//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: Cutie Mark Crusader Magicians, Yay! // by DrakeyC //------------------------------// Cutie Mark Crusader Magicians, Yay! Chapter 4 Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle walked through the orchards of Sweet Apple Acres. At the far end of the property their club house came into view, Trixie’s wagon parked beneath it in the shade. Sweetie Belle was counting bits in a bag around her neck. Apple Bloom looked back at her. “So, how many bits do we have?” Sweetie Belle looked up from the bag. “Forty-seven.” “Ah hope that’s enough. Trixie said we’ll need a lot o’ money for her lessons.” The three reached the wagon and Apple Bloom knocked. She heard movement inside and stepped back. The door pulled open and Trixie stepped down the small staircase. “Good, you’re on-time. Trixie appreciates punctuality.” Trixie thrust a hoof up into the air. “Now, are you three ready to embark on full day of magic and learning?” “Well, more like only most of the day,” Sweetie Belle said. “Rarity said I'm grounded for running off. I'm not allowed out after dinner for a week.” “Applejack said mine was for blackmailin' somepony.” Apple Bloom turned to Scootaloo. “What about you?” Scootaloo shrugged. “My dad works all day, and Rainbow Dash covered for me. She thought shooting myself out of a cannon was cool. Besides, she said it's hardly the worst thing we've tried.” “You've done worse?” Trixie rolled her eyes and levitated a piece of paper from beside her. “If the fraternizing is concluded, let us proceed with our lesson plan, lest the Great and Powerful Trixie reconsider her generosity. First, you, Apple Boom.” Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow. “Mah name is Apple Bloom.” “Whatever. Trixie will be teaching you basic alchemy that can be useful for stage magic. Smoke bombs, fireworks, potions, flashes of light. Think you’re up to it?” “Ah’ll do mah best!” “Excellent.” Trixie looked at Sweetie Belle. “You… erm…” Sweetie Belle frowned. “Sweetie Belle.” “Yes, that. You will be developing your telekinesis. The more advanced spells are certainly too much for you at this stage, but Trixie will get you started.” She turned to Scootaloo. “And lastly there is you, Scooterloo.” Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “Close enough.” “Trixie will be showing you how to construct magical props. With proper application of magically charged gemstones, even you should be able to manufacture practical items like invisibility cloaks and transporter boxes.” “Sounds cool. So when do we get started?” “As soon as we have all we need to do so.” Trixie looked behind her at a table and lifted a piece of parchment on it, floating it to Scootaloo. “Run to the general store and procure these supplies. Use the bits you assembled to buy as much as you can. Whatever you cannot afford, leave it be. Trixie will come up with a workaround when you return.” “Gotcha!” Scootaloo lifted the bag of bits from Sweetie Belle’s neck, turned, and galloped away. “What about us?” Apple Bloom asked. “We will be scavenging alchemy supplies. Trixie’s stocks have mysteriously dipped low in the last two days.” She cast Apple Bloom a knowing look and Apple Bloom gave a small chuckle. “Trixie has prepared a list.” Another piece of rolled-up parchment floated beside her. “Much of these are rather rare and difficult to procure directly. I don’t suppose either of you has much experience fighting chimerae?” “A bit, but it didn’t go so well last time,” Apple Bloom replied. Trixie stared for a moment, then shook her head and unfurled the list. “Trixie is not even going to ask. Barring that course, tell me, who in Ponyville has a deep knowledge of alchemy and potions?” “What about Twilight?” Sweetie Belle suggested. “Somepony else.” The two foals looked at each other and thought. After several seconds, Apple Bloom raised her head and smiled. “Ah know who we can talk to!” Scootaloo pushed open the door to Hay’s Hardware. “Hey, Mr. Lugnut!” A grey earth pony stallion with a balding mane lifted his head from a magazine on the counter. “Oh, hello, Scootaloo. How are things?” “Great.” Scootaloo approached the counter. “I need as much of these as these will buy.” As she spoke, she put the list Trixie gave her on the counter, then the bag of bits. Lugnut unrolled the list and read it over. He hummed and shook his head. “We don’t