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// Nature's temptation? 
// Story: Warped Paths 
// by Morikain 
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	It turns out that the race wasn't going to be the quick 'Point A to Point B' that I had originally assumed it would be. After being told to wait for a course to be set, I found that most of Ponyville had gathered to watch the event and there were votes being placed on who would win. Sighing at the amount of ponies that had gathered, I realized I should have known that it would be made into an event since Rainbow Dash apparently had a reputation for being unbeatable in speed. Sighing to myself, I walk onto the field we had set as a starting point at the edge of Ponyville and take my place beside Rainbow Dash. "Tell me again why you had to gather an audience? For just one small race this is a bit much."

Giving me an incredulous look, Rainbow Dash shakes her head. "Not a chance! When it comes to proving who is the fastest pegasus in Equestria, everyone has to see me keep my title."

Rolling my eyes, I look ahead of me. "If you say so, I still don't understand it though. Anyways, around Ponyville twice, correct?" At Rainbow's nod, I flex my wings a few times before leaving them half open and closing my eyes. Taking slow breaths, I force myself to relax completely until the start of the race is called. 

Off to the side on a stand, Pinkie appeared with a megaphone. "Ok everypony, the race is about to begin so get to your seats!" A few ponies scrambled to get to the stands that had somehow appeared between the time I closed my eyes and when I opened them, but I didn't have time to wonder as Pinkie began the countdown. "Three, two, one, GO!"

With a quick snap of wings, Rainbow Dash and I leapt into the air and soon turned into a white and cyan blur. To my surprise, I was keeping pace with Rainbow Dash and it seemed she was actually pushing herself pretty hard just to keep from falling behind... or so it seemed. As we reached the half way point of the first lap, Rainbow Dash looks over to me. "I forgot to mention that races with me generally include slams."

The random statement confused me for a second but my confusion was remedied quickly when a cyan blur slams into my side and sends me tumbling through the air. Quickly righting myself with a growl, I throw everything I have into my wing-beats and quickly catch up. Coming up beside her, I decide to use my larger wingspan to my advantage and instead of getting close to return the slam, I use a wing to hit her and send her tumbling towards the ground. Keeping an eye on her as I continue on the course, I quickly become thankful as she tries to hit me from below. Folding one wing half way, I use the other to send me into a roll to the side and avoid the hit.

Chuckling, I watch as Rainbow Dash comes back down to fly beside me. "If this is normal for a race with you, I don't think it can be called a race. It is more of a moving aerial fight."

Rainbow Dash smiles slightly. "I guess, it just makes it more fun and it shows who is the better flyer. If you can take a hit and still keep up you have to be pretty good."

Nodding slightly at the logic... in her mind at least, I look ahead of us and realize we had finished the first lap. "Well now that we have seen we can both recover from a hit, why don't we go for just speed this time around? Since that was the whole point of this race in the first place." Rainbow Dash nods and with a grin blasts ahead in a rainbow blur, leaving me sighing as I fall behind. Gathering my strength, I push myself to go faster until I start to feel the air form a kind of cone ahead of me and the resistance lessen. Before I can really think about the odd occurrence, I notice I am slowly gaining on Rainbow and smirk slightly. Before I could fully catch up though, we had completed our second lap and she had beaten me so I follow her to the ground. Landing lightly beside Rainbow Dash, I look over to her and chuckle when I notice her breathing heavily. "You have a good amount of speed but I would work on your endurance more. Had this track been any longer I would have beaten you just by out lasting you."

Snorting, Rainbow Dash puts on a cocky grin. "Please, nopony can beat me when it comes to flying."

I shrug slightly and stretch my wings to work out the muscles so I wouldn't be sore later. "If you say so, though I have to admit the race was an interesting change of pace from what I normally do. I don't think I've ever taken the time to do something that didn't have a larger purpose." Rainbow gives me a confused expression so I continue. "Most of my life has been about training for something specific, not racing or doing challenges just to see who is better. Though I guess the duel I had a while back with Lutano would count, though that was more to test how much he could do to me with his Harm Touch." I smirk slightly at the memory as I also came out of the fight as the victor despite most of my abilities being aimed towards healing.

Shaking my head, I look at Rainbow Dash. "Anyway, you got your race and you won so I am going to head to the Everfree. I plan on meditating up until the Gala whenever I have free time."

Rainbow Dash nods slightly. "It's almost a week away so you have plenty of time. Maybe you can find a clue on how to get home while you are there."

I shrug and shuffle my wings slightly. "I'm not so sure it will be that easy, there is a key piece missing from being able to open a portal back but I can't figure out what it is. I think for now I will settle for meditation and see if the answer will come to me."

