XIV: A God and a King
It was dark, the full moon overhead out-glowing the myriad stars surrounding it. Those too small or too dim were completely overrun by that gentle, white light. The dunes on the horizon seemed almost otherworldly, reflecting the pale moonlight with their endlessly shifting sands as the relentless desert wind tossed grains from mound to mound.
The stars below Aurus glowed as well, the changeling capital sparkling like a swarm of fireflies in the distance. Standing high nearly six hundred feet above, the flicker of green lamplight was identical to that of the night sky above, as if it were all a reflection in some emerald pool.
No structure glowed more brightly than the massive coliseum, its gargantuan braziers containing private infernos for the sake of challenging the night's darkness. Aurus could see the light glinting off millions of shelled hides, inside and outside the structure. The people were assembled, and even from this distance the yammering of the masses reached him. It was like the echo of terrible sandstorms that had assaulted this land since the beginning of history. Every individual voice clamored into the next, creating a whirlwind of sound that not even the distance could stop in the cold night air.
"What are you going to do?" Twilight asked him quietly, noting the reflection of the green firelight in his intense gaze.
Aurus never looked away, transfixed by his goal; the coliseum. "I will show them all what Gerd really is. And I will undo him in front of them all," he whispered quietly, his tone neither cruel nor cold.
Only certain.
"But you can't get in there. Look at all those people! You'll be spotted in an instant if you try to fly down there. Even in the middle of the night those braziers will illuminate you clear as day," Korrick said with concern.
"Perhaps it's time you told them your plan," Chrysalis said, her tone and expression indicating that she considered this all to have been a wonderful joke that she hadn't wanted to end.
Aurus sighed, closing his eyes and at last breaking his view of his place of destiny. It would not be an easy thing for his friends to hear, but this plan was his only chance to get close to Gerd on that platform.
"My original plan had been to have Twilight teleport me inside. But I can't do that; it would put her in danger, and the people won't recognize her. It would create confusion, and all of my hope rests with garnering their love again before Gerd can attack me. Every second that is delayed is a second we can't afford," he said somberly.
"What are you talking about-" Twilight began, clearly fully prepared to go in there with him, danger or not.
He held up a hoof, stopping her with a heavy sigh. "I'm going in there alone. You will all stay here," he said, bracing himself against the sea of protest he knew was coming.
"Absolutely not!" Rarity cried, scowling at him.
"Are you loco in the cocoa?" Pinkie Pie gasped, failing a bounce and tipping over.
"Are you kidding me?" Rainbow Dash groaned, gritting her teeth in a ferocious snarl.
"But... um... okay..." Fluttershy whispered, amazing Aurus by the sheer fact that he had heard her at all.
"Aurus, you can't be serious," Twilight said with concern, looking at him pleadingly.
He sighed, looking expectantly to the last of his six friends, waiting for the most powerful denial of his plan yet.
Applejack just smiled at him, tears in her eyes. "I ain't no good with magic, sugar. An' I can't fight this battle fer ya."
Everyone, Aurus included, looked at Applejack slack-jawed. The ever-ready earth pony had simply agreed? The king of the changelings shook his head in disbelief, a content smile on his face. At least Applejack understood; this was something only he could do, and even though he loved his friends dearly, it could only end badly for them. The pain in her eyes made it clear that she wanted to argue, just like her friends had, but she was refusing to.
Her resolve to let Aurus do this seemed to bleed into the others, who fell silent and just looked at him sadly.
"But what if you don't come back?" Fluttershy asked quietly, surprising everyone with her soft voice. Even her tender tone was enough to cut through the dead silence of night and sadness.
Everyone shuffled uncomfortably at her words, except for Aurus and Chrysalis. "I will come back," he said quietly, his smile sure and his words soothing as he looked at his shy, yellow friend.
"Pinkie Pie swear!" Pinkie declared, pointing at him and scowling skeptically as if she expected him to falter under such a powerful oath.
Aurus just smiled. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," he replied calmly, working through the motions comically. All of his friends smiled, repressing giggles despite the seriousness of the task ahead. It was them, their group, doing what they always did; playing along, being together. For just a moment, everything was still normal, and nobody was marching into battle.
"Then what's the plan?" Twilight asked, her tone still worried, but accepting.
Aurus and Chrysalis shared a quick glance as the kingly changeling paced over to the edge of the cliff, smiling a devilish smile. "I had Malik bring us up here for two reasons... One is that nobody would be able to spot us in the dark, and so I won't be discovered."
"And the other?" Malik asked, his tone eagerly curious.
Aurus locked his eyes on the faraway stage of the coliseum below, grinning to himself. "Simple, really. In order to use the portal spell, you have to be able to see your destination."
Gerd chuckled to himself, still enjoying the looks of awe he received from the council crowded around him. Even the scribe was shocked by his appearance, and the horn of pure sapphire that now adorned his brow. He and his minions were behind the curtain of the coliseum's grand stage, awaiting the return of the guard, who would come bearing news that the assemblage of the nation was completed.
He arrived that very moment, bowing low in front of Gerd's monstrous form. "My lord god, the people are ready to bask in your presence," he said eagerly, and Gerd could actually feel this wretched, wicked creature's admiration and sincere worship. A changeling after his own heart, one who respected power above all else.
"Well done, slave," he replied, using his magic to bring the bowing creature back to its hooves. "Go and hold your seat among them. Watch the splendor of your god with the rest of those fools, but know that you are in my favor," he said, bidding the changeling to leave. The guard dipped his head repeatedly, thanking Gerd and backing away with eyes clenched shut, as if he were not worthy to look upon such magnificence.
In reality, Gerd's form horrified him to behold it.
Gerd turned to the scribe, his blazing eyes roving over the old creature's shaking form. Even his most trustworthy and respected servant trembled in shock and awe of this body, the body of something far greater than a changeling. "Now, my old servant, it is time that the people saw what a true king... no, what a god, can do."
"Yes, my lord," the scribe said hurriedly, his nervousness clear. He rushed to the side, where those in charge of running the stage stood ready. Outside a fanfare sounded, and the green glow bleeding through the curtains intensified as mages built the fires burning in the braziers even higher for effect. The crowd beyond hushed, and the curtains drew wide.
As he had commanded them, what remained of the council walked before him, heads bowed low and facing him. They moved backward towards the crowd in a semi-circle around Gerd's massive, hulking form. He walked at the center of that procession, his mighty head held high, his burning blue eyes glowing like braziers of their own. True silence reigned now, no longer the excited but hushed whispers of the crowd. Everyone stared in disbelief at the horror, the monstrosity, before them. Never in all their lives had they seen a changeling of such size, or so terribly metamorphosed.
