Sasa was quiet as she trailed behind the black stallion. He was leading them on their morning run and she was trailing behind him. She was not much of a runner if she was being honest but he seemed to enjoy the exercise and she did not wish him to do it alone. Her paws fell heavily on the compact dirt as his hooves were silent on the dirt and stray leaves. She looked up to see him slide to a stop and a feeling rolled over her.
Oblivions ears flicked ahead of him as his eyes stared ahead of him. The World Spirit rolled under and through him as he reached out to the sense of disquiet that plagued him. He closed his eyes as the world around him shifted. He opened his eyes and ahead of him was a town. He didn’t recognize the buildings he was seeing. His eyes scanned the buildings for anything that would tell him where it was and how to get there. He stepped forward and the vision ahead of him began to shimmer and fade. Oblivion watched as it vanished in front of him and he reached out to the World Spirit as it began to calm once more. A tap to his hip got his attention and he looked back to see Sasa waiting for him to look at her.
“Chosen?”
“You felt it as well?”
“Yes. Whatever it was it was strong enough for me to get a sense of it as well. What were you looking at?”
“Hmm?”
“You were watching something. Your horn was alight and you were seeing something that had your attention.”
“My horn?” He replied as he looked up at the appendage and it was silent. “I was seeing a town. I do not know where it is or what it is called. All I know is that there is something wrong with it.”
The feline was quiet as he began to walk forward, his pace slower than was natural for him. His steps were slow and his gait halting as he tried to think over what he had seen.
“So you think you can find it just from what you saw?” She finally asked him after several minutes of silence.
“I am not certain. I may have to have the World Spirit guide me more than normal. If that is the case then I will have to summon you to me when I reach that town.”
“I understand. What do we do now?”
“Now? We find the others and I let them know that we are leaving town.” He replied.
She gave a quiet nod as she drew up beside him as he broke into a trot. He kept up a steady pace as his horn lit, calling his saddlebags to his body. They clipped around his barrel as they reached Ponyville. His Sight guided him to the other Element bearers as they were clustered in the center of town, close to one of the wells. As he neared them he could hear them praising Rainbow for some action that she had done recently. Twilight looked back and she smiled as he approached them.
Sasa came to stand next to him and she purred as the group turned their attention to him. “I will be leaving town for a few days or so. Something has come up and I need to look into it.”
“Everything okay?” The purple mare asked him, concern written on her features.
He looked at her for a moment and then back to the others. “Truth be told I am not sure. It’s simply something I must look into.”
“A monster?” Applejack asked him.
“Perhaps. I am not sure at the moment.” He replied to her.
“Are you going to take Sasa with you this time?” Fluttershy asked him.
“Yes. She will be going with me.” He said to her. “I do not think she will allow me to go alone.”
“Nope.” The cat said to him.
“Probably a good thing. You always find trouble.” Rainbow teased.
“It tends to find me I agree.” He shrugged in reply. “I will keep in touch and let you know when I think I will return.”
“Just be careful ya hear?”
He looked at the orange mare and nodded to her. He backed up several feet and his horn lit as he called on the World Spirit to guide him. His magic charged and he vanished as the World Spirit showed him the way.
He opened his eyes as he reached out to summon Sasa and his eyes widened at the sight before him. It was the same thing he had seen earlier but the feeling from it was worse than it had been when he had been alerted to it. Sasa appeared at his side and she blinked as she stared at the blank walls ahead of her. The buildings were of average size but their colors were muted and awash in a light fog that hung over the town like a shroud.
“Chosen?
“Yes?”
“Is this the place?”
“It is.”
“Okay…”
He could hear the nervousness in her tone and he bumped her with his shoulder to soothe her. He looked further in as ponies walked among the buildings and didn’t seem to notice the stallion or the large cat at his side. He could see that their spirits were diminished and were muted.
“What am I looking at?” She finally asked him after a moment’s hesitation.
“What do you see?”
“Do all ponies have a color like this?”
“Yes. I can see them. Though these are muted and dulled. Normally their colors are a bit brighter so this tells me there is a larger issue than just one pony.” He replied to her.
“The World Spirit would not have summoned you for just one pony. But how widespread is this?”
“We will find out.”
He walked forward past an unseen border and a sense of overwhelming depression and loss washed over him. He staggered under the sudden assault.
“Chosen?”
