Chapter 29

Chapter 30 – Magic's old friend

Preston's voice echos off the stone walls of the castle as he tries to wrap his mind around the magical duel he just witnessed, "Who was that?"

Armored ponies are still quickly moving down the hallway as he presses himself slightly to the wall to let them pass. But his voice does not stop as he looks to the old stallion still holding his fast trot, "Star Swirl, who was that?"

The old pony exits the hall as he swings his head back and forth, he ignores the man's question for a moment until he starts toward Celestia's side of the castle, "That was the Unicorn princess..." He stops his voice as he takes on a slight sad sigh, "...Or at least she was..."

Clover shakes her head as she listens to the old stallion, "Could that really had been Princess Platinum?"

Swirl stops his trot as he nods his head, "I'm afraid it was..." His tone picks up from its dreary tone as he continues, "...How can so much have happened in the last few days?" The old stallion mumbles something to himself as he starts back up towards Celestia's staircase.

Clover finally realizes where the old stallion is walking as she speaks up, "Wait Master..." She drops her tone to a whisper as she trots to him in a whisper, "...We can't just go up into Celestia's chambers."

"Clover, that element was not ready when she took it, there might be some kind of clue as to what she did to it up in her room." Swirl takes his first steps to the hallway to the stairs without even giving a glimpse to all the ponies bustling around the castle.

Clover and Preston are quick to follow as the mare speaks up again in her low tone, "But master you even said that wasn't Celestia?"

Swirl doesn't stop his trot as he answers back, "Yes I know, it was Princess Platinum. But where else in the castle would you go if you didn't want to be bothered?" He doesn't wait for a reply as he quickly takes his hooves to the stairs.

Preston and Clover are silent as the winding staircase comes to its end. Star Swirl is the first to come up to the room, and as he does he stops.

Clover looks at the old stallion's hard stare a little confused but as she and Preston come out of the staircase the point of the old stallion's stare is meet.

"Matt?" Preston's voice holds his astonishment and excitement, but the blond haired man's tone changes as he notices the young kid laying on the bed not reacting to his voice.

Swirl is motionless as he stares to the kid's position.

"Matt?" Preston moves himself towards the bed as he gives a slight laugh trying to hold back some of his thoughts, "Yo Matt wake up buddy." His light tone is lost as he reaches the edge of the bed with no response from the kid, "Matt!"

Preston puts his arms to his dark haired friend's arms as his voice spikes up a little, "Matt! Wake up Matt!" The slight jerking of the young man brings no response as his eyes remain close.

Matt's arms are cold and with each jerk Preston gives his voice grows more and more concerned, "Matt come on buddy stop fucking around!"

Clover moves her self a little towards Preston but she is stopped as Swirl puts his hoof out.

Preston turns his head back to the two ponies still standing at the staircase as he almost screams back, "Do something!?"

Clover holds her caring eyes to the blond man's tearing brown eyes but she can't speak as Swirl's voice stars up, "I...I'm sorry Pres...."

"NO, do something, do a spell do anything!" The blond haired man pants a little as his heart races, he looks back to his friend's still closed eyes as he calls back to him, "MATT!"

Swirl moves a little away from the stairs as his voice takes on a wise and low tone, "...Princess Platinum must have used him as a power source to activate the element of harmony..."

"What does that mean!" Preston impatiently waits for the old stallion as his hands shake a little as they still rest on the motionless kid's arms.

Swirl pauses for a moment as he shakes his head, "...I'm sorry Preston..."

Preston doesn't wait for the rest as he starts to rub at his head in a loud sob, "C-Can't you do something?"

Clover and Preston's eyes both fall to Swirl, the old stallion looks to the ground as he shakes his head, "I do not know..."

Preston clenches his teeth as he looks back to the young kid laying in the bed.

But Swirl's voice doesn't stop as he moves a little closer, "But I will try."

The man brings his head up still in a pant as he study's the old stallion's determined face, "W-what?"

Swirl's voice holds its caring wise tone as he talks, "This is my fault Preston...and I will not rest until I know I have tried everything."

He continues as he moves his gaze to the young kid laying on the bed, "The element of harmony needed magic..." The old stallion brings his hoof to his chest as he continues, "...Magic is emotion and thought...these two things are what make us who we are, it's a soul of a being...there is a possibility that we can get him back, if the element's are intact."

Swirl turns himself to the stairs as he talks, "I will return in a moment."

Preston's sobs don't stop but he nods his head to the words as Clover gets closer to where the man is sitting on the bed as she talks, "Just trust us Preston." She gives a sweet smile as she nears him. Preston nods his head as he answer her, still holding his doubt out of his mind, "ok."

(Throne room)

Chrysalis has been brought to her hooves as she stands next to general StoneHooves under his watchful eye.

