08 - Mask of Courage
"Is that him?" Blue Shield asked as he laid flat on his stomach upon the too warm stone.
"Oh yeah," Green River whispered softly, "that's him."
"How can you tell?" Tick asked.
"Looks a lot like the other red dragons," Tock echoed.
"It's him," Green River assured them. "I've been a lot closer than the rest of you to him."
"As you were running away," Tock chuckled and his brother's smirk mirrored his own.
"I had to sneak up on him first," the blue manned colt sneered while barely maintaining his hushed tone. "Trust me ... it's him."
"I believe you," Blue Shield nodded and he gave a stern look to the twins who got the message and ceased their teasing. "We're going to need time this carefully. Tick ... Tock, you two will be tasked with keeping River from being caught by the dragon. Move quickly and be careful when you teleport. There's a lot of rocks around here to get stuck in and none of us are going to be able to dig you out with all of these dragons flying about. Shade,"
"Sir?" the dark grey pony responded formally.
"You're going to be the one who actually performs the rescue. I'll back you up if anything goes wrong and you be sure to bug out if it comes to a straight fight. I'll engage any of the dragons who aren't properly distracted, but you need to get the hostage away from them. Any questions?"
"If you die," Tick spoke straight faced, "can we have the focus crystals on your armor?"
"If they survive," Blue Shield told them dryly. "Anything else?" They shook their heads. "Alright ... let's go do something stupid."
*****
The crater which the younger dragons had chosen for their hostage had fewer magma pools than those claimed by the adults, but it was still plenty warm. The teenage dragons had romped around in circles and boasted of their prowess before all who cared to get close enough but they finally had worn themselves out by the time night claimed all of Celestia's light. Now, only the dull red glow of the volcano gave them direction and Blue Shield was certain the dragons could make out more than he could.
The damsel in distress was easy to spot among the dragons and gemstones. Her yellow complexion was blotchy from dusty neglect and her forest green mane had become a tangle that flopped over her face. It was difficult to tell her true condition from a distance, but she was tied to a stake and had stopped struggling.
"Not good," Blue Shield assessed as his blue eyes scanned the situation. "She might need to be carried out and our distraction might make that impractical."
"I can get her to the edge on my own," Shade whispered as his silver eyes moved in a similar fashion. "Might need your help getting her over the top, but once there I can get her down alive."
"What about your veil?" Blue Shield asked. "Can you do all of that and stay hidden?"
"It won't be a complete veil," Shade admitted as he considered his options. "Mostly an obfuscation. You just need to keep them all properly distracted and they won't notice us slipping away."
"Right," Blue Shield nodded as he tried to appear courageous.
"You don't need to pretend you're not afraid," Shade whispered with a slight smile.
"Yes I do," the lieutenant told him. "If I start freaking out now ... I might give away our position with all of my blubbering and screaming."
"Noted," the darker pony nodded.
The pair of them fell silent as they waited for the signal. The scent of brimstone stung their nostrils even after all of this time in its presence and it was difficult to keep the mind clear of distractions. So many things could go wrong during any operation and the lieutenant had no illusions about the danger of this plan. _One little screw up and we might all be dead. _ It was a sobering thought which he tried to keep away from the rest of his mind. It took all of his concentration to remain focused, but then a mighty roar resonated out in the darkness and the sound of distant thunder jarred them to life.
"See you on the other side," Shade whispered as his magic fogged over him. Blue Shield nodded in response and then watched the other dragons. Several of the older ones raised their heads and looked in the direction which Blue Shield knew his colts had gone off to. The younger ones did not seem to notice right away, but as the distant thunder grew less distant, they began to rouse and look blearily around them in annoyed confusion.
The older dragons rose, stretched, and then opened their wings to take flight. The resulting wind blew dust from the stones into the air and caused the captured pony to stir and look around as much as she dared. A sizable crash finally caused the teenage dragons to look up from their collection and the roar which followed got them all talking among themselves. The thunder drew closer ... and closer ... and closer ... and then ...
"Hi hooooo, River!" Green River shouted as he launched himself over the edge of the crater. The green radiance of his horn generated a platform between his hooves and the slanted stone which he proceeded to ride, like a snowboard, in an avalanche of debris. No sooner had River reached the bottom then a gigantic form crashed into the center of the crater and cracked the ground in a dozen places with his weight.
