//------------------------------// // 101: Treasure and a new Lesson // Story: An Equestrian Witcher // by OblivionShadow //------------------------------// Oblivion said nothing as he fell in behind the pony. Behind him, Sasa walked calmly and silence had fallen between the pair of them. He had not seen anything that warranted him asking about it beyond a basic request of their general direction. The pony with them was not incredibly talkative and that suited the Witcher just fine as he preferred silence if given the choice. He looked ahead of them and a vague shape began to form in the distance. He could see that it was the basic outline of a small home. It appeared to only be about half the size of the Apple Families' first floor if he was judging it correctly. If it had a basement then it might be larger underground but the home itself was very small. “There it is,” Dash said over his shoulder as he pointed a hoof in the direction the Witcher was already looking. “You can kind of see it from here.” “I can see it fine,” Oblivion assured him. “So it was occupied until a few years ago?” “Right. It was an old mare that seemed to prefer the wilds over other ponies.” Dash replied with a shrug. “I can see the appeal,” Oblivion said under his breath. “Huh?” “Nothing.” Oblivion quickly replied. “So you only came here because of that tiny slip of paper?” Dash inquired. “Yes. I admit it seems foolish.” “Not really. I come from a long line of outdoors ponies. We go where the feeling tells us and see what shakes loose.” He responded. “Hmm.” “Nice of him to admit he’s crazy enough to go into the Everfree.” Sasa pointed out with a laugh. Oblivion looked over his shoulder at her for a moment as he gave a slight nod. “Is that what made you go into the Everfree?” Dash jerked and looked over his shoulder with an uncomfortable look. “Kind of. I do it to get away from family.” “Oh?” Sasa said as she moved to walk at his shoulder. “Usually ponies tend to stay with family so that’s odd.” “I assume that there is a reason?” Oblivion asked. He did not really expect an answer but it seemed to be on the other stallion's mind so he asked. Dash shrugged. “Normally my family is great but they are more invested in my future than I am.” “Interesting.” Sasa said as she listened in. “In what way?” “They run the only factory in the area and it is assumed that I will be taking it over in a few years when they retire. I have no interest in it.” Dash explained. “So it’s just you?” “No I have a younger sister but my parents have decided she’s not responsible enough to handle it.” “Is she?” “No.” He said as they got closer to the house. “She wants it while I prefer the outdoors. I’m outside most of the day while my sister knows the business inside and out. I worked there when I was younger but had no aptitude for it.” “What do they view as her place then?” He gave a derisive snort. “They think she should be a mom and wife only.” “Oh,” Oblivion replied. “I assume that she does not agree.” “No,” Dash replied. “They’re a bit old-fashioned. They tried to get her to agree to it when she was younger and learn how to cook and clean but she was not interested. She knows how to do those things but is not going to do them for the rest of her life. I support her.” “So you could agree to their terms so long as they give her half then?” Oblivion pointed out. Dash stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder. “What?” “If you truly have no desire to run it then inform them of that and ask that they give it to her. But if they balk at it have them split it down the middle or close to it. You have your half of it and she runs it while you do other things.” “But if I am getting paid for her work that’s not fair.” “Rent her the other half of the business,” Oblivion said to him and he saw Dash lean a bit into him as he spoke. “For example, you own the building and she rents it from you.” “Oh, I see what you’re saying. That might be fairer.” Dash admitted. “It’s a thought,” Oblivion said to him as he moved past the pony and he made the last few feet to the house in a few short strides. Dash stayed behind him as he made for the front of the house. The walls were solid but grasses and other foliage were grown high around them. Oblivions horn lit as he found the front door, which was heavily overgrown. The azure flame went down the door, burning through anything on the door and then burning a path for the door to easily open. His ears flicked to listen and nothing moved or ran as he began to open the door. The inside was dark and the windows were blocked by foliage and had been left dark. “Great. Creepy.” Sasa grumbled as she looked into the house with him. “You’re surprised?” He teased. “You thought it would be move-in ready?” “Very funny, Chosen.” Sasa replied. He walked into the house as dust and dirt were kicked up by his hooves as he stepped inside. Each hoof step was punctuated by a small cloud of dust and dirt. His horn lit to light up the room they were in. The front room had crumbling furniture and what had been left