The Land Before Us

Chapter 15 – A heavenly pony.

The early morning air is not heavy with fog today, instead the air around the camp is clear with a slight breeze.

Preston is the first in the tent to awake. He blinks his eyes around the tan insides around him as he slowly starts to wake up, but as he does this he notices Clover no longer beside him.

His mind doesn't get to drift over the thought for long as he hears a loud booming chime from outside that is quickly being followed by an increasing louder swirling wind sound.

"WhoA! He jerks himself out of the bed and to the tent's opening, but nothing he was thinking could have prepared him for what he saw.

The small pond has turned into a huge cyclone of water that gives off a loud turbine spinning wind sound.

"There you are Preston!" The stallion's horn glows a bright gold and his old voice slightly struggles to call over the sound of the wind as the blond haired man walks towards him.

Even Though theres not wind or suction around the camp the cyclone of water that is being shot into the sky is still surrounding the area with its loud wind gusting sounds. As Preston gets closer to the stallion he tries to call over the wind, "What did you do!?"

The old pony cocks his ear to him as his horn glows a little bright, "What lad?"

Preston again calls to Swirl in a loud tone as he points to the cyclone of water, "Why is that here!"

The gust of sounds that come over the cyclone still echo through the forest as the blue watery cyclone begins to become encased in a gold glow.

Star Swirl nods his head as his old voice rings through the mindless noise, "You want a beer?!" The stallion shakes his head as he squints to the blonde man, "Ale this early?!"

Preston closes his eyes as he screams his voice back, "WHY IS THAT HERE!!?" But right as his tone picks up the obsessive chatter of the water tornado is cut off from the world around them.

"Ah! Why are you yelling lad?" Star Swirl brings his hoof up to his ear as he walks away a little, "You should keep your voice down..."

"Wh..how? How did you stop the sound?" Preston holds his finger to the still swirling water being held in a gold tube like encasement as he waits for the old pony's answer.

Star Swirl turns back to him as he floats his satchel to himself, "That nonsense? I used a silence spell." Before Preston can speak back up he nods his head, "Now follow, we don't have much time until this cyclone spell ends." He holds his hoof up to the man as he starts to stop his trot, "You know Unicorns should not even be able to do weather spells so doing one does not always mean you're doing it correctly..." The stallion gives a slight chuckle as he talks, "In fact th...-"

"Master! The spell?"

Preston and Swirl bring their heads to the voice as they look to the rock that hangs over the pond.
"Ah yes." Star Swirl holds his hoof back to Preston as he coughs a little, "You should not distract an old stallion."

Preston shakes his head as he follows after him to where the rock outcropping is.

The purple mare stands in front of the rocks as Star Swirl stops his trot, "Ok Clover you know your cloud walking spell correct?"

The mare nods her head as the old pony's tired gaze drifts back to Preston, "Now don't squirm." Star Swirls horn glows a bright gold but Preston's sight of it is cut off as the flash of magic is shot at him.

"AH!" He rubs at his eyes as he stops his foot, "What was that for?"

"Bha. You act like a filly"

The man slowly blinks his eyes back to the pony as he watches him stop to climb the small rock outcropping, "What are you doing?"

"How else do you think we are going to get into a pegasus empire? It's not like we were invited?" The grey stallion's motion's come back to him as he starts up the rock.

Preston turns his eyes back to the mare beside him as she tries to bring herself to follow after Swirl, "Whoa whoa, you can't climb on these things with your leg."

She blows at his comment as she slowly brings her bad leg to the first slippery rock, "My leg is fine."

Preston looks to Star Swirl for some kind of help in his statement, but the stallion is too busy staring at the cyclone of water to notice. The man gives a slight sigh as he walks over to Clover.

"Hey what are you doing!"

He wraps his arms under her as he picks her from the rock, "You're going to hurt your leg..." He stumbles a little with her as she squirms, "Stop squirming."

She stops her slight moving as the man starts to walk up the out cropping. Preston watches his steps to the slick rocks as he tries to adjust his hold of the pony in his arms, luckily the outcrop is only a few large rocks leading up to the top so its not too far of a climb. As he reaches the last rock before where Star Swirl stands he stops as the old pony's voice calls back to him,"Preston if you want that spell to work you have to believe it will work."

The blonde haired man turns his eyes to the voice as he speak up, "What?"

