Rise from the Ashes - Prologue - The Equestria War

It all began, within the walls of Equestria. A land broken up into six kingdoms embodied with life and prosperity. The first kingdom, known as Canterlot was home to the rulers of Princess Celestia, and her sister Princess Luna. Life there was plentiful and sublime, everything there seem just right. The Elements of Harmony lived within the walls of this kingdom; Applejack; the element of honesty, Rarity; the element of generosity, Pinkie Pie; the element of laughter, Fluttershy; the element of kindness, Rainbow Dash; the element of loyalty, and finally Twilight Sparkle; the element of magic. They kept this land safe from all threats big or small, not threat was too tough or as dangerous for the bunch.

The second kingdom was not as lovely or fortunate. It was the kingdom of the Changelings, a wicked race that could change their appearance to disguise as a pony and feed off one’s love. Life there was unimaginably harsh. It had towering skyscrapers with holes around the top that seemed straight out of a horror story, and the ruler; Queen Chrysalis, was among the cruelest of the cruel. She was very threatening, as she cared for her subjects and her subjects alone. She adopted a young changeling, a female named Quartz, and crowned her as princess of the changelings. Food was hard to find for the changelings due to their limited diet, which lead to a poor economy, which in turn led to kingdom-wide desperation. Such desperation, in fact, drove the queen to launch a full scale assault on Canterlot, though the efforts for prosperity were in vain. After that, a peace treaty was called by Celestia to give them a fair amount of food, provided they refrain from assaults on Equestria. Reluctantly, Chrysalis agreed, considering the condition the assault and poor economy left the changelings in.

The third kingdom was a mystical place, by the name of Kasaitatki. A kingdom covered in lanterns, surrounded by gorgeous scenery. Inhabited by deers with the ability to a similar magic of the unicorns through their antlers. Though since only the male deer had larger antlers and more powerful magic, they were usually the royal guard of the kingdom. Females typically only had small stubs, which meant their primary use was crafting tools for the guards and gathering food for their families. However, some females were born with incredibly strong magic, usually greater than that of the average male's, and would proudly join the royal guard. The leader was a large elk by the name of Golden Hoof, who was quite spoiled but fair to his kingdom. He had a light coat of brown and a white underbelly. He always appeared dignified, though citizens wondered if he was what he appeared to be. Golden Hoof had lost his wife to a terminal disease, which might have explained the reason for his odd behavior. Despite how he acted, he always gave the proper verdict when it came to a decision, and tried to maintain a calm public image. His palace was the largest structure in Kasaitatki; it was truly a sight for sore eyes, lighting up at night like a giant lantern.

The fourth was a land surrounded by snow, the name belonging to this kingdom was Chivagal. The cold outside might chase a few away, but the warmth of the buildings and community permeated through the frost. The kingdom had luxurious hotels and hot spots, and was by far the wealthiest kingdom in the world. The houses kept the ponies inside warm, and through the streets foals were playing. Theleader's attitude was the same as his kingdom's, and with the name of "Bearhug the Glorious"; one could easily determine that this was no typical kingdom! The stallion was very tall and his coat was a dark shade of brown, similar to his fabulous mustache. He have had little self-esteem, but he was very kind and welcoming to all. He ran the economy through a fair democracy in which all could agree in. He seemed childish and somewhat timid, but his wife helped him keep a good public image. She went by the name of Frostbite, and this pegasus was a beautiful sight. She was a tall light blue pegasus, with a mane as white as snow. Her eyes could be described as shining quartz. Frostbite was much more serious than her husband, but just as caring. She helped him make decisions to help the kingdom, and help keep the kingdom under control whenever there may be problems. These two together seemed to be as sweet as honey, as they loved each other very much and rarely argued. They were always together, always smiling, and there was no two ponies who were happier together.

The fifth kingdom was the most peaceful of all, Alla Ponaja. The kingdom consisted of a large valley with a few buildings in sight. The locals were polite and saw no reason for discrimination or grief. The sights were beautiful and flourishing with life, the lakes were large and perfect for both fishing and swimming. The ruler of this kingdom was a wise mare by the name of Heavenleaf. She had a slim figure with a light blue complexion, her mane was green, curled in such a way you’d swear her head was covered in leaves. Her tail looked similar, but was considered to be akin to a tree’s branch. She was a mare of few words, but is often reasonable and will help any of the locals in need. Despite her approachable attitude, she is not one to take orders and will not tolerate any locals picking on each other or starting fights. She does not go by the title of princess and referred to herself as chief. At all, she kept herself as calm as possible, her village maintaining the same coolness their leader did.

The sixth and final was one shrouded in machinery, the kingdom known as Valkor. Everything ran with gears and metal, there was barely a tree in sight. Tall factories sprouted giant smokestacks spewing black mist, filled with robots and hard working ponies. Very few civilians walked the streets since machinery seems to do everything for them. A giant metal ring surrounds the kingdom, with no cracks or holes within it. The only way in it is through a giant gate at the northeast entrance. They are masters at making weapons for the guard, from everything to swords to cannons. The one who rules this kingdom is remained a mystery, she never turns up for meetings and never steps outside the palace. Only those working for her or in the royal guard even knows her name, but nothing more is revealed about her. When she speaks to her subjects she talks through speakers throughout the entire kingdom.

Despite what has been said about each realm, every leader has a quarrel against each other. Nothing more than petty arguments, mind you, but they got rather defensive when it came to any sort of criticism; the tension was so thick, it seemed to create a fog between the kingdoms. Then it all changed...when it happened. Each kingdom awoke to find the senator of each kingdom murdered and crucial pieces of evidence left behind. The evidence was pony fur, more specifically, fur from a pony of a different kingdom. There were wild accusations that each kingdom intended to murder the senator of their kingdoms. These accusations led the civilians to cry for war. The results of these cries lead to the tragedy known as ‘the Equestrian War’.

An unbelievable amount of lives were lost in this war, and all the lands were ravaged either from need of supplies or constant bombardment from enemy armies. It didn’t matter to most of the rulers, as their treasuries were still quite full, until the war’s end about five years later. Nearly seventy-five percent of all the kingdom’s population had gone down in the war; among them, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, two of the Elements of Harmony, are simply lifeless husks, their memories preserved by crumbling statues. Princess Celestia disappeared during the war, and it didn’t take long for Twilight Sparkle to follow suit. The leaders all met up one last time, but instead of fighting they all signed a peace treaty to to never, ever start a war with each other again; the genocide was just too much for anypony to handle. With a very poor and limited economy, the kingdoms all tried to rebuild and heal. However, bonds were shattered during the war, some of which could not be restored; certain ponies were not allowed to immigrate to certain kingdoms. Valkor had turned in on itself to the point where civilians started fighting each other, and with the excessive violence, it had been renamed to "No Pony's Land." Everything had fallen into misery and despair, and all hope was lost...