//------------------------------//
// Mountaineering Made Incredibly Difficult 
// Story: How the Beard Became the Legend 
// by peacevic 
//------------------------------//

Mountaineering Made Incredibly Difficult

The edge of the path gave way under his hooves, and in an instant Star Swirl was pitched over the cliff. An instant later, his brain registered that fact and he started screaming.
It only took a few seconds for Downward Spiral, her ragged cloak bunched up in between her pinions, to swoop after and catch him by the forehooves. "Don't worry Swirly, I've got you,"she reassured.
"Please refrain from calling me 'Swirly'," Star Swirl groused. His heart was still pounding in his chest and his own weight was proving to be more than his limbs were comfortable supporting. "Are you absolutely certain we have to go over the mountains? I'd have been perfectly fine with walking around."
She giggled as they landed back on the path. "Oh come on, Starry. You're doing fine. Where's your sense of adventure?"
Star Swirl groaned as he again set his hooves to trudging along the narrow way behind his guide. Had he another choice, he'd have suggested politely that they go their separate ways after the first time she added letters to his name. But, regardless of the pegasus' annoying habits, he was stuck with her. He didn't think he could get off the mountain without her help.
And there was an even greater reason to put up with her eccentricities. Star Swirl, a pony who prided himself on his knowledge of the Sisters' legend, had been shocked to discover the raggedy mare knew where they were! Or at least, where they were rumored to be.
For Star Swirl, who had begun this quest with little more than stubborn hope, this was invaluable. Even if the rumors were false, he had a purpose and he would know where not to go in the future. Thus he kept putting one hoof down at a time, for what seemed to be ages.
Suddenly, Downward Spiral stopped. Her ears twitched and she flared her wings experimentally.
Star Swirl inched forward cautiously. "What is it? What's wrong?"
"A storm's on the way."
"Really? Doesn't look like it to me." The sky was mostly clear, at least as far as Star Swirl could see.
"I'm a pegasus, remember?" She smiled and patted a wing. "We're more in tune with this stuff than you unicorns are. Trust me, one's coming and it's going to be big. We need to find a place to wait it out."
"If you say so," Star Swirl replied. He had his doubts as to whether or not a storm could form as quickly as Downward Spiral's tone implied, but he was tired and the idea of resting for a while appealed to him.
Alas, it was some time before they could find a cave large enough to fit the both of them. In that time, the promised storm had set in. The icy mountain winds froze Star Swirl's beard and cut deep into his bones. Downward Spiral seemed to be faring slightly better, though she was rendered nearly blind by the flurries of snow. Star Swirl assumed it was her pegasus nature that protected her from the worst of the weather's effects.
Finally, Ms. Spiral spotted a somewhat darker shadow ahead of them and they scurried into the cave.
It was rather spacious and mercifully dry. Star Swirl's immediate concern was that it was already occupied, perhaps by a bear, but that worry was alleviated when Downward Spiral sniffed a few times and pronounced that they were indeed alone. All unicorns knew of the pegasus tribe's heightened senses, so Star Swirl conjured a crackling fire and they both sat close to it to warm themselves. Within moments they were fast asleep.

