Without Question

Chapters

Chapter One - A Wild Card
Chapter Two - A New Allegiance
Chapter Three - Why We Fight
Chapter Four - The Gathering Storm
Chapter Five - Bring Down the Sky
Chapter Six - Unwanted Attention
Chapter Seven - Revelations
Chapter Eight - Honor Thy Queen
Chapter Nine - Burning Hearts
Chapter Ten - Independent Actions
Chapter Eleven - Blood on the Sand
Chapter Twelve - Reclamation
Chapter Thirteen - Dancing in the Dark
Chapter Fourteen - Insanity's Embrace
Chapter Fifteen - Sophistication...
Chapter Sixteen - ...and Provocation
Chapter Seventeen - Ever Colder
Chapter Eighteen - Curiosity's Call
Chapter Nineteen - Frozen Horizons
Chapter Twenty - Productive Suffering
Chapter Twenty-One - Dying Hope
Chapter Twenty-Two - Breakdown

Chapter One - A Wild Card

Without Question

Chapter One - A Wild Card

Three years. Three long years. That’s how long it has been since Queen Chrysalis of the Changeling Empire first attacked Equestria since her initial defeat at the hooves of Princess Cadence and Shining Armor. After her forces were expelled, Chrysalis immediately began formulating a new plan to conquer Equestria. She had several teams of Changelings infiltrate nearly every major city in the land of the ponies. Then, she gave the signal, and all Tartarus broke loose. The infiltration caught the Equestrian military by surprise, and they suffered defeat after defeat. But then, rallied by their goddesses, they pushed the Changelings out of the cities and all the way back to the Changeling Empire.

It was clear that Chrysalis had failed yet again. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had to make a monumental decision: pull back and risk the Changeling Empire invading again, or push on and crush them permanently. The thought of ending a race of creatures, no matter how troublesome, was painful for the sisters to even consider. But they made the call; it had to be done. They could not allow the Changelings to ever return and cause such destruction again.

So Equestria’s soldiers marched on, scoring victories at every confrontation. The Changelings outnumbered the ponies, but they lacked organization and morale. Numbers meant nothing against foes lead by a pair of goddesses. Every day, the Changelings lost thousands of troops and failed to put so much as a dent in the Equestrian forces. As her Empire crumbled, Chrysalis sat upon her throne in silence.

The Queen had seen better days. The stress of waging war, particularly the aspect of losing it, had taken its toll on her mind and appearance. Her deep blue mane was rough and tangled. Her once-glistening emerald eyes had faded, and slight wrinkles now gathered under them. Chrysalis hung her head and covered her face with her hooves. She knew she had lost, but she refused to accept this as a fact. No. She would do everything in her power to save her homeland and its inhabitants. Everything…and anything…

She needed a wild card. Something the Equestrians didn’t have, something that would give her the edge that she desperately needed. But she couldn’t think of anything. The Queen shook her head in frustration. The painful reality of her situation was burrowing into her psyche. Nothing in the world could save her Empire now…wait…nothing in the world…nothing in this world…

Just when she had all but given up hope, and idea burst into Chrysalis’ mind. She sat straight up and grinned deviously. If nothing in her world could save her Empire, she would find something in another world to do it. Yes…this was exactly what needed to be done. The idea came to her just in time. The Equestrians were a mere three day’s march from the Changeling capital. If this didn’t work…well…all would be lost.

Chrysalis gathered all of her guards and sages in the grand atrium of the capital’s castle. The sages had created a large, dark green symbol on the black-tiled floor using a powdery substance. This would be where the target of the Queen’s magic would appear. The guards stood a fair distance away from the symbol in a circular formation. Clad in obsidian chainmail, they would be ready for anything if the target turned out to be hostile. With time wasting away, Chrysalis approached the symbol.

“So, it has all come down to this…” Chrysalis muttered as she lowered her head and pointed her jagged horn at the powder.

“Mother…if you can hear me…give me strength in this dire time…I will not let my Empire die like a whisper in the wind…” she whispered to herself.

Seconds after she finished speaking, a blast of energy shot from her horn and set the symbol ablaze with brilliant neon-green flame. Chrysalis grunted as she focused every ounce of her power and magic on the symbol. It was agonizing; her wrinkles grew worse and her eyes dimmed further. The flames grew massive in size and threatened to lick at the ceiling of her gigantic castle. The green light flickered and glowed, reflecting off the faces of the guards, who had slowly backed away in fear.

“Just…a little…MORE!” Chrysalis screamed.

With one final burst of energy, everyone in the atrium was sent flying backwards and tumbling, including Chrysalis herself. Several sages and guards hurried to her side.

“Are you alright, My Queen? Do you need help?” they all asked nervously.

“Away from me, fools!” she shouted as she gathered herself and struggled to stand up.

She felt weaker than ever; her vision was blurry but slowly correcting itself.

“Did it work? Well, did it?!” her angry voice boomed and echoed throughout the vast hallways and corridors.

There, in the center of the symbol, stood a human male. Never before had a human been seen by anyone in this world. The Queen and her company stared in shock. His hair was long and as black as the night, dangling down just past his neck. His pale blue eyes held a look of calm confusion. His skin was slightly pale and adorned with a few large scars that seemed to have been caused by a blade. One particular scar on his face stretched from his right eyebrow around his eye and down to his jaw in a curve. The human wore a crimson-colored button-up vest with a frilly gold pad on each shoulder. However, his clothing was heavily torn, and dark blood was visible even on the crimson shirt.

The human was breathing quite slowly and heavily as he clenched his right bicep with his left hand. Everything about this creature astounded Chrysalis and her company. From its hands to its clothing, from its wounds to its behavior, they were stunned. Finally, the Queen cleared her throat and stepped forward boldly (after all, she did not want her minions to see any trace of fear in her).

“You there, creature. What are you, and from where do you hail?”

The human coughed a bit of blood and responded in a firm, deep voice.

“I am a human, from a place called Earth.”

The human was clearly holding back specific information.

“Human,” the Queen continued, “Do you have a name?”

The human nodded, “Silus.”

Chrysalis wanted to know more, but this human seemed seriously injured. All of that energy spent bringing him here would be in vain if he died. But time was short, and she couldn’t risk taking too long to have him fully healed.

“Silus, of Earth, I have further questions for you. But for now, please allow my subjects to tend to your wounds. You are of no use to me in this state.”

As harsh as this sounded, it did not appear to phase Silus. He merely nodded again and let himself be escorted away by a trio of Changeling sages. Chrysalis had ordered them to do their best to quickly patch him up to a point where his life was no longer in danger. She would learn more about this human, but first and foremost, she would get him to aid in the preservation of her Empire. One way, or another…

(Author’s Note: I plan on explaining much more as I continue this story. Depending on the feedback I receive, I’ll add on to it more rapidly. I can’t say too much without spoiling anything, but trust me, it will get far better.)

Chapter Two - A New Allegiance

Without Question

Chapter Two - A New Allegiance

It had been a few hours since Silus was taken away to be healed. His injuries varied from a few scratches and bruises to deep blade-inflicted gashes, as well as a few bullet wounds (though the Changelings were unaware of what guns and bullets were). Using their magic, they managed to completely heal the smaller injuries and close up the severe ones. It would take some time for those to repair themselves, but for now, the sages had done their jobs. Silus was no longer at Death’s doorstep.

After the summoning, Queen Chrysalis had returned to her throne to rest while she awaited Silus’ return. She had recovered some of her strength when Silus entered the grand atrium. Now more aware than he was in his injured state, he was able to fully take in his surroundings. The castle was truly enormous: a testament to the skill of Changeling masonry. Its architecture reminded him of the Gothic cathedrals from the nations of his homeworld. The great, black walls seemed to stretch upward endlessly towards dark sky. Majestic flying buttresses cascaded down from the walls to the glistening black tiles of the floor. The place was awe-inspiring, and he took a moment to rotate in place to look at it all.

A long, red velvet carpet lead from the massive oak doors of the castle all the way to Queen Chrysalis’ throne. Along each side of the carpet were onyx statues placed at even intervals, also leading all the way to the throne. As Silus leaned forward to observe the statues, he noticed each one of them was unique and resembled the creatures of this place. The statues along the left side appeared to be males, while those on the right side were females.

“Ahem.”

Silus turned to look for the source of the voice. It was the Queen, still sitting on her throne, with a guard standing on each side of her. He assumed she wished to speak with him, and he obliged, slowly walking along the carpet to her. Upon reaching the throne, which had great arches stretching out from its sides, he took a knee. Chrysalis raised a brow. He clearly knew authority and respected it when he saw it. She already loved this attitude of his.

Silus wasn’t quite sure what to think. Everything in this place was so strange. The creatures were strange enough, but it astounded him at how they were capable of building such an Adonis of architecture. And this Queen of theirs (or at least, he believed it to be their Queen) intrigued him. He wasn’t sure what to think of her yet, but he kept his head bowed, one fist clenched over his heart, and his other fist firmly planted on the tiled floor.

Queen Chrysalis rose from her dark throne and slowly approached him. She was just as intrigued by him as he was by her. After circling him a few times, studying him, she returned to her throne.

“Rise,” she said sternly.

Silus rose to his feet and looked into the Queen’s eyes. They were strong, despite how much stress had affected them. A strand of her blue locks fell across her face, but she pulled it back over her ear, not breaking eye contact with the human.

“I assume you have many questions. I will indulge but a few of them with what answers I can provide. But I brought you here for a purpose, and my questions and desires supersede yours. Are we clear?”

Silus nodded.

“Now then, ask.”

Silus wasn’t quite sure where to begin. But this Queen seemed to be in a hurry, and it was not on his agenda to anger her.

“Your Highness,” he began, “where exactly am I, and why am I here?”

Chrysalis leaned back in her throne and crossed her hindlegs.

“You are in the black heart of the Changeling Empire, my home. We are a nation at war with our rival, Equestria. I will try to be brief with the history, as time is of the essence. Years ago, I attempted to invade their land, the land of the ponies.”

Silus’ face showed slight confusion at this statement, and Chrysalis detected it.

“That obviously caught you off guard. I assume such a thing is unheard of on your ‘Earth.’ You will come to understand what I mean soon. As I was saying, my invasion failed. My entire nation was humiliated and bitter, and we refused to take such defeat lying down. Three years ago, I attacked yet again, with greater surprise than before on my side. Though victory came to us early, it was hollow, and we were forced back home yet again. But this time, it was different. The leaders of Equestria, a pair of sister goddesses—“

Silus showed further confusion. Sentient ponies? Goddesses? What was next?

“—decided to finish us off, permanently. As the months dragged by, my cities burned, one by one, unable to resist the unbreakable Equestrian army. They will arrive here, at my capitol, in less than three days. With nowhere left to turn, I took a chance a spent nearly every ounce of my energy casting a spell.”

Silus was becoming less and less surprised by each statement. Each thing was stranger than the last and it barely affected him at this point. This couldn’t be a dream. It was too real. He didn’t remember ever falling asleep. Silus figured he might as well accept the information being fed to him as facts.

“This spell was by far the riskiest I have ever casted in all my years. It was meant to rip a random being from his or her dimension and transport them here. Whether or not it was a true success is yet to be declared. Now, tell me, Silus, who are you? And make it quick.”

Silus cleared his throat and tried to gather his thoughts as best he could.

“Your Highness, on my world, I was a soldier.”

Chrysalis’ faded eyes seemed to brighten at hearing this.

“I served as an officer to my nation’s army.”

The Queen was confused as to why he stopped so abruptly.

“And?” she urged him.

“You requested that I make it quick, My Queen.”

Chrysalis was taken aback by this statement. He did indeed obey her request. Not only that, but he addressed her as “his Queen.” It was odd, but certainly not unwelcome.

“I suppose I did, Silus. It is good to hear that you have experience in the ways of war. I have need of a…soldier like you. Here is what I propose.”

Chrysalis knew that she was not giving this creature a choice. She was merely hiding behind a veneer of reasonableness to ease him into her service.

“I wish for you to serve in the military of the Changeling Empire. I believe you may be what we need to save our home and repel those foul Equestrians. Therefore, if you aid me, I will reward you beyond your wildest dreams. What do you say?”

No more than three seconds passed before Silus had already fallen to one knee again, taking the same stance as last time with one fist over his heart and another pressed to the floor.

“I need no reward. I am at your command, My Queen.”

Chrysalis was shocked yet again. She had not anticipated such a servile and humble nature out of this thing. Not only had he denied her “generous” offer, he had also immediately expressed his desire to serve her.

“I…you…very well, then! You will now be sworn in. Do you, Silus, swear your undying loyalty to me, your Queen, and to your new home, the Changeling Empire?”

“Yes, My Queen.”

“Do you swear to fight to the death for your Queen and your new home?”

“Yes, My Queen.”

“And do you swear to obey my every command without question?”

“Yes, My Queen.”

“Then rise, Silus of the Changeling Empire. You belong to me now, and never shall you leave my service. Is this understood?”

“Yes, My Queen. I am yours.”

Chrysalis grinned wider than she had ever done in the past three years. Her youthful appearance was returning thanks to this new hope. She only prayed that all of this would not be in vain. She still questioned his past and his reasons for his servile nature, but for now she had a war to tend to.

“The Equestrian army draws near. I will have a few of my subjects escort you to the front. Opaque Ridge will soon be the site of a deciding battle in this war, and I want you there as soon as possible. Leave my presence.”

Silus rose again, this time with four Changeling guards clad in obsidian chainmail at his sides. They lead him to the gigantic doors of the castle, which were slowly opening. He took a step out, and the heat of the summer sun touched his face.

Chapter Three - Why We Fight

Without Question

Chapter Three - Why We Fight

As Silus stepped outside, the initial warmth of the sun had become a grueling heat. Indeed, he had already begun to sweat. The bright light was also hard to adjust his eyes to. Though he was supposed to be in a hurry, neither he nor his escorts did any kind of hurrying. When his eyes finally managed to adjust, he was able to take in the harsh reality of his situation.

All around him, he saw nothing but suffering. The city, which had obviously seen far grander days, had fallen into disrepair and refugees crowded the streets. Had his new Queen not told him this was the capital, he would never have guessed it himself. He wiped the sweat from his brow, unable to take his eyes away from the depressing sights. Many shops and homes had shattered and boarded-up windows with weeds growing through the stone bricks. The refugees had constructed flimsy wooden shacks everywhere.

As he passed by the crowds, the majority of them stared at Silus. He could see the crushing sadness and confusion in the eyes of every Changeling citizen. Some of them whispered, but for the most part, there was a deafening silence. One by one, they went back to whatever they were doing. A few smaller Changelings (Silus assumed these were children) kicked a rock around, doing their best to cope with their unfortunate circumstances. Their parents looked on with slight envy, wishing they could do the same. Adult and child alike were covered in grime and scratches. Many of them appeared malnourished and weak. Some wore shredded clothing, if it could even be called that.

As Silus and his escorts waded through the crowd, a filthy child ran up to Silus’ feet and stared up at him. An adult quickly pulled it away and gave Silus an apologetic look before disappearing into the crowd. He looked at his escorts. All of that black obsidian chainmail was absorbing the sunlight and overheating them. They were sweating far worse than he was. He had seen a great number of horrors in his young life, but things like this never got old. They always shook him to his core.

“Do you see?”

Silus heard an escort speak from behind him. He continued walking forward, but turned his head slightly to indicate that he was listening.

“Do you see how we suffer? Do you see why we cannot fail?”

The escort spoke quietly, and Silus had to strain to hear him.

“The Equestrians delivered an ultimatum. None of us are to be spared. We live in squalor every waking moment, just hoping that Our Queen will lead us to salvation. It has become obvious that our invasion was a mistake. But we went too far. There are no more second chances. No amount of apologizing or reparations will save us from them now. We must now show our will to survive through blood and battle.”

Silus hung his head a bit as he walked.

“Do you know what it is like to watch everyone and everything you have ever loved die and crumble before your very eyes?”

A chill slithered up Silus’ spine. He knew pain. He knew it very well.

“I was there when the first of our cities fell. I watched as my home burned with my family still inside. I couldn’t do a thing. I was too weak. Now that damned memory tears at me with every beat of my broken heart.”

The escort’s words struck a chord within Silus. He felt a great deal of sympathy for this Changeling and his people.

“We deserved to be driven out of Equestria. I understand that now, and I believe Our Queen does as well. She acted blindly out of revenge and pride. But we do not deserve this. No race deserves to be driven to the brink of extinction and wiped from the face of the world. See my brothers and sisters?”

Silus took another long look at the endless crowd of refugees before him. It was a lot to take in.

“I won’t let them go quietly. I won’t accept this injustice against them. You are one of us now. I can tell you know the brutal nature of war as well as I do. I hope Our Queen’s hope and trust in you is well-placed. If you can save us the way she believes you can, then I will defend you with my life, just as I would for every Changeling here.”

Silus felt a deep gratitude at hearing this. How one of these creatures could accept him so easily was astounding. A sense of pride for his new home stirred within him.

“Now you see. Now you see why we fight.”

Silus stopped and spun around to face this bold Changeling. The escort was taller than the others, his head reached up to Silus’ chest. He seemed aged, but by no means was he old. His legs and chest were quite muscular, but a jagged scar led from the right side of his neck to halfway down his right foreleg. The Changeling escort’s left eye was pure white, a sharp contrast to the light blue of his other eye.

“What is your name?” Silus inquired.

The escort had firmly locked his eyes with Silus’.

“I am called Grimsoul,” the escort responded.

Silus furrowed his glistening brows and he gave a small grin. He then held out his hand.

“I am glad to call you ‘brother.’”

The escort remained silent for a moment before returning the grin and shaking Silus’ hand with his hoof.

“We need to keep moving,” Grimsoul stated.

Silus nodded and the group quietly continued for the next two hours. The city was truly huge. When he had finally reached the colossal stone gates of the city, he looked back at the castle. Even from what seemed like four miles away, its huge dark spires menacingly twisted towards the sky. Once the gates had opened, Silus spotted a railroad station just outside. A train sat waiting with plumes of black smoke billowing out from its furnace.

“That will be taking us to Opaque Ridge. We best board as soon as possible,” Grimsoul muttered.

The group boarded the train without further ado and Silus sat with two escorts on each side of him. He was thankful at how much cooler it was in the car than it was outside. Only a few other Changelings were in the same car as them, and they all wore a different kind of armor. It looked like plate armor, though made of a shiny plastic. Not only that, but the armor seemed embedded into their skin. Silus figured they were new recruits being shipped to the front. The train gave a loud whistle and slowly accelerated.

After a few minutes, they were chugging along quite fast and were passing through some barren farm fields on the outskirts of the capital. Though the fields were fairly large, only a few sparse areas had any crops, and even those were brown and decaying. A few Changeling farmers were attempting to harvest what they could, but it was futile. Silus even witnessed one particularly bony farmer collapse in a field as others rushed to his aid.

“Our primary source of food, our livestock, has all but run out due to lack of trade with our other now-conquered cities. As if that weren’t bad enough, it appears as though even nature itself fights to end us by yielding withered grains. This is the worst famine I have ever seen in my life.”

Silus was intrigued at how Grimsoul seemed to know what he was thinking. It really did feel like the Changeling was close enough to be a brother. As the train now hurtled full speed along the tracks, the scorching sun began to set.

“It will be a few more hours until we reach the outpost at Opaque Ridge. There is no point in showing up exhausted. We should all get some sleep,” Grimsoul advised.

The escorts all leaned back and slowly dozed off. Silus glanced around the car. The fresh recruits had also fallen asleep. With nothing else to do but pass time, Silus closed his pale blue eyes, and let his mind ease into slumber as well.

Chapter Four - The Gathering Storm

Without Question

Chapter Four – The Gathering Storm

“Five minutes to the station! Five minutes to the station!”

Silus opened his eyes and blinked a few times. It was very early in the morning; the sun had barely peeked over the rolling hills. He glanced around the car and saw that only a few other groggy passengers had awakened. A few woke up at hearing the shout, but soon grumbled and fell back to sleep. To his right, Silus saw that Grimsoul had awakened and was staring intently out of the window in front of him. Silus followed his gaze and saw a small railroad station in the distance surrounded by what appeared to be hundreds of tents and short wooden towers.

“The Opaque Ridge outpost,” Grimsoul said quietly, so as not to disturb the remaining sleeping passengers.

Silus studied the outpost as it grew closer, and he turned to ask Grimsoul a question.

“Might I ask why this location is called Opaque Ridge?”

Grimsoul continued to stare ahead while he responded.

“A long ridge made of some jet black mineral runs through the plains here. This is the only location we’ve ever seen the mineral and our scientists never got around to fully researching it. We do know, however, that it is practically unbreakable. None of our tools or other methods can even put a scratch in it.”

Silus found this interesting, but before he could ponder on it further, the train screeched to a stop, flinging one sleeping recruit across the car and into the door. He stood up, grumbling, and was met by the annoyed conductor in the now-open doorway.

“We’ve arrived at the outpost. All may now disembark,” the greasy Changeling announced.

Silus and his escorts followed the recruits out of the train and stepped down onto the moist grass. All around Silus, soldiers were bustling about, carrying equipment and marching in odd, loose formations while officers barked orders. He couldn’t help but notice the officers didn’t seem to know what they were doing and shouted orders without much confidence.

Grimsoul nudged Silus and the group began walking towards a large, dark blue tent in the center of the camp. Short wooden watchtowers dotted the perimeter of the outpost and Silus could see Changelings in them looking through telescopes on tripods. Scouts? It would make sense. He directed his attention to the environment itself. The ground in the outpost seemed muddy with a few patches of dying grass here and there. But beyond the outpost, he could see a vast, open plain glistening with dew. Grimsoul was right; a black ridge ran through the plain.

Turning his eyes to the sky, Silus saw it was becoming cloudy. It was already quite humid and didn’t seem like it could get much wetter. Finally the group entered the main tent. The interior was lit with lanterns that appeared to contain yellow crystal shards. Along the edges of the tent were desks covered in paperwork. Changelings wearing light brown vests made of cloth were shuffling through the papers and passing them around the room as they chattered. Near the back of the tent, a tall, young Changeling sat behind what appeared to be a desk made of yew. As Silus’ group approached him, he looked up and took a good long stare at Silus.

The Changeling behind the desk held a worried look in his eyes.

“I assume you are the aid my messengers informed me of?” he said.

Silus stepped forward.

“Indeed I am. I presume you are the commander in charge of this outpost?”

The Changeling nodded, stood and looked Silus up and down, trying to understand what was in front of him before answering.

“Though I am skeptical…it is not my place to question Our Queen. I am essentially out of options at this point, anyway. We failed our invasion because of our lack of organization, and now I fear we will all be slain for that same reason. The previous commanding officer was killed in action. He had far more experience than I do. This is just…too much. But I have been told that you yourself are…or were…an officer for your homeland?”

Silus smirked and replied, “This is my new homeland, commander.”

The Changeling frowned slightly.

“So it is…so it is…I have orders stating that you are to be my advisor as well as an officer here.”

Grimsoul spoke up, “I believe our job here is done. We shall take our leave.”

The Changeling commander held up a hoof.

“No, you will not. I received another message regarding you four Imperial Guards.”

Silus had only heard them referred to as “escorts” until now. These Imperial Guards must be the elite of the elite, he thought.

“You are to join us in this battle. We need all the help we can get, and you lads are the best, or so I’ve heard,” the commander went on.

Grimsoul nodded. He would gladly do his part.

“And you…Silus, is it?” the commander asked Silus. “I’m sure you saw the travesty outside. Frankly, I’m open to any advice you may have. I’m all ears.”

Silus looked down at the desk. Maps and reports were strewn about. He picked up a few of the papers to see how things were being run. It shocked him how poorly this military was being “organized.” The troop formations were in preposterous shapes, and it was obvious the commander didn’t know the definition of flanking. Even the unit hierarchy was jumbled up. It took everything in his power to not slam the reports down on the desk and slap the commander through the linen wall. Time was flying, and he needed a plan.

“Commander, this truly is a mess. I honestly can’t comprehend how you managed to throw together an invasion when your main tactic consists of simply charging forward and hoping for the best.”

The commander leaned back, shocked and insulted at Silus’ bold complaints.

“Oh? Well tell me, then, how were things run in your old home? Hm?”

Silus knew it would take far too long to implement his old nation’s style of warfare. He had to adapt and use something basic. Perhaps the style of an ancient empire…?

“Commander, let me take charge. I will seize victory, I swear it.”

The commander was still stunned at how bold this alien was. He almost rejected the request out of stubborn pride, but decided against it. He knew what was at stake and he knew the coming battle would result in defeat under his command.

“Very well, Silus. I will gather the troops in the mustering area. Be there in there in ten minutes. I hope you are right.”

Silus scribbled notes from his memory over the next ten minutes before heading to the large open area at the north end of the outpost. He remembered the style of warfare of an ancient empire from his history classes in high school and his tactical courses in the military academy. He couldn’t remember the name of the empire, but many of its terms stuck with him.

He stood on a raised wooden platform in front of a crowd of about two thousand Changeling soldiers. All of them wore the same armor as the recruits on the train. To Silus’ left stood the commander, and on his right were the Imperial Guards. As Silus stepped forward to speak, the bustling mass of black froze and went completely silent. It was eerie to see all of those eyes staring at him. Silus cleared his throat and held a cone made of thick paper up to his mouth. He wasn’t quite sure how to go about doing this, but he started slowly.

“All of you, form separate lines of ten soldiers each. All officers please step off to the side for the time being.”

Silus watched as his initial command took action. It was not hard for them to form groups of ten relatively quickly. The officers also obeyed and stood separated from the rows of troops.

“Now, I want one NCO to each line of ten!”

The crowd mumbled to themselves in confusion.

“I am not familiar with that term, Silus,” the commander informed him.

Silus rubbed his temples. Of course, they were clearly a mess. Why would they have separate kinds of officers?

“Let me try that again,” Silus tried to adjust his plan.

“One officer with three years of experience or less to each line,” he finished.

The officers understood this and soon each line now consisted of eleven troops each.

“Now then, these groups of eleven will be referred to as Decadius! Each Decadius officer will be referred to as a Decanus!”

The crowd mumbled in agreement. Though this was new to them, it felt sensible.

“Next, I want the Decanus’ to gather in groups of ten with your Decadii!”

The crowd shifted, and soon there were large square formations consisting of 110 soldiers each.

“Each group of 110 will be commanded by an officer with four to six years of experience!”

Nearly all remaining officers to the side faded into the square formations. Only two officers remained.

“These groups of 111 will be referred to as a Century! The officer holds the rank of Centurion and will give orders to the Decanus’ as he sees fit! Next, Centurions will form groups of ten with their Centuries!”

The commander next to Silus was gawking now as the huge black squares moved in sync. Silus smirked, seeing this out of the corner of his eye. The squares had almost merged; they now formed two enormous squares made up of about a thousand each.

“Officers with more than six years of experience will be placed in command of 1111 soldiers! These officers bear the title of Millennion and each group is to be referred to as a Millennium!”

The last two officers stood proudly in front of their troops.

“You will now be given various designations so that each soldier will know what group they belong to and know who their officers are!”

Silus stepped down from the platform and explained this to the pair of Millennii. They walked along the sides of the huge squares explaining what Silus meant to each Centurion, and each Centurion in turn explained it to the Decanii and so on. As a test, Silus pulled a random soldier out of the crowd and onto the platform. He asked the soldier to state what group he belonged to in descending order.

“Um…” the small Changeling began, “Second Millennium, Sixth Century, Third Decadius.”

The crowd roared with excitement at how well the system worked. Grimsoul grinned at Silus, impressed yet not very surprised. He had a feeling this human would do great things.

Silus saw the Changeling give a proud grin and he dismissed him back to his ranks. The commander no longer showed worry in his eyes and stood proudly with his chest out. The sky had grown darker and the clouds nearly blocked out all sunlight. It began to drizzle.

“Memorize your group designations and return to your tents! That is all!” the commander spoke into the cone and the crowd dispersed into the outpost.

“I am beyond impressed, Silus,” the commander said as he, Silus, and the Imperial Guards returned to the main tent’s interior.

“Never before have I seen such a strange, yet incredible style. I will send a report of this to the Queen at once. She will use it to organize the rest of the military in this fashion.”

Silus’ breathing slowed and he stared into space when the commander mentioned the Queen.

“Silus? Silus? I said, we have about fifteen hours until the Equestrian army arrives. I will need you up and early to discuss battle tactics. Understand?”

Silus blinked and shook off his daze. He nodded at the commander.

“Good, I suggest you get some sleep, the sun is going down. Hopefully this weather will ease up by morning.”

Had the day really come and gone so quickly? Silus didn’t realize how long it had taken to organize the troops. He and the four Imperial Guards exited the main tent and set up their own one nearby. Though the ground was becoming increasingly muddy as the rain fell more heavily, they had found some cots and managed to stay dry while they slept. Silus wasn’t getting much sleep, however. The clock was ticking, and soon Silus’ actions would result in the preservation or downfall of an empire...

Déjà vu…

Chapter Five - Bring Down the Sky

Without Question

Chapter Five – Bring Down the Sky

(Author’s Note: In my story, ponies and Changelings can hold things as long as they use both hooves. Please don’t let this bother you too much.)

“Get up!”

Someone shook Silus awake. He managed to get a few hours of sleep, despite his initial difficulty. He adjusted his eyes to the darkness. It was very early in the morning; the sun hadn’t even begun to peek over the horizon. Grimsoul was standing over him.

“Silus, get up! Someone wishes to see you! It is important!”

Though it still felt too early to even begin battle preparations, Silus was curious what could be so important. He slid on his ragged boots and stood up. Grimsoul gestured for Silus to follow him while the rest of the Guards slept. It was still raining heavily, and not a single soldier was outside. Grimsoul was leading him toward a small wooden shack with an orange glow radiating from within.

As they entered, Silus saw a horribly disfigured Changeling hunched over a small well of orange, liquid metal. Its insect-like wings were almost non-existent; they’d been shredded down to the stubs. Deep, crimson scars adorned nearly every inch of its skin, and the hoof of its left hindleg had been replaced with a metallic prosthetic. Its right foreleg had been replaced with metal as well, up to the elbow. The decrepit blacksmith was using its metal foreleg to hammer away at still-glowing metallic plates. Sparks showered its skin with each strike, yet it did not flinch. Strangely, it wore a red bandana-like cloth around its head.

Then, as though it felt a presence in the shack, it set down the plates, removed its bandana, and slowly rotated itself to face Grimsoul and Silus. Much to Silus’ surprise, the Changeling had no eyes. None. Just a relatively smooth, scarred space between its ears and above its slightly bent snout. It was a terrible, sad sight that confused Silus.

