Visionary

by Razorbeam


IX: Death of Peace

Malik and his assassin 'brothers' flew hard through the gorge. Only a few days prior they had sent word of their success along to Gerd through magical means, and he had bid them to return.

Malik's efforts had gone well. The other assassins had believed his account of the kill, as Aurus had expected. Combined with his own account, the guards of the city had been sent out by Celestia bearing false rumors that they, too, had found the body of a changeling in the castle. It had taken little more than that to convince his 'brothers' of Aurus' demise. They weren't under orders to retrieve the body anyways, since it was meant to look as if the ponies had killed their king in the first place.

It had gone almost too well. Malik was in awe of his king's clever scheme and how effective it was proving. The usurper, Gerd, would be fooled just as the assassins were, for the entire murderous band would vouch for Malik's claim. In the end, Aurus' death would happen just as he had dreamed. Though it would be little more than a rumor.

He had to repress a chuckle to himself as he zipped along at the head of the assassin band, turning deftly to avoid pillars of stone in the gloom. Midnight meetings like this were his lot in life, and this certainly wasn't his first. Gerd would never risk letting his involvement in the king's death reach public ears, and so secrecy was needed.

He felt alive this night. He had new meaning and purpose in life, a cause that he could finally support. Nobody needed to pay him, or sing his praises. He was a cog in the machine of peace, a light he was coming to understand better and better with every passing hour. His service didn't end here, he knew. He would spend the weeks, or even months before Aurus' return keeping constant vigil over Gerd. Watching his every move, and passing those observations to his king.

As much as he desired Aurus' success, he could not completely deny his nature. He loved his role, took a vain pride in it. Peace was good, to be sure, but there was a certain level of power and narcissism that he garnered from his work. It was him, after all, who was carrying the king's will. Doing the dangerous work, acting as a spy for a king whose enemies badly wanted him slain.

He would be a hero.

It felt good, but that prideful involvement was strongly tempered by his zealous belief in the cause he championed. It didn't consume him, but rather drove him to better serve his king. Just one more change in his life, he supposed. He had never taken pride in his work until now.

He and the other assassins dropped low, flying silently to a cave bored out in the side of the gorge by some underground river long ago. This was the expected meeting place.

"Good to see you, my friends," came the call within. A handsome changeling stepped out of the gloom, barely visible in the darkness because of his black hide. His green eyes glowed with excitement however, giving away his position, his ivory fangs showing long in a welcoming grin. "I trust your business went well?"

So this was Gerd. It was no wonder that the one behind the 'coup was this conniving rat. Everything from his smile to the way he carried himself screamed of spoiled, pompous nobility. The kind of mind that had always been on top, and always expected to be.

The kinds of people that assassins killed on a regular basis. That thought itched at Malik, though he had been ordered not to take Gerd's life by Aurus himself.

"Well enough, when you consider the setting. We took his life in Canterlot castle, and so the body could not be retrieved. The guards sounded city alarms, calling that they had found and were taking Aurus' body themselves. There was nothing to be salvaged from it, but his death is certain. Aurus Marz is no more," one of the older assassins said coldly.

"No matter with the body. I have no use for dead weaklings anyways. The fact they kept the corpse will only make my plans easier going forward anyways. Now then, which of you was it? Who put the dart to dear Aurus' thin hide?" he asked excitedly, almost maniacally.

"I did," Malik replied, his tone laced with fake pride for a fake kill. "Weak as you said he was, he succumbed to the poison quickly. He only had enough time to cry out once."

Gerd laughed wickedly, clapping his front hooves together. "Excellent, excellent indeed! You have done well. So well in fact that I intend to pay twice what I offered for this job. You've made my life much, much simpler. As for you, assassin, there's a lofty place for you in the council's new world. While the nation must never know of your dark deed, know that you are a hero to these people. You've freed them from a life of stupidity and laziness. You have my deepest gratitude," Gerd finished, extending a hoof to Malik.

Malik smiled warmly, as if he could receive no greater gift than that praise. In truth his stomach churned in disgust as he took Gerd's hoof, kissing it gently in false fealty. "It is an honor to have served you. I trust you will call on me again when your seat is secured."

Gerd pulled his hoof away gently, smiling wickedly. "Oh, you shall have more work than you can dream of, my friend. Killing a king is no small feat, but there is still much to do."

Malik smiled wickedly too, as thoughts of Aurus' return filled his head, pushing the rage in his throat away. "Indeed there is."

"And it is legitimate?" Morelda asked eagerly. Had Gerd been present, his heart would have leapt to hear such a zealous tone, particularly regarding the letter before her.

"There is no doubting its authenticity. The hoofwriting is a perfect match, and the seal is official. It was penned by the same hooves that once signed the border treaties centuries ago, of that you can be sure." The scribe, a changeling nearly as old as Korrick himself, coughed as he looked over the letter for nearly the thousandth time.

He knew of young Gerd's ambitions; there were few who didn't. He made no secret of his desire to advance within the council, and had been voraciously pursuing that goal ever since his installment amongst the lowest ranks they had to offer. Yet he had no way of knowing just how capable the young changeling had become in his short time within their halls; the letter in his hooves was proof of that, for it had fooled even his old, trained eyes. The scribe would believe that the Canterlot missive was authentic right until the day he died, and never be the wiser.

