Oblivion froze as the World Spirit shuddered. He could sense from it that the upset was not huge and that it was a single pony close to him versus a large number of ones that he did not know. The Witcher said nothing for several seconds before his horn lit with the white fire of the World Spirit, and he bade it to find the pony it had alerted him to. He realized it alerted him to an issue with Shining Armor in Canterlot. He was a bit surprised at the fact that that pony needed help.

“He just got married. Why would he need me?” Oblivion muttered under his breath.

“What?” Sasa asked as she drew up by him. “The World Spirit reached out?”

“It has, yes.” He informed her. “It’s Shining.”

“Seriously?” Sasa asked as he spoke. “He should be on cloud nine.”

“Which is?”

“The pinnacle of happiness.” She clarified.

“Ah. Then I agree he should be. But according to the World Spirit, he is not even close to that.”

He dispelled the World Spirit from his horn and allowed it to fade into the back of his mind. Sasa slid up to his shoulder, and his horn lit with his azure aura, and he teleported them both to Canterlot. He opened his eyes and found them in the middle of the training field. His eyes quickly scanned the area around them till he found a spirit that he was familiar with. Ponies that had stopped what they were doing stared at him as he moved quickly through the groups of them toward his target. Sasa fell in behind him, and he was quiet as he walked. Shining’s spirit glowed dully in front of him as he reached him. Shining was looking at him as he came to stand before the Captain of the Guard.

“What can I do for you, Witcher?” he asked, his voice full of his usual good humor.

“I need some of your time.” Oblivion informed him.

“What do you need?”

“Privately?”

“Of course. This way. We can talk in my office.”

Oblivion fell behind him. They walked just inside the castle, and he ushered them into an office. Oblivion sat down in the chair offered, and Sasa sat down beside him. The Captain went and sat down in his own chair, and he looked at the black Unicorn and gave him a questioning look.

“You know of my connection to the Element of Harmony I bear.” Shining nodded as he went on. “Through it, I can sense the spirits of those closest to me and others to an extent.”

“I feel I’m not going to like the next thing out of your mouth,” Shining said as the stallion leaned forward onto his desk.

“It alerted me… To you.”

“What?” Shining questioned as Oblivion nodded. “Me? What about me?”

“It alerts me to when somepony has a deep loss of their spirit. It tells me you are not the self-assured pony you once were two weeks ago.” Oblivion explained.

“I’m fine, I promise you,” Shining said to him. “I think your Element was a bit off.”

“Really?” Oblivion asked. “Then what about what I can see?”

“What you can see? What do you mean?”

“I also can see the spirits of those around me. No matter who they are, they cannot hide from my eyes.” He explained. Shining looked away from him. “Not even my fellow Elements can hide.”

“Which means?”

“You are not the high-spirited pony you once were.”

Shining looked uncomfortably away from him and looked down at his hooves on his desk. Seconds ticked by as he seemed to be trying to decide whether to come clean or to deny it further. Oblivion said nothing to convince him one way or the other. Shining finally snorted as he leaned back in his chair and looked at the ceiling for a few seconds before scrubbing his face with his hooves.

“Okay. Say I tell you there is a problem, what then?”

“We find a way to fix it. You have seen what I can do if needed?”

“Oh?”

“Soarin.”

“Right,” Shining replied. “I forgot about him.”

“So?”

“I just… can’t shake that I failed.”

“Meaning?” Sasa asked and he spoke for her.

“A fake duped me.” He said bitterly.

“Ah.” Oblivion said as he understood quickly. “She was quite good at her job.”

“Still. I should have known when she acted differently that she was not my Cadance.” He growled. “My sister tried to tell me, then you tried to tell me, and I nearly bit your heads off and didn’t even blink when she sent you away. When I thought about it afterward, you would have teleported back had you been able. Which means you were unable.”

Sasa looked uncomfortable as she shifted in her spot. “He was stressed, very stressed.”

Oblivion spoke for her, and Shining shook his head. “That’s no excuse to let my city fall into chaos and violence. Changelings overran the city, and I was not able to fight. All I could was stand there, brainless.”

