A familiy that descended from the night

Fear.

Fear is something Strong understood at a young age. Fear itself can't be taught. Rather fear is a survival Instinct that's deeply ingrained in both predator and prey alike. Fear is something you need to survive. Without fear, you'll fail to realize the possible dangers that surround you. Furthermore, you won't feel the need to escape or prepare for said dangers. When you grow into adulthood others will mock you for being afraid. As such these moments teach you that fear itself is looked down upon. By being afraid you are essentially admitting defeat.

This is wrong.

Fear is tbe reason your even alive to begin with. By being afraid you are being mindful of how a certain situation can turn bad. Or maybe you noticed something that the others didn't because you were being afraid, because of that you possibly saved all of your lives.

All thanks to fear.

Of course while fear is essentially a tool it can also be used as a crutch. Too much fear and you'll be unable to enjoy the small things in life. In some cases, people suffer from things called irrational fears or phobias. In some cases, this type of fear is unwarranted and completely useless. This is a case of having way too much fear. Of course, this type of fear depending on the context could be warranted. In cases where it's not people suffering through this area are unable to truly enjoy their life.

Strong field was one of these cases.

For years the colt was raised in an environment where fear was tbe norm. As such he was unable to enjoy even the smallest of things. The one who caused such fear in the first place was someone Strong should have been able to trust. Unfortunately, that trust meant nothing.

Strong stared at his reflection in the mirror.

What stared back at him was someone he thought inferior. Why wouldn't he? It's not the person staring back at him had any meaning. No, realistically that person was a statistic. Just one out of dozens of others who went through the same thing. Who felt and thought the same way. After all, it's not like he'll be remembered. Sooner or later he'll die and be completely forgotten.

Death.

Death is something Strong understood more than fear.

You see death is essentially the end of all things. Death is inevitable death is imminent. Death has no end noir beginning. People often fear death because of what it entails. They will do whatever they can to stop it, or at least pretend it doesn't exist.

Strong pitted them.

When death is talked it is in a way that makes it seem you'll be remembered. After all, once you die your loved ones will remember you. This means that the memory of you lives on forever.

Or at least until they die.

Death is ongoing. Thus it means that one day your family and friends will also die. This means that the memory of you will die along with them,

And so, in the end, you cease to exist.

Even if they tell your story to their family and friends that doesn't mean that they'll have the same courtesy. It takes only one person to break that fragile chain. If you truly want to be remembered you'll need to do something great or honorific. That way your name will forever be in tbe history books. All though in the end ask yourself is it truly worth it?

Yeah, you'll be remembered, but will it be for the right reasons? That's the question. Sooner or later someone might come along and destroy your hard work. All they have to do is do something in your name and boom you're once great legacy is no more. Now if you did something evil on the other hand I suppose it won't matter. That begs the question though. Are you willing to do something that bad just so you'll be remembered for eternity?

Probably not.

Of course, you can still try tbe good guy route. I guess the only question is if it works out could you call that fair. Everyone should be treated equally after all, and yet in reality that isn't exactly the case. That's because so-called equality is Just an optical illusion set up so that people will something to cling to when things get hard. You can't say that you live in a fair and just society when certain people will be memorized for their actions alone. Of course at the end of the day as long as the machine is running smoothly it's all that matters.

There's only one thing in this universe that is truly fair.

Death.

At the end of the day, death doesn't care who you are. When your times up it's up.

That is why Strong doesn't fear death. Why fear something as natural as breathing air? He just couldn't understand. The people trying to deny it or try to prolong the possibility is ignorant.

He accepted it long ago.

He glared at the thing looking back at him.

It glared right back.

"""""""""""""""""""""""

"Anything?"

Hard Tap shook her head.

Closing the blinds the Bat pony looks over at her twin. Noticing her anxious expression. "No, but with that said it's best if we not let our guard down just yet." Hard wouldn't say it but she had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Besides she wasn't the type to just portray her emotions.

Regardless of that fact, Soft read her like a book.

"You think something bad is going to happen." It was a statement, not a question.

Hard shrugged.

