The Land Before Us

Chapter 6 – Pressing matters

Preston's eyes are still closed and his body rest on the ground, but unbenounced to him his body has been moved. His fainted eyes do not stay shut from the world around him for long as a dampness pressing against his head every so often.

With each passing moment the cool wetness pressing against the dirt covered side of his head brings his eyes open. His absent minded brown eyed gaze comes to rest on a dark purple face, the blurriness of his eyes quickly fades as the crackling of a nearby fire flickers his mind back on. The young man blinks his eyes to the dark purple mare as he tries to take the strange looking creature as something real.

He can tell in the orange glow of the flickering fire that the animal in front of him has pony like features, but other than a fur covered snot face and ears that mare looks nothing like a normal pony should, Preston's eyes stay pinned to the low purple glow that gives off a slight chime as he stares to the pony's horn.

The big teal alien huge eyes of the mare finally catch on to his as she stops her dab at his head. The mare holds a almost confused smile for a moment as she turns her head back and speaks up, "Master the creature has awoken!"

Preston holds his mouth shut as he looks over the animal sitting next to where he lays in a little disbelief to the words he just heard resonating from her lips.

"Good, good." An older sounding male voice calls back from closer to the cracking red-orange fire as the stallion's hooves start to get louder.

The young man is quick to bring himself in an upright position as he jerks his body forward, as he does his head rings with a shoot of pain. Preston closes his right eye as the ringing in his ears brings his hands up to his head.

The purple mare that he can still see from his opened left eye stares back at him in a slight shock as she brings herself to her hooves. Her body is covered by a brown cloak and a hood like extension lays over top of her back, the mare's voice is sharpened as she looks to Preston's up right sitting, "Maybe this is not such a good idea."

Preston slowly brings his hands down from his head as he turns his body around on the dirt forest floor to the two ponies that stand before him.

Beside the purple brown cloaked mare stands a grey very old looking stallion, the pony has a wispy white beard that matches his mane, most of his body is covered in a dark blue cloak that seems to have emblems of gold stars around it, "Nonsense Clover, if this beast meant us harm it would have not been able to pass Celestia's barrier."

The stallion gives a coughing laugh as he brings his alburn eyes to Preston, "So tell us dragon, what brings you to the Everfree forest?"

Preston's mind still throbs a little from his earlier fall but his thoughts are still coming through as he tries to scurry himself back, "Y-your a talking pony!?" His high voice and crab like crawl backwards is brought to a quick end as he brings his back to a tree trunk.

The shorts around his legs have slightly slid down his legs and his arms are quickly brought to them as he hikes them up.

The stallion cocks his head a little to Preston's quick motion, "It is strange for a male dragon to wear clothing..."

Preston breaks over the old man's voice as he catches onto his words, "What are you talking about animal?!”

"Me?" The grey stallion lets out another loud old man laugh as he brings his leg over his mouth for a moment with a cough.

"Master?" The purple mare besides him lifts her leg up in concern.

Preston watches the human like actions as he squints his eyes between the two animals, "Where am I?"

The stallion points his dirt covered hoof to Preston as he gives another low laugh, "Bha!" The older pony turns to his side as he talks to the mare, "You see Clover, dragon's are simple thinking creatures nothing to..."

"Where am I and what did you do to Damien!?" Preston stand brings himself to tower over the ponies in a decently good height advantage as he balls up his fist.

The mare jerks her body back as she lowers her horn, "Stay back dragon!"

"What did you do with Damien?!" Preston's mind has focused on his absent friend as he yells back to the mare.

The mare's horn glows a bright purple as her teal eyes squint back to him, "Sit back down!"

"Now now lets all just..." The older stallion's voice is cut off as the ringing of bolt magic is sent to the standing Preston, the young man is struck by the bolt and wobbles a second before falling face down.

"Clover!" The stallion turns his head back to the mare as his disappointed voice echos off the trees around their camp.

