War, War never changes...

As the cold war with the Zebras began, it was over something as simple as coal, a natural resource that Equestria lacked but Zebrica had in abundance. But as things progressed, and the war began to heat up, the war became over the Zebra belief that Nightmare Moon was in charge of Equestria now. A war over resources transformed into a war for religious reasons, and it only got worse from there.

We all know how this ended for both sides, as fire rained down from the sky and the land itself was burned. But, this wasn't the end of the war for Equestria. Ponies and others found whole new reasons to kill each other in the Wasteland, and a new war began, the war for survival.

Even after the day of Sunshine and Rainbows, wars began to pop up. The Great Schism between Steel Rangers and Applejack's Rangers was one of ideology, split between the ideals of the old guard and the outcasts. The NCR-Imperial War was over resources, territory, and ultimately ideology.The Enclave invasions and the war for New Pegasus were also tied into these things, ideology and resources are some of the biggest driving forces of war in the Wasteland.

Ultimately, no matter who is fighting a war, it always comes down to its most basic reasons for fighting. That is something that will never change, no matter how much some think it does.

And there is still one story left to tell, one of a war for religion, and ideology. The future of Equestria may yet lay in the hooves of one mare, and she will serve as a firebrand set alight against the forces of darkness and twisted light. The future she builds may yet shape all of Equestria.

But will that fire continue to burn or will it be quenched in the greater flames of war?

Because while war may never change, it will change those who fight in it.

Burning, everything was burning.

The settlement of Pearl was a small settlement on the far edge of Equestria just short of the wild jungles that made up the southernmost part of the country. The inhabitants had fought off many threats like Raiders and the monstrous creatures that called the Wasteland and the Equestrian Jungle home.

But today, that had all changed, as the settlement came under attack by an enemy that they hadn't ever expected to meet. A group of Alicorns dressed in armored robes had attacked the settlement, and the ponies were either trying to fight back or escape, and it wasn't going well.

"Ember, get your sister to safety," a Unicorn mare said as she placed her hoof on a young filly's shoulder. The filly was shivering and holding her sister close to her with her magic.

"But what about you momma?" Ember said as she looked up at her mom with her big yellow eyes. "You're going to be okay, right?"

"I'll be fine, you need to get to safety," her mom said with a soft smile as she hugged her daughters tight. "It'll be okay, I'll find you, I promise."

Ember nodded a little as she looked back at her younger sister who was trembling in fear even worse than she was. "Come on Sparks," she said as her mom levitated a pistol over to her and the two young Unicorns ran off with Ember holding the pistol tightly in her magical aura.

They ran past their home which was set ablaze already. Ember looked back at it for a moment and tried not to cry, her whole life had been in that small hut. Her memories of her father, the good times with her little sister and mom, everything was going to be gone.

But right now she only had one job, and she was going to make sure she did it well. She just had to get her sister to the safety of the back gate and hopefully that would be enough to get out of Pearl and out into the Jungle, it couldn't be any worse in there than it was in the settlement.

"Ember..." Spark said as she tugged at her big sister's tail a little. "Is mommy going to be okay?"

Ember looked back at her sister and paused a moment as she tried to figure out exactly what to tell her. "She's... going to be okay Sparks," she said with a smile as she levitated the filly up onto her back. "Hang on tight, think of it like a pony back ride, you're going to be just fine..."

Spark nodded and held onto her older sister's neck as tight as she could as they ran towards the gate that would bring them close to the jungle. Ember hated lying to her sister, she honestly had no idea what was going to happen or even if their mom was going to be okay, but she knew deep down that she was going to do everything she could to survive and make it to where they were going to meet up.

Just as they made it to the gate and pushed it open a loud scream came from back in the burning village. Ember cringed, she had heard that scream before, it belonged to her mother, but she couldn't stop there, she had to get out of the settlement so she got the lock open and pushed the gate open so they could get through.

"What if the Alicorns are here too?" Spark whispered into her sister's ear. "They could be anywhere..."

"Its okay Sparks," Ember said in a soft reassuring tone. "They'd have to fight their way through the monsters of the jungle to get to it and even Alicorns aren't that good."

"Yeah, but..." Spark said as she let that trail off for a moment. "What about us? We can't fight either."

Ember didn't want to admit it but she was right, this was a big risk they were taking and they didn't have the best chance of surviving in the jungle either. But she knew that it was the best way to go, they just had to get to the hunting blind up in a clearing near where...

As they pushed out into the clearing Ember stopped in mid-step as she heard guns cocking around her and her eyes went wide. They were completely surrounded by Alicorns that were dressed in the same strange robes that they had seen in the settlement and they had their weapons aimed right at Ember.

"So, you thought you could escape from us," a mare's voice said as one Alicorn stepped forward. She was dressed different from the others, her robes were ornate and she towered over the others with dark blue fur and a long flowing mane that was the color of the night with sparkles that to Ember looked like stars in it.

