IV: Proving Oneself
"Wow, it never gets old!" Spike chimed as he looked at a perfect replica of himself, though the other him was not even remotely as excited.
Aurus shifted himself back to normal, smiling slightly. "Well, it does for us; pretending to be something you're not takes a lot of time and energy. Especially when you try to look like someone who's a different size."
"Can we focus please?" Twilight reprimanded the pair, scowling over her shoulder momentarily.
Both the changeling and the dragon shuffled in an oddly similar manner, both looking opposing directions away from Twilight. "Sorry," they replied in unison.
Satisfied that they would be back on track, she went back to what she had been working on; assembling the supplies needed to document the upcoming conversation, and to write a much needed letter to the princess. With a horn-load of writing supplies hovering within her magical aura, she made her way over to Aurus, who was now standing idly at the stumpy table in the center of the tree. She set all the supplies down neatly, organizing everything as each item fell out of her magical influence.
Aurus watched her with an almost jealous expression, one she took careful note of. Twilight kept quiet about it for now, however. There were more important things to address.
"Alright, now before we do anything else I want to know about you. Who you are, where you're from, the whole eight acres," she said, poising a quill over a piece of parchment.
"Um, eight acres?" Aurus asked, unfamiliar with that expression.
"It means I want to know all the details. Even the little ones," she said with a small smile. She didn't trust him or even particularly like him, but the smile came on all the same. She loved teaching, even small things like this; so much so that there was clearly no racial barrier involved there.
"Oh, I get it. Alright, what would you like to know first?" he asked, sitting comfortably on the floor, resting his chin lazily on the edge of the low table. He wasn't keen on being interrogated, but he had to admit that he was just as curious as she was; wanted to know about her just as badly as she did about him. After all, this was the only pony he had truly met, not counting that mail delivery girl.
"Well, you said your name was...?" she inquired, clearly having already forgotten it.
"Aurus Marz," he replied with a sigh, realizing suddenly that this was not likely to get interesting. Still, there was no way around it, so he would have to do what he could to make it worth his while. "And your name?" he asked politely.
"Twilight Sparkle," the purple unicorn replied, never looking away from the paper she was scribbling on. "Age?"
The two of them went back and forth like that. Aurus was amused to find that as long as he could keep her busy writing, her brain would automatically answer his questions. However, if she wasn't occupied with writing down his information and he asked her something, he would only receive a cold scowl. To entertain himself he made a game of it, trying to see how many things he could pull from her for each thing she pulled from him.
By the end of it all, the exchange had been fairly even, as far as he was concerned. Personally he thought her own story was interesting, even though it was vague; she had really come to this town because she had been on an 'assignment' to make friends. Thinking of it like that, it was eerie how similar his own reasons were for being there.
It had also surprised him to know that he was older than her, almost by two full years. She acted so much older than she actually was; a trait Aurus never saw enough of. Most people were too immature for his taste.
"Alright, one last thing for now: how skilled are you, magically? I've read that changelings can do a wide variety of spells, and I need to know what kind of trouble I should be expecting," she said bluntly, and the look in her eyes said she wasn't kidding.
Aurus sat up straighter at that, and actually looked away from her. There it was again, or so she assumed; something about magic made this changeling uncomfortable. "You can do magic, can't you?" she prodded, a twinge of concern entering her voice. As much as it would be better for everyone if he couldn't, it would be so much more boring for her in the long run.
"Yes and no," he replied tersely, clearly not a fan of that line of questioning. He sighed in defeat though, dropping his head back on the table. "All changelings can do magic, but I'm probably one of the least skilled ones out there. I can do a few basic spells, but a lot of my magic happens by accident. I try to avoid using it as much as possible for that reason.... So if you want to know how much trouble to expect, you're not alone, because I'd like to know too," he grumbled.
Twilight couldn't deny a twinge of guilt in her chest, as if somehow she had brought that hurt to the surface on purpose. She let that thought go though, knowing it was false. Still, she felt pity for Aurus. Magic was one of the greatest, most meaningful gifts of her life, a gift that Aurus was supposed to have too. But the unfortunate creature simply wasn't in control of that power, or so it seemed.
In a kind-hearted, purely reactive way, she felt the instinctual urge to try and cheer him up. "Well, how does changeling magic work? I bet you know at least that much, even if you don't have a long list of spells you can use. Either way, you know more than I do about it," she pointed out.
