###Zeeb’s Misconduct

Ashes Town began in 2019 as a project led by me. Shortly after, I met Zeeb (aka 3aHo3a/Ramenoodles), who was also working on a Fallout: Equestria inspired custom server. We decided to collaborate and lead Ashes together.

Over time, Zeeb’s behavior deteriorated. He openly identified as a nazi, made xenophobic remarks, and harassed players and team members. These actions created serious internal conflict, led to resignations, and severely strained our relationship with Pony Town. Despite recognizing the harm, I tolerated it for too long because I believed Zeeb’s contributions were essential to the project.

By late 2023, after years of damage control, I stepped down, leaving Zeeb in charge. About 6 months later, I was forced to return when Pony Town refused to continue working with him. At that point, Zeeb was removed from leadership, and I assumed sole responsibility.

In 2025, after Zeeb’s removal, I learned of even more serious misconduct.
During 2022, Zeeb recruited a new artist who was only 16 years old, around 7 years younger than him. Despite knowing their age, he coerced and groomed this person into a relationship while using his leadership position to exert control. During their relationship, he was emotionally abusive and persistently attempted to arrange in-person meetings. Zeeb concealed both the artist’s age and the relationship for a long time, eventually admitting it to me while intoxicated. At the time, I did not recognize that the artist was still a minor and, because of that, I failed to intervene. Looking back, I realize I should have done more and recognize that my inaction was a serious mistake.

It is clear Zeeb should have been removed far earlier, and the damage caused to the project, its team, and our relationships with others was far greater than I realized.

###Violating Agreements

After launching Ashes Town, I initially covered all server expenses myself. To make the project more sustainable, I reached out to Pony Town and we explored ways to create a mutually beneficial partnership. This led to an agreement that allowed us to open monetization under a split profits model, which not only covered server costs but also created the opportunity to financially support Ashes Town’s team members.

At first, I was satisfied with the agreement. But while Pony Town provided significant support in the beginning, their involvement gradually decreased. During this time, we replaced many assets with our own, and I began to think it's time to lower the share Pony Town was getting. When I attempted to renegotiate the terms, Pony Town declined, largely due to the strain in our relationship caused by Zeeb’s behavior.

Later, someone who claimed to be a former Pony Town team member joined the Ashes Town team. They claimed Pony Town had refused to pay them, even though payment had been promised for their work. I later discovered these claims were false, but at the time they played a key role in my decision to stop paying Pony Town’s share of revenue altogether - including payments I already owed under our agreement. The rest of the Ashes team supported this decision.

When Pony Town tried to resolve the matter, I ignored their attempts. More than half a year later, after Pony Town learned about Zeeb’s grooming, they reached out to Ashes Town’s department leads. At that point, Pony Town believed I had been negligent regarding the grooming situation, and combined with my violations of our agreements, they wanted me removed from Ashes Town. Instead of genuinely working towards a solution, those leads pretended to cooperate while secretly gathering information. This dragged on for quite some time.

Eventually, Pony Town terminated the agreement and requested the removal of monetization involving their artwork. They made it clear they wanted to resolve the matter privately, with going public considered only as a last resort. They also stated that, despite there being a dispute over monetization, they would not pursue legal action. I, however, believed the law was on my side and was fully prepared to use it. I refused to remove monetization and told Pony Town they would have to sue me if they disagreed. I also threatened to sue them for defamation if they released a public statement about my actions.

Soon after, I learned that I was mistaken — me violating our agreement was, in fact, illegal. I also realized that I had cornered Pony Town into a position where involving lawyers became their only option. At that point, it was clear that continued refusal on my part would only lead to legal costs I simply could not afford.

Not long after, the artist who had been groomed by Zeeb requested the removal of all of their work from Ashes - something they had every moral and legal right to demand. It meant removing a lot of the artwork that shaped Ashes Town’s identity.

Only after that I fully realized how badly I and my team had mishandled the situation. By that point, however, the damage was irreparable. The stress of the conflict was overwhelming, and I also came to realize that some members of the Ashes Town team as well as outside helpers would rather see me suffer than do the right thing. This even extended to them attacking the grooming victim after their request for art removal.

###Fallout

I personally want to move on from Ashes Town and use it as a learning experience. I made too many avoidable mistakes that can no longer be amended. Now, with multiple contributors requesting their work to be removed and with the internal and external conflicts that have unfolded, there is little left that can be salvaged.

This document is written by Nightly (me). Industrialice and a few others contributed to it to ensure the key events are represented accurately, so the parties involved wouldn’t need to issue their own clarifications.

I want to thank everyone who supported the project and invested time, creativity, and heart into Ashes Town. While it is painful to close this chapter, I believe it is the most responsible and necessary choice for the team, the community, and the future.