The next day brought nothing new. Pinkie, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash had all left to find any information in the neighboring towns. They came back empty handed. Fluttershy had venture along the forest line to ask the critters about the tree creature. They all gave her mixed signals on its nature. Applejack and Twilight had been busy reassuring the townspeople and looking through more books Twilight had summoned from her library.
"Ugh! It's all just nothing!" Twilight had thrown her arms up and now was laying face down on the table in the banquet room. "Not a single word."
"It'll be alright, Twilight. Whatever this thing is doesn't seem to be hanging around too often. It's sightings have weeks in between."
"I know. It's just so frustrating. I think I might have to message the Princess. I just don't know what this could be." Twilight waved a hoof around.
"I think that would be a good idea. But also, think of this. It's a tree right? We could always just burn it if we need to." AJ leaned on a hoof.
"That is correct. I just don't think I like the idea of burning a creature to death. Igg." Twilight shuttered. "I would much rather see if we can't come to an agreement. Fluttershy did say that it was just protecting the land."
"It's also killed. I'm not sure how far an agreement will go."
Twilight nodded mostly to herself. "Let's go find Spike."
She picked up a piece of parchment and pen. Applejack chuckled. She lead the way to made sure the purple pony didn't run into anything while writing.
"Aaaaha!" The sword clanked on the metal of Helden Guard's sword. "Awww. I thought I had you."
"Too soon. Now, I know it can be hard to do, but try to be quiet ven swinging the sword. Taken in a breath ven attacking. You don't vant to vaste breath on yelling nor do you vant the enemy to know you are zere."
"Oh, I guess that's good to know." Spike rubbed his arm.
"You are better zan I could have imagined. You pick up the lessons so quickly. I vould say vee are already on zee intermediate level."
"Yeah, I get that a lot. This is fun too!" He had been rubbing his arm while blushing but now he pointed his sword up to the sky. "This is so exciting. I keep thinking about it. Oh, I was practicing with the bow earlier today too. I'm pretty good at it." He leaned on the sword like a cane.
Helden chuckled. "Quick to pick up, but too quick to be sure of yourself. Humility vill safe your life more times zan you vill zink. Never give zee enemy an opening. Arrogance and pride vill be all zey need to know about you to be able to kill you."
"Heh, that is true. You're so smart! How did you end up out here in the countryside?"
"Vell," He sat down on the ground. "I lived my early life in Germareny until I vas about thirteen. Zen my parents surprised me vith telling me vee vere moving. I vas so mad. I didn't vant to move. But vee did. Vee moved all the vay to middle of novere. Out in the countryside. I hated it."
Spike chuckled and sat next to him.
"I hated everyzing and everybody. I had already gotten my cutie mark. I vanted to be a proud guard and solider. I trained vith zee local police and an old former var veteran. Zen my parents die. They died in a construction accident vile in the city. A large pole fell from its bindings."
"I'm so sorry."
"It's fine. I vas so mad. I hated zem and being out in the middle of novere. So, I left. I vent to a city and became a guard pony. I vas in the guard for a vile until zere vas a fight on the border of main Equestria and Germareny. I vas zere to fight for months. I hated it even more. It was zen zat I learned of more fighting. Zere vere factions zat vanted to take over the country. My parents didn't vant me as a guard pony in our own country, having to kill my own ponies.
"I left the guard after zee fighting vas stopped. I had no vere else to go. So, I come back to zee countryside vere I had been living. It vas so nice. All zee time in the world is out here. I'm a part of zee forest patrol now. I vatch zis town and a few other towns as vell. I and my squad get called in to monitor the forest. We go on missions to safe lost folk and keep wolves out of zee fields. I don't regret it."
"Not at all?"
"No, I am happy here. I move from town to town helping the good country folk and valk in zee forest. I am also, um, I'm not made for zee front lines. I never vant to have to shoot another pony ever again. Not like zat at least."
"Yeah, that makes sense."
"Now! Enough rest. You need more practice." He smiled at Spike.
Spike was on another break when Twilight and Applejack showed up.
"Spike! There you are. I need you to send a letter to the princess."
"Why's that, Twilight?"
"I need to see if she knows anything about this tree dragon thing."
Spike nodded, took the letter and sent it.
"Good, now I just have to wait for her reply. Are you being good?"