The scribe had given the letter no second thoughts as it was passed to him by Gerd's father; a changeling he deeply respected. Every society had a high-bred house whose purpose was to garner the unobtainable. Rare and forbidden items, favors with unknown origins... and in this case, letters from far-off lands. The Gallock family had always filled this niche in changeling history, as far back as any scribe could recall, and so it had not surprised him to receive such a letter from them, for only they could possibly have the means to securely bring it from that god-forsaken place called Equestria.

It likely would not have surprised him either to know that he had been duped, if ever he learned of it. Centuries of collecting rarities had given them a unique skill set. Forgery, namely. If a rare item became too rare, house Gallock would simply create perfect replications, and none would be the wiser. Gerd's father was a professional in the trade, and on his son's behalf he had handled the matter of this royal letter personally.

Morelda chuckled darkly. "Then it's true. The king is dead. This could not be better news for the council... Bad enough we have had to tolerate selfish imbeciles prancing about and making a mockery of our people in war, but to have our king walk idly into his own death? Could there have been a greater fool sitting on the throne?" she fumed. The other five councilors shook their heads in agreement. Truly death at the hooves of such an inferior race as the ponies was shameful.

"What are we to do, then? Clearly old Korrick's plan to gather the throne for himself was a waste of time. And all this peace-mongering of Aurus' is no better," grumbled another old councilor. "Has the council grown complacent, to watch two rulers fail so thoroughly? Is the throne doomed at the hooves of all other kings to come?"

"No, brother!" Morelda hissed viciously. "We will no longer sit idly by. We will take the throne under command of the council. T'rahk Enox must be a republic; it is the only way we can survive. We have suffered enough under the mask of unity that we call monarchy. There will be no next king or queen. The throne can rot, for all I care. The council hall is the new seat of power now."

The other five nodded their agreement. Korrick had counseled them against it hundreds of times, but seeing him unveiled as a traitor only made them believe he was selfish and greedy. He had not wanted to share the power, had not wanted the council to sit unified. If they had done so sooner, he never would have had the chance to try and puppet the throne as he had.

His escape from the dungeons had been reported only days prior, but an investigation had shown that they had been gone for some time before his daring flight had been discovered. As if that weren't condemning enough, he had fled in the company of the old tyrant-queen, a so-called enemy. Fleeing under suspicion of treason, with a known criminal in tow.

It was clear where his loyalties lay.

"Mistress, the high-seat is still vacant. If the council is to be made to rule, who can we trust to take such a role?" asked the scribe.

Morelda pondered this. Taking it herself was a dangerous route; sitting there had caused plenty of trouble for old Korrick, and with all the changing powers these days taking that seat was a risky decision. It would lead to immediate suspicion of all her actions, and she could not afford that. She was one of the few who truly looked out for the good of the people, and so she needed to remain where she was; watching and judging. Ready to defend her kind from fools in power.

"What the council needs is a puppet. A figurehead with a sly tongue to woo the people, but under our control. Without appealing to the people there is no way that we can make the changes we require. The nobility will be furious to see the council stealing away their chances at ultimate power; we need one of them, someone from an esteemed house to serve as our scapegoat, should things go badly for us."

The five murmured amongst themselves. Her words carried wisdom, though her design was less than noble. They could see that she was right, however; that for the greater good, the council must be made to rule. And for the safety of the council, a sacrifice needed to be made.

"What of that young one from house Gallock?" the scribe muttered tiredly, his old eyes barely open as he fought his age moment to moment. "Gerd, I think his name was. He's a silver tongued rogue like the rest of his family, and few other houses are so well known, or well liked."

"Yes," hissed another, nodding his assent. "Korrick had little trouble keeping that youth in line himself, and he was not so wise as the rest of us. Aside from fitting the bill, he would be easy to control. The council would be able to continue as it always has, honoring the decisions of its eldest members, behind the safety of the youth."

She thought quietly over that. It was true that while the young were impetuous and unruly at times, they were usually easy enough to compete with in the council hall. She doubted that Gerd, who had been a loyal enough council member, could stir up too much trouble. His other fellow younglings were stupid, more to fill seats and cast votes than to do anything else. Only he showed any real skill at the art of speaking or performing any other social duties.

"Very well. We shall see what he is capable of, at the very least. Call an emergency meeting, make sure the whole nation is made aware. In three days' time, we will have Gerd speak to all of T'rahk Enox, and tell them of Aurus' death. The people loved their king, foolish as he was, but Gerd held no such similar beliefs. It will be a fair test, then, to see if he can put aside his own inhibitions and play on that love to turn the people to the council," she mused, her inflection going up slightly at the end, inviting any criticism.

The councilors were silent, and she smiled to herself gently. "The unlucky young fellow... Ah well, it's for the good of the people. We shall see what he can do in three days' time."

He couldn't contain his dark laugh. It was all too perfect. The scribe had done his part, as his father had requested. If the council were ever to take power, he would ensure that a Gallock sat in the high seat. There had never been a generation where one of his family was not part of the council. And there had never been a generation where the scribes didn't serve house Gallock.

The council on the whole was unaware of this. The scribes' orders were simple enough; to be patient. They had never put a Gallock into power yet, had never drawn attention to their allegiance. They never would have, had the council not made such a drastic decision in leadership change. Funny that it should come to pass in Gerd's lifetime.

