The Land Before Us

Chapter 15 – For ever free

The air around Feather Peak is cold and filled with the sound of the small waterfall dripping from the rock into the pond beneath it. No bright moon hangs in the sky above the open area and the only light in the camp site comes from the flickering fire and the dim stars of the heavens above.

Preston pokes at the fading fire as Star Swirl drops another log from it's magical grasp, this causes a few wispy sparks to fly from the burned wood as Preston backs away, "Whoa!"

The old pony rolls his hoof to him as he moves the wizard like hat on the log so that he can sit, "You are very jumpy Preston."

"Ya ya ya." He ignores the comment as he pokes back at the wood.

Star Swirl holds a slight smile as he watches the man poke meaninglessly at the fire, "Tell me Preston, you have had experience with your magic but not once have you asked to be shown how to use it...what holds you from it?"

The blond haired man drifts his brown eyes from the crackle of the fire as he shrugs, "I don't know...its just weird."

"Ah yes, the old its to different excuse." The old stallion gives a light throat clearing chuckle as he points his hoof to the man, "You speak as if we are two very different creatures."

"Pff, ya? You're a horse?" Preston gives a slight laugh as he shakes his head.

The purple mare sitting across from the fire in front of him speaks up in a slight huff as she flips the paper of the book she stares at with her magic, "Don't worry yourself Preston, you will never be able to use magic."

The blonde man squints at her comment as he talks in a slightly annoyed voice, "Oh ya? Whys that?"

Clover brings her blue eyes from the book as she looks to him, "Because to control magic you have to be able to tolerate, something you have not shown you can do." She holds a sly smile to him for a moment before drifting her head back to her book.

Preston rolls his eyes as he folds his arms across themselves, "Ya ya ya."

"So true Clover." Star Swirl pulls at his beard as he speaks up again, "So you will be his practice assistant."

Clover brings her head up quickly as she calls out to him, "Master? You can't truly wish me to do this?"

The old stallion cocks his eyebrow as he looks to the mare, "Are you saying you too wish to not show a form of tolerance to our less magically capable friend?"

The mare swings her head back to Preston for a moment a little annoyed groan as she nods her head, "No master..." She brings her self from the log as she nods to Preston, "Get up then."

He doesn't follow her words as he pretends to not hear her.
"Get up Preston." Her voice comes back a little more stern a she walks away from where Swirl sits.

The old stallion gives a laugh as he turns himself around to the mare's trot, "I would do what she says Preston, its not wise to upset a mare."

Preston gives a cocky smile as he stands up, "Alright what are we doing..."

Clover blows some of her dark blue mane from her face as she nods to the spot in front of her, "Come."

The man gives a slow casual walk as he makes his way over to her. As he gets in front of her she gives a sigh, "Ok, try a simple levitation spell." Her horn glows a faint purple as a piece of firewood floats up and over to her.

Her voice is low and shows her wisdom as she floats the log around her, "All you need to do is focus and you can do it." She gives a smile as she traces the log around her body for a moment with her blue eyes; but her gaze is cut short as she drops her hold on the log, "Now you."

Preston nods as he looks at the log for a moment, he snaps his hands forward with his fingers spread out wide as he speaks in a deep strong voice, "Alakasam!"

Nothing happens and the old stallion burst out into a coughing laugh, "W-what are you doing my young dumb friend?"

Preston looks back feeling a little stupid as he shrugs, "Doing magic?"

"No, just think about the log floating Preston." Clover squints more annoyed to his action as she nods to the log on the ground.

The man nods as he brings his hands beside him. He holds the gaze for a moment with a forced wide eyed stare as he talks slowly to himself, "raise log....raise."

But again nothing happens.

"Master can I sit down no? Obviously this simple spell is too much for him."

"Hey!" Preston brings his eyes from the log as he squints to her words, "How the hell is magic easy anyways?"

Clover rolls her eyes as she slowly turns herself from her stance, "It is...trust me."

"Oh ya trust the pony, right?" His hands tingle a little as they start to take a faint green aura, but he doesn't notice them as he talks, "...Hey I have an idea if you want me to trust you so much why dont you stop acting like a dick?" The aura around his hands gives a low chime as they flicker, "Ah!" Preston looks over his hands as he screams to their glow.

