Rock The Vanguardby Castok the Shadow
Chapters
Prologue
Rock the Vanguard
It was a normal day for Rock. It was always the same thing:
Check height and body: 7ft, pale skin, blue eyes, small brown beard and long dark brown hair.
Training: Using his chain mace to hit all the dummies with one swing for two hour straight.
Go to the Arena: walked up the 237 steps (Rock got so bored that he counted how many steps there were)
Shout intro motto: "ROCK IS THE VANGUARD!!!!" (wait for the cheer) 'CHEERS' "ROCK THE VANGUARD WILL FIGHT FOR YOU!!!"
Fight: 23 slaves, 5 Timberwolves and 2 Hydras.... a walk in the park for him.
Shout outro motto: "VANGUARD KILLS, ROCK WON, ROCK IS THE VANGUARD!!!!" (wait for the cheer) 'CHEERS' "GOOD NIGHT!!!"
Leave the Arena: walked down the 237 steps
Training (again): Using his chain mace to hit all the dummies with one swing for two hour straight AGAIN!.
Goes to bed: This time he didn't went to sleep because he didn't want to. What was his purpose in life? He was the best gladiator in the whole Arena, none could stop him and none can defect him.
But why does he feel nothing inside? Why does he let these Griffins tell him what to do and when to do it? Its not fair!. But most of all... Why does all of those slaves begged for mercy all the time? Very few of them fights Rock, some turn their own weapons against them then fighting Rock and what made Rock really sad, was their faces. Pure terror, it that how everyone looks to Rock? Rock prays to the moon for answers. But only to have silent as his answers, every night and every time.
But Rock haves a plan and a very good one. He is going to leave the Arena.
But how?
By doing what he good at.
Being.....
THE VANGUARD!
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Outside of Rock's cell was two guards that was guarding his cell. One of them was a rookie to this job and he was shaking in his armour. The other guard token noteice about this.
"Will you relax Becky" The older said in a grumpy tone. "He fast asleep, he won't awake up until the sun hit his face".
Becky still shaking in his armour "That...that doesn't he..help sir" He replied in fear.
"look he won't escape without this key" Sir groan and show him the key to Rock's cell. it was a small silver key with the crest of Arena's symbol, one crown on top and two sword crossed underneath. "he'll need to reach throw the steel bars and grab it from me, so you can sto-"
BASH!
The two Griffins nearly jumped out of their armour and legged it. They turn to Rock's door and nothing looked damaged. But when they looked inside of the cell, they saw the wall inside of his cell had the outline of Rock's huge, bulky body. It looked like he didn't even try to brake it, he just walked right through the wall like it was nothing but snow.
"Shall I sound the alarm, sir?" Becky asked Sir shaking even more.
"Hmm... I think that a good idea sonny" Sir answered, shaking along with Becky like he was all cold
"Can we scream like little chicks also?" Becky replied
"Yeah that also an good idea" Sir answered again.
And in that moment. The two guard ran to the bell tower screaming like two little chicks and shouting "ROCK HAS ESCAPED! ALL CLAWS TO ARM!"
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Rock ran and ran as fast as he can. For they can't catch him. HE'S THE MIGHTY VANGUARD MAN!
He run past the Arena he 'used' to lived in for his whole life and went past the barrack that hold all the guard guarding Him and the other. He laughed at how easy this was, Rock should have done this years ago.
He got his typical and traditional green and red gladiator helmet and shoulder plate that reached from his shoulder to his stone like knuckles. His light brown and yellow spikey like kneepads that are all the way down to his foots. (so much for that) And his chain mace with a large spikey ball on the end of the chain that to him is his only best friend he had in there.
He heard the alarm that telling every guard to find him. but it was to late, for Rock was all ready past the gate and when he notice this he simply shout out at the top of his lungs "I. AM. FREE.... GOING TURBO" And he was gone in a flash. Only an Griffin farmer saw this with his jaw nearly hitting the ground.
"How can one like him run that fast?" The farmer said in awe.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
seven year later...
"VANGUARD IS SO BORED!" Rock yelled to himself. Life in the Everfree was OK, but it was the same thing
Check height: 7ft, pale skin, blue eyes, small brown beard and long dark brown hair. (He looked in the nears lake)
Training: Using his chain mace to hit some trees with one swing for two hour straight.
Go to find food: He can eat almost anything from meat to fruits, but it sometimes give him a tummy ache which Rock the Vanguard calls A NUISANCE!
Fight: 6 Timberwolves, 3 Hydras and 1 small frog (it was annoying him because it woke him up at three o'clock in the morning and it took half an hour to kill it.)
Go back home: He made his home in what to him look like a garden, fill with blue roses that have a silver stone in the centre, dandelions on the left and bluebells on the right. Rock looked after them by going to the nears lake, scope a large handful of water and give each one of them a drink. Rock was a very good gardener for some magical reason. It was next to a ruins which Rock think it was an old castle, he doesn't know who's castle it belonged to. But he knows that it was big and must been build for alicorns because there was a flag with two alicorns on it. Rock the Vanguard didn't live in there because it remind him of the cage he used to lived in.