Of all the dumb luck.

He chuckled again to himself at the irony. Even for all of his earnest efforts setting the stage for himself, it was still fate that he relied on. Only through the failure of Chrysalis could this chain of events have been started, an occurrence he had had no hoof or say in. It was as if time itself had ordained this. It made sense to him, of course. Who in his family was more deserving? More ambitious or far-sighted? Who else knew how to weave a web of words so thoroughly, or how to stir the hearts of the people into a raging storm of supportive love?

Who else had the potential to become a god?

The murmurs on the far side of the stage curtain from thousands of voices vibrated the air. The nation was assembled; not as thoroughly as for the coronation of foul Aurus, but it would have to do. His purpose was clear; to make the people turn to the council. Morelda, in her foolishness, was ready to deliver the nation right to him, had even placed him in control. Of course the oldling thought that she was in charge, but old age tended to dull the senses. The nation needed a more cunning and alert ruler than some half-dead husk.

Still, if the people came to adore the council as they had come to adore kings and queens, no chair would hold more power than the high seat. There he would absorb the love of the multitudes as he performed his mundane duties; fixing roads, rebuilding homes destroyed from landslides. Spreading the generosity and goodwill of the council, for no payment other than the magical energies he so desperately craved.

And the fools would see it as obedient service to them. How moronic.

A fanfare from the outer edge of the coliseum echoed dully, not fully penetrating the thick velvet curtain of the orator's stand. The yammering of the fools outside quieted to hardly anything, just hushed whispers of confusion. Though it was a sunny day, the roof had been sealed tight, bathing the stadium in darkness. Enormous braziers lined the top and bottom rings, providing sparse green light. It seemed almost surreal, as if looking at everything through a dingy emerald sheet of glass.

It was the perfect setting for such grim news, and Gerd had insisted it be staged this way. It would draw the people further into their grief, making them easier to manipulate, emphasizing their sorrows and dependence on the one strong voice in the world.

His.

The curtain rose, and he stepped forward quietly, his head hung. It had the desired effect, for the whispers turned concerned. Few gatherings started with such obvious regret in the speaker's stance. His very first word carried a tone of pure agony and sorrow.

"My friends... brothers and sisters... Our great king is slain," he said gravely, his voice amplified by magic, but shaking nonetheless.

He paused as the gathering had the desired reaction. Nearly every female put a hoof to her mouth in surprise or hurt, either to hold back sobs or gasps of horror. The murmuring intensified horribly as wails sounded within the crowd. While his reign had been short, it had been meaningful, and Aurus had been well loved, as no king before him had ever been. Truly he had been a beacon to his wretched people.

Disgusting.

"Please, friends. Calm yourselves, and listen well," Gerd all but begged, his tone pleading for their silence. He received it almost instantly. "We have long feared this would be so. When Korrick the Cruel sent our lord away, he intended for him to die. Had the council known, we could have prevented this dire tragedy. But alas, we were blind to his scheming until it was too late," he paused again, seemingly to regain his composure.

"We received word of our great king's death from the pony queen herself. A letter that bears her undeniable mark, and is harsh, full proof that our desires for peace are not to be. While his cause was just and noble, the world was not ready to receive such a wondrous soul. Aurus was a king unlike any other; a changeling of action and purpose, boldly striding forward into a future the rest of us could only dream of. His vision touched us all, even if only for a brief flash. In the end, he achieved his goal, brothers and sisters. In the end, he is at peace," his tone turned to one of bittersweet joy as he painted himself a weak smile.

"My own heart hungers for revenge against our enemies. But we began this cycle, and Aurus knew that. He went willingly into the arms of those who hated him, cherishing the future of our people above his own. It was through our own faults that our king now lies dead in far-off lands, never to be buried in the home he served so zealously. The cycle of hate must be broken; Aurus saw it clearly. He was not wrong, brothers and sisters. We simply were not ready. We have failed him," he said somberly, hanging his head again, this time in shame.

The people muttered amongst themselves, and he could hear the tone of bitter self-anger amidst the chimes of hollow, empty sorrow. They were fully in his thrall; he could feel it. When he ebbed, they ebbed, and when he flowed, they flowed. His every intonation was cause for even greater attention. They were his.

"We must not retaliate! If any one of you, even his own family, had been slain in his stead, he would stay the course of peace. Even if our enemies will not meet us in our quest, we must not meet them in war. He would never have had it any other way," he finished quietly.

"The council fears this action above all else. The throne is now empty and waiting to be filled by a soul ready for war, filled with anger and sorrow. There could be no worse honor to our great lord's memory. And so it is with heavy hearts that the council denies the throne. It ends this day with our last great king; a true hero and champion of the people. A tyrant will never follow in his wake! We will become as he meant for us to be, a nation of the people, for the people," he practically roared, allowing his false anger at the thought of someone tainting Aurus' rule with the stain of tyranny to infect his speech.

The crowd became animated, nodding and murmuring angrily, his tone spreading through them like a contagion. They too wanted to see this legacy preserved; to let Aurus live on in their hearts as the last true king of T'rahk Enox. Cries of agreement rang out from certain corners of the stadium, building into a roaring cheer, washing over him like a storm as he held his head high on the stage.

