//------------------------------//
// 1: It Begins... 
// Story: An Equestrian Witcher 
// by OblivionShadow 
//------------------------------//

His eyes opened slowly. Darkness covered the area around him and he realized that he was lying on the grass in the shade of a tree. He closed his eyes and didn't move as he allowed his senses to do the work for him. His body remained silent and as still as death itself. The only indication that he lived was the easy breathing that was shown by the rising and falling of his sides. A light breeze went over him and he finally opened his eyes when his ears didn't pick up on any immediate threats around him. He pushed himself up and gave a noise of surprise as the back of his head struck a low branch and knocked him back down onto the ground.

"Damn." He growled under his breath and looked up at the offending branch. He hissed as he shook his head to rid himself of the dull pain.

The pain faded in moments, he knew it was due to his regenerative abilities and high pain tolerance. That enabled him to ignore and move past any pain that might slow him down. Years of training at the School of the Wolf had prepared him for life on The Path. He cast his eyes back to look in front of him. He suddenly realized that he didn't see his mare, Sasa, close by. He gave a shrill whistle that would call her if she was close. During the fight with the Leshen, he had left her close by so that he could get to her easily after what he knew would be a long and tiring fight. He had not anticipated the length of the fight or that a second Leshen would come after the first, putting him in the middle of their territorial dispute. He tried to evade the two monsters as they fought, he had thought that he had evaded them but a sharp pain in his back had told him he was not far enough away. He had whistled for the mare and heard her response, the last thing he recalled was the ground rushing up at him. He didn't sense or hear her as he tried whistling again for his missing mare.

As he tried to stand up he was pulled back down and found himself sitting on the ground once more. He looked back to his legs, his eyes widened as he looked behind him. He found himself staring at the flanks and hind legs of a horse. He was also surprised to see a pair of long black wings folded against his sides. The wings were solid black and the end tips of them went a couple of inches past his rump. His emotions had been dampened by the mutations so his surprise was tempered. But even he was surprised at what he saw. Around his barrel sat a pair of black saddlebags and his swords sat across his back. He felt relief go through him but his eyes went back to stare at his legs. He swallowed quietly as he looked away and then looked down at what he discovered were no longer arms but a pair of long forelegs. He inhaled deeply and held his breath for a moment before slowly releasing. He closed his eyes and inhaled again. A loud snap shook him and he bolted to his feet...hooves. He looked down to find that he was now standing solidly on his hooves. While this was a welcome development he was still unsure how to move like a horse.

"Mighty sorry Ah spooked ya."

A voice that he did not recognize startled him into looking away from the fact that he was now standing. An orange mare walked toward him. He blinked and tried not to stare in surprise at the small horse walking toward him with an easy stride. She showed no fear in her green eyes as she approached him. He was unused to anyone looking at him without fear or trepidation. Her long blond mane was pulled together with a binding at the end of her mane. Her tail flicked to her side, revealing that it too was held into a binding at the end. His own forelock was now in his face and he tipped his head to the left to get it out of his face. Though he quickly found that that didn't work as it only fell back into place. He tried again but it seemed to be blocked by something that kept it from being moved out of his sight. He decided that the sight in front of him was more important and chose to ignore where his hair was sitting. The mare stopped a few feet away from him and smiled as she looked at him.

"Yer new around here, ain'tcha?" She asked with a light chuckle. "Mah name's Applejack. Ah heard a couple a' loud whistles, followed the sound and found ya sitting here."

She looked back at him with expectation in her eyes. It took him a moment before it dawned on him what she wanted. It was polite to respond to an introduction in kind. "Oh, my apologies." He gave a nod of his head as he tried to square up his forelegs to greet her properly. "My name is Oblivion... Shadow." He used a surname that he had been given by his teacher during his training many years ago, due to his easy movement among the shadows.

The mare smiled wider. "Nice ta meetcha."

"Pleasures mine, Miss Applejack." He nodded to her again and held his head up slightly. He already knew that he was taller than her and didn't wish to make her feel small by holding his head up high over her.

She gave a loud laugh as she looked at him. "Y'all don't need to be so formal. Just Applejack or mah friends call me AJ. Either ah those are fine." She chuckled once she finished speaking.

Oblivion raised one eyebrow and he barely noticed when he took the weight off one of his hind legs. He stood in front of her and gave another nod. "As you wish."

The mare nodded and seemed pleased with the outcome of the conversation so far. "Y'all didn't answer my first question."

He looked at her for a moment as he thought back. He surprised himself when he gave a low snort as he remembered her first observation. "Ah, yes you would be correct. I am actually unsure of my present location. If you would be so kind as to inform me I would appreciate it."

His manner was still a bit formal but the mare seemed to take it in stride as she nodded. "Y'all are just on the edge of the Everfree Forest. Happen to be closest to mah farm which is just beyond Ponyville." She gave him the requested information easily.

Oblivion was unable to stop his snort of surprise at the information she offered him. ‘Ponyville?! Where in the name of the Realms is that?’ He liked to think he was well informed about the local geography. But the locations she had told him were not within his knowledge. His head was now raised to its full height as he looked around him. He suddenly looked back to his saddlebags, remembering he had a map with him. As he looked at the bag it suddenly erupted with a blue flame. Oblivion startled and the fire disappeared. He heard muffled laughter and one of his ears flicked back to listen. He turned back to find Applejack trying, and failing, to smother her own laughter behind one hoof. He couldn't stop his head from giving a slight tilt to one side as his eyes questioned her.

"Y'all act like ya haven't used yer magic afore!" She guffawed at his expense and plopped down onto her rump as she laughed. She glanced at Oblivion and her laughter ceased. She blinked several times and pulled herself to her hooves. His blank stare spoke volumes to her. "By Equestria, ya'll are surprised, ain'tcha?"

Oblivion simply stared at her with a blank expression before commenting. "Are you telling me, that blue flame is in actuality magic?" Was the blank comment she received from the black stallion. She gave a silent nod to his request. He looked back to the saddlebag that had burst into flame and found that it had no damage to it from the fire. He thought back to what he had been doing when the flames had appeared. His mind went to the map that he knew was in there and once more the flames appeared. This time Oblivion was ready for it and continued to think of the map inside it. The bag opened and the map levitated out of the saddlebag. The bag closed and the map unfurled in the grasp of the azure flame. He looked at the map and found that it was still of the Realms but toward the bottom of it was a new area that had lengthened the paper itself. On the bottom of it was a map of a new kingdom. Oblivion looked from it to Applejack and nodded to her. 

She looked confused for a moment until he sighed when the map was in front of her snout. She whinnied in surprise and looked at it. It slowly moved away from her and she followed it until she realized what he was doing then glared at him. He simply looked blankly at her and waited. She reached out, and much to his surprise took hold of the map in her hoof, took it from the magical aura and held it in front of her. As much as he wanted to walk up to her and look at it with her he was unsure of how to move like a horse, so he remained still.

Applejack looked at the map and confusion crossed her features. She had no idea about the location on the top of the map he had. She recognized Equestria but the area above it was beyond her. She looked over the top of the map and found him looking at her with unhidden curiosity. She walked over to him on 3 legs and held the map between them. He brought his head down to look at it with her and she looked at him as his head was close to hers. His eyes are what caught her attention. At first, she had thought they were simply orange. But upon looking closer they were still orange but they were slit like a cat. He said nothing as she stared he was not looking at her but at the map. He suddenly looked sideways and caught her staring at him.

"Yes, Applejack? You look as though you have something on your mind." He stated with an almost teasing tone. The mare opened her mouth to respond to his teasing but stopped.

"Well Ah don't mean ta be rude but yer eyes are not like everypony else. Ah didn't mean ta stare." The mare responded. Her head was held high as she explained herself to taller the stallion.

