Dry darted from cover to cover. He was in no particular danger as he dove into a bush. The middle of Ponyville was not a place he had been attacked often, but it was his way, and that hadn't changed. "Hey." He popped his head out of the bushes, looking around wildly before he saw Scootaloo rolling towards him. "Why are you hiding?"
He clearly wasn't doing a very good job! "How did you find me?"
Scootaloo came to a skidding stop, hopping off her scooter. "Well, even if you hide really well, you still dart from place to place." She made swooshing gestured with her free hoof. "And that actually makes you more visible, sorry to say. Kept seeing something dart around and when I checked it out, there you were."
"Oh..." Dry had more to learn about stealth... "Hello." He emerged from the bushes entirely, shaking off the bits of twigs and leaves on the way. "It's nice to see you."
"You too. I was headed for the clubhouse." She pointed the way. "We have some Crusader stuff to plan. Um..." She peeked around him, at his rump. "Hm."
"Hm?" He glanced back at his perfectly normal pony posterior, Equestria style. "Is something wrong?"
"Nah! Just imagine you're not super interested in that." She waved it away as she hopped up and came down facing the clubhouse, already mounted and ready to go. "So have fun!"
"Wait! Interested in what exactly?" He took a step forward, hoof outstretched, not that he had much hope to stop her if she wanted to go.
Fortunately for him, she did pause. "Helping people find their marks, or make sense of them. You got yours, and you know what it means, which is good!"
"Yes!" He nodded firmly at that. "I wouldn't mind helping people decipher their destinies. How do I do that?"
Scootaloo patted him on the shoulder. "Good on you for being ready to lend a hoof, but we're doing one on ones for now. Next time we run a big thing, we'll invite you to help, promise." She did not look at all certain about his prospects in a counseling setting. "But, for now!" And with rapidly beating wings, she zoomed off, around him, then off to the clubhouse in a blur of speed.
"Guess not." Not that he had anyone to say that to exactly. "Hm..." He went to the other place Scootaloo visited from time to time, her house. He had a room there that he went into, finding his book. The book. The book of books. "Luminace be praised." He unfolded it with his strangely attractive hooves. There were times when that was starting to come in handy. "Becoming a cleric of you takes... a long time.." He inclined his head at the book. "You are such a studious god..."
It made sense that followers of her were required to enjoy studying. It wasn't that he disliked studying. Learning new things could be fun! He paid attention in class, and tried to ask good questions... "A good question is something worth more than a good answer," he spoke, quoting some part of the book he was reading through.
But the others had learned. From what he heard, they learned quickly.
Danger and Learning
He liked... one of those things. He squinted at the chapter headed suspiciously, turning to the next page slowly. "Learning is best when it's safe."
Learning is not always best where it's safe, we have discovered. While a safe and quiet learning environment can be ideal for entirely scholastic learning, when trying to discern things that involve movement and excitement, an environment of moving and excitement can be proper.
Consider a sport player. They can read books on proper playing techniques for years and still be a poor player in the end. They have to be actually playing the game they wish to master, with its attendant muscle memories and real world trials to gain a good grasp. This isn't to say a good book couldn't help them on this journey, of course, but it can't replace the physical work in learning a physical task.
"Hm..." But was clericing a physical thing? He only knew one pony that could even hope to answer that. He snapped the book shut and tucked it away, only to come to a freeze. "Wait..." He looked back and... He had his saddlebag, but... there? He coiled on himself and nosed into the bag. Nope, no book. "Where?" He turned round and round, not seeing where the book had vanished to.
He had just been reading it! He was the one that tucked it away. Where did he tuck it to? He shook off the bag and nosed all through it, taking out the few things hiding in it, but still no book, just an empty bag. "It can't... I'm the expert in hiding!" He refused to accept that a book has beaten him at hiding. He sorted through the room with angry snuffs and grunts, tossing things aside.
"What's all the mess?" Aunt Lofty was peering through the open door at the growing clutter being made. "You lose something?"
Dry abandoned his search to turn towards the older pony. "Yes. I was just holding a book." He put out his funny Equestrian hoof. "And I was going to take it with me, but... it was gone! I can't find it anywhere!"
Lofty came closer slowly. "Is that so? Very curious... But I have an idea. You always wear that saddlebag, don't you?"
"It's not there," practically wailed Dry, sinking to his haunches bonelessly. "I checked, twice! No book!"
"I had a feeling not..." She stopped in front of him. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to find your book. It may feel a little funny, but if you trust me, I'm nearly certain you'll have your book."
So sure?! "How?!" But he sat up anyway. "Please... That book was a gift. I'd be so upset if we couldn't find it." As if he wasn't already quite upset.
