Druids and the Wooden Heart

As they all were sitting again Twilight turned to Switch. "I have one question...?"

"Switch."

Twilight smiled. "I have one question Switch. Who does shape change works?"

Switch was surrounded by green flames for a second and had his Green Wing disguise back on. "Like this."

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Switch chuckled. "Nothing just a joke. But anyway you could imagine it like a normal spell. First we have to imagine the appearance of the pony. We can use the one of a pony in front of us or we create like Green Wing a whole new pony."

He wanted to continue but began to cough heavily. They all looked at him and Bright asked a bit worried. "What is with him?"

While Switch began to reach in his bag for his medicine explained Leaf. "He has a injured lung since an accident. He need to take his medicine to stop him from coughing."

Switch finally found his medicine and quickly drank it. "Yes I have to drink this potion every now and then because somepony thought it would be a good idea to use insect spray directly in my face."

He sat down again and Switch turned to Fluttershy. "Fluttershy , how have been the visiting at the pack been while I was away?"

Fluttershy looked a bit down. "Not so good. First many ponies wanted to see the Timberwolves but after some days less and less ponies came."

Spirit looked a bit sad but nodded. "That was predictable. The ponies are simply not really interested at them but at least tell me that nopony seemed to have anything against them."

Fluttershy nodded. "As far as I saw had nopony a problem with them the most seem to just not care about them."

Spirit sighed. "At least something."

Leaf meanwhile just sat back and listened to what the others were talking about. What none of them had noticed is that she had covered her right eye with her hair. Until Pinkie spoke to her. "What's with your eye?"

Leaf turned her head to the to the right so that no one could see her right eye. "Nothing."

Pinkie chuckled. "No silly. I mean the other eye." Pinkie grabbed Leafs head and pulled the hair away. "It's all green and shiny."

Leaf pushed Pinkies hooves away. "I got it with my cutie mark. It allows me to see the magic energy of everything."

Twilight heard this and looked at the eye. "You mean like the aura view spell?"

She nodded. "In the basics ,yes but it is a bit more advanced. I can see the magic in everything even the weakest. I also can see the magical construction of runes, see what they do before activated and see mistakes almost immediately."

Twilight nodded. "That sounds very practical. I bet that is very helpful."

Leaf smiled at her. "Indeed it is."

They talked like this for the next ten minutes. After that Applejack and Rarity also arrived. As Rarity came in she stopped as she saw the others ponies. "Good afternoon. Who are our guests?"

Twilight began to introduced them. "This here is Leaf, she is a old friend of Spirit and this is Switch he helps Spirit finding the druids."

Applejack nodded to them. "Howdy!" She sat down next to Fluttershy. Rarity smiled to them. "It is nice to meet you." And she sat on the last free chair, next to Switch.

After a few seconds Spike carried the food in the room. They all got a bowl of salad and Spirit strew magic powder on Bites salad.

As they were eating turned Rarity to Switch who still had his disguise on. "So Mr. Switch. That is a very interesting name, from where do you come from?"

Switch then realized that he still looked like a pegasus. He dropped his disguise and chuckled as he saw who Rarity jumped back. "Did I scared you? For faces like this I should drop my disguise more often." He laughed a bit.

Rarity looked now a bit angry. "I will not sit next to this bug creature!"

Suddenly Switchs face turned serious and his hooves began to glow. "There is one thing I don't like and that is being called a bug."

He began to stand up but before he could say anything else Leaf jumped up. "Why don't you sit on my place and I sit next to you Rarity?"

Switch relaxed again and nodded. They switched the seats and they began eating again, until Rarity tried to talk with Leaf. "As I see you are a zebra. To be honest I don't like the stripes but that brings me to your hair. Did you dyed it to get this color?"

As Switch and Spirit heard Rarity they wanted to stop her but it was too late. Leaf stopped and stood up. "No I didn't!" She walked out of the room.

Rarity turned to the other. "Did I said something wrong?"

Spirit sighed. "No not really. It is just against her pride to ask if she had dyed her hair. Bite could you?" Bite nodded and followed Leaf.

Switch continued what Spirit began. "She once told me that her father was a pony who stayed with the zebras but he died as she was just eleven. Don't worry she will probably be a bit grumpy for some time but it is not that big of a deal."

Outside walked Bite to Leaf who walked around and mumbled. As Leaf noticed Bite she pet him on the head. "Hey Bite. Spirit send you, didn't he? Don't worry I am just a bit annoyed by this with my hair color. I had enough pointing at my hair back at the tribe."