He looked over his shoulder as Sasa approached him and she crossed that unseen line and she cried out at the sudden attack and she reeled back, away from him. He reached out to the World Spirit and its power washed over him and he used it to push the depression away from his mind. White fire flowed from his horn and covered his body as he pushed back and took a step forward. The feeling of depression faded and the World Spirit washed through him. The World Spirit was calm, serene and he allowed that feeling to fill his mind and the white fire absorbed into his fur and his horn fell dormant. He raised his head and looked back behind him to see Sasa.
“Sasa. You can come forward.” He said back to her.
He watched as the feline remained where she was and didn’t move toward him. “Chosen…I don’t want to go into the town.” She said to him.
He could hear the uncertainty in her voice as she spoke to him. He stayed in place as she sat down at the border. “You can approach Sasa. I will use the World Spirit to protect you. But if you wish I can send you back to Ponyville and I will keep in touch with you through our connection. The choice is yours.” She stayed still as he began to walk away from her. He knew that she would make her choice in the next few steps that he would take.
“Chosen wait!”
He paused as her voice called to him. He looked over his shoulder as she walked a step forward.
“Please just wait. I’m coming.” She said to him and started to walk toward him.
His horn lit as he called on the World Spirit once more. White fire flowed from him and covered the felines form as she crossed into the town. He watched as she took a step and she paused as the feeling washed over her and he strengthened his hold on her allowing the white flame to grow stronger as she took another step. She joined him and the depressive feeling was gone from her and she nuzzled his shoulder in thanks as he began to walk forward with her at his side once more.
“That was…frightening.” She admitted to him.
“I figured that judging by your reaction. I was shocked as well. What do you see in front of us?” He asked her to distract her.
“Not much of anything. I can see limited things due to my connection with you. But I can only see spirits that are particularly strong. I can see the other Elements but not much more than them.” She admitted to him as they began to walk slowly into the town.
He nodded as they reached the ponies that were milling around in the streets. He stopped to allow them to see him and the large cat with him and he was ready to explain about her as he usually did. He watched as they did not react to the cat or himself as they milled about. He took a tentative step forward and he paused as a pony approached them. The stallion stared ahead of him and bumped into Oblivion's shoulder but said nothing as he kept going. The black Unicorn watched the pony leave him behind and he glanced down to Sasa who was watching the pony as well.
“That was weird.” Sasa said to him as he began to pick his way through the small crowd once more.
“It was unexpected.” He agreed.
“They seem to either be ignoring you or…”
“Or they are completely unaware that I am even here.” He finished for her.
“Exactly.”
“Now to find somepony to talk to about this if possible. Otherwise, we will need to walk into this blind and fumble our way through things.” He said to her as they moved slowly through the streets.
The she-cat stayed close to him as they moved into the center of the town. A well sat at the center of the square and they paused beside it. Sasa rumbled a low growl as a mare bumped into her and nearly trod on her tail. She huddled against the side of the well as they scanned the area around them.
“Any ideas?”
“I am thinking.” He replied.
“Think faster. They're starting to creep me out.” She admitted.
Oblivion looked beyond the ponies of the square and reached out to the World Spirit once more to try to ascertain more details from its side of the equation. He closed his eyes and expanded his senses to cover the area around them. The World Spirit slid through the world around him and he used it to try to guide his actions. The Elder Witcher was silent as his connection to the World Spirit began to guide his steps. He could hear ponies ahead of him as he moved. He kept his closed eyes trained forward as a light began to glow ahead of him. He opened his eyes to see a stallion standing outside of a house. Oblivion could sense the anger and sorrow coming off of him and his spirit roiled within him.
“Did you find one, Chosen?” Sasa asked him as he stopped.
“Hmm.” He replied as he stood still.
“You can’t be serious!” The pony yelled at the closed door. “I left for a reason.”
Sasa said nothing as she watched the pony in front of them. “He’s definitely more animated than the others. Now what?”
“Now? We speak to him.” He replied to her.
As they spoke the young stallion huffed and spun away from the house, his dark green eyes landed on the pair of them and he paused. “And you are?”
“A simple visitor. Nothing more than that. You?” Oblivion replied.
“Right. Yeah you’re a bit too…bright to be from here.” He replied, his tone sharp.
“I could say the same of you,” Oblivion replied quickly.
“I’m from here. I left a few years ago to try to make something of myself.”
