Prologue: Rise of Sombra/Awakening of a Dreadnaught

Royal horns blared as Queen Terra and her personal elite guard, Skarner, stepped onto the castle balcony.

"Presenting Queen Terra! Ruler of Crystal Empire!" announced Core Branch, the royal spokespony. The crystal pony citizens cheered. "Prince Sombra approaches!" he yelled. Core Branch had a pale gold coat and short but glistening brown mane, he always stood proud and strong. He's cut out to be a decent guard with his attitude. His cutie mark is a tree branch with gold in-lines which represents loyalty and resourcefulness.

They gazed upon the dark blue and black armoured legion of ponies, lead by a distinct unicorn who is most definitely Prince Sombra. He had a matching armour from his legion and he had dark grey coat with a black mane, which was frizzled but formal. His eyes had red irises and his horn is red at it's tip. He strutted down the main street of Ruby Avenue with confidence and the smile of a jester. Skarner already has a distaste of his demeanour.

Queen Terra telepathically communicates with her subjects because she is 'mute' (lost the ability to speak). Her pale but glistening blue coat compliments her gold mane encrusted with purple crystals. Her cutie mark is a brown heart with gold entanglements representing her love for her subjects, her element of land or earth, and royalty. Known as sweet, caring and merciful of her citizens, she does keep a strict reputation of not tolerating ponies who dare harm one another. She glances at Core Branch indicating that she has something to say. He nodded as he acknowledged her thoughts. He turned to Sombra's legion who stopped around the grand fountain in front of the castle. He patiently waited until the crystal citizens ushered down. He took a deep breath.

"Queen Terra cordially welcomes you to the Crystal Empire!" the crowd roared in cheer, while the dark legion didn't express any emotion. "She requests that you state the reason of your presence since it was most unexpected, Prince Sombra!" he said.

"It is an honour to be here, the glorious Crystal Empire once again stuns me with its impeccable beauty." he started, earning himself content from the citizens. However, the queen did not seem appeased. He could feel it. "Anyways, I have come to discuss terms of joining our kingdoms into one!"

"We ask that we discuss this with more detail yonder."

He nodded in satisfaction, "Very well."

Prince Sombra patiently walked towards the castle entrance as Skarner, Corebranch, and Queen Terra descended from the balcony to meet the Prince. The dark legion remained idle and silent around the fountain plaza.

Sombra, also accompanied by his assistants and guard, kept his smile as he greeted the queen with a bow and a kiss on her hoof. She broadly smiled and glanced at her spokespony.

"It is most pleasured to have you here. Would you like a tour of the castle before we discuss terms?" Corebrach said.

"Won't be necessary," he shook his head, "I have been here before after all." Sombra replied with a smile.

"Alright than, let us begin through these halls this way..." Corebranch guided the group to the stairs that lead to two channels of more stairs, eventually ending in the meeting room.

*Skarner...* Skarner turned to see his queen looking at him. *...Keep watch of Sombra's legion. I'm not sure why he would bring one so large, or why he would care to visit. Understood?*

He nodded, "Yes, my queen." then he turned to the main exit where the crowd gathered around the dark legion.

Skarner's origin on where he came from is only known by both him and Terra. Many books that had information about it was lost, and many ponies have forgotten or died without passing on the stories. He's a powerful crystal incarnation of a unicorn, who was raised as soul, able to harness the essence of crystal. His only bio-organs were his heart and eyes. He had no pupils nor irises, it was just pale yellow. He sculpted his own coat, as if he was a living statue, his cutie mark is 3 shards of crystals, representing undying energy and purity, making him a very versatile fighter.

As he stepped outside, the crystal ponies were clearly trying to socialize with soldiers of the legion. As Skarner approached the crowd, they backed off and progressively hushes. He came almost nose to nose with one of the soldier; he stared into their eyes for any sign of suspense or confusion.

"At ease soldier." he stated. They didn't move or relax. "Why so stiff?" he said with a smirk. Once again, no reaction from the soldier. He frowned at the failure of his taunt. He turned his attention to the sky to see a storm approaching. He then told himself that it wasn't anything to be concerned of yet. He trotted off to see into the group of rude ponies seemingly bothering a soldier.

"That is most unwise civilian."

"Sorry Skar, but I couldn't help to try." one of them replied with a giggle.

"I do not want so see anymore disrespect towards any of the soldiers. Understood?"

"Yes sir." they tensed then bowed. They decided to leave to spend their leisure time somewhere else.

Skarner walked in front of the castle to face the crowd, looking for anymore problems or conflicts. He tensed. Anxious all of a sudden. He sensed dark and corrupted magic. He sharply glanced upon the legion, he saw dark energy flowing out their eyes. He looked around, he saw the other guards noticing the change as well.

Skarner telepathically called to Queen Terra, *Your highness, I apologize about disrupting the meeting, but I sense dark energy accumulating from the legion.*

*...* she either didn't hear him, or something was wrong.

"Lynx! Riff!" he called to the nearby guards, "Follow me!" they nodded and matched his pace towards the castle entrance.

He felt the familiar dark energy pulsing from the dining hall. He galloped up the stairs leading to the room to see dark crystals seeping over the walls. He and his company broke into a sprint as they knew something wrong has been done to the queen. As they approached the door, it was blocked by a wall of dark crystal. Skarner summoned his magic to make his pincers and stinger appear from the purer crystal from the floor. He uses his pincers to break through the door. Inside the room, he saw the queen cornered at the edge of the room. Prepared, Sombra shot a beam of dark energy at Skarner. Fortunately, his pincers took no damage as they nulled the energy. His companions however crumbled to the ground.

"Sombra! What is the meaning of this?!" Core Branch confronted the prince. "Stop now and we'll forgive you!"

The prince chuckled and threatened to pierce his body with sharp crystals.

Skarner used his magic to cause a fissure to interrupt the prince. Unfortunately Sombra smited the poor pony before Skarner can save him. Sombra made a simple glance at the crystal guard lying in pain beside Skarner and cast a curse that brought him to serve under his commands.

"Riff was it? Please, take care of him." the prince said with a devious smile.

"As you wish my prince." Riff said in a distorted and rather shaky voice.

He leaped towards Skarner with his spear with a war cry.

"I am sorry brother..." he muttered. He used his pincer to slash the corrupted pony in half. Blood gushed in his wake. Just as he turned to the other approaching corrupted guard, he impaled him with his stinger. He quickly fell and blood spilled from the hole in his neck.

"Quite a powerful warrior you are." sneered Sombra. "You would make a fine addition to the new 'Crystal Empire'!"

"I shall never join you!" He charged at the Prince with frightening speed.

"It wasn't a question." He held Skarner aloft and aimed his horn at him. "You shall join my army, and slay the crystal queen."

"Never!"

"Again, it wasn't a question." He released a thread of dark energy that seeped towards Skarner.

He slashed the thread away,but by doing so, it did not break. Instead, it stuck onto his pincer ,slowly becaming succumbed by the thread. He dropped the pincer losing any magic connection to it, and aimed shards of crystal projectiles at the prince. Boldly, he dodged to the side ,missing him by just inches. A fragment of that dark energy thread sneaked onto his hoof and began to spread to the rest his body. No matter how much he resisted, his crystal exo-skeleton could not protect him from the entanglement.

Terra witnessed the whole thing. At Skarner's last struggle of his control over his body, he noticed shards of dark crystal upon her horn which didn't allow her to channel any magic. Must have been why she couldn't do much of anything. At this point, he was tempted to relax, and give up. So he did. He glanced back to Terra, knowing that it was the last time he'll see her again.

"I'm sorry my queen." he muttered. Both Skarner and Terra shed a tear.

After a few moments of groaning and twitching, the crystal vanguard rose onto his hooves.

"What are your biddings, my prince?"

"Please, address me as Sombra." he then glared at the Princess, "Slay her." he commanded, leaving his eyes off of her. In panic, she attempted to fly off from the window but Skarner used his magic to create a crystal wall blocking any exit. She stared at Skarner in horror.

"As you wish Sombra." he turned to the horrified queen, and prepared his pincer that he lost earlier.

*Please, Skarner... you have to fight the corruption.*

*Fear not, I shall make this slow.* is all Skarner simply said (or thought).

*Promise me... you'll reek revenge on Sombra... all he will do is cause chaos and despair.*

Skarner pondered at the thought, his inner voice wanted to tell her 'i will'...

...but his corrupted mind thought otherwise.

He striked down his stinger and impaled her, leaving her breathless, stunned, and wide-eyed. He then retracted his stinger, and grabbed her with his pincers and squeezed tightly. She wanted to yell in excruciating pain, but she was mute. Her body bleeding violently, he progressively gripped harder and his pincers eventually started to rip through her fur and skin. Then her last thoughts travelled into Skarner

*Promise me...* then it hit him with sudden realization. His thoughts were clear now, free and pure. Somehow, he was mirculously cleansed from the corrupt. He released his grasp from the heavily wounded queen, and ran towards Sombra, catching him off by surprise. He drove his stinger into his stomach, pinning him to the wall.

"What?! HOW?!" he yelled. He didn't wait for an answer, and emitted an energy surge, causing Skarner to fly across the room. He then shot a deadly beam of energy at the queen finishing her off. She made a soft yelp upon impact.

"TERRA!" Skarner caught a glimpse of her final moment as he fumbled in the air, he then caught control and landed easily on the floor and sunk through it.

"Show yourself! exclaimed the prince.

Skarner then grabbed the prince from beneath him with both of his pincers. He used his stinger to pin him down on the floor.

The prince then blurred out of sight and approached behind Skarner, and encased him in dark crystal. He was trapped. The crystal didn't allow Skarner to use any magic or abilities. He began slashing at the walls, only hurting himself as the dark energy returned the damage.

"Stop before you kill yourself, it would ruin the fun for me." he laughed, "The Crystal Empire is finally mine! There is no hope, no queen, and your citizens are now our slaves... It is apparant that I can not control you, therefore would force me to end you. However, the offer to join my forces is still available." he sneered.

"As I said before: NEVER!"

"Such pity..."

The Prince then muttered a spell.

As he spoke the final words, he progressively said them louder then the one before.

"...unto you. Unto all who dare defy me, I curse thee to slumber in the runic depths of the earth! I CURSE thee TO WITHER AND SUCCUMB TO OBLIVION!"

Tendrils of dark energy pulled Skarner down...down...down... to the abyss below,

Where his screams of anger could not be heard.

Within depths of the crystal caverns, he laid encased in crystal. Still and idle, he thought no thought, nor beated no heart beat.

Suddenly, a pulse of powerful ,magic resonated through the cavern, shattering his cage. His eyes snapped open and broke free of the crystal cage. What is this? What was that? How long was I asleep? His memory quickly surged back to him... he felt his anger shudder his soul. Blinded by rage and anger, never has he felt such passion to end one's life.

A thought passed by, *Promise me~*

Queen Terra?! He tried searching for the source of the thought, but had no luck.

He used his senses and looked beyond the walls that surrounded him. Nothing but more crystal. He then caught a glint of light signalling a gap to the above land. Determined to reek revenge upon Sombra, he summoned his pincers and violently slashed his way to the top.

No... Terra watched as Skarner got pulled down through the floor. Too weak to open her mouth with no hope, she used her remaining strength to send a message to the sister princesses, Luna and Celestia. Her first attempt sapped most of her energy but she barely sent a signal. With her very last bit of strength she mustered from her soul, she called to the sisters but was interrupted by Sombra who kicked her. Her world faded as Prince Sombra looks down on her with a devious smile.

Terra awoke, feeling barely alive to see Sombra-- King Sombra as he looked out from the balcony upon the city. They were alone, with no guards to ensure his safety, and no adviser at his side. His looks have slightly changed, dark energy flowed from his green eyes and solid red irises. He smiled upon the chaos that took place in front of him: there were enslaved ponies, military abusing the citizens, and homes were ransacked.

"Terra..." he addressed her without a glance. "I'm glad you're finally awake. Did you know you were passed out for 2 days?!" he laughed.

"..." said Terra. She gave him a very disgusted look. She wished she wasn't mute so she could tell Sombra how much she despised him. Sombra couldn't collaborate with Terra's telepathic messages unlike all of her subjects, so he can't pick up any thoughts from her.

"I sometimes wonder, were you born quiet?"

"..." she kept glaring at Sombra.

The king sighed, "I'll be right back." he leaped down to the castle front yard, causing a crater in his landing. The crystal ponies cowered in fear in his appearance. While he was gone,Terra got up and limped to the exit that was behind her. She managed to unhinge the door then she used her body weight to push it open. She looked down the hall covered with dark crystal entanglement. She limped through the hall leading to the teleport crystal. She had to navigate around the large shards that poked out. They do have quite a sharp tip. Finally, she reached the painting of Sir Hymn the 7th standing proudly, she tipped her horn to activate the runes that revealed a hidden door.

"Unhand me you wretched bastard!" a crystal pony cried out down the hall. Terra quickly turned to hide. Taking cover behind crystals, she snuck up to the distressed pony to find that she was cornered by 2 corrupted guards. "I was only making my way to the storag--" She had her sentence cut off as a guard struck her.

"I do not care of your excuses! Get back to wor--" then the guard had his turn to have his sentence cut off ,when he felt a crystal shard impaled through his coat. Terra then used her telekinesis to break off another shard of dark crystal and lodged it through the other's head. They both fell to the floor as the poor civilian stood stunned in horror.

*Hurry Coral Reef!* the message came to the civilian's head. *You must follow me to safety!* she turned towards the hidden door and steadily tried not to limp. The blue coated crystal pony followed with tears welling. Her mane decorated with broken pieces of water ice-let which she was born with, her light purple mane was rustled and messy with spots of ashes. Her cutie mark is a green and red fish, representing a skilled mariner/fisherpony.

"Thank you my queen." she managed to say.

*You're most welcome dear. Were there any otherpony in the halls as you came here?*

"No your highness." she hung her head down in sadness.

Terra nodded and nudged her to continue through the hidden door. She closed it behind them. She approached a large room containing a ringed crystal that lit up as they approached closer to it.

*To Canterlot Castle.* then the crystal started to shimmer and shake. A light envelopes them and a flash took their place on where they used to be.

They appeared at the Canterlot front entrance between 2 of Celestia's guards. They quickly helped the weak queen and Coral up to their hooves.

"Queen Terra!" exclaimed the shocked guard, "Are you alright?"

She groaned then fell to the ground as her hooves gave away. The guards helped her up again and she nodded to them as gesture of gratitude. She leaned onto one of them for support as the other ran inside to seek help and alert Princess Celestia. Moments later, another guard appeared along with Celestia. They ushered Coral and her in.

When she was finally awake, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna appeared and sat down beside her. She found herself lying on a large couch.

"Terra, are you feeling well enough to tell us what happened?" the white mare spoke.

*Yes Celestia,* Terra raised her head to match their level, *The Crystal Empire has fallen to the kingdom of the Northern Plains. Sombra has taken over the city and chaos now reeks in the city.* Luna and Celestia both gasped on hearing the news, *CoralReef here,* she looked at her subject. *Is the only pony I managed to save.* Luna stood, then made her way to the door.

"Sister, where are you heading off to?"

"To prepare my armour, will thoust be staying with Terra?"

"Im coming with you." Celestia stood as well.

"Then so be it, Sombra shall be punished." Luna then continued her way. Celestia nodded to Terra, and she nodded back. The white princess then left the room leaving Coral and Terra alone in the guest room.

Coral sighed, "I haven't been able to sleep lately..." she laid her head on her hooves, "Do you think they can save the Crystal Empire?"

*Im not sure, but I really hope they do.* Terra cuddled herself to find a comfy position. *Im going to get some rest. Perhaps you should too.*

"But why would I want to miss this?" replied the smiling pony. Terra just glanced at her in confusion. Coral was then enveloped in green flames and revealed her true form. Terra jumped up in surprise and attempted to escape. Sombra closed off the doors and set up a dark crystal wall around the room.

"Neat trick huh?" he laughed, "learned it from a changeling. Never thought I'd end up here, but you must understand darling..." He impaled her with a dark crystal. Wide-eyed, Terra looked upon the horror that gushed out of her. She attempted to call somepony within the premise, but it was too late as her conscious blurred.

As Princess Celestia and Princess Luna came back to check on Terra, they noticed the dark crystals blocking the door. They blasted through crystal wall and knocked open the door to see the bloody body of Terra, with a piller of dark crystal that rose from the ground through her. The crystal walls blocked all of the windows and exits.

Luna turnedaway from the scene and stomped towards the door in tears, while her sister hung her head down in great sadness.

She muttered to herself, "He shall pay..."

3 months later, since he killed Terra. Sombra stepped into his chamber to find a key. He went over to the closet, then searched through the stuff thoroughly. He then moved onto the cabinets, with no luck either. Where would Terra put the key to the teleport crystal beacon?he thought, then the window swung open letting in cool air. He walked up to the window to close it, but as he did so another blew open. Snarled in frustration as this matter delayed him in his search. This time he uses his horn magic to close it. He looked through the the window to watch the night sky empty. This struck him as unusual since Princess Luna would bring up the moon at this time. He turned to see a Nightmare Moon stare at him. She quickly swung and knocked him to the ground. He recovered quickly to return a pulse a energy making her tumble.

"GUARDS!" he cried out, Just at that moment, Celestia accompanied by a squad of her elite sun guards stepped through the door.

"Its over Sombra, you shall be severely punished." she said. She casts a beam of light upon Sombra. Boldly, he disappeared into a cloud, then reanimated himself behind her guards and wiped them all out in one swipe. Celestia skillfully dodged it, and Luna dashed out the window. Celestia backed from Sombra as he formed a crystal wall behind her forcing them to engage in combat.

As Luna flew higher, she eventually reached a very low speed then stopped her wings. She then faced herself towards the castle window and pushed her wings. She gainned tremendous speed through momentum and gravity. She bolted towards Sombra who was visible from the window.

Celestia pinned him down with her strong beam of light as he fought back with his beam of dark energy. Neither of them were winning the struggle. It was just a matter of who gets exhausted first. Just when Sombra began to dominate Celestia, Luna bolted right through the window, she gained enough speed to a point where she created a very powerful pulse that at seemingly did nothing. Then as she stopped behind Sombra, making a crater on her landing, his power ceased to work. The pulse disabled any magic within its radius until the sun was raised. Stunned, Sombra is sent flying from a powerful blow from Luna's buck. He was then grabbed by Celestia and she brought him muzzle-first into the hard crystal floor, making a loud crunch. He yelped at impact, then his body slumped on the floor. He remained unconscious.

Sombra slowly opened his eyes, finding himself being dragged towards the front of the crystal castle. The guards that were dragging him paid no attention to him, and wasn't aware that he has awoken. He noticed that it's morning, meaning that the spell wore off. He quickly lashed out on them, and left 2 fallen bodies.

He walked down the stairs and heard a group of guards trotting up. Quickly, he shrouded himself in black smoke and lingered on the ceiling.

"Quick! The king has escaped!" one of the guards exclaimed. How would they have known?

Sombra decided not to pay mind to them and continued through the castle. Once he stepped down into the main hall, he was greeted by a leeching beam of light, it sucked his energy very quickly. Confused and weak, he quickly turned into shadow form and tried to flee back up the stairs, but he was grabbed and pulled towards a white mare.

"Do not attempt to escape Sombra, you shall pay for what you have done." Celestia spoke with a very stern tone.

"You shall never destroy me! The Crystal Empire is mine!"

"Not when we're around!" said Luna as she appeared with her elemental crown. Both her and Celestia, prepared to use a very powerful spell upon the pinned and helpless king. Quietly, he started muttering a spell. As he neared to finish his spell, the princesses casts their magic, approaching him at alarming speed. Sombra luckily finished his curse upon the Crystal Empire. They turned him into a shadow that was to be banished, deep within the crevice of the icey glaciers of the north. He cackled as the spell sent him out of the castle.

At that moment, the city began to shake and shimmer, the princesses quickly fled outside and flew up into the air. They witnessed the Crystal Empire slowly disappear.

Chapter 1: First Impressions

View Online

Princess Cadence sighed in boredom,

"Shining, want to go out for a picnic?" she said with a half smile.

"Sure! Just let me tell General Swain that i'll be gone for awhile." he winked.

"Alright. I'll just be waiting here." She nuzzled him before he parted. Sighing again, she made her way to the kitchen to prepare their dinner at the park. As she passed by a mirror, she notices her mane is frizzled. She quickly rushed to the washroom for her brush. She then face-hoofed remembering that she left it in her chamber. She looked out into the hall to see if anypony was there. Safe and clear, she quickly galloped down the hall that lead to her chambers. She suddenly felt a little shake but stopped at little moments. Ignoring the seismic activity,she continued and eventually reached her chamber. The ruptures became more powerful each time it struck. Cadence quickly finds cover on her bed since she thought it was an earthquake. The ruptures became so violent, she was sure her brain wobbled with it. Suddenly it stopped. She counted to 15 incase it would start up again. Finally feeling safe, she made her way to the washroom to pamper her mane.

Skarner could see the glint! Its so close!He let his rage fuel him through his last efforts to reach the top.

He thrashed out, spilling bits of crystal everywhere. Relentless, he finally merged out from the sewers of the city. The floor bursted in his wake, causing a couple of crystal ponies flying. Citizens scream in terror and fear as Skarner blindly bashed houses and destroyed neighborhoods. Immediately, he encountered several guards who put up resistance on the crystal being. Skarner slashed all of them at once, knocking them all down unconscious.

"Where are you Sombra?!" he cried as he smashed through a kiosk. He then encounters more guards, this time they're elite. Skarner breaks off little shards of crystal and barrages them until they all fell. Pegasi guards then try to pin him down from atop, while unicorn guards tried to maintain him too. The other guards charged with their heavy nets and spears. Skarner lashed his tail knocking away the pegasi guards, whipped his pincers left to right smacking guards. he then sunk to the ground to lose the nets that enveloped him. He came back up behind the surprised guards then he caused a fissure by his magic, causing them to tumble. Satisfied of the downed guards, he made his way towards the castle. Reeking havoc upon his path and anything that stood against him.

"Swain!" Shining called out,"I've been loo-..." he was interrupted by Swain

"No time sir! Theres a rampaging crystal beast in the city!" he quickly said, "We need immediate reinforcements, it's extremely dangerous!" then he turned to the exit. Swain was the General of the Canterlot Army, he was famously known to repel a gryphon attack with the ratio 1:5 of forces. Now an officer, he has retired to the Crystal Empire's army. His coat is very dark green, his mane is very short and very dark blue. His red eyes displayed fatigue, but full of terror. Oh his left shoulder plate, stuck out a branch for his companion,Beatrice who is a 6-eyed crow, to stand on. He had a cane for his right hoof to keep him balanced on his old legs. The unicorn had an aura that frightens nearby civilians.

The prince sighed, then he turned to a courier that has just entered the room.

"Teemo!" the small and young courier turned his attention to Shining,"Inform Princess Cadence that I will be busy."

"Yes sir!" the courier rushed towards the stairs leading to the upper levels of the castle. Shining quickly made his way towards the armoury.

Skarner continued to hold of guards, but more and more keep blocking his way. The guards barely had much scratches on him. Then a particular pony caught Skarner's attention. He had a bandana covering his muzzle with a strange bird on his shoulder. The guards made space between both of them and Skarner patiently awaits for whatever was about to happen.

"Son," he gestured to Skarner," have you ever heard of the saying 'the early birds guts the worm'?"

"Enough of your mockery," Skarner frowned, "lead me to your prince or get out of the way." he snarled at the old pony.

"No need, im here." Shining entered the dilemma. "If you're a creature of speech, then you should be capable of wisedom, then you should be capable of reasoning. Before anypony gets hurt, I would like to talk this over with you... peacefully."

Skarner kept his frown.

"I will not hurt anypony unless you let me 'see' the real prince."

"I'm afraid im the pony you're looking for."

"You are not Prince Sombra!!" He then charged at both Swain and Shining. Swain quickly stomps his cane, emitting a set of runes appearing around Skarner. The runic symbols than turned bright and bind Skarner at where he is. Shining then dispelled Skarner's magic causing him to drop his pincers and stinger. Swain's horn lightened as he casts a ball of green flame. As the ball reached Skarner, the ball was absorbed by his body then began to cause tremendous pain. Skarner clenched his muzzle. He then broke Swain's binding and suck beneath the floor. He has escaped. He emerged underneath Swain,forcing him to step aside to regain his balance. He struck his stinger towards Swain but missed him. Beatrice then flew in front of Skarner, and glared into his eyes. Her glare brought Skarner to his knees as her glare sapped his energy. The guards surrounding the crystal dreadnought quickly tried to hold him down, causing him to break his stare at Beatrice. Realizing the situation, he lashed out on the guards knocking them all away. He turned towards Swain and slashed the pony. He grimaced in pain and backed off. Shining then used his magic to hold him down.

"Stop!" Skarner turned to Shining, "If it's King Sombra you're looking for, he's been vanquished awhile ago." Skarner first stared at the captain, then looked down in thought.

"Civilian, if you lied to me. I will personally tear both of you apart." his frown softened. Shining gently let him down as Swain recovered from his wound.

"You're quite a powerful creature. How did you end up here?" Swain asked.

"Why thats Skarner!" exclaimed one of the crystal ponies, "He's the personal elite guard of Queen Terra!"

" 'Was'," he corrected the civilian, "I saw her die in front of me." Skarner then had a sad expression on his face, "I must avenge her, for it was her last wish; my promise to her."

"Im very sorry, but you do not need to worry about him anymore. Neither should you be rampaging around here just to seek audience with him. Queen Terra would've told you the same."

"I do apologize to all the damage I have done." said Skarner to maintain his honour.

"Well you have caused guards to lose their lives. So your punishment shall be severe."

"I understand."

"First of all, you'll be repairing the damages you've caused to the city." Skarner nodded, "Second, you'll spend time in the crystal cellars. We'll decide how long soon. Third, I would like you to perform regular patrolling since you were a formal guard." the crystal pony simply nodded."Lastly, you will join the army and train unicorn guards with combat magic, assuming you're most adept with it. Do you understand?"

At first Skarner questioned this demand, but shook away the thought.

"I understand captain."

"Good. You will start repairing the city, both the sewage and housing." Skarner nodded and immediately got to work. Shining turned to eagerly tell his princess what happened today.

"Dear Celestia!" Shining turned to see the awestruck Swain, "It appears your punishment isn't 'severe' at all so far."

"What do you me-..." his jaw dropped as he witnessed the crystal pony at work. His horn shone brightly as crystal shards flew here and there. He placed back the pieces that were bashed off of buildings then smoothened their surfaces. The crystal repair-material flowed out of the hole where Skarner first emerged. Shining was stunned at Skarner's amazing ability to multitask. Not too long later, Skarner finished and the city looks perfectly the way it used to look. He turned to Shining,

"Whats next sir?"

"Uh... " he turned to Teemo who was watching the whole event. "Teemo! Will you bring Skarner to Sgt. Poppy, she'll give her briefing to Skarner's patrol area."

"Yes sir!" he replied with glee, then sped off as Skarner had trouble keeping pace.

"How much time do you plan to make him do?" whispered Swain.

"About 7 months, and will you help us in preparing the funerals for the 3 dead guards?"

"Most willing sir." Then departed from the captain. Shining made his way towards the castle entrance. What a day! Can't wait to tell Cadence! I wonder if we can still go on that picnic... He facehoofed, I was supposed to tell Swain that I would be busy! He silently cursed to himself.

He approaches Cadence's chamber, tip-toeing to be careful not to leave sounds giving away clues to his approach. he opens the door to find the princess snoozing on the bed. Quickly, but silently, he made his way towards her then leapt onto the bed beside her. Surprised, the princess yelped.

"Relax hun, its me!" she smiled at him then planted a kiss on his cheek.

"What took you so long?"

"Oh my, where to start?" she leaned in to listen to him easier, "Swain alerted me of a crystal beast rampaging on the streets..."

Cadence gasped at the news.

"Did anypony get hurt?!"

"Yes,48 wounded and 3 dead." his smile faded quickly. As well as her's.

"...so go on..."

"Well we had a very intense battle, me and Swain, with this thing... then once we finally had a sure hold of him. We reasoned things out--oh yes, he could talk-- and he apologized, then we found out that he was Princess Terra's personal guard!"

"Princess Terra?! But she's been slain before King Sombra's rule!"

"I guess he's been there at the time too. So then i proposed his punishments and guess what I offered him."

"How did you punish him?"

"First, to repair all of his damages, then do regular patrols assigned by Poppy, then spend his time in the crystal cellars. The last one was that he was to join the Crystal Empire's army and start off by training unicorn newbies."

'Wow!"

"But you see, he repaired all the damage that he caused in probably less than a minute! And geez, did he wreck havoc down there!"

"Ookay..." Shining notices her lack of enthusiasm then chuckled.

"Guess you had to be there to admire his works."

"And all that within 2 hours?"

"2 hours?! Felt like almost the whole day!" he paused then realized, "We can still go on our picnic!" he said with glee. She laughed at his enthusiasm.

"I guess thats true, i'll get our dinner for the park ready." she got out of bed and walked towards the door and turned down the hall leading to the kitchen. "I'll meet you at the entrance in about 40 minutes." she said, then winked.

"Slow down young one!" Skarner said over his panting as he tried to keep pace with the fast scout. His name is Teemo, his coat is pale brown. He has brown spots surrounding his eyes, and his mane is valiant orange. He has dark brown irises, and has a cap with goggles and an orange feather. His cutie mark is a boot with wings, representing his swiftness and cunningness. A telescope hung around his neck, and he carries a sack of scrolls and food.

He said nothing, but slowed a bit so the crystal pony could catch up. He lead him through pillers and trails he has never seen before. Probably because he's been slumbering for so long.

They stepped forth through an open door which leads them directly to the briefing room. There, a party of guards were receiving a lecture from a very young girl!

"...and so your group..." She gestured to a trio of guards, "will be exibiting section 12." she pointed to a large rectangle at the map behind her. "Any questions? Get outta here!" she concluded. The guards all got up to leave while Skarner and Teemo made their way towards Poppy.

"Ah Teemu!" she hugged him very hard, "Hows the field doin'? Oh and wheres Tristy?" She winked.

"Haha, Trist is loungin'. The field is boring as usual, not that we want something to happen of course."

"Mhm cool, and whos this guy?" she turned her attention to Skarner, "somekind of crystal-crystal pony?"

"He's a former guard of Princess Terra back in the days, he now serves Shining and he wants you to appoint him a patrol area."

Poppy tapped her head in thought.

"Come 'ere," she gestured to follow her, "Whats your name brother?"

"Skarner ma'am."

"Don't get formal with me, it makes me feel like a tyrant. But around Shining, you address me as ma'am. Y' hear?"

"Sure thing Poppy."

She lead him to the map and pointed at a rectangle.

"You'll be assisting other guards here, they are patroling the mountain beyond the Wolfria plains. This place can be dangerous, but we do lack guards there so it would be be ideal for the likes of you."

Skarner nodded.

"Exactly how many others are there?" Skarner asked.

She paused for a moment.

"3. 1 is a scientist, another is a gunner, and the third one is a special ops agent." she rolled up the map, "The first guy's name is Dr. Lucious, the gunner's codename is Caitlyn, although her real name is gears. The agent prefers to be called Kennen."

"When do I leave?"

"Now if possible."

Skarner nodded in acknowledgement, then went to part from the door, Teemo also followed him as well.

"Hold on Teemu, don't you wanna hang out so more?" Poppy winked at Teemo.

"Eh... sure." he quickly went by Poppy side and began their conversation.

Skarner shrugged, then continued his departure.

Why would anypony station guards here?! No enemy would even imagine planning their invasion here! Skarner complained, he approached a dim orange light indicating the campfire of his patrol site. The freezing winds blew against him as he trotted through the snow. 2 ponies were standing guard, and exchanged questioning glances as they saw Skarner's silhouette. Skarner held up his badge as soon as their features were visable. They nodded and gestured him into their hideout.

They ducked under a curtain that protected them from the mountain winds.

"Fellow guard, tell us your name." asked the pony with a large hat.

"I am Skarner."

"You look mighty strange for a guard, more like a crystal dino!" she giggled, "Im Caitlyn," she bowed then pointed to a pony with spectacles, "That Dr. Lucious..."

"Ehm, just call me Luio please." and gave an awkward smile.

"And thats agent Kennen." she gestured to the silent pony only revealing his eyes.

"It is my honour to meet you all." Skarner bowed.

"Please, make yourself at home." she gave another smile. Caitlyn had a large, purple with gold linings hat attached with sets of spectacles. She has a mane that was brown and her coat is lavender. Her eyes are also purple. Her cutie mark is cross-hairs representing her sharpness and skill in dexterity. And not to mention her sharp observative skills.

"Oh my!" Luio rushed to Skarner in admiration, checking out all of his features, "What kind of being are you?! Yo-you must be one of those rare beings...uh uh... The Bracken!" he jumped with glee in sudden realization. Then dazed in thought, "Your kind is supposed to be extinct...". Luio had a brown coat with a short dark brown mane, he wore spectacles at his right eye. His cutie mark was a beam of light, representing enthusiastic and positive, and resourceful.

"My kind... I miss my kind..."

"Oh, im sorry i ever mentioned it."

"Its alright Docter..."

"Please just call me Luio, and i am curious to know the history of the Brackern." he suddenly stood up have a weak smile, "If tha- thats okay with you of course!"

"It's okay... alright, where to start?" Kennen and Caitlyn also gathered around Skarner to hear his tale.

"Back before I met Queen Terra or the Crystal Empire..."

"Skarner! Get those crystal batteries on now!" screamed Igneous, "They are advancing!"

"On it!" then Skarner dashed away down the line. He readied his horn as he used his magic to whir up the crystal machines. He fed it energy and soon it was able to last on it's own. He moved on to the next machine then the next. Once he reached the last machine, he watched as the machines barraged crystals that left behind magic residue. Their attack was once again, useless.

"They're falling back! Victory for the Brackens once again!" Igneous screamed with pride, our soldiers roared in pride as well. The Bracken were unique beings that held a skill to allow their life essence into crystals. This allowed many arcane potential which left them with immense power. Although a passive species, they will not tolerate any beings that dare threaten their kind. There are those who seek to learn from the Bracken, and those who wanted to steal their power.

"Well done Skarner, you have once again won us another skirmish with these contraption that you've invented!" Igneous patted Skarner on the shoulder, "Say... what do you think about becoming more than just a scientist... perhaps an honorary Captain in our military forces?"

"I would be most honoured!"

"Great!"...

"...And so then I eventually became their most prized warrior."

"Intriguing! Please continue!" said Caitlyn with glee.

"Mhm, but everything changed when we were involved in the Rune Wars."

"Rune Wars?! Holy hay! That war raged in almost all of Equestria!" remarked Luio.

"Your statement is true. However, war also marked the Bracken's endangered status..."

"Get these civilians purified!" yelled Skarner over the cries of bracken civilians.

"We aren't prepared for this! They have us now!" said a soldier as he broke down in terror. Skarner tried to help him regain reality.

"Yes, I fear we may have to resort to... hibernate... gather the other leaders, we must discuss matters that will decide the Bracken's fate."

The soldier got up on his legs and saluted, he then dashed off.

While he was dealing with that, Skarner tried his best to fight off the poison that infected the poor bracken. Unfortunately, the poison resisted crystal magic and killed the poor civilian. Skarner, careful not to infect himself, helped to carry him away to the deceased. When the Rune Wars started, it was between the kingdom of minotaurs, and the elementals. The Brackens had no interest in war, but research and mining. Of course, the war allowed the jeopardy of alliances therefore leaving the Bracken vulnerable to any large attack. The Bracken were confident since they've been through these kinds of attack before but this time was different. The elementals released a poison into the Bracken's crystal depot, infecting many of their supplies. The infection dulled the Bracken's ability to herd crystal, so long enough exposure caused the being's soul to separate with the crystal, causing death. The infection spread madly across the Bracken, killing off 3/4 of their population.

"Ugh!" Skarner screeched in frustration on his lack of action against the infection.

"Grand Master Skarner!" a group of brackens called out, one of them was Igneous. Igneous' crystal carapace was shaped like a tiger, and since the Bracken didn't take the appearance of ponies, they had no cutie mark. The other four are Sulphate: a mighty golem, Bollian: a unique splice of eagle and a hornet, Cathode: an ape-like being, then Bonanza: the crystal dragon. "You called?" said Sulphate.

"I have gathered you all here in desperate times... which calls for desperate measures. I have come up with the solution to preserve our kind."

"And what solution do you have in mind?" replied Bonanza.

"We initiate hibernation." they all gasped.

"Skarner, you do realize the time it takes to do such a thing!" remarked Cathode, "We can fend off the Elementals!"

"Don't be foolish! We can not fight against this plague." Skarner sighed, "I fear the extinction of our kind, and this is our only resort."

"I agree, we haven't been able to save even one civilian!" said Igneous, Skarner nodded to him.

"We will need to be as efficient as possible to maximise the amount of lives we can save." the leaders all nodded in agreement, but with sad expressions. Then Bonanza glanced up at Skarner,

"If we hibernate, we will need someone to awaken us..."

"Yes, I will volunteer, but only I will volunteer. I will slumber higher than our kind so that i will be the first to awaken. If I were to be satisfied with the environment, i will awaken the rest of the Bracken. Reviving our kind."

"Most bold, but most risky."

"Indeed, now lets go! Time is precious!" they all nodded and left in a hurry. Skarner did too.

"Oh dear!" Caitlyn gasped, "What happened next?"

"We lost 500 more lives out of the remaining 1200." Skarner replied.

Luio and Kennen yawned.

"Perhaps, we should rest. Tomorrow will be severe. The weather has been acting up! So we'll need all of our energy!" remarked Luio.

"But we'll be anticipating for the rest of your story Skarner." Caitlyn added in.

"Agreed." said Kennen. They all prepared their beds and tucked themselves in. Each daydreaming about Skarner's story. Then about whatever their mind desired.

All of a sudden, an ear-piercing screech echoed into the hideout.

Chapter 2: Creatures of the Mountain

View Online

They all tensed. Of course the screech didn't sound friendly and it is their duty to keep the mountains safe. Within moments after a second screech, they made no heasitation to ready themselves. Caitlyn holstered her rifle around her back, Kennen checked his supply of daggers and pulled on his winter camo coat. Skarner stacked another layer of crystal onto his coat and readied his pincers and stinger. Luio... stared at Caitlyn.

"What?" Caitlyn asked when she noticed Luio staring, "Something wrong?"

"No, no. Everything is alright..." realizing what he said, he revolted at his own words, "I mean uh, I hope my jacket that you're standing on is fine." he gestured to the jacket behind her. She moved away from it to make space for him to fetch it.

"Ah, not a bit of dust." he smiled in satisfaction. Phew! Almost embarrassed myself. he thought.

A third screech echoed into the cave.

"We should hurry." said Skarner. They all nodded in agreement.

Cautiously, they peered around the curtain that protected them from the winds at night. Unfortunately the snow storm didn't make seeing much possible. Anyone can easily shroud in the storm, but they'll have to fight against the freezing winds.

Once again, the screech iritated their ears since it was close, but this time, a battle-cry came along after the screech.

"--ou... --lay... be --one --oul beas--!" the voice was slurred by the wind but the voice was strong and valiant. The Royal guards quickly came into the scene and found a griffin ,made purely of ice with red-beaming eyes, attacking an armoured grizzly and a hooded pony.

"Return what is mine!" the griffon exclaimed, then flapped her wings creating a large icicle able to impale the grizzly. Luckily the bear ducked, almost hitting it, and charged at the griffon. The hooded revealed a bow and an arrow. The pony arched the arrow then released it's grip, causing the arrow to quickly hit the grffon's torso. With quick agility, the pony arched another one, but was interrupted as the griffon caused the storm to push her to the ground. As Skarner charged into the fight; he too was affected by the griffon's wind that it conjured. the bracken had difficulties making his way in. The bear failed to reach the griffon, as it was suspended in the air. The griffon hurled an ice-ball at the grounded bear. Caitlyn shot the ball before it reached the bear, catching the trio's attention.

"Enough!" she yelled. They got back into combat, ignoring the gunner. Just before the archer fletched another arrow, Kennen flung one of his daggers knocking the arrow out of the archer's hand. Skarner rose out of the snow and launched at the griffon. He used his pincers the catch it's legs then pull it down. The griffon slammed the snow hard. And as for the bear, Caitlyn shot a net pinning it down.

"What is going on here?!" demanded the grizzly.

"By order of the Royal Guard, we do not tolerate violence." she stepped in front of the grizzly, "I demand you to explain the situation here. Otherwise, you'll face the consequences" she firmly oppressed.

"I have come in aid of this traveler," he gestured to the archer, "as she was attacked by this griffon."

"SHE HAS STOLEN A PRECIOUS ARTEFACT FROM ME!" the griffon screeched.

"This is no artefact of yours, it is merely a trinket of my honour!" the archer snapped back.

"Eeeyes, may I have a look at this 'trinket'?" Luio asked.

"How about we take this matter inside? Its freezing out here!" suggested Caitlyn.

"Very well." said the bear.

The trio, still captive, sat down around the fire.

"I am Volibear-The Thunder's Roar, I am most grateful you decided to take things peacefully." he glared at the griffon, "As i said earlier, I was venturing upon this mountain in my journey to a sacred mountain,Mount Hoarfrost within IronSpike mountains. By tradition of Ursine, I must listen to the call of the storm to fulfil my wisdom. Once it is done, I will return to my people as Grand chieftain. But along my path, I stumbled upon these two who were in combat."

Caitlyn nodded in acknowledgement.

"You may start." she gestured to the griffon.

"I am Anivia. For many eons, I have watched and protected over the mountains of IronSpike. All I held in possession is The Frozen Heart. And I believe its presence is found in possession of the Frost archer." she glared at the hooded pony.

"Is this true?" Caitlyn questioned the archer.

"No, it is not." she revealed herself by pulling back her hood. "This necklace was given to me when I was coronated Queen of Freljord, along with my other 2 sisters. We all share same necklace. I do believe that your artefact is most likely to be taken by another pony."

"How is that possible? The very remnants of the frozen heart is unique and can not be duplicated!" bursted Anivia.

"This necklace is called the Rime, it contains the essence of frost. The same with your Frozen heart. It's very aura matches with any other frost artefacts, which lead to our misunderstanding Anivia."

"I see... I apologize from inmost of my soul." she then gave an awkward smile, "I didn't get your name..."

"Ashely, but I do prefer Ashe." she eased her expression,"You are forgiven." they smiled at each other.

Caitlyn smiled too Another job well done.She said to herself.

"Would you three care to stay with us? Your company will be most appreciated." she asked.

"I would not mind" replied Ashe.

"it's rather too warm for my liking actually. Nevertheless, I too will accompany you." said Anivia.

"I apologize, but I do must take me leave." he got up then sniffed the air, "On second thought, is that food i smell?"

He glanced over at Luio who was brewing hot stew.

"Huh? Uh-eyah! Mushroom and dandelion stew."

Volibear frowned,

"I have never tried that before. I suppose you ponies do not have meat?" he stood coyly, hoping they indeed have meat.

"Of course not! Us ponies do not eat flesh!"

The grizzly groaned in disappointment. He said his goodbyes, and began his way out of the cave. As he opened the curtain, a bustle of icey wind blew into his fur. Sending him shivers through his thick fur. He sighed in fatigue, and walked backed. The ponies and the griffon exchanged confused glances.

"I thought you were leaving?" asked Skarner.

"I felt that enjoying stew with new friends is more pleasant than ravelling the storm." he replied. They all nodded in glee as the bear joined them.

"So Skarner," the bracken looked up from his daydreaming, since Luio caught his attention, "Remember where you left off this midnight?"

He nodded,

"I'll briefly sum up my people's past for our new guests." he motioned to them. Then he started stating how he came from an ancient kind called the Bracken, where he was Prime dean of his people. He mentioned how the Rune Wars affected them ; causing them to resort to total hibernation. He told them his duties as the prospector for his people, so that they can once again flourish.

"I slumbered in the crystal caverns for almost hundreds of years! To then be awaken by the construction of the Crystal Empire...

Unicorns all worked hard to shape and sculpt many crystal buildings and roads. They prioritized quality over quantity, steady over rush, creativity over repetition. Their passionate Queen, formerly Princess Terra, smiled as she gazed upon the happy ponies who are working hard. She prepared for her descent, down to the crystal caverns. To seek the energy source that will nourish her city. She sought out the ingredients from a recipe provided by her grandmother. The recipe created the Crystal Heart.

She lead an excavation group consisting a prospector, a skilled carver, excavation expert, a scientist, and a handful of guards. Their excavation started from a cave leading to the crystal caverns. The fear that it imbued into the ponies' minds was enough to drive them mad. Terra watched as one of her guards freaked out, then pass out. For many days, they searched within the cavern for the material they needed. That included a large, pure crystal core, an enchanted rune found deep inside the cavern, and a Brackern soul. One day, she stumbles upon the crystal rune, her excavator took note and mapped it's location. Shortly after a little more exploration, the prospector found a crystal core large enough to satisfy them. Unfortunately, it was too hard to mine for it was too deep. Luckily, they found another similar to the first core they found and was able to retrieve it. The scientist madly took notes of his surroundings; He was most intrigued of the crystal structures.

The last ingredient, a Brackern's soul, confused the group. No one knew what a Brackern was nor did they exist in their books. They decided to go back to the surface to research about this. They asked Celestia first, she says they are ancient beings. But that was all she knew. She recommended to ask Starswirl, the bearded. He also had no clue upon the Brackern.

After years of research, they came up with almost nothing. So they gave up their crystal heart to find an alternative. This alternative power source uses elemental magic; also extremely rare to find at the time. Only Discord knew of its remnants but immediately pushed away the idea. Fortunately, Starswirl was an adept in ancient elemental magic. He demonstrated carving a pure essence of the elements into a crystal core. Although it was barely strong enough to sustain her kingdom, it sufficed.

When the elemental crystal was installed into the Crystal Empire's heart, it quickly unleashed a pulse that ruptured across Equestria. The effect created a graceful aurora that was seen for many many miles.

What the effect also did was awaken Skarner.

"... Ironically, I introduced myself to the Queen the same way I did with Shining!"

The guards gave a chuckle.

"I don't get it." said Volibear, "Whats so funny?"

"Let's just say that I get stubborn in the mornings." replied Skarner.

"Soups on everypony!" Luio announced.

Everypony muttered in joy as they took a bowl filled with stew.

"And uh... Here you are Cait." Luio blushed as he handed her a bowl.

"Thank you." she smiled, causing Luio to make a giddy chuckle. She went back to her usual spot to enjoy her stew. Skarner was next inline.

"And there you are," he handed him his bowl, "I almost expected you to eat only crystals." He joked

"I do, but I can consume any other food."

"Ahh I see." He scratched his chin, "Say, you knew Terra. Correct?"

Skarner nodded.

"You know, before the city disappeared, I served her as her personal researcher. I was the one who desperatly wanted to know more about your kind."

Skarner raised an eyebrow,

"You've lived for 100 years? You couldn't possibly live long enough to participate in the excavation and the city's vanish."

"I'm the Queen's son." He winked.

"Most intriguing, why have I not seen you around her."

"I'll explain later. Go have your soup"

Skarner also returned to his spot after saying thank you tole chef.

Once everypony had their bowl, Skarner continued.

"Once me and the Queen found peace with eachother, she appointed me as an Elite captain of the Crystal Guards..."

"Your highness?" Skarner asked for her attention.

*Yes dear?* she replied using her telepathy.

"I must complete a task of my people."

She gave him a confused glance.

"I mentioned how I am to awaken them when I find a world fit for them."

*Ah yes! Are you planning to do so?*

"Yes my Queen."

*I will allow you to pick your group if you need company.*

"Then may I ask that you come? I am eager to introduce you to my people."

She nodded in excitement.

*I will be anticipating the event. When do we leave?*

"I can go now, also i'll need our advisers and leaders. Celestia, Luna, and Starswirl are also welcome to join us."

*Very well, i will send messages of the event. Im sure this will be down in equestrian history.* she smiled then geatured him out of her chamber to prepare.

Celestia, Luna, Starswirl, Corebranch, Terra, Krillon (Grand Master representitive of griffons), and many ponies from all over Equestria has partaken in this anticipated event. To Skarner, this was very meaningful to him. It made his heart swell with content, knowing that his people would love the embrace of Equestria.

Skarner and the leaders were to venture alone, since there are far too many ponies to fit in the cavern. They stopped upon the crystal rune, allowing Skarner to chant a blessing. The rune then gave a low-decibel sonic wave. At first, nothing happened.

"It takes a year to fully complete hibernation. Only the ones who are closer to the surface will awaken early." when Skarner finished, a loud roar echoed through the cave. Skarner simply smiled and told the leaders not to fear. He jokes how its similar to yawning when you wake.

A dragon silhouette appears. As he got closer, it became clear to the leaders about how massive he was. His hide is purely made of crystal.

He bowed before Skarner.

"It makes me glad that you have awoken us. Has anyone else appeared yet?" he said in a deep, but soft voice.

Skarner shook his head. Then he turned to the leaders,

"This is Bonanza, my adviser and master of our military."

Both bowed to eachother.

"It is an honour to meet you." Celestia introduced herself, "I am Princess Celestia. current ruler over Canterlot in Equestria."

He bowed again, in honour of Celestia.

"I am Princess Luna. I assist Celestia in her duties. I am most excited to meet thy people."

Again, he bowed to her.

"Bonanza, Queen Terra speaks through telepathy, will you be okay with that?" Skarner asked.

"Indeed, I also find that interesting." the dragon replied.

*I am Queen Terra. I rule the Crystal Empire along with my subjects. Skarner is appointed as my Elite Captain of the Crystal Guard.*

"Ah, I see." he bowed.

"I am Krillon, I was chosen to represent the griffon population in Equestria. I am most humbled to meet such ancient beings."

he nodded and bowed.

"I am Starswirl. I'm potentially Equestria's greatest magician."

"I will be interested in your abilities." he bowed again. Behind him, other Brackerns begin to step out from the ground to see what has awoken them.

Several of them were civilians, they introduced themselves as Bonanza did. Once they were done, they were warmly greeted by the ponies outside. Next Igneous showed up from his slumber, coming to Skarner first.

"Hello friend!" *yawn* "You wouldn't believe how musty it was where I slept." they shared a laugh. Skarner then introduced him to the Princesses, the magician, the griffon, as he did the same to them.

"Goodness Skarner, thy people do frighten me. Pray-tell, wilst thou be lecturing us on thy history?" Luna asked.

"Of course Princess. Only if you don't slumber through it."

Shortly after, Sulphate, Bollian, and Cathode appear. They also made their introductions with the leaders.

The princesses took their leave and apologized on not being able to stay for the full awakening. The rest however (including Starswirl and Krillon) stayed up all night long. As the days go by, civilians and Bracken warriors arise and were warmed by the ponies' welcome. Eventually, they broke up and went back to their homes. Although some decided to stay and welcome others that may come.

3 years later, Skarner has announced that the full awakening of his people was complete! Reluctantly, no Bracken died while slumbering. For many more years to come, they slowly flourished.

One day within the Brackern community...

"Captain Skarner! CAPTAIN SKARNER!!" a courier bursts through the castle doors and was quickly met with the bracken.

"Yes Corebranch?" he calmly replied.

"You must come quick! To the Brackerns!" he huffed out to regain his breath, "They are infected with this 'poison'! They say its extremely urgent!"

Skarner stood with his jaw hanging open.

"It can't be..."

"You can't let them suffer in there!"

*Skarner...* Terra began.

"NO! THE POISON WILL WIPE THEM OUT WITHIN AN HOUR!"

*Please, calm down. You have to understa--"

"If you're locking them up in there then i'm going in too!" his words echoed through the hall,

*...* she stood still, not moving to stop Skarner from entering the containment camp. He sped passed her and out the door. Terra couldn't help to shed a tear.

Skarner galloped out of the castle yard and down the main road. When he turned left, there is a crowd of ponies surrounding the camp around the Brackern community. He didn't slow down however. Instead, he sunk into the ground and made his way into the camp without anyone getting harmed.

As he emerged from the ground, the Brackern civilians stared in surprise. Although they said nothing and walked on in sadness, Igneous ran up to him and hit him right in the jaw.

"WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?! YOU'LL GET INFECTED TOO!" he cried as he bursted in tears.

"I was about to be the only Brackern, I want to die with my people if we're going extinct!"

"YOU FOOL!" he shoved Skarner to the edge of the camp, "GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE YOU GET INFECTED!"

"NO! I REFUSE TO FAIL MY PEOPLE."

Igneous (who shared Skarner's skill to sink into crystal structures) grasped onto Skarner and pulled him down and rushed through the interior of the ground. He struggled, bucked, lashed, but was useless against his grip on Skarner's forelegs. He tried to discourage his friend, but he didn't reply. Moments after they emerged out near the outskirts of the city. Just as he let go of Skarner, he forged a tall prison trapping him and quickly enchanted it to be immune to magic. He stepped back and glanced at him.

"Goodbye friend..." a tear dripped from his eyes, "Its for the Brackern..." then he slinked back into the ground.

"NO!" Skarner lashed and smashed the prison hoping that it would break. His attempts were useless; his magic was disabled. He wept like a filly who needed his mother.

"...the guards found me later that night and brought me in for a check up."

"Pst!" Volibear signalled Luio for his attention, but clearly had the attention of others, "Have any more stew left?"

Luio simply smiled and got up to fetch the pot. Voli glanced back at his friends to notice that they all heard him. He gave an awkward smile and shrugged.

"Its good! Is that a problem?" they all shook their heads. "You may carry on Skarner."

He nodded, then began again...

Almost sad to the point of suicide, Skarner slowly trots down the hall hanging his head down. He lifted his head to identify the door in front of him. Satisfied, he stepped in.

"Queen Terra?" he spoke into the room.

*On the balcony...* she replied.

Skarner walked further in to see Terra stand on the balcony staring out upon her city. As he got closer, he notices that shes spewing out tears and sniffling. He sat beside her, joining in her daydream. They said nothing for a while.

"I apologize for releasing my anger on you earlier today." he said to break the silence.

*You are forgiven.*

"What will I do now?"

*What do you mean?*

"My people, they are doomed--and I am just left here. Im the last... It will be I who will be lonely for many many centuries to come. I lived to awaken and lead them, what will I do now that I have nopony to lead?"

She nodded an agreement.

*As true as you are the remaining Bracken ,we still have so much to learn from you. The same as if your people would want you to live. It would burden their lives if the Brackens were to truly become extinct. You can carry on their stories, their works, their souls.*

A guard knocked on their door.

"Your highness!" announced the guard from the other side of the door. Within a moment, he stepped in. "The Bracken community has been confirmed... deceased."

Both Skarner and Terra hung their head in depression even though they both expected it.

"They shall be forever remembered." Skarner spoke up,

*May today commemorate the Bracken Kind. Today shall be held as a remembrance day for such an unfortunate event.*

"Thank you Princess."

*You are most welcome* she smiled.

"There is one more thing. But you'll have to see for yourself." said the guard.

Terra nodded in acknowledgement then Skarner and her followed the guard to the camp

Once they got passed the pony crowd, they saw many gloating orbs that gave off energy.

*What are those?* Terra asked Skarner, then she noticed his eyes were wide open in awe and disbelief.

"They are Brackern souls... they couldn't release their souls before they died... Unless..." with sudden realization, he gasped. "They did the reserve enchantment!"

*What does that mean?* she questioned his realization.

"It means they have have given their souls for our disposal. We can properly give them a memorial."

*I have a suggestion...*

"And what would that be?"

*The Crystal Heart needed Brackern souls, I did not know what a Brackern was until you showed up. What if it's possible to store all of your people souls into these energy conduits providing us with infinite power. Their lives will not be in vain.*

Skarner pondered the thought, then agreed. They mustered up all the souls and were careful to handle them. They left Skarner and a team of runic experts to embue the souls into the crystal heart. Once the task was complete, they placed it where the elemental heart was, then it created a large pulse. The pulse made the ponies in the Crystal Empire have ever so shiny coat and newly formed mane. An Aurora beamed across all of Equestria; it was a magnificent view; it made Skarner tear up. The ponies admire themselves, and Terra to stare at the beautiful night that aided the aurora. The Brackern blessing was in the ponies' hearts, and in the city. There wasn't any other way they can remember the Brackern. After that day, they celebrated each year in honour of the crystal heart. Thus started the festival that lasted for many centuries. The Crystal Fair that commemorated the Brackern race.

"...after that, I was constantly followed by scientist, librarians, and researchers. Gradually, they began to grow weary with my tales and then soon no one came. Although I was still remembered." Skarner finished, "I do believe it is our time to sleep." he gestured to the snoozing agent. He smiled at the sight.

"I agree." Caitlyn yawned, "We are going to station at Kerr Mountains tomorrow in the middle of that storm." she cuddled herself to sleep. Voli huddled in a corner and immediately started to snore loudly. Ashe simply leaned onto the wall with her bow and arrows by her side. Luio went to put away the bowls and pots. Anivia still stood where she was.

"Will you not be sleeping tonight?" Skarner asked her,

"No Brackern, I do not slumber. Although I will keep guard outside if that will be fine with you."

"Go right ahead, and goodnight."

"Goodnight to you too."

Luio got back from washing the dishes and closely to Caitlyn.

"Pst~ Caitlyn!" she looked up and gave Luio a questioning glance.

"What?" she replied

"Can I uh sleep next to ya? Nothing intentional of course!"

She shrugged and patted the floor beside her signalling Luio to lie down there. They spoke to eachother quietly so they were inaudible to others. Eventually they went to sleep and were quite close to eachother. Skarner smiled at the cute view.

