//------------------------------// // 111: A Wedding Begins // Story: An Equestrian Witcher // by OblivionShadow //------------------------------// Oblivion opened his eyes as the Canterlot Menagerie stretched out ahead of him. Blue Blood stood at the entrance and smiled as Oblivion began to walk toward him. His spirit was bright as they bumped hooves and began to head into the city. “Shining mentioned that he would join us at Joe's,” Blue informed him. “That works.” Oblivion said as they walked. “What does he want?” Sasa asked as she fell in between them. “I’m not sure exactly,” Blue admitted. “He was kind of secretive about it, to be honest. He had this little look in his eyes like he had been plotting something.” Sasa laughed as he spoke. “Shining is about as sneaky as you are expressive.” Blue chuckled at her words, and Oblivion had to admit she had made a point. “Well, we will find out in a moment. He beat us there.” Oblivion opened the door for the others, and they filed in. “Hello there, colts and kittens. I’ll get your usual ready,” Joe called out as he saw them all file into his shop. “Thank you, Joe,” Blue said as they joined Shining at their usual booth. “So what is on your mind, Shining?” The stallion said nothing for several seconds before a broad smile crossed his face. “I’m engaged. So I am trying to figure out who to ask to stand with me at the altar.” “Congratulations! Did you propose, or did my cousin?” Blue teased. Shining looked horrified for a moment. “I proposed thank you.” “Cousin?” Sasa asked. “Cadance is my cousin through Auntie Celestia,” Blue explained. “Ahh. Got it.” Sasa replied. “So when is it?” “When is the wedding?” Oblivion asked. “That’s the thing.” Shining replied with a concerned look. “It's next weekend.” “That’s quite the timeline,” Blue said to him. “Any reasoning for that?” “You’ve heard of the rumors about an attack on Canterlot, right, Blue?” He said, and Blue nodded. “That’s the reason. Celestia and Luna are debating whether I need to place a shield over the whole of Canterlot.” “Can you do that?” Blue asked, and Shining looked at him. “Not that you are not capable. I assume you would need to hold it for some time.” “He has the magic capacity for it; it just means he needs to remain awake for it.” Oblivion added. “Are you capable of being awake for that long without rest?” “That’s the thing.” Shining admitted as he looked at the black Unicorn. “You mentioned that you had refreshed Soarin?” “I did, yes.” Oblivion responded. “And you hope I can do the same thing for you?” “Pretty much.” Shining admitted. “I’m not saying for you to move here for a week. That’s unreasonable. But a couple of days ahead of time, can you pop in?” “Does your sister know?” Oblivion asked. Shining cringed and shook his head. “No. And believe me, that hurts. Princess Celestial asked me to remain quiet for now.” “Hmm. She will be agitated at you when she finds out.” Oblivion commented quietly. “I know.” Shining agreed. “Twilight is going to have your tail for a banner.” Blue teased with a laugh. “I know.” Shining lamented. “I wish I could have been the first to tell her. Princess Celestia will ask her to come a day ahead next week to help plan it. She plans on including all of her friends as well. She was thinking you would help me with security. Nopony better than a Witcher to spot openings in security.” Oblivion leaned back in his chair as Joe brought their food and coffee. “I suppose it makes sense in a way. When are you wishing me to arrive?” “The wedding is Saturday afternoon. I would like you here Thursday, if possible.” Shining supplied. Oblivion magic gripped his donut, and he took a bite from it and chewed it in silence. Once he had swallowed, he nodded. “Very well. I see no reason not to help. You will owe me when it is done.” Oblivion gave a gentle tease at the white stallion. Shining looked relieved, and a laugh broke from him. “I warned Celestia that you may ask for payment. I remember what you told her about the shadow organization. You needed a contract to be going after them. She decided that if needed, she would happily pay you for your service. So if you want it, it’s there.” Shining continued to laugh, and Blue drank his coffee as Oblivion noted the payment in the wings if he asked for it. He set his donut down in favor of picking up his coffee. His mind went over what he had been asked to do and saw no reason to back down. A slight chuckle broke from him as he realized that the last couple of times he had helped, he had not asked for payment of any kind. Vesemir and the others would have been horrified by his lack of mercenary haggling. As that thought caught him, he realized that Geralt was the same. The younger Witcher only asked for payment when it dealt with the monsters they were created to fight. “What do you need me to do?” Sasa asked as she leaned her head against Shining’s leg. “She is asking what you want her to do,” Blue told the Captain. “Oh. Her job is to help you Oblivion. Even the slightest crack in security will be noticed and fixed between the two of you. Don’t think I forgot you, Sasa.” He said to her. “So… Will you stand with me on my wedding day?” “I’d be honored,” Blue said to him. Oblivion gave a slight bow of his head in reply. Oblivion had explained to the girls that he would go to Canterlot to help Celestia with something on that coming Thursday. Twilight had seemed uncertain of what he was telling her but, in the end, had let it go. His teleport faded, and he walked into the castle from his usual entrance. A scent caught his attention, and he put his nose in the air to get more of a scent. When it did not draw a large enough of the smell to him, he paused and looked at the feline next to him. “Smell anything?” He asked her, his voice low. He watched as she looked up at him and