Dear Princess Celestia,

I have decided to write you this synopsis of the history of Clean Ages (and the investigations that followed) in the form of a few comments based upon entries that you might find of use, and have trimmed quite a bit of the repetitive and mundane information. I do hope that this will not disappoint you, but as I believe you are quite busy, it might be in your best interest: I find that the bureau had a habit of redundancy in their method of reporting.

I shall start by revisiting a bit of background history contained herein of Clean Ages. In the year 1212, the earth was first struck at the rocky wasteland that rests on the shores of the Light Waters by an expedition group named The Bejeweled Leopard. Paid for by The Sister of Clouds, the expedition party consisted of 8 individuals: 7 ponies from The Sister of Clouds, and one individual from Canterlot by the name of Compass Rose. Compass Rose was to oversee the project of the construction of Clean Ages until such time as he was dismissed from this duty (most presumably when the settlement became self-sufficient in terms of management and governing). It should also be said that the expedition leader was a miner by the name of Amethyst Spark, who acted as an assistant to Compass Rose when possible.

The first difficulty that was encountered by the expedition party was the lack of arable land in the area that was selected for the settlement. A quote received from a farmer named Ochre Sap states: "It looked like a volcano must have erupted near the site we were going to start building at. The grass was mostly dead, and there was this hard, black, rocky covering over a lot of the land. All I could think was that they might be expecting a little much of me to turn this scorched earth into something useful." The difficulty in preparing the land for farming was not their only concern, as the few creatures they had brought with them either struggled to find game to hunt for or foliage to sustain themselves. This apparently took a toll on the settlement's early food supplies, which is noted in many of the accounts recorded in this file by the original seven ponies of Clean Ages.

Hardships continued when the settlement went two years without the arrival of a caravan from The Sister of Clouds to bring supplies (this is referenced in the case files by shipping manifests that are all labeled as 'incomplete'). Reports state that all the caravans sent to the settlement were intercepted before reaching their destination for various reasons: One autumn report states that the land was impassable due to the wagon axles breaking on the rocky surface of the land. The following summer, the next caravan suffered casualties to an attack from a pack of jaguars and could not complete the journey. Winter of the next year, the third attempt to send a supply caravan got caught in inclement weather and could not continue, thus were forced to turn back. It was not until the Spring of the year 1214 that the settlement finally received a bit of relief when a nearby Zebra tribe in the surrounding wilderness encountered the settlement and began openly trading with them: Their precious gems and animal products in exchange for food and protection (in the form of tamed wild beasts, such as one noted account of a leopardess that slept most commonly upon the archway leading into the settlement and acted as a guard).

To clarify the mention of animal products, it is to be noted that one of the many obstacles to overcome was the natural wildlife in the area. I am a bit ignorant as to which creatures in this world have intelligence and which are merely beasts, but it appears that camels caused quite a bit of trouble for Clean Ages. Please see the following quote from Trigger Twitch, a markspony in the Clean Ages militia at the time: "The little grass in the surrounding area was being eaten by the camels that would wander about the rocky wastes. I think it was early spring of 1213 when Compass Rose wandered into the archery range and took Captain Fletch aside to tell her to change our target practice objectives. Instead of practicing on target dummies, we were told to hold patrols and get our practice in on moving targets: On the camels that would commonly roam into view of the city. We received a lot of support from the melee division; Lightning Flash saved plenty of the rookies who would only wound the buggers and piss them off. We lost a couple of fledgling marksponies over the following years, but we never received notice from Compass Rose to change our pattern, so we accepted it."

Please see the below statement from an investigator with the Sister of Clouds Investigation Bureau (SCIB) named Pince Nez:

"In the midwinter of the year 1218, disaster befell the settlement of Clean Ages when an unwelcome visitor approached the city's walls. "Rano Warmhearts the Silvery Death" is the name that was given to this creature, and happens to be one that most are familiar with. This white dragoness was a sworn enemy to practically all of the provinces of Equestria, as well as a few civilizations that lie outside of Equestria's borders. When the dragoness was spotted on the horizon, the survivors reported that Compass Rose ordered all civilians to go into the subterranean dining hall used for the miners and seal the stone doors behind them. Two squads of the Clean Ages militia were ordered to the ready, and the remaining two squads were stationed behind the walls to await further orders.