"Yep! Helden says I'm a natural." He grinned.
"Really?" Twilight said with a laugh, "Want to show me a few things? I could use the mental break."
Spike's face lit up and he ran off to get his bow as well.
"Maybe we should try to lure it out?" Rainbow Dash said. She was upside down on the bed with her head hanging off the edge.
Spike was sitting on his bed looking at the scabbard Helden had given him. It was a plain leather and wood sword sheath at the moment. Helden had said Spike should decorate it as he used it. Spike looked down at it like a precious tome empty at first sight. How he wished he had something to decorate it with right now! He could always put in carvings of past events like the Crystal Heart or when Rarity turned into a nightmare version of herself. But the point was to put in things he had done with the sword. He hugged it to himself. He felt so content.
The quiver and bow were plain as well. He thought about times he might have to use it. Exciting times with him as the hero! His face fell a little as he thought about it more. A comment Helden had made was nagging at him. He never wanted to shoot another pony. Would Spike have to kill anyone? These aren't like a kitchen knife or a shield. Their purpose is to kill. Would the marking on the scabbard only serve to remind him of the horrible things he had to do with the sword? Spike sighed in annoyance.
"Are you getting tired?"
Spike jolted and looked up at Twilight, "No, I was just thinking about some stuff Helden had told me."
"Hehe, you really seem to like this guy Spiky." Pinkie was jumping on the bed Rainbow was upside down on.
"Yeah! He's super cool and has this weird but equally cool accent, and he treats me like an adult," Spike pointed out.
"Well I'm glad for you. I have always felt you needed more of a male role model to look up to," Applejack commented. She was laying back on the headboard of Spike's bed.
"Yeah, well, for a while Twilight's brother was like my role model. He's the one who told me all about being a knight. Shining used to even read me and Twilight knight stories when we went to bed. He's cool."
"Haha, that's so cute. I can just imagine you and a little Twilly cuddled up for bed," Rarity cooed. She was on a bed to herself.
Twilight blushed. "My brother is pretty cool. He introduced Spike to some guard at our old library to talk to when I was busy studying."
"Oh yeah, I told Helden about how I learned some fencing from the guards."
"That's nice," Fluttershy said. She was on the floor with Twilight laying with a pillow under her front hooves.
"So, what's the plan?" Spike asked.
"We think we might have to lure it out." A gloom fell over the room when Twilight recounted the decision.
"How are you going to do that?" Spike asked.
Twilight sighed. "We are going to have to do what lured it out those other times. We will tear up the field and hope it comes before the vines start to attack. We don't quite know if they are set to attack without it there or if it controls them."
"Oh, that sounds dangerous." Spike looked down at the scabbard.
"Yeah, that's why we need to get a good night's sleep and plan it all out in the morning." Twilight dictated.
The girls nodded. Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie said their goodnights and left for their room. Applejack and Fluttershy got in their beds.
"Move all that out will you?" Twilight asked nicely. Spike sheathed his sword and set it by the bow and quiver leaning on the wall. Twilight wrapped her arms around Spike. "I hope you never get too big to be able to hug."
"Hey, I've got to grow sometime. Don't jinx me," Spike joked. "Just like when we were younger and I was at your house for the night, huh?"
"Yeah, goodnight, number one."
"Goodnight, Twilight."
Creaking branches snapped back into position. Leaves shook violently on the branches giving a cacophony to the still night. The small footfalls of critters were the only sign of forest life as the bird were all asleep in their hollows.
Heartwood walked.
The small bird had told a song of the small creatures venturing into the forest by the torn land. It was still alive like she left it. She smiled. One of the creatures though, had been able to talk to the bird. That was an odd thought. The call of one creature did not transcend to the call of another. Birds called to birds. Birds did not call to a squirrel. So, how did this strange creature call to a bird? She shook at the memory of their light hitting the trees.
She will go again to that place. How many times had she come there already? She did not think in terms of numbers. There was only the sun and the moon. The earth and the sky. Seasons came to bring the land to sleep. All sleep under the cold still rain that littered the ground. She looked up. Did she still remember what a moon and sun were? They were the strange light that flowed in the sky. Her eyes had watched them for a long time once. The only movement was her eyes trailing the turning sky. Then she had walked on.