The mare timidly rubs her right hoof over her left leg as she talks, "But Master Swirl it was only a calming spell...-"

The stallion cuts her off as his horn glows a bright gold, "That is no excuse for stunning this poor creature." The gold aura surrounds Preston's body as he picks the man up and brings his back again to rest on the tree.

"Star Swirl I..." The mare's voice is again cut off as the stallion walks closer to Preston's closed eyed body, "Clover no."

As the mare nods her head and brings her gaze to the ground Star Swirl blinks his amber eyes back to Preston as he talks to himself, "ok...what was that awaken spell again... Ah yes." The stallion's horn glows a faint gold to the spell. With a slow lower of the head the glow seeps toward Preston as his eyes again start to open.

"OW!" The young man brings his arms around his head as he lets out the yelp of pain from Clover's spell.

"OH hush now, you act like magic is foreign to you dragon." Star Swirl shakes his head as he talks, "I mean really, magic and dragons is like Sombra and crys...-"

Preston's voice takes on a light sob as he holds his head still, "I'm not a fucking dragon..."

Clover brings herself to her masters side as she speaks up in a fast voice, "Not a dragon? Master I think we need to...-"

Star Swirl brings his hoof in front of her mouth as he squints to Preston, "What do you mean not a dragon?"

Preston slowly starts to lower his arms as he shifts his eyes around the two ponies faces a little hesitantly, "I-I'm a human..."

The purple mare lets out a quick sarcastic laugh as she point's her right hoof to him, "Then how can you channel magic if you're no dragon?"

"What?" Preston stares at her in confusion as her voice picks up a little.

"Look at your claws dragon!" The mare nods her head down as her voice stops.

Start Swirl rubs at his long wispy beard as Preston follows her nod, his hands have a slight green aura around them and the tips of his fingers tingle a little. The young man gives a light huffy cough as he stares at the ground beside him, "I-I feel like I need to throw up..."

"Good." Star Swirl’s horn glows a faint gold as he nods his head to Preston. As the stallion follows through his motion the blond haired man quickly brings his hands to his mouth as he hunches over, " horlagaaa!!!"

Clover gives a disgusted look as she turns her head away from Preston. But her motion doesn't go far as Star Swirl taps her, "Clover I think you should say something to this poor...human."

Preston gives a slight huff as he tries to look anywhere around the dirt ground but where he throw up.

The mare's voice is low but his ears still pick up on her words as they come to him, "I'm sorry..."

Preston brings his head up and his body back to the tree as he gives a confused laugh “you shock me with alien mind control and you say you're sorry?"

Clover brings her head up to him as she blows at the comment, "Fine then don't take the sorry, and its magic human not mind control."

"Just magic? Listen here you talking little..."

His voice is cut off as Star Swirl shoots a tiny bolt of gold light in between them, "Are you sure you're not a dragon Human? You sure have a temper?"

Preston swallows back his comment as he nods to the mare, "Thank you..."

Clover rolls her eyes as she talks to the stallion, "Can we put it back in the forest yet?"

The stallion smiles to the mare as he gives another old sounding laugh, "You are funny...no, now clean it up and bring Human to the fire near me...its too cold to talk away from it."

Star Swirl trots himself in a slow walk back to the crackling fire as the mare brings her skeptical eyes back to Preston.

He brings himself to his feet and after a little wobble he brushes some dirt from his pants and legs and follows after Star Swirl, Clover keeps her eyes on him as she traces behind him.

The old stallion has brought himself to sit on a fallen log near the fire, his front legs are extended to the fire and his flank is seated on the fallen log with his old white tail dropping off the back to the ground, "Sit Human."

Preston looks over the pony's way of sitting as he takes a seat to a log across from him, the logs have clearly been dragged over as the dirt beside them have the marks. But the blond haired man does not look around to much as he brings his voice to him, "where am I, and have you seen my friend Damien."

The stallion slightly ignores him as the mare takes a seat next to the old stallion, "You know Human that is a strange name..."

The man pauses for a moment before he speaks up, "My name is Preston...Preston Armor."

The pony brings his front legs down as he gives a smile, "Much better." He strokes at his wispy beard as his voice continues, "As for the friend you seek I am sorry, you are the first human I have met."

