108: Pictures and Beginnings
Oblivion was quiet as Apple Bloom came running up to him. He had seen her intent to speak with him from across the orchard as she had searched. He had stopped at the sight of her, and she was running as quickly as she could toward him.
“Oblivion!”
“Yes, Little One?”
“Ya got yer cutie mark by defeatin’ a monster, right?” She asked.
He waited for a moment as he tried to recall what he had told her, and after a moment’s delay, he nodded, and the story returned to him. “Yes.”
“Have ya ever been a news pony?”
He said nothing as he tried to figure out what she was discussing. “A what?”
“A pony that reports the news.”
“I have never been one of those. I have always been a Witcher.” He reminded her.
She looked thoughtful momentarily before turning and running back to her friends. Behind him, Sasa shrugged as he looked back at her.
“Fillies.” She said to him, a mirthful sound in her voice.
He said nothing as he returned to what he had been doing, the elemental behind him. He had been tasked with uprooting several dead trees at the back of the orchard. His magic was strong enough to do the job, so he used the elemental instead. He led the way as the elemental steps shook the ground enough to signal its approach. He reached the trees with the red ribbons wrapped in one of the branches and sent a magical command to the elemental. It approached the first of the trees, wrapped its arms around the trunk, and began to pull upward.
“Is this a good idea?” Sasa asked as he watched the elemental.
“It should be fine,” he assured her. "If anything goes awry, I am here to fix it.”
“That’s true.” She replied, her tone cautious.
The elemental pulled upward, and the trees yanked free of the earth in which its roots had once held it. The elemental did as instructed, set the now uprooted tree off to the side of them, and moved to uproot the second one. Sasa sat close by him as the trees were slowly uprooted and set to the side. She was quiet as the trees were methodically pulled and set off to the side. Oblivion ensured the trees did not break in the elemental grip. He looked around them, saw the fillies running away from him, and assumed they had found what they were looking for.
Oblivion was quiet as Apple Bloom ran far ahead and darted into the schoolyard. Sasa trotted ahead, and the foals approached her to pet her soft fur. Apple Bloom walked up to her friends, who seemed to be staying back and talking amongst themselves. Cheerilee exited the schoolhouse and advanced on him with a broad smile on her muzzle.
“How are you doing?” She asked him as she reached out to pet the cat.
“I’m well.” He assured her. “What can I do for you?”
“I have spoken with several of the parents, and I was able to find out what dates work for everypony to have you come and talk to the foals again.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. The parents are interested in the pony they have heard about from their foals. Do you have any ideas about what you could talk about?”
“I have a few that I can think of off the top. They're fairly tame and do not involve much fighting.” He explained.
“What about your sword?”
He said nothing for several seconds before he nodded. “I can show them drills I have done but will not teach them how to fight with a sword.”
“That works for me.” She said, agreeing with him. “I’d rather they did not learn how to use a sword effectively.”
“I agree.”
“I am thinking next week,” she said to him. Does that work for you?”
“It’s fine for me.” He replied and gave a slight nod of agreement.
She smiled and turned to go back to the schoolhouse. He waited for the foals to all head into the school, patted Sasa, and then headed back to the farm.
“What story will you use?”
“I’ll talk about meeting and working with Johnny.”
“That’s the Godling, right?” Sasa asked and he nodded. “That should be fairly tame. As far as you using your swords. I assume you’re using the extra steel?”
“Yes. I will not be using the actual weapons. The extra steel will do the job.” He replied.
“That makes sense.”She agreed. “Will you show your drawing of Johnny?”
“I plan to, yes. I’ll use the one I already have of him. I’ll show it against the wall for them to see it.”
“What if they ask to see Geralt?” She said to him as they reached the farm.
“I’ll say I do not have a drawing of him.”
“And if they ask for you to draw one?”
“It’ll take too long to draw him.”
“That’s fair.” She agreed.
Oblivion watched the Elemental as it carried the barrels of apples into place on the wagon. The gemstones from the Castle of the Two Sisters hovered in his magic. He was debating on what to do with them. The idea of giving them to Twilight had merit, as a thank you for her continuing help with his hunt for the pieces of the map. They hovered in his magic, and he contemplated his next move. Oblivion knew that she deserved something for her effort. The idea felt right to him, and he knew he had to figure out what would suit her.