“He is called Molten,” Grimsoul whispered to Silus. “He was born mute and without eyes to a family of renowned blacksmiths. To that family, tradition was all that mattered, and they were appalled to have a blind and mute son. They did everything they could to try and make him something that he could not be. They were ashamed at his failure; they whipped and beat him. They cursed everything they believed in for delivering them such a ‘waste of life.’ Finally, they abandoned him along the side of a road, bleeding and crippled. One of the military’s patrols found him and took pity on him. It is still…very difficult to communicate with him. He only seems interested in working with metal. He makes very crude and brittle equipment, but it’s amazing he’s even capable of that. Despite all that’s happened…he still seems bent on redeeming himself.”

Silus felt a tear welling up in his eye. It was beyond him how parents could treat their own flesh and blood in such an obscene manner. But he was still confused as to why Grimsoul brought him to see Molten.

“When you were speaking yesterday, he heard your voice,” Grimsoul continued, “We interpreted that he wished to meet you. He wouldn’t explain why.”

Very slowly and gently, Molten stood up from his seat near the well and hobbled over to Silus. In his hunched-over state, his height reached up to just above Silus’ waist. Molten delicately touched several parts of Silus’ body with his non-metal hoof. He took particular interest in Silus’ hands, opening and closing his fist and taking several minutes to feel all of the joints. Finally, he turned away and returned to his well. He pulled a chain that dangled over his head and more orange, liquid metal flowed in. Grimsoul saw that Molten was now busy and nudged Silus out of the shack. As they left, Silus could hear the clinking and clanking of metal on metal.

It had taken about an hour to pay Molten a visit, and a few more soldiers were awake, though they remained in their tents to stay dry. Grimsoul and Silus entered the main tent to begin discussing tactics with the commander.

As it turned out, the commander was quite the early bird and was already finishing paperwork for the new military doctrine that Silus had established. The commander spotted the pair and led them over to a table with a yellowed map spread over it.

Silus studied the map. For the most part this area consisted of plains for miles around, with the jet black ridge tearing east-to-west through the middle of it. The ridge was a few hundred yards long and the plains continued after the ridge ended. Red arrows at the top of the map indicated that the Equestrians would be coming from the north, while the Changelings were positioned to the south. The commander had jotted down a few notes regarding the weather to the side. Apparently, the weather would be worsening throughout the day and flash floods were likely to occur. Visibility would be awful.

“So, Silus, you helped us with our organization. Now maybe you can help us with our general tactics and battle plan,” the commander stated.

Silus thought in silence for several minutes. All of the tactics he had ever learned flooded through his mind, and then he remembered overhearing some soldiers bragging about their ability to change appearances and a devious grin twisted across his face.

“I know what to do. I know exactly what to do. Have the First Millennium take position at the west end of the ridge, while the Second Millennium takes position on the east end. Also, I need one Century from each Millennium to meet me at the south side of the middle of the ridge. Have the two Centuries that will be meeting me paint their wings black.”

The commander’s face showed utter puzzlement at what Silus had said, but he gave a trusting nod nonetheless.

“Will we be receiving any reinforcements, Commander?” Silus inquired

“The capital has promised us two more Centuries of troops by sunset.”

“Excellent. Let’s get ready, shall we?”

Over the next hour, the soldiers of the camp rushed to their assigned groups and prepared to march. Many of the Changelings had confused looks as they passed the two hundred soldiers still painting their wings black.

“Silus!”

Silus was watching the waves of troops march when he heard Grimsoul call for him. Silus searched for the location where the voice came from and found Grimsoul outside of Molten’s shack.

“He requested to see you again,” Grimsoul said.

The pair entered the shack expecting to see Molten hunched over his forge again. Instead, it appeared he had passed out from exhaustion on the floor. Silus’ jaw fell as he saw why Molten wanted him to come back. A full set of plate armor, designed for a human body, hung from the wall. The craftsmanship was flawless, and the metal glinted in the dim light. To the left of the armor was an equally gorgeous double-edged sword. The silvery blade was long, and the hilt appeared to be made of platinum. What struck Silus as odd was how there was a small hole through the base of the handle.

Molten stirred and gently stood up as best he could. Silus was still in shock at how incredible the new equipment looked, but it still surprised him at how perceptive Molten was. The blacksmith shuffled over to Silus and pulled him over to the armor. Silus could tell it was meant for him, and his gratitude was boundless. Piece by piece, Molten strapped the armor onto Silus while Silus held the helmet at his side. However, he hesitated to hand the sword to him. Silus patiently watched Molten stand frozen in place; he must’ve been deep in thought. Finally, Molten reached behind his head and removed his bandana. He turned his back to Silus for a moment and fumbled around with something. Turning back around, he had tied his bandana through the hole in the handle. It no longer looked like a bandana; now it seemed like an elegant ribbon adorning a majestic blade.

Silus gave a warm smile, and Molten patted him on the chest. Grimsoul had been quietly standing in the doorway, his blue eye watery but holding back the flow. Molten hobbled back over to his forge and began clanking away at a new project. Silus sheathed his blade and left the shack with Grimsoul. The two Centuries remaining in camp had finished painting their wings black. With nothing important left to do in the camp, they departed and rejoined the main force at the ridge.

The commander had done as he was told. The First Millennium and Second Millennium awaited orders at each end of the ridge. Silus ordered the two remaining Centuries to spread out along the south side of the ridge and press their bodies against the stone. Silus had previously been too busy to notice, but the Changelings were all carrying weapons, though only two-handed ones such as claymores and halberds.

The rain was getting heavier, and it pitter-pattered on Silus’ helmet. Luckily, the rain didn’t seem to be affecting the type of paint that had been applied to the Changelings’ wings. All of the moisture was creating a visibility nightmare. One could only see about thirty yards of in front of oneself. The commander and the other three Guards approached Silus and Grimsoul.

“Silus! Our scouts have informed us that the Equestrians are four thousand strong! The threat of defeat has been doubled!” the commander yelled over the pouring rain. He went on, “Not only that, but the troops aren’t feeling particularly confident!”

Silus looked to Grimsoul. He knew that if a pre-battle speech were to be given, he was the one to give it. Grimsoul knowingly nodded at Silus and began flapping his plastic-like wings. He took flight and hovered a few dozen feet in the air, flicking water as his wings buzzed.

“Brothers and sisters! HEAR ME!” he boomed.

Silus was astounded at how loud Grimsoul’s voice was. Even though the Millennii were hundreds of yards away, he could hear the two thousand bodies shift to hear the beckoning voice.

“We stand here, at the brink of extinction, with our backs against the wall! It is a thing to wonder, is it not? How little hope there seems to be left, how little of a chance we seem to stand. Yet HERE WE STAND! The mighty soldiers of the glorious CHANGELING EMPIRE!”

Chills ran along Silus’ spine as he craned his head upward.

“We are the final barrier. We are the final obstacle in the way of the Equestrian advance. They think us merely a pebble, but we are a MOUNTAIN! And we shall NOT BE MOVED! Let them come! They fight for a cruel and unjust vengeance! But we? We fight for our home! For our families! FOR OUR QUEEN!”

Silus felt a great sense of pride overwhelm him as cheers rang out through the rain. He unsheathed his beauteous blade and thrust it towards the grey sky, roaring in unison with the troops. Grimsoul landed and rejoined Silus and the other Guards. The commander left Silus in charge while he went left to rendezvous with the reinforcements on the way.

The Millennii and the two Centuries knew their orders. Silus and the four Guards would be making sure they followed the plan perfectly. Lightning struck in the distance and Silus watched as thousands of ponies emerged from the haze to the north. Silus gulped, slightly discouraged. But then the image of Chrysalis blurred through his mind, and he grew confident, but dazed. Why was he acting this way?

The ponies carried their own two-handed weapons, but to the rear were unicorns with no weapons at all. Pegasi made up the rear lines. Silus had been told of the varieties of ponies. He knew the pegasi would be useless; their wings would be too soaking wet from the rain to fly.

The lightning struck again, and all at once, the Equestrian troops charged. The army of ponies split, with one huge group heading for the First Millennium and the other heading for the Second Millennium. As they grew closer, Grimsoul blew into a war horn and both Millennii began to retreat to the south. Silus and his four Guards followed as well, giving a quick nod to the soldiers blending in with the black ridge.

Soon the Equestrian troops were right on the Changelings’ tails and they had passed around the ridge, confident that their superior numbers had broken their enemies’ spirit to fight. Silus tapped Grimsoul as they ran, and he blew the war horn a second time. Flashes of light appeared in the haze around the ridge and it appeared as though the number of ponies had grown. Grimsoul gave a third and final blast of the war horn, and the true battle began. Both Millennii turned and charged right into the horde of ponies. As soon as contact was made, flashes of light blinked everywhere. Ponies were now slaying each other with their own blades and unicorns blasted each other with magic. The mass confusion was a beautiful thing to Silus. Grimsoul had told him that Changelings can tell each other apart, even when disguised. Silus was told to merely fight any pony that happened to attack him first. That way, he was guaranteed to prevent friendly kills.

Sure enough, a green unicorn leapt from the clashing forces and charged towards Silus. She shot a blue beam of light from her horn at him, but he jumped to the side and thrust his blade into her side a split-second after she dashed past him. A pegasus witnessed this and angrily hurtled towards Silus. Silus saw him charging and ran towards the pegasi as well. Just as they were about to collide, Silus slid on his knees and swung his sword upward, slashing the pegasus across the chest. The winged pony yelled in pain and collapsed onto Silus, who shoved him off.

It was becoming increasingly difficult to fight as the battle raged on. The plains were now covered in mud and the rain was now pounding the ground in sheets. Dead ponies were strewn about everywhere, and slain Changelings had reverted to their normal forms as they fell. But Silus’ forces were winning. That was clear. An Equestrian war horn sounded, and hundreds of ponies began retreating. But as they attempted to run towards the ridge, they were cut off by…ponies? The two Centuries hiding along the ridge charged into the panicking crowd and a massacre ensued.

“Victory! Victory, my fellow Changelings! We have seized this battle!” Grimsoul howled into the rain. His declaration was met with a cascade of cheers across the soaking battlefield. All of the Changeling troops regrouped to embrace each other. But as they did so, they noticed thousands of silhouettes surrounding them in the haze.

“What…what trickery is this?!” Silus barked at the shadows.

The silhouettes moved closer. Approximately another two thousand ponies emerged from the fog. Silus’ troops had only defeated half of the attacking army when he thought they had sent everything they had at once. His deceptive tactics had only temporarily worked. Silus shivered, out of worry and because of the cold rain slithering into his armor. He looked to the sky. Though it was hidden behind the clouds, the sun’s glow was barely visible as it began to set in the west.

Silus smirked. He looked around him at his worried troops. It wounded them to have felt so close to victory, only to have it snatched away. Silus spotted Grimsoul, who also had a disheartened look.

“Do not fret now, brother! We are not out of this just yet! Sound the horn!”

Grimsoul furrowed his brows in confusion, but upon seeing the confidence Silus possessed, he obliged and sounded the horn yet again. Silus faced the surrounding Equestrians and raised his dripping sword to the sky.

“FOR THE EMPIRE! FOR THE QUEEN!” he screamed, yanking the helmet from his head and letting his wet black hair hang freely in the storm.

He charged, and the rallied Changeling army screamed as they charged with him. Lightning struck everywhere, and hundreds of dark forms fell from the sky. It was the commander and his new reinforcements. Their wings buzzed violently as they descended at near-breakneck speeds. With ridiculous momentum guiding them, they made impact with their weapons and cleaved swaths of death through the Equestrian army. These surprise attacks coupled with the fury of the Changelings’ newfound morale drove terror into the heart of every pony. Soon the ground was littered with Equestrian corpses, and the survivors were in a full retreat. The Changelings let the few remaining ponies escape. They wanted it to be known that they would not be slain so easily.

Silus stood atop the ridge with Grimsoul at his side. The Changeling army stared up at him as he raised his sword to the sky for a third time. The clouds seemed to break away and the moon’s silvery light shone down on him.

“VICTORY!” he screamed louder than ever.

The Changelings let loose a victory cheer unlike any they had before. Miles away, some refugees in the capital looked up to the sky and heard echoes. They knew not what had happened, but it lifted their spirits. Maybe…just maybe…there was hope for them after all…

Silus smiled as he continued to hold his sword high and the drying red bandana fluttered in the light breeze. The cheers and celebrations of these soldiers brought him immense pride. This was his second chance. He let down his old home; he would never let this one go.

Never again…

Chapter Six - Unwanted Attention

Without Question

Chapter Six – Unwanted Attention

A bleeding pegasus burst through the doors of the throne room.

“What is the meaning of this?” a tall, white alicorn with a flowing mane shouted in surprise.

“Prin…Princess Celesti—AGH!” the pegasus choked out as he collapsed in front of the sun goddess. The pegasus’ light plate armor had many dents in it, and a gash oozed a red stream along his neck.

“What happened? Explain yourself!” the alicorn snapped in both worry and confusion.

The pegasus coughed a few drops of blood onto the floor as he struggled to speak.

“We…we f-failed! The Changelings overwhelmed us…and…s-slaughtered nearly the entire task force! I-I was one of only a dozen to escape with my life! I d-don’t know where the others are, b-but I had to tell you of our defeat!”

The Princess’ eyes widened with complete and utter shock. This was nearly beyond comprehension. She had assumed four thousand ponies would be more than enough to break through to the capital and destroy it.

“How did this happen?! How could they have defeated an organized army twice their size?!” Celestia demanded to know.

“They were organized a-as well! And some strange two-legged creature was l-leading them! I have never s-seen such a thing!” the pegasus stuttered.

Princess Celestia was unsure of what to do. She did know that this pegasus needed medical attention, however, and motioned for her nearby Sun Guards to bring him to the infirmary. As she pondered, a deep blue colored alicorn that had been watching from the shadows appeared at her side.

“How could this happen, sister? Four thousand of my beloved subjects…dead…” Celestia whispered with a tear in her eye.

“Do you see now, Tia? This is why we have to finish what they started. This is why they cannot be allowed to exist as a race,” the blue alicorn spoke with an egregious tone.

“We should have just let them be after we expelled them! Or at least just annexed their nation! Could we not have won them over with mercy, Luna?”

The lunar goddess was not nearly as optimistic as her solar sister. She knew the reality of the situation and what solution it called for.

“Celestia! Do you not see what we are dealing with? These Changelings are incapable of peace! They would have done well to learn their lesson the first time. But returning a second time and conquering Equestrian soil? It is unacceptable. Even if we were to simply capture their lands, do you not think they would riot? Rebel? They have shown that their pride clouds their judgment. That pride resulted in the deaths of hundreds of innocent ponies, and for that, the Changelings must pay with their lives.”

A few tears streamed down Celestia’s face, which she covered with her hooves. Her sister went on.

“I know it is hard, dear sister, but they will never stop fighting. Their greed and hunger will never be satisfied. And this unexpected turn of events proves mine point.”

“But Luna! How many more must suffer and die? How many innocent ponies must leave this world for the sake of such a gruesome crusade?” Celestia shouted through her tears.

“Wipe away your tears, sister! We are so very close to finally removing this stubborn stain from our pure, once-peaceful world!”

Celestia was on the verge of bawling at this point. Princess Luna gently pressed her sister’s moist face against her chest and hugged her close.

“There, there…be strong, Tia. Sacrifices must be made for the greater good. You of all ponies know this to be true. We are goddesses, and our will guides our nation to peace and harmony. But that joyous state cannot be attained so long as the Changeling Empire lives on,” Luna whispered.

Celestia pulled away and looked into her sister’s eyes.

“I will not send another of my beloved subjects to their deaths! You said this would not be difficult! You said it would be swift and clean!” she spoke loudly.

The deep blue alicorn had indeed said this. But she was not so naïve as to think victory was assured. She lied to her sister, but it was the only way to convince her that the Changeling Empire had to be brought down. This unexpected loss would mean a change of plans was necessary. The Equestrians would have to be more cautious from now on.

“Tia…your words are true. I apologize for my lie from the bottom of my heart. I ask for your forgiveness, but please, do not give in now—when we have come so close! I shall make a new promise, one that will go unbroken. From this moment on, every one of our decisions and actions shall be made with the utmost precaution. No risk will be taken again. I only ask that you do not let this incident sway your determination,” Luna pleaded calmly with her sister.

Celestia looked away and wiped the tears from her eyes. She walked over to a large window and gazed out at the moon. Luna followed but quietly stood behind her. After minutes of silence, Celestia hung her head and spoke in a low voice.

“What do you suggest we do?”

Luna now stepped up to her sister’s side and looked at the grand white orb in the starry sky. Celestia still stared at the floor with her forelegs resting on the window sill. Without breaking her gaze on the moon, Luna whispered to the solar goddess.

“Obviously, this creature that the escaped pegasus spoke of had a significant impact on the battle. Knowledge shall be our dagger, and we shall drive it deep into the heart of that dark empire. Spies shall be dispatched to the Changeling capital to see what can be learned about the creature and the changes in the enemy’s warfare style. For the moment, our troops shall hold their current positions and defend the conquered Changeling cities. When we know all there is to know, we will slice the head from the serpent. Queen Chrysalis’ reign will come to an end, as will her race’s existence.”

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Opaque Ridge would not be attacked again anytime soon. Most Equestrian troops were in the conquered Changeling cities, far from the Empire’s capital. This meant the majority of the troops stationed at the outpost could return to their last city for some downtime—as heroes.

Silus and the four Guards sat aboard the train as it headed for the capital in the morning. All around them, Changeling soldiers chattered happily about their victory. They jostled each other and playfully argued over who slew the most ponies. Silus looked to the back of the train car. Molten sat alone in the corner, his head turned to face the window. The rising sun’s warm rays must have felt good.

Surprised to see him heading to the capital with the rest of the troops, Silus turned to speak to Grimsoul.

“I didn’t think Molten would be coming home as well.”

Grimsoul smirked and looked at Silus.

“I didn’t either. Apparently, the commander found out that he was the one who made that incredible armor and sword. Long story short, Molten is being sent to meet the Queen and possibly become her royal blacksmith.”

A grin covered Silus’ face. He was proud of the blind, mute smith. Silus turned to look out the window himself. They were very close to the city and were passing through the outskirts. The heavy rains had saturated the soil with desperately needed water, and tiny green sprouts poked out of the muddy farm fields. Changeling farmers were celebrating and danced in the puddles.

Finally, the train pulled into the station. Silus hadn’t even heard the conductor announce the remaining time. The doors hissed open and the exiting troops were swamped by cheering refugees and citizens waiting at the station. It was deafening, but delightful. Several Changeling soldiers were lifted up and carried into the city by the overjoyed population as confetti was thrown down from the enormous walls. It was truly a spectacle.

Silus and Molten were the last ones on the train; the Guards were dragged out moments ago. Molten still sat in the corner, seemingly unaware of the ceaseless cheering. Silus frowned and walked over to him.

“Come on, brother. Our people await their heroes!” Silus said with excitement in his voice.

Molten turned to face Silus, then turned his head down to face the floor. Silus smiled at the blacksmith. It was obvious he was not used to such noise. As carefully as he could, the human hoisted a surprised Molten onto his shoulders and carried him out of the train. The refugees and citizens clambered around Silus, their hooves touching every part of him as they continued celebrating. None of them seemed to notice the confused Changeling blacksmith he carried on his shoulders.

The gates were already open as the crowd of soldiers, refugees, and citizens flooded through. At the end of the main road, which stretched a couple of miles all the way to the plaza in front of the castle, Queen Chrysalis stood proudly with a look of relief in her luminescent eyes. It felt like it had only been a few seconds before Silus realized he and the troops had already reached the end of the road and stood before their Queen. As the crowd of at least thirty-thousand filled the plaza, they grew quiet to hear what was to be said.

Before the Queen spoke, Silus looked around at the buildings. Nearly all of them had been restored to their proper condition. He couldn’t spot a single store or home with boarded-up or broken windows, and many of the stores had their wares on display. The light grey stone of every wall had been cleaned, and the tiles of each rooftop had been polished. Silus heard Chrysalis clear her throat and he stood at attention.

“My dear subjects! This is, by far, the proudest moment ever to occur in Changeling history! Less than twenty-four hours ago, our race faced extinction at the hooves of the Equestrians. But here we are, with our heads held high and the sun in our faces! Our salvation has been delivered, all thanks to our human guardian…SILUS!” the Queen’s voice shook the air as she said his name.

Thirty-thousand Changelings roared and faced Silus, with many of them climbing over each other just to get a peek at him. He felt humbled to hear such a thing and let down Molten as he took a knee, one fist over his heart and the other planted on the cobblestone ground.

The crowd quieted again and shifted to create an empty path between the Queen and Silus, with a large empty circle formed around the latter. Molten had backed into the crowd. With his head bowed down respectfully, he could hear the slow clip-clop of Chrysalis approaching. Her shadow enveloped him, and she held a hoof under his chin. She lifted his head to face her, and she looked into his eyes. Silus’ heartbeat, as well as time itself, seemed to slow down. Those eyes…those ever-glowing emerald eyes…

“Something distracting you, Lord Silus?” the Queen smirked playfully, not breaking eye contact.

Silus’ face felt warm, but he had to speak.

“Not at all, My Queen. But might I ask why you referred to me as ‘Lord?’” he asked.

Queen Chrysalis gently lifted her hoof, prompting Silus to rise. It bothered him that his height forced him to look down at his Queen.

“That, dear savior, is the title I have just bestowed upon you. You of all Changelings deserve it for preventing the destruction of our Empire. As a Lord, you are second in power only to me. You shall also receive your own personal Imperial Guards,” she stated to him with a surprisingly genuine smile.

Out of her peripheral, the Queen could see Silus’ four previous escorts standing in the crowd.

“I suppose your previous company will do nicely,” she said while still looking into Silus’ eyes, “And as a Lord, you may live in the castle, coming and going as you please.”

Many Changelings in the crowd gasped. They had only heard legends of the luxury behind the doors of the dark, majestic castle.

“And if I am to refuse this title?” Silus spoke quietly, gazing back at the Queen.

This time, thousands of loud gasps flowed through the gigantic crowd. Even the Queen showed disbelief in her eyes.

“And…just WHY exactly would you refuse such a generous offer?” Chrysalis’ voice trembled with slight anger.

Silus knelt again, this time gently holding the Queen’s hoof with both hands. He lightly kissed it before looking up at her puzzled face.

“I am not worthy of such things. I seek only to preserve and bring glory to our nation…and…” he paused for a moment and looked back to the ground, “…to please your will.”

The crowd was deathly silent. Chrysalis blinked several times, unsure of what to think of this behavior. All of her subjects were devoutly loyal and humble to no end, but she had never seen this sort of attitude, particularly when grand rewards were being given. She bit her lower lip, and an idea came to her. She gave a sly grin and lifted him chin back up so that he faced her again.

“Then it is my will…that you shall be deemed a Lord,” she stated firmly.

Silus fought to hide a wide smile; his Queen’s wit was impressive.

“Then it shall be done, My Queen,” Silus responded, looking into Chrysalis’ eyes.

The Queen released Silus and she returned to her original position in front of the crowd. Silus stood up and awaited the rest of the speech.

“My dear subjects, the war shall rage on, I cannot deny this. But we have won a decisive battle thanks to Lord Silus and our brave soldiers, thus the time for celebration is now! So eat, drink, and be merry! The royal granary and winery will have refreshments delivered to every pub in the city as the moon rises! We shall party into the night and be free of regret as dawn comes! Go now, and live your lives to the fullest!” Queen Chrysalis exclaimed with excitement before returning to the castle.

It was an odd thing to Silus. The Queen seemed so devious and cunning upon his first meeting with her. She still seemed that way, but this new hope had changed her. She looked as though her youth had been restored and her personality was drastically less…harsh.

Silus’ deep thought had shielded him from the obscenely loud cheering of the crowd upon hearing her speech. It was as though this was the first time they had ever enjoyed a celebration, and they were bent on making the most of it. The crowd dispersed all over the city, dancing in the streets and buying everything they could in the shops. Silus managed to find Molten, who was shaking a bit from the roaring, huddled near Grimsoul and the Guards.

“Glad my initial promise is now royally mandatory, Lord Silus,” Grimsoul chuckled.

Silus returned the chuckle and leaned to pat Molten on the back. From behind the Guards, Silus could see two Changelings staring at him from in front of an armor and weapons shop. The whispered to each other furiously before walking over to Silus. It appeared one of them was a male and the other a female. The male Changeling spoke first.

“Excuse me, Lord Silus, but my wife and I were wondering where in the world did you manage to obtain such gorgeously crafted metalwork? You simply must tell us!” he said excitedly while his wife nodded rapidly.

Something bothered Silus about the couple but he disregarded it and answered.

“This talented young Changeling right here crafted it for me just before the battle, and he may soon become the Queen’s royal smith,” Silus said proudly, delicately placing his hand atop Molten’s head. Silus grew concerned when he noticed Molten was shaking violently and trying to hide behind Silus.

Silus looked back to the couple. Their eyes had grown wide as they stared at Molten, who they didn’t seem to have noticed until Silus touched him. The husband’s jaw seemed to be on the verge of dropping and the wife blinked her eyes repeatedly.

“Um…wha…what?” the husband managed to stutter.

“This young Changeling behind me crafted my armor and blade, right Molten?” Silus reiterated and turned to look at the scarred smith, who still shook violently.

“M...Molten?” the wife said the name, a small smile slowly spreading across her face.

“My son…crafted THAT?” the husband questioned in disbelief.

Silus’ brows furrowed and his heartbeat quickened as he realized who these Changelings were.

“My boy finally did something worth living for! Oh, praise the Queen! Come here, son!” the husband shouted with glee as he moved towards Molten.

Before the father could reach his son, Silus blocked him and stared angrily down at the Changeling.

“You…you are the parents of this boy…?” Silus muttered, holding back his quickly-growing fury.

“You’re damn right, we are!” the father proclaimed with a huge grin.

“You are the…’parents’ who beat, whipped, and practically tortured this poor soul within inches of his life merely because he was unable to learn smithing, due to circumstances beyond his control?” Silus spoke harshly, his face becoming red and hot as he glared at the couple.

“Wha…well…none of that’s any of your bloody business! Nor does it matter! He’s finally the blacksmith we wanted him to be! He’s finally a son worth having!” the father yelled.

Silus’ blood was boiling at how sick and horrible these creatures were. He was about to break.

“You…you SWINE!” Silus screamed as he pressed his face to the father’s, who now had fear welling up in his eyes. “You filthy monsters are unworthy to even be ASSOCIATED with this poor Changeling!” Silus screamed louder. “A child comes into the world completely vulnerable, and your sole duty is to love and defend it! You ungrateful, twisted fiends brought a miracle of nature into this world, and you crippled it with your hatred and abuse! I should kill the both of you where you stand, but I wouldn’t wish to stain the ground with your vile, putrid blood! Be gone from my sight, and never let me see you near Molten or myself ever again!”

The fear in the father’s eyes had no end. He shook violently, just as Molten had done moments ago. The wife had covered her mouth with her hooves, and her eyes were soaking with tears. Silus was still pressed against the father’s face, his eyes burning mental holes through the father’s skull. Silus felt a tap against his side and hesitated to break eye contact with the father, but withdrew and turned to see what tapped him nonetheless. Molten had stopped shaking and was trying to pull Silus away from his father; he didn’t want to hear any more fighting.

Silus’ face was slowly cooling down as he took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. He opened them and began to walk away with Molten and the quiet Guards.

“I…I won’t be ordered around by the Queen’s damned pet! GIVE ME MY SON!” the father yelled very closely behind Silus. Loud, rapid hoofsteps could be heard growing closer and closer to Molten.

Silus gritted his teeth, placed his hand on the grip of his sword, and swung his body around as he whipped the blade out with a flash of white light, all in one fluid instantaneous moment. A black, severed foreleg lie gushing on the cobblestone of the plaza as Silus looked at the terrified father. The Changeling’s wife shrieked and fainted; the father stood silently horrified, staring at his crimson stub. His foreleg had been millimeters from snatching Molten, who hung his head, not bothering to face his parents. Silus, who was once again boiling with rage, calmly approached the father and looked him in the eyes one last time.

“You’ll not be laying a hoof on him. Ever again,” Silus muttered in a deep but still calm voice.

The father still remained frozen, staring at his detached limb. Silus sheathed his blade and began walking down the main road with his group to join in the festivities.

He could use a drink or two…

Chapter Seven - Revelations

Without Question

Chapter Seven – Revelations

“This is not a suggestion, officer! You will do as we command or so help us we will have you court marshaled for your insubordination!”

“I have dedicated my LIFE to you men and this nation! Countless atrocities in the name of greed and power, all committed with the utmost respect for your judgment! How can you dismiss my words in such a manner?”

“OFFICER SILUS! This is your final warning! Pull your forces back to defend the capital or you will be court marshaled!”

“All of my loyalty over the years has had no meaning, no purpose in serving you bastards! You would have us all die so that you may bask in the glimmering of gold! I will no longer be your pathetic pawn and—!”

“THAT IS ENOUGH OUT OF YOU! Seize him!”

“Wha—unhand me this instant! Ahmmf mmf!”

“Have him brought to the capital at once! He will defend his home, regardless of his consent. He will be brought before a military tribunal upon the successful defense of our lands. Dismissed.”

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“AGH!” Silus sat up and shouted as he awoke in a sweat.

“Are you alright, milord?” one of Silus’ Guards peeked into the room.

Silus quickly looked around. He was lying in a very large bed composed of a dark green silk. The large room was adorned with extravagant decorations and a gold, emerald-encrusted chandelier hung from the ceiling. The smooth, stone floor was mostly covered with a lighter green rug. Across the room opposite of the bed was a quietly burning fireplace that sent a comforting orange glow throughout the room. Just to the right of the bed was a nightstand with a gold clock atop it. The hands indicated that it was just past midnight. Wiping away his sweat, Silus pushed away the blankets and sat on the side of the bed.

“Just a nightmare, Guard. Where am I and how did I get here?” he asked.

“You are in your Lordliness’ bedchambers. You passed out from all of the celebrations. Grimsoul challenged you to a drinking game.”

Silus felt a minor headache but ignored it.

“Did I at least win?” Silus asked with a smirk.

“Uh…no, milord. You collapsed after the first drink. I don’t think you were quite aware of how strong Changeling brews are. But Grimsoul had you brought back here to rest. You’ve been asleep ever since.”

Silus covered his face with one hand. That really must’ve been some very hard alcohol. Feeling awake and unable to sleep at this point, Silus got up and realized his armor had been removed. He was in his old officer’s uniform, though it had been repaired and recolored. Now it was a deep green, but the frilly golden shoulder pads remained. Silus liked the new look and set off to explore the castle while the Guard remained on watch at his doorway.

Though he nearly became lost in the labyrinth of corridors, he finally reached the atrium. The Queen was not sitting upon her throne, so Silus approached it. It was quite a tall seat for Her Highness. The bulk of the throne was composed of polished, glistening obsidian, and the cushions were made of beautiful bright red velvet. For the briefest of moments, Silus considered taking a seat in it, but he swiftly dismissed the thought.