Skarner went to lie down where the campfire used to be. He quickly drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

"Too bad those 3 couldn't come with us, they seemed to nice." Cait commented,

"That blizzard followed that bear where ever he goes, although I do agree with you." said Skarner

"Im still very grateful the storm didn't follow!" Luio said with joke.

"Indeed!" Caitlyn replied.

"Hey Kennen, why have you been so quiet lately?" Skarner asked.

"The subjects you ponies speak of do not interest me nor do I have an opinian on it"

"Ahh, I see."

They approached a clearing that lead them to the base-level of the mountain. As they walked and talked through the forest between the mountains, they hear a voice in the distance. Cautiously they ventured to investigate, since Caitlyn begged them to or she'll die in curiousity. They stumble upon a blue pony who looked heavily injured, muttering to himself. The blue coated pony with a dark brown with a bald mane carried a large scroll upon his back. He also had a tome hanging around his torso. He wore simple brown boots. He bore a huge gash on his hind-leg and a thorn sticking out from his flank. His cutie mark is a tome that had energy flowing out of it.

"Sir! Are you alright?!" Luio called out.

"Retreat! They have come!" He replied

They broke into a gallop to the pony.

"Who has" Caitlyn asked,

"The void... someone took my scroll... They opened the portal! We must stop them!"

"Luio! Get this pony some aid! Skarner and Kennen, come with me!" she turned to the hurt pony, "What is your name?"

"Ryze..." He replied weakly

"Can you point me to the direction of where this portal is?"

He pointed west of them. They made no heasitation as they bolted off.

Within mere moments, they easily spotted the very large portal that created a very loud sound. Caitlyn quickly checked upon the very peculier and large footprints that dotted their path to the creature that came from the portal. She said it simply smelled revolting, but something worth their concern. Caitlyn asked Kennen to send Shining a message concerning their case. She requested immediate backup to their aproximate location. He sent the letter and got started with the others to the case. After 5 minutes of looking for any other clues, Luio and Ryze shows up. Ryze immediately casts a spell that closed the portal without warning anyone.

"Why did you do that?" Asked Caitlyn,

"So no more creatures will wander out." he said

"Do you fear these creatures?"

"Its not that I fear them soldier, its that i fear they will grow strong enough to be unstoppable from anything."

"I see..." she was cut off by a very close and loud stomp just a few metres behind her. She turned to face the beast as it's roar deafened the whole group.

"Its Cho'Gath!" The blue pony bursted, "Surpress it before it can do anything!"

But it was too late as they all were knocked up into the air.

Chapter 3: Step-two into the Void

View Online

Cho'gath doesn't hesitate and furiously charges at his nearest victim: Skarner. It took advantage of the ponies that were suspended in the air after being knocked up from Cho's tendrils. He resembled a serpent and a beetle, with having a spiny canvass that was blood-red with some stripes of purple. His head was long,narrow, and wide. It's eyes were burning red. It had 4 arms, two stretching from the side of his torso and two emerging from both his sides of his back. He had scythe-like hands that were sharp to the point. It slashed down upon Skarner, but wasn't enough to penetrate through his armour. Once the team of guards regained their balance after landing, they immediately tried to surpress the creature. Kennen transformed himself into a ball of lightning and dashed into the creature's face, causing it to wince and scream in frustration. It shot spike projectiles and one of them hit Caitllyn. Luio made haste to aid her leaving Ryze, Skarner, Kennen to fend off the beast. As Cho slashed down upon the Brackern, he quickly dodged to his left cuasing Cho to be vulnerable. He created a fissure using his magic knocking the creature off balance. Ryze quickly casts a prison spell binding Cho to where he is. Kennen then threw 2 lightning embed daggers on his chest canvass. It gave out a loud cry in pain, but Kennen wasn't finished. He unleashed an electrical surge that fed into the daggers that were acting like outlets.

"Ouch!" Caitlyn yelped as Luio touched her wounded left fore-leg, "Geez, this hurts more than the spike itself!"

"Relax and let the remedy heal it. It'll only be slower if you struggle." he calmly replied,

"Im not struggling! Im complaining!" she snapped at him.

Once the prison spell wore off, Cho'Gath swiped Ryze off his hooves. He tried to recover but the monster upper-cutted him. He is sent back, and landed gracefully. He limped back to give himself time to heal. Skarner quickly ran up under Cho to impale him with his stinger. As he did so, it didn't seem to be effective. Cho attempted to stomp the Brackern, but misses. Skarner tried again to impale him but he didn't see the incoming slash coming from his scythe-hands. The brackern was swept off his footings and landed hard beside Luio and Cait.

"Alright lets go!" Luio said when he took his glance of Skarner, he brought out a flask that contained combustible liquid and threw it at the monster. It screeched in pain as the acid sunk into his canvass. He then shook away the pain and was back in focus. Caitlyn shot a few fires at the beast, but they had no visible effect. As he drew closer, Skarner sneaked underneath him and slashed his leg, causing the monster to kneel down. Cho quickly slashed at Skarner forcing him to back off. It then grabbed Kennen who was charging at it, then brought him above his mouth. He dropped the agent but before he could reach his mouth, Ryze threw a bolt of arcane energy at it's head trying to interrupt it. Kennen swiftly recovered and swiveled around it's head. Cho also recovered and roared in frustration. The guards were exhausted and the beast seemed to not have faltered from any of their attacks.

"Fall back!" commanded Caitlyn, "We need reinforcements!" they all nodded in agreement and ran south into the forest. Cho'Gath gave another deafening roar in dominance as it gave chase. They galloped for a while, but the Creature was still hot on their tracks. They approached a shore port that had many ships and locals who inhibited the area. As they got clearer, the locals looked at them with questioning glances.

"Beware!" Skarner managed to holler as he panted, "An abomination approaches!"

They still looked at them as if they were crazy. They then switched their attention to the creature that followed them. Cho'Gath roared at the sight of the port causing the the locals to flee. All except two. As the group got nearer and nearer, they heard the two's conversatoin.

"...no way laddy! Thar be 'alotta mighty plunder! Ye can't just let 'er go!" said the red pony. He wore a captain's hat and his mane is brown. He is wearing a white under-shirt with a red and brown vest. His cutie mark is a fruit:an orange. They weren't sure what that represented anyways. He had a flintlock pistol holstered by his torso and a sabre on the other side.

"You fool! It'll cost us too many lives! You're lucky you're under protection or i would've blasted you right now!" The other pony said. She was a yellow mare with a mane that is a vibrant shade of red. She too wore a captain's hat, although slightly different to his. She has two pistols on both sides of her torso and she wore brown leggings covering her cutie mark.

"Imagine all our booty!"

"How do you know we will succeed?!"

"Where are yar hunger fer adventure?!"

"I lost it when i started working with yo..." they were cut-off by the sight of the creature stomping into the city. "What in Celestia is that?!"

"Yar har har! Thar be the mighty Cho'Gath!!" he pulled out his gun and shot up in the air causing his friend to wince.

"Ugh, was that necessary?" she grunted,

"Adventure calls upon ye soul!" and they both charged in.

The guards and Ryze noticed the two heading straight towards the creature behind them. At first they hesitated to go in with them. But quickly decided if those two are brave enough to face the monster, then they have enough reinforcements for now. The two ponies bombarded the monster with lots of bullets and cannon fire. Suppressed and crippled, Cho attempted to flee. They wouldn't let that happen so they hunted the beast down. Within moments, they already lost it after they heard a loud sound. So Cait was Cait, so she investigated, Luio was happy to join her. The two brave ponies introduced themselves before continuing. They were Miss Fortune, the yellow pony, and Gangplank, the red one. They stumble upon a large clearing in the forest, which at first appeared normal to everypony. Caitlyn had a feeling it wasn't.

"Notice the knocked down tree over there?" she pointed to the other side of the clearing, "What could've caused that? And the blades of grass are all pointing to..." she followed her gaze with her hoof pin-pointing the spot. "...there"

"What could that mean? There are no more tracks of Cho'Gath proving that he was here." Luio asked,

She took a moment to think. Ryze walked to the focal point and touched the ground with his palm. he closed his eyes for a moment, then they popped back open.

"It escaped through a portal to the void that was placed here... but no one knows the portal spell but me!"

"Perhaps somepony mimicked your actions, or managed to snatch a quick look at your spellbook."

"I guard the spell in this very scroll." he gestured to the largest scroll on his back, "No pony has ever been able to touch it."

"Until now..."

"This was very generous of you Gangplank!" Skarner said in gratitude,

"Dun mention it laddy!" and he gave a hearty laugh. "Ay gotta talk to missy, she been reeal mad at me." he winked. then walked out of their guest cabin. His ship rocked back... and forth...slowly swaying. It made Kennen queasy. Skarner decided to escort Kennen to the port-bow so he can "ease" himself. Ryze stayed in the next room. Which left Caitlyn and Luio together. For a long while, they sat in the awkward silence.

"So ah... how long have you been into the detective stuff?" he broke the silence,

"Since I was just a little filly..." she smiled and began to daydream, Luio snapped his fingers bringing her back to reality.

"Sorry!" she chuckled, "Well, when I was in school, I was known for be curious and finding out what was going on no matter what it was. Nopony dared to keep a secret from me... unless it was too personal."

"Ah, so what made you so interested in it?"

"One day, my father was rugged and came home with many bruises. It broke my heart to see him that way, so I sneaked out of my house to 'investigate'."

"Haha, a rebel in those days?"

"Indeed. Once I exposed them, the Royal guards immediately brought them into justice then that was when I got my cutie mark. To be honest, I was hoping it would be something like a...uh... magnifying glass. A few years later, i was old enough to enter the Royal Guards and i was paired up with anotherpony named Vi. We were the best in the group and nothing could stop us."

"Wow... what next?"

"When we were done our training, we were sent on cases and pony-hunts. Eventually, we gained so much reputation that we were asked to lead a lot of major cases! Of course Vi and I weren't backing down. One day, she fell into the 'wrong side' of the law and parted away without warning anyone. I ignored all the case requests i had to do, just to find her. She ends up in the Crystal Empire and i offered her a chance back in the law. She told me she found a new law. She became a criminal, stealing otherponies' stuff, but it was only the criminal ponies."

"Wow, talk about hardcore detectives huh." his eyes gleamed in admiration of Caitlyn.

"Yep, so what about you?"

"Wuh?"

she sighed,

"How did you get into the Royal Guards?"

"Seriously? Why doesn't anypony know?!" he sighed and began, "Of course, you know Queen Terra right?" she nodded, "Im her son." she made a loud gasp with eyes wide open.

"Then.... that makes you a prince!"

"Thats true, but i managed to make everypony know me as 'Dr. Lucious' you know~."

"Wow... then it's an honour to meet you! Prince Lucious!"

"Just keep calling me Luio, I like it that way."

She nodded,

"Why doesn't anypony talk about you?"

"Im a hermit, I live and experiment in my chamber. Mother does visit me, but she can never get me out of that room" he chuckled as Cait joined him as well. They sighed and turned to look deeply into eachother's eyes.

Luio leans in closer to Caitlyn, as she did as well.

She then looks around him and stared at the window behind him. A flash of a figure wisked by, apparently a spy.

"Stop fiend!" she got up and poked her head out the window...

So close. Luio thought.

"Come on! The..." she was cut-off by some substance splashing into her face. Luio gave her a questioning look as she slowly moved away from the window.

"Buck me... this better not be what it smells like." Caitlyn slowly said, Luio took a sniff at the air around her and his senses quickly regretted doing so. "I am not going to sniff... I am not going to sniff..."

"You wouldn't want to." replied Luio with a bit of choke in his voice, "I'll get you to the scrubs to clean you." she whimpered and followed the Dr.

Another wave of vomit hurled out of Kennen. Skarner patted his back to try to relax him.

"Guh... dear Celestia, help me no--"

"Stop fiend!" they heard Caitlyn's voice. At that moment, Kennen gave another wave of vomit. Sounding a nice unusual gush of contact, as if his vomit hit something... it concerned Skarner.

Ugh, all this crud makes no life easy. QuickPatch thought to himself, Poor fella is barfin' all over the ship. he observed to the port-bow side of the ship. He was hanging onto the rope that was tied around his waist, and was anchored to the top side of the port side. His job was to scrub the ship clean at night, then muster the sails in the day. Today was a very... unpleasant day as he cleans the vomit after the guest. He spots some bits of barf on the window near him, but if he were to go to clean it, he would be in the path of the vomit. So swiftly, he pushed himself and swung by the window, reached out his hoof with a cloth on it and got the dirty stain off as he swung back to where he was. All of a sudden, the window pops open and a mare poked her head through and demanded where he was. Oh no! Shes going to get... it was too late. He stared at the disgusting scene. Damn mare, Do I feel sorry for you!

"Thanks Luio, I can manage from here." they parted as she entered the scrub room for mares. She picked up a sponge in the bucket and slacked it on her face. She then scrubbed every part of her head and neck. Satisfied, she cleansed the sponge and put it back into it's bucket.

The guard group regrouped into their cabin and began planning for tomorrow.

"Has Shining replied yet?" Luio asked out of boredom,

"Neigh, Im sure he will eventually." said Skarner, "In the meanwhile, how about we discuss more of this tomarrow?" he noticed Kennen already fast asleep. They all nodded in agreement and shuffled into their beds. It was a very interesting day for Skarner; he had many many questions about both the blue mage and the void. Althought he will get his answers soon enough. Hopefully tomarrow.

"Psst~!" Luio called to Caitlyn, "Are you awake?"

She groaned, "I obviously am if you were the one who woke me."

"Sorry..."

"Its alright, so what do you want?"

"Well first of all, you still smell like vomit."

She frowned and crossed her brows,"Does it please you?"

"I do have to admit, it is hysterical" they both giggled, then sighed. The awkward silence went on.

"Why'd you lean in earlier this night?" she asked.

"What do you think?"

"I don't know..."

Speechless, Luio tried to make words come out of his mouth.

"What?" looked at him with concern. He sighed,

"You know i really like you right?"

"Of course! We're crime-busting-partners. Right?"

"We are?"

"You were the one who declared it." she smirked,

"I don't remember..."

"Seriously? Back before we saw Skarner, you were assigned to join me and Kennen, then we chatted for a while an..."

"Oh uh yea I remember now." he gave a weak smile. "But that wasn't what i meant... Caitlyn... I lo..."

"Yar har har!!" the captain barged in, jerking everyone awake, "Alas me mateys! Its time fer barrels of RUM!!"

"Eh, maybe tomorrow captain." Skarner replied with his eyes have closed, "We had a long day today."

"Ahh, are ye sure?! Its the best RUM IN ALL OF EQUESTRIA!"

"Sorry, but we don't drink." said Caitlyn. The captain gasped in horror; he almost fainted. "Well, if ye want sum rum, we'd be hollarin' and hootin'." he winked, "May the night bless your soul!" he said as he swerved out the door.

*Ahem* Caitlyn signaled to Luio wanting him to continue where they left off.

He sighed, "I really like you Caitlyn."

She rolled her eyes, "You already said that Dr. Lucious"

"Eh, right. Actually I'll tell ya later. I think my eyes don't want me to tell you just yet. They're falling asleep."

"Well goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Luio facehoofed.

"Alas me mateys! Its time to set sail!" Gangplank's voice boomed from above their cabins, they were awoken by loud cheers of his crew.

"Mumph... What did he mean by that?" asked Skarner,

"Thats not good..." said Caitlyn, he was not sure if she answered his question. She stretched before she trotted out the door.

"Assuming that this isn't important, imma just..." Luio fell back asleep. So did Kennen.

Skarner shrugged at the two and went to find Caitlyn. He looked around in the ship; many large cannons were in place, as well as cannonballs and a tub of grog (poison). The lower bow was empty of his crew, so he assumed that some were either sleeping or the rest was above. It took him a while to figure out where the ladder leading to the poopdeck(hehe) was. He finds a crowd his Gangplank's crew surrounding their captain to see what he has to say.

"Tha Mistress and I has been flappin' tongues about the..." Skarner was interrupted by bumping into Caitlyn. They glanced at eachother and listen attentively to the captain. Unfortunately they didn't catch that part, "...an' all. Prepare to set sail! We leave tonight!!"

"Ugh, im going to confront him right now." Caitlyn trotted up to the captain and started a conversation. Gangplank wasn't quite quiet when it came to private talks. Skarner wanted to join them but felt it was best to leave it to the sheriff.

She muttered something,

"Why not? We be headin to Canterlot! Though ye would be excited!"

She then replied with some foul language

"Daw! But it'll be an adventure for all me mateys!" he replied loudly, she then raised her gesture seeming as she was a bit frustrated. Again she said something to the captain that he couldn't hear. The captain then told her while leaning towards her ear. She revolted at his words then snapped back.

"Ye now tham 'hoity toity' ponies?!" he was a bit shocked at her words, "Let me to offer ye a 'parlay'." he winked.

"I do not negotiate with terrorists!" she yelled out loud, it brought silence after she said it, getting all the attention from everyone. He gave a hearty laugh,

"Now now missy, thar be no need to holler. How about I let ye and yer mateys trail along?"

"For what?! To keep us hostage?!" she snapped back, Skarner made his way to Cait to try to calm her down. She nudged him to leave her for now.

'Well if ye keep quiet about the whole thang of course."

Then Miss Fortune, Kennen, and Luio popped out into the scene and exchanged confused glances.

"Whats going on here?" the red-maned pony asked.

"May my crew leave us alone for a while?!" at first his crew wasn't moving much, rather confused, "Tend to yer quarters!" the captain rolled his eyes as they left the guards and pirate captains alone.

"What is happening here?" Luio asked,

"They're planning to ramsack Canterlot!" Caitlyn blurted. They all gasped, excluding Gangplank and Miss Fortune of course.

"Well hay now, we ain't doing that sort of thing." he replied

"What do you mean?!"

Fortune sighed, "We're meeting up with my 'client' there; and they're in Canterlot."

"Then what was with all the pillaging talk back there?!"

"What do you think? We're scamming another captain!" Fortune bursted, "Im acting as a hostage and their captain offered a deal to set me free. Do you see where this is going now?"

She sighed, "As Head detective, Major of Royal Guards of the Crystal Empire, and loyalty of her Princess, I must intervene." she stomped her hoof.Gangplank and Fortune were both shocked, "This is an act of felony,scam, potential violence, and munipulation."

"This captain that we're talking about is Urgot! We too work in the royal guards as former pirates." she gestured to Gangplank and herself, "Urgot is a highly wanted pony!"

Caitlyn just stood, stunned, defeated.

"I-Im sorry..." she drooped her head.

"Now now lad, ye and yer friend 'dint know nothin' about the situation. To be frank with ya, my crew doesn't know either sweetheart." he winked.

This put a smile on her face,

"HOW ABOUT WE BREAK OFF DIS TENSION WITH RUUUUUUUMMMMMM!!" Gangplank hollared so that his crew heard too. They heard them cheer and brought out barrels of the alcoholic beverage. The guards decided to give up their alcohol-virginity for the sake of merry times. They danced, they sang, they laughed, and they tumbled.

"Woot!" Luio leaned onto Skarner for support but he too was unstable, "Ya know? Why did you have to be a pony?! I mean come on! You could've been an actual crystal scorpian! That would've been bucking awesome!"

"Oh my stars... Luio.... I swear.... You have the best ideas ever!" He swayed and paused at moments, "Also... Also, why haven't you made a move on her huh?" He waved to Caitlyn.

"Move on me? Wuh?" She too was intoxicated.

"Shes a very scary mare!" Luio joked and they got into a large fit of laughter. Gangplank gave a hoarse laugh on how the guards reacted to their drinks. He then continued to cheer on Kennen to participate in the glug-down.

"Oh my stars, lets watch Kenny get bucked!" Caitlyn suggested, Luio and Skarner nodded excitedly. They hurried to the crowd that surrounded Kenne and Gangplank.

"3! 2! 1! Go!" Gangplank's major in command and really short, Drift, declared Kennen and Gangplank's drinking contest to begin.

"GLUG! GLUG! GLUG!" his crew said in unison; it took no encouragement to get the guards to join in too. Kennen started off strong, gulping his cup in 3 swallows. But that couldn't compete with Gangplank who glugged his drink in a swift gulp. His crew generously refilled their drinks each time they finished. On Ken's 6th cup, he started choking, but regained himself and bravely drank another. Gangplank looked onto Ken as impressed, but it didn't stop him from getting far ahead than him.

With the scores 12/8 in the favour of Gangplank, both looked like they were morphing into frogs.

"Yar -hic- har har! -hic- Ye hast a mighty soul! But not mighty enough! -hic-" the captain taunted. The agent blushed in furiousity, not going to give up! He swigged his drinks one 2 thorough gulps, then slammed down his cup indicating he will take on another. Quickly he caught up to the pirate with 15/13. Unfortunately, they both passed out on their next cup. The crew helped them up into concience and cheered.

"Hoo-wey! 3 cheers for the second rum-champion!" Drift yelled. Both gangplank and Kennen smiled as they leaned onto other ponies for support. They shook hooves then dashed to the side for a fit of vomit.

"Haha! Never knew Kennen had that in him!" Luio hollered, "I can never get to 4!"

Cait giggled, "Wanna test that out?" she winked.

"Rather not." he burped, "Excusez moi." they giggled. She tripped over but Luio caught her before she fell. "Whoa there Caity!"

"Caity?!" she bursted into laughter, "Thank you Lucy!" they both bursted into laughter, then fell onto the floor. Once they began to calm down, they rolled over to see eachother's eyes. Luio leaned in, she leaned in, Gangplank leaned in... (lolwut?)

Caitlyn and Luio launched themselves back, revolted by the appearance of Gangplank.

"BLuh, I don't feel so good..." he dashed to the side that was beside Caiitlyn and barfed. Luckily not on her again, but she wrenched at the smell that reminded her of last night. Caitlyn hurried over to Luio and drowned herself into his mane.

"Cait? What are you?" Luio stuttered

"Getting this stench off my nose!" she took in another whif, "I'd rather smell greasy and sweaty mane than rum-vomit!", she relaxed a bit but didn't take her muzzle off, "Actually you smell nice?"

He gave a weak laugh, "I dunno what it smells like from here ya know"

"Smells like... buttermilk..."

"I take that as a good thing?"

"Very good..." then she fell asleep in his mane.

"Caity?" he nudged her, "Up 'n attem!" she made no movement except steady breathing. He sighed and stumbled his way to their cabins to let the mare sleep properly. When he laid her down on her bed, he fell to sleep without the intention and snoozed like a 150-pound filly beside her.

Earlier today, the crew had already set sailed towards Canterlot while the guards are still sound asleep. Kennen laid on a crate near the spot he passed out. He was generously given a pillow by somepony. He too was still asleep. Except for Skarner.

"You didn't sleep last night?" Miss Fortune asked the daydreaming Brackern as he looked at her from his gaze at the sea.

"No, my two friends' snores are atrocious!"

"Understandable." she nodded.

Their ears perked up to hear a door open.

"Mornin' lads! We be due at mid-moon tanight!" the captain declared.

"Thats good news." she smiled, "Remember, we have to drop off the guards just beyond the port so they don't get suspicious." she winked at Skarner.

Chapter 4: Only in Canterlot

View Online

A sudden pang threatened to torture his cranium. He didn't want to get out of bed, but the twang convinced him otherwise. He looked to his side to see Caitlyn asleep with her jaw open and drool rolling from the corner of her mouth. Shes lying beside him with her belly up and forelegs tucked in. Despite her peaceful and steady breathing, he doubted that she'll wake up nicely. His migrane returned, reminding him to do something to ease it. Maybe I should get some grub. he thought.

He stood onto his hooves and looked around. He didn't care that he slept so closely to Cait, his mind was set on ridding the pain. He slowly trotted to the door, slightly swaying. Once he got onto the deck, he spotted Kennen who was knocked out on a crate. He'll be getting it the worst. He continued to the kitchen and asked the cook for some oranges. In a moment, the unicorn levitated 2 towards him. They shared their thanks and goodbyes then he trotted back to the cabin. With his clumsy hooves, he peeled both oranges. He began to nibble away at his, while he set the other one down beside Cait.

He sat back, wondering what his memories of last night would be. He knew it was part of the hangover symptoms. As he munched on his orange, he stared at the ceiling. Who knew that planks of wood that stood above him can occupy his eyes as he drifted into his thoughts. He also wondered if Cait even has any feelings for him.

She stirred awake then took in a yawn. He observed how lazily she opened her eyes, then cringed in pain as her migraine took her too. She then lifted her head up in wide eyes.

"Gah!! I regret everything!" she bursted out, all Luio can do was laugh in irony. She was the first pony to try the rum without hesitation. She turned to Luio and lightly punched him in the shoulder, "Hush you!"

They both laughed but was interrupted when Cait winced at her migraine. Luio pointed to the orange beside her indicating its hers. They both talked and nibbled on their oranges in the cabin.

"Ugh! Why haven't they replied yet?!" Shining exclaimed in frustration,

"I suggest sending a scout to see what has held them up." Swain calmly spoke, "I wouldn't expect those guards to forget a daily report... for 5 days sir."

"Then send more than just a scout to their position! This could be a very dangerous threat!" he stomped his hoof, "There could be an army rallying there, waiting to plunge the Empire! Send a battalion!"

"As you wish Shining." he hurried off to the barracks.

"Hey Cait..."

"Yea Luio?"

"I feel like we're forgetting something."

"Nah."

Kennen awoke with the worst headache ever! He knew the hangover would be bad but not this agonizing! He was greeted by the sun which made him realize how sweaty he is, the sunburns around his eyes, and the swaying of the boat... he suddenly had the urge to vomit. He rushed to the side of the boat and let himself do what his stomach needed to do. He blocked out the fact that his fur around his eyes was burning from sunburn, his mind was having an apocalypse, and that his heart was pummeling through his chest; all his body wanted to do is get off this ship.

"Whoa Kennen!" Luio stepped out of the lower decks, "Need something to eat?" he offered an orange.

"No-- *vomits*" he was being tortured.

"Damn..." Cait commented in sympathy,

They turned their attention to Skarner and the pirate captains.

"Ahoy thar mateys!" Gangplank gave a hearty laugh as he greeted them, "We be hitt' land 'n 'bout sun-down!"

"Thats great!" they both praised in unison, making them giggle.

"Yes, it is quite formidable that we can actually get there in 15 hours; it usually takes us 2 days." Fortune added in, with a smile

They nodded in impressiveness, even though they didn't understand how much that meant to them. They all parted their ways around the ship, finding ways to pass the time by. Skarner continued to gaze out into the sea, pondering about this world. He also daydreamed about Princess Terra. He wondered if she lived through his life underground, or was executed in public. He shuddered at that thought and decided to think about the new world. It was so strange from back then. The grass would be yellower, the mountains in the distance would be shrouded in storms, and the trees would be much more larger. But that was old Equestria, this is present and modern Equestria. He sighed, wishing his people were alive to see this era.

Kennen sighed as he walked in on Ryze. Ryze just nodded to him then waved for him to come to see his works. The mage has been studying and researching in his cabin last night and today. He wanted to show Ken something.

"Agent Kennen, I need you to see this!" he pointed to a large behemoth, the agent recognized it as the creature they saw yesterday. "This is Cho'Gath, the most fearsome creature in the void. Not only does he consume everything in his path, "He flipped his papers and revealed a cloaked mage in purple. Behind the cloaked prophet was an army of voidlings and abnormal creatures. "This is Malzahar, The Prophet of the Void. With his foresight of the future, he is trusted to lead the organized part of the void to take over the worlds." he took out another page. He showed a lone being with his head looking straight. The void surrounded him but dared not to disturb him. The being is wearing some alien armor that showed both an abnormal and eerie aura. "This is Kassadin, The Void Walker. He used to be a pony like us, but he stepped into the void in search and rescue of his daughter. Unfortunately, the void took them both. All three of these beings are some of the most feared amoungst the void realm."

"Well, how would we even put up a fight against them? If that beast was so hard to take down... how difficult would it be to stop the other two? Or their minions?!"

"We must seek audience with the Royal guards, Griffons, or perhaps Dragons. This is a threat that will doom Equestria if matters get out of hoof. Of course, by the looks of this, we don't have much time."

As evening approaches, the ship nears Canterlot's port. The captain steered the ship towards the large hill that towered beside the port. This is where he planned to drop off the guards, so that Urgot would have no suspicion. No doubt that he had mercenaries looking about. Gangplank as a master of deception, flew a trade-merchant flag and hid his cannons. He also had his crew hide beneath the top deck. He neared a small island that can cover their ship from eyes from the port.

"This is where we will drop our ship's disguise as we will return after we drop the guards off. We'll then swerve into the port's view as we were, then the rest has been discussed." she reminded Gangplank who rolled his eyes.

"Ya told me that over fifty times already! Alert our mateys 'n tell 'em we LAND HOE!" he got into a fit of laughter as Fortune rolled her eyes.

"This is goodbye." Miss Fortune shook their hands as they departed onto the beach.

"It has been a pleasure Miss Fortune." Skarner replied

"Was totally fun!" Luio said with glee,

"Indeed, farewell Miss Fortune."

"Dispite my sea-sickness, this is a day to remember." he gestured to Gangplank who smiled as he also shook their hands.

"Goo'luck me hearties! Comeback when ye need another adventure!!" Gangplank yelled as they trotted off into the forest. They waved goodbye, then the captain and his partner smiled as they returned to the rowboat.

Once they reached the city, they wanted to contact Shining ASAP. Then they realized...

"...WE HAVEN'T REPORTED BACK IN 6 DAYS!!!!" Luio exclaimed, making everyone gasp in panic.

"Oh dear..." Skarner drooped his head in disappointment. Kennen kept his stoic posture but you can see the panic in his eyes.

"We better send one now. Shining will be angry, but it's better than nothing." they all agreed with Cait.

"I will send the message, I practiced sending parchments with Princess Terra." Luio handed the rolled up parchment to Skarner so he could send it. His horn lit up and the scroll dissolved into magic dust. He smiled and nodded that it has been sent. Then immediately, he gets a parchment lodged into his eye. It was Shining's reply, Cait pulled it out of Skarner's eye and hesitantly read the message. She flinched during her reading.

"He is definitely not happy. Although he will look into our 'void' problem." she said

"Will you take me to speak with the high rulers of the kingdom?" Ryze spoke up, they almost forgot he was with them.

"Yes, assuming you know a lot more of the void than we do."

They all nodded in agreement and trotted towards Canterlot's castle.

Celestia and Luna stood in thought, not knowing how to react to the situation at first. Then Luna glanced at Ryze.

"If thou speakest of truth, then we shall gather the attention of the other leaders. Although they may not trust thee since thou dost not hath true evidence. We hast heard of 'the Void' before but Starswirl quickly tended to it. Thus, relieving us worry for many years."

"Until now." Celestia finished Luna's words, "I will notify Shining Armour and The Griffons. Although the Dragon kind will not be so easy to..." she took a moment to think of a fitting word, "Well they are quite a stubborn and independent kind."

"No need to tell Shining, we have already reported to him the matter and he has already sent troops to the mountains." said Caitlyn.

"Very well, As I was saying, the dragons have a history with ponies where they do not appreciate to be associated into any of their problems."

Ryze nodded in acknowledgement, "If you were to point me the way to them, I will attempt to convince them otherwise."

"Their lands are hostile to ponies. I can not allow any pony to cross. Not that it's forbidden, but they may take no hesitation to assault you."

"Im sure I can manage myself." he pleaded with his eyes.

"If you are to go, then we will accompany you with guards." Celestia gave him a stern and serious look. "I will have Shining tend to that matter."

"Thank you your highness." the guards bowed. They made their way to the barracks where they will meet Shining.

He scowled in frustration, even when he finished ranting about their 'late' reports. He already sent off Ryze with 4 members of the Royal guards, hoping he would succeed.

"There are other elite agents of the Royal guard around Canterlot, at the moment they are off-duty. I have no information of their whereabouts other than that they are in the west region of the city. Their names are Alistar: a minotaur, Nasus: a librarian, then Twitch: a rat. Do not be fooled, Twitch may revolt you at first but he is an honorary member of the elite guards. Are we clear?"

"Yes sir!" they replied in unison. Luio and Caitlyn tried to hold back a giggle and luckily got away with it.

"Then you should make your leave... now!"

They dashed out the barracks and into the high-class pony population.

@@@@ Hey guys, this is a separate part of the story which involves Gp and Mf's deal with Urgot. Although this part is irrelevant to Skarner, i couldnt leave you guys hangin right?@@@@

Gangplank, who is in shackles and is occupied by two beefy crew members of his ship, intended to look like a captive. Miss Fortune strutted ahead and gracefully, to show confidence and seriousness. They left the ship in the harbour while it's crew awaits for their captain's orders. They were to meet Urgot within the small swamp that was hidden behind Canterlot's port. Miss Fortune lead them through the shacks that sold misty and "ancient" trinkets. They were offered pet crocadiles when they passed by the blacksmith. Gangplank was tempted to purchase a parrot at the pet shop but was swatted by Fortune to remind him of the matter at hand.

They strode for 30 minutes before they reached the swamp outskirts. They were encountered by a group of abnormally large crabs, but it wasn't a problem to them. Within the swamp, they stepped onto a wooden bridge that trailed above the swamp, making the travel convienent. Evetually the wooden paths allowed them to spot a shack in the distance. The captain could see his crew on standby deep within the swamp and silently scolded at them for not hiding well enough. Apparantly, Urgot had no guards surrounding the shack. He could still smell the pony from inside; it could also be the natural stench on the swamp.

When they neared the entrance, Fortune nodded at Ganplank who nodded back, indicating their plans are now going.

They were politely greeted by Urgot's henchmen who stood almost twice their size.

"Come in with haste. Master Urgot awaits." He lead them into the shack which looked alot larger than it does from the outside. He sat on the highest seat at the back.

"Ah... The notorious Captain Gangplank. I have anticipated this event for a while." He glanced at Miss Fortune, "And my dearest bounty hunter, has once again yet to succeed. I had no doubts. Although I am concerned about the time you took. However, it does not matter." He waves to his other henchman beside him to fetch the large sack of bits.

"I believe you have earned this Miss Fortune." He geatured him to give the sack to the mare. She took the sack and left with a nod and a tip of her hat. The two crew members also left with her. Gangplank gave Urgot a cold glare, as he showed no emption back. Urgot is an abnormal cyborg, half-mechanics, half-pony. He had 4 legs that were colored golden, and two fore-legs that were mounted with a blade, and the other a noxian blaster. He had cuts all over hos torso, lined with stiches. He had a mask covering most of his head accept his right eye and right side of his skull. He had a rspirator that helped him adapt to any air since he has breathing issues. He has no cutie mark; it was lost when his body was under repair.

He strode up to the captain and lifted his chin up with his blade.

"Tell me, how did a 'mare' capture the mighty Gangplank when even I couldn't?"

"Well, she are a pirate-hunter for ay reason." he replied with gritted teeth.

"Oh please, how much of a lie that is." he stepped back then leaned in front of gangplank's face, "You fell for her didn't you..."

"WHAT?! THAR BE BOSTEROUS!" he snapped at him.

He sighed, "Whatever, but what shall I do with you? Theres just so many things that I can do, just so little of you to do it all." he snickered then coughed, "One option does 'stick-out' to me" he emphasised, "what do you think about telling me where you keep your treasures? Or shall i say... booty?" he gave a hoarse laugh, causing him to once again cough violently.

"So, tell me... how did she capture you?"

Gangplank used his cover story that he and MF thought of. But he couldn't give it so easily, "Hah! Yar be speakin as if i were ay lovesick scoundrel!"

"Are you not?"

"Naw!"

"Truly, just tell me. Im dying of curiousity."

"Cause she din't cower in a shack!" He yelled out. Shack was the cue word. Many hollars were heard from outside, then without a chance to react, gangplank's crewmembers crashed in. Immediately they got down to fight off Urgot and his henchmen.

Miss Fortune shot off Gangplank's shackles making him flinch. She then handed him his favourite flint-lock pistol theat she brought in. He shot in the air and made a battlecry. He charged in, and shot Urgot's blaster. Although it did little damage to him, he turned his attention to block his saber. He turned to shot his blaster right into his chest, but was interrupted by the captain's pistol shot into his face.

Reluctantly, it only hit his mask. Gangplank recovered his saber and slashed down again. Again, he was blocked by Urgot's blade. He then shot out the blade when he tilted it towards the captain. It impaled him, but it didn't knock him down. Miss fortune came behind him and quickly shot 14 bullets into his back. He bellowed in pain, then shot out a gas canister at her. She cringed and backed away as her lungs were on fire. The gas spreaded throughout the whole shack; it didn't affect his henchmen.

Luckily, Gangplank and Missfortune's crew were prepared and quickly slipped on their gas masks they had. They continued fighting in such a cramped area. Urgot shot his blaster at Miss Fortune. The green bolt hit her right in the stomach, causing her to fall to the ground, clutching her sides. Gangplank quickly shot one of Urgot's leg, making him limp. Urgot swivelled around to retaliate. But clumsily failed as he slashed at nothing but air. The captain popped out behind him and shot another at his right hind-leg causing him to tremble and crumble. Crippled, he was vulnerable. His mechanical legs weren't responding. He tried to turn to fend off the captain, but was too late as he slashed off his bladed fore-leg, his fluid gushed all over the floor.

Gangplank gave the cyborg mercy, as he presented himself and Miss Fortune that they were members of the Royal guards. The crewmembers had paralysis soaked on their blades so that they just had to slash at the henchmen to stop them. As they planned, no-pony was killed. They were all brought into Canterlot prison with ease (excluding the fact that carrying Urgot's crippled body was both tiresome and revolting). Before Urgot was thorn into his cellar, he gave out a weak, but sinister laugh.

"Well played, but do remember that once I get out. You'll be the first on my hit-list." he didn't lift his head.

Gangplank and Miss Fortune left with their payment from both Shining and Urgot. They hoof-bumped and celebrated with barrels of RUM!

Chapter 5: Elite Freebee

View Online

Kennen stopped by a bench then slopped onto it. The effects from both his hangover and the sea still lingered. This wasn't too far from the barracks so he's been told by Shining to rest until he got better. The other three went on to find the off-duty elites. They decided to start by looking for Alistar. They began their search the moment they stepped into the west side of Canterlot. It was shanty, but sophisticated enough to be somewhat hygienic. In other words: ghetto but lovely.

They talked about the void, discussing their thoughts and questions of it. Luio was the one being the most enthusiastic; he thought if the void had inhabitants, would they have a sophisticated city? Caitlyn was more interested in the weaknesses the creatures of the void may have. Such as Cho'Gath, if she can keep her distance, its possible that she can defeat the beast without a scratch. Skarner however, wondered about the fear that can ensue. He hasn't quite thought about his own greatest fear, which made him worry. What could possibly frighten a Brackern?

Caitlyn sighed,

"This is impossible! Unless he has a well known reputation of a lord, we will never find him with no leads!" she huffed in frustration. Especially when she has always found her target pony without distress.

"Do not worry, I believe we will be able to find him." Skarner comforted Cait, "We do have Equestra's best detective." She shot him a cold glare. As if his compliment didn't make things any better.

"Then why can't 'Eqestria's best detective', FIND A MINOTAUR?! He's gotta' be large! Making him easy to spot!" she snapped at him.

"Perhaps he may be in his home."

"He lives in the barracks. How could he possibly be at his home?!"

"Perhaps to visit?" Skarner rolled his eyes, but he lacked the pupils to do it.

"Minotaurs don't have those kind of homes in Canterlot! They only come as travellers or merchants, or in this case: a guard!"

Skarner sighed,Women.

"hey guys..." they barely heard Luio say,

"Shall we split up? So we can find him faster?" Skarner added,

"No no, it'll only make things more complicated."

"Guys take a look at this." again they barely paid attention to him.

"We can muster the librarian, the minotaur and the rat all at once!" Skarner exclaimed, "We'd more efficient that way!"

Luio got in between them both, "STOP IT YOU TWO AND TAKE A LOOK AT THE POSTER!" ,they gruffed then turned to see the poster Luio pointed to. Caitlyn raised an eyebrow as she saw the graphic of two minotaurs. The title read 'Pony Brawl: Ali VS. Iron!'

"Well thats convenient." said Cait, "Does it say where?"

Luio took a much closer look at the small prints on the poster,"Says information is available..." he then frowned, "only at the 'clerk'."

"Means its a reference to an anonymous pony who will give you the location once you gain his trust."

Luio facehooved, "How are we going to find that clerk?"

"You doubt my abilities?" Cait sneered.

"...Thus leading us to the possible pony, GhostScript, who is a retired Royal scout/courier." said Cait, it made Luio's eyes blank as his mind was also blank. Skarner merely nodded.

"Makes perfect logical sense, except GhostScript would've been suspected as an agent of the Royal Guard, thus not trusting him to such information."

"Ugh! you guys are over-analysing!" Luio complained.

"Over-analysing?! I'd consider this under-analysing!" she huffed.

"Lets just find GhostScript and see if he can tell us anything." said Skarner.

They nodded in agreement, "Now we have to figure out where he could be." Luio prodded at his chin in thought,

Caitlyn rolled her eyes, "We already know, we mentioned it while you were dazed." she starts trotting down the street, deeper into the city. Skarner and Luio followed behind her.

Shining got his battalion in formation. They stood by for his further commands. Swain and Teemo inspected the tracks that a mysterious creature left behind. Curious, they follow the trail into a wide pasture; they were confused when the tracks disappeared without a trace left. Teemo took up his telescope and climbed onto the highest tree. Swain used his runic magic to inspect the biological aspects of the footprints. The battalion also looked around for clues or any traces of odd tracks.

Suddenly, a bone-chiling roar echoed through the forest.

All Royal Guards quickly got back into formation with Swain's communication skills. Teemo however, glanced in the direction where he heard the roar with his telescope. All he could see were trees falling which roughly indicated where it was. He signaled Swain and pointed to the direction it was coming from. Swain nodded in acknowledgement and readied the guards. They pointed their spears and stood firmly in place. Teemo's eyes opened wide as the mysterious beast came into view. The guards can see the demented legs of the beast, could it be a manticore? They doubted that it was a dragon since such would've been flying towards them instead.

A glob of acid goo fell upon the guards; they were morally shattered. The barrages of acid globs easily crippled their numbers as it kills a pony within a second. Teemo and Swain got their guards together and charged at the behemoth and his worm-like accomplice.

"Hey hey now! Easy easy!" GhostScript begged, as Luio pinned him to the door, "You don't have to interrogate me for the info! Geez!" Ghost was a white pegasus with a matching mane. Hence his name 'Ghost'. His mane hung down covering only one eye and slightly surpassed his chin. His cutie mark is a piece of parchment, trailed with smoke. It represented loyalty, reliable, and stealth.

"Tell me wher-- what?" Luio paused to take in what he just said,

"LUIO!" Cait pulled him back from Ghost,"Let me handle this."

he sighed and came beside Skarner, mumbling to himself.

"We trust Royal guards, its nothing illegal because we're just a business that is looking into legitimate stuff. Its the ones who threaten our audiences we are avoiding." said Ghost, "Which includes mafia members; we got rivals."

"I see, so you would be willing to give us the information we need?" said Cait as she raised an eyebrow,

"Dispite my first impressions," he glared at Luio, "sure as long as you mention our name into the media." he smirked

"Rather small payment, but i'll agree with that."

"Lets bump to that ma'am." they hoof bumped, "So heres a copy of the area." he handed her a piece of map that had a circle around a particular building. "The password is foreigner and it's in the basement."

She nodded and thanked him as the 3 guards parted.

"Let me handle things next time Luio," said Cait, Luio drooped his head in shame, "I'll just leave you to help me interrogate."

He gleamed a smile at the proposal.

"We won't have to wait until the match starts, it'll start the moment we get there if i predicted correct." inquired Skarner, the group smiled at their convenience and continued walking in silence.

They observed the shanty homes and shop clerks advertising their name. Somehow, the place seemed peaceful. There was a hidden beauty that the ponies and their friends gave off. They turned a corner which showed a whole new side of the town section. You could see homeless ponies ravaging through scrap in the cans, ponies arguing at a local diner,and not to mention the dirty looks they gave them as they passed by.

When night fell, they finally arrived at the seemingly innocent warehouse. Skarner knocked on the door, and was barely opened. A pony who stood behind it stared at us for a minute. Then they realized he was waiting for the password. Cait whispered the password then he nodded and led them in. He took them into a hall that had drapes over the end of the hall. The drapes revealed a door. Once they stepped through, they were awed by the sight of a large arena and crowds of ponies.

The announcer stood in the middle of the stage and introduces himself.

"Mares and gentlecolts! Tonight, we witness the anticipated showoff between Alistar!" he was interrupted by the loud applause and woots of the crowd. The guards stood on the back bleachers that was right next to the door they entered. "and Iron Wil!!" the crowd once again roared in excitement. Luio couldn't help but join in. Cait however went up to Alistar's manager who was tending to his fighter at one corner of the arena.

"I need to talk to Alistar!" she demanded, "Its for very important matters by the Royal Guards!"

he turned to face the mare, "Sorry sweetie, can't it wait until after the match? Fans get hasty when the show is delayed."

"No! This is urgent! His duty ca--" the bell dinged twice, indicating the match is ready.

Alistar and Iron Will got up and glared at eachother. Their eyes were so close, that their horns crossed. Alistar was a mix of purple-blue skin with bright blue hair. He had lumps over his shoulder (and they sorta had a sharpness to it's tip) and scars all over his body and arms. He wore chains around his wrists; nopony dared to question it. His horns were brown, and branched into one tip that was horizontal, and the other pointing up. Iron Will had similar features, but instead he has dark brown mohawk, and his horns were silver. They only branched one tip. They both had nose rings, while Iron had a tie around his neck.

"You mess with the bull! You get the horns!" Alistar taunted,

"You dare taunt me! I'll haunt you!" he snapped back,

"Remember fellas! No dirty tricks! No limb breaking! BEGIN!" said the announcer as he backed off.

"When somepony blocks your path, you give them your wrath!" Iron charged at Alistar and slugged at his abdomen. Ali however, did not wince and raised both of his fists then smashed Iron to the floor. Iron recovered only to be smacked by Ali's fist. He grabbed Ali's shoulders and pushed him to a corner, then he charged in horns first. Ali grabbed his horns just before he reached him then directed him to the ground. Iron used the opportunity to grab his legs and trip him. Before Ali can recover, Iron pulled him and whammed him into the corner pole.

Iron laughed in triumph, and by letting his pride overcome him, Ali quickly dashed forward, horn first, and rammed Iron into the other side of the pull. The impact was harsh. Ali then stepped on Iron's tail causing him to yelp loudly. Iron uppercutted Ali sending him flying a bit. He then drew back his fist and punched Ali's face as he fell. It sent Ali falling to the ground behind him. Iron grabbed Ali by the horn and kneed his abdomen. Ali didn't falter; he pummeled the floor below Iron, with enough power to knock him up into the air, then headbutted him into the pole again. This time, Iron struggled to regain himself.

Ali wanted to prevent him to recovering so he knocked him out with a powerful bash to the face. Iron laid on the floor as the ref called him out. Victorious, Ali bellowed in triumph and the crowds cheered "ALI! ALI! ALISTAR!"

When he was done talking to his fans and his manager, Cait confronted him.

"Hello Alistar, as a member of the Royal Guard, Shining has requested of your service."

He raised an eyebrow, then slowly nodded, "Its been awhile since i've been on the field." he smirked, "How's Xin Zhao faring?"

"Xin Zhao?" she questioned,

"He's known as SpearLift."

"Ah yes! He's just slacking off and chatting with the guards who are off-duty. But there is a matter in our hands that all of Equestria is threatened."

He raised an eyebrow, "Please, fill me in as we walk to our next objective."

Teemo swiftly dodged the large beast's talon then shot a poison dart in it's eye (ouch!). It roared in pain. Royal guards jabbed at it's legs, causing it to slightly limp. The worm-like creature shot rapid shots of corrosive goo; it melted right through their armour. Their numbers were quickly dropping as the large beast held off the guards away from the worm creature. It spat at many guards, causing them to falter, they had no choice but to retreat. Swain shot a bolt of green fire, crippling the worm creature internally. Despite it's pain, it kept spitting at them. As the guards fell back, the large beast stomped the ground, causing a rupture of impaling pillars to burst out of the ground beneath them. With almost all of their numbers lost, only Swain, Teemo and several other escaped. They came with 75 ponies, and is left with 7.

They struggled on their way back to the Crystal Empire. What turned from a simple reconnaissance party, into a devastating waste of good guards. What burdened them most was the fact that they couldn't retrieve the fallen bodies for a proper funeral and burial. Their friends died so easily, they barely had a chance. Swain almost lost his beloved companion, and Teemo's arm was infected which may have to be amputated. They meet Shining outside of the city and wore a look of horror when he saw how many were left.

"This threat... is more grave than we imagine Shining." Swain rasped, "We didn't have a chance against just two of them."

Shining gulped, "Is this all that is left?" he motioned to the crippled soldiers that survived.

"Unfortunately yes," Swain lowered his head, "Teemo needs immediate medical attention."

"Of course. MEDIC!" he called to a shaking white pony behind him, "Get him into the med room!" he pointed to Teemo and couple of other ponies. The white pony nodded and gestured for her fellow medics to follow too. They made quick work to bring the guards into the nearby hospital. The rest insisted that they walked the rest of the way. Shining and Swain stood alone at the Crystal Empire rift.

Shining sighed, "If what you say is true, then I will call upon Celestia. Hopefully the other kingdoms will trust in our discovery."

Ponies glanced at the strange group. Of course a Minotaur along with 3 quirky ponies will get attention. They walked down the street ignoring the attention that they're getting. They agreed earlier to get agent 'Twitch' next, since Alistar is already aware of where he would roughly be. He lead them through turns of corners through the city to finally stop in front of a large gate that stood between them and a large factory.

"Hm... definitely different from the last time I was here." he scratched his chin in thought. "It was more... smelly if you will."

"What makes the difference?" Luio clenched his nose at the putrid stench that the factory gave off.

"It used to have a hint of rotten eggs. Now its just puke and athlete's hoo--"

"Okay okay! We get it!" snapped Caitlyn, "Lets focus on our task."

They nodded in agreement. Ali pushed open the gate casually, and began trotting down the path leading to the entrance.

The observed the title above the entrance which read 'Canterlot Blacksmith workshop'. The factory had grey smoke fuming atop; it's windows were tinted so it's insides weren't visible. Alistar was the one who knocked on the door. Moments later, a fine dressed stallion answered the call. His bronze mane matched his coat, and his suit concealed his cutie mark. He merely nodded and said,

"Twitch isn't here at the moment Ali. He is in downtown in a poker game."

Alistar kept his eyes on the stallion.

"Oh, alright. Thank you for the information." said Cait as they began to walk off. But Ali raised his arm to stop her.

"Come on JackelPlay," he said with a smirk, "Don't trust me still?"

Jackel smiled, "He's having dinner. Come on in fellas." he gestured them in.

The factory was definitely smaller than it looks from the outside. They had armour and weapons at one section of the factory, while at the back they had racks of gears similar to Caitlyn's gear. They mounted rifles, packed craters of ammo, and gizmos atop desks. Whatever Twitch was up to, it must be massive. Cait shrugged at the sights while Skarner, Luio and Ali were letting their eyes absorb the scene. Twitch's workers didn't lift their eyes onto them, as if they were trying to ignore them. They bustled at a steady pace, lifting and tending their machines and gadgets. Jackel led them through the backdoor which reveals a completely different manner of the place. All of a sudden, the environment is drudgery and dull.

They assumed this was how Twitch liked it. They took the stairs which was at the end of the hallway which leads down. The further down they went, the more musty the air got. Eventually they touched ground then Jackel opens another door for them. They trotted into a large room with long tables accompanied by ponies. At the end, Twitch sat on a high chair. His yellow eyes gleamed as he notice the group of guards walk in. The ponies eating on the tables paid no attention to them. Skarner was able to get a clearer look at Twitch, he had a frizzled dark green mane ,that did not go past over his eyebrows, which matched his jacket. His coat was a lighter shade of green, but no doubt that its still a bit dark. He was small for his age; and rather stubby.

"Alistar! It has been awhile hm?" said Twitch as he approached with open hooves, his voice was coarse but smooth. Like a gentlecolt who had plagued lungs. "Please! Come dine with me!" he gestured to his table, "We're having the classic Cassoulet today." he smiled warmly.

The group no doubt were hungry, having they were busy finding the elite guards with no time to stop and eat. They each nodded at the offer which made Twitch's smile even bigger.

"Laddle!" he called to the server, "four bowls this way!" he commanded. Laddle eagerly nodded then hurried off to the kitchen. "You may return to yer duties Jackel."

"Always boss. See ya 'round." he turned and left the group. Laddle immediately came with 4 steaming bowls of carrots, tomatoes, and beans; it was traditionally supposed to be served with sausage as it was from Prance's dragon kingdoms. Luio eagerly dug into his bowl, as did Ali. Cait took her time, not letting her hunger make her look like a hungry manticore. Skarner also took his time, but momentarily slowed down. He was crystal! Not flesh, so he just converted it to heat. He decided he didn't want to offend Twitch's chef today.

Ryze was accompanied by an elite pony, even when he was supposed to have two at his side. However, she had a large blue eagle soaring above them. Their names were Quinn and Valor. It was obvious that they were close companions, which amused Ryze. Never has he seen a strong bond between a creature and pony. Quinn wore blue and gold armour. Gold plates covered her blue coat. He mane was folded in her helmet, but he noticed that it was brown from a strand that hung out. She wore a feathered cape over her torso stretching to her tail. She also had a bolt-pistol holstered on her side. Her blue eyes stared forward.

Finally they stepped onto dragon territory with no trouble so far. They only hoped that no trouble would come forth for awhile. But if the situation had to come, they were ready.

...

A few miles ahead, Ryze has been explaining to Quinn about his learning of the Void and it's creatures. Quinn did a good job of keeping her posture from turning into panic. He mentioned the creature he encountered, the visions he kept seeing, and that his scroll holds the recipe of a portal rift between their worlds. Valor screeched above warning them of an approaching dragon. Once it came closer, it was clear that dragon the didn't show any aggression.

"Halt travellers!" she bellowed, her scales were deep red and her spines were also red with some gold outlines, "This land is strictly off limits to on-passers." she warned.

"We come to seek audience with your kingdom's leader." Ryze spoke,

She scuffed, "Kingdom? you mean tribe? Our kingdom has broken into many tribes after the civil war. If you seek to speak with Zargonath, then I shall guide you there." she bowed. Ryze and Quinn looked at each other with satisfied looks. It was easier than they thought. Valor perched onto Quinn's back and so they followed the large purple dragon. It seemed too hospitable to Ryze ;he kept his caution up.

"Here you are! make yer selves at home! We'll talk in the morning." he gestured to their dorms, "Ta-ta!" he left and closed the door gently behind him. Alistar was staying with Twitch while the 3 guards will slumber in the one room. It was fairly large and proper. Although it was clean, the stench was almost bearable. They suddenly noticed their fatigue gnawing at their nerves. Sleep tempted them. The three guards began making their beds to get comfy for tonight. Luio set his bed quite close to Cait's. Skarner quickly slipped into his sleep; his breathing heaved gently. Cait sneezed and shivered when she laid down. The room was musty and chilly. The window was broken open which made it even chillier. Luio noticed this and approached her.

"Need another blanket?" he asked,

"No thanks. *sniff* Im fine but thanks for offering." she replied.

"Alright than, suit yourself." they let the awkward silence take them. Caitlyn again sneezed softly.

Luio raised an eyebrow at Cait, then knowing what she wanted, Luio gave her his blanket.

She thanked him softly under her breath. Luio simply nodded and laid his head on the soft straw. He then shivered as the chill touched his flesh. He tried his best to stop his nostrils from congesting, or rather sneezing. He huddled himself, even throw straw on himself to insulate himself from the chill. His eyes would keep clenching whenever he closed his eyes; they also made him uncomfortable if he opened them. he wondered if he'll get any sleep tonight.

Cait nudged Luio with her hind legs to get his attention.

"Come here..." she said,

"Oh don't worry Cait, im fine here." he gave a weak laugh,

She tilted her head in impatience, the look was enough to make Luio get up. He trotted over to Cait. She opened the covers to let him in beside her.

"You seemed cold, so why not cuddle for warmth you know." she said as he laid beside her. She lifted the cover over Luio to tuck themselves in. "The least I can do for you really." Luio was blushing madly, but did a great job hiding it. They scooted closer to wrap eachother with their hooves. Cait sighed; Luio sighed too. Their body heat did indeed keep them very warm. He wanted to let this moment last longer, and secretly Cait did too. Unfortunately they fell fast asleep in eachother's hooves.

They walked on for many miles, without a word. Luna's moon casts a dim light, enough to let them see the horizon. Finally the red dragon spoke.

"Do not think we have any intentions to harm you travellers." she bowed her head towards the two ponies, "But I have heard of your Void stories blue one." she lifted her gaze upon him.

"You'd like me to tell you them?" he asked, he would wonder how she knew later,

"No. My father is very ill." she engulfed herself in bright red and yellow flames to change herself into pony form. "I am Shyvana, my father gets visions of the Void horrors. Perhaps you can help him with you knowledge." Even in her pony form, she is a pegasus with red plates with gold outlines covered her blue coat. Her mane also shared the same characteristic. Her eyes were yellow and filled with grief. Ryze notices the loneliness in her spirit.

Quinn and Ryze had their eyes wide open at the sight of a dragon-hybrid. They never had seen or heard of one. Once they gained back their minds, Quinn was to speak.