Star Swirl and Clover both look to him with a new found enthusiasm as Clover quickly gallops back to him, "Ok ok, i'm sorry, you just need to calm down."

Preston flicks his hands as he talks, "Come down? I'm fucking glowing green again? I'm like the Hulk or something!?" He flicks his hands a little more rapidly as he tries to bash the color off onto his clothes.
Clover's voice spikes up a little as she holds her hoof out, "Just hold still and calm down."

He ignores her as he gives a hard jerk of his hands forward, as he does this the pond close to the camp gives a loud rumble. Preston and the two ponies look to the pond as it takes on large green glowing bubbles that seem to be rising out of the water, "Oh shi...-"

The green glow pops with a loud chime as water is sent into the air and then back down to their camp. The cold water drenches over them as the dark moonless night takes hold to the quickly put out fire.

Star Swirl gives a laugh as his horn takes on a bright gold glow, "Very good, very good, water is better than fire I say."

Clover shivers a little as her dark blue mane covers her face.

Preston's body is also soaked as he gives a laugh, "Ya, your right nothing to it...."

The old stallion's laugh stops as he looks around the area only being lit by his horn, "Well you two need to get more firewood."

Clover's voice comes back as a cold shakiness as she complains, "Why do we both have to do it?"

He rolls his eyes as he folds his front hooves, "Preston can't use magic to light the way and i'm not letting you go alone."

"UGH!" Clover trots past the man as she jerks her wet mane to one side, "Come on Preston its cold out here."

He follows after her as the light from her horn glows bright in the dark forest backdrop.

There short walk from the camp comes to an end as the mare starts to float a few pieces of large logs and fallen tree branches to her. Preston follows her motion as he picks up a few not to rotten logs. He looks over the still slightly shivering pony as he talks, "Sorry..."

She shoots back a sarcastic laugh as she talks, "You should be, its unsafe to use magic when unfit to wield it."

Preston squints his eyes to her as he talks a little louder, "Come on I said sorry?"

Her ear flickers a little as she stops her hoover of wood, "What was that?"

"Oh, really mature? What are you like twelve?" Preston picks up another log as he shakes his head.

Clover shakes her head as she holds a hoof up to him, "No really what was that?"

The man looks up from the ground as he talks, "What?" His ears now drift from their conversation to the cracking trees around them, "Its the wind?"

"Don't take too long its cold over here!"

Preston cups his hand as he yells back to Swirl’s voice, "Hold your horses!" He gives a light laugh as he talks to himself, "Ha!"
But Clover doesn't react to his comment as she squints to a swaying bush.

Preston's eyes go back to the dark purple mare as he loses his smile, "What?"

He watches her head shake as she turns back floating the wood near her, "I guess its just th...-"

The mare's voice is cut off as the bushes behind her spring forth with a sleek black figure,"AH!"
She is brought to the ground hard as the raging pegasus changeling hiss to her pinned down body.

Preston is quick to react as he punt kicks the small pony from her, he brings his eyes down to her as the changeling squirms on the ground trying to get back to its hooves, "You alright?!"

No reply is able to come from her as the bushes around them spring forth with more wingless bug pony, "HISSSS!"

Each pony bends its front legs down as it arches its back in a surround sound hissing.

Preston swings his body around as he looks over the group of ponies around him. But his gaze is shut as one of the earth ponies charges towards him. He manages to dodge the pony only to be brought into another mindless charge of another. He holds the almost rabie like animal's head as he stops it's chomping jaws from his legs.

Clover still lays on the ground but her horn sparks a bright purple as a bolt of magic sends the changeling flying from Preston's hold.

The bolt stops the changelings for a moment but only for a moment as they give another loud demonic cat like hisss.

Clover's horn glows a bright purple as she squints her eyes to the pony's closely trotting towards them. Preston clenches his fist as he swings his head around the frantic ponies.

But a blinding light is quickly thrusted past his ears as he watches the forest around him taking on the loud chiming glow. The changelings are pushed back with a large force as they tumble on the forest floor.

Star Swirl trots past Preston with his horn glowing a bright loud gold as the old pony pushes the changelings back with the wall of magic.

The changelings give one last loud hiss before they run off.

The magic from Star Swirl's horn glows a little brighter as a pulse of light is thrusted into the air above them, a dome like wall sets up around the area as he turns back to the mare still on the ground, "Are you alright Clover?"