"Calm down. Just sit still." Aunt Lofty reached a hoof for him, his side. She casually pressed into a space he didn't know, suddenly giving the sensation of violation. It was like she was reaching into his mouth, a strange sensitive place. He squeaked, but tried to be still anyway as she brushed around. "Here we are...." She brought back her hoof, a book attached to it.
Luminace's book, he saw with widening eyes. "There it is!" He pounced the book, and her arm, hugging both with a wild woot of celebration. "Where was it?"
"In your pocket, silly thing." Aunt Lofty let him hold her arm, patiently waiting for him to calm down. "Everglow ponies don't have those, I remember Scootaloo mentioning. You're an Equestrian pony now, and we have pockets. We store things in there when we want to walk around with things, and often don't bother with saddlebags unless it's very large, or a lot of things."
"Where there was wondering, now there is answers." He released her arm, but kept the book. "Thank you so much! Um, now that I have this... I'm going to head out."
"I'm not stopping you." She stepped out of the way. "But be back in time for dinner. Energy like that, I bet you work up quite a hunger."
"You're the best aunt!"
"Don't tell Holiday that." Lofty winked dramatically. "But between you and me, I'll take it. Go on." She easily shooed him out on his way.
He took off from the house at a full gallop, tossing the book into his bag on the way. It didn't take long to arrive at Silver Spoon's large house. "Hm..." He'd never actually visited before, he realized. Still, he was there... Knocking wouldn't get him in trouble, he thought? He knocked gently, almost hoping nobody would answer.
"Sir?" Oh no, a formal butler had answered, looking down at him through the opened door. "Can I help you?"
"Hello... I'm, uh, looking for Silver Spoon?"
"Very good." He nodded in a short little motion. "I'll see if she's available." And he turned and left, closing the door on his way.
He had survived the first step! He let out a sigh of relief. "You can do this..."
The door swung open violently. "It actually is you! Who told you where I live?" Silver Spoon was on him in a flash, one hoof wrapping around his neck. "Not that I'm, like, mad."
"Diamond mentioned it," he squeaked out, unsure how to feel about the sudden hug. It wasn't all bad, he decided swiftly. A good thing for a couple to do. "I wanted to talk about Luminace and clerics and things. Is that alright?"
She spun him to face her directly. "You have my complete attention. Almost." She turned an ear back. "Reggie, get us a snack please!"
"It'll be ready in the sitting room." Dry could hear the receding steps of the butler.
Silver started into the house with a spritely walk. "Come on in and tell me what the question is. You have questions and hopefully I have answers to them."
"Hopefully," he echoed, following her inside and pausing to close the door before catching up with her. "I was reading the book, and it said that reading is good."
"Of course?" She peeked to the side at him. "And?"
"And that it isn't always enough... Learning by doing is important... And I wanted to know..." They were entering that sitting room, with a big table with snacks strewn across it tastefully. "Um, is being a cleric more of a scholarly thing or a 'you have to do it' thing?"
Silver hopped up into an available chair and snatched an apple to chew on. "Mmm, well! I learned by doing. There's a lot about it that you have to... do... There's a lot you can read about too." She put the apple aside. "But I'm a war priest, don't forget. You don't want to be that... I think? Or do you?"
"Um." He wandered his vision across the room. It was finely appointed, speaking of the rich ponies that lived there. "You don't have to spend time on me... I don't think I'd be that good at fighting, not like... face to face?"
"Then don't." She said it so casually. "Who said you had to?"
"You're a war priest? They fight... right?" He cycled his hooves in the air. "Or why call them that?"
"I do, but that's me. You're not me." Silver Spoon held out a grapefruit towards him. "Don't try to be me. I'm all the me we need in this relationship, you know? So be helpful. Clerics are great at helping! Pray for help for your friends. They'll love you for it. Heal them, make them faster, make them able to do their best. Who needs to shine? Not you! You hide. So hide, and pray as hard as you can for your friends, who are silly and brave and won't hide."
Dry accepted the grapefruit, turning it slowly in his hooves. "And my friends... You'll be alright with that? With me hiding when you're fighting?"
"You won't just hide." She leaned in. "Like, you didn't before... When we need you most, you'll be right there, helping... But until then, you'll keep out of trouble, and, like, is that bad?" She took a fresh bite of her apple. "Now, about praying! You've been doing some lay prayers, right?"
"Luminace be praised!" He clapped his hooves together piously. "Like that?"
"That's a start... But when you're praying for a tiny bit of her power, it's deeper than that." She tapped herself on the chest. "You have to feel her, in here. You have to lay down and let her will come rushing in. Twice."
"Twice?" He inclined his head. "When you cast the spell, yes?"
"Oh, yep, like, that's one of 'em." She flashed a bright grin. "But not the only one. If you don't do the other, you have no spells to cast, so..."
There was more yet to be learned, but he felt he had made the right choice. It was time to learn away from a book for a little while.