73: Lies and Truths...
Oblivion was silent as he looked up to see the filly walking through the front gate with a set of spinning plates on her snout. He had remained in Canterlot overnight and had just returned. He looked at her as she saw him and her eyes widened at the sight of him and she stopped in her tracks. He summoned Sasa to his side and the filly's eyes grew wider.
“Odd.” He muttered to himself at her behavior.
“What is it Chosen? Oh, there’s Apple Bloom.” Sasa tilted her head as the filly remained still. “What is wrong? What did you do?”
“I have done nothing. Though I am curious about what she is doing. She went still at the sight of me.”
“That’s…odd of her. Usually, she is thrilled to see you when you come back from a hunt.”
Oblivion stayed still as the filly took a cautious step toward him. A smile crossed her muzzle as she broke into a trot and went past him. She said nothing to him as he watched her go past. Sasa rumbled a purr to the filly who zipped into the house ahead of them.
“Okay what did you do? She’s acting as if you caught her hoof in the cookie jar.” Sasa said to him as she stared up at him.
“I did nothing I assure you.” He said to her as he headed for the door.
“Two cutie marks?” Applejack called out as he opened the front door. “Oh welcome home Oblivion.”
“Afternoon everypony.” He said as he found the others in the room as well. “What were you saying?”
“Apple Bloom has two cutie marks.” Applejack explained to him and pointed to their youngest sibling.
He looked at the filly and he could see a hoop like marking, which explained the twirling hoop on her tail and another that showed a pair of spinning plates. His brow quirked at the nervous filly. She cast a nervous glance his way.
“Ah got mah cutie mark and then ah got another one.” She finally spoke up to him.
“I see that.” He replied to her and he could hear the slight quiver in her voice.
“Chosen?”
Sasa spoke out to him as he looked at the filly in between him and the rest of the Apple family. He could see that the filly was tired from her day but he still had the feeling that she was deceiving them. His own mind was running through possibilities as the filly began to speak to the others. Sasa drew up close to him and nudged his shoulder. His orange eyes went over the proud and happy faces of those close to him and he bit back his own words of doubt.
“Chosen what is it?”
“She’s lying about something.”
“How can you tell?”
“Years of reading people tell me that she is hiding something. I may not know much about cutie marks but I know that having two is rare or even impossible.”
“That’s true. The odds of having two of them are so rare it’s laughable.” She agreed. “But at the same time it could happen. But you don’t seem to agree.”
“I still believe she is lying.”
“And nothing will change your mind about that.” Sasa admitted.
“No. I have been lied to by everyone from kings to jesters and I will not ignore the signs in front of me.” He replied as his eyes scanned the room.
“So will you tell them your thoughts?”
“I am…not sure. I can see the joy in their eyes about the chance of her finally getting her marking. But at the same time, I wish to prevent them from getting too much more involved in this lie she has crafted.”
“It might not be a lie…”
“Do not ignore what is in front of your muzzle.” He snapped at her.
Sasa flinched and looked at the filly in front of her. “I am not ignoring it Chosen. I do not have your eyes or experience. What do you see from her? What does the World Spirit tell you?”
“It tells me she is lying. Her spirit is in turmoil and it roils within her.” He replied to the feline.
“So she is being deceptive?”
“Very.”
“Then you have to tell them or at least talk to Applejack.” Sasa encouraged. “She will listen to you if only because she knows that you are more than a Unicorn.”
“True enough.”
He waited as the filly headed for bed and she trotted past him and up the stairs. Granny Smith was not far behind her and Big Mac behind her. His horn lit up and a wall of azure flame stopped Applejack from going up the stairs. She turned to look at him, an unspoken question in her eyes.
“I need a moment of your time.” He said to her and she nodded as she came to stand in front of him. “I think there is more to what we are being told.”
“What ya mean?”
“I don’t think she is telling the truth.” He began.
“What ya mean? Ya mean Apple Bloom?”
“Yes. I can tell that she is being deceptive about something. When I came back she did everything in her power to avoid myself and Sasa. That is a sign that something is wrong. I am seeing too many red flags to ignore what I am seeing.”
Applejack stared at him as he spoke to her. “Ya mean she is lying about her cutie marks?” He nodded as she spoke. “How can ya doubt yer little sister like this?”
“I do not doubt that she has been wanting her cutie mark badly. But I do not think she is telling the whole truth.”
Applejack stomped a hoof as he spoke. “Nah. Ya need to believe in her as we do. Just cause she didn’t fawn over ya when ya came back from a three-day trip doesn’t mean she’s a liar. A pony can’t fake a cutie mark.”
