• Published 30th Mar 2014
  • 16,170 Views, 866 Comments

Golden Grace, Headless Headaches - Thadius0



Defating foes from Beyond? Easy enough. Making Celly see where her mistakes lie? No problem. Being torn apart and reborn because of the Golden Sun? Okay, that one, I admit, knocked me for a loop.

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Chapter 1 - Stopping a mountain from becoming a molehill

(3rd POV - Princess Celestia)

It had been a week and a half since Dullahan had saved the world from the threat the Wise One represented. It was a quick battle, but one that killed both participants.

After Dullahan tore the Wise One apart on the subatomic level, the powers of the Golden Sun and the energies that bound him together conflicted so badly that the armor fell off of him before he winked out like a candle in the wind. Discord had returned the armor to the village he'd put together, and then said something about having something important to do. Something about policing the boundaries.

Celestia didn't have time to think on that, because another matter occupied her mind these days.

Her view of the horizon was shifting, a little every day.

After going over everything with a fine-tooth comb (one had mysteriously appeared once she thought about it with a small fanfare of trumpets) she determined that Canterlot was perfectly fine.

The mountain, however, was sinking into the earth. Slowly. About an inch every day.

Nonetheless, today was to be the day. Today she would send the spellbook to her student, and her true potential would be revealed to all.

Afterwards, perhaps a council could be convened to stop this issue of a mountain somehow vanishing.

She had just sent off the book when one of her guards came into the room, panting for air.

"Rise, my guard, and tell me what troubles you."

It took him a moment to catch his breath, but when he did, the news was stunning.

"Princess, an incredibly powerful bipedal creature has requested an audience with you."

Only one train of thought flicked through her head at that statement.

It couldn't be! While Discord did point out that there was no residue from his vanishing atop the mountain, he couldn't have survived! Dullahan is gone, we saw it happen!

-----
(Auric POV - 4 days ago - Everfree Ruins)

Okay, it was official: I hated this basement.

I mean, I can see why I returned here! This being the spot where I had been imprisoned for so long, my soul was drawn here naturally when it was unbound from the armor.

It was hella cold, though. The power I'd gotten from Golden Sun had sought to create a form I was familiar with, I.E., my old body, but it took the power a while to do so. Probably because Equestria had very few frames of reference for building a human body. And once it had been built, my soul inhabited the new, empty vessel, and the powers I had bonded with it as well, altering it ever so slightly.

For starters, my green eyes were now golden, and my hair, once black, was streaked with gold as well. Thankfully, I retained my six-foot height, and all my muscles and such appeared to be in working order, which was fascinating for a new body that hadn't actually used them before.

What it didn't do was give said form clothes. And if there's one thing I learned about my favorite basement, it was that it was cold.

Needless to say, I got out of there faster than I thought possible.

Looking around the ruins and the forest showed me just how much plant life there was around, and I sighed wistfully. If only I had a modicum of know-how, I'd fashion these plants into something useful. Like pants.

There was a flash of golden light from my hands that shot at some nearby vines and leaves. Images that I'd pictured before of somehow weaving some pants together suddenly came to life as an aura of gold wrapped around the plant life and starting molding and shaping it. Before too long, I was staring at a pair of green pants hovering in front of me.

I reached out to take it, holding my breath as my hand impacted the golden aura. After a moment, it flickered and vanished, and I was left holding the jungle pants. I put them on and held my hands up to my face.

Still getting used to having a living body again, by the way. It feels so awesome when you've lacked one for as long as I have.

I focused on the sensation I'd felt when the aura had shone, and my hands lit up with golden flames. I smiled my biggest smile. My strength in Psynergy that I had attributed to the blade was still gone, probably tied to it, but this...

This was the power the Golden Sun granted me. This was the ability to change and shape matter, mold energy to my desires.

While I Understood how it worked, others had a simple name for it.

Alchemy.

-----

It had taken me two days of stalking through the forest and reshaping plants to form clothing, but I reached Ponyville's train station just as the last train to Canterlot was leaving.

Naturally I didn't think to buy a ticket. No money, after all. I'd have to work on that.

No, instead I just hopped on top of the cars as they were pulling out and rode on top, clinging to it for dear life. It was an interesting experience. One that I hoped never to repeat again.

We arrived at Canterlot on the dawn of the third day, and I snuck off the cars and used an optical illusion to make everyone not notice me.

