The Land After

by Fat1thatyoulove

Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – Unicornia

"I wasn't really looking forward to getting back in this thing." Preston leans forward a little as he rubs his hand to his lower back.

The slight pained expression on the man's face brings a faint smile to the mare across from him as she speaks up, "It is only about an hour from Canterlot."

"Ya ya ya, tell you what, when ponies get cars then we can talk about how easy an hour away-..." His words are cut off as the carriage bounces to the rough dirt path, which causes the man to slightly hit his head against the top of the coach, "...Ow..."

The shortage of pain the man actually expresses brings a faint giggle from Clover as she speaks up, "Well the train's rails will be up within a few months."

Preston gives a little smirk to the comment as he nods, "Ya, you ponies can't come up with showers but you can create a countrywide train system in a few months."

Clover's ear flicks to the words he uses but she maintains her composure as she nods, "Well now that everypony in Equestria has been settled the unicorn's expansion is being aided by the pegasus's quicker movement of material and the earth ponies and unicorn’s abilities-..." A faint sigh comes over the mare as she rolls her eyes, "And I suppose it is a great help to have a po-person in Equestria who has the knowledge of trains."

"Ya knowledge." Preston shakes his head with a little chuckle as he waves his hand to the comment, "I know nothing about trains other than basics. Celestia does some mind spell on me and all of a sudden ponies know how to make a train."

The mare cocks her head to one side as she speaks up, "Well if a train is like you said then it should greatly benefit us, ponies."

Her emphasis brings Preston's laughing down for a moment, but it is quick to return as he speaks up, "Well if you guys make planes then you got something that could really benefit ya."

Clover blinks to the name as she taps her hoof to her mouth for a moment, "Those are the flying trains correct?"

"Yep." Preston gives a little smile as he points a finger to the mare across from him, "But that would be something impossible to make for you all."

"Hmm..." Clover sits her back to the chair a little more as she shrugs, "All these ways to travel, but all of that can be avoided if humans could just learn to teleport."

Preston's cocky smile fades a little as the man nods, "Not bad Clover." His hand comes back to him as he presses his thumb and index finger against each other.

The mare's eyes focus in on the hand in front of her as Preston holds his little smile as he snaps. Just as the sound of his fingers comes up a little spark of green magic comes over the man's hand.

However, the same child like amusement he holds is not shared by the mare across from him as Clover now widens her eyes and jets a hoof forward, "What are you doing?! You could burn the carriage down!"

The words quickly snaps the man out of his enjoyment to the little tingling on his hand as he tries to brush the magic he sparked up to his heavy wool pants. His effort proves unsuccessful as he now speaks up, "Uh...Crap w-what do I do?"

Preston's shaky voice is cut off as Clover wiggles her hoof with a comment, "Give me your hoof!"

Despite the word she used Preston extends the brightly glowing hand as the mare's horn sparks up to cover his hand, "You might feel a pinch."

Just as her words come down her magic rings a little to the small area the two sit in.

"Ow!" Preston's reflexes quickly pull his hand from the mare's magic and hoof as he rubs the palms of his hands together.

Clover's horn comes down as she knocks her hoof to one of Preston's knees that extends out towards her, "Stop acting like such a foal, that spell was nothing more than a simple spell breaker."

"Ya ya ya, magic is easy-..."

His words are cut off as the mare across from him now pokes her hoof a little towards him, "Oh no you don't, you are not going to blame magic. As a matter of fact how could you not stop your spell on your own?" Clover cocks her head to one side as she continues, "Breaking spells was the first thing Star Swirl and I showed you."

Preston gives a little chuckle as he flaps his hands out a little, "So? It's not like magic is common on earth. You think you're that good of a teacher that I can learn in a few months? Pff~."

Clover squints her eyes to the man a little annoyed. Preston quickly takes notice of the mare's face as he speaks up, still with the shaky voice brought on from his mindless hands jiggling, "Oh sorry, did I make Clover the Clever mad?"