It wasn't like she was wrong before. However, with that said it was still better to be on guard. Especially in a new territory like this one. For all they know, they know there could be a whole flock of Griffins down the street.

"Fucking Feathers" Soft swore. Using a word that was this world's equivalent of being racially insensitive.

As you can already guess the two species didn't exactly get along. In fact, tbe feud between them had lasted for hundreds of years. The exact origins are unknown. However, some say it all started because of a small piece of territory. Said territory was held sacred by both groups. The exact reasons why remains unknown. However, with that said both groups weren't very keen on sharing.

Thus war broke out.

A war that killed thousands on both sides.

In the end, there were no winners just the people that managed to survive. Unfortunately, the bad blood between them never ceased. As such both groups tear each other apart even to this day.

"Amen sister!" Moonlight shouted from tbe across tbe room. The little filly was sitting at the table. On the said table were a dozen pointy objects. Some of these objects were black, some were grey. While others were a mixture of both. In most Equus households one of these items is called PR. The witch is short for protector. However, the media and tbe government calls them by another name.

Guns,

And there were a lot of them.

Moonlight had everything from small arms fire to automatic assault rifles. Said firepower was laid out on tbe table. Moonlight took her time inspecting each one before putting bullets in tbe chamber, and she did so with practice ease. So much so that it looked as if she did over a dozen times before. Which in itself isn't exactly far from the truth.

With Equestria being what it is many took to owning guns as a way to protect themselves from danger. Unfortunately said gun laws are so strict that thousands took to buying guns off the street. Ever since then gun violence has increased dramatically. Many used this as an opportunity to create even more stricter gun laws. However, those in power have failed to make a distinction between those who commit a crime using guns, and those who were simply defending themselves. Regardless those in power called this an epidemic. Said epidemic has lasted for a decade now. With no signs of stopping any time soon. Especially considering that physically over 69% of equestrians both predator and prey you legally own a firearm. With the rest using other means of protection. It gets even worse consider that those with a family are seven times more likely to buy a gun than those without.

There were many arguments regarding this. Many asking themselves if the parents are right for doing so. However, in Night's case, she wasn't the one who brought said guns into her household. Rather it was a family friend who done it for her. Said, friend also spent months teaching her children how to use them. It also helped that she was ex-military. Not only that but she was also a Bat pony. Which meant she was looking out for her own. That's the whole reason she did so in the first place.

In Equestria, you look out for your own and no one else.

"Dinner is almost ready!" Night called from the kitchen. The mother of four was currently cooking some fish. The closes thing you could get to actual meat without it being illegal. Of course with that said she was by no means oblivious. Her twin daughters Hard and Soft Tap have told her what they witnessed. To say she was disappointed would be an understatement. The whole reason they moved was to get away from that type of environment. With that said Night wasn't a fool she knew that it was mostly wishful thinking on her part. Regardless there wasn't much she could do. Not when her eldest daughter Hard Tap told her that she will handle it. In a world like this, she couldn't afford to baby her children. At least not when it comes to situations like these. She learned that doing so could mean the difference between life and death. Besides over worrying will solve nothing. Calling law enforcement to the scene would just draw unwanted attention to themselves. It's not like they would come to their aide anyway. They don't bother coming to a neighborhood full of predators. In their minds, they love the fact that predators are actively killing one another.

Equestria is for ponies after all.

At least that's what Night learned.

The rights they do have are merely an illusion.

"I think I already know what it is" Moonlight muttered rolling her eyes. They have been eating fish for a week now. At this point, she would kill for some bacon.

Literally.

"Do you need help?'

Moonlight couldn't help but jump at the sound of her brother's voice. Turning her head she realized that he was standing right beside her.

Moonlight shrugged. In truth, she was almost done. Then again it wouldn't hurt to double-check. As if reading her mind Strong smiled.

Seeing this Soft Tap went over and decided to lend a hoof.

As she did Hard immediately tackled her from behind.

"DUCK!' The mare screamed.

Not a second too late.

BANG! BANG!

The sound of glass shattering could be heard.

Night screamed.