Shield and Shadow Part 2: Renaissance

by LucidReverie

Chapter 20: The Badlands

Sting.

Red dust swirled around Spring Mist, trying with all its might to blind him. He squinted as he attempted to see though the thick haze. Clearly visible before him was a rope, taut, connecting him to Rough Runner. He could feel the tug as he was pulled forward, and another as he dragged Radiant behind him in the same manner.

Flare Chaser had departed the group, having notice the approaching dust storm. She returned with news of a small cave a short distance away, but the group struggled to navigate the churning winds.

Suddenly the rope tightened, and Mist looked back, trying to see what was going on. The dust took on a blue hue as a what seemed to be a dome appeared, drawing nearer. The rope slackened as Radiant became clearer. Mist looked at the blue surface, trying to identify it.

The answer struck him, like a slap to the face. His horn flashed as a light green shimmer streams outward, covering Radiant, Runner, and himself. A dome shield halted the path of the dust, and that within settled quickly. Mist breathed a sigh of relief as the winds died down. Runner punched him in the shoulder with a powerful hoof.

“Why didn’t you think of that before?” the earth pony snarled.

“Sorry, I really wish I had.”

“Well, now that you’ve decided to not be useless, can we continue?”

“I think the Princess wants something.” Mist watched as the blue shield drew nearer, the inhabitants becoming clear. Luna stood in the center, horn glowing, powering her shield. She stepped forward, allowing her shield to shrink as the others huddled into Mist’s cover.

“Mist, we are going in circles. I must find Flare Chaser. Wait here with your shield until I return.”

“I- alright. But don’t take too long, please. And be safe.”

Luna took off into the air, a smaller shield appearing around her as she entered the dust storm. Mist looked around at the rest of the group, all looking disheveled and tired. He stumbled as a powerful gust of wind batted at the shield.

“Mist, you can hold a shield, right?” asked Starlight, a worried look on her face.

“Kinda one of my specialties. But I’ve never really had much practice.”

“Well terrific. Just hold up the damn thing,” she groused. “I’d much rather not have to deal with more dust. It’s already in places it shouldn’t be.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it.” I hope.

“Mist?” Radiant prodded him. “You’ll be fine. I’m sure you’d give even Shining Armor a run for his bits.”

“Ha! That’s likely,” Runner laughed.

“What? He could!”

“Nobody beats the captain. ‘Cept maybe the Princesses. But no normal unicorn beats the Captain. Not even his ‘oh-so-special’ sister.”

“Hey now, that’s no way to talk, Runner,” Radiant defended, “Twilight Sparkle is remarkable. No better magician.”

“Have to agree, actually,” Starlight nodded. “She’s good at everything.”

“But not as good as the captain at shields. Still far beyond gramps here.”

“You know, much as I love being the center of attention, I’m trying to not let the dust storm flay us all. So please, everyone stop talking.”

Nopony said a word for a while, and Mist sat patiently, concentrating on blocking the storm, which was growing in severity.

“You know,” Radiant began, speaking to Starlight, “how is it that we can breathe in here. I mean, it stops solid stuff like the dust, but it also stops the wind. Do we even have air in here?”

“That’s actually a question that has bugged unicorns for as long as a pony could create a shield. The most recent theory is that the shield creates a ‘neutral space’ were outside influence is negated and a vacuum-like area is created within. Air, because it is ‘non-solid’ can pass through, but at a ‘normal’ velocity.”

“And what about temperature? It’s still pretty hot in here.”

“Ah, that’s where the theory falls apart. It seems that a standard shield does not change temperature at all. Otherwise they’d make decent shelters in areas like the arctic north or the San Palomino Desert. Magicians have devised shield spells that do change temperature, but offer little protection. So it’s more like a bubble of hot or cold air.”

“Wow, it gets complicated, doesn’t it?”

“Well, that’s just magic. It gets worse when you throw science into the mix. Then its non-physical mixed in with rules of mathematics and physics.”

“Interesting.”

“Oh, yes. Fascinating. But nothing I want to dip my hooves into. Far too complicated.”

