Trixie sat on the ground, her hind legs bent in a most uncomfortable position. Crossing them in front of her while sitting on her rear was such an unnatural position for her, but Zecora had insisted.
She kept her eyes closed, trying to ignore the pain. She had to focus. Even in discomfort, she had to focus. That was the lesson.
Around her floated three orbs, little trinkets. Zecora had told her that Twilight Sparkle was able to move orbs of water and keep them in shape, all while standing on water. She wasn’t there yet, though. But she would be. She had to get good enough to help Twilight and Celestia. She had to...
Why aren’t you top of the class? Are you lazy, or just stupid?
Her mother’s words rang in her head. Instantly the three wooden trinkets fell to the ground.
Zecora, standing a few feet away, shook her head.
“You still cannot live with the pain. It’s hard to do to feel no shame.”
Trixie sighed. “It’s not that... not entirely. I... I just can’t stop thinking about my past. My parents, my bad choices...”
“The greatest pains do not show. With your past, I’d think you’d know.” The Zebra handed Trixie a cup of water, which was lapped up quickly.
“Are you saying I should ignore my past entirely?”
Zecora shook her head. “Memories can stay painful, though time makes them dull, and ignoring your feeling can take quite a toll. Live with your failures, that might sound strange, but knowing your failures is the first step to change.”
Trixie finished her drink. Zecora kept talking.
“Twilight’s friends carried a terrible guilt, and heartache and pain were slowly built. But they vowed never to err again, and on that promise they never offend. They’ve grown and they’ve learned, and are better I say, their past was a lesson, and not in their way.”
Trixie nodded. “You’re asking me to have my mistakes be lessons.”
Zecora nodded. “Try all that you can, do the best you can do, there is something that I must see to.”
Trixie nodded and returned to her meditation. Zecora re entered her house. After making absolutely sure Trixie wasn’t spying, she went to one shelf and located a simple box. She opened it and pulled out the parchment on top.
Zecora,
I have just been informed that Princess Celestia has asked you to take in a new student for her in the absence of Twilight Sparkle. It pleases me that you decided to take the job. Refusing might have aroused undue suspicion, and I trust the Princess’s judgement on character. If she says Trixie Lulamoon is deserving of a second chance, I believe her.
Hold off on your work if you don’t believe you can risk it without fear of exposure. It’s worth having to wait until Twilight returns to her duties rather than compromise everything. Who knows? Perhaps we can even get Trixie as an ally.
Fleur is adoring those herbs you gave her, she says her coat has never looked better. We’re waiting and hoping for more news. Take care of yourself.
Fancypants.
Zecora had received the letter earlier that day, from a private messenger undoubtedly paid big bits to stay quiet. She had considered responding, but had decided against it. There was always a chance it could be intercepted, and like Fancypants said, they didn’t want to risk getting caught.
She scanned the letter again, trying to figure if Fancypants had included some hidden meaning. Finding none, she slipped it back into its box, then set about making tea.
She had mixed feelings about teaching Trixie, but she knew it was what Twilight would ask of her if she were still in Equestria. The Unicorn was a pony she absolutely adored, always quick to learn more about magic.
After Trixie had run, Twilight called the Royal Guards, and with Zecora’s help, they had searched the Everfree for her. After several days they declared she had moved on, given Zecora a generous box of bits for her service, and left. Twilight had worried about her, and had kicked herself for not being able to purge her of the dark influence.
Sighing, she finished the tea. Even though she thought it had to be done, going behind Twilight’s back to work with Fancypants felt like a betrayal. And if she did as Fancypants suggested, leading Trixie astray would be a further violation of that trust.
She would leave Trixie out of it, she decided. She would train Trixie to the best of her abilities. Hopefully, Twilight and Fancypants wouldn’t ever come in conflict.
Cloak and Dagger, for that’s what she had decided to call herself at the moment, sighed as she poured over the books in the Canterlot library.
The whole mess with interviewing the ponies around Canterlot, trying to find the leak, and turned up nothing. It was a waste of time, and she was thankful she had convinced Celestia it was a dead end. Or at least, that her talents were better spent elsewhere.
Assuming the Sun Stone really did exist, and she suspected it did, then it stood to reason that she could find some more artifacts from the Age of Megan, something that might give them an advantage in the hunt for the Changelings.
“Let’s see... ‘Megan, in her wisdom, destroyed the Flashstone to prevent any other evil force from using it. It’s rumored that the evil magician Squick passed away some three hundred years later, and his race was one of many casualties of the age of Discord.’”
She sighed. That’s what every story said.
She had poked back into the history, as far back as the beginning, but nothing came up.
Nopony knew what happened to the Rainbow of Light. Some said it was now known as the Elements of Harmony. Some said the Flutter Ponies had taken it and hidden it away in some far off land, and which one varied. Still others said the Creator had deemed its purpose fulfilled in the mortal realm and had taken it back to help with the more large-scale battle against Darkness. The stories were so contradictory there was no place to start.
The spells of Catrina seemed to be lost to time. The Sun Stone might exist. And Megan had, according to every source, destroyed the Flashstone. No luck. Still, she was early in Megan’s history...
She had found a few things, a list of spells said to be devised by Princess Porcilla that she gave to Celestia’s mages for research, some diagrams that were said to be the blueprints of the Gizmonks’s otherwordly technology, and some records that indicated fossils of the Bumbles had been found, but nothing solid. Nothing that would help her.
Nothing on anything that would help Equestria.
She kicked at nothing. She liked writing, she liked adventuring, but the research required for either would be undoubtedly dull. But she had to keep looking. Maybe she could find something, anything that would help her.
She reached for another book before glancing at a large clock on the wall. She nearly gaped. It was nearly midnight.
Knowing Celestia would likely drag her to bed by the ear if she caught her putting in a late night when she was supposed to be resting and recovering, she simply took the books she had yet to read and brought them to the front desk. Too valuable to leave the library, she simply made sure nopony else would bother them, and then left.
As she treked through the hallways, deep in thought, she was surprised to run into Celestia.
“Princess? I thought you’d be in bed.”
She smiled. “I had a bit of a late night... worried for my ch... student,” she smiled. “As long as I have a free moment, would you care to join me for a spot of tea?”
Cloak and Dagger blinked. “Um... it’s kind of late.”
“I know, but we rarely spend any time together. A chess game every time we discuss your exploits, but never just friendly chats.”
Cloak and Dagger looked at her hooves. “I guess... I just don’t spend much time with anypony.”
Celestia nodded. “Daring... you remind me of my student just a few years ago. Twilight locked herself away from the world and was afraid to let anypony into her heart. I knew she had it in her, but going it alone was killing her. I see that in you. You care about me, don’t you?”
“Of course,” Daring said, blushing at how quick she answered.
“You consider me a friend?”
“Yes... but we hardly talk outside of business.”
Celestia draped her wing over her. “I know... and I aim to change that.” She motioned to her chambers. “Shall we?”
After a moment, the Pegasus nodded. “Okay.”