Oblivion said nothing for a second as Shining went quiet. “You were subdued due to her magic.”

“I know that.” Shining snarled. “I should have known better from the beginning.”

“Easy Shining.” Oblivion said his voice firm. “We are here for you, not to judge you for your past actions.”

“Or inaction.” Shining grumbled. “I know. I’m trying not to be bitter and angry, but I keep falling into that thought spiral.”

Oblivion opened his mouth to speak when the World Spirit roiled, and he looked away to listen to it. Sasa looked at him as his horn lit with the World Spirits white fire. Shining jumped in his seat at the sight of the fire on his horn. Sasa said nothing briefly as Oblivion spoke to the World Spirit. When he had finished, the flames faded, and he looked back at Shining.

“What was that?” Shining asked.

“The Element.” He lied smoothly. “It alerted to a problem with a group of ponies fairly close to here.”

“Same issue as me?”

“Possibly. Their spirits have fallen deeply and need help.” Oblivion explained.

“Do you need…? Never mind.” Shining began to ask, then stopped.

Oblivion had watched as Shining’s spirit brightened slightly but then fell back. “DO you wish to come along?”

Shining looked at him, and his eyes widened. “Are you sure I can be of help? I can’t even protect those close to me.”

“I think it would help him greatly.” Sasa said to him. “Bring him with us.”

Oblivion glanced at her momentarily before he gave a slight nod at her insistence. “You can come with me if you wish.”

“Maybe getting out of Canterlot will help.” Shining admitted, and Oblivion got to his hooves. “I keep doubting myself and what I can accomplish. Since the wedding, I’ve been a mess. Thankfully Cadance hasn’t said anything.”

“What doubts do you have?” Oblivion asked him.

“I… I keep thinking about how I wasn’t able to protect any pony. You had to fight Chrysalis personally, and my sister helped every pony.” Shining explained.

“Definitely a good idea for him to come along. Helping these ponies will hopefully give him a boost.” Sasa told him as she got to her paws.

“I think you coming with us would be beneficial. Come over here so I can easily teleport us.” Oblivion instructed.

Shining came to stand in front of him, and his horn lit to teleport them.

Oblivion opened his eyes to look at the village in front of them. Shining turned around to look, and he said nothing as silence pervaded around them. There were no sounds coming from the village, and Shining walked a few feet away from them and up to the village border. He flicked his ears, and no sound came to them.

“I got to admit this is making me uneasy.” Shining admitted.

“I agree,” Sasa said.

“She agrees.” Oblivion said to him.

“Where are the ponies?” Shining asked.

“Let me see if the Element can find them.” Oblivion said as he called on the World Spirit once more.

The white fire slid from his horn and fell across the ground. He sent it across the ground, and it flowed easily away from them. Shining stared at the fire as it fell to the ground and flowed quickly away from them. He looked back at the black Unicorn, and his eyes were still wide.

“It can do that?” He asked.

“With the right spell, yes.” Oblivion lied. “We can move behind it, and it will find the ponies for us.”

“And when it does?” Shining asked.

“It will lead me to them.”

“Well, the World Spirit can do this.” Sasa chuckled.

“Hush.” Oblivion whispered to her.

Shining joined him as he walked up past him and into the town. As they walked, the Captain scanned the streets on either side of them, his nervous energy palpable as he tried to keep his ears open.

“Tell him to calm down. He’s making me nervous.” Sasa complained.

“She says to calm down.” Oblivion said to the other stallion. “She says you’re making her more nervous than the silence is.”

Shining jumped at the sound of his voice, stared at the black Unicorn, and then looked at the Spectral Tiger. He realized what had been said and sighed.

“Sorry, Sasa.” He said to her.

“It’s fine.” She assured him. “I just can’t help but think that he’s overthinking.”

Oblivion parroted her words, and the Captain stared at him momentarily before he sighed again. “I know. I keep telling myself I won’t fail this time. There are ponies to save, and I need to step up this time.”

