Havoc

by Slick Dash

legends and Leviathans

The branches tugged and tore at his fur, the once grand clothes that hugged his body were nearly nothing more than tattered strips of material now. The forest floor was uneven and awkward to run on, he tripped several times, nearly plummeting to the ground and his certain death. All he could do was concentrate, the threat of death was a good motivator. The creatures fallowing him were never far behind, he could hear their demonic breathing, smell their corroding flesh, feel their hell fire burning away at the trees as they passed.

Must escape, must escape, need to get away somehow! Need to find a place to stop and think, not only of a plan but something else, to understand what was happening! Waking up on the outskirts of the forest, with those... things behind him, waiting... that was all he could remember, why was he here? What had happened?

His ears twitched, listening over the sound of his panting breathes and pounding hoofsteps , the pursuing creatures' noises, their terrible neighing, and the crackling of their fiery manes, were beginning to die away. He dared to look back, and saw the creatures beginning to get held up by the thickening brush of the forest as the hunt went deeper into the forest. Due to the stallion's smaller stature, he fit through smaller gaps, hopping through tighter spots, making his hunters find alternate routes. He marvelled at his stamina, how was he able to do this?

He saw a root of an enormous tree come into view, it was large and curled too high for him to jump over. So taking his momentum, he crouched low, and swung his four legs out from underneath him, this sent him skidding across the ground, and underneath the underside of the large root. Still using the momentum, he dug his hooves into the ground, which halted his legs, while allowing his upper half continue forward, basically springing him back into a standing position, where he immediately began to run again. 'How in the world did I know to do that?!' He begged himself, his mind reeling at his keen and fast instincts. He looked back at the sound of a defeated neigh, to his overwhelming joy, the two fiery horses where stuck, unable to turn in time they had penned themselves against the root, too high t jump over and too low to crouch under, making their pursuit end there and then.

The stallion gave a victorious laugh, cackling at his get away from the unknown monsters. He spat back at the demons, revelling in his success. That was when the ground fell out from beneath him. With a surprised yelp, he felt the light layer of leaves on the floor vanish, he glanced down in time to see the ground open up into a narrow pit. His momentum carried him into the lip of the hole, slamming his chest against him and knocking the wind clean out of him. He grunted painfully, and in the moment of pain, his mind fogged, letting him fall into the darkness below.

Though close to passing out from the pain, he kept his wits about him, just enough to realise he was no longer falling down, something smooth and curved was cupping him. It was angled, making him slide down it fast and uncontrollably. He opened his mouth to let out a cry of adrenaline pumped fear, but before he could, he spotted a pinprick of light which within a second spread to the size of a football, then the tunnel opened up into a full hole. He shouted in fear for what waited at the end of the terrible slide, clenching his eyes shut. He felt the polished slide vanish beneath him, and his stomach felt light and lifted into the air, telling him he was free falling from the hole. He continued t cry out until suddenly, his back slammed into something hard, which cut his cry off.

He grunted in pain and rolled to his side, opening his eyes to see what he'd hit had been the ground, dirt, no grass grew, no leaves littered the floor, the floor was simply dried mud, explaining why his back now screamed in pain for hitting it so hard. He tried to step up, but as his hoof pushed up from beneath him, he was suddenly hit by something that send him sliding back across the floor, he gave out yet another cry of pain, but was shouted into silence.
"SHUT UP!" He froze, somepony else? Not one of those things? He focused on the weight, still on his chest. He saw two orange hooves holding him down, he followed them up, to see two deep purple eyes staring back at him, glaring angrily. A stray strand of purple mane fell across those eyes, but it's owner blew up, pushing it away.

"Who the hay are you Royalist?!" The stranger cried, surprising the stallion, from both the strength he'd been hit by, and the angle he'd fallen beneath them he'd thought the attacker was a stallion, but by the voice it was obviously a mare.
"W-what?" the stallion croaked, unsure of what she meant, he frowned in surprise. 'That's what my voice sounds like?' He shook his head, first deal with this punk! He lifted himself fast, trying to dislodge the attacker, it almost worked, but his defeat lay in the foreleg above him that bent suddenly, striking him in the jaw and sending straight back down to the hard ground.
"I said who are you?! What are you doing here?!" Asked the rough female voice again, more angry than before. The foreleg bent again, making the stallion flinch expecting another hit.

"I don't know!" Cried the stallion, his body trembling slightly, the fear from the previous pursuit now adding to the fear of this situation. The purple eyes frowned at his response. The stallion panted slightly, his chest still tight from his injuries. "I don't know..." He repeated, pleaded to be believed. "I don't know who I am..." He admitted finally, to which the mare above him breathed in surprise.
..................

In a time of peace, all was well.

The mighty kingdom of Equestria stood strong, prouder and more elegant than any kingdom before it.

It's inhabitants were a peaceful raise of ponies. Who's vast empire spread across the land, ranging from great bustling cities, to small quaint towns. All their inhabitants were happy, content with their peaceful and simple lives.

But this great kingdom was built upon the conquering of another, the empire of Draconaqei! A kingdom ruled by vicious blood thirsty monsters known as the 'Draconequus' race. Twisted and tainted, they all resembled a mix of some of the many creatures that inhabited the world. A mix of chaotic creatures, resulting in deadly and sometimes grotesque creatures who ruled over the world with deadly and powerful magic. These creatures governed the rest of the world, ruling over all races, including the docile and peaceful race of Ponies.

These monsters ruled with an iron fist, destroying all traitors, flaying all treasonous creatures, ensuring that their dominance was never disputed.

