Oblivions eyes opened as he felt the magic of his teleport fade into nothing. At his side, Sasa grumbled a low growl and he looked forward. In front of them, a town stretched into the distance and he moved forward at the sight. His magic hummed under his skin as he walked confidently forward. In front of him, the town stretched out and then opened into a town center much like the prior town that he had been to. Ponies milled around him and appeared to be healthy and their spirits bright. At his side, Sasa was quiet as they began to walk forward once more toward what looked like a town hall.
Oblivion was silent as ponies whispered and backed up at the sight of the two of them. He did not fault them for their caution as they were both new and unknown. His orange eyes gave off their gentle glow and they finally reached the town hall and his magic pushed the doors open and he walked easily inside. He paused once inside and his eyes fell on a window into a room and he stepped up to look inside. A mare looked up after several seconds and she yelped at the sight of the tall Unicorn.
She recovered after several seconds of staring and she smiled stiffly. “How can I help you?”
“I am looking for this area on the map,” Oblivion replied and his magic slid the torn map piece to her and she scanned it for a second before she nodded.
“Oh, I know where that is. I can’t say I know the writing but this is a map to the cave just outside of town.”
“Is there anything I should know about it?” Oblivion questioned as he took the map piece back from her.
“Only that it’s haunted.” She replied easily.
“Haunted?” Sasa snickered through their connection. “Are they kidding?”
Oblivion ignored the feline and focused on the mare in front of him. “What is the story behind it? And how long has it had that stigma?”
“It has been haunted for over two hundred years.” She supplied. “Or at least that’s as far as the records go back for it.”
“Can you direct me to it?” Oblivion asked her.
She gave him an uncertain look before she shrugged and stood up from her seat. “Go to the edge of town, to the west, and follow the footpath. While it’s still haunted young fools still go to it to test their courage. Follow the path and you’ll find it.” She instructed as she leaned out and pointed.
Oblivion gave a slight bow of his head and spun on his heel to leave. He looked back as a gasp went out and the mare was staring at the feline as she turned to leave as well. She looked from the fleeing feline to him and he said nothing in reply to her wide-eyed look. He walked out of the town to the west. He said nothing as his eyes narrowed and the tracks appeared for him and he lowered his head slightly to follow them. Sasa padded quietly behind him and stayed on his hip as he led her forward.
“Are you able to follow the track easily, Chosen?”
“Yes. It’s not difficult. They were clearly not trying to hide what they were doing when they made the trail.”
Sasa sighed and came to walk at his shoulder. “Young ponies are brash and many think they are invincible and will do things they should not.” She said to him.
“Youth are foolish.” He replied. “No matter what they are that is a truth. We have seen that with Apple Bloom occasionally.”
“Your referring to the cockatrice incident aren’t you?” She replied with a laugh.
He looked back at her and a nod pulled from him. She laughed at his responses and he went back to tracking the hoof prints ahead of them. Several minutes went by with him leading them and a cave soon loomed ahead of them. He paused outside of it and Sasa stopped with him.
“Well we found it.” She said to him and he nodded in reply. “Now what?”
He opened his mouth to speak when a scent wafted over his nose. He lifted his head to his natural height and breathed deeply. Sasa must have seen his reaction as she did the same and a snort escaped her and she raised a paw to rub her nose.
“By my claws. What is that smell?” She asked him.
“I’m not sure.” He replied.
He gave another sniff of the air and he thought over the scents that he knew. The scent was not foreign in the way that he was shocked by it but he was at an immediate loss for what it was. He moved several steps forward and paused once more. Sasa remained behind him, waiting for him to figure out what it was.
“It smells similar to an Endrega but it’s not as strong.”
“If you tell me there is an Endrega in there I’m going to the play with Twilight.” Sasa replied quickly.
Oblivion looked over his shoulder to the feline who sat down and waited. “I don’t think so. It doesn’t smell like any kind that I know. It’s simpler than that… It’s …bugs.” He suddenly recalled the scent and he looked at Sasa as her head tilted.
“Bugs…?”
“A cave of them.” He replied.
