//------------------------------//
// Part 6.2 
// Story: Bearers of Nature 
// by TwinQuasars 
//------------------------------//

	Part 6.2

The sun was nearing the horizon as Soul, Scootaloo, and Rainbow Dash were nearing the edge of the forest. Soul had done his best to explain the situation to Scootaloo, but she was still trying to wrap her head around what it all meant for her.

        “So… I have this power inside me,” Scootaloo said slowly, still thinking it through, “that lets me affect… nature?”

        “The element of air specifically,” Soul said. “I’m afraid I don’t know much about how your power works. They only other element bearer I’ve seen is a unicorn, so I’m not sure how much of her power comes from her magic.”

        “But, it would let me fly, right?” Scootaloo asked, a slight smile appearing on her face.

        Soul sighed. “I have little doubt about that. Being able to control the wind around your wings will probably allow you to fly better than most other pegasi.”

        “That… is so cool!” Scootaloo said with a squeal of joy. She hopped into the air and wings buzzed, letting her hover for a few seconds before falling back to the ground lightly.

        “But you have to be careful,” Soul added. “I highly doubt flight is the limit of your abilities, but controlling that power may not be so easy.”

        Scootaloo’s excited smile quickly turned to a frown. “Ok…” Scootaloo said quietly. She lowered her head down and softly kicked at the ground.

        “Besides, you might not have that power for much longer. Everfree plans to return the elements to nature, where they belong.” Soul paused for moment. How does he plan to do that, anyway? He grunted and continued walking. Great, more questions I don’t have answers to.

Rainbow Dash had volunteered to scout ahead after quickly becoming bored with Soul’s explanation. She was now returning, flying freely through the thinning trees. “It’s so good to be out of that cramped forest! The exit’s just a litter further.” She landed next to Scootaloo. “Oh, and there is someone waiting for ya, Scoot.”

        “For me?” Scootaloo said in a confused tone. A small smile appeared on her face, and she started to gallop faster. Soul’s curiosity had also been piqued, and he quickened his pace to keep up with her.

        As they finally stepped out of the forest, Soul could see an earth stallion standing a fair distance away from the forest entrance. His coat was a slightly dark orange; his mane was light brown, and he sported a yellow cap with a visor that bore a checkered pattern around the middle.

        Soul slowed down as he exited the forest, but Scootaloo kept running towards the stallion. Her smiled had grown wider as soon as she saw him. She yelled out, “Dad!”

        The stallion smiled as he saw her. He started to run towards her, shouting, “Lulu!” Soul was surprised at how he sounded; despite his large appearance, his voice was surprising soft. They quickly embraced each other as they met. “I was so worried about you, my little pigeon,” her father said, his head pressed against his daughter’s.

        Scootaloo pulled herself away so that she could look at her father’s eyes. “Don’t call me ‘pigeon’, dad!” she said as her cheeks began to redden, “it’s embarrassing.” 

        “I’m sorry, Scoot,” he said as his smile began to falter, “it’s just – I thought – I’m so glad to see you’re not hurt!” He laid his head next to hers.

        “I know dad,” Scootaloo said softly, leaning in to nuzzle her father’s neck.

        Soul had been slowly walking towards the pair when Rainbow Dash landed next to him. “Why ya walking so slow?” she asked.

        “I’m in no rush,” he said, “besides; I figured I’d give them some space. I do wonder why he was out here though.”

        “I wanted to know that myself,” Rainbow Dash responded. “Apparently Fluttershy found him and told him what was going on. He dropped what he was doing and came to wait for us. He hadn’t been here long when I found him.”

        Soul smiled. “Well that’s good,” he said. His smile faded away and he stopped walking, however, as other thoughts entered his mind. “Listen, about what happened back at the library,” He lowered his head while tilting it so he was still looking at Rainbow Dash. “You were right; I was in no position to tell you to stay out of this. I am a stranger to you, and I was dealing in your personal affairs. I’m sorry.”

        Rainbow Dash turned her head to avoid looking at Soul. “Yeah, well…” She turned back to him with her own downcast eyes. “I guess you were right, too. I mean, you did end up saving both of us, after all,” she said, nodding towards Scootaloo. “I’ll admit; I can get a little carried away sometimes. You were trying to protect us from… well, I guess from what ended up happening today.”