Her defeat has not started to weigh onto her mind as she looks over her holed studded legs and wings. Her coat has also now taken on patches of grey throughout her once full black coat. But her mind is still set to her own denial to her evil looking for, to her her body still is the most beautiful in Equestria...With this thought in mind Chrysalis head is held high as she is lead to her room.

Celestia and Luna follow in behind her as the tall white mare speaks up to Chrysalis, "Now, show us how to get to Discord."

Chrysalis turns her sharp eyes to the mare as she nods her weak head to the mirror, "Yes, Celestia..." Her voice is almost mocking as her horn glows a low green.

Stone Hooves and the few guard stallions in the room tense up at the magic, but they're calmed down as Celestia's voice calls to Chrysalis, "Do not attempt anything Chrysalis."

The black mare shakes her head as she gives a faked sad frown to the white mare, "Discord must pay for what he has done."

The room being reflected in the mirror takes on a low shade of the green as Chrysalis horn stops its glow, the mare's voice is still weak and holding its mocking tone as she nods her head, "All you need to do now is a simple teleportation spell...Celestia."

Luna turns to her sister as she waits for her horn to start up, as the dark mare's eyes reach Celestia they both nod their heads as there horns spark up with the spell. The moment of chiming magic is short as their figures are teleported from the room.

Chrysalis gives a slight smile to their disappearance, but her joy doesn't last as Stonehooves speaks up, "Ok Princess Platinum follow me." His words are hard to the mare's ears as she turns her head to the stallion.

"Where am I going?" Chrysalis awaits the response already knowing what he'll say.

Stonehooves's face is unfazed by the mare's confused and slightly sad face as he answers, "You know where, you are to be held in the dungeon until Celestia and Luna are back."

Chrysalis nods her head as her voice drops to a low sweet tone, "Do you not think that perhaps I can just wait here?"

Stonehooves looks away from mare's smile as he talks still in his hard voice, "I am sorry Princess Platinum, but you are not allowed to stay here."

Chrysalis stops her smile as she looks around the two other guards that stand in the room, but her smile comes back as her horn sparks up in a green glow, "Its Queen Chrysalis."

In the blink of an eye the doors to the throne room are slammed shut with a green magical field around them, the guards on the other side of the door act fast to try and open the door, but the magic barrier keeps them from it.

The loud door slamming has startled the two younger stallion's and they are unable to react to Chrysalis as bubble like field of magic is sprung from her horn.

The two stallions are thrown to the wall as they give a little groan to the hit, but Stonehooves was unmoved by the spell as the wall of his own blue magic fades.

He lowers his horn to Chrysalis as he sends a bolt towards her.

The small room brings the bolt to the dark mare fast, but shes able to block it as she sends one of her own to the stallion.

Stonehooves is sent to the bed knocked out from the weak spell of the tired Chrysalis.

She pants a little through her smile as she tries to hold the room closed with her fading horn.

"General Stonehooves? General Stonehooves?"

Chrysalis quickly searches the room for an escape but she's too weak to teleport and too weak to outrun any pony outside. But the dark mare's search ends as she looks to one of the knocked out stallion's on the ground.

Her horn sparks in a bright green as the light of her magic swirls around her body.

The quick spell only last a moment before she emerges from the swirling green lights as a copy of the stallion.

Chrysalis spell on the door no longer glow a faint green as a gold light starts to come over the two doors.

As the spell breaks and the doors fly open to Star Swirl and a few other ponies Chrysalis drops to the ground and screams, her voice is no guard's but it passes as a young stallion as her voice calls out, " Chrysalis has escaped!"

The armored ponies quickly move over to general Stonehooves as Swirl turns his gaze to the young stallions voice, "What happened?"

The stallion holds his hoof to his head as he blinks his green eyes around the room rapidly, " Chrysalis s-she overpowered us! She must be have been stronger than we thought!" The stallion gives a pained groan as he tries to bring himself to his hooves, "W-we have to warn everypony of her escape! We have to make sure everypony is looking for her!"

Star Swirl helps the groaning stallion to his hooves as he talks, "Yes, yes, but lad you need to take a rest."

General Stonehooves and the two other stallions are still in a slightly knocked out state as they are slowly being brought to an upright position.

The stallion Star Swirl is talking to quickly moves towards the door as his young almost mare like voice calls out, "N-No she can't get away!"

Star Swirl holds his hoof out to the stallion but he quickly darts from the door before the old pony can speak up.

He moves his gaze back to General Stonehooves as he walks closer to where he sits on the bed, "How do you feel my friend?"

General Stonehooves's voice is broken up as he blinks his eyes to the room, " C-Chrysalis she...she..."

Swirl holds his hoof to the stammering stallion as he talks, "Its alright, its alright, just calm down. That stallion is going to make sure everypony knows."

General Stonehooves tries to stutter out something else but Chrysalis strange magic is still churning in his body too much to let him speak up.

End of chapter 29