Gerd drank in their shock and their fear, translating it to awe in his mind. Grinning wide, his horribly mutated fangs making his wicked smile infinitely sinister, he spoke at last as the council stopped, kneeling around him.
"Citizens of T'rahk Enox! Tell me, do you not recognize me? Or perhaps you are speechless with awe?" he asked, his voice easily loud enough to reach even outside the coliseum. Mages were projecting images of this spectacle all along the walls of the canyon for those who could not fit into the massive structure.
"Speechless then?" he asked again, grinning evilly. "As you should be. Look upon the true form of Gerd Gallock. The form of your new God!" he roared. On that cue, changeling mages dragged in a massive, covered object. They were clearly struggling with the weight of the item, which towered over even Gerd's mighty form. They dropped it beside him, bowing low before unveiling their burden.
It was the very statue the council had commissioned of Aurus, the perfect emerald likeness of their late king. The people were still stricken dumb by their shock, and so Gerd continued.
"Perhaps you remember my time as high councilor these past months. You might recall the false respect I had for this wretch," he chuckled, putting a hoof around the statue's massive leg in a parody of friendly closeness. The demonic, hungry look in his eyes denied any possible truth the gesture might have contained.
"Mages worked tirelessly for a week to carve this beautiful likeness of our dear, sweet king," he chuckled, emphasizing the sarcasm in his adjectives. "It's the symbol of everything Aurus accomplished. All of his ideals, the wonderment he brought you, and his power."
Gerd's smugly smiling face went wicked as he removed his hoof from the statue. The gem in his forehead flared, and the solid emerald likeness of their last king blew apart into hundreds of thousands of emerald shards. Gerd reacted not at all as the pieces of precious stone bounced off of him, littering the stage.
"His power? Nothing!" Gerd roared as the people gasped, not ready for the complete desecration of such a respected and well-loved king's monument. "When the council declared there would be no more kings, it was not to preserve his idiotic ideals! It was to pave the way for me! Your god! Aurus was an ant, and you are all ants! Everything he represents I can crush with a thought, and everything you held dear about him is worthless in light of the awe that you owe me!"
He cleared his throat, his wicked look vanishing almost instantly, replaced by a politician's grin. "There will be no more kings. And there will be no more council. Look at these men and women you called your leaders, bowing at my hooves. You have no need of them, for even the most powerful changeling pales to a god. And that is what I have become," he said, pacing to the back of the stage, turning his back on the crowd. His speech continued unhindered, however.
"Your god. This people, and all the peoples of the world, are mine. I will guide them into an era of my own choosing, reforging the world in my image!" He called, his voice echoing so that even though he did not face them, they could still hear him.
"Of course there are those of you who will think to fight me. Who think you can destroy me, dethrone me. And to those of you who dare to try, I will give you your chance. Come here and challenge your new god! The council itself was no match for me. Behold!" he growled, and at those words the council ringing the stage rose behind him.
Without hesitation, they fired. They unleashed an incredible display of spellpower; fire, wind, beams of pure energy. All of it lanced for the would-be god's exposed back. The crowd cheered, their horror and fear of this terrible and cruel creature willing the council to destroy him. Their magic grew, fueled by the people's desire to see them succeed, to kill Gerd, and their attacks doubled in magnitude, tripled even.
The council stopped, and the people hushed, waiting for the smoke of the fires to clear and reveal Gerd's destroyed corpse.
Gerd stepped out of that cloud of smoke, the council once more kneeling to him. His smile was smug, his eyes full of wicked delight. "How kind of you to cheer for my victory over death," he chuckled as cries of furious denial began to ring out. He could feel their anger and fear, their hate and desire for his demise.
And it tickled.
"Silence!" Gerd roared, magic behind that command. Everyone who was speaking felt their jaws clench against their will, drowning out their cries of protest and anger. Gerd chuckled to himself on stage as the changelings in the stands raged impotently against the power of his spell.
"I can feel it, you know. Your hatred, your fear. But you have seen you cannot stop me," he said, backing away from the crowd slowly, but still facing them. "Perhaps you are not convinced?"
The scribe came forward, his magic depositing a bound and gagged changeling at Gerd's massive hooves. The elderly female was clearly awake, but unable to move.
Most horrifyingly of all, her horn had been severed, and she could not use her magic to untie herself.
"Councilor Morelda Dugran," He declared to the crowd. "When I declared myself a god before the council, she stood against me. And now, she too kneels before me. But unlike her brothers and sisters who saw the truth of my power and came to serve me willingly, she has refused!"
"I am not a god to be trifled with! Those who deny my will shall see no forgiveness! I will show you all where the path leads for those who defy me!" Gerd growled, Zarkoj glowing like an evening star.
Green fire sparked around Morelda's figure in a circle, the black of the void filling its center. Terrified, Morelda sank into the ground, vanishing from sight.
"What is this?" Gerd roared furiously, for this was not the spell he had cast.
From the very same depths Morelda had vanished into, another form rose from the darkness. The frost blue mane, the twisted, metamorphosed horn, and terrible green eyes full of hate all struck Gerd like stones from a sling, battering his will and resolve as he gazed at a sight he had never expected to see.
Aurus Marz took the stage.
Korrick rushed to the injured changeling's side as she tumbled out of the fire-portal, still bound hoof to hoof. She was awake and shaking with terror, confusion evident in her delirious gaze. The six mares of Ponyville gathered around her as well, Twilight peeling off the ropes with her magic. In their haste to help her, Korrick had not yet had time to discover her identity.
"Morelda?" he asked in disbelief, recognizing her at last.
Her trembling form calmed at his voice slightly, her frightened eyes darting to his familiar face. "K-Korrick?" she asked, clearly in disbelief. "Thank the stars that you are alive!" she practically wept, tumbling into him. Her shock had made her legs weak and worthless, and he was forced to catch her as she cried her fear away.
"Morelda... Morelda, be still," he bade her quietly, calmly. "You are safe now. King Aurus has saved you."
She rose her eyes sharply, the tears there flying away with the force of her motion. "The king is alive?" she asked breathlessly.
"Yes. Even now he does battle with Gerd," the old councilman replied steadily, as if there were nothing to fear. "The people will fuel his righteous anger, and Gerd Gallock will fall."
Morelda began trembling again, visibly. "No... No! He can't fight Gerd! No magic he has can even scratch that demon. He's protected by some horrible magic I've never seen before. A gem of some sort," she stammered, doing her best to deliver the vital information, despite her memories of that horrible creature bearing down on her, declaring her death.
