Wings of Courage

**Warning:* Zecora will make her appearance soon. In this story, she does not always rhyme when she speaks: only occasionally. I will eventually be writing a story in which this gets explained in great detail, but for now please bear with me.*

Thank you, and enjoy the adventure!

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Malik stumbled through the desert sands. Hot wind stung his exposed and sensitive skin, and his only grace was that the sand and sun had dried and baked his wounds, keeping him from bleeding to death as he traveled. His wings were badly bent, the thin veins inside burst from his impact with the table and then the hard, stone path outside Ebonhome. Walking the great sands of the Enoxxian Wasteland was taking its toll on his wounded body.

He stumbled, groaning weakly as he fell to the hot sand below. His eyes, half shut from exhaustion, pain, and the bright light of day, finally drooped closed as he panted for air. Many moments passed before he tried to stand again, for he knew that to stay down too long meant he would never get back up.

He cried out as something in his back sent slicing pain through his entire being, locking his muscles up tight. He laid back down, fishing with his magic until he had found the cause of the pain; another piece of his own shell, splintered and sharp from his crushing defeat, jammed between his shoulder blades. Gritting his teeth, he yanked on it with his magic until at last it pulled free. He let out a gasp of pain as the wound was exposed to the blazing sun.

Malik threw the bloody shard aside and rose shakily to his hooves again. It was just one of dozens that littered the sands in the miles behind him. He had already spent two days trying to wander home.

He had few options available to him if he meant to survive. One was to return back the way he had come, staying out of the harshness of the sands until he was well enough to travel. But that could take a week or more, and he simply hadn't the time. Unless he got medical attention soon, his wings might never fully heal. The other option was to continue forging ahead. In T'rahk Enox, the mages would be able to accelerate his recovery.

Only one of those options would save Fluttershy. So, with grim determination, he trudged ahead, his breath hot from his exertions and shallow from pain. His throat burned from dehydration, and his tired eyes scoured the sands for a cactus patch, the only source of water available in the harsh an unforgiving landscape.

Many more minutes of hobbling finally moved him into one. Malik rose to break one of the arms off of the tall, water filled plant, only to find that he hadn't the strength to do so. Push and pull as he might, his legs and his magic were too weak to break the tough stem on their own.

Desperate, Malik had to improvise. He looked over his shoulder, bleary eyes trying to focus on the numerous shards of shell stuck into his back. Many were so small that he could barely see them, but one stuck out that was large enough to fit his purpose. Grunting against the pain, he wiggled the sharp, bloody chunk of chitin out of his back and set to work.

Using his own hide he carved away at the cactus, sawing off one of the arms. At last the water came flowing out, and he drank greedily, ignorant of the taste of his own blood that stained the plant's jagged wound. He had to stop as his stomach wrenched, for he hadn't seen food in days. His gut was empty, and filling it so quickly in his weakened state caused it to churn.

He slowed his pace, drinking more steadily until at last the flow stopped.  Unwilling to hack away at another of the water-filled desert-trees, he decided it was best to forge ahead. The faster he reached Cliffcrest Castle, the better.

He had barely made it out of the far side of the cactus patch when he spotted a hazy silhouette on the edge of the small gathering of plants. It was vaguely changeling shaped, and its appearance caught Malik by surprise. He approached it slowly, noting that it did not seem to move, and appeared to be hunched over one of the smaller, ball-shaped cacti.

"A mirage?" he asked himself quietly. He shook his head, realizing that didn't matter. If someone truly was there and he called out, they might be able to help him.

"Is someone there?" he called as loudly as he could, coughing on the words.

The hazy black outline shifted, the head rising and turning his way. He heard a gasp and the sound of hooves pounding his way.

"Thank all that's holy..." Malik groaned, collapsing once he realized that his company was real. Judging by the sound and shape, his savior was obviously a changeling.

"What happened?" asked a panicked female voice, the accent strange and exotic. "A changeling, so far from his home? You are more broken than whole, to be so lost," she said, her face coming near his. She spoke in the pony language, though it was obvious from the way she spoke that it wasn't her native tongue.