Lightning Flash was designated the leader of the melee division, and the other division was comprised of trained marksponies under the direction of Fletch Arc. While the militia did what little preparations it could, the beasts of war were released upon Rano Warmhearts in hopes to distract and possibly weaken her. This brought upon the death of a jaguar, two leopards (and one cub), two dogs, and one honey badger."

To give a more accurate depiction of the encounter, I shall interrupt Pince Nez's second-hand information of the conflict with a recount from one of the ponies in Lightning Flash's division, Viridian Switch:

"The Captain (Lightning Flash) stood in front of us right outside the gates of Clean Ages, commanding us to hold our positions until she gave the order. I could see Fletch's pegasus pony archers resting upon the walls above us to watch Rano's advance, and everypony seemed to fall silent in the ranks. There was fire. All we could see in the north was smoke and licks of flame erupting from the ground. The roars in the distance unsettled most of the stallions; I believe I even saw Incision tremble a bit. Watching a huge Clydesdale like him quake at a noise does not inspire much confidence, or even hope.

I will never forget the image we got to behold that day, however. Compass Rose, the brass-colored unicorn with a red, messy mane who we had all come to know as the mumbling overseer that simply sat in his office and barked orders every few days, was standing next to us. I never expected to see him in a chanfron and barding, much less wielding a short sword with his horn as he fell into our ranks."

I have reviewed many of the witness accounts that held information about Compass Rose's appearance during the crisis. All of them happen to have roughly the same information, but quite a few are vague, while others have varying degrees of harsh language when recollecting the scene. This is mostly speculation, but I have pieced together what I believe to be the most accurate depiction of the conversation that took place there:

"I'm at your command, Lightning."

"... What the hay are you doing, Rose? Get back in the fort."

"I want to help. Give me direction and I will follow it."

"You're not trained for live combat. You're only going to slow my division down."

"The will to protect those who look up to me should be all the training I need, Lightning."

"Stop it with the stupid sentiment, Rose, and get back in the fort! I'm not going to have some Canterlot desk-jokey undermine my authority of my squad!"

"I just want to..."

"You know what? We all have wants Rose, and right now, I don't much care what yours are. We're minutes away from Fletch giving us the signal to charge out and intercept that dragon, and what am I stuck doing? I'm bickering with some no-name pencil pusher from the Sun of Chance royal court because he 'wants' something. You want me to give you some orders? Fine, then I order you to get your scrawny hide back in that fort, crawl back into your hole-in-the-ground office, and stop playing make-believe that you'll actually be able to make a difference."

It is then unanimously agreed by all accounts that Compass Rose did retreat back into Clean Ages and remained absent during the following battle with Rano Warmhearts:

All direct quotes about the battle are rather messy and unappealing to repeat, so I will instead give an overview of the battle. Fletch's archery division reported that their attempts were ineffective, as the bolts they were using in their crossbows were either deflected or snapped on contact with Rano's plated scales. As they tried to surround the dragon, all the archery ponies could do was to divide her attention with their bolts. The two squads stationed behind Clean Ages' walls were tasked with collecting buckets of water, in case any of the fire spread to the settlement, and bringing more bolts to the marksponies in the field.

The melee division intercepted Rano with disastrous results: She was aware of their advance and released a breath of flame at the squad, choking quite a few in the smoke and causing them to struggle to the ground, while others suffered being lit ablaze. Three members of the ten-pony squad were able to continue fighting: Lightning, Incision, and Viridian. While Lightning engaged her head-on, Incision took a flanking position to try and disable the dragon by severing her hind legs with his axe. Viridian got beneath Rano during one of her attempts to swipe Lightning out of the air with her claws, hoping to disembowel her with a short sword to her unarmored belly. In desperation, she used her breath attack once more, and Lighting was hit with it directly.

