The effect of the Wooden Heart

The next day started very peaceful, Spirits wounds healed very quickly and he and Bite started with their mental exercises early in the morning. Later at this day, went Spirit in the town to buy some food for the animals, a few ponies stopped him and asked what happened. He explained everyone of them what happened and how he got the wounds.

Because of that it took a bit longer than he expected but as he was finished telling everypony what happened. He went back to his tent. Just as he reached the cottage saw he that Fluttershy was talking with Bite.

Spirit laid the basket with food down and walked over to them. "Hello I am back! And what is so interesting to discuss."

"Well I was making breakfast as I noticed a strange smell and I decided to followed it. I ended up in front of Bite and started looking for if he had ate something bad."

Spirit first nodded than opened his eyes wide. "Ah if it is nothing more... wait Bite open your mouth!"

Fluttershy looked confused but Bite seemed to get what he was up to. He opened his mouth and Spirit smelled Bites breath. And what he smelled, confirmed what he thought. "It seems that Bite is now an fully adult!"

Fluttershy looked at Bite and smiled. "I am happy to hear that but Bite looks a bit thinner than the most Timberwolves I saw. Are you sure he is full grown now?"

Spirit looked at Bite and noticed the same. "Yes your right, maybe that's because he lived the most of his live among Timberwolves at the Zebra lands, they are thinner as the Timberwolves here and he probably adopted that!"

Fluttershy nodded than pat Bite on the head. "And how is your mental communication going?"

Spirit looked at the sun. "Not much better but he just reached his adult age so I think it won't take much longer! Anyway I go visit Zecora I still need some phials of the powder. Bite do you come too?"

Bite nodded and jumped up. Spirit turned to Fluttershy. "See you later!" Then they walked directly to Zecoras home and knocked on the door.

"You may enter my home
visitor are always welcome!"

Spirit greeted her formally. "Good day elder..." Zecora raised an eyebrow. "Right Zecora. Anyway I came here to ask if you have a bit of the powder I could borrow?"

"Of course you can
but I may I ask why you look so wan?"

Zecora pulled a box full of phials of a shelve and shoved it over to Spirit. He grabbed a few of them then started to explain. "Well I had a encounter with few poachers and I got few hits. But now big deal it is just that I have to give another Timberwolf some of the powder and I doesn't wanted to damage the plant so I need a few phials from you and I also wanted to tell about my progress so far. Wait what is that kind of plant? I never saw one like this!" He pointed at a small plant with one blossom hanging down.

"I experimented with the magical plant
so I could make one to transportation not only to stand."

Spirit looked closely at the plant. "So you mean you are raising a transportable version of the magical plant? That sound practical! Could you show me how you made it but first I wanted to tell you about my progress.."

As he wanted to started held Zecora up.

"I already know about your lessons
I heard the ponies like them for several reasons!"

Spirit was very happy to hear that. "Really they did? And also I wanted to tell you that..." Spirit stopped and Bite sniffed in the air and Spirit closed his eyes. After a short moment he opened his eyes again. "There are Changelings and there on the way to the town!" 'Why did I not took my claws with me? I have to do it without weapons!'

Spirit and Bite walked outside before Zecora could say anything, she turned to her shelves and searched for a bottle. Meanwhile outside searched Spirit for the Changelings. As he found them he shouted. "Hey you, what do you want here?"

The changelings turned around walked to him slowly. Suddenly Spirit heard a noise behind and jumped to the left to dodge the attack of another Changeling. Spirit quickly hit the changeling on the back head and knocked the Changeling out. As he looked up again he was now surrounded by Changelings and they started to copy Spirits appearance. Spirit smiled and made himself ready to fight. "If they would knew that their changing nothing changed for us!" Bite sniffed again and nodded.

