The Land Before Us

Chapter 17 – A swirl of cleverness

"Master, just sit down..."

"Bha! This is outrageous...." Star Swirl continues to pace back and forth the cloud castle as his old voice hits around it.

Clover brings her hoof from Preston's hand as she holds it out to the old stallion, "Master, keep your voice down. We are still guest in the royal pegasus capital...a place no unicorn has been before."

"BHA!" He points his head up to the castle cloud made ceiling as he talks out again, "...I'm old my hooves hurt and we have been waiting two hours for them to allow us into talk with Emperor Gust." He gives a little cough as he finally starts to walk over to the could bench.

Clover waits for a few moments as she watches the old stallion take a seat a little ways down the bench. But she moves her hoof back to Preston's awaiting hand as the blond haired man again rubs up her leg.

He focuses his eyes on her knee as he slowly moves his hand around her knee, "You sure these clouds aren't hurting you?"

She gives a slight sarcastic laugh as she rolls her eyes, "Oh yes the clouds are VERY hard, much like stone." She shakes her head as Preston brings his eyes back to her.

He smile as he takes his hand to her knee. Clover's face twinges a little as he slowly rubs at the knee.

"Well you're fine." He holds the smile as he moves from the knee and back down her leg, "...Oh ya, and if you're going to act tough don't tense your face up if it doesn't hurt."

She losses her sarcastic smile as she nods her head, "Well...I didn't know how hard you were going to rub it."n

Preston takes his hand from her hoof as he gives a little laugh, "Why would I hurt you after I helped you?"

Clover gives a bashful smile as she shrugs, "Because you're jealous I can do magic better."

They both give a light laugh to the pointless remark. But the moment of light hearted laughing is brought to an end as Star Swirl lifts his head from the contents of his satchel that floats in front of him, "Preston, if you're quite done fooling around with my assistant hows about you come over here and rub an old stallion's hooves hm?"

Preston loses his smile as he looks to the old stallion's smile, "Ya, no thanks grandpa." Clover quickly turns her body away from Preston as she adjust the cloak around her again.

"Yo Star Swirl, what's in the bag anyways?" Preston looks over the bag as it floats back to the cloud floor.

"Ah yes." The old stallion holds his hoof out to the man as he talks, "Hopefully you will see soon yes? In fact if...-"

Swirl's voice is cut off as one of the cloudstone doors in front of the waiting bench is opened to a tan almost sand yellow pegasus wearing gold and blue armor.

"Private Pansy!" Clover stands from her seat as the mare pegasus exits the room.

The mare's voice is low and sweet as she trots over to Clover, "Actually it's adviser Pansy now."

Clover gives a slight bow as she talks, "Well hello Adviser Pansy."

Star Swirl stands up from the bench as he talks over there friendly conversation, "Do tell me that Emperor Storm Gust is ready for us."

The mare gives a low bow as her voice picks up, "T-they did not say Star Swirl the bearded was waiting out here."

The old stallion nods his head as he holds his hoof out, "Do not bow for me child, I am no god or ruler."

Pansy picks her head up as she tries not to bow again, "B-but of course Emperor Gust will see you, we only had to prepare for land ponies." The mare's voice dips down a little as she talks, "Commander Hurricane has not yet returned and the guards...well they tend to be shifty when he is away."

The mare's shiny grey eyes drift to Preston as her words stop, "O-oh they did say the dragon was quite tall."

Preston laughs as he talks, "Well..." But his voice is cut off as Clover shifts her body to knock into his.

The man quickly goes silent as Clover picks up, "Sorry but this poor dumb, simple minded dragon can only say one word." She gives a smile as Pansy nods, "Oh, well follow me."

Clover turns her head back to Preston as she talks real slow, "Yes come dragon follow."

Preston gives an annoyed smirk as he follows after the mare intentionally stepping on her cloak to make her mad.

Star Swirl pushes past them as he follows after the mare inside the room.

Preston's action stops as he looks around the bright white round room he’s just walked into.

The room is almost like an open colosseum made of the smooth bright white cloudstone like the inside of the castle they just left; but unlike the other cloudstone this has a almost blue tint to it. its kind of a shock to be outside after being inside a cloud made castle for a few hours. But he keeps his mouth shut as he looks to the stallion sitting in a high up podium like thing.

To each side of the high up stallion sits two empty blue throne like chairs.

Pansy speaks up as the group is lead to the center of the room where the light of the open colosseum like room is shining down from, "Emperor Gust, Star Swirl the Bearded and his followers are here to see you."
Preston doesn't take his eyes to the stallion as he swings his head around to the guard ponies standing around the round room that all seem to be facing him with hard emotionless faces.