No answer comes from the stallion as the old pony turns to the water cyclone and jumps in, leaving a low magic chime ringing behind him as he's shot up the fast moving water magic encased tube.

Clover's voice is low as she looks to the ground below her, "You can put me down now."

Preston slowly lowers the mare in his hold to the ground as she takes herself to her hooves on the wet rock.

She gives a sigh as she holds a smile, "Thank you again..." But she doesn't end her comment as she walks carefully toward the spout of shooting water, "...But I am fairly sure I could have made it."

Preston gives a slight laugh to her insincere words as he talks, "Ya ya ya."

Clover gives him a quick smile as she moves to the gold glowing water a little more, "OH and Preston, hold your breath." She takes a big gulp of air as she jumps into the tube leaving the same magic chime as Star Swirl.

Peston's eyes widen a little as he looks at the cyclone of water, "Wait what!?" He shoots his head up as he tries to figure out how high the water is going, but he can't see because a large cloud is blocking its end. He talks out loud as he looks around the camp, "How high is this thing?!"

He knows no answer will come from the trees but it helps psych him up as he takes his first steps to the chiming tube of water, "...aw man..." He squints at the water as he pokes at the magic wall around it, a low chime flickers from it as he takes his finger back.

"Alright..." He takes a deep breath as he jumps into the water tube.

The current of the water was stronger than he expected as he's shot up the tube in a up turning stomach speed. He squints his eyes in front of him as he focuses on holding his breath, at the end of the water approaching very very fastly is a bright white almost wall looking thing, He closes his eyes tightly as he listens to the water rushing like air past his ears.

A slight poof comes around his ears but he holds his eyes closed still.

"Ah, you made it!"

He shoots his eyes open as a hoof pounds against his side. He turns his gaze to the water drenched stallion beside him as he holds his hoof out in front of him, "Welcome to Pegasopolis..."

Preston holds his gaze as he starts to release his breath. The city in front of him is made of bright white buildings that look to be made of shimmering silver and gold like materials. He drifts his head back down as he looks at the ground at his feet, "I-it's clouds?!" He rubs his hands to the fluffy soft texture as he gives a child like happy laugh.

"Yes, everything in Pegasopolis is made of clouds and cloud blocks..." He gives a coughing laugh as he speaks up, "Did you expect stone to float on clouds?"

Preston still doesn't bring his head up as he tries to poke his hand through the white surface, but as he does this he starts to notice how tight the cloud really is. Another childlike laugh comes from him as he talks, "This is crazy!?"

He doesn't even care that his body is covered in cold water and that his clothes are soaked, his mind is to stuck on the floor beneath him.

"Master, can we find a place to dry off?" Clover's voice is a little shaky as she tries to strain the water from her mane with her magic.

"Yes I su...-"

"HALT!"
The group brings their heads to the male voice as they look to a very confused stallion in silver armour, the pony blinks his blue eyes to the group before him as he stammers out his words, "H-how did you get here and who are you?"

Preston's mind is still too amused at the ground he still sits in and he gives out a dopy laugh as he tosses a little piece of the cloud to the stallion, "It's fucking clouds!"

The stallion's confusion has evolved into a state of almost bewildering shock as he looks over the creature that has just thrown a piece of fluff to him.

Star Swirl clears his throat a little as he talks, "Our apologies, can you take us to the capital please."

The guard pony stammers out a compliant reply not really knowing how else to talk, "Y-yes follow me."

The pony starts off in a slow trot as Clover and Star Swirl bring Preston to his feet. The old stallion holds up a hoof as he talks, "Listen Preston, if any pony asks you anything just act like you can not speak, understand?"

Preston holds his smile to the city behind the old stallion as he talks, "Y-ya man."

Swirl holds a skeptical nod as he calls back to the guard pony leading them, "Excuse me, but how far are we?"

The stallion turns back with another stammered out sentence, "Oh, the palace is only a few feather flaps away from here."

The old pony nods his head as he tries to pick up pace with the stallion. Clover nudges Preston's sightseeing head back to the old pony as she pushes him to follow faster. They listen to the conversation as the guard speaks back up, "B-but Commander Hurricane has left to the Unicorn capital, it's unlikely that emperor Gust will see you."

Swirl gives a light chuckle as he trots behind the stallion, "We are unicorn walking in the pegasus empire...I believe he will want to see us."

End of chapter 15