Sasa stood up and joined him at the entrance and she looked at him. “You’re telling me it’s a cave full of bugs?” He nodded in reply. “I swear we can never just walk in, get what we need, and leave. It’s never easy.” She cursed and a growl escaped her.
Oblivion gave a short chuckle at her words and he reached out to the World Spirit and sent it ahead of them. He was ready for it to return with a cave of small bugs but it responded as it would to a pony or something similar and he pulled it back to him. His head tilted slightly as he waited for more information. He flicked his ears forward and closed his eyes as he focused his ears and listened. When nothing came back to him he began to enter the cave, slowly, caution in his step. Sasa walked with him and bumped his hip to alert him to her place. The World Spirit had told him of the emotions ahead of him and they were upset and scared.
“Interesting.” He whispered and he heard Sasa huff behind him.
“How much further?” Sasa complained.
“Not too much more.” He informed her.
“Are you sure it is not an Endrega that is in here?” She questioned.
“I am positive. According to the World Spirit, it is something like a pony though I’m not sure exactly.”
“What do you mean?”
“It came back with emotions that are not known to bugs. The ones ahead of us are scared and upset and that was what the World Spirit picked up on.”
Sasa said nothing in reply as his ears flicked to listen ahead of them. His ears flicked forward as the sound of whispering caught his attention. His eyes glowed gently in the darkness as he walked forward, a slight glow beginning to illuminate the path ahead of them. Sasa gave a low growl as they walked forward and she moved to bump his hip to stay close to him.
“Is that a light ahead?” She asked him, her voice quiet.
He said nothing in reply and simply nodded as he slowed his pace and his ears remained forward as the whispers grew louder to his sensitive ears. He was not able to place what they were talking about as he drew closer. He stopped just before the path opened up and he looked carefully around the corner. His eyes focused on a group of close to ten ponies that were staying close to the center of the opening. Behind him, Sasa was silent as he looked over the group and he slowly moved forward and allowed them to see him clearly. The group stared openly as he approached them.
“Excuse me.” One of the called out to him.
Oblivion said nothing as he drew to a halt several feet from them and waited for them to speak. Sasa had moved and was directly behind him, allowing herself to hide behind him. His nose sniffed the air and the scent of bugs grew stronger as they moved to look at him. One of them gulped and spoke to him despite his silence.
“We need your help. One of us is lost and we need help to find her.” She explained.
Oblivion said nothing in reply and simply watched them. They appeared more upset by his silence than if he had spoken to them. He reached out to the World Spirit and it flowed around him and he focused its power on the group in front of him. His eyes widened slightly at the sight that was illuminated. Each of them was shown to be smaller than their actual size. They were wearing the skins of the ponies and their forms were hidden within them. He had heard of monsters that could wear the skins of their victims but he had not come into contact with them all that often.
He backed up a step and Sasa moved with him, a low noise coming from her as he moved. “The smell is coming from them?” Sasa asked.
“Yes. It grew stronger the closer to them we got. I’m not even sure what they are. They're wearing the skins of those ponies.”
Sasa growled behind him as he spoke to her. He pulled his head up to his full height and he gathered his voice to reply to them. The group looked nervously from each other to him as he lowered his shoulders slightly to be able to move easily if they moved toward him.
“You can drop your illusions or the skins of the ponies you are wearing. I can see through them.” He said to them.
Each of them looked from him to each other and then back to him. “We arent hiding anything.” One said to him.
Oblivion bit back a remark and chose to be diplomatic instead. “I can see through them and you are not ponies. While I am unsure of exactly what you are I can say that you resemble a bug.”
Each of them looked angry as he spoke and he watched as green fire enveloped each one and he stared at what was left in their place. Their bodies were smooth chitin with a dark grey coloring. Along their backs were a coat of chitin that was a deep blue with ragged wings standing up or laying against their backs. Their legs had deep holes that went through them and their bodies were unnaturally thin. Fangs had grown from their mouths and looked as though they were small versions of Sasa’s own front fangs. Their horns were shorter than most adult Unicorns but they had a gentle curve to them that mimicked Oblivions own. Sasa peeked out from behind him a disgusted yowl escaped her as she went back to hiding behind him. Oblivion lowered his head slightly as the front five of them began to advance on him.