She had a sinister smile as she looked down at the two sisters who tried not to cry as the terrifying Alicorn stared them down. Ember raised her pistol and fired a shot right at the tall Alicorn but the bullet hit a shield and fell to the ground harmlessly.

"High Priestess, what are we going to do with them?" One of the other Alicorns asked as she looked at the high Priestess who seemed more amused by the attempted resistance than anything else.

"Take them to the temple with the others we've captured," the High Priestess said with a wicked smirk. "They're going to make fine new additions to our group. Especially the little one, I sense much potential in her..."

"No!" Ember shouted as she felt Spark being taken off her back, she tried to fire at the Alicorns again but they just laughed as their shields blocked her bullets. "You can't take my little sister!"

"Why child, we're taking both of you," the High Priestess said as she looked at Spark and examined the trembling filly curiously for a moment. "She will make a fine new Alicorn, lets see if you will do the same."

Ember cried as she felt something covering her eyes, and then a spell hit her and the whole world went dark around her.

When Ember's eyes opened again she found herself in a large room with several massive vats of some liquid she didn't recognize. She struggled against her bindings as she saw the same Alicorn from before, the High Priestess she had been called.

"Well, our little firebrand is finally awake," the High Priestess said with a smirk. "You put up a valiant struggle, just like the rest of your settlement, but I'm afraid it was for nothing."

"Why did you attack us? We never did anything to you!" Ember said as she tried to struggle against her bindings more. "We never even knew you existed..."

The High Priestess laughed as she placed her hoof under the teenage filly's chin and looked at her in the eye. Firebrand shivered as she saw the mare's cold blue eyes piercing into her as if she was able to see into her very soul. Her laugh was haunting, and it terrified Ember to no end.

"You don't get it do you?" The High Priestess said, she hadn't lost that wicked smile of her's yet as she continued to stare her down. "Its not personal, we're not here to raid or enslave you, we're here to liberate you. To bring you into the glory that is the Society."

"But we don't want to be in your Society, we just wanted to live our lives," Ember said as tears started to stream down her face. "What did you do with my sister you monster? Where is she? Where's Spark?"

"You won't like what you learn, but you won't remember it either," the High Priestess said as she turned her head and raised her voice. "Daughter, come here."

"Daughter?" Ember asked confused as the door to the chamber opened up and a filly walked in and Ember's heart fell.

The filly had the same red coat and orange and yellow mane as her little sister, for all intents and purposes she was her little sister. But now she had a pair of wings and looked at Ember as if she didn't even recognize her.

"Yes mother?" Spark asked as she looked up at the High Priestess who gave Ember a smile.

"Tell me Starshine, do you recognize this pony?" The High Priestess asked as she nodded to Ember as Spark looked at her curiously for a moment.

"Sparks, its me Ember, I'm your sister!" Ember said as she just cried harder as the small Alicorn just looked at her confused for a moment. "Please, you have to remember me..."

"We're all sisters but you Unicorn," Spark said as she nodded up at her "mother". "Mother, is she going to become a sister?"

"Indeed, I have a special purpose for her, just like I do for you my daughter," the High Priestess said as she ruffled the filly's mane gently. "

"Of course she will Starshine," the High Priestess said as her horn glowed bright blue and enveloped Ember. "Your suffering is at its end now child, and soon you will be part of the glory that is the Society. You will feel pain, but it will be brief as you are reborn."

Ember squirmed and felt the bonds loosen but she couldn't move as she was held by the telekinetic grip of the powerful Alicorn. She took one last look at the creature that had replaced her sister and closed her eyes, if something horrible was about to happen to her she wanted her last sight to be of her sister, even if she didn't remember her.

She felt the strange unnatural liquid surround her entering every part of her body it could. She tried to keep her mouth closed but her lungs screamed for oxygen and she opened it only to feel the horrible liquid entering her. Her body felt as if it was on fire as the potion worked its way through her system. She screamed as wings burst from her back painfully and her leg muscles felt like they were growing stronger.

"Spark..." She managed to gurgle out as it reached her brain and her thoughts and memories were no more.

The High Priestess smiled as she levitated the newly formed Alicorn out of the IMP. She grinned, showing her sharpened teeth as she saw the orange-gold teenaged Alicorn with a red mane as the potion dripped off her body, leaving her dazed and confused as her eyes snapped open.

"Who, who am I?" The newborn Alicorn asked. "Who are you?"

"I am Dark Midnight, High Priestess of our Goddess Nightmare Moon, and leader of the Nightmare Society," Dark Midnight said with a smile, this one was almost maternal looking as she set the Alicorn down and let her get to her hooves. "And you my child, are among your sisters now. You will be my firebrand, standing at the front of my army as we prepare to bring all of Equestria into the fold."

"Yes, my Priestess," she said and bowed her head gently.

"Welcome to the family, Firelight," Dark Midnight said as she smiled wickedly.