Oblivion brought his head back up slightly and looked at her with an unreadable expression. His eyes took on a hard look for a few moments and Applejack was suddenly concerned that she had upset the stallion. That was the last thing she had wanted to do. His eyes softened and he looked back to her. "I see. Well, that is due to my eyes being cat-like. I can see in the dark with them and I can use them to track when I am out in the forests." His answer was a matter of fact and Applejack blinked at his explanation and looked away from his face. Oblivion was silent as he brought his head back down and looked back at the map in her hoof.

"Alright' as an apology Ah'll answer yer questions about this here map. But Ah also wanna know what the hay is with the rest of the map? Is this where you are from?" She asked of him.

The black stallion closed his eyes for a moment, took his weight off his right hind leg and then opened his eyes and looked at her. "Yes." His response was simply one word. He looked back to the map and waited for her to start speaking.

The mare looked at him, blinked several times, then her look dissolved into a scowl before she started. "This here is a map a' Equestria. It shows tha main cities and all tha borders. If ya look at it ya can see tha outline of Ponyville and tha dark areas are tha boundaries of tha Everfree forest. Tha map is actually very detailed considering' that it seems really old." Applejack explained some of the basic areas before looking back at the taller stallion. 

Oblivion was silent as he raised his head to look around him. His ears flicked in separate directions as he listened. Applejack looked back at him, she then looked past him toward his saddlebags. She gave a startled cry and dropped the map as she saw his back, her eyes landing on his wings and the swords on his back. The swords laid down the center of his back and his wings stayed unmoving at his sides.

Oblivion caught the map in a blue fire as he startled away from her. He side passed to the left away from her and was a bit surprised when he moved so easily and didn't fall. The map hovered a couple of feet away from him as he growled at the mare in annoyance. Her cry had jarred him and he had no idea as to why she had acted the way she did. He watched as the mare startled again at the low growl coming from his throat. The growl died out when she seemed to calm down and regarded him in silence. "Would you like to explain what just happened, Applejack?" His voice was clear and held no great emotion behind it. The orange mare looked sheepish as she made a circle in the grass with her right forehoof.

"Sorry bout that. Ah was surprised to see that yer an Alicorn." She paused as she looked up at him and saw the question in his eyes at her statement. "Ya do know ya are an Alicorn, right?" She asked him cautiously.

Oblivion simply looked back at her. His gaze told her everything she needed to know. The stallion had no idea about what type of pony he truly was. The mare gaped at him with her mouth ajar. Oblivion leaned forward slowly and carefully put her jaws back together. Applejack shook her head and batted his hoof away. Oblivion pulled his hoof back and put his head down to her level. "Would you care to explain what an...Alicorn was it.. what that is exactly?" His voice was calm and quiet. He seemed to be staying quiet so as not to spook the mare that was his only source of information. The mare seemed to recover and looked back at him. 

She walked over to him and walked past his shoulder. The black stallion didn't move as she drew up next to him and then turned to face his rib cage. She reached out with her hoof and gently touched the black wing on his right side. The wing didn't move at the touch. She was able to get her hoof to grip the wing and gently pulled on it. Oblivion was startled when the wing flared and pulled away from her. Applejack gave a startled squawk and fell back onto her rump. The wing retreated back to his side and Oblivion looked back to Applejack. He held out a hoof in apology, and though he had no idea how to grasp with his hoof, Applejack knew how and she did the holding while he helped the mare back to her hooves. The mare was safely back on her hooves and Oblivion pulled back as the mare looked with him with a smile.

"Sorry bout that. Should have told ya what ah was doin." Applejack apologized as she shook herself free of grass.

Oblivion nodded and, though slow about it, he turned himself till his right side was in front of the mare once more. Applejack looked a bit unsure until Oblivion himself looked at the wing and it slowly moved away from his body toward the mare. It stopped a few inches away from her muzzle and stayed in position. Applejack took hold of it once more and pulled gently till the wing was extended in front of her by a few more inches. She noticed that the wing itself was thicker than most, but seemed to be lighter. She sat down and held the wing in her hooves as she began moving the feathers aside gently to expose the skin beneath them. She was surprised to see what looked like leathery skin beneath the feathers. It appeared to be more like the leathery skin of a bat than the flesh of a pony. She looked up when she felt the air go by her. She looked up and found Oblivion looking at it as well. His eyes looked to her as she realized that she was probably pulling his feathers, therefore hurting him.

"Ahh ah’m sorry. Pulling those feathers probably hurts." She stopped when he shook his head. "Well ta answer yer question an Alicorn is both a Pegasus and a Unicorn. They have a huge amount of magic in them and are very strong as well. There is only one Alicorn that ah know of and that's Princess Celestia." Oblivion looked at her as she released his wing and it returned to its place against his side. "Though Ah do wonder why in Equestria ya'll're carrying two swords around like it's normal. Are ya thinking of going into battle?" Applejack motioned her hoof at the weapons on his back.

Oblivion looked back at his swords then back to the orange mare. "I always carry them. They are part of my purpose. I am a Witcher of the Wolf School, these swords are my tools and...yes?" He paused when Applejack's eyes went wide at him.

"Wha' in tarnation is a Witcher? And what do ya mean Wolf School?" The mare asked her voiced pitched slightly.

Now it was Oblivion's turn to gape at her with his eyes staring back at her. His head lowered to be closer to her as his eyes seemed to search hers for any falsehood. When he found nothing but truth in her eyes he was shocked and pulled away. 'By the Realms, she truly has no idea what I am speaking of. What kind of world is it that knows nothing of Witchers? Though not being looked at with scorn is a nice change. I have to ask more about this, but I am unsure how to answer her without truly frightening her.' Oblivion instead looked away as he considered what to say to the mare. Though one question did bubble up in his mind. She had briefly mentioned it a moment ago. "What is a Unicorn?" He spoke it under his breath. Though he spoke it aloud it was barely a whisper.

"Well, a Unicorn means you have a horn on your forehead. Though yers is a lot longer and has an odd curve to it. The horn is what gives ya the ability to use magic. Ya are lookin' at me like ah’m crazy." She answered then also commented as he gave her a flat look.

"That is because I have no idea what a..horn..is. I have seen horns on monsters but never one on myself. That does seem..crazy as you put it. Though I do apologize for my response." He responded to the mare.

Applejack looked away from him and then looked around her. Her face lit up and a grin crossed her muzzle as she stood up. "Ah'll show ya what ah mean. Follow me." She motioned to him as she went past him and walked with purpose away from him.

Oblivion watched as the orange mare moved past him. He stood still for a few seconds before he looked down to his hooves and then looked after the mare. 'Okay, it can't be hard to move forward. I just have to decide what to do and this body should do so. I have seen Sasa move plenty.' Oblivion looked after Applejack and focused on simply following her. He shifted his body and much to his own surprise he was able to pivot on his rear left and came down to follow the mare. He was pleased with himself but lost his focus and the next thing he knew he was pitching forward and barely managed to stop himself from planting his snout into the ground. He was down with one leg in front of him and the other under him. He looked up to see Applejack coming back toward him. 'If I could I'm sure I would be blushing. Thankfully I lost that ability in the beginning. Hmm...Oh well, this could be worse.' Oblivion managed to stop himself from giving a low chuckle to spite himself.

Applejack pulled up in front of him and knelt down as well. "Are ya all right?" She waited as Oblivion nodded in response. "Mayhap ya was lying down too long? Or standing too long and yer legs gave out?" She tried to explain what could have happened even though she truly had no idea. For his part, Oblivion looked up and a short chuckle escaped him.

"Maybe." Was his response. He looked back to his tangled limbs and he was well aware that his rump was in the air. Which was not the most dignified position for anyone? Especially a stallion. He started to try to move but found that if he did his flank started to fall. His right leg was stretched out underneath him and the left was planted into the ground to stop his fall. Applejack watched as he suddenly stopped and seemed to be analyzing his options.

"Ya need some help?" She asked trying to land on sympathetic instead of mocking.

Oblivion looked at her and then back to his predicament. He gave a loud snort at the position he was in before heaving a low sigh. "Yes." Was all he said. Unlike many people he knew, he was not too proud to ask for help when needed.