behind after the mare's death was for the most part still there. Dash sneezed behind him as Oblivion looked over his shoulder to see him for a moment. “They really did just abandon it.” He commented. “Looks that way.” Oblivion agreed. “So they took only a few things or just left it all behind?” “From what I heard they took a few things but for the most part, it was all abandoned and left to rot,” Dash replied. “But it looks like they left most everything big behind.” “So it seems.” “So now we look around for a silver tube.” Sasa said to him as she moved into the room. “How hard can it be?” “I can hear the derision in your tone,” Oblivion said to her. “Are you really talking to the cat?” Dash asked him. “I mean if you are that’s okay, I mean everyone has their thing.” “She does speak back despite being mute in voice,” Oblivion replied. “Really?” “Yeah. I am connected to her through a mental connection so I can hear her thoughts if she wishes me to.” Oblivion explained. “Oh. So your not a crazy cat pony?” “Haha!” Sasa barked out a throaty noise in laughter as she shook her head. “No,” Oblivion responded. “Sorry,” Dash said to him. “So you’re looking for a small silver thing?” “Yes.” “Okay. Do you need help?” “You can if you wish,” Oblivion said to him as his horn grew bright, lighting up more of the front room. Dash moved into the room with them and began to look through the windows. “Do you think she had it and the family took it?” “If they took it I will be most upset,” Oblivion said to him. “I have to ask. Do you deliberately have no expression? Since I haven’t seen you even look upset in that fight.” “I don’t have the emotions for it, so no,” Oblivion said as his magic began to pull up the cushions and sections of the furniture. “Oh. So you’re just like that naturally?” “No. I was made to be like this.” Oblivion replied easily as he put the cushions aside and began to yank open the couch itself, searching the furniture’s innards for the tube. “Got it.” Silence went through the room as Sasa moved into the kitchen and vanished around the corner while the two stallions remained in the front room. The couch proved to have nothing hidden within it and he set the remnants off to the side to be ignored now that they had been searched. Dash looked at the remains of the couch and then looked at the chair that the black Unicorn was targeting now. Oblivion went through the last room in the house and nothing had been found from within any of the furniture or the fixtures in the kitchen or bathrooms. The Witcher sighed in aggravation as he took the weight off his left hind leg and cocked his hip. His ears flicked to listen as Dash and Sasa both came down the hallway toward him. He said nothing as his eyes scanned the walls around the room. He said nothing as Dash came into the room and he could see the look of surprise as the Earth Pony beheld the wreckage of the furniture in the room. “Well, I guess it’s not here.” He said, breaking the silence. “Perhaps not,” Oblivion replied, his tone resigned. “How long did it take us to go through the house?” Sasa asked. “About two hours.” He replied as he looked at her as she drew up next to him. “So a waste of time. That’s two hours of our lives we will never get back.” She complained. “Hmm.” He groaned in reply to her observation as he spun on his heel and made for the doorway. Dash stepped out of his way and fell in behind him as he made for the front room. AS he gained entry into the front room he could see the remnants of the furniture and pieces of the walls were flaking as he bumped into the wall. The house creaked as he stopped in his place. Dash yelped as he ran into the Witchers flanks. “Sorry.” He quickly apologized as the Witcher began to look at the walls around him. “What?” “There is more to look through,” Oblivion said to him. “What? No there isn’t.” He argued. “We went through everywhere in this tiny house and nothing.” “What about the walls?” “You’re kidding? Surely you’re kidding.” Dash said to him as Sasa chuffed quietly next to him. “He’s kidding?” He asked as he looked at the feline who looked at him and shook her head. “Oh, my Goddess.” Oblivion’s horn lit as his azure aura covered one of the walls and he yanked the drywall from the wall and it fell to the floor. Behind him, he heard Dash groan and Sasa chuckled through their connection. Oblivion began to dismantle the walls around them and he paused as minutes ticked past him. Sasa bumped his hip as nothing fell from the walls. “Do we need to do this the slow way?” She asked. “You can think of a faster way?” He asked her as he let his horn go dormant. “Well you have more than enough power to hold the entire house in your aura. Do you think you could lift it and dismantle it entirely?” She questioned. He said nothing as he considered what she had said. “That is… very possible.” He admitted as he made for the door. “Come on.” He said to Dash who fell in behind him. “Changed your mind?” Dash asked as he followed behind him, making sure to keep a fair distance from him this