The mare lowers her head to the comment as she speaks up, "As a matter of fact I would like to say I am a good teacher. Now stop flapping your hooves like a bird or you might accidentally do a spell."

Almost instantly Preston stops his motions, but he speaks up against the comment as he nods to the mare across from him, "Ya ya ya. Oh and by the way, a good teacher doesn't yell at the student when they do something wrong."

"You are stubborn." Clover shoots her head up in a more proper pose as she tries to hold some kind of power over the conversation.

Preston starts up in a faint laugh as he speaks up, "Am I as stubborn as a mule?"

The comment breaks the mare's persona as Clover now blinks to the comment, "I-...I do not understand. I have met plenty of mules smarter than you."

"Ya ya ya..." Preston just shakes his head to the mare's words as he slumps a little in his seat, "I got stuck in this world to get insulted by a talking horse."

Clover's confusion melts a little from her face as she blinks to the man's faded smile, "Star Swirl would have scolded me for that comment..." A sweet smile comes to the mare as she nods, "I'm sorry Preston."

The man does not spark his smile up as he answer her, "You know what i'm sorry for?" Clover's ears stay up to the man's lower voice as she awaits the rest of his sentence, "...I'm sorry pony's breath smells like hay."

A new found laugh comes to Preston as he playfully knocks his knee into the mare's in front of him.

Clover however, just rolls her eyes to the comment as she shakes her head, "I do not even enjoy hay?"

Preston shrugs as he smiles to the mare, "It's just a joke." His words do not alter the mare's face, but it does prompt a response from the mare as she sparks up a sly smile, "At least ponies do not smell like a sweaty barn."

"OH, not bad not bad..." Preston's hand pulls a little on the heavy and hot shirt he wears as he brings his voice up again, "Of course it would be easier to get clean if you had showers invented."

The words roll the mare's eyes as she sighs, "Back to this I see?"

Preston leans forward a little as he holds his hands out in front of him almost as if he were trying to show the picture in his mind, "It's so easy, it's just water that comes up from the faucet from above, instead of the ground. I mean shoot, you guys have to have some kinda plumbing knowledge just look at how you fill a tub-..Wait, scratch that, I want a regular toilet not these-..."

"We have arrived Ms.Clover."

The sound of one of the stallion's that have brought the carriage to its stop breaks the conversation as Clover and Preston now turn their heads to the windows they have been ignoring. From the windows they notice how late in the day it actually is, the sun has started to disappear past the forest range that sits in the distance. Infact, the world would be a little darker if it were not for the fact that the castle was built on a decent sized hill.

However, Clover waste not time as her horn sparks up to open the cabin's door, "Thank you."

Like before Preston shifts his legs for the mare as she moves out of the carriage and into the dusk colored world.

Preston is quick to follow after her as he bipasses the first two steps on the little stairs down and instead jumps a little into the open area with a few quick stretching motions.

As he gives a few pleasure filled groans from his movements Clover trots a little towards the edge of the hill as she speaks up, "The forest...It has come closer?"

"Yes the EverFree forest has grown a substantial amount has it not?"

The fairly regal voice that has come to Clover and Preston's ears turns their heads as they look to a well cloak dressed stallion who smiles back to them.

The stallion gives a little bow as he speaks up, "Hello, I am Free Brust, the curator Celestia has picked to look over the castle. There are fifteen in total here..." His words come down a little as he turns towards the sight just a little past the edge of the hill, "Although, it does not seem likely we will be here for much longer."

Clover gives a friendly nod to the comment as she speaks up, "Yes well I am Clover the Clever." She gestures to Preston as she continues, "Um...And this is my assistant Preston...The um vapid."

The stallion now turns his head to the taller man as he slows his words a little, "Oh, well how do you do."

Preston just blinks to the change in pace as he stays quiet, all the while trying to understand the mare's choice in words.