Merciful Celestia! They're going to bring the rest of the magma to the surface! _ It had not even occurred to Blue Shield that the dragon might inadvertently destroy the shield of cold stone which was keeping the volcano from erupting. _That means we need to get through this quickly!
Green River juked sharply, running a jagged figure-eight pattern as his pursuer waved his tail and proceeded to smash mighty fists into the ground. Tick and Tock blinked into position along cliff-side walls and coordinated their magic, blinking Green River to a safer distance every time the dragon got too close.
The smaller dragons had all but forgotten their loot as they scattered from the fury of the massive intruder. Blue Shield circled along the edge of the chaos as his trained eyes noticed the tell-tale blur of a veiled unicorn moving toward his target. All was going according to plan, so the lieutenant put on a little speed and got himself to the escape point. There he crouched and stared at the others with his heart in his throat.
Green River dodged a gout of dragon flame and then flashed away under his own teleport spell. The second flashed caused him to reappear upon the dragon's back, which he clung to and shouted insults that were not to be repeated in polite company. The unicorn's efforts were successful in their attempt to shake up the dragon but the reaction had been to leap high into the air and then come down fully upon its back.
Blue Shield gasped as he watched and prayed that the twins had successfully teleported River to safety. Large cracks spider webbed out from the impact zone and secondary explosions began to fling slabs of lava coated stone into the air ... right toward the hostage. Without considering his position, Blue Shield released his energy in a mighty salvo of destructive force. Large pieces suddenly became small pieces, blowing apart and raining down over the defenseless captive in a manner which caused her to scream in either agony or fear.
All eyes turned to where the blast had come from and the white unicorn nearly clopped himself in the face. _Way to go, bumble-hoof, now your escape route is compromised. _ Teenage dragons lifted into the air and began flying toward him in a swarm that was much larger than he remembered observing before. _Six ... seven ... eight ... nine ... or crud! _ A glance around told him this was a lousy place to fight the overwhelming force from and though the inside of the crater was becoming redder and hotter ... it suddenly appeared to be a much better idea than to stay where he was.
With a battle cry and a surge of his magic, Lieutenant Blue Shield launched himself into the air. The feather falling spell from before caused him to move forward and drift downward at a rate which would carry him past the crater's half-way point. The smaller dragons moved to intercept his maddened charge and their mouths opened in heated anticipation. A dozen gouts of dragon dire came at him from several directions and so the group leader drew his power around him in a protective shield and let himself fall to the ground more quickly.
Blue light flashed in a protective bubble around his body as dragon fire struck his defenses, parted, and then snaked around. The ground buckled under his hooves when he finally reached it and he was forced to take a blind leap in order to avoid being pitched directly into the magma pool. A few desperate jumps allowed him to reach a firmer battlefield and he circled in an effort to get his opponents in front of him.
Three young dragons crashed to the ground around him and the soldier lashed out with his power. Jagged beams of concentrated force lashed out, striking down one young dragon and then another. The third launched itself into the air and Blue Shield was forced to lunge sideways in order to avoid a collision. An almost graceful tuck and roll only skinned up the knees on one side of his body as he came up running. A zig-zag pattern allowed him to avoid two more bursts of fire but then a really big problem presented itself.
A red tail the size of an ale-house slammed through the surface of the lava-dome and cut off Blue Shield's forward movement. The owner turned to stare at him with bright orange and yellow eyes and then a similar coloring burst forth from its lips. The unicorn gasped as he fumbled for his magic but then the whole world suddenly squeezed itself together. Tick and Tock had done this spell to him enough times for him to recognize their less than delicate touch but when the world slammed back into focus, he was all the way at other side of the crater's edge. The place where he had been a moment before exploded in a shower of solid and liquid stone and it was a challenge to rise and move once more.
The world was unsteady as his legs wobbled him forward but his sense of balance returned to him along with a difficult realization that a certain yellow somepony was still tied to her stake. Shade was juking back and forth rapidly as he confronted a trio of smaller dragons but his shielding magic was not the best on the team.
Blue Shield grit his teeth as he charged toward the captured mare and he was forced to leap a couple of slowly expanding magma pools as he went. The ground was breaking up around them and he was certain there would soon be very little for them to stand on before long. The exposed magma was causing the heat to become even more oppressive than it had been and time was running out.
