Dusk, better known as Ripper among his compatriots nowadays, was on one of the newly constructed steam-powered clockwork ships. It had been practically thirty years since he and the rest of the Exiles were shipped off on a boat to the Southern Isles as the sentence for their "treason" against The Crown and the Ponies of Equestria. Even his allies, some of whom were children of nobles or famous generals, were also shipped off to this hellish region full of monsters not even thought of in myths, to phenomena that should not have been natural and yet was.
What was the crime that they committed that was so bad that they were to be shipped off to a set of desolate and far-away islands? Learning too much about the secrets of the nobles and Queen of Equestia as well as the Southern Isles. A crime in the nation that was punishable by death, at the least. Exile was considered the worst of all punishments as it meant getting shipped off to foreign lands to live off the rest of your days at those primitive islands, or to die at the ocean. Then again, considering the state of Equestria as a whole, that wasn't much of a punishment. From a glance, it seemed the nation was well-off and everyone was fine, but if you were to look close and ignore the false rumors, you would see the dark truth in the old towns that were scattered all across Equestria.
The lives that the lower class of Equestria had lived was no better than that of the trash that littered the numerous "dump" cities below Canterlot, to them death was a common factor in their lives and the idea of execution was more pleasant than a slow death by disease. Knowledge was also sparse and reserved for the upper class as libraries in the lower towns and villages were either empty and desolate or "mysteriously" burned down in the wake of dawn, unlike the brand-new libraries in cities like Canterlot which had regulated books placed in, where young nobles could study the revised and majestic history of Equestria and how the nobles and Queen had transformed it from a bunch of warring tribes into a magnificent nation that was the envy of the world. In reality, Equestria was less of a nation and more of a set of wealthy bastards with influence along with a great number of poor ponies who barely scraped by on the harvests that they collected or on the water that had to be refined for consumption because the rivers were polluted from the septic waste being pumped out of the grand cities. Even so, it wasn't that bad on the West Coast. Just a few towns, poor villages, and the grand city of Canterlot looming above them all. Ripper had grown up in one of these poor villages, the slums as they were called, and he was happy enough. Consumable food, drinkable water, and a pair of great parents that he loved. Even some of the lesser nobles weren't as stuck-up as they often came down and paid good money for treats or materials. It would only be after he heard the stories of how bad Equestria was off to the East that made him realize how bad the country was. The Queen didn't care for the people as much as she should have, instead she used her power to keep Canterlot a paradise for the nobles and the rest of Equestria all gloomy as well as to weed out the rebels who questioned her reign. The nobles also didn't care two bits for the ponies that were worse off, as they were delighted with their cushy lives and being tended to by their servants.
Now, the Exiles were returning to their former home of Equestria to fix the country in the only way that was left. They were going to infiltrate Equestria, steadily erode at the foundation of it and then light the powder keg that was the instability of the Equestria's rule and set off a Revolution. A war, if you'd like to be more precise. Everyone aboard the ship knew the consequences if they were to start a war. They'd all be labeled as foreign invaders, off to invade Equestria and conquer it. Propaganda and the need to maintain a false cover was necessary for the ruling class so they could keep the "lesser" ponies in check. That was why they would need to devastate the country as badly as needed. Usurp the monarchy, damage the upper-class, and unite the citizens against both the "invaders" and the rulers. With some carefully planted seeds of knowledge, some manipulation of the Queen's daughters, and some ideally planted spies in the hierarchy and they would be able to, hopefully, bring down the old nation of Equestria and establish a Utopia of peace, prosperity, and hope. The mere idea made the leader of the Exiles shudder in anticipation, fear, and worry. The plan was risky, problematic and could possibly lead to the annihilation of either faction which is why they needed to be careful.
