Deep Freeze

It has been 6 years since the event many have dubbed "The Deep Freeze." Meteors, seemingly from nowhere, smashed into the lands across Equestria, killing thousands from the initial impacts. Thousands more fell victim to inhaling the toxic dust released from the impact sites that spread throughout the air within mere days. It was this same dust that found its way into the atmosphere. Soon days began to end faster and faster, with darkness encroaching upon time that normally would have been filled with Celestia's Sun. At first it was seen as Luna's doing, but this theory was quickly put to rest by Celestia herself. Despite their best efforts, Pegasi could do nothing against the toxic dust that threatened to blot out the Sun completely. And it did.

Soon after, the snow came. A gray, sickly looking snow compared to the normally rich, white snow that usually came during Winter. This too, was lethal, having been formed from the toxic clouds now covering the skies completely. The endless nights and freezing cold began to take its toll on the weary survivors of the initial impacts. Countless lives were lost as many tried to leave in search of locations unaffected by the disaster. Hordes of ponies could be found, frozen solid trying to leave the major cities and towns; a grim reminder of just how deadly the freezing temperatures were.

Soon came the blizzards. Deadly, toxic, windswept snow battered and tormented the surviving ponies, claiming even more lives as they raged on. Teams of researchers made up of Pegasi, Earth Ponies, and Unicorns alike searched for a solution to the blizzards which only seemed to grow in size and ferocity. Soon after, magically adept Unicorns were dispatched in teams of three to all major cities in Equestria to protect them against the blizzards. These "blizzard teams" kept the lethal snowstorms at bay for a time, by conjuring magical barriers around the cities. But as the blizzards intensified, the fatigue from the prolonged usage of the spells took its toll on these Unicorns, and one by one, these cities were overtaken by the poisonous snow that threatened to overtake the entire world. Only a few scattered towns and cities remain now.

Celestia's death struck came as an unexpected, and near fatal blow to the Equestrian monarchy, leaving her sister Luna to take on her sister's responsibilities as well as her own. This proved to be too much for the Princess of the Night to handle, and she vanished without a trace, leaving no one to take the throne. She is presumed dead. With both Princesses gone, all sense of government crumbled, and anarchy soon broke out, spreading through surviving cities like a plague. Roving bands of marauding bandits roamed the frozen wasteland, killing, stealing, and raping as they pleased. Soon the slave trade erupted like a vile volcano. Groups of slavers roamed the icy wasteland that once was Equestria, they preyed on the weakened, weary survivors, corralling them into pens and strapping modified prison collars onto their necks; ones that would now kill instead of subdue. The Royal Guard, now the only active military force in Equestria, worked to quickly eradicate these groups, finally succeeding within four months, wiping out nearly all of the slavers, bandits, and anarchists.

The came Heat.

In the months following the Royal Guard's victory, groups of bandits, slavers, and anarchists alike were all united under one flag. They were heavily armed, and fiercely loyal to their charismatic leader known only as "Fire." He led an attack on the heart of the Royal Guard's operations, Canterlot. The Royal Guard was unprepared for such an attack, losing many of their members in the initial strike. A bloody and prolonged conflict raged on for days, until Heat's forces finally retreated. Heat had struck a sizable blow to the Royal Guard's forces, leaving them weakened and wounded. More attacks followed, now at the surrounding cities and towns, forcing the Guard to send a portion of their forces to each of the cities the protect them.

After months of attacks, growing in size and intensity, the Guard could not defend much longer. They had no other choice. They needed to go on the offensive now, or risk losing what little grip they had on what was left of Equestria. However, with their ranks spread thin, no new recruits, and only nine squads of five ponies, it looked as if this was a dead end for the once great Royal Guard...