Oblivion said nothing as the hospital loomed ahead of him. He had been told that Rainbow Dash was in there and Fluttershy had stopped by the barn to retrieve him. The Witcher said nothing in reply as the mare walked quietly beside him. He was fairly certain that he had been called on to possibly heal her injuries. According to Fluttershy, her wounds came from a flight accident. He had already chosen to not heal her wounds. If they were severe then they would not have been able to move her at the time of the accident.
“Do you think it is severe?” Fluttershy suddenly voiced from beside him.
“I doubt it.” He replied easily to her question. “If it had been severe then Twilight and the others would have been unable to move her safely.”
“That’s true.” She agreed. “Do you think you can heal her?”
“I can I’m sure. But I do not think I will be healing her if asked.”
“Why not?”
“Sports injuries are part of the job. She is ready to accept that by doing the sport itself. I expect to be hurt in a fight if I am outclassed.”
“Are you hurt often back where you’re from?”
“No. I typically avoid the issue if the need comes. If the injury happens despite my best efforts then I can deal with that. I have ways of allowing myself to heal faster through potions and decoctions. If the need arises.”
She nodded in silence as he spoke and she watched as the front doors of the hospital opened to allow them inside. He fell slightly behind her to allow her to move ahead and lead him inside. As they moved he followed his sight and it led him down the hallway toward a room that was being used to house Rainbow Dash.
“I think it’s this one?” Fluttershy said to him, her voice timid and quiet.
“You’re correct.” He assured her as he came around the doorjamb.
Inside Twilight and the others stood around a bed that Rainbow was laying on. A doctor was in the room explaining that the mare was to rest for several days before she would be released. His ears flicked forward as he listened to her groan about the timeline. Twilight looked over her should as the stallion came into the room. Rainbows eyes went wide at the sight of the black stallion and a grin went over her face.
“Oblivion! Yes, just the pony I was hoping for.” She crowed and smiled brightly at him.
“Yes?” He said to her.
“Can you heal me? Please?” She said to him, her hooves pressed together in front of her as she pleaded.
He looked at the doctor who was now staring at him, his eyes wide. “How severe are her wounds?”
“In terms of severity, they're pretty minor. But badly pulled muscles and ligaments.” He explained. “Why? Are you capable of healing ponies?”
Oblivion looked at the mare for a moment who was now looking a bit less hopeful at the look he was giving her. “Rainbow did you overdo it perhaps?”
“Maybe…” She admitted. “It was a new trick I had to try.”
He rolled his eyes to the ceiling and shook his head at her. “You know enough to avoid injury normally. What was this trick?”
“It was one I saw the Wonderbolts do. I figured I could do it as well.” She explained.
Oblivion shook his head again and sighed. “Why should I heal you?” He questioned and the mare looked stricken for a moment.
“Come on. Please? I don’t want to be stuck here for days or weeks.” She said to him, her tone begging.
“Weeks?” He said as he looked sideways at the doctor who shook his head.
“A few days at the most.” He clarified.
“You can handle that.” He said to her and her eyes went wide.
“But… But… Why?” She stammered out.
“In terms of wounds, this is more severe than what I healed on you before. You are in a spot that will allow you to heal properly and with the observations of the medical ponies. I think you can stay here.”
“But…” Rainbow stared at him.
He watched as she seemed to deflate and she flopped back onto the pillow behind her with a groan. The doctor patted his shoulder and the stallion motioned for him to join him outside. Oblivion pivoted on his heel and followed the pony out the door and into the hallway. As they came to stand in the hallway Oblivion could see that his spirit was a bit hesitant but he seemed to steel himself after a slight delay.
“You did not answer me before.” He said and Oblivion gave a slight tilt of his head in reply. “You are able to heal? Are you a doctor as well?”
“I am no doctor.” Oblivion clarified for him. “I can heal through magic in a way. But it takes time to accomplish.” He lied smoothly.
“But you can heal others?”
“Yes. Why?”
“I have a pony that I could use your help with if you can.” The doctor said to him. “They are in desperate need of more healing than medicine can give them.”
Oblivion sighed. He knew that Rainbow had just set him up to fail by not waiting for the doctor to leave the room before she spoke her request of him. He looked away and back to the room the mares were still in as a pony with a cart full of books came by them.