What he had first seen as black hide he now saw was striped with grey, the black lines blurring together in the distance. She was some sort of striped pony he had never seen before, but her familiarity didn't matter to him.

"Please... you have to take me back to T'rahk Enox," he whispered quietly.

"Where? How far?" she asked, her voice thick with concern.

"South... I don't know how far. A great city in a canyon. Take me there, ask for Aurus Marz..." he said, feeling his consciousness fading. "Please hurry..."

The pony nodded as his eyes closed, and he could hear her words through a haze of half-awareness.

"Rest your eyes, my changeling friend. It's not today your life will end."

The moon hung high in the sky by the time Zecora had arrived at her destination. She had spent two days fighting Malik's infections and struggling to feed and hydrate the changeling. Since he had fallen unconscious, he had yet to awaken, and this concerned her deeply. Though she did not know him, she could sense that his survival depended fully on her haste.

She had run as hard and as fast as she was able, stopping only to drink or tend to her passenger. At last the city had come into view, and though the hour was late, manners were the least of her concerns as she had loudly cried for help in the changeling streets, demanding to see Aurus Marz, a name she knew well.

The guards led the zebra and her passenger through the gate with all haste, some flying ahead to fetch Aurus. Two guards took Malik from her back, relieving her of the changeling she had been carrying for two grueling days. To her it was a welcome relief, but she could not rest easy until she knew that he would live. She had taken the responsibility of saving his life, and she meant to see it through.

By the time she and Malik had made it inside, Aurus was already waiting for them, his brow creased with worry. His expression only worsened as Malik's bloodstained, but living, body was laid gently before him. He felt his throat clenching as he looked at his damaged friend, but now was no time for grieving what had happened to him. As badly as his heart ached, his duty was to try and save Malik's life.

Applejack, ever-present at his side, put a comforting hoof on his shoulder. With a heavy sigh, Aurus turned to his guards. "Gather as many healers as you can find. I don't care how experienced they are, get them here," he ordered evenly, doing his best to keep his fear from bleeding into his tone.

"An' get Twi," Applejack added quietly, her tone tender compared to Aurus'. The changelings saluted to the couple and took flight through the halls.

It was at Applejack's request for Twilight that Aurus first noticed Malik's savior. "Zecora...?" he asked quietly, his voice thick with disbelief. His stay in Ponyville those many years ago had introduced him to her, and he had kept acquainted with her at least on some level during his many travels through Everfree on his way to Equestria.

"Good to see you again, Aurus," the Zebra replied with a sad smile. "Though I wish I were bringing you better news than an injured friend."

"I'm grateful you brought him here alive," he said with a heavy sigh of relief. "What happened? How did you find him?"

"I don't know what did this to him..." she admitted quietly. "He stumbled upon me while I was gathering cactus flowers, near the borders of Everfree. Lucky for him; the sand would have swallowed him up before he reached this place. His wounds are well beyond my skill to mend," she said with a sigh. "When he asked me to bring him to you, I ran as hard as I could."

Aurus smiled sadly. "I am glad you did... He's a dear friend, and he never would have lived without your help. He'll be safe now, though," Aurus said, striding forward and hugging Zecora suddenly in gratitude. "Thank you."

She hugged him back after only a moment's hesitation, smiling gently. "You are welcome."

Twilight bolted into the room, her mane a mess and tail frazzled from an apparently hasty wake-up session. "What's going on?" she asked hurriedly as changeling medics rushed around her.

Aurus moved aside, letting the healers take Malik. "It's a very long story, I'm sure... and one we won't know until Malik wakes up." His tone was grave, and Twilight understood why as the medical changelings took her battered friend close by. "But I think I have a few ideas..."

"Zecora? What are you doing here?" Twilight asked, recovering from the shock of seeing Malik so mangled.

"I was gathering cactus flowers for my potions. Your friend stumbled into the cactus patch like that. I did what I could to keep the infections from getting worse, but without my poultices or some bandages, there was little I could do," she admitted with a heavy sigh. "I was not prepared to deal with any injuries."

"You did more than enough; more than I would know to do," Aurus said warmly. "He'll live, thanks to you."