And this is how it was for thousands of years, until finally, the pride of the pony race rose up against the monarchy and it's twisted rule, fighting at every possible battlefield, proving their ability at war as well as well as peace. This was the new world, a world divided between the two great races, pony and Draconequus, this new world heralded by destruction and fire.

Soon, the rebellion began to outgrow the empire. Resulting in far more enemies for the Draconequus race to face, not only ponies but other creature drawn in by their loyalty and dream of equality for all. The birds in the sky, the animals on the ground, even the fish in the sea levelled the empire's navy. The world cried out for the end of Draconaqie, and the fierce monsters fought tooth and nail to deny it's wish.

Soon all that stood between the Draconaquus and defeat was their capital, and of their once proud armies, only a handful of them were left to fight against the armies of the new world. Their king, a creature by the name of Discord, the strongest of the Draconequus' with the ability to alter reality, headed the front lines of his final army. Along with his army, he revealed a creature unknown to all, made by him for his darkest hour. The leviathans. Creatures of darkness and fire, created in the image of ponies, and rumoured to be the twisted souls of the tortured ponies killed over the years of Draconaqie's reign.

These creatures were powerful, and held their own against the many soldiers of the new world army. Victory for the twisted creatures was almost assured, but then came the elements. Lead by two ponies known as Alicorns, the 'Elements of harmony' the great tools of creation made by some being long before even the king Discord. These elements were used by six wielders, who fought through the hordes of leviathan and Draconequus, and reached the king on the centre of the battlefield. Their power was so strong, it overwhelmed the king, striking him down, and the draconequus' that stood with him, many of the week perished under their power, but the king survived. His power so great, he withstood the power of the gods, and fought against harmony. Resulting in his encasement in stone.

With their master gone, the leviathan's no longer had purpose. Lead by the Alicorns once again, the elements of harmony fought them, and cast them deep beneath the land. In a prison that none could escape, encased in the shell of the world itself. Left there, to never die, only survive and suffer for their dreadful deeds.

The successful armies began to spread across the land, renaming it "Equestria" After the land formed by the ponies' forefathers long before the Draconequus race took over the world. Ponies became the dominant race, but unlike the previous rulers, they relished the chance at creating a world where all creatures were equal. Animals, both magical and basic, all were given love, and acceptance by all. And the two alicorn's who lead the way to freedom, became the immortal rulers of the land.

Now was the time of peace, for all.

The peace however, was always at risk.

Creatures with darkness in their hearts constantly tried to overthrow the pony kingdom, trying to bring the land back to dark ways of Draconaqie, only under a new name and banner. Once, the former king Discord even broke free of his imprisonment, almost taking back the land alone, but the elements proved his downfall once again.

But one day, the peace died.

From beneath the ground, came creature nopony alive had ever seen, creatures of fire and shadow! Monsters able to destroy town in mere second, cities in mere hours. Equestria, in mere days. Once they'd succeeded, and captured the only surviving enemies of the first war, the alicorn sisters, they returned to their capital, to find their master encased in stone. By now his power was strong, and his cage weak. The chaos proved enough to free him once more, and this time he took over completely. Reclaiming the land that was once his, renaming it 'Discordance' due to his own twisted self obsession.

Chaos returned.

As it was in the old, it was in the new. Ponies rose up against him, fighting hard to survive, in the hope of the dream that was Equestria. A force, this time with no sense of direction came to be, and fought the dark king at every turn, but these were not the fighters of old, they were simple weak ponies, struggling to stand against the Leviathans without the decades of oppression their ancestors lived with before them.

But this resistance held promise.

For within this group, there were the wielders of the Elements of harmony. The same ones who imprisoned the king in stone for the second time. These wielders, with unwavering loyalty to the former land of Equestria, and it's rulers the alicorn sisters, were determined to take back the land.

Then the elements suffered the greatest defeat of all. The betrayal of one of their own, taking to the side of the king. Without their sixth member, they could not unlock the final ultimate power of the elements, only fight back against the enemy, ensuring their survival, and nothing more.

They say, the king rewarded the element who betrayed the others, made her his concubine, and from the traitor and the tyrant, there came a child, a terrible prince of Discordance, with the appearance of a pony, but the power of the dreaded Draconequus race.

And now, almost two decades later, the land is still rife with chaos. The resistance still fights, formed to ensure nopony ever suffers the pain of betrayal again. However, many ponies have come to understand they cannot win, so they live under the rule of Discord, in the hope that things will at least stay the same if they don't fight, instead of getting worse.

But the king is absent now, though many claim he still lives in the reclaimed capital, he is seen less and less as the years progress. This would normally give hope to those resisting his rule, believing him to be ill, or dying. However, when one menace vanishes, another takes its place. A new creature has come to signify the face of everyponies' suffering, a pony in appearance, but rumoured to have all kinds of unworldly powers as well as a perfect military mind. He has come to command the armies of Discordance, to level the rebels whenever they rise up.

His threat is great, his mind, unchallenged. His name, Havoc. Grand commander of the Discordance forces. Though hardly drawn into battle himself, his face seen upon the battlefield heralds the end to all who oppose him. If not for his ability, then by his apparel. Like the ponies of the old Equestria, he wears a dark blue suit, absent of a tie, and the collar turned up. The colour emphasises his dark coloured fur, and highlights his bright white hooves. But that isn't the site that strikes fear in their hearts, what does that is his mask.

A single pod, made of some unknown black material, it covers his entire head, except for two slots which allow him to gaze out to the world through whatever twisted eyes he has. They say they're a stunning blue, the only pure thing about his dreaded self, but no one can be sure, for anypony able to get close enough to those eyes, has only glimpsed them in their dying moments.

In this world where their dreaded king has been seen far less, this creature, Havoc, has become the new devil to this new, oppressed generation.