time. “No. Just my method.” He informed him. “Oh no.” He groaned as he watched the Unicorn. “So what are you going to do outside?” “Pick the entire building gup and dismantle it and see what falls out,” Oblivion explained. “Oh is that all?” Dash said to him, his tone merry. “Wait what? You can do that?” “I would not have mentioned it if I was unable to accomplish it.” Oblivion pointed out. “Back up unless you want to get hit by the pieces.” Dash looked alarmed as he made to jump to land behind the Witcher and the feline. Sasa purred loudly as the Witcher summoned his magic to grip the entire house. Azure flame covered the house and it began to shake as he lifted it from its foundation. Dash’s eyes went wide as he stared at the now hovering house. “Oh by Celestia.” He muttered. Sasa said nothing to distract him and she cast a glance at the stunned pony, silencing him with a look. The house began to be slowly pulled apart and its pieces scanned for anything silver by the sharp eyes of the Elder Witcher. Oblivion fully expected something to shake loose from the now floating house as he slowly ripped it apart. The stallion said nothing as pieces were cast aside and as the Unicorn went through the house. Siding and wood were cast aside as the outside gave way to the Witcher's magic. “Go slowly Chosen.” Sasa encouraged. “Hmm.” Oblivion said nothing as the final pieces of the house were cast aside. He remained silent as the last piece fell into the pile he had created. His magic faded out and his horn fell dormant as nothing seemed to have shaken loose of the house. “Anything?” Dash asked. “No,” Oblivion replied. “Great. So that was worthless.” Dash grumbled. “Now how are we going to explain to people what happened to the house?” “It was abandoned correct?” Dash nodded. “Then no pony should care.” “They will still question what happened to it,” Dash argued. “So tell them what happened,” Oblivion argued in reply. “Ugh.” Dash groaned as Oblivion left him where he was standing. The Witcher approached the blank space where the house had once been to find the dirt foundation. He snorted as he began to turn to walk away when something caught his eye. A strange mound in the foundation had him pausing before he walked away. His magic lashed out as he reached for the dirt and it was shoveled away from the mound leveling it out to reveal a small box. Oblivion walked to the cleared area and his claws gripped the box he opened it carefully to reveal the cylinder they had been searching for. He said nothing as Sasa chuckled in the back of his mind. “Find anything?” She asked. “I found what we were looking for.” He said back to her. “Finally.” She crowed and he looked back to see her get to her paws. “Anything?” Dash asked. “Found it.” He said as he held the cylinder in his claws. “Oh thank Celestia.” Dash cheered and a wide smile went over his muzzle. Oblivion trotted the last few feet to rejoin the pair and Dash looked down at his hoof and his eyes went wide at the claws that spread to reveal the silver cylinder. He looked at the Witcher's blank expression and seemed to choose to remain silent about the claws that he was staring at. Oblivion said nothing in response to his silent look and Sasa chuckled at the pair of them. His magic lashed out and gripped the cylinder and unfolded the map piece that it held within. He held it up to allow him to backlight it with his magic and the dark lines of the writing faded leaving the older writing and the map details behind. “Beautifully done Chosen.” Sasa praised as she looked down at the map piece. “Was that really all that you were looking for?” Dash asked him after a moment. “Yes.” “And we destroyed an entire house to find it buried in the dirt under the house.” “Yes,” Oblivion said again. “Right… So what is the purpose behind this little thing? Is it a treasure map?” “I have no idea,” Oblivion replied as he let the map piece roll back into the tube. Dash stared at him for several seconds before he blinked in disbelief. “Oh for the love of... You have no idea what they are leading you to?” “No idea,” Oblivion replied blandly. “All I know is that the pieces lead to each other. I would imagine that once they are put together that they will add up to something else to find. If my experience with maps and treasures is correct.” “Well… I hope you find the rest.” Dash said after a few seconds delay as he shook his head. “Well, I guess this is where we part ways.” “Thank you again for leading me to the house,” Oblivion said to him. “You would have found it one way or the other,” Dash said with a chuckle. “If you can fight a monster like what I saw then you can do almost anything.” “I appreciate the vote of confidence,” Oblivion said back to him. “What will you do now?” “Now? I’m going to go home and work out how to get what I want with the world and work with my sister versus working against her. She wants the business and I want to be free of it. So between the two of us, we should be able to figure out to get what we want and work with what we get.” “Good luck with