“I can’t help you.” He said to the pony.
“So you can’t help another even with the ability to do so?”
“You cannot judge whether it would help them or not.” Oblivion pointed out. “For all, you know it could do more harm than good.”
“That’s true.” He admitted. “But in terms of helping others, it's worth trying all our options is it not? And we do not have many options left for her.”
Oblivion said nothing as seconds ticked past him. In terms of feeling empathy for the pony in question, he didn’t feel much of anything for them. He knew that any normal pony would have jumped to help them. But he hesitated due to the fact that he was not wanting to advertise that he could use magic to heal. That was asking somepony to question him for more than he was willing to admit to.
“I will think on it.” He replied, choosing to pass on the option for the immediate moment.
The doctor seemed upset and his jaw clenched for several seconds as he finally gave a grim nod. “If you change your mind come back and ask for me. My name is Doctor Berry. They will call me to the front if you ask for me.”
He spun on his heel and seemed to storm away from the black pony as the mares came out of the room and joined him in the hallway. He said nothing as he fell in behind them as they led him out of the hospital. Sasa had remained at the farm by her choice and he could sense that she was doing something with the others but he was not sure what. The feline had been uncertain about wishing to join him at the hospital and he was sure she had a reason why but he had chosen not to push her.
“What did the doctor want?” Twilight asked him as she slowed her pace to walk just in front of him.
“He was asking that I heal a pony in his care.” He replied.
“Oh. And are you going to?” She asked, her tone had grown quiet.
“No.” He replied easily.
“Why not?” She asked now her voice was quieter and he had to point his ears to her to ensure he heard her.
“It’s not my place to heal those that I do not need to.” He replied. “There is no guarantee that I can heal her in a way that will keep myself from being outed as a way for them to dodge death.”
“I see. If it was one of us though?” She asked him.
He managed not to pause in place as she posed that question to him. He looked at the back of the mare's head for a moment before he replied. “I would have already healed you. There would be no need for a hospital.”
“So we are special?”
“In a way.” He replied.
“Is that fair though?” She asked him.
“It is not my place to save the world.” He replied, but even as he said it he knew it was technically his job to protect a piece of it.
She stopped in place as the others walked away from them. She looked over her shoulder and he could see her expression was almost angry but sadness flowed over her spirit as he watched her. He said nothing as she turned to face him, her body slowly turning to face him. Twilight looked up at him as he brought his head down a bit to allow him to not tower over her.
“Why are we so special then? What makes us different from that pony?” She questioned.
He had no immediate answer as he looked at her. He found himself looking away from her for a moment as she went on.
“We are no different than that pony. The only difference is that we are closer to you than they are. Why can’t you help them? Is it true that you don’t want to or is it that she or he just isn’t one of us? And isn’t as worth it?”
He brought his head back at the implication but said nothing immediately. “It’s not a matter of worth.” He replied.
“Then why?”
“Twi?” Applejack called her name from behind them and the purple mare put her head back to focus on the farm mare. “Everythin’ okay?”
“Yeah.” She said as she turned on her heel and walked away from him.
“Hmm.” He made a noise as the mare paced away from him as his horn charged and he teleported away from them and back to the farm.
Sasa looked up as a flash of azure flame caught her eye. Her Chosen stood several feet away from her and she nearly called out to him when she saw him simply standing in one place and not moving. She padded silently toward him as a loud snort came from him and he raised his head to see her walking toward him.
“Chosen?”
“Yes?”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?” She questioned.
“Hmm.”
She padded up to him and ran her body along his chest, rubbed her soft fur against his chest, and then nuzzled his shoulder.
Oblivion said nothing further to her for several minutes as he remained where his teleport had set him. At his side, Sasa purred gently as he stood in silence. He was not sure why but Twilight's words had dug into his mind. Normally he would have simply informed her that he did not care much for the lives of others but even now he knew that was a bold lie. He was the Wielder of the World Spirit. His place was to protect the spirits of those that were attached to it and by default attached to him. She was right about how he would have already healed one of them or those closest to him before they got near a hospital. A sigh escaped him as he stood still.
“Chosen?”
