//-------------------------------------------------------// The Equestrian Civil War -by Nix_Ryu- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// um... hi? //-------------------------------------------------------// um... hi? It was a dark and stormy night. I know, cliche, but facts are facts. I have been running from a group of.. something... for two days now. I headed into the mountains hoping they wouldn't follow. It sorta worked. They wouldn't dare follow me through Dead Mare's Pass, and there was a very good reason for that although i had forgotten about it until the moment i heard it. It started off quiet, far in the distance, but within minutes it was just around the bend. I paled as i heard the creatures come hurtling around the mountain ahead of me. "... dragons" I panicked and dove for a crevice, squeezing myself as far in as i could. I whimpered to myself as they passed within feet of my hiding spot on their way to burn a forest or eat someone, or whatever dragons do nowadays. Hearing the last one swoop past I counted to sixty and very cautiously stuck my nose out, sniffing. "All clear... thank celes-.... lun-....whoever is currently wining"  I chuckle and climb out of my hole, continuing my journey along the unsure footing of the pass. As i moved, a sound from above alerted me to someones presance and I quietly reached for my knife strapped to my foreleg, my hoof grabbing nothing. Dumbfounded i stared at my now bare foreleg for a good minute, muttering curses under my breath. "musta lost it in the crevice... shit." I slid against the side of the mountain pass, inching forward as quietly as i could manage, cursing every time i kicked a rock loose, trying to get away from the sound before whoever or whatever it was realized i was there, and more importantly, I was defenseless! I rounded a boulder and breathed a sigh of relief, looking around it to make sure i wasnt followed. Grinning, i turned back to the path to continue, promptly screaming as i came nose to beak with a HUGE griffin, then blacking out as my face got a personal meeting with his fist. //-------------------------------------------------------// Ow My Aching EVERYTHING //-------------------------------------------------------// Ow My Aching EVERYTHING I couldn't breath, that's the first thing I noticed. Then I noticed just how much pain I was in and that's when I decided I really didn't like that griffin. Opening my eyes i was greeted with darkness. Groaning i tried to roll over only to gasp in pain and curl up, trying to remember.. well.. anything. I remembered the fist, oohh how i remembered the fist. After that, darkness. I thought i heard a crunch once but it must have been a dream, i hope. I struggled to my hooves, whimpering in pain, my chest feeling like it was on fire. I winced and bent over coughing, tasting blood. Probing my chest with a hoof i found the source of my pain, crying out. A broken rib... a very badly broken rib. I saw light under what i assumed was a door, followed by arguing. I forced my hooves to carry me over to the door. "H-help!" I weakly knocked on the door and the arguing stopped. then the room was flooded with light and i had just enough time to see the door swinging towards my face before it connected and, mercifully, i blacked out again. I came too high as a kite laying in a hospital bed. Thank the princesses for morphine! Dazed and more then a little tired from the drugs i looked around my room. there was the bed, an iv for what I assumed was the morphine, and straps holding my legs in place. Great.... straps... my day wasn't bad enough without me being a prisoner as well. I weakly tugged on a forehoof strap, confirming that they were on to tight to slip out of, then looked around for anything that might help. the room was extremely empty. No picture, no window, no tables or chairs, nothing but the bed, the iv, and a partially open door letting light in. Sighing, i decided to get more sleep and deal with whatever predicament i was in now in the morning. Arguing, yelling, dear Celestia i have a headache! Why cant they be quiet I'm trying to sleep! I groan and open my eyes to the same griffin standing next to my bed, yelling at a pink mare behind him. I glare up at him, wanting so bad to beat the living shit out of him. Instead, I tugged at my bonds and growled. "ahem." He jumped then, taking a step back. Man I might have been in pain, but the look on his face... priceless~ Glaring at him i waited for him to get over his surprise. He blushed a little, rubbing his neck " so.. uh.. I guess I have some explaining to do huh.... " I nodded slowly. He smirked at me "Its not my fault, but I maaay have dropped you... twice. But tootally not my fault. Some dragons attacked after i put you on my back. Hehe.. sorry." I swear if i wasn't tied down and drugged i would have wiped that smirk off his face. I watched the mare leave then looked back up at the griffin "so why am i tied down, and why did you punch me. Is that how you greet all your visitors?" He chuckled "I had to make sure you wernt a bandit or solder or spy. what we have here is a very good secret, and i plan to keep it that way." I looked around " Just what secret is that?" He grinned "Let me be the first to welcome you to the hidden village in the mountains. Welcome to Freeville." I groaned at the absurdly stupid name. "great, wonderful, its so nice to be her. Now can you PLEASE untie me???!!! //-------------------------------------------------------// Beginnings //-------------------------------------------------------// Beginnings The world has gone to hell. Everyone has turned against each other. Luna has learned how to harness the powers of nightmare moon and has raised an army, Celestia is desperately trying to defend her people. Canterlot has been raised to the ground. Pegasi, unicorns, and earth ponies have chosen sides. The changelings are involved as well. The elements of harmony are now great warriors,  fighting for whoever they think is right. For four years I have watched as homes were destroyed, families torn apart, whole cities ransacked. But recently i have found a small valley in the old Canterlot mountains where a small village of every type of pony live in relative peace. How long will this peace last? i cant say for certain. But for... for the first time in years... i can rest safely. My name is Dash, just Dash. I don't tell anyone my last name. I never know anyone long enough to tell them. I'm not your every day pony. There's some things about me that.. well... most are better off not knowing. I'm safer like that, they are safer like that, everyone is happy... kinda. I can fly, I can do limited magic, and i can fight. Oh, and I can survive. That's the most important skill you can have in this war, survival. Without it your as good as dead. See, the war has pretty much destroyed everything, and i mean EVERYTHING. Most of Equestria is a wasteland, and while the major fighting has moved on there are still plenty of dangers to be had. There are wild animals, rogue spells, dangerous weather, bandits, rogue squads from past battles, unexploded ordnance, and many many more I have yet to discover. That's why I'm writing this journal, to try to learn everything I can to survive. Hopefully i can help others survive as well, but that doesn't seem likely. I just hope I'm strong enough to survive to the end.........