That did seem to get him a bit more interested in the conversation at least. He cleared his throat, and his tone took on the typical school-boy inflection. Bored, easily reciting something he had been told over and over just to answer a teacher's question.
"Changeling magic stems from positive emotion; love is the most powerful, but even simple friendship or approval can generate magical force. The body stores this magic for later use in spell casting, or to be consumed physically as energy." He was concise, giving the textbook answer all changeling children knew inside out.
Twilight scribbled a note, an excited look on her face. Taking down his personal information was a must-have, but it was tidbits like this that really fascinated her, got her gears turning. "How much can you store up? Is there a limit?" she asked, still writing rapidly, her eyes jumping from the paper to Aurus now and then.
His expression took on a pained look, but it vanished so quickly that Twilight wasn't sure she had ever truly seen it. "The average changeling can store small amounts without any trouble. But if the body takes in too much magic at once, it can cause damage to the body or the mind. If a changeling were loved by everyone... it's technically possible that he could be killed from the resulting magical intake," he said, doing his best not to dwell on that little detail as he said it.
"That's amazing! So a changeling could theoretically be loved to death?" she asked, actually dropping her pen and paper in the excitement of that realization. She had her front hooves up on the table and was leaning across it towards him, her eyes hungry for more learning.
"I suppose you could say that," Aurus said, leaning back a bit from the psychotically curious pony. This girl needed a new hobby, or so he thought. "It's really uncommon though; in case you haven't noticed, not very many people like us. Even where I'm from, most changelings are too self-absorbed to even come close to loving anyone to death, as you put it. Only people in positions of power are really in any danger of it..." he trailed off abruptly, realizing what he had just said a little too late.
Twilight couldn't have been happier. "So, you're the king right? Then the amount of magic you're taking in from your people alone must be enormous!" she chimed, turning around and fishing her pen and paper off the floor, scribbling something down before she even got back to her hooves.
Aurus sighed while she wasn't looking, and let his chin sink to the tabletop again. This crazy, curious pony was going to run him into the ground. He was sure of it, and the day had only just begun.
Traveling about town in Twilight's company had a very pleasant effect. He knew that most of the ponies in town were still afraid of him, but as long as she was standing next to him, none of them seemed overly worried. It was clear that everyone trusted her judgment enough to let their own fears go and give him a chance.
After she had finally decided she had learned enough, Aurus had requested that he be allowed to introduce himself to as many ponies as possible. Twilight couldn't really object, as introductions were fairly harmless. By the time sunset had rolled around, Aurus had met half of the town, greeting them all with the same warm, interested smile.
Twilight got the sincere feeling that there was not a single pony he didn't truly enjoy meeting. At last as darkness rolled around, Aurus suggested that they head back to the library. No sense having to catch anyone before bed, or so he had said.
When they were both securely stationed back in Twilight's home, he allowed himself a nervous laugh, flopping to the floor. When Twilight shot him a curious look, he just laughed again, and then sighed heavily. As much as he really did think it would be rude to try and greet someone right before bed, he wasn't sure how much more of that his nerves could have taken.
"It's not easy, trying to meet people you know are afraid of you," he clarified, not at all surprised to find his hooves still shaking from nerves.
Twilight chuckled, having similar memories of coming to Ponyville herself. "It's just as bad when you're afraid to meet them," she admitted at length. Spending the entire day with Aurus had helped to lift a lot of her inhibitions about him. The two had started talking more casually as the hours rolled on, though they still didn't have much to say to each other.
For his own part, Aurus just didn't want to offend her in any way. It was obvious from the way other ponies reacted to her that she held a lot of respect in the community, and aside from being borderline insane where learning new things was concerned, he rather enjoyed her company. She wasn't so different from anyone else he had met, though she was significantly more open minded, and far more compassionate.
"Twilight?" he asked warmly, still sitting where he had landed on the floor.
"Yes?" she asked back, not really addressing him by name. Aurus could deal with that, though in a way he felt hurt by it.
"Thank you for coming with me. I know you just want to keep an eye on me, but I never could have met so many of your wonderful people without you there with me. They would have slammed their doors in my face, or run off in terror. Without your help, I wouldn't be where I am now," he said quietly, his tone low to show how serious he was.
She looked truly taken aback by that. She hadn't been expecting him to thank her, he knew. Perhaps even further, she hadn't been expecting sincerity from him. Deep down he feared she still expected him to be trying to trick her or deceive her. But he could see from her guilty expression that little things like this were making her rethink who he really was; breaking the image of what he was.
