Oblivions magic held several weeks’ worth of records as they hovered around him. Across from him, Arrow pushed a file way from him and Oblivion heard him give a quiet sigh. Next to him, Sasa nosed a file away from her and she began to look through the next file the Witcher had set out for her. They had been coming to the Records room for almost four days in a row. They had moved through the earliest records and he was now getting closer to the more current records. So far he had realized that the town had started like any other and the depression that went over the town was not as old as he had thought. It was fairly recent as in the last few hundred years that the records had become more specific and detailed major events that happened within the town.
“Anything?” Arrow breathed out as he turned a page.
“Not yet,” Oblivion said to him and his magic set a file back into the box he had been going through.
“By the Goddess.” He groaned and scrubbed his face with his hooves. “This is worse than school or work.”
“He has a point.” Sasa said to him.
“Hmm.” He said and went back to the files that still hovered around him.
Arrow glared at the Witcher and said nothing as he tossed a file into a nearby box. “I almost want to get caught so this torture will end.” He growled.
“Have you found anything that can narrow down the time frame Chosen?”
“Not so far.” He replied to her.
His magic skimmed through the nearest file and his orange eyes went over the file as his gaze fell on an entry that seemed out of place with the rest of the file. He set down the other files and his magic held it steadily in front of him. In the middle of a lengthy story about a festival came an entry about a single merchant.
‘He came towards the middle of the festival and his cart was filled with items that nopony had seen before. When asked he said that he was a traveler that wished to spread his items to those who could both afford and appreciate them. While his way of speaking was odd he was, of course, welcomed among us. Never have we met such a strange pony.’
Oblivion read the entry a second time and while he was not sure why it stuck out to him. The pony that was being spoken of did not seem out of the ordinary as far as merchants went. He had met his fair share of odd merchants and that didn’t seem out of the ordinary to him. He looked to the next few days and the merchant was spoken of several times and his antics and his wares were described. The merchant had made himself to be as memorable as possible and his wares were soon all over the town. When asked about his stock he said that he could find more wares and he was pleased that they were so popular.
“Hmm.” Oblivion gave a quiet noise and set the file out of his direct sight for several seconds as he thought about what had been detailed. It seemed odd to him that this merchant was so focused on. He skipped a couple of paragraphs and flipped to the next page to find that several items had been drawn and described. Effigies of strange Gods and paintings of ponies and places that had never been seen before. Oblivion’s magic pulled out a blank scroll and he began to sketch the old drawings onto a new scroll to get a clearer look at them. As he went over a picture of a panting he paused as it began to look familiar to him. He finished the sketch and Sasa leaned over his shoulder to look at the image and she tilted her head as her aqua eyes scanned it.
“It looks like Equestria.” She said to him.
He looked from her to the image and then back to it as he nodded in silent agreement. Sasa sat down at his side and watched as he finished the second sketch of an effigy and he could see the resemblance to the Heart of the World. The white mare that he knew began to become more focused and he looked at the page of descriptions and he could see that white mare was in several paintings and other images. His eyes widened slightly as he began to scan through the descriptions for any details of the merchant himself. He flipped to another page and his eyes focused on what he had been looking for.
‘A stallion of purest red with a dark red mane. He has never given us his name and tells us that he is a simple merchant and nothing more. I am not sure what to think of this and so far my fellow ponies are pleased that he has chosen to stay among us longer than the festival.’
“Red?” Sasa whispered to him.
“It can’t be.” Oblivion whispered. “Sasa?”
“Chosen?”
“When was the former Guardian sealed?”
The cat tilted her head at his request for a moment as she looked thoughtful for several seconds. “Just over a hundred years ago.”
“It could have been him. This is from just over two hundred years ago.” He replied to her.
His orange eyes scanned the dates and he found that it was around fifty years before the Guardian was sealed that this red stallion arrived among them. He found an entry that detailed how the red pony had left in the middle of the night without anypony knowing he had left. Even ponies that had been awake during the night did not hear the sound of a cart. He flipped the pages and over time he began to notice a shift in the writer’s way of speaking. It became more negative and self-deprecating. He paused as he read over a note about a secondary file and his eyes scanned the file boxes and his magic pulled it out from among a separate stack and he sat up and his claws went through the files until he found what he was looking for.
