//------------------------------//
// Chapter 20: We Have Held Them Off... 
// Story: The Crystal Vanguard 
// by Skarner 
//------------------------------//

	









"Let the hate so long as they fear." ~Caligula (Exact source is unknown)


The barrier from the crystal heart held strong and pure. It blocked off the barrages of the void artillery, but it only defended a portion of the city. If you were out in the fields, you may not make it out alive. The shield covered 3/4 of the city, coincidentally covering the important buildings such as the grand crystal library. Some of the houses were already decimated. Everypony took refuge in the castle, but some were staring at the Crystal Heart, sheltering in its bright embrace. They revelled at how the Crystal Heart will always protect them, as long as they provided love and gratitude. Cadance and Shining Armour were busy trying to handle the crystal pony citizens, not noticing the dark horizon growing.

Skarner reeled right, dodging a much too close explosion. Applebloom covered her ears and dug her face into Skarner's hide. Using his peripheral vision, he saw a fizzling ball of void magic coming right on top of him. He flipped himself over, and caught Applebloom with his hooves. He then landed on the crystal road, sinking through the floor. The explosion was so close, it charred a piece of Skarner's tail. He then emerged from within the barrier with Applebloom still safe and sound in his hooves.

He sighed in relief. In front of him were his exo-skeleton clones. They held Scootaloo and Sweetiebelle on their back, refusing to look at each other and Applebloom. Skarner was slightly confused at this observation, but he felt he shouldn't interfere for now. The city is under attack. As a member of the elite guards, he set out to exterminate the source of the barrages.He dropped Applebloom gently on the ground before he sprinted out of the protective barrier. He stopped dead in his tracks when he heard a cackle that was all too familiar. 

"Sombra..."





Luio saw the light blinking in the distance. It quickly flashed and blinded his whole vision, then it slowly resided and colours were revealed. He found himself lying on dirt, with Taric looming over him. Then another flash engulfed his vision. This time, it made him feel like a new stallion. He jumped up, still confused about what's going on. Taric's mouth was moving, but Luio didn't hear any words. Then suddenly, he heard everything. It all came so sudden: the screeches of the void creatures, the sound of large explosions, and the rumbling of the advancing void army. 

"Luio! We have to move now!" yelled Taric. Memories came flooding back. He needed to find his gems, otherwise his creation will not work. He had to come to the crystal plateau to find them. He was recently knocked out by an explosion from void artillery. Where were his sack of gems? He found his answer when he glanced back in the the middle of the plateau. It wasn't far, but there was guaranteed void contact. 

"I can't!" yelled Luio, "I need those gems!" he pointed to his bag. 

Taric thought to himself for a moment. Then he charged inwards. He swung his hammer around striking voidlings as he ran by. Luio stayed close behind. No behemoths were close, so they had the fighting edge. Soon enough, they reached the bag. Luio quickly grabbed it and slung it over his back. He nodded to Taric, so then they dashed back to the exit. They had more voidlings hot on their trail. Luio fired some beams from his horn, which was enough to slow them down. 

Then beneath them, the ground rumbled violently. Then spikes shot up from the ground, stabbing them in practically every part of their limbs. They screamed in pain. As if it couldn't get any worse, they heard Cho'Gath stomping towards them. He came closer each step. Neither Taric nor Luio could move fast enough to outrun him. This was it, their end. Cho'Gath roared at the other void creatures to back off. Then he leaned in to take a bite of them. Quickly, Taric made his shield radiate a bright light right in front of Cho'Gath's face. In the limited amount of time that Taric has, he healed Luio and himself. Luio gradually rose up onto his hooves, seemingly healthy with barely any scratches. Taric however, was still bleeding out. 

Luio ran over to Taric, and tried to help him onto his hooves as well. Cho'Gath bellowed angrily, then glared at the two ponies in front of him. As he opened his jaw to chomp up them both in one quick swing, Taric managed to push Luio out of the way. 

"Go! Leave me! Protect The Crystal Empire!" he managed to yell before a loud crunch and blood gushed from Cho'Gath's teeth. He had to chew a bit, making the crunches excruciatingly loud. He gulped down the bits and bones of the gem knight, providing sufficient food for himself. When he looked for the other pony, he was no where in sight. 

...

Luio panted with tears streaming from his eyes. He let yet another one fall into the clutches of the void. Yet, it was inevitable. He ran through the cave between the plateau and into the forest between him and The Crystal Empire. He fired beams of arcane magic, exploding and collapsing the cave behind him. He knew that it wouldn't completely stop the void, but it would give him enough time. He kept sprinting back to The Crystal Empire, hopeful that it wasn't destroyed yet.





As the train rode through the cave, Fiddlesticks took the liberty of checking on the others while he let Kassadin control the train. He jumped in surprise when he saw what Annie, Veigar , and Strongheart were on. 