"What do you mean?" Korrick asked, nervous fear filling his own voice.
"A stone... a stone that absorbs magic! It's set in his brow, the monster replaced his own horn with it!" she wailed, shaking Korrick gently by the shoulders. "You have to stop him! If you don't call him back, Aurus is going to die!" tears were streaming down her muzzle now, dripping into the hungry dust below her. It was true that her own plans for the council had written the young king off as a failure, and that she had held little love for him once. But he had saved her life, and he was in danger.
The six friends of Ponyville looked at one another with shocked concern. Until now it had always been a possibility.
But this changeling made it sound certain.
"Chrysalis?" Korrick asked hurriedly, his question vague but somehow clear to the changeling woman.
"It's possible. We warned Aurus that the magic of the Gallocks wasn't their greatest weapon. That they might have such artifacts. I have never heard of such a stone, but who's to say they don't have such a thing? If that's the case, then Aurus is in terrible danger... No matter the amount of magical training he received, he'll fail if his spells can't get through," she said, her own tone showing an uncharacteristic amount of worry.
Applejack stomped a hoof, drawing all eyes to her. Her face was a mask of determination, her eyes filled with readiness for the task ahead. "We're goin' to him, Twi," she said sternly, and the purple unicorn nodded, her own mind similarly made up.
"But AJ, you told him you would let him go alone," Rainbow Dash put in unexpectedly, skeptical of the ever-honest Applejack's earlier declaration.
AJ just shook her head and snorted, bringing a mischievous grin to the rainbow-maned pony's face.
"Well I reckon I lied."
Gerd Gallock laughed like a hyena, uncontrollably and wildly as his eyes beheld a sight even his vast and clever mind had not been prepared to see again.
Aurus looked upon the new form Gerd wore with open horror and disgust. But his training in magic had hardened his resolve and willpower, and he buried those fears under his determination. No matter the size or strength of that body, Gerd would be as weak as a plain scorpion when the people realized what was going on.
The stadium was hushed, filled with excited whispers. Those closest to the stage and those viewing the event on the walls of the canyon were spreading the word quickly. The new changeling on stage seemed far too familiar.
Gerd stopped laughing, wiping his tears of insane mirth away. "What an unexpected surprise! The very changeling who started my path to godhood has returned to pay his respects to me. It would seem that your death was slightly... delayed," he declared, smiling wickedly. His burning eyes showed curiosity and intrigue, but his words were controlled. No matter the amazement of seeing his dead adversary, he was too powerful now to be worried.
"Respect? Godhood?" Aurus asked angrily, his own voice similarly grand from magical power. That voice was familiar to the people, but it was not enough to convince them yet. The trickle he felt coming from the crowd was a river being dammed by confusion.
"What you see as godhood is a fragile thing," he continued viciously. "No matter the power you think you have, the love of the people is stronger. The council may not have been able to destroy you, Gerd, but I will."
The people latched onto that. This changeling, fighting that monster alone? A proud and righteous challenge in the defense of the people? Only one changeling could be so powerful, so just.
"Ever the naive fool," Gerd chuckled. "It seems that what the council said about you is true to the bitter end. You truly are a strange one. You think that a king can stop a god?" Gerd roared.
That broke their wall of confusion and doubt. The word king echoed through the canyon, declaring Aurus' identity clearly to all the assembled, and with that recognition came all their love and adoration, their hopes for salvation and his victory.
Their desire to be saved from the injustice and tyranny of Gerd Gallock.
Gerd watched as Aurus stumbled under the magical pressure, just as he had intended. Revealing this weakling for what he was would cause such an influx of power that it would consume him. Gerd wouldn't even have to lift a hoof, at least not until Aurus was lying on the ground, inches from death and begging for his life.
Aurus gritted his teeth, eyes glowing fiercely as he directed the magical force inside him. It was manageable, but painful. Quickly approaching the breaking point.
It was time. Lighting his horn he reared back.
Gerd laughed, shaking his head. "Are you going to attack me already?" he asked, his tone making it clear that he was not concerned in the slightest.
Aurus channeled all of the powerful energy that he could muster into his legs and stomped hard, holding the image of his beautiful, wonderful rune in his mind.
Green lightning raced out from him, across the stage and the grounds of the coliseum, and far beyond. The canyon was lit as brightly as noontime from below, a throbbing green and soothing light that radiated from the massive rune that encompassed the entire city, ringing it in and climbing up the sides of the canyon walls. The rune was nearly a mile wide from end to end, and filled with unimaginable energy.
The energy of adoration, of love, and of salvation.
Gerd looked around in concern until he realized that whatever this spell was, it was doing him no harm. "A pretty show, but worthless nonetheless. Now then, where were we-" he began, but he trailed off as he saw Aurus.
The changeling king was standing firm, unharmed by the magic coursing through his body! The amount flowing into him should have been impossible to contain, should have been toxic. Without Zarkoj, even Gerd could not hope to control that much energy at once. How was he still standing, with that confident smile still on his smug face?
"You worthless ant... I had hoped to see your own power tear you apart. Oh, the irony that would have held!" Gerd said with mock sorrow. "But no matter. Even with all of that power at your command, you are no match for me!" he roared.
The battle of the titans began at last.
Gerd landed the first blow, using the powerful magic of Zarkoj to fuel a mighty stomp of his front-right hoof. Crushing their would-be savior in a single blow would surely show the people his power, much more than killing Morelda ever could have. In Gerd's eyes, it was a fortuitous event that Aurus had returned. What better way to solidify his power and ensure the people's despair? Laughing loudly, he bore down on his enemy.
Aurus threw up a barrier, drawing from his rune and projecting the orb around himself. He stood calmly at its center as the hoof crushed into the magical field above him.
It then punched through it, the field shattering and dissipating as the gem on Gerd's brow flashed brightly, absorbing the spell that held the barrier in place. Aurus dove back as the hoof bore down, the shock-wave of the impact throwing him over backward as Gerd's mighty leg crushed the stage below. When the dust settled and Aurus was back to his hooves, he could see the crater that deadly punch had left.
How had his barrier failed? His spell had been powerful enough to stop nearly any of his own insanely strong magical attacks, let alone a simple physical assault. It didn't make sense!
Gerd walked out of the settling dust towards him slowly. "What's the matter, little king? Aren't your spells strong enough to stop me? A shame I won't even need magic to crush you, but it will be such a grandly humiliating defeat when the people see you stomped into dust by my hooves alone!" he growled, rushing forward again.