“You’ll be fine.” Sasa assured him. “You have us to back you up. We would not put you in a situation where your success was impossible.”

Oblivion spoke for her, and Shining nodded with understanding. “I know. It’s not your style to set me up to fail. But I can’t help that nagging thought.”

“You’ll step up as you are meant to when you’re needed most.” Oblivion said to him as he began to walk forward once more.

They fell into silence as Oblivion began to scan the area; the World Spirit gave a little jump. He turned his head to look in the direction it had indicated. Sasa and Shining Armor stopped with him as the white fire came back to him.

“That way.” He said as he altered his direction.

“How many?” Shining asked.

“I don’t know. It's just that there are ponies in that direction. I didn’t request more information than that.”

Shining stared at him momentarily before he sighed and trudged with the black Unicorn leading the way.

As they moved, Oblivion looked at the location they were heading toward. “It’s… Familiar,” he muttered as they approached a cave. He paused and began to look around them. A familiar path stood out to him, and he gave a slight chuckle as he angled them for that path.

“Anything?” Shining asked.

“Maybe.”

Sasa kept up with him as they reached the cave, and the feline raised her head as a familiar scent washed over them. “I know this place.” She said as they walked deeper into the cave.

“We both do.” He said to her as they walked.

“What is that smell?” Shining asked from behind them.

Oblivion didn’t say anything as a pony came around the corner. Her eyes went wide at the sight of the Witcher, and she smiled as she bade him follow her.

“Who was that?” Shining asked.

“I do not know her name.” Oblivion admitted. “I assume they have names, but I did not ask them last time I was here.”

They came around the corner before Oblivion could explain further, and the pack of Changelings stood before him. Shining went around the corner with him, and his eyes widened at seeing them. His horn lit as he yelled in surprise. The changelings yelped in fear as the white Unicorn moved toward them.

“Shining no.” Oblivion said to him, his voice low. “They are not with the ones from before.”

“It doesn’t matter their changelings!” He shouted at him.

Shining prepared to fight them when he was lifted off the ground in Oblivion’s azure aura. He yelped as his horn was snuffed out, and he looked as if the changelings said nothing as he was held aloft.

“Put me down!” He yelled. “They will…”

"They are harmless. They fled Chrysalis as well. Her cruelty drove them to here as a way to avoid her. I met them before, and we had an agreement.” Oblivion explained. “They do not desire to harm anypony. They wish to be allowed to live in peace.”

Shining stared at him as Sasa walked past him. The changeling female in front reached out and patted her broad forehead. His eyes went wide as the changelings looked at him, and they seemed more afraid of him than he was of them. He felt the fight go out of him and shook his head in disbelief.

“Fine.” He growled.

Oblivion set him down on his hooves as he walked past the Captain and walked to talk to them. “Have you seen a large group of ponies? The villagers have gone missing.”

“We have. They went past here two days ago. We changed into plants and huddled in the corner. They didn’t seem to see up but looked terrified when they were driven past here.”

“Driven?”

“Yes. There was a… Thing… driving them into the caves. I can’t even tell you what it was. It just looked like pure evil.” One of them clarified.

“Did it look like this?” Oblivion asked as he sent an image of the Revenant onto the nearest wall.

“Yes!” They shouted as one.

“That’s the monster that was with them.” She said to him. “We stayed away from it. It didn’t seem to say anything to them; it just herded them deeper. One tried to run back, but this disgusting black goo flowed from that creature and drove the pony back to the others.”

“The corruption it wields can be very damaging to a pony.” Oblivion informed them. “It’s for the best that you avoided it.”

“Least they are all okay.” Sasa said to him.

Shining stayed back behind him and avoided looking at them. His body was tense and drawn. Oblivion looked in the direction they were pointing, and he walked toward the path they indicated.

“Do you need help?” She asked.

Shining gave a derisive snort as he fell in behind Oblivion. Oblivion ignored the noise and looked over his shoulder at the changelings, who appeared eager to join him. He debated his options, nodded, and tipped his horn for them to join them. He heard Shining grit his teeth as the group fell in around them. The changelings stayed behind him as he began to track the ponies that had come before them.