To him, life outside was just another bigger cage for him and he still feels nothing inside of him. Even looking after the flowers didn't change must, he care for them. But he didn't felted it.
Suddenly he heard a sound, it sounds like wing flapping in the air... and it wasn't far away either.
'Griffins' He thought angry. He then hide behind two trees that was use as a bed and pick up his mace he now calls 'Kevin' for some reason and was ready to surprise attack those bad Griffins....
Only it wasn't.... instead it was a.... a.....
Beauty blue Alicorns with a flowing stary mane.
"That Song"
The ailcorn landed down near the patch of blue bells that is in the shape of a crown and keep her wings straight, showing the dark blue colour of her coat in the sunlight. Rock still hiding behind the trees looked at the mare in awe. Her knew that she was an ailcorn because in the Grand Arena, he heard the guards talk about them. The latest was a great battle between a newly ailcorn princess fighting a centaur lord that nearly destroyed a whole town, but Rock never saw one at person and to be honest he was worried about them when he heard the news.
'What is she doing here?' Rock questioned inside his mind. 'None but Rock the Vanguard enters this place... none!' He grip on his mace was getting tighten because this is HIS home now and none is going to walk all over it.
The ailcorn in question was now walking around the garden with her wings tuck to her side and looking at all the flowers. She started with the bluebells and then to the dandelions (which was shaped as a shield) as she looked at them and smell some of them with a smile on her face. You couldn't see it under Rock's gladiator helmet, but there was a face of surprise when he saw this ailcorn simile because he never saw a simile before. In all Rock's life. He never looked up at the audiences of the Arena to see them smile and laughter at their favourite gladiator because Rock the Vanguard was too busy fighting his opponents to notices. But Rock the Vanguard did know what laughter was. But he doesn't know if they were laughing with him or at him. This thought however made his surprised face to turn into a face of fury, for Rock the Vanguard remembered the faces of those slaves he had to kill. Pure terror.
Rock held the handle of his mace as well as Kevin's chains because he didn't want it to rascal around as he creep out of the trees and silent as the time he prays to the moon, he walked towards the unaware ailcorn in front.
As Rock the Vanguard was getting closer to his prey. The ailcorn was going up the hill where the blue roses are. She reached the tope of the hill and gazed at the roses that was shaped as a heart and in the middle of the patch was the silver stone. She then pressed towards the stone, stepping on some of the roses. Rock however token notice of this terrible acted.
'Oh you are going to pay for that' Rock the Vanguard thought, shaken his head side by side in anger as he will avenge the fallen blue roses. He made it up the hill, still very quiet as before but only his breathing was a bit louder from his anger. He lifted Kevin up above his head, ready to strike at the intruder but only stopped when she began to sing.
Rock stand still as a stature when she began to sing the most beautiful song Rock the Vanguard have ever heard in his whole life on this world. As she sang the silver stone in the middle was beginning to glow a light blue aura as the wind of the forest began to move around them like a small but light tornado. The bluebells began to ring like the bells they are supposed to be as the dandelions made the sound of string that made Rock the Vanguard anger replaced with calmness and his face of fury to a face of sadness as he lower his weapon and made it fall to the ground, luckily the ailcorn didn't hear this and continue her song. Rock notice that the blue roses was moving ever so slowly toward the glowing stone as the wind was picking up speed. Rock watch in awe as the roses finally points their heads toward the stone and began to slowly losing they petals on them while heading towards the glowing stone and going up to the sky by the winds. They began to spin in a circle so fast that they look like it just a blue ring above them, getting faster and faster. Then a flash of light came from nowhere and the roses petals disappear from thin air. Both Rock the Vanguard and the singing ailcorn looked up to see something beautiful.
Above them was two little ailcorn fillies running and laughing with joy. One of them had light blue mare like the glowing stone while the other had the colour pink. Behind them, with the same laughter but with a motherly smile was a older ailcorn with a long red mane and tail. what Rock was looking at what must be the mother of the two fillies with confusion on his face. He never knew what a mother was like because he can't remember his but for some reason when he look at her, Rock feel like he knew her but Rock never scene her.
"Why does... Rock feel like Rock knows her?" He whispered in sadness as tears began to fill his blue eyes. He never known what a mother was like to Rock the Vanguard because he never knew one "But Rock the Vanguard feels like he does know the red mane ailcorn mother".
As soon as Rock finish talking to himself. The scene was faded away as the song was coming to an end. The winds were dying and the glowing stone was turning back into silver once before. As soon as the song was done. A tear leaked out from one of ailcorn's eyes, little did she knows that under Rock the Vanguard's Gladiator helmet. Rock was having tears flowing freely and didn't stop. It was the first time in his whole life that Rock cried and not from physical pain but emotional pain. Rock realize that this is one of the reason why those slaves had those faces when Rock the Vanguard had to destroy them. Because they'll never see their family nor friends again. Rock begins to shiver like his was chancing a cold.
