//------------------------------//
// Conjecture of a Theoretical Hypothesis 
// Story: Something to be Proud of 
// by Eighth 
//------------------------------//

Trixie knocks on Anonymous' door and listens to the scampering, clatter, and bird screeching as he rushes to the door.

"I was just taking a nap," he says as his hair is a mess and his eyes have little droops under them, "Ah, you've been writing in my--your book."

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"I'm all powerful, obviously. I can read anything without looking. It's why I've never had a library card."

Trixie chuckles as she is lead in.

"So... Is it o-okay if..."

"We do another lesson? Of course, I said to come by whenever you've got time."

"It's just..."

Anonymous turns around and smiles warmly at her. Even if she can't see his mouth, she knows there's a happy smile behind it. Somehow, she just knows. And his eyes are so hard to read. She's not sure if he has forgotten, or doesn't care. Either way, if he wants to move on with the lesson, Trixie is fine with that.

"I wasn't sure if you had a lesson plan ready or anything."

"You think I, the splendiferous and fabulous Anonymous would dare be unprepared?" His voice booms as he throws his hands up in the air for glitter to shoot out of his fingers.

Trixie muffles a laugh.

"Yeah, I got something," he says cooly.

The two walk through the tower's messy rooms and out into the courtyard where there is a table with a tea set on it. Anonymous sits on one end and gestures for Trixie to take the other. Then Anonymous begins pouring the hot tea into each cup, sits back, and sips.

"What will you teach me today?"

"First tea and a bit of a chat, then we learn."

"But--"

Anonymous holds up a hand to silence Trixie, "Trust me. Tea is crucial to our lesson."

Trixie sits quietly as she sips her tea too and imagines the endless possibilities of performing a magic that needs tea inside you.

"What if you could control the tea inside someone?" She thinks to herself, "OH! And use it to control them. Wow, all the things I could make people do just by giving them tea."

The malevolent mare muses over the possibilities as Anonymous internally shakes his head while watching her.

"How is school?"

The sudden topic causes Trixie to be filled with dread.

"Okay," her voice cracks.

"That's good. Finished that tea yet?"

Trixie shakes her head.

"Well, drink up."

She tries to take a big sip and burns her tongue. Anonymous frowns as he leans forward then waves his hands about.

"Rassa-frassa."

Then by magic, the tea cools to a nice level and the pain in Trixie's tongue disappears. She gives an appreciative nod then takes a big gulp of the rest of the tea. Then she leaps off the chair eagerly skipping on the spot. Anonymous leans over once again and stares deeply into the cup.

"Take a seat," he says distantly, "Hmm, interesting."

"What is?"

"I'm using your tea leaves to read your future."

"Tea leaves can do that?"

"No, of course not. What would tea leaves know about precognition?"

"But you said you were using them to read the future."

"Yeah, I am reading the future. The leaves are just something to look at while I do it."

"I... I don't get it."

"Let me explain... Oh... Well."

"What is it?"

"It seems many years from now, you are going to make quite a few bad choices. Acting, not thinking. That sort of thing. But then... Ah, you'll do your best and make a lovely friend. She seems like a nice girl. Do hold onto that one."

"Could you explain more," she says with her hooves on the table, in a desperate fear of future failure.

"I can't do that," Anonymous shakes his head, "It could lead to too many changes and I can only remember so many timelines."

They sit in silence for a while. Anonymous gets lost in thought as Trixie looks around at the various plant life. The place seems a little more alive now. A few strange birds likely never seen before to pony-kind can be seen making nests, some strange bugs flutter around, and a fish leaps out from the fountain Trixie could have sworn had no water in it during her last visit.

"Here, we'll do some magical theory."

"We've already done that," whines Trixie.

"Really, you've gone over every single theory about magic that's ever existed?" Anonymous scolds as he taps Trixie on the nose with a deck of cards, "You know your teacher's prefered theory of magic, not mine. But let me begin by saying nobody knows magic truly, not even someone as wise as I knows. We're all infants guessing where the universe is as it hides its face behind its hands to surprise us with a peek-a-boo. Much like a cat, no theory is right or wrong."

"Cats can be wrong," replies Trixie as she rubs her nose.

"Nope, they're far too morally ambiguous to give them an alignment."

"What's with the cards?"

"We would be onto that if you didn't bring up your Professor's teachings, I told you I don't want to hear about her lessons. They'll only confuse you and get in my way."

Trixie nods obediently.

"Now, with magic, we can do many things," Anonymous holds out the deck of cards for Trixie to pick one.