“Trying to decide what to turn them into?” Sasa asked.
“Hmm.”
“A necklace is probably your only option for her though.”
“Not a ring?”
Sasa paused as she looked at him. “No. Usually, rings are worn on the horns of Unicorns. That might be out of place for her since rings are typically worn by engaged or married couples.”
He startled for a moment and nodded in understanding. “I do not think that will happen. So a necklace it is. Any ideas about how it should look?”
Sasa reared back on her hind legs to look at the gems as she looked at them, hovering in his azure flames. “Maybe make them look like they are embedded in stone? Or embedded in… What metal?”
“I am thinking gold.”
“Nice choice. You have seen that yin yang’s right?”
“I have, yes.”
“Make them look like they are in two yin-yangs.” She suggested.
“That’s a good idea.” He praised the cat, and she replied with a toothy smile.
He gathered more magic into his horn and the gemstones were moved to the side as he began to create gold in his magic. Sasa backed up several feet and watched.
“Are you just making gold? Versus buying it?” She questioned.
“Which is better?” He asked her as he looked between the gems and then at her.
“I’m not sure. Well, if you want to create it, then that’s fine. It’ll be cheaper than buying it.”
He nodded as he went back to creating the necklace for Twilight. Golden metal began circulating in his magic, and a chain began to wind. After a few minutes, he set the gems into the sections he had created for them. The ruby slid easily into place, and he had to press the sapphire into place. It clicked into place, and he set the emerald and the diamond into place. Then, he molded the metal further around them to ensure they did not pop out of their position. The necklace hovered before him when it was done, and he looked over the gift. Sasa walked up to him and looked at the completed necklace.
“That’s lovely.” She said to him as it hovered gently in his magic. “It’s dainty but robust enough to handle being worn easily.”
He nodded and sent the necklace to his saddlebags to give to the mare when he saw her next. “It will do the job,” he said to her as he looked back at the Elemental, which had stopped when its task was finished to await further instructions.
Oblivion looked at Applejack as she giggled. He tilted his head slightly at her as she looked up at him. She showed him the paper, and he saw that it was not the usual paper he would read in the morning. It read Foal Free Press across the top of the paper. He looked at the front page and a picture of the Mayor of Ponyville with her mane half pink and half gray. He read the first few sentences and was immediately taken by how rude it came off. He didn’t feel upset for the mayor per se, but he knew that he had to be on the lookout to ensure that he did not end up in the paper being laughed at.
“The Mayor looked less than thrilled.” He said to the farm mare.
“Oh, don’t be like Twilight.” Applejack teased. “She said the ponies in the paper are embarrassed. But Ah think Rarity is right.”
“Right about?”
“It’s just harmless gossip.”
“I’m sure the Mayor is not feeling it’s harmless.” He countered.
Applejack rolled her eyes and walked past him and toward the farmhouse. Sasa looked at him, and he glanced down at her. “Opinion?” He asked the feline.
“Yeah, I’m with you.” She admitted after a pause. “I would dread ending up on the paper and being made fun of. Ponies get to laugh at you all they want, and you did not consent to being photographed and published.”
“We will have to be on guard just in case.” He commented, and she nodded.
Oblivion walked into town and watched as a tiny foal ran through town. He recognized him as being from Apple Blooms class. If he was recalling correctly, it was Featherweight. He was unsure what the foal was carrying before him, but he did not care enough to pursue it and ask. He advanced to the Library and knocked on the front door. Twilight told him he could walk in, but it was still her home. A shout sounded out, and he opened the door and walked in. Twilight was coming into the room, and she smiled as he entered it.
“Hi, Oblivion.” She said to him as he came into the room. “How are you doing?”
“I’m fine, Twilight. And you?”
“I’m having a pretty good day. Been a quiet morning.”
“I have something for you,” he said to her as Sasa lay down in front of the door. His horn lit, and he summoned the box that held the necklace he had made for her. “This is for you.”
Twilight smiled brightly, and her magic took the little box from his hand. “What did you do?” she asked.