"Don't worry uncle Fiddle!" chimed Annie, "She's asleep."

"Kassadin captured her." said bluntly by Strongheart, "He told us that she was not to be awake."

Fiddle was still skeptical about it. The sniper, or rather Caitlyn, tried to kill them not so long ago! Nevertheless, he did see the potential in keeping her hostage. It may not bother the void leaders much if they lost her, but she could prove to be useful to Kassadin... or even become cured. 

He nodded, and took a seat in the cart. He watched as Veigar and Annie have a small conversation, while Strongheart stared at Caitlyn's unmoving body. Fiddle wondered what Kassadin did to her to make her unconscious. He placed that thought aside. For now, he wanted to rest. He hoped they could make it back to Canterlot to warn them before  the void mass attacks. He slowly closed his eyes, drowning out all of the other sounds. Surprised at how he could be so peaceful at such a time. He softly went to sleep. 

...

"Uncle Fiddle! Uncle Fiddle!" Annie practically screamed in his face, "Kassadin wants to see you." 

Fiddle grunted, wishing he had awoken more peacefully. He strode his way to the conductor cart. Kassadin addressed him immediately and pointed towards the distance in front of them. Clear as day, Canterlot was in ruins. Fiddle's jaw dropped. 

"But... they couldn't have done all this already!" Fiddle stammered, "We were ahead of them!"

"Unless another void mass has already reached Canterlot. However, it does not seem that Canterlot has been entirely wiped out."

"So there must be survivors!"

"Quite likely."

"They don't seem prepared for another attack. Especially the one coming from the south. We better hurry."

"Indeed. You may return to your seat Fiddlesticks."

"Alright big guy." he chuckled, "Wake my up when we get there." he shut the door behind him as he went back to the cabins. 

"I doubt you will be sleeping much." Kassadin mumbled to himself. 





Ryze thought that there was no way the armour could be hidden in a shack like that. Since it seems that they didn't realize what potential the armour had, he still had a chance to get it back.

He assumed that it has been stored someplace else, along with his belongings. He had followed the lone drake for a while, with seemingly no hope. The drake has been pacing back and forth, not sure what to do. Ryze banged his head against a tree trunk 3 times. The drake was still angry, but he did calm down to a more approachable level. Ryze decided against the decision to confront him. Then the drake perked up, and his eyes opened wide. 

"You know what?" he spoke to himself, "I'm gonna take that armour and join the northern tribes! With something so sweet, they'll have to let me in!" he began to run deeper towards the forest with Ryze hot on his trail. Ryze was led to an isolated cave, large enough for a whole ship. The drake stepped inside. He unravelled the armour pieces and brought them outside. One by one, he sighed. He didn't feel like placing them all together. 

Ryze still stayed behind the bushes, observing the dragon. When the drake has finally gathered the last piece, he hunched down and started to attach the pieces together. Plate by plate, he clicked them together. It took him awhile, but he didn't seem to have any troubles.

Ryze's mind kept pestering him to go over there and tell him the truth. He sighed, finally surrendering to the his own will. 

He trotted over to the drake. 

"Hello young dragon."

"Huh?" the drake swerved his head, trying to find the source of the voice. 

"I'm down here."

"Oh! It's you..." the dragon sighed. He recognized the unicorn he recovered from the beach, but he didn't expect him to come back. "You've been following me huh?"

"Yes."

"You were looking for your stuff and you want this armour back too?"

"Correct."

The dragon sighed, "Alright..." he turned to leave. He dropped the piece of metal onto the pile as he walked away.

That was easy. thought Ryze, but he thought too soon.

"...Wait," the dragon turned back around, "Just what is a pony like you doing with dragonkin armour?" the dragon leaned in close to Ryze, "Were you stealing it?"

"I'm returning it to the Zargonath, an old ruler of one of the 4 kingdoms."

"Zargonath?! You mean that dimwitted traitor!?"

"He is not a traitor! He's the only one of few I can trust in this country!" Ryze lost his calm demeanour and his anger snapped. 

"Looks like he has gotten you convinced too." he growled.

"I'm taking this armour to him and nothing is going to stop me!"

"For what? Is he mobilizing a war against all dragonkind?! I'm not going to let the king who scrambled the kingdoms, take over once again!" he smashed his fists on the ground in rage, "Why am I even arguing with a pony anyways?! They're all so weak and puny!"

"Be warned. If you engage me, you will regret it." Ryze gritted his teeth. 

"I can recognize a unicorn. If you used your magical head, you'll know that we are naturally immune to magic ,fool." he spat. 

"Care to try me?" he lowered into a battle stance, his horn aglow. 

