An Equestrian Witcher

by OblivionShadow


72: A Trolls End

Sasa sat up and looked over to the black Unicorn as he set up the bleachers and other items in place for Applejack. It was for an event called the Sisterhooves Social and Oblivion had agreed to help her set it up. His magic flowed easily as he set items in place as Applejack called out where they needed to go. She watched as a scroll appeared in front of him and he kept the items levitated as he read through the contents of the scroll. The spectral feline got to her paws and padded over to him as the scroll vanished and he sent back a quick reply.

“Chosen?” She asked him.

“Was Luna. Apparently, they have questions about one of the monsters and I need to meet with them.” He replied to her as he looked to Applejack. “This is the last one that I can help with. Luna has asked for my help with one of the monsters from before.” He informed the mare and she nodded.

“Not a problem. Just need ya ta put that bleacher over here and that should be it.” She reasoned to him and she watched as the bleachers were set where she wished them to be.


Oblivion summoned Sasa after a moment and he walked silently into the castle. The guards all looked at him and he recognized one of them as Striker. The Solar Guard perked up at the sight of him and Sasa and the black Unicorn paused for a moment beside him.

“Sir?” Striker said to the still stallion.

“Be ready,” Oblivion replied and the guard nodded in understanding.

Sasa nuzzled him as Oblivion pushed open the doors and walked into the throne room. He walked down the red carpet and came to stand at the base of the dais and he looked up at Celestia.

“Oblivion? I admit that I did not know you were coming.” Celestia said to him.

The doors to the side were thrown open and Luna came loping through them. “Sister. Our friend is on his way and…he beat us here.” She said as she came to stand a few feet away from them.

“I told you I was coming quickly.” He said to her.

“Thou did but we did not think it would be so soon.” She admitted as she joined her sister.

Celestia smiled warmly at her sister and looked back at him. “We have received no new sightings of the monsters recently. That being said we have received news of a couple of ponies that have gone missing.”

“I see. What does that have to do with the monsters you contracted me to remove?” Oblivion asked her bluntly.

“The missing ponies are close to the one thou called a Troll,” Luna said to him.

His horn flared and his azure flame summoned a map that he had copied and drawn the locations on. He looked at the Troll's location and then looked up at Luna as a new set of paperwork appeared close by him and he began to read over it. His orange eyes scanned the documents as he sighed and the paperwork went back to Luna and back to his saddlebags.

“Are they connected Chosen?” Sasa asked him.

“Possibly. It’s possible the Troll may have eaten them.” He replied to her and he watched as she startled and stared at him.

“Ate them?” She said to him.

“How long have they been missing?” He asked the mares.

“A week. We gave them a few days to see if they had simply gone from the village and would return. So far they have not yet returned.” Celestia said to him.

“Does thou have any ideas?” Luna asked him.

He leaned back on his haunches as his mind went over the ways he could tell them what he suspected. “It is possible that the Troll does have a connection to their disappearances.” He replied.

“You seem hesitant,” Celestia said to him, her tone uncertain.

“My reasoning for that is that you will not like my thoughts on what may, and probably has, happened to them. It is possible that the Troll has eaten them.” He admitted to her.

He watched as their eyes went wide and Celestia stood up from her place. “Eaten them?”

“Yes. Trolls will eat anything that does not eat them first. While they can be spoken to they are simple creatures.” Oblivion said to her.

“They did nothing to it why would it eat them?” She pressed.

“It doesn’t matter if they did anything to the Troll. They are there and it can eat them since they are smaller and weaker than it is.” He reasoned to her.

“Thou are certain?” Luna said to him as she sat down.

“Certain? No. Without being there and seeing evidence I cannot say for certain what has happened to them.” He replied.

Celestia sat back down as he spoke and he could see the thoughtful look that crossed her features. “How do you know that it might have eaten them?”

“History. I was traveling with another Witcher when we came across a Troll that had been employed by a group of soldiers to protect some boats. The soldiers left the Troll to it and when they returned the Troll had pulled the boats onto the shore, ripped them apart, and made a wall of them. When the soldiers realized what had happened they attacked and were put into a pot for stew for later.” He explained. “The only reason we were not on the menu is that we came peacefully and asked the right questions.” He left out how they had helped paint a soldier's crest on the boat's remains and how the Troll had informed them what had happened and they let him go.

“They asked him to protect the boats and he destroyed them?” Celestia said to him.

“In his mind, he was protecting the boats. Trolls are not the most intelligent beings but they can be reasoned with in most cases. It depends on the Troll.” He responded.

“How does thou beat them?” Luna questioned.

“The same way you beat any monster, silver blade. Their skins are rock hard but they still bleed. They are one of the few monsters that cannot be fought by flanking them. Only a head-on fight is an option and even running away is a gamble.” Oblivion stated.

“Thou cannot run from them? Do they roll into a ball to give chase?” Luna asked.

Oblivion chuckled at her question. “Thank the Gods no. They throw rocks with amazing accuracy. Nearly got my shoulder broken by one such throw.”

“You mentioned that you can reason with them,” Celestia said to him and he looked to the Sun Princess as she went on. “How do you reason with a Troll?”