your endeavors,” Oblivion replied to him as he held out his hoof. Dash gave a wide smile as he shook the pony's hoof. “Thanks. Good luck to you two as well.” Dash turned to leave the pair of them behind as Oblivion's horn began to light as a tremor went through him. He blinked as an upset of some size caught his attention. Normally he would have not been as surprised by the feeling but it was striking close to home. Sasa looked at him as his horn went dormant. “Chosen?” “Something is wrong with one of the mares.” “Oh? Which one?” “I’m not sure.” He went quiet as he reached out to the group of them and found that Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie seemed to be having a crisis. His horn lit as he teleported himself to within a few feet of the mares that he had focused on. He opened his eyes to find Rarity and Pinkie seeming to be confronting Fluttershy about something. He walked a few feet forward as he summoned Sasa to his side. “What happened to nice Fluttershy? We want that Fluttershy back.” Rarity said to the butter yellow mare. A sour look grew on Fluttershy’s face as she looked at the other mares. “No, you want wimp Fluttershy. You want pushover Fluttershy. You want do-anything-to-her-and-she-won't-complain Fluttershy!” Oblivion blinked at the cruel tone of her voice as she spoke. He said nothing for several seconds as Pinkie put her hooves to her head. “Too many Fluttershy’s to keep track of. Make it stop!” “Things getting too complicated for your simple little brain. Pinkie Pie?” Fluttershy sneered. Oblivion felt his eyes go a bit wide at her wording. “That was out of line.” He said to the three of them as Rarity opened her mouth to speak. The three of them turned to look at the black stallion as he took a few more steps to be to the side of the group of them. Sasa sat down at his side as she gave a low noise in her throat at the enraged mare. “He’s right. Let’s not devolve into petty insults.” Rarity agreed. “Why not? I thought petty was what your all about, Rarity. With your petty concerns about fashion.” Fluttershy said to her. Rarity’s eyes went wide as Oblivion stared at the mare as Pinkie took a step forward. “Hey leave her alone. Fashion is her passion in life.” “Oh, and what are you passionate about? Birthday cake? Party hats? I can't believe that the two most frivolous ponies in Ponyville are trying to tell new Fluttershy how to live her life when they are throwing their own lives away on pointless pursuits that nopony else gives a flying feather about!” Fluttershy shouted the last part as she stared the three of them down. “Fluttershy, I think you have made your point,” Oblivion said to her, his tone deliberately bland. “And who are you to tell New Fluttershy when she is done? You're too busy telling everypony what to do and how to act just because you’re some fancy monster hunter that nopony cares about. Nopony cares about what you have to tell them anymore when all you do is show them how strong you are and how they can’t measure up to you.” Fluttershy snarled at him. Oblivion felt something stir as she tried to hurt him in response to his words. Sasa stood up and snarled at the mare who was now looking at the cat in anger as well. “What are you going to do Sasa? You can’t do anything without him around to help you. Even when he was gone you were next to useless when it came to finding him. You can’t even fight off some tiny monster without his magic coming to save you.” Fluttershy yelled at the feline. Sasa’s eyes went wide as she regarded the Pegasus mare. She said nothing and Oblivion looked down at her as she blinked. Rarity and Pinkie were now in tears as Sasa whirled on her heels and fled the mare. Oblivion said nothing to her as the white and pink mares fell in behind the fleeing feline. Oblivion sighed as he heard a whimpered cry come to him through his connection to the feline. He leveled a look at the offending mare as she held her head up higher as watched them run away sobbing. “Are you pleased with yourself?” He asked her and she blinked at him. “I do not know what has caused this but look at yourself in a mirror and see what looks back at you. Each of them is concerned for you due to the drastic change in your demeanor. You have become a pony that they do not recognize or like.” He growled at her as he turned on his heel and broke into a gallop to catch up with the group of them. Oblivion looked across his room to see Sasa lying on his bed with her head facing the window. She had refused to speak when he had rejoined them, Rarity and Pinkie had explained what had been happening while he was gone for the day. Sasa would occasionally look back at him and all he could see was pain and sadness in the cat’s demeanor and spirit. He did not know what he could say to her to get her to brighten up but he knew that allowing her to wallow was not going to be of help to her in the long run. “Sasa?” She said nothing and simply flicked an ear back to listen to him. “You know that what she said was simply meant to cause you pain and she does