The Crystal Vanguard

by Skarner

Chapter 6: Malefic Visions

Lush and short green grass swayed about, Celestia's sun was shining at just the right angle; it was warm but the soft breeze compensated and brought him just the right feel. He felt like dancing about, he never thought he'd come back to home: Ionia. In the far distance, he could see Karma's palace shimmering in it's glory. His smile gleamed behind his cloak. Realizing it was useless to even have the cloak on, he revealed his hood. His mane was very short, it was also bright tan. His coat shone pale tan, although his cutiemark is still concealed.

He heard the sound of his name from a distant but recognized voice. It came from his foalsitter, Irelia he called her but her real name was IronLeaf. He frolicked acoss the pasture to the figure. He giggled his way there, he knew she would treat him to his favourite tea, like she always did. They would talk for hours and share their knowledge of what they were taught in training. As he got closer, her features became more clear. Her coat was bright red with patches of grey, her mane was silky dark blue.

She stretched out her arms for the incoming little ninja. Kennen called to her, "Im coming Irelia!"

Her smile grew, but it didn't stop stretching. Her pupils widened as well. Behind her, the field began to grow infertile; the tree leaves wilted, and the grass grew yellow. As the moment prolonged, the sky turned darker as well as the clouds. Irelia's coat started getting dark splotches of dark purple. Her eyes, now fully black and empty, shone a tiny spark. Her smile made a slant touching her eyebrows, which was very unatural. Confused, Kennen stopped before her while her fore-legs are still open for him.

"Whats wrong Kenny?" she spoke, her voice was distorted and rasped. Before he could react, the spark in her eyes beamed at him contacted his eyes. She forced a dark trail of void energy directly through his eyes. He screamed in pain; he bucked to gain control; he wanted to escape her wrath. It was obvious that she was an imposter, but it still broke his heart. Suddenly his vision became surrounded with black, then a figure showed up.

"Kennen, it is time to decide." his appearance came to vision and he recognizes him. It was Malzahar! Ryze has told him what he did, looked, and what he wanted. He continued, "Ionia needs you, a large threat has been made against them but you are no match against the threat."

He approached closer and began to reach for him. Kennen tried to fight but he had no control of his body. His hoof then ushered his head lower, then touched his horn on his forehead.

A vivid image appears; Ionia was being invaded. He screamed No inside his head. He watched as it's citizens get butchered by voidlings and other abnormal creatures. He spoke over the visions,

"I am not what you think, I do not rule, or guide any of these void creatures. I am merely an outlet of future events. I see what happens in the future. This is their fate if I have not come to you... It must be you who makes a choice. Join me... we are the void, but we are not like them. We simply warn and protect others from the horrors the best we can. We need you Kennen. You're more than you know. You're their savior."

He shed tears, not knowing what to say.

At last, he felt a strong shake and a distant voice calling him.

"kennen... Kennen... KENNEN!" his bunk partner shook him awake, "Wake up dude!"

He shot his eyes open, his mouth agape, his lungs' greed begged for air. His bunkpartner, Ezreal, recoiled at his sudden awake. He then notices his eyes were dripping blood. The flesh around his eyes were bruised and purple.

"Holy hay! What happened to you?!"

He took a moment to gain his mind back. For now, he shook off the nightmare he just had. "Just a really bad dream."

"A bad dream? More like a terrible curse! You look like you haven't slept for a year!"

He scratched his head, then got out of bed. He asked Ezreal if he knew where Shining Armour was. He shook his head.

Guess i'll just go to Swain instead!

---

He felt moist on his muzzle; just a bit warm, he felt the drool linger there. He reach to wipe it off but there was a pony in his way. The sunlight shined through his eyelids, causing him to tense and attempt to turn over to the other side, but there was a pony in his way. The memories of last night came back. He then madly blushed at the realization of him and Cait cuddling in the same bed. His expression softened at the thought, then dug his muzzle deeper in their embrace. All of a sudden, the door slammed open.

