Oblivion appeared in front of the barn around the same spot that he had left. Applejack yelped at his sudden reappearance.
“Y'all need ta warn a gal afore ya do that.” She told him as she put a hoof over her chest.
“Sorry about that AJ. I was in a hurry. I’ll get ready to go to Apple Bloom's class.”
Applejack opened her mouth but he vanished in flame before she could speak. “Ah’m really startin’ ta hate that teleportin’ thing. He uses it too well.” She yelped again as he reappeared. His saddlebags were gone and his cloak had taken its place despite his mane being pulled back as well. “Tarnation! Oblivion walk like a normal pony.”
He chuckled. “If I walk there, I'll be late Applejack.” He quipped.
Applejack scowled at him. “Smart pony.” She replied to him. “Y'all get goin'. Those foals are pretty excited fer yer arrival.”
“Still have no idea what stories to tell them, besides the one.” He replied as he looked at the road.
“Y'all could tell ‘em anythin’ and they’d be pretty happy.”
“Still. Oh well, will see how this goes.”
“Git goin.” She said, but he was already gone. “Tha’s infuriatin.”
Oblivion appeared at the entrance to the schoolhouse and started to knock on the door when it flew open. He backed up a couple of steps to avoid being hit by it. The air rushed past him, moving his forelock to the side. Apple Bloom was standing in the doorway with an enormous grin. “Yer here!” She jumped forward, grabbed his right hoof, and began pulling him inside. He allowed himself to be pulled and when he was inside the filly was forced to let go by Cheerilee. The mare nodded to the back of the classroom and he walked back on his own. Foals turned to stare at him as he stood at the back of the room.
“Everypony, face forward please,” Cheerilee spoke to them.
Several foals groaned but did as she asked. He only half listened as he looked around. All the foals spirits gave off a happy light except for one. The foal that he had put in her place twice before was giving off a light that was subdued compared to the others in the class. While his curiosity was piqued a bit he didn’t act on it. He had stepped in with Blue Blood due to the severity of the issue. This filly was not nearly to that point. Besides he didn’t need to step in for every sad pony. That would be exhausting and pointless. Even these cheerful equines had their bad days.
He looked back to the front and saw that they were learning some form of mathematics. He had never paid much attention to it. Just enough to know the amounts of his potions and how much to use or not to use. His skill set was more specific in that regard. Maybe he would read some mathematics books from Twilight’s library. After several minutes a small bell alarm went off on their teacher's desk. The foals all whirled in their seats to look at him. He stared back and arched his neck slightly at the stares he was getting.
“Okay everypony. I know you're all excited for Mr. Shadow to speak. But we will still wait for Apple Bloom to introduce him to all of you. Now everypony, be quiet and respectful.”
Apple Bloom jumped off her seat and went to the front of the class. She motioned for him to join her with one hoof. The Unicorn walked to the front of the class and stood beside her.
“It’s mah pleasure ta introduce mah eldest brother, Oblivion Shadow.” She started.
“Isn’t Big Mac your older brother?” A spindly cream Pegasus with a brown mane and tail raised a hoof as he spoke.
“He is, but Oblivion is older than he is.” She replied. “Anyway, Oblivion is a really powerful Unicorn and he is not from around this area, so he’s gonna talk about some of his adventures from where he is from. He’s also somethin’ called a Witcher.” She looked up to him and he nodded to her. The filly went back to her seat and he looked over the foals.
“As she said I have only been in Equestria for a few weeks now. To answer the immediate question a Witcher is basically a monster hunter. My purpose is to protect ponies from monsters when needed or sometimes it’s the other way around. There are times when a Witcher must protect a monster from ponies. Many monsters do have a mind of their own and are capable of reason and higher thinking. While others are not. A Witcher stands in between monsters and ponies and maintains peace between them. If needed we eliminate a monster that is causing chaos so that the others can live in peace. When I call on you tell me your name so I know you.” He finished and looked to the foals.
One raised her hoof. She was a light gray with darkish gray mane with a thick streak of light gray. Oblivion looked to her. “I’m Silver Spoon. What kind of monsters have you met?”
Oblivion looked thoughtful for a moment. “Many of these names none of you will have heard of due to them being from the same place I am. I have fought Leshens, various types of trolls, elementals, various wraiths, fiends, chorts, and drowners to name a few. Each one is different and must be fought differently.”
The foals gaped at the number of different types of monsters that there were. The cream Pegasus raised his hoof again. “My name is Featherweight. What type of monster have you helped? You said that you help monsters too.”