The aura of magic he felt flowing through him; the approval, the desire for more, to continue his speech... It was pure ecstasy, unlike anything he had ever felt before. Never had he experienced such magic in his life. But unlike pathetic Aurus, he was of nobility; skilled in the magical arts and well trained in manipulating its flow. He was nowhere near experiencing the flow of energy a newly crowned king felt, for their approval was tempered by their sorrow and anger. Still, it did his vile heart good to know that this was only a taste of the true power he would feel.

"The council watches the people now, serving as its guardians. We will not guide the people, but rather listen for their desires. We will temper them when they are rough, polishing them into a golden path to our future. You will lead us now, with your hearts akin to that of our last king. We will build our nation into something grand and wonderful, a jewel that sparkles blindingly in the eye of the world. A bastion of peace in a sea of races ready for war. We sit and wait for your will, brothers and sisters, that we might guide the nation in the name of all the people. As Aurus did," he said solemnly, bowing his head in a mixture of sorrow and gratitude to the crowd.

"The council thanks you, my friends. We are your servants, and we are heartbroken to have brought you such dread news. But we hope that you will look to us with ready eyes when your hearts are healed, so that we can aid you in this troubling time of need. Peace to you all." Gerd said that last line in such a way that it sounded akin to 'farewell'.

To his mild surprise, all the crowd echoed it. "Peace to you, councilor," they replied somberly, their throats raspy with tears both shed and hidden. Keeping his head bowed and eyes closed, Gerd backed away from the edge of the stage as the curtain closed around him. Sighing to himself and relieving the itching feeling of magic unspent, he calmed his nerves.

Morelda came up to him, grinning excitedly. "It would seem you are certainly the proper choice. I could never have expected the people to be so tame in the face of such news. You really are a master of their hearts, young councilor," she congratulated.

"Of course. Would you have expected anything less of house Gallock? We have always served the council in its times of need," he replied politely. "Now then, I believe there is the matter of my title to discuss?"

Morelda simply grinned wickedly. "Oh, there is nothing to discuss. A decision has already been made. Congratulations, High Councilor Gerd. It is my pleasure to serve you," she said with a warm smile and a respectful dip of her head.

While she stood there thinking she had him played for a fool, Gerd simply nodded his head in gratitude. "The pleasure is all mine, mistress. I only hope that I can serve the council well in the coming days of turbulence."

"I am sure you will. There is much for you to do, my lord," she replied, her tone laced with false appreciation.

Gerd only smiled, for she did not realize just how much there truly was to be done.

Malik sighed to himself, every fiber of his being itching to scream the truth to the sky. He had to admit that the usurper's speech had been most convincing indeed, would have had himself fooled had he not already known the truth. That was what irked the ex-assassin most; to know that he too would have failed, had it not been for Aurus' guiding light. To see these people ready and willing to suffer needlessly under the coming storm of darkness that was Gerd Gallock.

How he longed to free them now! To tell them all that their beloved king still lived. Even still, he knew his place, though it pained him. Much gnashing of his teeth would accompany his time home away from his lord's side as he watched events unfold helplessly. Even if he did interfere, he hadn't the wisdom or the power to correct the turn the tide had taken.

He looked about the massive gathering. Word had spread quickly, faster even than news of Aurus' recent coronation. That Gerd had been named high councilor, and would be presiding over the service of Aurus' final ceremony. A burial with no body, the last honor his people could give him.

That the jester sitting in the high seat would even touch a monument to his king filled him with disgust; much less his gravestone, false or not. Still, he had to admit that it was a wondrous monument. Mages had worked tirelessly at it for days, building it from the most precious and sought-after material of changeling kind; emerald. Green was the color of their soul, or so it was often said. There was no changeling who did not adore the deep, verdant hue of such a gem. It had always been a symbol of their nation's wealth and power, the prime among their treasures.

Hundreds of them had been collected, taken from the royal treasury for this occasion. Mages had worked tirelessly to fuse the myriad gemstones into a single pillar of precious crystal, which they had erected in the center of the capital, replacing the old, worn statue of some forgotten monarch in the center of a large fountain. It had towered over the gathering, visible from even the back of the crowd, it's beautiful and jagged surface reflecting the morning light all about the chasm like soothing green waves.

Thousands had come to witness the occasion, and that helped to ease Malik's sickened anger. So many had traveled to bid one final farewell to a lord they had never truly known, yet had seen clear as day. Even in the briefest moment of a changeling's life, Aurus' full character would come to light. He hid nothing of himself, was open and sincere, filling his subjects with the same love and adoration they had poured out on him. It was no wonder they loved him so. Malik smiled warmly to himself as he watched group after group pay their respects, a final honor in service of their king.

He couldn't imagine the brightness in their souls, when the day came and their king returned.

The ceremony dragged on, lasting well into the evening, where the light of the sun painted the canyon walls a blazing orange, slowly shifting to the purple of dusk. The hundreds of thousands before had dwindled to mere hundreds at last, and these were fast-fading as their day of grieving drained them. Before long, even the council had departed, declaring the ceremony finished in the early hours of the night.

Only Malik and Aurus' family remained. His mother was a wreck, destroyed by the loss of her son. His younger sister was just as bad, her young heart badly damaged by such tragic happenstance. The father was doing his best to be strong for his wife and daughter, but his son had been his pride and joy, and so even he was still weeping.