"Up 'n at 'em fellas!" Twitch hollared. Everyone stirred awake. There were some complains amoungst them. Cait and Luio got up and wiped the crud out of their eyes. Skarner casualy rose and came in front of Alistar who was also at the door.

"Alright, before we get breakfast, do you just happen to also know where Nasus is?" said Skarner,

He nodded with a smile.

"It won't be hard to find the only talking-sophisticated canine in Canterlot since he is popularly known." he explained,

Skarner nodded in acknowledgement. Once they got themselves out of bed, they began down the stairs into the cafeteria.

---

Shyvana stopped when they reached half a mile from the dragon nests. She lowered her head in shame,

"Im afraid I must leave you from here. You see, I am banished from their tribe." she glumly said,

Ryze nodded, he took clue that since she was a hybrid-dragon, she would be ridiculed in her tribe--or any tribe. He wanted to encourage her to come with them, but he knew how it felt to be banished. "I understand, although we can't thank you enough for guiding us here." they continued their walk there, but Shyvana waved to stop them for a moment,

"Will you tell my father I send him my greetings?" she asked, he nodded, "Thank you." she returned to her dragon-form and escaped the scene. He turned to Quinn who kept her stern look. As they approached the nest, a few large dragons came to meet them. Ryze and Quinn kept their confidence and awaited their arrival.

"Halt! Turn back now travellers and we'll let you live." the large brown dragon said,

The other ones, the blue and green dragons, got into their combat stance. They growled, trying to intimidate the ponies.

They kept their cool however.

"We have come under special circumstances."said Ryze, this raised and eyebrow for the brown dragon, "We come to help console your leader's troubles. He speaks visions of the Void, correct?"

Now their eyes widened, they wondered how he knew. But with their top priority in their heads, they reluctantly made an exception for the ponies... and their bird.

As they were escorted by the guards, they took time to have a rare look within a dragon's nest. There were probably over 50 of them there. On-passers glanced at them with disgust; they never liked ponies in their territory. Some even taunted at them. Little young dragons scurried by in front of the two, but were immediately yanked back by their parents before they even said a word.

Once they were inside the castle, they find a gold dragon stumbling from the throne to meet them.

"*cough* What are these ponies doing here?!" he demanded in his booming but hoarse voice,

The brown dragon presented himself, "Sir, these ponies come to aid Zargonath."

"And you let them in without my consent?!" he retorted,

"Thats why we brought them to you sir." his voice quivered,

He walked around them, taking a closer look at their features.

"Odd equipment for ponies, tell me: what are your professions?" he spoke then coughed softly

"I am merely a travelling student of arcane magic." said Ryze,

"I am accompanying him for his travels to here. I serve under the command of Princess Celestia's Elite Royal guard." she said with a straight face, but Valor huffed out his chest in pride.

The golden dragon scratched his chin. Then frowned.

"And what makes you think you can help our chief? His issue is unique."

Ryze gave a small laugh, "I too see visions of the void."

He showed them through large tent and revealed a red and blue dragon simular to Shyvana, lying on a bed. His eyes dripped blood and were bruised around it. He rasped for air each breath. Quinn gulped at the sight.

"End of Equestria..." he whispered.

---

"Here we are... the great and largest library in all of Equestria..." said the large minotaur,

Skarner scuffed, "The Crystal Empire's is much more vast and ancient." he remembered the last time he was there, there were books on everything he could imagine; his most curious picks were ones on the rune wars. He doubted any of it were here. They stepped inside and found who they were looking for. Nasus wasn't hard to depict, his mane was covered in golden armour that looked like it was from ancient Saddle Arabia. His coat was brown and his eyes glowed red. He held a jade green staff. It was surprising that a canine can use magic like unicorns. He had no cutiemark, but no doubt he is an intelligent being. He was talking to a purple alicorn who frantically took notes on whatever they were talking about.

He stood in front of a mountain of books that the alicorn picked out. He then gave a questioning glance at the guards, but was more focused on Skarner. As they approached, his eyes widened.

"What?" the purple mare turned her head in the direction he was looking at, "Is somethin--"

"The last Brackern." he spoke. His voice was strong and ancient, "Or so I assume!"