"That song" Rock spoke sadly while still the tears in his eyes was flowing faster then ever now. The ailcorn jumped in shocked that something was behind her, she flew into the air and landed on the stone as her horn glowed ready to strike at Rock the Vanguard.
Rock just fell down on his knees with the graze of a cow and looked up at the surprised ailcorn. She couldn't see Rock's face thanks to his helmet. But Rock the Vanguard was in no mood to fight for a bunch of flowers.
Rock just broken down, sopping out of control "WHY DOES IT MADE ROCK FEEL LIKE ROCK THE VANGUARD HAS NO PURPOSE HERE!?" He yelled and cried at the ailcorn as his hands rested on Rock the Vanguard's Gladiator helmet as cried and cried and cried. As he cried, the whole Everfree forest was silent as the night.
"THIS IS ROCK'S GARDEN!"
[/Luna POVi]
'What is that?' I thought in my mind as I looked at the crying... creature. This thing was like no other I have seen in my life.
Its much taller the me and even my sister, perhaps even taller then Discord (But he always changes height then and there, so it pretty much uncertain for his actual height) It wore nothing on it's...feet but it have some kind spikey metal just above them. It also wore grey leather belt armour that cover its knees to its hip with dirt marks all over the place, which must mean that it has been in the Everfree forest for a long time. It also seem to be wearing a green and red manica on it right arm like the minotaur berserkers worn when they were in a civil war that happen two thousand years ago in The Plain Lands of the south. But this looked much older, it was crafted in some strange metal that almost look like steel, but it didn't had the shin like steel would get in the sun. Instead, it was dim and the sunlight wasn't shining off it. It had leather strap that cover parts of the creature torso and must go all the way around the back of creature. On the ground, next to the sobbing creature was a large silver chain mace that had a huge spikey ball that is the size of one those sport game that our subjects play, what was it? Oh yes hoofball they call it. The handle of the chain mace had a iron grip with leather scraps that cover where this thing would be holding if it wasn't crying. But what got me puzzled was what it was wearing on it's head. A red and green kalkriese helmet, the same colour as its manica. It has weird marking on it, one of them had a strange language that says 'y rhai sy'n gweld, yn gwybod' on top of it helm where the feathers and way it would see threw the small holes in front of it line of sight. Like the manica it too must been made with the same metal because it didn't shin when the light was hitting on it. But the detail... Whoever or whatever made this must of known what they were doing because this is something that must of predate before me and my sister threw Lord Tirek into Tartarus AND that is when the royal guards was just founded.
I hopped down from the memory ward stone and walked slowly toward the creature carefully. It been a whole two minutes when it talked and it was still crying as if it lost something dear to it.
"Are you okay?" I asked softly, hopefully that it could answer without being threaten, for it was a bulky creature and it can easily reach for it's weapon and end my life here and now.
But silent was it answer...and nothing more.
"Can you understand me?" I tried again. It taken me a long time to get me from speaking old Equestrian to modern Equestrian. But likely, it was able to nod its head slowly up and down.
'Well... Its a start' I thought. Now we're getting somewhere.
"Okay then. You can please explain to me why you are in my secret garden?" I said with a hopeful smile. But I might have hit a nervous system inside of it because it stopped crying for a short time and looked straight at me. I couldn't see behind it's kalkriese helmet, but I can tell that it was not happy. It quickly grabbed it's mace on it's right hand and stand backed up to it full height. For a brief moment, I felted fear from this thing.
"THIS IS ROCK'S GARDEN!" It bellowed furiously but yet it was still crying through it's helmet. It lifted its weapon above its right side of it's helm and swung it down towards me. I quickly glow my horn and casted a teleport spell to teleported me a down the hill behind the attacking brute which its mace was now stuck in the ground. It began to looked around frantically to find me, it's eyes must be cloudy from all the crying it had been doing and its line of sight was all blurry. It turn it's head back to see me standing there with my horn glowing at it.
"THIS IS OUR GARDEN!" I haven't used my royal canterlot voice in sometime but it was still strong and powerful if not great like the years before. This however only made it use it's version of the voice.
"ROCK THE VANGUARD HAVEN'T SEEN YOU HERE IN THE LAST SEVEN YEARS!" It roared loudly. Then this 'Rock' began to ran towards me to gain speed and jumped in the air with 'his' chain mace above his head again. But this time he was using both of his hands to grip to gain more power in his attack "AND SO THIS IS ROCK'S GARDEN!".
I jumped back into the air just as the mace hit the ground causing a mini shockwave as I flew up to the sky. I looked down to see a massive dint on where I was previously stood. Still crying Rock looked at me as I looked at him with a face of anger and a little curious. Why is this Rock so over protective to the garden and why would it so far as trying to kill me for it? Rock roared in fury as he started to have a furious fit by bashing the mace everywhere around him. But to my surprise, he somehow got his fit under control because in a fit you hit everything that is closes to you. But it seems that Rock had his control because he was bashing everything put from the flowers. Rock was beginning to slowly but surely calming down as his bashes and anger shout began to slow down. In a couple of seconds Rock stopped his angry fit and started to looked around at the destruction he had made. He then dropped his chin mace and fell down on his knees again. Rock was silenced for a moment but went back to crying again.