Rainbow Dash shrugs and shakes her head. "I'd never be able to sit still, but I will let you get to it since I need to get some practice in before I go to meet the Wonderbolts." With that said, she quickly disappeared in a cyan blur and left me chuckling on the ground.

Taking to the air myself, I head to the edge of Ponyville and land outside Fluttershy's house. Moving to the door, I notice that many of the animals are watching me and beginning to gather closer to the house. Ignoring them for now, I knock on the door and take a step back. 

For nearly a minute there was silence before the door slowly opened and Fluttershy peeked out. "Oh, h-hello Sarikasin. I didn't expect to see you out here. What can I help you with?"

I smile slightly before gesturing with a hoof to the Everfree beyond her home. "I was going to the Everfree and was coming by to ask if you would come with me since I am required to have an escort." I kept a straight face at 'required' but my annoyance with the word was clear. Thankfully though it seemed that Fluttershy didn't notice as she nodded with a smile. "Of course, though I will have to get somepony else to come with as well."

I sigh slightly as I really didn't want any of the others to go since they all would be a distraction while I went through my meditation. Fluttershy was the exception since she was quiet by nature so I didn't have a hyper or talkative pony constantly making noise. I couldn't really ask them to go against their princesses though so I just nod and wait as she flies into the town to get one of her friends. Sighing again, I let myself shift back to my true form since all of the Elements know what I really am. 

Sitting against the door, I hold out a hand and draw a root from the ground a couple of feet in front of me and begin manipulating it into various shapes. Stopping when I form an outline of a tree with the root, I frown slightly as it reminds me that my symbol has been ignored for a long time. Each druid is given an image that represents them when they form a connection with nature and are expected to wear it in the company of others but I have gone so long with my guild that I ended up setting it aside with my armor being changed so often after raids and dungeons that the guild would go to.

Lowering my hand as I caught the sound of voices, the root sank back into the ground and I looked up to find Twilight walking beside Fluttershy. Suppressing a groan at the choice for the second escort, I could already feel the headache starting. Twilight had a hard time remaining quiet any time I went to the Everfree, always asking questions every couple of minutes and breaking my concentration. Unfortunately there was little I could do so I brushed off the annoyance and nodded to Twilight. "Hello Twilight, I hope you weren't pulled away from anything important."

Twilight smiles and shakes her head. "Not at all, besides, you have given me a lot of information about druids.... even if you don't answer any of my questions." At the last sentence she frowned slightly.

I chuckle slightly. "That's because you always choose to ask your questions when I am trying to meditate. I might be more inclined to answer you if you waited until I was back in Ponyville or at least not trying to connect with the forest."

Giving a sheepish smile, Twilight nods. "I guess that I do have a habit of asking questions at the wrong times. Though even just watching you gave me a lot of things to study. The fact that you can literally connect with and use nature is an amazing ability."

I shrug slightly and start walking toward the Everfree. "Not when you consider there are thousands of us back home on Norrath. It's not a rare ability and as far as I am aware, anyone can become a druid." Blinking a couple of times as I am hit by a sudden epiphany, I look at Fluttershy. "Maybe that means you can become a true druid... I didn't realize it but even people back home who had no magic were able to become one, so maybe you can as well."

Fluttershy's eyes widen slightly and she looks at me. "I-I don't know... I a-am happy as I am."

I shrug slightly and force back the feeling of disappointment. "I didn't say you had to, it was just a suggestion since you already have such a strong connection with animals. It would just give you the magic to understand them as if they were speaking our language as well as heal injuries, though you already seem to understand them just fine without it."

From there we fell into a silence until we reached the Everfree and I sat against a tree at the edge of the forest. As I am about to close my eyes though, I hear a slight squeak from Fluttershy and look up at her. When she shrinks back and keeps quiet, I lean back against the tree and close my eyes. "You may want to head back home before nightfall. I won't be moving for a couple of days and will be returning immediately after I have gotten my fitting with Rarity done with. I don't want you wasting your time on watching an immobile druid."

Twilight shakes her head. "It's fine, we can trade out on watching over you so nothing will take advantage of your lack of awareness."

I stare at Twilight for a second with a deadpan expression. "You do realize that when I connect with nature I can literally sense everything almost in the entirety of the forest? Nothing can get within a thousand feet of me without me sensing them."

Twilight grins with a gleam in her eye but I cut her off. "I'll talk to you again when I leave the connection, and please don't poke or prod me to test my concentration this time." With that, I close my eyes and immediately fall into the connection with the forest and begin my roaming.