carry most of this stuff. I can get ya the wood and the aluminium, but gemstones and the rest, can’t help ya. Carousel Boutique might have what you need.” “Okay, that’ll do,” Scootaloo said. “About how much—” “Hang on…” Lugnut kept reading. He frowned and narrowed his eyes. “Changeling silk? Magic-attuned gemstones, preferably sapphires? Silver shavings?” He looked up at Scootaloo. “What are you three building this time?” Scootaloo shrugged. “I dunno. Trixie didn’t tell me what this stuff was for.” Lugnut raised an eyebrow. “Trixie. You mean that showmare that took over the town?” Scootaloo smiled widely and nodded. “Uh-huh.” “She sent you to buy magic supplies.” “Uh-huh.” “You, that with your two friends last year, blew up my store with fireworks.” “Uh-huh. Also, we apologized for that.” Lugnut groaned and rubbed his forehead. “Why is Trixie sending you to buy magical supplies?” “Because we’re her apprentices now and she’s gonna teach us stage magic to get our magician cutie marks,” Scootaloo replied. “You three are Trixie’s apprentices now.” “That’s right.” Scootaloo smiled at him. “…Are you planning to blow anything up?” “Not that she told us.” Lugnut sighed and shook his head, then walked around the counter. “If anypony asks, you didn’t buy this stuff here.” “No problem.” Trixie looked up as Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle lead her through the Everfree Forest. The trees overhead blocked out the sun while sharp stones and high grass kept poking at her hooves. “Are you two certain it is safe to venture out this far?” “We’re almost there,” Apple Bloom said. “Zecora knows all sorts of stuff about potions and she says the forest has all kinds of supplies in it. She’ll have what ya need, no problem.” Trixie said nothing, but continued to cast a wary eye over the forest. They turned a corner in the path and a hut carved out of a tree came into view in a clearing ahead. Trixie frowned and began to walk faster, passing Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. She knocked on the door and waited. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle stopped behind her and watched as Trixie kept looking around, shifting her weight between hooves. “Trixie, are you okay?” Sweetie Belle asked. Trixie gave a fake laugh. “Of course Trixie is okay. Why would she not be okay? Did she do anything to indicate she was not okay?” “Ya just seem kinda nervous.” Trixie gave Apple Bloom a dirty look but said nothing. The door swung open and Trixie looked forward. Zecora saw her and narrowed her eyes. “Zecora!” Apple Bloom stepped forward. “Howdy. Can we come in?” Zecora looked down at her, then back at Trixie, and then at Apple Bloom again. “A cruel prank you play on me, why have you brought this pony?” “Is that a no?” Trixie asked. Zecora frowned, but turned and walked into the hut. The three ponies followed, Trixie closing the door behind her. Zecora sat by a table full of jars of alchemy ingredients and turned to them. “I would not expect Trixie to visit me, yet for you foals I will suspend my hostility. Why have you come here, please tell me.” Sweetie Belle cleared her throat to draw attention. “We need some alchemy ingredients and we were hoping you have what we need. Trixie?” Trixie opened her saddle bag and gave the list of ingredients to Zecora. She looked them over and nodded. “These reagents I can supply.” She looked up at Trixie. “But first I must ask: why?” “The Cutie Mark Crusaders have become Trixie's apprentices,” Trixie said with a smirk. “She shall be teaching Apple Bloom alchemy with regards to its uses in stage magic and requires these ingredients to do it.” Zecora nodded. “These foals are my friends, that is well and true. But I cannot believe they would dare trust you.” Trixie huffed and rolled her eyes. “Why does everypony I see treat me like some sort of villain?” “Well, you did take over the town one time.” “That ain’t helpin’, Sweetie Belle.” Trixie came closer to Zecora and looked at her evenly. “Yes, Trixie got the Alicorn Amulet, went mad with power, and took over the town. But she has dined with Twilight and cleared the air over such things. And, last Trixie heard, Twilight Sparkle is friends with a spirit of chaos that tried to conquer Equestria two or three times over.” Trixie put a hoof to her chest and held Zecora's eye. “Is Trixie truly so vile she is beyond forgiveness, yet that being is