It wasn't perfect, if I bumped into someone, they'd see through my light-bending trick easily. I took it slow and managed through the city in another day. I really didn't want to be spotted, but I just had to check out a newstand as well.

Apparently, Celestia had agreed to do some sort of interview later this week about the mysterious happenings that had been going on lately. Previously she had been quoted as saying 'no comment,' but now she apparently had her thoughts in order.

Oh, disrupting that meeting would be wonderful!

I discarded the idea almost instantly. Joining it would be even better.

I vaguely noted that the date the newspaper told me was ten days after my little duel had happened. Counting the three days from travel time, it would appear rebuilding myself had taken seven days.

By the time I had snuck over to the palace, the gates were closed. Clearly they were done taking visitors for the day, so I'd just have to wait till tomorrow.

Once the fourth morning since my rebirth dawned, I walked up to the gates, bold as brass. The pegasus guards didn't even look at me, but they clearly heard me, and moved their wings to halt my advance, as well as lowering their spears.

"Halt! Identify yourself and your purpose here."

My mind whirled at the chance.

I don't believe I ever told the Princesses my actual name. I could take another one on. One more fitting. True, I was Dullahan for so long, I've gotten used to answering that name, but he and I aren't bound anymore. Let's see. Golden Sun...Gold...AU...Aura...Auric. I like it. Auric. Auric what? Hmm...Give me a lever and a place to stand, and I can move the earth...Fulcrum. Auric Fulcrum. But let's mess with them for a bit.

"Those are rather broad claims. Do you mean identify my species, my name, my standing? You could at least open your eyes so that I don't have to do all the work here."

At this, their eyes did snap open, and a retort died on their lips. Whether it was because of my attire, which still looked like a suit of Everfree Camouflage, or because I was in fact currently human, I didn't care. I just smiled a wicked smile and leaned in towards them, lighting up my right hand as I did so.

"That's better. I'm Auric Fulcrum, and I would like to meet with the Princess, if you would be so kind."

The two of them looked to each other, one of them gulped and nodded, and led me to a sitting room.

It was only five minutes later that Celestia burst in, saying "Dulla-"

Then she took notice of me and gaped. I stood up and walked slowly towards the center of the room, looking her in the eye as I did so.

"Well Celly, it's been a week and change. Miss me?"

-----

It had taken her two minutes to get her jaw unstuck and her mind working again. It was quite amusing, seeing her go through all the motions of confusion.

Have you ever seen an alicorn's eyes rotate in different directions due to sheer confusion? I have, it's pretty hilarious.

Eventually, Celly got her mind unstuck and looked at me more carefully. "Dullahan? Is this how you looked before?"

I pulled a lock of hair in front of my eyes and stared at it, then looked back at her. "Yes and no, Cel. And I'm sorry about the wait. Turns out, rebuilding a body you haven't had for fifteen hundred years takes a while, even for such powers as mine. But please, don't call me Dullahan anymore. I gave your guards the name Auric Fulcrum, I'll try to start answering to it now."

She nodded slowly. "Very well, Auric. Is there anything else you want to tell me?"

I lit my hands up with that golden flame again and grinned. "Oh yeah, I've got lots to show and tell. But I think it's best you tell me first, your list is shorter, probably."

Celestia looked to the floor, sighed, and looked up. "Mount Canterlot is sinking into the earth."

I blinked three times in rapid succession. "Well. Apologies. How fast?"

She looked at me with a slight glare. "An inch or so a day. Why did you apologize?"

I reached behind my head and gave her a sheepish grin. "Eh, well, this sort of thing may have happened before when that other Sun was formed. I just didn't expect it to happen here. There, the entire mountain sank into the earth so fast, only a preemptive evacuation saved the people living on it."

Celestia blinked a few times, and I continued. "Still, it's a slow progression. Dissy and I might be able to do something about it."

She shook her head as I mentioned Discord's name. "He vanished a while back, saying something about patrolling the borders."

I nodded at that. "Makes sense. I'd still like to talk to him, maybe together we can hash something out."

I turned to a nearby window, my gaze not focusing on anything. "Say, what happened to my armor?"

"Discord returned it to your village, along with your sword."

I turned to nod at her when I felt it. A small, imperceptible shift, one that was tiny, miniscule.

But I wasn't the Elemental Wraith for fifteen hundred years without learning something about how the world works, or rather, should work.

I made for the door, paused, and looked at Celestia while giving her my biggest grin.

"Be right back. I'm going for a walk."

Author's Note:

Ho boy! We're doin' this again!