“Same as you do with any creature. Though I am admittedly not very good at it. My fellow Witcher Geralt could talk them into dancing under the moon if he wished them too. Most often I end up in a fight with them when words fail. I can explain things to them but convincing them is not my strength.” Oblivion admitted with a casual shrug. “You can at times outwit them with a riddle or a game of that sort.”

“If it has truly killed and…eaten…our ponies please remove it. A creature that can justify eating innocent ponies cannot be allowed to remain.” Celestia said to him and he nodded in understating. “Is it possible for it to live peacefully?”

Oblivion took the weight off one hind hoof and shrugged. “I have not seen it done personally. There are a few near Kaer Morhen that we live around but they do not interact with us normally. We keep our distance and they do the same since there is more than one of them. They keep to themselves. How they would react to ponies around them I would hazard a guess to say that they would not react well.”

“Thou do not think they could be taught not to eat ponies?” Luna inquired.

“In my opinion no. They would understand it for a time but in that same breath, they would not see any reason to stop them. I have met a few Trolls that were kept as guards but they were supplied with food and other things to entertain them. It’s not common.” Oblivion replied to her.

The Royals looked thoughtful as Sasa nudged his shoulder. “I do not think we can leave this one alone and risk it harming somepony.”

“I agree. Bart is a different Troll and I do not think I have met any others that we're able to be tamed as he is. Especially not one that has been placed among ponies and then left to fend on its own. I’m amazed it did not attack and eat ponies sooner.” He admitted to her.

“Thank you for your counsel Oblivion. I ask that you remove the Troll and do not allow it to eat anymore for our subjects. Hopefully, you are wrong and it hasn’t eaten them. Do they imprison ponies?” Celestia asked him.

“They do yes. Though not for any long amount of time. Only until the water for the stew gets to the right temperature.” He replied blandly.

Luna looked unhappily to her elder sister who nodded in understanding. “Please ensure that our ponies are safe Witcher.”

“I will do what I can.” He assured them. “I will need my team ready to move out. While I will not need them to fight the Troll I will use them to hunt for it.”

“They are yours to command and if you say you need them then they are yours,” Celestia said to him.

Oblivion nodded and turned to leave the room.

“Oh!” Celestia called out and he looked back to her. “No need to bring back the head. I trust your word.” She assured him, as Luna broke out into raucous laughter.

He pushed through the doors to find his four guards waiting outside the room and he said nothing to them as they fell in at his back as he led them out of the castle.


Oblivion looked over the edge of the chariot as he scanned the ground as it fell away under him. At his side, Sasa looked to the four guards that pulled the chariot. The black Unicorn remained quiet as a town came into view. He disliked having to interact with the ponies of the town, preferring to get to work and avoid them entirely. In this case, he did not have much choice and he needed them to narrow down the search area. As he looked over the area he could see the village was smaller than Ponyville in comparison so searching the village for information would prove simple. It was not bordered by the forest and had fields stretching out around it. Most of the homes were rural and had acres between them, they got closer together the closer to town but for the most part, they were a rural style of the town.

“Chosen? It looks like they border a mountain on the one far side.” Sasa pointed out.

“I see it.” He said to her as he looked beyond the forest and to the mountain range beyond it. “That’s the other side of the Everfree I believe. Now I know where we are. I have been to this village when I was leaving to find Asmara.”

“I think your right.” She agreed as the chariot began to descend slowly toward the village. “So they should know you?”

“Their mayor should remember me. I put him in his place before.”

Sasa pulled her head back into the chariot as it struck the ground and rolled to a stop. They were within the town's limits and the black Unicorn jumped from the chariot. His saddlebags were placed on his barrel while several ponies came to greet them. His orange eyes watched as two of the three fell back to allow the elder of them to approach him. His pale green eyes were bright against his orange coat. His coat was darker than Silvers and the guard said nothing as Sasa looked between them.

“You have returned.” He said to the Black Unicorn.

“I was sent when a few ponies went missing and had not returned.” He stared blankly. “Silver, Striker.” The two Solar guards stood at attention as he spoke to them. “Take to the air and see what you can find.”

“What are we looking for?” Striker asked him.

Oblivion pulled his sketchbook from his saddlebags and his magic turned the pages as he searched for the sketch of the Troll he had done before. He showed them and they both grimaced and took to the air. Both of them quickly branched out from their starting point and were soon out of sight. The rotund mayor waited until they were out of sight before he looked at the stallion.

“I trust you will be removing the threats around us this time?” He asked.

“The Troll has not been seen but it is time to remove him from the area should the opportunity present itself.” He stated.

“Just do as you have been commanded…”

“Commanded? None can command a Witcher. We are contracted but we have the ability to decline that contract. Be thankful that I have chosen to complete this contract at all. Trolls are not difficult once you know how to fight them. I chose to come here at all to help out Celestia and Luna. I am the only one that can fight these monsters with any chance of success.” The black unicorn spoke bluntly to the Mayor who stared, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly ajar.