not?” Sweetie Belle shrugged. “She’s got us there.” Zecora put a hoof to her chin. “Your past deeds are cause for distrust. Yet, your reasoning is just. If Twilight can forgive you, then I shall trust you too.” “Wonderful, yay. Now, how about those ingredients, hm?” Trixie asked. Zecora gave her a slight glare, but nodded and walked through a doorway into another part of the hut. Trixie took a deep breath and looked down at the foals behind her. “Once she has the ingredients, let’s pay her and get the hoof back home.” She looked at Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle and frowned when she saw the former had her eyebrow raised. “What?” “Trixie, are you scared or somethin’?” Trixie scowled. “Do you two realize where we are?” Sweetie Belle looked at the window. “The Everfree Forest?” “And what lurks in the Everfree Forest?” Sweetie Belle rubbed her chin. “Uh, cockatrices, cragadiles, manticores, sea serpents, parasprites…” “Don’t forget the timberwolves,” Apple Bloom said. “Yes, yes, yes, all of those live here, along with ursa minors and ursa majors!” Trixie snapped. “This is one of the most dangerous places in Equestria and you two walk in here like it’s a trip to a friend’s house!” “It is. This is where Zecora lives,” Sweetie Belle said. “You know what I meant! Ponies have no business being here. The last two foals I knew that came into this forest brought an ursa minor back to Ponyville with them.” Apple Bloom nodded. “Hey, that was different. Snips and Snails are stupid.” “Be that as it may, this place is dangerous, and we shouldn’t dally here.” Before Trixie could continue, Zecora came back in the room carrying a box of glass jars, various alchemy ingredients filling them. “Most of what you need is here, though there is another box, I fear.” “We can get it, right Sweetie Belle?” Apple Bloom looked at her friend and Sweetie Belle nodded.  Zecora gestured a hoof toward the door and the two ran through it. Trixie looked around as Zecora began to take jars out of the box and set them on the table. “So…” Trixie said, stepping closer. “You’re Zecora.” “Correct.” “You’re the zebra that helped Twilight defeat me when I had the Alicorn Amulet.” Zecora stilled and looked at Trixie. “I am.” “Great… good work there. Really.” Trixie smiled awkwardly. “Amulet drove me crazy, it needed to be stopped.” “The amulet is indeed a great and terrible charm, made worse when worn by a pony who already seeks harm.” Trixie scoffed and swept a hoof in the air. “Hardly. Trixie concedes she has her flaws, few and minute though they may be. However, she is hardly a power-mad tyrant. When she was released from the amulet’s power, she made amends with Twilight Sparkle.” “An apology or two does not fix what is passed. It is to future events to see if your redemption lasts.” Trixie raised an eyebrow. “Do you practice that rhyming in your spare time, or does it just come naturally?” Zecora glared in response. “For one who claims to have to have ended her feud, you still act rather hostile and rude. It is with good grace I give you my aid and I would expect that I will be repaid.” “Naturally. Trixie is many things but she is no con.” Trixie reached into her saddlebags and withdrew a small bag. “These bits are all Trixie has, but she is certain that she has enough. If not, she is open to alternative arrangements.” The bag floated over to Zecora, but she gently brushed it away. “My alchemy reagents are gathered in the woods and rarely must I venture to Ponyville for goods. Though of bits I have a dearth, it is only because to me they have little worth.” Trixie took the bits back and dropped them in her bag. “Well, if you don’t want money, how am I supposed to pay you?” Zecora smiled. “I have a need for a unicorn and the magic of her horn. If you desire to give these foals a magic education, why not provide them with a practical demonstration?” Behind Zecora’s hut, in a fenced-in garden, Trixie stood in front of a row of sprouts, leaning down to examine them. Behind her, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle watched. “Hm, shouldn’t be too difficult,” Trixie said under her breath. “I’ll sleep like a foal tonight after this and their lessons, but payment is payment.” “Uh, Trixie?” Apple Bloom nudged her hoof. “Didn’t you say you wanted to be goin’ home? Why are we out back here?” Trixie stood up and turned around. “In lieu of bits, Trixie has agreed to aid Zecora in the cultivation of certain alchemy ingredients. Thus we begin our first proper lesson.” Trixie stepped aside and nodded at the sprouts. “Do either of you know what these are?” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked closer at the plants. Each had four leaves which twisted into a spiral point. “They look familiar,” Sweetie Belle said. Trixie nodded. “I’ve little doubt you have seen them before. These are apricorn sprouts. Apricorns are some of the most commonly cultivated plants in alchemy, as the various parts of their fruits have many uses, from healing salves to spellbinding catalysts. Any alchemist who uses practical concoctions will likely be growing apricorns to aid them.” Apple Bloom looked at Trixie. “So, Zecora wants us to water them?” “Not quite. Apricorns are so named because of their reaction to unicorn magics, that being that exposure to it makes them grow larger.” Trixie tossed her mane and put a hoof to her chest. “Obviously, Zecora does not have unicorn magic, so she has asked me, the Great and Powerful Trixie, to offer her magical talent to her in ensuring these plants grow a bountiful harvest for her.” “Cool!” Sweetie Belle smiled. “So what do we do?” “You will be up first.” Trixie put a hoof around Sweetie Belle’s neck and pulled her forward. “Do you know at least basic spellcharging?” “Uh…” “Empowering other objects with magical energy.” Sweetie Belle frowned. “I know of it. But I told you before, I’m not very good with magic.” “That’s why you have Trixie.” Trixie stepped back and nodded at one of the sprouts. “We’ll start slowly. What you cannot finish, Trixie will. There is no pressure. If you could do it perfectly on your own we wouldn’t be here.” “Right.” Sweetie Belle took a breath. “Don’t be nervous, this is beneath even elementary magical studies.” Trixie walked around Sweetie Belle as she spoke. “A unicorn’s magic is more than just the spells she chooses to cast. It is a sixth sense that binds her to magical energy, the same way earth ponies connect to the ground and pegasi to the clouds. Sensing magic for a unicorn is like an earth pony feeling the earth beneath their hooves or a pegasi feeling the wind on their wings. The apricorns want you to cast magic on them, they’re calling to you. Reach out with your magic sense and you can hear them.” “O-okay.” Sweetie Belle gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes, and her horn lit green. Trixie shook her head. “No, no, no. This isn’t supposed to be stressful, even for an amateur.” She came closer to Sweetie Belle; the foal’s horn ceased its glowing. Trixie put a hoof on her back. “Relax. You have the ability; you just lack the knowledge of how to use it.” Sweetie Belle huffed and looked at the sprout. She turned her head to either side, a frown deepening on her face with each turn. She stomped a hoof. “I can’t hear anything!” “It is not an actual voice, Trixie just used that for comparison. The magic sense is beyond that. Close your eyes and shut out all other sounds. Focus and you can feel it coming from the dirt. Like a whisper on the edge of your hearing or a brush against your hoof. It’s not obvious or direct, it’s gentle.” Sweetie Belle nodded and lowered her head. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Trixie watched her expectantly. After several seconds, Sweetie Belle’s eyes popped open and she grinned. “I got it! I mean, I think I did. It’s sort of like a humming or a ringing, right?” Trixie smiled and nodded. “Yes. With more training in magic, such a sense will become second nature to you, but that will take time.” Sweetie Belle grinned and looked down the row of plants. “What do we do now?” Trixie chuckled at her enthusiasm. “Now we move on to empowering them with magic. Spellcharging is a very basic ability. You simply pour as much power as you can into an object, such as a gemstone or a potion. It takes proper training and strong magical potential to perform a spellcharging with significant benefit, so it is seen as impractical for conventional magic where one can just cast the spell with their own magic. But, for one in Trixie’s profession, otherwise ordinary items that secretly hold a magical charge in them can be quite useful.” “So, I have to charge up these apricorns?” “You will try, yes. Given your age it's unlikely that spellcharging will do much, but it will teach you how to channel