"What's going on?" Twilight asked, her tone shifting to angry as her tired brain began to realize that there was something she didn't understand happening. She hated not understanding.

Aurus just sighed, and shook his head. "I don't know all the details, but I could venture a few guesses. We'll have to wait until he wakes up to know."

It was mid-afternoon the day after that horrible midnight awakening. Malik had finally woken up late in the night, demanding to see Aurus. All he'd gotten for all his yelling was food, water, and bed rest though, which only infuriated him further. Aurus had decided against going to see him, assuming that his presence would only aggravate Malik's condition.

For his part, Aurus was doing his best to piece together what had transpired. He had many ideas of what could have happened to Malik, and none of them were pleasant. He and Korrick had debated over it much of the morning in private, but the two had eventually resolved simply to wait for Malik's debriefing.

Zecora had spent the night in Applejack's room, the farm pony being more than happy to accommodate her. Applejack and Twilight were keeping her in close company, doing what they could to make her stay more comfortable and convenient. Zecora was used to the wilds, so a place with such intricate hallways was a maze to her.

Though the normally isolated Zebra didn't seem at home in the castle, Aurus knew better than to expect her to leave, and he certainly wasn't going to ask her to depart after all she'd done for Malik. She was present along with Twilight, Applejack, and Korrick as the small band did what they could to alleviate the feeling of dread permeating the air since Malik's less-than-healthy return.

"You're more than welcome to stay here until you're ready to leave," Aurus explained to her, smiling at his Zebra friend. "I expect you'll want to stay and hear what happened; you deserve that much at least."

Zecora nodded. "I appreciate the hospitality. I am curious to know what could do such things to a creature as durable as a changeling."

"I know precisely what did it," Aurus grumbled, giving Korrick a knowing look. The old changeling nodded, only confirming his fears.

"It seems you were right in the beginning when you said Malik was too hot-headed," Korrick whispered so that only Aurus could hear.

Aurus was about to berate Korrick for jumping to conclusions, but a commotion from outside the room drew everyone's attention, and all but proved the old changeling right.

"Let me in or I swear I'll blow the door off its hinges," Malik growled loudly.

"But sir, you're not fit to be up and-" one guard retaliated, but even an injured Malik was a force to be reckoned with.

A loud thump and the sound of something skidding across the floor resonated from outside, bringing an automatic smile to Aurus' face as he shook his head. Though the situation was far from funny, he could only imagine the scene beyond the door.

The door finally swung open, and Malik hobbled in, his front-right leg splinted and wrapped tightly. The mages had managed to restore his shelled hide at least partially, covering up all of his now-closed wounds. A great deal of bruising hadn't been fixed yet, and the shell was still thin; even so, it was enough to keep the air off of his skin and any possible contaminants out. His wings were likewise mended, the vein system repaired via magic; a simple and common injury in changeling society.

"I've been asking for you all morning," Malik accused.

"And all night, but I expected you to wear yourself out and get some much needed rest," Aurus shot back, his mood returning to its careful balance of concern and curiosity. "Shows what I know. You shouldn't even be up and about after the beating you took," Aurus pointed out.

"Fit enough to throw that guard around," Malik grumbled, but Aurus' amusement on the subject was already spent. Malik could hardly argue his valid concerns, or the look of stern worry on his face. He was only moments away from being ordered back to his bed, he knew.

"Well, good that you're here, I suppose," Aurus said at last, dropping his warning look with a sigh. "You had me scared to death, Malik. What in the hell happened to you?" Aurus asked, all formality gone in his worry.

Malik moved to answer that question, but he choked on it as Twilight spoke up suddenly, her words beating on his heart as thoroughly as Razorwing had beaten on his body.

"Where's Fluttershy?" she asked worriedly, her tone deep with concern.

Aurus sighed loudly; he had hoped to discuss this subject in private with Malik and guard Twilight from it as long as possible, but clearly that wasn't an option. His clever friend had likely worried over it all night.

"I... I failed," Malik said, standing tall and swallowing his pride and his worry, admitting his defeat.

"What happened to her?" Aurus asked sternly, his own worry building, causing him to be harsh with Malik. He felt a twinge of guilt in his chest as Malik cringed under the accusing tone of his voice.