"Will he also be able to hear our word for him?"

"Of course! My life will be in debt to you if you help him; no doubt his will too."

Ryze looked onto Quinn then nodded, "We'll do our best to help."

Chapter 6: Malefic Visions

View Online

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.

Chapter 7:Ways of Barbaric Kingdoms

View Online

The dragons insisted that they give the guards a lift instead of waiting for a boat to arrive. Quinn disliked being held in the grasp of a dragon. Valor had no trouble flying amoungst the dragons as they didn't need to slow down for him. Earlier they introduced themselves; the grey and blue-scaled one was Pax, the green and yellow-scaled one was Mordlen, the green and black scaled was Krypt, and the last one was blue and aqua-blue scaled and her name is Sarhoth. Each of them wore thick-plated armour around their body; most dense was their belly since it was where their weakness is. Their wings beated loudly for ponies. No doubt they were very strong fighters. The unknown awaits them.

Finally when they arrived wtih no trouble so far, the dragons gently laid the ponies on the ground. The trees were dark, and the clouds loomed above. The fog is dense just ahead. The grass and foliage around them were wilted or coloured in dark purple. Valor squawked at Quinn in a tone that hinted his cockiness. Quinn sighed,

"Not this time Valor. You stay close now." she commanded. Valor drooped his shoulder in disappointment and listened to his companian by flying above, not too high. Ryze ushered them to move on. He pulled out a map revealing vague features of the island. The Shadow Isles wasn't thoroughly explored according to the map they had. But it surely was a large island. However, there was a paved stone road that neatly lead into the wilderness. Pax playfully let Sarhoth go first,

"Ladies first."

She scuffed, "How chivalrous." she sarcasticly commented, "Is this the correct path Ryze?" she asked,

"We take a detour through the jungle when we find the first split on this road." he replied. With that, she nodded and lead the way with everypony following closely. Faint rustling sounded their each of their hoofsteps/footsteps. It was hard to remain stealthy with dragons at your side. The further they ventured, the more dense the fog grew. They find a split in the road, just as ryze expected, and took the left way. The right way lead to plateaus filled with nothing more than dirt and stone (as they assume). The relic they looked for was called Trophy of Shaning, it brought devious ,but good thoughts to whomever dare neared it, Krypt explained. Their first ruler forged the relic through magic and steel. He needn't molten ores or flames; just pure and powerful magic. Rumour goes, he was more powerful than Discord and the 4 princess combined! He was a good king; wise and bold, he rallied possibly any dragon group no matter how disorganized.

They suddenly heard a cackle ripple through the air. They tensed and ready for any encounter. At first it sounded like little filly's voice. When it came again, it was clear it was from a grown mare. Long moments of silence made it awkward and suspenseful. Nothing came forth.

"Show yourself!" yelled Quinn, Valor screeched and dived into a patch of bush. He tumbled out with an embarrassed look. He shook his head in confusion. He squawked at Quinn, as she nodded in response.

"Nothing huh? Would it be from our imagination?" she said,

"Nothing is an imagination in a place like this" said Mordlen, "They know we're here. They probably knew before we even touched down."

"Focus fellas, we still gotta keep movin'." Sarhoth interrupted. They walked on. Ryze pointed to the detour he mentioned of to the side of the forest. It was narrow, but sturdy. They find cob webs covering small patches of the foliage as they walked on. It became more common the more they ventured, until they came upon a large passing. It was clear and eery. Ryze didn't trust it one bit. The webs were more fresh and stickier here, which brought him to realize...

"Well come on! Some spider webs won't stop us!" said Pax as he stepped towards the center, "Whats wrong?" he said when he realizes no one was following.

What they didn't notice was the large cave to the side. The opening was large enough to fit a whole barrack! It could only mean one thing: they stumbled upon Vilemaw's den.

"Hey! Get back here!" shouted Ryze, "Its not safe out there!"

He gave him a questioning look and peeked around. He shrugged when he failed to see what was wrong.

Then a lash of web spitted out of the cave and latched onto Pax. He yelped as he got pulled deep into the cave. Ryze swore he heard crunching of bones coming from the cave. They all called out his name in vain, but with no answer, they ran in to save their friend.

When Twilight and her friends told Shining Armour what Skarner told them, he nodded in agreement. He said it wouldn't make sense to send in more ponies than needed to die. They discovered that the void has a remnant of dark energy, but it is extremely dangerous to gain hold on, even for ponies with great power! It is required to command the voidlings. In other words, the void relic can control all it's creatures without a sentient mind.

Disappointed and frustrated, Twilight decides to sneak off.

"Um... are you sure about this Twilight?" Fluttershy commented, "I mean, they do make sense."

"No!" she replied causing the yellow pegasus to cower, "And I am sure that I know what I am doing! We'll show them..." she said angrily.

Applejack whispered to Rainbow, "Geez, Twi sure is more stubborn than both of us combined huh."

She nodded in response with a worrying look. Rarity tries to confront her,

"Twilight,dear. Don't you think you're overreacting about this?" she said,

"The fate of Equestria depends on us! AND YOU THINK IM OVER REACTING?!"

Spike zipped up to Rarity and equipped her with padding and cushions. Then took cover behind the rest of their friends

"Yes." she simply said,

A magical-burst ruptured throughout most of the Crystal Empire.

She couldn't believe no one was with her on this one. Everyone treated them like useless fillies! Because now that the Elements of Harmony may not do much against the Void, they are rendered useless. Twilight is ready to prove them wrong. She'll show Shining, she'll show Skarner, and she'll definitely show all of Equestria. She'll make Celestia proud, that her alicorn potential will not go to waste! Maybe this was a test from fate.she thought,Or maybe theres something bigger than fate! Her eyes showed that she was zoned out of reality, and her smile was deviously large.

Stomping hooves, loud poundings upon the dry ground. Dirt thrown in their wake. The Buffaloes carried on their stampede through the apple orchid in Appleloosa. As usual, they expected the friendly ponies who neighboured to their home to provide them delicious apple pies. However, they were greeted by a crystal pony. This brought a confusion to the herd chief. He was tempted to stop and ask questions in regards. He had to do none of that since the crystal pony started galloping alongside him. He spoke first,

"Chief Thunderhooves!" he said over the sounds of the stampede, "We need you and your herd to evacuate the area immediately!"

He raised an eyebrow, "Why so friend?"

"There is a large threat made to all of Equestria!" he was interrupted by the sudden pivot in the stampede.

"A threat that large? How could that be possible?" the chief said,

"We can explain later, but for now we need all of Appleloosa to evacuate to Canterlot!"

He thought for a moment, "Allow us to steer clear of the orchid, I will stop the herd in the clearing."

"Thank you chief." Skarner peeled off and stood aside. As promised, the chief stopped once they got out of the orchid. But something gathered on the cliff nearby. They couldn't be the Appleloosans, they have already evacuated! They were faintly visible now that a horde stepped onto the edge of the cliff, awaiting any action to move them. They were purple, with 3 diamond eyes which resembled Rarity's cutie mark. Their eyes were yellow and empty, just like Skarner's, and their body,legs, and head were also diamond shaped. Many stood at the edge of the cliff now, proposing intimidation to the buffaloes and Skarner. He assumed they were what Ryze called: Voidlings. It wasn't good, they couldn't deal with the numbers they are facing. However, the buffaloes huffed and pawed at the ground; they were ready to pulverize theses voidlings. Even without mentioning they were the threat against Equestria, they would pose aggression to them.

A deafening roar that was all too familiar to Skarner pierced the air.

Cho'Gath appeared behind the voidlings, staring directly at the crystal vanguard standing beside the chief with his horn glowing.

A deafening roar that was all too familiar to Cait and Luio pierced the air.

They stiffened, they knew that wasn't good. Cait parted from Alistar and Luio who were left in charge of the evacuation for the rest of the Appleloosens. Nasus and Twitch followed as they sprinted to the source of the roar. They find a large-scale battle between voidlings and buffaloes. At the epicentre, they find Skarner and Cho'Gath trading blows and dodges. since the voidlings were small, they were easy for the buffaloes to step upon. Althought the voidlings aren't squishy; they are made of some sort of void crystal. However, the voidlings out-numbered them 4:1. The rest of the elite guards joined in the battle. Cait upholstered her primitive but effective rifle. Her dexterity was flawless! She shot out hitting voidlings using two shots to bring one down. Sometimes one if she was lucky. Nasus summoned his inner spirit and transformed into his superior form. He grew larger in size. He used his staff to smack down voidlings who dare come near.

Twitch however was having trouble loading his crossbow.

"Eh... go ahead without me!" he said as he was placing a bolt in, "I'll be right there!"

Still struggling, voidlings heasitated when they got near him. The stench was so sickening, that little voidlings couldn't bear get close. Finally, Twitch got his crossbow working again; turned out that the string didn't loop 3 times instead of 2. With precision, he headshotted the incoming voidlings.

Buffaloes' numbers were falling fast, they had to retreat! Skarner pivoted to the right, dodging Cho'Gath's talon. He returned with a pinch and a stab. He then caused a magical fissure with his stinger which threw the beast off-balance. The chief came barged into the Cho's side causing him to tumble. Suddenly, they hear a cry for help. It came from Little Strongheart.

She was surrounded by voidlings. Fortunately, Twitch pierced and peeled off the voidlings with each shot. Grateful, she jumped away and regained her ground. She leaped and smacked a voidling mid-air. A fresh batch of voidlings approached from the east of the battlegrounds. Nasus kept them off by summoning a circle that drew strength and life from the beings that stood upon it. Cho'Gath swept him off his legs from behind, then cutting down on the poor canine. He yelped and pain as his talon pierced his armoured legs. Cait made the beast back off by harassing him with headshots. They couldn't put him down, but it surely hurt him.

They were losing the battle. Twitch held off the voidlings in defense of Nasus, while Skarner still distracted Cho'Gath from the buffaloes. They had to force a retreat.

He scuffed, "This is taking unnecessarily long." he commented on the battle in front of him, Malzahar then turned to the creature beside him, "Kha'zix, focus on taking out strays. And bring forth at least one of the elites."

Kha'zix nodded, then splayed his wings and took off in one leap. He had a purple carapace, with long scythe-like hands. He has spikes mounted on his shoulders, and pale green wings which were hidden for now. Drool dripped from his mouth, hungering for prey.

He called up on the void, to once again open forth another portal. As the portal stretches, more voidlings pour out.

The buffaloes were barely keeping up against the voidlings, they really had to retreat now. Now at the over-hang of the cliff, the buffaloes and elite guards fell back. Although the number of voidlings has vastly decreased 4:1 to 2:1, they still overpowered. One by one, the buffaloes were picked off. The Chief wore a major wound on his neck; there was a gash that bled violently. Cho'Gath kept impaling patches of buffaloes with spikes pertruding from the ground beneath. Nasus had regained himself and was fit to battle. He summoned yet another large circle of magic distortion. It crippled voidlings while causing them inner pain. But it was still not enough. Skarner used his pincers to slash off large bunches each swing, but it was still not enough. Twitch threw flasks of poison that he kept in his jacket, but it was still not enough!

With all hope lost, and lives diminishing, reluctantly, a large stream of many colours crashed down upon the voidlings. They all squealed in pain before they simply poofed into thin air. It greatly cut off their numbers, as there are now more buffaloes than voidlings. They retreated; the victory was theirs! They cheered in pride. Above them, standing on the edge of the cliff, were the mane 6 with their Elements of Harmony. Skarner frowned on their rebellious acts, but was grateful they came. Twilight of course, had a cocky grin.

They brought in many injured buffaloes and fallen warriors. They planned a large funeral to honour them. Once they were able to take care of themselves, the elite guards rallied by the train station. They counted, and were missing one: Caitlyn.

"What?!" exclaimed Luio, "She could be around with the buffaloes!"

Skarner shrugged, "Either way, she is missing. We didn't find her body on the field so thats a good thing."

"What if the void got hold of her?!"

Chief Thunderhooves entered the conversation, "Has anyone seen little Strongheart?!" his eyes were watering, he thought of the worst answer possible.

Alistar and Nasus looked at eachother worryingly, then to Twitch, then to Skarner. Each of them shook their heads.

With Cait held under his armpit, Kha'zix kept his claw at her neck so she won't escape. Little Strongheart was knocked out on his back with a couple of spikes impaled on her back. Blood dripped from both of his hostages. When they set down in front of Malzahar, Cait struggled for freedom. Despite her efforts, she could not break free. He approached her slowly then held her chin up so their eyes could meet.

"Join the void..."

"Never!" she retorted,

"Let the void take you, evolve you!" as he spoke, he tormented her with corrupting visions.

Chapter 8: Blooded Souls

View Online

With a smile, Evelynn entered the tavern that was mainly empty. There were a few ponies here and there, but they didn't exist. They were ghosts. Nothing unusual in the Cryptic Tavern. It wasn't hard finding the pony she was looking for. He wore a cape, and a cowpony hat. His coat was pale blue-- like hers-- and his mane was dark-brown. His cutiemark is composed of 3 cards, one is red, the others were blue and yellow. As usual, he spent his leisure time gulping down rum. Of course, the beverages here contained essences of souls. You could have a soul sandwich! Evelynn had a blue coat with a pinkish-purple mane. She wore strips of spiked clothing which matched her mane. Her eyes were crimson red; they were always frightening to glare at.

Twisted Fate didn't have to turn to address his company.

"What brings you around darling?" He said,

She sighed, "Did you not hear about the group of ponies and dragons?"

"Ah heard of 'em. What makes you think that I wanna cause some trouble?"

Shocked at his words, she couldn't believe the words she just heard.

"My my." She said slyly, "Who knew the great and magnificent Twisted Fate would turn down an oppurtunity like this?" She mocked.

He stayed silent.

She shifted her stance to favour her right legs. She waited patiently for his answer.

Finally he straightened his back and turned, "They're after the relic aren't they." He said,

She shrugged,

"Perhaps. Only coming with me can give you you're answer." She began to leave while keeping an eye on the caped pony.

"Have fun." He sipped his drink.

Unsatisfied, she left the tavern. Twisted Fate slipped a smirk then glugged down the remaining rum in his drink. The bartender who was simply a rotton carcass ,nodded and took his bits.

They didn't have to venture far into Vilemaw's lair; Vilemaw met them halfway. Without any warning, he sprayed out sticky webbing which hit everypony/drake. The massive spider pulled them all into his grasp. Leaving them vulnerable to whatever he wanted to do. He tied them all up into a bundle. They struggled and lashed, but the web was far too strong.

Mordlen breathed fire upon the web that encased them; the webbing easily burnt off. Now free, the group engaged Vilemaw into combat. Ryze locked him into a runic cage to prevent him from doing anything. It left him vulnerable, so Quinn and the dragons attacked. She sent bolts into his chest which made him wince only slightly. He countered her attacks by slashing down. Reluctantly, she barely dodged it. Krypt used his sharp tail to take down Vilemaw's legs. Instead, he was met with a slash from Vilemaw's left leg. His leg was sharp enough to penetrate the dragon's scale, thus striking through his torso.

He gagged out blood and attempted to hull it's leg out of him. It was extremely difficult to breath, and his strength quickly faded. Sarhoth tried to distract Vilemaw from biting down on her comrade by breathing icey winds upon his face. Valor swooped down upon the leg that was impaled in Krypt and tried to bite it off. The reaction: Vilemaw lifted his leg flinging Valor off and a dragon stuck in his leg. He continued to fend off the others by swiping and lashing his talons at them. He retreated into his cave with Krypt as quick as a wing beat of a humming bird.

With no heasitation, they ventured further into the cave.

Mordlen breathed his fire to burn the webs that blocked their path. Deep fear chilled through them; he could attack any moment. Suddenly, a loud bundle of crunches echoed through the cave.

It was the sound of Vilemaw munching on Krypt.

Or was it?

Krypt limped towards them with his arms clutching his torso. Sarhoth quickly flew towards him assisted him.

"We *cough* have to get out of here." Krypt coughed out blood, staining Sarhoth's bright blue scales. She looked to Ryze with eyes pleading for a decision. If they continued on, they will risk another receiving a major injury. But for what purpose? Pax is most likely to be dead and that the Shadow Isles probably held more dangerous creatures. The dragons were honourable warriors (if not raised in a barbaric group) and they will hold the burden of leaving a drake behind for quite a long time. They didn't have much time before the void attempts to take over Equestria either.

Finally he asked, "Did you see Pax by any chance?"

The black and green drake nodded his head.

"It was very dark. Although i am nocturnal, im not sure if it was him wrapped in a cocoon or some otherdrake." he said with a raspy voice.

He lowered his head. But Ryze raised his.

"Im going in." he spoke softly, "Quinn, can you have Valor escort Krypt out?"

She didn't need to ask; Valor was already beside the black dragon, ready to go. She shrugged,

"Be careful Valor, and don't come in if we don't come out for awhile. Alright?"

He replied with a screech. Once Sarhoth released her grasp of the black dragon, he stumbled his way towards the exit with Valor in front. The rest of them fixed their gaze forward. Unto darkness.

Mordlen gulped. Then as if on cue, Vilemaw struck out a talon and reached for Quinn. Fortunately for her lightning reflexes, she kicked off and leaped backward from his talon. She fletched a few bolts as she did so. One took out one of his eyes. He roared in pain. Without giving him any chance to recover, Mordlen shot fireballs from his mouth, hitting it in the jaw. Sarhoth aimed her breath on his legs, preventing him from moving until he could break free. Ryze flung arcane balls, hitting it's head.

Vilemaw gradually backed off. He continued to take on hit after hit. Finally, his legs broke free of the ice and lunged at the group. He managed to swipe sideways to hit Ryze and Sarhoth, sending them crashing hard onto the cave wall. Quinn once again dodged the swipe and shot more bolts at his head, knowing that his weakness were taking out his eyes. He once again roared in pain, but retreated back further into his cave. She must've hit plenty of eyes.

It didn't take long to find the spot where Vilemaw kept his victims. Many cocoons, large and small, hung from the ceiling or mounted on the wall. They wondered how long it will take to find Pax, or Vilemaw to return.

At last, Ryze found him weak in a large cocoon of web. He could barely open his eyes. He breathed gently and slowly. He thought he could be weak from trying to escape the cocoon all that time.

Relieved, they brought him outside with haste leaving Vilemaw's lair.

They searched the desert for hours. All they could find was the rifle she left behind. It was hopeless, nopony had any other hint of her disappearance. She wasn't slain in battle, nor did was she with the buffaloes. Luio however, didn't want to give up. He spent his whole night refusing to back to the Empire and attempting to go back to Appleloosa. Despite Shining Armour's dignity as Captain of the Royal Guards, he couldn't bring himself to scold the secret prince. So he merely forced him to stay within the castle to rest, while the rest of the elite guards continued to help evacuate other small towns.

Skarner was thankful that Twilight didn't harass him with 'I told you so!'s. It would've dreaded him. But he is still right: he can not let her follow them when they journey into more dangerous missions. The elite guards were expendables compared to the princess and her 5 friends. She either didn't realize it, or she disagreed with that concept.

Although, Twilight got quite a lecture from Shining when she returned. Luckily Cadence was able to calm her husband down before he literally, blew up. He got her to form an apology when she met Skarner again; It was considered defying an official order. Since she was an alicorn and a princess, she didn't have to face the punishments at all.

They were at Dodge Junction, making quick evacuation considering that it's a very small town. So all they needed was one elite guard. The others were over at Vanhoover.

Twilight was powerful enough to teleport extreme distances. So she started at the train station to Dodge Junction. She appeared in front of the town street, with beads of sweat trickling down her neck. Firstly, she observed the organized group at the train station not so far behind her. They haven't fully evacuated yet which was good for Twilight. She could use the time to look around to make sure all buildings were clear. After looking through house, to house, she stumbles upon a lone colt.

He innocently looked up at Twilight with his jaw open. He was amazed to see an alicorn before him. The colt is golden yellow, with both his mane and coat matching. He wore glasses that fully hid his eyes. His mane is an afro , and his cutie mark was a hammer and screwdriver crossed.

"Come on! We gotta get moving." she said. He quickly nodded in response. He tightened his baggage around his torso and began trotting towards the train station.

"So you're a real alicorn? Interesting..." he asked as he passed by her.

"Yep. Thats right." she began trotting next to him, "So whats your name? Im Princess Sparkle, but please just call me Twilight." she smiled warmly,

"Im Heimerdinger as everyone calls me. My actual name is TinkerBolt. I apologize for my lack of participation in the evacuation... its just that I will dearly miss this place."

She nodded,

"I understand. I too fear for my home."

He waved goodbye as he hopped onto the train. Leaving Skarner who ushered the last of the civilians into the train, alone with Twilight. His job now was to doublecheck the whole town, then leave on the next train. He jumped in surprise when he noticed Twilight.

"Hey Skarner, about yesterday." she began, "Im really sorry for disobeying your orders, I really wasn't thinking when I wanted to help. I got carried away and followed you to Appleloosa. I understand now that by interfering with your duty, I pose a rude implication that you were too weak to handle things yourself. You wanted us to stay safe, and I respect that."

"I too, am sorry for shoving you aside. I have turned down your offer to help and treated you like a child. I have been stubborn and inconsiderate regarding you and your friend's power. If you had come earlier, we might not have to lose so many buffaloes in the fight. It was most rude of me. Especially when it involved a princess."

They both gave a small laugh. Now that the tension was gone, they enjoyed each other's company while they cleared the town once more. He decided to save the story of his people for later. So he answered Twilight's other questions such as how he is able to control crystal in such ways.

Ugh, what a terrible nightmare..., Little Strongheart thought. She disliked the idea of getting up, but she didn't want to risk seeing that nightmare again. So she slowly opened her eyes, with crud stuck to her eyelids. She tried to blink off the crud but it did no wonder, so she lifted her hoof to scrub it out. Unfortunately, her fore-leg did not do as she commanded it to do. With a huff, she opened her eyes fully and found she is lying on a strange flora. She then realize she was far to exhausted, despite her slumber, to lift a muscle. She then felt a very sudden and painful feel on her back. She wanted to scream in pain but her mouth was paralyzed. It was hard to breath; she panicked, wondering if she is still in that nightmare.

She took a more thorough look at the thing she was lying upon. It was a pool of some kind of purple energy. Whatever it was, it certainly did not help her sleep. She awaited patiently for her memories to bring back the reasons why she was lying there. But all that came was her nightmare. She then realizes, this is still her nightmare!

A voidling scurries in front of her face, taking curious looks at her. Then it scurried away as fast as he appeared. She attempted to lift herself from the pool once again, only to be able to lift her neck. She then sees a figure coming into view... it was Caitlyn!

Relief gushed into her. She knew she was an elite guard and that she was kind and skilled. She could definitely help her escape this nightmare. But she wasn't.

Her coat was now entangled with purple stripes, and her mane flowed purple energy. Just like the pool. Her eyes glowed deep purple as well, showing no pupil nor iris. On her side, she carried a large weird purple stick... or so it seemed. She lifted a hoof, and waved as it glowed purple. She took away the pool of energy and took out her stick. She held it like a rifle a-- oh! Because it IS a rifle! She held her rifle pointed at her face.

"Wake up Little Strongheart, he wants to see you..." she said. Her voice was very distorted, as if a second voice existed in sync with hers.

Suddenly, she is able to move again. The pool must've sapped her ability to move. She slowly rose to her legs and walked in front of Caitlyn down a corridor. She had so many questions about where she was, or what REALLY happened. But she figured now isn't such a good time. She waited for the moment to escape.

Malzahar was busy studying the magic potential of the crystals Skarner uses. To him, they were merely crystals that can store energy. He could not breach its properties; he only knew magic of the void. The crystal concept was clearly a very vigarous and complicated thing. It mused him: the crystal can store void energy as well. He toyed at the interesting thought and wondered if he can use it against Skarner. Or perhaps have it affect all of Equestria! The Void will be most proud; for many eons, they longed to change the universe! Many were afraid of the void; too frightened at what lies within. When the truth was all it did was enhance you. It turns you into something greater than yourself. It reflects on your inner fears, then evolves youto counter your fear. Of course, the side effect may be monstrous. He could prove that all who has allowed the void to merge with their souls are satisfied and grateful... except for one...

His thoughts were interrupted as one of his most recent new-comer entered the room with his request. Caitlyn poked Stronheart in the rib to urge her forward to Malzahar. He offered a warm embrace that she knew was all acting. She slowly backed away, trying to avoid the void prophet.

"Aw, whats wrong Little one?" he spoke, "Will you not introduce yourself? I'll go first, I am Malzahar." he then awaited for her response which was one he expected.

"What do you want from me?" she said coldly,

"Its not what I want, Little Strongheart," he demonstrated that she didn't even need to introduce herself, "Its what you desire."

She stayed silent, keeping an angry glare at Malzahar.

"The void desires only your co-operation. You see, we have simply came to evolve the world into more than it is. We had no intentions to kill or harm one another."

"No harm?! You nearly killed off my people in Appleloosa!"

"Merely because they resisted the void."

"You killed honourable beings who had families to go to!"

"If one resisted the Void, it takes no hesitation to cleanse them; they pose a threat towards the crusade."

"What makes you so confident in the Void?! huh?!"

"Once all worlds are dipped into the Void's power, nothing can stop it. The worlds will be an unstoppable and superior... and united. Please Strongheart, aren't you tired of being called 'little' all the time? Does it not upset you that you had no power over the lives that were lost?"

"I dont mind being little; it means I have a lot more to learn before i grow up. And i've learned to always believe in the greater good! Bullocks to your Void! The Elements of Harmony will kick your flank!"

He tisked twice,

"Strongheart, we aren't what we provoke ourselves to be. But only one can see... one can only see why all must welcome the Void... that one is you Little Strongheart. Deep into the future... it shall be you who leads us..." he drew towards Strongheart as Cait moved in to hold her in place. He glared deep into her eyes, and once she caught a glimpse of purple fog in his eyes, her vision became fully clouded.

Her skull screamed in pain, she was being tormented with visions that he has described. She killed her father, her friends, and her people. Suddenly the visions stopped. She gained back her conscience as fast as she lost it. She finds Malzahar stumbling back from her, making the situation very confusing. She then gets grasped by a stranger with very strong fore-legs. The figure pointed his other arm at Malzahar, sending an orb of energy ,similar to void energy, hitting him right in the chest. He grimaced on the impact and then it all flashed into a new scene.

She looked up at her rescuer to find the most perculier pony yet! She assumed that he was a pony. He stood on two legs, wearing full armor from the mane to hoof. He had spikes coming out his shoulder pads,helmat, and and arms. His eyes glowed yellow, and his form very muscular. He had tubes connecting his helmat and.. sides? He looked at her with no facial expression, but she assumed it was warming.

"Thank you stranger..."

He merely nodded and continued to his own path. It seemed like he was hovering from the ground. Little lines of purple trailed behind him. She quickly sprinted to his side but quickly became exhausted because of the earlier events. She panted between questions.

"Hey! Whats your name? What happened?"

He stopped and peered into the distance, but spoke,

"I prefer to be called Kassadin. I saved you from the grasp of Malzahar. Do you not have a home?" his voice was metallic and deep.

"My home was evacuated, but i was captured."

He nodded.

"I'll temporarily escort you back to your evacuation point. Mind telling me where it is?"

Truth is, it was hard for Skarner to accept what has happened and move on. All those lives died, and they could've been saved if he weren't so stubborn. He wondered if they would've even made it alive if it weren't for them. He should've listened to Twilight and let her follow. The buffaloes go a very long way in history, it proved devastating if one were unable to continue their generation. However, after that night, he began to think that the only way to pay his debt to the lives of the lost buffaloes, was to form a funeral for them. Unfortunately, due to the Void hostility, it will only risk more lives. Instead, he conjured up a large crystal monument, decorated with the names of the fallen. Provided by the survivors. Skarner personally carved each name which counted up to 92. Amoungst them were grown male, female, and their young children.

Shining smiled at the sight, feeling deep sympathy and respect for the Brackern.

Now that day has passed and he remains vigilant at night. Celestia returned with the griffon's consent in participation in the crisis, as a courier reported. He hoped Ryze has succeeded in his task. It seemed that their support will greatly turn the favours of this war into Equestria.

His mission today was to simply keep guard of Canterlot. He would patrol street, to street. He remembered when Canterlot was just a small town with grand structures. Now the structures were many and taller. He remembered when Princess Celestia's mane was bright pink, instead of pink,blue,and green. The thoughts brought him to remember Princess Terra. Although they only had conversations regarding his history and duties, they both have grown to be confident in eachother's presence. They had a strong friendship and he sometimes acted as her advisor. Now that he mentioned advisor, he hadn't explained to Skarner what was going on. He will have to save his curiosity for later. For now, he had a city to watch.

Once they reached the outside, the day was still gloomy and dark. Its as if the weather was permanent here. Valor and Krypt were happy to finally see that Pax was alive. Or was he?

They were too clumsy to notice that he has been poisoned by Vilemaw's bite. He slowly died on his way out, and his heart stopped beating mid-way out. Now downtrodden, the group searched the forest for a suitable burial. Finally they find a patch of soft soil, large enough for the dragon. Krypt summoned a tombstone with his talent in basic necromancy. They lowered their heads, and Quinn removed her helmet. All were silent. Then read the encryption on the tombstone.

"Here lies a fallen drake: Pax HingeSpine. He will be forever remembered as honourable and a warrior." Sarhoth read, Krypt continued on to say his words.

"Dear friend of mine. You were noble and daring, true aspects of a warrior. Though you were clumsy at time," he cracked a small smile, "you were a true friend of mine. You were always optimistic and clever, it never gets old really. All I regret is telling your family of what happened. It truly will be saddening. Nevertheless, I will miss you dear Pax."

He looked onto Ryze and Quinn to see if they had any words. Mordlen then sang the chant of vanguards,

"Nature,nurture

Heaven and harm

So of all have been by driven

To conquer every mountain shown

Brave the forest

Brave the stone

Brave he icy winds and fire

Brave the teeth that are beyond my own."

They let silence linger in the air. Thankfully, no other creature dared interrupt. Their claws/hoof at their hearts, they stood for a good 10 minutes. They then bowed and picked up their equipment. The group treaded deeper unto the Shadow Isles.

...

A lone reaper trots towards the tombstone. Through his eyes, there laid a soul; it was fresh and strong. He could feel it's aura from where he stood. As he approached it, the soul began drawing closer to him; his lantern. Thresh was what legends called him. Although they never knew his real name, nor did he himself. He acts as something similar to the grim reaper as some suggest, his purpose was to collect souls and peacefully carry them. The soul became vibrant as he came closer. Until it was close enough to be stored in the lantern along with many many others. Whenever he collected a soul, it allowed him to see what they have been through, and what they thought through. Curious enough, he decided to give his most recent one a peek inside.

He trotted back and forth... back and forth. I gotta think of something!he thought. Deep within him, he knew Caitlyn was still alive. He knew he could save her! All it took was some very intense pep talk. This is the love of your life for star's sake! Focus!

He complimented himself, and finally he knew. He knew how to find her. Luio was prepared to do whatever it takes to get her back, no matter the cost! He launched himself onto his 'study chair' in front of his 'study desk' with his 'study tools' under his 'study lamp'. No no... it simply will not do!

He needed to get out his 'thinking chair/desk/tools/lamp', this is the appropriate time to use them. He picked up his pencil with his horn. His wings tightly snug in their resting position, and his chair at perfect height. Nothing can ruin his concentration now.

He scribbled madly on paper, using his full imagination and skills in logic and physics.

Chapter 9: Cold Embrace

View Online

"Impressive." Evelynn commented silently. They all managed to slay the mighty Vilemaw and survive! Well, most of them that is. Without the feeling of intimidation, she carefully stalked the peculier group. Dragons were definitely not known to work with ponies. Sure they were buff and looked knowledgeable in the art of combat, but she must study them further to find their weakness; she'd usually just take her chances and confront them, but she decided to play passively.

If she were to ruin this, they'll surely get their hands on the dragon relic. Her father has worked hard to obtain it, she won't let it slip from her again!

For hours, they treaded. When Little Strongheart gave him the information to lead home, he just nodded and moved towards west of their position. The forest was lush, but fading. They can feel the void's corruption reaching further in. She worried for the creatures that lived near; they could be turned into those creatures that Malzahar talked about. Or perhaps they were already corrupted. If that were to be true, they have not seen any so far. The dawn was rising and Little Strongheart had no will to sleep after what she has been through. Her eyes fought otherwise. Gradually her pace started to slow. Kassadin took notice and motioned to stop.

"We'll rest here. No need to strain yourself for now." he said

"Okay." she replied, then slumped herself down on a patch of soft grass. Her eyes closed shut and very soon, her mind kicked into sleep. Kassadin only took a moments glance at her, then looked into the distance; he kept guard for both his and her sake.

Earlier that night, he answered most of the little buffalo's questions. They had successfully traveled more than half of the distance to Canterlot, presumably the pony capitol. She found that he too, was a civilian from Canterlot, before he mysteriously disappeared. He sought, far and wide, for his daughter. With not much luck, he resorted to the final areas he has yet to search in: the Void. He also wanted to discover deep secrets that he has been studying for most of his life. The option benefited him both ways.

At first, he feared the nightmares it brought, the risk of his death within a realm he knew nothing of. With only his blade that has been provided by an earlier confrontation with the void. Reluctantly, he was able to repel the devious traits it brought if he were to accept the Void. However, with his sane mind, he had to venture once more.

The more time he spent in the Void, the more horrific it came to him. He was lucky to have kept his sanity once he survived for more than an hour. Finally meeting Malzahar, he demanded his daughter; she was being used as a sacrifice to the void. Through tough fighting and fears, he failed. The environment around him crumbled and shattered with his daughter inside the temple which was where the ritual was taking place. Forlorn, he retreated back into his own world, but because he was wandering around in the void for so long, it transformed him.

He used the spell that Ryze held dearly, which unfortunately allowed the other void creatures to follow. He brought the monstrosities into this world. In addition, this world neither deserved or perhaps handle the threat that is now upon them. Nor did his daughter took her fate.

A courier knocked on Luio's chamber doors; asking for entry. He awaited patiently and hummed a little tune he knew from his younger years. He took the time to notice the finer details of his door; it was smooth and gale, it was nice to stare at. At this point, he doubted that Luio heard his first knock. So he tried again.

Once again, no immediate answer.

He decided to peek through the door just to see if he was even there. He pressed open the knob and pushed gently on the door. It let out a small creek, indicating that it needed tending. The door slowly revealed Luio's chamber; a lot of clutter was visible from his point.

When he finally got a view of the whole room, he saw Luio head down on his desk. At first his heart almost stopped, but then he heard his soft breathing. He let out a small giggle and strutted over to his side. He hesitated to prod him awake, but it was necessary; he was summoned by Shining Armour, knowing he doesn't like tardy calls.

"Pst!~ Dr. Lucious!" he whispered, "Wake up!"

It didn't seem to do the job, so he jabbed at his side. He reacted by jerking awake with a scream. The courier remained calm and simply spoke.

"Captain Shining is awaiting your arrival at the barracks Docter."

He adjusted himself upright and packed up his papers. he set them aside and nodded.

"Just call me Luio please."

"Will do."

And so they went down to the Crystal Empire's barracks, leaving Luio's notes behind.

Once again, he nagged Zargonath about the same topic in the past day.

"I thought you have ridden Shyvana away!" his voice boomed over the poor drake in bed, "It is against the dragon code to defy the high commands! Especially when you are the 'high command'!"

He sighed,

"I had no idea that she would dare come close. It was beyond my will to bring her back too. What made you think that I summoned her while im here?" he gestured to himself,

He snarled,

"You're lucky that no other drake has heard about this, or we'll have another uproar." he stated.

"I doubt they ever will anyways. Now could you please stop bothering me?"

"This is very crucial Zarg!"

"Don't you have duties to tend to?!" he raised his voice, making his stubborn advisor falter. He frowned in response, then turned to leave.

Zargonath sighed once again and said,

"Finally."

He shed a tear, stricken by the memories brought back with his dear daughter. He wished upon a star that he could escape with her; they could live a new life together and perhaps find home with other friendly drakes. He shook his head, disbelieving the fact that other drakes would even consider to be neighbours with Shyvana. The dragonkind needed their former ruler of the Western Kingdom again, so they will no longer live in conflict. He shouldn't let his personal feelings become an obstacle in his life, it would prove to be most unwise.

"Incoming!!" a scout hollered at the outer-guard tower. He nodded and ignited the fire beacon, indicated to Canterlot that they were coming. The guards and Skarner quickly took notice of the sudden flame that flickered in the distance. The guards sprinted towards other stations, alerting others, while Skarner broke into a gallop towards the north outer-guard tower.

They were prepared for this, but they feared they wouldn't succeed in defending the kingdom. Only few have seen the true power of the Void. Of course they were nervous, but it didn't cause them to doubt. They have been through many invasions, and won.

When Skarner reached the tower, he witnessed what the scout reported. At dusk, it was difficult to determine what they were. However, they were definitely large in numbers. The tower was evacuated and the guards stood behind Skarner, urging him to retreat with them, but he stood still and continued to gaze off into the distance.

As they got closer, their features became more clearer. Then surprisingly, a large figure landed hard beside Skarner.

"Do not fear Brackern." her gentle but loud voice brought him to remember, "We do not come in harm."

"It's alright Anivia." he turned to his friend he met in the mountains, then to the scout who was trembling before the frost griffon, "Bring news to the others that it is nothing to fear of. The ponies of Freljord has come."

"Right away s-sir!" he stammered and galloped away.

"Please, tell me what brings you all here on our way to Canterlot."

"Of course." she replied. Just then, Ashe entered the scene, assisted by another armoured pony who had a very large sword strapped to his side. She seemed to be limping, possibly a minor injury because Skarner could not locate the injury at first glance.

"Its not only the ponies of Freljord who fled." she gestured to the pony at her side, "This is Tryndamere, he hails from a small clan located between IronSpike mountains and the Howling Marsh."

He only nodded with a tear streaming down his left eye. Skarner was wise enough not to question what happened until later.

Once they got a move on, Ashe spoke.

"As foreseen, our enemies has overpowered us. Our lands were desecrated but most of our civilians were evacuated in time. My sister Sejuani, surprisingly made no presence since she holds cold hate against me. But my other sister, Lissandra, has brought destruction upon us. She has gone mad and has interacted with the watchers... The Frozen Watchers. Powerful council of unicorns who sought a world of frost and despair. Reluctantly we thought we vanquished them long ago... but little did I know that she was the last one. She brought an army of trolls and a horrific blizzard which swept the kingdom of Freljord."

A large bear has entered the group. He nodded at Skarner who nodded back. And so, Ashe continued.

"I just know it in my heart that it wasn't the true Lissandra i knew. She betrayed her tribe, The ice dervish, which is now extinct and replaced with the capitol of Freljord. She has corrupted her newest and strongest tribe, The Frostguard. They were an ancient group of elite soldiers from Freljord. They have protected Freljord since, and my sister formerly was in charge of them before she became corrupted. She managed to convince them that they were the only beings in Equestria who are sentients and pure. But they do not see that they are the opposite."

Skarner lowered his head. This all happened after that day they met at the mountains.

"Despite the chaos, Sejuani has made an appearance. I had an alliance forged between her tribe, The Winter's Claw, and my people, The Ursine. Fortunately, she agreed to ally with Ashe upon neutral grounds; their personal problems were not resolved however. She trails behind the ponies to ensure they are safe."

"Hey! Don't forget me!" an unknown voice was heard behind them.

"Oh yes. Skarner, meet Nunu; he is a well-respected pony in Freljord."

He turned to greet the new one and was taken surprise. Nunu mounted a very large yeti who towered 3 times higher than Skarner. He had a white mane, and a tanned coat. He wore a red jacket above it though. His cutie mark was a ball of ice surrounded with some fragments of ice. His yeti had a slightly blue-er coat.

"Nice to meet ya!" he implied with glee,

"Likewise." said Skarner. The yeti huffed in response.

He slowed down when he saw the scout he sent earlier, return. He panted and galloped. As soon as he was close to Skarner, he spoke of his report.

"Princess Celestia awaits and welcomes the ponies of Freljord to Canterlot."

They all smiled in the news and continued on in silence. He wondered more about this Lissandra, if she was more than Ashe knew. He decided he'd push aside that thought for now. The dark sky became brighter as Celestia raised it to glorify it's light across Equestria. The morning light warmed their hearts. But deep down, they knew it will not break the oncoming chaos.

The island bore more than just drifting spirits...

Ryze swerved to his left, nerved by the possible threat that lurked behind the shadows. It seemed like the more time they spent on the island, the more fearsome the environment grew. This was also beginning to cause the others to become nervous. They haven't run into anything besides their encounter with Vilemaw... yet.

The air was musty and chilled. For hours now, they trotted through the twisted trees and eery fogs. The Shadow Isles is a very mysterious place; barely anypony knows it's true purpose. Yes, it provided land for the dead. But the legends have foretold that there were beings who walked the lands. Of course, at this point, they are not hard to believe. They have encountered many other strange creatures with just as strange purposes: such as Shaco, the demon jester. He roams the slums of Canterlot, also having a very high bounty above his head. However, the jester can not be contained as the guardponys say; he is simply a master of deception. Shaco has been caught numerous times, but is known to escape 'when he feels like it'.

"We're almost there!" ,Quinn announced, "Just over the clearing." The group enhanced their pace, eager to witness the dragon relic.

"Careful my little ponies. We do not want to stumble upon any more traps." Sarhoth warned,

They nodded in agreement and ventured on. With caution of course. The fog shrouded their pathway, creating suspense for what laid ahead.

At last, they overcame the clearing but to their surprise...

"Where is it?" said Krypt,

Quinn shook her head, then pulled out the map provided. She double-checked the details, wondering what they did wrong. She wore a frustrated expression which only grew more intense as the time lingered on.

Then it came to her: who would be idiotic enough to mark where their relic was?! Rather, a stolen relic! They must've set a trap in the area when they lured explorers. She jumped back, which startled the others.

"Whats wrong?" asked Ryze

"The map lead us to a trap. The relic was never here... it is somewhere else." she replied. Ryze pondered her words for a moment.

"Zargonath gave us a map leading to a trap?"

"Yes, but doubt he knew it was phony. It was his only piece of information he had on it."

"Then how do we find the relic now?" he turned to the drakes who gave him a shrug.

"Purhaps I can help yer with that." a grudgy voice sounded behind them, They all turned to see the new pony. He wore mangy clothing, tattered and greenish brown. His cutie mark was a shovel that match the shovel he held on his back. His mane was hidden by the cloak that covered only his head and neck. His tail was cut-off though. His coat is dark green and dirty. He hung a ghoulish lantern attached to his neck, illuminating the path before him.

With quick reactions, the drakes took up their arms and dashed at the strange pony but was stopped by Ryze's runic cages. Quinn had her weapon pointed at the pony, ready to fire. All awhile Ryze stepped up to the pony with a smug smile.

"It has been a long time Yorick."

"It haz indeed! Now I be hearin' about yer 'relic' that ye seek."

"Correct, the dragon relic. Do you know where it is?"

He tisked twice,

"If ye want to find yerself that relic, I can guide yer and ye friends to it. But be warned: it's current possessor ain't easy to talk to."

Now released and calm, the drakes looked at eachother in questioning glances.

"Please take us. We need that relic."

He nodded and waved them to follow.

Crippled, the bear laid waitingly for his impending death. He was doomed the moment the dragon saw him. It was unusual for dragons to hunt large bears such as him, but today must've been an exception.

Shyvana approached the bear slowly but confidently. She turned back into her pony-form and leaned into the bear's torso and whispered.

"I thank you, for giving up your life. Your death will serve purpose and I am forlorn grateful." she jabbed at the bear's neck, making quick death. He flinched and eventually resided. She shed a tear and turned back into her dragon-form, only to carry the large bear to her usual spot. She enjoyed her "spot", it was peaceful, isolated, and warm. Her spot was specifically located under a mossy cliff that had a large overhang. She lifted the bear with her claws, and took off into the air. She took this time to cruise through the day since it was so lovely today, but what caught her attention lurked beyond the cliff she was heading to. A large bestial figure that is very peculier to her, was walking the desert gap between the forest and her father's tribe.

Now that she has flown closer, it wasn't large as she assumed. In fact, it was more of a skirmish group accompanied by another dragon. Now closer, nothing was wrong about the scene except for the fact that ponies were escorting a dragon. She flew lower to avoid attention. She observed the dragon's features, dark purple and black scales, with blue armour.

Unfortunately they noticed her, but ignored her. She ignored them as well and continued her way to her home.

The swerved around the over-growth that melded her home from others and gently laid the bear beside her firepit. She tore into the bear's flesh, taking a slab of meat from his flank. She scored it with a stick and placed it upon her firepit. She blew fire as she slowly turned the stick to thoroughly cook the meat. She figured, it would be best to get comfy now. bear meat is very tough and dense. She sat and continued to blow fire. It would've been easier to ignite wood underneath it, but she felt too lazy to scavenge firewood today.

This gave her time to reflect about her day today. Nothing really excited besides her sighting in the desert. Earlier that day, she spent some time near the shore. She was spotted by a pirate ship so she had to bail out and retreat before they chased her. Dragons are worth a lot of bounty.

But something unsettled her about that dragon. As if she recognized him... or her... but probably him. He was familiar in a way, but she couldn't quite put a claw on it. Weird how the memory brought her a distinct smell of ashes.

Tsst! A sound interrupted her thinking. She was back into reality but she still smelled ashes?

Her bear meat was blackened; she burnt her food.

Quickly, she shook off the excess flames that lingered on the flesh and brought it away from the heat. She sighed and chipped away at the burnt meat, hoping that the inside is well cooked.

Hah! Burnt... Burny burny... Burning... Bird... Burd... Burden... she gasped to herself at her sudden realization. Burdac! I have to tell father that he has returned!

"Captain? You wanted to see me?" said Luio as he entered his office,

"Oh!" ,he looked up from the map he was studying, "Just wanted to see if everything is okay. You seemed pretty bummed lately."

"I really don't want to talk about it Captain."

Shining placed his hoof on his shoulder,

"I don't want to talk with formality. Im just Shining, and you're just my pal. Now come on, talk to me."

He sighed,Was it essential to tell your captain all of your secrets?

"Im working on a plan to get rid of the Void once they come." he lied terribly,

"We have already discussed this Luio."

"Oh! But this is an extravagant plan! We can dismiss our old one and instead use mine." he beamed,

"Uh huh." he said with sarcasm, "I know that you're hiding something. Come on man."

He hung his head lower and looked between his hooves.

"Fine."

...

"So? Whats wrong?" Shining shifted impatiently,

"Its just that... I really am sad about the whole buffalo thing. It must've been really hard on them; I mean, they had a lot of losses!"

The captain edged closer, as if he wanted nopony to hear.

"I know you have an eye for Gears..."

"Gears?" he lied,

"A.k.a Caitlyn?"

"Oh her!" he recoiled at the memory of her as images flashed through his mind, "Really a big, sad thing that she gone missing huh."

"We'll find her Luio." he simply said. It made a full-grown pony such as Luio tear up. But he wouldn't let himself falter.

"Thanks." he smiled warmly, "I needed that... Im going to check out the Freljord people."

"Alright, see you around!"

They waved goodbye as Luio parted from the barracks. He tucked in his map which is one of the most valuable in Equestria. Phase 1:check! He smiled wickedly.

The guards politely opened the door for them. The mares then stepped into a hall filled with many ponies from Freljord.

"Oh my gosh! So many ponies!" Pinkie instantly jumped and smiled, then got into a serious tone, "So little time...". She zipped up to the nearest pony who had a light blue coat and a more vibrant shade of blue for her mane. She wore light but chunky armour, a frosty helmet that had a horn sticking out on one side, and furry boots. Her cutiemark was a claw encased with ice. Overall, she didn't look friendly with her flail and large shield.

"Hi there! Im Pinkie Pie! Oh but you can just call me Pinkie because thats what all my friends call me. Hey what does your cutie mark mean? Whats it like in uh... Fellyord?"

Twilight has never seen a dirtier look than Gilda until now.

"Look. Im not in my brightest mood. How about you dawdle off before i show you what my cutiemark REALLY means." she spoke through her teeth.

"But I want to know what it means!"

She whistled, and soon the ground was rumbling. Behind her, the crowd parted to the sides of the wall to allow passage for the creature.

A large and angry boar stormed to the pony's side and got nose-to-nose close with PInkie, bellowing a loud snarl.

"Heh heh... nice piggy~" Pinkie slowly backed off, sane enough to not mess with the pony. She ended up laughing uncontrollably. Pinkie can only trade a sheepish smile. Her friends came to her side, staring down the boar.

"But seriously... get lost." she said when she regained herself,

"Sejjy! Thats no way to greet ponies in Canterlot!" a new po-- Yeti came into the scene, although the pony mounted on it's shoulders was talking, "Hey im Nunu, and he's Wilump" he raised his hoofs over his head in enthusiasm. Wilump towered over them by at least 3 times their size.

Rarity fainted while the others stared, gawking at such large creatures.

"Rarity!" they all said in unison, and helped her up. Once she was able to stand on her own, Nunu's yeti striked a pose in humour.

"Uh... howdy Newnew." Applejack was the first to say, "Ahm Applejack, and this here are ma best friends, Twilight, Fluttershy, Pinkiepie, Rarity, and Rainbowdash." she managed a convincing smile.

"Hi" meeked Fluttershy,

"Well?" he gestured to the pony, "Go on, introduce yourself!"

She scuffed and crossed her hooves while leaning against her boar.

"Call me Sejuani. And that's Bristle." she nudged her boar who softened his look.

"Well it's very nice meeting you Sejuani." Twilight raised a hoof for her, but was stopped by Bristle who got in her way. Twilight retreated back and laughed nervously.

"I have no time for this. Come on Bristy." they both exited the hall behind them.

"Don't mind her, she's a very stubborn mare but she can be quite a hearty one when shes in a good mood." said Nunu,

"Without a doubt! Sheesh!" said Pinkie, Sejuani reminded her and Rainbowdash about the whole Gilda day.

"Yer okay Rainbow?" asked Applejack, noticing shes blowing a fume.

"Can't wait to get my hooves on her! Who does she think she is?!" she replied,

"Only a warlord, a princess, and a very powerful ally." remarked Nunu, who only made Rainbow's temper worsen.

"Now now girls," said Rarity, "We must see Princess Celestia as she does want to see us immediately."

They all nodded in agreement and began their way towards her studies.

Chapter 10: A Chemical Reaction

View Online

Hunger is no factor in the adrenaline of war, but rather a different hunger exists... the hunger for battle.

...

"Are.. you sure about this sir?" a soldier asked his commander, he winced as his commander slowly fixed a belittling gaze upon his soldier. Members of EON (Equestria's Operative Northern) are known for their lack of discipline, but their efficiency in.. anything is outstanding! General Swain is mainly their high head of command, but the event such as now will probably strip him of his rank.

"You dare doubt me soldier?!" Darius shouted, causing the soldier to immediately regret his words. He grabbed him by a tuft of his chest fur with his claw-gloves over his hooves, forcing little streams of blood to drip at contact. "I thought they teach you something at training. Hear this fool: never cross me!" and with that, he ruthless released him onto the ground.
Darius is a large-built stallion, with gruff red-ish brown mane, and a slightly brighter hued coat. He wears massive bulking armour along with a red cape. His cutie mark is an axe that matches the huge axe he uses.

"Y-yes sir!" he stammered before scampering back.

Behind him was a legion of EON soldiers, although they were once called The Black Rose; their true name has been concealed for stealth purposes. Many thought they were long extinct due to expulsion in the past, but their ex-leader, Leblanc: the deceiver, rebooted it just recently. Although she is barely seen, most believe she has returned as a simple mare, roaming the streets. In truth, she was planning her devious plot. Now that the void has hindered the Royal defences, she saw an opportunity to take over her primary objective: Ionia.

Although Darius has allegience to the Black Rose, he does not originate from the group. Instead, he was first recognized in the griffon war. When General Swain had legions, he had captains. Of course it is extremely difficult if he attempted to lead an entire army with just himself. One captain in particular, Soveren, is his most prized captain at the time. He has shown many times that he is clever and brutal in war tactics, making him a desired leader. However, one battle truly tested his might...

With their numbers severed, and troops on the verge to retreat. He ordered to fallback. Darius, who was just a lieutenant at the time, disagreed. He scolded the man as mad, it was possible that they could win the day. Soveren kept pressing urges to retreat, but time grew short as the next horde of griffons drew close. Without warning, Darius beheaded the captain and took over his authority. The soldiers were renewed with inspired vigor but confusion. Nevertheless, they faced on the griffon horde. Reluctantly, Darius was the only survivor, but he slew all griffon before they could retreat. Soldiers from both sides, friendly and enemy, fear him.

Now what lays ahead is the city of Ionia, grand and majestic.

"Warriors of EON!" Darius started, "For Noxus!" The legion of soldiers charged upon the peaceful city, not aware of the oncoming battle.

Celestia awaited patiently upon her throne, expected company very soon.

The chamber doors opened smoothly, letting in 6 familiar mares. Celestia got off and approached them in greeting with a smile.

"Im glad you all came. As you know, a very large threat faces all of Equestria and we must do something to stop it." they nodded in agreement.

"But how will we stop it?" ,asked Twilight.

"A question that we aren't certain of.", her smile faded but had flaming determination in her eyes, "Rumour has it that there is an artifact that is closely bonded to the void. That artifact is able to bring back all beings who has escaped the Void realm, or closely related to it's essence." she turned to face the paper upon her studies and levitated them for Twilight and her friends to see.

They curiously peered through it's information.

"Unfortunately," Celestia continued as they kept going through, "the artifact can not leave it's domain; meaning it is located somewhere within the Void." she levitated yet another parchment containing Princess Luna's research on the artifact. On it was a sketch of the artifact. "It is called: The Void Scepter. It amplifies it's holder's abilities and corrupts all it contacts with the void. And may I add, touching the essence of the void will corrupt you and transform you into a creature with no sanity or sentient thoughts."

"Ah don't understand," Applejack commented, "Are ya sayin' we should venture into the void? Just to git this Scepter?"

"I believe all 6 of you can do it." she said with a confident smile.

"Whats this?" Pinkie pointed at a sketch of a rift walker.

"That is Kassadin, the only known being to embrace the Void and come back sane. It was research done by Ryze."

"He looks... weird~"

Celestia stiffled a small laugh, "Yes, his armour is peculiar; its what happens when you venture into the void."

"So we're gonna be transformed into something way awesomer?" beamed Rainbow,

"No rainbow," said Twilight, "It means we'll transform into monsters."

"I don't understand how we'll be able to do this!" Fluttershy peeped while backing away from the scary sketches by Ryze and Luna.

"yes, I agree with Fluttershy; this is going to be a suicide mission!" Rarity faked a faint and leaned on Applejack for support. Instead, she got shrugged off.

"Was this the 'plan' Skarner was talking about?" , asked Applejack.

"If he did share it with you earlier, yes. He and a group of elite royal guards will also venture into the void. See them as your expedition team." she gently took back her papers and set them back on her table. "My little ponies, at first we decided it would be too dangerous for any of you. But knowing that you can purify one's soul from the void by using the elements of harmony, it would be convenient to bring you all along. However, losing one of you will result in... " he took awhile to find the correct word, but was hushed by Twilight's raised hoof.

"No need to finish that. We'll do whatever it takes to save Equestria! Right girls?" she beamed and huffed out her chest in pride. Her friends however, were hesitant on a mission such as this.

"Ah don't know Twi, sounds a mite hopeless survivin' in there.", said Applejack with a quakey tone

"Oh pish posh Applejack!" Rarity interjected, "Can you not see that this is Equestria's only hope?"

"Uh, I don't feel like I should go into somewhere dark and scary." said Fluttershy,

"This trip is nuts! Even I wouldn't go if I were on 50 casks of hard cider!" shouted Rainbow,

"Aw come on guys! It'll be fun?" it was unusual for Pinkie to add a questioning tone after the word fun.

Twilight drooped at the reaction of her friends.

Celestia gave the floor a good stomp, silencing the commotion. Once all attention was towards her, she spoke once more.

"Yes, it is true that this mission can be dangerous to the extent of your lives. I will understand if you back down now. So answer this: Are you willing to sacrifice your life for the safety of Equestria?"

"Ah guess so."

"Well, when you put it that way--"

"This is where my loyalty gets me in trouble."

Fluttershy ,who was still shivering from the adrenaline of the news, started crying. Just then, a loud combo of clangs and clashes sounded from the hall. Everypony stepped towards the door, and peeped to see what it was all about. Why, a small and white bunny was dodging the guards whom were chasing the poor thing across the hall. Angel bunny was looking for his mama. He gave a small squeak which caught Fluttershy's attention.

"Angel?... ANGEL!!" she dashed in front of the guards, holding her hooves up in protection of her cherished bunny. "Stop you bullies! How dare you pick on a small and innocent creature! You should be ashamed of yourselves, trying to capture a harmless bunny."

Her heart broke when she found a little scratch on Angel's cheek. She turned to the guards with the most terrifying gaze Equestria has ever beheld. While Angel was frantically sending signs and messages through bunny language and body language. Stop you fool! For it is not the inferior guards that must concern you! For the slaves back at our mansion has been overrun by other horrid creatures! They've been turned into far uglier creatures! It was terrible oh mighty Goddess of butterflies! Fluttershy misinterpreted this and merely thought he wanted a hug.

"Awww poor Angel. Mama will make it up to you!"

Sigh. Fine, find me another pack of slaves to commandeer.

"Whats that? Oh I don't know if i can make you your favourite salad today. Perhaps some other time?"

Yea whatever.