Mist rolled his eyes, trying to ignore the conversation. I was struggling far more than he was used to. What is going on?

Could be any number of things.

No. Go away.

Fine, I’ll leave you to your inadequacies.

Mist stumbled, and the group gasped. “Sorry, got distracted there.”

“Well don’t do that again. Wind’s picked up even more speed,” announced Runner.

“Where are Chaser and Luna?” Mist asked.

“Really? How should any of us know?” Runner snarled.

“Jeez, touchy. I was just thinking, maybe we shouldn’t continue looking for the cave. Can’t be too far off.”

“Bad idea. We’ll get lost, and might even run into some nasty things. I say we wait.”

The group went silent. Suddenly, Starlight perked up. “Mist?”

“What, Starlight?” he asked through gritted teeth.

“How far can you extend your shield?”

“No idea. Never really tried.”

“Can you shape it?”

“Shape it?”

“Yes, make it into a shape. Other than a bubble.”

“Haven’t really tried that either. Didn’t actually know you could do that.”

“Gracious, did you ever use your magic?” inquired Bleedingheart.

“Not often. Just shadow spells when I needed a better view of the sky.”

“Ignore him, Mist. Shaping’s not common. Do you think you could try making a tunnel?”

“A tunnel? Ummm, I don’t know…”

“Not a big one, just big enough for us to fit. But long. It needs to be long.”

“I honestly have no idea.”

“What are you thinking, Starlight?” asked Radiant.

“If Mist can make a tunnel, then we can walk along it, and we’ll know pretty certainly about what’s ahead of us. We look around some, and we’re bound to find the cave.”

“Again, that’s a foolish idea,” Runner stated tersely.

“I agree. We should wait for the Princess and Flare Chaser to return,” agreed Bleedingheart.

“We do that and we might be stuck here for days. Mist can’t hold the shield for that long. We need to at least try to find shelter. I’d rather die looking for something than just sit and wait for death to claim me.”

“Fine!” Runner snorted, turning away. Bleedingheart said nothing.

Starlight turned to Mist, who was trying to focus on maintaining the shield. He looked at the purple mare as she stood before him.

“So what do I do?” he asked.

“Well, if you think you could do it…”

“What? Why would you suggest anything if you had no faith in my ability?”

“Well, I don’t have much to work with. You are the best I have. Regardless of my personal opinion, I do think you can do this. Beyond that, you have to do it.”

“Well, that’s encouraging.”

“I know. Now, I need you to focus…”

**********

Mist walked ahead of the group, a long tunnel ahead and behind him. His shield was formed into a long tube, allowing clear visibility for a fair distance away. Moving was hard enough while conjuring a shield, but shaping one was an entirely different challenge for Mist.

He breathed heavily as he pushed forward. He winced slightly ever few minutes, pain sneaking its way into his skull. He could vaguely hear chuckling as he walked.

Oh, I’m loving this.

What?

Pain. It’s not emotional, but it’s something.

And you “love” it?

Oh yes, it makes me feel good.

You sadistic bastard. I hate you.

I know, thank you.

“Mist! Pan around. We need to scan the area,” Mist heard from behind him.

Mist looked back, Starlight near to him. She nodded her head, and Mist squinted as he moved the shield around, feeling the resistance of the dust storm as he turned. He wasn’t looking, letting Starlight do that work. She yelled and prodded his back. “Stop!”

Mist opened his eyes, looking ahead. At the end of the tunnel, there was a large formation of rocks. Mist began walking forward in the hopes that there would be any form of shelter. He could feel his strength draining.

As the group moved closer, Mist widened his shield. He looked all along the face of the rocks looking for every opening. The intense dust storm was beating heavily down on the shield, and Mist was struggling to maintain his strength. With wobbling knees, he pushed forward.

He stopped when he saw something that didn’t belong. A blue shimmer, a wall, appeared on the rock face. Through his growing exhaustion, he passed over it, but the ropes behind him tightened. He turned around to an anxious Starlight looking at the wall.

“Princess! Princess! Are you in there?” she yelled.