Losing interest in the throne, Silus walked down the red carpet leading from the throne to the castle’s main doors. The throne was on a raised position, and Silus had to go down a few steps to reach the floor. As soon as he reached the floor, he noticed the statues on each side of the carpet again. Previously, he had only noticed that each one appeared unique, and that male statues were on the left while females resided on the right. All of the statues had one thing in common: they were all taller than the city Changelings and had crowns. Each male statue was directly across from a female statue, all except for the one closest to the throne, which was of Queen Chrysalis.

“They are the line of rulers since the dawn of the Changeling Empire,” Chrysalis whispered directly into Silus’ ear.

Silus shivered and froze.

“And I saw you took interest in my throne, no? I do not blame you. It is as comfortable as it looks,” she said with a slight giggle at the end.

Silus remained still and stared ahead as Chrysalis walked around to face him directly.

“Oh come, now. You may speak freely, Lord Silus.”

Exhaling slowly, Silus managed to free himself from his paralysis to ask her a question.

“My Queen, might I ask why there is no statue across from yours?”

A lock of Chrysalis’ blue mane fell over one of her eyes and she pulled it back over her ear.

“Surely you can do the math yourself, dear savior.”

Silus’ heartbeat sped up at hearing her call him such a thing. He figured he knew the reason why there was no statue, but he didn’t want to say it. She was staring intently at him, awaiting an answer.

“I…would assume because you rule without a King at your side?” he managed to say.

“And you would assume correctly in saying so. Now may I ask you a question?”

Silus’ heart was on fire as it beat without pause.

“Of course, My Queen. Anything,” he replied.

“Tell me, why did you feel the need to send a shout echoing through the castle, particularly through my bedchambers?” she smirked as she raised her eyebrow.

Silus’ face instantly flushed red. He wasn’t aware of how loud he had been.

“I…uh…I apologize, My Queen, for…” he stuttered in embarrassment.

“Very well then, let me ask you this. Why do you behave in such a manner? Why do you serve my nation and I so blindly?” she spoke sternly as her face came closer to his. She continued before he could answer, “Why do you fight for us so humbly? What is going on in that strange mind of yours? And why do you become so nervous in my presence?” she pressed closer.

“I…had a nightmare, My Queen…about my old home…perhaps if I explain my past…you will understand…” he mumbled quietly as he lowered his head.

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“Glad to see you again, Lieutenant Silus!” a corporal shouted over the volley of gunfire.

“Can’t say I’m glad to be here myself, soldier, but I’m glad to see you gentlemen again,” Silus shouted back.

Silus crouched in the seemingly unending trench. To his left and his right, as far as his eyes could see, his nation’s infantry filled the trench, frequently popping up to fire a volley of rounds at the enemy before crouching again to reload their muskets. Silus himself occasionally stood up to fire his flintlock pistol or direct the infantry’s fire with a wave of his saber.

Hundreds of yards in front of the trench were millions of enemy soldiers firing their own muskets as they marched forward. The vast expanse of troops covered the hills, and Silus could make out dozens of differently-colored uniforms.

Over the years he had served his nation’s army, he had been sent to countless other countries to wage war. Though he never fully understood why he was killing the people of those nations, he obeyed loyally like every soldier under his command did. On a few rare occasions, he had asked what the purposes of the wars were. It bothered him to have found out that they were there to “liberate” the resources of the lands. But his pride and loyalty prevented him from seeing how horribly his nation was making the world suffer.

The straw that broke the camel’s back was a battle in a small town in a forested area. The residents had resisted Silus’ forces for days and showed no signs of giving in. Silus was prepared to continue fighting until the residents surrendered, but his leaders had grown impatient and ordered him to annihilate the town from the map and leave no survivors. Silus had made many brutal decisions before, but this was the worst yet, and he began to question his loyalty to such a cold, greed-driven government. He pleaded for more time, but his leaders refused and ordered that he wipe out the town under threat of a court martial.

Though it pained him to do so, he ordered a full assault with no holds barred. The population was massacred and their town burned to ashes. Those who attempted to surrender were executed on the spot. It took days for Silus to wash the blood out of his uniform.

But as the years slowly went by, the world came to hate Silus’ nation with a vengeful passion. Soon, an alliance was formed out of over a dozen massive nations, all victims of war with Silus’ nation. Nothing could be done. Millions of soldiers from every nation in the alliance struck Silus’ homeland from every direction. The cities fell rapidly under the endless flood of troops, and not a single life was spared. Silus wanted desperately to be transferred to the city where he was born, the city where his parents and brother resided. He didn’t care if it meant his death; he wanted to die defending what he loved most in the world. His leaders refused to transfer him, and instead had him transferred to the capital while they hid in a small safehouse far from the flames of the war.

Silus finally snapped and refused to serve such leaders. He was then dragged away to the capital: the last line of defense. His hope had burned away like the cities of his once-proud nation. He was not so naïve as to think his loved ones had survived. He had nothing left to live for but his men. And he would valiantly lead them for as long as he could.

“Sir! The entire left flank has fallen! The 31st and 92nd Platoons are no longer combat effective! We need your orders!” a sergeant yelled to Silus.

“Have the 103rd move to support the center! We can’t lose any more ground!” he yelled back, firing his pistol into the approaching crowd. Silus shuddered as he felt a sudden pain in his chest. Time slowed down as a crimson rose blossomed from his vest. He stared at it, awestruck at the stinging pain and beauty. Just as it reached a full blossom, it quickly wilted and spilled onto his stomach. Time sped back to its true state and Silus fell to his knees, clenching the bleeding hole where a musket ball had pierced him.

“The Lieutenant is hit! Medic! Med—!” a private screamed before a musket ball whizzed through his neck.

Silus stared at the now-dead private. The lad couldn’t have been more than seventeen. Silus fought the pain and struggled to stand. His eyes grew tired at the sight of the wall of soldiers. Volley after volley of rounds had been unleashed into the horde, yet no visible dent had been made. Another burst of pain ripped through Silus’ shoulder. He gasped for air and grabbed his shoulder tightly. The agony overtook him, and he fell onto his back.

“Lieutenant! The enemy is only fifty yards and closing! What do we do?” Silus heard a voice shout near him.

Before Silus could say anything, enemy infantry began pouring into the trench. Silus’ men stabbed and swung their bayonets furiously, sending hundreds of the enemy soldiers crumpling to the ground. One of the enemy soldiers ran screaming towards Silus with his bayonet raised over his head, ready to plunge it into the fallen lieutenant.

Silus quickly swung his saber upward and stopped the bayonet, but the soldier merely screamed louder as he pressed harder with the bayonet. Silus grunted as he shakily raised his pistol with his other hand. A look of fear and appeared in the eyes of the soldier a split-second before the pistol sent a musket ball flying through his heart. With a gasp of surprise, the soldier collapsed onto Silus, who fought to shove away the body.

As he stood and staggered, Silus saw that the right flank had now fallen. His men were fighting with everything they had, using rocks and even their bare fists to slay their enemies. Another soldier jumped down into the trench, but Silus sent his saber through the man’s stomach before he hit the ground. All around him, bodies filled the trench, and he had difficulty trying not to stumble over them. A sting ran along his back, and he swung around to see an enemy officer swinging his saber at Silus. The officer swung again, vertically now. Silus jumped to the left and deflected the blade off to the right with his own saber. Retaliating, the hostile officer flourished his blade around Silus’ and swung at his face. Silus did his best to try and dodge or deflect, but his efforts merely lessened his injury. The officer’s blade slashed a curve along the side of Silus’ face. Silus ducked before the officer could swing again and brought his blade down across the man’s knees. The officer howled in pain and fell to the ground, moments before Silus thrust his blade through the man’s chest.

Then it hit Silus; it had become significantly quieter than it had a minute ago. He rotated in place. All of his men had fallen to the enemy, and he was all that remained. He had been encircled by a wall of enemy troops who glared at him, probably deciding on whether or not to torture him until he died or just put a musket ball through the back of his head. The blood loss caused by Silus’ wounds caused him to lose his grip, dropping his flintlock pistol and saber. He turned to face the capital city behind him. Already, the enemy soldiers had flooded in and were tossing torches into every window as the citizens shrieked.

All was lost.

But then Silus began to emit a green glow and his body tingled. The soldiers surrounding Silus gasped and looked at him in confusion. He slowly levitated off the ground, blood dripping into the trench. One of the soldiers screamed and charged forward with his blade raised. Just before it made contact with Silus, he was blinded by brilliant green lights and appeared in the atrium of a castle, surrounded by strange creatures.

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“That…that was quite a tale…” Chrysalis said with a look of awe and wonder in her eyes.

Silus’ remained quiet with his head bowed.

“I am under the impression that you serve me so loyally and graciously because…I saved your life?” she said quietly.

Silus knelt and slowly lifted his head to look at her bewildered, glowing green eyes.

“Ever so partially because of that, My Queen…”

She looked terribly confused now.

“Then why, Lord Silus? Why do you serve my Empire? Why do you serve me?”

Silus delicately reached for her hoof and lifted it to his lips.

With a light kiss, he answered, “You have given me a new home. A new purpose in life…”

He paused for a moment before finishing, “…a new love to protect…”

Chrysalis covered her mouth with her other hoof, her eyes wider than ever before.

In the shadows, a pair of hazel eyes watched and listened silently from the rafters high above the throne…

Chapter Eight - Honor Thy Queen

Without Question

Chapter Eight – Honor Thy Queen

“…Silus…I…” Chrysalis was having incredible difficulty comprehending what she was seeing, hearing and…and…feeling? To hear Silus declare his affections for her had made Chrysalis’ mind become a mess. He had finally explained to her why he was so very loyal and dedicated to her and her empire; it was not by any means was she had anticipated.

“You have given me a second chance…a chance to be the man I was supposed to be…and I owe it all to you…” Silus quietly continued speaking; his eyes were lost in her wide, luminescent green eyes.

“But I…I had no idea…” the shocked Queen whispered from behind the hoof covering her gaping mouth.

Silus simply continued to kneel, holding the Queen’s hoof in his hands and gazing into her eyes as she gazed back into his. He could sense her disbelief and felt that he should reassure her.

“…My life is yours…I will serve you every waking moment…until my dying breath, until my corpse decays and my skeleton becomes dust, until my name is lost and forgotten in the annals of history, I will serve you. I am yours, my Queen…”

Silus finally stood up and gently grabbed the hoof that covered Chrysalis’ mouth with one of his hands. Now holding her forehooves, he pressed them to his chest and leaned so close to her face that he could see his reflection in her eyes.

“…without question…” he finished with a whisper.

The Queen was frozen. Her face blushed heavily, though it was hidden by her black skin. Her mouth still hung open, wanting to say something but unsure of what to say. Her entire body felt warm. Warmer, in fact, than it ever had felt in her life. The Changeling Queen fed on love (this trait was known by virtually anyone or anything that had ever heard of the Changeling Empire), but this was different. Ever since Silus had been brought to this world, her hunger had faded slowly and she no longer desired to feed on the love of others. Chrysalis had never been the object of anyone’s affections before; she always had to imitate the appearance of someone’s significant other in order to feed on their love.

As Chrysalis stared into Silus’ pale blue eyes, she remembered every moment she had ever spent around him. He actually didn’t look half-bad for such an odd creature…in fact, he looked rather handsome. And the way he spoke to her…it was so genuine…so heartfelt...

Speaking of heartfelt, her hooves were still pressed against his chest and she could feel his heart thumping rapidly. Chrysalis was standing up on her hind legs and was now just as tall as Silus. The Queen slowly closed her mouth and leaned her body closer, letting her head rest on his shoulder (obviously being careful not to poke him with her horn). She closed her eyes and a small smile spread across her lips.

Silus was now in a state of disbelief himself. He never thought she would be so accepting of his affections for her. Or at least, he thought she was accepting of it, judging by her current actions. He could feel her heart beating just as fast as his was. Why was she so shocked at how he felt? Surely a Changeling as beautiful as herself had been approached before by countless suitors…

Chrysalis couldn’t believe how she was feeling. She felt so confident, so safe. It was as though this embrace was all she needed to assure her that her nation and subjects would never be lost…that she would never be lost…

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The pair of hazel eyes that stared down from the rafters darted along the thick wooden beams. Nearing the end of the beam, the eyes were halted by the stone wall of the sloping ceiling. Sliding a few loose bricks off the wall, a secret entrance was revealed and the eyes passed through the small hole, making sure to cover the entrance back up with the bricks. The eyes exited to the outside of the castle and onto the ledge just below the roof. With a bit of levitation magic, the eyes managed to reach a flat area on the roof where their owner’s full form was revealed. Sitting there in the moonlight was a mint-green unicorn with a harp for a cutie mark. She wore a very large and squirming saddlebag that suddenly popped open.

A small blue and grey dragon rolled out next to the unicorn and stood up, wiping the dust off of its scales.

“You said it wouldn’t take long to get the info you needed, Lyra! I don’t know if you realize it, but you kept me in your saddlebag for six hours! Let’s just do this and go home,” it said with much frustration.

“Hush, Typhoon! Just because we’re half a mile away above the ground doesn’t mean it’s impossible for us to be heard! Here’s the report I made; send it to the Princesses and you can go. I still have one more job,” the unicorn responded as she tossed a scroll to the small dragon.

The dragon frowned and held the scroll to his mouth and, with a burst of blue flame, it vanished. Lyra nodded with approval and the dragon turned to fly off into the night. As soon as he was out of sight, the mint-green unicorn cast and invisibility spell and disappeared.

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Grimsoul entered the atrium through the castle’s huge front doors. As soon as they heard the entrance being opened, Chrysalis and Silus released each other, albeit reluctantly.

“Queen Chrysalis, I have news from the frontlines,” Grimsoul informed her as he approached and bowed.

The Queen cleared her throat to speak while Silus stepped a few feet to the side to allow them to talk. He had a slight smile on his face. It felt so good to know she accepted his feelings. But he was still worried about what she might make of them, or if she really did accept his feelings. After all, he was merely assuming out of hope and her reaction.

“What news do you bring, Guard?” she inquired.

“The new military structure and tactical doctrines seem to have the Equestrians at a loss. They haven’t made any attempt to attack us again, or even perform small strikes. We haven’t even seen a single pony since the battle. I’m not sure what to make of it,” he answered with furrowed brows.

“Hmm…double the amount of patrols and security in and around the city. I smell subterfuge and I’ll have none of it,” she frowned.

Silus continued to silently observe the conversation. But he saw something out of the corner of his eye. One of the statues along the carpet seemed to have been bumped; it was wobbling so gently that he wasn’t completely sure whether or not his eyes were simply playing tricks on him. But then he noticed something else happen. Part of the carpet a few feet from the bumped statue had scrunched. This time he saw it happen. Something was moving towards Grimsoul and the Queen. Trying not to alert whatever or whoever it was, he casually walked over closer to the Queen and stood a few feet from her side.

“Also, the crops growing steadily again thanks to the heavy rainfall lately. We don’t expect AGH—!” Grimsoul was cut off he was sucker punched by…nothing.

Silus grabbed the handle of his sword. A mint-green unicorn appeared out of nowhere right next to Grimsoul’s unconscious body and charged at the Queen. The unicorn angled her head so that the horn was aimed for Chrysalis’ heart.

Drawing his sword, Silus tackled the unicorn’s side just as it was about to stab Chrysalis, who had stumbled backwards in surprise. Silus and the mint-green assassin both jumped to their feet and hooves respectively.

“How DARE you attempt to slay the Queen of the Changeling Empire!” Silus angrily shouted as he pointed his blade at the unicorn.

“How dare I?! How dare SHE invade my home! It can’t be allowed to happen again! She has to pay for her crimes!” the assassin shouted back just as angrily.

“Silus! This unicorn is no match for my power, I can handle this matter,” Chrysalis smirked.

“Please, My Queen, it would be an honor to duel and slay this coward with you as an audience!” Silus responded without taking his eyes off of the unicorn who glared back at him.

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow with interest and sat down on her throne.

“Very well, Lord Silus. Honor your Queen,” she said with a giggle as she crossed her forelegs and hind legs.

“With pleasure…” Silus grinned deviously.

“How about we make things more interesting, you freak?” the unicorn smirked.

“Oh, an actual challenge perhaps?” Silus smirked back.

Frowning, the assassin answered, “You ditch the sword and I won’t use my magic to split you in half.”

“This will certainly be fun…” Silus sheathed his blade and tossed the scabbard off to the side. He unbuttoned his uniform and tossed it as well, so that only his white undershirt covered his torso. As Silus cracked his knuckles and rolled his neck around, Chrysalis couldn’t help but blush at seeing how muscular he was.

The unicorn stood on her hind legs and held up her forelegs at odd angles.

“You don’t know what you’ve just gotten yourself into, freak. I’m a master of Buck-Kwon-Do. There isn’t a pony or Changeling alive that’s survived a scrap with me. Looks like you’ll be the first of your kind to die at my hooves,” the assassin boasted as she bounced on her hind legs.

Silus himself took a boxer’s stance. Part of his military training required him to learn basic hand-to-hand combat. He was no world champion, but he could definitely put some painful dents in a face. Rather than dignify the mint-green pony with a response, he licked his lips, hungry to entertain his Queen.

Seeing she wouldn’t be getting any more vocal responses out of the thing in front of her, the unicorn ran forward and swung one of her hind legs in a roundhouse kick. Silus ducked and swung in an uppercut at the unicorn’s jaw. She saw it coming and dodged left. Silus held his forearms up in front of his face to block whatever she threw at him. Seeing a weakness, the unicorn ducked and did a sweep kick, knocking Silus to the floor. The mint-green assassin dove towards him, but he rolled away. Grunting in frustration, she backed up a bit to let him stand.

“You know, you’re not as bad as I thought you’d be, freak. Most of my opponents don’t last more than six seconds. Such a shame you picked the wrong side,” the unicorn taunted.

Silus scowled. He’d never felt so right to be part of the Changeling nation and he would put this pony in her place: snout down in a pool of her own blood.

He dashed towards her with a burst of speed and struck her shoulder as she tried to dodge this surprise. She shouted at the sudden pain, unaware of how fast he could move. Quickly recovering, the unicorn took a new approach. She crouched a bit and unleashed a trio of jabs to his abdomen. Silus stumbled backward, grasping at his stomach. It felt horrible; his entire abdomen had gone numb. He couldn’t let her do those kinds of strikes to any other part of his body.

The unicorn sprinted forward to disable him further, but Silus was ready this time. He spun to the side just as she overshot and delivered a powerful punch near center of her back. The unicorn fell to her hind legs and tried to rub the spot he had nearly shattered. Had he been a few inches more to the right, it would have crushed her spine. She heard rapid footsteps behind her and quickly rolled to the side, swinging her hind leg in the process and slamming his shin. It hurt her hoof to do so, but it hurt him more. Silus grunted in pain but fought it and ran at the assassin with his fists raised. The pony had stood back up and gestured for him to come at her.

Silus let out a war cry and sent a barrage of jabs at the unicorn who blocked every single one before delivering her own jab to the center of his chest. He nearly stumbled again at how numb the strike had made his chest. Nearly his entire torso had a “pins and needles” sensation.

“Come on; let’s see you give it your best shot. Or do I have to go ahead and end this so I can kill your little Queen?” the assassin gave a harsh smirk.

Silus was enraged at the nerve of this pony, but he did his best to stay focused.

“Touch her…and I swear, your friends will never find all the pieces of your body…” he replied darkly.

The unicorn blinked a few times at hearing this. It had unnerved her a bit, and she began regretting that last taunt immediately. Silus ran forward to deliver a bone-splintering blow to the unicorn, but she would not let herself lose to this thing. She was beginning to realize that she would be unable to beat him in a straight fight.

Just as Silus was about to ram his fist into the side of the assassin’s jaw, the unicorn attempted to dodge and slash at him with her horn. It was a dirty move, but it had to be done if she was to finish her mission. She only partially succeeded in her little cheat. The slash had dug deeply across Silus’ midsection, but the majority of his punch made contact, and the unicorn was sent flying several feet towards Chrysalis. Silus had fallen to his knees, gasping for air, but he turned to see the unicorn stumbling to stand up in front of Chrysalis, who sat seemingly emotionless upon her throne.

“It…ends…HERE!” the unicorn screamed, pointing her glowing horn at the Queen.

From behind, Silus nearly landed on the assassin’s back as he wrapped his arms around her head and neck. With a shout of pure rage, Silus twisted his arms with every ounce of his strength and the unicorn’s neck snapped with a loud echo. Still gasping for air, Silus stood proudly over his slain foe, whose face held a permanent look of indescribable surprise.

Chrysalis finally gave a huge smile and stood.

“Silus…you never cease to impress your Queen,” she said with half-lidded eyes. His shirt had nearly been torn off by the slash, exposing much of his muscular figure to her. The sight of his glistening blood and sweat made him seem that much more masculine.

“All that I am…I give in defense of you…My Queen…Aaagh…” Silus muttered as his vision faded to darkness and he slumped to the ground.

“Silus?! Silus! Guards! Get me my sages! HURRY!”

Chapter Nine - Burning Hearts

Without Question

Chapter Nine – Burning Hearts

Typhoon had stopped his flight to Equestria after only having traveled about one kilometer. He had a bad feeling, and he began regretting that he’d left Lyra alone to carry out her second mission. After all, she was his friend, and he only hoped he wasn’t too late. Typhoon spun around in the night sky and flew as fast as he could back to the Changeling castle.

After several minutes, he had returned and hid behind a pillar near the front gates. There were two Changelings guarding the front doors, but they didn’t seem to see the small blue and grey dragon hiding about twenty feet away from them. Typhoon began thinking of a plan to sneak in, but that plan was torn to pieces as the doors opened and his eyes filled with tears.

Queen Chrysalis walked out of the front doors behind a pair of Changeling Imperial Guards who carried the fallen Lyra on their backs. Her eyes had been closed and her neck returned to its normal forward position. The Queen led the Guards over to an empty wooden crate.

“Here. Place her body in this. I shall deal with it in the morning. But for now I…I need to attend to Lord Silus…” she said in a quiet, worried voice.

The Guards gently lowered Lyra into the crate and reentered the castle with their Queen. The doors shut and the two remaining Changelings stood at attention on each side with their halberds at the ready. Typhoon’s cheeks reddened as tears streamed down his face. His friend…his dear friend was dead. He didn’t know what to do, but he fought to resist making any rash decisions or panic.

She deserved better than this. Typhoon picked up a rock near the pillar he was hiding behind and chucked it far from himself. It made a small noise as it skittered across the stone ground. The two Changelings ears perked up and they ran off to investigate the sound. As soon as they were out of sight, Typhoon ran over to the crate and lifted Lyra’s body out of it, cradling her in his arms.

“Why, Lyra…? Why did I leave you like that? What came over me? I’m the worst friend imaginable...” he whispered as the tears fell freely.

He tightly closed his eyes and shook with guilt.

“It’s too late to save you now…but I can still bring you home where you belong…” he muttered as he took flight and headed back to Equestria with Lyra’s body in his arms.

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“How is he doing?” Chrysalis asked as she stood behind a trio of sages.

The three sages were standing around Silus’ body, doing their best to sew up the gash across his chest and heal the wound with various magical dusts. Silus himself was unconscious; his eyes were closed and he breathed slowly and heavily. The large amount of blood on his body had been wiped away and he was injected with a serum to speed up his blood production.

“Well, he was bleeding quite profusely when you alerted us, Your Highness. We managed to stabilize him, so he’s no longer in danger of dying. He’ll just be unconscious for a short time,” a sage answered as she finished the last stitch.

“A short time? How long is a short time?” the Queen pressed.

“Anywhere from three days to a week, Queen Chrysalis. We apologize, but that’s how long it will take for his body to naturally recover from something like this,” another sage answered as he closed each bottle of magical dusts with corks.

Chrysalis was deeply worried about Silus. Obviously she needed him to tend to her military, but she had come to enjoy his company, especially after their previous embrace. She had so many questions for him when he awoke, but for now, it would be a long week without him...

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Typhoon finally arrived back in Canterlot after having flown for several hours. Celestia had just begun to raise the morning sun. The small dragon landed in front of the Princesses’ castle and approached the gates. A pair of white Sun Guards, though shocked to see him holding a body, blocked him from entering until he frustratingly showed them the paperwork in his bag.

Upon entering the castle with a solemn look on his face, he was approached by the sister goddesses. Celestia covered her mouth as her eyes beheld the deceased mint-green unicorn. Luna closed her eyes and lowered her head.

“I hope the report was worth it…because risking her life to assassinate the Changeling Queen wasn’t...” Typhoon mumbled as he clutched his lifeless friend in his arms.

“That report was invaluable to our cause, young Typhoon. We now know things that may change the course of the war thanks to your dedicated friend, Lyra,” Luna responded.

“I’m…sure she did everything she could,” Celestia said quietly, still covering her mouth with her hooves.

“It wasn’t enough…I’m so sorry, Lyra…” Typhoon closed his eyes and whispered in Lyra’s ear.

“I believe we should begin preparations for her funeral,” Celestia said, running a hoof gently along Lyra’s cold cheek. “Typhoon…if you wouldn’t mind…could you please inform Bon-Bon of her loss?”

“Yes, Princess…” Typhoon mumbled as he handed Lyra’s body to a Sun Guard that Luna had gestured at to come over.

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Silus had been moved to the bed in his Lord’s bedchambers. He lay there motionless, except for the occasional deep breath. Chrysalis sat at his side, her hoof running delicately through his long, pitch black hair. They were alone in the room, and Chrysalis wanted a moment with him.

“Silus…I don’t know if you can hear me…but thank you. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me…I never thought you’d be capable of so much in so little time. My entire world was collapsing around me, and you saved both it and me. Words cannot express my gratitude…” she whispered into his ear.

The Queen hadn’t slept in over twenty four hours, and the events of the last night had left her exhausted. It took every last ounce of energy for her to ‘speak’ to Silus. Unable to keep her eyes open any longer, she rested her head on Silus’ shoulder and nuzzled his neck before falling asleep.

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Typhoon held his breath as he stood in front of Bon-Bon’s door. How does one inform somepony of their spouse’s death? He had no idea. It was hard enough on him that his friend had died. But this was Bon-Bon; she loved Lyra more than Typhoon ever could. This would break her heart into a thousand pieces.

The small dragon sighed and softly knocked on the door three times. He heard someone trot to the door and unlock it.

“Come in!” he heard a happy voice inside yell out to him.

Typhoon clawed his forehead. This would be far harder than he imagined. He entered and closed the door. Bon-Bon sat at a table with a cup of tea and a box of muffins.

“Well hey there, Typhoon! Would you like a muffin?” she said with a wide smile.

Typhoon’s eyes were beginning to water. By Celestia, his own heart was breaking again…

“Ty…Typhoon? Is something wrong? And where’s Lyra?”

The small dragon couldn’t take it anymore. The confused look in Bon-Bon’s eyes pierced him and he ran over to hug her as tightly as he could. Though surprised, she hugged him back.

“I’m so sorry, Bon-Bon…Lyra won’t…she…she’s…” he stuttered as he tried to hold back the building flood of tears.

At this point, Bon-Bon’s eyes were on the verge of tears as well. She had a feeling she knew what Typhoon was trying to say, and she almost didn’t want to hear him finish, but she had to know for sure. She grabbed his shoulders and looked into his bloodshot eyes.

“Typhoon, where is Lyra?” she pleaded.

“She…she’s…she’s no longer in this world…” Typhoon forced himself to speak as he shut his eyes.

Bon-Bon’s finally couldn’t hold back anymore. Tears ran down her face as she covered her eyes and quietly sobbed. Typhoon wrapped his arms around her and cried as well, though silently. They needed each other for comfort, but no amount of comfort would replace Bon-Bon’s wife or Typhoon’s best friend.

Chapter Ten - Independent Actions

Without Question

Chapter Ten – Independent Actions

“Friends, we are gathered here today to mourn the loss of a beloved pony. Lyra Heartstrings had a special place in all of our hearts,” Typhoon spoke softly from a podium in front of about a hundred ponies. “To some, she was an incredible friend who was always there when you needed her. To a certain somepony…” Typhoon looked at Bon-Bon, who still had tears streaming down her face, “…she was the love of your life who you wished to spend the rest of your days with.”

Typhoon took a deep breath and looked at Lyra’s emotionless face that peeked out of an open casket behind him. She looked beautiful, even in death, with a crown of daisies atop her head. It was still agonizing for both him and Bon-Bon. Not a moment went by that they were on the verge of tears and crushing sadness. He turned back to face the crowd.

“We have lost many loved ones over the course of this war. We have sacrificed so much to ensure that a war like this never occurs again. Today, we celebrate Lyra’s sacrifice, though she has passed from this world. She has shown that she was far braver than the vast majority of us. She stood up directly to the Queen of the Changelings and, though she failed, Lyra fought valiantly to the end…”

Typhoon couldn’t have known that for sure, but he felt that it was true. He knew Lyra, and he knew she would have given her all.

“Let us now bow our heads in silence and remember all of the joy Lyra Heartstrings brought to our lives…” he finished and bowed his head.

The crowd, which included the sister Princesses in the back, all bowed their heads. Bon-Bon had closed her eyes tightly, trying to fight off the flood of tears, but to no avail. They dropped to the ground, and she could not help but softly whimper. She knew that one day she would be reunited with her love, but this was too soon. Life was such a cruel thing to her. The thing she loved most in the world…snatched from her, not to be seen again until her own life was ended.

For the briefest of moments, the thought of taking her own life passed through her mind, but she dismissed the idea. To do such a thing would be a selfish act. The loss of Lyra was painful enough on everyone, but Bon-Bon wouldn’t dare worsen their suffering by trying to ease her own. No…others had to suffer…those responsible for her wife’s death had to suffer…

Bon-Bon bit her lip and angrily stared at the ground, her tears still falling and her face becoming hot with anger. She felt a pat on her shoulder and looked up. It was the goddess of the sun.

“I am so very sorry for your loss, dear Bon-Bon,” Celestia whispered sympathetically.

Bon-Bon couldn’t look away from the ground. She didn’t want the Princess to see the rage slowly growing more and more apparent on her face.

“If there is anything, anything you need, please tell me, and I will do my best to make it so,” Celestia whispered and hugged Bon-Bon tightly.

“Make…them…suffer…” Bon-Bon muttered quietly.

Celestia blinked a few times, unsure if she had heard Bon-Bon correctly.

“I want them…to feel my pain…” Bon-Bon said, still staring at the now-moist ground.

“Bon-Bon…I…we…I would be putting other ponies’ lives at risk…I can’t just throw them away to make you feel better. Too many have already died attempting to…remove their race. Besides, would it really make you feel better to attack them?” Celestia tried to explain.

“No…I guess not…” Bon-Bon quietly answered.