Fluttershy smiled and hugged Angel with content, able to make it up to her bunny who has lost so much attention. Suddenly, a BlueJay bursted through the window... or rather an extremely demented BlueJay. FLuttershy quickly rushed to her injured friend.

"The Void must've done this..."

"They shall pay!!" a voice shook the world, it must've been really loud to hear it all the way from where they were. Yorick stopped, to ponder what in the name of Celestia can yell that loud. However, he shrugged it off and continued to lead the group of ponies and dragons through the dark forest. Meanwhile, an undead pony known as the Shadow of War stalks their path. He knew that they mustn't venture towards Mordekaiser; he wanted him to himself.

With his boss (or partner) turned into a lycan, he had the lab all to himself! Although he felt down because Warwick wouldn't be around anymore, it was overwhelmed by the shear joy of having the lab all to himself! usually, Warwick would limit his use of the lab because all Singed wanted to do was create pointless assortments of chemicals which prove not beneficial to the world, but that won't stop him now because he had the lab all to himself!

Today, he will prove that his creations are useful afterall. Once he had heard of the upcoming gathering of The Black Rose members, he attended it. There he learned of the assault on Ionia, someplace he had no feelings about whatsoever. This was perfect for him to unleash his most prized creation: Poison trail. Something he conjured up behind Warwick's back. So he went all the way back to Zaun, his labplace, to prepare for the assault. He laughed manically throughout the whole day.

Being part of the assault in the Black Rose, she charged at Darius' command. Riven held a runic sword that seemed to be shattered long ago. However, she called upon the runes and soon, it's missing pieces resembled a massive claymore. Amazing, no one questions how she held it with one hand, seeing that she is a small figure. her coat is pale orange with snow-white mane. Her cutiemark resembled one of the rune symbols on her sword. She wore simply cloth armour and iron shoulder mounts. Even though she was a pegasus, she rarely uses her wings for flight, instead for more mobility around the field. As she approached the city of Ionia, something stirred her uneasy. She looked to her side to see Ionian troops assemble around--behind--in front... they were in an ambush! She pointed a spare hoof to her side, signaling to nearby soldiers of the oncoming Ionians.

Both forces bellowed their warcries.

"Showtime." Singed muttered to himself. He had his red armour and large spiked shield covering his dirty white coat. He had lost most of his mane due to alchemy tinkering. He reached behind him and popped open a very large green bottle, filled to the top with no excess air inside, and drank one of his potions. Insanity potions. It drove him mad, in a good way; he will now know no fear, and will ignore any fatigue that dare wear him down. After a fit of laughter, he charged into battle with his poison trailing behind him, and his shield held in front of him.

He was tempted to take some time to absorb the scenery, it was intriguing to watch a large scale battle unfold. However, he was insane! When some soldiers noticed him, they gave him confused glances. Then seeing that he is a threat, they charged at him. he took many slashes and pokes, but hindered him none as his body was prepared for such abuse; he had grown a lot of tolerance to pain from all the burns and scars from experiments. His armour and shield blocked the rest of the attacks. Once he was out of reach from the soldiers, they slowly dropped to the ground. Singed beamed at the success of his toxic, it even lingered for a while too! It was one of the happiest moments of his life! He wondered if his cutiemark changed, it had to change from a flask, to poison skulls after that moment.

He passed by countless soldiers who were already locked in battle with their foe, but each and every pony fell dead. Even the strongest of them couldn't last for 6 seconds.

"Hyah!" Riven cried before driving her sword down upon an enemy. He was sliced in half with no problem. In short distance, she could see Darius beheading and chopping many many many enemies. She started to get jealous of his weapon. At the otherside, she found a lot of soldiers lay dead. Then a running figure who ran through the crowd. Bunch by bunch, the ponies who were left in his dust fainted... or died to the cloud of poison that trailed behind the figure. Eventually, she realized, that more than half of Ionians and warriors of EON laid dead. Whoever was this mystery pony, has surely devastated Riven. She decided to turn and avoid the battle, even after Darius' lectures on never retreating. Tears strained her eyes as she felt powerless to stop the killing. She finally realized, after years of life wasted in battle-training, that war was a cruel thing.

Meanwhile, Singed thought Hey! After im done with these guys, why don't I finish up what the Black Rose members wanted! Ionia, here I come!

The cool air from the upcoming winter breathed into the room, giving Swain a sigh of comfort. He suspected it would be just a matter of time until the captain in command steps in. He lulled himself upon his cushion, and waited patiently behind his desk that is unusually empty. Beatrice was busy nipping away the shedding feathers,sitting on her perch just beside the window. Although the sun's ray did not compliment her looks, it sure did give her warmth. So far, he has no news from the attack on Ionia. With great emphasis, Shining Armour knocked down the door with a couple of armoured guards behind him.

"Swain!", he didn't bother with formalities, "You better have a darn good reason for this!"

"What seems to trouble you sir?" Swain remained relaxed and played with his cane a bit.

"You know very damn well what troubles me! Why is there a bloodbath of soldiers down in Ionia?!"

He raised an eyebrow, attempting to look innocent. Shining's escort of guards trotted closer to him, at least making Swain just a tiddy bit nervous.

"Captain, I do not know what you speak of."

"Officer Swain, you are hereby under arrest for treason, conspiring against the military, and jeopardizing our alliance with Ionia!", the guard twitched into combat stance, about to hold Swain down for arrest. However, Beatrice looked up from her wings and flew in front of Shining's face. Her eyes glowed as she casts a deep gaze upon the captain, crippling his neural system, causing him to crumple onto the ground. The guards were locked under a snare from Swain's magic, helpless from stopping what he was about to do.

"Captain Shining, im afraid that it is you who is under arrest; for treason and assaulting a Noxus general."

He continued to struggle to break free of Beatrice's gaze, trying to scream the anger that was building. His guards were able to break free and they charged at the pony behind the desk. Swain unsheathed his bandana that covered his muzzle, and pulled over his cape; not revealing the introduction of his transformation. In less than a moment, he towered above the ponies, nearly topping off the ceiling. He spreaded his wings which lengthen the full width of the room. He was no longer a pony, but a raven that doubled their size with feathers darkest hue. He opened his 6 eyes, then revealed his claws.

"Fools!" he unleashed a flock of ravens from behind his wings and attacked the poor guards. They mercilessly ripped out pieces of flesh with each peck. Eventually hindering the guards slow and painful death. beatrice finally broke off to let Shining witness the scene befold in front of him. Before he could react, he was engrossed by a pink aura and was launched out the door. He landed somewhat softly beside a pink alicorn ,who he didn't recognize at first, due to his damaged sight.

Swain's laugh was heard from the inside, yet he made no appearance outside...yet. The barracks was empty, fortunately, so no guards were caught in his wrath. The building was quickly overealmed by 6-eyed ravens, with hunger in their eyes. Cadence helped Shining Armour to his hooves and nudged him to flee.

"No! He's on the loose, I have to stop him!" he hesitated,

"I'll try my best to hold them off! You go and get reinforcements!" she commanded. he was impressed by her assertiveness, but shook his head.

"You go look for reinforcements, I have a better chance against him." she nodded off and galloped towards the dorms for the elite guards. Shining watched her disappear behind the crystal houses, and then fixed his gaze upon Swain who just stepped outside. He screeched, piercing's Shining's eardrums; but he didn't flinch. He quickly casts a crippled bolt of arcane energy from his horn, hitting Swain's left wing. He winced, then folded his wings. He figured he wouldn't need them for now. He lifted his cane and pointed it towards Shining. It shot a ball of green fire that he knew too well. He teleported himself out of the way and appeared behind Swain. He gets countered by a group of ravens suddenly pecking his flesh. However, he ignored the pain and shot a pulse, causing Swain to lose his balance. He turned for a buck, using his advantage; he was kicking his flank old-school. He sent the general a short distance. He uses a defensive spell to eliminate the ravens that surrounded him. Once he got his attention back on Swain, he was met with Beatrice staring into his eyes. He was rendered weaker and slower with his thoughts, giving Swain a chance to fight; he did not put his advantage to waste. He activated a circle underneath Shining, who did not have time to escape it's grasp.

"it is time for a new Empire! For the glory of Noxus to be once again restored! Ionia was what eradicated us, so they must be destroyed. I have thousands of members, scouring the streets of the Crystal Empire to Canterlot, waiting for the chance to rise with Noxus! And now is their chance!", his announcement brought colts and mares peering at them nervously. Some were smiling, other were horrified. "There shall be true strength in this world, if we are to stand against the Void. And you fail to prove that. With Noxus back, we will bring Equestria's glory! Swain reverted to his pony form, then stepped closer to Shining with his cane raised. But was interrupted by a sudden sting of lightning in his back. He turned to see the one who was guilty. He was met with a blast of arcane.

"Hey! Over here!" Ezreal mocked as he flashed to dodge an incoming raven. He then shot another arcane blast from his boot; it was powered by his horn. It hit Swain on his torso, knocking him back, followed up with a lightning shuriken that lingered. Kennan's eyes were still bleeding, but you could tell he was fuming when he heard about the attack on Ionia. Swain bellowed in pain, then dropped to his knees. Quickly, his followers (or associates, henchmen, accomplices) intervened into combat. They weren't well armoured at the time, so they proved to be not much to the non-corrupted guards. They were swiftly dealt with and soon Swain was left alone.

But they were too late as he quickly vanished from sight. He reappeared behind Shining armour and jammed his cane into his back. The tip of cane lit up as it shot crippling magic directly into the captain. He fell without being given the chance to recover, elicitating a gasp from Princess Cadence as she witness her husband fall. She quickly galloped to his aid, completely ignoring Swain. Which was a big mistake. He activated a snare underneath her, holding her in place. He once again, lifted his cane and blasted another bolt of green fire. She flinched and looked away, not daring to witness the incoming bolt.

"No!", cried a nearby guard. He made a leaping dash between Cadence and the speeding bolt, and took the hit right in his shoulder. He was fortunate that he had heavy armour on, otherwise the hit would've been an instant death. Ezreal and Kennan didn't waste any time, and moved in to assault Swain. The prodigal pony fires a wave of energy, followed by a energy shot; it didn't have much of an effect. He was countered by the appearance of Beatrice in front of his face, who was lost in her painful gaze. Kennan unleashed yet another lightning shuriken, but missed as his target suddenly disappeared. As well as his pet raven.

Cadence was tending to her beloved while another guard was checking up on the who got hit. Shining woke disruptively, and shook his head to get rid of the migraine that pounded his head. It did not go away. He nuzzled his sweetheart for assurance that he was okay. He peered around the area to take in the event that has just happened.

"Oh Shining! I was so worried!", cried Cadence as she buried her head into his chest. He warmly embraced her, once again saying that he was alright.

"I was almost badly hurt-- that pony over there saved me." she pointed to the downed guard.

Shining armour rushed to his side, and checked his features. He was recognizable, but he couldn't quite put a hoof on it. He may seem to be perfectly fine, but his insides were slowly burning along with his strength. Cadence, who took some studies in medical magic, tried her best to heal the poor stallion. He woke from his consciousness and struggled to breath normally.

"What is your name private?" Shining asked.

"You... do not... recognize me?", his voice was rasped,

"Im afraid not."

He stifled a small laugh,

"General Garrison Crownguard, but you can call me Garen ,captain."

Author's Notes:

Hey guys! IM really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really really SORRY! That i couldn't update the story sooner! I've been sick and lost my internet for the past week. by the way, is it normal that i hallucinate while im sick?

Anyways! Fizz will appear soon, but not in the next chapter :C because the next chapter will be focused on Skarner since he is lacking the spotlight.

Annie,Fiddle, and Amumu and perhaps more of Teemo and Poppy will appear soon. Oh and tristana! and Rumble? Oh and Veigar of course!

Tell me what you think about the story so far; leave a comment or just say hi; dont forget to thumbs up; name the champ you wanna see appear soon and i'll see what i can do

Sorry for de long author's note

Chapter 11: Misery Loves Company

View Online

"Daddy!", a small filly unicorn demanded her father's attention. She was a very skilled mage for her age... although her teachers are very concerned that all she knew was offensive magic. She was the very first to gain her cutiemark, which was ring engorged with fire; she basiclly got it before she attended school. (Yea, I guess you can say shes a natural) Her mane was ruby red, and her coat royal purple (although she isn't really royal). She carries her beloved stuffed bear, which holds many secrets that nopony would ever guess, no matter how insane they are. She wore cute pink and purple striped socks, as usual, and her furry pink backpack. She was born with pink coated ears that faded as they progressed into her skull's fur. "Tibbers wants to play again!" she shoved her bear into her father's shoulder, who was sitting in front of his desk, franticlly scouring his papers in search of something.

"Not now Pyranna, tell tibbers that daddy will play with you and him soon, okay?", he quickly said. He had a dark blue coat, and a matching purple and red mane; it was probably where Annie got her colours. Splint's cutiemark was a proud small spark surrounded with stars. His given name was Splint Spark, which Pyranna still wondered what it meant. She then realized that he called her Pyranna; he rarely used her given name, and usually called her Annie. Oblivious, but cautiously, she asked him,

"What are you looking for?"

"Uh," DING, the door bell sounded. He sighed in relief as the pony at the door saved him from revealing the truth to his daughter.

"I'll get it!" Annie announced, which caused her mother, Oxida Spark, to sigh with a smile. She was disappointed that her attempts to reach the door first was ruined. She sported a thoroughly pampered cyan mane, which was striped with darker hues of blue. Her coat was orange, with a cutiemark that was a ring with swirly lines within which represented wind, or some sort. Annie swung open the door with enthusiasm as her good friend Valiant Goodheart, stood awkwardly at her doorstep. He was rarely seen with his true mane and coat showing, but his mane was dark blue, and his coat matched Annie's; it was how they started their first conversation together. He wore his outfit that mimicked a mage in purple, with spikes, topped with a matching wizard hat. "Vally!" she exclaimed,

"Ugh!" ,he reputed, "For the last time Annie, CALL ME VEIGAR!" his voice was very,very,very,very, squeaky and high. He could voice Pinkie Pie for Celestia's sake!

She giggled at his antics, "Okay Veigar!" she winked, causing Veigar to playfully snarl. Her mother ushered them both back in, and provided them with Annie's favourite: apple juice. She left them alone to chat amoungst themselves, and went to check on her husband. He found him frantically running around in his small library. It was a complete mess!

"Splint! What has gotten you so mad?" ,she demanded.

"Uh, can't find my ukulele.", she knew what he was talking about, it was their codeword for the artifact that they possess.

"Just relax hon'! And come join the little ones for play time. I doubt anything is going to happen."

He sighed, "I guess you're right." he stopped in front of her, planting a small kiss on her cheek. "Lets go.", and so, they went to have fun with Annie and her friend. They lived in a slightly isolated area, since her parents are society outcasts. Her father was a skilled warlock, who gleefully trained his daughter and Veigar. His wife, who is also a skilled unicorn, pursued dark arcane knowledge. Although Splint did too, he wasn't as 'enthusiastic' about it. They met Veigar travelling alone, in search of mages to teach him dark magic. They introduce him to the filly waiting at home, Annie, who at first disliked the young traveller. In time, they grew to be eachother's good friend. Veigar always denied not having a home, but it didn't worry Splint much if he survived on his own for a very long time. He would not explain his past to Annie's parents either; they figured it was something that was sensitive.

Annie's parents disliked society mostly because they were training with illegal use of magic; dark magic tends to corrupt one's soul. It proved false if you had an adorably sweet daughter. In time, being isolated also proved to be a very big mistake. Without any attention, a large figure got through the stone wall that lead directly into Annie's parent's bedroom. Noticing that nopony is there, the figure moved on down the hall. He didn't bother making sure nopony would catch him, he could simply slay them if they did. He moved through with no stealth, and began to work around the mess that the warlock has made. He kept the artifact, and Mordekaiser wanted it.

"Hello!" ,chirped a cheery voice. Morde quickly swung his large mace behind him, regardless of the fact that shes just a useless fil-- He screamed in agony as she blasted a fireball right into his spectral face. He wondered if his armour even protected him. Annie took this chance to observe the giant metal pony: spikey, shiny, and very shiny. He recovered and retaliated with surrounding her with sharp shards of metal. She is protected by a sphere of purple, possibly resembling a dark shield. Oxida's eyes were fuming, determined to slay the metal pony who dared hurt her daughter. Annie was swept behind her parents thanks to her father, so she wouldn't get hurt while they fought the intruder. They advised her with great haste to run. Veigar stood his place to participate in the battle alongside Annie's parents, but as much as Annie did too, she protested and forced him to flee. They never looked back as they hear a sound of crushing bones under metal. Tears rushed from her eyes, completely sogging her whole face with tears; Veigar too.

Meanwhile, back at Splint's library. He kneeled before the crushed body of his wife. Too stunned to retaliate against Mordekaiser, the ghost he feared for his whole life, he bent his head and cried pathetic tears which landed on her bloody coat. She took a massive slam from Morde's spiked mace, before she could even react. It pained him how she died so easily, with no remorse or mentions of regrets. What would he do with Annie now that his beloved was gone. Annie... he repeated the name through his mind countless times. He had to protect her... what he has lived up for... what he was willing to sacrifice himself for. Renewed with new determination, he teleported himself behind the metal apparition, but was hopelessly interrupted from casting an ability when a mace poked through the ground and knocked the wind out of him. Not to mention puncture some holes in his guts. He now laid before Mordekaiser.

"You'll never get away with this." he managed to say with bloody spit.

"Perhaps I shall spare your life, if you were to willingly give me the Tarragon Helm without further resistance." he pressed further with his mace. It was near his head, threatening to give him the same fate as his wife.

"Neve--" Morde squashed his head before he was able to finish that word. He didn't need him anyways. He tapped into his mind, casting out signals to indicate strong reserves of magic... and there he spotted it. Behind a shelf that contained genres of children's books. He assumed it was for his daughter. He smashed the bookshelf, revealing a helmet, the Tarragon Helmet. It was no fake, nor used. The dragon relic was in his grasp... now he needed the other pieces to complete the artifact.

"Shh!" Little StrongHeart hushed her accomplice, Kassadin, who didn't stop. She shot him an angry glare, and tapped his shoulders. "Somepony is following us... I can hear them." she whispered. He halted, and sighed.

"We have no concern of their presence. For if they do not interfere with us, nor shall we interfere with them."

Strongheart protested, so she went to venture herself. In response to her rebellious actions, Kassadin rift walked right in front of her, causing them to collide. Kassadin didn't budge, while Strongheart was on the dirt.

"Whats the big idea?!"

"We must get you back to the others. We need not to waste more time." He didn't need his face expressions to convey fear into Strongheart. But true to her name, she ignored him and chased after the sound from the rustling bush nearby. She stopped in front of the suspected foliage.

"Come out and show yerselves!" she demanded. To her surprise, a walking scarecrow with a scythe stepped out and kept a safe distance from her. Kassadin was at her side, observing the bundle of sticks. "Who are you and what do you want with us?!"

"We were only passing. We don't want any trouble now--", he was clothed in thin rags, stuffed with hay,sticks as his main body frame, and eyes that glowed green. He bore no cutiemark, nor mane.

"We? Who else is there?!" in response, a scared purple filly took cover behind the scarecrow, and another colt huffed out his chest.

"Get lost fool!" said the one in purple spiked clothing with a matching pointed hat.

"Vally!", said the purple filly, "Don't be mean to strangers."

"Thats right Annie, now say you're sorry Valient."

"Me?! Apologize to inferiors?! In another dimension!" he responded, " And my name is Veigar!"

The scarecrow sighed, "Allow me to introduce ourselves; this is Annie; Veigar; and I'm FiddleSticks." Strongheart resisted the sensation to laugh at his name. 'Fiddlesticks', what a fitting name for a talking scarecrow!

"I am Kassadin, and this is Little Strongheart. Pleasure to meet you." Fiddle and Kassadin shared a nod with eachother, instead of the traditional hoofbump.

"Right, now before we part, do you know the nearest city here?", asked Fiddlesticks.

"That would be Canterlot as I assume. Most of the other towns nearby are deserted, evacuated." , Kassadin said with a monotone.

"Evacuated?" , the scarecrow wondered outloud. Kassadin looked at him strangely, wondering if he lived under a rock.

"There has been a massive threat to all of Equestria, and the rest of the world. We too are travelling to Canterlot, so if you'd like, we'll talk on our way there."

"Seems convenient. What do ya say Annie? Veigar? Wanna go with them too?"

"The big one is scary.." whimpered Annie, Kassadin reminded her of Mordekaiser, since he wore metallic armour.

"Hah! He doesn't look so tough! I will blast him to smithereens if he dares look at you funny!"

"We'll come Kassadin." Fiddle announced.

The clouds became brighter, indicating that the sun hung above them. Although the sun doesn't shine through, the Shadow Isles seemed a bit brighter.

Yorick stopped in his tracks, and raised a hoof to hush the travelers. He peered around the broken but live trees, as if he sensed someone watching. His assumption was right, but he doubted himself and so he stood still. At last, Quinn offered to scout the area, incase they were actually getting stalked. Before Valor could take off from his companian's back, a casual figure appeared behind a tree. He seemed to have teleported out of no where if he was able to hide behind such a slim tree. He trotted forward then leaned on the closest tree, obviously intending to make himself seen.

"Yorick! Its been so long old friend.", he spoke. He had a casual accent, which Ryze thought to be peculier; everything he has met on this land spoke differently than sophisticated ponies. Or perhaps he is from a town in Equestria.

Yorick snarled, which didn't bother the mysterious pony a bit. "Git lost Twisted Fate! Yer nawthin' but trouble!" he swung his shovel even though he was clear out of range. Twisted Fate responded with a laugh.

"Im not here for you anyways. Tell them ponies behind you that they better back off.", he lifted himself from the tree and covered himself with his cape. "Go back home with your lives while you can." , he glowed brightly and was surrounded in cards. When the cards lifted, they revealed nothing but air. They watched his cards fly into the distance until they weren't visible.

"Lets move on.",said Ryze, "Even if we turn back now, we'll let down millions of lives if we don't bring back the dragon relic."

...

Fools, thought Hecarim.

The crystal vanguard grumbled with annoyance. Pinkie just will not shut up.

"How is it like in there? Celestia says its scary and dangerous! Oh! You never told us what your cutiemark tells us! Its shiny and neat!", she prodded at his flank, causing him to finally give her his attention.

"Stop that at once! I've never been to the void myself; so I wouldn't know.", said Skarner.

"But do tell us of your cutiemark.", Rarity added.

"Fine." he replied after a moment of consideration. He was accompanied by the elements of harmony bearers in the castle courtyard. Usually, it would be flooded with civilians who come from other small towns, but it was lunch time. He wished dearly that somepony would come save him from the grasp of these evil mares. Yet, his answer came.

"EQUESTRIA TO SKARNER!" ,Rainbow Dash shouted. Skarner didn't flinch, but he did move. He moved to sit beside a sculpture that resembled Princess Terra. Apparently, she represented resilience. The sculpture did not include her wings nor her horn, or rather her detailed features, but the cutiemark was very familiar. Most ponies never realized the story behind the sculpture.

"My cutiemark...", he sighed, "I didn't exactly get it the same way you ponies do. Instead of discovering my true talent for my cutiemark, it was forged."

"FORGED?!", Twilight hollered outloud. That term was very distinct to her; forgery in studies would result in expulsion in her school days. (Forgery for example, signing your own permission form, instead of your parents or guardian.) "How dare you forge your own cutiemark! It's not even possible!", despite the fact that Apple Bloom has conducted a brew that allowed her not one, but several cutiemarks. Twilight has attempted the spell to make one's cutiemark appear, but failed.

"You misunderstand me. The Brackerns took form of whatever they wished after they are deemed ready to enhance their soul..."

"Don't worry Skar!", his close friend Igneous assured the nervous wreck. At that time, they were both just wisps attached to a small floating crystal; equivalent to fillies or colts. "You're supposed to be proud of yourself! Everyone always looks forward to the ceremony!"

"Yea, I guess you're right.", said Skarner with glum. They were positioned to the back of the crystal shrine, along with other friends who will receive the same coronation. An audience of Brackern civilians awaited at the opposite side, anxious for the ceremony to start. The grand chief, Solar Wind, showed himself, causing the crowd before him to holler/applaud/cheer. Brackerns of all sizes, minuscule and massive, were quickly hushed as Solar raised a fragment of light. Solar was the only Brackern to not have taken form in a crystal body. His soul was extremely powerful and it did not need a vessel. He can float freely and do whatever he pleased. Known to be a very powerful being, he resonated his ever-bright love and kindness for all beings. He visually appeared as a bright yellow wisp, progressing to a valiant shade of orange from where his aura of light ended. He had no face, nor actual physical substance; he was purely made of energy and light.

"We are gathered here on this traditional, yet momentous occasion. My fellow Brackerns, let us continue on our ceremony that will transform these young Brackerns into what their destiny foretells!", Solar annouced. The crowd once again, roared in cheer. His voice was gentle but loud, distant but amplified. To many Brackerns, it was a very exciting and happy day that they have always looked forward to when they were just like Igneous. To Skarner, it was equivalent as holding the fate of the entire multiverse on his shoulders while hanging onto a thin thread; he was nervous to the core. "May the one who is proudly named Igneous, step onto the centre of the shrine.", he said.

Igneous, who was in front of him, meaning Skarner would be next after him, calmly floated to the centre as Solar commanded. If he had a face, he would be smiling ear-to-ear. Before anything else happened, Skarner allowed himself to get budded by 3 of his also excited friends. He barely had an idea of what he wanted to take form as. Sure he was clever and smart, also adventuristic, but he wasn't prepared for this. He had thought about this day since he has heard about it. They told him that it will be large, every Brackern usually go see it. That it will resonate their true personality, into a physical representation. Such as loyalty may be some kind of canine; the form of a dog was common.

"Now Igneous, do as I say.", said Solar. The little wisp nodded in acknowledgement, prepared for his transformation. "Clear your mind... and think only of happiness.", his instructions caused him to giddily shake. It wasn't meant to happen, but most Brackerns do it when they are really joyful. "Now using your happiness, look further into your mind. What do you see?"

"A... a bright light?", he reacted by straining his mind more, seeing more than just a light. "Its a bit warm... and im in a jungle?"

"Good. Keep looking deeper."

"Uh... something is in the tall grass... a Lancetooth?"(equivalent to a sabretooth, but with long tusks)

"Hm... alright, you can come back to the world now.", the crowd laughed a bit.

"Okay. What now?"

"Now I am going to need your full concentration for a simple question. What do you think the lancetooth represents?"

"Uh... fear and power?"

"Not quite. Keep thinking little one."

He waited a moment to ponder, "Strength and Keenness?". Right then and there, the shrine shined brightly. Everyone shielded their eyes, then slowly recovered to turn their gaze onto Igneous. He turned into a crystal lancetooth with a shiny red, and dark red colour scheme. It resembled the element of fire, along with a body of a lancetooth. The Brackerns erupted in loud and thunderous cheers, making Igneous one very happy crystal cat. One by one, Skarner's fellow peeps went up, Diamondillium turned out to be a bright blue, and a very shiny hornet; Skiver transformed into a crystal butterfly (haha); Sash Reverie became a large whale that was purely magnificent. It had temporarily distracted Skarner's attention for a bit before he was called up.

"May the one who is proudly named Skarner, step into the centre of the shrine.", Solar announced. The nervous wisp regretted showing up. However, he floated bravely to the centre of the shrine. It was distinctly marked as a star, so no one could ever miss it.

"Alright. As usual, do as I say.", Solar spoke loudly, causing Skarner to flinch.

"Eeeyes sir.", he replied with his shakey and high-pitched voice.

"Are you nervous?"

"Only a tad bit.", the crowd gave a small and hearty chuckle.

"Let us proceed, clear your mind.", he tried his best to shut out everything; his nervous thoughts, the witnessing eyes, the silence, the glowing moon that hung above. Solar moved on anyways, "Now, think of your happiest moments.". Skarner didn't have one that he can name off from his memories, so he used the one that was closest to being a very very happy moment in his life; the moment he had met Igneous. "Now, look deeper into your mind... what do you see?"

Okay, where can he begin? Darkness and faint light penetration was all he could see. Seeing that Skarner was struggling, Solar gave him motivation. "Come on Skarner! Exalt on your true feelings.", doing a mental shrug, he forced his mind to dive deeper towards the very faint light. It became brighter, but barely blinding. As he zoned in on the light, he finds a small piece of crystal.

"A crystal fragment.", claimed Skarner.

"Now look deeper into that crystal... what do you see now?", Skarner strained to look further, but surprisingly, his mind obeyed. Now peering into the crystal, he finds a reflection of a faded triangle. It had some designs in the middle, and it was purple. He ventured further anyways. The triangle became clearer, and focused into an image of a shield. The shield had crystals covering the front side, complimenting it's secondary shade of royal purple. The markings that it had, spelt Vanguard in ancient Brackern language. He quietly thanked his teacher for giving him lessons on such an old language.

"A purple and cyan shield.", said Skarner.

"Now, you can stop and refocus your mind. Tell me... what would such an image represent?"

It was obvious, "Tenacity and Security?", he managed to say before he was engulfed by the sudden but friendly tendrils of magic that shot out from the hinges of the shrine. He was blinded by a scorching white light, which later became soft purple. He felt a very soothing, but tense sensation throughout his whole body. He panicked, wondering if the ceremony could go wrong, especially when he was in a position such as this! Finally, everything calmed down, but instead of uplifting cheers from the crowd, they stayed silent, casting confusing glances.

Skarner looked upon himself to see that he was such a pony thing! He had a smooth coat,hooves, and not to mention a shiny tail. Overall, he was purple.

"Why are you a small horse?", someone said in the crowd.

"I believe the proper term is pony.", said another.

"Hes very shiny."

"Doesn't really look like a protector to me."

Solar Wind stepped forward and hushed the murmurs.

"Now now, let us congratulate Skarner! The crystal pony!", the crowd gave him loud praises and inspirative clapping.

"... so then as a crystal pony, i had my cutiemark from there. It was hardly something to gawk about. It was the very same crystal that I saw during the ceremony. It represents my never dying energy, that I will never stop protecting my friends and people."

Applejack whistled, "Whoowey! Hows that for ah cutiemark story huh."

"You said it Aj. Can't compare to mine though.", said Rainbow Dash.

"Hehe! That was a super-awesome-fun story!", Pinkie interjected then hopped in front of Skarner. She came to a halt in midair as she realizes. "Did you have no friends back then?", she spoke in a very soft voice that matched Fluttershy's.

"I did have friends. No one hated me and I hated no one."

"Really? Didn't sound like it.", she sneered her right eye closer to Skarner, examining his reaction.

"Really. Although Igneous was the only Brackern I spent my time with."

"You lie!", declared Pinkiepie, causing Applejack to perk up her ears.

"Fine... another Brackern was quite special to me too."

"Tell me..." she hissed,

"Rather not."

"Tellmetellmetellme!"

"Pinkie, thats enough.", Twilight stepped in to stop the crazy mare's antics. "Im also curious to know about 'Solar Wind'. I saw his name mentioned in a few of my books, but they never explained anything more than his abilities. Also, weren't you the grand chief of the Brackerns at one point too?"

"I'd rather not talk about what happened to Solar Wind before I became chief. Solar Wind has been known to travel space and air, correct?"

Twilight nodded, "And that he held many secrets that remain untouched."

"That is false. He had no secrets."

Twilight only gave him a confused look.

"He offered them to our community publicly. Most aren't exactly secrets anymore, such as the basic knowledge of magic energy, the principles of teleportation, or the formation of minerals and rocks. Whereas his other discoveries were unused and proved to be unfit for modern day.", remarked Skarner.

"Oh! Can you tell me all about it later?"

"When the world isn't hanging in a balance." he smiled.

"Oh! I forgot to ask you!" Pinkie emerged from behind. "What do you want for your birthday?!"

"Peace."

"Something else? Because the author has already planned that.", she said. Everypony looked at her with weird glances. "Do I really have to explain?"

"Yes.", they all demanded in unison. Luckily, Pinkie was saved by a rather timid stallion.

"Hey Skarner!", greeted Luio. "Was wondering if you have a power crystal!"

"What in the world for?" he replied.

"My amazing plan."

Bonus!: Through the Morbid

View Online

This chapter is based on Fiddle stick's lore, then how he met Annie and Veigar. I couldn't decide whether to make it a legitimate part of the story; i didn't want to go through Kassadin asking Yoh Fiddle! Whatsup with the lil gurl and da lil boi dawg?!, it doesn't exactly flow~. So i'd rather let you guys read through Fiddle's experience ^_^ Enjoy!

So cold..., his thoughts were clouded with shear darkness. Curious of the state he is in, he attempted to gather himself. His body was far too stiff to even lift a hoof. His eyes disobeyed ,and stayed shut despite his screams to see once again. It was still cold, but not the kind of chill in unforgiving winter, the kind of cold where your body is clutched by the blades of death. He could feel his body quickly losing its life entity. Far too little to live with...

He knew not of the time he has spent laying there, but all he could remember was that it was the day he will die. It truly was one of the most unfortunate ways to die; to only be working at a farm, at the corn fields that slowly faded since their last sunlight feed. That particular day, he woke up casually, then once again cycled his morning rituals. Nothing out of the unusual. He had no family, but he certainly was well known amoungst the rest of Zaun. He may seem like an easy target for bandits or ransackers, but he wielded a un-earthly scythe that can devastate a stallion from afar with just a simple slash. However, he is pure at heart and only turned aggressive towards those who posed a threat.

The clouds were grey and moist, reflecting it's gloom to all of Zaun. It was only morning, so he didn't expect much sun anyways. The pale yellow grass crunched beneath his hooves as he walked through the infertile fields. His farm was barely making profit, and he was lucky in a way, that he didn't have to provide for a whole family. The soft breeze brought him a moment of bliss, along with the scent of adolescent sweet flowers. He didn't question it, but he surely enjoyed it.

As he swiftly swiped down dead plants to make more room for the healthy ones, he heard a rustle to his left. He quickly remembered the warning from his neighbour.

"Somethin's on tha loose Fiddle." said Dandy Lion, "A were-pony has been killin' people all ova Zaun. No doubt that it be comin' after tha farmers."

He didn't doubt her at all; the massacre was always on the newspapers. A death here; then there; then up there. He was tempted to research into depth behind all these murders. Strangely, they were all connected in a way; they all had criminal statuses. The rustle quickly became harsh after a second shake, leaving Fiddle with no doubts that there really was something there. He didn't want to jump to conclusions however. So he prepared to slash down with his scythe, at the ready. He approaches the source of the noise, then swiftly revealed the... crow?

The crow certainly wasn't feeding on the corn stalks... yet; but he certainly was injured. Fiddle had a soft spot in his heart for anything that was injured at his doorstep (corn field in this case). He was tricked by a group of bandits whom used that similar trick, but they didn't cause any harm other than his poor splintered door. Neglecting his daily chores, he brought the crow into his small home. The crow cawed gratefully, making Fiddle smile in return. The moment of bonding was broken by a knock on the door.

"Fiddle!" a young feminine voice resonated through his door, "You there?"

Fiddle sighed. "Just bash it open. The thing is gonna break sometime today anyways."

"You sure?"

"As stone." a rather weird gesture in all honesty.

"Actually, i'll just hop through the window." and so she did, with a miner scrape thanks to a broken metal frame.

"Whatcha need Dandy?" Fiddle asked. He was dirty, as usual, with his dark grey mane that was cut short from the front. It created a little sprout at the back of his head, seemingly like a sunflower. He was in bad shape, dark circles formed around his blueish-green eyes and his dark brown coat was ridden with dirt and grass. His cutiemark was nothing special: just a bundle of stalk.

"Just wanted to stop by today. Nothin' ever happens down at the celery farm." her smile was petite, but adorable. She only had a slight country accent, nothing compared to her brother's. She has a curly and beaded gold mane, which also matched her equally bright yellow coat. She had hazel eyes, and a dandelion as her cutiemark. "Why do you have a crow here?"

"I had to take the poor thing in. Besides, it wasn't eatin' any of the crops or anything."

"Uh huh." she kept a straight face, seemingly unamused. She came over to take a closer look at the crow, who only cawed aggressively in her presence. She didn't flinch, but resented to leave the bird alone. "Anyways," she turned back to Fiddle, "want to come with me to town? I got extra bits."

He pondered the thought for a moment, then came to a conclusion that he has far too much work to be done on the farm. Dandy didn't work very often, simply because her father gets it down. Don't get me wrong, she is a hard worker too-- just with more time off.

"Sorry Dandy," he said, "I got too much to do at the fields. You go say hi to Pasta Crunch for me?"

"Sure thing Fiddle... oh! One last thing!"

"Whats that?"

"Im finally going to visit Canterlot soon!" her smiled caused him to smile too.

"Thats great news, but what for?"

"Just visitin' a relative is all. See ya later Fiddle." she made her way towards the window, extra careful about that broken frame.

"Goodbye Dandy, have a nice day."

Should'a went with her Fiddle... you numbskull. His sweeter side of his memory subsided gently. His crueller memory however...

Fiddle fell over, blood ridden hooves reached for his trusty scythe, but he was too foolish when he left it there, out of reach, to check on yet another rustle in the stalks. Although he immediately regretted it, he always liked the thrill of a fight. He was attacked with great surprise by the were-pony Dandy warned him about. He was quickly hindered with one brutal swipe from his claws, which hurt immensely. He figured that it wouldn't matter much if he died today. So he laid there,cold, and eyes refusing to see once again. He felt a large gash through his face.

"Im more interested in your scythe than your life."(that rhymed) the were-pony spoke. Fiddle could recognize that voice from anywhere.

"Warwick?" the feared and well known body-hunter certainly did not look like a feral wolf the last time he was seen in town.

"Surprised you know me."

"Please, I've always admired your works."

"Thank you for the flattery, but as I was doing so..." he could hear Warwick step behind him, which he predicted was where his scythe laid.

And so, we're back to Fiddle laying on the ground... cold... and stiff.

Caw! the injured crow pecked his ears. Asking if there is some problem. The crow, who was obviously oblivious, flew away when he impatiently received no reaction. Well, at least he's okay. he thought. His head ceased it's migraine, but in return gave him no more sentient thought. He simply could not feel his own mind anymore. What he couldn't hear was the oncoming flock of the crow's allies, from it's own species though. Oddly enough, they plumetted to the ground, intentionally. Those who did not die from the fall, were attacked by it's fellow comrades. One by one, the crow's apparation rose from it's dead body, and drifted towards Fiddle. Just before the pony died, the crows somehow pulled his soul, and transferred it to the nearby scarecrow. All of the crow apparitions followed as if the spectrums were carrying Fiddle. He easily melded himself into the body of the scarecrow, and so did all of the following crows.

With great haste, the crows melded their ghosts into the scarecrow... rendering him alive by giving their life essence.

What--what happened? he felt lively, but extremely unfamiliar with his own body. he was still stiff, but he wasn't cold, and he could open his eyes. He gazed at himself, to see what abomination he has become.

He was made of sticks and straw, yet he was surprisingly well built. He didn't feel to fragile, nor buff. He struggled a bit to remove himself from the stake, but it was done nevertheless. Once he got off, he felt the autumn breeze once again. It felt natural against his wooden frame of so called sticks.

He wasn't horrified of his appearances at all; anything for redemption. An injured crow, with a small bandage on it's wings nestled on his shoulder.

Caw! it cried.

"Thanks little guy. Thank you so much."

The crow merely nodded and hopped off. Fiddle watched it go back into the field of crops. Once it was out of sight, he turned to look for his unearthly scythe, secretly hoping that Warwick hadn't taken it after all. It was highly unlikely that it would still be there.

It wasn't surprising, but it wasn't there. Fiddle sighed, wondering what to do next.

"Hey Warwick, you look surprised to see me." the scarecrow joked with the feral beast who was now upon him. Fiddle decided to track down the were-pony, with ease, he found him by the drips of blood that stained the dirt roads. It was rather foolish of him to escape through obvious paths, but then again, Fiddle was the one who was foolish to track down Warwick.

"You want you scythe back?!" he spat bloody saliva and beared his very sharp fangs.

"Yes." he said with no emotions whatsoever, but he couldn't anyways; not with the features that his straw face allowed.

"Well scram off because you're not getting it back!"

"Oh yea?"

Warwick leaned in, to give Fiddle a clearer message, "Yea." he reached back to prepare to swipe the scarecrow into a heap of sticks. Fiddle nimbly countered unconsciously, by peering deep into his eyes and seeking-- Warwick's worst fear. He grabbed at it, and amplified that image many thousands of times.

Now that, was truly the most terrifying gaze Equestria has ever beheld.

With barely a scratch on him, Warwick whimpered and scattered away... leaving behind his scythe.

He has been wondering aimlessly for about 30 minutes at the least. Tracking down Warwick has brought him to someplace he has never seen nor had knowledge about. It was a bit swampy, but not too dark. The grass portrayed a illusion of black grass by being stained with dark mud. The trees were rotten, which Fiddle doubted could get back to health once again. Through all the foliage, he hears a sniffle and hiccup. He treads closer to investigate; with much stealth.

"I--its alright! I've travelled alone for awhile so I can take care of you!" said a squeaky and high voice. At this point, Fiddle has vision on two small ponies: one is a colt, the other a filly. She was dressed in purple and pink skirt and socks that became dirty from ,what he assumed, their adventure. He was recognizably the infamous Valiant, aka. Veigar. Everypony in Zaun knew of what the little colt has been through.

"Maybe we should go back-- to see if mommy and daddy are okay." she said with doubt and glum. Now that she lifted her head, she was ridden with tears and mud.

"Sure thing Annie... sure thing..."

Fiddle decided to introduce himself the most polite way he can think of.

"Hello little ones!" he rasped, forgetting that his voice isn't his soft pony voice. Before he could continue, he was quickly blasted by a ball of fire, then a sphere of dark magic. The little ponies screamed and ran as fast as they could. Fiddle noticed that his sides were burnt but did not inflict any pain. "Wait!" he called after them. He sighed, determined to help the poor children, he trotted with his stiff wooden legs. He thanked his past self for creating such a lovely scarecrow, otherwise this would've been very inconvenient.

"Think we lost it?" Annie panted between words. She gripped Tibbers extra tight at that moment.

"Yes. But I still wanted to show him a piece of my mind!" Veigar eagerly replied.

"Oh come on, I only want to help you find your parents." a new voice chimed.

"Oh hello! My name is Ann--" she realized that voice was the one they ran from.

"Wait!..." Fiddle reached behind him to pull out a familiar backpack, that Annie seemed to be missing. She turned slowly, finally getting a good glimpse at the scarecrow. However frightening he is, she focused on her beloved backpack that she carried photos of her family. She quickly reached for it, and Fiddle gave it to her halfway. She squealed in glee, hugging the scarecrow's fore-leg.

"You're not such a bad scarecrow!" she stated.

Veigar wasn't all too welcoming, "Just what exactly are you?! EXPLAIN YOURSELF!"

"Please, I just want to help. My name is Fiddlesticks." he winked, "I can also help you two find your parents." he tried to smile, but only opened his mouth which released a dark shadow of a crow, which luckily missed Annie. She gasped in fright, then coward behind Veigar, who had the opposite reaction.

"Whoa! What dark spell was that?!"

"Not sure." he shrugged.

"TEACH ME!"

Chapter 12: Born/Became an Exile

View Online

"There is a place between war and murder
in which our demons lurk."
―Excerpted from the poem, "Scarlet Shon-Xan"

What was she doing here? She should've died honourably with her comrades. Another part of Riven argued that she was right to have escaped the gas, otherwise her death would've been in vain. She kneeled before a fallen Ionian citizen, inspecting her features. She was a young filly; barely over her teenage age. Unfortunately, she had no head. Her blood that was gushed in front of her was dry and dark, indicating that she has been severed a while ago. It’s not anything unfamiliar to Riven, she was expected to pay no heed to images such as this. The sky was gloomy and dark, flooded with grey, instead of the cheery bright daylight that penetrated through the plush clouds.

Ionia didn't deserve this... she fought to reason why... Why was she fighting in war?

It was all she knew; throwing it away would mean to cease purpose. Sure she could betray her Noxus regiment, and apply for the Royal guards at Canterlot, but wasn't that what she thought of Noxus? She thought they were right. She thought they were truly the 'good guys' in this world, so if fighting was what she was passionate about, why not enlist for service? She simply wanted to defend the innocent and purge the guilty as the leaders of the Noxus community suggested. However, in training, she out-smarted and out-fought the other trainees, making her stand out very distinctively. Almost immediately, she was ranked one of the elites. Since it was a secretive program, she had to remain loyal or else she could risk losing a family member; not that she had any still alive anyways. As one of the elites, she also enlisted for the Royal Guards, serving as a spy for Noxus. She was quickly made into an elite there as well.

When her comrade, who coincidentally was Darius, made his stand in that griffon skirmish, she reported him to the leader of the Noxus community, although known as the Black Rose back then. LeBlanc offered Swain and Darius a place in The Black Rose.

Through so many spec. missions, and daily sighting reports, she finally dove into action. But now, here she is.. kneeling before a dead civilian.

Who could she trust? If she were to truly become loyal to the royal guards once more, would they make her do this? Would they make her slaughter the innocent, and support the guilty?

She was regretful that she didn't die a warrior's death. It may or may not have been her fate to die so hastily, but what will she do now? Riven lifted herself onto her hooves and faced down the crumbled street. Karma's palace was decimated from the point of view of Riven. Her elite armour and clothing was ripped and tattered, so she took the silver and blue cloak that hung from a building's debris, and covered her head with the hood. She carried her sword beside her, then began walking away from Ionia. She ignored the curious gazes from onpassers, letting her hooves' trotting overcome the whispers of accusation.

She knew what she will do now: nothing. She didn't belong in this world, nor will serve a true sentient purpose. She had to rid herself from here, so that she can’t ever hurt another pony ever again.

"Halt!" a drake warrior flew in front of Shyvana. "Shy..." he said softly as he recognized a familiar red dragon.

"Let me in Thade." she said with a threatening tone. Thader was short for The Shadow . His father, who shared a close connection to Shyvana's father, ruled over the south section of the Dragon Kingdoms. However, he was a terrible ruler and was quickly thrown off the throne in less than a year. Thade grew up with his mother, learning to not be like his father; to do whatever he displeased. Before he was an adolescent, he ran away before he could be assaulted by his father when he learned that Thade refused to call him his own kin. He was found by Zarg, and was raised beside Shyvana. They both were close despite the berth that they had to keep, since she was half-pony.

Truth be told, Thade isn't his real name, so more of a nickname he was given. He was a black-scaled dragon with purple spikes and belly. He wasn't much of a fighter, unlike his friend Shyvana, but he did have a good heart, unlike many other drakes.

"Sorry Shyvana," he lowered his guard, "Remember the last time you tried to talk to Zarg?"

"This is important!"

"You always say that."

"This is one of those times where it really IS IMPORTANT!" she emphasized those last two words by bearing her teeth.

"At least make me look roughed up before you barge through me."

"I'll be soft." she said before she punched him in the jaw. She then scratched his neck, leaving 4 trails of blood. He took steps back, trying to signal that he had enough. Shyvana dashed forward into a tight embrace, "Thanks Thade." she planted a small kiss upon his forehead, showing him her sincere apologies.

"Just be safe Shy."

"Stop her!"

"Halt criminal!"

Shyvana dodged the drake warriors with great agility, flying her way towards the leader's encampment. Below her, the children cowered in fear, believing that she was here to decimate their place. A warrior hurled a fireball at Shyvana, who dodged it with a simple switch to the left. Soon, more fireballs were thrown at her, making her flight increasingly more difficult.

She could see the tent in front of the ruined keep rustle, revealing her father who's jaw was agap. Quickly, she beckoned into his direction, and hollared:

His eyes narrows and called for his advisor who made quick pace to come to his side. They watched as the red dragon dodged and flapped her way towards them.

Shyvana was finally hit with a fireball on her left wing, causing her to drop as the fire singed her wing. She aimed away from the houses and onto the main pathway, where it's clear of dragons. She crashed with no grace, but luckily her scales were thick and sturdy which kept her from great harm. She created a large crater on the desert ground, which was quickly surrounded y dragon warriors who blocked the chance of any escape. Before anything could happen, Zarg made the scene. He flew up to Shyvana and leaned in to speak to her closely.

"Shyvana, as I recall, you aren't allowed to come near here." Zargonath spoke, silencing the murmurs of the other dragons.

"I come with urgency of news. Terrible news." she lifted herself and stood at her father's neck-height. She had to admit, she was really nervous coming back to her community; unwelcoming as always.

"Then what is it?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Burdac is still alive." causing only Zarg to gasp. All of the other dragons knew not of what she was speaking about; they had never heard of Burdac before.

"How could this be?" he said softly.

In the past, when the dragon kingdoms were still united, Burdac was a very well known assassin. He served his life as a mercenary-for-hire, so we can just say he's a bounty hunter. One of his assignment was to kill Shyvana, who deemed to be a forbidden child. It was strictly against dragon code to bare a pony-dragon child. So Zargonath ordered for a special elite guard to protect his family and himself. The elite guard reported that he had eliminated Burdac, and that he will trouble him no further. He also discovered his personal secrets... such as his own family. For treason against Zargonath, Burdac's family was executed in public. He had a beautiful wife, and a single male child. Their names were long past forgotten, as well as Burdac's greatest achievements.

Days just before the dragon civil war, Zarg finally gets confronted by Burdac.

"You.... you made this personal." he said through his teeth. He held Zarg by the neck, with his spare claw just beneath his heart.

"You had what was coming for you!" Zarg reputed.

"You could've killed me instead!"

"It wasn't me who has gotten them killed! You signed the contract with blood!" he kicked him away, releasing his grasp on Zarg. They gazed into each other's eyes, only seeing determination and fire.

"You will pay for their deaths!" he charged. The dash forward was too fast for Zarg to dodge, so he was open to any fatal attacks. Burdac wasted no time to take advantage of that, so he sank his teeth into Zarg's wings, elicitating a loud bellow.

Zarg was then pinned to the floor of his own castle, blood stained both scale hides. Burdac grabbed his ears and yanked back, causing yet another loud cry of pain.

"Now it is you who will get what was coming for you!" Burdac sank his teeth into his neck; a very critical spot for dragons.

Luckily, Shyvana came into the room when she heard the noises from outside. Her brother Thade, wasn't home unfortunately, so she wouldn't expect any assistance from him. She quickly had the attention of Burdac, who had a huge wicked smile. At least she was able to delay her father’s death.

"Well well well! Let’s see how you feel to lose you're only child!" Burdac started to walk towards Shyvana, leaving Zarg groaning in heavy pain.

"Bring it on poo-scales!" what? she was young and innocent back then. She knew how to fight very well, by training with her father and brother.

"She shares your stubbornness Zarg." he said, just before the elite guard that the king hired, tackled Burdac. The elite was nimble and clever, so he was able to lock Burdac into a hold that he could not escape.

"Stay away from the king you fiend!" he remarked before he carried him outside. The storm roared with thunder and rain, only making the situation seem emphasized. Shyvana watched in awe as both dragons fought to the death. Their blood went unseen as it was washed away by the heavy rain, slashes back and forth, weakening them the more they went on. The elite resorted to his last maneuver, by grabbing onto Burdac, and dive into the sharp, jagged boulders that stayed prick at the bottom of the cliff. Shyvana lost sight of them after they disappeared behind the cliff. Both were believed to be dead.

"What are you waiting for Zargonath?" he snapped back into reality, a local drake warrior weren't allowed to interrupt their ruler with such rudeness, but Zarg did nothing but stand there.

“Gyllis?(gill-liss)” he called to his adviser, “For now and on, you will take over my authority, and position.” He announced.

Everyone gasped, what in the world was he doing?

“Zarg?! Why?!” Gyllis asked with anger.

“Also, Zargonath will be deemed banned from ever returned to his tribe.”

“You dare betray your own kin; the tribe?!”

“I dare so. Quickly Shyvana!” he reached a claw out to her, she took it without hesitation and they dashed into the air, flying away from the tribe. Gyllis who longed for and appreciated the position of a ruler, cursed in Zarg’s name.

“What were you thinking father?” she asked lowly as they slowed to a cruise. They were a good distance away from the community, with no dragon giving chase.

“Burdac will bring his wrath upon me, and you. I want to make our last moments special... together.”

“Why won’t we just hire protection for you?”

“You mean our guards? They’re useless compared to him.”

“Then why don’t we train our combat skills to match his?”

“I can’t let you risk your life. If he finds us, promise me you’ll run away and never look back.”

“That’s something I will never do!” she said with sudden sadness, “You can’t just leave me again!” she started to tear up. She understood that she couldn't live happily with her father at the keep, but she didn't want to be left alone again. She needed someone to hold her dearly.

“And I don’t want to lose you like your mother Shyvana.” He turned his head towards her, “I’m sorry for doing all this to you. I’m going to make it all up to you today. We’ll do everything we never did; we’ll finally be happy.”

“Don’t talk like we won’t ever see each other again. We can make it through this!” she desperately avoided the inevitable.

“We can only hope.”

"What if it's a creature?" everyone turned their curious attention to Ryze, "What if the relic is rather a living embodiment?"

"Impossible. Zargonath has seen it with his own eyes; I don't doubt him when he says it's an artifact." said Sarhoth.

The blue mage shook his head in dismissal.

"That's not what I mean." he levitated his massive tome and flipped through it's contents. Quickly, he found the page he was looking for. He dropped the tome, while still showing the page, showing a picture of a half-dragon, and a helmet. "this my friends, is an enchantment spell, that brings anything to life."

"So ah zombie spell?" said Yorick with a hint of interest.

"Related to so; the difference is that it doesn't work on dead beings such as our bodies if we die. So it's a 'come to life' spell for non-living things."

"So the relic really wasn't stolen, it was housed in here: the Shadow Isles?" said Quinn,

"I believe so. The spell that is used does not require much magic, so it could've been done by any unicorn who finished their education in academics." Ryze remarked.

"Why would someone do that?" asked Sarhoth,

"Im not sure..." Ryze prodded his chin as he recalled any possible reason that one would make a relic come to life.

"Hold on!" Krypt intercepted the attention, "Where was Yorick leading us if the artifact is constantly moving?" he growled softly, intentionally at Yorick. He did have a point; Yorick couldn't possibly be able to track down the artifact if it really was moving. He said he knew where it was, but now they realize that he hadn't. So where was he taking them?

He stood still, slightly uneased of his current position. He clasped his shovel tightly, threatening to smack anyone who dare came too close. He lowered his head so no other can see his eyes. He drew a wicked smirk, the laughed hoarsely.

"Do you hear the ghouls?" he simply said.

With his necromancer powers, he summoned the ghouls of the Shadow Aisles to assist him in combat. Both elite guards were tackled by 4 blue ghouls, trying to prevent them from biting off their necks. Luckily, Valor was quick to react, so he quickly swiped off the ghouls from his master and her friend. Sarhoth smashed her fist on the ground, causing the once groggy forest, to become a chilled with ice. Strangely, it did not affect the guards at all; Yorick was hindered however. Krypt, who also dominated in the fields of necromancy, embued his claws with a deathly touch, glowing florescent black.

"Behold!" a new voice boomed, "The might of the Shadow Isles!"

"Bout time!" Yorick shouted in the direction of the voice. The Voice was low and wisped, as if it was a ghostly pony... and who would guess?

Hecarim charged with full speed, and his large halberd pointed at the guards. The apparations of shadow riders were in sinc by his side, posing a very scary situation indeed. Hecarim was rumours to be an undead centaur, some even say he was an undead spirit; or perhaps both. He is built with unearthly armour, which seems to house his spirit. Instead of a mane and tail, there left trails of smoky grey-ish blue. He bore no cutiemark, nor any flesh. His chest is replaced with a large maw, bearing sharp teeth, as if it was his second mouth. The guards were helpless to dodge the charging horses, as they towered twice as tall as ponies, and spreaded out in a wide berth.

"Retreat!" Mordlen shouted amoungst the oncoming horde of spectral riders, but the guards were useless to escape their path. They shielded themselves and prepared for impact. Thier minds boggled for the worst outcome; pinned to a tree,lifeless; ripped to pieces;shred their friends before their own eyes.

Instead, they felt the spectral riders pass through the guards, leaving them breathless and cold. Then the horrific image of Hecarim's true power blurred their visions, making them literally, frozen in fear. They felt useless against their will. Gradually, the uncontrollable hex wore off, but it only made them realize that they were being bashed to bits. Fortunately, Ryze was able to snare them in a runic cage. Giving them ample time to escape. They wore heavy injuries, and torn armour, but their determination was the most damaged.

The elite guards in The Crystal Empire were rallied to Poppy's office, as Shining commanded so earlier.

"You guys are heading to Urtistan, we need to evacuate an extremely important objective, AKA--" she pointed on the map where they were heading. It was just above Zebrica, where the Shurima desert laid. Zebrica was south from the kingdom that Celestia and Luna rules. Urtistan is well known as a beacon of time; where StarSwirl often studied. The place goes a very long way back, since it was how time occurred. An alicorn controls the sun and/or moon, pegasi moves the weather, unicorns harnessed magic, and earth-ponies somehow are in tune with the land itself; so what controlled time? "The ClockTower."

"I must admit, it is quite far." Ezreal commented.

"Indeed. It will prove to be a challenge to arrive in minimal time." said Poppy, "Now you may be wondering. Why us when we're so far up in north?"

The elite guards nodded in agreement.

"It's because The Crystal Empire's former-former ruler, Queen Terra, has installed a very long-range teleporter in the crystal castle. Meaning we can use it to get ourselves to the other side of the world in less than a moment." she turned away from the map and approached the guards, "Shining has chosen basically all of the elite guards stationed here: Lux, Garen, Ezreal, Kennan, and our special guest... Sivir."

