//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: On the night watch // Story: Shield and Shadow Part 1: Rise and Fall // by LucidReverie //------------------------------// Darkness. Spring Mist slowly moved along the cobblestoned street, dimly lit by streetlamps, small baubles of magic light bobbing within the glass confines. Most of the small wooden homes along the street were dark, only the occasional candle flickering in a window or showing through a crack in a door. There was a slight chill to the gentle breeze, blowing through the small streets, rustling the leaves on branches overhead. The honeydew-colored unicorn gave a slight shiver, wishing his guardspony barding offered a little more warmth. He continued along his path, slowly but purposefully, saddlebag heavily moving along with the motions of his steps. He made his way up a flight of stone steps leading into a watchtower. Slumped over a small wooden table, a fellow guard snored so loud it quickly became comical. Spring Mist decided not to disturb the sleeping pony and began the short trek up the interior staircase. Winding higher and higher, Mist eventually reached the trapdoor to the roof of the tower quietly opened it and carefully squeezed through. As expected, another guard was keeping watch on the roof, softly illuminated by a small lantern, not powered by magic, but by fuel, loaning a red-orange hue to its surroundings. Mist spoke quietly, for fear of unduly startling the guardspony. “Fine evening, fellow. How goes the night watch?” Mist whispered. The guard started a bit, then groused, “It does nothing for my entertainment. Or my health.” Spring Mist laughed a bit, “Aye. Not many enjoy the night. ‘Tis truly a pity. ” “Bah. Only to you, Mist. Only you enjoy the nighttime.” “Part of why I find it enjoyable,” Mist replied “Nopony else around, quiet. That, and service to the nation and Princesses.” “Hmmph,” was the only reply before the guard picked himself up and moved towards the open trapdoor. “Home is where I am headed,” he grunted, “home and a soft, warm bed.” “Sleep well, Rainy Shores,” was Spring Mist’s response. The trapdoor clunked shut. Finally, alone and at his station, at least until sunrise, Mist breathed a slow sigh, composed of both contentedness and weariness. Mist kept his eyes open for any disturbances, though he knew there were none to be found. Nothing happened in Everfree this late at night. No fears of vagrants, thieves, spies, bandits plagued the citizens; and in the middle of the week, not even an unruly drunkard to escort home could be found. Even the surrounding forest was safe, with the few animals staying far away from the town. Most guards on the night shift loathe their jobs and merely looked forward to ending their shifts and going home to loved ones, friends, beds, or a nice, warm pint somewhere. Spring Mist had none of these worries, however – he had few friends and less family, and he could care less about a bed or a pint. He was friendly with his fellow guards, considering some his friends, and he enjoyed spending time with them, listening to the bards in the tavern, joking and making merry. But he enjoyed his own personal activities more. He chuckled quietly. Spring Mist enjoyed his job, much to the confusion of his comrades: they all knew he never wanted to be a guard. But he was young still, and had time to learn to hate it, or so they believed. Mist had few loves in his life, but those things he did love, he loved with a passion that could rarely be rivaled or contained. He had a love of the night, the stars, the moon, he had a love of the Princesses, and he had a love of the Equestrian kingdom. He wanted to be a scholar, working under the Princesses directly, perhaps even in that rare and legendary position of personal protégée. But that opportunity came and left, so found a compromise: Become a city guard and eventually be selected for the ranks of the Royal Guard and serve directly under the Princesses. Only a few things stood in the way: the Royal Guard were very specifically chosen, often from the military, for their prowess and discipline, nothing ever happened that would warrant distinguished behavior and thus selection, and Mist was a mediocre guard anyway, being made more of brainpower and less of muscle. His odds were not very high. He could have been a scholar, working in the library or archives at the palace and maybe one day becoming the court scholar or an advisor, even. But such positions came only to those who had been trusted for years, and by the time such trust was awarded, a pony could be well into his twilight years. No, Spring Mist felt he had a greater chance to serve the Princesses and the nation by being more direct and taking action within the city itself. That was the plan anyway. But regardless of what his grand plan was, Mist was contented to begin his nightly ritual, and he was certain nothing significant was going to happen tonight. He made one last heavy sigh before he set to work. A lime green glow wrapped around the saddlebags and gently placed them on the floor. The flaps opened and the contents slowly started floating out. A few leather-bound books arranged themselves in neat little piles, a soft cushion bobbed over and landed on the hard stone with a soft thump. An assortment of inkbottles and quills followed and situated themselves aside the books, followed closely by some scrolls. Lastly, a rectangular case and a mid-sized drawstring bag floated out and settled on the floor. Mist opened the bag and extended each of the legs of a brass tripod. He then opened the case and carefully extracted a modest, bronze telescope. There as a slight glint in Mist’s eye that matched the reflecting light off the telescope as he pulled the tool out of its case and mounted it on the stand. Once secured, Mist left the telescope alone for a bit and turned to his books. Three books, A Comprehensive Guide to Stargazing, The Stargazer’s Atlas, and Constellations, Formations, and Celestial Bodies, opened simultaneously in front of Spring Mist. Two scrolls took their places near the books. Mist flipped through the pages until he found the desired subjects, and returned to his telescope. Currently, it was angled towards the mountains where, by day, a pony could see the esteemed capital, Canterlot, shining jewel of Equestria, where it was under renovation in its entirety, setting up to become the beacon of the nation. The Princesses had been in Everfree for decades while Canterlot was partially torn down and then slowly being rebuilt to be bigger and more magnificent than before, a true sign of a flourishing civilization. Spring Mist secretly hoped that renovations were delayed at least until he secured a position as a Royal Guard – it would just kill him for the Princesses to move away and leave him stuck in Everfree. He was in this job because of them, after all. Mist shook his head, clearing away distracting thoughts, and returned to work. After some short calibrations, Mist aimed the telescope at his target of stars and began to take notes: “Arranged in a circular pattern, the stars… …” Spring Mist finally put down his quill for the night and decided to watch the moon fall below the horizon and perhaps stay for the sunrise. It was always the worst part of his day, seeing the moon fall beyond sight and the stars fade into the sky. The daytime was nice enough, certainly warmer than nighttime, but there was something to the way evening felt, the way it blanketed everything, brought a still calm to the world, a rare, unappreciated beauty. A small part of him wished the night could last forever, as foolish a though as it was. We need both the day and the night, Mist thought to himself, the world wouldn’t work with just the one… would it? Author's note: Thank you for getting through the first chapter. I'll warn you that it'll be a slow start, but hopefully I can get out an interesting story. This is my first fanfic, and first story I've written in years, but comments and criticisms are welcome. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy the story!