The Ash Den: Bathed in War

Its been almost half a decade since the one known simply as "Leader" had overthrown the Princesses and taken over almost all of Equestria, or at least the remnants of it. The once great and peaceful land known as Equestria is gone, long gone. As anyone could have guessed the ponies of this land didn't exactly take too kindly to somepony simply taking the throne and declaring themselves dictator. Those who opposed Leader would soon be silenced by either fear or death and entire cities would be crushed. That is how the place we used to call home became a war-torn wasteland and how what we now call the "Ash Den" came to be. After the initial riots and protests were put down by what could only be described as monstrosities of metal and smoke, the one who called themselves Leader made it known that any that opposed his rule would be snuffed out of existence. He truly meant those words and he would prove those it true by flattening most of the outer communities and cities of Equestria, only the ruins of some places being left behind, leaving the rest untouched or demolished beyond anything that could be recognized. This is when the rest of us realized we couldn't stop this with a simple rebellion but an entire army built to opposite the power of Leader. The Crystal Empire and those who allied with us would put together an army and try to overtake Leader and their unnatural forces. We were destroyed and Leader decided to attack us back in order to make sure we never took up arms again. The Crystal Empire and the rest of our allies were struck down and mostly obliterated and afterwards were given the option to surrender. The Crystal Empire would instead cut ties with us and disappear as it had done once before, leaving those of us who still opposed Leader weak and unorganised. Cloudsdale would soon leave as well, taking away our only advantage and the only chance we had against Leader, air superiority. So, with the two strongest allies to the rebellion gone, we had no other choice but to hide on the burnt edges of the map and find a way to take back our home. We would do this by taking time to organize into something more than a rebellion, but a force equal to that of Leader and one powered by what made Equestria a beautiful land. We would form the Clover Alliance, a unified army made up of those loyal to the princesses and we developed our own technologies in order to combat Leader's own forces. Tanks, machines of war built in the likes of Leader's own monsters but piloted by ponies. We now had a way to take down the tyrant who took over and destroy his army, or so we thought. While we were developing machines to fight off the metal monsters that Leader had created, they were also developing new and improved machines that would soon tower over those previous monsters he had used to take over. We would find this out when our new forces were crushed with little effort. These new machines of Leader's had minds like a living creature and were no longer just drones. Leader had a full-strength military in their grasp with mechanical generals and strategists while we had only those who had commanded armies of hoof soldiers. This is where we would do something that would cross the moral lines and strayed into the domain of dark science and magic. We began experimentation on the bodies and minds of the living in an attempt to create a new breed of pony able to keep up with the intelligence of machines. We needed to fight fire with fire and created our own monsters with the mind of a top-notch military commander and the body of a beast. Splicing DNA of pony and wild animals to get the rage and brutal fighting force of nature and the tactical mind of a pony. Our creation was successful after years and the course of the war could be changed. We put these ponies bred for war into place as commanders and specialty units so we could finally stand a chance against Leader. It worked, we could finally push back and soon we were no longer the underdogs but a powerful force that could see our goal through. We could finally take back Equestria and once again live in peace and prosperity. Sadly, I will not be able to see it with my own eyes. I have done my part in this war and although my time in this world is coming to an end yours is not. I may have created you as a tool for war but you are still my son. Make me proud and bring this war to an end. -Galileo Mark