Prologue
"War does not determine who is right, only who is left."
Equestria, a land that was once filled with infinite beauty and glamour. Her contents were filled with rolling green hills and long, winding rivers of clear water. This is where everything and anything lived in what seemed to be an eternal harmony. All those that presided within its borders were happy and even proud to sacrifice anything they could to maintain what was believed back then to be an endless golden age. Even her rulers, two fair Princesses, ruled with a justice for decades upon centuries. They might have even watched over this graceful treasure for a millennium or more! The Princesses did not rule over Equestria for themselves however. Rather, they ruled her for the sake of all those she had taken care of in the past, present, and the future.
Their influence did not just fall past the borders of Equestria but all of the lands that surrounded her as well. Pushing the rest of the world to follow by example and live such as the citizens of Equestria had. Though not all past Equestria's borders enjoyed the exquisite life as an Equestrian citizen, many were still given the chance to make something of their life. All of this was due to the range of diversity that flowed past every bordering mountain and water mass that stood before her majesty, Equestria. It was almost as if this nations uprising and continuity had brought a universal harmony to all of those who lived in that precious time. It seemed that as long as Equestria enjoyed an enlightened age, so too would the rest of the world.
Yet everything must end eventually.
After a long series of catastrophes, ranging from droughts and plagues to riots and wars, Equestria and all those that surrounded her fell into a dark depression. None of this happened at the exact moment of course; but much of it occurred closely together. It was this long series of failures and accidents that brought the slow and painful blow down on Equestria, crippling her and the entire world. All of this brought upon by a simple act of greed.
As the resources of the lands diminished, so too did animosity and patience. With the loss of 'precious'resources came the long and still continuing chain of unfortunate events. Through this all, the harmony that once reigned supreme through the lands would shrivel up more and more until... there was nothing left. The loss of the harmony that had kept the bonds of Equestria together, making her who she was, was the last one that had brought her to her knees. There was no longer a sense of union, pride, glory, or honour for those who still 'lived' in this world. With these losses came the torrent of chaos and destruction that was expected. Moreover, with this chaos came a new era that the world would experience for an untold amount of time. An era of hatred and anger would rise forth, plaguing all of those who still stood against the inevitable. It buried the former glory of Equestria and all her beauty in a flood of fire, pain, ruin, and blood.
In this new era is where all reside in what was once Equestria, unfortunately. There is nowhere to flee, nowhere to escape to from this infinite cloud of death that covers all. Where may one run to in the dream of a better life when a land filled with nothing but poison is better than those that reside around her? Beyond Equestria's borders lies the shambles of what once were her powerful allies. Now only turmoil and a resolute dream of surviving another day is all that resides in the people's hearts and minds. Only pushing the populace deeper and deeper into the deep cataclysm that they had dug for themselves.
Yet, in these dark times rises fools with spontaneous dreams of a brighter and cleaner future. Not for themselves; but rather for others. These people choose this most difficult path and in doing so, accept the depraved life that joins it. However, when the sun rises over Equestria and her neighbors once again, not through thick smoke and dark clouds but through clear skies, all will remember who helped to rebuild the luscious life that we once enjoyed. All will know the sacrifice that these fools gave for a brighter future.
Sometimes heroes can be mistaken for fools...
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