Oblivion nodded. “I did say that. Most recently I was called on by the alderman of a village.” He paused at the confused looks. “The elder of the village.” The foals nodded and he went on. “They asked that I use the knowledge I have to find out what was scaring the villagers so badly that they refused to go into one of the orchards. I asked around but none of the villagers could give a good description of the type of monster. After doing some investigation I went into the orchard to see what I could find.” He paused as several small hooves went into the air.
A filly with various shades of purple in her mane and a greenish-blue coat looked to him. He nodded at her. “I’m Lily Longlocks, just Lily. Why didn’t the villagers help you?”
“It wasn’t that they did not help. They were simply too frightened to try to get a good look at the monster. It had never come near the village so they never got a clear look at it. They were too fearful to try. Fear can stop even the boldest of ponies in their tracks. It's not that these ponies didn’t wish to help out they were simply letting their fears stop them from going into the fields that the monster had been in. They were afraid that it would hurt them or worse so they avoided the entire area.”
He looked at a colt with a short mane and tail, a deep green coat and a pair of scissors for a marking. “I’m Snips. Were you scared to?”
Oblivion shook his head. “Fighting monsters is what I have been trained to do. Fear is not something that I concern myself with. While I’m sure fear is there for normal ponies it is not something a Witcher truly feels. If I felt anything, it was the anticipation for the fight that I might be walking into.”
A white foal with a light blue mane and no marking was next. “Shady Daze. How do you fight monsters?”
“I will get to that soon. Unless you don’t wish for me to finish the story?” The remaining hooves went down and the foals went silent. Oblivion chuckled before continuing. “Upon walking into the woods I heard what sounded like singing. Granted, it was very off key and the voice resembled somepony stepping on gravel. That alone gave me an idea of what I was dealing with. I saw the glow of a fire and looked around a tree to get a good look. What I saw was not a great surprise though I could understand why ponies were afraid. I was looking at a medium sized rock troll.” The foals gasped and leaned forward in their seats.
Oblivion looked around them. The eagerness on their faces was clear. So he continued with his tale. “It was actually singing and that was the sound I was hearing. Rocks trolls are not incredibly intelligent but they are capable of using basics tools and using some amount of reason. I have met many trolls and have been able to get them to move on rather than fighting them. I walked out from behind the tree and walked slowly towards the troll. I made sure to stomp a bit since I normally walk in silence, the troll turned to look at me and after a moment he charged. I jumped out of the way but he came at me again, so I pulled my silver sword out of its scabbard and used it on the trolls thick hide. After a few minutes, it was becoming clear to me that it was not trying to hurt me. It seemed to actually be trying to drive me away.”
A hoof hesitantly went up. A creamy white filly with glasses and a red mane and tail looked to him. He nodded at her. “I’m Twist. Did it really attack you?” She asked, her voice was nasally and quiet.
“No, it didn’t necessarily attack. To me, an attack is a violent act that holds malice and anger. This was not the same. The troll appeared to be trying to scare me away, not hurt me, despite my blade cutting it a few times.” The foals nodded and looked to him once more. “After going around in a circle for several minutes I stopped and put my hooves in the air. I was aware that the troll might ignore it and hit me anyway, but it was a risk I had to take. It was a couple of feet away when it stopped.” He paused and the foals were leaning forward as far as they could. He glanced to the side and saw their teacher was also listening intently. He had to fight not to smile. “It stopped and looked right at me. I told it that I just wanted to talk. It accepted that and I put my sword away so that the conversation would stay civilized. I asked it why it was scaring the village ponies. It had to think about it but finally responded that it was trying to go back to the mountains but ponies were getting in the way. I have to admit I did gape at it for a moment before I realized a very important detail. The troll...was lost.”
The foals stared and Apple Bloom snorted a laugh. Several foals giggled and Oblivion shrugged. “How could it be lost?” Diamond Tiara shouted. “Is it really that stupid?”
“As I said trolls are not very smart. Though they do understand insults.” He said and the filly cringed. “It was confused about the right direction to go. It did not realize that the mountains it was looking for were in the opposite direction. After a few minutes of trying to tell it what direction to go, I decided to simply take it there. Took about an hour to reach the base of the mountains but once we reached it the troll left to go into them once more. I did get a hearty thank you from the beast as a reward for my efforts. I returned to the village and informed them that the orchard was safe and they had nothing to be afraid of. As a thank you from them I was given a bed for the night and they gave me a few crowns as well. In the end, the villagers were able to harvest their food once more and it ended with no bloodshed.”