Applejack moved to stand with her shoulder planted again his right flank, next to his hip and then looked over to him. She gave a nod to tell him to try to stand and she would support his flank to prevent him from falling. Oblivion's ears flattened against his skull at the presence near his tail. But he understood it even though it wasn't a comfortable position for him. He put more of his weight forward, relying on Applejack to keep him from falling over. He was able to dislodge his left hoof and move it slightly to his side and then pull his right foreleg more forward as he wavered Applejack planted her hooves, pushed her shoulder into his hip, as a way to keep him standing and support his taller frame with her shorter stature. Oblivion suddenly growled as his wings spread off his back, angled toward the ground and flapped once. His body was given enough lift and that allowed him to get his hooves underneath him. He did pitch against Applejack but she held her ground and he finally got to his hooves. He snorted and shook his head to get his forelock out of the way. Applejack jumped away from him and allowed him some space to get himself balanced. He stopped and looked back to her with a grateful nod. She walked over to stand next to his shoulder and then looked up at him.

"Ya okay pardner?" She asked him.

Oblivion sighed and nodded to her. She walked forward a few steps and then stopped. Oblivion realized that she was going to walk with him just in case. He didn't blame her since he had nearly face planted his muzzle into the ground. He looked down at his hooves and took a step forward. He was pleased when he managed not to fall. Applejack moved with him and soon he was striding easily across the short grass with her. As they neared a short incline hill he paused near the bottom of it. 'Just got the basics of walking down and now I have to climb a hill. Well, hopefully, the end result of this is better than my attempt at walking without thinking.' He was about to turn to look at Applejack to ask about going around when the mare jumped to stand in front of him.

"Y'all can climb this little hill. I'll be right wit' ya. Though ah do wonder why you're having such trouble? You were fine getting up earlier when ah startled ya and then when ah pulled yer wing. Hmm. Wonder why ya can't climb this little ol' hill." Applejack said to him looking thoughtful.

Oblivion was well aware that she was trying to goad him into proving her wrong. It was a technique that he had used many times as well on trainees. He simply gave her a bland look and waited. Applejack couldn't stop herself when a grin threatened to break through her thoughtful expression. Oblivion simply stared back, his expression flat. The mare finally broke out laughing and seemed to give up. She went back to his side and waited for him to start moving. Oblivion looked up at the hill and waited for a moment while he thought of how Sasa had always tackled the hills he asked her to climb. Her body had pitched up into the hillside and she had climbed them fairly easily. Oblivion closed his eyes and focused.

Applejack looked at him and was about to comment about how they could go around when he snorted and plunged forward. Applejack yelped as she saw that his eyes were closed as he plunged up the hill. She was about to yell for him to stop when he plunged to a halt at the top of the hill.

Oblivion felt the angle change under his hooves and he stopped. He heard Applejack come to a stop beside him and he opened his eyes to look over at her. The mare breathed heavily and glared at him. "Ah wasn't talking about racing up it like a danged fool!" She yelled at him. Oblivion's ears pinned as she shouted. His ears rang for a moment before he looked at her with another blank look. Applejack fumed at him as he looked down the hill. He looked down and Applejack jumped in front of his snout. 

"Oh no, ya don't. Ya try to race down this and you'll end up hurtin' yourself. Just watch and I'll show ya how to go down tha hill." The mare went back to his side and Oblivion watched her as she angled down the hill and leaned her weight into her hind legs and started going down the hill. "Well come on." She said as she slowly went down. 

Oblivion knew she was going slowly for his sake and while he appreciated it he had to work to try not to plunge down the hill. He leaned back and mimicked Applejack's posture. He quickly realized that going down was harder than going up. 'If I ever get back to Sasa I will never make her run down hills again. This is horrific.’ He vowed as he slowly made his way down the hill. He looked up at Applejack and tried not to slip. Her tail was in front of his snout when she yelped and began to slide forward. Oblivion's head snaked forward, grabbed her tail in his teeth, and planted his hooves to stop her slide. Preventing himself from doing the same thing.

Applejack panted as she looked back at the black stallion who had a mouthful of her tail. She panted at the sudden surge of adrenaline. "Thanks, Oblivion. Ah have to admit tha' was some quick thinkin', ah was about to go head over hooves." She thanked him as he quirked an eyebrow at her.

'That's one way to say my name. She drew out the O a bit but not bad enough to be hard to understand. I think that accent of hers is to blame. It seems to thicken if she gets excited.' He thought to himself as Applejack tried to say his name with that drawl of hers. He had heard accents before, but hers was quite strong. When she appeared to be situated he released her tail from his mouth and waited for her to move. When she did move forward, he followed slowly behind her. He had to admit it was tiring going down the hill. When they got close to the bottom Applejack gathered herself and jumped down the last several feet of the hill. her head came up as soon as she landed and she whirled around to face Oblivion. He knew the look in her eyes. She was practically pleading with him not to do what she had. He snorted and continued his slow, controlled descent. He was a lot of things, but stupid was certainly not one of them. Until he got used to this horse body of his, he would not be doing any jumping downhills. Applejack looked more than a little relieved when he didn't follow her example. The orange mare waited until he got to the bottom and stood next to her. She walked forward and he followed her forward till they came to the edge of a pond.

"Alright' now that we are here Ah can show ya a Unicorn." She told him and watched as he looked to her, waiting. "Look down." Was all she said.

Oblivion looked down and snorted at the image looking back at him. He had known that there was something blocking his forelock from being pushed out of his face but he had not anticipated that it would be a foot long curved horn. The jet black horn spiraled from his forehead and had a slight curve that angled it back at the tip. He simply stared at it for a few moments before he used the water to get a look at the rest of him without contorting his horse body. Applejack had moved out of the way when he started moving to the side. He looked and saw that even though the saddlebags obscured a good portion of his barrel, but even he could see that he was built similarly to his original body. He had always been tall and lean. Though for a horse he might have looked unhealthy to some. But the mare with him didn't say anything.

His tail was white/silver like his mane and was almost on the ground. He was about to move it when he saw something tattooed on his right flank. He brought his head closer to the water until he realized that made no sense when he could look at it from a better angle. He raised his head and look back to his flank. He was not sure when it had happened but on his flank to the side of his hip was an emblem in the shape of his medallion and had his swords crossed behind it. He blinked at it and inclined his head to look closer at it. He suddenly brought his head up and looked down at his chest. Around his neck, his medallion still hung. He heaved a sigh of relief and then looked more closely at his hooves. His cat eyes narrowed and he looked closer at them, noticing that they seemed to be cracked. But he dismissed that thought when he looked at both of them and saw the 'cuts' went down all of them in exactly same places. He chose to ignore that for now since unless you looked at them there was no way to tell and he would look more closely later.

Applejack watched as he looked at himself with unhidden curiosity. She tilted her head and looked to him. "Y'all act like ya never seen yer cutie mark before." She chuckled as she spoke to him.

Oblivion's ears flicked to listen as she spoke and once he heard her he looked at her. "My what now?" 'A cutie mark? That just sounds ridiculous and what in the Realms is she speaking of?’ He knew for a fact that he was a stallion and what she had said sounded the opposite of masculine.

Applejack looked at him. "Yer cutie mark. The marking on yer flank." She pointed to the emblem on his flank for emphasis.

Oblivion's eyes widened as he looked back at the mark on his hip. "I will be honest with you Applejack. I have never seen this before." He replied as he looked back at her. He internally cringed at the confirmation of the name of the tattoo. He kept his disdain for the title hidden from the mare and simply waited for her reaction which he had to admit he was waiting for. He wasn't disappointed.

Applejack gaped at him with her eyes wide and mouth slightly open. "What you'll talkin' about? Ya don't know about yer own cutie mark? Thought ah have ta admit I have no idea what it means, but that ain't the point right now." She paused at his look. It conveyed that he was not kidding. "Oh by Celestia. Ya ain't joking. All righ' so ya don't know anything about yer cutie mark and ya don't seem to be used ta walking like a pony."

