41: Sasa will Lead...
Twilight rolled over and cracked open one eye. She sighed and started to roll over to sleep a bit longer when the image of a black Unicorn flashed through her mind. She startled and sat up, clutching her blanket in her hooves. The mare panted for a moment, fear in her eyes.
“Oblivion.” She whispered aloud and pushed her blankets away from her.
The Unicorn mare quietly got out of her bed and went for the bedroom door. In his basket, Spike snored quietly and she smiled at him before a feeling of alarm spiked through her. Her eyes scanned the room and she didn’t see any sign of the large sabercat, Sasa. She left the room, her hooves hurrying over the wood floor.
“Sasa?” She whispered aloud as she scanned the upper floor.
She got to the steps leading into the main library when she stopped in her tracks. The feline was curled up a few feet away from the front door of the Library. The mare gave a quiet sigh of relief as she descended the stairs. As she neared the cat the large form shifted and a pair of aqua blue eyes looked over the cat's shoulder to see her. The great cat purred in her direction and yawned, her oversized incisors gleaming white.
“There you are,” Twilight said to her and approached the cat as she got to her paws.
Sasa reached out and nuzzled Twilights' cheek and purred. Twilight’s horn lit and the box of sand came over to her and was set close by. “I didn’t see you when I woke up. I was worried.”
“About what?” The cat replied by drawing into the box of sand with a claw.
Twilight sat down and regarded the feline. “Well. What if you vanished as well?”
The feline purred and regarded the mare. “I am not going anywhere. I was just watching if he returned.”
“Good. We need you to lead us today.” She replied with a small smile, getting to her hooves.
The cat nodded and stood up as well. She followed behind the purple mare and joined her in the Library’s kitchen. The purple Unicorn went about her morning routine as the cat stood off to the side. Spike soon joined them as Twilight set a plate of waffles on the table for her and Spike than a plate on the floor for Sasa.
“So what’s the plan, Twilight?” Spike asked her as he ate.
“Well. Once the girls get here we will have Sasa lead us and follow some of the game trails that Oblivion uses and see what we can find.” She replied. “If we are really lucky he will be there.” She replied and looked to the feline, who had tilted her head and was giving Twilight a look. “Though…That’s really unlikely.”
“So why are we looking then?” Spike asked.
“Mostly we are looking for signs of him. If he went through this area then that will give us a timeline.” She reasoned.
“Oh. That makes more sense.” Spike admitted,
“Sasa.” The cat looked up from her plate and waited for the mare to continue. Twilight’s horn flared and the box of sand appeared, allowing the cat to respond. “Do you know all the paths he uses?”
“Yes. I have been with him while he runs. So I know the trails.” She replied.
“Why does he run in there anyway? I know he can handle himself, but it seems kind of dangerous, even for him.” Spike pointed out as he looked to the Spectral Tiger.
“For him it’s more like where he is from.” She explained. “The land is wild and that is normal to him.”
“Oh.” Spike nodded and shoved the last of his food into his mouth.
Sasa pushed her plate to Twilight and the mare’s magic picked it up and set it in the sink with the rest of the dishes. The mare set them there and then moved into the main room and started to scan the map with Sasa close by. A loud knock on the door had Spike opening it for the others to come in. Applejack led the others inside and they all sat around the small table and looked to the purple Unicorn.
“All right, Twilight. What's the plan?” Rainbow asked as she hovered close to the other mare.
“Well. I talked with Sasa last night and she said that Oblivion doesn’t really use the main trails. He runs the game trails.” She replied.
“So that means we have no idea what he does?” The pale blue mare said with a defeated sound.
“No. Sasa should know ‘em.” Applejack pointed out. “She goes with ‘im.”
“Exactly. Sasa will be the one leading us. I don’t expect to find him in there, but hopefully, we can nail down a timeline. See if there is any sign of him recently.”
“Yeah, the odds of finding him are pretty slim,” Rainbow added.
The others nodded and Sasa purred to them as they began to get to their hooves. “Too bad I can’t speak aloud to them. Will have to speak with him about allowing me to speak to them.” She said to herself and got to her paws. The ponies began to file to the door and Sasa followed them outside.
Twilight led the group toward Sweet Apple Acres and then waited for Sasa to join her and lead the group. The feline slid easily in front of them and began to lead them through a normal running path for the Black Unicorn. She looked over her shoulder as the others fell into a clustered group and kept pace. The purple Unicorn was quiet as the edges of the Everfree forest loomed ahead of them. Behind her, the others had gone quiet as well. Sasa paused at the edge of a group of thick trees and turned to the group. The feline grumbled and began to move each mare into a straight line and made sure that Spike was sitting safely on Twilight's back. She went back to the front and checked them to make sure they were in the line and then she went into the trees, Twilight gulped and followed the cat’s long tail. She glanced back and made sure the others were behind them and then focused on keeping up with the pony-sized feline.
