The Chronicle of The Hunter

Chapter 5: Memories

"War does not determine who is right- only who is left"

- Bertrand Russell

I wake up to the rustling of branches. I'm in a forest somewhere on the outskirts of Equestria. After the fireball, I feel completely devoid of energy, magically and physically. I look down at my wound, only to see a bloody tear. I must have used another healing spell to repair most major damages and keep myself from dying. I've still lost a lot of blood, and I need food. But as I try to stand, I become light-headed and collapse, concentration on my primary goal lost.

Chaos. Everywhere. Ponies a greyer version of their original coat color, succumbed to Discord's magic and trickery. Bison doing ballet. Large craters in the dirt and fires burning down most houses accompanied many of the sights the three siblings were used to. Soon, they arrived at their own home, a little shack with no purpose other than for sleeping and eating in. There's a difference with the shack this time. It's a mess. The outer walls have collapsed inward, and the roof was on fire. It looked identical to the other homes along that very street.

The three ponies dash for the entrance, calling out at various times, "Mom! Dad! Where are you!" Finally, the eldest, an eighteen year old Sunstriker, noticed a hoof hanging out of the main bedroom. He uses magic to lift the wreckage and gasps at what he sees.

Both parents are collapsed on the ground, dead. The mare has a piece of timber stabbed through her midsection, while the stallion is bleeding in various locations, mostly from the head. The house had finally collapsed, and they were unfortunate enough to be caught in the wreckage. Or there was another possibility. One that created itself evident when Discord appeared, surprising Sunstriker. He opens one yellow eye and says, "Oh look, a pony that isn't happy? I thought I was making you all happy!" He looked down at wreckage and exclaimed, "Oh, even better! Now that your parents aren't here to tell you otherwise, you can do whatever you want!"

Sunstriker pawed the ground with one hoof. "What did you do to them, you beast!" a fourteen year old Celestia and a seven year old Luna are clearly visible in the background, shaking as their brother faces the draconequus.

Discord is still smiling, and it gets even bigger. "Why, I did you a favor and got rid of them! Who needs parents anyway?" He shrugged, a stormcloud popping out of his shoulder...

Sunstriker. At twenty eight years old, he was fit in every sense of the word. But this time, he's back in the castle. In bed. A nurse is attending to him, and seeing him awake, calls out through, "Code Green in room 177!" Several doctors rush in, along with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, both looking very haggard.

"Brother!" Both alicorn mares shriek as they rush forward to hug him. He returns the embrace and then they back up. "You look like crap" the now seventeen year old Luna commented.

"Duh, that's kind of what happens," Sunstriker commented. He runs a hoof through his white mane. "I remember trying to relax on a bench in the castle gardens, trying to focus my magic on a parasprite to transform it into an apple. After all, I was hungry."

After the Discord event, most of Sunstriker's magic had been permanently drained. Even with the boost he received from being an alicorn, there wasn't much left. Sunstriker gets out of the hospital bed and says, "I feel well enough to leave. I'm going up to my room."

Luna looks concerned. "But Striker-"

He whirled and faced her, eyes flashing. Danger Zone Level 1. "I'm going, and that's *FINAL!*" he barks. Luna shies off, but now Celestia is mad.

"Hey! You can't do that to your little sister! That's just plain rude!"

Sunstriker turns around, now at Danger Zone Level 2. But when he sees Luna, he softens. "I'm sorry Luna. You know how I am with these events. I'm really sorry."

His sister smiles again, cheering him up thoroughly. "It's fine. Wanna go get something to eat?"

Now Sunstriker is grinning. He tackles his sister and play wrestles with her. "Hoovever wins doesn't have to pay!"

Luna giggles. "No fair! No fair!"

Celestia steps forward, "Enough of this childishness!" Sunstriker and Luna back off. Then Celestia grins. "No bets without me being involved in them!" And proceeds to tackle Sunstriker...

The light is soft against my face. I can hear noises in the distance. Hoofbeats hit the solid ground. Is this it? Am I about to be picked up by some foreign peoples who want to kill me? I slowly stand up, better than before. But one step puts me on the ground again, my heart practically jumping out of my sliced open chest...

Sunstriker watches the moon rise as Luna puts her talent to good use. With a little assistance from him of course. Both his sisters insisted that he help them with their duties, even as his magic was drained quickly. It was a practice exercise to keep them fully functional, but still...

The stallion pulls a piece of timber out of his saddlebags. His house had finished burning down ages ago, but he had kept this piece as a memory.

Leaves fall, representing the passing of autumn. Fall had always been his least favorite time of the year since the Discord incident.

A sense of loneliness overwhelms the Prince.

With those final thoughts of the past, the young stallion looked at the moon one last time and headed back into the castle, head hung low as though the past is never forgotten.

The breeze feels cool on my face. I've never felt anything like it. I see a purple-hued figure standing above me, sobbing. How did they find me? She sees my eyes open and gives me a massive hug. I wince and she pulls away, embarrassed. She says something I can't comprehend, and five other ponies suddenly flock over. But the breeze feels so good. Just so good...so good....

Sunstriker. Aged 108, mane glistening as he sweated trying to fix some sort of massive device with many other ponies. There is no roof on the facility, and the prince hears a whistling noise. He looks up and his eyes widen. Firebombs. How did she-???