The foals cheered and clapped their hooves. Cheerilee joined in as well. “That was a wonderful tale, Mr. Shadow. I’m sure the foals have lots of questions for you.”
“I will answer as best I can.” He looked up and saw Apple Bloom straining for his attention, her hoof high in the air. “Yes, Apple Bloom?”
“Ya said ya used a silver sword. Do ya have it wit ya?” She asked.
“I carry it with me, yes. I am trained to carry two different swords with me. One is silver and is used on monsters. The other is steel and is used to fight ponies if ever needed.” The foal's eyes all widened.
“I’m Snails. Can we see them?” A dark orange foal with green mane and tail and a snail on his flank asked.
“I can show you what the steel sword looks like, but not the silver.” The Unicorn replied.
“Why just the one?” Apple Bloom asked.
“The silversword is not meant to be shown off. It has a purpose and is not meant to be gaped at. A Witcher's swords are weapons that we use efficiently and they are treated with a great deal of respect. Even other Witcher's do not ask for another's silver sword. The steel is less dangerous and is meant to be seen. The silver has been enchanted and has oils on it that are meant to poison or hurt monsters. Besides, I'm not certain your teacher would like a weapon brandished in class. I can blunt the edges with magic if needed.” He looked to the mare and gave a sympathetic look. He knew that the foals would now gang up on her in an attempt to see the sword, itself.
Cheerilee looked to the students and Oblivion could see that they were all looking pleadingly at her. The mare sighed in defeat. “Please blunt the edges as much as possible.” She said to the Unicorn, who nodded. His horn lit up and the desks were all moved into a circle.
“This way it can be seen from all angles.” Oblivion's horn remained lit and it pulled the steel blade out from under his cloak. The blade had the runes going down the blade. They were greater runes which increased its strength, durability, lightened the weight of the blade, and added fire damage to its strikes. The blade gave off a red glow due to the runes. He looked to the foals who all gaped at it.
“Oooohhh.” They all leaned forward and stared at the blade. Cheerilee had gotten up and come forward as well. She stared at the long blade.
“I have never seen such a blade.” She commented.
“It's native to my homeland. It has three runes buried inside it. It also has an oil burned into the blade that makes it sharper.” He explained.
A blue foal is dark blue hair raised a hoof. His marking was a bow and arrow. “I’m Archer. What are runes?”
“A rune is a small stone that can be applied to a weapon or piece of armor. The effect of the rune varies but, for example, one of the ones buried in this blade is a rune representing fire. So when it is used it has the ability to set an object aflame. Runes also have other effects that can vary. Some can use ice, others poison. While an armor rune can strengthen the armor or give a strong boost to the wearer.” He explained. The foals all leaned in, attentive.
Oblivion laid the sword on top of one of the desks. “Okay, pass it around. Don’t worry it only looks heavy. A rune inside it makes it lighter than it looks.”
Featherweight reached for it and put a hoof on it. “Wrong,” Oblivion said as he watched. “Here, grip the hilt here and then put your other hoof on the blade itself. Not the edge, the flat of it. This way the weight is easier to hold. It is light but not light enough for a foal to hold it one hoofed.”
The Pegasus followed his instruction. He could feel some weight to the weapon but as long as his hooves were in the right place the weight was not too much. Oblivion watched as the weapon slowly went around the circle. “Can we see the silver?” Archer asked. “I mean not the blade, but the rest of it.”
Oblivion considered then shrugged. “Very well. You can see the scabbards of both blades. But do not try to pull the silver.” Oblivion's horn lit and the baldric that housed both weapons was unbuckled from his barrel. He held them in his magic and laid them on the opposite side of where the steel blade making the rounds. He watched as the filly named Diamond Tiara looked with wide eyes at the silver scabbard. There were symbols moving down and along the sides and length of the scabbard. The gray pony beside her took the offered weapon and gazed at it as well. Oblivion watched as the two weapons were handed around. The foals followed his instructions about the handling of the two blades.
Apple Bloom raised a hoof when the steel blade was in front of her for a moment. “Is it supposed ta be broken?”
Oblivion’s head spun to look at her. “What?”
“The sword, it's broken.”
He took the two steps to her desk and looked down at it. He was horrified to discover that the filly was right. The blade had a chip in it and the chip extended to a hairline crack in the blade. Oblivion lifted it in his magic as he looked to it. His eyes narrowed and he scrutinized the slight crack. “All right, the crack is not dire so you can keep looking at it.” He set it back down and the foals happily went back to pass it around. He turned to Cheerilee. “Is there a forge in town?”