They looked around for the new guest, but it was apparent that she was not present. The guards then placed their attention back on Poppy.

She sighed, "May the oh glorious and beautiful battle mistress allow us to be in your presence?" she said in a monotone.

"Thank you Lieutenant Poppy." she entered through the back, posing a very intimidating stance with her eyes gleaming blue. She has a bright beige coat, and thick dark brown hair that seemed to flow. Her cutiemark was a sapphire and a blade. She wore light black armour, decorated with gold linings and sapphires. She held a massive gold glaive with blue and decals running along it's blades," I shall be leading the assault--"

"It's a rescue mission." Ezreal remarked, earning him a very cold glare from Sivir.

"Whatever."

"Alright!" Poppy broke their petric gazes, "Go get prepared; we'll leave at noon."

"Yes ma'am!" they said in unison, except Sivir, who simply left without formality.

The things I have to put up with. Poppy thought, Couldn't just let me come on the mission instead of her huh Shining? A mercenary instead of a highly trained guard! She sat behind her desk and began scheduling for next week's patrols. It seemed harder now that Equestria is under a massive threat, since more than half of them has to remain vigilent at the outer defenses, where as the rest are cycling breaks. Whatever happens, I don't want to sit here and do nothing...

The boar is sprinting now, not going to die without a fight. You could tell that it was a 'he' because of it's large tusks; something females didn't have. The boar was foolishly cautious of the sudden noises from above, so without a doubt, he leapt away just in time to flee. Unfortunately, he didn't make it far before he was clutched in the hands of a red and blue dragon. Shyvana quickly scratched his legs, hindering his mobility. She then laid him on the ground and chanted: "I thank you, for giving up your life. Your death will serve purpose and I am forlorn grateful." then she snapped it's neck, finally putting it to rest. She sighed, then her father swooped down beside her.

"Never have I been so proud of you Shyvana." he said softly. His daughter, who was blushing in flattery, replied with a hug.

"Thanks dad." she whispered over a croaked voice. It has been awhile since she has called him dad. They broke the embrace and lifted the boar to her den, which he was mildly impressed with. It wasn't too big, nor small, and it was perfectly secluded with a overhang that sheltered the inside.

It's been only a day since they left the tribe, yet so far they have done so much.

They used to never swim; they took a dive at the south-eastern sea: Atlantis. It was where they were able to meet some friendly (and flirty) sea-ponies.

They to never had the chance to talk about boys; ended up being a very very short conversation.

"So... Shy... sweetie... any boys in your life?"

"Uh... does Thade count?"

"Nevermind."

They used to never stargaze; one might say that they're more grateful for Luna's blessing.

They used to never have their own adventures; it was glorious!... until they became hungry.

they used to never have a feast together;

"Want to make a feast Shy darling?"

"Definitely!"

and thats where we left off...

The fire-spit glowed warmly at first... then it ignited into a lovely fire that wasn't too large, nor small; just right. With small difficulty, he jabbed a moderately long stick through the boar, which was already gutted, and placed it above the spit. He turned it slowly, making sure he got each angle and inch of this boar cooked well; just the way he and Shyvana liked it. Time flew by as he pondered life's mystery while cooking pork. Soon enough, it was done, and just in time as Shyvana returned with an armful of fruits and vegetables. She was an omnivore, he was a carnivore.

"Wow, what a lovely pick you got there." he commented.

"And you were always a better cook than me." she snickered.

"I thought your mother was better." a new voice spoke, "Shame that she can't join us on our great feast tonight." chills were sent right through Shyvana's spine. Luckily, Zarg was quick enough to grab his daughter and launch out of there. With much haste, they started their quick trip to their former migration area: The Badlands.

Burdac mused at the sight, he liked frightening others to the point they cross the ocean, to where the ponies are. Now then! He gets to enjoy a warm and delicious feast.. prepared by them truly.

She sighed... with great depression. She was powerless to stop it. Her people depended on their leader, Karma, or so shes nicknamed as. She stood before her ruined palace, which laid asunder. The thought that 3/4's of Ionia's citizens took up protection in there caused her great grief, which felt your heart getting bucked with no mercy. She had a chocolate coat that had green markings on her body and legs, that resembled vines or magic resonance. She wore a royal purple gown, with some gold linings. Behind her floated two glowing jade stones that resembled the 'ying-yang' symbol, docked between two masts that were connected to her back, as if they were wings. She was a very skilled unicorn, and a sweet one too. Her cutiemark was a jade stone, placed between the yong-yang symbol. It represented, as her name suggests, what goes around,comes around. The jade stone represented vitality and hospitality, so with the ying-yang, it meant kindness and wisdom comes around if you give it.

"Karma!" somepony shouted in the distance behind her. She didn't bother to turn to meet the pony's gaze. "Im so sorry!" Whoever this pony was, he was unconventionally forgiven. "Please forgive me!"

"It's alright Master Yi." she simply said. She didn't expect for him to hear her, but she didn't care anyways.

"I should have stayed... I shouldn't.... i shouldn't have gone."

"it's alright."

"I shouldn't have left for a break... a break to meditate... "

"Stop, you're forgiven."

"Even eternal meditation can never repay for this deed... for many years, i've defended this city from every single enemy-- and now-- now I decided to let my guard down for one day... where I was so greedy."

She turned to place a hoof on his shoulder, "It's alright." her voice cracked.

Even behind his peculiar helmet, she knew a grown stallion was tearing up. Master Yi is possibly one of the most skilled fighters in Equestria, according to many many ponies, and she wasn't surprised that he would feel great guilt. He didn't show his coat, but it was beige. His mane was dark brown, and he had a stranded beard. His helmet had goggles, that bore 7 lenses. He wore clad grey and gold clothing, and he had 3 blades; one massive one by his side, a smaller one at his right foreleg, then another at his left back-leg.

"I feel so weak." he said, "I'm not strong enough to even protect my own home."

"Please Yi, stop! You're talking--"

"I must become stronger--" he vanished in a dash. Leaving Karma a little more depressed.

Chapter 13: Unfortunate

View Online

"There are those we trust,

and those we fight;

then there are those we trusted,

to now we fight." ~Anonymous

It was cold, but not freezing. The chills of the northern winds never bothered her. She stood at the outskirts of the Crystal Empire, just on the glaciers that extended between the east side of HoarFrost mountains. From there, she did admire the Crystal Empire for it's revelry. Nevertheless, she had one last deal to make. She dared to venture upon slippery ice, only to stop at a certain spot. She brought forth a large pillar of ice, revealing nothing but plain cold ice... Or so it seem to a naked eye.

With sudden haste, she drive her hoof into the pillar, surprisingly with great ease. Her hoof was succumbed, but she clenched a dark piece of a horn. She pulled it out of the pillar , causing the ice to crumble. However, the debris never gave her a scratch. She kneels to gently place the sundered horn upon the uneven ice. She casts an ancient spell that allows the remnence of a living being to be fully animated once again; a spell that shows an active ghost.

As the image of the horn-bearer began to build, she calmly stood with a smile upon her face. The horn then became part of a dark foggy figure of a stallion. He roared loudly at his wake, and his eyes flowed sickly vibrant green.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Sombra demanded, aiming to intimidate the pony that stood before him.

"I see that you're very grateful to be alive." Lissandra said casually, "Now come hither; there are plenty to do."

The mud grew thicker ,as it seems, as they kept galloping/running. The day was dark, and they bore heavy wounds; nopony saw it coming. They quickly learned to never trust anything in the Shadow Isles again. The temptation to fall back to their home was great, but they couldn't return without the dragon relic. Ryze halted on a stoned path, leading to the shore from which they entered from. The water that splitted the Shadow Isles and the dragon kingdoms was hidden in thick fog.

"Wheres Mordlen?" asked Sarhoth. They looked about but there was truly no Mordlen with them; he's been left behind with Hecarim and Yorick. Ryze silently cursed to the air, and this time, the guards chose not to go find their lost friend. Valor's right and left wing were too damaged to fly swiftly, so he had to dock on Quinn's back for the time being. Suddenly, a loud roar straightened their necks. After a brief moment of analyzing the roar, they didn't recognize it as anything they have heard before. And so, the guards bolted towards the source of the roar to investigate.

[hn]

"Queen Ashe?" a courier pony spoke as he sneaked a peek into the meeting room full of important figures; The Sheriff of Piltover, the rulers of The Crystal Empire and Equestria, the Griffon King, the Lord of Bilgewater, the Queen of Ionia, the youngest royal sister of Freljord, the Chief of Minotaurs, the Princess and Prince from Saddle Arabia, the Ruler of Zaun, and the Ursine Grand Chieftain. "I have an urgent message for you!"

Ashe looked to Princess Celestia for permission to interrupt the meeting, since she was the hostess. She nodded, allowing Ashe to excuse herself.

"Speak my message for me please?"

"Of course Queen Ashe." The courier raised his chin, "Princess Lissandra wishes to speak with you."

"Is that so?" she rhetorically asked, "Is she here at the moment!"

"Yes your highness." He bowed in respect.

"Thank you young courier. I am humbly sorry that I must leave so suddenly, but my sister needs me."

"Tis alright dear Ashe. Thou may proceed with thine affairs, but do return with haste if possible." said Luna.

With respect, she bowed to the leaders and made her way towards the door. To reunite with her second sister.

She trotted her way through the Freljord civilians, bowing her head to those who greeted and praised her. She couldn't and shouldn't rush her way, for it was un-queen-like. Finally she sighted her other sister: Sejuani. Ashe called for her,

"Sejuani!"

"What?!" she responded harshly, "Can't you see im trying to nap here?!"

"Stop being a stubborn bitch and come here!"

"For fuck sakes!" she stomped her way towards her little sister who does not seem happy, "This better be important."

"You bet your pork-ass it is, Liss is back."

"Are you shitting me?!" she swung at the air, "She's going to level this place Ashe; like how her 'rogue Frostguards' destroyed Freljord!" Sejuani stomped, causing Ashe to slightly flinch, and to gain the quiet attention of everypony in the room.

"Why are you so ignorant?!" she pressed her face closer to Sejuani's, "Why can't you see that our big sister needs help?! That she needs our love?! She has been alone for years and you shutted her out like scum! Shes our sister, and im going to help her-- so you can come if you want-- and this is the last time we'll talk about this." she stormed to the final door that lead to the exit.

Why are you so oblivious?, thought Sejuani as she watched her sister stomp away from her, Why can't you see that she is not the real Lissandra?

It was a dark and luminescent night under Luna's stars, nothing else bothered them while the young ponies slept. Kassadin and Fiddlesticks needed no sleep, due to their abnormality. They sat in silence for quite a long time, just focusing their mind to relax, and pay attention to their surroundings, incase something does want to disturb them. It has been a day since they met, and they predicted that they are nearing Canterlot. However, the Everfree forest had new surprises for them.

"Hey Kassadin." said Fiddle, "You think the young ponies are hungry?" the group has not eaten for more than half the day, so it was logical to assume that they will be hungry once they awaken.

"Very well. You may scavenge for essential foods for the young ones."

"Whoa, who said I was going to get food? You go."

"Your scythe is the proper tool to extract such." said Kassadin as-a-matter-of-fact, "It takes a lot of energy to summon my blades."

"Stop being so lazy."

"Likewise."

"Fine--fine-- i'll go. Would you like some hay-fries with that too?"

"Would be enjoyable."

And so, Fiddle lifted himself off the ground and began to scour the forest around them. The trees were winkly--as usual--, and the dirt was soft and muddy. He allowed his crows to aid him in his scavenge.

Later, they were successful with a leg-full of apples, wild blueberries, and some edible leaves. Fiddle smiled proudly at his large haul. He began making his way back, snacking on an apple while his crows assisted him in carrying the food. Then, the trees started creaking and bending, causing Fiddle to stop in his tracks; which was a mistake. He hoped to stand still until the mysterious noises subsided. Instead, a large tree lifted itself from it's roots and transformed into a strange cloud, that gave off a green and purple aura. Without a moment to react, the cloud quickly surrounded Fiddle, then transformed into a tree once more. Upon doing so, it rooted Fiddle to the ground, rendering him immobile. The crows were useless upon piercing the tree's enchanted bark armour, but Fiddle's trusty scythe could cut through anything! He swung at it, only to realize that he was not currently wielding his weapon.

"*gulp* Maybe we can talk this over?" he said as a last resort. The tree then opened it's large and vibrant purple eyes, and opened it's sap-covered mouth.

"Whurga shay Garglash Bloue!" it said.

"Me no comprehendo."

"Graaasrgh!" it stomped furiously, seeming to be frustrated.

"Oh! I don't speak tree. Sorry; for whatever I did to you?"

It roared, and reached back its massive arm and smacked Fiddle out of the roots, knocking him back. Fiddle felt dizzy from the impact. Once he got up, the tree slammed it's arms on the ground, causing an arcane shockwave. The impact rendered Fiddle to stagger. Once he recovered, he put on a devious smile.

"Alright, you asked for it!" he sneered, "Come on! Is that all you got?"

The tree did not hesitate to give in to his taunt, so he charged and he was coming in fast. Fiddle waited until it got close enough to see his pupils (or rather estimated) and thought of the darkest thoughts... then released those thoughts, hoping to inflict deep fear into the tree. Surprisingly it worked! It fell over, trying to crawl away.

Feeling sorry, Fiddle tried to approach it with sincere friendliness.

"Hey big guy--I didn't mean to hurt you--just wanted to protect myself." just then, Kassadin and the young ponies arrived at the scene.

"What in tarnation happened here?!" demanded Little Strongheart,

"Yes. I believe I will ask the similar question." said Kassadin.

Fiddlesticks stifled a sheepish laugh, "I met a tree, and I think i made it cry.". Kassadin resisted the urge to facehoof. Whereas Annie moved in to comfort the abnormal tree.

"Hello tree!"

"Tree." it replied.

"You are a tree, yes." she pointed her hoof at it, making it nervous and act spontaneously. It lashed out and nearly hit Annie. Luckily, Veigar was quick with his spells and placed a veil of dark magic, caging the tree within. It quickly calmed down, and tried to speak once more.

"Tree." it pointed to itself.

"Yes, tree!" Annie said in glee. The others couldn't help but watch in amusement as she chatted with a tree, "Me, Annie." she pointed to herself.

"Me," he took a moment to find the next word to say, "Annie."

Annie's giggle brought a spark of content to the tree, causing it too, to laugh heartily.

"Well, at least it's learning to speak." commented Fiddle, "And it doesn't look so bad afterall."

"I agree." said Kassadin, "But what caused it to awaken from it's roots? Namingly a certain bundle of sticks" he sneered an eye accusingly at Fiddle.

"Wasn't me! I was just leisurely strolling back to you guys and it kinda' smacked me." he shrugged.

Although they doubt the tree's intelligence, the tree itself was learning ever faster than anypony could imagine.

"Me, namingly-- Maokai." it said, "You Annie."

"Yay!" Annie jumped in glee once more, and continued to converse with Maokai. "Fiddle!" she called out, "Can maokai come with us?" she deviously used the most adorable glistening eyes that Equestria has yet to see.

"Sure, why not?" he gave in. Causing Annie to once again, jump in glee.

"Im impressed at it's ability to learn one's language from a mere conversation." commented Kassadin.

"Your language is not so hard, strange one." said Maokai.

"I like him!" Veigar interjected. He secretly wondered if he could teach him dark arcane magic.

"Welcome Maokai, we're glad you shall be joining us." announced Fiddle.

"Likewise." it replied.

"Sister?" Ashe tried to gain the attention of an odd, but recognizable figure at the distance; most likely to be Lissandra. "Lissandra?!" she called once more.

The figure looked up from her gaze upon the fountain in front of her, and made her way towards Ashe, but was blocked by the guards.

"Halt!" commanded the guard-pony on the left,

"At ease soldiers. She's friendly." the guards let their spears open a path to Ashe, who was trotting down the castle stairs. Lissandra also came towards her. They embraced eachother into a big hug, sighing in content. The guards couldn't help but smile at the warm scene. However, Lissandra's touch was freezing, but Ashe dared not to break off.

"It's been so long! I feared you may have fallen during the troll attack in Freljord!" cried Ashe. Lissandra hushed her,

"I can not be killed so easily by such primitive creatures." Lissandra spoke in a calming tone. She had a pale-blue coat, with a snow-white mane. She wore a dark blue armoured gown, with pointing shoulders, which hid her cutiemark. Ashe remembered that she had a frosty crown as her cutiemark, since she was the former ruler of Freljord before she mysteriously disappeared. Her headpiece was twice-fold more peculiar; it was shaped like a hammerhead shark, and it was made of immeltable ice, just like her armour. "I was foolish to not mobilize the Frostguards-- the pure Frostguards to aid in the defence."

"What is done is done, we can not dwell on our past."

"Yes but we saw the trolls coming, we could've prevented it!"

"And we'll make sure that the rest of Equestria does not receive the same fate, dear sister."

Lissandra smiled warmly, "Together."

"Together." said Ashe in a soft voice. They once again embraced into a hug, and continued inside. Little did the young Freljord Queen realize, that Lissandra drew an insidious smirk.

"Let's go! Let's go!" cried Ryze. Sarhoth was able to head in first, but they find that it was a grave mistake. She was met with a whack from a larger and ghostly dragon. Well, it wasn't actually a dragon per-say, it was the living embodiment of heavy armour for a dragon. It was a full-dressed armour, coated with a rusted purple finish. The head-piece was truly the marvel; similar to the Alicorn Amulet, it corrupts minds who aren't worthy to where it, whereas it'll keep one's mind pure and vigilant if the one wearing it is strong enough. The amour had symbols all over the rest of the plates that dates back to the Rune Wars. It was apparent because of the glowing ancient markings that was encrypted into the spoulders. The relic of an amour belonged to a legendary drake named Illitheas.

At that time, he ruled over the whole dragon kingdom. He was cruel and unmerciful, but loyal and strong for his land. It was he who liberated the drake kingdom to independence, by himself. Legends has it, that he bore godlike abilities that overpowers 5 alicorns two-folds. All were fearful, all were loyal. Soon, he commissioned to forge armour for each of his 4 sons, so they will be protected by his blessing when he retires. But the armour was not to be made by simple and common materials; he requested them to made of the sturdiest earth, the most agile wind, the hottest fire, the most powerful wood, and the purest water. He apprehended those requirements easily thanks to the help of the elementals, but it does not stop there.

He also required a crystal, plucked from the inner-world. The crystal is said to be similar to rather a carving tool. However, the crystal will embed the mightiest magic in its wake as it creates a scar on anything.

Realizing that he cannot do this, he chose his 4 eldest sons to journey to the inner-world. For centuries, they have not returned, because they dare not come back with news of failure; failure to find the way to the inner-world. Until they discovered another legend... the legend of Gaia. Normally, dragons are never interested in pony myths, but they had no other choice. Gaia is told to be the creator of their world, and mother of all creatures; though she valued ponies the most. There were many different ways to call upon her attention: the eldest tried to learn the knowledge of the universe, the second eldest praised and worshipped Gaia, the third eldest threatened to obliterate the stars, and the last son decided to take part of the pony society. All failed, and died either honourable or disgraceful deaths, but one. The last son was wise to learn the pony way, since they were Gaia's most prized creation. Mysteriously, he disappeared, then reappeared with the materials. Once the amour was complete, he was unstoppable.

The head-piece did not accept the user, thus eventually leading him to mad suicide. Forsaken, Illitheas wore the amour in honour of his 4 sons. Unfortunately, he too, was driven mad to suicide. The dragon kind swore to stow it away forever, since it cannot be trusted in the hands of anydrake; it was also indestructible. Until one fateful day, a curious relic-hunter, who escaped the chaotic dragon world, found it within the Cryptic Catacombs. He entered with 4 other friends, who were all adept warriors. It was a place where all forsaken souls fought, for they are cursed to fight for an eternity. Every full moon, the Cryptic Catacombs will become a raging battlefield of ghosts and skeletons of the dead, which will only end once all but one have fallen. He wore the amour, but was not corrupted because as he showed courage, determination, optimism, compassion, devotion, and leadership that makes a true saint. Sadly, it was he who was the last standing in the Cryptic Catacombs. With the amour, he showed the dragon kingdom that they had power to use for the good, that anything was possible. Thus leading to the unity and harmony of the dragon kingdom.

"Sarhoth!" cried Krypt as he swooped to catch the falling blue dragon. Meanwhile, Quinn aimed for the gaps of the armour, hoping to get a bolt stuck in between which will hinder the amour's movement. Unfortunately, the ghastly grey fire that it resonated torched anything that came too close. Ryze blasted arcane bolts at its weak points, which was at its under-arms and belly. Although his aim was dead-accurate, it was not effective against the armour. When Sarhoth and Krypt recovered, they had to quickly dodge the incoming sweep of the diamond-sharp talons of the amour. Before Quinn and Ryze can peel the amour off their dragon friends, they were hit hard with a great swing from the armour's tail-piece. Thank Celestia it wasn't spiked, or they couldn't have lived from that.

The heroic Valor swooped forward with haste and tried to pry the amour's head-piece out. It was a very reckless mistake since his attack only injured himself. Before he even had a chance to screech his pain, he was grabbed by the claw of its left arm. Luckily, Valor had massive amounts of tolerance for heat, since he had a phoenix friend, so he wasn't immediately scorched by the grey fire of the amour. However, he was being progressively crushed by the claws that held him.

"Valor!" Quinn cried in horror of her most close companion coming close to an end, "I'm coming!" She leaped from a tree behind her to gain momentum and speed. With quick agility, she shot bolts at the elbow, causing it to only slightly edge away upon taking small damage. However, it was not her main intention. "Quick, Sarhoth!" she called, "Freeze it's arm!"

"Will do!" she replied. With a quick flap of her wings, she closed the distance so she can get in range to use her frost breath. Since the armour was terribly hot, she doubted the frost would do much. But she couldn't let her friend down without trying. She blew a narrow stream of extremely icey wind at the amour's claw, then progressing down the arm. To her surprise, it was working. Valor sighed in relief as he was soothingly cooled by Sarhoth's ice breath, which later became teeth-chattering for him. Krypt called to the dark magic to ensnare the amour foot-pieces to the ground. The black seeping tendrils will not hold long though. Upon noticing the strain, Ryze prepared to create a runic cage, large enough for the dragon.

Quinn was grateful for her friends' help, which fuelled her final leap at its fist, seeking to shatter the ice along with the claw as well. In mid-air, the frosted claw broke free and swatted her away. The runic cage was too late as the armour shrugged off the black tendrils at its feet. Sarhoth was out of breath, thus couldn't keep the stream of frost going. Roughly landed to the side, and watched in upsetting frustration the imminent death of Valor. The armour clenched the small bird in its grasp, and brought it to its maw, only to crush him between the teeth of the armour. Just before he was released, a red card flew into Valor's way, then created a pulse that knocked him out of the way, leaving the amour to chomp on air.

A stream of flailing cards crashed down in front of the amour of Illitheas, revealing a familiar pony. He rose slowly, and angled his head so that his hat covered his eyes.

"Hey there sweetheart." he said, "May I please have your attention?" Twisted Fate unfurled 3 cards in his hooves: one red, another blue, and the third yellow. The ghastly armour roared in anger in response. "Is this your card?" he flung his yellow card at the legs, stunning the amour in place. He then made a full turn to gain momentum to fling his red card; he aimed for just above the head-piece. The red card exploded and created a pulse that brought the head-piece to the ground. "Perhaps you were looking for this one." he flung his blue card straight into it's gaping mouth, travelling straight through the teeth, the throat, the neck, and hitting it directly at the core. Almost immediately, the grey flames burned out, and the bright aura that it gave off suddenly turned off, and the rest of the armour clumped to the ground. It laid lifeless on the muddy and black dirt. The guards cheered, then approached Twisted Fate in gratitude, while Quinn was tending to her precious Valor.

"Hold up fellas!" Twisted Fate waved his hooves to shoo away the guards, "We ain't done yet." Everypony looked at him questioningly, wondering what in the world he was talking about. He approached the mess of a machine and began digging in. He pried heavy plates and scorched hinges, and soon the guards came to help in his quest to uncover the armour core. Eventually they find a bloody mare, lying unconscious. "Wake up darlin'." he patted on her cheek to check if she was real.

"Go screw yourself Twisted Fate." she launched a hoof straight into his jaw, knocking out a couple of teeth. Before the guards could react, Twisted Fate gave a hearty laugh.

"It's alright fellas, take the stuff, I won't be needin' it." he lifted Evelynn from the pile of metal and laid her softly on a firm tree. Ryze came behind him.

"What was all that about?" the blue mage asked, "How was this mare able to control such a thing?"

"It's simple really; the amour is not immune to magic, assuming its user is a dragon whom are already magic-immune. So it's simple to enchant the armour, as long as the user is not a dragon. Evelynn here used a powerful and unique spell that allows the user to feed magic into the amour so that it can move around and sorts. Unlike the common unicorn spell 'come-to-life', the user must transform into an arcane remnant--a ball of magic-- in order to satisfy the power demand."

"Interesting." Ryze commented, "So am I able to perform the same spell on the armour?"

"At your own will."

"But rumours say that it can corrupt the user's mind!"

"Then don't wear the head-piece."

Later that day, Twisted Fate taught Ryze how to perform the enchantment. It was difficult and can only be used temporarily, since one's magic reserves are not infinite. The spell required massive amounts of magic, so it will not last long for Ryze. Once Evelynn woke up, Twisted Fate said his goodbyes and the guards said their's, then he blew away in a torrent of cards, along with Evelynn.

Now it was time, to see if the spell can really work.

Luio wiped off the beads of sweat that rolled down his forehead. His plan was going to be excellent! Or rather awesome! He has gathered the stuff that he needed.

Runes: check!

Lot's of crystal and rocks: check!

Carving tools: check!

Artificer-a guide for dummies: check!

Ryze's void portal spell: check!

Map of Equestria: check!

"Alright," he said aloud, "You got everything you need to do this... oh geez, im talking to myself!" he slapped a hoof on his forehead realizing how dumb he looked at that moment. Although it is healthy to self-reflect and it's easier when you're talking aloud.

"Okay, time to make some magic doctor Lucious!" he enthusiastically flailed his hooves in pride, that he can finally truly begin.

He picked up the artificer guide for dummies, and began reading,

"Chapter 1: Runes and you."

Chapter 14: These Hooves of Mine

View Online

"...the miles to go before I sleep.

The miles to go before I sleep."

-Excerpt from A Walk in the Woods by Robert Frost

He cackled maniacally. Never before has he experienced so much joy. Ionia has fallen, but not before him. However, he did not mind at all; he has dreamt of Ionia in ruins since that day. The day that the master chose another to advance in their training, instead of him. The master told him that he had too much darkness in his heart. Ever since that day, he decided to harness the darkness as his ally. Soon, he became the master of shadows. Each day, he wouldn't practice on dummies or mannequins, he would prey on his own villagers. Truly darkening his heart after each kill. The kill would be swift and thoughtless; no pony deserved anymore of Zed's time.

Zed...

It's weird how he thought of that name. His master abandoned him and placed him last on his training priority, just as if he was the last letter of the alphabet: Z.

"Please! Let me live! I'll do anything!" A bloody armoured stallion cried beside him. Zed almost forgot that he was busy killing an Ionian soldier. He had his duel-bladed gauntlet deep in his chest. With haste, he retracted his blade, but also severing the soldier's neck, causing him to gargle blood as he choked for air. Soon enough, the soldier did not bother him any longer.

Zed wore a full-dress of iron armour, including the crimson red drape covering the back of his neck and through his shoulder plates. He had two large glaives symmetrically attached to his back. His helmet was similar to the crusaders design from the dark ages, only his eyes glowed red. Neither his cutiemark or his mane and coat could be seen, including his tail (which is an odd sight).

He stared into the distance, soaking in the sight of the fallen temple which was Empress Karma's pride and joy. Unfortunately, the scenery had an additional sound of a lone crying filly. Zed sighed and tracked the noise. He didn't have to wonder far, to find that there is indeed a little teal filly stuck under rubble. She cried harder when she sighted Zed. Perhaps everypony in Ionia knows Zed. The filly fought and bucked, but to no avail. Zed mused at watching this filly; there was nopony around, and she is so helpless. He unsheathed his blades on his left gauntlet...

"Freeze!" cried Akali from behind. Her coat was grass green, and her mane was coal-black. Her cutiemark resembled the symbol of the Kinkou Order, or some may call them the shadow warriors. Zed wasted no time to engage, and flung his right glaive at her. Then another pony appeared in front of her and parried the glaive with his two katanas. Zed leaped to retrieve it, and came down on the newcomer with his blades pointed. Unfortunately, he was kicked in the gut by Akali, interrupting his attack. She also delivered a slash from her kamas, which he was able to block with his gauntlet blades. He landed on his hooves, and he was ready to strike again.

"It's over Zed." Shen said. His coat is a solid midnight blue, which matches his clothing and armour. He wore a mask that revealed only his eyes. He also had the symbol of Kinkou.

"Oh but it has only begun." Zed snarled, then he sent a shadow clone with blades blazing to cut past the two who stood in his way. Akali and Shen avoided the attack by shifting to the side, then retaliated by dashing Zed. However, he replaced himself with a shadow clone, making their attacks useless, unless they targeted the real Zed. Before they could react, the clone slashed in a 360 turn, wounding Akali and Shen. Despite their blooded shoulders, they turn to face Zed who was already right behind them. He slashed down at both of them, but they were able to hold the blades away from themselves with their own.

"Why do you kill the innocent?" Akali said through her teeth, "You still have a chance for redemption."

"Seeking alternatives is a sign of weakness." Zed replied. He shoved them back towards his shadow clone who performed the same slash attack, scathing Akali's back. Shen was able to block the shadow blade, so he turned to fling his spare katana at Zed. He groaned in pain as the blade was lodged in his right fore-leg. Akali leaped from where she stood and kicked Zed's left fore-leg, rendering him off-balance. She swiped at his shoulder, then she performed an uppercut with her other blade on his side. Now exposed, she used her inner earth-pony ability to create a shroud that hid her from even the most trained eyes. Zed, however, knew this trick by heart, and concentrated. Right when she reappeared, he swung his glaive, hitting her at the chest. She stepped out of the fray to avoid any more major wounds.

Shen dashed forward, stabbing Zed-- a shadow clone. Suddenly, 2 other figures close in from different directions, and they all stabbed Shen. Unable to handle the grimacing pain, he fell to his knees. He observed his own blood, gushing from his guts. Zed stood over him, preparing to deliver the final blow. Fortunately, Shen held up his katanas, holding off the blade that will soon split his head in two if he didn't act soon.

A pebble hit the side of Zed's helmet, drawing his attention to the one who threw the rock.

"Leave him alone!" Cried the filly, "You big bully!"

"Run child run!" Shen warned through gritted teeth. However, she threw another pebble, hitting Zed's shoulder.

"That's cute" He commented. He reached back for his final glaive and flung it at the filly. She was barely able to yelp when it hit her.

"No!!" he shoved Zed's bladed gauntlet and attempted to slash at his chest, but he was countered by Zed's quick stab from his free hoof.

"That's adorable." He said. Before he could react, Akali stuck both of her kamas in his back, then leaped over him and Shen while still holding on, to send Zed flying. Once he recovered, he discovered that Shen, Akali, and the filly were gone. All that remained were tattered flesh and pools of blood.

Shen carried the bloody body of the filly on his back, planning to give her a proper burial soon. He turned to Akali with sorrow eyes.

"Where are you Yi?" Akali rasped in tears, "Where are you Kennan?"

"Think we've lost him father." Shyvana panted. They have flew far from where they were, unaware of their current location.

"I think so too." His stomach growled, "Shall we find something to eat?"

"Definitely."

"But wait, where are we?"

They observed the area; grassy, wide and flat, sufficiently warm, clearing of dirt ahead of them, but no drake.

"Father, we have flown over the Thorn Mountains, right?" asked Shyvana.

"Yes we have. Into barren territory, or rather the outskirts of the forest;no drake lives here." he scratched his chin, to realistically consider this. The sky wasn't bright, and nor was their hopes.

"Than where shall we begin?"

"I'm not sure, and i'm really sorry for making you scavenge all that food, only to be put to waste."

"It's alright father. Let's focus on hunting for now."

"Agreed."

With the sun blocked by the numerous clouds, it was hard to tell that it was getting late. However, they searched about, within large bushes and trees for anything that can be consumed for efficient nutrition. Zarg was milling about in tall grass, but all he could find was inedible weed. He then found a small nest of Humming Runners (a splice of humming birds and mice) but decided to spare them since there was an obvious bunch of newborns. They were far too small to be sufficient anyways. He resorted to digging in the dirt clearing, searching for gems and minerals instead of meat or berries. Unfortunately, he was never a good with rocks. He despised getting his talons dirty, and especially the sound that talons make when you scratch a hard stone. With determination to feed himself and Shyvana, he dug harder and deeper, and to avail, he was lucky to come up with a pair of diamonds, and several rubies. He huffed in pride, and brought them to Shyvana... if he could find her.

"Look out!" she appeared from above, carrying a large black bear.

"Show off." he commented. She laughed as she dropped the bear upon the dirt clearing.

"Why am I never included in these food hunts?" a new voice spoke.

"For Illitheas' sake! How do you keep finding us?!" yelled Shyvana, "Quick, to the skies!" she called to her father, but he was held back by the talons of Burdac.

"You won't run from me no more!" he yanked Zarg to the ground, not landing softly at all. He clawed his wings, tearing apart the skin in between the limbs. Zarg screamed on agony, and kicked Burdac off of him. As he stood on his feet again, Shyvana landed valiantly beside him, prepared to side with him in this fight.

"No Shyvana--he only wants me--not you." he said lowly.

"Wrong Zarg!" interrupted Burdac, "Your family is the one who has forsaken me, so it's every drake who has your blood."

"I'm tired of hiding father," Shyvana began, "I'm tired of leaving you. I'm strong enough to stand beside you this time, but i'm not strong enough to be alone again. "

"Fine..." her words hit him deeper than anyone could've thought, "Let's do this."

"With pleasure!" Burdac pounced, firstly at Zarg. They traded a couple of deep scratches before they tumbled onto the ground. Shyvana tried to pry him off her father by biting into his neck, and yanking him back. Due to her size, it will prove to be impossible. Upon Burdac noticing this, he grabbed her neck with his spare claw, and threw her back a small distance. Unfortunately, her head hit a boulder that just so happened to be there. Zarg used his claws to stab the abdomen of Burdac's belly; a dragon's soft spot. He roared in pain, then threw himself atop of zarg, gaining advantage. He slashed constantly at Zarg's face, making it hard to counter attack.

Shyvana shook her head to shake off the dizziness, and flew up. She looped to gain momentum, and dived right into Burdac. She stood atop of him, so she had the advantage, and began swiping at his face and biting through the soft parts of his neck. He breathed a torrent of green flames in her face, throwing her off-balance. He knocked her off with a slash of his claws, and turned to meet the charging father. Zarg was knocked over by the brutal tail swipe from Burdac, brandishing a large gash on his ribs. While he took time to catch his breath, Shyvana recovered and pounced at Burdac, but before she made contact, she transformed into her pony-form, leaving Burdac confused. She grabbed onto his neck and climbed up to his head. Burdac tried to shake and claw her off, but her size was convenient enough. Once she was on his head, she transformed back into dragon-form and pinned his head down to the ground. She moved her mouth in position to snap his neck, just like her prey. Burdac acted to counter; he arched his tail, just enough to grab hold of Shyvana's neck and strangle her. With his new advantage, he wasted no time to wait, and positioned himself to snap her neck.

With haste, Zarg clawed Burdac's head and shoved him off of Shyvana.

All three were covered with patches of blood. They were panting hard from their exhaustion, and they limped with the limbs that were hindered. Shyvana, who was still trying to recover from her hard-pressed strangle, stepped back, letting her father take him down.

"Come on old drake! Show me what you got left!" Burdac taunted. Zargonath made a mighty battle-cry before he charged headfirst. Burdac did likewise. They clashed mid-way and wrestled for a test of strength. Unfortunately, Zarg was overpowered by Burdac and was taken advantage. He couldn't do anything else because he was pinned down by a slightly larger and healthier dragon.

"I'll kill you!" cried Zarg. They were his last words as Burdac made quick work of snapping his neck. In the meantime, Shyvana was already charging to save her father, but was too late. She stopped in her tracks, to take in what happened before her.

"Father..." she said softly. Sudden images of their time together, from recently and in the far past. One image was when they painted a glorious picture that still hung in the western kingdom castle. Another was when Zarg brought home a rare 6-hued gem, bearing all 6 colours of a rainbow. Renewed with new energy and strength, mainly from her anger, surged through her veins and body. Her eyes snapped open from her flashbacks, and engulfed herself in flames, without hurting herself.

"You shall pay for what you have done!" she cried. Her voice was unfamiliar, it sounded like two as if it was layered with a deeper voice. She roared loudly and furiously swiped at Burdac. He was getting knocked left to right, with searing hot claws. Now realizing that he is satisfied with his achievements for today, he flew up and quickly disappeared into the evening sky. She experienced sudden exhaustion before she could attempt to fly after him, leaving Shyvana to break into a heap of tears.

She cried non-stop for 10 minutes before she brought herself to cry even more over her father's dead body. It seemed like the forest that surrounded her was purposely silenced, proposing respect for the fallen. Her heart pained so much, to the point she transformed into her pony-form without intention. She curled up underneath his wing, trying to cry herself to sleep with his remaining warmth. She ignored the fact that his wings were dripping blood all over her.

3 hours later, she ran out of tears, and her body began to shake furiously; not from the cold, but from the utter shock and despair.

"Over here!" The voice of a pony yelled from a distance. Shyvana didn't care if they found her and took her prisoner for whatever reason.

"Move move move!" the shouts came nearer, and they seemed to be numerous.

"Hold!" Shyvana knew that nopony could see her under Zarg's wing, so she remained still, but her constant sniffling gave herself away.

"I'll investigate." a feminine voice announced.

"Of course ma'am."

She can hear the hooves slowly beating the ground, and how they came closer and closer.

"Go away!" cried Shyvana in a very shaky voice, "Leave me alone!"

"Are you a foul creature?" she replied, "Or are you a pony?" Those words... they really set off the remaining anger in Shyvana. Her answer to that was both; she was a foul creature who is also a cowardly pony. She morphed into her dragon-form and lowered her head to the mare.

"I SAID: LEAVE ME ALONE!!" Shyvana screamed, causing the ponies to have sirens in their ears. She swiped in front of her, creating a torrent of flames in her path, frightening the ponies into arms. They backed off, creating distance between themselves and angry dragon. She managed to not let her anger lash onto innocent ponies, and instead release it on herself. She once again, broke down into a heap of tears.

Ever seen a dragon cry?

"Let me handle this." a new pony in gold and black armour approached. He got in front of the mare to make his point clear, "She is obviously innocent."

"Yes my prince." she backed off and joined the rest of the royal guards

"DO I HAVE TO SAY IT AGAIN?!" Shyvana roared.

"I'm here to help." He said. He came closer, but kept a safe distance.

"DON'T COME ANY CLOSER OR I'll RIP YOU TO SHREDS!" she breathed fire in front of the armoured pony, warning him to back off.

"Please calm down... we're sorry for disturbing you."

"No, no..." she calmed down, gradually slowing her breathing, "It was wrong of me to snap at you--but please--leave me alone."

"Allow me to introduce myself: I'm Prince Jarvan, and the one you screamed at is Vayne." Vayne prodded at the ground with her hoof and looked away, trying to ignore their conversation. "So what's your name?"

"*sniff* Shyvana." her breathing softened.

"That's a lovely name." his words caused her to blush a little, "We're here to help and we just want to know what happened here. Whenever you're ready, you can come tell us."

"What's the use? You're all frightened by me."

"That's no true. Right fellas?!" he turned and called back. It was obvious that they were all quivering in fear, with spears still pointed at Shyvana. Except Vayne of course. "Okay fine, but you can always come to me. Okay Shyvana?"

"Okay."

He sighed, he didn't get to spend much time in Canterlot after he has been found by the guards. He was supposed to be stationed at the Crystal Empire, and it technically meant that he deserted his post. So here he is, riding in the same car with Skarner. He too was moved to be stationed at the Crystal Empire; orders by Prince Shinybutt. Name by Twitch. Luckily, Luio was able to transport his ingredients/supplies with him for his ultimate plan!(even though it's really not that impressive)

"So..." said Luio to break the silence, "How's life?"

"Not bad. Not Good. How about you?" Skarner replied.

"I'd say the same thing."

"I see."

"So, did they say why you're going back to the Crystal Empire?"

"Yes. They are sending the remaining elite royal guards there to another continent, so they lack defences there."

"Interesting. Where do you think they are sending them to?"

"Well, definitely not the griffon or dragon kingdoms, perhaps the moon?" they shared a hearty laugh before the conductor told them it was time to get off. Luio lifted a large box with his magic, containing things only he knows, and set it upon a large carriage that awaited the expected package. The ponies driving the carriage grunted. in reaction.

"What's in there? Rocks?" one of them commented.

"Why yes!" said Luio with a bit of glee, "How did you know?"

"Gee, lucky guess." he replied sarcastically.

"Alright fellas, to the castle!" and so they slowly trotted their way to the crystal castle. Luio was trailing right beside them, making sure everything is fine. Skarner took a glance around and observed the shops and houses that shone brightly. The crystal ponies that smiled and laughed. The bright and blue sky, decorated with small puffs of clouds.

"I guess, this is my home now." he said.

"Than this is a pretty cool home you got mister." a young filly spoke behind him.

"Yea! It's all shiny an' sparkly!"

"And wicked!"

Skarner turned to face the 3 fillies, and found an orange pegasus with a purple mane, a yellow filly with a strawberry red mane and a matching bow behind her head, and a white unicorn with mane that is pink and purple. He chuckled,

"Indeed the Crystal Empire is most impressive." he took a glance at the glorious city, then he turned back to the fillies who were not where they were anymore. Instead, they were awing at a crystal sculpture display. "What are your names young ones?"

"A'm Applebloom!"

"I'm Sweetiebelle!"

"And i'm Scootaloo!"

"And we're..." they said and gasped in unison, "THE CUTIEMARK CRUSADERS! YAY!" They smiled wide at the stunned Brackern.

"Hey, why are you more shinier and crystal-ier than other crystal ponies?" asked the curious Applebloom.

"I'm a Brackern. An ancient race whom are literally made of crystals."

"CoOoOoL." they said in unison. Just then, Prince Shinybutt arrived at the scene.

"Skarner! There you are!" he took a moment to comprehend the scene before him, "So you're babysitting my sister's best friends' little sisters? No problem than, assuming that they left them to you for an important reason. I'll leave you to your duties. Farewell Skarner."

"What?" said the dumbfounded Skarner. Shining either didn't hear him or rather ignored him. Finally realizing what happened, he slowly turned to the fillies.

"OHMYGOSH! CAN WE GO SEE THE CRYSTAL PONIES?!"

"NO NO! LET'S GO SEE THE JOUSTING TOURNY!"

"PFFT! I'D RATHER GO EAT SOME CRYSTAL BERRY PIES!"

"Oh how fortunate I am." Skarner said with glum.

Meanwhile...

"Yeah. There!" Luio pointed to the centre of his chamber for the stallions to place the box down, "Perfect, just put the thing down now."

"Here?" one of them asked to make sure.

"Yep. There." said Luio. He thanked the ponies and paid them his due once they were finished, then Luio went to open up his stuff. He levitated all sorts of things such as crystals and rocks. He trotted over to his studies again to ensure that he was ready to begin his construction. He pulled open the blueprint that he has been working on in the past month, although the blueprint needed a name badly. As he re-analyzed the construct, he realized, that he was missing a lot of items to truly complete his plan. For now, he would improvise and kick-start his plan.

5 hours later...

"Ain't he a beaut'." He stepped back to admire his work once again, relieving his mind with a sigh. He smiled wide and had the urge to bounce giddily. He was really excited that everything will go as planned, although he expected some minor hiccups on the way, just like now. He regretted not obtaining these items earlier , but it's a good thing he can do it now. Luio strapped his saddlebags and trotted out the door. Unfortunately, there was only one place in the Crystal Empire to find certain gems and larger specimens of the void crystals,

"...The Crystal Plateau." Luio read the welcoming sign. The plateau was located south from the Crystal Empire, just in between the mountain barrier that separated the empire and the rest of Equestria. The place used to be the elite guards' headquarters, until the complaints that it was too cold finally convinced Queen Terra. Luio has heard that the plateau was rich with resources... and that it was ridden by the Void. Therefore, there were royal guards guarding the area, in case the Void planned to mobilize yonder.

Luio exhaled, telling himself to pony-up; he can take on large Void creatures if he were to encounter any. Although they are quite spooky. Unfortunately, his plans to sneak into the plateau was shattered; there was only one passage in, and it was a cave. He would have to climb and fly over the mountains to reach the plateau, which would take days. He hid behind a large bush, peeping through gaps in between the tree limbs. He observed the peculiar guard at the entrance; pink fluffy boots, pink crystal shield, pink crystal mallet ,heavy pink crystal armour; there wasn't much to comment, other than the fact that he stands out. The guard stood vigilant, posing a great challenge to sneak past him in broad evening. Luio weighed the choices:

Fight your way in.

Try to sneak in anyways.

Go home and try again tomorrow.

Ask politely to let you through.

Ask threateningly to let you through.

He was a civilized pony. He took a deep breath, and casually walked towards the guard. As the guard finally took notice of him, he casually trotted towards Luio. They both placed a smile upon their faces and prepared to shake hooves in greetings. As the guard came closer, he had a brown mane and tail, and sapphire blue eyes which matched his coat behind his armour. His cutiemark was almost similar to Skarner's; it was a blue crystal shield, whereas Skarner's was a simply a blue crystal.

"Greetings!" he hollered, "What brings you around dear?"

"Just wondering..." said Luio. As he got closer, he teleported behind him tripped the guard onto his back. Luio charged up his horn, in case he had to resort to true violence. He pinned the guard's legs on the ground, and aimed his horn precisely at his head. "Look bud', I don't want to do anything serious. So you're going to let me through without any trouble, or i'll blow your brain all over the grass." The guard simply shrugged, not intimidated by his threat at all.

"Please darling, anypony can go through, the catch is that I have to escort you the whole time." he winked.

"Oh..." he blushed in embarrassment.

"It's alright, allow me to introduce myself: I'm Taric, the gem knight. Also, may I please get up now? You're starting to make us seem bad."

Chapter 15: Childish

View Online

"Never let go of your inner-child."

~Unknown

"Just a bunch of no-good horse-apples of bucking tartarus, frikkin' stupid bucking..." muttered Sejuani as she stomped about. She took the backdoor to the less-visited part of the courtyard, sparing the locals her atrosive vocabulary. Bristle nudged her affectionately, trying to cheer her up. Semi-convinced, she gave him a deserved scratch behind the ears. She smiled as he repeatedly stomped his hind leg in bliss.

"What are you doing here?" Sejuani heard a distant voice just around the corner, "This is pony territory!" the feminine voice hissed. Curious, Sejuani decided to investigate; their conversation seemed really sketchy so far. She hushed Bristle, warning him to keep quiet... or else...

She tip-hooved to the corner, planning to remain concealed until she realized what she was going to confront against. She peeped an eye and an ear...

Lissandra! She screamed inside her head, Who is she talking to?!

"I know this 'meet-up' is not ideal, but it is greatly important." A grudged and deep male voice spoke. He was a blood-red haired troll, with furred boots and gauntlets. He wielded a large ice club, and had rough blue skin... the notorious Trundle. He is rather very well-known in Freljord, but why was he having a conversation with the leader of the Frostguards? Suddenly, it all made sense to her: the ice club , the troll attack, the rogue Frostguards.

"Than make it quick and get out of here as soon as possible, before somepony discovers that there is a troll in their midst."

"Yes ma'am. King Sombra has forsaken your request, and escaped to foolishly, take over the Crystal Empire once again."

Sejuani gasped; King Sombra was still alive?

"That arrogant stallion! That curse of his is more annoying than beneficial." Curse? Sombra was under a curse? "This is exceptional news; is there anything else?"

"Yes your highness. I know you only wanted my troll army, but I'd like to make a request to fully join our forces."

"Hmm... very well. It is only logical to have the troll king lead the troll army."

"Lissandra?!" Ashe called from afar, "Lissandra! Where are you?!"

"Go! Get out of here!" Lissandra hissed at Trundle. She called back to Ashe, indicating her location.

"With haste. Farewell your highness." He quickly made his way to the castle's corner, hoping to get out of view before Ashe or somepony else saw him. Lissandra and Ashe both had a tiny talk, before entering the castle. Unfortunately, Trundle received an ice-mace to the face without being able to react. He quickly got knocked unconscious. Bristle swiftly pulled his body in so Lissandra wouldn't notice that she has been compromised, thanks to Trundle.

Bristle caught scent of the troll's fur, causing his nostrils to congest and agitate. He heaved and sneezed loudly. Lissandra peeked out the door, confirming that the sneeze came from where she and trundle had their conversation.

"Come on Lissandra! It's not wise to keep the leaders waiting." Ashe beckoned.

"Yes yes, don't rush the old mare." she returned inside. Sejuani and Bristle sighed in relief, but Bristle was not safe yet. His master gave him the coldest glare yet,

"Hanuk gad ton sheva?! Jelique frack enlisse-cabud mack zou! (What did I say?! No more mud-baths for you!") She hissed in Freljordian. Bristle wimpered, hoping to receive mercy for this one time. "Jelique! (No!)" she smacked the side of his cheek, "Unta bret woret meck hendo flug."(Bring the body and follow me.)

"Ah! So nice of you to return Queen Ashe, and greetings Princess Lissandra." Princess Celestia welcomed them back to the meeting, "Allow me to acknowledge the parts of our discussion that you have missed; when you take your seat of course." she smiled warmly.

"Thank you Princess Celes--" Ashe took notice that Sejuani sat in a seat beside her, and another cushion on Ashe's side assumingly for Lissandra. Luna also took notice of Ashe's surprised face.

"Hast thou not been informed of thy sisters' involvement in the meeting?" She asked.

"What are you doing here?" Ashe demanded, "You never like meetings, or even come earlier than me!"

"Settle down Ashe." Celestia hushed, "Although this may be a surprise to you, our discussions must continue--so please-- take your seat."

"Yes Ashe, sit down. Are you not grateful that we are all united as sisters once again?" she snarled, clearly still mad about their last conversation. Ashe kept silent, but she never lifted her eyes off of Sejuani as she sat down. She tried to scoot further from Sejuani, trying to make as much space between them as possible. Lissandra awkwardly sat in between Ashe and the minotaur chieftain.

"Excellent, now we were just going over the decisions upon the dragon-kind. If they were to co-operate and assist us, surely we must give them some reward. We predict that it is not gems they want, but rather more land since..." said Celestia.

"Anuksa vouler aulach? (What's your problem?)" Ashe whispered to Sejuani, "Rou olk salug aouder nent? (What are you here for?)"

"...That is a fair point, but would more land be sacrificed just to be turmoiled..." The griffon king interjected. Meanwhile Ashe and Sejuani were having a discussion of their own.

"Baluch neguwa san; Lissandra monark tomb fulsh bularg malad candiz tomber hurden Freljord!(You were wrong;Lissandra was the one who is responsible for the fall of freljord!)" Sejuani whispered back. Suddenly, Ashe disruptively stood and slammed a hoof on the table, gaining the full attention of everypony.

"How dare you accuse her again!" yelled Ashe, "So this is what you want?! Huh?! To make myself lose my temper in front of everyone?!"

"Queen Ashe!" Cried Princess Luna, "Calm down at once!" However, Ashe ignored her.

"Well congratulations, you have my bucking attention now!" red-faced, Ashe glared at her sister, waiting for her to make her move. Sejuani stood,

"Do I now?" She began, "Not only is Lissandra a fake, but a traitor! And I have proof!"

"This is outrageous!" Lissandra commented.

"Im starting to grow an interest in ponies." The griffon king whispered to the minotaur chieftain, who nodded in agreement.

"Please! Settle down before I have to take you three out of the room!" Celestia's voice boomed throughout the room, but still did not stop the Freljord sisters.

"Why do you hate Lissandra so much?!" screamed Ashe, "Is she our enemy?!" she rhetorically asked.

"Yes she is!" Sejuani matched her sister's volume, "Bristle!" she called to her boar. Moments later, he smashed through the door, carrying a dead bunny between his teeth. The whole room gasped in shock, except for the griffon king who was uncontrollably laughing. Sejuani face-hoofed; Bristle was supposed to bring Trundle's body. He will definitely not be sleeping in the same room as Sejuani anymore.

"Oh my lord!" one of the leaders commented.

"What is the meaning of this?!"

" Get that disgusting pig out of here!"

"That's enough!!!" Celestia's voice shuddered the whole castle, causing all others to become dead silent, "Freljordians!" she addressed, "Take your shame and leave! How dare you ruin an extremely important meeting, and embarrass all pony-kind!" Everyone was still, not daring to make any movement. "I said LEAVE!" Ashe flinched, and moved to exit. Sejuani stopped her, and pleaded with her eyes.

"You have to believe me dear sister, she has been working with Trundle and now she plans to ally with King Sombra. Lissandra is not the pony she used to be."

Ashe turned slowly, with angry tears streaming down her face.

"Firstly, I'm not your sister." Sejuani's jaw dropped, "Secondly, Trundle and Sombra are dead as I recall from my history texts. Of course you were too dumb to know that." Ashe turned once again and galloped out. Lissandra stood to follow Ashe, making an icy glare at Sejuani. She sighted a smirk on Lissandra's face as she exited, only weakening Sejuani further. The remaining Freljord princess dropped to her knees, and cried like a little filly.

"What the hay is goin' on in there?" whispered Applejack. The mane 6 were listening to the conversation taking place within. Although Twilight did not argue back when Celestia told her that she could not attend the meeting, she curiously eavesdropped. "It doesn't sound good at all."

"Sounds like a really really intense argument." Pinkie stated, "Who do you think is talking?"

"Most likely the Freljord princesses." Said Rarity as-a-matter-of-factly, "What do you think Rainbow?"

"Rarity's right; I can remember that stuck-up mare's voice from anywhere." She hissed, referring to Sejuani.

"Bristle!" called Sejuani. The mares looked at each other in confusion.

"Um... girls?" Fluttershy's voice was shaky, and her hoof was pointed to the charging boar. They screamed as they made room for Bristle, but Fluttershy was frozen in fear. Luckily, Rainbow Dash was able to swoop down and bring her out of harm's way.

They dared not peek in, as carnage ensues.

"That's enough!!!"

...Everypony straightened up and did not make a peep.

"That's probably Celestia." Said Twilight. Never before has she heard her mentor raise her voice so high, or any of Twilight's friends. They find that Fluttershy is not in sight. Rainbow Dash simply shrugged when they looked at her for Fluttershy. Assuming that she is hiding, they decided to look for her later. They listened to the rest of the fiasco inside the meeting room.

Ashe galloped past them, then Lissandra followed.

"Come on girls, if we can re-unite Luna and Celestia, than we can re-unite Sejuani and Ashe." said Twilight as her friends nodded in agreement. Fluttershy emerged from the ceiling and tried to control her breathing. "Rarity, Applejack, and I will take care of Ashe, the rest of you take care of Sejuani. We're getting to the bottom of this: if Lissandra really is an imposter."

The ghostly armour made it's way towards the shore. Ryze was controlling it of course; the spell was successful. It was an all-new experience for him, since he was in a state of an arcane ball, powering an ancient relic. Sarhoth held onto Quinn, and Krypt planned to fly under Ryze and the armour. In case something were to happen, he'd be able to catch him. Before they launched away from the Shadow Isles, a fireball singed Sarhoth's wings, rendering her flightless until she healed. She gently placed Quinn on the ground as she tended her wing, while everyone else looked to see who was responsible.

An apparition of Mordlen stood tall and angry. He roared, shaking the nearby trees and water. Behind him stood Mordekaiser and Hecarim.

"Return us the armour of Illitheas, and we'll spare your life." said Mordekaiser, "Or perish beneath your own ash and blood."

"*SCREECH*" said Valor.

"You're right; we need the armour, and we'll keep it or die trying." Quinn stood in combat stance, "So you can take your metal plots and sit on a tomb stone, because we're not giving it up to a bunch of ghouls."

"So be it!" Hecarim screeched, "May the gates of Tartarus have mercy upon your souls!" He stomped his hooves, trying to intimidate the guards to make their first move. All of a sudden, a torrent of cards came crashing down in front of the guards, revealing the magnificent Twisted Fate... and the allurous Evelynn.

"It'll be mighty smart to back off before you hurt yourselves." Twisted Fate sneered at Morde and Hecarim. They only laughed hysterically at the stallion's threat. At that moment, Yorick, a ghost of Pax, and Thresh emerged from the forest. The guards were at a disadvantage: they were backed to the sea, they had wounded warriors ,and they were on their land.

"Ryze!" Quinn called, "Go return the relic to Zargonath!"

"I will not leave behind my friends!" he replied.

"Just go! We'll die in vain if you don't return the armour!"

"...but--"

"GO!" She turned to fire a volley of bolts at an incoming ghoul from Yorick. Ryze weighed his choices, scouring his mind for an alternative. Eventually, he decided to fly back to the dragon kingdom. Krypt's eyes glowed green, and his spine became more vibrant. He placed a claw on the ground to summon the spirits who were willing to assist them. Thankfully, there were plenty who wanted revenge on their tormentors. Claws,hooves, and ghoulish hands emerge from the ground beneath Morde and Hecarim, attempting to root them in place. While Ryze took to the skies to escape. Behind him, Mordlen and Pax gave chase, but was quickly stopped by Krypt and Valor.