"Brackern? I've never heard of that before." she added in, her eyes were fixed on Skarner. She was popularly recognized as Twilight Sparkle; however, not very familiar to Skarner.

"Because your libraries do not contain books that date back to when my people reigned." he replied, "Although you can find plenty in the Crystal Empire."

"Hold on fellas, before we introduce ourselves-- Nasus, you have been called upon by the Elite Royal guards on a very important matter." said Caitlyn,

"I see." he turned to Twilight, "Im afraid our lectures may have to be delayed. I am truly sorry for this."

"Oh it's not problem!" she smiled, "I can just read up on Brackern history in the Crystal Empire while you're away."

Nasus smiled, then faced the guards.

"Fill me in." he said.

---

His facial expression did not falter as they explained the Void problem to him. Twilight and her friends followed along with the elite guards to the Crystal Empire. Her friends anticipated seeing Shining and Cadence again. Not to mention, it was also the day before the Equestrian games started so they needed the help to set up for perhaps over hundred thousands of ponies. She asked further about the Void while they told them what they knew.

"...Malzahar, who leads and plans their moves, was once a civilian pony. He sought out great knowledge and stumbled upon an uknown relic. The relic was the recipe to open a rift between Equestria and the Void."

"Wow. And a threat large enough to put up against all of Equestria sounds very..." she took a moment to find the word she seeked,

"Interesting." Nasus finished for her. He had been silent throughout the whole explanation. He had only given them nods and 'mhm's. "And we have only that as our only knowledge of the Void?"

Skarner nodded, "Although our recent friend who passed by named Ryze probably knew more. He holds the copy of the now lost relic, and guards it with his life."

Rainbow Dash, as her friends were introduced earlier, barged in, "They aren't as tough as they sound! I bet we can send them back to their mothers!" she boasted,

"Creatures of the Void consume their mothers, or perhaps the other way around. This is serious Rainbow Dash."

she scuffed, "Okay, but we have the most powerful beings in all of Equestria in Canterlot!"

"That is true. However, the Void no doubt will not be defeated by just the Elements of Harmony alone." Nasus added in.

They all nodded in agreement.

"What do you reckon we do?" asked Applejack, "If we can't beat 'em, how will we stop them?"

"We plan to bring together all kingdoms in to unite against them; Its the best we got so far." said Cait, "Ryze has already departed to the dragon kingdoms."

Skarner nodded, "They are barbaric and unorganized. With rational and efficient tactics, we can make it. But the void numbers in the millions or perhaps billions! They vary in all kinds of sizes. Just one was more than 6 of us could handle."

They all became silent after that. The rest of the train ride was spent thinking about the future. Their salvation seemed hopeless at this point.

---

When they parted from the steam train, Skarner took one last admiring look at it; the trains he knew back then were crystal-powered. While Alistar helped unpack equipment, the purple mare was greeted by Shining Armour and Cadence. As well as the rest of her friends. Caitlyn and Luio saluted their captain and was prepared for the lecture they expected. Twitch insisted wear his "tidy" suit for the occasion of stationing at the Crystal Empire. So he was still in the train for a while. During the ride, Rarity simply couldn't stop gawking about Skarner's coat: it was so shiny! RainbowDash and Applejack attentively listened to Alistar's stories of his brawling career. Twilight and Luio wouldn't stop blabbering about acidic solutions that can corrode through any substance or material. Caitlyn and Fluttershy shared tea over their knowledge of wildlife. Apparently. Cait has been on personal safaris on the other sides of the world. Pinkiepie joined in spike's enthusiasm for adventure, even though she misconceived Spike's sarcasm.

Shining has already been informed that Celestia is meeting with Griffon leaders. So he can focus on keeping the potential invaders at bay. Teemo and his comrades quickly recovered, so they were finally back on the line. Kennen however, still must stay in the hospital; his visions won't stop.

Today was quite a bright day for grim news. Cadence was comfortable with Shining's and Swain's command, they did protect Canterlot from mostly everything in the past years(apart from the Changeling Invasion). While the elite guards were ushered back to the barracks to rest, Shining asked Skarner to escort the mares to the library.