Sasa chuckled in his mind as he looked to the other two ponies that had come with the mayor. One of them approached and he tried to smile past the now blinking mayor. “Welcome to our town. I own the inn here and we would be happy to extend you our hospitality for the duration of your stay. I can lead your attendants to your rooms.” He said as the other approached and bowed his head to them. Oblivion opened his mouth to decline when Sasa nudged his shoulder.

“Let them house you Chosen.”

“Why?”

“I think Celestia or Luna sent a note ahead and that was included.” She reasoned to him.

He bit back a sigh as he nodded. “Vantage, Cross. They will take you to the inn and see to it that everything is set up. I am going to wait for the Solar Guard to return to see if they found anything.”

“Yes, sir.” Vantage said as they reached into the chariot to pull out their supplies. “Should we take your saddlebags?”

Cross stood close to accept them as Oblivion unbuckled his saddlebags and the Thestral took them and laid them across his back. Oblivion said nothing as the mayor seemed to finally snap out of his stupor and he walked away grumbling about etiquette and other matters. Oblivion allowed a sigh to escape him as he turned back to face the direction of the forest and mountain.


Sasa watched as the two Pegasus winged their way back toward the village. Silver and Striker made their way back to inform them of what they had seen. At her side Oblivion stood, his orange eyes fixed on the two ponies. She scanned the nearing Pegasus for any injury having heard about how well-aimed a rock could be from as Troll. They landed several feet away and she breathed a sigh of relief that neither of them appeared hurt. A quick shake of their heads and Oblivion spun on his heel to lead them into the village. She nuzzled each of them in turn and fell in behind the Black Unicorn.

“Thankfully they did not surprise the Troll. I was afraid they would come back injured from a rock.” She admitted to the stallion.

“Thankfully that did not happen. A rock thrown could have knocked them out of the air.” He replied.

She fell silent as she nodded to him.


Morning came and Oblivion walked out of the inn into the crisp morning air. Behind him, the four guards trailed sleepily behind him. They had insisted that he wait for them in the morning and while he had been loath to wait till later he had found himself waking them up a half an hour ago. A later hour compared to his normal routine. Sasa padded silently at his side and she chuckled at the four ponies behind them.

“I don’t think they thought you would grow bored and wake them this early Chosen. Though this is late for you.” Sasa said to him as he paused in the town’s center.

He looked to her for a moment before he began walking once more. “I want to get this done before the Troll takes another victim. If ponies stay away from it then they should be safe enough. But we both know that those fields belly right up to the forest where it might be hiding.” He replied to her, his pace steady.

“You make a strong point Chosen.” She agreed.

“So what is the plan for this morning?” Striker asked as he bit back a yawn.

“You will be in the air with Silver while Cross and Vantage are within the forest. You will shadow them from above and watch their backs. While their armor protects them from the worst of the sun we need to keep them out of the direct sun. So you will watch over them.” He commanded, his voice strong.

The four of them perked up at his words and flicked their wings in anticipation of the command that they knew would come when he was ready. “Is that why you had us get into our armor first thing in the morning?” Cross asked quietly.

“Yes. If you spot the Troll I expect you to withdraw. Even those in the air are not safe from this monster. It has the ability to throw rocks with shocking accuracy. I ran from a group of them once and took a rock to the back despite my zig-zagging and it nearly broke my shoulder.” Oblivion said back to him.

Cross looked nervous as the Witcher spoke and he was looking even more nervous when he finished speaking. Oblivion stopped as a pony ran toward them. She looked stricken as she slid to a halt a foot away from them.

“Have you seen my son?” She asked frantically. “He went out with a friend last night and neither of them has returned.”

“How many?” Oblivion asked her.

“Two.”

She opened her mouth to say more when Oblivion looked over his shoulder. “Go.” He said to the guards at his back and they took to the air a bare second later. “They will look from the air. Why would they have gone to the forest or out into the fields?”

“They're young and foolish.” She admitted with a shake of her head. “They were told not to go out there when night falls but I’m afraid they did anyway. My son is fast so no monster could have caught him…right?”

“This one may not be fast but it could have stopped him other ways. We will find them.” Oblivion said to her and broke into a trot as he went around the frantic mare and headed for the fields. He looked to Sasa as she drew up to his shoulder. “Or what’s left of them.” He cursed under his breath and she growled in reply.


Striker looked down and he could see Cross flitting through the trees. Silver kept a close eye on Vantage while he tailed Cross from above. After what they had been told by Oblivion he was worried that they would find the colts bodies. He had glanced at the others seconds before they were commanded into the air and he had seen the same look on each of their faces. The same dread had come over each of them. Each of them worried about what they might find should they meet up with the monster.


Vantage looked straight ahead of them as he and Cross maneuvered through the threes, intent on finding the colts or the monster. While he would prefer to find the colts he knew that they might come into contact with the monster just as quickly. He had not had much time to ask about the monster they hunted. He cursed himself for not questioning the Witcher more while they had eaten the previous night. His wings beat and with each beat, they propelled him further into the thick trees. He glanced over at Cross who was almost frantically looking around them while he watched ahead. He trained his eyes back in front of them as Cross shouted and he skidded to a halt in the air.

“What?” He asked his cohort as he looked up to see the Solar guards had stopped with them.

“I thought I saw something.” He replied and looked warily to the other Thestral.