Oblivion led them forward as his connection to the World Spirit hummed under his skin. His skin trembled as he began to sense that they were drawing close. The light from his horn dimmed as they drew closer to where the ponies were being held. He looked back as the changelings watched him closely. He paused, and they stopped with him and waited for him to speak.

“Can one of you transform and go in there to see the situation?” he asked their leader, and she nodded.

“I can.” She told him that he tipped his head so she could go ahead.

He watched as she transformed into a rat and slid past his hooves and around the corner. He stayed silent as the others remained crowded together. Several minutes went by as the small rat came racing back to them, and she transformed as she came to stand in front of Oblivion.

“Okay, that thing is creepy.” She rushed out.

“Oh?” He asked as she nodded frantically.

“Yeah. I’m unsure what it’s doing, but the ponies are all on the ground. They are alive, I checked, but they aren’t getting up. All around them, that black goo is circling them. I barely jumped it to check on them. I can’t help but fear what would have happened if I had touched it.”

“It would have broken your spirit.” Oblivion explained. “That is what it does. It's gathering ponies for its master. For what purpose exactly, I’m not sure.”

“Okay. What do we do?” She asked. “How do we get them out of there?”

“You stay back and let real ponies handle it.” Shining growled.

Sasa looked back and slapped her paw across his nose. “Be nice.”

“She says for you to be nice, Shining. They wish to help, and we would be foolish not to take what help we can get.” Shining rubbed his nose as Oblivion spoke.

The white stallion said nothing and gave a strained nod. “As you wish.”

Oblivion heard the disdain in his tone but chose to ignore it. “We need to get your group in there to help keep the ponies protected. I can handle the Revenant while the rest of you help as needed. Try to avoid touching it if you can. Shining?” The white pony looked at him, waiting for his role. “Your job is to protect them.”

“What?!”

“There are only fifteen of them, not fifty. They need you to back them up and keep them from touching the corruption. We can’t afford to lose them when they are helping the ponies.” Oblivion explained.

Shining’s eyes were wide as he looked at the black Unicorn. “You want me to?”

“Yes.” Oblivion interrupted. “Put what they are out of your mind. Focus on what they are willing to do to help your ponies. You are now a Prince of Equestria. Act like it.”

Shining jerked at his words. Sasa purred as she nuzzled the stunned Captain. Oblivion backed up and looked at the group of them. “We need to keep the ponies together and, if possible, keep them in one place. Avoid corruption and try to keep them from touching it. I’ll go first, and then the group of you will run in. Ready?”

They all nodded, and Shining nodded bitterly as Sasa purred loudly. Oblivion spun on his heel and headed around the corner. The Revenant didn’t immediately see him, and he walked silently toward him. His magic summoned his sword, and it hovered at his shoulder. The ponies were down on the ground as the corruption hovered and undulated around them.

“You are here.” The Revenant said as he drew up close. “How do you always know?”

“I have my ways.” He said back.

“I’m sure you do. But it seems to be quite convenient for you always to thwart me. But not this time. I have already begun to harvest them. I learned from my past mistakes when honoring my master.”

“I will fix what you have broken then.” Oblivion replied.

“You can try.” The Revenant snarled as it turned around and charged him.

Oblivion flicked his tail as a signal to the others, and he charged the other. They clashed in the middle. His blade sparked as the rune for fire triggered, and the revenant yelled in alarm as the fire spilled down the blade. It shouted in alarm and reeled back. Oblivion watched as it seemed to be considering its next move.

Shining watched as the changelings flew over the top of the barriers and into the cage that held the town’s ponies. Anger coursed through him, but at the same time, he knew that fighting them was not an option. He watched as Sasa jumped to help them, and they began to try to wake and rouse the ponies. He couldn’t understand why they did not hold the creatures to the same anger that he did. They had attacked Canterlot, and their queen had taken Cadance and put herself in her place.