Preston gives a silent nod as the pony's voice doesn't stop.

"But as for where you are, well perk your ears up for this as I am far too old to repeat myself." The stallion gives a loud throat clearing cough as his long words start up, "You Preston, are in the land of Equestria...And from the way you react to magic its much different then from where you come from."

Preston shifts his eyes to his normal colored hands as he holds his voice down for the pony to finish.

"...This land was founded five years ago by the pegasus, earth ponies and unicorns." He smiles as he nods to the mare beside himself, "Clover the clever, my assistant helped in the founding of this land and helped establish a peace between the three tribes."

The mare gives a low proud smile as the old pony coughs through his words, "...But that was five years ago...the land that was founded on friendship and peace is no more, and we stand on the constant threat of war between the three..."

"Why?"

Preston's voice is brought down as Swirl brings a laugh in, "Calm yourself you will get the full story. Now where was I..." The pony strokes at the wispy beard a little longer before he talks, "Ah, yes...The peace agreement that the three have lived by is starting to fade as new problems have arisen in this land, the pegasus feel mistreated by the two land bound ponies and threaten to rebel. Princess Platinum is doing her best along with the earth ponies to simmer down these threats." The old pony leans forward a little more as his voice drops, "That is the story everypony will tell you...but I will tell you the side nopony should hear."

Preston follows his lean as he tries to listen to the old pony’s words over the crackling flame between them.

"The first city where the three tried to live under the new peace was called the Crystal Empire, and it was ruled by a king by the name of Sombra. He was a brilliant mind and a great king even though he could not speak but a few words...but a dark power came over him and his heart turned bitter and cold and he sought out to the element of harmony in the city for his own personal gain... His end came at the hoof of the two goddesses Celestia and Luna....but sadly with his end the magical symbol the three tribes made to show peace for the land was lost along side Sombra."

He gives a laugh as he talks, "The spell that Sombra used to bring the kingdom down with him was not a normal magic, and Celestia and myself fear that the power in the crystal city may be lost forever.”

The stallion straightens up as he coughs, "...But the point is this, Celestia and Luna after coming down from the sky and banishing Sombra’s dark powers and self where praised by the unicorn Princess and where allowed to use their powers as the sole providers of the moon and the sun; a task that many unicorns had not just two."

He holds his hoof up to the sky as his words lower again, "And this is the problem we face, the pegasus have taken this as a sign that these...these half pegasus half unicorn gods are siding with the land dwellers to take away there powers and ultimately make them follow the unicorn's way of life. The pegasus believe the lose of the symbol of harmony that was held in the crystal kingdom was intentional, and that it was nothing more than a blunt show of the unicorn's trying to control the land. Now because of this idea they refuse to listen to the other two tribes."

Swirl takes a deep breath as he speaks for the last time, "Without a magical symbol of peace, harmony and friendship the threat of unity breaking is imminent. Celestia, the older, has asked us to find a new power that can spread the feeling of harmony like the one founded in the lost first empire."

Preston thinks over the story in silence as he tries to understand it, the two ponies wait as he quivers his words, "H-how does one item stop a war?"

The old pony smiles as his horn takes a gold glow, "Magic my weird friend, magic, it is all around us, it binds us together through its effects on every living being. Magic is created from emotion or thoughts and its effects can be channeled from touch, actions or it's creator's own will. Its effect are determined by the way the way it's used, positive life, joy and tolerance or negative fear, anger or death. But without an instrument to convey a feeling much like the Crystal heart that was lost, the feelings of are fading unity...and fear has taken hold over this land...”

Preston listens to the chime as he talks, "That's what brought us here..." He buries his head in his hands as the two ponies look to each other in confusion.

Clover speaks up as her voice carries, "US? There are more than you?"

Preston takes his head up as he talks, "Matt, he was taken by unicorns earlier today." He quivers a little at the thought as he stops his words.

Swirl is quick to talk as he holds his hoof out, "Oh no-no, do not worry, the Princess is trying to keep harmony no harm will come to him."