“Wait!” A shout went out from behind them as one of them came forward and jumped to land between them and the lone stallion. “We don’t need to fight him. He can see through us but that does not mean he is a threat.”
Oblivion said nothing as the voice hissed out from the creature between them. He said nothing as it looked over its shoulder at him. He made no move to fight them and it seemed to take heart from that fact.
“Chosen?”
“If they do not attack then I have no reason to defend.” He replied.
“Understood.”
As they watched their fellow-creature Sasa came out from behind him and came to stand at his side. The creatures in the front yelped at the sight of her and reeled back. The one in the center looked over its shoulder once more and its eyes went wide at the sight of the Tiger with him. Oblivion said nothing as it turned around slowly and its eyes flit between the two of them.
“She will not harm anypony so long as she is not given reason.” He said to them.
The creature stared its eyes wide and then gave a stiff nod. “What are you doing here?”
“I came here to search for an item. It’s a small silver tube with a map piece inside.” Oblivion said to them. “I was unaware that this cave was lived in. The town’s ponies believe it to be haunted so they typically stay away from it.”
He chose to be civil as they did not appear to be threatening and now seemed curious about him and the feline at his side. “We frighten the ponies to keep them from coming in. We have seen what you’re describing but we don’t have it here.”
Oblivion nearly groaned as he had a feeling where this conversation would lead. “I assume you want something in return for it?”
They nodded as he fell silent. “Are you really considering helping them when you could probably find it on your own without them?” Sasa asked him.
“I could easily do that or I can work with them and get it faster. I have no desire to fight the entire group of them without knowing what they are and their abilities.”
Sasa gave a short snort of agreement and fell silent at his side. Their spokes pony came and looked at him and seemed to finally decide what it was going to say to him in return.
“One of us has gone missing. We want you to find her and bring her back.”
Oblivion bit back a sigh and leaned back on his haunches. “How do I know you will uphold your end of the bargain when I know nothing about any of you?”
The front creature looked affronted and hissed at him in reply. “We may be Changelings but that does not mean we are liars.”
‘Changeling. Interesting. Never heard of them.’ He thought to himself. “Very well. What can you tell me about when it was last seen?”
“She.” It snarled. “She was last seen two days ago.”
“My apologies,” Oblivion replied.
The Changeling looked surprised by the apology but seemed to relax as it went on. “She went deeper into the cave system and we aren’t sure which way she went.”
“Did she fly or walk?”
“She can’t fly due an deformed wing. She’s always on the ground.”
“Understood. Lead me to where she was last seen and I will start my search there. I will warn you about lying to me though. If I return with her and you do not have what I am after I will remove you from this cave personally and quickly.” Oblivion snarled as they parted to let him and the leader walkthrough.
They stilled under the threat and their leader nodded. “We understand. It will be waiting when you return. Even if she is dead can you still bring her back to us?”
“No matter the condition she is in I will return her to you.” He assured them.
He fell in behind the lead Changeling and followed a few steps behind. He reached out to the World Spirit and called on it to tell him more about the creatures that were around him. It told him that they were not to the power level that could compete with him and he would have been able to subdue them easily in a fight but he had chosen diplomacy instead of his usual force.
“So can you tell the difference between them yet?” Sasa asked him as she bumped his hip.
“I think the one in the lead is a female. I am not sure since their scents are so mixed together and it is harder to distinguish one from the other.” He admitted. “What are all of you doing living in this cave?”
“We once lived under our Queen in the badlands.” The leader informed him. “We sought shelter here and stayed.”
“What drove you out?”
“She did.” She replied. “We fled from her and sought shelter here during a storm. We were all tired of being terrified of her temper and her cruelty. Every day was more terror for our lives and we fled from her in the night when she was away.”
Oblivion said nothing at first as she spoke. “I see. Can’t say I wouldn’t have done the same thing in your hooves.” He replied.
She looked over her shoulder and a smile tugged at the sides of her muzzle. “Thank you.”