I was in shocked about how he was sure that this was his garden and also sad at how I treated him. The creature was broken down into tears and I started questioning him on why he was in the garden, Rock must of seen the memory stone of me and my sister's past and got all emotional about it.
I flew down ever so careful and silently as I can be and walked to Rock with sadness on my face for being so blunted to him.
"Okay then...Rock" I said carefully as to not make him blindly attack me again "I think we both got on the wrong hoof, so when you are ready to talk. Just let me, Luna know" And after I said that. I bravely sat down waiting to Rock to stopped crying and start to talk.
It token Rock an whole hour to stopped crying but luckily he stopped crying and was ready to talk. Before I was going to apologised, Rock spoke first.
"Rock the Vanguard wants to say Rock sorry" He said while he sniffed from his crying.
"No it should be I who must apologises to you" I replied with a smile on my face. "I was to blunted to realises that you were in a deep depression to be answering questions at the time"
Rock looked at me as he was about to protest but I mealy continue before we're both locked in the endless lope on who should be sorry.
"So" I began the new conversation "You name must me Rock the Venguards is that corrected?"
Rock tilted his head on the left "No" He bluntly answered "The name is Rock The Vanguard" He then lifted his shaking right hand out towards me. "Is nice to meet you... Just before Rock The Vanguard tried to hurt you that is"
I couldn't helped but giggled at that, but accepted his greeting by lifted my left hoof to his hand and rested on it.
I couldn't not notice that my hoof was dwarfed compare his large hand. It completed cover my hoof in his hand, but we shaken gently.
"Its a pleasure to meet you too" I replied happily that this was now getting smoothly that before. I think that Rock was smiley with me because he wasn't sniffing anymore. But before I down the big questions, I thought that I'll start with the small questions.
"So um..." I thought for a good question to asked him but the only thing that kept on coming was 'Why was in my garden?'. But luckily I thought of one "What were you doing before I arrived here?"
Rock let go of my hoof and pointed just above me.
"Resting" He answered as I looked backed at what he was pointed at.
There was two tall oak trees that was bended as if somepony pushed to make it looked like they were flat so you can rested on it. That somepony must of been Rock. The leafs on were supposed to be on top of the trees were not there. Instead it was placed in the middle of the two trees that had to been Rock's cover. My mouth was open wide. Oak trees are one of the toughest trees in the Everfree forest and Rock bended two of them, striped them of their leafs and made it his bed. I looked backed at Rock with my mouth still open. Rock notice this and helped me shut it with his right hand.
"How long did that took?" I asked surprised by the fact that I had just seen. Rock looked down to his left hand and started to count with his fingers as he tried to work it all out.
"Rock think about..." He shake his had side by side as he was trying to get the right answer. "Four minutes"
Once again, my mouth was wide open. It taken Rock to bend four minutes to make two oak trees into his own bed to sleep and rest on. Before I could asked him how he gotten his strength from, he asked me a question of his own.
"What is that on you?" Rock said as he pointed down at my... flank. I looked down to where he was pointing at and realise that he was pointing at my cutie mark.
"That is my cutie mark" I sighed lightly.
"What's that?" Rock again tilted his head as he asked the question.
"It what tells a pony what talent he or she has got" I answered as I pointed at my mark of the moon. "My means that I am the Princess of the night"
"So you're a star watcher?" Rock asked while he looked at the sky as if he was looked to see if it was night time already.
"No" I giggled as to how silly that sound. "What I do is-"
"An night-gazer?" Rock interrupted, looking back at me as if to see if was correct. But sadly he was wrong.
"What...No" I answered in confusion. That sound even sillier then star watcher.
"Oh" Rock shouted while he clicked his fingers "You're a candlestick maker?"
I decided to just give him the fact before he gets a dozen of ideas.
"I move the moon and create the night sky while protecting ponies dreams from nightmares." I answered with pride of my role and to make Rock stop guessing at to what my cutie mark means.
Rock felled into silence. I was not sure if he was surprised or shocked at what I just told to him, but his silence was long and disrupting. But soon looked up at the sky again and gasped in disbelieve at the knowledge he just learned.
"You move the moon?" He talked to himself. I didn't know this as I just nodded in agreement. He then looked at me again as he started to stand up to his full height. As he did this so did I in turn. "You're the one that control moony?" He asked me which I merely nodded again. I couldn't see his face behind his helmet but I felted that he was sad. But from what? Before I can asked, Rock began to yawn and straighten his arms in the sky. I looked at the sky and saw that my sister's sun was going down. I had so many questions to asked, but I just have to go back to the palace and rise the moon before my sister started to worried about me not returning back home.
