//------------------------------//
// Chapter 6 
// Story: The Land Before Them 
// by Fat1thatyoulove 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 6 – A feather off

The days sun has started to take hold over the crystal empire as the light refracted around the cities streets giving off the illusion that every tile of crystal stone on the ground is a different color.

A content smile crosses Star Swirl's face as he looks around the cities streets around him, most of the ponies he passes don't pay any attention to him. But the ones that do turn their faces to him give a slight confused stare, of course Star Swirl doesn't take notice of it as his sights set to a dark magenta colored two story house.

His trot brings him to take his body up on the light blue crystal sidewalk as he nears the house. The content smile he had on lose its realism as he nears the door. Outside of the door in two plant pots sit two rose red flowers, but the plants buds look almost like glass.

Swirl's horn glows a faint gold as the flap on his satchel opens and he floats out a smaller version of the two crystallized plants, the only two differences are that this one is smaller and has a very faint see through cyan color.

As his motion ends and the plant comes to float beside him he taps his hoof to the door. The inside of the house is silent for a moment but the moment silence doesn't last long as the door opens to a curious staring greenish blue crystal pegasus. The mare's cyan green mane lays to one side with the other free side out in two small strains of mane held together in a chain like hair band that comes down to the base of her left ear.

The mare squints to the stallion as a low sweet voice comes from her, "Hello, do I know you?"

Swirl smiles as he hovers the plant to her, but a faint chuckle comes from him as he hoovers the plant closer to her, "Aura Bright...Is this my punishment for coming one day late?"

The mare doesn't change her expression as she takes the plant to her right hoof, her eyebrow cocks to him as she gives a slight smile, "I still do not know who you are."

Swirl blinks to the comment as the door closes in his face, the stallion shifts a little uneasy as he stares to the closed door. But he doesn't even have time to move his hoof before the door swings back open to the mare's happy face as she pulls the stallion inside.

A laugh escapes Star Swirl as he stumbles a little to the pull, but his balance is brought back to him as the mare's now less than ladylike voice speaks up, "Your letters said you would be here when the unicorn's arrived."

Swirl holds the embrace softly as he talks, "I was."

"Bha." The mare loses her hold on the stallion as her higher pitched feminine chime rings from her, "There you go breaking your promise again, Mr.Swirl."

Swirl just smiles as the mare reaches to the crystal plant she put near the door, her back comes to the stallion as she starts her trot into the room, "I mean truly, when will you ever be somewhere you say you would be?" Before Swirl can speak up the mare turns around as she wobbles the hoof with the plant a little as her head bobs to her words, "And what is with the uncut beard? You look as if you're older than you truly are."

The grey stallion holds his smile as he shakes his head, "But I am older."

The mare cocks her eyebrow to the stallion as she nods her head a little sarcastically, "Oh Star Swirl, you are only as old as you act." 

Swirl nods his head as he talks, "That's easy for a mare like you to say..." His voice drops a little sweet as he continues, "Why would a mare like you ever want to act her age, especially if she continues to become more beautiful every time a pony lays their eyes on her?"

To the stallion's loving gaze the mare moves a little closer towards him, but Swirl's stare blinks away as she gets to close, a giggle comes from Aura as she talks, "Bha." Her right hoof still holds the plant as she pokes it to his chest, "...I am still younger than you mind and body, but you, you are not old enough to act so distinct."

Her eyes and smile move to the small beard on his chin as she cocks her head again, "You will be cutting this...will you not?"

Swirl nods his head as he floats the plant from the mare's hoof, the low chime in the room matches his weak voice as he talks, "As long as I get to see you, you have my word it will disappear."

Aura takes the floating plant from the magic as she gives a little giggle, "Bha, your word is something earth ponies could not even use to plant grass."

A chuckle comes from Star Swirl as the mare goes to her normal long windedness, "...But I suppose it will have to do." Her smile comes back to Star Swirl as she gasp, "I forgot, I have a present for you this time."

Swirl's ear flicks a little as the mare's wings flair out to her loud voice, "Oh Wispy! Come here Wispy!"

The sound of small claws to the floor comes into the room as Swirl brings his eyes to a hallway adjacent to the room, a small crystal looking lizard comes into the room. But the lizard stops as it turns to Star Swirl with a slight hiss, the hiss coming from its crystal mouth is high pitched and loud as Star Swirl squints to the animal, "Hizzzz."

Aura smiles happily to the sound as she trots over to it and scoops it up, "Oh, I think he likes you Star Swirl."

The stallion nods his head to the lizard as he watches the mare coming closer to him, but she doesn't stop as she pins her bright yellow gold eyes to him, "You have to hold him or he will never like you."

Swirl gives a faint chuckle as he nods, "Yes, just put him in my bag and-..."

"No no no, this is something that will become more valuable than dragon's gems." Aura holds the lizard out towards Star Swirl as it blinks its eyes separately.

"Y-yes." Swirl moves his hoof to the lizard as he takes hold of it and puts on a fake smile.

But as he takes hold of it Aura starts to talk, "Do you know what kind of a lizard this is Mr.Swirl?"

Star Swirl looks over the crystal scales of the animal but is unable to place it, "No, I do not."

Aura nods her head unfazed by the words she expected, "This is a wheezing Iguana of Bison desert."

Star Swirl looks down to the lizard as if he's holding fire as he shifts very uneasy to the words, "They're poisonous?!"

The pegasus mare happily nods her head as she takes the lizard from Swirl's grasp and lays it to the ground, "Yes, the poison from their scales could stop a griffin from flying in one flap of a wing."

Swirl blinks to her words as he impatiently waits for her to get to her point, Aura happily continues as her sweet voice rings from her, "But the lizards that were found around this area are not poisonous on touch." Her wings start to fold as she holds her eyes to him, "Why would that be Mr.Swirl?"

The stallion's voice is still a little shaky from the animal that was in his grasp but he speaks up, "The scales on them have turned to crystal." His words spring a new found reassurance as he repeats them, "The scales..." He squint to her as he talks, "But how did you know the poison would not affect me?"

Aura holds her hoof out as she goes silent.

To the motion Swirl brings his eyes to her hoof, but he slowly moves his own hoof to her as she puts hers under his, "Because Mr.Swirl, the magic that has turned this animal into what it currently is also has affected the whole world around it." A slight sigh escapes her as she nods, "But making you believe that I would poison you was not the point of your gift."

"Do you still have the journal I gave you?"

Star Swirl nods his head as he dips his hoof to the bag, but she waves hers as she talks, "There's something amazing about wheezing Iguanas, there breathing is that of a dragon's...Do you know what that means?"

Swirl nods his head as he starts to rub to his small beard, Aura watches the motion with a slight smile but listens to his voice, "That should mean that...Wispy has the ability to send anything burnable to a designated area."

Aura smiles as she trots towards a couch like seat near the empty fireplace of the main room, "Correct Mr.Swirl, now you have the means to tell me when you will be late."

The stallion gives a slight chuckle as he floats the bag from himself, his trot comes to him as he follows after her but he's careful to avoid the lizard at his hooves, "Was this demonstration a way to scold me further?"

"Yes." Aura holds her hoof to the seat as she talks, "And now that the time has passed it is your turn to tell me why you have waited so long to come back...Now sit while I go and make the tea I would have had ready."

Swirl nods his head respectfully as he takes his seat to the couch.

End of chapter 6