your magic better. Once you have a better grasp on that, other spells will come more easily.” From behind them, Apple Bloom thought aloud. “Twilight never taught us anythin’ about spellchargin’ or magic senses.” Trixie looked back. “Really? Magic sense is one of the most basic principles of unicorn magic.” “How do you know so much about learning magic, Trixie?” Sweetie Belle asked. “It’s quite simple, my little apprentice.” Trixie smirked and patted a hoof on Sweetie Belle’s head. “Trixie is talented in many areas of spellcasting. Is it not natural that she is a prodigy when it comes to imparting her wisdom to others?” “I guess…” “There's no guessing about it. As you have said, even the Element of Magic herself is an unsuitable teacher. Fortunately for you, Trixie is here to pick up her slack.” Trixie nodded her head at the apricorns. “Reach out your magic sense again. When you hear the apricorn’s call, answer it with your magic. Don’t force it and don’t stress. It should feel natural.” Sweetie Belle nodded and closed her eyes. As Trixie and Apple Bloom watched, her horn lit up green. Thin trails of light began to pour off her horn like smoke, weaving through the air and flowing into the dirt around the nearest apricorn sprout. The leaves shimmered and lit up the same green. After several seconds, the glow faded and Sweetie Belle collapsed on her stomach. She was gasping for breath. Apple Bloom ran up to her. “Are you okay?” Sweetie Belle blinked several times. “I feel kinda dizzy…” Trixie looked at the sprout Sweetie Belle had been casting on. Her eyesbrows raised. “Little wonder. That’s quite a bit more power than I would have expected from you. You’ll feel better in a few hours, you’ve just overexerted yourself channeling more power than you’re used to using.” Sweetie Belle lifted her head. “So, I did good?” Trixie nodded. “Yes, you did very good.” Sweetie Belle smiled back and laid her head down. Trixie looked back at the plants. “We’ll continue practicing spellcharging later. For now, Trixie must concentrate and finish this chore.” Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle watched. Trixie moved down the line of plants, stopping in front of each one. Her horn glowed pink, and swirls of magic flowed into the dirt, then she moved on to the next seedling. When she finished, Trixie came back to them. “There. Trixie has agreed to return at a later date to continue her work, but that will be for her to worry about later. For now, let us gather our promised supplies and depart. Trixie would be rid of this forest promptly now that her work is complete.” Sweetie Belle climbed to her hooves, swaying, and she and Apple Bloom followed Trixie into Zecora’s hut. The zebra looked up from a journal as they entered. “Are my apricorn sprouts freshly energized?” Trixie nodded. “Indeed. Trixie promises you the best crop you’ve ever had.” “Such a feat would render me mesmerized.” Zecora gestured a hoof to a small wagon laden with jars and boxes. “The ingredients you require are in that stack, just bring the cart when you come back.” “Much appreciated.” Trixie walked to the cart and looked over the jars. “On our way back, Apple Bloom, we’ll see how much you know of these items. We have a lot of work to do when we get back to Trixie’s cart.” “Awesome.” Apple Bloom nudged Sweetie Belle, and the two pushed open Zecora’s door. Trixie lifted the harness for the wagon onto her back. “Thank you for the ingredients, Zecora. Trixie shall return in a few days to complete her task.” Zecora waved a hoof for Trixie to wait. “Trixie, before our business is through, I would have a word with you.” Trixie peeked out the door at Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, then gently pulled it closed. “Yes?” “Please forgive me for prying, but during your lessons I was spying. You showed a lot of patience for young Sweetie Belle even as she struggled to listen, I could tell.” Trixie shrugged. “Trixie is a gifted teacher, as in many other fields. What of it?” “I must apologize for my earlier hostility. I have borne witness to your sincerity. I wish you luck in your teaching lessons, feel free to consult me if they have any questions.” Zecora bowed her head as she finished speaking. Trixie thought over what she said, and smiled. “Apology accepted. See you later in the week.” Trixie pushed open the door and walked out of the hut to her waiting apprentices.