"Good luck my friends." He muttered, before resuming his flight. He did not want to look back; all of Equestria is depending on him.

They waited impatiently, trying everything possible to keep themselves entertained. Ezreal was wondering what Sivir was packing, since she is an hour late. Normally, she would be left behind and forced to do degrading duties, but since she's a VIP mercenary, they can't. Ezreal didn't pack much, it wasn't usual for him to carry bags anyways. As a young colt, he indeed loved adventure. Just like his father. They've rarely met because his father was always away exploring, drinking, getting caught in jail etc. Ezreal used most of his free time to read books. Then one day, he stumbled upon a folklore of Wriggle's lantern. Ignoring the dangers, he sought out to find it. When he returned, his father disappeared.

"Everypony! May I have your attention?" announced Poppy, "As of now, I will not be joining you guys in the trip. It's..." At that moment, two ponies stepped in, interrupting Poppy. One was a stallion and the other was a mare. They both wore seemingly identical armour and coat colour concepts. Instead of a rich light-brown mane, she had a golden mane, that glistened in the slightest light. Ezreal fell-over with his jaw agape. They both had cutiemarks that was deprived from their family's crest, with small counter-parts; she had a yellow and white spark as the background, and he had a claymore as a background. They both had sky-blue eyes, and proud faces.

"General Garrison and Captain Lux." Poppy greeted, "It's a pleasure to have you two on board." Ezreal zipped up to Lux first and shook her hoof violently.

"Hi I'm Ezreal and it's so great to have you come along on our mission!" he said, then General Garrison stepped forth, towering about a feet taller than Ezreal. He reached out a hoof, causing Ezreal to flinch even though he was offering a hoof shake.

"Greetings Ezreal. As you know, I'm General Garrison but I prefer to be called Garen in informal times." his voice seemed to make Ezreal even smaller. However, the explorer wanna-be made an awkward laugh and shook his hoof.

"Hello Garen."

"And this is my beloved little sister, Lux." he gestured his sister to greet the blond pony.

"Greetings fellow guard." she said enthusiastically as she shook hooves with Ezreal. He put on a devilish smile and leaned on his right fore-leg.

"Hey there," he winked, "so how long have you been in the elite guards?"

"Not very long, about 5 months in training and a year in the guards." she said, which was longer than Ezreal's time there, "How about you?"

"Uhh, I forgot?" he lied.

"Okay than. I look forward to spending time with you and our comrades." she replied, while all Ezreal heard was 'spending time with you'.

"Yes, welcome. You can all introduce yourselves when you're at Zebrica. Now move to the teleporter now!" shouted Poppy.

"Are we here yet?!" demanded Annie for the 99th time.

"For the 90th time Annie; we're not." whined Veigar as he slumped through the shady woods of the Everfree.

"Perhaps we might be 'here' after all." said Kassadin, catching the interest of everypony. After constant treading through the muddy forest, everypony needed a good rest. They questioned Kassadin's statement, until they saw what he was referring to. The small town seemed to be ridden with vast purple veins that have grown into the buildings. The grass was wilting, and the dirt had small drops of blood, leading to the inner parts of the town. Beside them was a cottage that was utterly wrecked. Suspiciously, they heard a small yelp from inside. Fiddlesticks was voted to investigate.

"Hello?~" he said in song, "Anypony home?" a rabid purple-veined squirrel rushed to greet him. The squirrel screeched as it dug it's long claws into the bark of Fiddlesticks' face, blinding him with brown fur. He swung his scythe, but very careful not to hit himself... but reckless to destroy the living room. Luckily, Kassadin quickly knocked away his scythe and cut the squirrel in half all in the same motion.

"This town has already been corrupted by the void. It is apparent that it has taken wild creatures too." said Kassadin in a monotone. Suddenly, they heard a scream from outside. Giving up on investigating the house any further, they rushed to assist the fillies. They find a scorched bear with no head, and Maokai's left arm scratched up.

"Don't worry Kassadin," assured Little Strongheart, "Nopony got hurt badly." earning a relief from Fiddlesticks and Kassadin. As they venture deeper into the town, they find a sign that read 'Welcome to PonyVille'. Unfortunately, nopony recognized the town. Although Strongheart said that she had friends who lived here. From where they stood, which was in front of a cylinder building that was ruined, they could see the grand city of Canterlot on the mountain side. It warmed their hearts to know that they were finally close.

"Come on, we gotta get to the city." Fiddle broke the silence. Eager to reach their objective, he began trotting towards the mountain, but stopped and turned to notice that the fillies weren't following. "What's wrong?"

"Shouldn't we stay here for the night?" asked Annie, "It's getting dark and scary." They didn't realize that the moon has risen.

"I agree with Annie, we do not want to encounter anymore creatures until dawn." said Kassadin, "Let us find a place where we can all stay." Everypony nodded in agreement, where as Fiddlesticks was already ahead in clearing the first standing building. It gave the appearance of hospitality, and joy at the same time. On the side that leaned in front of the building read "Welcome to Sugarc--e Co--" the rest was missing from the wooden sign. Cautiously, he once again, stepped into the building.

"Hello?~" he said in a melodic tone, expecting another squirrel to jump onto his face again. With no response, he placed his hooves inside and retried. "Allo?~"

"Stop being a bundle of hay and hurry up!" urged Veigar from behind.

"Yes yes, sorry." he straightened up, letting his guard down and casually checked out the place. There were smashed and rotten cakes and cupcakes on the shelves, and a counter draped in purple veins. He stepped into the room to the left, to reveal a machine that stretched and produced candy, with jars of candy and colours on the shelves. He hesitated to tell the fillies in risk of sugar cravings.In the room opposite, was a simple kitchen that seemed perfectly available for use. Upstairs let to a hall of rooms, one was for children, another was for a more mature pony, and the last one was for what seemed to be a couple's room. On the desk was a picture of 5 ponies smiling. Fiddlesticks returned downstairs to find Maokai having trouble fitting through the front door, and Kassadin and Little Strongheart restraining Annie and Veigar from entering the sweets room.

"I'm going to find proper food elsewhere in town." Fiddlesticks announced, only receiving a grunt from Kassadin. He shrugged, assuming that meant a whatever. He moved past Maokai, who gave up and sat on the porch. However, Fiddlesticks wondered into the house next door, only to find an empty house with an empty fridge. He moved on to the next house. He regretted cutting down a corrupted squirrel, but thankful it wasn't something bigger.

The next rows of houses weren't possible to enter, so he went to the otherside of the street, to come up with nothing once again. Eventually, he came in front of a treehouse that had purple veins covering most of it. It was rather an impressive treehouse, so he decided to give it a try. Inside, was a vast library that seemed to be undamaged. Approximately 30 minutes later, he found a secret stash underneath a bed, but only revealing a useless pile of gems. When he gave up on the search, he tripped down the stairs, in front of the kitchen. He facehoofed for not noticing the room earlier. Thanking the monarchy, he carried food that consisted of hay, dandelions, water, and corn. He ignored the urge to have a flashback from the corn to his own farm, as he didn't have time to dwell.

Once he came back, they were waiting beside Maokai and rushed to greet Fiddlesticks in his return. He was surprised that the fillies didn't get to the candy yet.

"Veigar blew up the candy room." Kassadin briefly explained, as if he knew what he was thinking.

"Yay! Dandelions! My parents used to always give me this for being a good filly." smiled Annie, which surprised Fiddle and Veigar that she didn't grief from the memory that the dandelion gave her.

"Let us go inside and prepare our rest, yes?" said Little Strongheart. Strangely, a purple dot was stained brightly on Kassadin's forehead. Nopony noticed or cared. Then, a void bolt seared through the air, which was nimbly deflected by Kassadin's void blade. From the boutique shop on the hill yonder, another void bolt zipped at Fiddlesticks, hitting him in his left-hind leg. He yelled in pain and dropped the food as the bolt seared the wood.

"Get inside! Go go go!" screamed Kassadin. Everypony rushed to get inside the pink building.

"But what about Maokai?"asked Annie who was shivering in fear. Kassadin pushed Annie inside, then turned to help Fiddle recover the food. Kassadin blocked another incoming bolt as Fiddle galloped inside. He turned to Maokai and took hold of his body. With all of his strength, he rift walked with Maokai into the building but suffering the consequences. Maokai was weakened really badly and Kassadin hurt his legs. Nothing too major. They moved the shelves to block the windows and the door. They waited for something to happen, and they were going to be ready.

Meanwhile...

"Let's go." initiated LeBlanc to her followers. She wore a golden tiara with a shiny ruby in the centre. She had a purplish-black coat, and a violet mane. Her cape matched her mane, as it also had golden outlines and golden interior. She held a long staff that cresented 3 different pink crystals. She had a crystal that was split into two colours; pink and yellow.

Leblanc and her followers were in an alleyway, just behind Canterlot residence. She shot a purple arcane at the unsuspecting guard in the back. Their plan was simple: cause carnage. The barracks of the royal guards were right around the corner, but that was part of the plan. Another squad of the Black Rose sabotaged the building and rigged it to blow, after the guards cleared out first of course... they weren't looking to kill anypony... yet.

There was a knock on the door,

"Come in." said Leona. She awaited for a response, but eventually she ignored the knock. Until it came again. This time, she got up to open it to give quite a lecture at the pony who stood outside. She had a crimson purple coat, with shining golden armour that draped over her hips. Her cutiemark was the mark of the Iron Solari, who were personal warriors/acolytes/councillors of Celestia's.

A royal night-guard from Luna's personal came in.

"Major Leona, we got a riot down by Hayley street!" he reported, "We know that you aren't usually supposed to be participating in night affairs, but Luna has requested that you send your units in too."

"I see. Very well than. Tell her that I will do her bidding."

"Yes ma'am." he took off and beated his bat-wings into the air. Those bat-ponies always crept Leona out. She quickly galloped to the Iron Solari barracks, to alert the warriors of an in-town riot. Thankfully, the rioters were foolish enough to start their carnage near them. The warriors were quick and made their way to the armoury. In their surprise, the armoury blew up, injuring a couple of warriors.

Leona sighed, "Guess we'll have to use our hooves!" She heard the moans and complaints of the warriors of Iron Solari as they rushed out the barracks. Frankly, she too complained. Behind her, the barracks also exploded. Causing cold shivers to run up her spine. She galloped back to check if anypony was left behind in there, and luckily there weren't. Frustrated, she stomped on the ground. "Go get the rioters under control!" she oprdered the lingering warriors. When she got up to follow after them, Leblanc blocked her path, carrying a black rose in her teeth. Without a word, she dropped the rose. With a puff of smoke and sparks, she disappeared.

Chapter 16: The Dauntless

View Online

"Not all those who wonder get lost." J.R.R. Tolkien

Tonight, the night had her strangled. Shyvana could barely stop thinking about her father. She constantly ran the whole scene over and over again, hoping to find someway where she could've saved him. The thoughts kept clouding her mind from focusing at the task at hand. She helped to set up the tents and supplies after her conversation with the prince. Ever since, every soldier avoided her as if she was a plague. They truly meant no offence, but that didn't mean that they won't judge her. She overheard one of them saying how dragons eat their own children if they deemed un-fit; which is utterly the most ridiculous rumour she has heard. After all, every mother are the same. While she was daydreaming, she heard faint but gradual voices.

"shyvana...Shyvana...SHYVANA!!"

She snapped back into the world and jumped in sudden fright. She remembered the things that happened now... she had a small chat right after Jarvan dismissed his colts to relax and rest.

...

"Look," he said, "You should relax more; it'll make you seem more likeable, you know: loosen up a bit, have some fun, smile!" He prompted to make her smile with his own.

"If only that is easy as it sounds." she sarcastically huffed. Hopeful that he got the gesture.

"Ah, but it is!" he ushered Vayne to come who was leaning back on a tree polishing her silver bolts. She neither responded or cared. "She has troubles getting to know others too."

"I can be social when I want to, don't try to push me."

"That's exactly what Vayne says all the time!" then an idea popped in his head, "Why don't you go to Vayne for a chat? You both have plenty in common."

"What makes you think I have anything in common with that stuck-up? We said the same phrase to your..." she hesitated to find the respectful word, "Unnecessary request."

"I know you both, so I think this could work."

"Oh, so now you know me as much as an elite who has been working with you for probably more than a year, while you have only met me tonight."

"Exactly, because I know merely nothing besides basics about her."

"Forget it." she turned to leave, but a soldier came forth to have a moment with Jarvan. While they were off to the side to talk, she walked away.

"Shyvana!" he called back, "We're gonna have to know some things first, will you come back with us? Shyvana? Hello?"

"SHYVANA!! HELLO?!" Jarvan grunted in defeat. He brought her here to discuss more about Burdac, instead she just stood there staring into space. They were so close to bring her back to reality the first time, but she just jolted and fell into deep daydream once again.

"Do we really have to deal with this now? We could try again in the morning." suggested his second highest ranking officer, Iron Score

"I'll consider it." he sighed, "Do we have anything else?"

"I believe not sir."

"So be it."

"So let's revise on what we know so far."

"Yes." approved Jarvan, "We know that Burdac flew west, towards the ocean. Potentially, he may resort to sheltering in pony territory if he were to cross the ocean and into the dragon's migration area. However, he may also turn to DireCliff canyon if he were to take a move to south. He may also head to to the northern tribes if he is able to get past the desert north-west from us. Although we are strong, he is stronger. He may very well be preparing a trap and we'll be walking right onto it. We have also gain news to make haste since we have scouts who have returned with distress from neighbouring villages. I have advised them to leave the distressed for now, for it is the dragon's business."

"So what do you think we should do?" said another officer, "Our party is far too small to split into 3 groups strong enough to withhold Burdac."

"Yes, we wouldn't be in this tight spot if we kept following Burdac's trail instead of settling down for the half-dragon." implied Iron Score. He earned a disapproving glare from Jarvan.

"She is a very vital part of this chase, and she may be the one who will finally bring down Burdac. Moving on."

"Yes sir, sorry sir."

"It's alright, I too have worries that her feelings will interfere with her goals." he pointed to the still fazed Shyvana. He sighed, "You are all dismissed, go and rest, we'll continue in the morning."

They saluted in response, then exited in a calm fashion. Now left Jarvan and Shyvana in the tent. He stood right in front of her, and tried to call to her without physically touching her, since he too had fears of her fury.

"Shyvana, come on, snap out of it!" nothing seemed to work... "Shyvana! WAKE UP!" she remained still. "Okay than." he said before he lifted her onto his back, "Please don't kill me if you can hear me." He carried her across the camp, only to realize that she didn't have her own tent. It was not gentlecolt-like if he placed her in his tent, unless he himself had to rest somewhere else. He didn't have any motivation to do this if it won't catch Burdac any faster. So he had her lean on a tree. He then joined his comrades for a chat around the fire.

Kill Burdac, avenge father. Kill Burdac, avenge father. was all she thought about. Soon enough, her mind cleared up and she found herself in a dark forest, leaning back on a tree. Was the prince and his colts all a dream? Was her father's death a dream too? Unfortunately, her hopes were crushed as her left eye caught a flicker of illumination from the campfire. She scoffed, pathetic ponies, thinking they could take down a dragon who has slain lives that equal half of their capitol city's population. She despised her pony-form. Anydrake in her position would loath it as well. It had the other cruel dragons discriminating her, and the supposively peaceful and open-hearted ponies are terrified of her. She had no purpose, nor did she feel she had any purpose in this world.

A minority.

There was one task that she had to finish, and it is clear, "Kill Burdac, avenge father." she said aloud. She burst into a furious fume of flames, and spread out her wings. She lifted off into the dark and cool night, with the moon lightly illuminating the forest.

"Kill Burdac, avenge father."

Meanwhile, further north-east from Jarvan and his soldiers.

Ryze collapsed in utter exhaustion once he barely made it to the shores. He wasn't sure if he was in the right region too. It took every last micro-bit of magic in him to power the armour. He had no plan. He had no one to help. He only hoped that his friends back at The Shadow isles were alright. Before he started his journey and studied deep into the principles of magic, he thought that dragons were intolerant, insensitive, murderous beings. He thought that dragons were unorganized, nor did they have a sane sense of humour, (he has also never seen a female dragon) until he embarked to dragon territory. Most of his studies rarely involved information about dragons, so he was open-minded to learn. He learned that dragons are indeed aggressive, but they are loyal to each other. They have spirit and will as mighty as the Luna or Celestia. They had a side that ponies never indulged on. So Ryze had sincere respect for dragons... his friends.

He fell unconscious before a mere dragon farmer noticed a clump of unscathed metal on the shores, piled on top of a blue unicorn.

"Wow! This is already plenty!" Luio exclaimed excitedly, while gazing into the large trolley of all sorts of gems. Taric truly was great with gems. Taric simply didn't have anything to say, but smile and gestured to return back to the entrance. Luio mustered up the stray gems which fell out of his buckets and backpack and caught up with Taric. As they walked through the plateau, they witnessed the beauty of it which they have not noticed before. It was like looking beyond a plains, which ends with the sunset; it was like one of those scenes from a movie where the cowboy gallops towards the setting sun with his mare beside him. Awkwardly, Luio didn't want to look beside him.

"Let's keep going." he suddenly said, "I gotta get back A.S.A.P you know."

"Right of course, of course." Taric replied, "I guess when the whole continent is in distress, everypony is in a rush."

"I'm glad you--..." Luio stopped mid-sentence, and simply stared into the sunset with his jaw agape.

Confused, Taric was hesitant to ask, "What are you cawing at?" He didn't get his answer immediately, instead Luio spoke slowly.

"You know how to fight voidlings... right?"

"We had limited knowledge, but we have had sessions learning a fair amount of information... I hope that's not what I think it is."

"Let's just put your title 'Gem Knight' to use." he said as they both fled towards the entrance faster than they intended to, with an army from the Void approaching from behind, with Cho'Gath to lead it.

A bright and almost blinding light engulfed the visions of everypony in the room. With a huff of smoke, and sprinkles of magic dust, 5 elite royal guards of different sizes stood within the deceit. It was indeed a very long while since somepony has used the global teleporter, since the Crystal Empire has only reappeared recently. So the guards weren't warned of the side-effects:such as nausea, headaches, immediate fatigue, blurred vision, death, crippling, dismemberment, sudden diarrhea, and/or amnesia. The effects were extremely rare, as far as some believe, if you do not travel with more than 3 creatures. Any number higher will triple your chances of getting the side-effects with each being.

Ezreal immediately threw up his breakfast, Garen kept his stoic pose even when he had a brown and green spot, Sivir fainted, Lux kept squinting to see more clearly, and Kennan experienced yet another massive headache. The high priests who were in the room rushed to assist each of them. Luckily, the effects wore off some-what quickly for some.

"Get them in order and clean, otherwise there will be too much we have seen." the eldest and wisest priests jokingly commented as he glanced at Ezreal. He awkwardly smiles in reply to the old zebra, who witnessed another round of vomit. He smiled too.

Several minutes later, they were back to their normal state, and ready to meet Azen, the top priest.

As they were being guided by yet more priests/priestesses, Ezreal whispered to Sivir, "I think Garen really did have something happen during the teleport."

"What makes you think that?" she whispered back.

"He's more stiff than usual."

"Like I noticed." she sarcastically replied, "He was probably super lucky, and didn't get something."

"Attention up front comrades." Lux ordered Ezreal and Sivir. In their minds, Sivir imagined stabbing her with a million daggers, Ezreal thought of a sick... fetish? Regardless, they arrived at quite an impressive hall, completely decorated and many shades of gold that painted the ceilings and the walls. In the center was a large round table with the priests surrounding it. Apparently waiting for the guards to fill up the empty spaces. The guards politely joined them and was served steaming tea, which brought a soothing aroma.

"Greetings my friends," Azen began, "I am sorry that we have forgotten to have warnings that we had to send. I assume that your superior has already told you your mission, so we have one last decision."

"Of course grand priest Azen." implemented Garen,

"Than we will prepare you for the night, which you will depart at the next sunlight."

"Your hospitality is very much appreciated Azen." bowed Garen. Ezreal, Kennan, and Lux did the same gesture. Sivir purposely stood still and shift her lips to the side, challenging Azen. However, he did not take mind of her own gesture. Once he left the room, the rest of the priests followed. The other zebras, both priestesses and maids, escorted them to their designated room.

Later that evening...

Searing pain succumbed Kennan. His mind was getting another vision that was obviously a deed by Malzahar... or was it? The moment Kennan thought of that question, all seemed to settle down; it's as if that was what the void wanted to tell him! He was trilled that there was another way to end his nightmares. He laughed and hollered at the simplicity of the solution. Was he mad? He would notice if he started acting dingue (means "crazy" in French). He didn't want to 'hang' with his comrades, he felt like frolicking through tall grass and flowers.

"Is he okay?" asked Garen, "Or is he usually like this?"

"Definitely not okay." whispered Ezreal, "His eyes are bleeding, so I doubt that he's usually like this at all. I should know since I've been with him for over a year."

"I see."

"Should we go calm him down or something?"

"I presume that you'll be best fit to converse with Kennan, while I get rest. Goodnight Ezreal."

Ezreal sighed, "Goodnight." He too laid himself in his cot, trying to block out the happy noises from Kennan. He thought about the life he had before he was enlisted, by He drifted off too quickly for himself to stop and... talk... to... Kenna...

"CAW!" cried the little crow.

"Coast 's clear." Fiddle whispered, "Let's move." the group of fillies and supernaturals strolled out of their accommodate. Last night wasn't a pleasant rest, since Veigar wouldn't stop boasting, Annie kept acting negative, Fiddle complaining about his wound, and the bugs that came in and annoyed them. However, they had Maokai who required no sleep (apparently) and kept watch at the window. They had breakfast before they left, so their food didn't go to waste after all.

They kept watchful eyes around them, hoping that the shooter wasn't present.

Unfortunately, it was too soon. With amazing reflexes, Kassadin was able to dodge an incoming bullet. The shooter was clearly stationed at the library tree. So they devised a plan once they were hustled back into the candy shop. It wasn't quite a significant plan, but it was worth a shot.

...

"GO GO GO!" shouted Fiddlesticks, as he ran across the road towards the end of the street. Annie and Veigar followed.

A shot was fired upon them, but it barely missed Annie. Fiddle then summoned his crows to shield the incoming shots. Rapidly, the crows fell, one by one, two by two. The shooter was definitely skilled, but was about to get quite a surprise. Suddenly, the firing stopped, and was diverted to someplace else. Kassadin's sneaky tread towards the treehouse was blown. He was pinned behind a ruined house, making it hard to keep moving without getting hit. Maokai then came charging in down the main path, directly towards the treehouse in an open area. He was able to take some hits before Fiddle arrived to cover him with his crows. Once again, Kassadin was on the move. Unfortunately, he was once again targeted, forcing him to take cover once more. As Maokai moved in, there appeared a peculiar piece of glob in front of them. They decided to pay no attention to it, and walk run around it. It was a mistake.

The glob came alive, and latched on to their legs, despite the distance they had between it. Now open to fire, Fiddle struggled to keep his crows under control to volleys of fire. Kassadin was still pinned, and the others were stuck... buying them perfectly a lot of time.

Suddenly, Little Strongheart lunged at the shooter on the ledge, and got them both onto the floor. Both traded major blows, but Strongheart, true to her name, came out victorious. Help quickly came, and they bounded the shooter to the floor of the ledge.

"You'll never stop the Void! NEVER!" it yelled.

"You can bet on it scum." cried Veigar, but Strongheart recognized that voice, but not the body. Then the images came together.

"Caitlyn?"

"Don't you love the new me?!" she cackled, "Embrace the Void, apprehend power beyond your desire!" she cackled once again, frightening poor Strongheart, causing her to back away.

"I say we keep her hostage." sneered Fiddlesticks.

"What use would that be?" Kassadin asked rhetorically, "We must execute her, making less numbers for the void army."

Before they could even act, she disappeared in a blinding flash. They were all surprised, but they were more disturbed that who was once a pony, could become so... different. It made them silently realize that Kassadin has dealt with this himself, yet he did not change his heart. Finally, they stood up from the spot Cait vanished from, and looked to Kassadin for the next course of action. He knew just what to do.

"Let us not dwell in this town, we must keep moving to Canterlot." he turned to leave, but no one followed.

"Come on!" enticed Fiddle, "The sniper may come back if we stay."

They agreed mutually that they didn't want to run into her again, so they came up behind Kassadin. Just as they left town, they found the grand city of Canterlot just looming on the side of the mountain. It looked perfectly fine from their point of view, which was good news. The only issue was how to get up there.

"I guess we could climb up." suggested Little Strongheart, "It's far and steep but we could do it."

"I prefer a more efficient solution." said Kassadin, "Are there no roads leading to Canterlot?"

"What about those train tracks?" Fiddle sighted the channels of caves, with train tracks running through them. They indeed lead to the city, "We just have to find the train station near here."

"Assuming that there is a working and running train to use."

"Can we at least check?"

Kassadin thought for a moment before he replied, "Would be logical to. Lead the way."

"With pride!" Fiddle huffed his chest to improve his statement, "Now we just have to find the train station."

"On it!" saluted Little Strongheart, "I'll be as quick as possible."

"We shall be right behind you Strongheart." said Kassadin. She nodded and leaped away to kickstart her run around the town. The rest of the group followed behind her, while keeping a watchful eye for any trouble.

It didn't take long to find the train station, but they sighted no train in sight. They obviously didn't expect one to come by to pick them up, right?

Inside the station, they decided look around for any useful things, food was priority. Fiddle stepped into the building, finding that everything was clean, aside form the dust that has accumulated from lack the of accommodates. He hears a strange cackling sound. Cautiously, he scanned the next room for the source of the sound. He finds a radio left on, that seems to be on. Although it is familiar, he did not know how to use it at all. on the front was a panel of many different dials. On top was microphone, and the back was many intricate wires, leading to another dimension.

Suddenly, a static voice blurted from the radio, "Hello?!"

Fiddle jumped back, startled by the sudden voice.

How do I work this damn thing?! he repeated in his mind while he frantically tried to find a way to reply.

"Is anypony there?" the radio continued, "Hello?

"Yes! I'm here!" yelled Fiddle.

"Can anypony hear me?" the colt on the other side of the radio did not get his message.

"What is going on in here?" Kassadin asked as he stood at the doorway. Without a word, he observed the scene, then held down the 'reply' button.

"Yes, can you hear us?" he said.

"Oh my stars! We actually found strays!" the colt on the radio cheered, "Alright, stay put, we're sending the train to the station. Please inform us which station you're at if you choose to accept our rescue."

"Crud! Where are we?!" asked Fiddle,

"We are in PonyVille's train station. We will be waiting."

"Alright, I hope to see you back in Canterlot." he stopped giving signals. The blinking light on the radio device indicated that it was available for another transmission; they had to stay put until help arrived.

Kassadin sighed, "Nice job Fiddlesticks. Now we must find ourselves a place to rest until they arrive."

"Why do I have to do everything?" he responded in a sassy attitude.

"Very well. You stay outside to watch the children, and I will look for some food."

"Sounds good to me." he said with a smile. He frolicked outside to find Maokai staring into the town. He ignored him, so he went to check on Annie, Veigar, and Strongheart. They were asking Strongheart about her home and culture, what it's like to be a buffalo. Maokai moaned, catching the attention of everypony. He was still staring in the same direction.

"What's the matter Maokai?" asked Annie, he answered with one action and word.

"Look" he pointed beyond the city buildings. They couldn't see what he was seeing because he was 3 times taller than any of them. However, that became irrelevant since it was clear now.

In the distance, was an approaching void army, lead by Caitlyn.

Shortly after the dismissal of the Freljord sisters...

Celestia sighed deeply, "I apologize for that. This meeting has failed, half of our leaders, including the Freljord sisters, has left on such short notice, yet we have not been able to get through many important matters as I wished to."

"Enough moping!" cried the Zaun king, who has been quiet for quite a fraction of the meeting, "If we want to move on, we simply move on. So come on! With limited food and supplies, we will wipe out if we continue to hide behind our walls!"

"Lower thy voice my lord. Your temper is getting dangerously high." said Luna through gritted teeth.

"Calm down, I'm sure we our supplies will last us long enough for 5 months. We finished harvesting season recently."

"But I haven't!" said the Ursine chieftain, "Our harvesting season is due in 3 weeks, and my people have evacuated their farms! We will not be able to last 5 months your highness."

"Sheesh." the griffon king whispered to the minotaur chief, "Like things can't get any worse huh?"

Just then, a stampede of messengers and squires rushed through the door, blabbering many different things. It was hard to hear even one of them. Celestia stomped the ground, emitting a resonating silence. All stood still, not prepared to test a demigod's powers.

"In an orderly fashion, please give us your messages." she calmly said, but nopony did not want to talk. Another messenger, this time from Luna's protege, bursts through the door.

"Princess Luna!" he cried, "We have an imminent void invasion incoming!"

"From where?!" she shouted back.

"From South-East... where they have wiped out Fillydelphia."

Everypony gasped.

"How close are they to Canterlot?"

"They have 30 minutes until arrival."

"Motherbucker!" Luna cursed, "Mobilize the forces! Now! "

"Yes your highness!" and he quickly went off.

"We're under attack too" said the griffon king's messenger,

"Our's too!" said the small minotaur who was his leader's messenger.

"We are also under invasion!"

"We too!"

Celestia, who had her jaw wide open, breathed out and did not blink, "Oh Gaia, what shall I do?"

Author's Notes:

Whoops!!! Sorry guys!!!! I accidentally published this chapter before it could finish >.>
...

and i accidentally deleted the whole chapter.... *le sigh*

So im super duper sorry that i didn't get this chapter fast enough at all. Guess i have experienced my first major writer's block. Im not sure how im going to make it up to you guys at all.

also, for now, no more new suggestions, the whole future story has been revised and planned out, which does not include every champ... yet ;)

Also, please tell me what you think of the story so far, if i made any mistakes in both the plot and grammar, or just say hi

next chapter will not take as long as this (pinkie promise:Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye, so if you lie to Pinkie Pie, she will come and you will die)

Chapter 17: Remorse, Hence the Scars

View Online

"Tread carefully upon razor's edge. Suffering awaits." ~Anonymous

"Hey! Stop that!" she demanded at her sister who was afloat in mid-air, beating her wings with ease. Unlike alicorns in Celestia's world, these two sisters were born as alicorns. In their world, everypony is granted horns for the use of magic, wings for flight, and immortality to ensure justice forever.

"Come on! I'm only helping you fly better." her sister taunted. The first sister was adept with her flight, and surpassed many others with her magic skills. She had a glistening blonde mane, just like her sister, and she had a matching bright gold coat to go with it, just like her sister. She was the first to get her cutiemark in her class, she was also out performing her older sister, who didn't get her cutiemark yet. She had a golden star, freckled with red sparks, and she was proud of it, no matter how royal anypony else's was.

"It's very fragile! Give it back!" she jumped, flapping her wings to snatch the glass rainbow dandelion. To no avail, she could not get anywhere near to her sister. She had pearlescent blue eyes, where as her sister had ruby red eyes.

"Fragile? Like your pretty face?" the flying sister taunted once more.

"At least I don't have ugly and freakishly big ears!" she retorted.

She only laughed in response, "Oh... wrong move Kayle." Morgana dropped the glass dandelion, hurling towards the ground while glittering her eyes with the sun's reflections.

Kayle moved quick, but not quick enough. The glass dandelion shattered into glistening dust when it hit the dirt, creating a frosted patch where it broke. Kayle herself was shattered.

It was a gift from her Sugarcloud (equivalent to Valentines or Hearts and hooves day), he who meant so much to her.

She gave a big huff, then turned towards her home.

"Oh what now? You going to tell dad?!" cried Morgana, "You gonna cry? Face it, he only liked you because of your face." Her taunts went ignored, as Kayle kept stomping towards the house. Morgana sighed, "Fine. I don't care anymore." she turned away from the house and played with her dolls.

Dad was meditating in front of a GenkiBlossom tree, letting the crimson blue petals fall as they drift off with the soft wind. He was quite a figure in their grand city, he was the 5th member of the high council, the most powerful group on their world. He is also well known to be very calm, very wise, very skilled in both combat and strategy.

"Dad!" Kayle called with tears streaming down her eyes, "Morg broke my Sugarcloud gift!"

He sighed, "So what?" he said, "I think you should focus on honing your skills, than getting chased by boys."

"That's not the point, Dad. I hate her." she said strongly, "I hate her so much, I wish she was dead!" she stomped away, but was called back.

"Kayle, is that so?" he asked calmly, she nodded. He opened his eyes, drawing himself away from meditation,"Morgana!" he hollared, "Come here please!"

She soared over the house, and landed gracefully beside him, "Yes Dad?"

"Come meditate with me."

"Okay?" she sat in front of the GenkiBlossom tree and closed her eyes.

"No no, you should sit up and lean against the tree, it's more healthier."

"Sure thing Dad." so she comfortably leaned against the tree. He moved really quick, and wrapped his hooves around Morgana's neck, and strangled her against the tree.

"DAD!" Kayle yelled, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Morgana panicked too much to concentrate, and perform an escape manuever; she was busy trying to pry off her father's hooves for some air.

"Isn't this what you wanted?" Dad said calmly, "You wished her death, and I'm being a good father by granting your wish, so isn't this what you wanted?"

"NO! STOP!" she started trying to pry off his hooves too, but the sisters were only fillies trying to compete with a grown muscular stallion.

"How far will you go to save your sister?" he said as she threw punches at his hooves,

"What will drive you to keep her close?" Morgana's face was turning purple,

"She does not have much air left, will you be fast enough, strong enough to overcome odds?" Kayle's tears blogged up her eyes, making it increasingly difficult to see,

"Isn't this what you wanted?"

"NO!" Kayle screamed at the top of her lungs. She moved past her sister, and turned to buck her father's jaw. Her strength was not formidable by his standards, but it was enough to make him let go of Morgana. Quickly, she clutched onto Morgana, wrapping her hooves tightly around her sister, who in return held Kayle tightly too. Kayle's hooves were trembling, from the sudden use of so much muscle, and Morgana was taking deep rasps of breath, to get herself to normal regulation.

He recovered, and stood in front of his daughters.

"Family is everything." he spoke, "You protect eachother, no matter what stands between you two. You never stray afar from eachother. You never leave her to die." he proceeded to tread back into the house without another word nor glance.

The sisters cried into eachother's shoulders under the GenkiBlossom tree.

...

Morgana's mind was back into the present, her honour and her dignity ripped from her.

"Sisters are supposed to protect eachother." she spat through her gritted teeth. She flew further, and further from the city she grew up and loved, to where ever an exile would go. This time, she did not cry, she did not greedily breath air, she did not falter. Her eyes were no longer ruby red, they were crimson blood red. It has been nearly 10 000 years since that day when they were young, and neither of them broke the sentiments their father told them, until now.

"Morgana!" Kayle called from behind, "Stop and talk to me!"

"I hate you! You lead a tyrannical race!" she screamed back.

"Than it's mutual!"

"I wish you were dead!" she blasted a large arcane bolt, barely missing Kayle by just millimetres. She then whipped smaller arcane blasts, at her. Kayle dodged swiftly, and she took some of the hits with her enchanted armour.

"Stop that this instant!"

"Afraid I'll mess up your hair?!" she yelled, "Too perfect to get another scratch on your armour?" she conjured tendrils, which were unusually dark purple, completely unnatural use of arcane magic. Kayle slashed off the incoming tendrils with the righteous blade, forged by the gods, and gifted to her for completing the zealous test, ahead of her younger sister. "I was at the top with my performance! I was supposed to be honoured Knight of Justice!" her magic spells became fiercer, "I was supposed to be loved!" her eyes glowed bright, "I was supposed to be the chosen one!" she released a homing dark bond from her heart, which latched onto Kayle's heart, her soul. "You were supposed to protect me." she sobbed.

"ENOUGH!" Kayle screamed, emitting an inner shield, rendering every attack from Morgana useless. She bathed her sword in bright flames and pointed it at Morgana. "I've been patient with you enough," her shield wore off, but it did not encourage Morgana to press further, "You diminulized me," It was her turn to strike blows, so she slashed her blade at air, seemingly doing nothing, while Morgana felt the searing hot blast of righteous flames, "You lie to me," she slashed at each pause, "You ashamed me, you never listened, while I always took the blame." Her horn shone brightly as she stuck out her left hoof, "I was the one who always loved you, but you never loved me back." she blasted a red magic bolt, coming in at Morgana very quickly.

However, she used an amateur spell, so Morgana simply countered it by conjuring up a spell shield, making Kayle's attacks useless. She smiled deviously,

"It's called a black shield, from the dark spell tome." she sneered, "Guess I really am the bad guy." she then fired a violet ball, which hit the vulnerable Kayle. "That one is called dark binding, and I have you right where I want you." she lashed out a tendril, which hurled towards Kayle, and pulled her down to the ground, not landing softly at all. Morgana then toiled the ground beneath Kayle into dark tar, which sucked the literal life force from her, to Morgana.

"I've always loved you as a sister." she said before her eyes shone purple and her cutiemark change. Instead of a golden star, she now had a dark purple halo, with spikes pointing downwards underneath it, she was a fallen angel. Before she could finish her off, she sighted squads of elite crusaders loom over the ground. Promptly, she left Kayle there to wither, while she made her leave. It was one last spell that she wanted to use. She stood on her hind legs, and waved her front hooves to focus the magic that channelled from her horn. She used much of her mana pool to perform the spell, but she smiled widely as the portal to another world opened. As she placed on hoof in, she felt the foreign tingle through her body. She looked back, to see that Kayle's bind was about to wear off. She didn't react quick enough before Kayle charged towards her with her sword pointed.

Morgana swiftly dodged to the side, but Kayle managed to cut a piece of her left wing. The fallen angel screamed in pain and she panicked. She scurried to escape into the other world, but Kayle kicked her away. Morgana stumbled to the side of the portal, when she was so close. Kayle descended upon her, and said no words, she resumed to strike down on her. Each slash, Morgana moved her body away, but each slash, tore a piece of her wings off. Blood was sprawling all over herself and the ground around her.

As a last resort, she pushed Kayle off of her, but was prepared to do one last spell when she recovered. She opened her jaw just as her horn lit up. Then, she began to suck the rest of Kayle's life force from her. Powerless, Kayle crumbled onto the floor.

Morgana pitied her dear sister, and once again, left her to wither. She stepped through the portal and looked back.

Much as changed, and not to the way she liked. As she turned back towards the portal, Kayle rose onto her hooves once more. A new dawn light shone on her. As if the light gave her renewed strength, she lunged at Morgana, pushing her and herself, through the portal. Once the tip of her hooves were in, the portal vanished without a trace.

"Finally free..." she muttered to herself, "But am I really free?" Syndra treaded through the streets of Ionia, and into the other half that was controlled by the Ionian resistance. She descended from the temple she spent more than half of her life in. All she wanted to was to understand her powers, and perhaps lead a non-tragic life. She remembered the days when she lived with her parents; she was a very messy and spontaneous troublemaker, never making it easy for her parents. Unlike any other child, she was so powerful with her magic, to the point she matched the potential of a grown alicorn. For months, she tormented the city, and harmed the inhabitants unintentionally.

One day, the elders of Ionia stormed in to take her away.

She wanted be taken away, to somewhere she won't hurt her friends again.

The temple where she spent the rest of her life, to this point, was vast and isolated. There, she had a mentor named Menes (me-knees). He swore to take care of her, and teach her to harness her power.

Eventually, she realized that he was holding back her powers to not help her harness, but to "restrain" on her usage. He refused to co-operate, additionally, he swore to take her powers away all at once if she couldn't calm down. She deftly murdered him, for daring to stop her.

She felt no regrets once she realized that she overreacted, the old stallion was slowing her down anyways. She didn't feel any remorse, nor pity for the fallen city.

She felt dead.

It was obvious that she was alive, but she began to question her own feelings. Who were her friends? Seeing enough, she decided that she will not show-off her powers to the city, but instead train herself in the temple.

She turned the other way on the brick path that lead deep into the Ionian jungle at the end.

"What are we going to do?!" cried Luio in panic, "I can't take the pressure!"

Taric proceeded to slap him out of his dilemma, "Pull yourself together! I need you to sprint as fast as you can back to the Crystal Empire, or they'll never see this coming! Do you understand?!"

"What about you?!"

Taric sighed, "I swore to place my life on the line, to be prepared to sacrifice everything to hold back the enemy." he lended a hoof, asking for his shield back, "I must delay them as much as I can from here."

"Then I'll stay with you." Luio said strongly, without falter, "We'll place our lives on the line, prepared to sacrifice everything to hold back the enemy. We'll delay them as much as we can from here."

Taric grinned, there is no greater honour than falling beside your comrade, protecting an entire city. He glared at the incoming wave of void creatures, "We must let none through the passage."

"Right!"

"Prepare for contact." he said. All of a sudden, segments of crystals began to grow out of the ground beneath Taric, as if he had them at his beckoning. The plateau no longer showed the sunset, as the day has fallen. It meant that they lad limited time before the sky will become dark. Inside, he prayed that Celestia would let the sun hang among the clouds for a little more time. It was hopeless to defend against a whole armada of void creatures, but he will fulfill his people's destiny: to heal and protect the good. Just like his father.

"Sorry that I have not clued you in about this." said Luio, leaving Taric wondering what in the world he was talking about. He emitted a quick and bright flash, revealing Luio's true form.

Taric watched with bewilderment, "You're an alicorn?!"

"Son to the former queen of the Crystal Empire, reporting for duty." he gleamed, I figured that it won't matter if you knew the truth about me, nor will it affect many ponies much."

Before either could comment, the sky was littered with masses of purple energy boulders, that moved slowly, but packed a devastating explosion. They looked like asteroids. They came from the horizon, at least as far as their eyes can see.

"Move move!" yelled Taric, as he thrusted his shield into the air, firing a beam of glittering light from the crystal in the center of the shield. The beam disrupted their path, thus causing enough damage to explode in mid-air. Luio began to fire magic beams at incoming purple asteroids as well.

They observed how only some were fired near them, while others flew far above their heads, above the passage, and straight into the city. As he was busy not focusing on the incoming asteroids, one came in too fast. Luckily Taric was able to strife to the right to get as far from the impact as possible, Luio tried to strafe to the left, but was caught in it's deadly radius.

"This is merely not a large problem," Skarner told himself, "They're just curious fillies, probably oblivious to what's happening around the world, just like good children." he slouched onto the floor, partially giving up on looking for the fillies who he lost. If he were to target one, the other two would stray even further. He didn't want to use his magic, but they lead him with no choice. He made two copies of himself; they were crystal exoskeletons. Each splitted up, charging around for the lost fillies. The his 1st exo-skeleton clone headed towards the stadium, where they were originally going to have the Equestrian Games olympics take place, but that has changed since the world crisis.

As expected, he found Scootaloo glumly sitting in the stands, daydreaming about the day that she would be featured in this stadium. She was definitely not feeling happy, nor wonder. After all, she did have a small-big fight with her two best friends, her only friends. She didn't seem to care when the clone approached her with no caution whatsoever.

He raised her upon a bed of crystal, and scooped her up. She was carried along behind the clone, as he kept the bed trailing behind him. Apparantly Scootaloo gave no bucks.

Meanwhile, Skarner's 2nd exo-clone was after Sweetie Belle. She was no where to be found. The exo skeleton had no thoughts to use to figure out where she was, all it could do was run around until he found his target. It did not mean that it had no intelligence. He galloped to and fro, searching houses and crystal buildings. Not a clue of Sweetie Belle so far. Until the clone entered a theatre. There, he loomed down the alley, searching the seated crowd for her. Despite the attention he was attracting, they all suddenly got up from their seats and started clapping madly. The clone did not notice the orchestra on stage. The Maven of the Strings, the current performer on stage which the clone presumed from his earlier observation on the billboard just outside the theatre. She took a bow, but she remained on stage, and moved back. Then from the side curtains, the host came out.

"Wow. What a valorous piece of elegant vibes. Next up: our final, and last-moment entry, Sweetie Belle!" he said. The clone's ear perked up in light of this new clue. Sweetie Belle stepped onto the stage, and stood in front of the microphone. She didn't have a smile.

Once the clapping died down, the piano started playing single slow keys, and she began to sing,
"Mirror.
Tell me something.
Tell me who's the loneliest of all?
Mirror, tell me something.
Tell me who's the loneliest of all?
Mirror, what's inside of me?
Tell me can a heart be turned to stone?
Mirror mirror, what's behind you? Keep me from the things I see
Run and keep me from the world,
Why won't you let me hide from me?
Mirror mirror

Tell me something,

Who's the loneliest of all?

I'm the loneliest of

All." She still did not smile, but instead she let a tear fall. Before she could bow, or let the crowd applaud, the clone snatched her fro the stage and rushed outside.

Meanwhile, the real Skarner scratched his head for ideas on where AppleBloom may be. Nevertheless, he relented on to search for the missing filly.

Finally, he found her wandering on the outskirts of the town, by the crystal berry bushes. Although she did not take a bite of any of the berries, she seemed to enjoy the view beyond the Crystal Empire. Skarner approached her sincerely, sensing that she was not in a good mood. It was obvious since he witnessed the fight between the trio. Once he got closer, it was apparent that she wasn't "enjoying" the view, she was only in deep thought. Skarner came to sit beside her, and together they sat in silence.

"What are you doin' here?" she asked, breaking the silence.

"I came here to find you, and I found you."

"That it? Real weird to just sit here and do nottin' "

"Well we are talking, are we not?"

"I guess so." she slumped her head down, allowing yet another silent break.

Skarner just sat there proudly, staring into the distance. He seemed to be a lifeless creature the way he had no pupils in his eyes, but he let a small smirk slip.

"Whatcha smilin' about?" she asked, grinning too.

"Just enjoying this view." he said, "You know, 1000 years ago, I used to sit here with Queen Terra, just to share a small conversation and thoughts."

"Who's Queen Terra?"

"A very good ruler." he sighed.

"Ruler of the Crystal Empire?" she asked as he nodded, "What happened?"

He sighed once more, "I'm afraid that I will tell you that later in time."

They sat yet again, in silence.

"Do you think we're still friends?" she squeaked,

"Perhaps."

"No not you silly, we're obviously friends..." she snickered, "Ah was talkin' bout Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle."

"Well," he started, "You three are quite good friends the moment I met you, right?" she nodded, "I don't know much about friendship, but there is a bond between you and your best friends that can never be severed forever."

"That's not true. Ah said terrible things, and they said terrible things. We're done."

"So you believe that they are mad at you forever? Even that is impossible for me, but my record was 1000 years, nopony can beat it." he winked, earning a small giggle from AppleBloom, but she was still sad. Not knowing much about friendship, as he mentioned earlier, he didn't know how to fix the broken hearts of 3 little fillies.

Above, the sky was decorated with small dots of purple shining balls. At first, it was quite a luminous view for Skarner and AppleBloom, until they mysteriously became larger, and larger, becoming large threatening purple meteors. Skarner scrambled to snatch up AppleBloom and run towards the city, just as one exploded where they sat in silence. The city was under siege, from a barrage of deadly magic meteors.

Fiddlesticks rushed into the train station to see Kassadin lurking in the small food kiosk. Immediately, Kassadin turned to see what Fiddlesticks had to say.

"The Void are coming!" he simply yelled, "We gotta get out of here quick!"

"We can not. We have rescue incoming." he calmly said, "We will hold this station until they arrive."

"We can't fight off an army!"

Kassadin did not avert his stare at Fiddle.

"Oh, right, we're freaks of nature who have a lot of combat potential." Fiddlesticks realized sarcastically. Kassadin dashed out to call the fillies and Maokai into the building. They blocked the windows on the bottom floor and climbed onto the top floor, where they made their last stand. Annie were strangely fearless, along with Veigar and Strongheart. Fiddlesticks however quivered in fear. Kassadin and Maokai remained emotionless.

"Veigar, Annie, start firing your spells at the bad guys when they come close enough, and do not stop until we tell you to." ordered Kassadin, "Fiddle, you climb onto the roof and knock out the flying creatures. Maokai and Strongheart, make sure non makes it in."

"What are you going to do oh-so-powerful Kassadin?" asked Veigar.

"I'm going to take out Caitlyn." he said before he teleported outside.

"WHAT?!" cried Fiddle, "He's charging into a whole army, and expects to pass through to fight her?!"

"Looks like it" said Strongheart.

"I'm not ready to do this, can't i just stay down here with you guys?"

"Stop whining and go already!" scolded Veigar, "Don't be such a filly about it."

Fiddlesticks huffed to release some stress, and was filled with new determination. He was blessed with new abilities, to protect those who needed it. Veigar was right: stop whining and go already! He galloped up the stairs and observed the flying freaks of horror from this so called lame Void. They were similar to bats, but with very sharp tails just like a hornet. He called upon the spirits of the crows that rested within him, and held that power for the right moment to release it.

Before he let the apparitions burst, he yelled, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" a flock of crows flooded into the air from his chest, attacking any nearby enemy. Each void-bat was duelling with at least 3 crows, that bit and tore their flesh rapidly. He laughed manically, sort of making Kassadin facepalm as he looked back, but Fiddle was silenced as he was suddenly hit by a bolt of purple, most likely Caitlyn again, knocking him down.

Kassadin was too far in to go back now, he had a job to finish. He faced the void army that struck fear in him once more, reminding him of his past voyage to save his daughter.

He had a new family, and they were counting on him.

Kassadin quickly opened a temporary and a small enough portal for him to walk through, and he disappeared among the eyes of the horrific creatures.

Chapter 18: The Observer Effect

View Online

"You'll never find a rainbow if you're looking down."~Charlie Chaplin

"Yoohoo! Sejuani! Come out, come out wherever you are!" cried Pinkie Pie.

"Ugh!" grunted Rainbow Dash, "She could be anywhere in this castle!"

"Let's just keep looking Rainbow, I'm sure we'll find her." encouraged Fluttershy.

"I'm sorry. It's just that this is so whacked out!"

"It's alright Rainbow, I know it's very stressful, but we've got to keep going."

"Okay okay, you can stop being so sappy with me now." she said. They both giggled and smiled in content with each other , grateful that they had each other as a true friend. Just then, Pinkie suddenly waved her tail madly.

"Oh! Oh! Twitchy tail!" she warned. Everypony knew what that meant, at least everypony in Ponyville.

A deafening explosion shook Celestia's fortress, causing rubble to topple upon the three's heads. Luckily, the rubble was not fatal, nor enough to knock somepony out.

"Run!" hollered Pinkie Pie as she made a mad dash to the door up ahead. Then another large blast shook the castle, causing rubble to fall in front of the door, blocking one of their escape routes. They turned the other way, to then see that it was also blocked. They had no way out. Once again, an explosion created a large hole in the outer wall, creating a way outside. Fluttershy was locked in a fetus position, forcing Rainbow to slap her out of it.

"Thanks.." she mewed as she tended her bruise.

"Don't mention it. Now come on!" Rainbow Dash picked up Pinkie Pie as they left through the hole. Fluttershy picked up Angel Bunny as she too left through the hole. She finds Rainbow hovering in the air staring at the scene before them. Soon enough, Fluttershy and Pinkie's jaw dropped at the sight.

Torrents of purple clouded the night skies, creating havoc wherever they land. They thought they had a magical barrier that protected them from invaders, but it proved to be apparent that it was useless against the attackers. Among a flood of voidlings were behemoths of nothing they have ever seen before. Few resembled lizards, some resembled creatures from their old mare's tales, and others were horrifically unrecognizable. They crowded around the stone walls that stood between them and the ponies within Canterlot. With ease, they broke through within a matter of minutes. Overwhelmed with fear, Fluttershy dashed out of sight without a word. Rainbow looked around for her, but instead flew to a higher point of the castle and placed Pinkie there.

"I'll be back!" she said before she dived into battle. There is no way you're gonna take Canterlot!, she clenched her eyes to squeeze out the tears. She approached the crowd of voidlings climbing the wall near the speed of light, breaking the sound barrier. A massive sonic boom resonated from Rainbow Dash. The sonic rainboom!

Voidlings were wiped out in that general area, but behemoths stood strong and stomped onward. At least she delayed them from climbing through the wall. She could hear faint cheers from the other side of the wall, but when she turned her head back in front, she immediately tried to dodge a leaping behemoth, but as the behemoth's face was now visible, she froze in fear. She felt like she was in a nightmare like non she has ever experienced before.

They say the unknown is what everyone is afraid of. So why was she scared of one that was right in front of her? Luckily, she was barely scratched only on her right wing. She swerved around in a 360, and dashed back within castle walls. She collected the excited Pinkie, who couldn't stop blabbering from watching a rainboom from a high point of view. She took her from her tower, and brought her to a more safer place for now. She just hoped that she didn't have to go back in there. She shuddered at the thought of seeing a behemoth again.

Veigar let a storm of falling dark matter from the infinite skies, incinerating the Void creatures. Their numbers were relentless and powerful, but they only drove his adrenaline faster. She laughed maniacally as he powered his sceptre to bring down the wrath of dark magic. Annie was busy hurling fireballs at the ones that Veigar keeps missing. She gets a little irritated about that, but his power truly was great. Maokai and Little Strongheart was behind them, smashing the ones who leaked inside the station. However, none of them will have a chance of surviving unless the train came in less than 10 minutes they hoped.

Meanwhile, on the roof.

Fiddlesticks rubbed his head, trying to ease the pain from the impact. He remembered a loud whistle, then BAM! He was knocked out. He figured that he wasn't in severe condition, but what happened he wondered. Laid in front of him, was one of his crows. The crow had a large void bullet bulging out of its chest. it had taken the shot for him. Quickly, Fiddle moved to recover him and lend him some life-force through his magic. When it seemed to be working, Fiddle had the largest smile on his face. When the healing was complete, the crow started shaking madly. It started coughing, splattering, and kicking. Then, he opened his jaw wide, wider than it should be able to. Out of his jaw, crawled purple tendrils, spreading around its whole body. Fiddle immediately dropped the crow and watched it become one of them. Behind him, he heard a distinct *Choo Choo*. Moments later, he found himself face to face with a voidling who climbed onto the roof.

With his quick reflexes, he slashed down on it, cutting it cleanly in half. He panted with exhaustion. He had used most of his energy on summoning the crows.

"Mister Fiddle! We're going now!" yelled Little Strongheart, "The train is coming!"

He nodded, "The move! I'll cover you all!" he replied. Just then, Annie and Veigar busted through the door, so now everyone except Kassadin and Maokai stood on the roof.

"This way!" Strongheart leaped to the opposite side of Fiddle, and climbed down. The other fillies followed. But he broke off from the group. He knew he was supposed to look after them, but he was also supposed to look after Maokai. When he opened the door to downstairs, he heard loud cries and moans. He rushed down the stairs to see Maokai wrestling with a junior behemoth. As the behemoth charged at Maokai, it was barraged by a flock of crows that nipped away at it's skeleton. Fiddle grabbed Maokai and pulled him outside. He found the fillies defending on their own, but it wasn't enough to stop the main part of the horde of void creatures. Luckily, the train stormed out from the cave, and slowed down when it approached the station.

The train conductor did not stop. He slowed only enough so the survivors could hop on while it kept moving.

"Hurry and get on!" the conductor yelled. The train had only 1 passenger cart. No doubt that it could fit them all. Besides, what was the use of having additional carts to slow you down?

First to hop on was Annie, followed by Veigar, then Little Strongheart. Fiddle took the time to call in the crows back before he too hopped on. It was Maokai's turn, and it was hard for a tree to catch up with its stubby legs.

Fiddle rushed to the conductor and said, "Hey! You gotta slow down! We still have a friend out there somewhere!" Just then, Maokai grabbed onto the side of the door, then lifted himself onto the hoofsteps. Then the corrupted crow that Fid met earlier, dived down upon the train door. It screeched as it bit into Maokai's neck, terrifying the children. With brute force, Maokai grabbed the crow with his free arm, and crushed it with his fist. He threw the corpse out the door, watching it wither into dust. It was merely an apparition after all. Meanwhile, in the conductor's cart.

"I'm sorry but we can't stop! Especially when there is a mass coming for us!" the conductor screamed, with a hint of sorrow.

"You have to! He's a dear friend to us! He also knows how to stop the threat!" Fiddle screamed back with invisible tears.

"Well all I can do is slow down for a bit. If he doesn't come, we'll have to leave him behind! Either that or we all go down!"

Fiddle stared out the window for Kassadin, but he was not in sight. At this point, they made it past the train station, and they were able to gaze on the incoming horde. Still, there was no sign of Kassadin at all. The fire that lit the hope that Kassadin would survive, was gone.

"Alright! I gotta gun it! They're coming too close!" the conductor kicked up the acceleration lever, hopped off from his seat, and madly shovelled mounds of coal into the engine. Fiddle's ears heard nothing but the increasingly loud noise of the machine.

As the portal dissipated from their own world, but appeared in another, the sisters are thrown into a heavily heated siege in an alien city. There were ponies such as them, but also monstrosities whom are violet. Among the ponies were griffons,minotaurs, and unseen species that neither Kayle nor Morgana has ever imagined. However, they fought together to fend the purple creatures from their city, but they were confused when they found 2 strange alicorns tumble into their world.

Kayle kicked Morgana towards the ground, with force so immense that it made a crater upon landing. Before Kayle could dive to land another strike, a large behemoth, resembling a rhino rammed into Kayle. She spun out of the air, but was able to recover and land safely. She dashed forth, and flayed the behemoth's head off as if it was made of paper. She looked back to the spot where Morgana had landed, but she was no where in sight.