Sasa looked back and was glad to see the six mares and one drake behind her. She trained her gaze on the game trail that wound in front of her. Sasa's eyes followed the worn path and kept an ear trained behind her for the mares. She could hear them staying close to her as they went deeper into the Everfree. Sasa paused and sniffed the air before she kept walking.
“Sasa?” Twilight's voice whispered.
The she-cat stopped and looked back to the Unicorn at her heels.
“Are we okay?” She asked.
Sasa nodded, then resumed her slow lead. Their trek continued for close to an hour before the feline brought them to a small clearing and stopped to allow them to rest. She watched over them as the mares gathered close to her.
“How far does he run?” Rainbow asked. Her voice pitched in disbelief as she questioned the cat.
Sasa looked to the purple Unicorn who nodded and summoned the sandbox for the cat to respond with. “He usually runs over five miles.” She informed them.
“Five miles?” Rainbow stared at the cat, her eyes wide. “Geez. What time does he leave the house?”
“Just before dawn normally.” She replied. A swipe of her paw left the sand blank to allow for her to speak more.
“Geez. Does he never sleep?” Spike asked.
“He does. He just needs less than you do.” She responded to the drake’s inquiry easily.
“He’s a Witcher, so that would make sense,” Twilight spoke up.
Sasa nodded. “His body has been enhanced. So he needs less rest.”
“Remind me to never ask to be made into a Witcher. It sounds awful.” Rainbow replied.
Sasa chuckled and nodded to the mare. “No more Witchers are being trained by any of the Schools that remain, so it would be impossible.”
”Ah’ve never asked him what needs ta be done to be made into one.” Applejack spoke up.
Twilight looked to the feline who nodded. “I asked him once.” She said aloud. “It requires a few potions to be administered. I don’t know their individual names but the whole process is called the Trial of the Grasses.”
“That sounds easy enough,” Rainbow replied. “Sounds like you just drink it and then you’re done.”
“Not really.” Twilight informed her. “The potions alter the body and can be deadly.”
“How deadly?” Applejack asked her.
“According to Oblivion only three in ten candidates survived it.” Twilight informed her.
“Wow.” Rainbows eyes widened and she looked at Sasa, who nodded. “And he was a lucky one then?”
“Yes. He was also chosen to be put into further experiments to augment his abilities further. So Oblivion has done the Trials, twice.” Twilight advise her.
Rainbow stared at her. Fluttershy looked away from her and shook her head, solemnly. Twilight was quiet as she remembered the long discussion she had with the other Unicorn about the Trials. “I asked him about the process some time ago.”
The others were quiet as the information sank in. None of them had ever thought to ask him more than what he gave them. At the front, Sasa was quiet as she stood up and walked a few feet away from them. She was quiet as they all considered what Twilight had said. The Tiger sat down and closed her eyes as she tilted her head back to the skies. ‘Come home, Chosen.’ She thought to herself and then tried to reach out to him once more, only to be met with silence. She didn’t want to admit how fearful she had become of his continued disappearance. Her nerves were shot and she had to fight not to flop down and whimper in place. While she knew that he lived and was going to be all right she still felt her nerves fraying and she had to keep herself together. She opened her eyes and looked back to the resting mares and drake.
She began to get up when a sound caught her attention. She flicked an ear and looked to the right of where she sat. The leaves rustled gently in a breeze and she searched for the sound. Their scent was being blown behind them by that same breeze. She knew that there no Timberwolves in the area, Oblivion had chased off a small group of them the last he had been here. She got to her paws and slowly approached the direction where the sound seemed to be coming from. In the deepest part of her heart, she hoped it was Oblivion. But the logical side of her mind knew better. She stopped when the bush rustled and she growled as it began to shake. She flicked an ear and Twilight and the others were now watching her. A familiar scent caught her nose and she yowled and backed up. The smell of death and earth filled her nose as a Nekker burst from the bushes and howled at the small group.
“What the hay?” Applejack yelled as the creature howled at the feline.
“Twilight!” Spike cried out as he gripped the mare’s mane.
“Sasa!” Twilight yelled at the cat as she gathered her friends together.
The feline flicked an ear to them but her eyes didn’t leave the Nekker. “They don’t know anything about this creature. They’ll be hurt.” She reasoned to herself as the Nekker jumped to one side and she followed. “If they get hurt…Oblivion…Will never forgive me.” She realized as a snarl tore from her. Her mind snapped into focus at the thought of failing him. She charged the Nekker and swiped her claws at it, driving it back, away from them. She followed it as it jumped back once more. The Spectral Tigers' eyes never left the monster in front of her.
