My Little Dishonored: Revenge is the only Magic
It had been a thousand years since the end of Celestia's rule, she and Luna gave the Elements rule over Equestria however with her and Luna's depart the powers of unicorn's and pegasi were lost, only the Elements now turned alicorn were the only ones left with powers, however by combining there power they made the sun and moon move by there selves, the seasons change during certain times of the year and weather changed naturally, with these new changes to the world people began working on increases in technology, with these new technologies the planet changed from a world of nature to a world of "steam punk" as the people called it, nine hundred years in to the Elements rule however a plaque came along this plaque turned people into mindless creature roaming the streets, no one knew the case some blamed it on the technology and demanded it was destroyed, the queens refused, other's believed it was Celestia or Faust's return, but a few in minority believed it was the vermin but there were not enough for it to a believed idea and so many were changed and the queens told there scientist to: A) come up with a cure and B) away to control the disease, however a rebellion was growing in the borderlands of: people, griffins, minotaures and diamond dogs, these rebels wished to over throw the queens and take rule over Equestria, however the queens defenses were too strong and so the rebels gained more to there ranks, the queens needed a way to deal with the rebels so they sent a letter to a man on the "Isle of Mare" where the letter would find itself in the hands of the lonely assassin Deathwatch.
That is Equestria's latest updated history but what it doesn't say is Deathwatch was a prisoner on the Isle of Mare and the rather gory details of how he escaped.