He watched as she put the box into her hooves and carefully opened the box. Her mouth dropped open as she saw the necklace in the box. She looked up at him, and her eyes were wide as her magic gripped the necklace, pulled it out of the box, and set it on the table. She held it in front of her, and she looked at it. He saw tears in her eyes as her magic wrapped it around her neck. It was slightly shorter than the necklace that held Sasa’s fang. Twilight showed no inclination to take the one-off and replace it with the new one.
“It’s beautiful. How did you do this?” She said as she tried not to let tears fall from her eyes.
“I found the gems while looking for the last map piece. I made the gold for the rest of it.”
“You… made… the gold?” She asked as she looked at the bauble on the end of the chain.
“I did, yes.”
She opened her mouth to question, but her mouth warped into a wide smile as she began to laugh. “I was about to ask how when I realized who I was talking to. You don’t seem to have rules on your magic so that I won’t question it.”
“I appreciate it. I honestly do not have any idea how I did it.” He explained. “I just did. It’s a thank you.”
“For what?”
“For all your help with the hunt for the map pieces. You have done your fair share of work.”
“Oh. You didn’t owe me anything for that. You’re my friend; I will do anything to help you.”
“And that is why I am gifting it to you. You ask for nothing in return for your help. You deserve it.”
She smiled, approached him, wrapped her forelegs around his neck, and nuzzled into his neck. “Thank you!” She said to him. “It’s amazing, and I love it.”
Oblivion nuzzled her in return, and he wrapped one foreleg around her. “I’m glad you like it.”
Oblivion walked down the street toward the Library once more. He stopped as a pony looked at him, pointing and giggling. He saw the paper in their hooves. Their pointing was from behind the paper, trying to be subtle. Sasa looked up at him as he walked toward the newspaper stand that the pony was standing close by. The closer he got to it, the more nervous the giggling pony seemed to grow. Soon, he fled from him as he reached the stand. He looked down at the stand, and his eyes widened slightly at the sight before him. His magic gripped a paper, and he looked up as the pony at the stand winked at him.
“The cheek.” Sasa said to him as he backed up from the stand and walked several feet away.
“This is why.” He said to her as he showed her the front page.
“Wedding Bells will soon ring! Oblivion Shadow proposes to Twilight Sparkle!” Sasa read back to him. “Oh… My… Claws!”
He looked as Sasa broke into uproarious laughter. “I’m not laughing.” He said to her as she tried to remain upright.
“The look on your face… Priceless.” Sasa wheezed. “Even for you, that was quite the expression. You looked somewhere between annoyed and shocked.”
“Funny.” He said as he looked up to see if he could track Twilight. “I need to bring this to her before it gets traction and embarrasses her.”
His eyes scanned, and he narrowed them to see if he could track her spirit. After a few seconds, he found her. She was within Sugar Cube Corner, and he broke into a trot to join her. As he made his way toward the cake shop, he watched as a flying stack of newspapers produced for the entrance. He could tell Rainbow Dash supported the stack, and she made it inside as he drew up behind her.
“Well, my life is officially over!” she called out from under the stack of papers. "Gabby Gums has made it to Cloudsdale.”
Twilight’s magic lit as she gripped one of the papers in her aura. “Rainbow Dash: Speed Demon or Super Softie?”
“I grabbed as many as I could. But it was too late.” Rainbow moved many of the papers to lay under her as she spoke. “I’m a laughing stock!”
Rainbow landed on the papers as she hid her face under her hooves. Twilight rounded to look over to her right as Rarity read through another paper. “See Rarity? Your so-called harmless gossip can be very hurtful.”
“Speaking of gossip.” Oblivion broke in. “This is the new one.”
He set the paper down in front of Twilight, and she quickly read over the title. Her eyes went wide, and her mouth dropped open. She scanned the photo, and it was two photos. The first was of her opening the small box the necklace had been in, and the other was of them hugging. She looked up at him, and he gave a somber nod.
“When was this… taken?” She asked, her voice small.
“If you look at the angles, it was from the Library’s window over my left shoulder.” He explained, and he watched as she seemed to be moving her body slightly to see what he meant.
“Oh... By… Celestia.” She whispered.
Rainbow got to her hooves and looked at the front cover. “Oh wow.” She said to the purple mare. “I’m guessing this is not what happened?”
“No.” Twilight whimpered. “He gave me this necklace to thank you for my help.”
Rainbow looked as the Unicorn pointed to the medallion around her neck. “It’s pretty.” She said, trying to make Twilight smile.