not know of your abilities.” Sasa whipped her head around to look at him and her glare grew in intensity until he sighed in reply to her. He was wondering if she would speak when she simply whimpered and stood on the bed and jumped to bury her face in his chest. He ran his claws through her fur as she whimpered and cried in his mind. He had never been very good at dealing with crying females of any type. He was aware that she needed comfort and he knew that she was looking for it from him. He ran his claws through her fur and sighed. “You are far more than what she thinks of you.” He said quietly to her. “Your abilities go beyond what they know and her being nasty to you does not change that I would not charge into battle with anypony else at my side.” She pushed against him as he spoke and he heard her sniffle in his mind. “What if she was right though? Sasa cried. “I can’t do anything without you.” “You can.” He assured her. “You are more than capable of tending to things without my interference. You may not be able to use the fullest of your powers without my magic… Let me finish.” He said as she looked up at him, her eyes imploring. “You are more than capable of using other skills that do not require me to protect others. I assume that she is talking about the Nekker that you battled while I was gone?” Sasa nodded, put her head back against his chest, and huddled against him as his claws worked through her fur. “That was one small battle. You were held back by many things in that small clearing if what I heard from Twilight was correct. The area was small and you were still able to protect them. The fact that you jumped into battle for each of them shows your courage.” He said to her and she flicked her ears to show she was listening. “Courage shows itself in many ways. You were willing to put yourself at risk to protect what you held dear.” “You would have never forgiven me if they got hurt.” She cried. “That does not matter in the long run. You still waded into a fight you could lose to protect and guard those with you. Immortality aside you still waded into it without considering the consequences that could befall you, correct?” She pulled back from him slightly and finally nodded after a delay. “They needed me.” She whispered. He gave a slight breath and put his hooves under her head to force her to look at him. “She needs us now.” He said to her. “I know the last thing you want to do is see the one that was so willing to hurt you but she needs those of us to rally around her now.” Sasa stared at him for several seconds before she sighed and nodded. “Your right Chosen. She was manipulated into acting the way she is and it is not fair to blame her for what has been said.” “Consider what we know of her and consider how she will act once she realizes how she has acted.” “She will be upset.” Sasa whispered. “I can’t allow her to cry despite what was said to me.” “Despite your own pain you are still greater than most and can forgive her in time.” He said to her as he released her head and let her look away from him. “Shall we?” “Yes.” She said back to him as she got to her paws and backed up to allow him to move past her. Oblivion looked up as a pair of spirits he was familiar with loomed up ahead of him as he and Sasa trotted down the road. He could see Rarity and Pinkie ahead of him and he said nothing as they drew up closer to them. He gave a shrill whistle to gain their attention and the pair of them stopped and whirled to look. He could see their spirits brighten at the sight of him and Sasa. They waited for them to reach them before they turned to continue down the street. “Hello, Sasa. Oblivion dear.” Rarity said to him as she gave him a slight smile. “Morning.” He said in reply. “How are you this morning?” “Well, I would be lying if I said that I was not affected by the words that had been spoken yesterday.” She said with a sad look. “But Fluttershy will need her friends so we owe it to her not to fail her.” “Yeah. What she said. Fluttershy will be super sad when she realizes just how much she has hurt other ponies.” Pinkie said in reply. “I agree,” Oblivion said to them as Sasa nodded slowly at his side. “Are you all right Sasa my dear?” Rarity asked the feline who turned to look at the white mare. Sasa said nothing for several seconds before she gave a toothy half grin and nodded. “I will be fine.” Oblivion spoke for her and said nothing of how upset the feline had been previously. “So what is the plan? Or is there one?” “We really do not have a plan.” Rarity admitted. “What do you sense from her? I know you can check in on each of us if you are inclined.” “From what I can tell she is very upset and seems withdrawn. If that helps.” Oblivion related to her. “Hmm.” Rarity made a noise in reply as Pinkie tried to smile at the information. “So I suppose we should just let her know that we have come to help her and not upset her further.” “That is an option,” Oblivion replied. “So what do we do with the one who did this to her?” “I am not sure we can do anything with