She looked thoughtful before answering. “I think so. Applejack might know more than I do.”
“I’ll ask her later. Thank you.” He replied as he looked back to the foals. They were happily looking at the bare blade of the steel sword and looking at the ornate scabbards of the silver and the baldric. He watched as the steel sword was handed to join the baldric. Oblivion used his magic to slide the sword back into place within the scabbard. Once they all had seen it he returned it to its place on his back. The Unicorn walked out of the circle and his magic moved the desks back into their original place. The foals all laughed and smiled as they were moved. Cheerilee stood up and stood beside him, facing the foals.
“Does anypony have any last questions for Mr. Shadow before the time is up?” She asked.
The foals raised their hooves and Oblivion looked at each of them before deciding to call on a dark brown foal in the back.
“Have you ever had to fight a monster for real?”
Oblivion nodded. “Many times.”
“What kind?” Archer called out.
“I had to fight a Leshen most recently.”
“Whats a Leshen?”
“A Leshen is often called a woodland spirit or a wood guardian. They are found most often in the deep woods or areas that are thought too wild for ponies to inhabit. They come in several types. Depending on their age they can be as old as the woods they inhabit or very young. It depends on the area.” He answered. “The last one I came in contact with was an Ancient Leshen.”
“Did you win the fight?”
Oblivion stopped and considered. ‘I can’t say that I lost or won due to waking up here.’ He gave them a small smile before answering. “Well... I can say that neither of us won.”
“Can we see the rune?” Silver Spoon asked.
Oblivion looked to her and his head tilted slightly. “How do you mean?”
“I mean, can we see the type of rune it is?”
Oblivion thought for a moment. “One moment.” His horn lit and a greater fire rune appeared in his magic. He set it down for the foals to see and Silver Spoon held it in her hooves.
“It's really light.” She observed and passed it to Diamond Tiara.
“Its meant to add no weight to the blade it is embedded in.”
Diamond Tiara looked to the blade across from her and then to the hoof size rune. “How does it fit in the sword? It looks too big.”
“It shrinks depending on the weapon. When it is embedded you have to use a certain amount of force to implant it. For example, when I placed that rune in the weapon I had to hold it against my leg and push to force it into the place I wanted it in. With the right amount of force it shrank to fit the spot I wanted it in.”
Apple Bloom held up a hoof and waited till he nodded to her. “How many runes are there?”
“In that blade?”
“Yeah.”
“Three.”
“What are they?” Featherweight asked him.
“Devana, Morana, Dazhbog.” The foals and their teacher stared at him before he went on. “Devana can cause a wound to bleed more, Morana is a poison rune, and Dazhbog is for a flame.”
The foals looked to the steel sword and then to him. “Is it bad to hold it?” Apple Bloom asked.
“No. I suppressed the runes so it is safe to hold.” He informed the fillies and colts. The black unicorn watched as the rune went around the circle as well. His horn lit up and the other two types of runes also appeared. He carried a good stock of the runes at all times due to changing weapons fairly often if needed. If he had the weapons broken down then he could retrieve the runes in question but he didn’t always have that done. The Morana rune gave off a faint green light and seemed to be a favorite among the foals. Devana gave a red light while Dazhbog gave off a faint fiery orange effect. The weapons finished their rounds and the black pony put them back in their place around his body and waited for the runes to finish.
Apple Bloom looked to him and put her hoof up once more. “Yes?” He looked at her.
“Our sis mentioned that ya have armor too.” Oblivion nodded. “Can we see it? Or does it have runes too?”
“I don’t use it unless I need it and it does not have runes. I use armor glyphs in it instead.” He replied.
“What kind?” Snips shrilled.
Oblivion managed not to cringe at the volume. “In the armor, there are ten glyphs. They are, Mending, two Igni, two Aard, two Yrden, two Quen, and Binding.” He gave their names and looked to the foals for their attention. They waited for him to explain further. “As a Witcher, I have the ability to use what we call Signs. They are not magic, instead, they are a skill. Mending is exactly what it sounds like. It aids in healing any wounds at a faster rate than normal. On a Witcher, it speeds up our natural regeneration.”
“So you heal faster than normal ponies?” Lily asked again.
“Yes.”
The foals talked amongst themselves for a moment before looking back to him. “Igni is for the flame. What that glyph does is strengthen my Igni Sign. It makes it more powerful. Yrden means to trap or slow. Its also made stronger by the glyph. Quen is for the shield.” He stopped and stomped a hoof as Quen went over him. Covering him in a golden light that circulated over him. The foals gasped and stared. Mischief flit through his eyes. He back out of the circle and looked to Cheerilee. “I think this one is okay for a demonstration.”
