War Dancer

Chapter 1: The Cutie Mark Tragedy

War Dancer walked the street behind Luna, his head hanging. He had disappointed his princess; he had lowered himself in her eyes. Ever since he found his “special talent” he tried to find a way to put it to the best use for it, he may have even failed at that. He looked back at his cutie mark, at the blade crossed with a lightning bolt that adorned his flank and he thought back to his foalhood. Where did I go wrong, He wondered silently to himself. A loud crack of thunder overhead brought him out of his pondering. He realized that he had stopped walking, and looked around; Luna was nowhere to be seen.

“Princess!” he called out.

No answer

He kept walking looking between buildings and around corners; she was nowhere to be seen. He was becoming desperate, was she so upset that she would leave without protection? The thought horrified him. His search became frantic, so frantic in fact that he didn’t see the three fillies walking his way until he tripped over them.

“Ouch!” exclaimed the white one with the pink and purple mane.

“Why don’t you try watching where you’re going?” muttered the orange one with the light purple mane.

The yellow one just sat there stunned, that is until she saw his cutie mark.

“What kinda cutie mark is that?” she inquired

He ignored them and continued his search. He felt a weight tugging on his right hind leg and looked down.

“My name is Sweetie Bell” she said cheerfully as she clung to him. ”This is Scootaloo and Applebloom” she finished indicating the orange and yellow fillies

“And we are- “Scootaloo started

“THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS! YAY!!!” they all finished in unison.

War Dancer shook his head in annoyance and tried to shake the filly off. She wouldn’t budge. He considered using his magic, and then immediately felt horrified that he had just considered using his magic to hurt foals. Even though these ones were starting to get on his nerves, he quickly removed the idea from his head.

“So?” Applebloom asked

“What?” War Dancer asked annoyed

“We told you our names, now tell us yours and how you got your cutie mark!” Scootaloo demanded.

“My name is War Dancer and as to how I got my cutie mark….. that’s none of your concern” he quickly finished, Wanting to rid the past from his head.

“War Dancer? What kind of name is that?” Inquired Applebloom

“Sounds cool” Scootaloo added

He ignored them and tried to continue his search. They were making it incredibly difficult to ignore them, constantly bothering him and asking him questions about his cutie mark. The thought of just blasting them with just enough magic to stun them resurfaced, he quickly pressed it back down, trying to rid himself of the memories it came with.

“ENOUGH!” He finally shouted, this was just too much.

The three fillies cringed in fear at his sudden aggression

“If I tell you about my cutie mark will you leave me alone?” he asked exasperated.

They instantly recovered and sat in front of him suddenly quiet and attentive.
War Dancer brought a hoof to his face to massage his temple; these foals were starting to drive him mad.
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Midnight Shadow ran the streets of Manehatten, his lavender and black mane rustling in the wind. He was going to be late for school, Even though he really didn’t want to go. If he was late again, his father would get upset. The thought made him shudder. Ever since his mother had passed away after delivering his sister, his father had taken comfort in the form of alcohol. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem, but his father would drink until he was unconscious, leaving the young colt to take care of himself and his sister all on his own. As he rushed down the street he saw a hoof reach out in front of him, but it was too late, he tripped over it. As he lay on the ground panting a white unicorn with a golden mane looked down at him grinning,

“Well if it isn’t little Shadow” he said in a tone of mixed humor and hatred

“I don’t have time for this Brightflare” the darker colt said still trying to catch his breath.

“Who said you get an option?” Brightflare asked

He looked to the side and saw a small rock; he tried to focus his magic on it. The stone started to glow with a faint white aura; if only he could hit Brightflare with it he might be able to get away. He tried to lift the rock wit his magic, but it wouldn’t budge. The aura dissipated, and Brightflare smirked then quite easily lifted the stone.

“Want this?” he mocked then chunked it at Shadow’s head.

Blackness
……….
Midnight Shadow woke up some hours later, realizing he had missed school completely in his rush not to be late. The other unicorns at his school despised him because of his weak magical ability; even the smallest tasks took their toll on him. Shadow silently cursed himself, he was weak and now the school would have sent word to his father that he never showed up. He made his way back home, hanging his head in shame. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a light purple filly with a teal mane approach him with a worried expression on her face.

“Are you alright Shadow?” she timidly asked

“Yes Daybreeze, I’m fine” he replied, putting on a brave face for his sister.

“Where were you? Why weren’t you at school? I was so worried about you!” she wrapped her forelegs around his neck, sobbing.

“I had a small problem and wasn’t able to make it” he replied smoothing her mane with a forehoof, trying to console her.

His sister, Daybreeze, was the only one that had ever been close to him. They were closer than most siblings were; he was more of a guardian to her than their father was. He cared for her and she cared for him in turn, she was the only pony he had, she was the only one he could go to in his times of sorrow. They made their way back home silently; Shadow prepared for what he knew was going to happen when he got there.