Blue Shield focused his own teleport spell on his target and the world blurred out of focus as the equine pieces rushed forward. He gathered destructive energies into his horn as his body came back together and the hostage screamed as the stake that she was tied to broke free of the ground and toppled her onto one side. A lance of light slashed as Blue Shield whipped his head in a circular motion and the ropes broke apart.
All at once several things happened, and time seemed to slow as Blue Shield's battle instincts drew in far too much information all at once. The captive was on the ground ... free but not moving. The ground around them was breaking up too badly to make a run for it with the dead weight of an earth pony on his back. Several dragons of various size had risen into the air and were preparing to make an attack run on his position. Shade and Green River were heavily engaged ... but the Tick-Tock brothers were nowhere to be seen.
Blue Shield let a ball of light flash into the sky ... a signal designed to signal an extraction from his current position. The destructive forces of a battle-pony then gathered around him and he flung it into a quarter-dome which stood between him and the approaching dragons. Two smaller ones struck and bounced off ... but the larger one slammed his fist over its surface and then coated the shimmering surface with more fire. The shockwave rippled through Blue Shield's body and seemed to crackle through his horn and into his skull. The space behind him was still open, though, and a double flash told him the cavalry had reached him.
"Get the mare out!" he growled at them, and their responses were lost in the haze of concentration and battle fatigue. Another double flash told him they were away but the enemy was upon him. Three teenage dragons tried to tackle him with their bodies and it took some quick hoof-work to side step their advance. A quick burst of energy flung one into one of the widening magma pools and a quick double hoof kick with his hind legs discouraged the second from continuing the fight. The third dragon snapped its jaws, flicked its tail, and then hissed in frustration. Blue Shield coated it with his energy beam ... but the result was not what he had been anticipating.
The dragon's skin bubbled and then rolled off in a flash of dispersed magical glamour. Beneath lurked slick black skin with protrusions that were similar to a dragon's fins but more insect-like in overall structure. Dragonfly wings flicked out and sharp teal eyes glared up at the unicorn with a hiss of bared fangs. A surge of warped energy lurched up though a crooked horn and hit Blue Shield square.
The lieutenant jerked himself sideways and tried to leap away from his position, but the rot of the spell seeped into his skin. The creature's energy began eating his reserves ... literally. The unicorn's spells began to weaken and his legs began to feel as if he were pressing them through steadily thickening jelly. Blue Shield tried to modulate his shield, but the enemy spell penetrated the barrier without concern. Desperation drew the stallion back up onto his hind legs and then he lunged forward with a defiant snort. Lowering his horn, Blue Shield lunged forward and then flung himself into the creature.
The impact was painful, and the creature's skin turned out to be solid. Though his horn did not penetrate the enemy's armor, he was still able to strike it down with brute force. A brief struggle allowed Blue Shield to trample his opponent a little, get his hind hooves properly aimed, and then he struck out with all of his strength. The impact was even more solid than the first one and the pony-like bug thing fell back, skipped off of the stone, and then splashed into the magma-pool. A shriek of terror and pain rippled through the air as the creature cried out in agony. It flailed about briefly and then sank under the surface.
Blue Shield turned away from his doomed opponent and stared out at the carnage. The ground was now so broken that the magma had already reclaimed almost half of the solid space. The heat stung without remorse and the heat shield began flickering weakly. Planting four hooves firmly upon the ground allowed the body and mind to balance and previously jumbled energies began to move in more organized patterns. Blue Shield took a deep and steady breath, pulling his heat shield in against his skin like a finely tailored suit. The magic rested easily on the skin of the caster and the sting of too much heat eased.
One hoof suddenly slipped and Blue Shield's eyes bulged open to discover that the platform he was standing on was losing its solid state. A brief shuffle allowed him to get his hooves under him and a quick glance allowed him to spot another island. A brief trot created momentum and he leaped away from his doomed bit of dirt and onto something harder.
Once safe he glanced around and discovered the battle had completely destroyed the ground and what remained was now more molten than solid. Two forms were bouncing away from him on the far side of the depression but Blue Shield could not make out enough details to tell who they were or what they were doing. A glance around showed him that he was in an orange and yellow lake and he put a little more power into his skin-tight shield.