“I’m happy to hear you understand. I hope you come to feel better, Bon-Bon. I must get back to my castle. Farewell,” Celestia hugged the silent mare and walked off to her nearby chariot with Luna.

Bon-Bon continued to stare at the ground. Ponies occasionally stopped by to extend their sympathies, to which Bon-Bon simply replied with a distant “thank you.” Eventually she felt Typhoon gently place a claw on her shoulder. Bon-Bon looked up to see him, eyes just as watery as hers. Out of her peripheral, she could see that all of the other ponies had left. Bon-Bon stood and, with Typhoon at her side, she approached Lyra’s casket.

The two of them stood for a long time, just staring at the pony who meant the world to them and more. Typhoon broke the silence.

“It’s my fault…I should have stayed behind and helped her…”

“No…you did as you were told…I just wish you did what felt right…”

“Bon-Bon…I’m sorry…but I think you know as well as I do that it can’t end like this…”

“The Princesses refuse to act, hiding in the shadows and waiting to make a move…”

“You know, Bon-Bon…there are others who know your pain…others who have lost loved ones to the Changelings…others who are not under military jurisdiction…”

“I know, Typhoon, and I think it’s about time the civilians of Equestria take matters into their own hooves…”

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Chrysalis awoke. Her eyes gently fluttered open and she looked at Silus. His chest still slowly rose and fell with each deep breath, and his emotionless face remained frozen. With a small smile, she ran a hoof through his long, black hair before leaving his room. Returning to her throne, she awaited Grimsoul’s daily report. The scarred Changeling stood at attention in front of the Queen, his chest in a cast due to Lyra’s rib-breaking slam.

“I hope you’re feeling better, Guard…I mean, Grimsoul,” Chrysalis said. She had decided to try to learn the names of her subjects. The hope for salvation that Silus had delivered to her Empire had a drastic effect on her personality. She had once ruled a mighty empire, feared far and wide. But to see it crippled and crushed by another nation…it humbled her. And the possibility of it recovering made her realize that she needed to change her ways. Chrysalis’ stubborn pride and cruelty were the reason her race had nearly been wiped from the world, and she would not revert to her old ways.

“Aye, My Queen. The sages have told me that my ribs will be healed in about two days. But my health does not mat—”

“Of course your health matters, Grimsoul. You are one of my finest Imperial Guards, though I have only begun to realize it,” the Queen interrupted.

“My…My Queen…I deeply apologize for my failure to defend you against the assassin—”

“Do not blame yourself, Guard. Your Lord’s vigilance has rendered your failure void. I only ask that you do not fail to be more aware next time, or I shall not be so merciful,” Chrysalis said sternly.

“I swear to you, My Queen, I will never fail you again.”

“Excellent. Now then, the daily report?”

“Oh, yes. Ahhhm…the farmers have informed me that the storm resulted in excess growth of crops. We have enough surplus food to last two months in an emergency. Economically, we are doing fairly well. The recent morale boost generated by our victory in battle has caused citizens to spend more on necessities, as well as comfort items. They can afford these things now that currency is circulating again. Our military has completely finished reorganizing itself according to Lord Silus’ new war doctrines and recruitment rates have tripled. As it stands, our military consists of eight Millennii, six Centuries, and five Decadii. Half of those troops are stationed here in defense of the capital. Most of the other half are split between two outposts, Fort Ash and Fort Storm, the latter of which was named after the weather during our victory. Fort Ash was recently erected in the shadow of the dormant volcano, Blackspire. We have two Centuries camped along the Ebony Coast between the capital and the Equestrian-occupied city of Thornheart,” Grimsoul spoke as he read from a long scroll.

“Good, good. We will begin preparations to retake Thornheart as soon as Lord Silus awakens. Dismissed, Gu…Grimsoul,” Chrysalis stated, crossing her hind legs.

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“How many are there, Typhoon?” Bon-Bon asked the small dragon who stood next to her on a stage in a large, dimly-lit cellar.

“A little over a hundred,” he answered, his claws clasped together behind his back, facing a crowd of whispering ponies in front of the stage.

“Ahem,” Bon-Bon cleared her throat loudly and every pony in the room was hushed.

“I thank you all for coming to this meeting. I trust none of you will speak a word of it to anypony that isn’t already here. It has become apparent to me, and I assume the rest of you as well, that the Princesses are not willing to openly engage the Changeling Empire due to our military’s recent defeat. I know that all of you share my pain, having lost a military-spouse to those evil beasts. I know that all of you share my anger, wanting but not receiving justice. And I know that all of you share my desire for revenge…” Bon-Bon spoke softly, but very seriously and clearly. Every pony in the room silently nodded in agreement.

“Therefore…I have a proposition…” she paused for a moment to look at the crowd.

“I propose that we create our own band of free soldiers…free of military jurisdiction…free to do what should have already been done three years ago. We will strike at the heart of the Changeling Empire and slaughter every last one of them. We will make them know true suffering, and we will avenge our fallen loves in the name of justice. If you do not wish to join my crusade, leave now. I merely ask that you do not speak of what you have heard here. If you do wish to join me on this grand undertaking, raise your hoof…”

Slowly but surely, every single pony in the room lifted their hooves. No pony even took a step towards the door. Bon-Bon and Typhoon both grinned. They would avenge every pony that Queen Chrysalis and her soldiers had ever murdered…

Chapter Eleven - Blood on the Sand

Without Question

Chapter Eleven – Blood on the Sand

Night had fallen over the world as the moon rose. Bon-Bon and her appropriately named “Widow Battalion” had traveled quickly as the sun set, stealthily using forests to remain undetected. The WB consisted of ponies from all three common races, all united by the ultimate form of heartbreak. Not only did their races vary, but so did their occupations prior to becoming a militia. Some ponies were retired from the army and had combat experience, while others were merely smiths and provided decent weaponry. But one particularly powerful asset the Widow Battalion possessed was their alchemists. These brilliant ponies of liquid science managed to make dozens of explosive potions to be hurled at their enemies.

The WB had stuck close to Equestrian-occupied cities, but far enough away that they weren’t seen. Eventually, they arrived a few hundred yards from Thornheart before Bon-Bon began informing them of her first plan.

“May I have your attention, everypony? Thank you. From what I’ve overheard while eavesdropping on some guard ponies, I’ve learned that there is a Changeling camp along the beach between here and the enemy capital. Apparently, there’s at least two hundred soldiers at the camp,” she told them.

The ponies of Widow Battalion mumbled and whispered worriedly to themselves. The enemy camp had twice as many soldiers as them, and the majority of the ponies had absolutely zero combat experience.

“Now now, I know what you’re all thinking, and I understand,” Bon-Bon sympathized, “But, we have several advantages!”

“Oh yeah? Like what?” a scared and frustrated earth pony shouted from the back.

Typhoon stepped forward from Bon-Bon’s side to answer.

“For one, we do have a few veterans among us. They will do their best to guide us through the fight using their knowledge of battle. We also have the element of surprise. The Changelings don’t expect Equestria to attack in force again anytime soon, so they won’t exactly be prepared to defend themselves against a hundred brave townsponies! And our biggest advantage of all…we have explosives. Our alchemists whipped up a decent supply of explosive potions to be thrown at Changeling structures and soldiers. The glass breaks pretty easily, so don’t worry about throwing it too softly.”

The ponies of Widow Battalion still felt nervous, but much better after being told of their advantages. Bon-Bon led the group to a long, thick hedge on a hill next to the road that connected Thornheart and the capital. From their position, they could see the black forms of the Changelings moving around campfires and tents. The only obstacle was the log palisade surrounding the camp. Bon-Bon knew a wall of sticks wouldn’t be a problem.

“Okay, I want our strongest earth ponies in front! Buck down the wall as soon as our alchemists hurl their bombs into the camp! When the wall comes down, everyone will charge in and kill every last one of them! Got it?”

The crowd of armed ponies nodded and whispered in agreement. Though Bon-Bon was never in the actual army, she had talked to her wife a few times about how Equestria fought. She could never fully wrap her mind around it all, but she did retain a few of the simpler tactics, like buck-and-run style fighting.

The alchemists quietly snuck over to the wall and pulled out their explosive potions while the WB’s largest earth ponies stood next to them. Bon-Bon and the rest of her Widow Battalion stood ready a few yards from the wall, raising their short swords in anticipation. Bon-Bon whistled, and the alchemist sent dozens of bottles into the air and crashing down into the camp. The results were practically immediate, and huge bursts of flame licked at the night sky. The screams of the Changeling soldiers could be heard as they panicked and tried to make sense of what was happening.

The alchemists retreated back to the main crowd while the earth ponies slammed the walls with their mighty hind legs. It took no more than four synchronized bucks. The wall splintered and fell in.

“KILL THEM ALL!” Bon-Bon closed her eyes and screamed, charging into the blazing camp with a hundred ponies behind her screaming war cries as well. They poured into the camp, expecting a fierce battle to ensue. Much to their surprise, the blasts of the explosions had blinded or deafened many of the Changelings. It took little to no effort for the militia to cleave through the stunned soldiers. Unicorns blew away tents and soldiers with their magic while the earth ponies and pegasi milled about, slashing and hacking.

“Kih…Kill them!” Bon-Bon panted as sweat ran down her face.

“Bon-Bon, we did…” Typhoon shook her gently as he waved his claw across her vision.

He was right. The ordeal came and went in what felt like minutes. Every one of the two hundred soldiers had been slaughtered, their bright green blood staining the sand. In a few spots, the intense heat of the explosions had converted patches of sand into small glass craters.

“Dih…did we lose anypony?” Bon-Bon stammered, her adrenaline slowly lessening.

“No. Not a single pony. The Changelings could barely put up a fight,” Typhoon responded.

“We…won? We won?! WE WON!” Bon-Bon shouted in disbelief and happily waved her sword in the warm air.

The ponies of Widow Battalion cheered with her and embraced one another in tears. They did it. They managed to defeat an enemy that outnumbered them two to one. They had avenged the deaths of two hundred ponies, but they wanted more. Thousands of ponies still needed to been avenged as well. But for now, they needed to find a safe place to hide. After all, the camp likely kept in touch with the capital through messengers. If the camp suddenly stopped sending those messages or a messenger arrived at a camp full of slain Changelings…well…Bon-Bon didn’t want to think about the idea of her group being hunted down in the open.

Typhoon knelt down to pick up a half-scorched paper lying next to a dead soldier. After studying it for a moment, he handed it to Bon-Bon.

“A map? This is perfect! There’s a large sea cave under the cliff behind the capital! We’d be right under the enemy’s nose; the place they’d never think to look! Alright everyone, I know you’re all tired from your first victory, but we need to hide before the sun rises! I’ve discovered the location of a sizable cave that we would be safe in! Follow me!”

Widow Battalion followed their leader along the beach; the soft, dark sand crunching under their hooves as they loosely marched. Soon they would strike again, and make the Changelings suffer even more than they likely had already.

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Several hours passed and Silus slowly opened his eyes. It took him a moment to adjust them to the light, and he blinked repeatedly. He was in his room, but his chest felt incredibly sore. Then his memory came back to him. Silus had been slashed by a unicorn assassin, though moments later he managed to fight through the pain and snap the assassin’s neck. Then darkness. Through his uniform, he could feel stitches in his skin. Silus attempted to get off of his bed, but his legs nearly buckled from lack of use over the past few days. Slowly but surely, he regained his balance and left his room.

Silus made his way to the atrium where Chrysalis sat upon her throne. Her eyes were closed and she was resting her head on her hoof. Silus approached her, but did not wake her just yet. A strand of her beautiful blue hair swayed loosely in front of one eye. Silus leaned towards her face and gently blew the strand off to the side of her face. Chrysalis’ eyes opened in surprise to see Silus smirking at her.

“Sleeping on the job, My Queen? I suppose a Changeling as lovely as you deserves the rest more than anyone,” he said, still smirking at her.

Chrysalis blushed brightly; it was visible even with her black skin. She felt like embracing him again, the way they previously had a few nights ago. However, she felt as though she still had a serious reputation to uphold, and she was unsure of how her subjects would react if they saw her behaving like a little schoolchangeling. Chrysalis stood with a small, but sweet smile and leaned her head against Silus’ chest. There were several Imperial Guards in the room that stood motionless and silent, so Chrysalis whispered into Silus’ ear.

“I…missed your company, Silus…”

“And I yours, My Queen…”

Chrysalis motioned for her Guards to leave the room. Now she could openly express herself. She immediately stood up on her hind legs and wrapped her forelegs around his neck, pulling him close to her. Silus himself was more than surprised and hesitated for a moment to reciprocate the action. After all, he was embracing the ruler of an empire.

It took little thought. Silus wrapped his arms around Chrysalis’ waist and basked in the warmth of the moment.

“How selfish of you…”

Silus raised an eyebrow in confusion upon hearing the Queen whisper.

“…to make me worry like that...you would give your life away so easily for the sake of my own? All of this empire’s hope for preservation rests on your shoulders…and you would crush that hope by dying for me…” she whispered with her face still buried in his chest.

Silus could feel the area where her head leaned against him becoming slightly warm and moist. Was she…?

“I…I don’t deserve this…I don’t deserve any of it…” the Queen’s voice was shaky now, “My foolish pride cost me the lives of so many Changelings…and I was unable to save my home on my own…and…and…”

The human held his Queen in silence, taking it all in.

“…and you…I’ve never felt such unrequited love from another…I don’t understand how you can feel so strongly for me that you would risk everything for my life…”

Silus shifted a hand away from Chrysalis’ wait and gently lifted her head so that her glistening green eyes met his own pale blue ones.

“My Queen…I would die a thousand times for you…each time with a smile…so long as it meant you were safe from harm…but if it is your will…I shall make the preservation of the Empire my priority…”

Chrysalis bit her quivering lip as her eyes filled again. An appreciative smile slowly spread across her face as she closed her eyes and leaned into his chest again.

“Thank you, Silus…for everything…”

Returning his hand to her waist, he ran his other hand through her flowing blue mane. It felt as though his hand was running through a cool stream. But he heard the creaking of wood and craned his next to see what the cause was.

A messenger stood at the door, his dark skin paled with fear and shock. Apparently, the Queen had heard the entrance as well and wiped away her tears as she left Silus’ embrace.

“What is it?” Chrysalis asked with a very small sniffle.

“M-my Queen! The Ebony Coast c-camp! They’re all dead!” the Changeling stuttered.

“What?! How is this possible? When did this happen?” the Queen demanded an answer.

“An investigation indicated that an attack occurred last night! Those responsible appear to have used something to blow up several parts of the camp! Of the two Centuries stationed there, none survived, and no trace of the attackers was found!” the messager answered.

“I…was unconscious when this happened?” Silus mumbled as he stared at the tiled floor.

“It would appear so, Lord. Might I say, I am quite glad you are feeling better!”

“NO!” Silus shouted with an echo that rose to the rafters, “NO! This could have been avoided if I was awake!”

“Silus, none of us could have kn—” Chrysalis tried to comfort him.

“Two hundred Changelings…DEAD! I was weak…I should have awoken sooner! I sh—!”

Chrysalis walked around Silus and stood in front of him. She stood and put her hooves against his chest, pressing her nose to his and staring into his eyes. He immediately stopped speaking.

“Silus…what has happened cannot be reversed. Do what you know must be done.”

Without a word, Silus nodded and bowed. The Queen returned to her throne and ordered all high-ranking officers to meet Silus in the war room.

The war room was in the shape of a circle and was no less luxurious than the rest of the castle. A raised, circular map made of some odd mineral stood at the center of the room. In terms of height, the circular map stood even with Silus’ stomach. Silus, Grimsoul, and eight other Changelings stood around the circular map. Grimsoul had explained to Silus that the map was made of a mineral that allowed drawings to be easily carved into it and erased with the introduction of water.

“Officers, as you know, we have suffered a serious blow. Two Centuries of soldiers lie dead on the beaches of the Ebony Coast. This is unacceptable. Therefore, I am placing my Guard, Grimsoul, in charge of a task force of five Centuries. This task force will perform its own independent investigation of the battle site and hunt down the bastards responsible. Understood, Grimsoul?” Silus stated and received a nod from his Guard.

“As for the city of Thornheart, it shall soon be reclaimed by the glory of the Changeling Empire! Fort Storm and Fort Ash will each send a Millennium of troops to gather outside of Thornheart. Another two Millennii of troops will be sent to that staging area from the capital. In total, four thousand Changeling soldiers will be participating in this grand siege. Since the heavy armor and weapons of our soldiers restrict them from flight, we will have to create a squad of lightly-equipped soldiers that will sneak in and open the gates for our more powerful troops. The plan may be altered if circumstances happen to change. Understood?”

The eight Changeling officers nodded and left when Silus dismissed them. After about three hours, the four thousand troops began their march towards the staging area. Grimsoul’s task force would be traveling along with Silus’ two Millennii from the capital, but only until they reached the ruined camp. Eventually, the troops reached the area and stopped for a short rest. Silus and Grimsoul let their soldiers sit by the road while they approached the camp.

(Author’s Note: This next scene was inspired by the following song. It is not mandatory to listen to, but it adds ambience while reading. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCfowliTnlo)

Silus climbed over a shattered log from the remnants of the palisade and helped Grimsoul over as well. All around them, the burned bodies of fallen Changelings lay sprawled in the sand. The tide was coming in and washed over a few of those closest to the water. Their blood remained stained into the sand, but was slowly disappearing with each gentle wave.

One particular body caught Silus’ eye. It was a very young Changeling, much smaller than the others. He must’ve barely met the age requirement to join the army. A blade had been run through his back, though most of his lower body had been horribly burned. It brought a tear to Silus’ eye to see such a dedicated, young soldier killed in his prime. He fell to his knees and delicately ran his hand over the deceased boy’s eyes, closing them and whispering to him.

“I am sorry, brother. I was not there to protect you. But I will not let your death be in vain. May you find peace in a place far from this one…”

Grimsoul walked over and stood behind Silus and placed a hoof on his shoulder. Without turning to face him, Silus spoke.

“Grimsoul…end the lives of the murderers who did this. Or better yet, capture them if you can…but I want this beach cleaned up the second you finish your investigation…give these lads a proper burial…”

“It will be done, Lord Silus.”

“Thank you, Grimsoul. I’ll make you and every Changeling at the capital proud. I swear it.”

The two exchanged nods and went off to their duties. Grimsoul and his soldiers began looking for evidence, while Silus and his troops headed towards Thornheart. The scales were beginning to balance, and soon they would inevitably tip.

Chapter Twelve - Reclamation

Without Question

Chapter Twelve – Reclamation

The armies of the Changeling Empire gathered several hundred yards from the massive walls of Thornheart. As they waited in formation, Silus led several officers over to a rock where he spread a map across it. The map showed the various sections and districts of the city, including small details such as sewers and whatnot. Scouts that had been sent ahead reported that the city had a garrison of at least four thousand; the forces of both sides were numerically even.

The outskirts of Thornheart were nothing more than grassy plains with a few hills here and there. Because of this, the ponies could see the Changeling army from atop the walls. They couldn’t really do much other than watch. To sally forth and attack would cause them to lose their advantage behind the city walls. For now they would have to wait and see what would happen.

Silus had recently discovered some unexpected, yet very good news. One of the Centuries sent from Fort Ash consisted of a hundred huge, brutish Changelings. They stood about thirteen feet tall and wielded axes that had blades the size of an adult human. Every inch of their black skin was covered in some kind of biological plated armor; it appeared their skin was like some kind of hardened plastic. Obviously, these monstrous warriors would make excellent shock troops.

Twenty five of the army’s fastest, stealthiest Changelings were ordered to form a small group that would be tasked with infiltrating the city. Unlike the other soldiers, these wore no armor so that their movement would be completely unrestrained. When night fell, they would begin their mission.

As Silus continued preparing the army, a Changeling soldier approached him.

“Milord! An Equestrian officer and his escorts wish to speak with you!”

Silus furrowed his brows.

“Tell him I will meet him alone. No escorts for either of us.”

“Uh…very well, milord…” the soldier said with a hint of worry.

A few minutes later, Silus approached the gates of Thornheart. He stopped about a hundred yards from them when the gates slowly opened and a single armored pegasus exited. The four guard ponies on each side of the gate gave a salute as he passed and walked towards Silus. The grey pegasus beamed with confidence, his chest puffed out and long strides in his walk. His golden armor loudly clanked with every clip-clop before he finally reached Silus.

Silus and the pegasus stared at each other for what felt like hours. They knew what the other was doing; they were evaluating.

The pegasus glared at Silus with a smirk as his eyes moved up and down. This…thing…hardly seemed deserving of the brutal infamy it had earned among the Equestrian military. Sure, it was fairly muscular, but it only used two legs to walk. There was no way it could match the speed of a mighty soldier pony. And its armor! The pegasus resisted the urge to shake his head at how poor Changeling craftsmanship was. An abomination; that’s all this pale beast was. How appropriate that the Changeling protector was as hideous as the Changelings themselves.

Silus stared intensely at the pegasus. This pony was far more muscular than any of the other ponies he had seen so far. It made sense that a pony of his position and physique would bear such heavy and decorative armor. Indeed, gold plating covered most of the Equestrian and a bright white plume of feathers formed a mohawk along his helmet. But the look on the pegasus’ face annoyed Silus. That pride…how could he have such pride in the murder of the innocent?

“Hmph. You are the one leading the Changeling army?”

Silus blinked. His focus had been on the pegasus’ features and the sudden question caught him off guard.

“That I am. And you are the one whose forces are occupying this Changeling city?”

“I am. Though I must add, it has been rather quiet without the previous number of occupants…” the pegasus replied, holding up a hoof as he checked it for dirt and scratches.

The nerve of this pegasus to mention genocide so offhandedly caused Silus’ face to heat up.

“Is that so? I’m sure the silence will be deafening once we reduce that number a bit more…” Silus muttered, though he remained calm.

The pegasus frowned for a moment, and put his hoof back on the ground.

“Now now, that was a bit rude on my part, I’ll admit. But surely you can see that you are fighting a losing battle…”

Silus raised a brow.

“Oh? Please, do elaborate.”

“You see, you serve a race of vile, murderous beasts who had the nerve to abuse our Princesses’ mercy. After we removed those pests the first time, we did not pursue them and simply allowed them to go back to their pitiful lives. Now here comes the twist; they came back! We allow them to live, and they repay us with the sacking of our cities and the murder of innocent ponies! Such arrogance! Finally we purged your filth from our lands yet again, but that was not and is not enough. We were the most peaceful nation in this world, the most forgiving and patient, the most merciful and just, and now…the most logical. This world will not have peace so long as warmongering races like the Changelings exist! We are the greater good. We are the bringers of justice. We are the hooves of our goddesses, and we serve to deliver their divine will…”

Silus scowled at the pegasus’ words. To slay so many…and in the name of the greater good! The pegasus continued.

“There is no hope for you and your kind. Your little ‘victories’ did nothing more than delay the inevitable. Once you foul beings are gone from this world, a peace unlike any other will ensue. You may think the killing of your race is atrocious…but if some must die so that many may live, then I will end you with pride.”

It took everything in Silus’ power not to run the pegasus through right then and there. But to do so would be cowardly and barbaric; Silus would not stoop that low. No, he was better than that. Far better. He would show that he was better than these ponies.

“You will end us, you say?” Silus smirked.

The pegasus proudly raised his head and returned the smirk.

Silus leaned close to the pegasus’ face and whispered, “…you’re going to need more ponies…”

With that, Silus turned around and began to walk back to his army.

“You would dare defy the will of the goddesses of our world?! I will enjoy dancing on your bloody corpse, you pathetic vermin!” the pegasus shouted from behind Silus, who just grinned and kept walking.

Many hours later, the sun had finally set and crickets chirped in the moist, glistening grass of the plains. The army stood silently in position about two hundred yards from the gates. The ponies that stood watch on the walls could see the black horde and the shimmering of their armor in the moonlight.

The pony occupiers hadn’t been in the city for more than two months and didn’t know all of the ways in. Silus exploited this and sent his stealth team down to the beach where they followed the shore for a while under the cover of darkness. Eventually, they reached the huge sewage pipes that poked out of the city walls along a cliff. With no eyes on them, the Changelings removed the grates and slipped in.

The stench was unholy. The sewage system had not been maintained for some time, and there was enough reeking waste to scare off an Ursa Major. The Changelings disregarded it. If they had to trudge through rivers of festering excrement to save their home, they would do it. After several minutes of wading, the team reached a ladder that lead up to the streets. A single soldier peeked out from under the lid of the manhole to see if the coast was clear. Sure enough, it was.

The twenty five Changelings quickly piled out of the sewer and sprinted to a nearby alley, glad to be free of the awful smell. As a patrol of guard ponies passed by, the Changelings disguised themselves and formed their own patrol. The stealth team caught the attention of many disgusted soldiers at the gates.

“BY CELESTIA! What is that putrid stench?!” a guard shouted as he covered his snout.

“Uh…apologies. My boys fell into the city cesspool,” said the Changeling disguised as an officer.

“Go down to the beach and clean yourselves up! The mediocre plumbing in the city clogged up and the showers don’t work!” the guard barked.

“Will do, sir,” the Changeling answered.

“Just stay close to the city. I doubt those Changelings will try anything, but I wouldn’t tempt them,” the guard said as the gates slowly opened.

The moment the gates opened completely, the Changelings drew daggers and attacked the surprised guards.

(Author’s Note: To compliment the following scene, I felt as though this song was appropriate and adds to the quality of it. It is not mandatory to listen as you read, but I think it improves the experience. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1Jf_slWj_Y)

“The Changeling army is charging! Close the gates!” a guard pony shouted from the walls. As soon as she looked down and saw the Changeling stealth team, she grabbed a nearby horn and blew it as hard as she could.

The entire Changeling army was running at full speed. Silus himself was at the front, with the massive shock trooper Changelings behind him, and the rest of the army behind them. Ahead he could see the stealth team under attack from dozens of ponies, and hundreds more were pouring in from other streets.

“FASTER! We must breach the walls!” Silus screamed as he raised his sword and pointed it to the sky.

The army was closing in, only another fifty yards. Silus saw the last stealth Changeling fall to the ground and the gates began to close.

“Close the gates! CLOSE THE GATES!” the grey pegasus commander shouted as he took to the air above the streets directing soldiers. The ponies turning the gate’s cranks were sweating wildly.

“This is our land! We will take back what is rightfully ours!” Silus encouraged the Changelings around him as he ran, but the gates were closing fast. Only twenty five yards now.

“CLOSE THE DAMNED GATES, YOU FOOLS!” the pegasus officer was screaming now. He hadn’t thought the Changelings would be this bold and it worried him.

Just as the gate’s doors made contact, a Changeling shock trooper plowed into them and sent splintered logs and steel shards flying into the air. The ponies were too late to halt the flood; the dam had been broken.

“FOR THE QUEEN!” Silus let out a war cry as he and his soldiers began hacking through an Equestrian formation. Pegasi flew about and unicorns blasted magical beams in confusion. Changelings that were lightly armed were able to quickly disguise themselves and wreak havoc on the puzzled ponies. The large, brutish shock troopers grunted and roared as they broke crowds with each swing.

Everywhere, ponies and Changelings fell to the ground. The battle was in the Changelings’ favor; the sheer surprise of the attack coupled with the shock troopers gave them a huge advantage. Silus swung all around him, scoring kill after kill. But just as he was about to swing again, something slammed into his side and lifted him high into the air.

“Changeling SCUM! I will splatter you onto the pavement!”

The grey pegasus officer had grabbed Silus and was carrying him high above the city. Silus did not struggle. Even if he did break free, he would simply plummet to his death. Instead, he waited until the pegasus reached the desired altitude.

“Soon you will be nothing more than a stain on the streets! Enjoy the view while you can!” the pegasus laughed and let go of Silus. Just as he was released, Silus grabbed the pegasus’ leg and swung himself around onto his back. Wrapping his legs around the pegasus’ waist, he wrapped Molten’s dangling bandana around the base of the surprised officer’s wings.

“WHAT ARE Y—AGH!” the pegasus shrieked as Silus tightened the bandana.

The tables had turned and Silus was in control. They both fell rapidly towards the city where the battle still raged on. Below them, a small wooden house grew closer.

“YOU FOOL! You’ll kill us both!” the pegasus screamed.

Silus merely held on tightly and kept one hand on the bandana. Seconds before they impacted the roof, Silus yanked away the bandana. The pegasus flailed his wings, slowing them down slightly, but they crashed through the roof nonetheless. The quick release of the pegasus’ wings had made sure that Silus was unharmed while the officer was severely injured. The two had landed on a table in the house’s kitchen. Silus, though dazed, stumbled off of the pegasus and raised his blade.

Much to Silus’ disappointment, Molten’s bandana was gone, ripped from the hilt. But now the pegasus officer was at his mercy.

“Ughh…my legs…” the pegasus moaned.

Silus approached the officer and leveled his sword with the pegasus’ throat.

“Go ahead,” the pegasus coughed, “…do it, you murderous waste of life…”

The human furrowed his brows. Every slaughter had been avenged with another slaughter. It needed to stop, though many would still want revenge. He needed to set an example, or perhaps…gain a bargaining chip.

“You. You are coming with me, pegasus,” Silus muttered and hoisted the immobile officer over his shoulder.

“Unhand me, you…you…aghhh…” the officer mumbled as he passed out from the pain.

Silus exited the house and saw that the battle had spilled into every corner of the city. He ordered some nearby soldiers to guard the officer while he ran off to give further orders. Silus ran down the streets, shouting that all ponies were to surrender immediately. The Changelings, though engaged in combat, were shocked. Though they wished to kill these genocidal occupiers, they obeyed Silus and captured the ponies who surrendered.

As the sun rose, the battle came to an end and a victory cheer echoed to the sky. About seven Centuries of Changelings had been slain, but over two thousand ponies had been taken prisoner, as well as the commanding officer. The ponies were all stripped of their weapons and armor and were shipped off to the capital, where they would be held until Silus had use for them. The Changelings were overjoyed to have taken back one of their cities, but at the same time, they were disappointed and confused as to why the enemy was allowed to live.

Silus had a message sent to the Queen informing her of the Changeling victory. He let out a sigh as he watched the sunrise. He would have preferred to do it himself. Oh, what he would give to see that look of admiration and pride in her beautiful green eyes…

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“Sir! We found traces of food along the beach! It seems like the trails leads towards the capital!”

“Experienced soldiers would never be so stupid as to leave behind evidence as obvious as that. Hmmm…gather the troops…the hunt goes on…” Grimsoul muttered.

Chapter Thirteen - Dancing in the Dark

Without Question

Chapter Thirteen – Dancing in the Dark

It had been several hours since the Changeling victory at Thornheart. Silus had received a message from Queen Chrysalis requesting his return as soon as possible. His cheerful army was returning to the capital only a few miles away at this point. The army had passed several hundred construction workers heading the opposite way towards Thornheart to begin repairs. Silus had been too busy to notice it, but Thornheart was beyond a mess. At least a third of the residential housing had been burned to the ground, and all remaining buildings were no better than the ones at the capital had been prior to the victory at Opaque Ridge. It would take years to return Thornheart to its former glory, but at least now it had the chance to be restored at all.

