Without Question

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.)