A growl tore from Sasa as Oblivion looked back at her as she glared at one of the Changelings that had gotten too close to her. Oblivion said nothing for several seconds as the affected Changleings fled from around her and gave the feline a wide berth.
“Can you keep her under control?” One asked, its voice high with fear.
“I am not her master. She makes her own choices and I will support her if the need comes. Give her the space she wishes for and she will remain passive.” He advised.
“Right.” One of them replied, sarcasm in his tone.
“Damned thing nearly stepped on my paw.” Sasa informed him.
“They will stay away from you now.” He replied.
Sasa grumbled as she fell in at his side and they began walking at a more hurried pace. They reached a cavern with several paths and the leader stopped and looked over her shoulder at him as she drew up next to her.
“This is where we think we saw her last. At least that’s what we think.”
“They think?” Sasa growled.
“You are not sure?” He questioned.
“We got back to our usual sleeping area and she was not with us. We retraced our steps and this is where we believe she was last. We searched as far as we dared and then came back here and started to try to figure out how to find her on your own when you showed up. Do you think you can find her in this maze of paths?”
“I have been tracking monsters for many years’ through fair days and storms. I do not doubt that I can find her given the time.”
“Pretty confident for a pony.” One growled.
“I am more than just a pony, lucky for your friend,” Oblivion replied, his tone confident. “Otherwise it would be hopeless and I would have fought you for what I seek.”
They all stared at him as Sasa chuckled through their connection. The small group looked at the ground and at each other as he began to move away from them.
“Wait.”
He looked over his shoulder as the lead female came up to him and shuffled her hooves as she looked at him. “Who are you? I don’t want to call you ‘pony’ when you come back with her.”
“Oblivion.” He replied.
Her eyes went wide for a second as she nodded and backed up to the group once more. “We’ll wait here for you to come back.”
Oblivion gave a nod of understanding and looked back to the grounds around them. He reached out to the World Spirit and sent it through the cave system. His will called on it to find a sign of life within the cave to tell him if he was looking for a live Changeling or a dead one. It was not able to tell him where she was but it could tell him if she lived. His head came up as it found a sign of life of some size within the cave. He looked over his shoulder at them for a moment and then back to the front. He called the World Spirit back and let it fall dormant.
“She is alive.” He said to the feline as she drew up beside him and put her nose to the ground.
“That’s good to hear. It would be awful to have survived fleeing from a terrible Queen and then dying here alone.” Sasa replied.
His eyes narrowed as he focused on the ground and began to work on discerning the ages of the tracks he could see. He walked slowly around to each entrance and finally found what he was looking for. The tracks were older and had been partially obscured by the tracks of the others. He looked back at them for a moment before he snorted and began to track her deeper into the caves. Darkness covered him and he paused after several minutes once the tracks began to fade as the darkness covered him.
His horn lit and the light was cast across the enclosed pathway. Next to him, Sasa hissed at the sudden light and he called on a vial of Cat potion. He quickly drank down the potion and he felt it take effect a few moments later and he extinguished his horn as his eyesight became clear as day. His hooves were silent as he followed the faint tracks as they soon became the only track he could see. He pulled his head up slowly and the tracks were clear as he moved down the cramped pathway.
“How far do you think she went?” Sasa asked as she trailed behind him.
“Since she did not simply follow the path back I assume she is more than a bit lost. According to the World Spirit, she is deep within the cave system. So far she lives but I am not sure for how long. Granted I also am not sure what she would eat down here where there is nothing.” He replied.
“I feel bad for her. She’s stuck down here alone and no doubt missing her fellow Changelings.” Sasa commented and he nodded in reply.
“We will find her and return her to them. When we find her I will teleport us back to them and then we can get what we came here for.”
The hours fell away as he tracked ahead with the feline on his heels. Sasa had fallen silent earlier as time had passed by them and he remained quiet as they walked deeper. He had used the World Spirit earlier to check up on their quarry and she appeared to be still and not moving from her place.
“Is she still okay, Chosen?”
“So far yes. I can’t tell what condition she is in but she is still alive.”