        Soul raised his head. “So… than we can get along?”

        Rainbow Dash’s eyes lightened up as a grin grew on her face. “I’m not one to hold a grudge. We’re cool.”

        “That’s good,” Soul said with a weak smile. “Um, I don’t mean to ruin the moment,” he said as he began to lower his head, “and I understand if you don’t want to do this, but….” He quickly raised his head to look at Rainbow Dash, “I have a favor to ask of you.”

        Soul waited to see if Rainbow would object, but she just looked back at him, waiting for him to continue. “Now that Scootaloo knows about her power,” he continued, “I have no doubt in my mind that she will want to learn how to fly. However, I fear that if left to her own devices, the results might be more than she bargained for.”

Rainbow looked like she was having a little trouble grasping the point Soul was trying to set up, so he went on. “What she needs is a mentor: someone that will teach her and watch over her, to make sure that she doesn’t bite off more than she can handle. I can’t think of anyone better to handle this task than you.” 

Rainbow Dash opened her wings in pride of the compliment she believe she received, but they quickly deflated. “But, I don’t know anything about her power.”

“No, but you do know how to fly fast and free,” Soul pressed on, “which is exactly what the Element of Air will push her to achieve. She looks up to you; she’ll listen to you; if anyone can keep her in check, it’s you.”

Rainbow Dash’s wings were once again spread out in pride. A playful frown appeared on her face as she brought her forehoof up to her chest. “I dunno, sounds like a lotta work to me….”

“Please?” Soul pleaded. “Don’t do this for me; do this for her, and for your friends.”

Rainbow Dash looked past him at Scootaloo in the distance before nodding her head. “Alright; for my number one fan, I can do that,” she said with a wink.

Soul winked back. “Then go make your number one fan really happy.”

Rainbow Dash began to fly off towards the two orange ponies before she turned around to see that Soul wasn’t following her. “Where are off to?” she called out.

“I’ve got Trixie to deal with, remember?” Soul responded.

Rainbow made a face of disgust as she rolled her eyes. “Eh, I bet Twilight put her in her place again. There’s no way that phony could ever be better than her at magic,” she said before flying off.

Maybe, Soul thought as he began trotting towards Ponyville, but what is she really after? It wasn’t long before he heard Scootaloo yell, “Are you serious?” followed by a squeal of delight.


********


        As Soul approached the library, he was pleased to see that it was still in one piece. It could have been far worse, he thought, I just hope the inside isn’t a complete disaster. He entered the main room and saw that it was mostly unchanged. The only difference was one bookshelf that was now completely empty. Soul became worried when he noticed that the bookshelf appeared to have scorch marks on it. 

Spike was up on a ladder cleaning the shelves when he heard Soul enter. He turned his and said, “Hey Soul, your back!” He quickly slid down the ladder. “Boy, do I have a story to tell you!”

Soul looked around the room before asking, “Where’s Twilight?”

“She’s in the other room,” Spike said while pointing towards the closed door at the other end of the room, “but you really need to hear what happened today.”

Soul had a feeling that Spike was frightfully out of the loop on current events, but he could at least fill him in on what happened while he was in the forest. “Alright Spike,” Soul said with a nod, “go ahead.”

Spike cleared his throat and took in a deep breath. “Well, I had just woken up from a rare mid-day nap. They help keep your mind focused and your body strong.” He pointed at his head before flexing his arms. “Twilight really should let me take mid-day naps more often.”

Soul cleared his throat, catching Spike’s attention. “Right, sorry. Anyway, I come downstairs to find that everyone else is here - which I found a little odd - but I was really surprised when I saw Trixie come out of the other room! Trixie is this –“

“Yes, I know who Trixie is,” Soul interrupted. How long was he asleep?

“Oh, you must have heard from the others. Apparently she wanted to try show up Twilight – like that could ever happen. I mean, Twilight is the Element of Magic! No unicorn could do better magic than her!” Spike threw his arms up. He appeared to be enjoying himself.