His speed was amazing in that powerful body, but it was nothing compared to the days Aurus had spent flying with Rainbow Dash, or the speed of the lasers he had deflected daily in practice. Still, he took an unconscious step back, trying to think of something. The barrier hadn't held for more than an instant, and so he was loathe to depend on that again, at least until he could discover what had happened.
His rear hoof bumped something, drawing his attention for a split second. Littered all over the stage were shards of emerald, sharp as any fang or dart. An idea sparked in his mind.
As Gerd bore down on him a second time, seeking to crush him underhoof, Aurus acted on his plan. Using his magic he drew several shards underneath him in a split second and jammed them all into the floor of the stage, their wicked, spiked tips facing upward. At the last second Aurus jumped aside, watching with satisfaction as Gerd's hoof rocketed into his trap full-force.
Gerd roared in pain as the emerald spikes punched through his hoof and into the tender flesh beneath, drawing dark red blood. So great was the force of his attack that the shards had been forced fully inside his hoof, and not even the ends that had been jammed into the stage were visible as he raised his injured leg to take the weight off of it.
"You little rat," Gerd growled, his teeth gritted against the pain. Zarkoj flared, and magic forced the shards back out, though Gerd winced with the agony of the act. Still holding the bloody spines with his magic, he flung them at Aurus with frightening speed.
Aurus threw up another shield purely out of instinct, putting more energy into it than the previous one. The shards collided with it, ricocheting off of it instantly. Aurus didn't feel the shield weaken even the slightest, despite the power behind those projectiles. His barrier had shattered under Gerd's simple hoof, yet it easily turned aside his powerful magic.
Something wasn't adding up. Even with the people now clearly on his side, Gerd had plenty of magical power. That last attack wasn't lacking at all, yet it had not destroyed his barrier like Gerd's hoof had.
Gerd growled. "You think you can stop me, simply by blocking my attacks? Your power is limited, but mine is endless!" he roared. A blue beam of light lanced out from his jeweled horn, a feature Aurus was just now truly noticing.
Aurus created a deflection array with his shield bubbles organizing them to intercept the beam and redirect it. Seeing that Gerd was still off-balance and holding his injured hoof aloft, Aurus threw one orb out wide to his left. The beam arced around him and into the lone orb on the side, lancing into Gerd from his right. The force of the blow stumbled him to his left, where his injured hoof was no longer present to support him. Unable to brace against the attack, Gerd was thrown sideways, slamming into the back wall of the stage with earth-shaking force. The emerald fragments all across the stage bounced and rattled as Gerd collided with the stone.
The crowd roared with pleased cheers, calling Aurus' name and willing him on in the fight. The powerful energy of love continued to pour into him, and he carefully moved it into his rune, not letting it depart. He scowled as he heard the crunching of stone within the dust cloud that housed the wreckage of Gerd's tumbling roll. That beam had nearly shattered the first few orbs it had hit, and even after a few bounces it still held the force to throw such a massive creature so far.
If such an attack were to hit him directly, Aurus knew that the fight would quickly end. He had to stay on the offensive now that he had gained ground, for even the slightest break in his defenses would be fatal. If he could press Gerd hard enough, he might be able to end the fight before the monster could retaliate properly.
Aurus conjured a gust of wind, blowing the dust aside and revealing his opponent. Gerd had pried himself out of the badly dented and cracked stone wall. The spikes of bone in his back had left deep holes in the rock where his spine had collided with the structure. As he finally wriggled the last of his massive body free, the stone wall crumbled down behind him, no longer having his powerful frame to lend it the support it needed.
Gerd shook his head, clearing the pain from it. Why hadn't Zarkoj stopped that attack? Any spell should have been absorbed instantly, yet the beam had hit him full-force.
The voice in his head he knew to be Zarkoj spoke. "I cannot alter that which you cast through me, master. Be wary of the little thing. If it turns your own might against you, even our powerful body will not be able to withstand the blows."
Gerd's blazing eyes riveted on Aurus, who was readying some spell of his own, and smiled. So that was it. A simple mistake, nothing more. One he would not make twice.
Aurus let fly a barrage of beams, splitting one massive laser over the surface of a shield bubble. That one became five, and those five became twenty-five as they collided with bubbles of their own, dividing into a wide area of effect. The ranged assault rocketed in, and Gerd made no move to evade it or prevent it. Aurus allowed himself a glimmer of cockiness as the beams licked at Gerd's hide.
Yet they did nothing. The rays vanished, confusing Aurus. Gerd laughed at him, loudly, mockingly. "You think you can harm me?" he asked smugly. "Your magic is worthless to me! Only a god can harm me, and I am the only one fit to claim such a title!"
A mighty wind sprang forth from Gerd's body, threatening to lift Aurus from his hooves and throw him into the remaining wall behind the stage. Gritting his teeth, Aurus conjured a barrier in front of himself, splitting the wind to either side of him. But the air pressure was insane, and even with his shield in place the vacuum effect that resulted threatened to suffocate him. The air rushing past him pulled all the air near him with it, and it was only a matter of time before he weakened from lack of oxygen and his barrier fell.
He sucked in a deep breath and gritted his teeth, realizing that he had to act. If he waited he would be flung into the wall in the end, and then Gerd would have all the opening he needed to land a powerful attack. Pulling from his rune and forcing the magic into his legs he forged towards Gerd, pushing his wedge-shaped shield ahead of him like a plow, slicing through the wind.
Gerd's laughter reached him even through the torrent of air. "How idiotic! You think to reach me? What will you do, even if you arrive? I will crush your worthless barrier to nothing and my gale will tear you apart!" he roared. His horn flared and two fireballs were cast into the whirlwind, racing fast for Aurus' barrier.
He knew that his shields would not hold up, not with his lungs burning for air and his concentration split between his need to breathe and to keep his shield in place. Aurus braced for the attack, staring into the oncoming blast with a ready will. It couldn't end like this, and all of his resolve would see him through this nightmarish barrage.
It never came. The winds suddenly stopped, and the fireballs were forced towards the back of the stage by a sudden gale flowing in that direction, where they exploded with a force that shook the stage. Looking ahead, Aurus saw that the stone of the floor had been raised, forming an earthen cage around Gerd, and locking his winds inside it. Looking around, Aurus soon spotted the source of his salvation, and his gasp was not just one for air.
Twilight stood facing Gerd, her horn glowing, forcing the stones to crush in tighter around his powerful body, containing the wind inside. Applejack, Chrysalis, and his other friends stood behind her. She was clearly straining to maintain her container, and each time Gerd punched through a wall she would raise another to replace it. Between gaps in her ready defense, Aurus could hear the monstrous changeling roaring curses.