Sasa sighed and fell in at his side, her paws quiet on the stone floor. His eyes remained on the track above him and he stopped as her steps became hurried and she seemed to be running toward something instead of away from it. He looked back and Sasa moved to the side as he walked back and began to scan for anything that might have been chasing her. Nothing showed itself and he walked back to the Spectral Tiger and rejoined her as he followed the tracks. He pulled up as the tracks ended at a steep incline.
“So this is why she wasn’t able to just go backward,” Oblivion said to the feline who nodded in agreement.
“Without her wings, she would have been stick down there. Now what?”
“Now?” He looked at the feline with a blank look for several seconds before he looked down the incline.
“Chosen?” She said to him. “No.”
“We have no choice.”
“No.” Sasa said to him.
“Come on. What was it Apple Bloom called you once? Fraidy cat?” He said to her and she huffed at his wording.
“Very funny. I have never met a funnier Witcher.” She grumbled. “You’ll break a leg going down that and I’ll land on you.”
“It will be fine.” He said as he moved forward to the edge of the incline.
His claws spread and he began to slowly start down the steep incline. He leaned heavily on his heels as he began to slide slowly forward. He could hear Sasa yowling behind him as he focused on his own descent. His claws dug into the stone as much as possible as he kept his weight balanced on his hindquarters, intent on not slipping down the slope. He glanced back and Sasa was still at the top of the slope, waiting for him to reach the bottom. His front hooves slipped and he leaned back heavily and slowed the near slide. Above him, Sasa growled and he could sense how agitated she had become. He spread his claws as wide as possible and dug them as deep as possible into the stone allowing him to almost walk down the incline.
“Chosen?” Sasa’s voice as hesitant and careful as she reached out to him.
“Hmm?” He replied with a sound rather than words as he focused on his descent.
His rear hooves slid and he fought to keep them under him. He leaned his weight more toward center mass and that allowed him to center his balance. He ignored the yowl from above as his eyes narrowed on a gap in front of him. He was able to stop his descent just in front of it and he looked down it to see that it had no bottom that he could see. He was able to tell that the missing Changeling had not fallen in which meant she had jumped it at the last second. He didn’t see any blood on the other side and his nose didn’t smell anything odd.
“It’s never easy.” He grumbled. “Sasa?”
“Yes?”
“I’ll summon you when I get to the bottom. There’s a gap in the center of the descent that you would fall into if you weren’t controlling your slide.”
“Oh. Yeah. I’ll wait.” She agreed and he could sense the relief that went through her.
He looked ahead of him and his hooves stood on the edge of the gap and he gathered his muscles to jump the gap. He leaped for the other edge and his hooves hit the edges and he leaned back when he landed to avoid slipping too far forward. His forelegs slid on the small stones and he dug his claws in to try to stop his slide. A curse rolled off his lips as he slid forward, gaining speed. He spun around and dug all of his claws into the stone. He looked back and he could see the end of the incline coming and he spun his body back to face forward. He gathered himself once more and leaped once he neared the bottom. His hooves hit the ground and he came to a stop with a sigh of relief that he had not fallen.
“I’m at the bottom.” He said to the waiting feline.
“Thank goodness. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. The jump was a bit of a challenge but not too bad.”
His horn lit as he summoned the feline to his side and she nuzzled him after the magic faded from her. “Did our Changeling fall down that gap you mentioned?”
“No. Seems she was able to see it in time and jump it. I didn’t smell any blood or anything so I assume she came out unscathed.” He replied.
“That’s lucky.” She replied. “Why didn’t you teleport to the other side?”
“I was not sure of the incline on the far end. If I wanted to fall down the rest of it then I would have teleported.” He reasoned to her.
“Ahh. That makes sense.” She admitted with a shrug of her shoulders.
His eyes found the tracks easily in the dirt and he followed them forward. His eyesight began to dim and he cursed as the Cat potion began to fade. His horn lit and bathed the area in azure flame. Sasa looked at him as he walked forward, his eyes trained on the ground ahead of them.
“Chosen?”
“Cat potion wore off. I don’t have anymore and it will take time to make more of it.” He explained.
Sasa nodded in reply. “So it lasts for several hours at best?”