him.” Rarity said. “He is a brute of a minotaur that teaches ponies how to be bullies in my opinion.” “A minotaur?” Oblivion asked as he looked at the mare. “What in the Realms is a minotaur?” “He is half bull and walks on two legs.” She informed him. “Interesting,” Oblivion responded. “I have to admit I have never seen anything like that in my travels." “First time for everything.” Pinkie chirped. “So what are you going to tell her?” Oblivion asked. “We need her to know that we are not angry with her after what she said yesterday.” Rarity said to him. “If she is as upset as you say she is then she needs us.” Oblivion didn’t say anything as they made their way toward the Pegasus mare’s cottage. It loomed ahead of them and Oblivion could see her Spirit inside the building with several smaller lights that he took to be the animals she surrounded herself with. Sasa plodded silently behind him as the three ponies walked ahead of her. Oblivion looked back at her for a moment before her eyes focused on him for a moment before she looked away from him. They reached the front door and rarity cleared her throat and gently knocked her hoof on the front door. Oblivion could see her shift and her spirit seemed to focus on the front door. “Fluttershy are you in there?” Rarity asked, her voice quiet. “She’s in there,” Oblivion informed her. “It’s all three of us... I mean four of us.” Pinkie said to her through the door. “Go away! Leave before nasty Fluttershy comes out again.” The butter yellow mare called out. “Oh sweetie we all said things we regret.” Rarity said to her, trying to reassure her. “We did?” Pinkie asked and Oblivion stared at the white mare for a moment. “No we didn’t.” Sasa growled. Oblivion said nothing back to her as she growled quietly. He could see the mare inside trying to hide away from them. “Pinkie is right. I’m the only one to blame. But you don’t have to worry. I’m never coming out of my house again. Everypony will be a lot safer with me and my mean mouth locked away.” Fluttershy informed them. “Sweetie. We don’t blame you. Pinkie Pie doesn't blame you, nor do I. Oblivion and Sasa are here too and they are here to help. You just received some bad advice from that Iron Will character.” Rarity said to her through the door. Pinkie bounced on her hooves for a moment before she spoke. “Yeah! He's the one that made you act super-duper nasty. What I mean is, there are other ways to assert yourself besides yelling at everypony.” “You can be assertive without being cruel to those around you,” Oblivion said to her. “I’m not sure I can. I'm too far gone. Whenever I try to assert myself, I become a monster”.” Fluttershy cried back to him. “Oh, sweetie. You’re not a monster.” Rarity tried to assure her. Oblivion looked back as the sound of hooves caught his focus. He looked back as a couple of goats and a creature came into view. Oblivion said nothing as the Minotaur came into view and his eyes focused on the black Unicorn as the Witcher turned to face him. Oblivion walked down the small path and blocked him from approaching the cottage. The creature stopped in front of him and Sasa came to stand beside the Witcher to stare at the Minotaur in front of them. “Word on the street is that Fluttershy doesn't take no guff from nopony! So, Iron Will is here to collect Iron Will's fee.” The monster shouted out. Oblivion said nothing to him for a moment as the creature tried to move past him and Oblivion simply blocked him by moving with him. Rarity and Pinkie stayed by the cottage front door and allowed the Witcher to handle the Minotaur. The creature suddenly smiled and looked at the black pony in front of him. "When somepony tries to block, show them that you rock!" He cried out as he reached for the Unicorn. Oblivion dodged under his arms and his body spun underneath his grip, allowing him to come up just out of reach of the Minotaur. Sasa growled and her hackles rose as she watched them. Iron Will stared at him as surprise filtered across his features. Oblivion said nothing for several seconds before he looked over his shoulder at the cottage. “There are many ways to be assertive. You can shout and scream and that will leave others more than intimidated by you. But assertiveness can be used in a way that will teach yourself to be prepared for what others bring in front of you.” Oblivion said as he looked back to the still stunned Minotaur in front of him. “Throwing your weight around works well for monsters and beasts but it is not designed to be used on those who are your equals.” Iron Will opened his mouth to speak as the front door of the cottage opened to reveal Fluttershy. The Minotaur tried to push past the Unicorn and Oblivion slid to stay in front of him. Fluttershy watched the Minotaur from her place as Oblivion looked back to see her face was serene and calm. He narrowed his eyes for a moment before Iron Will put a hoof on him and tried to throw him out of the way. Oblivion centered his weight and altered his stance slightly and that allowed him to maintain his stance. “You