Korrick approached him swiftly, the old changeling clearly in a hurry.
"Korrick, what are you doing here? I told you all to stay behind!" Aurus growled, his fear for his friends outweighing the logical part of his brain that wanted to thank Korrick for blowing aside those deadly, fiery missiles.
"No time for that!" Korrick shouted back, looking in the direction of the thrashing mess of stone and flesh that currently comprised Gerd Gallock, and Twilight's losing struggle. "She can't hold him long! We had to bring you news and come to your aid. That stone in his head absorbs magic spells! Earlier when your barrier broke apart, didn't you feel it? The magic, being drained?"
Aurus thought rapidly, trying to keep pace and still understand the information. Korrick was right, earlier the barrier hadn't been crushed by force. It had been weakened, drained to nothing! "What are you saying? That my magic is useless?" Aurus shouted furiously, unwilling to accept that, though it was clearly the truth. His earlier attack had proven that much.
"Exactly that!" Korrick growled. "No matter what spells you throw his way, that stone is going to stop it!"
Their time was up as the sound of crunching stone finally overcame all other sounds, the four walls of Gerd's cage at last coming down. Twilight was breathing hard and laying down, her energy completely spent for that one task. She had wrestled with a titan with all her strength, and it had cost her.
Furious, Gerd stalked towards her. "Pony wretch!" he roared, shaking shards of stone from his mane and looking upon her tired form with eyes made of hatred. He raised his injured hoof, pain forgotten in his fury as he crushed down on her.
"Twilight, no!" Aurus roared, reaching toward her. No spell would come, it would be far too late. And even if he did erect a barrier, it would shatter uselessly under that powerful leg.
A rainbow blur shot in front of that attack, and suddenly Gerd reeled back, roaring in agony and shaking his damaged leg to numb the pain. Rainbow Dash landed in front of Twilight, breathing hard and bleeding from one of her legs, a deep gash that was surely causing her more pain that she was letting on. "Don't you lay a hoof on her!" the rainbow pony shouted, fanning out protectively, wings raised to increase her area of guardianship.
Gerd plucked another bloody emerald shard from his leg, looking with disgust at the weakling creature who had so harmed him. She had flown in and stabbed him, gouging herself on the reverse end of the shard in the process. Reckless, yet effective, he had to admit. Still, it would not save her or her friends.
"When I'm through with you, Aurus is next!" He roared, leveling his horn and preparing a spell.
He never got the chance, for Aurus flew in fast from the side, roaring like a lion, the speed and magical energy inside his body compounding with crushing force as he drilled Gerd solidly in the side of skull. The force snapped the massive creature's head to the side, sending him tumbling to the stone in a daze. Aurus could feel the hide beneath his attack cracking from the energy in that single blow.
Growling away the pain with his hatred and rage, Gerd rose back to his hooves. "You..." he hissed, spitting blood and a dislodged fang to the stone below.
"That's right. I'm your enemy, and turning your back on me for even a second is a mistake you can't afford to make! If you want to kill my friends, then you'll have to get through me first!" Aurus rushed Gerd again, punching the badly off-balance behemoth again.
This time Gerd held his ground though, bearing the painful punch with bared fangs. "If that's the game you want to play, then I will show you who the victor is!" he roared, meeting Aurus' next punch with one of his own.
The blow rocked his foreleg, yet the king held firm. Though Gerd was fast, he was too large to keep up with Aurus. Filling his leg with magic, Aurus forced Gerd's attack out wide and rushed through the sudden opening. With a roar of pure force, he drove home with a punch that collided solidly with the end of Gerd's injured leg. The power of that blow shattered the already punctured shell and hoof, exposing the bleeding, tender flesh beneath.
Gerd roared and swatted at him, but Aurus turned it to his advantage. He tucked his wings and stuck out a foreleg, catching the punch purposely. The force pushed that leg, spinning Aurus around like a top, racing through the air for Gerd's head. Using the rotational momentum of his own punch against him, Aurus stuck his rear right leg out and kicked with all his might, crushing Gerd's skull into the stage below with unbelievable force.
Gerd gasped from the pain as the blow sought to claim his consciousness. The punch earlier had cracked his shell, and that kick had shattered a piece of it, exposing the horrifying sight of his jaw muscle underneath, a string of ivory fangs visible on the edges of the sinewy, bleeding mess. Regardless of the agony, Gerd knew that to pass out would mean his death, and so he held on, pushing himself to his hooves. Fighting Aurus physically was clearly not an option.
He was losing.
Magic was his only safe bet, but he was badly outnumbered now. Aurus landed a short distance away, huffing with the effort of his assault and trying to right his spinning vision. Gerd forced himself back upright, similarly winded, his vision a haze of spots from the concussive kick.
Knowing that he had little time to act, Gerd leveled his horn back at Aurus' friends, preparing to decimate them and leave Aurus vulnerable and alone. "You cannot beat a god!" he roared defiantly, conjuring a beam of light that raced for Aurus' ill-prepared companions. "Know despair!"
Aurus watched in horror, seeing the entire spectacle in slow motion as his friend's faces filled with terror. The beam coming for them was unstoppable with Twilight so drained, and Aurus had no time to react, still recovering from his attack.
He watched it happen. One face in the crowd of loved ones showed no fear, only determination and anger. Ahead of the group, directly in the path of the beam, a fire portal sprang to life, and out of it rose Chrysalis. The hate in her eyes remained right until the beam, struck her, exploding with blue light and obscuring her from view. The blast threw her crumpled body toward Aurus, bouncing limply off the stone and rolling to his hooves.
Chrysalis was terribly burned, her hide shattered in numerous places. She was bleeding horribly, yet her eyes still moved, her chest still rose and fell sporadically.
Aurus rushed forward the few meager steps he had needed to cradle her battered form in his legs. "No... No!" he pleaded, watching her choke on blood. Her chest was filling with the fluid, her ribs shattered by the explosion, puncturing her heart.
She was sure to die.
"A-Aurus..." she gagged, spewing his name around the bubble of crimson liquid in her throat.
"Why?" he asked, tears coming to his eyes. "How?"
"I... I never used that energy that you gave me, all those months ago," she said weakly, laughing hollowly. "I was... was saving it for something important... And I found it. Kill him," she whispered hoarsely, and it was clear that those words were carried on her last breath. She smiled a scarlet smile at Aurus before her body shuddered and her life faded, leaving her glazed, dead eyes staring pleadingly into his. Begging him not to waste her sacrifice.