"What about Damien, he is still out here!" Preston holds his head up as his hands start to tingle a little, "He is not safe right? Right?"

The old pony looks over the green glow as he talks, "I sense that you are not from this land...not from this land in more ways than one." He brings his old eyes up as he looks him over, "But our magic has already taken its hold on your emotions Press-ton."

The blond haired man brings his hands up as he talks, "W-what do I do?!"

Clover's voice is low as she talks, "Just calm down, magic should be only generated with happy thoughts and feelings not with...what you feel at this moment, just calm down."
Preston gives a few forced long breaths as his hands start to slowly lose their color.

Swirl smiles as he stands from his log, "Well I for one am too tired to talk more, so I bid you a good night."

Clover speaks up in confusion as she holds her hoof to Preston,"But what of him?"

Swirl cocks a bushy eyebrow as he talks, "He will come with us, it's far too dangerous to let him go alone, and he now knows of Celestia’s task, can't have him telling everypony."

"But master he knows because you told him!?"

"Yes, yes I did...now good night Clover." He nods to Preston as he walks to a tan colored tent.

Preston's voice comes back as he talks, "Wait, what about my friend?"

"Your friend will be found by the unicorns, this forest is guarded by them, do not worry you will meet them all again." Swirl starts to trot himself into the tent as Preston's voice calls back fast, "Where do I sleep than??"

Swirl gives a low smile as he talks, "Clover will happily take you in tonight, unless you wish to lay with a stallion."

Before Preston can answer the drape of the tent is closed. He now brings his eyes to the mare with an awkward stare of dismay.

Clover calls back to the tent as she talks, "But master?!"

No answer comes back as she looks back to Preston, with the same look as him. her stance straightens as she swallows, "I-it seems that Star Swirl has made his mind up..." Her voice picks up a little as she takes her eyes off of Preston a little angry, "Follow me, Human."

Preston hesitates for a moment but then follows after her towards another small looking tent.

She dips herself inside as Preston stops and looks over the tent, "Great...small..." He takes a long sigh as he follows in behind her, but to his surprise as he dips under the tan drape the tent seems to double in size.

The inside is bear with only a decently large bed and a simple dresser but the tent definitely is larger and taller than he thought. Clover looks back to him as she stares at his confusion, "are you ok?"

Preston laughs a little as he talks, "Ya...I just am having a hard time understanding that aliens and the TARDIS are real."

Clover squints to his words a little as her horn takes a low purple glow, the brown cloak she has on starts to slip off as Preston takes his eyes off of the room to her. But his eyes quickly dart away as the cloak leaves her face, the clothing is floated over to the dresser as it's folded and neatly set atop the wood.

She brings her eyes back to his weird wondering eyes and shifts her body as she talks, "Are you not going to take that off?"

Preston feels weird at watching the weird action of a pony taking off clothes only to reveal fur but he quickly answers back as he stutters, "no no, I-uh, i'll sleep in this."

The mare nods as she walks over to the bed, "You are strange."

He watches as she floats the cover of the bed back and then slowly eases herself in. Clover feels his gaze set on her as she brings her head to him as she gives a groan, "Look I know this is weird but honestly I would rather tonight be over so..." She nods her head to the large empty space next to her as she stops.

Preston quickly walks over to the bed as he talks, "Ya, ok..." As he moves the bland grey covers back he places his hand to the bed, its soft and not made of hay like he was thinking. As he moves the covers back Clover lays her head back to the one pillow on the simple bed. Preston dips into the bed as he brings himself in, but as he does this the bed shifts down to his weight and Clover rolls onto his side.

Her eyes shrink a little as she stares to him, "Sorry..." With a quick motion she brings herself off of his side and tries to stay to her spot of the bed.

"its fine." Preston holds his eyes to the ceiling of the tent as Clover holds her fully awake eyes to the side of the tent she faces. Both hold all comments back as they sleeplessly stare away from the thing beside them, both just hoping that the night ends soon.

End of chapter 6