Twilight Sparkle was in a state of relaxation and focus. Her eyes were closed. Her breathing pattern was slowly becoming more calm with the passing minutes. She even had fleeting moments when she didn't even know where she was. In fact, she was home, in the library of Ponyville. She was not asleep, but in a state of meditation.
Life in this town had been rather hectic lately. Pinkie had loud parties every 2 or 3 days. Rarity contantly needed attention and help with her business. Fluttershy needed counseling at random intervals. Applejack was constructing some inane contraption for her farm and needed Magical assistance carving out gears and other components from wood, metal, and rock. Rainbow dash kept crashing into buildings during her training for the next phase of Wonderbolt Academy, which was meeting again in just a few short months.
It was all flustering when these worlds all combined to give Twilight pounding headaches; one after another. The days of late had been agonizing. So, in a desperate plea for help from Zecora, Twilight was given some peculiar potions to drink, hot, as well as written instructions for deep extended meditation in a relaxed position.
Twilight reflected back on her time with Zecora. The elder tree that Zecora called her home was decked out with strange artifacts and symbols. When Twilight creaked open the door, Zecora was busily preparing her own dinner. There were broken eggshells on her kitchen table, as well as chopped up roots ready for boiling. The entirety of the house gave off a pleasant fragrance. It smelled like good food and burning incense. But what kind of incense? Twilight wasn't sure. Zecora immediately acknowledged her good friend with raising of her hoof into the air without looking back from her work.
“Be just a moment, my Magic friend. So that this meal may not offend.”
Twilight closed the door behind her, walking around and making herself at home. This was an impressive hollow of a house built from an ancient tree, deep in the Everfree Forest. The walls were laden with shelf after shelf of potions and jars filled with chopped herbs, both fresh and dried.
“What is that wonderful smell?” asked Twilight.
Zecora finished chopping her special roots and tossed them all into an iron pot, which hung just above a greenish flame. Green Fire? That was strange. Was it Magic? It must have been some kind of power like Magic. Twilight had never seen such a thing before, even with her extensive Magical training and studies. Zecora sighed.
“There are many things from beyond your world that you have yet to learn, like what can bring light, and what may burn.”
“I know what Fire is, thank you very much!”
“Do you?”
Zecora had still not turned around, which was slightly irritating to the purple unicorn. She decided to let it go though. Such moments were fleeting, but often filled with meaning, and she didn't want to miss anything. Twilight sat quietly as Zecora turned around, her stew on it's way to being completed. Time and patience was needed now. Only time and patience, and in this she revelled.
“You are smelling the scent of burning Mugwort. I grind many herbs of that sort. But this is not why you have come. You have a reason, and many problems become one.”
“How did you know why I came? I haven't even-”
Twilight was cut off by Zecora raising her hoof for a moment.
That night was long, and they shared a good meal. But there are further details which will be gone into later. For now, we go back to the world outside Twlight's quiet space.
She had posted Spike as a guard outside the library door to repel invaders.By invaders, she meant ponies with inane problems to pester her with.
The first potion she had taken tasted like razzleberries and smelled like boiled turnips. She had cooked the liquid in it's oddly shaped clay vase with her Magic until it was steaming hot. She liked her tea hot. Well, just hot enough as not to burn her tounge. Steam was a good sign. Steam made he feel at peace, regardless of the odd smell. She bathed her mane in the steam. It went up her nose and curled around her ears. She had materialized a large comfy beanbag chair in the
middle of the main room, and had dimmed the glass in all of the windows with her Magic. This was to be a time of peace, if only for one day.
Rarity soon showed up at Twilight's door, all flustered and partially covered in blue diamond encrusted ribbons. However, she was soon put to a halt by the Library's Sentry, who loomed angrily with his full 2 1/2 feet. Rarity blinked, and then lowered her head in a piercing gaze with a slick smile on her face. Spike was entranced almost instantly by his secret crush, which was not as secret as he had once hoped. Rarity knew that she had power over him, and wielded it as every convienient opportunity. Spike's pupils soon transformed into pulsing red hearts and he became rather dizzy. Rarity was obviously through the door by now, ignoring him fully now, as was her preferred custom.
She stood in awe and confusion at Twilight, who was enraptured in lightly drifting steam from several clay vases and laying back on a greyish bean bag chair. The room was quiet, and Spike has fallen over in the doorway in lovesickness.
"I'm having a crisis, Twilight! What are you doing?" barked Rarity.
It seemed as is something outside Twilight's quieted mind had erupted with sound. However, even as she was only slightly aware of this in her deeply meditative state, she lazily sent out a spell with her horn that appeared as a bubble above her head. The bubble absorbed some of the combined steam and soon colored itself pink. Rarity yelled out again to wake up the other Unicorn, but was only met with a frightening essence that had just been born from within the bubble, which had dimmed down in color to a tranlucent purple. Rarity fell backwards on her tail and barrelled back out the door, falling over Spike in the process, who was awakened from his dizzy spell by a warm white form squirming on top of him. Was this a dream? His question was duely answered by a quick hoof to the face as Rarity ambled to her feet and bolted from the scene, with some scattered ribbons flying away as she ran.
"What a mare.." Spike mused as he passed out on the doorstep.