The shimmer flicked slightly and Luna appeared through it. A look of great relief poured over her face as the shield fell and she ushered the group into the cave. Mist was the last to enter, tilting slightly, his shield failing.

Black crept into his vision as the world fell around him, barely feeling the rough floor.

*********

There was a familiar smell in the air… Mist could quite place it. It was warm, fresh, crisp. It smelled… filling and wholesome. He blinked open his eyes to see an unfamiliar room. Walls made of clay, wooden supports clearly visible. He was on a sturdy bed, a thick wool blanket draped over the edge. Far too hot for such a thing.

But never so for the thing that sat on a bedside table: a steaming bowl of soup, and a small piece of bread next to it. Mist would know that soup anywhere. He levitated the bowl to his lips, foregoing a spoon, and began drinking down the warm liquid. Nostalgia filled his mind as he drank. Thoughts of home, of Everfree, of Celery and Caramel Tart, of Brilliant Bloom, Rainy Shores.

Mist smiled fondly for a moment, before there was a loud knocking on the door. He heard a voice, familiar, call through:

“Mist! Mist, wake up!”

It seemed almost panicked, worried. Mist walked toward the door and opened it…

*********

Above him was a concerned-looking Radiant. Eyes wide, relief spread over her face when Mist awoke. A throbbing pain wracked his head, making it difficult to lift.

So he lay there for a moment. Moving only his eyes, he could see the others nearby, mixed expressions. Some worried, others looked more inconvenienced. He turned his gaze back to Radiant, who wore the softest of faces.

“What happened?” Mist asked.

“You collapsed. After we made it in, you kinda passed out,” the pink mare replied.

“Wow, that’s embarrassing. How long?”

“Only a few minutes. You did a lot of work. Ponies don’t seem to realize how much it takes to sustain a shield that long. And against a storm like that? It’s very impressive.” She tried to hide a slight red tint filling in her cheeks.

Mist groaned, looking around again. Everypony was accounted for. They had moved on since he work up, and Bleedingheart drew closer.

“Spring Mist. How are you feeling?” he asked, almost sarcastically.

“Aside from the headache that feels like a sword is being driven into my skull, I’m just peachy.”

“Well, shouldn’t be too hard to fix. Hold still.” Bleedingheart bowed his head down, his horn glowing. It touched Mist’s forehead, and the pain, in an instant, was gone.

Mist exhaled, smiling. “Thank you. That’s was terrific.”

“Ah, a simple pain-removal spell. But I do need to look you over to make sure there aren’t any lasting issues.”

Mist lay still as Bleedingheart ran a spell over him, checking for internal injuries. Finding none, he departed back to the rest of the group. Only Radiant stayed. Mist looked over at Luna – she was powering a shield at the cave opening, her eyes scrunched together in concentration.

“Mist?” said Radiant quietly, “Feeling better?”

“Much, thanks,” he replied, turning back to face her.

“Oh good. I’m glad…” There was a brief pause. “Well,” she continued, “we should get some rest. We might be here for a while.”

“Yeah…” said Mist, turning to look back at Luna, not noticing Radiant’s change in expression. “Rest.”

For now.

Author's Note:

Hello dear readers!

I hope everyone is enjoying themselves and the story.
This chapter will be the last regular update until the end of the holiday season. Family obligations and all that.
It'll also give me a chance to buffer some chapters and write a bunch more so I can keep up when school and work starts.
Not going on hiatus, don't worry. Just warning you all that updates may be a bit slow for a couple weeks. Or not. We'll see what cards we're dealt.

As always, feedback is awesome. It's kinda my drug of choice, so feel free to leave me some comments or questions. Complaints too. I like those.

May the stars bless you with their beauty, and the moon light your way in the dark.

Happy holidays, everybody!

Comments

[Material Defender]

Happy holidays! And a great chapter.

[Xaratos]

Yeah happy holidays....oh and a really great chapter :) It was really interesting though

[LucidReverie]

1849777
1852435

Glad you are enjoying it!
Hoping to start picking up soon!