The dragon roared in anger as he dived for Ryze. Intentionally, Ryze teleported behind the dragon, causing him to topple over trees. He then rushed into the cave, assuming he had enough time to look for his own belongings. He smiled to himself when he found them laid out on the left corner of the cave. Quickly, he threw the bags onto his back, and he opened his tome. The pages flipped wildly at his command. Just in time, the dragon charged in and Ryze used his rune cage spell to stop him. Ryze then prepared himself for another spell; one that would overwork his capabilities. As he felt his spell surge through him, he felt more keen, more focused, and more angrier. 

He charged up his arcane bolts with his horn, and released his wrath. It was effective, but it did not stop the dragon. Once the cage broke down, the dragon grabbed Ryze by the neck and threw him out of the cave. The dragon then ran out of the cave, and flew up for momentum. Ryze was able to get up before he saw  the dragon diving down, with his feet aimed at Ryze. He only had time to put up the strongest and quickest barrier he can manage. The dragon crashed down on him with mighty force, breaking through the shield, and crushing Ryze. Fortunately, the shield absorbed most of the damage, but it didn't leave him well at all. 

The dragon lifted himself off from the unicorn, and stepped back. He spat on Ryze's belly, and began to gather the clumps of metal, and place them on himself. 

"I will let no thieves take such relics." he finished clicking in his leggings, "I will serve and protect the kingdoms." He whipped around his tail to show off, "I will devote my life for others." He rammed his claws together, making a loud clink sound. "I will spread justice and tranquility." he took the helmet and hovered it above his head. He hesitated because he felt a little light-headed even when it wasn't on. While he placed the helmet on, he said, "They shall know me as Enab--" instantly, he lost control of his own reality and his mind, "--The Scourge King!" he roared. 





`	Vayne ushered Jarvan's soldiers to keep moving behind her. She traced the chalk path around the cliff. As she turned around the cliff corner, she barely noticed them at first. She squinted to focus on the blob of red and gold, and then she nearly puked. 

"What's wrong?!" asked one of the soldiers. He hurried to support Vayne, but she shoved him off. Infuriated, she stomped over to Jarvan and Shyvana. She stomped hard on Shyvana's tail, awakening her in a bellowing rage. Shyvana accidentally shoved Jarvan off of her in confusion. Shyvana morphed back into her pony form, rubbing her head in exhaustion, despite the amount of sleep she got. Finally, she grasped the situation that was going on around her. Immediately, she fumed and growled at Vayne. Jarvan too, wasn't quite grateful to be rudely awoken. 

"Your men and I have trotted through mud and cold winds, just to find you two cuddling?!" she snapped, "We had to lose our track on Burdac and look for your useless asses!"

"We couldn't move back up the cliff!" Jarvan retorted.

"Maybe if you had something in your noggin', you would've remembered that there is a hill leading up the cliff on the other side of here! We pin pointed it on the map while you were with your dazed dragon-mare!"

Defeated, Jarvan didn't have the courage to justify his point. He stepped back once, and Vayne stepped forward. His men weren't too impressed by his actions either. Shyvana had to intervene. She stood in front of Jarvan.

"That's enough!" she cried, "We should get this over with so we can all go home. I might know where he went."

One by one, they filed out to the path to the top of the cliff. Eventually, Shyvana, Vayne, and Jarvan were left. Vayne gave a disapproving glance at both of them, before following the others. Shyvana also gave the cold shoulder to Jarvan. He stood with his lance. What is wrong with me? he lowered his head, Have I forgotten?





Bristle slowed to a stop, to let Sejuani off. She panted in exhaustion, with her blood and sweat mixing together. She believed she was clear from the danger now, since no more void creatures were following her. Bristle nudged her affectionately, but with a hint of sorrow. 

"Yeah... I tried." she said, "I tried to tell Ashe, so that maybe... maybe we could finally be at peace and make Freljord strong and powerful once more... but it's apparent that there can only be one." she said with a new tone; one that was not pleasing. "Come on Bristle. We're going back to Freljord."





Kayle stood in a dark room. There was a faint spotlight, illuminating her clearly. Her mane covered her eyes, and she rested her hooves on the hilt of her sword, standing on it's own point. Luna strode from within the darkness, and appeared behind Kayle. Kayle did not move an inch. Luna kept a calm, but intimidatingly tone when she spoke.

"As thou may or may not know, thou art quite a stranger to us." Luna began, "We are concerned of your true intentions, especially if you appear as an alicorn. Your skills in the battlefield exceed expectations; perhaps you are a well practised warrior, but a warrior for whom?"

"My true intentions are to cleanse the world of fowl with justice. I serve the high council of my kind. To them, I'm merely a tempest."

"Than answer me one question." Luna walked in front of Kayle, "Are we to see you as an enemy? Or falsely trust you?"