"Well" Rock yawned as he reached down to the ground and picked up his mace with his right hand. He then stood there for a few seconds staring me. "Rock the Vanguard is sleepily and Rock must rest"
"Indeed" I said with a smile. "Will you be here when I come back tomorrow?" I asked, hoping that he would replied with...
"Yes" Rock answered. My smile got a little bit wider with the knowledge that he'll be here when I return. Rock walked past me as he was headed to his tree-bed. I just need to asked him one more question before I go.
"Rock?" I talked to Rock with a carful tone, he merely stopped and turned his head to the side. He made a soft grunt which made me continued on my question "What was it that you were crying about?"
Silence. There was silence as he turned his head back in front of him and lower his head as if he was thinking about answering my question. But then he said something I thought he won't ever say.
"Why don't you come back when the sun is up above the sky" Rock answered in what I could tell was a friendly tone in his voice "Then Rock will tell moony" He then continued his walk toward the tree-bed.
'He gave me an nickname' I thought in my mind in surprised as he hopped on the his bed and rolled on his side with his mace still in his hands as if it was a teddy bear. This scene just made a smile on my face on how a enormous he was, but have a soft heart inside of him.
I watched him for a moment before I opened my wings and flew back toward the palace to return to my duty. As a flew high, I couldn't help but looked backed at the garden and Rock to seen the place and him sleeping peacefully. This made a warm feeling in my heart at to realize that Rock must of looked after the garden when I wasn't here in the past seven years.
However as I looked at the scene I left behind. Something latched onto me. I was taken by surprised as I was felled down from the sky. I looked at what has gotten a hold on me.
It was an rope that was made of silver metal that was thin but strong that I couldn't shaken out of. As I was falling, I tried to casted a teleport spell. But the mental rope began to glow dark purple and green. The very colour of dark magic and a very powerful magic to stopped me from casting my spell, so I had to prepared for a cash landing.
I hit the ground hard on my right side, I hit the ground so hard that I heard two very loud cracks and bounded twice on the hard floor. I tried to get up but I horridly found that my right back leg and my right wing had been broken from the fell. I tired to get up but my injuries and the dark magic rope held me down. Who did this and why?
Suddenly I heard a sinister growly laughter from somewhere in the forest. I was about to say 'who's there' but there was no need.
For it decided to come out from behind a large moss stone that was in front of me.
I heard a hiss like a snake come from the moss stone. Then I saw a long, Reptile like claw that grabbed the left side of the stone. The colour of the claw was a dim purple with yellow nails and striped. Then it pulled itself to reviled a reptilian torso with the same colours as it's hand and now coming out of the shadow it's arm that had what looked like scrap of iron armour. I was going to looked at its head but then I saw it's lower body part. Instead of reptilian legs like I thought it would had, it had a lower body of a snake. It still had the same colours as the other part of its body, but it had more of the scraps of iron armour that was covering almost all of its back of it snake body and the back of it torso with spikes. It had in it's left claw was a ebony short sword that had the handle as a cobra and the blade crude and with sharp spikes that goes all the way to the top of the silver blade. I then looked at it face and whelped in fright. It's head had a evil smile that showed its many rows of sharp, white, carnivorous teeth. It had a long snout like a crocodile and two spikes on top of it's head. It's eyes as if excepted was reptilian with the colour of light crimson in it. It also had a strange marking that looked like an eagle claw with a orb in the eagle's claw on top of it's forehead. I looked at it whole body with full terror as I realize what the monster was. I heard of them in a continent far up to the north of Equestria and be on the Clear Sea, but I thought they were only legends... But I was proven wrong. This thing was a...
Naga.
It slivered towards be while it chuckled to itself.
"Looky what we got here" Its growly and cold voice gave me shiver down my spine. "And here I though it was going to take forever to catch a meal but it seen that I'll be dining with the royalty tonight" It stopped talking to me when it was a few feet away from me. I was scared be on believe. It did one more laugh before it said in a deep and dark voice.
"The Master will be pleases"
It lifted it blade in the air to bring my death quickly. I tired again to once more cast a spell and getting up. But this only made me more weaker. I closed my eyes and imagine all the thing I did with my life. I remembered my mother and farther, I remembered my sister, I remembered being released by my curse of Nightmare Moon by the Elements of Harmony and I remembered all the fun and enjoyable moments in my life before my dearth.
Instead of death. I heard a gasp of fear and the sliver of Naga slivered back. Then a mini earthquake hitting near by and a deep roar. I opened my eyes to see...
Rock the Vanguard.
Rock was standing above me with his chin mace in front of him with has made a huge hole in the ground. The Naga had the face of pure fear and was holding It's short sword in front of it shaking furiously. Rock's helmet looked down to me to see if I was hurt by it. He the looked at the Naga which I can only guess was a face of rage, because he lifted his mace with his manica armoured hand and swung it to his side with the sound of whooshes next to him.
"YOU DARE TRY AND KILL ROCK THE VANGUARD'S FRIEND!?" Rock bellowed at the Naga "ROCK THE VANGUARD WILL HAVE YOUR BLOOD!!"