Oblivion watched her as she reasoned things out on her own. He didn't interrupt and stood quietly. When she stopped he gave her an affirmative nod before cocking one hind leg. "Applejack. I have heard of a 'cutie mark', nor have I heard of Equestria, and I have never heard of this Celestia you mentioned. And your belief that I am unused to moving like a 'pony' is accurate." He stated to her since he knew that those questions would come up eventually.

Applejack paused as she processed what he said. She gave a quiet snort and looked back at him. "But how can ya not know what ya are? Are ya cursed?" Applejack cringed away from him at that question. Oblivion looked at her with a withering glance that said 'seriously?' She paused and thought for a few minutes before she looked at him and sat down. "Go ahead an' sit down. Ah, think we need to talk 'bout this." She motioned for him to do the same.

Oblivion looked at how she was sitting and tried to mimic her, but ended up falling onto his rump instead of sitting. He growled for a moment before composing himself and looking to Applejack. "What is it that you would like to speak of?"

Applejack looked back to him and inhaled before starting. "Alrigh'. So first thing ah wanna know is why yer having so much trouble moving around. Ya do jus' fine at some times then yer falling down the next. Any idea why?" She sat quietly and waited for him to respond.

Oblivion sat in silence as he considered her question. 'How do I answer these without revealing too much? I'm not going to reveal everything till I have more information about this world and how it works. So, for now, I will be truthful but I'm going to hold back on major details.' He stopped his internal thoughts and looked back to the orange mare sitting in front of him. "There are many possibilities but the most logical would be that I seem to have lost some of my motor function. The reason for the movements before I think would be due to reflex and muscle memory. But that could be conjecture on my part." He said as he moved one hoof in front of him. 

He looked away from Applejack to the water as he waited for her response. When he didn't hear anything he looked at her to find her staring at his hoof. He cleared his throat to try to to get her attention and she shook her head and stood up. She walked a couple of stride to him and stopped. He watched as she reached down and gripped his hoof in hers and then turned it over to see the bottom of it. She stared intently at the bottom of his hoof. Oblivion rolled his eyes and tried to pull his hoof away, but Applejack's grip was stronger than he anticipated. He finally cleared his throat again but when nothing happened he gave a loud rumbling growl and that get her attention. 

"What are you doing with my hoof?" Though he was curious how it was able to move like that. As far as he knew a horses joints weren't supposed to move in that direction. Applejack blushed and let go before scooting swiftly backward.

"Ah well yer hoof split apart and for a moment it looked like there were claws or something like that. Ah was looking but ah couldn't see them since they would have gone into the bottom of yer hoof but there was nothing there and...wha?" She looked at him when he raised a hoof to stop her rambling.

Oblivion looked at the hoof he had raised with open curiosity. He focused on it and showed mild surprise when the hoof did indeed split into 4 long claws. The claws made him think of his fingers but there were only 4 of them he looked at the edges of the hoof and found that where his thumb would have been was an edge that kept the claws inside of his hoof and kept them hidden. While he looked at them, he flexed them to see if he could control them like he had his fingers. They could not straighten fully but enough for him to stand on them. He put the hoof down while keeping the claws out and discovered that it was comfortable to stand on the claws. Felt as though he was standing on his hooves but the claws instead. 

"Hmmm. Very interesting." He looked up at Applejack and found the mare staring at him. "It's nice to have an extra weapon in my arsenal. Also feels like standing on them is a natural feat so that's a good sign as well. Don't think these could hold my swords though which is unfortunate but adapting to situations is a Witcher's job. This magic you mentioned can make up for lacking the grip to hold the blade the way I have been trained." He stopped himself when he heard a light cough. He blinked and looked at Applejack who looked a bit disturbed at what he was saying. He put the claws back into his hoof and looked at her expectantly. "My apologies. Your next question please."

Applejack shook her head to stop herself from staring at him. 'Is he talking about using that sword in real combat? That can't be true. Nopony would go against somepony his size even in a battle. Ah can't believe ah am even thinking of asking. Ah well, that ain't important right now. He's right ah have other questions for him. But ah have to hurry it's gettin' late and ah don't think he has anywhere to stay. We have an extra room at home but ah would need to talk to mah family. Gotta hide those swords and wings ah think. He doesn't seem ta like the attention. But how do we hide them?' Applejack looked past him and saw something coming from his bag. She was about to get up but stopped when she thought about how she was invading his personal space far too often, despite how calm he was. "What's that in yer bag? It looks like fabric." She said as she pointed her hoof to his right saddlebag.

Oblivion looked back and saw that she was right. He immediately recognized the fabric and his magic pulled it from the saddlebag. He pulled the cloth on and revealed itself to be his cloak. It covered his wings and the top part of his tail. It had a silver lining and was rounded at the bottom. Thankfully that prevented it from dragging on the ground. The hood was the same and Oblivion pulled it over his ears, but it didn't stay in place. Applejack watched as he narrowed his eyes and pulled it up and he heard the fabric rip as he pulled it down on his horn. By doing that his horn kept the fabric in place and covered his eyes as well. He focused ahead of him as he heard the sound of hooves. Applejack appeared to be clapping her hooves together. He gave her a strange look as he pulled the hood back and let it settle down onto his withers.

"Well tha’ solves one problem. Ya were gonna get stared at by ponies anyway due to yer height but now they won't see yer wings or the..um..swords." Applejack stumbled over the part about the swords on his back but otherwise held her composure. Oblivion gave a nod to her statement and seemed to be waiting for her to say more. "Okay next question, then we should head out to mah farm. We have an extra bedroom that ya can rest up in. So what is a Witcher?"

Oblivion looked at her for a moment before he looked away to gaze at the forest beyond where they sat. "That's not an easy question to answer Applejack. Where I am from a Witcher is known even if they wish not to be. We are easily distinguished not just by our looks but by the weapons we carry. We are trained from a very young age to do battle with the monsters of the world and protect both lives and the balance of nature." He paused to make sure Applejack was following what he had said. She appeared interested and so he continued. "We take up contracts in an area where the peo..ponies have requested the help of a bounty hunter, or a Witcher specifically, to rid them of a monster. Though we are trained to track and kill we also have the ability to reason with creatures if needed. For example, I can think of one of my last contracts had me chasing after a monster that was believed to be destroying homes. I tracked it down and it was revealed to be a mountain troll that was actually simply lost. After directing the troll to the proper direction it all ended without bloodshed and I was still given the agreed on an amount of coin in exchange." He finished the tale hoping it cleared up any fears about what he did as his profession. She appeared thoughtful and put a hoof to her chin as she seemed to be thinking over what he said.

"So ya can choose to either kill or save a monster even if it has hurt ponies?"

"Yes. Sometimes bloodshed is not needed and can be left behind in favor of reason." He responded.

"Ah have to admit that's quite a tale. But I can tell ya'll aren't lying. So ya help ponies with monsters, but ya talked about getting paid for it. Ya don't help just for the sake of helping?" She asked him with a somewhat concerned look.

He couldn't stop the bark of laughter that escaped him. "There are times that we will jump in to stop an immediate attack but if you want the monster gone a contract is what is required. A Witcher doesn't put their tail on the line without payment. There can be exigent circumstances but the majority of the time we require a contracted agreement. We do always provide proof if a monster is on the losing end of a contract." He stopped at the look he was getting from Applejack. He wasn't sure what the look was but it appeared to possibly be somewhere between anger and disgust. "Yes?"

Applejack sat in silence as he explained. She was disgusted by how he responded to simply helping another pony just for the sake of helping by laughing. Then to find out that he would not defend another pony without a contract. "How can ya not help anypony out if they are in danger? That's just cruel. Ah can't believe what ah am hearing. And the fact that ya say that with a straight face is..is..wrong. How can ya not help?" She ranted until her mouth was shut with a blue fire clamp around her muzzle. She tried to shake it off but it stayed in place. She stopped struggling and leveled a glare at the black stallion whose horn was surrounded in blue flame. Oblivion did not say anything for a moment his face unreadable.