He levitated several books from the far-right corner of the eastern section of the amazingly large library. Twilight couldn't help but turn to goo when she grasped the books. He recommended Rainbow his collection of SwiftShift novels. The moment he mentioned that it was similar to Daring Doo stories, her eyes gleamed and read the back to test her interest; it made her even more excited. She finally had something else to read since she was up to date with her Daring Doo stories. He also hovered a book of biological beings in his time to Fluttershy. She was hesitant at first, but he pointed out that there were crystal bunnies and hummingbirds mentioned. He smiled at her reaction to the first picture of the crystal bunny.

He offered to chip a crystal outfit for Rarity, which made her swoon and faint on a pile of books; he thought it would mean plenty her. Skarner wanted to show Applejack how to grow food that existed in his time: the Brackern's signature apples. They were crystallized apples that tasted perfectly sweet, juicy, and crunchy. They were easy to grow apparently, and easy to harvest. She promised him she would show him what a 'pie' was. All while Pinkie was asking questions of the librarian with Spike trying to calm her down (which is in fact, impossible).

"Thank you Skarner; for everything." said Twilight,

"Absolutely my pleasure." he replied, "I must return to my duties now."

After they said their goodbyes, Skarner started for the exit. Before he could leave, Twilight stood and called to him. He turned to give her his attention.

"We're joining you right?"

Skarner raised an eyebrow, indicating that he didn't fully understand what she meant.

"Oh come on! You didn't think we wouldn't come with ya to buck these void guys did ya?" Rainbow blurted in between them.

"Yes, i'd rather not fight. But if they dare threaten Equestria," Rarity's calm and sophisticated demeaner vanished and was replaced with a fierce gesture, "THEN THEY'LL HAVE DIAMONDS AND EMERALDS PERTRUDING FROM THEIR EYES!" then relaxed into a heavy breathing pattern

Skarner ,surprising, didn't flinch at her outburst.

"We're all in this!" said Fluttershy,

"Whether ya like us or not!" Applejack added,

"Together!" they all said in unison.

"No." He simply said,

The mare 6 suddenly had their mouths open, surprised that he declined their help.

"WHY NOT?! HUH?! WE'RE NOT AS STRONG ENOUGH?!" Rainbow got into his face and threatened to push further with each word she spoke, "You think you're better than us?!"

The others complained in mixed volumes. Until Skarner raised a hoof to hush them and let him explain.

"We plan to lead a suicidal journey, the last thing we need are others to unnecessarily die while we bend our backs to look after you. Mind you, you are more powerful then countless elite guards together, but perhaps its better to save your strength as last resort. These Void creatures are not you typical Equstrian creatures. They can immediately doom you to death within a mere second." he let the moment be absorbed. He didn't know much at all about the void, but he remembered Igneous' lecture of it; he has encountered them before. "They constantly evolve and thrive for perfection in combat." with that, he left the library.

He didn't look well, judging from his pale face. They tell Ryze that he has been blabbering about the void, and that they don;t understand what he says. Ryze immediately takes in what he says.

"Torn apart..." he rasped, "decreed alliances... unity... salvation shattered..."

"Lord Zargonath, can you hear me." said Ryze,

"I can hear all... make it stop please!" he pleaded,

Ryze scratched his chin, looking for a way to purge his visions.

"Firstly, it can only be done with powerful magic that even i can't apprehend. Secondly, i've come in news of a terrible threat bestowed upon us. However, I believe your visions will greatly help us. Your visions are from the very threat we face."

"I see." he closed his eyes, "Is that all you seek for me?" he asked,

"We also ask that we, as an ambassador for ponies of Equestria, forge an alliance with all of dragonkind."

He sighed, "What good would that be? All of Equestria will fall."

Ryze resisted the urge to facehoof and calmly spoke.

"Only if our kingdoms do not unite. We do stand a chance against the Void. All we need is the full support of all kingdoms! We are currently meeting with the Griffon kind, after that we'll move on to the elementals, then the tauren herds. After all, Equestria is worth saving. Is it not?"