“Am I a fool?” He asked the feline at his side.
“Not normally.” She said in reply.
“Rainbow asked me to heal her and I declined.”
“She will be fine without your help.” She agreed. “Though it’s unusual for you to question that choice.”
“That’s not what I am questioning.” He replied. “She spoke of me healing her with her doctor in the room.”
“Oh no.” Sasa interrupted. “And he wants your help with other patients?”
“Just one for now.” He replied. “I said no but he didn’t take that for a final answer.”
“Of course not.” Sasa sneered. “Because of course your there to heal others and that should be your goal in life.”
He sighed again and gave a slight nod. “It seems that way.”
“So what are you questioning? A random doctor asking for you to heal another pony would not trip you up this much.”
“It’s not the doctor. It’s Twilight.” He informed her as she tilted her head to the side. “She asked if it were one of them would I have said no.”
“Oh… Oh ouch. That’s a bit of a low blow I think.” Sasa said, her tone reserved.
“I informed her that any of them would have not needed a hospital since I would have remedied them long before that.”
“I see. And she is thinking you should have helped.”
“That is the impression I got from her.” He admitted.
“Hmm…” Sasa made a noise in reply as she considered what he had said. “Well you still have a choice to make I think.”
“Yeah.” He groaned. “I already made it though.”
“Not to her you didn’t.” Sasa argued. “Are you just not wanting to use magic?”
“I’m not sure why I can’t do this for them.” He said to her. “For them, I would turn back time to avoid their death but for another…”
“They are precious to you.” Sasa replied, her tone warm and soothing. “They are not the same as the others to you. In your mind stopping their death is paramount while in the others it is the passage of time and might be their time. Witchers have low emotions but they are still there in a small way.”
“Perhaps.” He admitted.
“But for another, that is hard to understand. To them, they are no different from anypony else and deserve to be saved. To you, they are not equal.”
“Are they not then?”
“No.” She said. “Your heart is set on the group of them being protected from time and injury while others do not fall under that umbrella.”
“That what?” He asked her.
“Sorry I forgot you would have no idea what that is. Ummm… It’s a shield from the rain that you can carry around with you. It’s for protection.” She explained.
“I see.”
“What I mean is that you will go out of your way to protect them but not others due to that umbrella.” She said to him. “It doesn’t make you or her wrong, just in a disagreement.”
“Shit.” He said under his breath. “I have no desire to become a healer for the sick and dying when I shouldn’t be.”
“Then don’t. They asked for your magic correct?”
“Yes?”
“Then don’t use magic. You’re a Witcher, use something else.” She encouraged.
He thought about what she had said and his thoughts fell on the potions and decoctions in his saddlebags. “A potion.” He said aloud as his thoughts fell on what he knew.
“Exactly.” Sasa praised.
“You could have just told me that.”
“Or I can let that brilliant mind of yours work.” She teased. “Do you have one that is safe for ponies?”
“I might.” He replied and walked toward the farmhouse.
Sasa fell in on his heels and he made for the stairs and up to them to his room. He recalled a potion that he had made once that was not meant to be toxic to anypony else. It was a third of the potency of the Witcher counterpart but it might do the job without getting him involved with his magic.
“You can still keep them at bay by using this instead of your magic that they can call on. This shows Twilight that you will help but not in the biggest way possible. You’re meant to wield the World Spirit not the Life of the World.”
“I’m not a savior of the sick and downtrodden.”
“That’s not your place. Even the others will pass with time eventually but for now, their path is aligned with yours.” Sasa said to him as he opened the wardrobe in his room.
He opened the saddlebags and began to root through them as ingredients came into his hoof from within them. Pieces of the potion came into his claws and he gently set them aside in the amounts that he would need. His eyes roved over the ingredients as he set them aside and after a minute he had enough of them and he closed his saddlebags and put them back where he had gotten them.
Oblivion stood in line in the front of the hospital. Sasa stood silently at his side as his saddlebags sat in their place around his barrel. He glanced back to the right saddlebag and for a moment he debated leaving the line and going to the front but chose to remain in place. A low sigh escaped him as the pony in front of him moved up to the front desk. He put his ears back to avoid listening to what the pony was complaining about. He was far enough back that most ponies would not be able to hear what was said unless they shouted. But for him, normal vocalization was shouting.