The ex-assassin approached them quietly. Hundreds had offered their condolences to the Marz family, but that was not his purpose. They were alone now, just he and them.

They needn't bear such grief, he knew.

"Lord and Lady Marz," he said pleasantly, his tone eager instead of sad. "It is good to meet you. I have been wanting to meet the honorable parents who raised our good king."

Lady Marz could do little more than nod her acknowledgement, and it was clear to Malik that she was somewhere far away, consumed by her grief. The father smiled to him sadly, but welcomed him all the same. "We are glad to meet you, friend. Tell me, what is your name? How did you know my son?"

"I am nothing more than a humble servant to him," he said, emphasizing the present tense slightly. He looked about, ensuring they were alone in the square, before continuing. "I serve him still. Your son is alive, Lord Marz."

Aurus' mother choked as her breath caught, his father helping support her as her legs went weak with shock. He, too seemed speechless for a moment. "What are you saying? Is it true?" He asked eagerly, though his hasty tone was reined in by his cautious expression.

"I assure you I am not playing with your feelings, Lord Marz. I have come to tell you that there is no cause for your grief," Malik said calmly, pleasantly.

The lady looked at him with hope in her eyes. "How can you know? How can you know that my son is alive? Please, tell me," she begged quietly, on the verge of sobbing again.

Malik sighed, for though he had reconciled his past, he did not wish to talk about it. "Because I am one of the assassins that was hired to kill him," he said sadly. He watched with distaste as her eyes widened in fear. Still he continued.

"I had him in my grasp, or so I thought. But your son proved to be too well guarded by close friends, and I was no match for him. He said things to me when he captured me. Things about the world, and peace. Things about his cause, and things about myself. What I was ordered to do was horrible and sickening, and he has shown me the light," he said solemnly, bowing his head in apology. "Would that I could do it all over again, I would never have chosen the path of a murderer."

"But together your son and I laid a plan to drive the other assassins off his trail, and make him appear dead. I saw him alive with my own eyes not two weeks ago before the rest of the assassin band followed me here, believing I had slain him." Malik smiled up at Aurus' family as he watched the expected unfold.

"Oh, my boy is alive," the mother gasped, her tone hushed. She knew that this was dire news for her baby, that if word of his survival spread he would be in grave danger. Still, she wept with joy and relief. At last she recovered her composure, and her husband took up where her words left off.

"Oh thank all that is holy... To think that our son is well. I cannot thank you enough for this news," he said, bowing his head in gratitude. "But tell me, who was it who hired you? Who was it who wanted to see my son dead?"

Malik smiled darkly. "The very councilor who now commands so much esteem in this dark time. The same one who is making your son's false demise out to be a heroic martyrdom. Gerd Gallock, the high councilor," he said gravely.

The lord and lady exchanged dire looks. This was indeed bad news. House Gallock was a powerful enemy to have. Still, rumor of their son's death would keep him safe from harm, for his enemies wouldn't be on the hunt for his corpse.

Malik watched that silent exchange, taking note of the sad confusion. Why had Aurus not sent them word himself? Why didn't he return and fight house Gallock? His family wondered these things silently, but Malik could see it in the mother's eyes.

"He did it to protect you. Gerd would stop at nothing to see him dead, and would have eventually used you and your family to bring him to ground, where he would kill him. So long as Gerd thinks he is dead, you are safe. And by the time the evil bastard realizes that Aurus is alive, it will be too late for him. The councilor thinks he is the only one playing this game, but already the good king's plans are in motion," Malik said with pride. "You must tell these things to no one. If any were to learn of his survival, it would spell doom for us all. Aurus is the only hope of freedom for all of the people under the council's thrall, and his plans must not be discovered until it is too late to stop him."

The two parents nodded eagerly, knowing that that would be the case. "What will he do? How will he save us from the evil coming into our midst?" his mother asked quietly.

Malik just laughed, a dark sort of chuckle that belied his old nature. But it was not evil or vile, but filled with a zealous support for the violent end of a tyrant.

"He will return in a blaze of glory, and crush the fool councilor like an ant."

"Much better," Twilight congratulated. Aurus was making very good progress controlling his spells more accurately. She now had him throwing rocks through progressively smaller and smaller hoops, focusing now on pinpoint manipulation of magic with use of significantly more force than the string exercises.

In typical fashion he had been struggling at first, then excelling at an incredible pace as he finally grasped the concepts. It was quickly becoming like muscle memory in arcane form; things that he did simply out of habit, abilities he mastered without knowing he had mastered them. Twilight had even taken it upon herself to teach him a few more advanced spells as a reward.

Much fiddling with his own innate magics had given her a better understand of how changeling mages differed from unicorns. Together they had worked out the kinks in some of Aurus' changeling magic, through much practice and theory. He was now able to create green fire at will, though for some odd reason it wasn't hot. Still, the flames would consume nearly anything they touched, so that spell was one of the few they didn't use indoors.

"Thanks. It gets easier every day. I have to say though, I'm lucky to have such an apt teacher," he chuckled, zipping a pebble through a ring barely large enough for it with ease. Truth be told the only reason he was stumbling so badly at the start of these lessons was that his drive to succeed was catching up with him. While he had plenty of magical energy to spare, he still needed his sleep. But thinking of his studies kept him awake and thinking, right there beside his self-doubts and worries for his people.