"The price for peace was too steep... Nethrezir demanded Fluttershy herself in exchange for peace with you," Malik said quietly. "He means to keep her prisoner in the north. She refused his terms, and when the dragon lord grew angry, I feared that he would hurt her. But I was a fool," he said, hanging his head and closing his eyes to hide the looks of shame he could feel coming.

"The dragon wanted her so badly, he never would have harmed her. In my fear for her life, I attacked him," he said, his voice a low whisper. "And when I was defeated, she agreed to his demands so that he would spare my life."

The room fell deadly silent. When Malik could stand the dread stillness no longer, he risked a look at his king, the one changeling whose opinion, trust, and love he valued more than anything.

In those eyes he saw anger, disappointment.

"Aurus, I'm sorry..." Malik began, but the King of the Changelings only shook his head.

"You promised me that you would be careful. A shadow on the wall," he said, his tone clearly on the verge of anger. "Tell me, when you attacked him, did you honestly believe that she was in danger? That he meant to kill her?"

It was clear that Aurus' reaction rested on his response. Malik didn't know the answer to that question himself. Why had he attacked? Razorwing hadn't threatened to hurt her. Had he wanted her dead, he simply would have breathed his killing flame, or slashed her to bits. But he had reached for her so slowly, so deliberately. Nethrezir's words echoed deeply in Malik's mind, only further enforcing the truth.

"Protect her? Have you not seen? She is mine now, and I protect what I own. You and all the forces of the world could not scratch me. She has never been safer, and so your promise is fulfilled. Do not hide behind the mask of some valiant knight. You do not wish to protect her; you only wish to keep her."

His pride begged him to lie; to say that he had attacked for just reasons. To say that he had kept his promise, had only been fighting to keep her alive.

"No... he never meant to kill her," Malik said quietly. "I knew from the moment I launched into the fight."

"Then why?" Aurus asked, the dam broken and his anger free. "You swore to protect her, and because of what you've done, now she's in even greater danger than before!" Aurus roared. He strode up to his friend, the friend who had lied to him, who had betrayed his trust. "Why?"

"I was afraid that he would take her away," Malik whispered, his heart broken by Aurus' rage and his own shame. He could not look his king in the eye after what he'd done, knowing that he had betrayed his promise to guard her willingly for the sake of his own heart.

"Selfish," Aurus accused bluntly, his voice now straining for dominance between rage and sadness. "Do you even realize the damage you've caused?" he whispered harshly.

"What would you have done?" Malik asked, suddenly angry. "What if it had been Applejack he wanted? What would you have done?"

That question didn't faze Aurus, only caused his lips to twitch in anger, the king strongly resisting the urge to bare his fangs. "I would have protected her, not endangered her! Negotiated, and if that failed, challenged him for her life. I would have found a way to free her, instead of forcing her to stay for my sake!" Aurus roared. "I would have kept my promise to her. But in the end, it was your selfishness that forced her to protect you. It was your greed that sold her out to the situation she's in!"

"I did challenge him for her life!" Malik shot back.

This backed Aurus off a step. "You what?"

"I challenged him to a duel for her freedom... I'm in no condition to fight him now, but I'm going back. I'm going back again and again, until she's home or I'm not breathing," Malik hissed.

"Malik-" Aurus began, his tone a clear warning. One the shamed and angry changeling steadfastly ignored.

"I'm not done protecting her. I failed her once, but not again. Everything she set out to do, she accomplished... The dragons offer you their peace. But I won't let her stay there, and this is the only way to get her back without ruining everything she worked for."

"You can't possibly fight him alone," Aurus said flatly. "Look what he's done to you once already!"

"Don't you think I know that?" Malik growled, glaring fiercely. "But what would you know of failure? Or shame? Or defeat? How would you ever know what it is like to see the one you love taken away, and feel as if you can't save her?"

The ex-assassin's eyes filled with tears. "You wouldn't know. You'll never understand the fear, the weakness! I've spent the last two years, striving to be like you. Strong, strong enough to protect everyone I care about. But unlike you, I can't," he said sadly.

