Hundreds of years have passed. Equestria lies in ruin, the princesses long dead, hope long forgotten. And amidst it all, a young zebra Twilight Sparkle Black is about not only to learn her past and future, not only learn love and hate, but also help her country rise like a phoenix from the ashes of a civil war.

Originally written in Russian as My little sniper: Начало by Хеллфайр.
The author doesn't know English well and gave his explicit permission to translate and post the story. The translation is an independent work of fiction, and does not constitute theft, self-appropriation of authorship, or disrespect for the work of the original writer.