In the end he would simply stay up, continuing to practice in secret on his own until he was finally tired enough and couldn't take it anymore. He felt exhausted all the time, but used a constant supply of his own magic to make himself seem more energized. It couldn't take the place of bed rest, but for all appearances it was the same.

He lined up another shot, but the stone punched through the ring, and then straight through the wall beyond.

"Woah, easy Aurus! You could hurt somepony like that," she chided, examining the hole in the wall. A sound behind her drew her attention back to him though, and she gasped as she watched him collapse hard.

"Aurus!" She rushed to his side, looking him over. No sign of a toxic dart. She couldn't tell what was wrong, but he was shaking and his eyes and jaw were clenched in pain. "What's happening? What's wrong?" She pleaded for an answer, trying to find some way to help him.

The magic burned his insides like wildfire, begging for release. He knew what was happening. He could feel the grief like some tangible force, bearing down on him, trying to funnel into his body. So news of his death was at last reaching his people.

Their love and regret for his loss were too much for his body. He still did not know how to control this level of magic. A surge this powerful sought only to enter him, but he had no place prepared for it. In the end all it wanted was to burst from him, like too much water in too small a glass.

He shook with his effort as he did his best to contain the magic. If he moved or spoke he wasn't sure what would happen, but he could not stay here. It was only a matter of time before it escaped, and he would not be able to control it then. His heart full of fear, he took the risk of speaking. He opened his eyes, which glowed bright green. No features were visible within, simply an emerald void of energy. Still, he could see the look of shock on Twilight's face as she looked at his transformed eyes, swirling to the brim with magical force that could bring forth calamity at any second.

"Twilight... You have to take me.... Away from here!" He growled through clenched teeth. Every breath was accompanied by wisps of ethereal green fire, scorching the carpet. His body screamed with agony and the desire to let the pent up energy out. He could feel it trying to tear him apart.

Twilight trotted in place in a moment of panic, looking around for help. There was nopony but herself though, and so she did the only thing she could think of to do. Leaping on Aurus' shaking, traumatized form, she held him tight as the two of them vanished in a burst of purplish light.

She tumbled like a ragdoll down the side of some grassy hill, far from Canterlot. This was as far as her spell could take her, and she was breathing hard from the effort. Looking around, she discovered that she was in a valley, possibly on the far side of Lone Peak. A brook ran nearby at the base of a shallow bluff, long grass blew in the wind. A stand of trees nearby was filled with birdsong.

It would have been peaceful, if not for her panic.

She looked around fearfully for Aurus. He had also tumbled down the hill, and was doing his best to get to his hooves. She could tell even from this distance that it was taking him an immense effort just to rise. His face radiated nothing but pure anguish as the magic did terrible things to his body, licking at his soul. She made as if to move towards him, but a voice in her head, Aurus' voice, brought her to a halt.

"Stay back... I don't want you to die," he called to her silently, nearly stumbling in his agony. Her heart was torn to ignore that warning, to run to him and help him stand, but she knew that he was right. That there was no telling what was about to transpire, no guarantee of her safety.

He cried out in pain as the magic finally began to pour out. Tendrils of green flame sprouted from where his wings were, flailing gently as if they were sea plants being tossed about by some unseen current. Clouds above began to close in, thickening and billowing into one another. It became dark as night, so thick was the storm overhead. All she could see was Aurus, glowing like an emerald inferno as the snakelike appendages at his back writhed about.

"Aurus, no!" Twilight cried, realizing that this was only the beginning of some catastrophic magical storm.

At the sound of her voice, one of the tendrils of flame seemed to react, as if it had a mind of its own. It shot up the hill towards her with frightening speed, slithering along the ground like some blazing serpent. In the blink of an eye it was before her, rearing up in preparation to strike, leaving a trail of burning grass and scorched dirt in its wake.

"No!" Aurus roared viciously, groaning with pain as he exerted his will over the magic. The tendril froze mid-lunge for her, blazing mere inches from her face. She could feel no heat, yet her coat singed where a puff of flame licked at it. The tendril shook, as if fighting Aurus' will, and desiring nothing more than to fall upon Twilight and destroy her.

"I said no!" he roared, this time with such fury that the ground shook from his suddenly magically amplified voice. The tendril lashed away from her as if pulled by some unrelenting force. It wrapped itself around the trunk of a tree instead, constricting like some horrible python. The tree groaned and crunched as the tendril pinched its middle, grabbing it firmly. The tree went up in green flames in no time at all as the tendril lifted it like a toothpick, uprooting it with ease.

Without warning it threw the tree up into the air. Its blazing arc was aimed straight for Twilight, who stood frozen in shock and terror as the fiery missile came to claim her.

Another tendril lashed out from Aurus' back, catching the tree deftly and slamming it into the ground far from its mark. "Twilight, run!" came the silent voice in her head. "I can't protect you forever. There is only so much I can control."

The tendrils slammed the ground around him, tearing up the grass and dirt as if throwing a fit. They sailed around aimlessly, striking all that they passed by. Stones melted in their wake, earth shuddered at their blows.