then put her nose up to scent the air. Several seconds passed before she shook her head. He tried to gather more of the smell into his nose by following it, but the scent was so faint that he could not discern where it was coming from. “Damn.” He muttered as he walked further into the castle. “Something in the air got your attention?” Sasa asked as he made for the throne room. “I‘m not sure what it is. It’s too faint even to lead me anywhere.” “That’s odd. Usually, you can follow anything.” “It’s not that I can’t follow it. It’s that it does not seem to go anywhere beyond that spot. I’ll have to move around to see if I can get a stronger whiff of it.” He explained. “Oh, I see what you mean.” She agreed with him after he explained his reasoning. “You’ll have to keep your nose up then.” He walked into the throne room to find Celestia and Shining in the room. He could see that Shining was tired but seemed to be holding up well. His horn lit with the World Spirit’s fire, covering the Captain of the Royal Guard. He whinnied in surprise momentarily before Celestia began to laugh behind a hoof. Shining turned to look behind him, and he smiled at the sight of the Witcher. “You need to warn a pony before you cast fire all over them,” Shining said with a grumbling tone. “It would not have been as entertaining if I did warn you.” Oblivion pointed out. “Feel better?” “That’s true. Our Princess got a good laugh.” Shining said. “And yes, I do feel better. I was up most of the night keeping the shield up.” “Keeping him up before his wedding is not for the best if you want him even to remember his wedding.” Oblivion commented to the Sun Princess. “I know.” She said with a sigh. “I wish it wasn’t needed. But something is a threat, and until we narrow it down, I have to work with what we have. Your help will be paramount to ensuring that the Captain does not falter. Can I depend on you for this, Oblivion?” Oblivion looked from the mare to the stallion as Shining gave him a small smile. “I will do what is needed, Celestia. Once it is to the point that the threat has been removed, I will refresh him one last time.” “I have to admit I had no idea the Element of Spirit was capable of this power you wield. I have to say that I am pleased that you have the control of it that you do.” Celestia said as he leaned back on his heels. “Please stay with him as the day goes on to ensure the Captain has no trouble.” “You need a foal sitter?” Oblivion teased as Shining stopped to stare at him. Celestia barked a laugh as Shining glared at the Witcher. “You… I swear… I'd hit you if you weren’t one of my close friends.” “Worried sick.” Oblivion commented, and Shining growled as he motioned for the black Unicorn to follow him out of the throne room. The day they were passed quickly as Shining moved through the training grounds. They moved through parts of the city to see if there was anything that he and Oblivion could see that was lacking in their defense. Oblivion saw nothing as they wandered. Sasa trailed them carefully, and her aqua eyes scanned the shadows as they walked. “Have you gotten a whiff of anything?” She suddenly asked. “No.” He replied through their connection. “Me neither.” He remained in step with Shining as the white Unicorn walked briskly from location to the following location. Shining kept his pace unhurried, allowing the Witcher to dictate it. Every now and then, he would look to his left to see what Oblivion was doing. Sasa walked easily between them, keeping her head on a swivel to see if she could spot anything of note around them. As the evening crept up on them, Sasa yawned as they paused on the edge of the training yard. “Nothing stood out to you, I assume?” Shining asked. “Nothing to be concerned about.” Oblivion replied. He debated mentioning the scent he had come into contact with when he walked into the palace but chose to remain quiet. Since it was so faint, he doubted the Captain had gotten a whiff of it. If Sasa had not been able to smell it, then the odds of him being able to do so would have been remote at best. He knew he would remain at Shining’s side overnight while he worked. White flame covered his horn as he called on the World Spirit to refresh Shining while they stood still. Shining smiled as the white flame covered him, and he glanced at the Witcher with him. “Thanks,” he said, and a laugh bubbled from him. I know you have better things you could be doing than this.” “True,” he replied, and Shining looked horrified. But this is what I choose to do.” Shining shook his head slowly as the black Unicorn spoke. “You just never say what ponies want to hear. That’s the nice thing about being around you.” “Oh? Most ponies hate it.” “I can see why they would, but it’s pretty refreshing. That kind of honesty is hard to come by. Most ponies will say what suits them at that moment, but not you. You say what must be said, no matter the possible consequences. It’s like you’re not aware of what those consequences could be.” “Oh, I’m aware of what they could be. I don’t spend my time tailoring what I say to suit myself. Any situation can be tailored. It just depends on what the pony wants. I prefer to stick to the truth. It’s easier for everypony that way.” “You have a point,” Shining agreed. What if my sister and the girls need to be catered to, too?” “They are not immune from blunt.” Oblivion clarified. “Though there are times that I will soften my words a bit. But that does not change what they will hear, which is true.” “I’m sure they sometimes wish you’d lie a bit.” “Perhaps. But as one of them said to me once, that is not my style.” Shining barked out a laugh and nodded. “I could see that being your catchphrase.” Oblivion chuckled as Sasa giggled in his mind. “Perhaps.” Oblivion said nothing as the scent grew stronger. He had refreshed