"Witchers are hated where I am from. Not just due to our mentality. We are not like everyo..everypony. We lack many emotions due to how we are trained. There are so few of us left that while ponies hate us they still need us to accomplish what they cannot. Our sole purpose since long before I came along is to do battle with the monsters that hide in the darkness and you expect us to put our lives on the line doing something that only we can accomplish for free? That is a ridiculous notion. Do you not expect me to help you in exchange for the information you have provided and for offering me a room for the night? I do not expect to get anything for free in any aspect of my life. I am used to being hated and treated with cruelty and disdain my lack of emotion makes that very easy for me to ignore. So I ask you, Applejack, are you helping me for the sake of helping or are you expecting me to earn my keep?" He chastised her but his voice lacked any true anger or cruelty. He spoke with a low tone and released her mouth so she could speak. He had been surprised when he had been thinking about covering her mouth with a hoof out of annoyance when his magic had done it for him. He waited for her to respond as he regarded her with a flat look.

Applejack looked at him for a moment before responding. "Alrigh'. Ya are right that ah was gonna have you help out at tha farm in exchange for the room. Ah am sorry for accusin' ya of being cruel. That was wrong and ya did nothing to deserve it. Ah am sorry to hear that your kind is mistreated for no good reason. It must have been difficult to grow up with that." She looked at him as he shook his head at her statement. She heard him mutter something about needing emotions to care what others truly thought. She kept going instead of asking him for more information. "Ah was wrong and I hope ya can forgive me for mah assumptions." She lowered her head in shame and waited for him to speak before raising her head.

Oblivion stared at the mare as she kept her head bowed and waited for him to speak. None had ever asked for his forgiveness for something they had said. No one had ever apologized to him or any other Witcher that he knew of. He blinked a couple of times before gathering himself and looking back to the mare. Oblivion reached out and put one hoof on her shoulder. 

"There is nothing to forgive Applejack. You were speaking in honesty and I cannot fault you for that. You had no way of knowing my past and how others treat me and mine. It is something that I am used to and it does not bother me as much as it might others. But if it eases your mind I do forgive you for your words." 

He waited for the mare to look up and nodded to her. He removed his hoof as she stood up and gave him a wide smile. He startled when she came forward and wrapped her forelegs around his neck. He sat in stunned silence before he reached a hoof up and patted her back. 'Why is she hugging me? This makes no sense.' Was his thought when she finally let go and backed away from him.

"Alright, pardner. Let's get goin'. It starting ta get dark and I'm sure ya are probably hungry. I'll treat ya to a nice meal before we head to bed. Ah'll introduce ya to mah family. Though do ya wanna keep your wings a secret still or are ya okay with others seeing them?" She asked him as she considered.

Oblivion looked at her and remembered her reaction. "I would prefer to keep them hidden for now. Though I will understand if you..." A hoof went over his muzzle and he went silent.

"That's perfectly fine. Ah, can see that you are uncomfortable with others knowing and ah can respect that. Though we will need to find some way to keep that cloak a' yours in place or the wind might expose the secret. So ah'm not sure if you have any ideas...Whatcha looking at?" Oblivion had looked away from her and was looking at the cloak on his back.

Oblivion looked at his cloak as Applejack mused and he had an idea. He knew that some Sorceresses could enchant their clothes to achieve a certain look or color. It left him wondering if he could make the cloak cover his wings and his swords even if it was blown away from his back. Basically making them invisible or if possible untouchable even if someone bumped into him. His horn began to glow as he focused on the cloak. His vision narrowed as he concentrated his magic onto the piece of fabric. Small runes appeared across its surface as Oblivion's magic coalesced on it and it suddenly erupted with a blue flame, causing Applejack to yelp with surprise. His vision expanded and his magic released the cloak and it settled back onto his back. He shook his head to rid himself of the bright marks that marred his vision momentarily after the burst of light from the spell. Oblivion looked back to the startled Applejack and found her to be staring at him, bewildered. 

"My apologies for the light Applejack. I did not intend to upset you. But.." She bolted up to him and jumped to his side. He looked at her and nodded. He was also curious to see if it worked. The golden runes vanished and Applejack reached for the edge of the cloak. She pulled it up and whinnied in surprise and then dropped it. He rolled his eyes and his magic picked it up once more. He was immensely pleased to see that the spell had worked. Both his wings and the swords had disappeared he could tell that they were there but nobo...nopony would be able to see them. He reached a clawed hoof up to his side and found that he didn't feel them either. He had a moment of being even more pleased with himself as he realized that the spell had worked.

"How did ya do that? Ah didn’t think ya even knew how ta use yer magic." Applejacks inquired of him. Oblivion allowed the cloak to fall back into its place on his back before he turned to her.

"I do know a few Sorceresses back where I am from. I saw them using their magic to change the appearance of their clothes. When I asked about it they gave a brief explanation of how it works. I just altered it slightly to make it more helpful.” He explained and lifted the cloak again to make sure it had not been a one time spell.

Applejack stared at him. 'He's never used magic before and he's able to do spells that seem very complicated. I wonder how powerful he actually is?' Applejack put her thoughts to the side and tapped his shoulder. "Let's get movin' then. Is a little bit of a walk to tha farm." She stepped away from him and waited for him to turn and walk alongside her. Oblivion pivoted on his heel once more and stepped slowly up next to her. Applejack walked slowly beside him at first allowing him to get used to walking again and only then did she pick up the pace little by little to allow him to learn how to stay with her. They were halfway there when he seemed to have the hang of walking and no longer needed to watch her hooves to mimic her. Applejack saw her home and broke into a brisk trot. Oblivion rolled his eyes but continued walking. He did lengthen his stride not wanting to get left to far behind the orange mare.

Applejack trotted through the gate and saw her big brother. "Big Mac! Git over here! Ah brought a guest!" She hollered to the red stallion. He looked up and walked toward his younger sister. Applejack stopped and waited for him but then face hooved when she realized that Oblivion couldn't trot yet. She looked back and saw that he was walking through the gate. She noticed that he had lengthened his stride and was able to keep up with her due to his long legs. He stopped at her hip and waited. The big red stallion reached his sister and looked at the taller black Unicorn behind her. "Mac this here is Oblivion Shadow. Ah met him by the old pond and he's new around here. Ah offered him a room for the night and a good meal. So he needs some help learnin' the area." Applejack motioned for Oblivion to come up to stand by her.

Oblivion walked up to be level with the orange mare and looked at the stallion that was Applejack's older brother. The big stallion held out a hoof and offered it to him. "Nice ta meet ya. Mah name's Big Macintosh and yer welcome to stay here." The roan had an even stronger drawl that Applejack and it made it harder to understand him but Oblivion got the basics of what he said. He shook the stallion's hoof cautiously. 

"Oblivion Shadow. Just Oblivion is fine. Its a pleasure to meet you, Big Macintosh." The stallion gave a good shake of Oblivion's hoof and then let it go. 

"Just Mac is fine mah friend." 

Oblivion started at being called a friend. That was a first. The Witchers from the Wolf school were considered his brothers, not his friends. Being called a friend was a foreign concept to him. For now, he would ignore it and keep going forward as always. The stallion backed up and Applejack moved forward after giving Oblivion a nudge to follow her. The black stallion watched as Mac went back to what he had been doing and his ears suddenly flicked back and he stopped walking. He listened and he could hear what sounded like a large bird coming toward him. 

"Duck!" He yelled at Applejack and the mare wisely listened. She dropped to her belly as Oblivion put his head down hoping he was right about how far off the ground the bird was as it neared them. His tail was blown between his hind legs and his mane went into his face, his cloak ended up over his head. He was suddenly very pleased that he had created a spell for that.

His magic tossed the cloak back to lay on his back as he flicked his tail and shook his head to move his forelock out of his face. He gave an annoyed snort and started to open his mouth to yell when Applejack beat him to it. "Darnit Rainbow, why can't ya greet ponies normally? Especially when I'm tryin’ to show a guest around mah farm!" Applejack yelled at a...flying...blue pony… with a lightning bolt of red, blue, and yellow on her flank. 