The tears fell freely around his muzzle, his snout pressed to her shattered chest. He wanted so badly to grieve her, for her sacrifice was the most important thing anyone had ever done for him. She had saved the lives of all his friends, but there was no time for that. He had to be strong, for Gerd would surely strike again. Raising his head, his teary eyes became pits of unbreakable resolve. He gently, reverently laid her body aside, standing with his shoulders square and his jaw clenched in fury.
Gerd stood across the stage, leveling his horn for Aurus, who he thought to be grieving and unable to stop the attack. A powerful blast of wind rocked forth, but Aurus threw up a shield just in time to stop it, redirecting it. Still, it rattled the barrier badly, and it was clear that while Gerd was no match for him physically, the reverse was true for magic. Aurus would have to get close to beat him.
Gerd was in full swing now, letting loose barrage after barrage of spells; fire, wind, light. They came too quickly for Aurus to turn them against him, and so the changeling king fought simply to stay alive. He detonated fireballs by launching his own, turned wind aside with barriers and counter-gales, and bounced lasers skyward moment after moment. But every spell inched closer, was even less powerfully misdirected. Though his own magical energy was still powerful beyond belief, Aurus lacked the amplifying power of Zarkoj.
At last the inevitable came to pass. A beam struck him hard, punching through the barrier in front of it. Though weakened by the protective spell it had shattered, the beam still tossed Aurus like he was nothing across the stage.
Seeing his opening, Gerd zipped off fireball after fireball, all rocking Aurus badly. The flames and smoke obscured him from view, leaving his fate to the imagination of his friends as even more explosions shook the stone. All the while the giant changeling behemoth cackled madly, his grin maniacal and fiery eyes filled with demonic delight.
"Filthy ant! Kick and punch as you might, your magic is no match for my power! I will turn you to ash!" he roared, firing one last blast before halting. Eager to see his enemy's charred corpse, he forced the smoke and lingering flames aside.
In the center of the blast area was a dome of horribly battered and charred stone, but no corpse. The stone crumbled down, revealing Aurus still standing, though badly burned and breathing heavily. One of his eyes had its outer lens in place, rerouting a stream of blood, but he still stood.
Gerd just laughed, seeing the weak changeling fighting for his footing. A shame he hadn't died, but perhaps this could be fun. "You truly are a fine opponent! I never would have expected you to last so long, but even gods tire of their toys. You haven't the fight left in you to stop me." Gerd laughed to himself, striding towards the helpless friends of Ponyville, who were busy staring with worry at Aurus. "Before I kill you, I want you to see just how worthless love really is. Your friends will be waiting for you in the hells beyond!"
Aurus tried to move forward, tried to flutter his wings and make haste to aid his friends. But he was injured badly, and his strength was fading. He tumbled to the dusty stone floor of the coliseum's ruined stage, looking frantically at his friends. He had to do something! Anything! But all of his magic was worthless, no spell could reach Gerd.
Any idea, anything at all. His mind raced and time seemed to slow in his desperation. He replayed everything in his head, looking for some way to save them. Everything shot through his mind at the speed of light. His training, the battle...
His mind latched onto Korrick's words to him.
"No matter what spells you throw his way, that stone is going to stop it!"
He was desperate, and his mind formulated a last ditch plan. "Gerd!" Aurus roared, forcing himself to his hooves.
The monster changeling turned, smiling smugly. "Are you going to beg for their lives?" he asked snidely, turning to face Aurus fully.
"No... I'm going to fight for them!" Aurus growled. With all his mental will, he began drawing magic into him from the rune.
Gerd laughed, watching the energy gather. He strode closer to Aurus, presenting a better shot for the attack he saw building there, his arrogance demanding that he make this failure as humiliating as possible. "Gather all the strength you can! You cannot hope to scratch me with your magic!"
Aurus growled through gritted teeth, his eyes glowing furiously as he absorbed the entire massive rune. Green fire sprung from his joints, the magic beginning to leak out beyond his control. "I won't be using my magic!" Aurus roared.
Inside himself, he felt his willpower break.
The magic overtook him as it had in that valley months before. Green tendrils sprouted from his back, his hair and tail erupting in flame. His eyes too burned with green fire, but the flames licking at his flesh did not sear him. The tendrils at his back fanned out, poised like the tails of striking scorpions. Aurus roared in pain, his voice so powerful that it shook the very earth. One canyon wall caved from the shout, crushing buildings on the outskirts, which were thankfully abandoned due to the assemblage Gerd himself had called.
It was excruciating, infinitely more powerful and painful than that first dive into wild magic. But this was Aurus' only plan, his only remaining idea. He surrendered himself fully to the terrible power of the destructive magic, giving it only one point of focus before he withdrew.
Into that wild spell he channeled all of his anger and hate for Gerd Gallock.
The mocking laughter perched on Gerd's lips never came to pass as he took in the powerful display before him. Aurus was a fiery creature of light, facing him down fearlessly. His face held only an expression of unnerving calm, as if he were not even in the battle anymore.
Something was horribly wrong, and Zarkoj trembled. Nervousness and fear began to leak into Gerd's heart, for he had never encountered magic like this, and Zarkoj was afraid.
The crowd looked upon the spectacle, the god of darkness backing away slowly from the god of light that was Aurus Marz.
Gerd could feel his supremacy slipping, ground he could not afford to lose. Mustering his courage, he cried out and cast forth, summoning winds and fireballs, anything he could muster to kill his glowing adversary. "Die!" he roared.
Aurus stood stock still, but the tendrils springing from his body reacted. Eight of them existed, and two lazily destroyed the fireballs long before they could reach Aurus. The gusts of wind racing for him never met their mark, bending around him even though no barrier was in place.
Through it all, Aurus' expression never changed, his eyes glowing like hellfire in the darkness, six tendrils racing along the ground for Gerd's body.
His magic failed! Gerd stood fast, determined that Zarkoj would handle this attack while he kept up his own barrage.
"Flee! Do not let them touch you!" the gem pleaded suddenly, as one tendril reared up before Gerd's massive frame.
Gerd couldn't react in time. The fiery tendril wrapped itself around his neck, burning him and setting the air in his throat to boiling. He tried to cry out, but that tendril of flame crushed his windpipe as if it were nothing, clenching his throat tight.
