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A gust of sulfurous heat was Sergeant Blue Shield's first hint that his carefully laid out plans had not survived first contact with the enemy. It was an old military truth every soldier joked about and every leader dreaded, but there it was, staring him in the face. The flames which followed the initial torrid gust rolled up and over the shield which his horn had been prepared to project since they had taken this position.

Orange and yellow light filled the night sky and gave everypony present a wonderfully detailed look at the path they were about to be running down at breakneck speed. The squad glanced up at their leader, large eyes sparkling as discipline warred with fear. Training caused them all to find solace in the unflinching courage of their leader, and that same training caused the sergeant to swallow his terror and stand unflinching against the enemy.

The rage of the inferno dissipated and a deep growl resonated through the chamber before them. Blue Shield's pure white coat was covered in light steel plate and his blue mane was spiked in time honored regulations of Her Majesty's Guard. The muscles in his large frame were flexed, bracing for battle and still ready to react to the danger before him. The midnight blue shimmer of his magic danced around the horn which marked his family lineage. He waited, ears forward, praying to Princess Celestia for a single sound.

That sound was absent for several seconds longer before the rapid clomping of the pony he had sent into danger could be heard rushing his way. Blue Shield's heart thundered in time with those hoof beats and he gathered himself for the spell which would cover their retreat.

"Make ready," he told his squad and the hum of three other horns resonated to life. Deep blue eyes squinted into the darkness and gauged the shape of his comrade. Green River was a lean, quick stallion whose magic allowed him to blink forward a short distance, but something was wrong. The treasures dangling from his lips included a necklace, a bulging sack, and a hoof sized cauldron which shed coins, which clinked to the ground, as he jerked them around in his haste. Astride his lean head was a golden crown with fire rubies inlaid around its rim. Treasure ... more than he should have taken ... bringing the wrath of the enemy upon them.

A star of light winked at the tunnel's end and Blue Shield knew what would come next. A quick calculation told him the obvious, he's too far away, and then he heard either Tick or Tock rumble, "He's not going to make it."

"No," Blue Shield snorted, and he released his stance, rushing forward with all of the speed and power he had been building up over the past few seconds. Forward, he focused his energies and released the shield spell at maximum range. The midnight blue barrier crackled to life but was too far away to protect his comrade. Focus, the blue stones in his armor began to glow. Focus, they amplified his power and thrust the shield past the range of his regular abilities. Focus, the dark blue light around his horn grew hotter ... lighter ... sparks danced off to float through the air around him like a torch bearer running in the opening ceremonies of the Great Games. NOW!

Several spells discharged at once. The charging sergeant winked out in a flash of blue light and then reappeared farther down the tunnel. The barrier he had been projecting parted around the charging Green River like a curtain and then anchored itself to the cave's walls. The sergeant's sprint lost all of its momentum and he braced his dark blue hooves against the cave's floor.

Heat, fire, and force struck his namesake. A psychic fist bowed the surface of his protective energies inward and the barrier became thin as it reached out to touch the unicorn's flared nostrils. Force rallied against force, generating heat, vibrating stone, and rattling through the sergeant's bones from horn to hooves. Then, the mighty fire ceased and all of the energy dissipated all at once.

Blue Shield took a knee and breathed hard as he recovered from the effort. _Can't ... stay ... here. Have to move. Another blast will be coming. _ Sparks of sound and magic suddenly flanked the sergeant. An orange pony, with red hair, pressed against his sergeant's left side while his opposite colored twin took up position against his right. Then, there was another double chime and he felt himself scrunching through the eyes of needle like a Great Dane through a kitty door. The contents of his stomach lurched, realized they couldn't make it through, and then slammed back into place with a great gurgling slosh. Then they were through and standing back at the entrance.

Green River began to laugh in semi-hysterical victory. "Right! Yeah! Do it!"

Blue Shield had half a mind to clop him firmly on the noggin, but the rest of his mind was way too invested in keeping his body upright and his mostly digested dinner under control. "Move out," he ordered, and they all began an unsteady trot down the side of the mountain. For a few minutes there was peace.

The night had been a fairly clear one and the moon shone down in a manner that made the sergeant feel as if the Mare in the Moon was watching. She is watching, his mind told him uncomfortably, _only now she can give us orders. _The thought made him swallow hard and he forced himself to focus upon his surroundings. Crisp cool air did wonders for his frayed nerves and soon he felt like himself once more.

"Drop the crown," he ordered, scowling at the green pony whose greed had endangered them all.

"But ... treasure," River protested, but it was short lived as he let it fall to the ground. The rest of his treasures had already floated into the various pockets of his armor and his grin teetered between sheepish and proud.

"The crown should slow him," Blue Shield told him as they moved a little faster. "If we're lucky ... we can get-" A roar of pure rage shook the air and rattled the stone all around them. Oh ... sweet merciful Celestia ... "Run."

"Sarg?"

"RUN!" Another rumble, another shake, then the stallions added their own rhythm to the cacophony.

"Way to go bumble hoof!" Tick snorted at Green River.