Oblivion managed to stop himself from staring. That must be what Applejack meant by a Pegasus. Oblivion looked at her wings and was surprised to see that they were much smaller than his own. She seemed to fly just fine on them but Oblivion wasn't sure how. The blue mare laughed at the outraged Applejack but stopped when she looked behind Applejack to see Oblivion.

She was suddenly in front of Oblivion's face, he snorted and his horn lit as he pulled the mare's tail till she was no longer muzzle to muzzle with him. The blue mare yelped as her tail was pulled backward. Her wings flapped as she tried to get away from it. Oblivion looked at Applejack and Applejack seemed to catch on to his intent. Oblivion ducked his head and let go of the mare's tail. She tore through the air above him and landed in a haystack 20 feet behind him. Big Mac looked less than impressed as the hay had seemed to explode and was now all over him. Applejack howled with laughter and fell to her rump holding her stomach. Oblivion simply looked over his shoulder with a small grin on his muzzle. The mares head poked out of the ruined haystack and spat out a mouthful of it. Oblivion watched as she climbed out of the hay and looked to Applejack who was now laying on her side holding herself laughing. She looked to Oblivion and glared. Oblivion's orange eyes gave away no emotion and his face was unreadable. The mare jumped into the air and looked like she was going to charge him. Applejack calmed down and sat up. "Ah, wouldn't Rainbow. He's got more magic than any pony ah know. So messing with him is not a good plan." The orange mare called out.

"I'll decide if its a good idea or not AJ. Nopony can get away from me. I'm the best flier in Equestria. Besides now I owe him for that stunt. Though he's kinda weird looking isn't he?" The blue mare commented and lowered herself to the ground and began pawing at it as she looked at him.

"Rainbow ya'll need to quit being rude to mah guest and calm down. Someone coulda’ been hurt by you flying that close. And he looks fine ta me. Yes, he is a bit tall but that's fine." Applejack jumped to land behind Oblivion in his defense, which surprised him and he watched as she moved to stop the blue mare.

Oblivion looked behind the Pegasus and watched in amusement as Big Mac stormed up to the blue mare. Mac reached out and tapped her on the shoulder. Rainbow startled and looked behind her to find a very angry Big Mac behind her. He didn't say anything and simply pointed to the scattered hay and pointed to the pitchfork to the side of them. Rainbow opened her mouth to argue and started to point to Oblivion but Mac got into her face and glared even more at her. The mare shrunk under him and walked over to the pitchfork, picked it up and started cleaning. Mac walked up to Oblivion and as he was passing by him he paused and a big smile went across his muzzle as he chuckled. Obvious approval in the other stallions eyes for his actions. "Ah was cleaning that up and now she can do it instead." The red stallion walked away chuckling as a small grim crossed Oblivion's muzzle. Applejack came up to stand at his should and laughed at her brother.

"That was perfect Oblivion. I've never been able to get her to work. But nopony messes with Mac." She laughed aloud at the other mare.

"So who is she? You two seem to get along despite the yelling." Oblivion observed.

Applejack chuckled at him and nodded. "Eeyup, we have been friends for a while. She may be a blowhard but she's a good friend. Her name's Rainbow Dash. Ah'm sorry ah didn't introduce ya."

Oblivion gave a low chuckle as he looked down at the mare. "I doubt she would have been interested in meeting me the normal way anyway Applejack. Especially since I put her into that haystack."

Applejack laughed and nodded. "That was one of the best things ah have ever seen." Applejack finished laughing and started walking forward and then checking to make sure he was following. "Ah'll introduce ya to the rest o' mah family inside." Oblivion nodded and followed her. "But now that ah think of it how were ya able to hold her in place. Rainbow is a strong flier. But you looked to not be struggling at all to hold her in place."

Oblivion looked at her as they walked. He thought about it for a moment before he responded. "I honestly just wanted her out of my way. I don't appreciate having any..pony in my face like that. The amount of magic I have could be due to other factors. Perhaps it's due to being a...what did you call it?"

Applejack leaned into him and whispered her reply. "Alicorn?"

"Yes. Perhaps that has something to do with it?" He reasoned. She had mentioned that an Alicorn was magically very strong. Applejack shrugged and kept walking toward the house. He glanced back to the Rainbow mare and saw her glaring. He felt the side of his mouth raised in a grin and he winked at her just to ruffle her feathers. He was pleased to see that it worked as she threw down the pitchfork and sputtered at him. He ducked his head and walked into the kitchen with Applejack. He had to keep his head a bit low to prevent his horn from hitting the door jam. Applejack looked around and led him into the front room where an older mare was sleeping. She motioned for Oblivion to stop. He stopped in place and waited for further instructions. Normally he wouldn't let another command him but Applejack was smart enough to request he comply and gave him the choice whether he did so or not. He waited where she had requested as she walked up to the aged mare. She was an apple green mare with a gray mane pulled up into a bun on the back of her head.

"Granny ah brought a guest." Applejack nearly hollered at the mare. Oblivion stood in silence and couldn't help but turn his ears back at the volume. The old mare started and jumped to her hooves. Oblivion cringed when he heard the mare's joints creak. She looked up and saw the tall Unicorn in the opening to the front room and moved slowly toward him. Oblivion crossed the room in 2 strides to prevent the old mare from moving more than what was needed. She looked at him and he saw that her ears were constantly down and flopped against her head. She looked up at the stallion and smiled. Oblivion lowered his head to her and let her get a good look at him.

"Well ah'll be. Applejack brought home a colt." The old mare laughed at her granddaughter's expense.

"Granny!" Applejack yelped as she flushed. "Ah found him by the forest and he had nowhere ta stay." Applejack quickly explained with an affronted look at her grandmother.

Oblivion gave a small smile and shook his head. His orange cat eyes looked back at the old mare and spoke more than spoken word would. The old mare looked back at him and she could see that while he looked young his eyes spoke volumes more than he ever would. She looked back at Applejack and Oblivion raised his head back up in response. "Well, he's welcome ta stay a’ course. Better get to feed em. Call on Apple Bloom and let's get ready for the reunion tomorrow." The old mare wandered toward the kitchen.

Applejack huffed and looked back at Oblivion. "Ah'll show ya to yer room. Then we can have some dinner." She looked to the stallion who nodded in agreement.

Oblivion spun around and followed the mare to a flight of stairs. Applejack led him up the stairs but he paused at the bottom of them. "To the right." Applejack heard him then realized what he meant and jumped to the right and flattened against the wall as a filly raced past her.

"SorryApplejackmove!" Even Oblivion had a hard time following the yellow blur as it ran past them. Applejack jumped away from the wall and stormed down the stairs.

"Apple Bloom you get yer tailback here right now!" The filly stopped in her tracks and looked over her shoulder. She looked at her sister and walked slowly back to her with her head down. Applejack waited till the filly was in front of her before she scolded her. "Apple Bloom you know better than to race through the house like that. And ya are being inconsiderate to our guest. Now apologize to him. If he hadn't been paying attention you would have hit us both and knocked us both down the stairs."

The filly looked up and found her big sister glaring at her and then she motioned her head to where Oblivion was standing. The filly looked sheepish as she turned to the stallion. "Ah'm sorry for running past you like ah did." The filly looked up at him and he brought his head down till he was almost muzzle to muzzle with the filly. She looked up at him and her lower lip quivered slightly. She had a yellow coat and a red mane and tail. A large pink bow was on her head and stood up high on her mane.

The black stallion stood silent and raised his head back up. Apple Bloom was now staring up at him in curiosity she had gotten a good look at his eyes and found them to cat eyes. "All is forgiven little filly. Simply learn from your mistakes and do not repeat them. Do that and there will be no hard feelings." Oblivion looked away from the foal and back to Applejack. He was about to tell Applejack to lead the way when his leg was tapped by a small hoof. He looked down and found Apple Bloom looking up at him. He blinked at her for a moment before he lowered his head once again to look at her. "Yes?"