And after he bellowed and shouted at his newly opponent, he charged straight toward it with a battle cry that echo the whole forest.
Vanguard Vs. Naga
Rock bellowed and shouted at his newly opponent, he charged straight toward the Naga with a battle cry that echo the whole forest. The Naga had broken out of fear and too charged at Rock with it's sword up over it's head. As soon as Rock and the Naga were but a few feet. Rock lifted his right armoured hand that held his chin mace and used it to smacked the Naga's bottom jaw, making it flew a few feet in the air. With his left hand, he clutched it into a fist and punched into the belly of the Naga that made it flew all the way back to the moss stone that it was hided from, making the stone and the back of the Naga's head collided together. But Rock didn't stopped there. He ran towards the dizzy Naga and bashed it threw the stone with one mighty whacked with his mace making the stone shattered into many pieces. Luna just had watched in amazed at how strong Rock were in the battle.
The Naga finally got the change to get up and sliver into the shadow of the trees, it hoped that it can surprise attack Rock. Rock The Vanguard began to looked around him, trying to find his opponent with his mace in both of his hand.
"COME OUT AND FACE ROCK THE VANGUARD, COWERD!!" Rock bellowed in rage as he broken down at a tree on his left to try and find his sneaky prey. Luna helped by looking for the Naga as Rock couldn't see behind him if the Naga was there and lucky, Luna saw a shine of light that was reflecting at the lowering sun. She could see the Naga ready to jumped from the shadows.
"Rock look behind you!" Luna yelled to Rock. Rock looked at Luna and then looked behind him just when the Naga jumped with it's sword ready to stabbed Rock. Using his manica on his right arm as a shield, the Naga's sword hit Rock's arm and with his left hand grabbed the Naga jaw but when Rock reached for it. The Naga opened it's mouth and closed in shut on Rock's hand, braking it in the process. Instead of cry's of pain. Rock cried in anger as he lifted the up above Rock's head and made the Naga landed hard on it's face, braking it's jaw and some of it's teeth along the way. Rock drop his mace in his manica armoured right hand and grabbed the Naga's purple and yellow striped tail. The Naga tried to hold on the ground but it was lifted in the air and swung around like a hammer. Soon Rock let go of the Naga and it flew up high in the sky. It landed down on it's back with a massive cracking sound and the beast was still.
"YOU HURT MOONY!" Rock shouted and the dead Naga "YOU'LL ANSWER TO THE VANGUARD!!!" Rock roared in the sky triumph from his battle. He picked up his chin mace and placed it in his belt while also picking up the Naga short sword as a trophy. He then walked to Luna and kneed down to see what he was looking at.
"Are you okay?" Rock asked worried as he looked at the net.
"Rock your hand" Luna answered with shocked gasp. Rock looked at his broken left hand, it seem that was much more worse. His fingers was mauled, his bones was showing in the centre of his hand and it was already infected.
"It'll fix itself soon enough" Rock said bluntly as he turned his attention to the rope.
"No it won't" Luna clarified "If we don't do something it will have to-" Luna stopped talking when she saw some glowing on Rock's hand.
The glow was a yellow colour like the bright sun. It engulfed Rock's hand but she can she a little bit on what was happening. The mauled fingers was getting put backed together with the sound of reversed cracks of bones, new skin was covered over the bone in Rock's centre hand and the infection was removed by unknown magic. With his hand all mended, Rock used his mended hand to pick the Naga' sword on his belt and started to cut the rope. He then picked up Luna very carefully as to not hurt her and held her like a baby. Luna face throughout the hold thing was all but surprised as Rock's hand was healed in a flash. Rock began to walked away from the battle scene but only stopped to see his dead foe...
But it wasn't there anymore.
"Where did it go?" Luna finally spoken up from her little day dream.
"Gone" Rock once again answered bluntly "Gone to clear it's wounds" Rock looked down at Luna and Luna looked up at him "Where is the nearest settlement?" Rock asked.
"Ponyville" Luna answered "Two miles to the south from here"
Rock looked front and realise that he was going south. So he walked to this 'Ponyville' and fully knows that his opponent has escaped and has not been slain. The first foe who fought Rock the Vanguard and lived to tell the tale.
"He saved me"
It has been a few minutes since the fight with the Naga and everything was silence in the forest. Luna was carried by Rock throughout the trip still trying to get the pieces together at to what just happen. First Luna went back to her old garden to looked at the memory stone, Rock going all sad, a legend now an actual fact and Rock magical healing power. Everything was confusing to her, but she needs tell her sister about the Naga attack and this 'Master' it mention. Who or what is the Master and why does it want her died? These questions will be answered soon but for now, she is safe thanks to Rock. Luna looked up at Rock to see if he was okay, even though his hand was healed it still worried her.