"You had one job to do!" Tock added. "Just one!"

"Get in!" Tick continued.

"Get out!" Tock echoed.

"Get on with your life!" the two brother's said in tandem.

"But nooo," Tick scolded, "you just had to stop and steal the shiny!"

"Sorry," Green River tried to tell them as he huffed, "I tried ... but there was ... so ... much ... shiny!"

"Less flappin' more runnin'!" Blue Shield ordered and the debate was shelved for later. The hoof beats of five stallions became the music of their passing as they all rushed down the slope of the path at an unsafe speed. Hot wind gusted from on high and a great shadow swept over them, then its owner raised high into the air as if turning to make another pass.

"I don't think he's stoppin'!" Green River warned.

"They get like that when you steal their treasures," one of the twins commented.

"It's not like he was using it!" River wined defensively.

"It's the principle of the matter," the other twin told him.

"Awe, bit-spittle," River moaned, "that principle's comin' back!"

Red scales gleamed in the moonlight and then blotted out the stars above. The mass of a small castle crashed onto the mountaintop and stones began tumbling down from on high.

"Halt!" the sergeant ordered, and his team stumbled together as they slowed. "Form up! Tortoise formation!" Flank to flank ... rump to rump, the unicorn's reigned in and assumed their stance. The five of them each faced out from a common center and together they could cover every direction. "Shield cover!!"

"Aye!" the whole squad shouted as the unicorns all lit their horns with a color unique to their specialty. Green, Orange, Red, and Silver all came together and moved around a core of midnight blue. Their energies swirled faster and faster until they solidified into a stiff and sturdy dome. The huff of winded stallions was muffled by the avalanche. The impact of large pieces of mountain jarred through to the base of every erect horn, causing winces of discomfort to swell through and around them. The strain was obvious, but they did what they had been trained to do in their years together as a team ... they held.

"Recover," Sergeant Blue Shield whispered when the sounds finally ceased. The hum of five horns fizzled out and their protection faded away. A slight shift in the stone caused them to jerk but it did not collapse around them. Instead they were now encased in rubble ... surrounded by stone in an uncomfortable mass grave. "Shade."

"Understood," the dark gray unicorn muttered, and then he closed his eyes and focused. Shadows grew up around them, as Shade's talent covered the squad and their stone prison in blackness. The others instinctively pressed themselves flat along the cold path. Labored breathing forced into a quiet cadence as each member of the squad thought invisible thoughts.

A swoosh flattened their ears along their heads as the shadow passed over them once ... twice ... again and again as the dragon circled the mountain in search of its treasure. Frustrated snorts and sputtering growls gave voice to the smoke trail that trailed from irritated nostrils. None dared move from their position ... but they could not stay here.

"Tick ... Tock," the sergeant whispered at a level that everypony felt was deafening in this space, "blink us out of here."

"Aye," the twins acknowledged quietly and they closed their matching yellow eyes in an effort to slowly build up energy in a manner which would not disrupt the veil which hid them. For once Green River did not speak as the twins worked. He knew what would happen if their spell was not exact. Too little energy and they might reappear a hundred feet in the air. Too much energy and ... well ... the ground was very solid.

Precision was paramount in this travel spell and the strain was plane on their faces. The low frequency hum built up in their bodies and caused their teeth to rattle uncomfortably, but when the moment finally took them, their bodies slid apart. A multi-colored breeze drew them out through the cracks in the rubble and drifted them through the air as if it were a simple bit of nature's plan. The world came back together in a thousand little pieces and they were all pleased to discover their hooves planted firmly upon the soil that had surrounded the mountain's base.

"Sergeant?" Green River started.

"Cloak and run silent," Blue Shield hissed.

A veil slowly shimmered over each unicorn stallion and they willed themselves away. It was hard to plod slowly along the open ground between the mountain and the Everfree Forest, but training and discipline kept them all together. Nopony bolted. Nopony gave the other's away.

The green canopy finally shielded them from the dragon's airborne gaze when first glimpses of Celestia's morning light had just touched the eastern sky. Sighs of deep relief rolled from the nostrils of everypony present as they finally relaxed their focus and their guard.

"Form up," Sergeant Blue Shield ordered without the usual strength of such a command. His stallions responded with equal levels of exhaustion as they formed a line and sounded off.

"Tick."

"Tock."

"River."

"Shade."

Blue Shield stared at his squad and was unable to keep the pride from his eyes. "Move out," he finally told them and they plodded slowly as they began the long trek home. Nopony dared speak a word until the calls and cries of the forest's creatures had risen up around them and the sun shone down from its proper place.

"We stopping for breakfast, Sergeant?" Green River finally asked.

"Yeah," Tick snorted, "breakfast sounds good."

"You wanna try the local cuisine?" Blue Shield asked them dryly as he motioned at the strange plants of the Everfree Forest. The silence and their faces confirmed the obvious answer. "Good, then stow the lip-blather and step on out. If we canter a bit we might be home by lunch."

"Mmmm ... lunch," Green River moaned.

"Move out."