Twilight looked horrified, and she gently wrapped her legs around herself. “It’s just gossip and lies, but why do I feel so… violated?”
Oblivion conjured a blanket to wrap around her, and she smiled a little at the feel of the soft fabric. “It’s because of the untruths. They seem to grow a life when they are taken so far out of context. This one is particularly wrong. I didn’t think to look at the windows, even though I had seen the little pony taking them earlier.”
“Who was it?” Rainbow asked.
“Featherweight. From Apple Bloom's class… I know who this Gabby Gums is.” He said, and Twilight looked up at him. “The fillies. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Bell.”
Rarity jerked and dropped her paper to the floor. “My sister would never associate with anyone as beastly as Gabby Gums! I resent you even suggesting such a thing, Oblivion.”
“Really? I need you to think about it.” He argued gently with the mare.
“My sister would never do such a despicable thing.” She argued as she seemed ready to end the conversation until a new headline got her attention. “The Drama-Queen Diaries. How could she get her hooves on my diary?”
“Still think it could never be them?” Oblivion said to her.
“How could my sister be Gabby Gums?” She whispered, and her eyes were saddened as she made for the door.
Oblivion said nothing as he looked back at Twilight, who was still huddled under the blanket. He could see that she felt distraught by what had happened and the front page that they adorned. Spike was sitting close by her, and the Unicorn tapped his shoulder to get his attention. He reached out and tapped his horn to hers to get her attention. She looked at him, and he tipped his head toward the door. She nodded, and he picked the blanket off her and set it around her as they made for the door. They walked out of Sugar Cube Corner and toward the Library. Twilight looked up as a pony called out her name.
“When is the wedding?” She asked with a smile.
Twilight stared at her, and a whimper escaped her. His magic covered her, Sasa, and Spike, and he teleported them to the Library. She sat down heavily in the front room and stared at the ground. Spike went to each window and pulled the curtains to hide them from sight. Oblivion nodded at the baby dragon, and Spike came to pat Twilight's shoulder.
“First, it was the Canterlot Snob article, then this.” She whispered as Oblivion sat down in front of her.
“Canterlot Snob?” Oblivion questioned as Spike slashed at his neck to stop the black Unicorn from asking.
Twilight burst into tears as soon as the words left his mouth. He quickly pulled the blanket tighter around her as he pulled her close. Sasa approached her and nuzzled the mares back to try to console her. Twilight gripped his fur and the blanket as he ran his hoof over and through her mane to comfort her.
Oblivion stayed overnight to comfort Twilight. He insisted on sitting by her bed as she slept, ensuring she did not wake up upset. She did awaken a few times after dreams about cameras and flashbulbs. He closed his eyes as the sun rose, and he darkened the window to allow Twilight to sleep longer. An hour passed, and the mare stirred in her bed, and he opened one eye to look at her as she awoke. She saw him by her bed, and a smile crossed her muzzle.
“You did stay all night.” She said to him. “Sasa, too.”
Sasa sat up from the bottom of her bed and purred loudly. “We would not leave you in that state.”
He parroted what she said, and Twilight nodded. “I know. I just have never felt that way before. It was so… invasive.”
“Being photographed in your own home unwillingly would upset even the most stoic. I read the article, and according to Sasa, even I had a strange expression,” he said to her, trying to make her smile further.
She smiled, and he backed away from her bed to let her escape it. Sasa leaned down and began to lick Spike, waking him up quickly. “Coffee anypony?”
“Yes, thank you,” Oblivion said to her as he fell behind her down the stairs to her kitchen.
Twilight sat and sipped her coffee, and he sat across from her and drank his. As Spike ate his breakfast, Sasa drank a plate of milk from his hooves. He could see her spirit had recovered considerably from the shock it had been through the day before.
“I keep thinking what I’ll do if they come back.”
“Well, we could avoid them easily enough. Or barricade the Library from them.”
“How?”
“Force field?” He asked in reply.
“Oh, that’s a good idea. Between the two of us, it will be potent enough even to keep the photo pony out.” She said to him. “Will you help me with it?”
“Of course.” He assured her as he set his coffee down and followed her toward the front door.
The mare paused and opened the door a crack to look out for ponies before she left the Library. He didn’t say anything about her caution and fell in behind her.