Another flare of unicorn energy pushed against his little island and produced the momentum he needed. Soon he was careening along the molten surface toward the escape path he had originally come in on.
Come on ... come on ...
Blue Shield's vision was becoming a tunnel and the path to safety looked farther away than before. Dizziness threatened to topple him sideways and he realized his life raft was becoming less solid by the moment. The strength in his legs buckled and he went down to one knee. The unicorn squeezed one eye shut as he dug deeply for the strength he needed to keep his spells in place. A burst of strength responded to his call and a molten wave lifted him up and surged him toward his destination.
Releasing the locomotion spell caused his shield spell to waiver and the whole of his body suddenly stung. A sharp intake of breath hurt his lungs and terror slogged ice into his veins. The adrenal reaction allowed for a moment of clarity which recovered his shield and allowed him to turn toward the shore and leap onto the opposite shore. Four legs pumped fast and hard, propelling him up the path that snaked along the side of the volcano. His flight wobbled slightly as the ground shook and then he realized another problem ... the magma was rising.
A string of panicked cursing spilled form Blue Shield's lips in time with the striking of his hooves. The path turned sharply and he slid, planted three hooves on the wall, and then sprang off and up. The path became steeper but then it leveled out. Then he was in the home stretch and he sprinted forward as hard as he could. The stars spread out overhead and he broke over the edge of the volcano and into the night.
Relief washed over him, triggering a sharp giggle that staggered his balance. Several clumsy stumbles later, the soldier lowered himself to the ground and lay there in a heap of exhaustion. The shield flickered out and cool air rushed in, raising goose bumps along his flesh as his chest heaved. Swollen muscles lanced pain through his nerves and he tried to catalog everything he had just experienced. A dark grey glow suddenly pulled him up into the air and he gasped as the air was forced from his lungs. Then he fell onto Green River's back ... and Shade came in beside them.
"Go!" the darker pony ordered and River snorted his acknowledgement as he moved carefully through the dark. Blue Shield's body screamed in protest as he bounced and jostled but then he felt the both of them fall to the ground behind a sizable outcropping. The two stallions squeezed into the depression and flinched as a squadron of dragons passed overhead.
"Can't ... stay ... here ..." Blue Shield managed to speak between gasps of breath. "Lava ... rising ..."
"Great Galloping-," Green River broke off. "Are you sure?"
"Sure," the lieutenant managed a little more firmly as the rest allowed some of his strength to return to him. "We need to get out of here!"
"Where?" Green River asked as panic gripped the edges of his voice.
"Back to base," Blue Shield told him as he tried to remember their plans. He forced a little bit of his command authority back into his voice and he stared hard into his subordinate's eyes. "To the next ridge ... then over to our secondary fallback position." The words seemed to stabilize the younger unicorn's fears and he nodded sharply.
"Can you make it?"
"I'm tapped out of magic," Blue Shield told him, "but I can still run."
"Alright," Green River's voice was shaky but he managed to draw his battle stance back over his fear. "Let's go."
They drew several deep breaths before moving out together. The jog down the slope was nerve wracking but they got to the bottom without incident. They were moving up the other side when an explosion caused them both to look back. The magma had risen to the top and become lava ... red, orange, and yellow poured over the lid of its container and slid down the sides in a sluggish rush. It motivated the onlookers and fear smothered their fatigue as they staggered forward with renewed determination.
The top of the next ridge would likely have protected them, but neither was able to stand in place. They kept on moving ... and moving ... along the flat surface and down another pathway, forcing more distance between themselves and the scalding heat they had left behind. Green River covered the both of them with a low level obfuscation spell and they allowed night's cloak to hide them from their enemies.
Time became unreadable as they moved and they nearly missed their own markers. The natural cave which had been their base was cooler than the outside and the spell that had hid it from the rest of the world did its job admirably. It took only a few moments for Blue Shield to realize that the two of them had been the last to arrive, and the sight brought a tired smile to his face.
"You ... you all made it!" he spoke with exhausted laughter ... and he could not stop the emotions from overrunning him. His legs finally buckled from the strain and flopped down in an almost dignified manner. It took some focus to stay awake but he refused to allow his weakness to demoralize the others. "Well done, gentlecolts," he told them with shaky compliments, "well done."