"Are you sure you're alright Rock?" Luna asked "You did had your hand almost ripped off in that fight"
But Rock didn't listen to her. He was looking around to find where Ponyville is. He had just fought a serpent and he does know it won't come back to fight him again, but that doesn't meant that there isn't others out here or how many there are. He needs to keep a watch for them and be prepared for anything in the darkness. Rock is never a big fan to the darkness. He checked left and right, head up in he sky and turned to see if anything was following them. Luna took noticed of this.
"Are you alright?" Luna once again asked Rock. This time though Rock answered.
"Rock the Vanguard is fine" He muttered through his helmet "Rock the Vanguard is making sure that no one is following Rock and Moony"
A crack was heard in front of them and as quick as a flash, Rock picked his mace up and span in around his head ready to defend him and Luna from whatever made that noise. Turned out that it was a small squirrel that was having a midnight snack from a nut. It looked at them with a small smile. Rock however growled at it and it ran away. Luna now knew why Rock was so jumpy.
"You're afraid of the dark" Luna said with a bit of anger at him for scaring the poor creature.
"No Rock not" Rock protected
"You have a thing called Nyctophobia"
"What's that?"
"It means that you have a fear of the dark"
"Rock the Vanguard has nothing to fear, only Rock the Vanguard's foe must be...scared of...." Rock's protects slowed down. Rock remembered the faces of all the slaves he fought in the Area. He remembered one of them very well. A small griffin girl who looked like she hasn't even reached the age of seventeen was sent into the Area and well... Rock just remembered her face when he was forced to fight and... kill her. Pure Fear.
"Rock?" Luna's voice broken his little daydream "What's wrong" Her voice was one of confuse and worry for him.
"Rock's fine" Rock said weakly "Rock just needed to think. Where do Rock go now?" Rock asked as he looked around trying to guess which where to go.
"We're nearly there" Luna answered " If you continued down from here then we'll be there in around-" She stopped talking and she heard the sounds of hooves and flips of wings coming this where. Luna was about to shout when Rock jumped to the nearest trees to hide him and Luna. Luna didn't understand why he did this. But to Rock, he thought that it was the griffins that came to looked for him. Though they have stopped searching for him for two whole years. He still didn't think that they'll let him go that easily. Luna wanted to tell Rock to come out but Rock covered her mouth with his hand and waited to see what was coming towards them.
"Come on girls" Came the sound of a familiar mare voice that Luna knows to well but to Rock. Not really. "Princess Luna hasn't return to Canterlot and we need to find her." The voice was getting closer to them. Luckily Luna manage to move Rock's hand of her mouth. She wanted to tell them that she was here but this leaves Rock out of it though.
"Rock relax" Luna softly told Rock "They are my friends" Rock didn't listen to her and slowly began to lift his mace ready to attack her friends, she needed to think of another word for Rock to understand. Her friends were getting closer, Luna got an idea.
"They are Moony's friends" Luna once again softly told Rock. Rock then looked at her. She couldn't see it under his helmet but Rock was looking at her with surprised. Rock put his weapon back on his belt but he didn't went out behind the trees. He whole life was fighting so this was a big thing for Rock's willpower to put Kevin away.
"What about Rock?" Rock whispered to Luna " What will Moony's friends do to Rock if Rock comes out from the shadows and see Moony like this?" Luna thought for a moment. He has a point. If she knows them well. Two of them would attack him without question.
"You let me do the talking alright?" Luna answered. Rock looked at her for a few seconds but then nodded his head. Rock the slowly came out of hiding from the trees. As Rock was coming out of the shadow. Luna and Rock heard gasps of shock as they saw an unknown creature carrying their princess who was very injured. When Rock turned to face them, Luna saw the friends she knew. There in front of them was the Mare Six and like Luna knew, two of them were not happy to see their ruler injured in the hand of creature.
"What have you done to the princess?" The rainbow Pegasus angrily yelled at Rock. She was about to changed at him when Luna used he royal Canterlot voice to stopped her and the rest from making a bad mistake.
"EVERYPONY STOP!!" Luna voice echoed through out the whole forest. Everypony stopped what they were about to do and looked at Luna. With everypony's attention focused on her she began to talked in her normal voice.
"Right, now lets get the questions out of the way. This is Rock the Vanguard, no he didn't hurt me in fact HE saved me from a beast known as a Naga and finally nopony try and have a fight with him because you WILL lose to him because he manage to fight of a Naga and healed his injured with some kind of magic. He saved me from death and is trying to take me back to Ponyville to get treated. Everypony got that?"
After her little speech, everypony was quiet for how Luna tried to defend Rock's honour and not to have any more fights tonight. A lavender ailcorn came closer to Luna to see if she help. But Rock will have none of it, he growled and moved back a step from her. Luna understand why he did this but not why did he saved her. He had no reason to but he did. This question will soon be answered but not tonight.
"It's okay Rock" Luna said to relax Rock "Twilight here is trying to help"
"Will get helps from Ponyville" Rock bluntly answered. "Where is place to make Moony better?" Rock asked Twilight.