"Y-you're welcome. You're right, I'm sure it would have been a lot harder for you without me. I'm... glad I could help," Twilight replied at last, her face red with embarrassment as she fought for the words to reply to the changeling in her home. He was so warm and polite, and it just felt wrong to treat him like a villain every time he spoke to her that way.
"Do you think perhaps you could help me meet the rest of them tomorrow?" he asked. He was glad to feel his heart leap in his chest at the prospect. He was certainly nervous to meet them, still waiting for the heart-crushing feeling of rejection when someone threw the door shut on him. But the thrill of trying, against those odds, left him feeling excited to venture forth, and try his damnedest to befriend this town. "I don't think I can do it without you," he added, unknown to even himself. The words had simply slipped out.
It was her turn to smile at him now, the first time she had looked at him warmly and sincerely. The first time any pony ever had. He wasn't a research project anymore, or a prisoner on a leash; at last, thanks to that earnest request for help, she was beginning to see him as a person.
"Sure, Aurus. After all, you're on a mission to help your people, all on your own. You've got a long way to go before I trust you... But I'm willing to help you. Innocent until proven guilty, right?" she asked, wandering closer to him.
He stood up, feeling that perhaps this would be a good stopping point between them. "That's good enough for me. I need to prove to your people that I can be trusted, just as much as I need to prove it to you. That my people can all be trusted. Someday soon, you will see," he said, turning towards the door. She led him to it, clearly feeling as he did that tonight's discussion was at an end.
He stepped out as she opened the door for him, smiling back over his shoulder. In the gloom, his green eyes glowed faintly as they reflected the moonlight, a deep forest-green illumination against the black of his hide, and the starry night sky. "Goodnight, Twilight. I'll see you tomorrow," he said warmly. Without another word, or waiting for a reply, he spread his large wings and took off into the night, heading west towards Everfree.
Twilight watched him go, slightly surprised that she was looking forward to seeing him again. He was so new, so intriguing, and yet he was familiar, so like other ponies she knew. Perhaps they were wrong after all. Perhaps the changelings weren't monsters at all.
Perhaps, like a young filly from not so long ago, they simply needed friends.
"Goodnight, Aurus," she muttered quietly, for the changeling was long gone. She shut the door and grabbed her supplies from the table with her magic. Once she was in her room, she took the quill up and began to write.
"Dear Princess Celestia..."
Gerd waited impatiently in the moonlight, wandering his way between two spires of red rock, stained black by their own shadows in the gloom. "Late, always late," he grumbled to himself.
He stopped his angry pacing suddenly as he caught the slight sound of insect-like wings on the breeze. At last, his friends were here. Shortly after, five other changelings landed on the canyon floor. Each of them dipped their heads to him in respect.
"Hello, my friends!" Gerd said warmly, but he kept his voice low. This was a secret meeting, after all. "I am glad that you have come; the fate of our nation rested on your dedication, and it warms my heart to see that you have not been lazy in your service to our people."
"What's this about, councilman?" one changeling asked, his tone pleasant. It was obvious that Gerd's silver tongue was working well still, for each of those present felt as if they had already done something more than attending a midnight meeting.
"It is about the council's latest blunder. I don't have the power to call a meeting of the nation, and the council would never agree to one if they knew it was to reveal their latest failure. But my duty is to the people, and they deserve to know the truth. I have called you five here because I trust you with this knowledge, and I know that each of you has the means and the power to ensure that the people know of it, though the council will surely try to deny it," Gerd said, his voice going through all of the proper emotions; anger, gratitude, shame.
The five gathered nodded; they were all powerful nobles, though none of them held the strength of purpose that a councilman did. Still, they were too familiar with the council's inner workings. It was not so different from the workings of any sound business; let good business speak for itself, and keep bad business quiet. But in the case of the council, the only service they provided was to the people.
"Tell us then. What have they done?" one noble asked quietly, eager to do what he could for his country.
"The new king is young and easily swayed. He is full of just purpose, but he has been led astray by the council. It was their idea to send him alone into foreign lands. Without him present, the high councilor, Korrick, has taken charge of the nation's affairs. Simply put, they are using beloved Aurus as a puppet king, to further their own power over the people. I do not know what they have planned, for I am not part of the inner circle of the council. But I would have to be blind not to see what they are grasping at! Whispers are everywhere, even amongst themselves, that Korrick would strive to be the next king when Aurus falls in faraway lands," he said angrily. He knew that the people loved Aurus, and portraying him as a victim would help to stir their anger. It was bad enough that the council was self-serving, but now they would seek to destroy the new king for their own purposes? The people would never stand for that.