The two thousand prisoners marched between the Changeling army, which had about a Millennium and five Centuries of troops on each side of the line. Here and there, a massive Changeling shock trooper (dubbed “Colossi” by Silus) shook the ground with each step. The prisoners all wore shackles on both their forelegs and hind legs. At the front of the chained army was their former commander, also in shackles. He had not spoken since his defeat at Silus’ hands, and he walked with a limp due to his injuries. His shame was as clear as his drooping head.

Eventually, the army arrived at the capital to an overjoyed crowd. The citizens were just as excited as when the army returned from Opaque Ridge, if not more so. But when the prisoners were led down the main street, the Changeling citizens shouted jeers and hurled garbage at them from the balcony. Though Silus wanted to stop them, there was no way he’d be able to.

At the end of the street, the Queen and thousands of Changelings stood in the plaza. Chrysalis herself obviously stood atop the stairs leading from the plaza up to the castle. The army bustled about in the plaza until the prisoners were forced into a square formation. The soldiers then formed a perimeter around them and awaited further orders. Silus stood at the front and took a knee, awaiting the Queen’s words.

Chrysalis slowly walked down the stairs towards the silent crowd, which still frowned and smirked at the prisoners. She stopped and stood in front of Silus.

“Rise,” she said plainly.

Silus obeyed and stood at attention. As always, he could not resist losing himself in Chrysalis’ luscious eyes. The pounding of his heart made his chest ache. He could see her smiling, though she held back its full width.

“Lord Silus, you have done what I previously thought impossible. Thornheart is once again a part of the Changeling Empire. Your victory at Opaque Ridge gave me hope, but this…this has cemented that hope. Not only are we safe from extinction; we are now healing our wounds,” the Queen spoke with pride.

Chrysalis paused for a moment to view the thousands of prisoners before continuing.

“And now…you have opened up the strong possibility of negotiations with Equestria. They will not leave their soldiers to die, and we will not execute them so long as peace is attained and our lands are returned to us. Not only that, but you managed to accomplish all of this just in time for the most extravagant celebration of the Changeling year…”

Silus furrowed his brows slightly. He had no idea what the Queen was talking about. Before he could ponder it further, Chrysalis stood on her hind legs and reached for the sky with her forelegs.

“The Marvelous Mimicking Masquerade!” she yelled, and the tens of thousands of Changeling citizens roared in joy. The prisoners shuddered at the deafening noise.

“I must admit…I did not think we would still be around to celebrate it…” the Queen went on with a moment of sorrow in her voice. The citizens quietly nodded; they had not expected to survive as well.

“But now that I see the world in a new way…now that I see hope in a new way…this shall be the greatest, most exquisite Masquerade yet! All are invited!” she shouted, to which the crowd responded with another roar of joy.

The crowd quickly dispersed to go prepare for the celebration, but the Queen still needed to address the more serious situation at hand.

“These prisoners are to be kept in the Yard,” Chrysalis stated and pointed a hoof to the right of the castle. The Yard, which was several hundred feet to the right of the castle, was a large, dirt field surrounded by ten-foot walls. Inside the walls were a few long, stone building with barred windows.

Immediately, the army began leading the prisoners to the Yard while Silus continued to listen.

“And you, Lord Silus…” she whispered as she leaned close to him, “You should go prepare yourself for the Masquerade...I’m sure you’ll enjoy it…” she finished with half-lidded eyes and a sly smile.

Silus’ face flushed red and grew warm. He returned the smile, bowed, and went off to his chambers to get ready.

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“I’m s-so…c-cold…” a unicorn stuttered as she tried to warm herself by a fire.

Widow Battalion had settled into the sea cave beneath the capital. However, the warm ocean air did not reach into the dark cave, and many ponies had started fires in the sand with driftwood to stay warm. Many of them were quiet; the reality of their actions had finally set in, and they felt horrified at what they had done. These ponies were not warriors, they had simply gotten lucky. They fought with blind passion, and now that the adrenaline had died down, they were haunted with gruesome memories. All of that blood…all of those bodies…

Bon-Bon herself was trying to cope with the shock of it all. She was shivering in a corner, staring at her bloodstained hooves. She did not regret what she had done, but the harsh reality of combat was grinding at her. Was this was Lyra did on her missions? How awful! And the fact that Lyra dealt with it so calmly…it was hard for Bon-Bon to comprehend.

The ponies of Widow Battalion had eaten nearly all of their food; they hadn’t expected to run out so quickly. The only things they had left to eat were a few dozen loaves of bread and some vegetables. Some suggested there might be edibles further into the cave, but none were brave enough to test the theory.

“Bon-Bon! Bon-Bon!” a green earth pony shouted as she sprinted over to Bon-Bon. The shouts echoed through the cave and shook Bon-Bon from her trance.

“What is it?” she mumbled.

“Changelings! There are hundreds of them marching towards the cave!” the green pony explained as she panted.

“What?! How did they…ugh! The food! They must’ve found thrown-away food!”

“What do we do?” the green pony asked worriedly. Nearly every pony in the cave was now listening.

“I…uh…we…we can’t possibly fight them here…we have to keep moving. Yeah, we need to follow the cave deeper and see if it leads to another exit!”

The observing ponies whispered in fear, but they had no choice. They did not want to die at the hooves of the Changelings. They would take the risk and follow Bon-Bon into the cave. Several of them made crude torches and followed their leader, who didn’t seem too sure of her own plan.

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Grimsoul and his soldiers halted as they reached the entrance of the sea cave. The Imperial Guard raised his head and sniffed a few times.

“Smoke,” he said to himself.

With a wave of his hoof, the task force followed him into the huge cave. A few dying fires were scattered around, as were pieces of bread and lettuce.

“Sir…do you think they know about the catacombs?” one of the soldiers asked Grimsoul.

“No. The catacombs have not been disturbed for at least three thousand years. Equestrians have never set hoof this far into our lands. They don’t even know they exist, let alone what lies within…” Grimsoul responded.

“I almost feel bad for them,” the soldier muttered in the cold air.

“You shouldn’t. We are going after them, and we won’t be leaving until those ponies are accounted for. Dead, or alive,” Grimsoul frowned.

The task force made torches of their own and cautiously entered the depths of the cave.

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“How deep is this cave?” a pegasus whispered in frustration as she followed the rest of Widow Battalion.

“Hush! Do you want the Changelings to hear us?” a unicorn replied.

The cave had become no less gigantic; the light from the torches did not reach high enough to reveal the ceiling. The dark grey walls looked moist, and drops of water occasionally fell from the darkness overhead. The floor of the cave was no longer sandy; it was the same dark grey stone as the walls.

Bon-Bon had lost track of time. It felt as though they had been walking for hours, but she couldn’t be sure. Her head ached. The gruesome memories of her battle kept running through her head, and it was playing tricks on her mind. She kept thinking that she heard screams, only to realize she was remembering the Changelings she had killed. Her vision would grow blurry and she would think she saw shadows moving around.

“Bon-Bon? Are you alright?” a blue earth pony tapped Bon-Bon’s shoulder.

“Wha…yeah…I’m fine…we just need to keep moving…shouldn’t be much further now…”

The group was getting tired. They had no idea how long they had been walking, but their hooves were sore and the flames of the torches were dying. Some ponies began to panic, especially those who were still trying to cope with their actions.

“Oh Celestia…make it stop…the faces…Oh Celestia, the burning faces…AHH MAKE IT STOP! PLEASE! MAKE IT STOP!” a white pegasus fell to the ground and screamed as she covered her face. Several other ponies tried to calm him down and shush her, but she thrashed about like a wild beast.

“OH CELESTIA, WHY?! MAKE THE FACES GO AWAY!” she screamed even louder and slapped at her forehead. The other ponies held her down and a unicorn finally managed to cast a sleeping spell on her. Even in her sleep, she mumbled about various horrors and shifted around, but at least for now she was a bit quieter. Two earth ponies lifted her onto their backs and carried her with the rest of the group.

The cave had grown significantly smaller and more structured. It began to look artificial as they kept walking. The walls, ceiling, and floor were still moist, but they were smoother and it almost resembled a large hallway.

“By the Princesses! What in Equestria IS that?!” a unicorn shouted.

The floor ahead of them was covered in dark yellow bones. Some of them had bits of ancient brown flesh still on them. The walls had rectangular spaces hewn out of them. The spaces were occupied by ruined, stone coffins. Most of the coffins had fallen apart and all that could be seen inside were more bones.

“What…what is this?! This can’t be real…no…no it’s not real…it’s not…can’t be…” one of the earth ponies near the front began to panic. Those near him had worried looks on their faces.

“That’s it…none of this is real…ha ha…HA HA HA! IT’S NOT REAL! NONE OF IT! HA HA HA!” he laughed hysterically and fell to the floor, his pupils dilating rapidly.

“Someone shut him up!” Bon-Bon shouted.

The group hesitated, but a few ponies stepped forward and held him down. A unicorn also approached to put him to sleep.

“IT’S JUST A BAD DREAM! JUST A BAD DREAM! WAKE ME UP! PLEASE!” the earth pony was now crying and shrieking. The other ponies tried to restrain him, but he was stronger than them and shook them off.

“He won’t hold still!” the unicorn shouted at Bon-Bon.

“I JUST WANNA GO HOME! IT’S JUST A BAD DREAM! MOMM--!” he screamed just as a bone slammed into the side of his head.

The entire group gasped at the loud cracking noise that the impact had made. Bon-Bon stood over the unconscious earth pony, panting as she held the bone.

“We’re going home…we have to get out of here…” she whispered with tears in her eyes.

Another two ponies lifted the unconscious one onto their backs. He wouldn’t be waking up for a while. As the group continued down the hall, their torches grew weak and barely gave off any light. The unicorns of the group cast some light spells, but the multi-colored glows would not last very long, considering how tired they already were. They dragged on, unaware of how much further into this black hell they had to travel.

“I’m sorry, Lyra…” Bon-Bon whispered to herself as a tear fell to the floor.

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“Grimsoul, sir! The catacombs are just ahead. Lots of um…lots of bones…” a soldier reported to the Imperial Guard.

“We have to be catching up to them. They’re tired, hungry, and cold. If the exhaustion doesn’t get them, we will,” he stated.

“Yes sir,” the soldier responded and returned to formation.

The task force moved on, right on Widow Battalion’s trail.

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Silus was getting dressed in his chambers. His uniform had been enhanced even further. It was the same deep green with golden epaulettes, but the buttons and seams were now gold as well. A golden pocket watch sat in the pocket of the vest with its shimmering chain slightly hanging out. As he looked in a mirror, he felt quite pleased with his appearance. Silus wondered what time it was and took a peek at his new pocket watch. It was five hours past midday.

“Lord Silus, I have a message for you.”

An Imperial Guard stood in the doorway, awaiting Silus’ response.

“What message do you have for me?”

“Though the Masquerade is to begin at eight, Queen Chrysalis wishes to inform you that the Equestrian royalty will be arriving at midnight. Negotiations will begin shortly thereafter. This is to be a respectful and civilized meeting; absolutely no violence will be tolerated. Er...not that she expects you to be violent, sir.”

“I see. Very well, thank you.”

The guard left. Silus went back to the mirror and began to comb his long black hair.

This would either be the greatest or worst night of his life…

Chapter Fourteen - Insanity's Embrace

Without Question

Chapter Fourteen – Insanity’s Embrace

“Light up a few more torches,” Grimsoul ordered.

Though the task force had initially crafted torches out of the campfires at the cave’s entrance, they were more than well-prepared. Several Changelings carried enough food and torch-crafting material to allow them to survive comfortably in the cave for days. But they were not here to relax in a cave; they were here to hunt.

Just as the old torches began to die, flint struck flint and new torches lit up throughout the corridors. The old, smoking torches were tossed aside and new ones were passed around to those who needed them.

“Keep moving. We cannot afford to waste time,” Grimsoul shouted to the four hundred soldiers behind him.

The horribly shaken Widow Battalion was becoming increasingly exhausted by the minute. To make matters worse, many were passing out and had to be carried by others. The light emanating from the horns of the unicorns was fading slowly and would not last much longer. The thick, moist darkness of the catacombs surrounded the ponies like a black, creeping wall. The only sounds that could be heard were the light shuffling of hooves and a few drops of water that fell from the ceiling.

“Bon-Bon, we’re so tired…can we please stop for just a moment to catch our breaths?” a young earth pony panted from behind the Battalion’s leader.

Bon-Bon stopped for a moment and raised a hoof so that the others halted as well. She turned to face them.

“I know you are all worn out from this, and I know you all wish to rest. But we can’t just stop now! The only light we have left is fading with each second, and those filthy Changelings could catch up to us at any moment!”

An orange pegasus in the middle of the group spoke up.

“What about the dragon? Can’t he light up the corridors with his flame?”

Bon-Bon froze. When was the last time she saw Typhoon? She had lost track of everypony when they retreated into the cave. Where could he be?

Drip…drip…drip…drip…

The small blue and grey dragon’s eyes opened slowly. His vision was blurred and he felt water drops gently splattering on his forehead. Wiping the moisture away, he tried to stand up, but the soreness of his legs forced him onto his knees instead.

What happened? The last thing he remembered was stopping to look at the ceiling, and then realizing he’d been separated from the group. He must’ve gone searching for them and became lost in the process. Typhoon rubbed his eyes and lightly blew flame from his mouth, just enough to see a few feet around himself. To his shocked surprise, the ground was covered with ancient, decomposing bones. He fell onto his back in fear and flailed his arms upon realizing he was now lying atop more bones.

With what little strength he had left, the little dragon forced himself onto his feet and ran through the darkness. The pitch black seemed to laugh at him, excitedly whispering at how pathetic he looked.

“Bon-Bon! BON-BON! Somepony! Anypony! Please, help me!” he screamed as he sprinted madly into the endless abyss.

The bones clacked and snapped with every step the dragon took. This only served to further frustrate Typhoon. Small, dim flames from his panting offered no aid in lighting his way.

“HELP! SOMEPONY! HEL--!”

Typhoon’s face was met with a sudden, crushing pain as it made contact with a huge coffin. As the small dragon fell onto his back for a second time, he looked up in horror at the wobbling stone encasement above him. The massive lid of the coffin slid off, revealing the equally massive skeleton of a Changeling Colossus within. The skeleton, which stood on its hind legs and had its forelegs crossed over its chest, wobbled with the coffin. Typhoon was too sore to move; all he could do was stare in terror as the skeleton fell towards him. He closed his eyes, awaiting the blow that would end his life.

Death was not so kind to the small dragon. As the bones crashed down around him, he didn’t feel a thing. He slowly opened his eyes. The rib cage of the Colossus had trapped him.

“Wha…no…no no no! NO! I’LL DIE IN HERE! HELP! HELP ME!” he shouted, but the catacombs would have no mercy on him. Little did he know, his greatest enemy would be himself…

“Bon-Bon, where is Typhoon?” a small unicorn asked Widow Battalion’s leader.

Bon-Bon was still trying to sort things out in her head, but it she was so tired and hungry that her memory was blurry. She could’ve sworn that he had been right next to her the whole time. Then again, she couldn’t recall the last time she’d heard him speak.

“I…can’t remember,” the puzzled mare replied.

“What do you mean you can’t remember?” another pony inquired.

Bon-Bon pressed her hooves against her temples.

“I can’t remember! Okay? I just can’t!” she shouted, shutting her eyes as a tear formed.

“Well…we have to go back for him, right?” the pony pressed.

Bon-Bon felt horrible. She couldn’t believe she’d lost Typhoon in the catacombs. Her love for him was second only to her love for Lyra. Typhoon was like family to Bon-Bon, and it crushed her to know that everything she loved was disappearing before her eyes. But she couldn’t go looking for him; that would put everypony else at risk. She kept trying to think of a way to fix the situation, but every idea held the risk of death or becoming lost as well.

“N…no…” Bon-Bon mumbled as she covered her eyes, “We can’t just stop. It would put all of our lives at stake and I can’t take that risk…”

“Typhoon would try to find you if you were lost!” an earth pony shouted.

Bon-Bon opened her eyes, now flaring with anger as she rushed towards the earth pony that sent further guilt her way. Pressing her forehead to his, she yelled and glared into his eyes.

“TYPHOON ISN’T HERE! And don’t tell me what he would do! I KNOW he would try to find me! But he thinks with his heart, not his brain! That’s why he’s better than me! That’s why he’d put you all at risk just to find me! If you want to live on and honor his memory, then follow me! Searching for him and dwelling on his loss will only make this harder than it already is!”

The earth pony gulped and slowly back away. The other ponies nearby also backed away a bit. Bon-Bon simply ran a hoof through her mane and continued walking deeper into the cave, which was beginning to lead upward slightly. The ponies of Widow Battalion traded glances with each other before concluding that it would be best if they did as Bon-Bon said. They walked on.

Typhoon lay on his back, staring up at the yellow-brown spine of his prison. He was so hungry, so thirsty. His body still ached and his face felt the worst. He couldn’t scream for help anymore; his throat was just as sore as his body. All Typhoon could do was think.

Thinking was proving to be a dangerous thing. It was completely silent and the only light was the dim glow of Typhoon’s blue eyes, the reach of which only illuminated a small part of his cage. Every so often, the small dragon would twitch, thinking he’d heard something. But there was nothing there. How long had he been trapped? Minutes? Hours? He couldn’t even make a guess.

“Typhoon…”

The dragon’s ears perked up a bit, but he remained as he was.

“Typhoon…”

There it was again.

“They’re laughing at you, Typhoon…”

At this, the dragon groggily sat up and cautiously looked around. Nothing to be seen.

“They’re laughing at how pathetic you are…”

“Who’s there? Show yourself!” Typhoon rasped.

“Look at you…can you blame them...?”

Typhoon frowned, irritated at these insults.

“Shut up! I’m not pathetic, and no one is laughing at me!”

“You let her die, you know…”

“Wha…what? Let who die?”

“You knew it was dangerous…but you didn’t care…what kind of friend are you…?”

“Huh…? Wait…how do you know about Lyra?!” Typhoon asked with confusion in his crackling voice.

“You could’ve stopped all this…but you didn’t…selfish little waste of life…”

“Stopped what? Who are you?!”

“She could’ve gone home and lived happily with her wife…but you took that all away...didn’t you…?”

“Shut up, already! You don’t know anything!” Typhoon managed to shout, but he quickly clutched his burning throat.

“They all know it, too…that’s why they abandoned you…”

“No one abandoned me! I’m just lost!”

“Oh…you would love to believe that...wouldn’t you…?”

“I believe it because it’s true!”

“They left your worthless carcass here to rot…even the maggots wouldn’t touch filth like you…”

“Go away! They’ll come for me, I know they will!”

“Come for you…? They hate you, Typhoon…they hate you with every fiber of their being…”

“No…no they don’t!” Typhoon tried to shout as his eyes began to water, “They don’t hate me…they don’t…”

“You killed her…not the Changelings…you…”

“No…I…no…”

“Disgusting worm…it’s all your fault…”

“…”

“Oh…nothing more to say…? You can’t even defend yourself…pathetic…this is why they are laughing…”

Typhoon stared blankly into the darkness. Tears gently fell from his eyes. With a quiet sniffle, he closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, his heart nearly exploded.

Bon-Bon was standing about a dozen feet from the rib cage.

“B-b-Bon-Bon…” Typhoon whimpered as he crawled over to the side of the cage.

Her kind eyes immediately flashed to a glare, one with such hate that Typhoon could feel it from where he was.

“Bon-Bon, please…help me…” he pleaded with tears streaming down his face.

The mare gave an ugly frown and intensified the fury in her eyes.

“Help you? Like you helped Lyra? No. I don’t think you deserve help for what you’ve done…” she growled as she slowly backed into the shadows, still glaring at the small dragon until she disappeared.

Typhoon was on the verge of crying. He turned around only to see Princess Celestia looking down at him. He looked up at her, expecting to see the matriarchal love that only a benevolent goddess such as herself could give. But he was met with a sorrowful gaze, the likes of which he’d never seen.

“I’m so disappointed in you, Typhoon…so disappointed…” she whispered before fading away.

“B-but…I…” he stammered and shut his eyes tightly, “…I’m so sorry…I never meant to—“

“To what?”

Typhoon opened his eyes upon hearing a familiar voice. In front of him stood his former closest friend.

“Never meant to what?” Lyra asked with an aggravated tone.

“Lyra?! Oh thank goodness! I th—”

“ANSWER ME!” the unicorn leaned down and screamed at the dragon.

“L-Lyra! Please! I’m sorry for leaving you! I—!”

“‘Sorry’?” Lyra chuckled, “‘Sorry’ doesn’t exactly do much at this point. ‘Sorry’ doesn’t mean a damned thing. ‘Sorry’ won’t bring me back or correct the hell you’ve put us all through.”

“Lyra! Please!” Typhoon was openly crying now and the tears flowed.

“I can’t believe I thought of you as a friend…” Lyra whispered and closed her eyes. A dark silhouette slowly emerged from the shadows and stood behind Lyra.

“Lyra! Turn around!” Typhoon screamed, fighting the pain of his burning throat.

Lyra remained still as two of the silhouette’s hands gently held the unicorn’s head, one hand on each side. With a loud, violent twist, the hands snapped her neck and she fell limply to the ground.

“LYRAAA!” Typhoon screamed hysterically, trying to force his claws through the ribs to reach her.

The dark silhouette grabbed her hind legs and began to slowly drag her into the darkness. Then, she faded away. The small dragon sat with his mouth agape, eyes now dry from all of the crying. The immense hunger, thirst, and exhaustion he felt were nothing compared to how shattered his heart now was. He collapsed to the floor and stared into the pitch black abyss. His eyelids were heavy, and he could no longer resist passing out. They slowly fell. Just as they had almost closed, he thought he saw a faint orange glow in the dark, but he was beyond weak at this point.

“Someone get him out of there! We need him alive…”

Chapter Fifteen - Sophistication...

Without Question

Chapter Fifteen – Sophistication…

Click.

Silus popped open his golden pocket watch. Thirty minutes until the festivities would begin. A second messenger had arrived moments after the initial one. Silus was told that the Queen wanted him to enter the grand atrium at exactly eight o’ clock. The messenger also mentioned that Chrysalis wanted him to be surprised. To pass the time, he had taken a back door out of the castle and went to the plaza at the front. Though the Marvelous Mimicking Masquerade was to officially begin at eight, the commoners of the capital had already begun minor celebrations.

Countless thousands danced to the tunes of local musicians playing nearby, vendors were selling refreshments at incredibly low prices, and Silus strolled about and mingled with the Changelings. While he listened to the stories of their lives, his eyes wandered to the new, joyous look of the city. Colorful banners were draped over the black, wrought-iron fences. Equally colorful streamers in the trees of the gardens blew gently in the breeze, though that particular sight vaguely reminded Silus of his mischievous childhood. Confetti and glitter covered the smooth bricks of the plaza ground. It was a beautiful thing.

“And so I said, ‘Cast iron? I thought you said blast iron!’”

Silus and the group of Changelings he was with all laughed heartily. Apparently, one of the Changelings was a smith who misunderstood a customer and accidentally crafted exploding kitchenware for her. The human had to wipe a tear from his eye after such a tale. Out of curiosity, he asked where the smith and his family were from.

“Ah…well, Lord Silus…you see, we are from a huge city far from here. It marked the farthest eastern edge of the Empire. We had our own celebrations, sorta like this one, but smaller and with a lot of rectangular paper lanterns! Oh, how I do miss Fanghai…”

At this, the Changeling smith’s head drooped a bit, as did each family member’s. Silus patted him on the shoulder and gave a comforting smile when he looked up.

“This is a time of celebration, friend. Do not feel so glum; it will be ours again!”

The smith and his family returned the smile.

“Thank you, Lord Silus. I needed to hear that. Maybe I can show you around Fanghai once it’s back in Changeling hooves.”

“I would like that,” Silus smiled wider and nodded.

The human bid them farewell as he went on to meet others. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a familiar Changeling. Silus approached to get a better look. It was Molten! The hunched little fellow that had crafted Silus’ equipment was now dancing with a young Changeling female. He seemed nervous, but the female was nothing if not patient in teaching Molten a dance. Silus grinned and let him be.

Behind the dancing citizens was a small band that caught Silus’ attention. Curious about Changeling music, he walked over to them to see what he could learn. It was a trio of Changelings; all three of them tapped their hooves before lightly rotating in place as they played their instruments. One of them was playing what appeared to be a fiddle. Another played a banjo, and the last one was playing a harmonica. The Changelings around Silus were dancing faster now and rotated along with the band. It reminded Silus of his old nation, or at least the southern part of it. He smiled and tried to copy the dance to the best of his abilities. As sloppy as it looked, many nearby Changelings applauded him for trying. With a sheepish bow, he tossed a few coins in the hat near the fiddle player’s hooves and wandered off.

Silus checked his pocket watch again. Three minutes now. He headed to the base of the stairs that led up to the massive doors of the castle. Just as he reached the stairs, a loud groaning echoed through the air as the doors slowly opened. Silus couldn’t see the inside of the castle from where he was, but bright lights shone out of the entrance. Sixteen Imperial Guards formed a line across the top of the stairs, leaving a gap in the middle. None other than Queen Chrysalis herself filled the gap with her presence. She proudly raised her head and cleared her throat. Silus and the vast crowd of Changelings shifted their attention to their leader. All sound ceased as her words were awaited.

“We all know why we have gathered here, tonight! I needn’t remind you all of how incredibly proud I am! So, without further ado, let the Marvelous Mimicking Masquerade…BEGIN!”

The Queen raised a hoof into the air with unlimited enthusiasm. The crowd roared with cheer; music and dance erupted in the plaza yet again. The Queen and her Guards moved down the stairs towards Silus in unison. Upon reaching him, he immediately took his signature stance and kneeled.

“Rise, Lord Silus.”

Immediately, Silus rose to his feet and gazed at his Queen. Oh, how he could lose himself in those eyes forever and not have a care in the world...but what was this she was wearing? Silus froze in awe at how utterly gorgeous Chrysalis looked. She wore a beautiful blue and green dress with a flowing skirt that hid her hind legs. The silver trim and accents shimmered in the moonlight. The Queen’s hair had been braided into a single, deep blue lock that hung elegantly over her shoulder.

“Lord Silus, would you…I mean, it would be lovely if…er…” Chrysalis fumbled for the words she was trying to get out. This was very strange to both Silus and the Imperial Guards around her. They had never seen her at such a loss for words and were having difficulty understanding what she was trying to say. Silus found it cute. He felt as though he knew what she wanted, but he disliked assumption. Still…he didn’t want her to feel embarrassed.

“My Queen, it would be an honor to be your escort,” he stated with a smile.

“E-Excellent! I was just trying to…clear my throat! Yes, that’s it. I am glad you are able to read me so well, Lord Silus,” she responded with a flushed face. Chrysalis held out a hoof, which Silus affectionately held as they ascended the stairs.

Silus couldn’t believe his eyes when he reached the top and saw the grand atrium. It was a glorious sight to behold. The foreboding darkness that was once characteristic of the atrium was now gone. Enormous crystal chandeliers hung from the rafters. The crystals magnified the light of the chandeliers’ candles, illuminating the entire room with brilliant colors. Gold and green banners hung from every wall and it was clear that the floor tiles had been polished recently. A large, marble fountain sat in the middle of the room. Some kind of blue punch cascaded down from the top of the fountain, and several aristocratic Changelings dipped their glasses in as they passed by.

There was far less darkness in general, now that Silus thought about it. Even without the brilliant light of the crystal chandeliers, it appeared as though several columns and other parts of the architecture had been refurbished with gold and silver. Green velvet couches and cushions sat in designated sitting areas. Silus took a moment to look at the Changeling aristocrats themselves. Nearly every one of them wore elaborate, shiny or feathered masks that only hid the upper halves of their faces. On their bodies, the males wore exquisite suits with long coattails while the females wore flowing dresses like those of New Victoria, a refined nation of Silus’ old world. In the middle of the atrium was a large open area where Changelings slow-danced in pairs.

Another thing that caught Silus’ eye and deeply impressed him was the large band to the side of the room. There were a few small rows of musicians atop a slightly raised platform with a few stairs. Silus noticed again that the majority of Changeling instruments strongly resembled those of his old world. The top row of Changelings was playing what appeared to be corked trumpets while the middle row played trombones. On the bottom row, the Changeling musicians were playing saxophones of varying sizes. To the side of the platform were three Changelings: one with a drum kit, another with a standup bass, and the third with cymbals.

The Changeling maestro gently swayed his hooves about as the band let loose a flood of smooth jazz. It was simply delightful, as made clear by the dancing of the Changeling upper class. As a young man, Silus wasn’t the most talented when it came to playing an instrument, but he did know how to write music and lyrics. Still holding Chrysalis’ hoof, he turned his attention to her for a moment.

“Would you excuse me for a moment, my Queen?” he asked politely.

“Of course, Lord Silus,” she smiled at him.

“Please, you of all Changelings may refer to me without my title,” he replied and kissed her hoof before walking over to a nearby table. As he left her presence, Chrysalis slightly blushed for a moment, hoping he would be back soon.

Silus found what he was looking for. He took a seat at the table, which was near one of the sitting areas. On the table were a quill, an inkwell, and several blank parchments. He dipped the quill into the black liquid and quickly began writing on one of the papers. Occasionally, he would glance up and gaze at the unaware Chrysalis for a moment before returning to his writing. Just a few more minutes and it would be ready…

Bon-Bon and her militia were on the verge of passing out; it was likely that it would be a sleep they’d never awaken from. Starving, thirsty, and sore both mentally and physically, the ponies of Widow Battalion stopped for a moment. An aggravated unicorn shouted at the leader.

“This is HOPELESS! We have no idea where we’re going and we’re practically at Death’s door! We might as well give up; at least we’ll die with the satisfaction of killing those Changelings at the beach!”

Bon-Bon shakily turned around. Her joints ached and felt as though they were about to give. But she couldn’t die like this, even with the satisfaction that the unicorn had pointed out.

“I know this looks hopeless. I honestly don’t know what to do anymore. And even knowing that we managed to wipe out that camp, I don’t feel like we made a difference. I don’t know what to do…”

It grew deathly silent for a few seconds as Bon-Bon paused. Just as she was about to continue, or possibly even concede, she thought she heard something. Her ear twitched, straining to hear. She heard it again. A very low humming and rumbling sound. Without a word, she sprinted as fast as her weakened body would allow her towards the end of the corridor, which had seemed to be gently sloping upward. Just another stone wall, just another floor of bones.

Behind her, the other ponies caught up. The sight of the dead end caused a wave of disbelief, sorrow, and anger to sweep over the WB. Many started yelling at each other while some simply sat and cried. Bon-Bon, too, was in disbelief. She knew she heard something. Then she heard it again, ever so slightly more audibly this time.