“If you think you did, you probably did, then let’s check and get back if needed.” He said quickly as the others nodded in agreement.

“Right,” Cross said to him and he could hear the hesitation in the voice of the other.

Vantage looked ahead as they went to ground and began to creep forward. As they neared and Cross pointed ahead of them he peered around a tree to find a large pot and a fire simmering. “What the?” He mouthed to Cross who shrugged. Vantage leaned further around the tree when Cross’s hoof gripped his fur and pulled him back. A hoof went over his mouth as he opened it to speak and Cross shook his head frantically. The sound of heavy footsteps caught his ears and they flicked to listen.


Silver inhaled as a mass of rocks that he had seen before moved toward the small campfire that Cross had found. “Oh shit.” He breathed as Striker hovered next to him.

The other Pegasus breathed out a shaky breath as the rocks moved toward their fellows and then past them. It moved around the camp and Silver nearly broke into a string of profanity-laced speaking as the sound of screaming caught his ears. He looked at Striker who gave the signal for a slow descent into the trees and he nodded in understanding as they slowly descended. His heart was in his throat as he recalled the warning about thrown rocks that they had just received. He pushed a tree branch gently out of the way as his hooves reached the treetop. He paused as a branch snapped and he looked down to see Vantage and Cross staring wide-eyed at the pair of them.

He gave them the signal to not move and after seeing that the monster had paid them no attention he went back to his descent. His hooves landed on a branch and he nearly wrapped his legs around in desperation. He looked down as the screaming went quiet and he looked past the fire and he thought he saw a pair of colts. He cursed under his breath about not having the Thestral’s eyes and looked at them. Silver pointed his hoof and they nodded. A tap to his shoulder nearly had him screaming as Striker hovered above him.

“I think I see them.” He whispered. “I can get back to Oblivion if he isn’t already in the forest.”

Silver nodded and motioned for him to go. The other Pegasus pushed the branches out of the way and took off. Silver breathed out a sigh and looked back down to the trapped Thestral’s. They couldn’t move without attracting the attention of the monster. The orange Pegasus gave them the signal to hold their position and they nodded to him. “Oh man, what did we get ourselves into?” He breathed out and he held onto the tree limb and prayed to the Sun and Moon that he was hidden by the leaves.


Striker tore back toward the town. He looked down, just in case Oblivion was already in the trees. A loud roar shook him and he halted in the air and nearly screamed in return. He looked down and he saw the Spectral Tigers glinting fur and he dropped out of the sky to meet her. Several feet in front of her stood the Elder Witcher. He breathed out a sigh of relief and saluted as his hooves hit the ground.

“Sir.”

“You are in quite the hurry,” Oblivion said to him as he looked over his shoulder to them.

“We found it. And Cross and Vantage are pinned down. But it hasn’t seen them but if they move it will. Silver is hiding in a tree and the colts are still alive we think.” He rushed out.

“I told you to stay away from it.” The Witcher growled.

“I know. We didn’t see it until it came into view. Cross found its campfire and they were on the other side of the tree when it came into view. The colts are on the other side of the campfire but it's right in between us and them.” He replied quickly.

Oblivion said nothing as he looked ahead of them. “We were tracking the colts when Sasa spotted you. How far?”

“Not too far. I think I can lead you there unless you can track the colts easier?” He said to the Captain.

“I can track it but keep an eye out just in case it reaches us in the same amount of time,” Oblivion replied to him.

“Yes, sir.”


Oblivion looked back to the set of tracks he had been following and put his nose back down to follow them. Striker stayed close as he moved and broke into a trot to hurry the process along. Now that he knew they were alive he quickened his pace. He raised his head as the tracks faded and those of a fully grown Troll took their place.

“This is where the Troll picked them up. His tracks are easy to follow.” He said aloud as he began to move into a faster gait to follow the trail.

He could hear Strikers hooves on the grass and leaves as the Pegasus followed behind him. He trained his ears forward as he listened for the sound of the Troll or the colts. He slid to a halt at the sound of screaming and a quick glance to Striker had the Pegasus taking to the air once more.

“Sasa?”

“Chosen?”

“Stay behind me and out of sight. The last thing I need is it seeing you as food.” He said to her and the feline nodded as a shiver went through her body.

He broke into a trot once more and he paused to look around a tree as the scent of fire wafted over his nose as the wind changed direction and blew the scent toward him instead of to the side. He looked past the tree as a Rock Troll came into view. To him, it looked like a typical Troll with a yellow belly and the gray rocks along its back and arms. While he had dealt with many Trolls he had only conversed with a few of them and that usually dissolved into a fight. He did not have Geralt’s silver tongue.

“Here we go.” He muttered as he stepped around the tree and into the Troll's direct sight.

The Troll stared at him for several seconds and for a moment the Witcher wondered if it saw him at all. He looked to the pot and he saw a small pony struggling in the bubbling water. He walked carefully to the pot and reached a clawed hoof into the simmering water and pulled the colt out of the water. The colt shook and trembled as he was set on his hooves on the ground.

