Living Legends

Humans…

A species that prides itself upon controlling the world in every way possible…

Whether it is technology, culture, economics, or warfare…

Humans…

A species that is made to be the apex predator…

Humans hunt by chasing their prey until they simply give up and die…

Humans are able to eat most of what they find, keeping them in the hunt…

The human body simply eats itself if food is not found…

Humans…

Humans walk upright, giving them extreme efficiency when travelling great distances…

Humans sweat, keeping their bodies cooler so they can continue with their objectives in survival…

Humans have small amounts of body hair, allowing them to radiate their body heat, meaning extreme environments won’t stop them…

Humans…

Fighting against them may prove futile…

Their bodies can take a large beating and lose almost half of their blood… and still survive…

Humans…

They are intelligent, persistent, ever enduring, and fully determined…

Humans are intolerant of resistance…

Anyone or anything that stands in their way will be eliminated one way or another…

Humans…

The most feared, revered, and powerful species the Equestria has ever known…

3000 years before Discord…

The country of Equestria lies in a time of harmony.  The three leaders of the tribe have set aside their differences and now unite to form a growing empire.  The Earth ponies continue their work on the land. Pegasi guide their patterns of weather, using it to better effect the outcome of the crops.  The unicorns now use their magic in any way possible to aid their new comrades in their tasks.

Though, a new race has arisen in the tribe, a race of ponies that have all of the traits that a pony can have.  They can dash about in the big blue skies, tend to the earth’s crops, and bend the land to their will with magic.  This new race is titled… the Alicorns.

The leaders of the tribe that have discovered the comradeship which forms their country today have been rewarded in the ability to become an alicorn.  Other ponies have become alicorns as well, creating almost an entire hierarchy for the race.  All of them complete different tasks to guide the ponies in their live, whether it be controlling the sun, and moon, or guiding the flow of the water in the streams.

The united tribes have taken to worshipping the alicorns, feeling as if they were enlightened beyond their own understanding in the ways of life.

The kingdom continued in peace for decades to come… But such harmony must be interrupted to make way for an equalizer of… chaos.

In the southern desert lands of Equestria a clan of strange creatures arose, using volatile magic to alter reality into whatever situation they truly wanted.  The ponies have taken to calling them the draconequess clan.

Short-tempered peace continued between the two species, until the draconequess clan started to expand northward, into the lands of Equestria.  They began to mishap with the Earth ponies, for they had no real way of escape, this slowed the overall process of the crops, which in turn could lead to ponies starving even with the help of the other races.

The alicorns began to force the draconequess clan away, leaving them without anything to play with.  The draconequess clan then decided to simply fight back… with force.  The alicorns replied continuing to protect their citizens at all costs.

The war mainly raged on the southern border of Equestria, but what neither side knew was that the real threat lied to the northwest…

Large cities stood tall over the land, putting the ponies’ tiny villages to utter shame.  The buildings made out of white painted stone with red roofs upon them.  Giant cobbled streets ran inside and between all of the cities, giving them a better infrastructure than the ponies.  One city contained a brilliantly large palace, a large port nest to the sea, and even a coliseum for sporting events.

The people of these cities were none other than human beings themselves.  Thousands upon thousands of them populated these cities, wearing robes, tunics, and a portion of them wearing armor.

This was the territory of the Severius Empire.

The Latin-speaking country laid claim to the area and was unchallenged in the process of taking it.

The Severians knew of the other races that fought about in the country south of them.  They found the ponies to be completely inferior, proven by the fact that ponies were extremely underdeveloped.  They saw the alicorns as the only race that could prove a challenge to them on the planet, and even then they wasted their time with the ponies.

The Severians felt that all of the grand land to the south had been mismanaged by the ponies… and they looked to right that wrong.

The ponies and alicorns have had rumors of a powerful species lurking in the northwest; some have even said they have seen them.

They have taken to placing a name upon them as the “hind walkers” Tales of humans have spread about, depicting them as creatures of power and control.  The ponies soon began to fear the creatures they found fictional.  Now they crafted stories of ponies going to their giant cities and never returning to their homeland.

Though, these stories would prove true, even for an alicorn…

A forest overlooks the northwestern lands of Equestria; the forest sits upon a large hill near Smokey Mountain.  The forest sits in the full bloom of spring, birds chirp in the trees, deer prance about, the occasional raccoon, fox or even a bear would come about through the forest.

Standing on top of the hill was a tall male alicorn.  The alicorn was named Clash, Prince Clash to be exact.  He originally was but an earth pony before his transformation, due to him defending his village against even the largest and smallest of threats.  His coat was a dark red, along with a mane of dark grey, and eyes a fiery hue of orange.  His cutie mark, which was a long broadsword, displayed his abilities in combat.

Clash was sent to truly assess the existence of the humans, and if they were a true threat.  If they were then he was to attempt talks of peace, rather than war.

Clash unfurled his wings and ascended into the air, quickly hovering above the tree line.  Clash looked out over the entire land, finding strange formation in the distance.  Clash guides himself towards it in the air.  As Clash nears the formation it begins to reveal details to him, along with many more of the same formation.

Clash ascends further into the air overlooking the giant city that was now in his view; he was now able to see the streets and the city’s inhabitants.

Clash was at a loss of words now realizing that he has discovered the human race that so many legends have arisen from.  He remembers stories from his childhood, being told that humans are terrifying creatures of destruction.  Clash was indeed struck with fear as the possibilities played about in his head, but he pushed on to complete his objective.