He looked over his shoulder to find Oblivion clashing with the monster of darkness as fire flowed from Oblivion's sword. He started to walk toward the Witcher when a roar sounded out from behind him, and he looked back as Sasa stared at him. He knew she was silently admonishing him, and he nodded at her. He moved back into place as the wall of black goo began to move. He said nothing as it began to move toward him. He erected a shield in front of him, and it clashed against it. As it fell against the shield, he saw the shield begin to crack. His eyes went wide as he danced back to avoid the blackness.

“Damn.” He cursed as he backed up.

He took to his heels as the goo seemed to chase after him. He looked back as it reared over him, and a sudden impact sent him rolling. He rolled to his hooves, and his eyes widened as the corruption swirled around a small prone form on the ground where he had been. One of the changelings had thrown him out of the way and was now on the ground as the corruption had thrown them to the ground instead of him.

“Why?” He questioned as he looked at the changeling. “I… was cruel to you.”

His voice sounded small to even his ears. He stared as the corruption reared up once more. His heart pounded in his chest as he watched it loom above them all. All his doubts came to the forefront of his mind, and he was stopped in his tracks by them.

“You are a Prince of Equestria Shining!” Oblivion's voice cut through his thoughts, and he looked back as the Witcher was now shouting at him. “All ponies are yours to protect! Protect them!”

The words sunk into his mind, and he felt his mind clear. He doubted the worth of his abilities and whether he was worthy of the new title he had gained. Looking at the small form still on the ground, he realized that the changeling had decided he was worth protecting despite his actions. His heart slowed, and he felt calm as the corruption loomed over him and began to come down. His horn shone as he called on a shield of his creation. One similar to the one he had used with Cadance’s help before.

As it happened, oblivion felt the surge of magic, and he pushed the Revenant away from him. The shield ballooned out from its origin point and moved everything away. A slight smile tugged at his mouth as the channeled magic soared over the ground and collided with the Revenant and the corruption in the room. Oblivion stayed still as it was pushed back, and the Revenant screamed in rage. Oblivion said nothing as the magic continued to swell. His connection to the World Spirit perked up as the magic grew more robust, and the corruption was vaporized in the swell of magic.

“Chosen! What is going on? If he dies, Cadance will murder us.” Sasa said to him.

“He’s fine. It seems he finally tossed off his doubts and the shackles that came with them,” he replied to her.

The ponies began getting to their hooves, and the changelings helped them. Oblivion padded up to the now fading light. Shining Armor lay on the ground in its wake, his eyes closed. Oblivion approached him and patted his shoulder gently with his hoof. Shining groaned and looked up to find the Witcher watching him.

“What happened?” Shining asked.

Oblivion looked up as the others watched him. “You threw off your shackles and will rise again as their Prince.”

Shining began to get up when he stopped, and his eyes went to his back. A pair of white wings graced his body. His eyes went wide, and he looked up at the Witcher.

“What the hell?” He asked. “Why do I have wings?”

“You threw off your doubts.” Oblivion said to him. “You are now one of those that bear the wings of Royalty. They have come to you for a reason.”

“Which is?” Shining asked as Oblivion helped him to his hooves.

“Your shield.”

“What?”

“You are the shield that will protect the world of ponies and their allies.” Oblivion said as he tipped his horn for Shining to look back.

Shining looked over his shoulder, and he could see the ponies and the changelings smiling as they watched them. “Am I meant to protect all of them?”

“Yes.” Oblivion replied. “You hold within you the worth of your shield. You chose to protect everypony just now?”

“I did, yeah. They protected me, and it didn’t make sense at first.” Shining admitted. “But when I realized that they chose not to hold back how I acted against me, I realized that I needed to reflect on how they treated me.”

“Fair reasoning.” Oblivion said to him. “You now stand as one of Equestria’s Royals. Their equal.”

Shining looked at the wings against his sides, at the black Unicorn, and a smile crossed his mouth.

Author's Note

Okay, here we go. I have a long-term plan for the Alicorn thing, so bear with me. Thanks for reading!

Featured! 5/27/2024