“EVERYPONY! BE QUIET!”

Bon-Bon’s commanding scream instantly hushed the surprised ponies. The leader delicately placed her ear against the wall. Now she was certain of it. There seemed to be vibrations and sounds coming from the ceiling.

“We’re close to something! I don’t know what, but I think it might be a way out!” Bon-Bon shouted, “I know you’re all exhausted, and I wouldn’t think of asking any more of you than I already have. But this is the final stretch! If none of you desire to leave, do as you please. As for me, I’m getting out of here, one rock at a time if I have to. Join me if you ever want to see the light of day again!”

Nothing more was said. Bon-Bon grabbed a large bone and ground it against the wall until it was sharp. Next, she pushed a pile of other bones together and climbed on top of them.

Clink. Clink.

The leader of Widow Battalion wouldn’t give up when she was so close to freedom. She chipped away at the ceiling with her makeshift-pickaxe, desperate to escape. Between strikes, she could hear dozens of other ponies sharpening bones of their own.

“So close…” Bon-Bon whispered to herself.

Silus grinned to himself. It was finished. He rose from his chair and approached the Changeling maestro just as a song was concluded. Silus whispered into the maestro’s ear and handed him the paper. The maestro nodded and waved at a young Changeling female nearby. The female came over and took a moment to look at the paper as well. She nodded at Silus and took her place on another raised platform near the band’s. From there, she faced the huge crowd that danced in the center of the atrium. Most of the crowd had formed a large circle around a few dozen pairs of dancing Changeling aristocrats.

The human found his way back to his Queen, who watched the dancing pairs with the rest of the crowd. Sneaking up behind her, he blew her ear lightly. She softly gasped and jumped in surprise. She turned around to see Silus holding out his hand.

“May I have this dance?” he requested simply, but with a relaxing smile that the Queen couldn’t resist even if she wanted to.

“Indeed you may,” she returned the smile and placed her hoof in his hand, staring at him with half-lidded eyes.

Silus was nearly overwhelmed. It actually worked! And goodness, he could barely think when she looked at him like that. He gently led the Changeling Queen to the center of the circle. But why did she look so nervous now? Chrysalis motioned for him to lean down a bit so he could hear her.

“Um…Silus, I…don’t know how to…to dance…” she whispered.

The human was taken aback by this. Certainly she had been asked to dance before. As much as this befuddled him, Silus acted quickly.

“Do you trust me?”

“Of course I do, Silus…”

“Stand as we did before.”

“Wha…what?”

Silus carefully nudged the Queen until she stood on her hind legs, the same way she had done when the two embraced before. This time, however, they held each other a bit differently. Silus placed one of Chrysalis’ fore hooves on his shoulder while placing his own hand on her side, just under the base of her now-raised foreleg. With his other hand, he held her free fore hoof up in the air slightly.

“Follow my lead.”

Chrysalis was unsure for a moment, but she trusted him far more than he knew. The band began playing Silus’ song. It started off rather upbeat, yet still calm. The female Changeling stood patiently, awaiting her cue. Silus and Chrysalis could feel the wall of eyes staring at them. It was indeed an odd sight to see the Queen standing as the human did. None of the other dancing pairs knew this unique song or even how to dance to it. Intrigued, they removed themselves from the circle and joined the crowd. Only Silus and Chrysalis and remained. Silus gently swayed his hips left and right as Chrysalis did her best to copy him. They were both surprised at how well they were doing. The Changeling female near the band finally began singing.

Oh, what a lovely night to be

With you, right next to me

Of all the sights to see

My eyes rest on you

The singer’s voice was as beautiful as Silus had hoped. The band was performing just as well. Silus couldn’t believe how perfectly this was turning out to be. He and Chrysalis took small steps, still gently swaying but now rotating slowly in place as well.

Your heart is all I wish to win

Just the thought of you makes me spin

Dizzy in love, I can’t help but grin

That you might feel this, too

Hand in hoof, arm to leg, eye to eye, they were in complete harmony. Silus had never felt so deeply connected to someone. Chrysalis felt the same way, and it was becoming more apparent as they danced. They could both tell how the other felt. No words needed to be said. Lost in each other’s eyes, they showed how they felt through synchronization. The music slowed down significantly, and the singing female’s voice almost sounded like she was personally speaking to each and every Changeling in the room.

Here’s to the future, my dear

Let me just make one thing clear

By me, you’ll never shed a tear

Put together, there’s something new

Silus and Chrysalis shifted their positions without breaking eye contact. Both of Chrysalis’ forelegs were now draped over Silus’ shoulders, her hooves wrapped around the back of his neck. Silus placed his arms around Chrysalis, one hand on her upper back and the other hand on her lower back. Their faces leaned closer to each other’s, pressing chest to chest.

Maybe one day there will be an “us”

Bound by love, I’m yours and thus

Let’s not delay nor make a fuss

Without question, I love you.

It felt as though time had stopped. Everything had led up to this night, this moment. The human and Changeling Queen still gazed into each other’s eyes. They knew now that this was destiny. All of the suffering, all of the chaos and sadness…it was worth it. The Changelings were better now, united and full of hope. No more hate and anger, madness or greed. As for Silus and Chrysalis, this was an unbreakable new love. Neither of them could imagine life without the other. The entire universe seemed to be revolving around them at this exact moment. The two of them closed their eyes for the first time in what felt like ages.

And they kissed…

A kiss that felt as though it would last an eternity…

And they would give anything for it to be so…

The clock tower of the city struck twelve. Time returned to its normal state. Silus and Chrysalis slowly broke the kiss and looked back into each other’s eyes.

“Silus…I…” Chrysalis whispered almost silently.

The human delicately placed a hand on her cheek and smiled.

“Shhh…” he sweetly shushed her, “I love you, too…”

A quivering smile spread across Chrysalis’ face as her eyes blurred with tears.

In his peripheral, Silus noticed that the crowd of Changelings was still staring at Chrysalis and himself, but two new guests were as well.

Two divine and royal guests…

Chapter Sixteen - ...and Provocation

Without Question

Chapter Sixteen – …and Provocation

The sister goddesses of Equestria stared at Silus and Queen Chrysalis with confusion. Celestia’s mouth hung slightly open while Luna raised a brow. The Princesses’ bodyguards looked no less shocked. A short, chubby stallion with a feathered hat and a frilly collar rushed to the Princesses’ side. Without skipping a beat, he removed a small trumpet from the holster on his uniform and tooted it loudly; nearby Changeling aristocrats covered their ears.

“All kneel before the Princesses Celestia and Luna of Equestria!” the stallion announced to the room. Sweat ran down his forehead when not a single Changeling in the room moved.

“That…will be all, Schwigginsquire,” Celestia leaned down and whispered to the chubby stallion. The sweaty trumpeter nodded with appreciation and sprinted outside.

Silus and Chrysalis slowly released each other before turning to face the new guests. Silus glanced at his Queen out of the corner of his eye. She showed no emotion, a stark contrast compared to her state mere seconds ago.

“Greetings, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Welcome to the Changeling Empire,” Chrysalis spoke loudly and with authority. It greatly agitated her that she had to remain so polite and refined in the presence of these rulers. They didn’t deserve such a relatively warm welcome.

“Greetings to you as well, Queen Chrysalis,” Celestia responded.

Chrysalis made a few gestures towards her nearby Imperial Guards. Two of them brought a rectangular, mahogany table to the center of the atrium. Another two guards placed chairs on each side of it. Silus followed her as she walked over to the table and took a seat. Silus remained standing about two feet behind and to the right of her with his hands clasped together behind his back. All of the Changeling nobles in the room stood along the sides of the room in complete silence.

“Shall we begin the negotiations?” the Queen asked as she crossed her hind legs and placed her fore hooves on the table.

Celestia and Luna looked at each other, somewhat puzzled at the settings of the negotiations. They disregarded the event they had witnessed, as well as the odd practice of negotiating in public, and sat at the table. The four royal guards that accompanied the Princesses stood in a square formation behind their leaders.

“I suppose so…” Celestia stated, perplexed.

The four royal guards glared intensely at Silus, who returned a fiery glare of his own. He would not be intimidated at a critical moment such as this.

“What are the terms and conditions of your surrender?” Luna bluntly inquired.

Silus nearly broke every bone in his hands as he clenched his fists with rage. Chrysalis was no less infuriated.

“I beg your pardon?!” the Changeling Queen raised her voice and cocked her head back in disgust.

“Sister! Hold your tongue!” Celestia sharply scolded the lunar princess.

Luna merely rolled her eyes and looked off to the side. As her focus returned to the table, her eyes were caught by Silus’. He was gritting his teeth and glaring at her now. She squinted a bit and glared back at him. Their visual war ended as Chrysalis spoke.

“I’ll begin by saying we are far from surrendering. I’ll expand on that and say that we will fight for every inch of Imperial soil that you stole from us. If you desire an end to this war, simply return our lands and that will be the end of it.”

Celestia furrowed her brows and adjusted herself in her seat before responding.

“I’m afraid it’s not quite that simple. You invaded us twice…and then you are surprised when we come knocking at your own doors? You committed a crime, and you must face the consequences.”

Chrysalis frowned and leaned forward.

“No race should face extinction. Ever. There is no excuse for destroying an entire civilization. We acknowledge the sins of the past, but surely you of all individuals can understand that forgiveness paves the way to the future?”

Celestia was frowning now.

“You killed hundreds of innocent ponies and burned down millions of bits worth of property. A mother does not simply give back her child’s toys after it shoves its sibling down the stairs.”

“But does the mother beat and kill the naughty child? Does she do everything in her power to ruin the child before finally ending its life?” Chrysalis raised her voice in anger.

Celestia leaned back slowly and bit her lip, still furrowing her brows.

“I…suppose not…but the child must pay f—”

“The child must pay accordingly! The child must face punishment, yes, but the child has done nothing worthy of being slain! The mother is not only unfair in her judgment, but she is no better than the child as well!” Chrysalis spoke firmly as she argued.

Celestia bit her lip harder and she looked to Luna, who spoke in her place.

“The analogy is over. This is not a mother and child we are talking about. We are talking about how you massacred our subjects and pillaged our settlements. You betrayed our mercy and we cannot risk you doing so again.”

Silus clenched his fists again and resisted the urge to flip the table right into the face of the lunar princess. He took slow, deep breaths as he attempted to control his anger. Chrysalis narrowed her eyes at Luna and replied.

“I understand your point of view, but you refuse to acknowledge ours. Do you think we are incapable of learning from mistakes? We know now that we were wr—”

“Learning from your mistakes?” Luna chuckled condescendingly, “As in how to invade us successfully upon forgiving you for this offense? We cannot allow that.”

Chrysalis was now gritting her teeth along with Silus.

“If you have already made your decision to attempt to wipe us out, then why are you here? Now? Discussing these matters with me?”

Celestia looked down as Luna leaned forward and slammed a hoof onto the table, to which Silus responded by sliding one hand closer to the handle of his blade.

“You know damned well why we are discussing anything at all with you right now!” Luna barked.

“They won’t be leaving my prison yard until you give back what you have taken!” Chrysalis barked back.

Celestia could do little more than watch the two go back and forth.

“And risk letting you attack us yet again? Absolutely not!” Luna shouted.

“We know better now! We could have easily killed those prisoners, but we did not!”

“You didn’t kill them so that you could beg for undeserved mercy later!”

“Have you no sense?! Not only do you think we haven’t changed, you don’t want to believe we have changed! Those prisoners outside of my castle are proof of our new perspective!”

“It is proof of nothing! I see before me a filthy crossbreed between a pony and a beetle, nothing more!”

Chrysalis, Silus, and the surrounding aristocrats shared a collective gasp. The Queen leaned all the way back into her chair. Celestia’s eyes widened and her mouth hung open as she stared at her sister in disbelief. As Silus’ shock faded, it was replaced with raw fury. He gripped his sword and began to draw it. The Princesses’ royal guards tensed up.

“HOW DARE YOU SP—!” Silus was cut off and ceased drawing his blade as Chrysalis calmly placed a hoof on his hand. He glanced down at her in surprise. She stared up into his pale blue eyes and sadly shook her head. His rage subsided as he lost himself in her glowing green eyes. Slowly, his blade slid back into its sheath and he shivered from the fading adrenaline. Luna smirked in victory and crossed her forelegs. Chrysalis turned her attention back to the lunar princess and spoke slowly and egregiously.

“You speak of us as though we are uncivilized trash…yet you have the nerve to come to my castle…entertain the idea of negotiations…and resort to petty insults rather than come to a peaceful conclusion to this war…”

Chrysalis closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before going on.

“I see now what qualifies a race to be superior…claiming to be the supreme justice and law of a land…while sweeping problems under the rug…and claiming to desire nothing but peace and harmony…while searching for reasons to justify the slaughter of the more difficult problems. But even when a problem solves itself…that superior race removes the problem anyway…because they refuse to acknowledge the possibility that anything other than themselves can determine what is right and what is not.”

Luna stood up and slammed both hooves down onto the table.

“Listen here, you ignorant cretin, we ar—!”

“LUNA! THAT IS ENOUGH!”

Everyone in the room shuddered at the booming voice. Their eyes were drawn to Princess Celestia. With tears in her eyes, she glared angrily at her sister. Luna’s eyes had widened and were frozen in place as the solar princess held firm.

“Queen Chrysalis is right. We are no better than hypocrites if we do not let them reconcile for their actions.”

Celestia finally broke her stare and turned to face Chrysalis.

“Immediately returning your cities in exchange for the prisoners is out of the question. However, I have a proposition.”

Chrysalis raised a brow.

“I’m listening.”

“A gradual exchange. Every two months, we will give back a captured city, and in return you give back some of the prisoners.”

Chrysalis raised both brows and leaned forward with anticipation.

“That sounds…much better than I had thought…”

Celestia smiled at the reaction.

“Good then I suggest w—”

Celestia was cut off as the floor next to the table suddenly began to collapse and form a large hole. Every being in the room stared at the sudden damage. Slowly, several dirty and sickly-looking ponies began to crawl out. Many of them wielded sharpened bones.

Chrysalis stood up, as did the Equestrian princesses.

“What is the meaning of this?!” the Changeling Queen shouted as Silus drew his blade and took a fighting stance.

A beige earth pony with a pink and violet mane was among the first to crawl out. She blinked repeatedly as she took in the scene. Chrysalis flung around to face the goddesses.

“You dangle forgiveness in front of us…only to lie and ambush me in my own throne room?!” she screamed at them.

Celestia and Luna were just as confused as Chrysalis.

“I have no idea what this is!” Celestia pleaded.

Luna had no idea what was happening either, but at the same time, she was glad that the event had disrupted the negotiations.

Silus pointed his blade at the beige pony and looked over his shoulder at Chrysalis.

“My Queen! They have betrayed us! They are armed!” he shouted.

The ponies continued to crawl out, “armed” with what looked like swords made of bone. Hardly any of them had any idea where they were. Some were so exhausted that they simply collapsed to the floor. Celestia’s eyes darted from pony to pony until she recognized the beige pony as Bon-Bon.

“Bon-Bon?!” she screamed.

The beige pony looked over to the solar princess. She was far too tired to do much more than give a weak smile until she saw all of the Changelings in the room. Upon seeing them, Bon-Bon held up her bone in a panic.

“DROP YOUR WEAPONS!” Silus shouted as he waved his sword at the ponies.

“You monsters! You try to exterminate my race, and then play with our hopes and try to assassinate me!” Chrysalis screamed at the princesses.

“We had nothing to do with th—” Celestia attempted to plead but was cut off by Chrysalis.

“BEGONE FROM MY CASTLE! If it is a massacre you want, it is a massacre you shall get!” the Changeling Queen screamed even louder as tears formed in her eyes.

Dozens of Imperial Guards encircled the exhausted Widow Battalion, to which the frightened ponies replied by dropping their bones. Silus turned to face the princesses.

“You heard her Dark Majesty! GET OUT!” he yelled with seething rage.

The royal guards pressed close to the princesses and led them out of the castle, much to their confusion and reluctance. Chrysalis collapsed to the floor and covered her face with her hooves. Silus rushed to her side and knelt down. A small puddle of tears formed on the tiles.

“My Queen, are you alright?” he whispered to her as he wrapped his arms around her.

She quietly sobbed, just loud enough for only Silus to hear. After what felt like hours, she sniffled and wiped her face.

“Bring them to the prison yard…” she whispered.

“It will be done, my Queen,” he replied.

“…and prepare the troops…this war just got longer…and we will not lose…”

“I…I understand. Right away,” Silus gestured for the Imperial Guards to take the ponies to the prison yard.

Silus helped the Changeling Queen stand up and led her to her room while the aristocrats filed out of the castle. Finally, the last few Changelings left the castle. Just as the massive doors began to close, snowflakes began to gently fall from the night sky…

Chapter Seventeen - Ever Colder

Without Question

Chapter Seventeen – Ever Colder

One week later…

It hurt Silus. It broke his heart to see his Queen in such pain. For three long days and three long nights, Chrysalis refused to leave her room. During that entire time, Silus sat outside of the door, tortured by her quiet sobbing. When she finally did come out, she had no expression. No happiness. She had come so close to securing peace, only to be stabbed in the back. Silus attempted to speak to her, to comfort her, but she seemed distant. For another three days, she refused to speak to any of her subjects, or even Silus. On the seventh day, she finally called for Silus.

The Changeling Queen and Silus met in her bedchambers during the evening. When he entered the room, he saw her sitting on a rug by the crackling fireplace. Silus quietly walked into the room, stopping a few feet behind her.

“Sit with me, Silus.”

The human silently obliged and sat next to her. Time passed slowly as the pair sat staring at the low flames.

“What was I thinking?”

Silus’ expression became one of puzzlement. He turned his head to look at her. She was still staring blankly at the fire.

“I do not understand, My Queen,” he replied with concern.

Chrysalis closed her eyes for a moment before turning to look at Silus and opening them again.

“For a moment…I thought…” she stopped and closed her eyes again.

Silus wrapped an arm around her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

“You thought what?” he whispered comfortingly.

She opened her eyes again and stared into Silus’ eyes before trying to continue.

“For a moment I thought that…everything was going to be alright…”

Silus scooted closer to his Queen and nodded for her to continue, still keeping eye contact.

“When we were dancing…I’d never felt that happy in my entire life…I never thought that someone could actually…could actually…”

“Take your time…” Silus whispered to her with a warm smile.

Chrysalis looked as though she wanted to return the smile but couldn’t. She took a deep breath and continued.

“Could actually…love me so genuinely…”

Silus stared into her luminescent green eyes as he took in every word with the utmost attention.

“And I thought that…I might actually be able to peacefully save my empire…and happily live out the rest of my days free of petty disputes along with my subjects…”

“You couldn’t have known of their deception…” Silus replied.

“That’s just it, though. I was so naïve…”

“My Queen, please do not think that.”

“The world has condemned me…it deems me unworthy of happiness and forgiveness…” Chrysalis muttered as she closed her eyes and turned away from Silus.

“You are far more worthy than anyone else of such happiness! You deserve it!” Silus tried to comfort her, but she still quietly faced away from him.

“My Queen, please! Do not feel this way!” he pleaded as he placed his other hand on her other shoulder.

She remained motionless and silent. Silus’ eyes grew moist as his love and leader ignored his words. He refused to let her suffer like this. With a firm tug, he forced her around to face him, the surprise was very apparent in her wide eyes.

“CHRYSALIS!”

Her face was less than an inch from his as he held her close. His eyes were becoming more watery with every second. The Queen’s lips quivered before she managed to get out a whisper.

“Wh-what did you call me?”

Silus was shaking slightly. He then realized what he had said, but his eyes remained locked with hers.

“Did you…just call me…by my name?” she whispered in disbelief.

Now Silus’ lips were quivering as he fumbled for a response.

“Well I…I mean…what I meant was…”

“…say it again.”

Silus froze completely. The Changeling Queen stared into his eyes, waiting for an answer.

“…what?”

“Say it. Again.”

The human was unable to think straight. He was unsure of whether or not he should indulge her. With no other options, he spoke.

“…Chrysalis.”

The ends of the Queen’s mouth began to slightly angle upwards.

“Again.”

“…Chr-Chrysalis.”

The Queen was now smiling fully, her eyes glowing slightly brighter as she stared at the human’s pale blue eyes.

“I like that...”

“You like what?”

“The way you say my name…”

“…Really?”

“Yes…please say it more often…”

Silus began to smile now. The pair hugged each other closely.

“As you wish…Chrysalis…” Silus whispered gently into her ear.

The Queen broke the hug and lightly kissed Silus’ lips. His eyes shot open and his cheeks reddened, but he quickly gave in and returned the kiss. As they broke the kiss, Chrysalis smiled at him and placed a hoof on his cheek.

“The decision to bring someone to this world…that was the single greatest decision I’ve ever made…you give me more hope than I could ever ask for…”

Silus smiled back, unsure of how to reply to such a statement. Chrysalis removed her hoof and stared back at the fire.

“The winter is coming. My sages tell me it will be a winter colder than any we’ve had in the last four hundred years. But that is not what concerns me most. The battles ahead…will be larger and more critical than any we’ve faced before. Meet the officers in the war room when the sun rises. Prepare our forces, Silus. We must be ready soon.”

The human nodded and stood up to leave.

“Goodnight…Chrysalis.”

As Silus exited the room, he could see a tear streak down Chrysalis’ smiling face.

A few hours later…

Silus stood on a balcony near the top of the castle. Night had fallen, and he stared into the starry sky. Closing his eyes, he tried to relax for a moment.

“Milord.”

The human sighed as he heard a voice behind him. Turning around, he saw that an Imperial Guard was standing at attention.

“What is it?”

“Captain Grimsoul has returned with his task force.”

Silus raised a brow with interest.

“Oh?”

“Aye, sir. Just as some construction workers were about to begin repairing the atrium floor, he and his forces um…exited the hole.”

The human closed his eyes and smirked.

“I assume that means he was on the tails of those ponies that created the hole? Did he capture any of them?”

“No, sir. Well…he did capture a small dragon. But no ponies.”

“I see. Thank you for this news. Dismissed.”

The guard left and Silus turned back to the balcony’s view of the capital and the sky. Down below, he could see only a handful of Changelings still in the plaza. They were probably cleaning up after the festivities. Nearly the entire city seemed to be asleep; it was dark along every street and in every window. Snow was beginning to lightly blanket the ground and rooftops. Silus took a deep breath and exhaled. His breath was slightly visible. He closed his eyes and tried to collect his thoughts yet again.

After what felt like a few minutes, Silus heard a quiet flapping noise behind him. His eyes remained closed as he breathed silently. A few seconds later, he could hear an equally quiet clip-clopping sound come closer to him.

“A beautiful night, is it not?”

Silus slowly opened his eyes as he recognized the voice next to him.

“Indeed, it is.”

“I always loved this time of year. The moonlight gives the snow such an…enchanting appearance.”

“That it does. It makes the snow look all the more pure…as pure as the heart of a lunar princess might have been in the past.”

Silus looked to his right to see Princess Luna standing beside him, staring into the sky. Her deep blue eyes gazed at the brilliant white-grey orb in the sea of black. Without breaking her gaze, she spoke to him.

“Your assessment is correct. I have not always been so spiteful of these Changelings. In fact, after the initial attack, I began a project to attempt to help them with their ‘starvation.’”

Silus had a puzzled look on his face, one that Luna could detect without the need to see it. She went on to explain.

“You see, the main source of their nutrition is derived from love. The Changeling can feed on other things, but it does not satisfy their needs the way love does. If two Changelings have romantic feelings for one another, then they can create enough love only for themselves. But it is rare and difficult for Changelings to naturally conjure up such feelings on their own. Thus, they are forced to disguise themselves and take on the appearance of another species. The strong, genuine love felt by the fooled partner is enough to fully sustain the Changeling in disguise.”

The lunar princess took a deep breath as she thought out her next words.

“Obviously, this cannot be allowed. The impersonated partner must be disposed of in order for the Changeling to fully integrate itself into the relationship. I felt sympathy for these creatures and gathered a team to research ways that the Changelings could create their own love without having to feed off of others. Before we could come to any conclusions, they attacked us. Again. And the first city to be struck happened to be the city where our research was stored. All of it was lost. All of the researchers and their work. Gone. I never hated the Changelings when they first attacked. I never hated them when they were repelled and we had to clean up the mess. I never hated them as my team and I worked tirelessly for them. No…”

Silus watched as the lunar princess’s brows furrowed and a look of burning anger swept across her face.

“I hate them…because they are ungrateful…because they are parasites incapable of understanding what we did for them. I hate them because of the suffering my subjects endured at their hooves. I hate them for…making me feel this way.”

Luna closed her eyes tightly and bit her lip. Her eyes seemed to be growing moist, but her anger held strong.

“I despise this feeling. This boundless hatred. But they are the reason I feel like this. They betrayed us in so many ways...”

Silus looked back to the city and breathed slowly as he took it all in. It was silent for a few moments until he heard her again.

“Why do you serve them?”

Silus closed his eyes, knowing the answer but also knowing that she would not understand. Nonetheless, he replied.

“My Queen…Chrysalis…she granted me a new life. As I watched my old world…my old life…burn to ashes, she saved me. She gave me a second chance, a chance to redeem myself and not make the mistakes I made in my past. These people…these Changelings…they took me in as one of their own, and I can never repay them enough for this new life they have given me.”

“But have you not heard of the things they have done? The crimes they have committed? You serve monsters.”

Silus gritted his teeth at that last word, but the cool air relaxed him.

“I serve my salvation, whom I repay in being what they are to me. Salvation…”

The lunar princess was taken aback at the human’s words. But, she was determined to break him.

“They are as they always have been and will be. Ungrateful liars and murderous beasts.”

Silus tightened his grip on the marble railing of the balcony. His rage was rising. Just as he was about to shout at her, he suddenly had a thought. As he pondered on it, he returned to a calm state and softly chuckled to himself. Luna felt both confused and insulted.

“What? What is so humorous?”

The human smirked and looked back at the goddess, the moonlight reflecting brightly off of his eyes.

“You…”

Luna tilted her head to the side, insulted further.

“And what exactly is so very funny about me?”

“You are so…unbelievably deep in your own hypocrisy…”

The lunar princess’s expression become one of fury as she grabbed the human by his collar and hung him over the balcony. Silus merely continued to grin slyly at her.

“HOW DARE YOU! I am the immortal goddess of the moon! My word is law and my knowledge is infinite! How could I, of all beings, be such a hypocrite?!” she screamed into the human’s face.

Silus shed the sarcastic grin and merely smiled before answering.

“I have heard about you…from the sages. I believe you used to have another name…what was it again?”

The sly grin reappeared on Silus’ face as Luna became less angry and more perplexed. Two words quietly left Silus’ mouth.

“...Nightmare Moon?”

The lunar princess’s anger rose again as she slung the human into the wall behind her. It bruised Silus a bit, but he was unable to stop grinning.

“YOU KNOW NOTHING OF MY PAST! I am no longer that foul thing!” she screamed at him.

“Nor are we…” Silus whispered as he rubbed his sore back.

Luna’s eyes widened and her rage died as she realized what he was saying.

“You would be surprised what salvation can do…” the human slowly stood back up and wiped the frost from his uniform.

The goddess’ eyes slowly drifted down to her fore hooves, which she held in front of herself. Her eyes darted about rapidly as the human’s words sunk in. She shut them tightly and turned around to face the sky again.

“I do not need to be lectured by some Changeling pet…” she said just loud enough for Silus to hear.

Luna began to flap her wings as she lifted off into the night sky.

“We will meet again!” she shouted before disappearing into the sea of black.

Silus stared into the sky for a few moments before going back to his chambers. A note sat on his nightstand.

“Lord Silus,

My fellow sages and I wish to speak with you in the morning. We are aware that the war has escalated, but it would be greatly appreciated if you could spare a moment of your time. Thank you.

--Sagemaster Macabre”

Chapter Eighteen - Curiosity's Call

Without Question

Chapter Eighteen – Curiosity’s Call

Silus awoke early in the morning. Much had to be done; today would be an important day. After performing his morning routine and adorning his uniform, he left his chambers. He needed to meet with the other officers in the war room. But first…he remembered the note that the sages had left him.

The human walked through the halls until he saw the sages’ room. Though he had been there when receiving treatment for his wounds, he was never lucid enough to remember how the room looked. Silus approached the room’s metal double-doors and entered.

Immediately, Silus was overwhelmed by the sights in the large room before him. Beakers and vials of all shapes and sizes, filled with liquids of various colors, covered the top of nearly every table. Tubes carried liquids from beaker to beaker and vial to vial, mixing into solutions. Smoke and steam rose out of a few containers as different liquids made contact.

“Now strike it with magical energy. We have yet to record that effect.”

Silus heard a raspy, old voice near the back of the room. He walked over to the source of the voice to see nine hooded Changelings hovering over a round table. They had not noticed his entry. The human took advantage of this and leaned over them to see what they were experimenting with. In the center of the table sat a shiny, brown rock with blue specks all over it. As Silus watched, one of the sages blasted the strange rock with a light blue beam from his horn. Small sparks flew initially, but then a few thin bolts of electricity fluttered around the rock before dissipating. The sages excitedly murmured and scribbled notes onto papers.

“Ahem.”

The sages slowly turned around to see Silus standing behind them with his arms crossed and his brow raised. One of the older-looking sages stepped forward. It had a slight hunch in its back, and thus wasn’t as tall as the other Changelings. The old sage raised a hoof up to Silus to shake the human’s hand.

“Lord Silus!” the sage said in a raspy, though happy tone, “It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance without extreme medical aid involved!”

The human chuckled and shook the elderly sage’s hoof.

“And you are Sagemaster Macabre, I presume?”

“Aye, that I am. And these are my assistants.”

The sages behind Macabre remained silent under their hoods but nodded in acknowledgment.

“So then, what exactly did you wish to discuss?” Silus inquired.

“Ah yes, the business at hoof. I am sure you recall the burns that the victims of the Ebony Coast massacre had received?”

Silus nodded sadly.

“I sent a sage to investigate the burns on the massacre victims, and I was disturbed by what I saw…”

The human’s expression became one of puzzlement.

“Were they not burned with fire?” he asked.

“No…they received chemical burns.”

Silus’ confusion grew; Macabre saw this and went on.

“We discovered shards of glass buried slightly under the sand, probably due to the tides. Combined with the evidence regarding the victims’ chemical burns, this likely means that the Equestrians have made advances in the field of alchemy warfare. Evidence suggests that containers were filled with this flammable solution and thrown at the victims. Upon impact, the glass would shatter and spark the fluid, thus igniting everything unfortunate enough to be doused in the chemical.”

“By the Queen…this is terrible news…” Silus muttered as he hung his head.