They drop, almost as if in a dream, slowly. His sense of time is slowed as he uses his magic to create a shield around the base. It's too late though, as the bombs are already below the barrier. He only has time to readjust the shield to protect himself as they drop, creating a shockwave so large he is thrown out as the shield shatters. The entire facility glows bright orange, then *explodes,** corpses and pieces of the building flying up into the air. One piece hits the fallen prince and he goes unconscious, bright fires burning in front of him.*

Time goes by. The fires still burn. It was a singular attack, as Celestia expected him to fall. All had gone according to plan for the Solar Empire. After many hours, Sunstriker wakes up and sees his best friend at the facility, Night Wing, staring straight at him, eyes glazed over. However, it's only the pony's head that remains, as the ashes of his body slowly blow away and get absorbed back into the fire. This is the last straw. Sunstriker looks at the moon. Nightmare Moon had been successful so far at keeping the moon up permanently. But he'd had enough. He shoots the most powerful bolt of magic across the wreckage of Project Archon, and into the Solar Empire. But this was no violent magic. Just a message. As it reaches the halls of Princess Celestia, a ethereal clone of the Prince appears, saying these words:

"Sister. I gave you the opportunity to give up the fight. You did not take the chance, instead choosing to attack me. I will admit, we were unprepared. And you have destroyed all of my allies. But not me. I await your Guard and as they used to say, 'War is a necessary evil.'" And as the image disappears, the halls of the castle become quiet when the Princess speaks. And when she speaks, hatred drips from her voice. "Then let there be war."

I feel sand against my back. A beach? I shake my head, causing starbursts of pain to go through my mind. What's going on? I look down at my chest. Almost completely healed. There was only a deep scar there now. How?

As my eyes come back into focus, I see Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash watching me with a sense of concern. When I finally fully stand up, I mutter, "Where are we?"

Rainbow Dash works up the nerve to say, "We don't know. After Twilight found you in the woods, we got lost on the way back and found this beach. We've been here for the past week or so."

A week? Wow, that was an unexpected length of time. "And how long have I been gone?"

Applejack steps in. They all look saddened. "Two months. We've also heard nothing from either of the Princesses. By the time we left all of Equestria was plunged into chaos."

Two. Months. I've been knocked out before, but not like this. And just who had the nerve to break into the kingdom while we were away? I look at Fluttershy for an explanation.

The pegasus looks down, pure fear in her eyes. "After you removed the barrier, your sisters fought for a week straight. Then, just before leaving, Princess Luna transformed herself into Nightmare Moon and left Equestria in a state of permanent darkness. Nopony knows where she went."

I see Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity return to the camp. As they see me, Twilight rushes over and gives me another giant hug. "I'm so glad you're ok!" she gushed, tears streaming down her face. "When we first saw you on the path, we thought you were-" she can't stop crying now, it's an endless torrent.

"Wait. A. Minute. When we were in Canterlot you were ready to begone with me. What's up with the change of heart?" All six ponies hand their heads in shame. Rainbow Dash speaks first, her voice strained. "We let our anger at you get the best of us. You hurt our friends, our leaders. And we didn't, we couldn't forgive you for that. Not then, at least. But when you jumped off the edge of Canterlot, we realized that although you hurt them, we had hurt you more. And I'm sorry. So sorry."

"Sugarcube, ah'm really sorry."

"I'm sorry, Sunstriker."

"Me too"

"I, I, I cannot forgive myself for my actions. Will you ever forgive us, Prince?"

I turn my head to face the ponies. I could see the pain, the suffering, in each one's eyes. Was that truly what I had looked like? "I am willing for forgive you. There have been worse experiences that haunt me, even to today. But what happened there had been the last straw. Now, there's only one way we can fix this." Twilight had a fixated, almost reminiscent look while listening to me. "We need to find my sister. And fast. I know Celestia, and it's going to take a lot out of her to try and lower the moon without Luna there."

I noticed one pony hadn't said a word. Pinkie. I look at the normally happy Earth Pony. There was something very, very wrong with the mare. Her mane and tail were deflated, her eyes bloodshot, coat grey. "Pinkie," I call to her very softly. She stands up straight and gives me a weak smile, with a salute to boot. "Sergeant Pinkie reporting for duty, SIR!"

I look her straight in the eyes. "You need rest." As I look around, I notice all of them have that same exact look. "You all do. And food. Let me guard tonight." Against all protests, I stand firm. "I'm guarding tonight. No questions asked, no complaints. You all look terrible." They look at each other and nod consent.

"Fine, but the minute you get tired you wake us up." This was Twilight's very final demand before she fell over, sound asleep. Soon after goes Rarity, then Fluttershy, then Pinkie, until Rainbow Dash and Applejack remain. They stay wide awake, staring at me. I finally notice them.

"Something somepony wants to tell me?" I ask.

Applejack steps forward. "Um, yes, sorta. We, or ah, want ta know how y'all have stayed, ya know, un-loopy all these years."

"I haven't. Now, go to sleep. I'll explain in the morning, I promise."

Most of their question answered, both Applejack and Rainbow Dash fall backwards, asleep before they hit the ground.

I start a small fire next to me to keep warm, and wait. This was going to be a long night.