They approached the house and didn’t so much as make it inside the yard before they saw the door swing open, slamming against the wall with a loud *crack*. The light brown stallion he had been dreading to see stepped out of the doorway, glaring at Shadow. Then gestured for both foals to enter the house, they complied. The room was sparsely furnished with some common furniture, a couch, a chair, and a couple of tables. The only thing that made this room stand out from the living rooms of other homes were the multitude of bottles laying everywhere. Almost as soon as they were inside the house Shadow felt a sharp pain in his side as his father pressed a hoof into him.

“Where were you?” he said quietly, threateningly.

“I was attacked” Shadow stated, almost pleadingly

Wrong answer, his father smacked him across the face.

“NOT AN EXCUSE” his father screamed at him.

His father’s horn started to glow green and Shadow was thrown across the room. He crashed into the wall falling down to break an end table.

“YOU’RE WEAK!” He screamed “YOU’RE A DISGRACE TO THIS HOUSEHOLD”

He started to advance on Shadow when the small light purple filly stepped in his way crying.

“DADDY, STOP PLEASE!” she pleaded “you’re hurting him!”

He rounded on her, eyes full of hate.

“YOU!” he screamed in rage “IF IT WASN’T FOR YOU I WOULD STILL HAVE MY BUCKING WIFE”

He head-butted her; knocking the wind from her lungs. Daybreeze gasped for air as she collapsed to the ground.

“YOU WILL NEVER KNOW TRUE PAIN!” their father screamed, lost in rage. He bucked his hind legs at her as she lay on the ground.

Shadow struggled to get to his feet, trying to stop the horrific sight he was watching. He fell the pain he was feeling unbearable. He watched as his father lifted Daybreeze with magic and flung her across the room.

“THIS ENDS NOW” his father screamed, lost in his madness mixed with grief and alcohol. He reared up prepared to stomp on
Daybreeze, prepared to kill her.

“No” shadow said quietly, but loud enough for his father to notice.

His stopped his attack and turned to face Shadow as he stood up.

“What did you say to me?” his father said quietly, deadly, daring Shadow to give a response.

Shadow stood defiantly. “I SAID NO!” he screamed charging at his dad.

His father smirked, what was this weak foal going to do to him? His smirk fell from his face replacing itself with confusion, Shadows horn took on a bright white aura. Thunder boomed in the house as his horn visibly charged itself with electricity. His father lowered his head and charged at him, this time it was all or nothing. They met about midway across the room, a resounding roar echoed throughout the city as thunder and lightning consumed the house.
As the smoke and debris cleared, Shadow was the only one left standing, not Daybreeze, not his father, not even his house, just Shadow. A flash of white light came from behind; he looked back at his flank a blade crossed with a lightning bolt adorned his flank.

“Daybreeze!” he suddenly remembered.

He searched through the debris until he saw both his father and sister lying back to back; she was scorched from his attack.

He checked them both for life signs. There were none.

“No” he said quietly. This couldn’t be happening.

He collapsed next to Daybreeze, crying, trying to heal her. He passed out as paramedics arrived to the scene.
……….
He woke up in the hospital the next day, and the doctor seemed startled.

“What happened?” he asked groggily, suddenly his memory returned “Where is Daybreeze, my sister? Where is my father?” he asked hurriedly

The doctor looked at him sadly “your father is dead.” He said flatly, getting it over with.

“And Daybreeze???” he asked franticly, surprising the doctor with his lack of interest upon hearing of his father’s death.

“Your sister, Daybreeze is in a coma” he said “The resulting explosion in your house was probably the cause, we don’t know if she will ever recover”

Shadow’s heart sank; his sister was in this state because of him. He got up off the bed.

“Wait! You can’t go!” the doctor said “We have to release you first”

He used his magic to fling the doctor away without so much as a second thought, and then he ran. HE ran from the hospital, from the city, from the past. He fled everything that had happened, everything that would happen; he fled for the safety of others. He ran and ran until the moon rose and he couldn’t run anymore, then he collapsed in a heap crying for his sister.

“What is this?” came a strange feminine voice.

He was surprised to see a dark blue mare approach him. There was something familiar about her. He analyzed her more closely, her dark blue coat her mane of different shades of blue and seemingly filled with stars, her wings, her horn; this was an alicorn, no not just an alicorn this was princess Luna, the mistress of night.

“Where is thy family, little colt?” she asked

“Dead” he replied simply

She looked at him in shock “Come, you shall see my sister at the palace, we shall decide the proper course of action” she used her magic to lift him onto her back.

“Tell me, what shall I call you?” she asked him taking flight.

He thought back to his past, his family was lost, everything was gone, the innocent colt Midnight Shadow was dead. He looked back to his cutie mark and what had happened at his house. His special talent was death, destruction, strife, WAR.
“My name is War Dancer” he told her as they flew off towards Canterlot, towards his new life.
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The three fillies watched him with wide eyes as he finished his story, horror registered on all three faces.

“That’s so sad” Sweetie Bell said

He ignored it as he walked off, leaving the CMC in the distance as he continued his search for his princess, his duty, his meaning for life.