Shining that morning while Shining had begun to do the last bit of the needed planning. Now that he had free roam of the castle, he was once more chasing down the scent from the day before. He was still not sure what it was exactly. The longer he tracked it, he knew that he would get stronger the longer he tracked it. Eventually, he would get to where he would find the source, but for now, he was stuck tracking the dredges of it. “I still don’t smell anything.” Sasa said to him as she stayed at his side. “Keep trying.” He said back to her, and she huffed, his tone being curt at best. He led her through a doorway and paused as the scent grew a bit stronger. He took a deep breath and held the scent within his nose, then breathed it out. Something in the back of his mind came forward, and he tilted his head as he began to walk forward once more. As he followed it down the corridor, he found himself outside the room that one of the girls had been in, and the scent was stronger still. He began to walk and then paused mid-step. “It’s familiar.” He whispered. “Okay, now I smell something.” Sasa informed him. “It’s not tripping any bells for me.” “I know it.” He muttered as he leaned back on his haunches. “It’s like the Endrega… Changeling.” “Oh!” Sasa exclaimed. “Your right. It’s the same thing.” He began to walk forward once more, and he followed the track. Sasa fell in behind him as he began to track deeper into the castle hurriedly. The hours ticked past him as he followed the track away from the more popular areas of the castle. Sasa followed closely behind him as he suddenly stopped, and the World Spirit alerted him to an issue nearby. “What? Find something?” Sasa asked. “The World Spirit just bucked. Twilight.” He said as he broke into a trot. “Oh, that explains why you paused. Lead the way.” He trotted ahead and quickly ran into a room housed all the girls; Celestia and Shining stood nearby. He trotted into the room to find that the scent of the Changelings was growing stronger with every hoof fall. He got up to join Twilight, where she stood as Cadance stood before her with all their friends and the others. He joined her as she looked upset, and the World Spirit directed him to her. “May I ask what is going on?” He asks as he stands beside her. “She is trying to convince everypony that Cadance is trying to hurt me,” Shining said to him. “I was informing her that Cadance would never hurt me.” Oblivion toned him out as he went on, and his orange eyes settled on the Alicorn mare. His nose was telling him that the scent was coming from her. It was a more pungent scent than the one he had encountered. He considered using the World Spirit to ‘see’ past her illusion, but he chose to wait for Shining to run out of words. “And you’re not listening to me, are you?” Shining suddenly accused. “I was listening until I realized that you seem to be intent on marrying a Changeling.” Oblivion replied. “Oh, for crying out loud!” Shining shouted at him. “She is not a monster.” “Are you certain?” Oblivion argued gently. “Okay, I changed my mind about you standing with me. Neither of you will be. You can take my sister back to Ponyville and stay there. Neither of you are welcome here anymore. She was slinging insults, and now you are joining her. I thought you would be more intelligent than this.” “Are you done?” Oblivion asked, and Shinning was even angrier at the interruption. “I can prove what she and I are saying. I can remove her illusion and prove what I am…” Green magic covered both of them, and they vanished in a moment. Oblivion got his bearings, and he looked down to see that they were hovering in the air, the green magic suspending them. He pulled Twilight around from under him and held her tightly to his chest and body. The magic faded, and the pair fell to the rocky ground under them. He closed his eyes as he tried to light his horn in time to teleport them back to where they had come from, but the impact with the ground was more punishing than he thought. A sharp pain to the back of his head was the last thing he remembered. Sasa roared as Oblivion's consciousness faded to almost nothing in her mind. The ones trying to talk Twilight and him down were now staring at where they had been. Even Celestia looked surprised as Cadance gave a deep sigh. Applejack recovered first and she rounded to look at the pink Alicorn. “What did ya just do wit’ mah brother?” She asked, her tone accusatory. “Their okay I promise,” Cadance assured them, her tone gentle and calm. “I just sent them where they could cool off, and everypony could relax for a bit and get their heads back in order.” “And that was?” Rarity asked her. “The menagerie,” she assured them. "It’s a calm area, so hopefully, they can talk about it together and agree. Once we all relax, I’m sure it will be so much better.” Shining huffed but gave her a gentle nod. Celestia looked uncertain for a moment before she also nodded in agreement. Sasa roared again, and they all snapped to stare at her. “Easy, pretty girl.” Applejack tried to soothe the enraged feline. “Where did you send him, you lying Changeling bimbo!” Sasa screamed as she was now mute around all of them. Sasa lunged forward and tried to get her claws into Cadance, but Celestia acted faster than they did. Her golden aura grabbed the feline before she could savage the other Alicorn. “No! Let me go!” Sasa roared at the fact that she had been stopped from her goal. “Where is he, and how did you hurt him?!” Celestia held her aloft, and she sighed. “I will keep her with me until she calms down.” Celestia informed her. “Right now, I think she is just startled and upset that Oblivion is not in front of her. So, for now, she also needs to calm down.” “Put me down!” Sasa roared once more as Celestia began to walk away with her in her magic. “CHOSEN!!”