A quote from Fletch herself regarding Lightning's demise: "I witnessed the embodiment of rage at that moment. Lightning Flash was engulfed in flames, the fur being burned from her flesh, yet she took her war hammer in both of her hooves and swung madly at Rano. Strike after strike connected to the dragoness' skull, and even after her breaths had stopped, the crunches of her scales and bones rang out while Lightning continued to ruin the carcass in her dying frenzy."

Lightning Flash did not survive the encounter, perishing shortly thereafter in the field due to severe burns and smoke inhalation. There is also a long list of names included of casualties. Overall, it is believed that thirteen ponies perished either during the battle or after due to wounds incurred during the encounter. Curiously enough, I believe you are familiar with the Head Doctor who gave the medical records following the crisis: Cross-Stitch. It seems she must have left the Sister of Clouds following her time in Clean Ages due to investigations being held to see if she was guilty of any cases of unintentional manslaughter (Ponyslaughter, as you may say here). That might explain why she is here in the Sun of Chance at this time.

"Compass Rose then left without even saying goodbye."

That is the most common statement made about the disappearance of Compass Rose. The more specific ones state that he packed up some of his belongings from his office and simply walked out of the gates of Clean Ages to never be seen again. Some had assumed he was on a search for something, or was going to survey the damage caused by Rano Warmhearts to begin issuing reconstruction orders, but it is evident that he was simply leaving Clean Ages behind him for good. The SCIB was unable to find any clues or leads as to his current whereabouts.

SCIB Investigator Pince Nez also had the following to report:

"Sister of Clouds authority was only made aware of the civil conflict that erupted in Clean Ages during the midspring of the following year (1219), when a supply caravan and outpost liaison carrying the personal congratulations of Lady Nimbus arrived to find the settlement in shambles and the population approximately half of what it was the year before.

A dispute had arisen from the absence of the Development Coordinator from the Sun of Chance. During this time, a band of rebels formed to oppose the suggested change in name of the settling group, and the conflict escalated to violent levels. Facing inevitable punishment, the rebels fled into the wastes surrounding Clean Ages. We have been able to find tracks and small camps left behind heading north, but the trail stops as it turns towards the Light Waters. As unlikely as it would be for them to drown themselves like lemmings, it is assumed that they were picked up by a passing sea craft, and remain in hiding outside of the borders of the Sister of Clouds."

There is quite a bit of shrouding around the precise cause of the uprising, but one singular fact seems to be present in each of the testimonies: The settling group's name was in line to be changed following the leave of Compass Rose. Some claimed this was because a new age was in place for Clean Ages, as it was now under not only new management, but had also bested the test of fate that was the attack of Rano Warmhearts. "The Bejeweled Leopard' was to be dissolved and reformed under the banner name "The Brave Natures".

The main activist against this idea was a blacksmith by the name of Thunder. (There seems to be rumor of involvement between him and the late Lightning Flash, but the only thing that is factual is that they were close friends.) Speculation suggests that it was during a conversation between Thunder and Incision (the Combat Medic who was on the field with Lightning during the battle against Rano Warmhearts) that the first violent outbreak began in this civil conflict. The most believable recounts that I would place my trust in state that Incision planned to back the decision to change the group's name in belief that they should shed their past in hopes of a new beginning. Thunder claimed this was a dishonor not only to Compass Rose, but to all the heroes of Clean Ages that perished during the fight with Rano Warmhearts. A physical struggle broke out when Thunder realized that Incision would have more political weight than him, and during their conflict, a rookie hammer pony who had been at the battle named Swift struck Incision over the head with a silver mace and splintered his skull, quickly dispatching of him. This is what started the few hours of violence that tore apart most of Clean Ages.