"Why do yer eyes look like a cat?" She asked. her voice seemed a bit squeakier than before.

"Apple Bloom!" Her older sister yelped.

"It's fine Applejack. Shes not the first and she will never be the last to ask that. They are this way so I can see in the dark and I can track in the woods if I need to." He replied.

The filly smiled as she processed his response. "Can I have eyes like that?"

His ears went back a bit as he remembered how he got them. He shook his head. "No." He brought his head back up and looked to Applejack and used his horn to urge her up the stairs and lead the way.

"Why not?" The filly yelped as she stood in his way.

Oblivion sighed and looked back down to the filly at his hooves. "Because there is no reason for you to have them. You live in a world of light and have no need for eyes that can see in the dark. My eyes help me do my job of protecting ponies from danger. And that is all I will say on the subject little one." The stallion stepped over her and followed the older sister up the stairs. 

He missed the filly's look of disappointment as he stepped over her. His tail hitting her in the face as he climbed the stairs. When they reached the top Applejack led him to a room at the end of the hall. Unbeknown to her that was what he preferred due to him being able to respond to an attack faster if he can hear it coming. Though judging by his experience so far an attack was a very remote possibility. She held the door open and he walked into the room. It was wide enough for him to turn in comfortably and had a desk, dresser, and a bed with a quilt on the bed. There was a window above the bed and he looked out it and saw that he had a view of the property. He looked back to Applejack, who was standing in the doorway looking at the floor. He turned and was a few steps away from her when he spoke. "What is it Applejack?"

The mare startled and looked at him. He had his head down to just above her when he spoke. "Well... I wanted to thank ya for being gentle with Apple Bloom. She's a good filly if a little unthinkin' at times. But thank you for toleratin' her question. I know ya don't like ta talk about it." She said and gave him a smile before she turned around and started down the hall. He started to turn back around before he felt a hoof on the shoulder. Applejack had come back into the room. "Also, are ya able to enchant something else so that ya don't have to wear yer cloak ta dinner?"

Oblivion looked at her and shrugged. "I might be able to but I don't have anything else that I can enchant to hide them and I am not going out there with them showing before you even ask." Applejack's jaw closed with a click. The mare looked around for a moment before she reached out to his chest.

"What about this?" She held up his medallion and he scoffed in response.

"Sorry about that. The medallion is from my school and its purpose is to warn me when a great deal of magic is being used or an illusion is close to me. I'm not going to compromise it's purpose just to make my appearance better." He explained to her and she released the medallion to go back to its place on his chest.

Applejack looked around and watched as he tossed his mane over to the other side of his neck. She gasped and looked to him. "Wait right here. Ah'll be right back." The mare took off down the hall and disappeared into another room. She came running back out and trotted down the hall on 3 legs. She held out her hoof when she reached him. In her hoof was a tie for his mane. "Maybe ya'll enchant that? It won't fall off and get lost and you can't walk around without your cloak."

Oblivion held out his hoof and Applejack dropped it into his hoof and his horn lit as he focused on the mane tie and used the same enchant that he used on his cloak. Applejack closed the door behind her and waited. When he had finished he removed his cloak and laid it on the bed. Applejack took the tie from him and used it to style his mane similar to her own. Then she backed up and saw that his wings and the swords on his back vanished. He brought his head up and was pleased to see that his mane was out of the way.

"Your gonna wear those swords?" She asked him in a quiet voice.

"Would you rather I leave them up here where they could be seen?" He asked with a blank look. "Plus, I don't go anywhere without them. Old habits never die."

She groaned at the thought of Apple Bloom finding them and nodded in agreement. If they were with him then Bloom won't find them. She opened the door and led him back to the kitchen. She went down the stairs and looked up them to find him treating the stairs like a hill. She giggled at him but looked away quickly. Mac barreled in the door and ended up colliding with Oblivion as he reached the bottom of the stairs.

“Shit!" Oblivion yelled as his hooves were thrown out from under him and he landed on Mac's back which tossed them both to the ground. "Ouch." Was Oblivion's next comment as he reached up to massage his horn which had hit the ground on the other side of Big Mac. 

Oblivion laid across Big Mac's withers and managed to get his hind legs under him as Mac groaned underneath him. One of Oblivion's hooves had struck him just above the left eye. While Oblivion cringed from landing on the work collar he wore. Apple Bloom was hanging onto her chair as she laughed and Granny Smith was making her way over to her grandson and their guest. Oblivion managed to sit down and get his forelegs under him before he tried to stand up. Though he discovered that trying to stand when you don't have a solid footing was a poor decision on his part as his hooves slid out from under him and he fell back onto Big Mac's side. Big Mac groaned again as Oblivion landed on him. Oblivion laid there before a low growl came from him. Applejack walked over to the fallen stallions and tried to pull Oblivion to a better spot. He couldn't use his wings to help him this time. Granny Smith reached them and stood by them. Apple Bloom stopped laughing when she heard the growl from their guest. They all backed up when blue flame covered both stallions.

"By Celestia!" Granny Smith yelled and sat back on her haunches. Both stallions were lifted into the air and were deposited gently onto their hooves. Applejack watched as Oblivion looked more annoyed than hurt, but it was Big Mac that was holding his head. Oblivion looked at him and rolled his eyes. He reached out a hoof and poked Mac in the shoulder. "I could help fix that bump of yours but I won't, this debacle is your own doing. Apple Bloom got scolded for just this reason earlier. Now it's your turn. Don't run in the damned house!" Oblivion yelled in Mac's ear making him collapse to the ground again. The black stallion stepped carefully over the red pony and looked up to the mares in the house who were now staring at the Unicorn. He looked from each of them and tried not to look angry.

"Yer eyes are glowing." Was Apple Bloom's commentary.

Oblivion's head looked up and he turned to Applejack who nodded. He looked around and didn't see a mirror close to him. He instead focused and his horn lit once more. A small mirror appeared in front of him and he looked at his reflection only to find that the filly was right. His orange eyes glowed back at him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again they were back to normal. 'Hmm, that makes things easier and apparently I can conjure items as well. The Lodge would die of jealousy.' Oblivion went over to the table and sat down beside it. Since there were no chairs he assumed that they just sat on the ground. He was correct aside from Apple Bloom who needed a chair to be level with the table. Applejack went over and helped her brother up and into the front room. She spoke to him and Oblivion had to focus on the outside to not overhear. Applejack came back into the kitchen and Mac was following her. He seemed to have recovered enough to stand easily. Oblivion was well aware that his hoof had hit Big Mac in the head but he was firm of the opinion that it was his own fault. The Unicorn didn't offer any help due to this fact. Plus his own head hurt from the impact his horn had been subjected to from the fall.

Applejack began serving up dinner while Mac sat down across from Oblivion. Apple Bloom bounced in her seat as she waited for her dinner. Oblivion could smell that it was some kind of pasta and bread of some kind. He focused back on the ponies around him and then looked out a nearby window. 'Well, this is an interesting turn of events last thing I know I'm fighting for my life against two Leshens who would like nothing more than to end my life. Then I wake up in the body of a horse and am surrounded by very welcoming talking equines. If I wasn't living it I'd be convinced I was losing my damned mind. And to top it all off I seem to have been given the ability to use magic. Though to be fair Applejack referred to it as less Unicorn magic. Or Alicorn in this case I suppose. Which makes no sense as well. I have never even wished to have the magic I am perfectly happy with my Signs and the old fashioned way.' His internal musing was interrupted when a plate of food was set down in front of him.