Ripper, realizing that the truth would need to be concealed in case Equestria did indeed become an ideal nation, decided to collect an amalgam of journals he had written about his adventures and compose them into three unique diaries. With some dark magic and dangerous tinkering, he sealed the three diaries with a unique lock that would only open to particular individuals. He decided to plan out how to improve the seals later as he continued thinking on where to hide the books. "first, I'll had my first journal in the clouds..." he began. "The second...Maybe in a vault at my old home and the third..." he carefully hefted the third incomplete journal. "Princess Luna. Yes, she's the best individual to guard the book." he hesitated briefly as he considered how idiotic it was to trust the enemy's child, the same child whose mother he would probably have to slay, with a dangerous amalgam of knowledge regarding a plot to destabilize Equestria and begin it anew. He finally made his decision and smirked. No, she would be the best for the job. Though he never met the Princess in person, he heard from his friend "Shade" about the kindly princess who constantly pursued new ideals and often questioned her mother. She would understand why they did what they needed to do and the dangers of letting the book fall into the wrong hands. She would keep it safe..."I hope, at least," mumbled Ripper.
He went to the bow of the ship and turned around to survey the soldiers and civilians aboard the ship. Over the past 30 years, the Exiles, now called the Darklings following their conversion, had steadily grown in numbers and power. Their unity, all of them joined by a common cause and united under a single flag, had allowed their small society to grow at a rapid rate. Within years, by using books, parts, and notes that they salvaged from broken ships out in the ocean from Exile ships that had not made it to the isles, they had composed their Equestrian language into writing, had composed a currency system, and a hierarchy with various positions to help regulate workers and/or various duties. Using old knowledge aboard the island, they also learned how to create advanced weaponry, also known as "guns" by the soldiers, by using clockwork parts from old mechanisms, advanced transport that were based on the old steam boats of Equestria, but faster and stronger, as well as a primitive magical powering-system for their small towns. Undoubtedly, they advanced rapidly and had soon populated three isles in the Southern Isles region. One of their greatest achievements though, and one that some regretted, was the conversion from ordinary ponies to...Shadowy version of their old selves. Jet-black manes, sharp teeth, the ability for all of them to utilize dark magic and to even sprout wings, these were just some of the few perks that came with the transformation. One of the more negative ones was the vulnerability to sunlight that rendered them near-blinded and confused along with weakening their natural magic substantially. As they learned the hard way, the night was now their friend, a realization that within two decades led to them creating a technological and magical fusion to be able to create an artificial night in select regions, more specifically their towns.
But all was not as peaceful and serene as many would like. Threats from the locals creatures, most of whom had been corrupted through unusual means, often led to the townies to have to defend themselves. Other threats such as those of the unusual and murderous clockwork machines also led to them staying on their toes, but the greatest threat of them all came from two rivaling factions: The Brotherhood, the original dwellers of the Southern Isles who quite possibly also led to manipulation of the Queen and decay in Equestria and the opposing faction of the Darklings named The Followers of the Light who refused to change like the others, return to Equestria or even admit that something was wrong with their homeland. It would be The Followers of the Light who amassed into a society akin to Equestria's and often led raids against the Darklings to "kill the corrupted" and to also "fulfill the will of The Goddess, Our Queen". Ripper casually regarded them as no more than a nuisance, but was troubled by their increasing numbers, which led to him to suspect that they gathered and converted exiled survivors in the ocean to their foolish beliefs when the Darklings were too busy.
Once again, Ripper examined the multitudes aboard the ship and found his gaze fell upon the scattered groups of ordinary ponies who refused to ally themselves with either faction and simply wished to return home. They were led by his first love...a beautiful pegasus as blue as the sky with a bravery that even he admired. Her name, was Skyfall. He found his expression soften as he watched her with a wishful look. He wished for her to join him by his side once again, for long ago they were such good friends, but now...Now they were just neighbors, foreign to each other. For a tiny moment, her gaze met his with a similar longing, but she turned away quickly and went back to helping out the ordinary ponies. Ripper sat down and felt a lump form in his throat as his eyes slightly watered. "I miss you..." he whispered softly, the words though strong their meaning may be, were lost among the wind and the clanging of machinery within the warship. He knew that their paths, though intertwined before, were never going to be close together again. They both made their choices, the Leader of the Rebels, and the leader of the Lost, one group whose wish was to bring down their old nation and help mend it, and the other group whose only hope was to return back to their family and reclaim their old home.
With a final deep breath, he swiveled around and gazed outward into the ocean and upon the steadily growing landmass. An eerie smile spread across his face and he loaded a rifle with his magic. "The season is'a'changing and so are the times."
A click echoed out as the first round went into the gun's loading chamber.
"And we're'acoming with bullets aplenty."