Four other tendrils laced themselves through the holes in his legs, binding themselves in terrible knots of flame that scorched his flesh and seared his mind with agony. The tendril around his neck began to pull him with horrifying, unyielding strength. Though he struggled against it with all his might, pumping magic from Zarkoj into his limbs, it mattered not at all. The other tendrils pulled his legs, defeating his efforts and toppling him to the stone. Gerd struggled futilely as Aurus' glowing form approached, the remaining three tendrils at the ready, poised over his head.
"How?" Gerd asked pitifully, gasping out that single word through the tentacle's frighteningly powerful grip on his throat. He was helpless at his enemy's hooves.
Aurus' expression did not change from that calm, heartless face. "Gerd Gallock, as king of T'rahk Enox, I sentence you to death, and everlasting torment," he spoke, his voice sounding as if it were more than one, strangely otherworldly.
Even as the words left his lips, the tendrils did their dread work. The one laced through Gerd's back left leg pulled one way, the others all pulling the opposite direction. Sinew and bone cracked and popped, the tendril ripping the leg clean off at the knee with unrelenting force, and throwing the bloody appendage aside.
Gerd could only groan, a horrifyingly sickening sound that was muffled by the tendril around his throat. His agony only intensified as the burning tendrils ripped off his remaining limbs, slithering back around his torso once their separate mutilations were finished. Gerd tried his hardest to scream, his lungs burning for air and his mind delirious with pain. All he could see through the haze of his hellish existence was the tendril coming for his face as it wrapped around Zarkoj, the gem trembling with fear.
"Master!"
His world ended with that final word and the feeling of unimaginable agony as the tendril around his throat pulled down, the one wrapped around Zarkoj pulling away with godlike strength.
Aurus never flinched as the wild magic decapitated the would-be god, spattering his calm face with bright blood.
The tendrils dropped the head of Gerd at Aurus' hooves, his face locked in an eternal scream. Asserting his will back over the magic, Aurus wrestled for control. The tendrils faded as he pushed the magic back out, creating another rune below him to redirect the flow of powerful magic.
He looked with sad eyes on the powerfully destroyed corpse of his enemy. It had been beyond his control, the magic had only done what it was made to do, yet he couldn't deny the twinge in his heart. He had caused such a violent destruction of a living creature, and not even Gerd Gallock deserved the death he received.
His consciousness faded as the astounded hush of the stadium came crashing down, washing over him in a wave of adoration, pure ecstasy at his victory.
Aurus passed into oblivion a hero.
He woke with a start, sitting up fast and gasping for breath. A gentle hoof on his chest laid him back down slowly, and as the glaring sunlight finally faded from his vision, Aurus could see Applejack's tender smile, ringed by the worried faces of his friends. "It's okay, sugar," she said quietly, nuzzling him gently, careful to avoid his burns. "Yer safe... Thanks to ya, we're all safe."
Aurus sighed with relief, smiling warmly at her and raising a hoof to stroke her cheek. "Applejack, I'm sorry," he said quietly, tears coming to his eyes.
Her own waterworks began to run full tilt, and she hugged him roughly, making him hiss in pain as she scraped a few burned areas with her zealous embrace.
"Don't ya dare say yer sorry!" she sobbed, happy tears streaming down his neck and soaking the bandages on his chest. "It was horrible, but if ya hadn't killed him, he'd have killed us all! He'd have killed ya!" she wept, hugging him tighter.
He petted her head as best he could, one of his legs weirdly pinned. "But he didn't... Applejack, we're all alive. Gerd's never going to hurt anyone again."
She sniffed hard, her friends helping her pull herself away from Aurus. She wiped her eyes and smiled down at him. "I know, sugar. Yer friends and yer people owe ya everything."
Twilight edged in, looking Aurus over. "Can you stand?" she asked quietly.
Aurus mentally tested his level of energy and his pain threshold. Nothing seemed to be too terribly damaged, though he clearly had cracked ribs and a broken rear leg from his fight. "Yes, I think so..." he replied quietly. "Why?"
"Because three days ago you killed the first demon in changeling history, and the people are waiting to see their champion," Korrick said, smiling warmly at his king.
"Three days?" Aurus asked in disbelief.
"We were so worried. We tried everything, but you wouldn't wake up," Fluttershy said quietly. "It was frightening..."
Aurus rolled out of the bed carefully, testing his weight on his hooves. Once he was standing and sure of his balance, he patted his yellow friend gently on the head. "I'm sorry to have worried you so much. But you should have known I would come back to you."
He smiled warmly, looking around at all his friends. "After all, I promised."
Malik and Korrick threw open the double doors to the castle's orator balcony. Outside, the roar of all the nation rocked the stone below. The people were gathered on the rim of the cliff, a black sea of roaring throats and buzzing wings, awaiting their king. Their lord, their champion.
Aurus strode forward, and the cheering intensified. The rune below the castle grew, spreading all along the plains as he channeled the adoration into it. He had prepared ahead for this, knowing that the magic would be coming.
"Citizens of T'rahk Enox!" he roared, his bandages removed to give him a more regal appearance for this occasion. "Today we are victorious!" His hoof shot high as the cheers below echoed his declaration of victory. Aurus let the cheer rise for a moment, but not for himself. For them, to let them hear their own shouts of righteous, just conquering of evil. At last he lowered his hoof, bidding the people below to be still and listen.
"Today, we celebrate the dawn of a new age! Not the age of destruction and horror that Gerd Gallock desired, but the age of peace and prosperity that our people deserve! Tyrants and monsters have tormented our people for too long, and at last we have witnessed the triumph of true power! The power of peace and love!"
Another bout of cheering interrupted him briefly before he continued.
"My friends, I have done everything in my power to guide you and protect you. But now it is you who will play the largest part, and fight the truly challenging fight. I will remain to watch you and hold you steady as you show the world that we are ready to be a part of it! To no longer hide, but to be embraced openly! It is time, at long last, to be a people."
Whatever words he had next were washed away in the wonderful, happy outcry of those below, willingly following his words and his desires for peace. They were indeed ready, as he had said. "Hail, King Aurus!" the people cried. They shouted hail over and over, until the very balcony rattled with their shouts.
Aurus raised his hoof for silence and was graced with it immediately. Looking out over the congregation, he smiled warmly.
"Please... Just Aurus."
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At long last, the finale arrives! Gerd Gallock dies today, my friends!
Enjoy the read. I anxiously await your reactions.
And then the visionary became the king of his people for it is what he deserved all along
Well done.
I take it we will be seeing an epilogue of sorts?
OMG PLEASE DONT BE OVER....
bit gory with the death of Gerd but whatever
882560
Oh, I could have been so much more graphic than I was.
Sorry for the gore all the same, but I had fun with it.