“Chosen?” Sasa asked him as he pushed the box a bit out of the way and his magic flipped it open for him to read.
His eyes widened as he saw the images of a crime scene and the descriptions of murder began to be laid out in front of him. As he read through it detailed the scene and the state of the accused pony. The mare had been covered in the blood of her husband and she had been raving about how she got him before he got her. The file showed all of the evidence and her confession was written down and she had been sent away for testing. It did not say what had happened to her after leaving the town.
“Strange.” He whispered and his magic went back to the original file and he kept them both hovering close by him as he settled back down to his belly to read through them side by side.
“What is it?” The spectral tiger asked him as she laid down at his side.
“It spoke of a pony coming to town during a festival and how the ponies reacted to him and his wares. He vanished in the night and nopony saw anything of him after that night.”
“Odd but not damning.” She replied.
“A month or so later ponies began to descend to depression and paranoia. If the writer is any indication of the others.”
“You mean they were being affected by something the pony left behind?”
“Perhaps. Maybe the items he brought that they bought from him.” He reasoned to her.
“Does it say who he was?”
“No. But I think I know who he is.”
“Oh?”
“The former Guardian is a red stallion with a darker red mane and tail. Same as this pony.”
“Oh.” The cat pulled her head back as he spoke back to her. “I hate to say this but similar coloring does not mean it was him.”
“I agree. While it’s similar I will not look only in his direction. Without further evidence, it’s hard to say if it was him or not. Though from what I know of him I would not put it past him.”
“What do you mean?”
“He used the ponies as fodder for his experiments. He would let their spirits fall to the corruption that he planted within them. The more I read about this the more I wonder if he found a way to infect an item with that same corruption and then sell it to ponies?” He said to the feline who nodded as he spoke.
“You make a good point, Chosen. But still, we would need to know more if we can say it was him or not. Though it would fit into what you know of him.” Sasa agreed. “What else is there?”
He looked back to the criminal file in front of him and he flipped through the pages of crimes and his magic pulled out the next file from the box and it held more crimes and they're accused. “Ponies are becoming more violent and cruel. Not like the ponies we know that are here today.”
“That is…upsetting.” She admitted and looked at the files in his magic. “What does the day to day file say about it?”
He looked back to the first file and it had become clearer that the pony writing it was falling to depression. Day to day activities was glossed over as though they had no merit until it seemed another pony had taken over the task. The new pony detailed how the crimes were becoming more violent and that the jail in town was becoming fuller and ponies were being shipped out to other areas since they didn’t have any more room. Oblivion looked at the crime file and he flipped through it until the dates matched up and he moved through the files in tandem.
“Here we go.” He whispered aloud and he noticed as Arrow looked up at him.
“What?” Arrow asked as he set a file aside and pushed the box away from him. “What did you find?”
“I’m not certain. It tells of a time when the ponies of this town fell to violence and cruelty. They seemed like they were going mad and they searched for the reason.”
“So they were trying to find out why everypony went crazy while we are looking for why they aren’t doing anything.”
“Basically,” Oblivion replied. “It details their crimes and what was done with them. The pony that was writing down major events in the record was replaced with somepony else when they seemed to fall to depression and could no longer write it.”
“What happened next?”
“I’m looking,” Oblivion replied as he went back to the files in his magic and he set aside one of them and pulled out the next recorded events and observations.
He saw Arrow put his head back and then he went back to his box. He read through the next few entries as a pony was called to the town to try to understand what had caused the violence
The Unicorn that was sent came to the village and began to investigate what may have caused their problems. Oblivion kept reading as Sasa huddled closer to him and he leaned against her shoulder for a second as she read over his shoulder.
“So this Unicorn was sent to find the reason behind their collective madness?”
Oblivion gave a quiet chuckle as he looked over the pages. “Basically.”