Emperor Gust is a dark white-grey coated stallion with silver and almost blond streaks of mane being highlighted by the deep red cloak he wears. His voice is low but carries down to the group in front of him as he talks, "Why would the unicorn's send you a blow in the wind Sir Star Swirl?"

The old stallion hoovers the dark satchel next to himself as he talks, but as he does this the guard's tense up a little, "I have come here in need of the last piece for a new element of harmony."

Emperor Gust blinks at the words as he talks almost in a state of shock, "The unicorn's wish to make a new element of harmony?"

Star Swirl doesn't shift his body to the pony's words as he talks, "No, the unicorn's did not task me with this, Celestia the sun keeper did."

Emperor Gust straightens up a little as he sits his back to the chair, "The divine one wishes to create a new Element of Harmony after destroying the old one?"

Star Swirl hoovers the bag to Preston as he talks up, "Celestia and Luna did not destroy the old one...it was simply lost due to an unforeseen spell by Sombra."

Emperor Gust nods as he talks, "We all know this story..." He cocks his head as he talks, "But why wait five years to create a new element of harmony?"

Star Swirls old voice now takes on its low wise tone as he talks, "The divine ones wished to achieve peace through the three tribes by their own feeling of unity...but it seems as thou an instrument is needed to help insure this."

Emperor Gust nods his head a little as he talks, "Yes, but I believe Princess Platinum has shown a new found sense of the old peace treaty with her last proclamation."

Clover and Star Swirl look to each other and Preston tries to follow their confusion but truly can't understand what's going on as Star Swirl speaks up, "What might this be?"

"Your Princess has allowed a new Prince of a distant land to become one with ours, showing that she is willing to tolerate even the newest of change." Gust nods his head again as he talks, "I believe she will be more reasonable now if she has allowed this correct?"

Star Swirl squints his eyes as he speaks up, "I have not heard of this new Prince...who is he?"

The stallion looks to the tan mare as she takes her seat to her spot in one of the empty thrones, "I believe the Prince is named Matt Emperor Gust."

"Matt?!" Preston erupts in a laugh as he starts to talk casually to the stallion in the tall throne, "Yo Matt is no Prince."

Clover and Swirl look at Preston a little annoyed to his voice but they also hold a sense of questioning as Star Swirl speaks up, "Matt, a friend you seek cor...-"

The doors of the room burst open as a loud male voice calls into the room, "Emperor Gust!"

Everypony and Preston turn to the beaten up stallion but the blue pegasus doesn't stay silent for long as he holds his hoof up to Preston, "Guards guards seize this human!"

The guards around the room spring forward as they hold out sharp spears to the blond haired man. Preston throws his hands up as he stops his movement, "Ok ok i'm sorry I talked!"

Emperor Gust puts his front hooves to the cloud podium in front of him as he stands from his chair, "What happened Commander Hurricane?"

The blue stallion holds his eyes to Preston as his hoof still points to him, "We must keep this Human from you, it is a trick played by the unicorns!"

Star Swirl and Clover both speak up as they talk to Commander Hurricane, but the older stallion leads his voice over both of them as he talks, "Now now Preston is no harm and he..."

"Arrest these unicorns as well, we are at war!" Commander Hurricanes voice is followed by more of the guards around the room turning their attention to the two unicorns.

Swirl moves the shackle to himself calmly as Clover's horn glows a low purple. But he holds his hoof to Clover before a spell is fired, "We will go quietly..."

Emperor Gust blinks his eyes to Commander Hurricane as he talks, "War? What do you mean?"

Commander Hurricane speaks up as he stops his hoof to the ground, "The unicorn's attacked us using a deceptive creature." He points to Preston as he talks, "...The unicorns now keep the other human as there own weapon!"

Star Swirl looks back to Emperor Gust as he talks, "We mean you no harm, all we wish to do is bring peace to the land by creating an element of harmony!"

Commander Hurricanes grey eyes flicker a little blue as he stammers out his words, "T-take them to the dungeon."

Clover speaks up in protest as the group is slowly moved out of the room, "You are making a mistake! We are not here to cause harm! W..."

Her voice is cut off from the room as the doors behind Commander Hurricane are closed, the stallion doesn't follow after them as he rubs at his head a little.

Pansy speaks up as she brings herself to the ground of the room, "Hurricane, I do not think they..."

hurricane's voice cuts her off as he shakes his head, "No, all others that are or who have sided with unicorns are who we are at war with."

Emperor Gust motions his hoof to Pansy as he talks, "Pansy, leave us."

The mare speaks up as she talks, "but Emperor I am your..."

The stallion holds his hoof to her, "Commander Hurricane has been my trusted commander for years, and a great friend to my rule. I trust his words, you are not needed at this moment Pansy...I will consult with you in a little." Pansy nods her head as she walks out of the room.

End of chapter 17