“She started out with some lame illusions…” Spike’s eyes began to shift back and forth as he tapped his claws together. “… I have to admit though; they looked pretty real. Real enough to frighten Fluttershy away, at least.” He steeled himself and clenched his claws together. “But still nothing compared to what Twilight could do!”

Soul couldn’t help but smile and admire the way Spike put Twilight on a pedestal. He would do anything for her, he thought.

“That’s when Trixie pulled out the big guns,” Spike continued. “She conjured up a phoenix made with real fire. It flew around with grace, showing off its beautiful wings…” Spike’s eyes were beginning to glaze over, but he quickly shook off the trance before it got worse. “That was until it crashed into the bookshelf and set the books on fire! Twilight quickly put the fire out, but not before the books were seriously damaged.

Now, I’ve seen Twilight get frustrated when things are out of her control, but this was probably the first time I’ve really seen her angry. She was trying to fight it back, but it eventually burst through. She yelled at Trixie from being so reckless, about how she didn’t care about her power, and commanded her to leave.”

“Wow,” was all Soul was able to say. I didn’t know Twilight could get so worked up.

Spike raised his claws into the air. “If you were surprised by that, wait till you hear what happened next: Trixie actually apologized for the whole thing!”

“What!?” Soul was taken aback by this news. I haven’t known her long, but Trixie has never apologized for anything.

“She said she was sorry for the damage she had caused and that it was an accident. As far as I could tell, it looked like she really meant it too. She quickly left after that. Rarity and Sweetie Belle had left earlier to make sure Fluttershy was OK, so only Applejack, Applebloom, and Pinkie Pie were left. Applejack volunteered to help clean up, but Twilight said that she needed to be alone for a while. That’s when she took the damaged books and locked herself in the other room. Pinkie Pie wanted to cheer her up, but Applejack convinced her to leave by suggesting a party for Scootaloo when she got back….” Spike trailed off his brought his claw up to his head. “Come to think of it, I never did find out what she meant by that. Where was Scootaloo during all this?”

Soul let out a little sigh and shook his head. “I’m sure you’ll hear all about it soon enough, but I thinks it’s about time we check on Twilight.” He walked over to the door and knocked on it. “Twilight? This is Soul. Spike told me what happened. Can I come in and talk with you?”

Initially there was no response, but eventually the door opened and Soul entered the other room. Twilight was seated at the table in the middle of the room. Parchment was neatly laid out on the table, and a quill was floating over it, levitated by Twilight’s magic. At the edge of the table lay a small stack of books, exhibiting scorch marks and signs of water damage. Twilight was focused on the parchment in front of her. Soul stood and watched as Twilight continued writing in silence. He eventually decided to break the silence by asking, “What are you working on?”

“I’m ordering replacements for the books that got damaged,” Twilight responded with only a slight delay. She spoke with a stern voice and her gaze remained on her written words.

Soul thought for moment how to best approach the subject at hoof. He eventually settled on, “Are you still upset?”

“Over the damaged books, yes,” Twilight responded the same as before. “It always upsets me to see books get damaged in any way, especially if they can’t be repaired.”

Soul took a deep breath. “And what about Trixie?”

Twilight finally stopped writing and lowered her quill, but she did not raise her head right away. “I want to be angry at her… for everything that she’s done… but….” It was a moment before she finally looked up at Soul. “She never even apologized for the Ursa Minor incident, but now this?” She motioned her hoof over to the stack of damaged books. Twilight let out a sigh. “Before, I thought of her as an ego-centric unicorn who wanted to be better than everyone else, but today she showed a moment where she actually cared about another pony. I… I just don’t know what to think anymore.”

“You’re right,” Soul said, “there is definitely more to Trixie then she is willing to let on, and the fact that she apologized for today is proof of that. There is something else going on behind this rivalry of hers that I just don’t get, but I intend to find out what it is.”

Twilight cocked her head to one side. “Why are you so interested in helping her? Don’t you have more important things to take care of?”

“You should know by now,” Soul said with slight smirk, “I don’t like to see any pony in pain, physical or otherwise.” He smirk slowly changed back to a slight frown. “Besides, Trixie is proving to be reckless with her newfound power. She may think that she can control the Element of Fire, but this wasn’t the first accident that she’s had, and it won’t be the last unless she’s willing to get some help….” His eyes maintained a fixed gaze on Twilight.