Oblivion kept reading and the Unicorn that they didn't give a name to had come to the same conclusion that Oblivion himself had. The items themselves were found to contain something that they were not able to identify. The Unicorn told them that they needed to be gathered up and destroyed. Oblivion read on as the items were gathered and then they were set aflame by the Unicorn and the ashes were cast into the well.
“Why would they put the ashes within the well?” Oblivion thought to himself and he found himself wondering if he had been right that the well was the direct center of the town. If that was true then some places were built on a nexus and there was a greater purpose to the well.
“You said the well is the center of town.” Oblivion said, startling Arrow as he spoke.
“Yeah. Geez, warn a pony before you speak up that loud.” He said as he placed a hoof on his chest and breathed out a breath.
“Is there a reason it was placed there or was the well there first?”
“The well was there first, I think. Old stories said that the well was there when the founders found this place so they used it since it provided fresh water.” Arrow explained. “Whether that’s true or not is up to you if you believe that kind of thing.”
“I see. That was all.”
Arrow gave an annoyed look as he went back to his files. Oblivion skimmed over the next few entries as the violence seemed to fade overnight and the Unicorn left over the next few days and only the depressive atmosphere remained.
“Anything Chosen?”
“Yes. I think I have an idea of what happened.”
“Oh?”
“Yes the former Guardian or whoever he was brought the items here with the purpose of them infecting the town with the corruption they held within them. In doing so they drove the ponies to violence and cruelty. A Unicorn was sent to find out the cause of the violence and he found that the items were the direct cause so he had them gathered and then burned. The ashes were thrown into the well and left there.”
“Into the well? Why?”
“Perhaps they believed that the pure water from the well would finish cleansing the ashes and there would be no lingering effects from them. I have seen that done before.”
“And what happened when they did that where you’re from?”
“It either did exactly as they wanted or it corrupted the well and any who drank from it.”
“Oh wow.” Sasa leaned against him as she considered what he had said. “So what do you think it did?”
“I don’t think it corrupted the well. At least not as much as it could have. It could have been devastating to this town.”
“Okay so what caused the problem they have now?”
“I think it did corrupt the well in a small way. It could have also sunk into the land and that could be the cause for the current problem. The World Spirit was under Equestria’s control until I was brought here. That kept the worst of it at bay. But when I vanished from this world and was sent back to my world it removed the protection that this town had.”
“Which allowed the corruption within the land and water to gain a foothold and affect them more than it had been allowed.”
“Exactly.”
“Okay. You may be onto something with your Guardian theory. That does seem like something that he would have done.” She agreed and leaned heavily against him.
“I would like to be wrong. But from what I know this is what he would have done as an experiment on the ponies of this world.” He replied to her and she shuddered against him.
“To use them as fodder like this though. That’s…more than cruel.”
“According to Equestria that was what drove him. We call it cruelty, he called it progress.”
Sasa shivered and Oblivion looked back at the file and he could see that the town had recovered but never returned to what it had been before the merchant and his items. Oblivion set the files aside and pulled himself to his hooves.
“Find something?” Arrow asked Oblivions magic covered the remaining boxes and placed them back in their places.
“Yes. I think I know what happened.”
“Really? You figured it out by going through these boxes over a few days?”
“Sometimes research is all it takes.” He replied as the other stallion stood up.
“Right. So?”
“It seems the well played a part in your town’s history. Two hundred years ago a merchant came to town during a festival and sold his items. When he left they were left behind and they slowly infected the town with something that led them to violence and cruelty. From what I can tell several ponies died and a Unicorn was sent in to see if he could find out what had caused it. He found that the items caused the problem. The paintings and other items were gathered up and burned, their ashes cast into the well. The thought behind that is that the pure water from the well would cleanse them and no further issues would come of it.” Oblivion explained.
“They did what? So the well is poisoned?”
“Not really. Now I am guessing that this is what happened based on what I know of magic and the corruption that came from the items. I do not think the well is completely corrupted. I believe that corruption is the cause for the sudden decline. I think there was something that was holding it at bay and that was lost recently.”
“Careful Chosen.” Sasa whispered to him.
“What could have been there?” Arrow asked him.