She struggles to bring herself up as she gives a pained groan to the pressure being placed on her left hoof, "Yes i'm fine." Her faked smile doesn't last long as Preston quickly moves over to where she stands.

He takes a knee as he holds his hand out, "Let me see your leg."

Her left leg is tensed up to her body as she leans to her right, "I'm fine...-"
"Let me see it, i'm a doctor where I come from..." Preston holds his hand out again as he stares to her in a serious manner.

Star Swirl trots over slowly as Clover finally give her hoof to Preston's hand, she lets out a slight yelp as he tugs on her for a second.

"DON'T!" Her hoof jerks a little back but it won't straighten out as she tries to do it.

Preston slowly feels up her leg as he talks, "You're knee is dislocated."

Clover again tries to pull her leg and hoof from him but he holds her from it as he talks in a low voice, "I have to pop it back in."

The mare shakes her head as she quivers her words, "N-no no i'm fine, i'm fine."

Preston nods his head as he picks up on her fear filling voice, "It will only hurt for a second...I promise."

Clover's chest puffs out fast and hard as she studies his face with her big blue eyes, "O-only a second?"

Preston swallow as he nods, "Yes."

Her mouth quivers as she nods, "O-ok."

He moves his hands to the bulge in her leg as he cups around it, "On three ok?"

Clover bites at her lip as she looks away, "o-ok."

"One."

"Two"

"Thre...-" The number's sound is cut off as Preston jerks the knee back into place with a loud bone on bone pop.

"AHHAH!!!" Clover presses her head into his shoulder as she stomps it to the ground, her eyes fill up with tears as she sobs loudly into his shirt.

"Don't jerk it?!" Preston rubs at her leg as her sobs became louder in the dark forest.

"You lied! You LIED!" Her sobs deepen as she presses her head into him more.

"Shhh, you're fine, you're fine." Preston rubs at her mane as he talks in a low voice, "You alright ok?"

Her sobs don't stop as his hands press against her head, but the loudness of them starts to dwindle down into a weep as she holds her head buried into him.

Star Swirl speaks up in a almost sad voice as he talks, "I'm sorry Clover...I should have had a protection spell around the camp when we got here."

The light sobbing still doesn't stop as Preston continues to slowly move his hand through her mane. The blonde haired man brings his eyes back to Star Swirl as the stallion trots back towards the camp hovering a few pieces of wood.

Preston takes his hand from her head as he brings her head from his shirt. Her white eyes that encase the large life filled pupils are puffy and red and the fur around her eyes are damp. Preston slightly chokes up as he talks in a low voice to her, "We're going back to the camp." He dips his hands under her stomach as he talks, "Don't squirm."

With a slight grunt he lifts the pony from the ground as she brings her still teary eyes back to his damp sleeve.

Preston follows after Swirl but as he reaches the camp he doesn't set Clover down as he walks to the tent.

He ducks inside as he starts to struggle to carry her, but he manages to bring her to the bed as he places her down on her back. His voice is low as he looks over the slightly puffy leg, "Don't run tomorrow and you should be fine, got it?"

Clover nods her head as she moves her leg slowly next to her.

Preston gives her one look over before walking out of the tent.

The old pony starts to float the logs to the old fire spot as he stares to it almost not blinking. Preston walks past him as he goes back to his seat, but before he sits the stallion's voice picks up, "Preston, get some sleep...i'm not going to sleep tonight..."

The blonde man stops his motion as he looks over the stallion's hard staring face, he doesn't contest the pony's words as he walks back to the tent he just left.

Before he pushes himself back inside he looks over the low gold glowing dome around the camp.

The dark purple mare brings her head up as the tent opening flaps to his presence. The man nods to her as he talks, "Sorry to wake you..."

She brings her head back to the pillow as she moves her left leg to her chest.

Preston slowly walks over to the bed as he eases himself in, he stares at the ceiling like he did last night as his mind tries to listen to everything outside of the tent.

But the sound's of the forest are gone as the mare not facing him speaks up in a low still slightly shaky voice, "...Thank you..."

He swallows as he turns to her, "Thank you for getting that one dog-pony."

A very faint laugh comes from her mouth as he brings his head back to the tent ceiling.

The silence in the tent is again broken as her voice calls back lowly, "...Good night..."

He blinks at the words for a moment before he repeats them, "...Good night..."

End of chapter 15