“Finally at the front.” Sasa griped under her breath.
“It could have been worse.” He said back to her.
“Not really.” She complained. “We have been in line for an hour.”
He nearly sighed again as she reminded him of how long they had been there. “That’s true.” He agreed with her and fell silent as the pony ahead of him left the front desk open.
“Your turn.” The mare behind the counter said to him and motioned for him to approach her.
He walked up to the front counter and stood in front of her. “I was told…”
“So what is bothering you?” She interrupted.
“Nothing is wrong with me.” He informed her and she stared at him.
“Then why are you here?”
“I am here to meet with Doctor Berry. He asked that I think on something and then come back to him once I had made a choice.” He replied to her.
“Oh. Okay step to the side and I will page him. Who do I tell him is here?” She asked and motioned off to the side.
“Oblivion.”
“Got it.”
He stepped away from the counter and stood off to the side to await the pony he had asked for. Several minutes went by as he took the weight off his left rear leg and cocked his hip. Sasa sat down heavily as she leaned on his shoulder and sighed. He looked down at her as she looked up at him. He gave a slight smile in silent agreement as a pony came rushing around the corner. His eyes scanned the room until they fell on the Black Unicorn. He gave a slight grin at the sight of him and he quickly motioned for the black stallion to follow him. Oblivion fell in behind him as he led the pair of them away from the front room.
“I trust you had time to consider what I had asked?”
“I did.” He replied.
“And? I assume you chose to help or you wouldn’t be here.” Berry replied.
“In a way.” He replied and the stallion in front of him halted in place.
“In a way?”
“Yes. Using that much magic can have results that are outside of what we would look for. So I devised a different way to help this pony of yours.” Oblivion explained.
The stallion turned to look at him and he was in motion after a moment. “Follow me.”
Oblivion fell in behind him once more and they were soon standing in a small room off the main corridor. The Witcher said nothing as the pony stared at him for several seconds before he seemed to gather himself.
“So you’re not going to use magic to help my patient?” He asked.
“Correct,” Oblivion replied.
The doctor seemed to deflate and his expression darkened for several seconds before it faded from his face. “You could just have not come back if that was your decision.”
“I didn’t say I wasn’t going to help at all,” Oblivion replied.
The pony looked at him and his head gave a slight tilt. “Oh?”
“Yes. Where I am from magic can only do so much when it comes to a pony who has been severely injured. I assume that this is the case with your patient?”
“Yes. She was struck by a carriage and run over in a town close to us. We were the closest hospital for her.”
“Ouch.” Sasa commented and winced.
“She cannot be moved due to her injuries or we would have transferred her to Canterlot.” He explained. “So what can you do for her?”
Oblivion said nothing for a moment as he considered what he had with him and if it would be enough to be of help to the mare in question. “Where I am from ponies do not have access to magic readily. So they devise other methods. Usually, ones that are from the natural world and they are surprisingly effective.”
“So that is what you have done?”
“Correct. Where I am from I am what is called a Witcher and we have been trained to create decoctions and potions that will aid us and enhance our bodies beyond what is natural for us.” Oblivion explained. “So that is what I have brought with me. Is she able to swallow?”
“Barely.” He admitted. “So a Witcher is a type of healer?” Oblivion shook his head. “A warrior?”
“Correct.” He said to him. “My purpose is to fight off monsters and ponies who attack me. But that does not mean I do not know my way around a set of ingredients and have done my fair share of experimenting with them when asked.”
“So you think you have one that can help her?”
“Yes. It is a minor version of one that I use. The potion I can use is called Swallow. This one is a simplified version of it that uses the same ingredients but not in a way that would be toxic to a normal pony.” He explained and the other stallion motioned for him to go on. “I believe that this one can get her out of danger. It can’t heal her completely I do not think. But it will set her in the right direction.”
“Will it affect her in any negative ways?”
“If she is allergic to the ingredients of course it will,” Oblivion commented and the doctor nodded in agreement. “Do I think she will be adversely affected by its ingredients…? No.”
“So we need permission from the family to try this,” Berry commented. “I think they will be open to it but I have to speak to them first. Do you have time to answer any questions they have?”