Bite looked at her and raised an eyebrow and Leaf nodded. "Yes I know, they couldn't know." She sighed and looked in the sky. She sat down and Bite next to her.

In his mind Bite could hear Spirit reaching out for him. "Is everything alright? Could you calm her down?" Bite showed him Leaf sitting in front of the door as an answer. "Good. Thanks for the help Bite. Bring her back inside when you think it is ok."

Shortly after that turned Bite to Leaf and poked her in the side before pointing to the door with his nose.

Leaf smiled and stood up reaching with her magic for the door but before she opened the door she turned to Bite. "Thanks Bite and thank you Spirit for sending him." She said that knowing that Spirit was probably listening through Bites ears.

She opened the door. "Let's go back inside." Bite nodded and they both walked back inside.

As they were back inside apologized Leaf to them. "I am sorry Rarity I shouldn't react like this. You couldn't know."

Rarity and he others smiled. "No problem darling. It wasn't very polite of me to ask that. Why don't you sit down again and we forget that?"

Leaf nodded and they finished their meal while having a few friendly conversations. After they finished their meal. The most of them said goodbye and left again.

Spirit walked to Bright. "So can I try to talk with Fallen?"

She nodded and Rising came to Spirit. "I bring you to him."

Spirit turned to Leaf and Switch. "Can you wait here until I come back?"

They both nodded and Spirit and Bite followed Rising. He lead the both out of the castle and to a building next to it. Two guards stood in next to the door. As they entered the building they came in a small hall with another guard standing there.

Rising stopped in front of the door and looked at Spirit. "Behind this door is the room with him. You can send the guard outside if you want. I will wait here."

Spirit took a deep breath and they both entered the room to his right sat another guard. "Can you please wait outside?"

The guard first raised his eyebrow but then nodded and left to the first room.

Spirit turned to the left and saw a transparent wall. Behind that wall stood a unicorn with a black cloak with purple lines at the edges. A curved red horn was visible through a hole in the hood. He was working with a bunch of potions.

"Hello Fallen."

"I prefer being called Malonex and now tell me who they sent this time to waste my time."

"Your name doesn't matter and I wasn't sent I asked to come here to visit you."

Fallen answered with a sarcastic tone in his voice. "Yes I am quiet honored to be visited by a no named pony that doesn't even bother to answer me."

"You know me, I am Spirit and this is my friend Bite."

He turned around and looked at him. Fallen had a grey coat and a dark red mane. his right front hoof was replace by a dark crystal. "Ah yes I remember you. You're that earthpony with magical aura that thought just trying to do something counts as a plan."

Spirit smiled and rubbed his back head. "Yeah that sounds a bit like me."

Fallen looked at him and waited for Spirit to say something.

Spirits expression turned serious. "And you know that I did this for my ideals."

Fallens face showed a short grin but turned serious again after a second. "Ah yes, your ideals. I must admit I never saw a fool filled with more naivety than you. Absolute peace is impossible to reach, it is the first lie every foal is told and only fool believes in."

Bite growled but Spirit hold him back. "It may be a goal out of my reach but that doesn't mean I can't strive for it."

Fallen turned back to his potions and spoke over his shoulder. "I think this conversation isn't worth wasting any more time with."

Spirit nodded and Bite walked first out of the door but Spirit stopped in the door to say one last thing. "Remember you always have a choice and this choice doesn't have to be good or evil there are many ways."

Just before the door closed, Spirit heard Fallen say. "I know and I made this choice long ago."

Outside nodded Spirit to the guard who immediately walked back in the room. Rising looked at Spirit and raised an eyebrow. "And how did it go?"

Spirit shook his head. "Not so good. He isn't really open to listen to somepony. I still wish you luck with him and say Bright that I am sorry for her."

Rising nodded. "I will and thank you for trying."

Spirit left the building and walked to the others who were waiting in front of the castle. As Switch saw him they walked towards him. Switch, who had his disguise back on, turned to the others. "So where are we going now?"

Spirit looked at the sun and saw that is was early afternoon. "Well I want to visit Zecora and then have some peace for the rest of the day... but first I want to check the flower shop."

Switch smiled. "You want to check if they already have the magic plant. I bet with you that they have them!"

Spirit smiled. "After the thing with the identification card in Canterlot it wouldn't surprise me at all if they have them."

So they walked to the flower shop where he was greeted by Rose. "Hey Spirit haven't seen you long. Do you want to buy something?"

Sprit shook his head. "I just wanted to ask if you have some sort of magical plant?"

She nodded. "Indeed yesterday a pony in a cloak donated two and a bag full of seeds for them. Why do you ask?"