“With enough magic or potions, anything can be made true. I do not doubt her desires. I doubt the truth of it. I have been lied to by many and have learned from the experience. I will not be told to believe something when I do not see it be true. I know she is lying.” He replied, his gaze firm.
Applejack’s spirit rolled within her as he spoke. He could see the anger that went through her eyes as he spoke to her. She spun on her heel and went up the stairs, refusing to speak with him further. Sasa sat down at his side as he sighed and shook his head. “I cannot be told to believe what I do not see.”
“I know Chosen. I know.” Sasa said to him and she leaned against his shoulder in comfort.
Oblivion lay awake as the sound of tapping caught his attention and he flicked an ear to listen. “What in the God's name?” He muttered after several minutes.
“Make it stop.” Sasa said after a few minutes. “It’s driving me crazy.”
Oblivion rolled out of bed and his wings vanished under their usual enchantment. His magic pushed open the door and Sasa jumped off the bed behind him. The Unicorn started down the hall as Applejack came out of her bedroom door. Her eyes landed on him and a flash of anger went over her as he went past her, following the sound of tapping.
“What is that?” She asked him.
“I have no idea but it’s driving Sasa to insanity.” He replied as the cat growled.
He came to the filly’s door as the lights in her room were still on and he pushed open the door. She was tap dancing in one corner of the room. He stared as she looked at him, her eyes wide and desperate. Applejack drew up next to him and blinked in shock at her sister.
“Make it stop.” The filly moaned and that seemed to snap Applejack out of her shock.
The mare went into the room and tried to stop the filly’s tapping hooves. After several attempts the filly’s tapping sent her rolling and Oblivions magic stopped her from hitting the wall. She looked at him and he said nothing to her as his magic picked up the tapping filly.
“Any ideas?” She asked him.
“None.” He admitted. “We need help with this. Twilight might have a book that can help.”
Sasa sighed as the tapping sound finally stopped and she fell in behind the two ponies.
Oblivions azure flame carried the tap-dancing filly through the early morning air. He looked ahead as Sasa trotted past them to the Library and she spun to the side to slam her hip into the door. They reached the door as it opened to reveal, a tired-looking Twilight. She smiled at the sight of them and her smile faded to concern at the sight of the filly.
“What's going on?” She asked as they paused to explain.
“She now has three cutie marks,” Oblivion explained.
“Three?”
“Yes, she is now tap dancing and cannot stop.”
Twilight pushed open the door and they walked into the Library and she closed the door behind them. Oblivion kept the filly off the ground and his magic kept her hovering a few feet off the ground. Twilight’s horn lit as her magic pulled several books from the shelves and they began to hover around them. Oblivions magic gripped one and it hovered in front of him as he scanned the pages.
“I think I found it.” Twilight finally piped out.
“Oh?” Oblivion asked her as he set the book he had been looking through down on the table.
“Cutie Pox.”
Oblivion stilled as he looked at the tapping filly. “Go on.”
“This puzzling pony plague afflicted a population of ponies back in the Paleopony Period.” She said to them and paused as the others looked from her to the filly and then back to her. “Random cutie marks appeared all over the ponies' bodies, causing them to perform all the talents that came with them.”
“Just like me.” Apple Bloom said to them from her place hovering close by.
“So we know what it is but is there a cure?” Applejack asked urgently.
“There is no known cure.” Twilight read to them as a look of dread crossed her face. “There has to be something.”
Oblivion watched as she frantically flipped the page and reread the pages and then shook her head after careful checking. Sasa purred to her and rubbed her fur against the mare's shoulder.
“The cause of the breakout was never discovered. The Cutie Pox disappeared quickly as it appeared." Twilight admitted.
“Sacré bleu! Plus de marques de cutie! Qu'est-ce c'est?! Je parle Français?!” Apple Bloom said and looked startled at the words that came from her mouth.
“That makes four marks,” Oblivion said as the others looked startled. “What?”
“What language is that?” Twilight asked him.
“Why ask me?”
“You have traveled more than we have.” She reasoned to him. "Plus you said you knew several languages."
“While true that does not mean I know it by name,” he replied.
“It’s French.” Sasa supplied. “She said, Darn it! More cutie marks. What's this? I speak French?!”
“Sasa knows the language and she said. 'Darn it! More cutie marks. What's this? I speak French'?!” He repeated to the others. “How do you know the language?”
“A caretaker for the menagerie spoke it and I picked it up from him.” She explained.
He said nothing about Sasa speaking the language and looked back to the others who were still processing the newest information. Applejack suddenly looked at him, her eyes wide.
“Oblivion ya can heal her.” She said and pointed a hoof to the hovering filly.
“Pardon?”
“Ya can heal ponies. Ya did it for Rainbow and the others afore.” She reasoned to him and he nodded that he recalled what she meant. “Can ya heal her now?”