Twilight turned and ran, blindly. The sounds of destruction behind her jarred her ears, shook the ground under her hooves. Her eyes were full of tears of terror and regret. Behind her Aurus was in there! In there, probably dying. And here she was, running like a scared filly. She stumbled, unable to see the very ground in front of her as she simply muscled ahead. She tumbled down the far side of the hill, but quickly got to her hooves and bolted again.

There was nothing she could do.

Aurus watched with horror as his magic turned the world into a nightmare. Fire raged, eating away even at things that should never have burned. He was the only speck of light in the gloom besides those myriad fires of burning trees or torched stones. All around him was a darkness that his tendrils sought to fill with fires of their own.

This spell was far beyond him, consuming so much energy. He had more to spare than it could ever hope to remove. He could never hope to control it, to rein it in. And so he watched helplessly as his weakness ran amok in the valley. The bluff nearby came undone as four of his fiery arms gripped it and pulled, ripping it like paper. The other four continued their wanton destruction of the trees, uprooting them and tossing them about.

Green lightning began to fall all around him, the storm sucking in the excess energy that he vented with every breath. The strike rocked Lone Peak in the distance, charring its surface. Harsh winds blew the ash of his destruction about in fierce dust devils, only darkening the black sky further.

This was true weakness... A lack of control so thorough that he couldn't hope to best his own power. All he could do was cower in his impotence and pray that he could at least steer the damage away from Twilight.

It was the most he could do.

The violent sounds finally stopped. The hammer of lightning strikes in the distance faded as the clouds overhead dispersed. Twilight had hidden in a cave far down the hillside, huddling in rightful fear of that magical barrage. But as it dissipated, she had only one thought on her mind; Aurus.

She rushed to the top of the hill, looking down on a scene that left her gasping for air as she forgot to breathe.

In a perfect line at the top of the hill, life stopped. On one side there was grass, trees, green things. The magic had been halted here, stopped by all of Aurus' significant willpower. But will alone had not been enough to save the valley from his power.

On the far side of that line, all the way to the base of Lone Peak, there was nothing.

The devastation was unlike anything she had ever laid eyes on. All the remained of trees were the still-burning husks of their once proud trunks. Glowing pools of green magma marked where stones had once rested. Where a sea of grass had resided once before, there remained only cracked, parched earth, like baked clay. The stream steamed madly, practically boiling as the water flowing in made contact with the super-heated stone in the affected area. And the bluff was a crumbling pile of ruined slag.

At the base of the hill was Aurus. The dread tendrils had faded, leaving only his body behind. She couldn't tell if he was alive or dead, but she hoped against all hope that it was the former. Her hooves pounded the dusty remains of the valley as she ran hard to his side, screaming for him.

He stirred slightly at her approach. He moved his front hooves weakly, as if he meant to get them under himself and stand as she pulled up next to him.

"Aurus, don't move!" she begged, watching as he failed miserably to stand.

"Twilight..." he replied quietly. "Help me stand."

"You're in no condition to stand," she berated him, though her tone was all concern.

"I have to."

Twilight couldn't fight the determined look in his eyes, though they were still thick with pain. Obediently, she helped him stand on his own four hooves. His legs shook badly, and he would have toppled if not for her support.

As soon as he was upright he made a gagging noise. He dropped his head and retched some thick fluid upon the barren dirt. Twilight had though perhaps it was blood, by the way it had flowed. But it was green and glowing brightly, pulsing with the same light she had seen in his eyes before this apocalypse had fallen on this poor valley.

"Is that...?" she asked in disbelief, watching in amazement as the puddle soaked into the earth. The ground where it vanished immediately sprung to life, grass growing and flowers blooming at an alarming rate. The new vegetation did not vanish, but remained steady and stable even in the unforgiving soil.

"Magic," Aurus confirmed. "My body couldn't relieve enough of it in spell form... and so it found another way. To physically purge it from my body, instead of magically," he gasped, breathing hard after his nauseous fit. Aurus looked with sad eyes on the destruction he had caused. "I couldn't stop it, Twi..." he said sadly.

"Aurus, there was no way you could have controlled that spell. I've never seen anything like that. It was as if it was alive," she murmured consolingly. "This isn't your fault."

"Imagine if this had been your home," he said, choking on the thought. "What have I done?" Tears came to his eyes as he looked upon a scene that had once been beautiful, but was now as a canvas washed clean. His jaw clenched with determination suddenly, his legs locking as he prepared himself for something.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her tone all worry.

"I have to fix this," he huffed, his breathing heavy and labored. "Nothing will ever grow here again if I don't."

"Aurus, don't!" she growled, giving him a gentle shake. "You'll kill yourself! Who will save your people then?" She went for an appeal to logic, but his calm and stubborn smile proved her failure.

"If I can't fix this broken patch of land, how could I possibly save them?" he asked with a smile. "Even if it does kill me, I have to try... Just like I would try for them."

Before she could stop him, his horn lit with brilliant light. The sky darkened again, but this time with clouds of gray, bearing water instead of lighting. A beam shot into the sky from his horn, piercing the clouds that swirled around its brilliant line into the heavens. Like he had done at his coronation, he made it rain magic. He funneled a vast amount into the spell, watching as glowing green drops fell in torrents, soaking into the earth. Slowly, grass began to grow again, trees sprouted, growing taller until they were saplings.