"Trust is earned and lost."

Luna pondered the statement for a moment, before she acknowledged what she meant. Of course, she was not satisfied.

"Tell me more about your kind, Kayle. What kind of politics exist there?"

"My kind seeks harmony, and the right. Nothing more. Nothing less."

"How exactly do you retain order?"

"Those who are guilty go through judgement. If their crimes are proven to be true, they will get executed."

"Tis quite a harsh punishment. Does it not bother you that you are taking away a life?"

"We take necessary procedure to build the perfect community."

"I see. One more thing before I dismiss you: how did you enter this world?"

"You'll have to ask my sister that."

"Your sister is in this world as well?"

"Yes. She believes in a complete opposite society; one that has no rules and reeks chaos."

"That'll be all. Thank you very much Kayle..." she stepped into the darkness behind her,"But do not forget that you are still in my custody."





Riven pulled a ripe plum from the plum tree, and took a bite from its juicy flesh. It was sweet, but the taste had a slight sour edge to it. She sighed. She climbed down from the tree and landed gracefully on the ground. She took another bite from her plum. She decided to rest there in the plum tree field. It was an abandoned farm land, most likely fled when the owner heard the news that half of Ionia has been destroyed. 

She sat down and leaned back onto the tree. She laid her sword alongside her, relaxing as she took another bite from her plum. She has starved herself of violence, and she didn't like it. She couldn't sleep for most of her nights, because she didn't want to dream of fighting again. She ached for the thrill. She wanted another taste of sweet and slightly sour blood of her opponents. 

Suddenly she saw a tree topple over from a far distance to her right. Instinctively, she grabbed her sword and prepared to defend herself. Two figures appeared. They looked like they didn't notice her yet, so she went behind the tree she leaned on and waited. 

As they came closer, their conversation became more audible. 

"You made good work today my student. Soon you'll be stronger than master, but for now, we shall take a break and have snack." he smiled warmly. 

"Woohoo! Haha! I love snacks!" the other one cheered. 

Riven shifted as she prepared to pounce and take them both out by surprise. Judging by their accent, they were Ionian. 

"Remember Wukong, you must find the equilibrium of the tree first, then strike at its centre. The hard part is finding the equilibrium spot."

"Of course Master Yi." he replied. Without his master's consent, he used his long staff to smack a plum off from a tree. Just as he was taught to do, he struck perfectly at the stem of the plum, and swept up the plum before it fell to the ground. He then took another plum and gave it to Yi. He smiled with satisfaction and took a bite on his own plum. Yi gave a small chuckle, proud that his student is already so adept. Yi took a bite out of his plum, relishing it's sweet juices. Strangely, it tasted only a teensy bit sour. His ears perked up when he captured the sound of sudden movement.

He quickly drew out his sword and parried Riven's slash. Surprised, Riven fell backwards, but got back up quick. 

"How rude of you to disrupt us Riven." said Yi. 

"Shut up and fight me!" she replied. She stood in her battle stance, prepared to take another strike. Wukong decided to witness his master at work. Wukong was a strange monkey. He was quite literally born from a runestone; other monkeys performed a ritual to harness the power stored within, but it brought life to a kindred spirit. In his kind, he was considered skinny and tall. He was perfectly the same size as a pony (if he stood on all fours) but he had fur that was more hairy and thicker. his hair was chocolate brown, and he wore cloth around his torso and arms. He wore no armour. He wielded a staff, given to him from Yi's commission with a blacksmith named Doron. 

"You wish to fight me, but you don't."

"I said shut up!" she charged forth and slashed down with tremendous force. Yi dodged to the side and landed a cut on her rib. 

"I can see the relent in your eyes, the resistance in your grace."

Driven to deeper anger, Riven lashed out. She struck Yi and twirled to another strike, then leaped backwards behind Yi, and slashed down, breaking Yi's guard. The clash between both of their blades created a sonic wave, pushing everyone back. Wukong gleamed in inspiration. As both Yi and Riven recovered they returned to their duel stance, Riven collapsed in exhaustion. She coughed out blood and crumpled to the ground. Both Yi and Wukong scrambled to help her up to her feet. She remained alive... for now. 

"Quick Wukong! Get herbs from our stash!"

Wukong saluted, and sprinted back. Yi wiped the blood that dripped down from Riven's cheek. He assumed that she was in no state to fight before their duel. He theorized that Singed's poison still affected her, but something told him that he was wrong; that it was something different. Wukong returned with the herbs in his hands, but before he was able to reach Yi, he tumbled onto the ground and didn't move. 

Confused, Yi darted his eyes around, if this was someone else's doing. Then he started to feel dizzy himself. It didn't take long before he stumbled onto the ground. His last vision was the bitten plum.

Poison plums... fantastic.