She grabs the King of hearts and clutches it to her chest so Anonymous can't see. He gives her the smile that Trixie is fast becoming used to.  It's an oddly disarming smile. Looking at it, you know he is friendly and Trixie doubts he could ever do any harm, yet that sort of conclusion puzzles her. No smile could ever say that. Otherwise, everyone with a malicous intent would work tirelessly to master it. But somehow, she knows.

"We can exchange," he announces as he holds up the King of hearts.

Trixie looks down at the card in her hoof to see it is now the King of spades and a smile spreads across her face.

"Or move."

As he grips the King, he slides his fingers to reveal the second card. The King of spades. Now there is nothing in Trixie's hooves.

"We can even change."

Anonymous brings the cards back as one then gives it a complete spin in his hand to reveal the card is now a green King with a wizard cap as the suit symbol. And then Trixie notes that the little king on the card has a striking resemblance to the human holding it.

"At times we can destroy," he declares as the card in his hand combusts in an instant, leaving not even ash.

"And my favourite is that we can create."

Anonymous' hand rests on the table then as he slides it back towards him, he reveals a purple Jack card of the wizard cap suit, but this picture looks like an older Trixie rearing back while wearing a wizard hat and robe. Trixie leaps onto the table to get a closer look at the card. Anonymous smiles at her as he puts the deck of the cards away.

"The point is, is that we can do many things with magic. But why?"

Trixie shrugs. Anonymous shakes his head.

"Magic is an agent of the universe. Like light, air, or gravity, but it's so much more. It is a fundamental part of it. There is no such thing as a magicless creature or object. It's an energy field created by the universe. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds us together... Like glue."

"But Miss said--" Anonymous' index finger shoots forward and stop right in front of Trixie's eyes, she has to go cross-eyed a little to look at it and blinks a few times from the strain.

"I know her theory, but how do you explain how a hoof can grab objects, how heavy and misshapen birds with lion halves can fly, or how every single thing know exactly where and when to be when it needs to be. There's an unconscious magic in everything."

"So, how does this help me do magic?" asks Trixie, still unconvinced but willing to entertain the idea.

"It means you can do magic."

"I already knew that," Trixie rolls her eyes.

"Look, it means you don't need all this extra stuff. None of the science behind it, no incantation, or whatever else. Magic keeps the universe together. Say, for example, it knows how to correct history when it goes off course a little then it's no trouble at all to fix your spell if you mess it up a little. Just do."

"Just do?"  Trixie scornfully repeats, "I don't think you could be any less help if you tried."

Now it's Anonymous' turn to roll his eyes.

"Gimme a sentence."

"What?"

"A little plain and boring, but fine. Now name a colour."

"Blue."

"Now watch," he declares as he turns around and casts a spell on the fountain while saying, "WHAT?!"

And before her very eyes, the fountain turns into a bright and glittery blue as the new sheen reflects the water and fish that are swimming around in it.

"I've seen you use non-sense words before. I bet that has to do with you being powerful."

Anonymous puffs out his chest and shines his knuckles on his robe, "Well, yes. I am rather... Splendiferous."

"I'm not like you."

"Well, obviously but I'm not teaching you how to use my magic, I'm teaching you to use yours."

"But you're not making sense."

Crouching down low, with his knees coming up to his head, Anonymous meets at eye level with Trixie. As if on cue, he smiles. This time, however, Trixie is annoyed by it. Feeling scorned by the fact that he would try to comfort her at a time like this. While Anonymous means no ill will behind his smile. He knows Trixie thinks he treats her like a kid, but once you reach an age like Anonymous, you learn that sort of thing is all the same in a general sense.

"Professor Inkwell is a remarkable teacher. She is able to break down all the components of magic, elements, and agents to explain with formula. That makes it easy for the ponies who prefer logic. The magic I am teaching you, is as I am sure you understand now, intuition. You feel the magic and apply it."

"But how?"

"I told you, don't bring your Professor's lessons here. They'll only confuse you."

"So... You basically want me to... Start at ground zero?"

"Well, not entirely. You did a little bit of fire magic already. So, more like ground one. That's got to feel a little better, right?"

Trixie gives him a distasteful glare but it doesn't hold long. As she thinks over how lost she is in Inkwell's lessons, there's a sense of "What have I got to lose?" that leads Trixie to resign to fate. She nods and Anon smiles.

"Excellent," he finally adds before looking upwards to the now night sky, "You best get back. I'll see you again when you have time."