"The Ponyville Hospital" Twilight replied friendly, trying to gain his trust. "We can lead you to it"
"Then lead" Rock commanded. He wanted to make Luna safe from anymore danger and get out of the darkness because he was 'uncomfortable' around it. Soon twilight nodded and walked back to her friends (even though some of them were not to sure with this) and lead the group back to Ponyville to get Luna to the Hospital.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
miles from Equstria...
The sandstorm raged on for hours and it didn't helped the Naga's injures as it was slithered up an mountain made of pure iron. The mountain was named Iron Peck in the Badlands of the West where even the surface of the mountain were made of iron. The Naga's broken jaw was open so all the sands in the sandstorm was getting into his mouth. It continued to slither up the mountain with it right claw holding it left broken arm until it reached an entrance. This entrance had carving of strange symbols and two huge statures of a cobra that were at the doorway. Next to the statures were two more Nagas that had the same colour and armour of injured Naga that fought Rock. But instead they had spears that looked like a cobra and when reached towards the head of the cobra, a curved blade that looked like the same iron from the mountain. The heads of the two Nagas were like geckos but curved horns that reached to their mouth and iron masks that covered their faces. As the injured Naga was about to enter through the doorway when the spears of the two Nagas came together to make an X shape and looked down at the injured Naga.
"Well looky here" The Naga on the right spoken in a cranky voice "Cysgod Ofn, how was did you mission turned out?"
"And better yet" The Naga on the left spoken with a growl "Why haven't you regenerated yourself?"
The injured Naga answered these questions with a stare. The two Nagas then looked to each other and removed their spears to let it through. Cysgod slithered inside and the two Nagas closed the doors behind it. Inside the mountain was an ancient hall with columns that was made of quicksilver that held the hall from collapsing down on those who are inside, dark blue flames covered these columns to make the hall lighten up so Cysgod can see where it was going. It slithered through the hall on the purple rug that held the image of the same cobra on nearly everything that the Nagas see. Cysgod continue it path through the hall and reached where it was going. In front of it was a pool full with unknown purple and blue magic that was called the Yn dda o Bŵer and in the middle, drinking it...
Was The Master.
It too was a Naga but it had black and purple robes that covered its gray and black upper body, it's tail was long and sharp as if it was a weapon of its own, it wore ebony gauntlets on its claws with spikes on it's knuckles, it held a necklace that was made with bones of ancient warriors of the past and in the middle of the necklace was eye with light blue as it colour. The Master was much taller then Cysgod or another Naga in his kingdom. But the main thing about the Master was it head. It was a cobra head with golden reptile eyes that also a bit of the mighty Yn dda o Bŵer's power inside. The Master stopped drinking but didn't looked at Cysgod. Cysgod bowed before It.
"Did you completed your mission Cysgod Ofn?" The master sinister deep voice boomed. It echo for how much power it has inside of it. Cysgod however couldn't answered for its jaw was broken and held a lot of sand. The only thing it could do was grunted. The Master didn't like what Cysgod just did.
"AND IS THAT A YES OR A..." The Master yelled at it only to stop to see Cysgod all injured and beaten, "WHY HAVN'T YOU REGENERATED YOURSELF!?" The Master slithered out of the Yn dda o Bŵer and near to Cysgod, looking down at it from how tall The Master was, it dwarfed Cysgod by half. Cysgod once again grunted, so the Master lifted one of it claws and used some of his power to removed the sand out of Cysgod's mouth and fixed it. With Cysgod's jaw fixed, it spoke
"Master" Cysgod said "I have failed my mission to slay the princess"
"Why?" The Master angrily asked.
"Because of the Vanguard"
The master looked at Cysgod with shock but didn't shown it in it's face.
"Impossible" The Master spoken "The Vanguards couldn't arrived yet and even if they did you could-"
"Beg you forgiveness Master" Cysgod bravely stopped The Master from continuing "But it was HIM"
This time. The Master shown shock in it's face. The Master thought that he was gone a long time ago. This could effect everything it has planned for centuries. The Master placed it's claws on Cysgod's head and pulled them to let Cysgod looked at it.
"You done the right thing telling me this" The Master replied with a smile of it's face. But it short lived "But that doesn't mean you should fail the mission"
And after it said that, purple and green magic came from the Master's claws. Cysgod roared in pain and in a quick of a flash, only the skeleton remains of Cysgod remained. The Master then went back into the Yn dda o Bŵer and sat in the middle again.
"HORNETS" The Master bellowed. In a short time, dozens of giant orange and black strips hornets with tiny gold gems on their backs came down from the sealing like an endless rain, soon the whole hall was surrounded by the hornets.
"GO AND FIND THIS VANGUARD THAT HAS SPOILED MY PLANS. IF YOU FIND HIM, STAY WITH HIM AND TELL THE OTHER TO RETURN. NO REST UNTILL HE IS FOUND!!!" The Master yelled it's commands to the drones of hornets. "NOW GO, OPEN THE DOORS!!!"
After it has given the hornets their orders. The doors opened and the dozen of hornets flew out in all different ways to find this Vanguard that has spoiled their Master's plan.