“Okay, so we need to make it strong enough to keep them out but not strong enough to hurt anypony.” She said to him.
“I agree. They can bump into it, and it will push them back?”
“That’s a good idea,” Twilight said as she smiled. “That way, it does not hurt them.”
“You want to lead, or should I?” He asked her.
“I will.” She replied.
He lit his horn, and its azure flame covered hers, allowing him to mix his magic into hers. A dome of azure flame and magenta aura covered the Library in a tall dome. Oblivion watched as she constructed the dome, and he was impressed by how quickly she put the spell together. When she was done, her magic faded out, and he also dropped him.
“Well done.” He praised.
“Thank you,” Twilight said to him as a slight blush crept up her face. "Are you going to go home or stay here?”
“I’ll remain here if you wish me to.”
“That’s fine.” She quickly said to him. “Come on.”
He walked behind her as she led him back into the Library. Sasa was sitting just inside the door, and a slight look stayed on her muzzle. He said nothing in reply and moved past her as Sasa gave a light chuckle.
Hours went by as they read and chatted about Canterlot and other topics. They both perked up as the shield alerted them that it had been touched. He looked out the window to find the fillies looking at the dome. Spike opened a higher window and leaned out to talk to them.
“Twilight and Oblivion were sure you three would come back. They put up a force field to ensure you don’t hurt them worse.” Spike shouted. “Now go try and embarrass somepony else.”
He slammed the window shut, and Oblivion looked over his shoulder at Twilight. The mare looked sad and upset. Her spirit rolled as he returned to her, put one claw under her chin, and lifted her head that way.
“They only win if you let them.” He said to her, his voice soft.
“It just hurts that they did that to us.”
“I know.”
“You even felt something when it happened, right?”
“I did, yes.” He admitted. “Though the feeling was greatly muted, it was still there.”
“How do I let it go?” She asked. “I keep imagining that moment when I read the article.”
“It’s not going to be easy.”
“How do you let it go?”
He said nothing for several seconds as he considered what she had asked. “I do not dwell on it. I cannot change what they have done; I can only change how I react to it.”
“So you just change your perception and adapt to it?”
He considered what she had said, and he nodded. “That’s one way to put it.”
She looked thoughtful and leaned back on her haunches. “Is that hard to do?”
“Not for me. But for you who rely on your emotions, it might be a bit of a difficulty.” He informed her. “But I know you. You are not a mare to be taken lightly with what you can and cannot accomplish.”
“What do you mean?”
“You are a mare of great strength and wisdom. Underestimating you would be foolish.” He said to her, and a small smile began to tug at her mouth. “You can accomplish much with magic or without. Deciding how you feel about something is something that you can handle.”
She smiled brightly as he saw her spirit recover, and he was struck by how bright it was. In Elder Speech, he would describe it as Aine Saov, which means Bright Spirit. He looked at her, and a slight smile tugged at one side of his mouth.
“Well done.” He said to her. “In my world, we have a word for what I see from you.”
She looked at him, her locked with his. “Which is?”
“Aine Saov.”
“What does it mean?”
“Bright Spirit.”
“What language is that?”
“The Elder Speech. It suits you well.” He said to her.
The mare said nothing as she looked away from him and looked back to find Spike looking like he had bitten into a lemon. She shooed him out of the room with one hoof. He quickly ran out of the room, and she hurried close to the Witcher and nuzzled her head under his neck. He laid his head against her neck and gently nuzzled her.
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Okay that was adorable.
Anybody want some condensed sugar?
Those two fit so well together.
I bet twilight will be the first he shows his wings to, he trusts her a lot. she should not be too shocked i mean that crimeboss dude literally said he was not a unicorn ;)
I wanna see this ship happen. It's cute. Twilight's adorkablness with Oblivion's serious and calm nature
11868360
Have to make it pass Shining Armor first. Though I suspect Cadance would shut her coltfriend before he even open his mouth.
Ahhh I Want this romance to bloom they're so cute when they are together.
*they're
The day this story gains the romance tag will be nice. Love this story
11870848
Fixed. I thought I got all of them. But I missed one lol.
11873393
I forgot to add it to it. I'll fix it before I add it in the next chapter. Thanks for the reminder.
11874399
Noice