Twilight’s ears perked up. She quickly put her hooves up on the table. “Are you suggesting that I should help her learn how to control her power?”

Soul gave on awkward smile. “I’m not suggesting anything… yet. I need to learn more about the motives behind her current behavior before I can do anything to help.” He lowered his head a bit to avert his gaze. “You need to figure your own thoughts on the matter anyway. When comes time to answer that question, you need to have a clear head.”

He looked up to see Twilight gazing at table once again, thought the quill remained still. “For now, I should go find Trixie,” Soul said. “You wouldn’t happen to know where she might have gone, would you?”

Twilight remained silent for a few moments before she spoke up. “Given her reputation here, the only place she could get a room for the night would be the only inn in town, The Hayloft. It’s on the main road, near the town hall.”

“Then that’s where I’m headed.” Soul turned to leave the room, but turned his head around before exiting. “Thanks again Twilight… for everything.” Twilight looked up with a smile as he walked out into the main room.

Spike had finally completed cleaning the scorched bookshelf. Once the paint dried, it would be hard to tell that the bookshelf had been hit by a firebird at all. He was putting away the ladder when Soul asked, “Hey Spike, can you do me a favor? In my bag by the basement door, there’s a report that needs to get sent to Princess Celestia. Think you can take care of it?”

“No problem,” Spike said, raising his opposable thumb towards the ceiling.

Soul continued across the room with a smile. “Thanks.” He paused for a moment at the library door before turning around. “I’ll actually have another letter to send after I get back.”

Spike took a look out the window and noted the darkened evening sky. “I’ll take care of that one too,” he said, though his drooping eyelids told a different story. “Where are you off to anyway?”

“I just got one more errand to run,” Soul said, and promptly left the library before Spike could ask any more questions.


********


        The Hayloft was a quiet little inn that got just enough business to keep it up and running. The structure itself wasn’t much bigger than a large house, but it gave off a rustic lived-in feel that apparently appealed to the few tourists Ponyville received. This is where Soul would have ended up staying had Twilight not offered the downstairs room to him. Soul now approached the inn in hopes of finding Trixie inside.

        As Soul expected, the lobby was quiet and empty. The receptionist lazily wandered around the room, dusting off shelves and tables. His energy appeared to pick up when he heard Soul enter; he turned around to see who it was and quickly approached him. “Hi there! Welcome to the Hayloft. Can I get you a room?” The young stallion said with a smile.

        Soul responded with his own smile. “Actually, I’m here to see...” He would have said ‘friend’, but somehow it didn’t feel quite right. “… an acquaintance of mine. Do you know what room Trixie is in?”

        In a big city, this might have seemed like an odd request, but in small town where visitors usually come because of family or friends, it wasn’t that uncommon. “Let me check,” said the receptionist as he trotted over the desk in the center of the room. He opened a large book on the desk and scanned through the entries with his hoof. He eventually tapped his hoof to the open page and said, “Ah, there we go! Trixie is staying in room 4.” He looked up at Soul. “If you go up the stairs, it will be the second room on the left.”

        Soul thanked the stallion with a nod of his head and promptly headed towards the staircase. He soon found himself outside room 4. He knocked on the door lightly. “Hey Trixie,” he said, “It’s Soul Seer. Can I come in? I want to talk with you for a bit.”

        “The Great and Powerful Trixie has nothing to say,” responded Trixie’s voice through the door.

        “What’s this?” Soul said with a sarcastic tone. “You’re no longer the Greater and More Powerful? Is this about what happened at the library today?”

        There was a moment of silence before Trixie responded with an annoyed tone. “Very well. You may come in and talk, but make it quick; Trixie needs her beauty sleep.”

        Soul opened the door and entered the room. It was a small room, but well furnished with a bed, desk, chest, and small couch. Trixie’s signature cape and hat sat neatly on the chest, while Trixie sat on the bed, brushing her mane. He closed the door behind him and said in a concerned voice, “Seriously thought, about what happened at the library –“

        “Twilight once again showed Trixie up,” Trixie interrupted. She gave a fierce stroke with her brush, which pulled her head a little. She placed the brush on the desk and began to slowly wander around the room.