“And you have returned for?”
“I came back to get my parents to come with me. I have enough room in my new home for them.”
“I see,” Oblivion said as he leaned back on his haunches. “It seems they are refusing to speak to you."
“I don’t understand it. I left on good terms with them. It was never this bad here. It has always been kind of gloomy and the air has always been heavy but it was never this bad before. I don’t understand it.” He explained as he looked back at the firmly closed door.
Oblivion looked around them as ponies continued to ignore their conversation. “This place has always been this way then?”
“It wasn’t this bad. Ponies used to talk in the streets. Granted it was never very lively but now they’re just…”
“Despondent.” Oblivion supplied and the other stallion nodded. “Interesting.”
The other stallion gave him a sidelong look at his words. “Yeah, that’s a word for it.” Sarcasm dripped from his voice as he spoke.
Oblivion ignored the remark and looked around them once more. The ponies around them were silent as they moved slowly about and he looked to the building that held the stallion’s family. He could see the severely muted spirits of the ponies inside and he reached out to the World Spirit to analyze them closer. It bucked under his request but his command was iron as it reached out to them. Sasa sat down beside him and waited as he worked. The World Spirit slid over them and he was able to see the corruption that bit at them. He was surprised by the amount that covered them and he pulled back from them as the World Spirit slid back and went dormant once more.
“Interesting.” He muttered.
“What?” The stallion said to him and approached him.
Sasa stood up as he got closer and she gave a low growl to stop him from getting too close. He looked at the giant feline and he stopped five feet away from them.
“She dangerous?” He asked and pointed at the Spectral tiger.
“Not really. If pressed then she will act but for the most part she is harmless.” Oblivion replied to him.
“Right.” He said and leaned back on his haunches as Sasa’s growl faded out.
“This town has always had a fog over it?” He questioned.
“No that’s new. It was always kind of gloomy but this low fog is new and it’s creepy to be honest. All the more reason to get my parents out of here.”
“Hmm.” He said nothing more as he turned to walk back toward the center of town. He stopped and looked over his shoulder. “The center of town is the well correct?”
“Yeah. That’s dead center.” He replied. “Why?”
“Curious.” He replied and began to walk away once more.
Sasa stayed at his hip and bumped him to let him know where she walked. “He’s following you Chosen.” She alerted him.
Oblivion cast a glance over his shoulder to see that the feline was correct. The stallion trailed behind him and he chose to ignore him for the time being. “Leave him.” He said to the feline and focused on his own thoughts.
“Understood.” She said to him and went quiet.
He reached the well in the center of town and paused beside it. He reached out to the World Spirit and called its power to his horn. White fire flowed over his horn as a short gasp went out from behind him. He ignored the sound and closed his eyes as he channeled into his horn. He commanded the World Spirit’s flame to go over the town. He opened his eyes and he watched as a circle of white flame went out from under his hooves and poured over the streets, touching each pony in the town. He winced under the sudden strain and he called on more of its power to alleviate the strain and it faded as the circle of magic grew wider and grew in strength.
“Holy shit.”
He heard the green-eyed stallion speak but he ignored him further as the World Spirit fluctuated and moved through him and into the world around him. He could sense each pony was deeply infected with the same corruption the former Guardian had loosed upon ponies in his own time. From what little he knew they had been infected before and the town as a whole had been infected. Only recently had it become this severe. The circle of white flame reached the edges of the town and paused at his command. He recalled the circle and it slowly went back over the town and gathered more information to him as it moved. He closed his eyes for several seconds as he went over what he knew and he opened them once more as the circle reached him and was absorbed back into his horn. The white flame went out and he sagged for a second as he breathed out a low sigh.
“What the hell was that?” Sasa growled and the pony ignored her warning as he came toward them. “No, you can growl all you want, but you need to explain what that was? Did you hurt anypony?”
“No. They are fine. I still do not know who you are.” He replied and turned to face the angry pony.
“Who I am? Who the hell are you?”
“My name is Oblivion Shadow. She is Sasa.” He said and the feline gave a slight bow of her head in reply. “I believe that holds up our end of proper introductions.”
The stallion stared and he breathed in a deep breath and seemed to calm. “I’m Arrow. Now what was that?”
“It was a spell that I was using to try to figure out what has caused the problem. I am going to try to figure out how to get rid of it.”