In took little more than a few sparse minutes, and the vegetation was thin and weak. But it was there, growing all the same in a place it never should have grown again. He had done it; had saved this barren stretch of land.

He dropped like a stone, passing out instantly with that thought echoing in the darkness of unconsciousness.

Twilight and the others stood around Aurus. They'd placed him in a bed in Canterlot castle's private sector, where the princesses kept their own rooms and rooms for esteemed guests.

Aurus certainly qualified.

"What happened t' him?" Applejack asked fearfully. She and the others had only just arrived, coming as soon as the guards had told them that an exhausted Twilight had arrived with Aurus out cold on her back.

"He overextended his magical abilities," Twilight said. The more accurate phrase might have been to simply say he had nearly killed himself trying to heal the land he had destroyed.

Applejack didn't need to know that.

"He's gonna be fine though, right?" she asked with concern, getting up in Twilight's face about it.

She could understand that. The two had made no secret of their relationship in the most recent days, and nobody had spoken out against it. The union made sense, and there was not a single fake thing about it. Applejack's concern was purely out of love alone.

"Yes, he will... But it's going to take a long time to recover. He's suffering from a condition unicorns don't get. You remember when he said that if his people ever received news of his death, the resulting magic might overpower him?" she looked from Applejack to Aurus with a sad expression. "That's what happened while we were training today. I teleported him as far away as I could, and if I hadn't the whole city would be destroyed. It was his idea; we all owe him our lives now."

Applejack shook her head in disbelief. "Riskin' his life fer ours. He's always doin' that!" she growled, though it was clear her feigned anger was really something else. "The big... dumb..." her voice faltered as tears sprung to her eyes and she fell into Twilight, crying. "I know ya already said it, but I wanna know he's gonna be fine again."

Twilight stroked her friend's mane consolingly, understanding her outburst of sudden fear and sorrow. "Of course he will, AJ. He's tougher than he looks," she said with a warm laugh, to dispel the orange pony's fears. "He's just exhausted and sick. The magic in his body did some damage to him, but nothing permanent. I call it 'magic poisoning'. He held onto too much of it for too long, trying to protect us, and it's caused a sort of... infection."

Applejack let go and nodded, wiping her face as Twilight continued.

"Any more magic that comes in will only make the symptoms worse. Until his people stop grieving for him and sending him their love, he'll be in a lot of pain," she said sadly. "There's nothing we can do but try and make him comfortable while we wait this out. But it's going to be dangerous; he's exhausted most of the energy, and so I think the city and the castle will be safe. Still, his abilities are out of his control in this state. Anyone near him is in danger," she said, trotting about as if trying to find some way to tend to him without endangering anyone.

"I'll do it," Applejack said fiercely, stomping her hoof before anyone could even hope to argue.

Twilight tried anyways. "But-" was as far as she got.

Applejack just glared at her. "But nothin'. He's my fella, an' besides that he's risked his life fer me twice now, from what ya'll 're sayin'," she said, her tone losing momentum as she looked at her unconscious lover. "It's the least I could do. I reckon that if he were in my place, he wouldn't waste a minute hesitatin'. You gotta let me do this, Twi. I don't care about the risks," she finished sadly.

Twilight just sighed. Applejack and Aurus were quite the pair; both fiercely loyal and stubborn to a fault. "Alright AJ. I'll leave him to you then. Come on, girls. The rest of us need to go spread the news to Celestia and Luna."

As Twilight and the others left the room, Applejack assembled some needed items. Cold water and rags for the fever she could feel even a foot away, as well as a chair to sit with him through the night. She wet the rag and sat next to him, gently mopping his forehead before wringing it out and dipping it again. She let the rag rest on his head, sighing to herself as he muttered, in the grasp of some feverish dream.

"Ya durned fool..."

Applejack shot awake as a splat sounded on the floor next to her. The rag lay there, slipping off of Aurus' smooth hide as he had turned unconsciously in his sleep. She stood from her place next to him, prodding him and moving him around a bit to ensure he would be comfortable. She bent and picked up the rag, heading for the washbasin to rinse it out.

When it was cleaned and ready for use again, she put it back on his head. His sleep didn't look peaceful.

"He'll be in a lot of pain," Twilight had said.

He certainly looked like it. Her heart aching with worry, Applejack turned to head back to her chair. A gentle, blazing hot hoof on her shoulder stopped her.

She turned back to see his green eyes open to slits, barely looking at her. "Applejack," he muttered, his lips turning up in a small, involuntary smile as his eyes drifted back shut.

"Yes Aurus? Does it hurt? Can I get ya anything?" she asked hastily, her voice full of worry.

His eyes were still closed, but he let out a soundless laugh that bobbed his shoulders gently. She had never seen him so weak and helpless. "No, I'm fine," he croaked, his throat sounding dry and sore. "Just stay with me. I've been having the worst nightmares, and I don't want you to go," he finished quietly, his tone full of fear that she might pull away from him.

She did, but only to pull her chair closer. She slid under his foreleg, resting her head on his chest as he smiled, drifting back off to sleep.

Applejack closed her eyes, listening to the thrum of his slow heartbeat and the aching rattle of his breathing. His hide was warm against her cheek, almost too hot, but that didn't matter. He needed her, and she would be there. She too readied to return to sleep, smiling to herself.

"Don't worry, Aurus. I've got ya."