The miner pony named Amethyst, who was with the original 7 ponies of the expedition party, had this to say about the outbreak as she witnessed it:

"I had just come back up out of the mines after a week-long delve in hopes to find something useful. Ran out of water and food, so it was time to head back up, but everything was going crazy when I made it to the dining hall. I felt myself shoved behind an overturned table, and there was screaming and hollers everywhere. Crossbows were being fired over my head, and I felt Ochre covering me with his body as he told me to stay down and keep quiet.

Everypony was so angry, and this was far more than just one of the drunken brawls that were known to happen in the dining hall from time to time. It took a few minutes for the fighting to move outside of the hall and into the street, where I saw a lot of the ponies running to the gates away from the marksponies. No matter how much I screamed and asked, nopony would stop and let me know what was happening, or would stop the fighting. Ponies were being struck down with maces and knives, bolts were volleying back and forth, and fires started to burn.

It felt like I was in a nightmare, watching all of my friends hurting each other like that, but I just couldn't wake up.

Once the gates were closed behind the ponies though, everything got quiet again. I helped carry some wounded back to the infirmary, and went to go ask my friend Compass Rose what happened while I was on my mining trip. He was gone though, and nopony could tell me where he went. They said there was some sort of rebellion going on, and that the Bejeweled Leopard was now labeled an enemy of the Sister of Clouds. We were now officially The Brave Natures.

I didn't want to be one. It wasn't the Brave Natures who made Clean Ages. It was The Bejeweled Leopard that did, and I couldn't handle seeing everything I had worked for change to what we had hoped to escape when we started here. I jumped onto the caravan in Spring that came to congratulate everypony for what happened with some big dragon they killed so I could just head back to the Sister of Clouds. Clean Ages belonged to The Brave Natures now, and I was not welcome.

I just wanted it to go back the way it was. I lost what I called my home, and those I called my friends. Neither would ever be the same after what had happened."

There must still be the question of who is to blame for all of the mayhem that occurred in Clean Ages. Though it may not be the place of this editor to condemn a single individual, I will still give a few observations to help better inform you for your own decision. Rano Warmhearts was the start of the problem, most obviously, as it is she who attacked the settlement in the first place. Does this excuse the actions of those one could expect better of though? Lightning herself could be considered for her refusal to allow Compass Rose to assist in the defense of Clean Ages, which could very well be one of the reasons that he abandoned his post following the battle. Compass Rose might shoulder a fair bit of the blame through gross negligence and dereliction of duty: The lack of his guidance could be viewed as one of the causes of the civil conflicts. Can one be condemned for surrendering? Does one who cannot rise to expectations deserve mercy or wrath? Finally, one cannot forget that every single person/pony can and should be held accountable for their own decisions. Each individual that fought consciously decided to do so, for whatever reasons they believed justified it, and were not given an order or mandate from a superior to do so.

In closing, it should be stated that though Clean Ages suffered a terrible disaster, it still stands. Having had a new governor appointed there in the Summer of the year 1219, it remains as an outstretched olive branch of peace to the Zebras of the southwestern reaches, and is known well as a haven for weary travelers and traders passing through towards the port of Mongrelabbey seeking passage on the Light Waters. It is also recognized as having the largest silver mine within the borders of the Sister of Clouds, and in a very short time has become recognized enough to have a representative for them within the Sister of Clouds' royal court.

As for a personal note, you have my sympathies. As I understand it, Compass Rose was rather important to you, and I am sorry that there was not more that could be done in locating him. I am not sure if you can take comfort in this thought, but he was respected enough that the attempt to dishonor him by removing the name of his group of settlers brought about conflict reserved only for subjects that individuals hold most dear. As an overseer, as a friend, and as your associate, he will be remembered fondly by those who knew him.

From the Unfortunate Article of your Whim,
Benjamen Prodder

Author's Notes:

Chapters that are labeled with a + sign will be external documents, letters, or other pieces of information that Ben has kept for archival, but not necessarily took the time to write directly into his journal.