However, the conversation picks back up as the stallion turns to his side and towards the castle, "The new Princess has already sent a letter saying why you are here...But um..." A faint chuckle comes up from the stallion as he gets a little sheepish, "We only just received the letter yesterday, and as a result we have not had time to clean up another bedroom. But the old Princess's bed chambers are clean, we have just been using the empty ones for storage. Will this be a problem?"

Clover's smile slightly fades a little but she shakes her head as she speaks up, "No, not a problem."

"Splendid, then I shall show you to your room." As the stallion starts to trot away Clover and Preston follow after him. But their walk is halted as they move in front of the two ponies still hitched to the carriage.

"Ms.Clover, we need to get back to the city. If you would can you take your bags?" The dark earth stallion on the left nods to the rack as he waits for an answer.

"Yes of course." Clover's horn sparks up as she floats her satchel and the bag Preston was told to pack down, however she moves them to the blonde haired man as she speaks up, "Here you go, carry these."

Preston quickly wraps his hands around the bags as the magic around them is quick to come to its end, leaving the man now struggling to hold the slightly bulky bags.

The struggling man brings a faint smile to Clover as she returns her following of the stallion who has stopped by the castle's opening.

Preston lags behind as he slowly starts to move the two bags into a better carriable position. Just as he does he and the two ponies in front of him pass into the torch lit castle's foyer.

The stallion leading turns to the hall on his left as he continues to speak, "As you can see the majority of the castle's decorations have been cleaned up. We hope to clean out Celestia's private library as soon as Star Swirl returns to help sort out the magical items."

"Star Swirl is gone?" Clover blinks a little to the comment as she impatiently waits for an answer.

Freebrust nods to the comment as he starts to turn into a shorter hallway, "Yes, he went into the forest earlier this morning for something."

"D-did anypony go with him?" Clover's tone holds an almost angry and surprised tone as she agian awaits an answer.

The stallion halts a little as he sheepishly shakes his head, "Mage Star Swirl said it would not be necessary. Um...This is your room."

Clover's horn sparks up as she floats her bag from Preston's hand, "I hope you are right." A faint sigh comes from the mare as she opens the door and trots inside.

Preston gives a little nod to the stallion as he moves past him and into the room.

Just as Preston comes inside the doors close behind him as Clover now speaks up all the while floating her bag to the one bed in the room, "Can you believe they would let Star Swirl travel into the Everfree forest by himself? I mean it is the EverFree forest!"

Preston taps his hand to his bag as he just nods, "Ya..."

Clover sighs again as she just shakes her head to the light purple satchel she opens.

To the mare's silent voice Preston speaks up as he nods to the bed, "So...At least the bed is big."

The comment flicks the mare's ear as she turns her head to the man behind her, "Ya, it will be for me."

Preston squints to the comment as he speaks up with a faint laugh, "You don't want to sleep with me Clover?"

"HA!" The dark earth brown cloak the mare has on sways a little to her quick turn as she speaks up, "No I do not."

Preston just shrugs to the comment as he speaks up, "Fine with me, I would rather not sleep with an animal anyways."

"Animal? Huh?"

The tone flinches Preston a little as he clenches his teeth in complete regret to the word he used. He quickly tries to push his comment aside as he speaks up, "Clover I didn't-.."

"No." The light purple mare in front of him shakes her head as she puffs her chest out a little, "First off Preston, the only creature who smells like they have been sleeping in a forest is you. Secondly I am tired of the constant comments about how humans are so much superior to ponies."

Clover tightens her eyes as she continues, "And you know something else, when Celestia's spell worked for those few days you did not have a problem calling yourself a pony."

Preston just nods to the comment as he waits for the mare's angered gaze to turn.

However, it does not change fast as the mare just gives an angry little stare to the man in front of her. But the man's changed gaze does start to alter the mare's tone as she relaxes her posture a little, "Just get unpacked."

Preston taps his hand to the bag as he nods, "Yep..." He starts his legs up as he moves towards the bed to set his bag down, as he does Clover's magic comes to pull her bag to the other side of the bed as they both start to unpack.

End of chapter 1

Comments

[Leux]

Uhhh Preston ~~~