The Troll seemed to snap out of his stupor and Oblivion braced as it charged him. Sasa leaped from the shade of the tree and took the colt in her teeth and ran off with him. Oblivion pulled one of the blades from the band on his leg and parried a strike from the Troll. He used the blunt of his blade as he parried and backed away. He opened his mouth and ducked as the Troll swung at his head. The Troll's fist was driven into the trunk of the tree and the Troll shouted as he reeled back.

“Now easy,” Oblivion shouted ad the Troll stared at him once more. “I pulled the tiny pony from the water so it didn’t boil him alive.” He reasoned and hoped his speech was simple enough.

“Small pony good meal.” The Troll replied.

“Not a good idea though.”

“Idea?”

“Yes. Ponies call a Witcher when you eat them.”

“You?”

“Yes. I am a Witcher.” He replied.

The Troll seemed to think about what he had said and leaned back on his heels. “Pony taste good though.”

“Did you already eat some ponies?”

“Yes.” The Troll replied with a dumb nod.

‘Dammit.’ Oblivion cursed to himself. “You can’t eat ponies anymore. They called me to stop you.”

“Witcherses taste good too?”

“No. Witcher taste horrible.” He replied quickly.

“What eat then?”

“Anything else.” He replied quickly. “Deer, rabbits, pigs. Those you can eat and nopony will mind.” He reasoned and at the same time, he recalled that Celestia had requested he remove the Troll due to it eating ponies. Now that he had confirmed that it had eaten at least two to three ponies and nearly ate two colts he was in a bit of a bind with what his options were.

The Troll looked about as thoughtful as a Troll could while it processed his words. Oblivion looked over as Sasa remained just out of sight with the colt in her teeth. She had turned her head and her mouth was wrapped around the colt’s midsection his body behind her front teeth. He could see Cross and Vantage standing just behind her and Silver and Striker above them. His sword hovered by his shoulder as he waited for the Troll to speak once more.

“No, eat pony?”

“No. No more ponies.” He replied.

“What if they easy meal?”

“No. They are not an easy meal when they call on me to stop you.” Oblivion snapped at him.

The Troll looked at him and then its eyes fell on the blade at his shoulder. Oblivion laid the weapon across his back in a peaceful gesture and the Troll once more focused on him.

“Witcherses tricky.”

“Not when we don’t need to be.”

“Why come here and talky talk?”

“I chose to listen first.”

“Witcherses don’t listen, Witcherses slash and kick.”

“We do when we must. But if I can get you to understand that you can’t ever eat or hurt ponies again then I don’t need to use the sword.” He reasoned.

“Chosen. Are you really trying to reason with a creature that ate a bunch of ponies? Celestia asked you to remove it.” Sasa asked him from her place.

“Remove has many meanings.”

“That’s…true. But still.”

“Witcherses not going to hurty?”

“Are you going to hurt me?”

“No.”

“Then I have to reason to fight you.”

The Troll leaned back further on its heels and watched the Witcher for any sign of lying and found nothing in the Witcher's orange eyes. Oblivion remained on alert as the blade balanced on his back, ready for his magic to grip should he need to. Sasa heaved a loud sigh and sat down, keeping the colt in her teeth should she need to run.

“I have an idea,” Oblivion said and the Troll looked at him. “How about you let the other pony go and we go to the town to show them you won’t hurt them?”

“But hungry.” The Troll said and gripped his belly.

Oblivion nearly broke out into a paragraph of profanity but bit his tongue. He heard Sasa chuckle in his mind and he looked over to her. He didn’t dare leave to go hunt something for the monster while the colts and his team were still in danger. His eyes fell on the Troll once more and he breathed out a breath.

“I see.”

“Shall I hunt something Chosen?”

“You might need to. I don’t dare leave him alone with you, the guards and the colts.” He said back to her and looked to the Troll. “How about if my…pet goes to get some food for you and then you let them go?”

The Troll looked over at Sasa who bristled at being called a pet and then back to him. “Witcherses not lying?”

“No. I will stay here with you and she will bring you dinner.” He responded.

“Fine. Kitty bring dinner or eat pony.” He said and pointed to the remaining colt in the makeshift pen.

“Fair,” Oblivion said as Sasa set the colt down and licked his fur as she raced away from them.

“Pet?” Sasa said to him as she ran away from them.

“I doubt he would have understood the word companion.”

“That’s true. I admit you are probably right about that. I will try to hurry.” She said to him.

Oblivion said nothing as the colt looked at him and he motioned for him to stay where he was. Silver and the others started to move forward and Oblivion nearly yelled at them to stay out of the way. They must have seen the look in his eyes since they stopped and remained just out of sight. Time inched past them as the Troll waited for the cat to return. Oblivion fought back the urge to simply fight the creature but he managed to hold back his own base instinct.


“Hungry.” The Troll whined.

Oblivion bit back a growl as he looked at the Troll. “I know. Just wait a little longer.” He said to the Troll and hoped he did as he was asked.

The Troll growled and looked back at the other colt. Oblivion watched the Troll closely for any sign that he was going to go for the colt. Should he choose to eat the colt, the decision would have been made about the Troll’s fate. His ears flicked as Sasa came up behind him, a large rabbit in her teeth.

“I was not able to get a deer.” She admitted as she brought the rabbit to the Troll and dropped it at his feet.