“I do.”
Berry moved away and motioned for the Witcher to follow him once more. He followed him deeper into the hospital until the sound of ponies faded away and was replaced with an overwhelming silence save for the sound of the occasional machine. Sasa fell silent as ponies stared at her and she raised her head to display her collar to try to put their minds at ease. At the sight of the collar, several ponies relaxed and their gaze went to the stallions with her. Oblivion said nothing as they walked until they reached a new section and passed through a set of double doors.
“Be as quiet as you can,” Berry advised as he led them through the doors.
Oblivion said nothing in reply and Sasa stayed silent in reply. Several seconds went by as they reached a room toward the back and the sight of several ponies outside the room greeted them. One stallion stood up as they approached and he seemed to be searching Berry for something as his eyes roved over him.
“Doctor?” He said, his voice thin and almost brittle as he spoke.
Berry smiled at him in response and the stallion seemed to take a bit of heart from the reply. Oblivion came to stand at Berry’s side and waited for the doctor to speak.
“I have something to discuss with you.” Berry began. “But first this is Oblivion.”
“I can’t say I‘ve met you.” The stallion replied.
“You’re not from here I assume?” Oblivion asked.
“No.” He replied. “You don’t look like any doctor we have met.”
“I’m not,” Oblivion informed him.
“Then… Why are you here?” He asked and his eyes fell on Berry once more.
“Oblivion has an idea to help her.” He explained. “I have listened to him and I am sure he would be able to help in a way. But I didn’t want to do this without your permission.”
“What is the treatment?” He asked, his eyes almost desperate as he looked at them. “She’s…”
“It’s… It’s not a normal option.” Berry admitted. “But if we are thinking of doing everything we can then we cannot discount it just because it’s out of the norm.”
“What is it?!” He nearly shouted in frustration as Berry tried to find the right words.
“It’s a potion.” Oblivion supplied.
The stallion stared at him his eyes wide and he looked as though he would fall over. “A what?”
“A potion that I have created for use in this circumstance. Where I am from medicine is not as advanced and magic is both rare and expensive to use.” Oblivion explained.
“You don’t have medicine where you’re from?” He questioned.
“We do but it is far behind when compared to here,” Oblivion explained. “We rely on what we can make and use.”
“So you made something to help her?”
“Yes.”
“And you are okay with it?” He asked Berry, his eyes uncertain but the desperation was there in his gaze as he looked between them.
“I can’t say I know what method he has used. But I am thinking we have to try something for her. Medicine… can only do so much for her.” He admitted bitterly.
“What more can medicine do?” He asked desperately.
“Unfortunately, we have done everything we can. Now it’s either we think outside the box or we wait and see.” Berry admitted.
The stallion looked even more haggard than he had a moment ago as he stared at them. His eyes fell on Oblivion as tears filled his eyes. “What is it that you made?”
“It’s a diluted version of something that I use on myself.” He began.
“Diluted? So it’s not as strong as it would be if you were using it? Is she not good enough for…?”
“That’s not the reason.” Oblivion interrupted. “If I gave her what I use it would most likely kill her.”
“Oh.” He replied as he looked back into the room. “So this is the safe version?”
“Yes. It’s safe for a normal pony to use.”
“Normal?”
“I am not a normal pony. I am a Witcher and we have been altered in ways that make us able to withstand the toxicity in the potion we use. Otherwise, it would be fatal to us as well.” Oblivion explained.
“Do you think it can help?” He asked Berry who shrugged.
“Honestly?” He said and the stallion nodded. “I do not know. But we have done all we can and now it’s time for us to ask for help.”
The stallion looked back into the room and Oblivion watched as he warred with himself on what to do. “How confident are you that it can help?” he asked, his voice barely a whisper.
“I am sure it can do something for her. It cannot heal her completely, but I believe it can strengthen her and accelerate her own healing process.” He replied.
“Accelerate? So it can help her heal faster?”
“Yes,” Oblivion said to him. “What it does for a Witcher is allow our natural healing ability to work almost instantly. We regenerate quickly without Swallow but with it, it takes minutes to heal versus hours or days depending on the severity.”
The stallion stared at him for several seconds. “So it can help her heal? Even a little bit?”
