Acorn raised an eyebrow at me. I looked down. I knew it was a silly question. I knew I shouldn't have bothered asking. Trixie was still working on completing her task. Rarity had taken Sky shopping with her since Acorn didn't have anything for my sister to do today, and Rarity already finished. Some of my butterflies flew in front of me blocking my face, but of course that just made everything worse.
"I'm so sorry. I know it must be a stupid question but I worry about them and…"
Acorn laughed. "Oh, you really are serious?" She laughed again. "I should have known. They're not exactly alive, and they certainly can't feel pain."
"But they…"
"Act just like you expect them to act. They even communicate in ways real butterflies would because you know how real butterflies behave. They aren't real."
"Then, what are they?" I tilted my head slightly
"Your magic. Nothing more than oddly shaped telekenitic fields. Well, mostly. They are alive in a sense. It's just not a normal sort. They're like your wings. They are part of you and the loss of one feather won't mean your wings suddenly stop working."
"It really depends on the feather."
"Oh." She shook her head. "Not the point. They are very weird in that they seem to able to act independently of your own conscious thought, but they are still part of you, and again not that different from the glow that surrounds objects when unicorns lift them."
"Really? But they seem to do things I don't know how to do. Like getting the whole rock pile to balance. I don't know how they did that."
She laughed. "That may be somewhat true, but they are part of you, so on some level you know. Though I suppose it does suggest your subconscious knows things you don't. I certainly didn't expect you to find a different loophole to use."
"What?"
Trixie was very soon right in Acorn's face. I quickly backed away. Sometimes she really reminded me of Rarity, but other times she could be so like Dash. She was so forceful and direct, and of course she did talk up her accomplishments a little much too. Acorn laughed.
"You seriously didn't even figure it out? So all this time you've just been trying to pile the rocks in such a way that my wind spell can't blow them over? That's impossible."
"What? Are you telling the fair and honest Trixie the only way to complete this task is to cheat? You told us not to use magic."
"Oh my. I'm sorry." I looked down at the ground. "I didn't mean to cheat."
Acorn laughed again. "Don't be silly. I told you that you had to stack them without using your hooves, and you had to make sure they would not be blown over by my wind spell. I also told you that I would inspect them for your magic before I tested them."
Trixie went wide eyed. "So all Trixie had to do is use magic you can't detect? Why did you not simply tell Trixie that? It is simplicity itself."
"It's part of the test. Also while Rarity…"
Trixie's horn briefly flashed. "Test it now."
Acorn rolled her eyes. "I don't see anything but I don't think…"
"Now. Trixie is quite irked with you, and while the patient and understanding Trixie will give foals the world, you are clearly no true foal."
"It's all relative really, but fine."
Acorn blew a little. Usually she was much closer, and it seemed like the wind spell got even more powerful as it got near the pile. Then all the little leaves and forest matter struck a wall that didn't seem to be there at all. Acorn blinked. Then the glowing magic wall became visible. Trixie smiled.
"The Great and Powerful Trixie…" A wind whipped up her cloak as she said this. "…is a master of illusion and even if you did detect my wall, Trixie didn't use any magic to keep the pile balanced, now did Trixie?"
Acorn laughed. "Ooo, very good. Most never even consider that loophole. Even better that Fluttershy found one I didn't even consider."
"I did?"
"Yes, you must explain. Trixie is curious now."
"Her butterflies applied natural magic to them. Not nature, but the natural magic that can settle into things over time, usually a great deal of time. It's where things like the singing mountains and magical trees come from."
"Trixie is confused. Does that not mean Fluttershy failed?"
"Yes, but I said her magic, didn't I? I can't tell it's hers. It's new so logically it has to be her doing, but I can't prove it. It's patterns without purpose or caster, yet still generating an effect. It shouldn’t be possible, yet she can do it."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do something impossible."
Trixie and Acorn both laughed.
"Huh?"
"Trixie is amazed. Only a frightened tiger like you could say such a thing."
Acorn then went wide eyed. "Oh, that's what he meant." Then she began staring at me. "There is even more I'm not seeing isn't there? I guess uncle wasn't kidding when he said he'd trust me with anything."
"Now Trixie is confused."
Acorn shook her head. "Nothing important. Just a few things I put together. Neither of you should be concerned with it for now."
"And by that you mean Trixie should never be concerned with it because it's a secret, but the element of Kindness is a different story."
Acorn nodded. "Obviously. Now come on, we're all done here unless you have more questions. Questions about magic I'll be willing to answer that is."
"Trixie has one, and even though I think you do not want to, Trixie feels you have to or it will leave an important gap in our education. Namely that deer can do what she did and it means something specific."
Acorn shook her head. "Not deer no, but yes there is a group that at least can do what she did, or at least in legend they can. It is important I tell you that's right, but that's it. Also I don't mind telling you that, because it's the last piece of a puzzle you have at most three pieces of."
"Trixie does not like that answer."
"So? Now come on, we're done and I'm hungry."
Then she walked off. Trixie glared for a moment then followed her. This sounded scary. I really don't like the sound of any of that. At least I don't have to worry about my butterflies anymore. That's nice. But I really wish it wasn't clear there is some other big secret involving me somehow. Also it sounds like it's connected to being the element of Kindness and there is already so much to worry about involving that.