This rumor would undo Korrick, and in the right minds and on the right papers, it could spread quickly, like a plague. Gerd had to hide his smug smile to keep up his act.
The five muttered amongst themselves, clearly incited and displeased. At last the spokesman for the group was ready to resume their meeting. "What would you have us do, councilor? How can we stop this madness? How can we save our people, and our king?"
"The public must know of Korrick's treachery. If I speak out against him, I will be locked away as a traitor, and all the people will simply band up behind his banner, following him blindly into the next age of tyranny. But you, my brothers; you could get word to the press, put the idea in the minds of the people anonymously. They will begin to question, to fear Korrick, and they will all watch him more warily. With all eyes on him, the nation cannot possibly remain blind to his actions. Through words alone they can be made to see his treachery," Gerd hissed, pacing about and gesturing for effect, his green eyes alight like fire in the gloom.
The noblemen nodded, pleased with this. "We will do as you ask; the council must not be allowed to lead our people into ruin. The old ones seek to undo the work of young Aurus, a work our people desperately need. Don't worry, councilor; we will take care of this, as you have asked," the spokesman said with a dip of his head.
"Then make haste!" Gerd hissed. "They know that I am against them, and so this secret meeting must be swift, lest they come looking for me. I have faith in you, my brothers," he said, clapping a twisted, jagged hoof on the shoulder of the leading noble. He nodded, his face a stern mask of resolve. Together, he and the rest of the noblemen took flight, heading back fast for the capital.
Gerd couldn't hide his smile any longer, even let out a dark, triumphant laugh. "You see, dear Korrick? The old ways can't be stopped; even now they are still the most effective. After all, how better to show how frail this new vision of our future is, than to shatter it in its prime? All it takes is a little clever hissing and spitting to uproot your plans, and plant my own."
"When all of this is through, who will the people want to see, atop that council chair?"
A beam of orange light filtered through his blue lenses, filling his eyes with a pleasant, dim glow. Aurus yawned, looking around his humbled home. Here and there a few pieces of rock had tumbled out of place, leaving holes in the wall. But the summer air was warm, even in the damp of Everfree's foggy morning. Stretching his back, he felt all the plates of his outer shell settling back into their comfortable places with little popping sounds. A stone floor was of little concern to a changeling, whose thick exoskeleton protected them from even the pointiest of sleeping places.
Using his magic to brush aside the door to his home, he had to cast a second spell to catch it as it nearly flew away, pulling it back. He could feel the magic teeming inside him, much more than he was used to. It should have made him sick, but instead it felt normal, like he had felt as a boy. He hadn't spent any magic yesterday, for fear of scaring the ponies or starting some mess with his guide, Twilight.
He wandered over to a pool nearby, hoping to catch a glimpse of some change. Every time his body adapted a bit more to the magic, he could contain more and more of it, and he was sure that something had altered overnight. A clicking sound on the floor next to him drew his attention, and he caught sight of a piece of black changeling-hide laying there.
"A molt?" he asked idly, picking it up with his magic and looking at it. Sure enough it was a molt, a piece of the hide that changelings shed whenever they had grown too big for their exoskeleton. Normally that meant some part of him had a weak, new piece of shell in place, but after looking over his legs and back, he couldn't find it. He quickly made his way over to the nearby pool, fueled by a little waterfall running down the inside wall of the ruined castle, which was pushed up against the canyon wall.
Looking into it, he got a fairly good glimpse of himself. He was bigger, as he had suspected, though not by much. Maybe an inch or two taller at most, and everything else was proportionate to that all around. He also thought he looked leaner, less round at his chest and stomach.
A harmless enough change, and he certainly couldn't complain; last he checked, females liked taller males anyways. He allowed that thought to bring forth an amused chuckle. He still didn't like the changes, didn't understand them other than knowing that they were an attempt from his body to try and save his life. Still, it would be nice if he could have some say in it.
The sun peeked over the edge of the wall, glancing into his eyes as it burned away the sliver of shade he had been standing in a moment before. Now that it had his attention, he realized that it was probably around ten in the morning; later than he was usually up. The change must have taken it out of him. Still, he didn't need to be to town until noon, a limit he was enforcing on himself, and he wasn't eager to show up full to the top with magic. Once he was in town, he wouldn't be able to use any of it.