Moved by his words, he sighed once again.

"Although I see much reason, the dragonkind as you know lacks harmony. We used to be a valorous kingdom such as yours, until civil war drove everydrake apart. We are now scattered into small or large tribes." he lifted himself up from bed despite the discouragement from his maids, "There is a relic of ours which has been stolen. The relic was what brought unity to dragonkind. So if it were to be stolen, they'd face a never-ending horde of dragons. However, it was unknown back then of who stole the relic. Sections of the kingdom were broken up to easier rule all. The Southern kingdom accused the Western kingdom of the thievery." he clenched in pain as another vision passes by. He regained himself and sat upon his bed. So he continued, "And it created tension throughout all sections of the kingdom. Eventually civil war broke out between them. Little did they know that it was taken by creatures from the Shadow Isles."

Ryze thought back to his studies, the Shadow Isles was thought to be myth. However, an expedition successfully explored most of the island. They returned with almost all of their numbers lost, and declaring that it was inhabitable to anypony. Stories passed on that horrors walk the island. Rumours tell, it is where souls of the damned were kept.

"Unfortunately, when we finally knew who were the real theives, the dragon kingdoms have been decimated. order was lost for many eons. You must retrieve the relic to finally gain our alliance."

"Our troop numbers have been cut, mainly from small skirmishes the voidlings pull off." Swain continued, "Bodies of the voidlings as we have discovered, will quickly disappear once they assume death. We can't study them thoroughly nor find their weakness without going through combat."

Shining armor nodded as he soaked up the information provided, "Do they have any resistance to some kind of substance?"

Swain nodded, "They can take in magic damage pretty well. Mostly depends on the type of carapace they wear. The thicker, the more its resistant to magic." he theorized.

"Well done General Swain, your synopsis will prove useful in the future." Shining complemented, "As you understand, all we need to do is to defend our cities and towns." he turned to the group of elite guards, "Skarner," he addressed, "You are hereby relieved of your punishments. However, you can continue to serve in the royal guards."

"I will be most honoured to." he replied,

"Alright. All we have left is to defend the evacuating civilians. Each individual will be in charge of different cities. Poppy will assign each of you your destination. Are we clear?!"

"Yes sir!" they all said in unison.

"Dismissed!" everypony in the briefing room dispersed quickly. Most felt they aren't prepared for a threat like this, but that won't bum them down. They chattered about their opinions on the plans. Most were positive, while the rest were weary. They needed a miracle.

"I bid you goodluck my little ponies." Lord Zargonath rasped, "I will have a handful of dragons accompany you since no mortal pony can lift the relic without the help of dragonkind." Ryze nodded.

"Thank you Lord Zargonth. We will make haste with valor." he paused for a moment then leaned in closer to his ear. "Shyvana sends her love."

His eyes widened, then watered. A tear fell down his cheek. "Thank you Ryze. But please do not mention that name publicly around here. I will explain later."

And with that, Quinn along with Valor, Ryze, and 4 large dragons parted their goodbyes and headed to the edge of the nest. Once they crossed over, the flora revealed a very large waterbody and a dark-clouded island in the very distant horizon. Ryze turned to Quinn,

"Your duties were only to escort me to the dragons. You do realize that you are relieved of this duty and can return home." he said,

"As much as im nervous about heading to the Shadow Isles, what will be the point in going home now when it will be destroyed by the void threat? I long for adventure; Valor does too." her sentence was followed by an approving screech from Valor.

He smiled, "Lets get moving than." he gestured to the other dragons.

Author's Note:

Hey guys! hope you liked the chapter and the story so far!
Im about to compress my chapters into one from two. Or in other words, i will combine every two chapters. For example, Prologue part one/two will be put into one chapter, then chapter one and two will combine to make Chapter one. So instead of approximately 2k words, it'll be 4k words.

As usual, tell me what you think of the story so far and don't forget to leave a thumbs up!

Comments

[KRissCHu573]

Mighty interesting. I really dig the bleeding eye thing!

[Skarner]

2311849
I just had a nightmare about it :(