“That’s the Superior Cat Potion. The lower tiers of it are shorter. I have been tempted to mix up a stronger variety but I have not had the time or a lab to experiment with it.”
“You could probably use Twilights lab.”
“She has a lab? An Alchemy lab?”
“Well it’s a science lab, but science and Alchemy can go hoof in hoof at times. I’m sure she would be happy to help you if you asked her.”
“She would enjoy it I would think.” He replied as he walked ahead with the feline at his side. “Maybe when we get back I will ask her about it.”
Sasa nodded once more and she stayed close by him as they moved deeper into the caves. As they walked they came to a stop and found their way blocked by a cave-in. Sasa growled in annoyance and Oblivion looked around them.
“This is a problem.” He admitted. “This is new I think. The walls gave in recently.”
“Tell me that is not the way she went?” Sasa lamented.
“It is.” He replied and Sasa growled as she put her head back. “Her tracks go under the stones.”
“Perfect. Now we have to find a way around it and at the same time track her. Any ideas Chosen?”
Oblivion was quiet as he walked up to the cave in and scanned the fallen stones. His magic flared as he pushed against the top boulders and they gave in slowly under his magic.
“Careful.” Sasa cautioned.
His magic pushed gently and one of the stones gave way and fell to the other side. He paused and his eyes scanned the pile and his ears were trained forward for any sound that would come before a further cave in. He pushed a second rock and it fell away as well. Sasa walked up the pile slowly and reached the top of it and pushed her head through the pony-sized gap.
“You won’t be able to make it through this gap Chosen. You’re too broad-shouldered for it. Twilight would have trouble with it.” Sasa informed him.
He snorted a reply. “All I need is to see the other side so I can teleport to it. I dislike teleporting without knowing where I am going to land if I have a choice.”
“You’ve done it before.” Sasa pointed out.
“That’s true. But if I can avoid it I would rather know where I am landing.” He admitted. “Is it stable enough for me to climb?”
“If you’re really careful maybe.” Sasa commented and looked over her shoulder to him. “Do you want me to come back down and you can summon me like before?”
“That would be our best option. This place will come down on us if we force our way through."
Sasa slowly made her way back down to him and slid down to land in front of him. His claws flexed in the loose dirt and stones and he began to climb slowly up to where Sasa had been sitting. He paused as the dirt slid under him. Sasa growled from her place and he looked back as she began to pace.
“Careful Chosen. You’re a light pony, but you’re not that light.” She advised.
He was quiet as he looked back to the pile of stones and slowly moved from spot to spot, placing his hooves slowly and carefully into each spot as he moved up. His claws dug in and he reached the top and he looked past the stones and his horn illuminated the space behind the cave in and he was able to make out the floor from his place. His horn flared and he teleported to land behind the cave in. He breathed a sigh of relief as he summoned Sasa to his side. He spun to leave the cave in behind them as it shifted and rocks fell in to block the hole they had made. His horn remained alight as he led the way.
“Well. Not going back that way anyway.” Sasa remarked and he nodded.
Sasa yawned as he stopped to look around them as another cavern stretched out around them. He paused as a new scent caught his attention. At his side, Sasa raised her nose to the air and sniffed deeply. He looked around them, his horn glowing brightly. He illuminated his horn further and light-flooded around them. Sasa growled suddenly and she backed up a step as a shout caught his attention.
“RUN!” A voice screamed out above them.
He looked up as a Changeling looked down at them from a small burrow above them. His ears perked as the sound of rustling leaves and snapping twigs caught his attention. The scent was familiar to him as he sent more magic into his horn, illuminating the entire cavern.
“Oh great. Timberwolves.” Sasa grumbled.
“Is that what they are called?”
“Yes.” Sasa replied as the wolves began to circle them. “They’re not incredibly smart but they're clever enough to know how to use their numbers.”
“They were called on by the Leshen from before so I have faced them before,” Oblivion replied as his sword came from the band on his leg.
Sasa roared out a challenge as one of the wolves charged her. She whirled around and swatted it to the ground and then chased after it, hitting it hard enough to send pieces flying. Oblivion looked up as they charged him and he spun to turn his blade to the side to bludgeon them and cast Igni as he went. Fire laced over the ground and ignited the wolf’s bodies as they yelped and cried out.