He looked at the plate and had no idea what he was looking at. He knew the strings were pasta but the little balls on the plate were a mystery to him. He looked to Apple Bloom and she had dived snout first into her food. He looked away and saw that the other was using forks but Oblivion had no idea how to use them with hooves. As he looked he realized that he was being foolish and used magic instead of his hooves since he had no idea how to grasp with them. The Flames held the fork and he speared one of the tiny balls and popped it into his mouth. Upon biting into it he had to fight not to gag. He turned his head to the side and managed to swallow whatever the hell it was. Upon looking back at his food he watched from the corner of his eyes as Applejack ate her food and mimicked her once more. Though the rest of the meal wasn't as appealing either he ate it to be polite to his hosts. 

He ate as much as he could handle before pushing the remainder away from himself. Apple Bloom's head spun to look at him and his magic pushed the plate toward her and she happily took it and cleaned his plate as well. When they had all finished and Applejack started picking up plates and then the others all appeared by her enveloped in Oblivion's magic. As she started to take them from his grasp and she looked at them to find that they were clean. Oblivion used his magic to clean the plates and set them down with the clean ones on Applejack's other side. With that done Oblivion's magic cleaned the table as well as Apple Bloom's face. Oblivion stood up from the table and walked out the door to stand outside for a while.

Apple Bloom jumped out of her chair and made to follow the Unicorn into the yard. A red hoof was in front of her as Mac shook his head at her. "Ah need to speak to em' first. I owe him' an apology." Mac told her as he ambled to the door and left the house. He approached the black Unicorn and waited till the other stallion was ready to speak to him. Applejack had mentioned that Oblivion had a different mindset and to be mindful of it. She said that Oblivion came from a warrior pony lineage. Mac knew that he had been in the wrong earlier and he owed Oblivion an apology. He watched as Oblivion didn't give any indication that he cared that Big Mac was there till he sighed and looked over his shoulder at Mac.

"Can I help you?" Oblivion's voice traveled to his ears despite his quiet tone.

Mac stood up straighter and walked up to Oblivion and sat down beside the black Unicorn. Mac cleared his throat before he spoke. "Ah am sorry for knocking ya down earlier. Ah should have apologized righ' away but ah didn't and for that ah am sorry. Ya were right, ah did deserve the knock on the head. I wasn' thinkin' and caused trouble for mah family and especially you as our guest. Ah hope ya can forgive me eventually." Mac bowed his head as he sat beside Oblivion.

Oblivion looked at the red stallion. 'What is it with these equines? They ask for forgiveness despite not know anything about me. By the Hells below.' Oblivion looked at Mac and sighed.

Mac suddenly found his headache gone and his head snapped up to see the flame from Oblivion's horn fade and vanish. Mac stared at the Unicorn, he had been expecting Oblivion to hold a grudge. Though when he thought about it Mac realized that he was making an assumption about the stallions character when he knew nothing about him. He sat back up and looked at the other stallion and smiled. "Thank ya Oblivion. Even though I didn't..." Mac started to speak but was interrupted.

"Oh for the love of the..! Just accept my forgiveness and call it even. You apologized and I accept it." Oblivion barked at him again, but this time it was in exasperation. The Unicorn stood up, flicked his tail to get rid of the dirt, and walked away from the stunned Big Mac. Oblivion didn't go far as he looked back at Mac. "I apologize, that outburst was unwarranted. I am simply unused to others being so welcoming and forgiving. I am simply...unused to the situation of another asking me to forgive them. No-fault for that lies with you. Thank you for your apology. There is no longer anything to forgive. Good night Big Mac." Oblivion walked away from him and sat down several feet away in silence.

Big Mac heard Oblivion sigh and watched him as he slumped to the ground with his head between his hooves. Mac stood back up and walked to where the Unicorn had slumped to the ground. Mac decided to sit down beside him and put a hoof on his shoulder in silent comfort. Oblivion raised his head and his glowing orange eyes regarded Mac as they sat in silence. Oblivion sighed again and let himself fall back to the ground in silence. The two sat in silence and Mac kept his hoof on the other's shoulder.

Applejack looked out the kitchen window and saw the two sitting in silence and watched as Mac laid a hoof on Oblivion's shoulder and the other didn't shy away like Applejack thought he might. But judging from how Oblivion let himself sink to the ground in a heap he was more mentally tired than physically. She told Big Mac a little about Oblivion, just enough so that Mac would apologize now instead of tomorrow as he had planned. She had watched as Oblivion had used his magic to help Mac's headache and Mac sat by him when he had laid down outside. She watched for a moment before sighing and started to head to the door when it opened and then closed with a bang. She looked out to find that Oblivion had leaped to his hooves and had turned to the door with his horn alight and a loud growl coming from his throat. Mac had also startled and looked back to find Apple Bloom trotting to them. Oblivion groaned as he stopped growling and let his magic fade. Applejack walked out of the door and watched. Apple Bloom reached them and looked up to Oblivion. The stallion's eyes gave off a light glow in the darkness as he regarded the filly in silence.

"Can I ask ya something?" The yellow filly looked up at him as she asked.

Oblivion sighed and sat down. "I get the feeling that even if I said no you would still ask." He commented. Beside him, Mac turned around and gave a low laugh at Oblivion's commentary. The black Unicorn waited for the filly to speak up. "You can ask one question."

The filly looked thoughtful as she sat down. Applejack walked up to them and stood in silence. Also waiting for the filly to speak. "But Ah got a lot of questions!" The filly whined at him.

Oblivion shook his head. "You get one question. As that is all you asked and it is getting late. I'm certain your family would not like it if you are up to late." Applejack and Big Mac nodded in agreement. The filly sulked as she began to try to pick the best question to ask. She seemed to finally choose as she looked at him.

"Since mah sister brought ya home with her are ya her special somepony?" She finally asked.

'What in the Realms does that mean?' Was all that Oblivion could think of in response to the question. "A what pony?"

Applejack snorted and spun the filly to face her. "No, he is not mah special somepony. Apple Bloom ah met him in the forest and since he had nowhere ta go ah brought him here to rest. Ya need ta get the truth before ya guess. Making an assumption about somepony is not going ta help matters." She looked at Oblivion to see what could only be confusion on his face. She had to admit she was thankful he didn't know what that meant. Oblivion shook his head as he looked back at Apple Bloom.

"Listen to your sister." Was all he said. He managed to put aside his curiosity and ignore his own questions. He'd ask Applejack another time. He stood up and walked around them and back toward the house. Oblivion realized that he was growing tired and decided to turn in for the night. "If you will excuse I think I am going to turn in. Good night everyo..pony." Oblivion gave a light chuckle. 'Have to get used to saying pony instead. It's a bit awkward but necessary to fit in.' Oblivion's magic opened the door and he walked inside to find Granny Smith started to go up the stairs to her own bedroom. Oblivion stood behind her as she slowly made her way up the stairs. Oblivion's magic picked her up and carried her to the top of the stairs. He gently set her down and began to walk past her toward the room Applejack had told him to use.

"Thank ye youngin," She said as she went into the first room on the left.

Oblivion stopped and stared after the old mare. 'Mm. Another first. Being thanked for something small and fairly insignificant. I suppose that is normal for these ponies. Not sure how I will fit into this world. But if I'm here I might as well get used to it, since I am stuck here for now.' Oblivion pushed the door open, walked into the room and then turned to close the door. He pulled the binding from his mane and let his wings and swords show. He stretched out his wings and was surprised to see that a few inches of the tips were pushing against the ceiling. He brought them back down and let them hang loosely against his sides. He put his head down and used one hoof to move his long forelock to one side of his horn. He contemplated cutting it but decided not to after a few moments of thought. He heard the others coming in from outside and looked to the door. 

There was no lock on it but he used magic to create one. It would not open unless he wanted it too. He turned to the bed and looked at it. It appeared to be smaller than him so his hind legs might hang off the end of it. Having slept like that before he knew it would lead to waking up sore. Upon remembering that his magic picked up the blankets and pillow and laid down on the plush rug. His magic pulled his baldric off of him and the swords were laid on the floor directly next to him. The blanket went over him and the pillow laid on the ground in front of him. He laid his head down in front of him. His magic pulled the curtains closed as he closed his eyes. He could hear the others getting into bed as well and he began to allow himself to fall asleep.