“There you go. Dinner.” He said to the Troll as it picked up the rabbit.

He sat down and his stubby teeth dug into the rabbit’s body. Sasa went to the others and he watched as the Troll ate the rabbit. The Elder Witcher looked to the others and he could tell that they were repulsed by what they were seeing. They did not eat meat and as such it terrified and repulsed them to see it being done. He said nothing as blood dripped from the body and down the Troll’s arms and onto the ground. The fur and bones were tossed aside as it finished the rabbit and leaned back.

“Still hungry.” It complained.

Oblivion once more bit back a stream of profanity as he fought back the urge to simply kill the Troll. “For now that is going to have to do. The ponies might have ideas about where to find more food that you can have.”

“Ponies know?”

“Maybe.” He replied and waited as the Troll got to his feet.

“Ponies’ tell where to find more. Show me ponies.” He said as he approached the Witcher.

Oblivion backed up as the Troll got closer to him and a hand went out and Oblivion reared back as it closed empty on where his neck would have been. His sword tumbled from his back and he summoned it to his magic as the Troll stopped and reached for him again. He teleported a few feet away and was now in front of the Troll.

“I will lead you but you can’t touch me.”

“Show.”

Oblivion took note of the more aggressive stance the Troll was taking and he hoped they had some clues where there was more game to be had. He looked back as the guards retrieved the colt and took both of them into the air above them. He glanced upward as they fell into formation above him. Sasa trailed behind them, keeping an eye on the Troll. Above him, the guards stayed as close as they dared and he could see them checking their location in relation to his. Once they were out of the forest Silver came to walk close to him.

“Should one of us go to the town and get the mayor?” The Solar guard asked.

“Might be for the best,” Oblivion replied.

The Elder Witcher watched as the guard left them behind. Above him, the remaining three stayed close with their gaze now on the Troll instead of him. They watched it closely and Sasa stayed close behind the slow-moving Troll. Striker and Vantage carried the two colts on their backs both kept an eye looking between the Witcher and the Troll.

“Is this a good idea Chosen?” Sasa asked him as he trained his eyes ahead of him and his ears on the Troll.

“I am wondering that myself. Depending on how things turn out maybe it was a bad idea. My thought is that if they can point to an area where they have seen more animals than usual that it can hunt there versus using the village as a hunting ground.” He admitted to her.

“That is a solid idea. How do we know that the mayor will be helpful in that regard?”

“We don’t. For all we know he could incite panic and then we have no other options but to adjust and possibly kill the Troll.”

“Hopefully this goes smoothly.” Sasa’s voice was hopeful.

He said nothing in reply to her as he looked back to see the Troll eyeing the group above him. He stomped his hooves and the Troll looked back to him. Cross came down to him and hovered close to his head.

“Sir, should we take the colt’s home or…”

“Get them out of here. The fewer distractions the better.” He said to the Thestral.

Cross nodded and went back to the others. Cross remained behind as the others winged their way to the village, leaving them behind. Sasa growled as the Troll began to pick up speed and Oblivion looked back as it drew up closer to him. He quickened his pace and broke into an easy-paced trot. It allowed him to remain in the front and keep the Troll in between himself and Sasa.


The village loomed ahead of him and he could see the nervous mayor ahead of them. Cross winged his way back to join his fellows and stood off to the side of them. Oblivion slowed to a walk and the mayor leaned back on his haunches at the sight of the Troll bearing down on him. The Witcher stopped several feet from the rotund pony and the Troll drew up a foot ahead of him.

“Where more food?” The Troll asked and the mayor stood in front of him, staring at the monster.

Oblivion came to stand in between them and prepared himself to mediate and translate. “He is wondering where there is more game that he can eat inside the forest.”

The mayor came to stare at the black Unicorn and then to the Troll. “We do not hunt so I am unsure of the request.”

Oblivion looked at the Troll who looked back at him. “Ponies not hunt. Ponies not sure where to hunt. Ponies share other food.”

The Troll's small eyes stared at the mayor who looked even more nervous as the monster looked from him to the other assembled ponies. “No dinner?”

“Ponies not eat meat. Ponies share other food.” Oblivion said to him.

“What food?” The Troll asked as the ponies began to shuffle their hooves.

Oblivion watched as ponies came forward with samples of the base food they would have eaten. Hay, oats and other fruits and vegetables were brought forward. His orange eyes followed the Troll's movements and its gaze soon fell on the ponies themselves versus the food items.

“Chosen, this was a bad idea.” Sasa said to him.

“I am beginning to think the same thing. I don’t know why I bothered. I am not Geralt.” He admitted with a litany of curses running through his mind.

“You tried to foster peace Chosen that is not a bad thing. If he had not eaten the ponies I would agree with you completely. Celestia and Luna would have been thrilled to hear that you tried at the very least. You might have been able to convince him that ponies would taste like dirt or worse. But not after he has eaten two ponies.”

Oblivion watched the Troll and he could see that the monster was considering which pony would taste better than the others. He began to move forward when the Troll rounded on him.

“No dinner here! Give small pony back.” The Troll said and swung at the Witcher, who ducked under his arm.