“This shames both my assistants and myself. You see, we Changelings have magic. But, it is nothing compared to that of unicorn magic. To compensate for this fact, we Changelings have always prided ourselves in our scientific, technological, and engineering advances. Never before have the Equestrians managed to outperform us in any field of science. That brings me to my next point. I believe you may be able to help us gain the advantage in this war…”

Silus looked up, perplexed but intrigued.

“Oh?”

“Indeed. I was curious about how war was waged…where you came from. After the first time we healed you, I noticed a particular injury that you had received. It could not have been caused by a blade. As if that were not strange enough, I also found traces of some kind of black powder on the wound. There was not enough to experiment with, so I desired to ask you about it.”

Silus furrowed his brows in confusion before understanding what the Sagemaster was asking. He had forgotten that the Changelings knew nothing of gunpowder.

“Ah…you wish to know about gunpowder…” Silus grinned.

The sages looked at each other and whispered. Silus could not see their faces, but he could tell they were deeply interested. He smirked and explained.

“You see, when combined, several ingredients would create an explosive powder. This was called gunpowder. We ignited it to create a force that would be strong enough to propel a projectile out of a tube and into an enemy. This projectile weapon was generally dubbed a ‘gun.’ Also, the weapon was not just a simple tube. Of course, there were a few small mechanisms involved that allowed relative safety and proper use of the weapon. There was also a piece on the rear of the tube that allowed the gun to rest against the user’s shoulder.”

The sages murmured excitedly as they took notes. Sagemaster Macabre scratched at his chin.

“And what ingredients did this…’gunpowder’…consist of?” he asked.

Silus placed a hand to his chin as he tried to remember the specifics.

“I believe…it was composed of sulfur…charcoal…and saltpeter. The first two serve as fuels while the third ingredient serves as an oxidizer.”

The Sagemaster furrowed his brows and frowned a bit.

“I see…and can you explain the properties and appearance of these ingredients?”

The human nodded and informed the Sagemaster. It did little to help the situation.

“I don’t believe I’ve ever seen anything like those in this world…”

“That’s quite a shame. The use of gunpowder revolutionized warfare at my old world. One nation, the Xianzhou Dynasty, was the first to incorporate it into their armies. We quickly adapted the technology ourselves after defeating them in battle, though we suffered staggering losses.”

“A shame, indeed,” the disappointed Macabre spoke softly, “Thank you for your time, Lord Silus. It has been a pleasure to finally meet you. I wish you luck on your campaign.”

“I appreciate it, Sagemaster. Farewell to you all,” Silus waved to the group of sages and left the room.

After Silus left the room, the sages glanced at each other before finally holding their collective gazes on their Sagemaster, who remained staring at the door.

“I wonder…” he whispered to himself.

Silus entered the war room and shook hands/hooves with the patiently-waiting officers and Grimsoul. They all quietly waited for Silus to begin the discussion.

“Gentlechangelings, I thank you for gathering here today to prepare for the hardships ahead. This will be, by far, our most difficult campaign yet. The snow and cold will be blistering. I can safely say that the weather will be as fearsome an opponent as the Equestrians. That being said, we need to keep the troops warm and well-fed. Grimsoul, do you have any information that could help us in that area?”

Grimsoul nodded and cleared his throat.

“The heavy rainfall prior to winter’s coming allowed our farmers to collect a surplus of grains and other staples. This also means that our livestock were well-raised and that we have plenty of meat and hide to go around. The hide will be important when I explain the rest of the information. Local Changeling hunters and trappers found new grounds on which to do their work. That being said, we have a lot of furs available. The clothiers of the capital can fashion simple coats out of the hide and fur for our soldiers.”

Silus smiled at this fortune.

“Excellent. We have about a week to prepare before we march. I don’t want the Equestrians gaining any more ground than we can allow. Have the clothiers do their best to produce as many coats as they can by week’s end. Also, collect the surplus food and supplies and crate them. We’ll need to transport as much as we can to the frontlines. I fear this will be a slow campaign…a war of attrition. How many troops do we have available for this campaign?”

A female officer spoke up.

“For this particular campaign, we have about five Millennii available, Lord Silus. More and more refugees are arriving, especially from our more distant fallen cities. They volunteer shortly after arriving, likely due to a lack of any other source of income.”

“Or out of hope and pride…” another officer muttered.

The female glared over her shoulder at the Changeling that spoke before returning her focus to Silus.

“Estimates from our scouts suggest that the main Equestrian invasion force still outnumbers us by about a thousand and a half.”

Silus scratched his chin.

“Any special forces?”

“Yes, milord. Another Century of Colossi have arrived from Fort Ash.”

“Excellent. Each of those Colossi are the equivalent of at least ten ponies. Plus, the shock factor is enough to keep them at bay. Let’s see here…”

Silus ran his fingers across the map on the table. He stopped and pointed at a location several dozen miles north of Fort Storm and northwest of Fort Ash.

“Those plains there. That is where we shall stop them. If we are defeated, then we will have Fort Storm to fall back to. However, I do not plan on suffering a defeat. Do any of you?”

Grimsoul and the officers smirked and shook their heads.

“Splendid. Once our forces arrive on site, have them prepare basic defenses.”

Silus’ company all looked to each other as if wondering what Silus meant. He caught on and took a deep breath.

“Trenches. Bunkers. You know?”

The group shook their heads at the human.

“By the Queen…the battle has yet to begin and I’m already in a hole…” he rubbed his temples, “I will instruct our soldiers on how to build defenses when we arrive. Just get the other preparations ready. Understood?”

Grimsoul and the other officers raised their hooves in understanding.

“That’s what I like to see. We will have one final meeting at the end of the week before we ship out. Dismissed.”

The group left the war room, leaving Silus to record his plans and examine the map further.

“If I may ask, where are we traveling to, Sagemaster Macabre?”

“Hush, young understudy. You will know soon enough. I just need to figure something out…”

Sagemaster Macabre had told all but two of his fellow sages to continue their work back at the castle’s lab. He and his two youngest sages stood in front of the ticket booth at the capital’s train station. Few Changelings other than they were at the station; there really wasn’t anywhere for civilians to go and the weather was freezing anyway.

“Three tickets to Fort Storm,” Macabre stated to the ticket booth worker.

“That’s a military post. Credentials, please,” the worker requested.

The Sagemaster held out various papers which the worker quickly skimmed over.

“I see this is all in order. Here are your tickets, sir,” the worker dryly spoke as he gave three tickets to the sages.

“ALLL ABOARRRD!” the conductor yelled from the front of the train.

The trio of sages approached and boarded one of the closest cars. Shortly after they were seated, the train began slowly moving forward.

“You lads might want to get some sleep. It’s going to be a while before we get there.”

The young sages nodded and closed their eyes before leaning back in their seats. Macabre smiled and looked out the window as the capital slowly fell away from the train. He had a feeling, and it wouldn’t go away until he did his duty as Sagemaster and do whatever it took to make sure he confirmed his suspicion.

Chapter Nineteen - Frozen Horizons

Without Question

Chapter Nineteen – Frozen Horizons

“Wake up, we’re here.”

The two young sages drearily opened their eyes and blinked repeatedly. With their focus regained, they saw Sagemaster Macabre standing at the door of the train car.

“Well? Come now, this is our stop.”

The train slowly screeched to a halt as the two young sages stretched a bit before joining their Sagemaster at the door. The conductor walked alongside the train, opening each train car’s door to let the passengers out. As the door in front of the sages opened, they carefully stepped down onto the bright, white snow.

“Sagemaster, it’s c-colder here than it w-was at the c-capital!” one of the young sages stuttered as the frost stung her black skin.

“Aye, the temperature is lowering rapidly. Rub this on yourselves,” Macabre responded, holding out a jug to the two sages.

The Sagemaster’s assistants looked at each other quizzically before obliging him. As they tilted the jug, a thick, translucent orange liquid oozed out onto their hooves. The sages rubbed it onto their skin; the Sagemaster did this as well after the younger sages were done. The young assistants’ eyes widened as their bodies heated rapidly. It felt as though they were wrapped in a cozy, invisible wool blanket.

“There’s only enough to last the three of us for a week, so don’t waste it,” Macabre stated.

The two sages nodded and followed the Sagemaster as he walked through the fort. The snow at the train station had been white and fluffy, crunching with each step that the sages took. The snow within the fort was far less pure. It had been mixed with the dark, wet mud underneath the snow due to the constant traffic of marching soldiers. None of the fort’s occupants paid the sages any mind. Macabre had sent word ahead that he and his assistants would be arriving soon. Small preparations were made at his request.

After a few minutes of walking, the sages had left the fort and were nearing the landmark after which the area was named. As always, Opaque Ridge’s massive black wall stood tall, cutting through the landscape. A few feet from the wall sat some supplies: A tent, a few crates of food and minerals, and a variety of alchemical equipment. The sages quickly got to work setting up their camp. After a half hour or so, they were ready for whatever it was that Sagemaster Macabre had in mind.

“Where do we begin, sir?” the young male sage asked.

“Hold on for just a moment, Gloom,” Macabre calmly replied as he stared at the jet black wall.

The young female assistant approached the wall and lightly tapped it with a hoof. It made noise similar to chalk striking chalk, yet it was far sturdier and dense.

“Obscure,” Macabre said.

The female sage turned and approached the Sagemaster.

“Sir?”

“I need you and Gloom to bring a few things over here. Some hammers, acids, minerals…”

One week later…

After the last meeting, Silus had finalized everything. Thousands of crates of food, as well as warm apparel, were loaded onto a supply train. Another train had been filled to the brim with Changeling soldiers (the Colossi rode in huge, reinforced cars near the back). Nearly the entire population of the capital stood cheering at the train station to see their troops off. Silus himself stood between the crowd and the train as he checked a few last details on a clipboard. Grimsoul approached the human and stood at attention.

“Ready for departure, Lord Silus?”

“It would appear that we are, Grimsoul.”

“Interesting how this is the first time the populace has come to cheer for us before we even taste battle, let alone leave the train station.”

Silus chuckled at his friend’s comment.

“This will be the last time they see us for many months, brother. Can you blame them?”

“I suppose not. It does give me that much more pride, heh.”

The human smiled as Grimsoul boarded the train. Then Silus noticed the utter silence that had swept over the crowd. He looked around before noticing the gap that had formed; they were letting someone through.

The Queen.

Silus immediately fell to his right knee and placed his right fist over his heart as he bowed his head. Queen Chrysalis slowly approached before halting a foot away from him. She chuckled a bit before speaking.

“You may rise, Lord Silus.”

The human obliged his Queen and stood at attention. However, no amount of discipline could stop him from losing himself, as always, in her beauteous glowing eyes. He could not help but crack a small smile.

“It has come to my attention that this campaign will be a long one. A very long one…” she stated, drifting off as the last word left her lips. She blinked and regained her focus.

“That being said, I would like to wish you the best of luck as you restore the glory of the Empire. We all have the utmost confidence in you.”

Silus nodded in understanding, grateful to hear such a thing.

“But…considering how long you will be away…I would like to give you a gift.”

Silus’ brows furrowed in curiosity; the crowd whispered quietly among themselves with interest.

The Queen looked down at the side of Silus’ hip and lightly placed a hoof on the grip of his sword. Silus was beyond confused as she slowly drew it from its scabbard. Chrysalis held to blade close to her face, examining every inch of the weapon. Finally, her eyes rested on the hole at the bottom of the hilt where Molten’s bandana once billowed from. A small grin spread across her face as she let the blade rest against her long, blue mane. Closing her eyes, she quickly flicked the blade across the dark blue curtain. A thin, foot-long lock of her hair fell to the ground.

The crowd gasped and Silus’ eyes widened with surprise. The Queen reached down and picked up the lock. She held it close to the hole in the hilt, moving her hooves around. Concluding her work, she held the sword out towards Silus. She had looped the lock through the hole so that her hair hung from the hilt and swayed gently in the cold breeze.

“Let this be a reminder…” Chrysalis whispered as she leaned forward and slid the blade back into its scabbard. She looked back up at Silus, whose eyes were still gazing into his Queen’s. She bit her lip and closed her eyes for a moment, as though hesitating. Suddenly, she lurched forward, planting a kiss on Silus’ lips. He nearly fell backwards with shock, but he quickly recovered and returned the kiss.

Chrysalis broke the kiss and pulled back to look into the human’s pale blue eyes again. His face had flushed red, though he remained as statuesque as possible. All around the pair, the Changeling citizens’ mouths gaped. Prior to this moment, only the aristocracy (a small fraction of the total population) had seen the pair’s affection for each other. They dared not make a sound.

“I’ll…um…I’ll miss you, too…Chrysalis,” Silus smiled warmly at his Queen.

Chrysalis’ eyes began to water at hearing his words, but she fought to appear strong in front of her subjects.

“I expect frequent reports and new information from the frontline,” the Queen tried to state without cracking her voice.

The human’s smile widened a bit more.

“Would letters be acceptable as well?”

The Queen’s eyes were on the verge of flooding as she nodded rapidly so as to avoid further speech.

“Very well, then. I shall be off…” Silus declared loudly enough for the surrounding crowd to hear.

He bowed towards Chrysalis and approached a train car with its door still open. He stepped inside but stood at the edge of the opening. He raised his fist to the sky as the train’s engine kicked in and the gears began cranking.

“For the Queen, and for the Empire!” he shouted triumphantly as the train lurched forward and began chugging slowly.

Seconds later, the supply train alongside the troops’ train began moving as well. The innumerable crowd let forth a cascade of cheers as they threw streamers and confetti into the air. Chrysalis wiped away a tear that defied her resistance as she waved farewell to the troops and their commander. It was going to be a long winter at the capital…

“Okay…have we tried Formula #29?”

“No sir, but if the first twenty-eight formulas failed, then forgive me for being pessimistic that this won’t work either.”

Gloom approached the wall of jet black rock with a vial in hoof. Inside of the corked bottle was a foamy purple liquid. He delicately removed the cork and tipped the vial forward, letting some of the purple liquid run down the wall. Nothing happened. The liquid simply pooled at the bottom of the wall before soaking into the ground.

For the past week, the trio of sages had done nearly everything in their power to break off a piece of the wall for sampling and testing. None of their methods had any effect whatsoever.

“No effect, sir. Nothing,” Gloom mumbled to Sagemaster Macabre, who scribbled some notes onto a paper.

“Hmm…it’s hard enough to chip off a sample. Who knows how we’ll even begin to test the sample itself…” the old sage muttered to himself.

“That’s all of the acidic formulas, Sagemaster. It must be resistant to liquid solutions. Might I suggest something a bit more…crude?” Obscure inquired.

“We already tried striking and beating on it with a hammer like savages, Obscure! That will do nothing,” Gloom snapped.

“What would you suggest, Obscure?” Macabre asked, ignoring Gloom’s irritation.

“Do we have that new mineral from the lab? The brown and blue-speckled one?”

“Yes, we have a few chunks of that in the crates. But I doubt beating the wall with those will do anything significant,” the Sagemaster replied.

Obscure dug one of the rocks out of a crate in the tent. It was the same mineral as the one they had recently tested in the lab. They had no official name for it yet, but some of the younger sages dubbed it “Staticstone,” due to its apparent electrical properties when struck by magic.

Obscure approached the black wall and looked at the rock in her hoof. Squinting her eyes as she focused, a beam of pale blue magical energy shot from her horn and struck the Staticstone. It sparked a bit and strands of electricity floated around the stone. While it was still charged, Obscure slammed the rock as hard as she could into the wall.

As soon as the Staticstone made contact, Obscure noticed a small, dark poof of smoke float away from the impact point. She also noticed that some tiny, black grains had fallen to the ground. She smiled at her discovery. The wall had sustained damage. Obviously there was nowhere near enough of the broken black mineral to be collected, but now there was progress.

“The charged impact from the Staticstone causes minor damage to the black mineral!” the young female Changeling shouted to her fellow sages.

Gloom’s mouth fell open and Macabre merely grinned at his assistant’s excitement.

“Excellent progress, my dear Obscure! But now we must compound on your discovery. What would you suggest could be done to quantify the effects of the new method?” he inquired as he scratched his chin.

Obscure pulled back her hood and stared at the chunk of Staticstone still in her hoof. After a few moments of thought, she had an idea.

“Well, sir, Staticstone has properties that will likely enable it to be crafted. That being said, we could forge it into pickaxes or something. Then all that remains is charging the pickaxes with each strike!”

“Ahh…but will it be enough? Is our magic strong enough to make a significant impact on the mineral?” Macabre pressed.

The young female sage was unsure of how to answer. Gloom grinned as a thought came to his mind.

“What if…we used pony magic?” the devious young male sage asked.

Both Macabre and Obscure stared at Gloom questionably. It was a valid theory, sure, but the ethics of it were rather debatable. Then again, the scientific discoveries made might make the ethical sacrifice worth it…

“I suppose we…could give a shot…” Macabre slowly responded.

“B-But that wouldn’t be right! Surely you can’t be serious, Sagemaster?” Obscure stuttered in disbelief.

“I am willing to do what is necessary for the good of the Empire. Sacrifices will…need to be made…” the Sagemaster replied reluctantly.

Obscure shook her head but knew her opinion would have no effect.

“Shall I write a request to the capital, Sagemaster?” Gloom asked as he acquired a quill and paper.

“Yes, Gloom. Request three unicorn prisoners,” Macabre stated.

“Got it. Anything else?”

Macabre squinted at the ground as the gears of his mind cranked.

“Yes, actually…request a Colossus…”

“S-sir?”

“Do it. Oh, and some more of that heating mixture…we’re all out…”

Chapter Twenty - Productive Suffering

Without Question

Chapter Twenty – Productive Suffering

Bon-Bon awoke in a cold, damp cell. Her body ached from the exhaustion and temperature. She attempted to stand on the hard, dirt floor, but she was still too weak and both of her sets of legs had been shackled. The tired pony looked at her surroundings. Bars prevented her from moving around much in her cramped cell, and from the looks of it, she was not alone. Her cell was but one of a great many that lined a very long hallway. It seemed as though every cell was full, containing other members of the defeated Widow Battalion. Most of the other prisoners were either unconscious or barely moving.

Bon-Bon shivered as she noticed the barred window on the stone wall at the back of her cell. Standing on her hind legs, she looked out and saw that her hallway was one of four that formed an enormous square building. The building served as a border around a barren, snow-covered yard.

“Bon-Bon…is that you…?”

The pink-and-violet-maned pony heard a weak voice coming from somewhere down the hall. She rubbed her eyes and scanned the long room.

“Over here…”

Hearing the voice a second time, she found its source. A few cells to her right, Typhoon clung to the bars of his cell; his shackled legs slumped on the floor.

“Typhoon? Are you okay?” Bon-Bon whispered loudly enough to reach his ears.

The small dragon gave a sorrowful smile and nodded once.

“I didn’t think I’d ever see you again…” he whispered back.

“What happened? Where are we?” she asked.

“I guess a prison…”

“We need to—“

The pair were interrupted as five Changelings wearing black leather coats and field caps entered the hallway. One of them, who had the bill of his hat lowered just over his eyes, stood in front of the other four, who stood in a square formation behind him.

“Ahem,” the apparent leader stated sternly.

Many of the ponies remained as they were.

“AHEM!” the leader shouted as he drew a black baton and slammed it against the wall.

The loud sound shattered the silence as the echo flew down the hallway. Everyone awoke and scrambled to their hooves as best they could. It took some of the weaker ponies several attempts to stand up.

The leader grinned and flared his nostrils.

“Allow me to introduce myself…I am Warden Shade. And I will be your host this morning…and this evening…and the next day, and year, until you rot from existence…”

Many of the prisoners whispered worriedly amongst themselves. The Warden frowned at the sudden loss of attention. He slammed his baton against the wall again, immediately returning the ponies’ eyes and ears to him.

“You see…it has been dreadfully boring having an empty prison for so long...”

The Warden’s head drooped slightly to the floor for a moment.

“Sure, there was the occasional criminal…but they never lasted more than a few days…”

The sick grin spreading across the Warden’s face could be seen just under the brim of his cap.

“Always breaking mere hours into activity sessions…misbehaving when they did not like my hospitality…trying to leave without saying goodbye…”

The Warden slowly looked back up at the prisoners and pulled his cap’s bill back a bit; the dim light from the barred windows reflected off his greyish-white eyes.

“But now…I have a prison FULL of fresh inmat—I mean…guests,” the Warden bit his lip, trying to contain his growing joy.

“Rest assured…despite what the Queen says…you will never be leaving this place…not for long at least…”

The Warden lowered his cap’s bill back over his eyes.

“Now then…a conference. You will all be escorted from your cells to the yard. You are in no condition to try anything, so I would not suggest provoking the security…”

The four Changelings behind Shade quietly chuckled before proceeding to unlock the cells. Each of them kept one hoof on his or her baton at all times. The prisoners, incapable of offering any resistance, shuffled out of their cells and into the hallway. A few could barely move and had to be dragged out by their friends and family.

The prisoners quietly marched single-file through a door in the middle of the hallway. As they passed through, the cold air burned their skin through the fur. The snow crunched beneath their hooves as the prisoners from each hallway formed a single crowd in the middle of the yard. About forty Changelings surrounded the crowd, brandishing their batons as though daring one of the prisoners to try something.

Warden Shade and his four accompanying guards stood in front of the crowd. The prisoners knew at this point that it would be best to focus on him, but it was difficult to pay attention to anything in such freezing weather. The weaker ponies, who had been dragged out, now needed to be held up or else they would collapse. Bon-Bon managed to find Typhoon and huddled close to him.

“Attention. We have a few rules here at my little prison; Rules that, if broken, will result in very unpleasant consequences…”

The prisoners shivered as they waited for him to continue.

“First, you do not leave. Many have made that mistake…but I’m sure if you dig around the snow, you’ll see why they don’t anymore…”

The Warden grinned again, cocking his head slightly to the side. Several ponies looked down at their half-buried hooves, frightened at what he could have meant.

“Second, you will eat what we give you. Refuse at your own risk. Requests for more will be met with a swift and enthusiastic beating.”

At this, the guards began grinning along with the Warden.

“Third, we have many activities to keep you busy during your stay. Refusal will result in public execution.”

The prisoners were now shaking with fear as much as they were with the weather. Typhoon’s eyes had begun to tear up, but the cold almost instantly dried them. The Warden took a moment to breathe in with satisfaction. Behind him, a messenger approached with a letter.

Warden Shade turned to the messenger. The prisoners could not hear what they were saying but the Warden appeared to be growing angry. Then he began to yell.

“WHAT? Absolutely not! No one leaves my prison! No one! I ought to--!”

The messenger appeared to nervously continue relaying his message.

“B-but…well…that IS generous…fine. Take those three.”

The Warden pointed a hoof at three unicorns at the front of the crowd. A pair of guards escorted the messenger and unicorns out of the prison.

“Maybe now we can afford new batons…” the Warden mumbled to himself as he returned his attention to the crowd.

“As I was saying…those are my three rules. Follow them, and we shall get along as nicely as one can in my quaint little prison. Now, back to your cells for ‘breakfast.’ We wouldn’t want you all to starve, now would we?”

Shade’s grin was nearly ear to ear as the guards led the crowd back into the hallways and into their cells.

Who would have thought Hell could actually freeze over…

One week later…

The trains carrying thousands of Changeling troops and supplies had arrived at Fort Storm and unloaded rapidly over the week as the army marched to the plains north of Opaque Ridge. The warm clothing provided by the capital’s clothiers had made the cruel winter winds much more bearable for the soldiers of her Dark Majesty. The plains were a vast and virtually blank region. Nothing but flat, pure white ground for as far as the eye could see, which wasn’t very far due to falling snow. This bothered Silus somewhat.

“Damn…” the human commander mumbled.

“What is it, sir?” Grimsoul inquired as he approached his dear friend’s side.

“I did not expect the plains to be so flat. I mean, that IS the typical characteristic of such a landscape, but this…this is completely devoid of any increase in elevation…not a single hill or even a bump for miles. To make matters worse, that’s only a guess. I would rather not risk trekking into the snowfall simply to find a likely non-existent hill.”

“Is that a problem, Lord Silus?”

“Well, normally it is a great advantage to possess high ground. But as you can see, there is nothing high about any part of this ground. I suppose we could possibly build our own small hills, but that would prove difficult in these conditions.”

“Well, sir, tell us where to start and we’ll do what we can.”

Silus turned around to see the grand horde of soldiers under his command. Their chainmail and plastic-like armor glistened in the morning light. A sense of pride radiated from each and every member of the force. It warmed Silus to see such dedication.

“Alright. Well. I believe it would be best if I instruct you all on how to properly dig a trench and build a bunker.”

The horde’s collective faces showed confusion at the last few words. Silus sighed despite anticipating this.

“Among other supplies, I ordered for building materials to be brought along. Lumber, stone bricks, saws, hammers, and shovels. Gather them and reassemble as soon as possible!”

About half an hour later, the army had reassembled. Each Changeling wielded a tool instead of a weapon. The Colossi held huge beams of wood and blocks of stone on their shoulders.

“Excellent. Now then…a trench. You see, trenches provide basic shelter on a battlefield and serve as a good defensive position. Seeing as the majority of you are shorter than myself…it would be best to dig each trench as a rectangular hole approximately four feet deep, five feet wide, and fifteen feet long. The ends of the trenches should form slightly upward-slanted ramps so that you can easily exit them without having to climb out.”

The soldiers nodded with interest, eager to see if they could mimic this concept.

“Put all of the dug-up dirt and snow in a pile here. The trenches should form lines in front of the pile and on both sides. That newly-built mound will later be made into a bunker! But for now, work on the trenches.”

Those with shovels got to work and started building several crude trenches alongside a growing mound of dirt and snow.

“As each trench is built, cover the floor and walls with planks! This will keep it from collapsing while also keeping you warmer! Sharper some of the wooden beams and then plant them at a forty-five degree angle in front of the trenches. This dissuades the enemy from making direct charges into your trenches!”

Those with saws began crafting stakes and planks from the beams carried by the Colossi. It would take time for them to make enough.

“Once we finish the trenches, we can begin work on the bunker. Keep at it, troops! We’ll turn these wastes into a fortress worthy of her Highness!” Silus shouted encouragingly.

“But sir, shouldn’t we at least scout the area a bit?” Grimsoul suggested.

Silus rubbed his chin and looked around. He leaned close to Grimsoul.

“Take a few Imperial Guards with you, ones that can keep quiet. Go further north and find what you can. Don’t speak to anyone but me until you have a report, understood?” the human whispered in an egregious tone.

“Aye, Lord Silus. We will return soon,” Grimsoul quietly replied and left to gather his party.

“Where could they be…” Silus whispered to himself.

Meanwhile…

“My, he’s a large fellow!” Sagemaster Macabre chuckled as he viewed the newly-arrived Colossus from the capital.

“Does it talk?” Gloom asked.

“He doesn’t talk, Gloom. But he understands perfectly,” Obscure snapped at her fellow sage.

“Hush, you two. Have some respect for our mighty guest!” the Sagemaster scolded his assistants.

The Colossus stood quietly by the black wall at the sage’s camp. Other than a rare grumble, he mostly just looked up at the sky.

“Fine. Why is he so quiet? It bothers me,” Gloom asked irritably.

“The Colossi language died long ago for unknown reasons, my young assistant,” Macabre replied, “It was far more complex than our own language, which is why they understand basic Changeling speech, but they do not seem to be able to speak as we do.”

“Odd…” Gloom mumbled as he aided Obscure in carving a huge pickaxe out of Staticstone for the Colossus. It was almost finished.

The Sagemaster approached the Colossus curiously. He had only seen a few Colossi in his life, and most of those viewings were when he was very small.

“Excuse me, do you have a name?” Macabre asked excitedly, though he was unsure of how the enormous Changeling would answer.

The Colossus looked down at the Sagemaster with an expressionless face. The giant pointed up to a cloud.

“Cloud…?” Macabre guessed.

The Colossus pointed at the cloud again, then pointed at his horn.

“Cloudhorn? That is your name?” the old sage guessed again.

The massive being nodded once and returned his stare to the sky.

“I see. Are you a strong Colossus, Cloudhorn?”

Without removing his gaze, Cloudhorn grunted. Macabre assumed this was an affirmative.

“Great. We need a strong Colossus for a job like this!” the Sagemaster grinned.

Again, Cloudhorn did not shift his eyes from the sky. Macabre’s grin faded a bit at the lack of a response, but returned to his work nonetheless. Shortly afterward, a small group of Changelings with a trio of unicorns arrived.

“Sagemaster Macabre, the prisoners you requested are here. They are still weak from hunger, but we came as fast as we could,” the messenger in the group stated, “These fellows are very uh…motivational about efficient marching,” he finished, nervously glancing at the annoyed prison guards.

“Just in time! Obscure, Gloom, are you finished?” Macabre shouted to his assistants.

“Yes, Sagemaster. We just attached the handle! The Staticstone is sharp and sturdy!” Obscure replied.

“Alright then. You fellows may return to your work. Our large friend here will likely serve as excellent security on his own,” Macabre nodded at the daydreaming Colossus.

As the messenger and guards left, the Sagemaster led the shackled and weak unicorns over to the wall where Cloudhorn was now wielding his new tool.

“I understand you unicorns are powerful with magic…but only when you aren’t exactly at death’s door, heh heh,”

Macabre chuckled at his new workers, “But even when weak, you know as well as I do that you are still capable of doing things we Changelings cannot. So I have a proposition for you three. Charge up this large fellow’s pickaxe, and I will feed you something that isn’t fifty-percent dirt. Deal?”

The unicorns, shredded by the exhaustion, nodded with what little strength they had left. They approached the Colossus and, pointing their horns at his strange tool, began charging it to the best of their ability. Light sparks fizzed around their horns and the Staticstone of the pickaxe began to glow. The unicorns shook and coughed in pain, forcing themselves to their limits for the sake of a decent meal. The Staticstone began to vibrate and electricity sparked rapidly from every part of the mineral. As the seconds passed, the pickaxe sparked more and more violently until it seemed like a permanent electrical aura had formed around the tool.

The unicorns fell to the ground; their gaunt faces pale with weakness. The Sagemaster slowly trotted over to them. He forced a smile and spoke quietly.

“Good work. Thank you for your effort. You’ll find some warm bowls of soup in the tent. You’ve earned it.”

The unicorns did all but crawl to the tent as the Sagemaster looked on. He felt a tinge of guilt as he watched them struggle. Gloom merely shrugged at the sight while Obscure shot Macabre a disappointed glare.

“I-It’s not slavery…it’s just…productive suffering…that’s all…” he thought to himself.

Shaking his head, he tried to return to the matter at hand. He approached the Colossus, who had finally taken his eyes off of the sky.

“Now, Cloudhorn, I need you to strike this black wall as hard as you possibly can, alright? Think you can break off a chunk?”

The mighty Changeling grunted softly. Turning to face the wall, he raised the pickaxe high above his head. The air whistled as he brought the tool crashing down into the wall. In a flash of light and sparks, the wall began to crack slightly.