Suddenly five of them jumped at Spirit, who jumped to the right to dodge them and they crashed into each other. Instantly another group walked to Spirit but he ran forward to them on his way he grabbed a branch with his mouth and used it to hit them all. Bite meanwhile was attacked by a group of them but was able to shake them off. After that he turned to another group and jumped on them but instantly six other attacked Bite and pushed him back. Spirit was fighting a small group but was also pushed away till he was back to back with Bite. "There are too much of them! We need a plan! Fast!"

Then Spirit heard a door opened and as he looked at his left he saw that Zecora stood in her door with bottles in her hooves. She threw a few before the feeds of the Changelings and they exploded in a big smoke cloud. The Changelings back off and coughed. This gave Zecora the chance to walked to Spirit and Bite and gave Spirit few bottles. He nodded and made himself ready to throw them.

As the smoke cleared there stood even more Changelings who were about to attack so Spirit and Zecora started throwing the bottles every time the smoke cleared and Bite hold everyone of them back who came through the smoke. They did this for a few minutes till they had no bottles left to throw.

As they saw the amount of Changelings Spirit Zecora and Bite just sat down and waited. "When they attack we can try to defend a last time but this time it doesn't look good for us."

The Changelings slowly walked to them but stopped suddenly and started to back up and flee. Spirit looked confused at Zecora. "What happened?"

"I can't say why they flee either
maybe something happened to their leader!"

Spirit thought for a moment. "That could it be but I should go back now and look if everypony is ok! And also thank you for helping me!"

He was already far away as Zecora said a last thing.

"You should use your time wisely now
because it won't take long till you have to go."

As Spirit reached the cottage he saw Applejack and Flutterhsy. As they saw them they seemed very relived. "There ya are, Spirit! We thought the Changelings might got you!"

Spirit felt a bit sorry for his friends worrying. "I am sorry I was at Zecoras home and we defend us from the Changelings. That brings me to a questions, why did they flee suddenly?"

Fluttershy looked down. "Fallen did it."

Spirit looked worried at them expecting the worst. "He did what?"

Applejack spoke up. "I will explain it ,sugarcube. Ya get yourself a tea!" Fluttershy nodded then walked inside.

Spirit now turned to Applejack already fearing the answer. "What he does Fallen did?"

And with that Applejack started to explain what happened while Spirit was away. At the end he stood there with his eyes wide opened. 'I expect much from a follower of the dark path but he seems more powerful than I thought!'

He pulled himself together and spoke again. "No wonder that Fluttershy seems so distraught. But I believe that he did it with good intentions, after all he saved the town! My teacher told me he would play big role maybe that was what he meant!"

She looked at him in disbelieve. "Hold on a sec, ya wanna tell me that ya already knew about him being an Umbrum?"

"Well my teacher told me that he was a dark mage and in the lesson with Bright she confirmed that he is a Umbrum! I promised her and my teacher to keep it for myself! But back to the attack got anything damaged?"

Applejack pointed into town. "A few buildings but we can repair them in no time. Did something at Zecora get broke we can help her to fix it."

Spirit shook his head. "No nothing. I stopped them a bit away from her home but I must say I am surprised to meet changelings here. I didn't knew they came from here."

"Wait ya wanna tell me that you met changelings in the zebra tribes. Did they tried to infiltrate ya tribe or what did they did there?"

"No they didn't also it was just one." Spirit looked at her and nodded in the direction of Fluttershys house. "Why don't we go inside so I can tell the story. It is also the story how I learned that I can communicate with Timberwolves and I think Fluttershy would interest that too."

So they all went inside and sit around a table and Fluttershy gave them tea. "So it was four years ago at the tribe..."

Bite and I were collecting a few plants for a potion as I heard a strange noise, we followed it till walked over a hill and we saw a strange creature surrounded by Timberwolves. The creature looked like a fuse of a bug and pony with holes in the legs. Both the Timberwolves and the bug like creature seemed ready to fight. I noticed that the Changeling had green fire similar energy around his hooves. I guess it was some sort of spell.

I tried to calm the wolf with stretching out with my mind but as I reached the alphas mind he overwhelmed me with his mind. As it didn't worked Bite and I ran to them before they could attack each other.