“No,” Oblivion said as his sword came forward at his command. “Ponies’ do not eat meat and cannot give you meat that they do not have. You must hunt on your own.”

The Troll roared at the stallion’s words and looked ready to attack the ponies assembled. Oblivion jumped to land in the Troll’s immediate line of sight and keep its focus on him. Sasa went past him and began to herd the ponies away from the center of town. His team moved to mirror her efforts and got the ponies out of the way. Oblivions blade whirled in his magic as the Troll charged him. He skirted to the side and avoided the blind charge and his blade struck the Trolls flank in an attempt to further entice the monster to focus on him.

“Chosen. Get that thing out of town before he collides with somepony.” Sasa said to him as ponies screamed and fled.

The Troll turned to face him and the Witcher began to back up one hoof at a time to draw the monster to follow him. It put its head down and charged him once more. He moved to the side and once more waited for it to pull out of its charge as he charged toward it to entice it to follow him. He angled to allow his blade to strike its arm as he passed by it. Earning him its undivided attention. The Troll reached for him as it ambled forward and he blocked with his blade and its arm scraped down the length of the blade as he redirected the attack. The Troll stumbled forward and he pirouetted out of the way and his blade spun to cut into the Trolls underarm.

The Elder Witcher said nothing as he flicked the blade to remove any blood from it. Quen flowed over his body with a tap of his hoof. Yrden flowed over the ground a moment later and he backed up to the edge of the Signs range. The Troll charged into the Sign and his movements slowed as Oblivion charged into him and his blade swung, cutting deeply into the belly of the monster. It roared and swung, catching the stallion in the shoulder. Oblivion rolled away from the monster and got to his hooves as Quen exploded into the monster, knocking it back a step. Oblivion stayed back as his blade glowed golden in his magic, hints of purple were held within the blade as it was held in the azure flame of his magic.

Oblivion watched as it backed up from him and picked rock from its stony hide. “Shit.” Oblivion cursed under his breath as he took to his heels and refreshed Quen. The stone was thrown toward him and he ducked under it else it would have struck him in the head and knocked him off his hooves. He looked up as another rock collided with shoulder and knocked him from his hooves and onto the ground. He rolled over his shoulder and back onto his hooves. He rotated his shoulder and he did not feel anything more than a bruise. He breathed a sigh of relief and went back to circling the Troll who followed his movements. He dashed into be closer to the Troll and it stepped back at his sudden closeness.

He swung the blade once more and it scored a glancing blow to the Troll’s upper body. Oblivion spun and bucked, his hooves hitting the Troll in its exposed belly. The blow hit the fresh wounds from his earlier attack and Oblivion could feel the body giving under the hard buck. Oblivion backed away as it leaned down and brought its arms over its head. He recognized the move and stayed back as it exploded into motion and slammed the ground with both arms, expecting the Witcher to be under the blow. Oblivion had fought enough Trolls to know that the blow could not be parried or stopped. He tossed Axii and the Troll staggered as he closed the distance once more and scored another cut to the exposed belly.

The Witcher danced on his hooves as the Troll looked down to the damage on its body and then to the stallion. Oblivion's eyes narrowed as he watched the Troll’s dumb expression turn to one of rage. The Witcher was silent as he charged the Troll once more as it swung at him and he allowed the strike to fall on his shoulder as Quen exploded stunning the Troll as his sword came down, scoring several swift strikes. Blood began to flow from the deepening wounds as the Troll swung once more and Oblivion teleported away from it.


Sasa watched as Oblivion battled the Troll. He had led the creature far enough away to avoid the homes and businesses of the ponies of the town. She could feel; anxiety building up in her as he fought alone. She dared not interrupt him or try to help as he moved. She knew that if she interfered it would throw off his fight and could lead to him being hurt. She did not know how to fight such a monster and she left him to it. That did not mean she did not cringe anytime he was struck or came close. Beside her, his team stood in rapt attention at the fight in front of them. They had not seen the Witcher go into battle before and were seeing it for the first time.

“Wow.” Silver breathed out as he watched.

She looked at him and gave a nod as he looked at her. She knew that they were amazed at the speed of the attacks and the exact strikes. The feline turned her eyes back to the fight and she cringed as a wide swipe from the Troll sent the Witcher rolling over the dirt. He rolled to his hooves and she watched as the golden light of Quen slid over him once more.


Oblivion spun his weapon in his magic as blood dripped from the Troll’s body. He said nothing as the Troll grew more enraged and desperate. It charged him and he spun to the side, keeping his weapon from striking the Troll's thick rock covered back as the cuts to the Troll's body began to split and grow worse with movement. The black stallion spun the blade and he gave chase and drew up to the side of the Troll. He watched as the Troll’s body began to bleed more and he knew that the shallow cuts were deepening and would split the Troll’s body if it did not stop its attack.

The Troll spun to hit him and he ducked under the attack and feinted to the side, drawing the Troll to spin to face him and he drove his weapon into the Trolls exposed belly. He twisted the weapon and the Troll roared in pain and swung for him. He backflipped away and watched as the Troll grasped at the sword that he had left behind. Oblivion charged him once more and the Troll swung as he slid under the arm and spun to buck the weapon deeper. He spun once more and his claws gripped the hilt and he yanked the weapon free. The Troll screamed as the weapon was torn from him and Oblivion backflipped once more.

