2nd Hand Nightmare

All throughout the night, your house shakes and trembles with explosions outside. Battle cries and screams of pain persist for hours. Hours upon hours you hear good soldiers die in the name of their country and beliefs. During all of this, your sitting in your dark, musty basement. You have tried endlessly to find a light or match, but no luck. So, in the end, your sitting on the cold, hard floor. Listening to pointless death. You don't even know what all the fighting is about. Just Princesses Luna, and Celestia got into some huge fight about government. Ever since then, Equestria has split into a West and East side. The countries were at each-others throat for a long time. Then somepony said something to the other and all out war has been raging ever since.

None of it mattered to you, until your house was blown up, and you were forced into the basement. You hear banging on your front door, and snap of wood, then a volley of hoofsteps. You hear voices. Rough and battle hardened. Being careful not to make any noise on the cold concrete, you slowly walk to the basement door. The only way you could locate it was from a crack in the middle of the trapdoor. Somepony passes in front of the light and stands in front of it. You stand very still. Careful not to breathe too loud. There sounds like many ponies in there. "SHUT UP! ALL OF YOU!" Your heart skips a beat.

The voice is male. Probably a leader because he talks to the others like that. "Now," Begins the rough voice of the leader. "They've pushed us back this far, but we can get the advantage back from the rooftops. We can move around easily and snipe them. You two, find a way up to the rooftops. You, keep an eye out for those sun loving scum. If you see any, don't shoot unless necessary. But this time, try not to blow something up." "YES SIR!" Says another voice. This one sounded female. This comes as a shock because you didn't know girls were allowed in the army. You've always found this sexist, but that's what the Solar Empire always has done. They have tried to say it was for protection of the city. (They have an enrollment for females in guarding the royal palace, but they are not allowed to fight on the front lines.) But it seems the NLR allows this.

You try to think highly of them, but the empire always is drilling how ruthless and merciless the NLR is into everyponies head. But you know better. But it doesn't keep you from being afraid when they come blowing up your village. You would be out there now fighting them if you were only a year older. But most guys were not so lucky. They were drafted. Most don.t come home. Sad but true. There was even a memorial for all of those lost from our village being made in the town hall. Its probably rubble now. The ponies in your dining room (the room your basement trapdoor was placed), disperse to take out their various orders. Happily, even the one in front of the crack. Light streams back into the dark room. After waiting a minute, you hear nothing. You carefully climb the wooden stairs to your door. Gladly, they don't creak because you had them replaced that summer. Ever so lightly, you begin to lift up the hatch. The early morning light stings your eyes through the open door.

You can see your front door across the room. From the looks of the splintered latch, they kicked it in. You look right and see your living room from under the table and chairs. There are legs dressed in a dark blue uniform. This soldier is positioned in front of the window. Your hear more hoofsteps and to your left, you see another soldier coming down the stairs. Carefully, but quickly, you close the door and tip-toe down the stairs. "Sir, There is a patrol of them coming up the street." This is the female from earlier. Once again, you hear the rough voice, " Yes, I know. The other two are having trouble too. They cant get onto the roof from the back side. We are going to have to attack them when they pass by the house. I will go and get the others. Stay here and keep your head down." Yes Sir." She whispered. A minute later, you hear more hoofsteps coming down the stairs. Out of curiosity, you climb the steps and carefully open the door. Two of them are lined up by the front door, and the other two by the window. For the first time, you see their faces. The girl, has a bright red mane, and is slender. She looks very scared and is almost covering in the corner, but is still near the window. Ready to do her job. "On my signal, we ambush." The leader says.

He is crouching next to the girl. His face is crisscrossed with scars. His uniform is even worse for wear. The other three's uniforms are in decent condition, but his are practically rags. Barely hanging on to his shoulders. He puts his hoof in the air. The other three tense up. You see a white uniform through the window. Slowly, and carefully moving up the street. Time goes in slow motion as the leaders hoof reaches the ground. With a blood-curdling cry, two soldiers charge out through the door, and the leader breaks the window the shoot. You see a soldier on the street, jerk to the side, as if hit in the ribs. A moment later, a NLR soldier is thrown through the open doorway. He hits the railing with a sickening thud. His already dark uniform, is getting darker. He coughs hard, spraying blood. Then falls to the floor. Dead. What hit him, hit him in the chest. Probably a lung. The one that went out with him, falls to the ground outside. The leader is still screaming. Streaks of white are rapidly leaving his horn and suddenly, he stops everything. And he falls to the ground.

There is a Solar Empire soldier standing in the doorway. Horn pointed at him. You didn't even see that one shooting. But you read that the spell that is used for combat, isn't always visible. You also read that unicorns are mostly used for ground troops. Because of said spell. Anyways, his heavy body falls backwards onto the side of your sofa. And he tumbles to the ground. The girl is cowering in the corner. Hooves in the air and horn pointed up. "Don't you move a muscle!" The soldier bellows. as he steps closer to her. "Get the chains and the cover!" He yells out the door. Soon after, a short soldier runs in, carrying leg irons, and a cap to go over the horn. The way the cap works is that is absorbs all magical energy that is released into it. So if put over a horn, renders the horn useless. "Put them on her." The soldier commands. Just before he puts the cap on her, she lashes out. Kicks the short soldier in the head, sending him sprawling. She points her head down, horn aimed directly at the commander. For years to come, you will try with no success to forget the image of the commander's head being torn apart by the shot.

But, just as fast as she shot him, she is dispatched by another soldier looking in through the window. She falls to the ground next to her dead comrades. There is blood everywhere and on everything. But it doesn't seem to bother the empire's soldiers. They begin to drag the bodies out through the front door and place them on the sidewalk to be collected later. Blankets are thrown over them to cover their faces. You, are horrified. Your knees are weak as jelly. Your jaw agape. Closing the door, you wish you could unsee what you saw. Knees being weak, you loose your footing. You try to grasp the walls for balance, but they are as smooth as tile.  With nothing to stop your fall, you go headlong into the stairs with a load bang. You limply roll down the last few steps. The world spinning, you begin to feel sleepy. Then, you feel nothing as you become unconscious.

Sorry if this gets too gruesome in any way. I am still new to writing.