Goosebumps.
Oh yesssss, this was great. Is this the last, or is there going to be an epilogue?
i.imgur.com/MfxjN.jpg?2
882572 Im fine with that level of gore but Im glad you didn't go for more gory
you might have had to rate this mature, or something
One word. Several times.
YES YES YES YES YES YES YES!!!
*begins pumping hoof in the air* Now to read it once I finish reading chapter two of The Third Generation. Oh how I shall enjoy this, muahahahah!!
will there be a Epilogue or somthing as this was a work of art
Before reading: cdn.head-fi.org/d/d1/d12de5ff_dis-gon-b-gud.gif
After: Yesh. I also like how the solution to killing Gerd was Wild Magic, which Zarkoj couldn't absorb, and the fact that Gerd was arrogant and beleived that Zarkoj could save him.
Long live the king.
882679
Nobody guessed it! It made me feel so good using that method of attack.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Of course! Of course of course of course!
Loopholes, that is how one wins in a battle such as this. Finding the loophole/flaw in the enemies defence and slamming down home on it!
I would of preferred Aurus to beat him physically, but this ending is a lot more poetic.
Gerd certainly deserved his gore filled death seeing he totured and slaughtered many council members. He truly was dark and I hope Aurus destroys Gerd's "horn" to be sure no one ever can try such a terrible act again.
Can't wait for the epilogue and millions of sequels finally ending with the Changelings being just a part of the pony society due to 1000 years of interbreeding and peace.
hooray
i wonder if princess celestia would hold the power to stop him if he was in wild mode
i think i just pissed myself due to the intensity of that battle
882689 well i didn't see it coming. i thought that aurus was either gonna bester him in close combat and shatter it or that he was gonna channel all of his power into it and that would cause a overload
but the wild magic solution was waaaaaay more awesome
I feel like i am missing a awesome song to listen while reading.
Otherwise this is just absolute awesomeness
{claps} {Korra's avatar state music plays triumphantly} AWESOME!
And Chrysalis' heroic sacrifice was never mentioned again.
882805
Epilogue.
882812 Hooray!
'The Power of Peace and Love!'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOAh317mo-8
Well! This, sir, was a real treat. I enjoyed this story thoroughly.
Now, we need a "this platinum crown" style sequel, detailing Aurus and Applejack's relationship as he wrestles with leading his people into prosperity. Along with new and exciting villains!
Was I the only person who felt bad for Zarkoj? I mean, when an artifact starts talking to me, I'm totally banking on the "AND NOW I CONSUME YOUR SOUL" speech somewhere down the line. Assistance in genocide aside, it was actually really nice and helpful.
Finished reading, and I have to say, I expected two things to happen, Aurus tries to overload Zarkoj with a massive spell, or with wild magic (you never said Zarkoj could absorb that!). While I did expect something like that to happen, you made it far more epic than I could have expected.
As for the "theme music" for the battle, I was listening to "Utsuho Reiuji's Theme" from Touhou 11.
I can't wait to see what you come up with next!
My face... It looks like this.
Tekken 5 - Sparking
This just fits too damn much.
Great chapter Razor! Now all you need is the resolution and you can call it day!
this doesn't require an epilogue. it DESERVES one. i could see an epilogue involving a time skip showing how the changeling race is doing with other nations, and we can't forget Aurus' and Applejack's relationship.
882689
Like many good weaknesses, it's counter-intuitive yet still makes sense. Any good magician has enough control over their magic that they no longer succumb to wild magic when casting, and those who do are taking their lives in their own hands (hooves, whatever).
I'm willing to bet that Zarkoj could have absorbed it if it wanted to, but why would anything willingly absorb something poisonous to itself?
Also: Featured again. Is it just me, or does this happen every time you update?
882872
No, it definitely does. Every time I go straight to fourth slot. It's just the way the last two slots work.
That... was... delicious. Schooled that god-complex newbie up and down the street.
Gerd really did make a good villain, if nothing else simply because I wanted to see him torn apart by a pack of rabid chihuahuas. Wild magic worked just as well, though! I tip my moustache to this epic chapter.
882872
You probably don't
It is just a great and awesome story that a lot of people read.
882734 Try this?
Oooh, Gallock got Hung, Crushed and Quartered. He really shouldn't have riled the people up so much. An entire civilization's righteous indignation channelled through their ruler and directed raw at the oppressor? He's lucky it wasn't a bit more horrible than that.
882931
Failed URL
But yea that music would have fit quite good.
Epic. Truly Epic.
Kickass and chew bubble gum, now all we need is a fanart of epic Aurus
882936 Fixed now. Another, slightly longer song for battle.
882948
After you say that I am expecting one within 24 hours.
882948
I've said it once and I'll say it again: the day my works begin inspiring fanart, I'll suffer a non-lethal heart attack and spend a week writing from a hospital bed.
One of the best fight scenes I've ever read in a fanfic! I particularly liked how you managed to redeem Chrysalis without actually redeeming Chrysalis.
That makes sense, right?
883011
Yes. Yes it does. Though in my humble opinion, sense is overrated.
Points for action.
Points for redeemed villain.
Points for allies doing their best to help in a battle beyond their control.
Points for unexpected winning attack.
Sublime ending.
Now we expect the epilogue with timeskips, specially the retired king that bucks apples in Sweet Apple Acres along with his foals and auntie Applebloom explaining why they have to wait for their cutie marks.
And a good explanation on Chrysalis sacrifice, I kinda see it, but I want to hear your reasoning.
"You cannot beat a god!" he roared defiantly, conjuring a beam of light that raced for Aurus' ill-prepared companions. "Know despair!"
Reference to Pain's small speech before his Shinra Tensai (Heavenly Subjugation of the Omnipresent God) of Konoha perhaps?
[youtube=RS6ZNhLHvto]
I loved this, thank you so much for the time and effort you put into this story.
I was curious if that out-of-control magic was going to return. Gerd's dismemberment was fun to envision.
883175
Unfortunately no. I avoid references like the plague, and as with the KOTOR/Assassin's Creed name that Malik shares, it is pure coincidence. Everything was written off the top of my head, and zero recollection/research of any other work was conducted.
I am glad you enjoyed it, my friend! The epilogue is coming to wind it down from the tense feeling of this chapter, and at last the tale will come to a close. I feel that heart-wrenching bittersweetness that all men feel at the end of a wonderful adventure. I am sad to see this tale come to a close, but I take pride that it was a grand story. Thank you for reading!
Excellent fight, very well done.
This land is made of Love and Peace!