He spent about an hour expending magical energy, using simple spells like the one he had used to pick up the piece of molt. Instead, he was of course lifting boulders or dead trees, to waste some of the incoming magical energy. At one point he had even back-tracked to the first waterfall he had found, using magic to try and plug it at the top. The water pressure bested him every time, and on the final try it gushed forth so suddenly that it drenched him, soaking his gossamer wings.
Scowling and wet, he did his best to shake off the water. He spent the remainder of his time waiting for his wings to dry, fanning them in the sun as he idly kicked rocks about the floor of the ruined castle. He had determined that after his success yesterday, flying into town might not be too terrible. After all, over half of the town now knew who he was; even knowing he had a name was a start, for it helped for them to recognize him as another intelligent creature, not some mindless bug.
At last, as noon rolled around, his wings were dry again. He took flight, drifting over the beautiful, gnarled trees and bubbling bogs of Everfree. Birds chirped, frogs croaked, and trees rustled in the breeze. Everything had its own language here, and he reveled in it all, though he couldn't understand its meaning. But it was similar, flying about the canyons of his rocky home, hearing nothing but the clatter of scorpions over stone, or the wind whistling through the twisted rocks.
At last he broke away from the forest and into the open fields surrounding Ponyville. Here and there in the sky he could see flying ponies moving clouds around. They were called pegasi, if he remembered his lessons correctly; just an airborne version of the average earthbound pony. He dropped his altitude a bit, careful to stay out of the elevation that they were all working at.
He was flying along lazily and minding his own business, when a shadow blotted out the sun above him. Curious, he turned over in a quick roll to see what had happened. He was immediately struck in the midsection, and he and whatever had hit him rocketed to the ground with him on the bottom of the pile.
They struck dirt hard just outside of town. Right before he landed, Aurus had the presence of mind to tuck his wings in tight to his sides instead of onto his back, where they would get ruined in the crash. He and whatever had struck him had formed a small crater, hardly wider than Aurus was himself, though it was fairly deep due to the combined weight. Whatever had been sitting on him up until now hopped off.
His ears were ringing and his eyes didn't feel like they were quite on the dot as something blue shouted at him from the edge of the crater, its outline fuzzy. Still, he knew he was alright; being bug-like had its perks, and it would take a lot more than a fall like that to do any real damage. In biology he had learned that half of the reason changelings were so tough was because they often fell out of the sky early in their flying careers. Bug-wings had a rough time lifting a body that size, after all. They were built to survive a fall.
Once he was sure he hadn't had his breath knocked out of him and his eyes felt like they weren't spinning in his head, he rolled over and got back on his hooves, shaking the dirt out of the cracks in his outer shell.
"Why you..." he heard from behind him. He turned just in time to see a light-blue pegasus flare her wings and wind up for another charge. So that's what hit him!
He braced himself for another impact, closing his eyes and squatting low to try and minimize the damage. He didn't have enough time to get out of the way.
"Rainbow, stop!" he heard a familiar voice shout, and he opened his eye in curiosity. What greeted him was a sight he had to try hard not to laugh at. The blue pegasus was hanging in the air nose to the ground, her tail flared out flat behind her in a purple magical haze. She was flailing all of her hooves around and beating her wings, trying to get back right side up in the air.
The magical aura faded and the blue thing, presumably something called 'Rainbow', plummeted to the ground a few feet away. Twilight trotted into sight from Aurus' left, stopping next to him to give him a quick look over.
"You okay?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as she scanned him. Considering the impact crater he was sitting in, she was fascinated to find nothing immediately broken.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Is she alright? She hit me pretty hard..." he pointed out, tapping a hoof on his hard shell.
Twilight chuckled to herself, rolling her eyes. "Rainbow runs into things on a regular basis. I'm sure she's fine. In fact-" Twilight was ready to continue, but Rainbow was back on her hooves, and not very happy.
"Twilight, what'd you do that for? I had him right where I wanted him!" she grumbled, glaring at Twilight and shaking dust out of her wings.
"Rainbow, leave him alone. He's not here to wreck the town or anything like that," she said calmly, putting a hoof out to signal the blue pegasus not to try anything funny.
That seemed to confuse Rainbow. "He's not? You're sure about that?" she asked, her eyebrow up high in a curious, skeptical expression.
"To be honest, no, I'm not. But it's a risk I'm willing to take," Twilight said firmly, still standing near to Aurus.
Rainbow looked from her to the changeling she had been prepared to beat the tar out of a few seconds ago, and then back. She shrugged, though the look on her face said she certainly had an opinion about it still. "If you say so. What's his deal, anyways?"