“Again, Cloudhorn! Again!” Macabre shouted excitedly.

The Colossus complied and delivered several more immense blows to the cracked section of the wall. After what must have been the twentieth strike, a small black rock fell from the wall.

“Yes! YES! We did it!” the old sage squealed as his assistants gawked in disbelief.

“I knew it!” Obscure punched Gloom in the shoulder.

“Agh! Fine, you were right! Let’s just check it out already…” Gloom whined.

Cloudhorn continued to strike the wall, though a bit more slowly. It took great effort to break the wall, and even a Colossus could wear itself out.

“You can take a break, my friend! We will need time to examine this marvelous thing!” Macabre shouted to Cloudhorn as the sages carried the rock into the tent.

Macabre did all he could not to look at the unicorns desperately slurping and licking at their bowls like wild dogs…

Chapter Twenty-One - Dying Hope

Without Question

Chapter Twenty-One – Dying Hope

The next day…

The sun had begun to rise. The prisoners could tell by the slight warmth and light that shone down from their barred windows. The so-called “breakfast” that the prison staff had provided turned out to be a bowl of cold water with some shredded leaves and a bit of dirt mixed in. There was no lunch, and dinner was the same as breakfast but with the addition of rock-hard bread. It was barely enough to satisfy Bon-Bon and her defeated comrades. To make matters worse, they barely slept. The cold air and fear was unmerciful in that aspect.

The mare who once led a ragtag militia looked over to her small blue friend’s cell. Typhoon was sitting in the corner, staring at the wall. Bon-Bon could swear she heard him whispering to himself during the night. He seemed a little bit…different…ever since the pair had been reunited.

“What happened to him in that cave…?” she wondered to herself.

She had little time to think; Warden Shade and his four personal guards entered the hallway. From what little Bon-Bon had seen of him, he didn’t appear very old or very young. She was also puzzled at his unusually-colored eyes. Most Changelings possessed light blue eyes, yet Shade’s were white-grey. The Warden cleared his throat.

“I assume you all enjoyed yesterday’s gourmet meals?” he asked with a disturbingly warm smile.

The prisoners did not speak. Most of them either looked down or gave a fearful nod.

“Good. The chef worked hard to conjure up such culinary delights!” Shade’s smile cracked across his face.

Bon-Bon shook her head at his disgusting sarcasm, unless he was serious, in which case it was that much worse.

“Now, would you kindly cooperate and report to the yard for inspection time?”

The four guards did as they did before and let the prisoners out of their cells. They slowly shuffled into the center of the yard along with the prisoners from the other hallways. Those who were too weak to walk on their own yesterday were still in no better of a state and still needed to be carried about by those close to them. The prison guards encircled the crowd as Warden Shade stood in front with his entourage.

“You will now be separated and re-organized into various groups. I hope you didn’t get too friendly with those in your particular hallway, because you likely won’t be seeing them again except when assembled in the yard. Now, guards, find the most physically strong and send them to Hall A.”

The guards did as they were told and collected the most muscular-looking ponies into a group. The majority of this group consisted of earth ponies with a few pegasi. The new group was escorted back into the prison building.

“The next group will be made up of the most magically gifted amongst you. These will be sent to Hall B.”

The guards rounded up a group made exclusively of unicorns and led them away.

“Hall C will contain the fastest of you all. And don’t worry about how my staff can tell your potential speed. They’ve been doing this sort of thing for some time…” the Warden’s grin reappeared.

A mostly-pegasi group with some thin earth ponies were led into the prison building.

“And lastly, those with no apparent skill will be kept in Hall D.”

Bon-Bon was herded into the final group, but she couldn’t see Typhoon anywhere. It took a few seconds of panicked glances to finally spot a guard pushing the little dragon over to Shade.

“Uh, Warden, I wasn’t exactly sure where to put this one. I mean, he’s a dragon. We’ve never had one of these.”

The Warden pulled back the brim of his cap and leaned down to squint his strange eyes at Typhoon. Shade appeared to be intrigued at the unique prisoner.

“Hm…a young dragon…this is a pleasant surprise…” the Warden mumbled to himself, “Place him in Hall B. I feel as though he would…fit in there.”

Bon-Bon watched as the guard nodded and escorted her friend away. Typhoon had no expression on his face and seemed to stare off into infinity. It worried the mare to see him behaving so oddly.

Once Bon-Bon had been locked in her new cell, she sat down on the cold, muddy floor to think. Why had they been separated in such a way? Why were they not put in hallways based solely on race? What would happen to her and her “non-gifted” comrades in Hall D?

“Ay…what’s yer name?”

Bon-Bon lost her train of thought upon hearing a nearby voice. It was masculine, raspy, and tired, but not the voice of an old stallion. She looked to the closest cell left of hers. An oddly-shaped figure sat in the shadows, away from the light shining down from the barred window. Bon-Bon scooted closer to the bars that separated her cell from the stranger’s.

“Me?” Bon-Bon whispered.

“Yeh,” it affirmed.

“Bon-Bon. I’m a pony from—”

“Don’t matta where ya from now, sweetheart,” the raspy voice interrupted.

Bon-Bon furrowed her brows and frowned.

“And why is that?”

“‘Cause this is home now.”

The ex-militiamare leader snorted in irritation.

“No, this is not my home. I was forced to come here. I’m a prisoner of war.”

“Heh…nah…yer just a prisoner…”

“Even if I can’t escape, they’ll have to let us go once we win the war!” Bon-Bon shouted in a hushed tone.

“Sweetie…ya think Shade gives a damn about the war?”

Bon-Bon’s expression slowly drifted to confusion.

“Well…yes…he has to. His own race is in danger. And if his nation is defeated, then he’ll have to—”

“Hafta what? Lemme tell ya a li’l secret, pony. He don’t care. Neva’ has. This is his own li’l world.”

The beige mare grew more puzzled with every word the calm stranger spoke.

“B-but…the Queen…if she says we have to be let go then—”

“Ya don’t get it, do ya? This prison…it’s the Queen’s way of fergettin’.”

“What do you mean?”

“If she puts ya here, it means she don’t eva’ wanna hafta think about ya again. She knows Shade don’t care about anythin’.”

“Wait…you mean…”

“Now yer gettin’ it…”

“We really are never leaving here alive…are we…”

Bon-Bon slumped back from the bars and stared at the floor. She had no idea how she could possibly escape. And now, her mind was truly considering the possibility of the war actually being lost. She and her followers had been abandoned from the world.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart…”

The beige mare glanced over as she heard the voice again.

“The sooner ya accept it…the sooner ya learn how to last…”

Bon-Bon scooted back over to the bars.

“Who are you?” she asked, staring at the shadowy figure.

“Two…two…seven…five…nine…”

“Wha…what?” Bon-Bon’s confusion returned.

“Heh…sorry, I ferget how long I been in here. They used ta number us, but I guess they stopped doin’ that. Don’t really remember ma name…”

“Can I see you?” the curious mare leaned closer to the bars.

The figure shifted hesitantly, as though reluctant to make its appearance known. Bon-Bon could tell the stranger was not used to company.

“Please?” she kindly pressed.

Bon-Bon heard a raspy sigh as the figure slowly scooted into the light.

“Oh my Goddesses…what kind of nightmare is this…”

Meanwhile…

“Milord! Our progress in constructing defenses is coming along nicely! We expect to have enough trenches for our troops by the end of the week! The forward perimeter is already complete. The midsection is nearing twenty-five percent completion, and the rear where the bunker will be located has not yet been started. We also constructed several wooden barracks for the troops just behind where the bunker will be located. There are not enough supplies to build enough barracks for all of our soldiers, so most of them will be living in the trenches until it is their shift to stay in the barracks for some time.”

“Thank you for the report, Millennion. You may return to your duties,” Silus nodded at the officer in front of him. Considering the officer was in command of a thousand Changelings, he must have seen quite a few skirmishes in his time. Silus could see the marks of war across his body.

“As you wish, Lord Silus,” the Changeling bowed his head before returned to the construction area.

The sounds of work were constant. Colossi thumped about, dispensing more raw materials to those who were digging and sawing. The pile that would be used as a bunker had grown quite large. Overnight, the weather had gotten much colder than during the day, so the troops huddled close in what trenches had been completed in order to stay as warm as possible. It was far from comfortable, but it got the job done.

Silus took his time strolling about the field, observing and encouraging his hard-working troops. Not a single complaint among them. They were warm as could be, they had decent living conditions considering where they were, and the concept of defenses other than simple walls excited and impressed them. Things were going extremely smoothly; this was uncomfortable for Silus.

“This isn’t right…” he thought, “Nothing is this easy…”

The human broke a fat icicle from the side of a trench and began carving and smoothing it with a round stone. After a few minutes of tedious work, his labor yielded two thin, circular, and slightly concave disks of ice. One was a bit smaller in diameter than the other.

“Hm…good enough…” Silus muttered. He gently set the disks down and grabbed a few handfuls of snow. The fluffy white crystals were crisp and could be packed tightly. The human sat by the disks and placed the snow on his lap, delicately manipulating the shape of the snow with his hands. Slowly but surely, he crafted a cylinder of tightly-packed snow that became more like a cone on one end. Using a stick to hollow it out, he grabbed the ice disks and eased them into the non-pointed opening of his snow tube.

“Please let this work…” he groaned, bringing the open pointed-end of the tube to his eye.

It wasn’t much, but Silus’ makeshift spyglass amplified the range of his vision by a fair amount. He still couldn’t see more than two-hundred yards past the forward lines due to the snowfall in the distance and the ice made the view somewhat blurry. After a few moments of observation, Silus could make out a few silhouettes at the edge of the snowfall. It was Grimsoul and his scouts.

“Heh. Give me a little bad news…don’t keep me paranoid…” Silus thought.

Once Grimsoul’s party arrived, Silus ran over to meet them.

“Report?” the human asked, trying to contain his anxiety.

Grimsoul shifted his jaw a few times before replying.

“The Equestrians are…just beyond the snowfall…” the elite Changeling stated.

“What?!” Silus nearly shouted, “How close?”

“As I said, Lord, just beyond the falling wall of snow you can see…” Grimsoul remained calm, knowing this would be a surprise to his commander.

“Agh…how many?”

“Approximately six thousand, sir.”

“We are outnumbered? This is a minor problem…we are dug in and well-prepared to hold the line.”

“That’s not all, Lord Silus. They seem to be…copying us…” Grimsoul muttered the last few words with a hint of annoyance.

“What do you mean ‘copying’ us?”

“It would appear they have been scouting us as well, observing the way we build our defenses. However, because they could not get close or hear your instructions, their trenches are rather poor in quality compared to ours. I expect they’ll figure out how to fix them soon.”

“By the Queen…this is not something I anticipated…” Silus rubbed his forehead.

“What would you have us do, sir?” Grimsoul awaited a new command patiently from his friend and superior.

“Do not tell the troops. Simply inform them to stay alert at all times, but not in a way that would cause suspicion. I don’t want them to know until our position is completely fortified. That will lessen the impact of the situation.”

“Understood, sir.”

“Grimsoul,” Silus stopped the Imperial Guard before he went off to relay the message, “Do you think it is wrong to mislead the soldiers like this?”

Silus’ friend chuckled and put a reassuring hoof on the human’s shoulder.

“You do what you think is right, and I will follow you. I am confident we are safe under your command.”

These words brought a relieved smile to Silus’ face.

“Thank you, brother. I needed to hear that.”

Grimsoul nodded and headed for the trenches and barracks. Silus looked to the sky for a moment. The snowfall seemed to be clearing up very slowly.

Lift the veil, so that two snakes may become like lions…

Meanwhile…

“How interesting…” Sagemaster Macabre mumbled as he poked and prodded the black rock.

“Sir?” Obscure curiously inquired.

“The rock…it appears to be much weaker once separated from the primary mass. It still takes a bit of force, but small fragments can be chipped off. One those fragments are chipped off, it takes even less force to work with the mineral,” the old sage explained.

“Acids still do nothing to the rock at any stage, though,” Gloom stated.

“Indeed, Gloom. It would seem that the simplest method of working with this mineral is through physical manipulation rather than chemicals. I need to test something…” Macabre spoke as he grabbed a small torch.

Very lightly, the flame was held up to the still mostly-intact rock initially taken from the wall. The rock was currently about twelve inches in diameter and weighed nearly six pounds. Nothing happened as the flame touched the black surface.

“Hm…maybe…” the Sagemaster pulled back the torch and grabbed one of the small fragments chipped from the rock. The particular fragment was about three inches long and just over one inch thick. Gesturing to his assistants, the trio of sages exited their tent and found a small, flat area near their camp. They passed Cloudhorn on the way to the spot; though still mostly staring at the sky, he occasionally glanced at the prisoners to make sure they had not left. They were still far too weak to attempt to escape the Colossus, and they had nowhere to go even if they ran.

“Stand back, young ones. I have a rather dangerous hypothesis…” Macabre warned Gloom and Obscure, who retreated a few yards from where the Sagemaster stood. They stared at him with anticipation.

“Queen save me should this go wrong…” Macabre mumbled as he set the fragment on the ground and gently touched it with the torch’s flame.

Listening closely, Macabre could hear a small hissing sound emanating from the fragment. As he pulled the torch away, the hissing continued.

“What is this…?” he rubbed his chin in wonder.

An orange glow could be seen growing within the core of the fragment. It grew brighter with every second.

“Uh…Sagemaster? I mean no offense, but I would not recommend standing so close to that thing!” Gloom shouted.

“Y-yes that may be wise…” Macabre nervously spoke as he slowly backed away.

The glow was now extremely bright to the point where the rock was no longer a solid black in color, but a neon-like orange. It hissed louder and vibrated in place.

“Agh!” Macabre rapidly backpedaled towards his assistants.

The fragment violently vibrated in place before exploding, sending chunks of muddy snow flying into the air and melting a few yards of snow in every direction. The sound of the blast was deafening at the distance the trio was standing at. They could feel a small shockwave push them off-balance. Macabre and his assistants stared at the smoldering patch of dirt where the fragment previously sat.

“Well…I am slightly closer to the conclusion I desire…” the Sagemaster stated.

“What conclusion is that, sir?” Obscure asked without removing her stare.

“The weaponized use of this mineral to aid our military, dear. Lord Silus told me many things about a substance in his old world that ‘revolutionized’ warfare. I believe if we learn more about this mineral, we can refine it into something that Lord Silus could help our forces use. It could turn the tide completely in our favor!” the old sage grew excited as he explained.

“But what if it brings more suffering, sir? What if other nations do as we do and this ‘revolutionized’ warfare amplifies the chaos?” Obscure worriedly pressed.

The Sagemaster frowned at his assistant, but quickly shed the frown as he understood her concern.

“This will be the first time in the history of our world that such a weapon will come into existence. Of all the books I’ve read and all the stories I’ve heard, it would appear our Empire is the only place where this sort of mineral has been found. Not only that, but only Lord Silus and we sages know of how to exploit this new resource. Or at least, we will know how to properly exploit it. Besides, we will not need to fight anyone else once we complete this little project. The amount of fear generated by our advances will be enough to keep any other nations from daring to bully us.”

“So you deem the use of fear as a deterrent to be acceptable?” Obscure shot a glare at Macabre.

“Shut up, Obscure!” Gloom snapped, “We don’t live in a world where everyone just plays nice and gets along! If there was a better way, don’t you think we would have found it? If fear serves the greater good, then it is a means that justifies its end!”

The young female sage backed away a few steps, her eyes beginning to water as she stared at her fellow student. Macabre simply closed his eyes and began heading back to the camp. Gloom’s anger shifted to guilt as he saw the sadness sweeping over the hurt Obscure. He attempted to approach her.

“Obscure…I didn’t mean t—”

“But you did!” she barked at him, a few stray tears making their way down her face, “You made your point and I made mine! I guess I’m a fool for wanting life to be more than living in fear!”

“That’s not wh—” Gloom was cut off as Obscure clenched her eyes shut and galloped back to the camp.

Gloom sighed and closed his eyes. After a moment of silence, he opened them and looked at the spot where the fragment had exploded. The smoke had dissipated and the blackened ground was already being covered up by the light snowfall. He shook his head before heading back to camp.

We all hide our scars…

Chapter Twenty-Two - Breakdown

Without Question

Chapter Twenty-Two – Breakdown

(Author’s Note: Apologies again for the massive delay. At the behest of several concerned readers, I will briefly summarize what is currently happening. Bon-Bon and Typhoon, as well as the rest of the Widow Battalion militia, have been captured and imprisoned. They are being held there by a sadistic warden named Shade and his guards. Bon-Bon was conversing with an unknown prisoner who is about to reveal himself, and Typhoon is still mentally traumatized from his ordeal in the catacombs. Silus and the Changeling army are fortifying their position in snowy plains and the Equestrians are attempting to copy them. The sages have made a breakthrough in their research with the mineral at Opaque Ridge; the small fragments of the mineral are explosive. However, Sagemaster Macabre is questioning the ethics of using prisoners for labor, and Obscure was insulted by Gloom. There ya go. That’s the summary, turbonerds.)

Bon-Bon’s eyes widened as she covered her mouth in shock. The mysterious prisoner was not a pony, nor a Changeling. Rather, the creature in question was a griffin. Most of his coat was a dark grey that became lighter along his neck. The feathers atop his head were solid white—a stark contrast to his black beak. The griffin’s eyes were two different colors; one of them was yellow and the other was a pale blue. His talons were a dark gold that ended in light grey claws.

The griffin’s colors were not what shocked Bon-Bon, however. The griffin appeared to have grievous wounds all over his body, some of which seemed as though they should have been lethal. Both of the griffin’s wings were bent in such a way that flight would be impossible, and several patchy areas of his coat revealed deep scars that often criss-crossed the length of his body. Surprisingly, his talons seemed perfectly intact.

“Well. . .?” the griffin coughed.

“I-I. . .how are you alive?” Bon-Bon stuttered at the sight before her.

“Heh. . .ya always this polite, sweetheart?”

“Oh no, I didn’t mean to be rude! You’re just. . .you look so. . .”

“Ruined? Torn apart? Broken?”

“Well I wouldn’t use those particular terms but—”

“It’s fine, heh heh. . .I know how bad it looks.”

Bon-Bon bit her lip, trying to think of what to say. The griffin just sat there, gazing at her with exhausted eyes and giving a slight, friendly smile.

“You said your name was what, again?” she asked.

“Welp. Like I said, Miss, I fergot ma name. All’s I remember is the number they gave me a long time ago: Prisoner Two-Two-Five-Seven-Nine. But don’t you go worryin’ ‘bout what ma name is. Don’t matter no more, heh heh. . .” the griffin closed his eyes and gave a raspy chuckle.

Bon-Bon frowned a bit, saddened that this poor gentlegriffin couldn’t remember what his real name was.

“So would it be safe to assume you don’t know how long you’ve been here?” the beige mare asked.

At this, the griffin leaned against the wall of his cell, looking up to the ceiling and scratching his chin for a few seconds before closing his eyes and smiling weakly.

“Sun goes down. Sun comes up. Gets real hot. Gets real cold.”

“I see. Do you remember what you’re here for then?”

The griffin’s eyes remained closed, but his smile widened a bit more.

“Can’t rightly say I do, sweetheart.”

“Why do you keep calling me that?”

“Hmm. . .?”

Bon-Bon’s brow furrowed slightly. This griffin was making no sense and insisted on calling her pet-names. She had only just noticed once the shock had worn off.

“Well? You keep calling me ‘sweetheart.’ Why?”

The griffin’s eyes opened and his face seemed to gently contort into an expression of confusion. After a moment, he nodded in realization.

“Ya remind me of someone. Can’t say I recall who, but ya look familiar, sweet—”

“STOP IT!”

The entire hallway echoed with Bon-Bon’s shout. Most prisoners were sleeping too deeply to notice, but those awake craned their necks towards the source of the noise. The griffin didn’t flinch. His gaze remained fixed on the clearly agitated Bon-Bon.

“Do not call me that again, understand?! Only one pony can call me that, and she’s not around anymore. You’re obviously losing your mind so just leave me the hell alone,” the beige mare growled, staring the griffin down.

The griffin’s gaze had not moved. His tired smile had slowly faded as Bon-Bon finished yelling. His eyes closed for a moment as he turned his head to look up at the barred window of his cell. Again, he closed his eyes.

“I s’pose yer right. Won’t trouble ya again, Miss. . .”

With that, the griffin slowly and silently scooted back into the shadow of his cell. Bon-Bon’s angry stare subsided as he seemed to vanish. Resting against the wall of her cell, she felt as though she may have been a bit harsh in her snapping, but his nonsense and pet-names frustrated her. She looked down at the floor for a bit before looking back up. To her surprise, one of the prison guards stood in front of her cell, staring at her with a hoof on his baton.

“One more disturbance like that and we’re going to have a problem.”

The guard slowly walked away with his eyes fixated on Bon-Bon until he left her field of vision. Just as he left, a few more prison guards entered the hall with a cart.

“Lunch time. Eat or don’t. I could care less,” one of the guards shouted to the inmates.

The guards took their time as they pushed the cart down the hall, sometimes teasing prisoners before giving them their “meal.” Eventually, the cart reached the griffin’s cell. The guards didn’t tease him, unlike the other prisoners. With expressionless faces, they slid a plate of food in with a cup of water. A few seconds passed until a tail slowly reached out from the shadows and pulled the plate into the dark. The guards proceeded to the next cell—Bon-Bon’s.

“Hungry, mare?” one of the guards smirked as he held up a plate next to the bars.

Bon-Bon glared at the guard before muttering an unenthusiastic “Yes.”

“Can’t hear you, filth. Are you hungry or not?” the guard smirked again, eliciting a choir of snickering from the other guards.

“I said ‘yes.’ Can I have my food now?” the beige mare frowned.

Rolling his eyes, the guard slid the plate and a cup of water into Bon-Bon’s cell. “Bon appétit,” the guard smirked again as the cart rolled on.

Bon-Bon looked down at the plate. A few leaves, a strip of bark, and what look like a dollop of mashed potatoes, but she knew by now that those probably were not mashed potatoes. Regardless, she did what she could to eat her “meal” for the sake of survival.

“Oi.”

Bon-Bon’s ears perked up. Looking to the other cell adjacent to hers, a brown earth stallion with a green mane gestured to her to come closer. Though unsure, the beige mare humored the other inmate and leaned closer.

“You ‘ear tha rumor?”

“Rumor?”

“Yeh. Been floatin’ around since tha announcement yestaday.”

“And what is the rumor?”

The stallion looked over his shoulders suspiciously to make sure no attention was being paid to the two. Once he had reassured himself, the stallion turned back to Bon-Bon.

“Somethin’ big is goin’ down tamarrow. Real big. One’a the bellends ova in anotha ‘all over’eard tha guards tawlkin’ about bets.”

“Bets?”

“Yeh. Bettin’ on us poor basta’ds. For wot? Dunno. Pass it on, eh?”

“Yeah. . .”

The brown stallion went back to his own business and Bon-Bon looked over to the griffin’s cell. She couldn’t see him in the shadows. Needless to say, she wasn’t too keen on speaking to him, so she kept the rumor to herself. Bets, though? What did that mean?

Meanwhile. . .

The snow had finally stopped falling. Not only that, the wind had all but ceased blowing. All that could be heard was the conversations between soldiers and the building of fortifications. Silus looked through his icy spyglass from the slowly-rising hill that was being built. Far in the distance, he could barely make out some jagged brown lines in the snow, as well as what appeared to be a lopsided hill to the rear. True to the report, he could see thousands of ponies working, albeit clumsily, to copy the Changeling defenses.

“Hmph. Sincerest form of flattery. . .my ass. . .” the human commander muttered with a frown as he put the spyglass down. “Millennion! I need a Millennion!” he shouted.

Within seconds, one of the Millennion stood at attention in front of Silus.

“Aye, milord. You require something?”

“Remind me again how many troops we have available? By variety, mind you.”

“Four Millennia of basic infantry, my liege. Other than that, we have a Century of Colossi and a Decade of Imperial Guards.”

“Thank you. And I presume construction is coming along at the estimated pace?”

“Indeed, milord. We are about six days from completion, give or take a few hours.”

“Excellent. And the troops are being fed well? Rested?”

“Aye, milord.”

“Good. Good. You are dismissed, Millennion.”

The Millennion bowed before continuing his duties. Silus was just about to inspect the trenches when a scream pierced the air: “SPYYY!”

Immediately, a very odd-looking Changeling sprinted out of one of the barracks. Several other Changelings chased after it. Shouts rang out across the area as more Changelings took pursuit. Silus watched as one of those in pursuit managed to tackle the oddball. The human quickly jogged over to the small crowd. Other Changelings had stopped working to look at the source of the commotion.

“All of you! Keep building! We need those defenses as soon as possible!” Silus shouted as he nudged his way through the crowd. The Changelings dispersed until only two remained, both pinning down the odd one.

“What is this all about?” Silus asked sternly.

“A spy, Lord Silus! A filthy Equestrian spy!” one of the Changelings growled.

“He was going through our supplies and spilled water on himself. The bastard is just a pony with a paint job, sire!”

Silus squatted and looked the pony over. It was true. It was a young stallion, barely older than a colt, with a brilliant red coat and a dark grey mane styled into a sort of three-way mohawk. Black paint was quietly dripping off of him into the snow. In all the rough-housing, one of his “eyes” had fallen off. As it turns out, he was wearing contacts made to mimic the eyes of Changelings. Underneath was a pair of deep brown eyes.

“Get off me! Ugh! You will regret this!” the young stallion yelled through gritted teeth as one of the Changelings kept a hoof atop his muzzle.

“What’s your name, spy?” Silus asked calmly.

“As if I’m going to tell you that! The nerve!”

Silus gestured for the Changelings to lift him up but keep him restrained.

“Okay, give me a fake name so I have something to address you with, unless you’d prefer to be called ‘spy.’”

The stallion seemed to hesitate but didn’t seem the harm in that.

“Benedict.”

“Heh.”

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing. Anyway, were you spying on my troops?”

“Does Celestia have the finest flank in the all the land?”

“. . .I. . .what?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t believe you should be speaking of your superior in such a manner.”

“Cram it up your arse. I don’t need a lecture from you.”

Silus frowned at the spy who was now smirking at the human. One of the Changelings whipped a hoof across the stallion’s face.

“Watch your tone, dog! Show his lordship his due respect!”

The stallion moved his jaw around a bit before grinning.

“Touchy, are we?”

“Enough. Clear some room in the eastern barrack. Tie him to one of the support beams. I’ll deal with him later,” Silus ordered.

“Aye, milord,” both Changelings carried the spy away.

Just as they left, Grimsoul approached Silus.

“Lord. I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

“Go on?”

“You seemed to. . .take interest in her Dark Majesty rather quickly. Why is that?”

Silus chuckled softly and looked up to the sky.

“That’s an odd question to ask, brother.”

“I suppose so, but the thought just crossed my mind. Just a thought in retrospect.”

“When it feels right, you just know it, Grimsoul. Time becomes irrelevant.”

“Heh. I understand. Thank you, Lord.”

Meanwhile. . .

Cloudhorn had managed to break off several more fragments once he and the unicorn prisoners had rested a bit. Gloom and Obscure quietly collected the pieces and brought them to Sagemaster Macabre in his tent. The old Changeling was excitedly milling about, distracted from the previous incident as he made small discoveries. Gloom stopped for a moment to observe what the Sagemaster had sprawled across the table.

Fragments of all shapes and sizes were scattered and attached to various other objects. The Sagemaster had smoothed one large fragment into a nearly perfect sphere. The sphere had been wrapped tightly in a net that convened into a single small rope. Some sort of sling? On another end of the table was a bundle of stick-like fragments tied together with another small rope on the end. How strange that the Sagemaster would just cram together such simplistic things. A long, cylindrical bar of the mineral rested across the length of the table. Other than its surprising length and shape, nothing seemed special about it.

Gloom quietly approached the old Changeling and peered over his shoulder. Sagemaster Macabre was pouring powder from the fragments into long tubes of various materials. It appeared Macabre had tossed a wooden tube to the side, as well as a plastic-like tube and a glass tube. Presently, the Sagemaster was holding a metal tube.

“Hmm. . .” the old Changeling murmured to himself as he scribbled something onto a paper. “Not too shabby. . .but it needs more. . .” he continued to murmur. The Sagemaster placed the metal tube to another side of the table as he flipped through his notes.

“Gloom, shouldn’t you be helping Obscure?”

Gloom blinked rapidly and snapped back to reality.

“Oh, sorry, sir! Right away!”

“And. . .maybe an apology couldn’t hurt.”

Gloom looked down for a moment and rubbed his forehead. With a sigh, he left the tent and approached his fellow sage, who was sitting next to Cloudhorn. The huge Colossus was taking another break, staring up at the sky as he tended to do. Obscure appeared to be doing the same, with a small smile. Gloom raised a brow in curiosity as he sat next to them.

“Hey, Obscure, I uh. . .”

“Shh.”

Gloom was taken aback by Obscure’s hush. She hadn’t even taken her eyes off of the sky.

“But. . .”

“Shh. Don’t worry about it, okay?”

The young male sage nodded, surprised at how well she had taken his outburst earlier.

“I tried communicating with Cloudhorn,” Obscure whispered, “It’s easiest to ask ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions, but he’s capable of slightly more complex questions.”

Gloom furrowed his brows. He wondered what could be going on in the giant’s head.

“Cloudhorn,” Obscure calmly stated.

The Colossus grunted.

“Do you like rain?”

Cloudhorn nodded, but only enough that it did not remove his gaze from the sky.

“Do you like when it’s hot outside?”

The giant growled softly. Gloom took the opportunity to ask a question.

“How do you feel about Equestrians?”

Obscure frowned at Gloom but was curious what Cloudhorn’s answer would be. For a few seconds, the giant did nothing. He then slowly turned his head down to look at the two sages. The Colossus merely stared at them with deep blue eyes for what felt like hours. He then slowly returned his eyes to the sky without further action.

Obscure and Gloom looked at each other, pondering what that was supposed to mean. Rather than press, they moved on. Obscure asked another question, since the Colossus showed no signs of impatience with their questions.

“Cloudhorn, how old are you?”

The giant lifted a hoof to the sky and pointed at the sun. Raising his other hoof to the same position, he then spread his arms away from each other.

“Hm. You were born when the sun was bigger? Brighter, maybe?” Obscure attempted to interpret.

Cloudhorn nodded gently upon hearing the word “brighter.”

“Wow. . .I feel like that means you’ve been around for some time then, huh?” Gloom asked in awe.

“Well, we’d better get back to work,” Obscure sighed.

The pair of sages continued to pick up fragments.

Cloudhorn’s eyes remained fixed on the sky, watching as the clouds rolled by and the sun’s rays kept him warm in the winter snow.

Some things never change. . .