        “That’s not what I heard,” Soul said while shaking his head. “I heard that your ‘fire phoenix’ flew into a bookshelf, lighting several books on fire. Twilight used her magic to try to save the books from your mistake –“

        “Trixie can’t make mistakes,” Trixie mumbled loudly.

        “But you apologized for it!” Soul responded, his voice rising in volume. “That’s what surprised me the most! I’ve never heard you apologize for anything – and trust me – you’ve had plenty to apologize for.”

        Trixie was speechless; her mouth hung wide open and her eyes were just as wide. She looked as though she was searching for the right words to say, but nothing was coming to her.

        Soul allowed himself to calm down. “Look, something about this rivalry of yours just doesn’t make sense to me: If you really just want more power, why fight against the one pony who could probably help you?”

        Trixie’s mouth slowly closed as her eyes turned downcast. “Why would Twilight help Trixie?”

        Soul looked up at the ceiling for a bit. “Well, to be honest, she has grown quite interested in the Elements of Nature. Helping you develop and control your power would give her an opportunity to study one of them.” He dropped his head to look at Trixie. “Personally, I think she’s also the kind of pony who’s willing to help other improve themselves. You just got to be a little friendlier,” He said with a smile, “and you could start by not trying to show off all the time.”

        Trixie turned her head away from him. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is a showmare; showing off it what we do.”

        “Okay,” Soul said with a roll of his eyes, “but you don’t have to go around proving that you’re better than everyone else. No pony is perfect, but you seem to think that you need to be.”

        Trixie quickly turned to look at Soul. “Who could like a performer that makes a mistake?”

        “Someone who likes the performer for who they are, not their performance,” Soul quickly retorted. “A friend isn’t going to like you any less because you made a mistake; that’s just another part of who you are.” Soul gazed beyond Trixie and out the window as he continued. “Even if the mistake you made ends up causing a lot of trouble, a true friend will look beyond the mess you’ve made and still see you as a friend.”

        The two stood in silence for about a minute, letting the words sink in. Eventually Soul looked back at Trixie. “I think you know what I’m talking about. The fact that you apologized for your actions today shows me that this rivalry with Twilight stems from something deeper than I desire for power.”

        It was a moment before Trixie looked up at Soul. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is tired of listening to you talk,” she said. She had mournful eyes and there was no energy behind her voice. “It is time for her to sleep.”

        “I understand, Trixie,” Soul said as he slowly made his way to the door. “Just think about what I said.” Trixie did not respond. She just sat on the bed on the bed with her head hung down. Soul left her room and closed the door behind him. He yawned as he made his way down the staircase. I’m tired too, he thought, but there is one last thing I need to do….


********


        Dear Princess Celestia,

        To start off, the Element of Fire – positively identified as Trixie – has been relocated to Ponyville in accordance with my arrangement with Everfree. There are some personal issues involving her that have caused a few problems, but I am hoping that can be resolved soon. I must also inform you that Scootaloo is now aware of her power as the Element of Air. I have made arrangements for her to be supervised as she discovers more about her power. We can only hope that it doesn’t get out of hoof.

        I have more pressing issues to discuss, however. I have gathered some more information from Everfree. He has told me about how he met with you and Princess Luna after you defeated Discord. He said that he asked for assistance in restoring nature, and that you refused to help. I’m sure that there are details I am missing, but that still brings up an important question: Have you forgotten about your meeting with Everfree, or was there a reason you didn’t tell me about him before?

        Another question that is beginning to plague me involves the actually restoration process: How does Everfree intend to return the Elements to nature? Can the Elements simply be removed from the souls they now inhabit, and what consequences are there for doing so? I don’t know how, but I need to find these answers before it is too late.

        I will continue to gather the Elements for Everfree and write reports to keep you informed. However, this situation is become more complex as I move forward, and truth behind it is becoming hazier as opposed to clearer. I will do whatever I can to keep every pony safe; I’m just not sure what that will require me to do.

                                                                        Signed,
                                                                        Soul Seer