“I can try to. Don’t be too shocked if it doesn’t work.” He warned her and she nodded.
The Witcher looked to the filly, who looked nervously from him to her sister and back to him. His magic strengthened around her and the flame grew in intensity. He called on the World Spirit to reach out to her and it surrounded her as well. He layered its power over the filly’s body and he called on it to heal her through her spirit. The magic suddenly bucked against him and he pushed it farther and he felt the World Spirit trying to withdraw against his command and he allowed it to withdraw. The Elder Witcher fell silent as he pulled his magic back and looked at the others.
“I can’t heal whatever it is. I can try to slow it down but there is nothing to heal.” He explained.
Twilight breathed in a deep breath and looked to the front door of the Library. “Do what you can Oblivion. We will have to do what we can to help her as well. We just need to figure out our next move. There has to be somepony we can get to help.”
“Or a certain Zebra.” He replied. “Zecora works with herbs and natural remedies. Maybe we just need a natural cure versus a magical one.”
“You’re a genius,” Twilight said to him as she pulled Spike onto her back and her magic pushed open the front door for the rest of them. “Come on.”
Oblivion carried the filly as they made their way through town. As they moved he looked back as the filly gasped and a marking of a chisel and he recognized the mark as a sculpting tool. The marks began to appear quicker even as he tried to slow them down to allow them more time to get to Zecora. His magic layered over her and he pushed as much magic as he dared against her small frame. A quick glance to the mares with him showed their concern as Twilight broke into a trot and he followed closely behind her and Applejack. Spike ran after them and he looked up as ponies began to notice the filly as she was being carried.
“What in the world?” A pony asked as Spike stopped with them to see what new markings had appeared.
“It’s nothing to worry about. It’s just an incurable disease called Cutie Pox.” He said to them as he sat down to rest.
Oblivion closed his eyes as his head lowered for several seconds as he opened his eyes to see that the street was now deserted. Sasa looked at the baby dragon who was looking around them with a shocked expression. A new mark appeared on her fur and Oblivion looked to see that it was the mark of a chimney sweep. Sasa came up to the filly as Oblivions magic held her closer to the ground.
“I thought I had removed their fear the last time that I visited here. But doors are barred and shutters shut. Guess I should've stayed inside my hut.” A voice called out.
Oblivion looked to the side of the as a familiar zebra approached them. A sigh of relief escaped him as a new marking of an accordion appeared on the filly’s body. Twilight and Applejack looked gleefully at the zebra as she stopped near them.
“Zecora! We were just going to see you. Apple Bloom has the Cutie Pox and we were coming to you to see if you know of a cure.” Twilight explained to her.
Oblivion looked at her as a math symbol appeared and the filly stared reciting math problems aloud. “But magically yer here! Was yer zebra sense a-tinglin'?”
“My 'zebra sense' did not bring me round, it was a special flower that I needed found. I thought I picked enough to fix all the potions I had to mix, but after my visit from Apple Bloom, some had mysteriously left my room. Apple Bloom! What do you say? Did this flower just walk away?” She replied as she looked to the filly.
Oblivion set the filly down and she began to lift weights as the mark appeared on her fur. He said nothing to her as she went through the motions that the mark brought. He looked away from her as Zecora looked to the filly and when the young pony said nothing in reply she seemed disappointed. Oblivion fought back the desire to put the filly directly in the eye of the zebra.
“A cutie pox cure I have forsooth, for healing power is in the Seeds of Truth,” Zecora said to them.
Applejack nodded quickly and looked expectantly at the Zebra. “Well give ‘em to her quick. Afore it gets worse.”
“The Seeds of Truth do hold the cure, but one must speak words, true and pure.” She replied and pulled the seeds out of her bag.
Apple Bloom avoided looking at the zebra and Sasa came to stand closer to the group of them. Applejack took the seeds and dug a quick hole in the path to bury the seeds and covered it. “Alright, they're planted, now somepony tell the truth!”
Silence echoed around them as Apple Bloom began cleaning windows of the stores around them. The street was vacant as the small group looked around for a pony to tell the truth and get the seeds to grow for them. Sasa looked nervously to the group and sat down at his side. They were at the doorway of Sugarcube corner and in the doorway Pinkie looked nervous and her eyes darted between them.
“Yesterday I told Mrs. Cake that I ate two corn cakes, but I really ate three!” The group looked to the raised mound of dirt in the road and nothing happened. “Okay, six! I ate six corn cakes!” Still, nothing happened and Pinkie looked panicked.
“I ate an extra donut even after I said I was on a diet last time in Canterlot.” Sasa said to him and he looked down at her and parroted her words. They looked at the dirt and still nothing. Sasa looked at the sun and then back at him. “Okay, so it was two donuts. “ He spoke for her and still nothing happened.