The black Unicorn watched as the Troll gripped the wound as blood slipped between its fingers and onto the ground. It began to teeter back and forth as it struggled to stay standing. His orange eyes did not leave the Troll as it collapsed forward. Its breathing was labored as it struggled in the dirt. Oblivion watched as it died in front of him. He felt nothing as the Troll died in front of him and he simply thought of it as another monster that he knew he had to remove for the safety of others. He waited for over a minute for anything with the Troll’s body to change and when nothing did he allowed a sigh to escape him as he rotated his shoulders.

He looked to the body and his magic rolled the body over as his magic gripped any parts of the internal organs he needed for any potions later. His magic tore the ingredients free and blood dripped from the sphere of magic that held the parts. He summoned a flask to hold the pieces and deposited them in the flask for later. He flicked the weapon free of any remaining blood or gore. The blade was banished into the band on his leg and he looked to the assembled ponies who had borne witness to the fight.

He could see the horror written in the eyes of the ponies that had watched. He could see the disdain and shock in their eyes and they backed up a step as he began to walk toward them. He could see the shock in the eyes of his team as he moved toward them. Sasa stood up and nuzzled him in support as he stopped in front of them. The mayor was pale and shook at the sight of the dead monster and the Witcher who had killed it.

“What about the body Chosen?” Sasa asked him.

His horn lit with his azure flame and he watched as it covered the body and began to burn through it. The body was burned to nothing in a matter of moments and no evidence of the body remained. Tracks and blood were the only indications that anything had happened. Oblivion said nothing as he looked to the mayor. The pony stared at him, shock and horror in his eyes as the stallion approached him. Oblivion saw his team turn to watch him as he approached the mayor and the rotund pony stepped back as the black Unicorn paused to speak to him.

“There is nothing more around you that could endanger your ponies.” He said to him.

The mayor gave a numb nod as he retreated from the Witcher. He seemed to get his voice back and he sputtered for a second before speaking. “Now get out of our town. It’s hard to tell who the bigger monster was.” He replied, fear in his voice.

Oblivion gave a slight nod and spun to leave. Sasa snarled as she fell in behind him and his team fell in behind her. He glanced over his shoulder as ponies began to murmur and whisper as he passed by them. The owner of the inn they had stayed at rushed past him and stopped in front of the inn.

“We will get your things. Will be faster.” He rushed out as several employees raced past him.

Oblivion said nothing as he waited. Several minutes passed and their things were brought outside for them. Silver and the others went through their bags and nodded to the stallion as Cross gave him his saddlebags. Oblivion buckled them in place and spun to leave the inn behind. Whispers hung on the air as he passed by several ponies on their way to the chariot that stood off to the side of the town hall. Silver growled under his breath about ponies but stayed quiet behind the Black Unicorn.

“Chosen?”

“Yes Sasa?”

“Are you all right?” She asked him, concern in her voice.

“Yes why?”

“They’re not very grateful.” She whispered to him.

“Nothing I am not used to. Very few ever see the battle that takes place between a Witcher and our quarry. I am not surprised by how they reacted.” He commented to her.

She went silent at his words and stayed at his side. They reached the chariot and his guards got into the traces. He jumped into the back and Sasa joined him after a moment. When they did not move he looked at the Solar and Lunar guards and waited for them.

“Sir?” Striker spoke up after several seconds.

“Yes?” He replied.

“It every battle like that?”

“No. Each one is different. Only the end result is the same.” He said to him.

“And the reaction?”

“It varies. Very few ever see the battle itself, only the end result.” He assured them. “I am not concerned with their fear of me. That is not new.”

“They could have said thank you.” Vantage said to him as he looked over his shoulder. “And you told us that we would not be the same after our last battle. Are you changed by every fight?”

“No. I am not affected by each and every fight. I recall some of them more than others but for the most part, it is just another fight that I must win.” Oblivion explained. “You had never been in a fight before, especially not one that you needed to fight for your life. That is the part that changes somepony and how they see the world around them.”

Cross and Silver were quiet as they began to pull the chariot forward. They walked through the town as there was not enough room to take off easily and Oblivion had told them not to push themselves needlessly. As they neared the edge of town a shout caught his attention. He looked up as the guards stopped as a mare ran toward them.

“Please wait.” She breathed out as they came to a halt. “I know that they told you to leave. But please know that I am thankful for what you did. I may not have liked the sight of it but I know you did what you must. You brought back my baby and you brought him back in one piece. So all I have to say is…Thank you.”

Oblivion watched as she bowed her head for a second and he gave a returning nod to her. “Your welcome.” He said to her and a wide smile went over her muzzle as she backed up to give them room to leave.

Oblivion said nothing as they began to gather speed to leave the ground and Sasa roared back to the mare. “Changed my mind. Not all of them are useless jerks.”

“They cannot be what they are not. They cannot be happy when they are terrified. They will come to terms with the battle on their own.” He said to her.

“So they will come to thank you later?”

“In time perhaps.” He replied.