I shouted. "Stop!" And they both stopped and the Timberwolf looked at me."You was the one who tried to calm me."

I was very surprised hearing a voice in my head. "Why can I hear you?"

The alpha rolled with his glowing eyes. "Of course you can hear me! Didn't your teacher told you. Your aura is very similar to ours and you are able to connect your aura with the aura of other creatures!"

Now I recognized the Timberwolves they passed through our village two days ago and my teacher gave them a bit food on their way. But I thought to myself I would ask my teacher about that later. I turned around to the Changeling. "But what is happening here? Why are you fighting?"

The changeling looked at me with open eyes. "Hey! It wasn't my fault I was just passing through!"

"You know this is Timberwolf territory. You have to ask for permission before entering it."

"You guys should put up a sign or something!"

"Could you take him to your tribe and give him a identification from your tribe!"

To be honest I didn't wanted to but there stood a Timberwolf together with his whole pack so I agreed.

The Timberwolf let us alone and the Changeling turned to me. "Thanks for the help! It was nice to meet you but I have to go. I am late for a meeting!"

He turned around and was about to go but I stopped him. "No you will not! You will come with me, my teacher will give you a emblem. Then you can pass through if you want."

"I don't think I will need it, the Timberwolves are gone so..." He wanted to go away but Bite jumped in his way. "Ok I come with you."

So I brought him to my village on the way I introduced myself. "So, my name is Spirit Wood. What is yours?"

"I am Switch!"He didn't say much else so the most of the walk was silent.

As we reached the village he stopped. "Give me a second." Green flames surrounded him for one second and suddenly there stood a Pegasus with a grey coat and a green mane and wings with a green raining could as his cutie mark.

"What? Oh right, you probably never saw a Changeling before. Let me just say that the most ponies don't like my race! So I disguise myself."

I didn't understood what he meant but I didn't question it. I turned to the door and knocked.

<"Just come in the door is open! But be quiet!"> I led Switch in middle room. My teacher sat at a table while wearing a pair of rune glasses to study a leaf.

Switch turned to one of the shelves and reached out for a jar but I stopped him by whispering to him. "If you touch one thing my teacher will do much more worse to you than any Timberwolf could do!"

He quickly stopped and walked back next to me and my teacher stood up and looked down at the disguised Changeling. "And who is that?"

I step forward to introduce him as it was tradition. "That is ..."

As I was about to say his name he cut me off. "Green Wing!"

My teacher started walking around him. He looked at his green wings and chuckled. "I wonder how you got this name! So what brings you here "Green Wing"?"

I spoke quickly so that he couldn't say something wrong. "Well a few Timberwolves stopped him and I said he would need a identification that he can pass through."

My teacher turned around and opened a box and reached in it. "Of course give me a moment I get you one. With it you are allowed to travel through every region in the Zebra lands without problems and everyone knows that you are a guest!"

My teacher gave him a necklace with a symbol on it which meant guest. "So here if that is everything, tell my student where you want to go and he will show you the way!"

I waved him to follow and we left the building. "Good. Where do you want to go?"

He shook his head and dropped his disguise. "I now the way, you don't need to show me the way. It was nice to meet you and let me give you a last information, if you ever see other Changelings be careful. The most time there are not friendly! See you maybe!"

And he walked away and I went inside to ask a few question to my teacher about my special talent but he interrupted me. "Before you say anything. The next time you find a changeling say him he doesn't have to disguise himself!"

He surprised me with this and I was only able to say one word. "How?"

He simply pointed at his rune-glasses.

"And that's how I met a Changeling and how I learned that I can understand Timberwolves through their mind."

"Ya wanna say that ya met a Changeling and he was just going through?"

Spirit nodded. "Yes he was and he also gave me this warning and without it the Changelings probably would have get me. Anyway this was my first and, till today, only encounter with Changelings. If you have time later I would like to know from when you met Changelings before but now it is already late and I didn't done my meditation yet so bye." Spirit walked outside and started meditating for the rest of the day.