Hey everypony, welcome to my first fic. Please leave a review or at least rate it. If this chapter goes over well, I’ll continue writing. Otherwise I’ll just drop it. So, yeah, thanks again!

Chapter 1:

Hunter could hear the commotion outside. Ponies darted every which-way in a fear-driven flurry of hooves. The young pony hoisted his small frame onto the window sill above his bed. Never in his short life had he seen so much blood. It coated the cobblestone streets, flowing like crimson creeks from the corpses that littered the pathways. As the bodies piled up, Hunter wondered how much longer his father would be gone. He’d gone to look for the young colt’s mother, who’d been on her weekly shopping trip when the assault began.

Hunter climbed down from the window and tried to piece together what exactly was happening. The black colt recalled his father telling him something about the alicorn sisters starting a war against each other, but his young mind couldn’t remember why.

His pondering was cut short when a magical blast of energy leveled the front of his house. The noise was much louder now. Explosions, pain ridden shrieks, galloping hooves and the clang of cold, hard steel could be heard much more clearly now. At this point, the young earth pony decided it best to leave and find better shelter elsewhere.

He galloped across the street, his hooves throwing up a trail of crimson liquid as he dodged between the many pairs of legs occupying the street, and dove under an abandoned flower cart. He watched helplessly as a soldier hit the ground in front of him, splashing blood everywhere. The soldier’s lustrous white armor with a stunning gold trim seemed to lose much of its sheen as he lay in a puddle of the crimson.

Hunter cringed at the sight before him and ran again, albeit faster this time. He slid beneath a table outside what was left of his favorite café and watched as two groups of soldiers clashed. One group was wearing the same armor as the as the only other soldier Hunter had yet seen, white and gold. The other group was adorned in dark blue steel armor, trimmed by an even darker purple. Stars lined the shoulder and waist areas of the dark armor. The battle was fierce, but the ponies in white were out numbered and were slowly being cut down by swords, spears and magical attacks.

Hunter’s gaze turned skyward as he struggled to remove the blood and gore from his sight, but what he saw was much too similar. Pegasi impaled each other on sharpened steel weapons, the limp bodies of the fallen hitting the ground with solid thuds that seemed to reverberate into Hunter’s very soul. He couldn’t stand it anymore, he wanted out of this Celestia-forsaken place!

He rushed out of his hiding place and headed for the nearest way out of town. As he ran he came upon the town center. It was a large, rectangular section of cobbling, at least a hundred feet or so wide and a quarter mile long, or so he estimated. Best of all, it seemed to have escaped the devastation.  There was no blood, no bodies piled up on the stone. He was planning on resting there for a few seconds, but that plan quickly changed when he saw his father appear on the other side of the open area with the limp body of the young one’s mother dangled over his shoulder.

Hunter’s mind went blank as he galloped as fast as he could towards the other side. As he neared the halfway point, a long, white leg blocked his path, forcing him to try to stop himself. As his momentum finally dissipated, he glanced up to see none other than Princess Celestia herself! “We’re all saved!” he thought to himself. His trance was only broken when a pale-blue bolt streaked past the Princess’ head. Hunter looked towards the other end of the area to see the other alicorn, Nightmare Moon, firing a flurry of magical bolts towards Celestia. And him.

As more bolts flew towards her, Celetstia began using her own magic to deflect them away. They flew in all directions, hitting buildings, trees and “DAAAAAAAD!” Hunter’s scream rang out as a deflected bolt hit his father square in the face and sent him flying. The dead bodies of both of the colt’s parents were now resting about 50 feet from where they had been.

Hunter tore off almost immediately; he had to see if they were okay. He was sent flying as another stray bolt slammed into the stone street mere inches from his left flank. His light body tumbled through the air helplessly, his ruby mane flapping lightly as he fell back to solid ground. The return hurt more than the launch though, as he felt the bones in his front legs shatter from the forceful impact. He cried out in pain and began to panic. He could see Celestia still standing a few feet from him, locked in a duel with her sister. He lightly called “Help me. Please.” His plea was only answered with a glance from the Princess of the sun, whose horn began to glow.

“Everyone!” she called out to her soldiers. “Pull back; we’re fighting a losing battle here!”

The crippled colt watched helplessly as White clad ponies of all types raced out of the town. He felt tears roll down his muzzle as Celestia glanced at him once more before taking to the sky herself. “She’s left me.” He thought. “The one pony that is supposed to care about everypony left me here to die…” The colt’s eyes began to close as the adrenaline that’d been keeping his battered body conscious wore off…