Damn it! she swore in her mind, I'll find you... and I will bring you in for justice.

She was disruptively interrupted, by a flying behemoth that resembled a hornet with claws and corrosive spit. As she dodged a blob of that corrosive spit, she was able to get a real view of the beings that lived here. There were ponies and other species, fighting a greater enemy. She didn't have to ask which side was clean or unclean. Her job was to purge the unclean, and bring everlasting justice to the world. She gave a mighty battle cry, gaining the attention of nearby soldiers, and charged forth to the behemoth with her righteous sword pointed.

Shyvana did not sleep at all that night, but her determination to hunt down Burdac never faded one bit. The winds that night were very gustful, making it harder and harder to fly. She fussed about how she shouldn't be slowed down by simple wind. All of a sudden, a silent swoop of something smacked into her side.She tumbled in the sky for a moment, before she regained her balance, then she turned to see what obstructed her.

Burdac screeched before he clenched her neck with his claws, and brought her down to the ground. She was nearly knocked out when she was slammed into the dirt, but she could not make a counter move when he had her pinned. He snarled as he smiled, although there was a clear scar below his eye from their recent battle.

"You're still foolish as ever!" he said, "Now I'll kill daddy's little girl." he opened his jaw to bite her neck and snap it, but a silver bolt flew in from their left, and pierced Burdac's right eye. He screamed in pain, and flew up to recover. Vayne made quite a good shot;one that probably saved Shyvana's life. Then Jarvan and the rest of his footmen entered the scene.

"Tether him down!" commanded Jarvan, and his colts followed through. They shot harpoons that latched onto Burdac's legs and wings, and made him crash into the ground. Before they could secure him, Burdac swept the footmen off their legs with a strong lash from his tail. He once again, flew up into the sky and breathed an intense circle of fire around Shyvana, Vayne, and Jarvan cutting his troops off. She was far too tired and injured to inflict a fatal blow, but she was able to hold him off before she could escape... or can she?

Vayne tried her best to dodge and shoot bolts at the same time, but she couldn't take the heat that Burdac constantly breathed at her. The least she could do was delay him for Jarvan and his troops to move in. The flames did not die down, and it was amazing how Burdac was able to keep Shyvana and Jarvan away, while focusing on Vayne. Knowing that this wasn't going to work, she had to do something.

She forced her legs to sharply change course, and straight into Burdac. She tumbled forward, and at the same time pulled out her large crossbow. She lodged silver bolts into his legs, which only made him mad. Unable to dodge after an engage such as that, she braced for impact as she felt a thwack from his fist. She was sent through the firewall, and collided into one of Jarvan's troops. They quickly doused the flames that lingered on her leather armour, and went back to creating an opening in the flames. It was dragon fire, they learned that it was nothing like natural fire.

Jarvan thrusted his lance forward, extending its range to reach Burdac from a safe distance, while managing to graze his wings. Jarvan then un-hitched his Equestrian standard, and launched it onto Burdac's hind leg, pinning him in place. Then Shyvana followed up and pounced forward with her claws aimed at his neck. She then swiped with her talons to prevent Burdac from biting her, while she attempted to gash open his neck.

Burdac was able to free his hind leg from Jarvan's standard, and kicked Shyvana off with tremendous force. She collided into poor Jarvan, who laid beneath an 11-ton Shyvana. The sinister dragon then back-clawed Shyvana off of him, and grasped onto Jarvan. He smiled as he brought him up to his face. He treaded to the nearby cliffside. The flames behind the three was still burning strongly, keeping the back-up out. Shyvana was too weak to take another blow and Burdac held out his claw, threatening to drop his pony hostage to his perilous death. Below were sharp stalagmites and a rushing river. Jarvan still held onto his lance, but he did not try to break free from there. Behind Burdac stood his standard.

"Ponies are too easy a prey, I'd rather leave you to fall prey to others." the drake snarled.

"I'll hunt you down, fool!" quipped the prince. Perhaps he should have said something more threatening.

"The only down I know is death." he released his clutch, expecting to witness Jarvan to get pierced by the stalagmites, but he propelled his lance to his standard, catching its handle with the teeth of his lance. As the lance retracted to pull himself up, but the standard was not sturdy as he thought it was. So with no luck , he tumbled down alongside the cliff's edge.

Shyvana lunged after him, "I'm coming Jarvan!" she screeched while dive bombing down to reach him. Burdac simply laughed, and flew off.

The wind was incredibly strong that night, and kept leaning Shyvana to the cliff side, but she had great control by flying downwards. Jarvan kept screaming, as the ground rushed to meet them. Then at the last moment, Shyvana grabbed Jarvan by his legs, and flipped over with her backside facing down. She held him tight to her belly as they braced for impact.

With much fortune, she managed to slip in between the stalagmites, but landed very hard.

Also fortunate, Jarvan was still conscious from the fall, and coughed a bit of dust and blood, but they weren't his blood. Shyvana's body was riddled with grazes and scratches, where her blood dripped. He was practically in debt to Shyvana for saving his life, but then he feared that she may not awaken. His hopes were renewed as she made a loud groan. She too, coughed out dust and blood. Once she recovered, she launched herself up. Her wings were exhausted, but she pressed on. She found it to be extremely difficult as she fought against the wind. Eventually, she crashed herself into the wall with Jarvan still in her careful claws. Shyvana was barely 1/4 on the way up, but she wasn't ready to give up yet. She kicked off the wall, and tried to fly up once again, but fell down from her loss of balance, thanks to the wind. She crashed into the same spot as before. She sighed, she gave up.

"You alright Prince Jarvan?" she said, relaxing into the position she was in, due to her exhaustion.

"Yea, I'm good, thanks to you."

"Good."

They sighed, and let their heart beats calm down.

"So uh, " Jarvan started, "We should start climbing up the cliff." Shyvana, who was already looking up estimated that it would be a 1.5km climb.

"You can start, I'll catch up." she rasped as she closed her eyes.

"On second thought," he looked up, to see that the climb will prove to be near impossible, "Let's just find somewhere to rest."

"Sounds good." she took Jarvan off of her belly and placed him onto the shore. She also dipped her wing into the water, savouring the refreshing sensation. Satisfied, she stood up and morphed back into her pony-form. She stood beside Jarvan, motioning him to get a move on. He was stuck in thought for a moment, then he pulled out a large piece of chalk from his pocket. "What the heck is that for?" she asked with a hint of annoyance.

"I'm going to create a line on the cliff wall as we walk in a direction, so if Vayne and my colts were to climb down here, they'll see where we went by following the chalk trail." he grinned as he dragged the chalk as he walked left. (Jarvan's left)

"Pretty clever, but what happens when it rains?" she leaned her posture to one side, as if critical of Jarvan's thinking.

"Well, that's what I'm hoping to not happen."

With a sigh, she treaded beside Jarvan along the riverside, heading upstream. Together they travelled in silence, letting the scratch of the chalk on the rocks and the gushing sound of flowing water satisfy the lack of conversation. Just about 15 minutes ago, all she wanted was vengeance. Although her goal has not changed, she felt that the urgency was unnecessary. She felt like she had more than enough time in the world to bring him down, but it was because she was so thoughtless which delayed the hunt even further. She felt as if the world held a grudge against her... for being a minority. She still felt the strong gale of the wind, blowing against her. She knew non-other who was a half-breed such as her. She didn't belong in this world. The sky was still dark, even though it was supposed to be morning. She also found it odd that she and her kind had to depend on pony demigods to raise the sun and the moon. It seemed that they were not doing their job, or perhaps something happened to them.

*Click* Jarvan's chalk broke.

"It's alright." he winked. Fortunately, he had more. They kept walking on, until they found a spot that gave a wide berth between the cliff wall and the river. He continued to mark the wall, while walking into the tiny tiny clearing.

Shyvana walked to the mossy centre of the clearing, and rolled in it.

"Wow! This is the softest moss I've ever touched!" she commented, "Shall we stop here?"

"If you insist." he replied as he placed his chalk back into his pocket. Where was the pocket? In between himself and his armour. He went to join Shyvana, and decided that they needed a fire going. Fortunately, they were surrounded by trees.

Later that day, the afternoon was still dark as night, and Shyvana watched in boredom as Jarvan once again, attempts to ignite a fire. He was getting frustrated. Usually, he would have some flint to help him, but all he had was his lance. He used a heavy rock to scratch some sparks into their firewood, but it proved to be fruitless.

She rolled her eyes. She puckered her lips and spat fire onto the pile of wood, giving it ample amounts of ignition. When it lit up, it also startled Jarvan. He gave a sheepish laugh and sat in front of the fire. For about a good 5 minutes, Shyvana finally broke the silence.

"So Prince Jarvan--" she started.

"Please, no need to call me prince." he said. With a sigh, Shyvana tried again.

"So Jarvan, do you have a family back home?"

"No. All I have is my cousin Blueblood. He's a stuck up. How about you?" he idiotically asked. Obviously she did not have a family back home.

"My brother, but he's not biologically my brother." she sighed. At least Jarvan didn't make her sob again about her currently deceased family members.

"What's his name?" he asked.

"It's... um..." she cursed to herself, unable to recall his name. She was always able to know his name!

"Look Shyvana, I'm really sorry that you've lost so many in your family, but you don't need to make up brothers or sisters."

"No no! I do have a brother, I just... can't remember." she punched the ground in frustration. Suddenly, she realized that her fondest memories with him were gone. It was similar to forgetting how to walk.

"Well, just to let you know that we, the Dauntless, are your family now." he said, "We'll always be here to care for you." assuming that his troops are not scared of dragons such as her anymore. She took in those words deeply. She enjoyed the idea of being accepted, but she doubted that she'll last long aside ponies.

"Thanks, but at this point I don't quite want such things," she lied to herself, "But enough of talking about me. Why did you start travelling around the world just to hunt down dangerous creatures?"

He hesitated to tell her at first, but he was ready to open up. "The real reason huh?" he scratched his chin, "Promise to keep this between you an' me?"

"What use would it do me if I blabbered about it to someone else?"

"Just promise me." he stated with a serious and stern face. She nodded, understanding the magnitude of what's about to come. "Back way before the Crystal Empire reappeared," assuming that she knew what the Crystal Empire is, "I trained with the royal guards. Compared to my comrades, I was the most strongest in strategy and physique. However, I had one friend who was stronger but not smarter than me. One day in the field, the notorious Urgot..." also assuming that she knew what the buck he was talking about, "Appeared with an army. It was the first time we met that sack of tard, but he defeated my whole battalion. I was the last one, the one who was in charge of that specific group of guards. Except, when Urgot was about to execute me, my friend miraculously saved me.

Although I was in debt to him, I was also in debt to myself. I felt weak, and I never want to feel weak ever again. Then during my days as part of the Dauntless, I grabbed troops and guards to join me in my adventure. To hunt the greatest beasts, so that I'll be the greatest beast."

"I see, but how long have you been out?" she asked as she was partially immersed into his story.

"To be honest, I have not been counting. I could estimate around 4 months or 5 so far."

"So, you hunted down deadly creatures around the world, just to become stronger than you used to be?"

"I wanted to become stronger than everypony. Until I realized that I am also getting my comrades killed during this. I wanted to stop, and go back home, but what would that make me look like?"

"In my tribe, you would be owned as a hero, and those who fell would be most honourable."

"Well to my people, if I returned with so many dead, I would be deemed as a terrible commander; sending these lives to their doom by accomplishing nothing, but taking even more lives of others." he sighed as he finished, "I want to go home."

She scoffed, never thought she would hear those words from Jarvan. Especially when it was sincere.

"Lucky for you, you have a home and a family. Isn't that what everyone wants?" she said.

He stifled a laugh, "I hate living with Blueblood. He likes to dawdle behind other royalty and kiss hooves to make himself seem interesting."

"Yes, but you'll at least have me part of your family." did she really just tell that to him?

"I see you've changed your mind?"

"Perhaps." she responded slowly.

"It's great to have someone watch your back, to support you."

"Indeed." she yawned, "I I could use some sleep... or rather a long nap in the afternoon."

"Alright. Goodnight Shyvana."

"Good afternoon," she corrected him, "But you too."

Author's Notes:

Also, thanks to a suggestion by one of my readers, i submitted the story to EQD (Equestria Daily) which is quite a prestigious site for brony works, such as fanfics, art, videos, music etc.

However, it stated that i had a lot of grammar mistakes and that Terra was too weak a characterization. I do plan to explain that i intentionally made a weak portrayal of her because i reveal more near the end, which will impact the ending tremendously (hint hint)

If you'd like to add me on EUW, my IGN is WorstSkarnerEUW (huehue) and its level 10 at the moment, so i'm open to play with literally ANYONE who isnt gonna go ranked

I am also low on fresh songs, so if you recommend any, i will gladly consider listening to it, see if it clicks with me

Lastly, i want to remind everyone who gets this far, that the story was made precisely so i can make you feel that sense of...satisfaction and inspiration. There are lessons that i plug into this story that i dearly cherish, and i started writing (or typing) just so you can see how i see the world.

As usual,tell me about what you think about the story so far

or if you have spotted any mistakes

or if you just want to critique my own story with me, that'll be cool

Lastly lastly, i may or may not be very active for the rest of october, mostly because im working on my awesome costume for halloween (its something i do every single year, since my parents let me use sharp tools and foam when i was 15)

So after october is my bliss time for the story ^^

Chapter 19: Skies of Blue

View Online

"I see trees of green........ red roses too

I see em bloom..... for me and for you

And I think to myself.... what a wonderful world." ~Louis Armstrong, excerpted from What a Wonderful World

Ashe fell through a dark hole that appeared out of nowhere. She landed with a loud thud, but it wasn't painful. Strangely, the floor was soft to her touch, it was also liquid. The room was pitch black, so she was unable to see anything at all. She ran her hoof through the floor. She felt the substance weigh heavily on her skin and fur. In fact, she felt like she herself was weighing heavier. Suddenly, the liquid quickly became icy cold, and froze her in place. Her bow remained sheathed beneath her cloak, but she had no reach to retrieve it. Then, a faint spotlight shone down on her, revealing Lissandra who stood in front of her. The ice was made of no ordinary water, it was made of darkness.

"My goodness! Ashe, are you alright?!" cried Lissandra with a hoof up to her chin.

"Lissandra! Thank the stars you're here! Help me out of this!"

"Of course dear sister!" she said, but what really creeped Ashe out was her venomous smile. "Just stay still for me."

Ashe grunted as she repeatedly attempted to pull herself out. With each tug, she felt her exhaustion taking over. Her breathing became slower, and soon her body ceased to work. The last thing she heard before the ice overwhelmed her, was Lissandra's cackle.

Ezreal's vision was obscured by the intense gale of the dune storm. Along with his fellows friends. Together, they treaded through the Shurima Desert. Although their vision was limited, it was possible to see the small monuments that passed by. Each had nopony living in them. They wore white bandanas to keep the sand from going into their mouths, one that Kennan refused to wear. Just yesterday, they left the capitol of Zebrica, and deeper into the Shurima Desert. They stayed that night in the middle of the dunes with a campfire, and then they left once more that morning. What confused them was that the sun was not out.

They took cover behind a tall ruined building that still had a wall standing up. They sat down in exhaustion, and rested there for awhile.

Ezreal sighed, "I think we're at the halfway point." he said.

"Oh? What makes you think that?" questioned a new voice.

"I trust my guts, like I have been my whole life!" Ezreal looked at Sivir with a proud grin. However, it wasn't Sivir. He screamed and jumped in fright.

"Relax, I'm your friend" said the new pony. She had a grey coat, and blonde mane, styled into a bonnet with her bangs hanging down along her cheeks. She was obviously not a Zebra. She too, wore a white bandana. Her cutiemark was concealed, for now.

"Wuh--What are you--Have you been following us?!" he stammered.

"She's been with us the whole time idiot." said Sivir,

"Since when?"

"Since we offered to take her to Urtistan."

"What?"

"She needed an escort, and we agreed to help..." she sighed, "...Idiot."

Ezreal sighed, and apologized to the new pony, "Sorry. I was concentrating on the path."

"It is alright, but please, proceed with your answer." she said.

"Okay... well..." he scratched the back of his head for details to elaborate on. "I call it a gut feeling, just my instincts telling me stuff."

"You can sense distance?"

"In a small way, yes."

Sivir scoffed, not believing a thing he said.

"Okay guys, let's get moving." Garen announced, "We want to make it there before midnight."

"Yes. Let's make haste." commented Lux. Kennan merely nodded and tagged behind Garen. Together, they got up and moved around the building, to continue their venture. Although the dune storm has calmed down just a bit, it was still a struggle to keep moving. For hours, they relented on. They needed a place to camp out because it was obvious that they can't make it through the night outside. Their thirst was dire, and the next town should be just around the corner, according to the new pony.

"Are you sure you're holding that map right?!" Sivir yelled to the new pony, "I see no signs of a town nearby!"

"What map?" she said. Everypony else stopped dead in their tracks, except Ezreal.

"She's right, it's just around the corner! Look!" he pointed to the small lone stone pillar pertruding upwards from the sand. It was sharp at the tip, and it had windows large enough for one stallion. However, it was not a large enough pillar to shelter 3 fillies.

"Okay, there's that." said Sivir.

"What happened to the rest of the town?" asked Lux.

"It's probably just ahead! Let's keep moving!"

Filled with curiousity, Kennan laid back while the group went ahead, and peeked through the window of the pillar. It was hollow.

He brought himself further in, and found that the pillar went deeper than the sand dunes. It was too dark to see the bottom. Using his magic, he held a ball of lightning on his left hoof as a lantern. Below, there was a much larger floor. Then he realized: he was on the roof of a temple. He dashed out of the window, but instead, he fell into the dark temple. He landed hard upon the granite floor. He rubbed his back, tending the likely bruise. Once again, he conjured a ball of lightning in his hoof, and took in the view before him. He was right when he assumed that he was in a temple... just not an ancient burial temple. Skulls and bones hung around the ceiling, and tombs scattered the floor. There were blood paintings all over the walls, in pictures alien to him.

"Kennan?!" resonated a voice from above, "Kennan, where are you?!"

"I'm down here!" he yelled.

"In the pillar?! What are you doing in there?!"

"I found the town!... It's underground!"

Shyvana awoke from a dreamless nap. It was rather really short, but it sufficed for now. She looked to Jarvan, who was shaking and shuddering. She observed that the fire was quenched and is no longer burning. She looked into the sky to see that the moon has risen higher. Whatever today was, it the longest night she has ever experienced. She had to agree, it was quite chilly. She was still in her dragon-form. Although her eyes ached for a longer rest, she had her attention set on Jarvan. Although she had saved him once already, she felt she needed to do another favour. She went over to him and rolled her right wing under him, and placed her left wing over him, acting like a blanket and bed.

"Thanks." he whispered. He indeed felt more cozy and comfortable on the skin of her wings.

"Don't mention it..." she warmly replied, "Or else I might become the one who drops you off the cliff."

"Thank you Shyvana."

She paused before she spoke, "You're lucky I was bluffing."

Soon they went back to sound sleep.

"Twilight! We gotta get outta here!" yelled Applejack, "It's gonna take too long to find 'er!"

"No! What if she's in trouble?!" she festered.

"I agree with Applejack on this one, Twilight. I'm afraid we'll get disintegrated before we even get to talk to Ashe." Rarity added. Twilight took the time to consider the options, and then she decided that Applejack and Rarity are right. Suddenly, a large blur of pink and pale yellow knocked them all over.

Everypony groaned in pain.

"Oh! I'm so sorry girls!" said Fluttershy, "I didn't see you there."

"It's alright-- wait, wasn't Rainbow Dash and Pinkie with you?!" yelled Twilight as she grabbed onto the tuff of Fluttershy's fur.

"Oh! They... um... I'm not sure."

Twilight facehoofed. "Alright, we're all going to go together and find them."

"Right!" they all said in unison.

Then Fluttershy interrupted politely, "Excuse me, but what about Queen Ashe and Sejuani?"

"That will have to wait for later. For now, we're going to save Canterlot!"

She panted in deep exhaustion. Never before has Kayle been in battle for so long. Worst part about it, is that they still come. At the very least, the barrages of purple blasts have ceased. She had lost count of her kills, and the numbers of her allies have diminished vastly.She dug her sword into the fallen behemoth, and rested her weight upon it. There were still void creatures beyond the eye can see,and she couldn't fight all of them alone. Suddenly from behind, a beam of blue light shone from the clouds. When it hit the ground, a bright but brief flash came from it. Luna in her full armour appeared, along with her full forces of lunar guards. Behind the castle was the moon that pierced the clouds and finally gave the land soft light.

They could see. They could fight.

Then as if their hopes couldn't be anymore renewed, the elements of harmony bearers appeared on top of the castle. They glowed faintly which gradually grew brighter... and brighter... and brighter until finally, they unleashed the powerful magic stored within.

The sky was lit with colours, with a flood of rainbow crashing down on the void creatures...

...but, there was one behemoth who was like no other. At that moment, it had no name. Later that day, they called the behemoth, Yoz'ara.

Yoz'ara had a beacon-like rod sticking out from his back. Quickly, Yoz'ara produced energy to power his beacon, making a massive eletrical pulse that affected everything in a 10km radius. It also negated all traces of the magic from the elements of harmony.

Everypony clenched their heads to ease the sudden migraine, but it proved to be impossible.

"I can't use my magic!" yelled one pony.

"Me neither!" cried another unicorn.

"What in tartarus happened?!"

It was apparent that Luna, Kayle, and the element bearers were also strained.

Then another new void behemoth, who was nicknamed Waterfall, sling-shotted itself right on top of Luna's army, and wiped them all out. Not a trace of blood nor body was left. Waterfall then fell apart into tiny pieces, and turned into a liquid substance, hence the name. The substance was gooey and sticky, yet non lethal nor had a smell. There were few survivors, which included Luna, Kayle, and some soldiers. As if it couldn't get any worse, the soldiers that Waterfall landed on submerged from the goo. Except, they were not on the good side.

Luna was still affected by the magnetic pulse that disabled her magic. She rose onto her legs, with tears welling from her eyes.

She muttered to herself, "May the moonlight grant me strength." She flew straight up, and let the moonlight bathe her as she created a shadow which loomed over the battlefield. The moon suddenly resonated a flash of light, likely as bright as the sun. As the light faded back into its normal state, Luna's eye's were still as bright. She looked down, then the castle, then at the incoming flying voidling creatures. She did not pay mind to them. As she reached both of her front hooves out across. She summoned two massive scyths on each fore-hooves at her will. With frightening speeds, she bounced between the flying voidlings, and cleanly sliced each one in half.

As long as she remained in the moonlight, she was granted great power.

Meanwhile...

"GAAH!!!!!!" Rarity and Twilight screamed as they were having troubles handling the magnitude of the pulse. They were relieved when they found Rainbow and Pinkie just in front of them. When they rose to the top of the castle, they felt as if everything will be alright. Harmony will find balance, harmony will cleanse the bad. Everypony else tried to keep Twilight and Rarity calm, as they descended from the castle roof and into the balcony.

"Wha--what do we do?!" cried Rainbow Dash.

"Ah dunno! We can't fight 'em!" said Applejack, "We gotta get out of here!"

"Where do we go?! We're surrounded!" yelled Fluttershy who was in tears.

"Please you gotta help us!" said Pinkie, "I'm talking to you ms author!"

(What?! Me?!)

"Yea you! DO SOMETHING!"

(WHA--how are you in my room?!)

She grunted in stress, seemingly going to give me another yelling. Should I tell her that they'll be alright? Or by telling her the truth?

"I'm waiting!"

(Okay okay! Fine!) I sighed. (You know Pinkie, this is the last time you do this again, you hear me?)

"No guarantees!" she gleefully chimmed.

I sighed once more. (Just watch the golden alicorn in front of the castle)

Curious, Pinkie leaned over the edge and did indeed spot the golden alicorn I was talking about.

Kayle took up her long sword, and charged once more, alone. She diced through small voidlings, she braised her blade into larger ones, and she crippled the even larger ones.

It was two against a whole horde. Luna was busy clearing the skies, while Kayle struggled to stay alive. Then she felt strength. Her magic finally came back. With renewed energy, she flew up into the air, and torched her blade with the flames of justice. She slashed down at incoming void creatures, beating them down as they easily fell. However, a beam of pure void energy pierced into her eyes. In front of her, levitated Malzahar.

"Quite a strong one you are." he said, "You will make a fine addition to the void."

"Not quite so strong you are." she said, "You will make a fine addition to history." She purged the impure forces from her body, and erected a impenetrable shield on herself. She shone bright orange, and she struck down at the purple robed unicorn. She was able to gnaw his belly, but he returned by pushing fragments of void energy to her, hitting her side. He then tapped into her mind, and killed her slowly from within her own mind.

"You dare defy me?" he said.

Just then, Luna dashed towards Malzahar faster than light from behind. He had two blades pierced through his body. He only laughed. Then in a flash, he disappeared. Luna approached Kayle and touched her forehead, providing relief from the terrible nightmares that ate her.

"Dear ally, art thou alright?" asked Luna.

"Yes, thanks to you." Kayle replied.

"Quite a formidable being you are. Pray-tell, art thou from here?"

"No, but i believe I am here to help cleanse evil from this world." she turned to the oncoming voidling army that had reached the castle.

"I liketh thee." Luna smiled, "Let us bring wrath to those who do not belong in this world."

"Yes, let's."

Waterfall reformed itself into its default state, and prepared to jump right onto the castle. Below Waterfall, was Luna's corrupted army. With ease, they were almost too easy for the duo. Whenever Luna was in trouble, Kayle would shield her, and energize her with even more speed.

Suddenly, the void army didn't look so large. They seemed to be doing great since the void army was thinning. Eventually, forcing the void to retreat without their commander.

Luna dropped to her knees from exhaustion, and it seemed that the moon was also tired. Kayle still held her fervour, and eradicated any strays within Canterlot.

The princess of night flew back to the castle, and cried as she laid her head on Celestia's unmoving body alone. She mourned and started blabbering regrets, hopeful that she'll return to life.

Although they held their grounds at Canterlot, they had no more soldiers nor the strength to repel another attack. Their casualties were estimated to be 90%.

Ryze stirred awake in his cot, but it wasn't his cot.

He suffered from a major headache, and deep exhaustion, confusing him further. He was confused about what happened, if he could remember what happened. Although his head was thorbbing with pain, he was more interested in the environment he was in. Everything was 5 times larger than anything usual in a pony's home; the bed was much too large for comfort, as well as the pillow and blanket.

Once his migraine calmed down, he took a better look around the room. Just as he suspected, they were abnormally large. There was a small window that let in soft moonlight. There was a wax candle flickering beside the bed, then nothing else. The walls were made of draftwood and ropes. In time, he knew his amnesia would wear off and he'll get his memories back.

Then, a booming voice sounded outside his door.

"Then how about you work than! Huh?!"

"You can't tell me what to do! You're just an idiotic and clumsy fool!" yelled another voice.

"Well thats very smart of you, to make the idiot do all the important work!"

"It wouldn't be so hard, if you weren't a stupid bitch!"

"You know what?" he said in a lower voice, "I'm out."

"You can't survive out there. You need me!"

"No I don't! It's you who needs me! I am tired of you and your shitty shack."

"Than at least get that disgusting pony out of my shack!"

"I will!"

A dragon barged in through the door, but he did not find Ryze in his bed. Even more angry, he searched the room more intricately. He was no where to be found.

"He's gone!" the dragon yelled.

"Good! Now get the fuck out!"

"I will!" the dragon stormed out the door, and to the exit. "Goodbye father." he slammed the door, causing the whole shack to shake.

Ryze sighed in relief as he rested against the outer walls. He managed to sneak past both dragons, and out the doors to outside. The shack was built beside the sandy white beach, along the shores of the crystal clear water. It's a surprise that the place wasn't a tourist area. Then that's when it hit him...

...where was the armour of Illitheas?

"Gah!" screamed Annie, "Stop it Maokai!" she fired balls of fire at him while she was backed to the end of the train. Unfortunately, Maokai was very resistant to magic. Veigar was knocked unconscious from the treant's mighty blow, as the little mage was slammed into the side of the train.

Because of that bite from the corrupted crow, Maokai lost his grip from himself, and lulled into corruption himself.

Strongheart yelled as she charged Maokai, to at least draw his attention from Annie. He turned to face Strongheart, and charged at her. She dodged to the left, making him run down the aisle. He had too much momentum to stop, so he slammed through the door and into the conductor compartment. The conducter was smashed into the bearings and levers of his own train, immediately dead with his whole body impaled and squished. Fiddlesticks gapped in surprise.

"HEY HEY MAOKAI!" he yelled, "What the fuck are you doing?!"

The twisted treant didn't reply, but instead swung his right arm. He slammed Fiddle to the side of the train. What neither of them knew was that the train was exceedingly getting faster, and there was a sharp turn incoming.

Fiddle unsheathed his scythe and slashed down. With stunning speed, Maokai dodged the sharp edge, and thrusted a blow with his other arm. The bigger arm. As Fiddle was once again slammed into the side, the train buckled side to side on the train tracks. Maokai opened his mouth as oozes of purple slop rolled out.

"You made me do this!" said Fiddle. He used his powers to pierce through Maokai's mind, and inject series of images that any being would fear, but he didn't even flinch.

With the apparant fact that corrupted treants have literally no fear, he struggled to unleash his crows.

However, Maokai pinned the scarecrow down, disabling any further action from him. The treant thrusted his mouth to Fiddle, wanting to bite his shoulder off. In doing so, he left Fiddle's left fore-leg open. With ~~luck~~ quick wits, he grasped his scythe and cutted off Maokai's right arm. He screamed in pain, allowing Fiddle to make one more move before he recovered. Fiddle stuck his scythe into Maokai's back, making him even angrier. He finally had room to summon his crows.

The bustling horde of crows pushed Maokai off of Fiddle. Now that he was vulnerable to Fiddle, he used his scythe to chop him into pieces. More specifically, Maokai's arms and legs. Satisfied, he called off his crows, and leaned down to speak to Maokai.

"What did you do to the fillies?" he said in a threatening tone. Maokai replied by attempting to bite Fiddle again. Luckily, his attempts were futile. Then he started to shake violently, very violently. Fiddle reacted by ending his life once and for all, but as he slashed down, Maokai's newly regrown arm stopped the scythe blade with his grasp. He ripped the scythe from Fiddle's hoof, and threw it behind him. Maokai once again pinned Fiddle down. He tried to bite down again with Fiddle's hooves struggling to shove him off.

He knew he couldn't hold much longer.

Suddenly, a searing void blade pierced through Maokai's head, thus dropping dead on top of Fiddle. He was trapped beneath the body of the huge treant, thanks to Kassadin.

"Thanks, but can you at least get him off of me?" said Fiddle.

"I appreciate your presence if you remained there." he replied. He pulled the conducter off the controls, and pulled the brakes as hard as he could.

As the train neared the sharp edge, leading into a cave, the brakes screeched and yearned. Luckily, the train was light. Unluckily, they were still moving at breakneck speeds.

Then Annie barged through the door. Without a word, she jumped out of the window, and walked to the front of the train. Despite the yells of Fiddle and Kassadin, commanding her to return, she lit her hooves on fire, and blew it on the tracks.

It wasn't hot enough to melt the tracks, but what she did was soften it. The iron of the train's wheels contacted the soft tracks, thus slowing down significantly. Thanks to physics, there was enough friction to barely make it below the max speed of the turn. The train proceeded into the dark caves of the mountainside.

Chapter 20: We Have Held Them Off...

View Online

"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.

Chapter 21:...Until Now

View Online

"Pride is not the opposite of shame, but it’s source. True humility is the only antidote to shame." ~Iroh -Avatar: The Last Airbender (cartoon series by Nickelodeon)

"Asheley!" Tryndamere called into the empty fog, "Ashe! Where are you?" he treaded onward in the red mud. Most of the survivors were busy collecting bodies to properly have them deceased. Their dead bodies that were infected with the void produced a toxic fume. Everypony had to wear a soaked rag of cloth wrapped around their mouths and nostrils. Aside from civilians and soldiers, the griffin king, the tauren chief, Luna, Twilight, and the rest of the mane 6 were the only survivors. From the elite guards, Nasus, Alistar, and Twitch survived the ordeal too.

Mothers, father, even children were aiding in the clean up. Constantly, ponies tried to take the children to another place to spend their time, instead of stacking bodies into a pile. Constantly, the children let their curiosity get the best of them and slipped out to help anyways.

Half of the Canterlot castle was decimated, killing civilians who were sheltered there. buildings were either toppled over, or missing a roof. The crop fields and the roads were toiled beyond repair. In a city with 13000 ponies and other creatures, only 1200 lived. However, they were still looking for any survivors beneath the crumbled buildings.

So far, no-pony knew about Celestia's death except for Luna. Upon impulse, she hid her sister's body and made sure it wouldn't rot with a special containment spell. She feared that if everypony were to discover this, there would truly be no hope. She also had another reason why; one that she dare not share to even her stars. They had already sent a messenger to The Crystal Empire, and one to each ambassador's country who remained in the meeting hall before the attack.

Tryndamere dragged his large blade with him as he glanced from side to side, hoping to see Ashe alive, or at least more freljordians. Just then Nunu and Wilump marched to his side.

"Any signs of Ashe?" Tryndamere asked, "Or at least Anivia, Lissandra, or Sejuani?"

"Sorry dude, I couldn't find anyone else." Nunu replied.

Tryndamere sighed, "Do you know where I was during the battle?"

"Nope."

"I was kept within the castle, because they said a foreign king should not fight, leave it to us." he ground his teeth, "What if we fought? What if the rest of the leaders and I fought?"

"I don't know dude. We did what we did. Anything could've happened."

Tryndamere pondered at the hairy pony's words.

"Anything could've happened." he murmured to himself.

The train stopped in front of what used to be the grand city of Canterlot. It was obvious that nopony was going to see them in. It wouldn't be needed anyways because the tracks ahead of them was covered in rubble too large to ram through. They had to go on hooves. One by one, they stepped out of the train. Fiddlesticks had his crows carry Caitlyn along with them. It's a good thing that bird spirits are relentless.

Kassadin went ahead and led the way. As they passed by the buildings, they disregarded the blood stained ground, except for Strongheart. She felt as if she was in one of her tribe's horror stories. Every small sudden sound caused her swerve her head in that direction. She knew she was being paranoid, but was she wrong to worry about what lurked behind the rubble?

"Quite a rendezvous point for refugees." Kassadin commented.

"Wondayvu?" fumbled Annie.

Fiddle chuckled, "Rendezvous, the word deprived from prench, it means a meeting point."

"Prench?"

"You know, Prance? The ponies with moustaches and talk like zees?" Fiddle crossed his eyes and curled his imaginary moustache, causing Annie and Veigar to erupt into laughter.

Strongheart jumped and screamed! She ran past Kassadin and Fiddle, sprinting straight towards Canterlot castle.

"WHY?!" Veigar demanded. His question was left unanswered.

Suddenly, they heard an audible click. Everyone but Kassadin turned to the direction of the sound.

A large wild cougar was staring right at them. Frightened, Veigar jumped into Kassadin's arms and clutched him tightly. Kassadin however, placed him back down gently.

"Fear not. Ignore it and it will ignore us. Let us move on." he said. Unsure, Fiddle kept one eye on the cougar, and another on the Strongheart, Veigar, and Annie. Caitlyn was still being held aloft alongside them thanks to Fiddle's crows. As they turned back towards the castle, the cougar leapt to the other side, tailing them. When Fiddle swerved back to check on the cougar, it was no where to be seen. It uneased him. He decided no to act on it, but to instead keep a sharp ear for it.

They approached the district where they had restaurants and little food shops intact. Unfortunately none of them were serving.

"Look! That one over there still has lights on!" cried Annie as she pointed to the indeed bright shop. They doubted there was somepony inside, but they figured a check for food would be nice. When they entered through the door, the bell that hung just above it chimed, warning anypony inside that they had visitors. Kassadin took a seat by the counter and stared at Fiddle.

"What?" asked the scarecrow.

"You are the one with culinary expertise." said Kassadin. Fiddle sighed in annoyance, but at least he felt a little better for the half-compliment. He groaned as he stepped into the kitchen. The restaurant seemed to be for sandwiches. Luckily, they had more than plenty of bread and daisies to use. There was a fresh stack of hay around the back and clean lettuce. With dull enthusiasm, he went to work into building 5 sandwiches. Then he wondered if Kassadin ate anything? He doesn't exactly have a mouth. He might behind his helmet, but could he take it off?

A loud pang surprised Fiddle. Startled, he whipped out his scythe for defence. He held it in front of him, ready to slice the thing that threatened him. Didn't exactly threatened him, but he had a feeling that whatever was here, it was not friendly.

There wasn't another peep, except from outside the kitchen. When he turned back to the sandwiches, the cougar was about to take a bite from one of them. Fiddle yelped and jumped back. Also frightened, the cougar snatched the sandwich and tumbled and scattered to the back of the room, where it was trapped. Fiddle shimmied closer with his scythe held high. The cougar growled with the sandwich in its mouth, probably prepared to drop it and strike when he did.

Suddenly, Annie barged in with a curious smile.

"Uncle Fiddle? What's going on? What's taking so long?"

"Annie! Stay back! The cougar is back and it's dangerous!"

"You mean her?" she skipped to Fiddle's side and gazed at the cougar in amusement.

"Yes, so let me handle this!"

"But she's just hungry."

"How do you even know if it's a she?"

"Well...?"

When Fiddle turned back to the cougar, it was gone. Now ever more cautious, Fiddle checked every corner and every drawer while Annie witnessed him in his antics. She felt like the were playing hide n' seek with their new friend. She then peeked at the sandwiches and there was the cougar, about to take another. Annie brought a hoof to her mouth and winked. She swore she saw the cougar smile.

Unfortunately, Fiddle discovered where the cougar was too. Instead of hailing his scythe, he drooped his shoulders and sighed. Knowing that she was discovered, the cougar leaped away and dived for the other room. It was the storage room.

"No Uncle Fiddle! Don't hurt her!" she cried as he went towards the room.

"No worries." he said. He picked up the sandwich the cougar dropped and left his scythe at the counter. He stepped into the room and held the sandwich out. Slowly, he saw the cougar meagerly step out of the boxes. Now that he got a closer look at the cougar, it had a green emerald on it's forehead that matched her eyes. She also wore a bonetooth necklace around her neck. Despite the fact that her teeth were very long and sharp, it didn't seem that she wanted to fight.

Fiddle wiggled the sandwich to urge her to take it.

The cougar was quickly engulfed in leaves and a flash. Fiddle had to shield his eyes from the strong burst of energy.

When he looked back at the cougar, it was a mare. She still had a bonetooth necklace and an emerald on her forehead. Her eyes matched the emerald she had. Fiddle stood frozen, but the cougar didn't seem to care, so she took the sandwich and thanked with her eyes.

"What's going on in here?" asked Strongheart as she entered the kitchen.

"We found a new friend!" Annie jumped with glee. Just then, Kassadin and Veigar joined them. They too wondered what was happening. Annie merely pointed to the dark room Fiddle was in.

"Do you have a name?" asked Fiddle.

"It's been very long." she said, "My name is Nidalee, at least that was what my family called me."

"Where is your family?"

"They live in wild, but I am not certain anymore."

"Interesting..." Fiddle prodded his chin, "Why are you here now?" the rest of the group peeked through the door, careful not to disturb their conversation.

"I came curious about this life, the life of lights and technology."

"Than you should come with us, it's dangerous here."

"Are you really telling that to me?" she frowned.

"Anyways you should meet my friends! They're really nice and would love to teach you about... whatever!"

"We are right behind you inferior!" yelled Veigar.

Skarner dove onto Sombra with fierce determination. He dug his pincers right into him, but all he slashed was shadows. Sombra then rained sharp dark crystals on top of him and dove in. Skarner conjured up an outer shell of crystal to shield him for now, while he brought his stinger back to prepare a devastating blow to Sombra. When Sombra came closer, his horn lit up, so did the tip of Skarner's stinger. When they both clashed, it created a large pulse of black and purple. Both of them were thrown back.

Sombra smiled despite the painful explosion. Skarner gritted his teeth. Sombra then shape-shifted into his shadow form and engulfed Skarner in darkness. Not a stranger to this trick, Skarner braced himself.

He had shards of dark crystal surrounding him, all threatening to impale him. Skarner sunk into the ground right before he had 50 dark crystal shards inside him. He emerged from the ground and behind Sombra. With the element of surprise, he cast a lasso spell that purged Sombra's shadow form and brought him to the ground. Now vulnerable, Skarner slashed him with his pincers while pinning him down with his stinger. Each strike made Sombra laugh.

"You fool! You think this hurts me?!"

"Yes! Now die!"

"Look out!" screamed Luio from behind them.

"Luio?" said Skarner.

Sombra only laughed harder with a sinister smile.

Luio blasted a stream of magic into Sombra, making him not laugh anymore, but instead yell in agony.

"Get back to the barrier!" yelled Luio, "I'll be right behind you!"

"No! We'll finish him off once and for all!"

"I order you to return back behind the barrier!" Luio was astonished at his outburst, but he didn't show it. Instead he kept his gaze on Sombra.

Skarner contempted, but he went anyways. True to his word, Luio followed right behind him. Sombra had to shake off the magic residue that was hurting him. Sombra turned to the fleeing ponies, and dove after them. With his mouth wide open, he tried to swallow them whole. Crystal guards were standing at the ready on the other side of the barrier. As the gap between Skarner and Luio, and Sombra shortened, the guards readied their weapons. The unicorn guards were blasting beams, hoping to delay the king.

However, it did not.

Approaching at deadly speeds, the king caught up, but in the slick of time, Skarner and Luio were able to slip through the barrier, causing Sombra to crash right into it. It knocked back everypony on the other side of the barrier.

Sombra was stronger than his last form, making it twice as hard to kill him. The barrages seemed to only get stronger, as the barrier also seemed to become weaker. They needed a solution fast.

When everyone recovered, they remained at their posts, prepared to fight what awaited outside. Luio rushed back to the castle without another word to Skarner. Interested in following Luio, he tailed behind him.

He followed him to the basement of the castle, one where he never knew existed. He found him running around with tools manically.

"Luio, what is all this about?" asked Skarner. There was a draped object in the center of the room. It towered high for about 3 times the size of a normal pony. Luio ducked in and out of the drapes, causing a fizz of sparks each time. He went back and forth between his counter to get a gem, then back under the drapes that covered the construct.

"Oh hey Skar." said Luio without breaking pace, "This the solution to our void problem. With this thing, we can push back and put and end to all this!"

"Really?"

"Hopefully."

Skarner sighed, "May I see it than?"

"I just finished!" he exasperated, "I'm so excited!"

"Thrilled." said Skarner with lack of enthusiasm.

"I call it..." he gripped the drapes with his magic, then threw them off, "...Galio!" It had aqua blue stone as flesh with ruby eyes. His wings were also made of blue magically imbued stone. On top of those, were coated with sapphire for resistance and strength. He mixed gold and citrine to make the his arms and linings of his other parts, so he could have fast and sure movement.

"Excuse me friend, but what is it?"

"It's a gargoyle!" he waved his hooves at the construct.

"I'm not quite familiar with gargoyles. Is it alive?"

"Should be. What did I do wrong?" he rushed over to his desk and mixed around his papers searching for the one he was looking for. "Aha! An onyx heart!"

He sprinted to his stash of gems and pulled out a pre-carved diamond shaped into a ring. Luio pressed the diamond ring into the middle of the chest. Slowly, he used his magic to faze it deeper into Galio, until he reached his desired spot. (That sounded dirty)

Almost instantly, Galio took a huge breath of air, then exhaled just as mighty.

"Hello master." he bowed, "What is your bidding?"

"Just sit there for now. You shall be named Galio." Luio then turned to Skarner, "What d' ya think?" he chimed.

"Impressive, but how is he our solution?"

"Oh right! There's one more enchantment I need to do." Luio used his telekinesis to pull up a chest, revealing a fragment of void stone.

"Where did you get that?"

"From the void. It really was frightening in there."

Skarner didn't question it, just accepted it.

"Now," Luio hovered the stone closer to Galio, "Hold still Galio, this may hurt quite a bit."

"Pain is merely temporary."

"Alright than." Luio shifted, not telling him the real effects it might have. He shattered the fragment of void stone, and cringed as he performed the next part of the spell. He reversed the polarity and colour of the stone, thus making what he liked to call 'anti-void'. He then siphoned its energy and transferred it to Galio. As expected, Galio stood still without a flinch.

"So now he's void-proof!" Luio squealed in delight.

"Interesting... but can it also be done to others?"

"Do you realize what it took to extract void-stone? I haven't had enough to try it on flesh experiments yet!"

"I'm not flesh."

Luio thought for a moment. The idea was so crazy, it could work!

After hours of following Burdac through scorching hot deserts, they finally settled down for the evening to rest. It seemed that Burdac had a wide lead on them. Both Shyvana and Jarvan suspected a mutiny stirring up. All thanks to Vayne. If Jarvan wanted to keep his party aligned, he needed to do something. Unfortunately, he was too caught up in his own mind to take action.

Once all of the tents were up, they had dinner served. Decent porridge was enough to satisfy everypony's bellies. Most of them participated in a chat around the campfire. Jarvan was conversing with his trusted officers in front of his own tent, likely talking about their next move.

Shyvana laid in a patch of soft ground, relaxing and relishing her flashbacks with her father. She's gone so far, yet not far enough. She always came so close to Burdac, but she failed. Three times. She gazed to the stars above; the stars didn't seem to be their usually lively state. For some reason, she felt not much hate towards Burdac anymore. It was a weird feeling. She felt more like... she feared Burdac. She feared that she wouldn't succeed and see his dying face, because to her, he seemed intimidatingly impossible to kill.

Upon impulse, she morphed into her dragon form, and spread her wings.

"Don't you dare think to take off into the night again." spat Vayne, "You've gotten us behind so much more now. We would've taken him out by now, but all you have been doing is screwing up. You're just like the other filthy stupid dragon scum, obnoxious and useless to the world."

"Then tell me Vayne..." Shyvana returned to her pony form and paced around with Vayne. "...who's listening to you right now?"

Unamused, Vayne replied, "The dragon-bitch."

"The dragon-bitch who longs to avenge her father. At least you have a family to go back to."

"Please! Suck it up! Losing your father is no big deal! What makes you think that even I have a family to go back to?"

"Than you lost your father too."

"He was a weak and worthless stallion. I never needed him!"

"What about your mother?!" Shyvana shouted back, "Surely bitches are raised by bitches!"

"You're right! That bitch left my father and I, but am I complaining?!"

"So that's why you're lonely." Shyvana softened her tone, but her anger clearly showed, "You had no one; all you had was your father. You were an uptight mare, kissing your father's ass for a treat. When he died, you felt no pain? It's obvious that you're hiding something. Something that will exploit the real side of you. The weak side of you. You think a link to your father is a weakness, since he too is weak." she leaned in close to Vayne, "All it took was a death to sever your bond. Quite much to break such a thing."

"What the fuck are you blabbering on about? Yea I got over it.Right then, I finally realized that a sophisticated life of a noble was just a burden. I survived on my own. I trained. I learned how to be the best hunter in Canterlot. All my father is to me is my reminder of the cowardly life. At least he fought and killed most of his assassins along with him. Your father ran away for centuries, hoping that his doom would not catch up with him. Just like you, I loved my father and he loved me, but who's being the whiny whore, seeking blind redemption?"

They both came to a slow stop. They didn't dare show each other, but they both let a tear fall from their eyes.

"I am." they both muttered in unison. Finally, with sincerity, they both didn't stop staring at each other. Silence killed the air.

What they didn't notice was that Jarvan witnessed and heard the whole thing. Along with everyone in the camp. Feeling the tension, the troops went away one by one. Until Jarvan was left. He could never see them both the same way again. He knew that the rest of his troops wouldn't either. He too retired to his own tent.

"T-truce?" mumbled Vayne.

"Truce." Shyvana smiled. They mutually came to a hoof-shake, then sat down on the patch of soft ground to share their life with their father.

With a loud gasp, Riven awoke disturbingly. She found herself panicking in a cot provided by someone unknown. She whipped around her hoof, hoping to fend off her opponent. Her head wracked with pain and dizziness. She felt most of her body parts numb, but slowly regaining conscious.

"Please calm down." said a new voice in a surprisingly soothing voice, "You'll only make my bed messier."

She jolted up and was able to calm herself down like she was told to do. She remembered being locked into combat with Master Yi, the best warrior known in Ionia. She took in the details of the walls, decorated with broken pottery and not-broken pottery. She then turned to the stranger. She immediately tried to beat him up with her own hooves, but swiftly he dodged all of her blows.

"Please stop and allow me to explain." he said. He then pushed her back with gust of wind. She fell back into her cot, but she didn't bring herself to attack the stranger again. He sat down. Now that his appearance was clearly shown, he had a mane that was dark brown with a hint of of sunset orange. His coat was cloudy blue, and he had his mane tied into a ponytail. Quite a very large ponytail. He wore silver armour, lined with blue that matched his coat. On one shoulder, he had plates of armour pertruding up in a row of 4. His cutiemark was a blade and a windy cloud.

"Okay fine. What happened and how did I get here?" she said.

"I watched you fight Master Yi and his student. Unfortunately, you ate from my plum tree traps. They were originally for defence from people I do not wish to encounter. I must inform you that they render you paralyzed and fall asleep. No real harm done. I had to take you all into my home and wait until you all awoke."

"Is Yi here right now?"

"Yes. They have already awoken and are awaiting outside."

"Where is my weapon." she rasped.

"It is outside of this room as well."

Without another word, she tried to rush out the door, but was stopped by the stranger.

"What haste is there in leaving? I have yet to ask for your name."

"Get out of my way fool."

"Allow me to introduce myself first than. My name is Yasuo. Now you try telling me your name." he smiled.

"I'll wipe that smirk off your face if you don't let me out."

"Are you really that stubborn?"

She stepped back, then attempted to ram through. He let her through without resistance, but she didn't see the staircase, and fell down the stairs. She groaned in pain as she regretted her decision.

Yasuo casually stepped down the stairs, and held out a hoof to help her up. She whacked it away and looked around for her sword.

"I also heard what Master Yi said to you during that fight. You indeed were holding back. What is stopping you from fighting?"

"You shut up. Give me my blade and let me out of here." she huffed.

"It is right there." he pointed to the other side of the room where his blade also rested beside Riven's. She picked it up and fast walked her way out of the door.

"You can't run away from your past..." he suddenly said, "I tried."

"I'm not running away from anything!" she stopped in front of the door.

"Oh really?"

"Y-yes."

"Stay here."

"Why the fuck would I?" she turned to face him.

"So I can train you to be stronger than Yi."

Her ears perked up.

"Just tell me your name and we may begin."

"Riven." she said, "My name is Riven."

"HALT!" yelled a guard pony, "This is restricted area for civilians!"

"Oh! Uh!" Fiddlesticks stammered.

"We come with grave warnings." said Kassadin.

"Oh yeah?" the guard drew his lance.

"There is a second wave of void creatures incoming."

"How do you know? Huh?!"

"We have delayed them for you. We have witnessed their size."

The guard sighed, "Alright whatever! You guys better get to the castle quick."

"Farewell."

"Yea yea, just get goin'."

The crystal heart radiated brightly, shimmering upon each strike from Sombra. He has been ramming himself into the barrier for most of the time. The crystal heart could not hold off the artillery any longer, thus finally collapsing. All of The Crystal Empire was exposed. Sombra cackled manically and began his dark reign.

Chapter 22: Just Ice

View Online

"Nothing burns like the cold.”
― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

The crystal ponies all fled in fear, hoping to not get picked off by Sombra, but he did not want any of them for now. He wanted the crystal heart. Headfirst, he dove towards the crystal heart while he left a trail of dark crystal in his path. Defenseless, the empire took a heavy blow with each void barrage it took. Each hit took out a chunk of the castle. Some demolished a whole house. They only hoped that the crystal heart would protect them for just a bit more.

Ponies that were around the crystal heart stood against Sombra. They were willing to give their life away to defend the heart, and the ponies did not mind. Sombra thought it was hilarious. As he got closer to the heart, he felt its power straining him. It definitely made him weaker, but it wasn't enough to stop him. As the ponies and guards braced for impact, so did the heart. Sombra flung large shards of dark crystal at them, likely impaling them if they didn't move out of the way. Yet, they stood still.

Then suddenly appearing from above, Galio crashed down in front of the ponies, taking the hits and saving the civilians. They all bounced off his body like pebbles off a boulder. Then Skarner and Luio descended down to join alongside him. Together, they readied themselves to battle against Sombra.

Interested in testing his full potential, Sombra sneered and taunted them to make their move by pawing the ground twice. Behind him was his void army. They didn't quite reach the city yet, but they can be seen at the horizon.

Galio charged in, creating a strong gust with his wings. With enough amount of time to react, Sombra dispersed into thin shadows, making Galio punch right through. When Sombra reformed behind him, the stone gargoyle swerved around and uppercutted him into the air.

Just then, Shining Armour, who stood beside the crystal heart with Cadence, blasted a powerful beam, hitting Sombra in mid-air. It pierced right through Sombra, allowing the beam to travel beyond his body. He fell to the ground hard and cracked the crystal road where he landed. Skarner pounced on top of him, digging his stinger into his neck, pinning him to the floor. Sombra felt the agonizing pain, but he knew he would not let himself die here. Once again, he phased into his shadow form, then reformed into his pony self, but he also brought up a large pointed pillar of dark crystal. He thrusted it straight into the crystal heart.

Caught by surprise, no pony was there to protect the heart, except Cadence. She frantically dug her mind for her choices: jump in front of the crystal heart to take the hit, or do something really stupid.

Luio shot a well-aimed beam at the pillar, but it bounced right off and hit Skarner.

Cadence decided.

Just before she was able to do something, a crystal pony soldier leaped in front of the pillar. It pierced right through his armour and body, creating a hole large than his heart. However, it did not slow the pillar down one bit.

The princess did what she knew best. She ignited her horn creating a bright light. She lowered her horn to touch the crystal heart. As time seemed to slow down, she raced against the dark crystal to touch the heart. As she got closer, the heart glowed brighter. As the dark crystal got closer, fragments started to peel off, but it did not slow down.

When Cadence finally realized her own heart stopped beating, her horn touched the heart, but so did the dark crystal.

The crystal heart then gave off a massive pulse, expelling most of the dark magic nearby, thanks to the direct input of Cadence's love magic. If only they knew it would create a positive event. It pushed away Sombra, but it wasn't fatal. It created another shield, but this time it only covered a quarter of the city, including the castle itself. Galio stood at the edge of the shield, staring at Sombra who was on the other side. The dark king laughed.

"Can't stay in there forever." he said as he ignored the crystal ponies, running past him into the safety of the shield. He kept his gaze on Galio. The gargoyle sat down and folded his wings. He dug his fists into the ground, never taking his eyes off of Sombra. The dark king then took a glance behind him, seeing the fast approaching void army. "I'll be back." he phased into his shadow form, and disappeared. Skarner stood behind Galio, seeking to back him up when the shield fell again.

"Cadence!" Shining yelled as he sprinted towards his wife.

"Shining Armour!" she replied. They ran towards each other embraced into a strong hug. "The heart..." she muttered, "It's..."

She didn't want to finish her sentence. Instead, she pointed to the heart. Luio rushed up to inspect the heart closely.

The heart had a small spot of black in the centre, growing ever so slowly.

"Any moment now." whispered Fiddle.

"Your assumption is false and understated." said Kassadin.

"BE QUIET!!" Veigar shoved them both.

"Shh!" shushed Strongheart.

"What's happening?" asked Annie. They took cover behind the mass of rubble, watching the horizon.

"Not as exciting as I thought this would be." commented Nidalee.

"Hm... what's taking the void guys so long?" Fiddle scratched his chin.

"They are coming." said Kassadin, "Slowly, but surely." They stayed there for for an hour at that point. behind them were the leftover guards and Luna. Kayle loomed from above. They learned to trust her... for now. They had cannons and arrows at the ready, but it turns out that the suspense might kill them before the void do. Then the same guard who let them through the city, stood beside them. He cleared his throat.

"Seems that you were lying." he said with a frown.

Kassadin wondered, is it really true that they were going towards Canterlot?

Without a word, he stood up and walked towards the castle.

"Hey! Where are you going?" called the guard.

"I am going to check on our captive."

Their blades clashed, then parried each other off.

"Wait... those are wind techniques." said Yasuo, "It would seem likely that you were the one."

Riven struck back, which was blocked by Yasuo again.

"The one for what?!" she turned to buck him, but was countered when he dodged to the side. She fell flat on her belly with Yasuo's blade held near her neck. She dared not move another inch, as she was defeated once again.

"You were the one who killed the sword-eldar in Ionia." he deadpanned.

"I was the one who could've stopped the slaughter. I know nothing about your eldars!" she twisted herself around, kicking Yasuo's hooves off the ground while she slashed down on his body. Luckily, he had his blade to block the attack.

"Then where were you the whole time?!" he slid his blade up Riven's sword, and twisted it at the hilt. She then lost grip of her sword and Yasuo disarmed her. He held his blade at her neck, signalling yet another defeat. She frowned and secretly muttered curse words at him. He wouldn't care if he heard them anyways.

"I was busy being a weak coward. I should've died with my shame." she panted.

He sighed. "Enough. You're improving a lot more, but you are reckless." he drew his blade back into his sheath, and gave her back her sword. He went to grab a cup from the edge of the room, and drank his distilled rum from it.

"That's your 12th this day." she said as she sat down to meditate trying to forget what she said moments ago.