“I am not sure. Some form of magic that could have been left behind by the Unicorn that is mentioned. I am not sure what it was or what caused it to fail recently. It could be that it was not meant to hold it at bay for so long and time simply caught up to it.”
Arrow looked thoughtful as the Witcher spoke. “Okay. So that is a possibility and now I have to ask. How do you plan on fixing something you can’t see?”
“Magic held it at bay, magic can cleanse it if done properly,” Oblivion replied. He intended to use the World Spirit and his flame to cleanse the town and the ponies within it.
Sasa sat up and looked at him as he spoke. “Be careful. That’s a lot of magic to bring to bear. Even you can only handle so much of the World Spirit. This might need to be done in two separate parts.” She advised.
“I’m aware.” He assured her.
“Could that Unicorn have left something that poisoned over time? Or is that not possible?” Arrow asked quietly.
“It’s possible but if that was the intent then he chose to accomplish the goal after his own death. I assume that he has since died and that would mean he would not see the end of his plans.” Oblivion reasoned.
“That’s a good point. So whatever it was is no longer protecting us. So we need to find out how to fix it.” Arrow replied with an understanding nod.
“Yes. I can fashion a spell that can cleanse the town and then the ponies. It would need to be done in two parts.”
“Can’t do it all at once?”
“I might be able to but that would put a huge strain on my horn and possibly damage it.” He lied. Truthfully he did not know if that was possible but he was not going to admit that.
“So you can fix it if given the chance? Or you think you can?”
“Yes,” Oblivion replied easily and pulled himself into a sitting position.
“Do you think the Fallen Guardian knew that they would burn the items?” Sasa asked.
“I’m sure it was a possibility. He did not strike me as foolish from what I have heard of him. I can ask Equestria for more details if needed. I may have to reach out to her anyway before I do this.”
“Why?”
“I will be calling on a large portion of the World Spirit. I need to know if that is possible with my current abilities. I will be asking it to cleanse the land and then the ponies in much the same way that I did Blue Blood.”
“Oh. That is a good question to ask.”
He got to his hooves as the last box was replaced and they were left in the room with no sign that they had been going through the boxes for over four days. The Witcher moved toward the door and he could hear Arrow fall in behind him. He stepped outside the door and a feeling of disquiet rolled over him and left him standing statue-like in place. Sasa bumped into his flank and he could hear a startled sound escape her.
“Chosen?”
The World Spirit rolled under his hooves and he began to walk forward, his eyes wide as he followed its guidance. Behind him, he faintly heard Arrow speaking but his focus was not on the stallion or the feline that followed him. He stopped outside the town hall and his eyes went down the streets as the ponies had vanished. He could sense that they had gone back to their own homes and left the streets deserted. His hooves began to move under him as he angled his body toward the edge of town where he and Sasa had entered days earlier.
“Stay here with him.” He said to the feline who grumbled but turned to stop Arrow from following.
He didn’t see how she managed to stop him from simply avoiding her but he was sure she had found some way as the pony did not follow him. He stopped as his orange eyes fell on a dark figure at the edge of the town. He advanced and stopped just before the unseen border. The figure was nothing but darkness and his orange eyes glowed dully back at the figure before him.
“You can’t save them.”
A voice like breaking glass echoed over him as the figure didn’t move. There was no mouth to speak with but it spoke all the same. His ears flicked ahead and he focused on the image in front of him.
“And who are you to tell me what I can and cannot accomplish?” Oblivions' voice was sure and strong as he spoke.
“I am the one that will decide their fate. Your magic cannot stop what is coming for this place Unicorn.”
The Elder Witcher said nothing in reply as he waited for the figure to speak more or to elaborate. His claws flexed in the compact dirt as he waited and watched.
“Who are you?”
“It does not matter who I am. You cannot undo what has been done. This place belongs to those who move the world.” The voice said as it shifted to the side and began to walk away from the town. “Try as you will but you will fall with them.”
Oblivion said nothing as the figure vanished into shadow and faded from sight. The Witcher said nothing as the World Spirit stabilized around him and receded once more. The black Unicorn leaned back on his heels as a snort broke from him.
“Interesting.”