Twilight sighed. "It's a long story. Why don't you round up the other girls and come by the library. I'll explain everything there."
Rainbow smiled and saluted Twilight, launching into the sky. "You got it!" Like a blue cloud with a rainbow trail, she was gone in a flash, rocketing over town.
Twilight turned to Aurus and smiled in apology. "Sorry about that. She can get a little carried away sometimes."
Aurus did his best to smile back. He wasn't hurt physically, but the fact that she had attacked him so quickly, with no warning or reason, left him a little shaken and upset. "It's... alright," he replied at length, getting back to his hooves again.
He was getting the feeling that there was no such thing as an easy day for him anymore.
"Now listen, girls," Twilight started, hushing the mutterings of her friends.
Aurus had never been more nervous in all his life. He was sitting on one side of the library, with five very displeased looking ponies sitting across from him on the other, and the only barrier between him and them was Twilight.
At Twilight's polite request, the other five gave her their attention. The only one who didn't really seem all that skeptical was the bright pink one, though it didn't seem like she was quite all there anyways.
Once she had her audience, Twilight started in on her speech. "This is Aurus Marz. He's the changeling king, no relation to Chrysalis, and he's here to try and change things for his people. Apparently the changelings locked Chrysalis away, because she was evil by their standards too," she finished uncertainly. She looked to Aurus for confirmation on that one.
He nodded, but didn't speak.
Happy just to have her story straight, Twilight kept on. "He's here to make friends and prove that not all changelings are bad."
That seemed to get the attention of the pink one instantly. She looked from Twilight to Aurus suddenly, beaming ear to ear. "Good enough for me!" she chimed happily, jumping up from the floor and bouncing over to him. She stopped right in front of him, throwing a hoof out towards him. "Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie! You can just call me Pinkie."
Aurus smiled and stood up, more than happy to meet someone so receptive. "I'm Aurus Marz, but you can just call me Aurus," he replied, shaking hooves with her. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
That simple exchange had an amazing effect on the other four ponies. They all watched the whole thing with mild disbelief, fascinated how normal the greeting seemed. At length, another pony got up, looking to Twilight before doing anything else. The purple unicorn nodded, and so the orange-coated pony made her way over with a shrug.
She also extended a hoof, pulling up right next to Pinkie. "Name's Applejack, though most folks just call me AJ. Nice t' meet ya, partner," she said, the smile she had on caught halfway between unsure and warm.
"Aurus. I'm sorry if I make you nervous, but I'll try and prove that there's nothing to be worried about," he said calmly, shaking her hoof. That seemed to belay some of her fears, having a private, simple conversation with a creature she had every belief was bad.
The other three made their way over as well, Rainbow next in line. He introduced himself to all of them, the quiet yellow one last and least excited to meet him. Twilight actually had to drag her in front of Aurus with her magic to get the greeting through. Once it had been finished, she too seemed as if she no longer feared him outright, though she immediately took a few steps away from him once she was free.
"So then, partner..." Applejack started, eying him critically, "how's it you plan on making friends?"
Aurus shuffled. "Well, introducing myself to everyone is a start. I mean, it helps if they all realize I'm like them; just another creature looking to be a part of the town. You all seemed like you warmed up to me once you realized I wasn't just some growling beast." He knew that point was blunt, but he also knew it was true. He had mixed feelings of guilt and satisfaction as all the ponies, Twilight included, looked embarrassed. Apparently he wasn't too far from the truth with that one.
He continued on, not willing to draw attention to it any further. "I've already met quite a few of them, but I still have a bunch left to meet..."
All of the ponies looked at each other knowingly as Pinkie left the ground in a mad leap, sucking in a deep breath as she was struck by some wonderful idea.
Aurus cringed as all five of the not-pink ponies fixed him with strange looks that were somewhere between intrigued and smug, the look of someone who's about to watch some kind of event at his expense.
"You know what this calls for?" the pink pony cried, excited and grinning like a sickle moon.
Aurus gulped, certain that whatever was called for, it could only mean trouble.
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The plot thickens, the fights happen, and the party...
The party is coming...
Enjoy!
Indeed
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Alright, I was way too busy writing and beating Diablo to reply to you, and for that I am sorry. In apology, I brought you a new chapter!
Hope it works, and that you're chill with my lack of response.
Things going smoothly... He's dealing with Twilight, and he defeated her logically. I mean, I couldn't think of a way where it would have made more sense and still gone violently. So I went with my gut, which unfortunately means I let a lot of conflict slip by I guess.