"Who says I can't handle my drinks?" he gulped down the remainder of the content inside the cup. He exhaled loudly, and wiped his mouth.

"So what about your search?" she asked, "Who are you looking for?"

He sighed as he poured himself another cup. He took another glug as he sat in front of Riven, "Who indeed. My master has been assassinated, and I seek to avenge him... but... it has lead to regretful consequences."

"So the assassin used a specific technique to kill him?"

"Precisely. That's the only clue they have so far. Ionia's superiors think I did it. They think I was the assassin. All they knew was that he was killed by a wind technique, mastered by both you and I. We will practice again tomorrow at dusk." he stood up and stepped outside. He had told Yi and Wukong that Riven has already left, shooing them to their own usual training spot. He sighed as he sat down on the front porch. He pulled out his flute, and sat for a while. He had his flute laid before him, with the moonlight shimmering in the sky. When he felt it was the right time, he started playing a melody.

Soon, Riven joined him.

She sat down beside him and stared into the moon. She let the harmonic sounds of his flute occupy the air. It has been a long time since she has heard music. So long, she could not remember any other songs. She laid her sword in front of her as she shifted to a more comfortable position. She wanted to hear the rest of the song.

Seemingly never ending, Yasuo ended it off.

"It was beautiful." she commented, "What song was it?"

"It was the song of the wind. I learned it through meditation at my temple."

"Can you play it again?" she asked softly.

Yasuo raised an eyebrow then faced Riven, "The wind comes and goes."

"Is that your way of saying you're too lazy?" she chuckled.

"It's my way of saying I need a breath" he smiled.

"It's alright than, but I want to ask you a question."

"Go ahead."

"Why did you offer to train me?"

He took a deep breath, "The same reason you stayed."

She thought about it for a moment, then laid her head on her hooves.

"You want me to kill Yi?" she said all of a sudden.

"Not quite. We are on quite friendly terms." he replied.

"What if we do not have the same reasons?"

"I am certain that they are the same."

Riven sighed. A moment later, Yasuo brought his flute back up, and began to play the same piece. He applied a slight edge to it, as if there was a second meaning.

She noticed it too. The first round he played through was calming and passive to her. She felt the made her feel as if she drifted across the land. It softly held her as she felt like she fell down like a cherry-blossom petal. However, this song made her feel like there was something that the wind was leading her to. It was concealing a secret she could not uncover.

Yasuo kept playing even when he noticed that she fell fast asleep. The weather is warm and calm, so outside slumber was suitable. He thought back to her question: what if we do not have the same reasons? He started to have doubts about his own reason. He thought it selfish.

"Well Twi? What do we do now?" asked Applejack. They sat at the former entrance of the Canterlot gates, ducked behind cover.

"I-I'm not sure, but we should wait here for now." she replied.

"I disagree, we shouldn't just sit here and wait until they come again. We must act!" interjected Rarity.

"She's right!" said Rainbow Dash, "We ain't gonna lay here all day! We need to find a way to save Equestria!"

"THEN WHAT RAINBOW DASH?!" snapped Twilight, "We're heros but sometimes, we have to let other be heros too. We're here to help anyway we can, but we still need... uh... things."

"We needed help from dragons, since they are resistant to magic, and are probably resistant to the Void as well." said Rarity.

"We also needed help from other kingdoms, but oh that failed." said Fluttershy.

"Hm... Can anypony guess what else we needed?" Twlight prodded her brain, hoping to find something.

"Nope." the rest of them said in unison.

Twilight hummed. It seemed that her new alicorn powers are ever so weak. She had a nation to protect, but not even the alicorn sisters could hold. She was supposed to be powerful. Why was she so powerless?

She could do something.

"You know what girls?" she said, "We're going. Follow me." she frowned as she marched forward. Her friends all glanced at eachother, doubting that this will end well.

The dawning sun rose from the horizon. They had left the camp quite early, but everyone was just as eager to take down Burdac as much as they want to head home. Except for one at least. They managed to tail his tracks, but he was still far ahead... or was he?

"He is nearby." muttered Vayne. Trusting her judgement, Jarvan signalled for everyone to duck down and take cover. They waited and listened for any sudden movement. They had to listen to the sound of their own heartbeat at the suspense. They relied on the small shrubs on the edge of the jungle to cover them, but they had a feeling he already knew where they were.

Suddenly, a torrent of scorching flame pooled beneath them.

"EVERYBODY OUT!!" screamed Jarvan. Everyone but Shyvana sprinted out and yelled in pain. Their legs were burnt to the flesh. Luckily they wore clothing and armour which absorbed most of the damage. None were fatal, but some were crippled permanently. Once everyone recovered and patted out the flames to prevent the rest of the jungle from burning, they were missing someone.

Jarvan cursed outloud, putting a smile on Vayne's face. "That bitch." she muttered to herself.

Shyvana was hot on Burdac's tail as she gave chase to him in the air. Burdac cackled as he dodged a fireball from Shyvana, only angering her further. She flapped harder, panted harder. She had to take him down now. She didn't want him to escape once again.

She got close enough to barely bite his tail. Even though it did not seem like such a bad idea, he noticed how close she was. Burdac steered up, and wheeled down on top of Shyvana. He brought her down to the ground, smashing her headfirst into the solid hard dirt. Almost instantly, the impact crippled her limbs. She screamed in agony. Eagar to finish the feud once and for all, he laid her down and bent down to position his jaw to snap her neck, but he stopped. He heard the other ponies approaching, and thought of a devious plan.

One that will entertain him afterall.

He picked up her body which was surprisingly light for her size. He then launched himself into the air before Jarvan's soldiers had a chance to take him down.

"Not again you wretched scum!" yelled Vayne as she sprinted after him.

"Hold on Shyvana! We're coming!" yelled Jarvan as he relented into a sprint. They kept Burdac in their vision, but it seemed that they will not be able to catch him if Burdac made it out of the hills. Beyond the hills was a deep cliff, one that dropped to a rushing river.

As they neared one of the hills, Vayne was already on top of it. Using the height boost from the hill, Vayne pulled out her large ballista from her back, and aimed. She shot a silver bolt that soared across the sky.

Even with the distance between them, she heard the distinct crunch when her bolt made impact with Burdac's limb at the wing.

She continued sprinting towards Burdac's crash area once Jarvan caught up with her.

...

Burdac moaned and limped as he held a claw to his right wing. He spat curses as he was forced to drop Shyvana where he was. He couldn't fight with the injury, so he decided to save this moment for another day. He frowned as he took one last glance at Shyvana.

"Next time. I won't take the pleasure of delaying your death." he said.

"Neither will I." she coughed out blood as she replied.

As Burdac turned away, silver bolts were pelted into his legs, making him kneel. Then, Jarvan's standard slammed right on his toe. Burdac yelped in pain, but he growled fiercely as he stood back up, prepared to retaliate. Jarvan then bursted from the depths of the woods, and extended his lance to hook up with his standard. As he thrusted himself forward to retract his lance, he was met with a solid fist from Burdac,knocking him back, also knocking away the standard. Before the rest of his men arrived, Burdac breathed flames in a cone in front of him, scorching the trees that were caught in its radius. They fearlessly dashed through the flames as they engaged Burdac.

From behind, Shyvana swept Burdac off his legs with her tail. With her remaining strength, she pounced onto him, clawing his hide. Unfortunately, due to the difference in their masses, Burdac threw her off easily, and used his tail to sweep away the incoming soldiers. Swiftly, Vayne leaped over his tail and continued to lodge bolts of silver into his belly. Then Jarvan jumped back into the fray. He dug his lance into Burdac's kneecap and twisted it. (ouch!)

Crippled, Burdac was unable to shake off Jarvan's soldiers.

"Grapple him down! Now!" ordered Jarvan as his soldiers obliged. They pulled out their small grapple nets and shot them over Burdac. The grapples arced over the dragon, then released a net as they soared over. The grapples then hooked itself into the ground, and tightened to keep pressure down on Burdac.

Jarvan withdrew himself from his lance, leaving it there as he approached Burdac.

"Not only have you committed crimes that stand beyond execution as a punishment, but you will become my most prized trophy. I applaud you for your fight." he said. Shyvana recovered herself and stood beside Jarvan. Only then could they tell the contrast in size with Jarvan and Shyvana's dragon-form.

Then Vayne stepped in and gritted her teeth, "You are an abomination and a sin to be born. Creatures like you make me sick."

"So is that all I am to you bounty hunters? Then what am I to your accomplice?" said Burdac, as he gave no more resistance to the nets.

"You are merely my enemy." spat Shyvana, "You have caused my family nothing but agony."

"I can say the same for you too princess." Burdac then pushed himself up, but he wasn't able to break the nets, as he expected. Before Jarvan, Shyvana, or Vayne could react, he breathed up flames beneath him, scorching the tall grass beneath him. Quicker than they could imagine, the flames turned into a bonfire, engulfing Burdac's whole body.

Since he was immune, he was not affected by the heat one bit. However, the nets burned off like thin cotton. He pulled out the lance in his knee and flexed his wings. Once the fire cleared, he took off into the sky. Shyvana gave chase.

Since Burdac was injured from the past, his flying was not adequate. Shyvana was slowly gaining distance between them. However, she did not realize that she sped past the cliff, and to the other side of the plateau, cutting them off from her backup. Eventually Shyvana was able to bite down on Burdac's tail and tip him off balance, causing his flying to rock around. She then fly higher than him, and dug her legs into the limbs of his wings, and brought him down.

Recklessly, they both crashed down.

They both groaned as they tried to recover from their landing. Eventually they were both able to stand and face eachother, but Shyvana panted really hard in exhaustion. They could hear the yells from the other side of the cliff.

"Don't engage him on your own Shyvana!" she heard Jarvan holler.

"We're coming! Hold on!" shouted Vayne.

"Are you going top listen to your friends?" sneered Burdac.

Shyvana whipped her tail back and crouched into a battle stance, "Of course not. This ends here!" She pounced teeth-first towards Burdac. With lack of enthusiasm, he punched her head into the ground.

"I am still strong if you couldn't tell. So choose wisely: will you fall back to fight another day? Or die trying?"

She groaned and lifted herself up. "One of us going to die trying. I will guarantee that."

"Than make your move Shyvana. Blood is rubbing against time."

"Hyaah!" cried Shyvana enraged with great fury. She breathed flames beneath Burdac, at least making him cringe. This bought her enough time to strike. She dived in and grabbed Burdac's arm and kicked his elbow into the opposite angle. He screamed in pain as he tried to shove Shyvana off, but she bite into Burdac's neck. She then pinned him down to the ground, snarling as she drooled all over his bloody hide.

"No! You will not finish me off so easily!" he screamed, desperately trying to ease his way out of her hold.

"Than you shouldn't have ruined my life so easily!" she retorted.

She snapped his neck in a quick twitch. Without another sound, he fell limp.

As she backed off to take in the scene of the fire scorching against her foe, she was not satisfied. Her fury was not satisfied.

She roared as she once again dove in and began clawing and biting his flesh. She scraped blood and bone each strike. She didn't care that he was dead. She wanted to be satisfied. Perhaps their fight was not long enough?

She grunted as she lifted his body up and leaned it on a charred tree. His body ended up knocking it over. Frustrated, she roared again. Shyvana began biting off pieces of his hide, to reveal the flesh and guts inside. She felt disgusted and felt like she would recoil and throw up her insides, but she wasn't satisfied. She bite down into his flesh, and ate a chunk. As she swallowed, she felt a new hunger.

"Shyvana!" yelled Jarvan. As he and the rest of everyone arrived, they were shocked by the scene. "Shyvana, are you alright?" he asked, "And is that Burdac?" he pointed to the limp and bloody body. Vayne had to admit, she was a little impressed.

Instead of answering, she morphed back into her pony form and crumbled to her knees. She was relieved of every feeling, but sadness. Why did she feel sad at that moment? She pouched her head between her hooves, crying into her legs. She felt ice tickle her heart. All anypony could do was stand there and watch her weep. Jarvan approached her and kneeled down beside her. Offering no resistance, she surrendered into the comfort of his embrace. Jarvan whispered to his colts to clean up the site to set up camp. He let her cry herself to sleep.

The cold and stormy clouds sheathed all of Freljord from the sun. Snow hailed from the clouds from above.

Lissandra stood at the balcony of her new castle. Freljord was hers, and so was the weakened Ashe. She breathed surely, but slowly. Lissandra had to appease herself from doing any more damage to her by overlooking her new troll army, mixed with The Frostguards. Compared to her trolls, The Frostguards towered 5x taller. She had only around 50, since they are so hard to call upon. Trundle appeared beside her.

"Your highness." he bowed.

"What is it?" she said.

"I have good news from The Crystal Empire."

"Are you being sarcastic with me?"

"No your highness. Our scout has indicated to me that Sombra has succeeded in breaking through their defences. They are huddled in fear as we speak."

She smiled. "Guess the lunatic could do it afterall. If you see Sombra, tell him to remain there. Our reinforcements will rendezvous with him to snatch it away from the Void's grasps, as well as Canterlot and Ionia. All shall fall to the cold. We will restore the former glory that Freljord once had." she moved into the room where she kept Ashe.

"Yes your highness." Trundle bowed again and dismissed himself.

Meanwhile, in the dungeon where Ashe was.

When Lissandra entered the room, she was gone! She frantically dashed around to other rooms, hoping to catch her before she escaped.

Then suddenly,

"Looking for her Lissandra?" Sombra stepped out of the shadows.

"You! What did you do with her?" she conjured an ice blade and pointed it at Sombra's neck.

"Do not worry my queen. Congratulations by the way. She is right behind me." Ashe stepped out of the shadows but changed. Her pupils disappeared, while her eyes were only pitch black. Her bow was now made of dark ice. Her clothes were littered with dark ice, similar to Lissandra's armour but more messy. Her cutiemark was no longer there. "Love what you did with her; what better than to make her one of our own rather than to execute her." he marvelled on.

However, Lissandra was not pleased. She stomped her hoof on the ground, "This is not what I wished for! Why did you do this Sombra!" He raised his hoofs up and shrugged his shoulders.

"I just got here." he sneered, "She is icey-cold to the touch," He prodded her side, "Clearly not my domain of magic. This was the work of somepony else."

"No! I will not allow this to happen!" she reached for Ashe, but Lissandra felt nothing, as if she was touching a wall with no feel. She then channelled her magic to expel the dark ice within her, but it did not work. Angry, Lissandra screamed.

"Aw cheer up my queen." he pouted, "After all... it's just ice."

Chapter 23: Up the Storm Down

View Online

"Sometimes, the only way to stop Evil is not with Good. You must confront it with another kind of Evil."
— Aereon, The Chronicles of Riddick

The grand city of Ionia was split into two. One was revolutionary prior to taking an aggressive stand against those who opposed them. Whereas the other half wished to remain passive behind their walls, believing that war is something that should not be practiced by ancient peacekeepers. Since the rogue EON attack on Ionia, the passive-half of Ionia barely took any damage. While the other half was completely decimated, thanks to the recklessness of Singed. The ruined half of Ionia was controlled by Karma.

She stood alone before the grand council of Ionia's elders. They all sat in high sophisticated desks, looming around the circumference of the room. There was a dim spotlight on each council member, then a bright one that shone down in the center. She stood in that spotlight, constantly being judged by the elders.

The grand council member spoke who sat on the highest chair spoke first. "As an act of mutual understandings, we allowed you to take control of those who seek to fend off invaders, or those who seek to breach our culture. Meanwhile we here remain in peace and tranquility."

"However!" Another member picked up from where he ended, "You have failed to uphold your behalf of your responsibility!"

"I will confirm these statements, " Karma talked back, "But it does not change the fact that the rest of Ionia is now vulnerable!" she stomped her hoof, "You think those walls will protect you forever! Who will be there for the people? Sometimes, pacifism can no longer be an option."

The lowest member sighed loudly. "Foolish child. How else have we remained protected for many centuries?"

"Perhaps we should sentence her to elementary history classes!" said the next member.

Then with silence, the highest member stood up.

"She is young. She is also a very courageous leader through my eyes. However, it is apparent that she can no longer be trusted with part of Ionia, which is a mistake we made. Karma, you have shown us promise of a strong resistance against bandit raids, but that is no longer needed. In truth, we would like to share knowledge with you of our protector. We have come to an understanding that you will keep your title, but your power over your part of Ionia has been revoked. We are dealing with a new threat, according to our neighboring kingdoms."

"I reject." she firmly stated.

"You can't reject the council's judgement!" blurted the 3rd member.

"In fact, I can, and I'm doing it now! I am not pleased by those terms!" she replied.

"Then tell me Lady Karma. What displeases you?!"

"The fact that we rely on some protector for Ionia's sake. Where has this protector been all this time? Where was he during the bandit skirmishes and our most recent battle?!"

"The discussion is closed Lady Karma." said the highest member, "Now if you'll excuse yourself, I'll let you meet our secret protector, so you can tell him yourself."

Although Karma was still not satisfied, she concurred. With disapproving glances, the rest of the council members dismissed themselves. The spotlight on Karma faded slowly, eventually leaving her in darkness. Then the highest member opened the door behind her, refilling the room with a bright light once more.

"Come now child." he ushered. Karma strutted with a fierceness that would make anypony nervous.

While they walked side by side down the extravagant halls of the Ionian keep. They were decorated with blank white walls with gold and purple carpets that stretched throughout the whole hall. There were a few primroses and albino roses that were fitted into handcrafted pots at each corner. They kept walking in silence through confusing mazes of halls that she had a hard time memorizing.

Finally they reached their destination. They were two grand doors, seemingly made of glass. As the member pushed through the doors, inside was a cloud. A puffy and thick cloud hovered above a grey crystal that sat on a stand. As they got closer, the cloud became darker and for lively.

"Please do not try to offend him in any way." he said as he turned back to see Karma.

"I give you no promises."

"Then I bid you mercy." he said before he approached the crystal. Standing still about 2 meters away from it, he spoke, "I apologize for disrupting your activities, but we need a word with you."

The crystal resonated and said, "It is always a pleasure to commune with citizens of Ionia. Especially with you old friend of mine. What must you say to me?"

"I have another friend of mine who wishes to speak with you."

"Let them step forth."

Karma did so and sighed.

"Hello. I prefer to be called Karma at the moment. I have a concerning issue I wish to discuss with you."

"Greetings young pony. To many, I am a demi-god, but to you, I am your friend. In your language, I am called Ao Shin, bringer of winds and storm. What concerns you friend?"

"I believed in an alternative to protect Ionia asides from pacifism. I practiced war."

"Interesting." he commented.

"The council allowed me to do so, but not in Ionia. So I gained control over half of Ionia thanks to numerous volunteers to join. For years, we have successfully defended all of Ionia from invaders. Until recently. They identified themselves as The Black Rose according to rumours; there was also Noxus or organised renegades. However, they had another particular member. That soldier was like none other, and wiped out all troops, disregards for friendly or enemy. He then totaled my part of Ionia. So I was prepared to accept my consequences.

However, the council member said it was you who protects Ionia from all harm, as an alternative for protection. So I ask you: Where were you during those times?"

"I see your point friend, and there is an incoming dire threat. One mistake that the council worded, I come only to protect Ionia when it needs it most. I do not have enough power to summon myself for each raid and attack. I let the council decide that for themselves. If they choose to use pacifism, than so be it. Be warned my friends, I'll descend very soon. Be prepared."

The crystal fizzed, then stood still. The cloud became white and puffy again.

Without another word, Karma walked out of the room.

Caitlyn laid still as her chest heaved up and down. She was in peaceful sleep. Kassadin came barging through the cell doors, disruptively waking Caitlyn.

"Wait! It's too dangerous in there!"

"You can't go in there!"

"This is not wise sir!" the ponies yelled from behind him. However, Kassadin ignored them all and grabbed Caitlyn by the tuft of her neck fur with his hooves. Startled, Caitlyn panicked and kicked about. She struggled to break loose from his grasp as she was slammed into the cell wall. Restricted by enchanted chains, she could not retaliate.

"Where is your void army heading?!" he screamed into her face,

She laughed, "Bad move void walker."

He unsheathed his void blade from his leg and drew it close to her neck. "Tell me what you are scheming or I will spill your blood here!"

"My orders were simple. Take over all of Equestria, then move on."

"How dare you waste my time!" He made a cut deep into her ribs, causing her massive pain. With new fury, she pushed him off and kneeled over. Before Kassadin could pin her to the wall again, she screamed. She did not scream of pain. She screamed so loud, she caused everypone else who were spectating to shield their ears. It could also be heard outside. It could even be heard from Ponyville.

She then smiled and looked at Kassadin, "Another bad move void walker." Furious, Kassadin kicked her.

"What have you done?!" he yelled, but he got no answer. Everyone else didn't dare break the silent tension in the air. Kassadin sighed and sheathed his blade. He moved past the door of the cell, but he was stopped by Luna when she suddenly raised her hoof in his way.

"Allow me." she burrowed her brows. When she was in, she wrapped her magic around the windows and doors, enchanting them so that no other can hear or see inside. However, it still leaked the sounds of screaming.

A small gust of chilling breeze could be felt as they walked through the mercy of the underground temple. As usual, they let Ezreal gain the leading role, since he insisted to dive headfirst into any deathtraps. Their only source of light came from Lux's lance. As they walked through the dark temple, Ezreal took interest of the paintings on the walls. Many secrets laid beneath sand dunes of Shurima Desert, maybe they will find one as they ventured further.

"This is very exciting," said Sivir sarcastically, "How much time have we wasted in here?"

"We have time." Ezreal replied.

"I'm not even surprised at this point."

"What do you mean?" he turned to face her, containing a neutral expression.

"Forget it kid. Let's move on." she said through gritted teeth. Her menacing cold glare didn't flinch Ezreal. It took her a moment to realize that no one was moving. “I said let’s go! You idiots are taking your sweet time…” she continued to walk on.

Garen was second to move, then Kennan. Ezreal turned to Lux.

“I’ll go this way,” he pointed to an empty hall that branched away from the main hall, “I’ll come around meet you guys up top.” He trotted steadily into the darkness before anyone can argue. Lux was concerned, but she felt frustrated with his immaturity. She would’ve went along with him if she knew what would happen later.

"Sorry your highness. The train to The Crystal Empire is for military purposes only." said the guard pony who was already dealing with a crowd of other ponies. "And even if you commanded an override, the train has not returned. It's 2 hours late."

Darn! Twilight cursed to herself. Well that ruins my plan.

"Sorry Twilight," Applejack laid a hoof on her shoulder, "But what were ya gonna do anyways?"

"I was hoping I can somehow combine our elements to the power of The Crystal Heart." she sighed. Once Twilight turned away from the guard, he became once again bombarded by the demands of the crowd. She frowned in pity for him. Normally she would take control of the matter because she knew that small problems may grow into larger ones, no matter what they were, but that time may have been an exception.

"Hey! Why don't we ask that mysterious pony over there?!" Pinkie zipped up to a shaggy and small pony who was facing the tracks. Upon noticing the pink mare's outburst, he turned and adjusted his spectacles.

"Oh why hello there." he said.

Twilight immediately recognized him and waved, "Hello again Heimerdinger!"

Rarity shifted a bit and tapped Twilight's shoulders and whispered, "You know this maniac?"

"He is not a maniac." she gave her an offended look, "He is a sane, intelligent pony like any other whom I met in Appaloosa."

"Your point?"

"He's not a maniac!" Twilight huffed. She turned back to Heimer to notice that he was leaning back on the small cart on the railroad track. Pinkie smiled in glee as she finished her conversation with him and trotted back to Twilight

"Twilight! Good news!" she shouted excitedly, "That mysterious pony over there can give us a lift to The Crystal Empire with his thing!"

*Perfect* Twilight smiled.

Luna sighed heavily as she suddenly opened the door. Nopony dared to ask her about what she had done, except for one who wasn't a pony.

"Heya Luna," Spike tapped her shoulder gently, "Have you seen Twilight and the others? I think they left me." he prodded his index fingers together as an act of innocence of a child. Luna smiled, and brought him closer with a gentle push with her wing.

"Sorry Spike, I have not seen them in awhile, but perhaps you should stay with me until we bump into them." she said.

"Sounds good to me." he shrugged, "I mean, it is dangerous out there, and I'm sure Twilight will come back for me. She always does." he started walking ahead into a hallway that Luna did not intend to go through, but trotted alongside Spike anyways. He then continued, "Anyways, I'm just really confused about everything right now. We left so many things back at home, we never even knew what happened to Applejack's family yet." Luna feigned a small smile, remembering those memories back in Ponyville, "Same goes with our pets and friends. But I'm a big dragon now," he huffed, "And I know that I can't hold onto things forever."

"I wish I can let go just as easy Spike. You're growing up ever so quickly, it's starting to make me pity you." she chidded.

"Ah it's nothing. It's all because of Twilight that I--uh--how should I say it?"

"Enlightened you?"

"Yea!" he cheered, "And you dropped your old royal Canterlot voice?"

"Did I?" she shrugged, "I guess I have."

"So where's Celestia? I couldn't find her around the castle while I walked around."

Luna bit her bottom lip and cringe, but luckily Spike didn't notice, so she put up her normal expression.

"She was hurt badly," she said, "But she's in a safe place right now."

Spike sighed in relief, "That's good. I don't think any other pony is fit to rule Equestria but her."

She felt it. That moment, she felt it badly. Her gut and mind screamed at her, taunting her that her doubts were all right. Luna managed to recollect herself before she bursted into tears, and simply reply, "You'll understand someday, that many ponies are fit to rule Equestria. It's just what it'll become which is what one should worry about."

Alistar managed to haul the debris off and lift Leona off. Twitch was standing on his shoulder, keeping a watchful eye for anything suspicious or more survivors. She coughed and dusted herself off as the minotaur set her down gently behind him. They nodded to eachother as a silent thank you.

"Hey buddy! I think I see 'nother over there!" Twitch pointed to the direction opposite of Leona. Alistar was hasteful to rescue more survivors. Not sure of what to think of what just happened, she sat down to think it through. She was fighting off an odd group who were later revealed as rebellious soldiers who called themselves The Black Rose, but she was interrupted as the sirens of more intruders sounded. She abandoned the soldiers and rallied her forces against the oncoming horde of unworldly creatures. Her forces and her allies were quickly wiped out and that's all she mainly remembers. Then she woke up to a massive grab from a minotaur. She looked around for another glance.

She began taking slow steps, which progressed into a confident trot. She went towards the half-ruined castle with a wicked smile. On her ear, she placed a Black Rose that Leblanc dropped her.

The crystal ponies were all gathered in the wide hall of the castle. Not huddled in fear, but filled with hope. Together they sat around in small groups, discussing to eachother about different ways the day can be saved, such as

"The crystal heart will reignite and wipe out all of the void creatures!"

"Skarner is going to evolve into a huge beast and smack all of their flanks back home!"

and some perhaps a little too creative...

"If the stars aided in Luna's escape, who's to think that they won't aid in our issue? Imagine: stars falling from the skies, wiping out all of the bad guys, then they will overpower the crystal heart and the Elements of Harmony combined because the former alicorns still lay in the stars and will bless the stars with their might!"

"Uh--yea--Scootaloo, I really don't think that will happen." Applebloom shook her head.

"I'm with Applebloom on this one." Sweetie Belle shrugged, "Sorry Scoots."

Scootaloo sighed in defeat. She brought her chin back up and glared at Sweetiebelle, "Why do you always take her side anyways?"

"Because I'm right." Applebloom crossed her hooves.

"And you!" Scootaloo pointed to Applebloom, "Why do you always have to act like a smarty-tail?!"

"Oh yea!?" Applebloom retorted, "You think it's always about you! Everytime! It's like you think you are the only pony with problems!"

"Girls!" shouted Cadence as she approached from behind, "What's going on here?!"

"Nothin'" Applebloom grunted. Cadence moved her eyes to Scootaloo who shrugged, then to Sweetiebelle who nodded her head. Not convinced, Cadence burrowed her eyebrows.

"Come with me." she softly said. Obedient and careful not to offend their majesty, they obliged but went back to resenting eachother. Each of them stayed as far from eachother as possible while they walked along Cadence. It proved to be difficult as they had to dodge oncoming ponies while they kept up with the pink alicorn. She sighed. It reminded Cadence of her younger self as she too had to walk down a hallway with Celestia because she wouldn't reveal what was bothering her. Apparently, walking fillies down a maze of halls will eventually get them to speak. Cadence never tried it on any other pony, but she needed to practice if she was going to rule The Crystal Empire on her own.

Eventually they ended up in a hall where it was free of traffic. Back then, Celestia always knew what to say. Cadence wondered what she would say to the fillies without damaging their friendship further. Celestia would ask consoling questions, to show that she was cautious to approach the problem, but was eventually isolating it until they both can identify the problem, then think of solutions. What she was mostly impressed about was the warm presence her aura gave off, making it much more simpler to open up. She reminded herself to go see Celestia once this was all over.

But then she also reminded herself about the struggle taking part outside of the castle. The void horde is getting closer each moment, possibly consuming the whole empire up to the shield, which is also crumbling. Yet, she much preferred to trot alongside these 3 fillies. They were Twilight's friend's sisters, but they were also her flower-fillies at her wedding with Shining Armour. Shining Armour, her destined lover, which was how he liked to describe it. Cadence saw it more as a choice she made in life, and she wouldn't have it any other way. For her, it was hard to remind herself why she was in love with him. One thing he does is he isn't a good listener, so long talks get him extremely tired and sometimes fall asleep, but it was alright. Cadence didn't mind if she would tell him about her day while he slept, because she just wanted someone who she could tell everything to without holding back.

She should stop daydreaming and perhaps do something about the 3 fillies.

And that was when she realized, they weren't at her side anymore. Luckily nopony was near when she spat a foul curse, able to toil a toddler's vocabulary.

Shining Armour brought every soldier, warrior, and battle-ready civilian he could muster. As they all surrounded him, they awaited his "big plan" that he hadn't thought up yet. Skarner, Galio, and Luio stood together among the large circle. Nopony muttered a word to eachother as they stare at their prince at center. As time went on, doubts began to grow.

Meanwhile, Shining Armour was in a crisis mode. He could not think of anything that will aid in their situation with minimal loss and high efficiency. He could no longer rely on the shield or the crystal heart, because it was his turn to protect it.

Originally, he wanted archers and magic users to garrison the castle, meanwhile they have Skarner conjure up crystal walls so no void creature could barge inside. The flaw in that plan was the enemy artillery would beat them down while they awaited outside.

Another plan was to have Galio and a handful of pegasi to lead a strike team against the artillery, also to have Luio lead an escape group with the civilians and Cadence, while Skarner and the rest of their fighters would make a counter-attack. It was his final resort plan, if nothing else proved to be better. It would also mean extremely heavy losses and high risk.

Reinforcements didn't seem likely since every other kingdom was attacked and are dealing with their losses.

It sounded selfish, but he wanted to live. Before the whole fiasco, he and Cadence was expecting a foal to come. Cadence kept reminding him to not place his personal life ahead of his duty. Although she was right, Shining will always have his family as a priority.

"Sir?" a crystal pony guard broke the silence, "What do you think we should do?"

It was strange to be asked that. Normally, it would be Shining himself who asked Swain what they thought would be best, and he never failed. He was indeed a master tactician.

"We need more information on these guys." he said, "I want scouts and unicorns to analyse their movements. I also want pegasi guards to defend the castle from the skies, to fend of any of those flying creatures. I want Galio and most of our skilled close combat guards ready at the base of the castle. Prince Lucious and the rest of those guards will defend the civilians within the castle in case there is a leak in the defense. A handful of hoof-picked elites and guards will come with me."

Enab flew strongly towards the northern dragon tribes. With the armor he wore, he felt empowered and unstoppable. He felt content that he no longer needed to cling to his father for hospitality and work, he could go where he pleased. A small part of him felt lost, because he barely has prior knowledge of the north. Also because of the fact that he didn't know where he was going.

But eventually, he was fortunate enough for them to come to him instead.

With no warnings, he was suddenly hooked with large steel chains that pulled him out of the sky. However, he was able to remain in flight. As he struggled to break free of the chains, northern dragons started to ascend from below. Their scales were all teal or ice blue, meanwhile their underbelly and eyes varied in colours. Their largest member out of the 8 spoke first.

"We do not welcome strangers, dragonkin or not. Choose to leave now or you'll be forced to."

"Well you'll have to force me to because I come with a request." said Enab, "Allow me to join you."

"You?! Hah! Take him down!" he said, then almost immediately, he felt the chains become much much stronger. Then a new feeling overtook him. The feeling of power. He erupted into fury. Without much struggle, he broke free of the chains and ripped open the guts of one dragon with his sharp claws, instantly killing him while he fell from the sky. He then conjured up a mighty roar which shook the mountains and was engulfed in magical flames which ignores other dragon's natural resistance to heat.

"THEN I'LL MAKE YOU JOIN ME!!"

Author's Notes:

Still waitin for Ao Shin... :| juuuust waitin...
Oh well, Vel'koz and Braum will do

Anyways,i procrastinated this chapter very very hard. And Im sure many of you have seen other writers say this too, but im really really sorry! if anyone still reads this anyways. totally worth the effort though. It's hard for me to tell if people realize what's going on, because what I dont want is people to be going "what the heck is going on?" at this point of the story, so seriously, ask me anything in the comments about it

You'll realize what the title and the quote means next chapter

what have I been doing the whole time?

gaming

especially with all those steam sales

But hey! I finally reached gold 5 :o and now im gold 2 and im going for plat! eventually!

And if you want to ask me about the new Skarner rework

I hate it. Why? His kit can only work if he's locked into a duel with a cocky opponent, and so he's more of a top laner than a good jungler. His job is to displace their carry or someone important to make room for his team, but now Hecarim and Wukong can do that much more effectively, since Skarner is now so easy to kite and deny. I'm glad they're working on his fix.

i literally spent a month thinking about Shining and Cadence's characters. They were so "stock" in the show and I wasn't sure what to make them yet. Sorry about that.

Then I spent another month forgetting a major plothole. You might've noticed it at this point.

Chapter 24: Refracted Light

View Online

"When you close your eyes, know that you are alone in the darkness within those lids." ~AKA.Truth-Is(no reliable source for her true name) - "Happy Birthday To Me"

*tap* *tap* Ezreal swung his to face behind him, anxious of anything at that point. Upon impulse, he fired behind him. He swatted away the cold sweat from his forehead with his spare hoof, and realized he was panting hard. He took time to regain his composure. He then noticed that he killed an innocent mouse. He sighed then turned back, to find that he was nose to nose with a mummy. He leaped back and launched an arcane bolt right at the head of the mummy, knocking it right off.

It took him a moment to realize that the mummy was merely a statue. He sighed in relief. According to rumours, treasure hunters who explore the Shurima never return. It was proven wrong countless times, but it still did not explain the absence of hundreds of explorers. So far, nothing dangerous is present. Ezreal read the hieroglyphics on the wall. Unlike the other hieroglyphics that painted the entire temple, these were glowing. Although paranoid that something else could be watching him, he read on: After the dire age, in the midst of the Rune Wars, a monster born with a prosperous city and its emperor, was--

The rest was torn off by a set of claws, which was made apparent from the 4 talon scratches on the side of the wall. He took his mind off of that for now, so he looked ahead. The hall branched into 3 more hallways, but a bright light shone down the middle.

It was a golden gate.

Unconsciously, he approached it and reached for the golden knobs, despite the fact that he was 20m (or 15 feet. I don't know the imperial system) away from it. The gate wasn't large, but it was a strange circle door. It spiralled to the center, and it had a head of a phoenix. It seemed that the head has rusted away, or moulded to the point it no longer glistens. The closer he got, the brighter the outlines became. Once he set hoof beneath the head, the door opened gracefully, and inside was mounds of treasure and lights.

Instinctively, he jumped in and was immediately taken in by the bright sight of gold.

"NO! GET OUT!! LEAVE!! QUICKLY BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!" bellowed a loud female voice. Ezreal should've known.

It was a trap!

But the door has already silently closed behind him. It made a distinct *ting* sound, as if a large coin dropped.

The new being in the room walked out from behind a mound of treasure. She sighed and shook her head in disappointment.

"Doomed you are." she said softly.

*SCREECH* a large creature screamed into Ryze’s face. His eyes opened wide and jolted himself awake. He abruptively swung the blob off of him, but his hooves met not touch as it was faster than him. Hazy and weak in the knees, Ryze struggled to gain his footing. He clumsily stumbled his way to his dropped satchels and bags. As his vision became clearer, he realized that the blob was shaping more into a large bird, likely a hawk or a falcon. He then tripped on a loose root, and fell forward. He expected his face to be deep into the dirt, but soft hooves caught him. He looked up and saw Quinn smiling down on him. She pushed him back up and let Valor stand on her back. While Ryze coughed dust, she worriedly searched around.

*SCREECH* reported Valor.

“Really?” she replied, “It couldn’t have gone far if Ryze is here.” she shifted. She prodded her chin, wondering what in the world happened to the dragon armour. Just then, Sarhoth landed gently beside them, flapping a cool breeze. The clear skies let the sun shine through, providing comfortable warmth for the lives in Equestria, or rather the old dragon kingdoms. Their gaze was cut short from the tall trees. However, they could see the tall white mountains yonder from where they stood.

“Another dragon has taken it. I’m not sure where.” Coughed Ryze, “I’m sorry I couldn't protect the armour.”

“Don’t apologize to me. We’ll have to hurry if we want to catch that dragon.” She said triumphantly, “We’ll start with that billow of smoke from those mountains,” she pointed, “If the armour as powerful as rumoured, than it’s likely to be causing havoc already.”

“*SCREECH*!” said Valor as he took off.

“Valor wait! We have to go together!” Quinn stomped in frustration. He was gone too far to hear her. “He never listens…”

Ryze was able to pick himself up and stretch.

“Let’s get movin’.” He said.

“Allow me!” Sarhoth offered them both a ride in her claws.

“Good idea. Let’s move!” Quinn hoped on, clutching tightly to her left claw, while Ryze occupied the right.

The migraine helped none at all. Shyvana tossled back and forth in her sleep and groaned painfully. She felt the scratches on her hide that she received from… who did it again? She started to strain her mind to remember, but all it did was make the headache worse. Finally she obliged to open her eyes to notice that she unconsciously transformed to her dragon form. She tore up her bedding, which was made of sheets and pillows, and she caused a lot of noise within the camp. Vayne was first to come out of her tent to check on Shyvana.

“What happened?” asked Shyvana.

“You passed out. Likely from loss of blood and the inertia from adrenaline.” Vayne replied. Jarvan stood next to her. Along with the more curious bunch of his soldiers.

“Thanks to you, we can all head home now.” He smiled, “The news has been spread thanks to our scouts. Kingdoms everywhere are safer now.”

Shyvana sighed. She chose to keep the fact that she doesn’t know what he was talking about to herself.

“That’s a relief to hear…” But where does she go? She managed to remember that her home is non-existant, except for a certain village in the dunes, where her brother is. Who was her brother again? She became stressed out, and she did not hide it.

“Something wrong Shyvana?” asked Jarvan.

“Yes. How do I get home from here?”

“Hmm.” Jarvan prodded his chin, “I’m afraid none of us would know. We found you in the forest with your fathe—I mean you weren’t near home when we found you.”

“It’s alright. I’m sure I can find my own way. Thanks for all of your help everyone,” for whatever they did, “I’ll be off. Farewell.” She sighed as she spread her wings and crouched, preparing to launch.

“Wait!” interrupted Jarvan, “Were you not joining my soldiers and I in Canterlot?”

Confused, she raised an eyebrow. "No I won't. I'm sorry Jarvan. I must return home as soon as I can."

Without another word, she left swiftly and soon disappeared from view.

“Wait here Spike.” Luna held a hoof in front of her small dragon friend. They approached a dark door embroiled with vines. “Or perhaps I’ll fetch you one of my comics that I think you’ll enjoy.” She smiled.

“Alright Luna, but what’s inside?”

“My washroom.” She winked.

“Okay. But don’t be long; I know Twilight takes forever whenever she uses the washroom.” He sat down with a grumble.

She rolled her eyes and opened the door using her telekenisis, also lifting the comic she promised from inside, to Spike.

“Tales of Heart: Starswirl in the Runic Cavern?” He read the title progressively getting more excited. He immediately opened it to the first page and practically glued his eyes to the pages.

Luna closed the door behind her and sealed off the room with a soundproof barrier. She whimpered as she stepped closer to the picture at the end of the room. The room wasn’t a washroom at all…

It was a room where pictures covered every inch of the walls. She used her magic to light up the magic-sensitive torches, creating a bright aura of light blue. The picture at the end of the room was well lit and visible now, and it was a simple picture of Celestia and herself smiling. Celestia sat on the throne, meanwhile Luna was sharing her seat. She glanced across wall to another wall, looking over dusty old pictures of her past: The Two Sister’s Castle, her mother and mentor, ceremonies, festivals, dinners, banquets, dances, shows, music halls, even some as simple as meeting new ponies, families, and newborns. Not to forget the silly pictures that Celestia and her took that no one else has or will ever see. The more time she spent inside felt as if she losing herself in the present and was living in those past moments. She felt the laughter, the hardwork, the melodies, and the most vivid of all: the warmth of the bright sun. The more pictures she glanced at, the more she losses her integrity to hold in her tears… until finally, she broke down in the center of the room.

“I’m so sorry!” she screamed, “You wouldn’t have lost so much if I hadn’t—if I hadn’t—if I never turned my back on you! You wouldn’t have had to been alone for all those years! You wouldn’t have taken revenge on Caitlyn! You would’ve made everything better!”

*Hm. She’s taking a long time in there, and I’m almost done. I wonder what Starswirl will do next?*

Suddenly, the door opened and Luna appeared.

“Luna! Why does Starswirl have to return the diamond urchin crown to the underwater city of the merponies at their ruined shrine and then destroy it there?! (try saying that in one breath)” he said excitedly but still has his eyes on the pages. Luna opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say anything, he held up a claw. “Wait! Don’t spoil it for me!” he said. Luna rolled her eyes and hovered him onto her back, facing backwards.

Discreetly, Luna's horn began to glow, then fade away within 2 seconds. She sighed.

Since Spike was facing backwards, he noticed a funny shimmer and light from the door she exited from. Then a very bright and brief flash of light lit up the halls. It would've been unnoticeable if he was facing forwards since it made no sound. He felt a little suspicious, but it was out of his judgement to investigate.

"Ah! Captain Leona, such a pleasure to see that you're okay." said Luna.

"Quite a pleasure indeed." she wore a wicked smile.

"Your voice is off... and is that a black rose upon your ear?" Luna frowned.

"You're observant." Leona replied. Hastily, she drew her sword and thrust.

Karma stood on the walls of Ionia. She looked out upon the ruins of her own land, and thought... what is Ao Shin planning? There was a storm coming, and spiraling in its epicenter. It was there in the distance for awhile. To a normal pony, it would seem natural, but for an insightful pony such as her, she would've realized that the storm should've cleared or rather moved to a different spot by now.

Suddenly, two large figures dropped from the center.

A large blue and gold serpent, and a red and orange serpent, similar to the other. The blue one had the red one's neck in it's jaws, leaving a trail of blood in their descend. They bellowed loudly as they crashed down. Then the blue one stood on its hind legs, and arced its back to give out a triumphant roar.

Karma knew this couldn't be good. Immediately she stepped over the wall, and dived down. Confident in her abilities, she shot a bright string of chi energy to the ground, then twisted herself, creating a spiral with the strings. The effect it had was she was able to use the strings to control her landing.

She touched the dirt gracefully, then broke into a sprint towards the crash site.

On her way there, she saw a floating temple in the midst of the clouds, also heading towards the same direction.

The monstrosities waited out there. The crystal citizens could only stare back until they were ushered back to the safer parts of the castle. Confident in Shining Armour’s plan, they didn’t complain or slow down on his commands. Which meant they fully entrusted the decisions that he makes for victory. Before they began to carry out his plans, they thought of their priorities together. They have the citizens at top priority, Princess Cadence as second, The Crystal Heart as third, and then the guards, and lastly, the empire itself. It was still a mystery on who Shining Armour was going to pick as his “special” team. Rumours that have been passed around say things such as “He’ll obviously pick the elite guards. Skarner is definitely going into that team. Who else does he want, other than the ancient guard of Queen Terra himself?”

What nopony realized was that this happened before. Shining Armour was going to redo what Queen Terra did when Lord Umbra invaded The Crystal Empire. According to the history books, thanks to the librarian, Lord Umbra was father to Prince Sombra as his most prized son. Together, they ruled their own kingdom. They called themselves The Scuttlent. At the time, Skarner was not present, so Terra did not have the crystal heart to fortify itself; she had to use her own raw magic and talent for crystals. She created a thick shell of dense crystal around the castle, keeping both the darkness and the light out. However, they did not have that luxury. Shining Armour remembered clearly of every detail Terra did to pull off her strategy. She lost no lives, but she destroyed her own kingdom in the process. However, she was able to force Lord Umbra’s army to retreat, also killing the lord in hopes of ending the war.

Unfortunately, Princess Cadence is no mastermind—and that’s alright—because she is the foundation of hope this empire has. With new knowledge of the power of love from the crystal heart, Shining Armour had a better chance than Terra.

He was going to save the crystal ponies with their history.

His frontline ponies gathered their most steady lances. Shining had all of the citizens gather their belongings and prepare for emergency evacuation if needed. He had his farmers gather their animals that have been kept within the castle. The volunteers took flugglehorns and binoculars and was ready to move to their assigned positions. Now he required two more things: a big favor from Skarner and Cadence.

Shining approached the eager vanguard.

"Am I needed my prince?" He greeted.

"Yes Skarner. I imagine your abilities are up for the task..." Shining Armour leaned in closely to his ear and whispered the details.

Agast, Skarner replied, "Sir, that is something only a god is capable of!"

"But I need it done, otherwise the plan will be perilous. Do I make myself clear?!" He harshly said.

"Yes sir."

"Than get into position; we're proceeding." He said as he turned away. Skarner was left to his own thoughts, obviously taken by surprise from his request. Shining then moved on to his next group. The group in particular was his best pegasi flyers.

"Team Bristol!" Shining called, "I'm taking you and a second squad to lead a counter-attack. And find Team Luminous to meet me here. Now!"

"Yes sir!" They saluted. With haste, they dashed off to fulfill Shining's request. All that was left was Cadence...

“Princess Cadence!” a crystal guard pony called. Meanwhile the princess was running amok trying to find the 3 fillies on the loose. They both crossed paths, bumping into eachother. Quickly, the guard scrambled. “Forgive me your highness!” he said as he helped her to her hooves.

“It’s alright.” She replied with a half-smile.

“Prince Shining Armour is beginning the operation. We must move quick!” The urgency was evident since the shield was flickering outside.

“Y-yes. I’ll be right there!” she stuttered.

“Shall I escort you?”

“Oh no thanks. Just tell Prince Shining that I’ll be right there.”

“As you wish my quee—I mean your highness!” he left swiftly.

*Odd.* she thought. She has not earned the title queen yet. The only way to achieve that title is to create a new form of magic. However, she was now faced with a new conflict. Risk the people of The Crystal Empire to ensure the safety of 3 fillies, or to secure the people of The Crystal Empire.

“The needs of the many outweigh one.” She whispered to herself. She cringed her eyes, hoping that she won’t regret this decision.

Everypony turned their heads to the incoming scout squad that Shining sent out earlier. Once they landed onto the balcony, they darted inside to Shining's front. They saluted their prince, and he returned the greetings.

"What have you got so far?" Shining Armour asked the squad leader.

With firmness, he replied, "A battery of large creatures, who seem to have been the source of the bombardment, are moving into an open area east of here. The area is known to be farm land. We also have a large abnormal beast circling around the shield, and the rest of the smaller ones are scouring the homes of the citizens, picking off those who are hiding. We have an incoming vehicle arriving via train tracks. It's definitely not our reinforcements, but a single civilian cart which seems to be from the southern kingdoms, judging from the distinct style of the design. We decided not to secure it. We lost no ponies to void vultures, since they are not very active during the day, but they still chase us. There is no sign of King Sombra."

"How about behemoths? Any more of them?"

"Approximately 30 or 35."

"How about abnormals?"

"There was only 2. The one circling around the shield, and a much smaller one which seems to be leading the void sieges."

"This was very useful. Thank you captain. Gather the guards from every corner of the castle to prepare for begin the operation."

"Sir yes sir!" he saluted, then dashed off.

"As for the rest of you! I want every pegasus and unicorn guard here now!" As commanded by Shining, the guards was quick to form into two separate groups of 6 by 8. "Now I want every earth or crystal pony over here now! Move move!" They obliged and heard him well. They also formed into two groups of 4 by 6."

"For the civilians, follow Cadence as she will instruct you. All children will follow Captain Boon Brand to the throne room. There you will be safe from danger until we finish. Let's move! Go go go!"

"This way everypony!" hollered Cadence as she guided them towards the stairs.

"Alright kids! Come with me! Form a line and grab eachother's tail. I don't want any stray fillies!" said Boon.

Once everyone except for Skarner and the guards remained, Shining started, "We now have the castle secure and we were successful with our scouts. Our new guard, Galio, and Prince Lucious will regroup with us shortly.

Now than, you!" Shining pointed to a unicorn guard pony, "Stand here."

"Yes sir!"

"You!" Shining pointed to another pony, but a crystal pony instead. "Stand there!"

"Yes sir!"

"Now sergeant, I want you to fire an arcane bolt at the other guard." said Shining.

"Uh are you sure sir?" he hesitated.

"Now sergeant!" Shining stomped his hoof.

"Yeah you baby." said the crystal guard.

With a bit more hesitation, he fired a bolt straight at the crystal guard. Upon impact, the crystal guard's coat absorbed the bolt and refracted it into 7 more amplified bolts of light which charred the walls of the castle. Everypony was astonished. The unicorn guard was embarrassed.

"You see? Arcane light-based projectiles or spells do not affect a translucent crystal guard's body. I want every unicorn to pair up with a crystal pony! He or she will be your partner for the entire duration of this fight! If one of you are to fall, I want the other one to retreat no matter the circumstance! Am I clear!"

"Sir yes sir!" they all replied.

"Elite guard Skarner will create a saddle which will hold a crystal that will be shaped so that any intense beam of light that hits any side of it, will refract to whichever direction you're body is positioned! The unicorns that do not have a partner will garrison the windows of every angle in this castle to shoot down void vultures. Now I realize that there aren't enough unicorns for both earth and crystal ponies, so the earth pony guards will rely on another source of light."

"What source of light?" one questioned, "Uh I--I mean sir."

"Good question. The earth pony guards will be stationed at the castle's beacon, providing cover from the top of the castle. Your job will be to take down vultures and help our ground forces with their effort. Thanks to the talents of our architectures, they should emit a steady and intense continuous beam of light."

"This is genius sir!" commented one of the guards.

"I was inspired by our former queen."He smirked, "Anyways, each crystal guard will be equipped with jousts. I realize that once you use the weapon, you are left vulnerable if the strike is not fatal. That's where your partner will come in. They will have to utilize the spread of the beam to cover for you. A second late or too early may put the crystal guard at risk. I trust that our unicorn guards are well trained enough.

We will also have ponies whom are too injured for battle, but fit enough to use the fluggle horns. When they sound, I want every crystal pony to charge. Once you have made your strike, you will turn around and dash back to your partner to regroup. We will then signal the fluggle horns to sound again to charge again. This will repeat until we finish this battle! Meet me at the base of the castle in 5 minutes! Dismissed!"

"Citizens of The Crystal Empire!" cried Cadence, "In order to fulfill the plan to win this battle, we need every effort from you! We must keep our spirits alight to fuel the crystal heart!"

"How will we do that my queen? Without the festival, there isn't exactly a proper ritual to do that." Questioned a civilian crystal pony.

"Simple!" Cadence beamed, "We bow and hold hooves to rejoice and make a lot of love!" (please don't take that in a dirty way)

"But we've already tried it. It does not work. Sorry, but it's not that simple." Said another civilian.

"Of course it does! We're not directly powering the heart, because that'll be my job." Then a group of crystal architects come forth to Cadence. "Ah! Here they are with my new toy."

"Your highness. We have the armament you required." said one of them. Behind them was floating an object that was made of translucent crystals. It was a sphere that had shapes in an opposite direction. One was a column that was empty and narrow, The other was an intricate triangle. It was placed over-top the heart, so that the heart was inside the center of the hollow sphere. The object had an enchantment that held itself aloft without the reliance on telekinesis to lift it. It also reduced the weight significantly, so that it was easily rotatable. "We trust in your rule. My queen."

"Oh uh-- I'm not your queen! I'm just your princess." she half-smiled, "Anyways, let's get ready. I want everypony to gather around the--thingy. I don't know what to call it." they weren't properly disciplined, so they were sloppy at gathering in a circle. Just then, her prince in shining armour walked through the castle's exit, along with everypony else. She dashed over to give him a very warm hug.

"Be careful dear." she whispered.

"Don't worry. I'll be back. For the 3 of us." he smiled. They broke off the embrace, and ordered everypony into positions. He went up to Galio and Luio with Team Bristol and Team Luminous. They all looked at him and fell quiet quickly.

"Galio, Luio, you two will be leading the aerial bombardment against the void sieges. How this will happen is each member of Team Bristol will fly and carry a member of Team Luminous. It is Team Bristol's objective to manuever and reach the area of the void sieges to intercept their movement and destroy their firepower. We do not need each one dead, we want to delay them so that they do not get into their position and begin bombardment, or else it will be over for everyone. I want only Galio and Luio to land to put a full stop to the sieges. I trust that they can do it by themselves.

Remember: we have a very large air superiority, since our castle's ranged firepower is much more than enough to provide cover for you. I don't want any dead or anyone lost in this battle at all! DO I make myself clear!?"

"Sir yes sir!" they saluted.

"Than prepare for liftoff. This battle starts once those shields go down! I want you out of here once it does!"

"Sir yes sir!" they saluted once more.

"Dismissed!" they dispersed. Luio then walked up to Shining, grabbing his attention.

"Shining. I have another plan.. or to add on to your plan." He said.

"Okay. What is it?" Shrugged Shining.

"It's berry poison. Something I made for Terra in a battle just like this one." He winked, "My mother did a strategy just like this one all those years back."

"Okay fine you got me. But I've never heard of berry poison, and I don't want to use any of it to risk our own soldiers."

"Don't you know the Crystal Empire's sheep are immune to them? Once the sheep eat it, it'll take approximately 20 seconds until their hide starts to exert the fume. It does no harm to them, also the poison only blinds and slows down other organisms, so it never kills anyone... unless you're allergic. They love it too! It's just like eating cooked vegetables instead of raw berries that they pick from the bushes."

"Hm..." Shining Armour thought of the downsides and plus sides to this strategy. It would put innocent sheep at risk, and maybe crystal guards if they got too close. But the effects the poison has will be extremely useful for the battle.

"May I add that a crystal pony's crystal hide is not effected at all by the poison? Just give them masks so they don't breath it in." added in Luio.

"You're a genius Luio. If that is true, we could easily win this battle!"

Just before they departed, the shield fell.

Everypony was ready.

"Change of plans Luio. You're staying here to apply the poison crystal berries, and I will ride with Galio to the sieges."

"We're counting on you." he said before he dashed off.

Author's Notes:

This took a really really long time!
So I guess I shouldn't promise i'll be more active again, because i seem to do the opposite when I do. :|

Anyways, I suggest you re-read the Crystal Empire part again because every tiny bit in it matters... a lot. It's also my version of HISHE for defeating sombra in season 3. Shining Armour finally steps up to the title of captain/prince in the military eh?

My editor made us a new horizontal rule to make up for my laziness! Do you like it?

He's also taking a break soon, so I am in need of a new editor, or rather just to help out with the story. Which means being responsible with the task of going through the whole story again, just to revise it.

I do plan on trying to submit this story to Equestria Daily. How dare they call Terra a mary sue >:U

May I just say that Azir's release may have saved this story.

Also, one more detail I want to clear up on the story, there are 3 types of dragons. Salamander-dragons, ones with 4 legs and wings, and ones with wings and two legs. I tried to classify salamander dragons as those without wings, then the ones with 4 legs and wings as dragons, then the ones with wings and two legs as drakes.
However, I was dumb enough to keep screwing them up. oh well.

Then ranged adcs and assassins are pegasi, bruisers and melee with defence based stats are earth ponies, then magic users are as we know: unicorns.

And don't worry! Battlecast Skarner is coming soon! I KNOW IT

IT WILL COME OUT

IT
WILL
COME
OUT

The Crystal Vanguard

by Skarner

Prologue: Rise of Sombra/Awakening of a Dreadnaught

Chapter 1: First Impressions

Chapter 2: Creatures of the Mountain

Chapter 3: Step-two into the Void

Chapter 4: Only in Canterlot

Chapter 5: Elite Freebee

Chapter 6: Malefic Visions

Chapter 7:Ways of Barbaric Kingdoms

Chapter 8: Blooded Souls

Chapter 9: Cold Embrace

Chapter 10: A Chemical Reaction

Chapter 11: Misery Loves Company

Bonus!: Through the Morbid

Chapter 12: Born/Became an Exile

Chapter 13: Unfortunate

Chapter 14: These Hooves of Mine

Chapter 15: Childish

Chapter 16: The Dauntless

Chapter 17: Remorse, Hence the Scars

Chapter 18: The Observer Effect

Chapter 19: Skies of Blue

Chapter 20: We Have Held Them Off...

Chapter 21:...Until Now

Chapter 22: Just Ice

Chapter 23: Up the Storm Down

Chapter 24: Refracted Light

Whoa Damn I'm back?