Her ears told her that there was no more of them, just one. While that was uncommon, she kept her focus on the monster ahead of her. The monster wailed at her and she roared in reply. To her surprise, the Nekker stopped and was silent. She was about to relax her stance when it snapped to its senses and lunged for her. The cat knew how to fight Nekkers from her battling at Oblivion's side and she jumped to the side and her claws raked over its chest and right rib cage. She chased it as it swung its arm, ending in foot-long claws at her, she jumped to evade and drove her front fangs into its throat and chest. The creature gurgled and its claws bit into her fur. She yowled through the mouthful of flesh and felt the pain in her shoulder deepening. She closed her eyes and refused to release her hold. She suddenly smelled burning flesh and her eyes flew open. The Nekker screamed as blue flames began to lick over its body. Sasa pulled her teeth free and backed up as the flames engulfed the creature and it fell to the ground, dead.
“Chosen!” She whirled in place and searched around her. She was sure it was Oblivion who had come to help her. Her senses reached out to him, but only silence responded to her calls. She spun in place and searched the nearby forest and found no sign of him. Despair crashed against her as she realized that he was not there. Her heart ached as she collapsed to her belly on the ground.
Twilight watched as Sasa spun in circles, her eyes searching. The she-cat fell to her belly and yowled in pain. The Unicorn walked up to the cat and reached out to stroke the scruff of her neck, careful of the tears in the cat's shoulder. Sasa looked to her and her eyes closed. Twilight knew that the cat had thought the same as she had, that Oblivion had come back and had brought his flame down on the monster. But a scan of the area showed that they were alone.
“I know, Sasa. I thought the same thing.” She whispered to the mewling feline and laid her head on the cat’s neck. “I thought he was here too.”
“Sasa, sweet girl.” Applejack came to her and went to the cat's other side and laid her head against her.
Twilight looked up as the others all came to the crying feline and surrounded her, each laying a hoof or leaning their weight against her, trying to comfort her. The great cat went quiet as the mares tried to comfort her. She opened her eyes when as Spike patted her nose and ran his claws through her fur. Twilight nuzzled her and then stood up.
“Okay, we need to head back to take care of your shoulder, Sasa.” She tried to sound confident but her voice cracked and failed her. She sat back down and stroked the cat’s soft fur. She went silent, as Sasa stared ahead of them.
Twilight looked up as a portal opened and the Nekkers body was pulled swiftly into it. It vanished with a crash of thunder and she stared at it. A wisp of smoke was all that remained of the position of the portal.
“Chosen…Where are you now?” She asked him. Reaching out to him and trying to reach him with all the care that she had within her.
Oblivion was silent as he landed in a clearing and pulled his wings close to his sides. He had been flying for most of the day. His wings folded easily to his sides and he sat down as he reached into his saddlebag for something to eat. He had found the border to Toussaint earlier and had flown high over it to avoid being seen. Toussaint had less forest and more open ground to accommodate the vast fields of grapes for wine. He had chosen to land after finding a rare span of thin trees with a small clearing by the edges. The stallion was quiet as he ate and after finishing his impromptu meal he pulled out his map and scanned it.
“Okay, so I am…Where the hell am I?” He complained quietly as he scanned the map. “I need to find...” He paused as he tried to recall the name of the vineyard Geralt was gifted with. “Corvo…Corvo…Corvo Bianco. Gods, I’m getting old.” He complained as he scanned the map.
His claws held the map as he scanned the area around him as his ears flicked. He could hear humans on the road close by and he stowed his map to listen to them. The black stallion was quiet as he approached the trees on the side of the clearing and trained an ear to the roads.
“That road is nearly impassable.” A man complained from the other side of the trees. “The Dunn Tyne road is impossible.”
Oblivion stepped back, ignoring the other men with him as they spoke. He pulled out his own map and scanned it for the name he had heard. His eyes found the crossroads and he groaned. “Barely inside the border. God’s damn it.” He complained and then angled his body to the direction of what he hoped was Corvo Bianco. If not then would have to risk looking at some of the road signs. “Well. I have my direction so now I just need to follow it and hope that Ciri is still there. If she has returned to Vizima I am going to need a backup plan. I can ask Geralt to call her here but that is the last resort.”
He stowed his nap and began to follow the road at a distance. His body showed no signs of needing rest and he kept up a brisk pace. "I should be able to reach the vineyard in a day or two. Maybe less if I fly, but I can’t get direction in the air.”
The Alicorn fell quiet as he moved within the darkness of the trees. He moved with a purpose and he focused on his goals of returning to Equestria and seeing his task through to the end.
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You had me going there a second; I thought he made it back.
9285901
Hehehe!
So the kitty can use his flams for other things
10196366
She is learning what she can and cannot do as we go. I'm still working on her.