The mare gave a slight grin. “How?”
He looked around the room for a moment before his steel sword appeared in front of the dark pink mare. “Go ahead and swing it. Don’t worry about hurting me. Between Quen and my own abilities it won't even leave a bruise.” He informed the hesitant mare.
She looked to the foals who were all leaning forward to get the best view. She reached up and took the hilt in both hooves and looked at him. “You're certain of this?”
Oblivion looked to her and nodded. She breathed and swung the blade at him. It glanced off his shield and tossed her back several feet. She yelped as the shield repelled the attack and tried not to let the blade hit the ground. The foals cheered as Oblivion turned to the side to show that he was completely unhurt. The foals cheered more at the sight that he didn’t even have a scratch on him and his fur was not even out of place. He took the blade from Cheerilee and set it back in the scabbard.
“That little ones is how Quen works.” He said to them and went back to standing in the circle. “The last one is Binding. It helps protect against bleeding. Meaning it also works to prevent any injury from getting worse. It works in tandem with the Mending glyph.”
The foals listened intently to his words and hooves went up as he finished. “Do you have any of those?”
Oblivion considered before his horn lit and the glyphs appeared and he set them on the desks to be looked over. The glyphs and runes worked their way around the desks until they reached the black unicorn as he sent them back to his saddlebags at the farm. The foals looked to him as they waited for him to speak. “Any further questions?”
Hooves shot into the air and he fought not to hang his head, after realizing the foolishness of the statement. ‘Of course, there are more questions, stupid thing to ask of them.’ He thought to himself. He nodded to Featherweight once more.
“Have you always been a Witcher?” He asked, setting his hoof on his desk.
“For as long as I can remember, yes.”
“Have you ever wanted to do anything else?” Silver Spoon asked.
Oblivion saw the sideways look from Diamond Tiara but chose to ignore it. “No. I was trained and raised to be what I am. I can say that I have never really wished to be anything else.”
Diamond Tiara leaned forward. “What does your cutie mark even mean?”
Oblivion looked back to the horribly named marking on his flanks. “It has the School of the Wolf symbol that matches my medallion.” The foals looked to the jewelry around his neck. “It also has my two swords behind it. It shows my school where I was trained and my strength with my proficiency with the swords I use.” He was guessing about the meaning but decided not to concern himself too much with it. It was meant to be ambiguous. Thankfully, the foals accepted the answer and the filly looked sheepish as she leaned back in her seat. ‘Nice try, you little fool.’ Oblivion thought to himself, well aware of her attempt to throw him off.
The foals chattered about his answer. A small bell went off again. “All right, everypony. Thank Mr. Shadow for speaking today since we are out of time.”
The foals all waved and spoke at once and Oblivion bowed his head to them as he made for the door. He looked back and Apple Bloom beamed at him. He gave her a small smile as he left. He closed the door behind him and started to head back to the farm. His mind went over the day so far and he was even quieter than normal. ‘This place is very different from what is natural to me. Those foals have the chance to grow up to be anything they choose. Whereas, in my world there really is not much chance for a child to grow up to be anything. Their roles are chosen almost at their time of birth.’
He stopped and looked back to the school house for a moment before continuing. ‘If I am to remain here then what do I need to become? A monster hunter is next to useless in a world without monsters. Do I just choose to become a farmer? Or do I aspire for greater? AJ said that Alicorns are always the ruling class for obvious reasons. The power difference between myself and even Twilight is quite vast. Though even I can tell that she is a strong Unicorn in her own right. But how do I fit in then? I’m not from this world and I am unsure of how I even got here or if I will be taken away from the ponies here. Which begs the question, do I want to go back at all?’ Oblivion stopped once more and looked out over the field and he could see the start of the Apple orchards from the crest of the small hill. He sighed and ultimately jumped the fence next to him and trotted into the Everfree forest, pulling his steel sword from his back and starting to do some exercises that would occupy his mind for a time.
He galloped past the old trees and let his wings extend above his head. They stayed even with his head to avoid hitting any low branches. The black stallion plunged to a halt and glanced around him. He had stopped in a very small clearing and he put his sword in front of his snout and closed his eyes. He could hear the gentle hum of the runes in the blade, the forest rustling around him, small animals running through the underbrush, and larger creatures in the distance. He was not interested in hunting at the moment, though he would before heading back to the farm for the night.