As for the questions:
1) I hear it as Are-us, or Or-us. Either one, it goes back and forth in my head.
2) I didn't really have a voice for derpy that anyone would find recognizable. Neither of her show voices ever jived with me, so I came up with one on my own that I think fits well with her character. Sadly, I can't pass it on to you, as it's locked in my skull.
Hope that helps, and thanks for reading! Stay cool, my friend.
Gerd is a classic comic book example of placing obviously evil/power hungry people in positions of power. I saw that coming in the first chapter. I kinda see where this is going based off of the shear amount of cliches, tropes, Disney films and comic books that tell similar stories.
This chapter was still great and I look forward to the next installment.
Oh, um, I don't know. Hold on give me a moment
Hmm.... Is it a Party?
images.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/rsz/mlfw2665_large.jpg
dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Lyra.png
Awesome-sauce update!
Can't wait to see the party and the continuing drama taking place in the changeling homeland!
Like I said last chapter, a King is nothing without his top adviser. If Gerd would succeed with whatever he has planned, Aurus wouldn't be able to handle the power and decisions that come with his throne, am I correct? And as for Aurus molting and getting larger, is your way of explaining why Chrysalis was so much larger than all the other Changelings? Perhaps all that magical buildup causes the body to adapt and grow to accommodate it. Twilight does as is expected, bombards someone with questions. Rainbow does the usual, picking fights with everything that looks like it would act menacing. And Pinkie... Well, let's just say Aurus will enjoy what is to come.
Again, an amazing chapter. I like the conspiracy make Korrick lose his position and for Gerd to take power. The world of politics is such a beautifully evil and corrupt place, is it not? The exact reason I love these kinds of stories. Keep up the amazing work, and I look forward to the next chapter.
While in Ponyville a duplomatic/social/political/welcome party(Four into one) is starting, meanwhile with the changelings, a silent Coup de' etat' is brewing made by a bitter council member because he was expecting him to choose him to be the next king secretly, soon there will be a changeling civil war incoming when their nation suddenly finds itself with two kings one rightfuly choosen by the council and the other by product of a military coup ans an agressive take-over.
There will be refugiees and the only place that will give them azylum will be Equestria thanks to Aurus's efforts of his original diplomatic mission
cant wait till the party scene
618354
Yeah, he's pretty stereotypical, but what can you do? I figure that whether it's overdone or not, it's still solid, usable conflict.
Glad you enjoyed it all the same!
The plot thickens...
Although, I kinda saw Gerd planning a sort of shadowy rebellion ever since he was introduced. Regardless, he'll probably succeed, and then Aurus will have a hell of a job dealing with that. I can just imagine, Gerd twisting the changelings into attacking Equestria because they believe Aurus has been captured by them. Well, that'll be fun to explain to the ponies afterword.
Et tu, Gerd?
618597
This website needs a like button for comments. Loved it.
Too much love could kill a changeling?
Between that, Gerd's plot and whatever other problems he's got ahead of him, (I can't believe that everyone will be as willing to welcome him as the mane six.) I fear things may not end well for Aurus.
At least he's got a rockin' party to look forward to next chapter.
618560
Yeah, he's hardcore transparent. But, it's going to get the job done.
Sorry for the cliche guy.
618282
This chapter more than makes up for everything! Just what I wanted!
And don't worry about a thing, I can wait.
Yeah... I can see what you're talking about. It's just odd to see less conflict than I was expecting. But Aurus is basically a pony in an exoskeleton, so expecting conflict in his situation would be kinda weird. He just wants to make friends after all.
~1) Glad to see I wasn't too off.
~2) I could probably imagine it. She doesn't sound too... derpy.
Stay awesome, Razor.
As for this chapter, great!
Everything more or less played out as expect it would: Twilight helping Aurus with introducing him to the whole town, political corruption and jealousy, and Dash being going for the kill as soon as she sees it.
Will be interesting to see how Korrick deals with Gerd. Or how Gerd deals with Korrick.
And Dat Pinkie!
Great ending, btw.
scranton.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw1522_Pinkie_Pie_party_cannon_2.gif
618615
Hey, cliches aren't necessarily bad. They just have a bad reputation. It's a great plot device, and works well. Has it been done before? Sure, but then again, some of the best things are things that build upon what has already been done.
I guess what I'm saying is don't let cliches deter you. If it's well written then by all means, go for it. I read over done stuff all the time, and if it's well written I don't have a single problem with it.