Clash dived down through the air, in the direction of a square in the town, filled with market stalls, and human merchants buying and selling goods.  Clash aimed for an open area in the square and landed onto the ground with a large stamp when his hooves made contact.

Clash then stood to his full height as was in shock to find that he only reached eye-level with the creatures.  The humans in the area gasped at the sight of the alicorn and some even ran away from him.

Other began to run and yell in their language to each other, confusing the alicorn.

“Auxilio!  Auxilio!”  One of them males yelled, sprinting away with a basket of spices.

“Et custodes!”  A woman yelled, carrying a child away from the square.

“Confuto!”  Two armored humans yell as they stand defiantly in front of the alicorn.  The guards are armed with large scutum shields, made of wood, and edged along with metal.  The shield displayed symbols of their empire.  The soldiers were also armed with a gladius in their other hand.

The two soldiers shielded themselves with the shield and readied with the gladius if the alicorn was to attack.

Clash quickly realized how threatening he appeared and quickly placed his wings against his body and improved his posture to diminish any aggression in his appearance.

Even faster more soldiers appeared to surround him with their own shields and blades to use, creating a full circle around Clash.

“Don’t be afraid!”  Clash called out.  “I don’t mean any harm!”

The soldiers replied by all simultaneously bashing their shields with the blades, startling the alicorn slightly.

“Tempero!”  A loud voice called out.

Two of the soldiers stepped out of the way as a soldier with heavier armor appeared in the ranks and stepped in front of the alicorn.

The centurion wore a cape along with his armor, and a large plume upon his head.  He wielded a long spatha sword and the same shield as the other troops.

The centurion kept his shield and sword down as to not appear as aggressive as the legionnaires.

“Dic negotio, equine.”  The centurion stated to Clash.

Clash returned a strange look at the centurion.  He had never heard this language before, and was confounded by it.

“I speak English; I don’t understand you, sir.”  Clash apologized.

The centurion looked down and cleared his throat slightly before continuing and looking back at the alicorn.

“Then you shall understand me, equine.”  The centurion stated in a rude tone.

“It doesn’t seem that I have much choice.”  Clash stated, looking about at the legionnaires around him.

“Hmm, you are an alicorn.”  The Centurion eyes his wings and horn.

“Indeed, and you are a… human.”  Clash stated, still in surprise of this situation.

“That truly doesn’t matter at this time.  You are in a land which doesn’t belong to you.”  The centurion pointed his spatha at the alicorn.

“I come in peace, to pull a legend into reality for my country.”  Clash bowed his head to the human.

“Names would be rather courteous at this time.  I am Centurion Gregorios Democratis.”  The human bowed his head back at the alicorn.

“I am Prince Clash of Equestria.”   Clash then bowed as well to the centurion.

The two reverted back to standing.

Gregorios turned around and stated something to the legionaries and immediately one broke off and headed in the direction of the palace.  Gregorios then turned around to see the alicorn.

“We will see just how peaceful this can be.”  The Centurion states, while still wielding his sword in an aggressive tone.

The two continued talking to each other for a decent amount of time.  Each of them sharing about their race, and opinions on each other’s species.  Clash thought that it was going well and that peace could be found on the northern front for his country.  Gregorios thought that this was going to end badly.  Humans already hated the ponies and Clash did not know of this.  The two still talked until the legionnaire from earlier returned holding a piece of parchment and quickly handing it to Gregorios before resuming his position in the formation.

Gregorios read the paper and let out a heavy sigh once he finished.  He tossed the parchment away and then readied his sword.

“It seems that peace shall not happen on this day.”  Gregorios seriously stated waving his hand to the legionnaires who then began to close the circle.  “If it means any consolation, I think you and I would have been great friends.”

“What do you mean?!”  Clash yells as the troops get even closer.

“Our countries will meet on a battlefield rather than a peace table.”  Gregorios then begins to close in.  “Now, you shall be the first of many.”  He then lunged forward with his sword.

The sword struck down at Clash, who hopped to the side, but still took the hit to his leg.  Clash then immediately launched himself into the air.

“Mitto tuus pilas!”  The centurion yelled.  The legionnaires replied by bringing out their long pilas and immediately lobbing them at the flying alicorn.  The pilas quickly strike, ripping apart Clash’s magical shield, and then two of them piercing into a wing, another one then slammed right into his side.  Clash then is forced back onto the ground in an ugly landing, landing on his bad wing, forcing the pila further into his side.

Clash immediately howled in pain, but quickly pushed himself up, using magic to rip the pilas out of him.  Clash then looked at the oncoming charge of legionnaires, led by Gregorios.  Clash tried to bring up a ward, but was instantly interrupted by an arrow striking him in his good wing.  An archer on a nearby rooftop then cheered as he hit his mark on the alicorn.

Clash now found himself drained of energy, and unable to stand anymore.

Gregorios then sprinted ahead of his legionnaires in order to have the first strike on the alicorn.  Gregorios stabbed his sword straight into the front-left leg of Clash, sending some blood out of him, and another loud cry.

Gregorios quickly ripped out the sword and raised a fist to stop all of his troops.

Clash slowly looked up at Gregorios with pain clearly in his eyes.  Gregorios looked back and shook his head.

“I hope the rest of your country puts up a better fight.”  He then raised his right foot above the alicorns head.

“Cornelius, nos sunt victoriae!”  He calls out to his troops and they return stating the same.

Gregorios then stomps his boot upon the alicorns head, letting a loud crunch ring out.

The Severius-Equestrian war had begun…