The Land Before Us

Chapter 22 – One step closer

Preston gives a slight yawn as he leans his head and back to the bars of his cell, he would be sitting in the cloud bed but every time he tries to sit in it he falls through.

The man looks down from the ceiling as he talks, "How long does this spell last?"

Clover brings her head up from where its resting on the bed as she talks, "What spell?"

"You know this cloud...walking thing." Preston pokes at the ground as he speaks up again, "I'm starting to feel like its fading."

The mare gives a little giggle as she moves to the side of the bed with a sleepless yawn, "Maybe it's because you're too heavy for the clouds."

Preston cocks an eyebrow to her comment as he talks, "ya ya ya, and you're not?"

Clover gives another giggle as she stretches legs, "HA! I'm the pony that tilts the bed."

"Oh ya? Well i've carried your furry a-..." His voice is cut off as Star Swirl speaks up, "Are you saying you feel like that spell is wearing off Preston?"

The man turns to the old stallion's voice as he gives a little laugh, "No i'm sitting on the ground because I hate beds."

"Oh...well then hush up." The old stallion turns his head back to the door like he has been for the last hour or so.

"What...I was being sarcastic." Preston stands up from the ground as he talks, "I can't sit anywhere."

The old stallion turns his head back a little more confused as he cocks his head, "I beg your pardon, but that spell is supposed to work as long as its needed."

"Well Gandalf check your staff, because I feel like i'm sinking." The blond haired man looks down to his feet as he speaks back to the pony.

"Bha, I use no staff...still perhaps our magic works differently on you." Star Swirl rubs at his beard for a second before he points his hoof to Preston, "You may need to do the spell yourself."

"Ya ya ya, magic is all thought right?" Preston's words start to drift back to there sarcasm as he tries to hide his growing sinking feeling.

"Preston, Star Swirl is right that spell may need to be cast by you." Clover moves herself a little towards the cell wall as her voice stops.

Preston shifts his eyes around the two ponies, "Ok..." He clutches his hands a little as he shakes his head to loosen up.

Star Swirl and Clover get a slight smile as they watch Preston's hands starting to glow a green aura.

"Ok...So just think about walking on clouds right?" Preston waits for a response as he jitters his hands a little.

Star Swirl rolls his hoof as his voice no longer holds on to its faked seriousness, "Oh yes yes."

Clover follow's his change in voice as her slight smile starts to become more noticeable, "Just believe Preston."

"Ya ya ya I got this." Preston stops his hands as he blows out a little loudly, "OK...I can walk on clouds." His hand's have not increased in color and have not started to give a low chime as he continues his mantra of breathing.

But before he does anything else Swirl's voice picks back up, "Preston why don't you try sitting back to the bed, hm?"

Preston moves himself back to the bed still holding a reduced loud breathing mantra. He slowly lowers himself to the bed as his breathing reaches a new high, "Ahhhhh."

Clover lets out a giggle as she turns away from the man.

Her laugh stops his nonsense as his hands lose their glow, "What?" Star Swirl joins in on the light laugh as he shakes his head. Preston's voice is a little heightened as he talks again, "What?"

For a few moments they ignore him, but Swirl's voice comes back to the room as he talks, "Preston, a spell like that only works if you believe it will work." The old stallion stops his laugh as he coughs, "But you did do a good job of creating your own magic. That is truly a big step in learning how to control it."

Preston nods his head as he talks, "Hmf, i'll remember this."

The light hearted laugh comes to an end as Clover speaks up, "Master, how did you know Emperor Gust would believe us?"

Swirl nods his head as he smiles, "I didn't Clover..."

The mare blinks at the comment as she cocks her head but the old stallion's voice comes over hers again as he talks, "...But I had figured Emperor Gust's curiosity would get the best of him, and hoping that the stories I have been told of him were true...I thought it would be better just to wait it out...No pony wants war, and when somepony gives you a better solution...you take it."

He holds a smile to the slightly confused mare for a moment, but the moment is broken as the door to the room creaks open with a slightly wet wood on wood creak.

Swirl's voice picks up as he holds his joy filled tone, "Ah, we finally are ready hm?"

The pegasus doesn't bat an eye as the stallion unlocks the door of Swirl's cell. The old pony turns his head back to the open door as Emperor Gust steps inside, "Forgive us for taking so long...It was a little difficult to find guards trusted enough to help us, but Commander Hurricane has found a few."

Star Swirl makes his way towards the door as the pegasus trots with the key in its mouth towards Preston's and Clover's cell.

As the two cells become open the pegasus guard steps aside waiting for them to leave.

Preston and Clover pick up their pace to follow after the group outside of the room, with the guard pony tracing behind them. As Preston reaches the outside of the dungeon he stops for a moment and looks around the group of ponies, there has to be about ten guard ponies heavily armoured and with spear like objects resting on their backs.

The moment of uneasy feelings is brought to an end as Star Swirl speaks up, "Shall we? I am not looking forward to staying up long." He gives a light cough as he waits for the group to start moving.

A few guard ponies lead the way as Emperor Gust drifts back with Pansy following close beside him. The grey pegasus looks to Star Swirl as he talks, "I must know, how did you create a spell to walk on clouds Sir Star Swirl."

The old pony slightly ignores him as he looks around the castle's walls but his answer comes quick as he looks back to the stallion, "I once knew a pegasus, dear friend of mine." Star Swirl gives a light chuckle as he talks again, "...She believed that anypony could do anything they set their mind to, as long as they were pushed in the right direction."

Preston, Clover and Pansy listen close to the old stallion's words as he holds his head to Emperor Gust, "...She even had me trying to fly." Swirl gives a light laugh as he continues, "...Of course I have no wings, but that did get me thinking about the idea of unicorns learning a spell or two about flying." The old stallion's voice losses his happy tone for a second as he finishes, "...Sadly, I never got to show my friend this spell."

Emperor Gust seems slightly intrigued by the story but doesn't ask any more questions as he talks, "Well then Sir Star Swirl, lets hope that believing is all a pony needs."

Star Swirl nods his head for a moment before he looks around the group, "Where is my bag anyways?"

"Commander Hurricane has taken it already to the castle's rainbow." Pansy speaks up as his question runs past her.

"Wonderful." Swirl turns his head back to the group in front of him as he talks.

The group's walk comes to an end as they near a dead end hallway with nothing but a white statue of a pegasus holding its right hoof out. Preston looks his head around for a moment a little confused to the stop but the confusion ends as Emperor Gust walks to the front of the group.

The grey pony stops as he walks to the pegasus statue, his hoof comes up as he pushes it against the extended right hoof of the statue.

A creaking sound fills the slightly cramped hallway, Clover and Preston watch the statute being pushed back to the wall in amusement, Swirl just holds a old man dullness.

The sound only last a few moments before Emperor Gust turns back to them, "I will give you only ten flaps of a wing, than you will return back to the castle...understood?"

Preston and Clover's moment of amazement is lost as they look to the pegasus in a little confusion.

Swirl nods his head as he talks, "Thank you Emperor Gust."

The grey stallion nods his head as he looks back to the hidden staircase that has come open, "Guards stay up here, Commander Hurricane is already down here with his own stallions."

The guard ponies nod their heads as they move to each side of the hall.

Pansy pushes through the group as she follows Emperor Gust's first steps into the passage.

End of chapter 22