“Behind you!”
Oblivion ducked down as a wolf leaped for him and he used the broadside of the blade to smash the wolf into pieces. He backflipped away from the group and he glanced at the blade as he bade Igni travel up the blade and he charged the wolves with it in his magic. Sasa slapped another to the ground and he cast Igni to light it on fire. The blade carved the air as he dashed another wolf to the ground, its body aflame. The wolves began to yelp and cry as they fled the cavern. Sasa roared and chased them as they fled. Oblivion snorted and his sword twirled in his magic as he extinguished the fire that rippled gently over the weapon. He glanced at the sword and he looked at it as it had taken up a deep red color. The color faded as the flames died out.
He looked up as the sound of hooves on stone caught his attention. The Changeling was trying to climb out of her hiding spot and his horn lit as his aura covered her. He lowered her to the ground and she sat down heavily in front of him. Sasa came trotting back, a satisfied look on her face.
“That was fun.” She quipped and sat down behind the Changeling.
The Changeling looked back and she shuddered at the sight of the cat. “She’s not gonna eat me is she?” She whispered.
“Oh by my claws eww.” Sasa grumbled and her tongue came out of her mouth as she gagged.
“I guess not.” The Changeling said as Sasa finished gagging.
“You’re in no danger from her. Your fellow Changelings sent me to find you.”
“Why? You’re not one of us.”
“They were a bit desperate I think. They have something I want and I agreed to trade you for it.” Oblivion replied to her.
She stared at him for a moment and blinked at his blunt reply. “Well. Least you’re honest. So how are we going to get back to them? The cave fell in behind me.”
“I can teleport us back to them easily enough.” He assured her.
She looked at the horn on his forehead and then to the feline behind her. “All of us?”
He nodded. “It will be fine.”
His horn had remained lit through their fight and he reached out and his magic gripped each of them and azure flame flashed as they vanished.
His eyes opened as the flare of magic faded and he heard the yells of the other Changelings as they dove away from the flare of magic. The Changeling he had with him hissed in surprise. Sasa growled at her and she fell quiet as the others stopped howling and looked at who had returned. Sasa sat down and Oblivion looked around them for the leader of them that he had made the deal with. His magic gripped the Changeling he had with him and he turned to find her staring. She looked from the Changeling in his magic to him and back to her.
“You found her.” She breathed out.
“It was our agreement that I find her and you turn over what I want.”
“What if we don’t have it?”
Oblivion looked at her, his expression blank and she shuddered under the look she was getting. “Then I send her back where I found her and drive the rest of you from this cave as I promised.” He replied simply.
Her eyes went wide as she looked at another Changeling and motioned for him to join her. “No, we have it. Here.” She said as she took it from him and held it out.
Oblivion moved the Changeling closer to the others and set her on the ground between them. They met in the middle and he reached out a hoof to the Changeling and she dropped the silver tube into his hoof. His magic covered it and the small map piece unfurled, revealing more of the unknown writing. He gave a solemn nod to her and stepped back. The Changelings swarmed their friend as his magic released her and each checked on her as she slowly got to her hooves. Oblivion said nothing as he turned to leave them behind. Sasa fell in at his side as he moved to leave them behind.
“Wait!”
He stopped in his and looked over his shoulder as the lead female came forward once more. “How did you find her so quickly? We looked everywhere.”
“I followed her tracks.” He replied simply. “I was made to track down any contract I am given. This was another contract to be completed.”
She looked at him closely as a smile tugged at her mouth once more. “Thank you. You said your name was Oblivion?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you Oblivion. We won’t forget this kindness. In a world where there is no love for a Changeling, it’s nice to see one pony who is not going to hurt us for what we are.”
Oblivion said nothing for several seconds before he nodded at her. “I have been in your hooves many times. I was the one tossed aside so I can understand what you mean. Give ponies the chance to get to know who you are and treat them as an equal and you will see things change over time. It’s never easy or quick but it is worth trying.” He said to her and she nodded in reply as he turned to leave.