“Yes,” Oblivion said to him as he reached back to his saddlebag and pulled the purple potion from the saddlebag. “Normally, for a Witcher, this would be orange so this is the diluted version I have created.”
The stallion said nothing as he looked at the purple potion in the black Unicorns hoof. Oblivion watched as his eyes fell to the floor and then back to the room he stood in front of.
“Do it.” He finally said after a minute of silence. “Just do it.”
Berry took the potion from the Witcher and walked into the room alone. He stopped and looked back at the Witcher for a moment. “Any chance of seizure or anything when it is used?”
“No. It should act on its own. The effects should be within a couple of minutes, if not sooner.” Oblivion advised.
He nodded and vanished behind a cloth barrier and Oblivion could hear him talking to the mare in the bed despite knowing she could not answer. The stallion sat down heavily, his head falling into his hooves, as a sob tore from him. Sasa purred gently and moved forward to sit beside him. She reached out to nuzzle him as he startled at her touch and looked up at her. She purred loudly and he reached out to her and let his head fall into her fur. Oblivion said nothing to the ailing pony and he watched as the doctor came back to join them after a minute.
“It’s done.” He said to them and he looked down at the weeping pony. “Have faith in this. In her.”
Oblivion debated turning to leave but he found himself staying in place. Sasa purred loudly as the pony sobbed quietly.
“I hope it does what you hope Chosen.” She said to him. “I don’t think he can take much more.”
“I agree. He’s on his last leg.”
“You already knew that.” She said to him.
“I can see it.” He said to her as he watched the pony’s spirit fluctuate and shudder. “Now all we can do is wait for it to work or not work.”
She sighed and nuzzled the pony against her fur as Berry looked at his watch. “How long should it take?”
“I said it can take anywhere from a second to a few minutes.” Oblivion replied.
A loud beep sounded out as the stallion on the ground shot to his hooves and rushed back into the room, Berry on his heels. Sasa’s eyes were wide as a nurse raced into the room as well.
“Oh no.” She whispered.
Oblivion said nothing as the seconds ticked past him. He felt very little in the way of regret or upset wash over him. He looked back as the nurse came out of the room, her eyes wide. She looked over at him and then shook her head.
Sasa yowled as she saw the mare shake her head. “Chosen.” She whimpered.
“Easy.” He said to her as Berry came out of the room as well.
“I’m not sure what just happened.” He breathed. “She…”
“Lives.” Oblivion finished for him.
“Yes.” He whispered. “Not just that but the worst of her wounds have begun to knit together. How did you…?”
Oblivion have a low sigh as he looked at the bewildered doctor. “I told you what it was designed to do.”
“Yes, you did.” He admitted. “But to be honest I figured it would do a fraction of what you said it could. I didn’t… I didn’t believe you in the least.”
“Medicine can only do so much as you said.” Oblivion pointed out.
An angry look crossed the doctor’s face as he looked at the Witcher. “You just undid all of the work we put in with a tiny vial of liquid. That’s all it took to heal her. That’s it.”
He opened his mouth to speak further when the stallion came rushing out into the hall. His eyes searched for a moment before his eyes fell on the still Witcher. He took the few steps it took to reach him and threw his forelegs around his neck and held him tightly. Oblivion said nothing as the pony sobbed with joy. He patted his back gently though he knew that he should speak nothing came to mind for him to say. Sasa got to her paws and rubbed her body along the pony’s hip and hind legs. Berry finally stopped what he was going to say and simply shook his head. Oblivion said nothing as the pony held tightly to him, his grip is almost desperately tight. Oblivion continued to pat his back as the pony finally released him.
“Thank you. I was sure it would kill her, I was sure of it.” He admitted as tears slid from his eyes. “I was wrong.”
“I do not blame you for not believing me,” Oblivion said to him.
“If you were so sure why did you agree to it?” Berry asked him.
“I had to do something. She would have never forgiven me for not trying. She always thinks outside the box in all the things she does so it seemed to fit right in.” He admitted. “I just knew that she would have done the same for me.”
Oblivion said nothing as the stallion smiled at him, patted Sasa in thanks, and then went back into the room to sit with his wife. Berry shook his head again and looked at the pony with him.