“You are? Why? You don’t live here. Why should you care?” Arrow questioned.
Oblivion paused as Sasa stood up and purred. “You are a Witcher Chosen. Tell him that.” She said to him.
“I am a Witcher and it is my job to find out if there is a curse or some kind of problem that needs to be sorted out here.” He replied as he ran his claws through Sasa’s fur. The feline purred under his claws and he waited while the other processed what he had said.
“That still does not explain why.” He said to him, though his tone was calmer.
“Do I need a reason? Or would you prefer it be left the way it is?” Oblivion countered with a question of his own.
The stallion looked around them before he sighed and shook his head. “No, I guess you don’t need a reason to help but it is a bit odd. But if you can find a way to fix all of this then you’re welcome to try.”
“So good to have his permission.” Sasa said to him, her voice sarcastic.
Oblivion said nothing in reply to her tone as he stopped petting her fur and he looked around them. “How long have you been gone?”
“Three years.” He answered as he drew up closer to avoid the other ponies in the square.
Sasa hissed quietly and Oblivion leaned back on his haunches. “So in three years or less, it has become like this?”
“The last letter I got from my parents said that things were getting worse but that was a few months ago. I never thought they would drop contact with me and when I came back not even open the door.”
“That means it got worse gradually over time. Either that or it was within the last couple of months that things descended into this.”
Sasa looked up at him and she nudged him to earn his focus. “You vanished for a month and that put the balance of the World Spirit out of sync.” She pointed out and he nodded at her as he understood her point.
“It’s possible. It could be that the corruption was in a type of balance with the World Spirit and it was held at bay up until that balance was disturbed.” He replied and she nodded. “Since then the balance has been restored but the balance here did not recover. So, in essence, they are being broken down by the corruption that was placed here. That still leaves where the corruption came from originally.”
“That’s true. But it is a good start.” She replied.
“Where are the town’s records?” He asked Arrow who looked uncertain before he responded.
“They’re in City Hall. But I don’t recommend going there.”
“Why not?”
“The ponies there are even worse when it comes to listening. I tried there earlier and they didn’t even try to fake interest.” Arrow commented with a dismissive shrug.
“I see. Let’s see what we can find out.” Oblivion said as he looked at the other stallion.
“Your funeral,” Arrow said as he motioned for the Witcher to follow him.
Oblivion stared at the wall of glass in front of him. Beside him Arrow smirked knowingly as the mare behind the glass ignored them. Oblivion gave the wall a low kick to gain her attention. She sighed and looked toward the far wall behind her.
“You must be kidding me,” Sasa complained.
“I warned you,” Arrow said to him.
Oblivion sighed and looked down the hallway. “Is there a records room?”
“Yeah. But it’s locked up tight and they hold the key.” He said and pointed to the ponies behind the glass.
“Where is it?”
“This way. Maybe if we stand by it they will notice.” He said and motioned for them to follow him once more.
They made their way down the hallway and made a sharp left to come to a dead-end and face a door that read RECORDS in block lettering. Arrow put his hoof on the doorknob and tried to open it to no effect.
“Told you. Locked tight.” He said and backed up a step from the door.
Sasa looked from the Earth pony to the Unicorn and then to the door. Oblivion watched as a wide toothy grin went over the felines features as his horn lit. Arrows' eyes widened as the azure flame covered the doorknob. A loud click sounded out after several seconds and his eyes went even wider as the door swung gently open.
“You…You picked the lock?” He whispered frantically.
“Yes,” Oblivion said blankly as he went into the records room with Sasa on his heels.
“We could go to jail for that! Ever heard of Breaking and Entering?” Arrow whispered.
“Do you want to know why the town suddenly spiraled into depression or not?”
Sasa hissed out a laugh at the stunned pony’s expression. “Well yeah…but…Oh, we are going to jail.” He whispered and walked into the room with them and closed the door quietly.
Oblivion said nothing and began to scan the file boxes for the earliest records. His orange eyes fell on an older box toward the back and his magic pulled it out from under the others. “We are looking for when the town began to decline. Any signs of what may have caused it. If we start at the earliest records then we can work our way forward in time.”
“Give me a box.” Arrow groused and Oblivion set the next box in front of him. “We go to jail I’m blaming you for it.”
“Fair enough,” Oblivion said to him as he set a stack of papers in front of Sasa for her to go through.