“Your turn!” She yelled at him as Apple Bloom tap danced toward him.
He turned his eyes to glare at the filly as she began to spin in a tornado around them. Sasa stood up and got out of the little pony’s way as she moved around them.
“Make it stop!” Pinkie called out and covered her eyes with her hooves.
Sasa whimpered and he felt annoyance bite at him and his magic covered the filly and stopped her spinning. His orange eyes were sharp and held a spark of anger within them. The filly stared at him as his magic held her in front of him. “Tell the truth, Apple Bloom.” He growled at her and set her next to the dirt mound.
“Ah can't stand it anymore! It's me! Ah admit it! Ah didn't earn my cutie mark! They're all fake! Ah figured the Heart's Desire would help me get what Ah wanted most! So when Zecora left her hut, Ah mixed up a special potion and put the rest of the Heart's Desire in it!” She called out.
The group of them looked as the mound shook and a flower sprouted from the dirt. Oblivion gave a quiet sigh as Apple Bloom reached down her head and ate the whole bloom in one bite and chewed. She swallowed the plant and laid down on the dirt road. Oblivion watched as the many marks began to vanish in the order that they appeared. The filly heaved a sigh as she slowly got to her hooves and looked at the assembled ponies. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her two friends coming out of a nearby alley. Apple Bloom saw them and an apologetic smile came onto her muzzle.
“Apple Bloom?” Sweetie Bell said to her as they approached.
“Are you okay?” Scootaloo asked her cautiously.
“Ah'm great, and Ah've never been happier to be a blank flank. But Ah'm awful sorry Ah lied, 'specially to you gals. Ah was so desperate for mah cutie mark, Ah just got carried away. And Ah'm really sorry Ah snuck those flowers from ya, Zecora. Why, Ah wouldn't blame ya if ya never wanted me to come by again.” Apple Bloom replied to them and then looked to the Zebra.
The zebra looked kindly at the ashamed filly and a smile crossed her muzzle. “Now, Apple Bloom, do not be silly. You are always welcome, my little filly. With each mistake you learn something new, growing up into a better you.”
“Apple Bloom. Would you like to write to the Princess about what you learned?” Twilight asked her and the filly nodded enthusiastically.
Oblivion looked past the filly as Applejack tapped his shoulder and he walked off to the side with her. Sasa remained with the others as the stallion waited to see what the farm mare needed of him. She scuffed the ground with one hoof and her eyes fell on him.
“Ah owe ya an apology.” She explained.
“Oh?”
“Yeah. Ya was right about the Cutie marks on Apple Bloom. Ah didn’t believe ya when ya said she was lyin’. Turns out ya were right.” She said to him.
“I hold nothing against you. You had every reason to disagree with me and you chose to believe in her while I did not.”
“Ya wouldn’t have said she was lyin’ without reason. Ah just didn’t wanna believe ya.” She said to him.
Oblivion looked at the mare as she apologized. “I do not blame you for not believing me. I took the chance that you would not believe what I said and I was not shocked. I do not blame you.”
She looked relieved as a sigh pulled from her. “Ah’m glad yer not sore at me fer it. Ah should have given ya the benefit of the doubt and listened. But Ah was so sure she was tellin’ the truth and that ya were wrong.”
He shook his head and she paused as she spoke. “Don’t worry about it AJ. I’m not angry or upset about what happened.” He assured her and she seemed to understand.
He watched as she went back to the group and Sasa came to his side. He leveled a look at the feline and she looked to the ground. “I trust you know that my telling the truth would not have changed anything.”
She nodded somberly as he spoke. “I know Chosen. I did not think beyond helping her and I let it blind me. She was the one that needed to tell the truth, not the rest of us. I am sorry.”
The black Unicorn said nothing as the feline laid her head against his shoulder. Hidden under their veil of magic, his wings flicked against his sides.
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Y’know, him hiding his wings so long I feel as if it’s gotten to the point where there has to be a climax. Like, he can’t just one day be like “Ohyeah, I have wings”. It has to be super important and in a situation where it makes a huge impact.
It’s been drawn out so long that I feel like anything less would be anticlimactic.
Also, I’m hoping there’s more deviations from canon, original ideas are better to read than just canon episodes with an extra character.
9973447
The wings play a larger role later your right. I enjoy writing off canon more than normal so I try to make time for more deviation here and there.
And thus Sunny Town and The Story of the Blanks were born.
Holy shit!? Apple Bloom can curse!? My turn! *Ahem!*
Merde! Merde! Condamner! Chatte! Cul! Putain de putain de putain de doigts étincelants !