were nothing but a doormat, and Iron Will turned you into a lean, mean, assertive machine! Now, pay Iron Will what you owe Iron Will!” The creature shouted. Fluttershy walked down to where the Witcher had kept the Minotaur from approaching her and she came to stand beside him. “Umm… No.” Iron Will’s eyes went wide as the two goats bleated loudly in surprise. Oblivion felt one side of his mouth quirk slightly as she spoke softly. “Ooohhh, I'd hate to be you right now, because Iron Will is gonna rain down a world of hurt unless Iron Will gets his money pronto!” The Minotaur growled as he put his hooves together. “As I recall, during your workshop you promised one hundred percent satisfaction guaranteed, or you pay nothing. Well, I'm not satisfied.” Fluttershy informed him, her tone gentle. Fluttershy stood firm and Iron Will's jaw dropped open for several seconds before he responded to her. “What do you mean? Everypony is always satisfied.” Fluttershy raised her chin up and addressed him gently. “Well, I guess I'm the first then. But since I'm not satisfied, I refuse to pay. It's as simple as that.” “Ohh, are you... sure you're not just a little bit satisfied? B-because maybe... we could cut a deal. I-I mean we're both reasonable creatures, aren't we?” Iron Will tried to bargain with the gently adamant mare. “I’m sorry, but no means no.” Fluttershy addressed him calmly. “No means no, huh? Nopony's ever said that to me before. Huh... I gotta remember that one. That's a good catchphrase for my next workshop.” Iron Will said softly as he turned to leave them behind. Oblivion gave a low chuckle as the three creatures walked away. He looked down at the mare as she looked up at him. “Well done.” He said to her. “Thank you.” She responded. “You were amazing Fluttershy. You totally stood up to that monster!” Pinkie crowed in delight. “In fact, you didn't change at all! You were the same old Fluttershy that we've always loved!” Rarity praised as she joined them. “Don't worry, old Fluttershy's back for good. I'm sorry I took the whole assertiveness thing too far.” She said with a smile as she looked at each of them. The mare’s smile faltered as she saw Sasa standing on the other side of the black Unicorn. Sasa was staring at the road that led away from them. Sasa remained silent as Fluttershy watched the feline closely. He saw her look up at him and he moved away from the feline to allow the mare to approach her. Fluttershy walked slowly up to the side of the feline and he heard her give a quiet gulp. “Sasa?” She said to the cat, her voice quieter than usual as she addressed her. Sasa said nothing and Fluttershy looked at him and he shook his head to show that she had not said anything to him. Fluttershy cringed and looked back at the cat. She sighed gently and he heard her breathe in and hold a breath for a moment before she spoke further. “Sasa?” She repeated. “I am so sorry for what I said to you. It was wrong and you didn’t deserve it. You have always done what is right for all of us and you never back down from a fight to protect us. I was wrong when I said you were useless without Oblivion. I was wrong about that and I will keep telling you how sorry I am until you decide to forgive me.” Fluttershy hung her head as the cat remained silent and stared down the road. Sasa looked away from the road and up to him for a moment as he gave her a slight nod. The Tiger heaved a deep sigh, shifted her body to be in front of the mare, and sat down heavily. She looked at the stallion one more and Oblivion gave another nod as he realized what she wanted. His magic flowed over the feline as she looked at the saddened mare. “Fluttershy.” Sasa spoke her name and the mare's head came up at the sound of the cat’s voice. “What you said was cruel and hurtful. You knew what to say to make it hurt the most.” Fluttershy cringed at every word from the Spectral Tiger. “I know.” She whispered. “And I know that you had been influenced by a force that made you think he was helping you. You were a victim as well in this situation. I blamed you for what you said and I felt as though you did not value what I have given and said in our time together.” Sasa went on. “You hurt me deeply and in the end, you were able to stand up for yourself in a way that did not hurt anypony. I sincerely hope you have learned a valuable lesson from this.” Fluttershy nodded as tears brimmed in her eyes as Sasa spoke to her. “I am so sorry.” “I know you are.” Sasa said to her. “And for that, I have chosen to forgive you for your words. While what you said hurt me deeply I will forgive you for your words. You are and always will be a dear friend to me and mine.” Fluttershy sniffled as Sasa reached out and nuzzled her cheek gently. Fluttershy moved to hug the cat as the azure flames faded and vanished. Sasa put a paw on her back as the mare hugged her tightly. A rumbling purr pulled from the feline as she nuzzled the sniffling mare. Oblivion gave a low sigh and said nothing in response to what had been said to the mare and those around her.