Twilight gasped, and Aurus' heart sank with guilt. Love? Who could have known that such feelings dwelled within Malik's heart? He was so quiet, so secretive. He had never mentioned it, never shown it, not even to his closest friends. Yet his confession was clear; his heart ached for Fluttershy's return, for it beat with adoration for the shy pegasus mare.

It was more understandable now. Though not forgivable, Aurus could more thoroughly comprehend the fear and anger Malik had felt. Emotions amplified by love were feelings that numbed the mind to reason and stung the heart like shattered glass.

"Malik, I didn't mean..." Aurus started, his anger petering out in the face of concern once more.

"Of course you didn't," his friend said coldly. Malik sighed deeply though, letting it go. "I don't have time for that now. I did this to her, and I'm the only one who can undo it. But even you never faced Gerd alone. I need your help," he whispered.

"You know that I can't," Aurus said sadly.

"Don't you care about her?" Malik asked angrily.

Aurus glared at him fiercely, choking any further accusations with a look of pure rage. "Don't you ever accuse me of not caring for my friends," he hissed lowly. "If I go, then everything she worked for will be in vain. The dragons will declare war on T'rahk Enox. Even if I were to fight Nethrezir and win, what's to stop him from killing Fluttershy if things begin to look dire? Gerd tried to kill Applejack right in front of me when things turned sour," Aurus reminded him.

"His duel is with you; you are the only one he is honor-bound to return Fluttershy to safely," Aurus said quietly. "When you challenged him, you made a much deeper promise to protect her than the one you made to me. One you can't ever fail, or she will never return," Aurus said sadly.

"We need to tell the princesses," Twilight said suddenly. "They would know what to do. Surely Celestia and Luna would be enough help to beat him...?"

"We can't do that," Aurus said suddenly, taking everyone by surprise.

"Not tell the Princesses? But they're Fluttershy's friends too!" Twilight said, stammering from shock.

"They can't know; not unless we have no other choice," Aurus said quietly, sadness clear in his voice.

"Why?" Applejack asked, her tone angry.

"If we tell them, what will they do? Fly out themselves? If they go, the same thing would happen to Equestria that would happen to T'rahk Enox if I went against him. He will declare war on Equestria..." Aurus said quietly.

Korrick picked up his line of reasoning, nodding sadly. "We are allied with the Dragons now... If a war broke out between Equestria and the black drakes of the north, we would have to stay out of it. Siding with Celestia would get Fluttershy killed, and there is no guarantee we could win such a war, even with our combined might. Dragons are powerful creatures."

"Then who?" Malik asked angrily. "I need allies."

"We can't send anyone from T'rahk Enox, nor anyone from Equestria. You are the only changeling that would not complicate the situation, and ponies will arouse immediate suspicion. Fluttershy's life hangs in the balance, as well as her hard-won peace," Korrick put in quietly, realizing that this was far from good news.

"Then... Then let me take Zarkoj," Malik said suddenly.

Twilight gasped, and Aurus could only glare. To ask for that dread stone was an act almost unforgivable in and of itself. Its history was too dark, and its use too great a sin.

"Do you even realize what you are asking for?" he cautioned. "You know I can't give that stone to you, or to anyone. It has a mind of its own, a corrupting will that can't be trusted. Powerful as it is, we are seeking ways to destroy it, not to use it."

Malik ground his teeth in frustration. "Nothing then? You can offer me nothing?" he asked angrily.

"You caused this, and it was you who pledged to fix it. It's you who has forced me into this position; if I could help you, don't you think I would?" Aurus said sadly.

"I will go," came the unexpected lilt of Zecora's voice.

Those in the room reacted with general surprise. "Wait, what?" Twilight asked suddenly, giving the Zebra a very confused look.

"I am not from Equestria. I live in Everfree, so my actions cannot reflect on you," she said with a sly smile. "In such a dire situation, you must look for those who are strangers to help you; the familiar is dangerous here," she pointed out, drawing a nod from Korrick.

"Who else could we possibly send?" Aurus asked the zebra quietly, and judging by her smile it was clear she had an idea.

"I don't think a dragon would raise suspicion. Young Spike is perfect for this mission."