Zecora only laughed.

Trixie was absolutely dumbfounded. She stared down at all the liquids, bottles, beakers, powders and other assorted materials with a horrific look on her face. She looked back to her teacher.

"Um...Zecora...?"

Zecora simply looked up from her tea and smiled at her. "Yes, little one?"

"What is all this?" she asked.

"It is your first task. You must make a fire bomb potion, using that flower, and one of those flasks. There are several ways to complete this lesson, that i must say. Perhaps you will manage to find your own way." Zecora sipped her tea again, leaving Trixie to gape at her. How could she be so sneaky? This was punishment for refusing to do research wasn't it?

She looked back at the glass beakers, and a sudden anger boiled up inside of her. "Fine then, teacher. If you want me to make a potion, I'll make a potion. I'll show you that I had the better idea about how to go about my learning. I'm more of a hands on kind of mare anyway!" Despite herself, she found it in her to smirk. 'Fire bomb potion, coming right up! She'll probably be so shocked, her jaw will drop to the floor!'

Well, her jaw was certainly on the floor. But, not for the reason Trixie thought it would be. Instead, Zecora, who had fallen asleep in her chair sometime after Trixie started making her first potion, woke up to find her work space in ruins.

Beakers were shattered and cast about all over the floor, the counter was blackened with what looked like the remnants of a small explosion that was still smoking, even as she stared in awe at it. Bowls, which had until recently been holding small amounts of various kinds of powder in them, were now strewn across the floor along with the glass, but some had luckily avoided the same terrible fate. Instead, out of the bowls that had survived what looked to be a much smaller scale version of the tornado that destroyed ponyille all those years ago, only a few remained, and those were merely chipped, the powder in them scattered all over the ground in her work space.

She looked around for her student, and saw her laying in a heap on the ground, smoke rising off her blackened fur. She watched as she coughed up smoke and slowly rose to her hooves with, of all things, a smile on her face.

Zecora ran over to Trixie and cradled her head in her hooves. "Are you alright, Trixie! However did you manage to hurt yourself to such a degree?"

Trixie only looked up at her as her smile widened. She moved her hooves away from their place around her stomach, and held up a small flask of red liquid. Her smile turned into a full blown grin as she coughed out, "See? I...did...it...teacher. I told you" she coughed, "I would."

With that, she passed out, leaving Zecora to carry her to the couch she loved so much. She took a moment to look over to the potion her student had made.

"She said she had made the potion. But how would she know? Don't tell me she just kept trying until the kitchen was set to blow."

She looked down at Trixie, a worried expression on her face. "I didn't know this would happen to you. I only wished to show you the dangers of biting off more than you could chew. I am sorry for my foolish act. There is nothing I can do or say to take it back. Please forgive me, dearest Trixie."

She was now crying into her hooves. But then, she heard a voice. It was soft, and slurred, as if whoever was saying it was exhausted beyond belief. She looked up to see Trixie talking in her sleep, saying,

"Look, teacher! I did it! I made the potion! Are you proud of me?"

Zecora was stunned. She had done all that... just to get her attention? No, that wasn't it. It wasn't attention she wanted. It was recognition. She wanted to make her see that she could do it if she tried hard enough. That even without all the boring research, there was a way to get things done.

She looked over at the bottle of red liquid bubbling in its flask, thinking, 'You certainly showed me Trixie. And what a sight it is to see.'