“Any chance we can get you to make that concoction for other patients?” He asked.
“No. I did this as a one-time thing.” Oblivion said to him. “I do not have some of the ingredients anymore. That was all I had.” He lied.
“Damn.” He cursed and looked at the Black Unicorn. “I suppose asking you to make something else that can help is out of the question?”
“Yes,” Oblivion said to him.
Berry looked upset for a moment before he heaved a deep sigh and shook his head once more. “I understand. Thank you for this. I know I was a bit pushy at first and I gave you no credit when you first brought up that potion you had made. I am sorry for that.”
“It’s fine. I was not bothered by it.” Oblivion assured him.
“Well thank you again. I’ll lead you out.” Berry said to him and motioned for the black pony to fall in behind him.
Sasa purred loudly as she fell in at his side and they walked out of the hospital a few minutes later. His hooves were silent on the dirt road as he made his way back to the farm.
Oblivion said nothing as Twilight opened the front door to the Library to find him standing with a book hovering in his azure flames. She looked at him for a moment before she moved aside to let him into the Library.
“Good evening Oblivion.” She greeted him as he came into the front room.
“Evening Twilight.” He said to her as he set the book back in its place on the wall.
“Need one to replace it?” She asked as she looked at the shelves.
“No,” he replied. “I have almost finished the book on Starswirl as well I will bring it back in the next few days.”
“Oh thank you. Take your time with it.”
He moved to leave as she suddenly groaned and her magic covered the door to stop him from leaving.
“I’m sorry.” She said from behind him.
“For?”
“For what I said when we were leaving the hospital. It wasn’t fair of me to try to guilt you into helping another pony. You aren’t cruel but while I think it would have been the right thing it wasn’t fair to do that to you.” She explained.
He turned back to face her as she watched him. “I am not upset with you Twilight.”
“I know you’re not.” She said with a wry chuckle. “I’m upset at myself for you.”
“It’s fine.” He tried to assure her but she shook her head.
“It still wasn’t fair and I have had a few days to think it over. I was so sure that no matter what happened you should help another pony. But when I thought it over I realized that it wasn’t that you think less of that other pony it’s just that you’re not the only option.”
He chuckled and she fell silent at the sound. “I did end up helping her.”
“You did?” She said back to him her eyes wide. “But you said you weren’t going to.”
“I didn’t use magic though.” He admitted as he looked at the purple mare.
“Then what did you do?”
“I am more than a Unicorn. I was a Witcher first.” She nodded as she knew what he had been. “So I created a potion for her that allowed her to heal from her wounds.”
“You did?” She asked him as her mouth dropped open. “I didn’t think you liked doing that.”
“I don’t.” He replied with a slight grin. “I’m not the best at it.”
“But you did it and it worked?”
“Better than I thought it would be honest. Apparently, her wounds were knitting closed and healing pretty quickly.”
“That’s wonderful Oblivion.” She gushed as she smiled. “I bet her family was happy.”
“Her husband hugged me and cried if that means anything.”
Twilight barked a laugh and nodded. “That is a good reaction. I’m guessing they asked you to do it again?”
“They did yes.”
“And I bet you have a few standing orders for the potion you made.”
“No.”
“No? I’m surprised.”
“I said I did not have any more of the ingredients. I can’t be the one healing every pony that limps through the door. This was a one-time thing.”
Her smile faltered as he spoke but it returned after a moment. “I see. Well, you did help her and that is a good thing. I’m proud of you for that.”
He didn’t say anything as he made for the door. It was covered in a magenta aura and it swung open for him as the mare smiled behind him. He looked over his shoulder and a slight smile tugged at his mouth as he left the Library. He heard the door close behind him as he made his way toward the farm once more. The slight smile remained as he walked but it vanished when the sound of hooves and wings got his attention. He looked back as Rainbow crashed into the ground behind him. The front door was thrown open once more and he trotted back to see what had happened.
“Rainbow I have the entire series of Daring Do books. You could have just said something and I would have let you borrow them.” Twilight said to her as a doctor was standing by the fallen mare.
Oblivion said nothing as he shook his head and turned to leave the show behind. “Foolish mare.” He muttered as he headed out of town.