"Just curiosity. Good bye. Have a nice day." Said Spirit with a small bow before leaving again.

Just as they were outside Switch turned to Spirit and laughed. "I told you!"

Spirit sighed. "Come now I want to met with Zecora. We have to walk a bit."

Switch shook his head. "You can go alone I will look around on my own a bit. So see you!"

They said bye and they walked in the direction of the Everfree forest. On the way asked Leaf a few questions. "So who is Zecora?"

He thought for a moment. "Well she is a zebra and from her appearance she was or is an elder."

Leaf looked at him surprised. "Really? What is she doing here?"

Spirit shrugged. "She never said that and we should respect that." Bite interrupted him and nodded at his necklace he had still on. "Oh right. She also gave me the two symbols on my necklace. She has given me these as a symbol of my rank now."

Leaf nodded and looked at the forest. "And she lives in this forest, I heard that it is very dangerous and that there live more animals than in any other forest."

Spirit nodded. "Yes she does She once stated that she has her ways. That's all I know."

They walked through the forest without anything in their way and as they reached the house knocked Spirit on the door.

"You can come in if you haste
I don't want your time to be waste."

Spirit stepped in followed by Bite and Leaf. Spirit instantly bowed down. "Greetings Zecora."

Leaf looked around till she suddenly heard Zecora who came now around the corner.

"Ah Spirit after one year I think was it
and you forgot that you don't have to bow, it just doesn't fit."

Spirit raised again and cracked a smile. "I am sorry. It seems like I got a bad habit with that."

Zecora nodded and turned to Leaf.

"And you must be Spirits old friend my dear.
Who decided to left the tribe at one year."

Leaf stepped surprised back. "Who do you know?"

Zecora smiled.

"I might not live in our lands anymore
but that doesn't mean I don't have the contact I had before."

Zecora looked at Spirit.

"I still have an important note
it is a letter that your elder had wrote."

Spirit looked surprised as Zecora gave him the letter. It was signed with the symbol of the tribe. It was written completely in the language of the zebras. Spirit began to read.

We know. You have fulfilled you task. They have let us know. We send you this letter to congratulate you. We know that you will represent us very good even when you're not allowed to tell anypony. Your parents want to give you their bests of wishes. They hope that you can visit them one time in the future. The tribe wishes you a bright future,

May our ways cross again,

the elder.

Spirit looked up from the paper and Zecora spoke up.

"Attached to this letter
the elder meant it would matter.
"

Spirit bowed. "I am honored to hear these words from an elder."

Zecora smiled.

"I must say I am happy to see your delight
but it was not much. To hear these words, it was your right."

Spirit smiled at Zecora and bowed again. "Thank you Zecora. I think I will go now, so I wish you a good rest of the day."

Leaf nodded. "It was nice to meet you Zecora."

Zecroa nodded to them with a smiled and they left again. They walked back in the direction of Ponyville. One the way wanted Leaf to start a conversation.

"So as we ate together with your friends you asked... I think Fluttershy was her name, how the visiting to the pack went. What visits were you talking about?"

Spirit though for a moment. "Well one day Bite heard a strange noise, which turned out to be the howls of a timberwolf, a alpha to be specific. He was attack by a group of poachers and we saved him together with some guards but the alpha got injured in the fight. "

Leaf interrupted him. "And you helped him to get on his feet again?"

Spirit and Bite both nodded. "Yes we did and as we escorted him back to his pack we ask him if we could bring other ponies to the pack to show them a bit around. I hoped that would take at least a bit of their fear away."

Leaf looked at him. "Do you think it helped?"

Spirit gave a sigh. "I can only hope. I mean even if they don't want to visit them doesn't mean they hate them it could just be a sign they are uninterested in Timberwolves . You have to consider that this is not a small thing to do, I will probably never see the final outcome."

Leaf chuckled and Spirit looked surprised at her. "What is so funny?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. It is just that you have much more from the zebras then some zebras I know."

Spirit smiled at her. "I take that as a compliment."

She laughed. "Do that."

They walked on until Bite suddenly stopped. Spirit looked at him "What is it?" Bite turned his head to the left and barked. Suddenly from the left came two shadows. Bite sniffed shortly, sat down and waited.

The two shadows came closer and Spirit saw that it was Darren and Switch. They ran quickly to them and Darren began to speak.

"Spirit we got a message two ponies were ponynapped! We have to hurry!"

Spirit shook his head. "Wait wait. Who got ponynapped?"

Darren looked directly at him. "Your parents!"

Leaf walked between them. "Wait. Your parents? Sinder and Cero?"

Darren shook his head. "No his biological parents Lens and Insight Wood."