618682
,
Party time is in the story tonight,
Everypony just have a good time
618610
It kept going through my head as I read the Gerd part. 
Glad you liked it.
Typos: "... so new, so>n< intriguing."
"...that it drenched hi>s<, soaking his gossamer wings."
And there were a few sentences you might want to take a look at. Just words being repeated too close together.
/editor
Oh, he is in for it now, as is anyone who manages this face from Pinkie:
618951
Ah, thank you. As per usual, those have been corrected.
And yes, his ass is grass; party mode engage.
618963 I can't help my editing tendencies! I see an error and I pounce, like a liger, or a tion.
Also, if I lived in Ponyville I would be scared of Pinkie's Parties. Nothing ever goes wrong, but eventually the world will end at one.
I can't believe I'm saying this, but.... I can't sleep, as usual, so it's time to write two chapters back to back. Wish me luck.
619382
Well good luck with that! Hope they're as good as this chapter, 'cause I can't get enough of this story!
619382
media.giantbomb.com/uploads/13/139280/1908374-rainbow_dash_salute_by_atomicgreymon_d3bo0dx.png
dear god not the party noooooooooooooo you sick bastard
scranton.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw4879-3484635_7f8128f0c0a45d88b2a834ec617549b9.png
Aurus has got the right idea. Anytime Pinkie is involved, doom shall follow.
A stone floor was of little concern to a changeling, who's thick exoskeleton protected them from even the pointiest of sleeping places.
i.imgur.com/eArTi.jpg
HOMOPHOOOOOOONES!
618216 so I'm guessing that twilight N Aurus might have a moment at the party? dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/shrug_Twilight_Sparkle.png dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/shrug_Queen_Chrysalis.png
And then the moment he gets back to the homeland... Man, life is never easy.
621714
As always, it has been corrected. Thanks for the intensive read-through, and sorry for the mix-up.
i LOVE this story. well writen story with no spelling errors i could see. Can't wait to see the updates that are comming(and my lack of sleep that comes with them). As for the party: img.ponibooru.org/_images/704a65b5c8298201d5bf89dfa0d01005/130303%20-%20animated%20big_macintosh%20brace_yourselves%20macro%20reaction_image%20shitstorm.gif
troll.me/images/pinkie-pie-party/this-calls-for-a-party.jpg
There, I finished it for you
603359 Oh yes! This is too interesting/original for me to let it slip. I will be reviewing it once more when the story is concluded. Now, if you excuse me, I'm off to read Chapter IV
623523
I look forward to your review, and thank you for the gracious use of bold text! I never see bold text.
As always, thank you for reading!
Ah this was some very nice reading.
Reading while plinking on my Zither was fun.
(im a bit amazed if anyone knows what a Zither is before they try googling it)
Oh no! Anything but the party!
I feel this music fits Aurus well.
Pieces-Sum 41
Classic Pinkie Pie!
Let's see if Aurus can handle a Pinkie party!
Anyway, I've never really hated the changelings, only thought of them as different and more interesting. I love how Derpy was so forward in the last chapter. You continuously get each character right, especially Twilight.
I couldn't help but notice, that you mentioned everypony, even Spike, but not Rarity! Anyway, I don't mind, but I'm sure this little guy does
Keep the great chapters coming, I'm waiting to see what Gerd gets up to.
YOU KNOW WHAT THIS CALLS FOR?!
... Oh Dear God...
(^ Was a prayer, not a curse, just for the record.)
Bewhere the party Aurus! BEWHERE!!!
STUMPY table, in the middle of the TREE.
I see what you did there.
That was very good, I enjoyed it. Liked and fav'd.
And I found an error.
"He had determined that after his success yesterday, flying into town might not be to terrible."
Oh the dramatic irony
I once again offer my opinion of the story. You have made me feel the devious nature of Gerd and experience personal turmoil. I both feel for Aurus and loath the soon-to-be simi-coup (I may be wrong to use this term, but regardless, I feel it works on this small scale). I rather enjoyed this chapter and I feel that in the little time that you showed Rainbow Dash, you did well in exemplifying her loyal nature, both being excessively brash and ignorantly just. Pinkie Pie is Pinkie Pie and I would have expected nothing less than her overly-enthusiastic personality that we all have come to love. Being only on chapter four, I am looking forward to the next ten that are currently written.
one mistake that I kept noticing is that you keep writing 'though' instead of 'thought'