When Star Swirl awoke, he found himself thoroughly restrained. This didn't overly concern him, as he once had a foalhood friend who would do the same thing whenever Star Swirl slept over.
It was only when he tried to shrug Downward Spiral away that he realized that not only were his forelegs bound in front of him, but his rear legs were tied as well. This jolted him to his senses and he jerked his head around to take in his surroundings.
"Heh, heh. Looks like the horned one's awake."
Star Swirl looked in the direction the voice came from. There, not ten paces away, lounged a flock of griffins. Or was it technically a pride? Star Swirl could never remember.
"Horned in more ways than one. " The closest griffin, the same one who'd noticed Star Swirl's awakening, cackled at his crude joke. "In more ways than one."
"Ya a'reddy sed dat one, Godfrey," the largest one rumbled. Star Swirl would've pegged him as the leader, were it not for his poor speaking ability. Or the fact that the griffin next to him was studying the captive unicorn's reactions.
Godfrey the griffin crossed his forelegs and turned his beak up, pouting like a foal who hadn't gotten his way. "It was a funny joke, and deserved repeating. Deserved repeating."
"Now good sir," Star Swirl spoke up, addressing the so-far-silent observer, "surely this is some sort of mistake. If you would be so kind as to let us go..."
Star Swirl trailed off as he figured out the entire pride/flock was laughing at him, with the exception of the griffin he had been speaking to. Loudest was the giant. "Ya hear dat, Gory? He dinks yer a male! Ha!"
"I heard, Gilbert." The griffin, who Star Swirl was quickly realizing was not a Sir, smiled wryly.
"Madam Gory, I truly apologize." The unicorn was getting redder by the moment. "I've never met a griffin before, and-"
"It's an easy mistake to make. After all, aren't all ponies monogender?"
Gory waited for the laughter to die down before following up on her zinger. "My name is Goryanna, unicorn. Only my lovable idiot of a mate is allowed to call me Gory. But enough of that, let's get to the meat of the matter. You are Star Swirl the Bearded, correct?"
"I am," Star Swirl cautiously confirmed. He thought it strange that they knew of him so far away from his home.
"Then I am a very happy girl. The court of Princess Platinum will most likely pay handsomely for your return. Though I wouldn't be surprised if the other ponies start calling you Star Swirl the Stormtaken after this."
Star Swirl winced as his pride was demeaned once again, but for the moment his concern was more for the mare beside him. He had seen her silently regain consciousness, notice their predicament, and decide to fake continued sleep. "What of Downward Spiral? What will happen to her?"
"The mare pretending to be asleep next to you?" Goryanna grinned at his surprise. "We griffins aren't as deaf as you ponies are, Stormtaken. I heard her breathing change."
"Then what are you going to do with me?" Her ruse discovered, Downward looked up.
"I'm sure some pony somewhere will pay your ransom. If not... then I guess we won't have to hunt for a few days, will we?"
Her interest depleted, Goryanna signaled for a pair of griffins to carry the ponies into another section of the cave. This one was clearly furnished for holding prisoners, and included several manacle racks and hooks. Star Swirl was hung on one of the latter. From the sound of it, Downward was placed on another. He was facing the wrong way to see her, though.
Before they left, one of the griffins slipped a strange cloth over his horn. It was decorated in runes and patterns completely unknown to the unicorn. Star Swirl surmised it must have been written in the griffin tongue, which he didn't know. But he knew what it was designed to do. As soon as the fabric touched his horn he felt his magic disappear, captured and bottled within the sheathe.
Star Swirl waited for a few minutes after the griffin jailers left before starting to struggle against his bonds. With no access to his magic he was going to be forced to rely on techniques he had read about in a book, though his body was far from being in the condition recommended by the manual.
"Stop flopping around."
Star Swirl ignored Downward's hissed command. "This bag thing on my horn's blocking my magic, so I have to do this the hard way. We've got to get out of here or they're going to eat you."
"Exactly," Downward agreed. "So stop flopping. It's harder to untie your knots when you're moving around."
Confused, the hooked scholar stilled himself. In the seconds it took for Star Swirl to process what she'd said, the ropes holding him loosened and he dropped on his rump.
"What? But... how?" He gaped like a fish.
Downward Spiral just shrugged. "I have my ways."
Star Swirl was going to press the issue, but Downward pulled him up and they took off running. He was glad to leave that strange cloth behind, though he regretted not being able to study it further. It truly was fascinating.
More important at the moment, however, was the fact that Star Swirl had no idea which way the exit was. He said as much to the pony in front of him.
"Don't worry about it," she smiled. "I can feel a fresh breeze up ahead."
She looked forward again just in time for the both of them to see Gilbert step into the hallway, taking a bite of the haunch of meat he was holding as he did. His eyes widened as he noticed the two ponies galloping toward him.
That might not have been the best course of action for the giant griffin, as Star Swirl chose that moment to let out a blast of magical light from his horn. The ponies nimbly maneuvered around the now-blinded griffin, leaving him to screech in impotent rage behind them. His calls were soon joined by others. They all sounded angry.
By that time, Star Swirl and Downward Spiral had made it to the exit. They slid down the mild slope of the cliff, and then continued onto the adjoining plain. But then Star Swirl slowed to a stop.
"Come on! We've got to go, they'll catch us!" Downward tried to tug him onward.
"No," he wheezed. "There's no point. We won't be able to outrun them."
"You can't just give up!"
"Guess I can't hide it any more..." He muttered. They both heard another screech come from the mountain and Star Swirl smiled faintly at the worried pegasus. "Have I told you about my student? She was the only pony who ever asked crazy old Star Swirl to teach them. When she was summoned to serve the court of Princess Platinum, I was so proud."
"That's great, Starry, but we have to run." Griffins had begun to pour out of the mountain, banking in wide circles as they searched for their escaped prey.
"What I never told Clover, however, was that they first came to me with that offer. I refused."
Motes of pure magic swirled around the unicorn as he gathered his power. They were like stars in a constellation. No, not a constellation. As more and more spun around the mage, they seemed akin to a galaxy forming in the void. Star Swirl blazed with nebulous light.
The griffins were quick to spot it, and they dove towards the ponies. But the hunters weren't so quick to see that as the light spun around Star Swirl, so too did the dark clouds above him. Those stormy floodgates opened and poured forth a pillar of fire, wreathed and streaked with lightning for good measure. It swept across the space between the ponies and the griffins, leaving a wall of flame in its wake. The griffins back-flapped as quickly as they could. For further encouragement, Star Swirl sent a few bolts to singe them. They yelped and sped up their retreat.
Star Swirl dismissed his magic and dispelled the flames, then turned to his dumbstruck companion.
"My mere presence at court would've caused a civil war amongst the nobility."