//------------------------------//
// Recuperation- part one 
// Story: How the Beard Became the Legend 
// by peacevic 
//------------------------------//

Recuperation part one


The procession wound its way up the mountain trail with all the solemnity normally reserved for the act of escorting one's gods- which they were.
“The Sisters,” Dash whispered breathlessly, for the seventh time. “You crazy moon-tugger, you did it. You found them. The Sisters!”
Dash's attitude, reflected and amplified by the other soldier-scouts marching alongside them, bothered Star Swirl. They all seemed to think the alicorns' arrival would spell the end of the terror. Star Swirl knew better. Marring lash marks were proof of that.
Oddly, none of them had noticed those marks, and Dash especially appeared to be oblivious. Excitedly, he demanded, “Where were they? How'd you find them?!”
“That's... That's complicated,” Star Swirl replied wearily.
“Well, excuse me for being thrilled! It's not every day I'm in the presence of the Sisters.”
“It's not that, Mr. Dash. The three of us are just tired,” the mage assured, with a thin smile. “What of you? Last we spoke, you were off to battle Discord. You clearly survived.”
Dash growled irritably. “Yeah, 'cause it didn't happen. Bucking ephors called for a delay at the last minute. Said we needed to wait for reinforcements. Well, by the time those reinforcements caught up with us Discord had moved on.”
“That's good, right? This way nopony died unnecessarily.”
The sentry's eyes flashed. “This is necessary, moon-tugger. You know it.”
“True...”
“But hey!” Dash redirected, his good cheer returning. “None of that matters now. We have the Sisters with us, our victory is close.”
Star Swirl chose to stay quiet, and they trudged on like that for several minutes. There was little point in dampening the squad's spirits. For the time being, at least. Disappointment could wait until after their wounds had been attended to.
“You know, I don't think I got your name last time,” Dash broached.
“It's Star Swirl, Mr. Dash. Some ponies call me the Bearded. For obvious reasons.”
Dash stuck his hoof out, and when Star Swirl took it he said, “You can call me Piercing, Star Swirl. Pretty sure you've done enough to earn that.”
“If you insist. So, Piercing, where are you leading us to?”
“See for yourself. We're about to round the last bend,” he urged with a knowing grin.
Star Swirl took the pegasus up on his challenge, trotting a little faster to get out ahead of the group. He followed the turn, not sure what he expected.
It certainly wasn't to find himself eye-level with somepony's window.
The equally-surprised stallion huffed indignantly when he saw the mage on the ledge across from him and closed his curtains, while Star Swirl rapidly absorbed more of the scene. Cumulonium's grand spires, though they weren't quite as high above him as before, still towered over the unicorn. None of the city's grandeur was lost upon a closer inspection.
But more immediately interesting was the town Cumulonium was moored to. It, too, had no walls. Unlike the high cloud buildings of the floating city, this village's were short, two-storied affairs made of more conventional materials. Despite this, they still evoked a sense of airy lightness.
“What do you think?” Dash asked when he caught up.
“Is this..?”
“Yep,” he confirmed. “It's one of our ground colonies. You'll want to be careful, though. Some of these pegasi can get a little weird.”
“If they're so strange, why do you associate with them?” Star Swirl demanded, perhaps more accusatorily than he meant to. He was still rather stressed.
If Dash picked up on it, he gave no indication. “Colonies like these trade with the other tribes more often, so we'll buy stuff we need off of them.”
“Frankly, I don't get how they can stand it,” one of the other pegasi put in. “You moon-tuggers are bad enough, let alone the-”
Dash swatted him on the back of the head. “Don't call him that!”
“You do!” the other pegasus protested, gingerly massaging a newly-formed lump.
“I have privileges. Fly on ahead and tell them we're coming. The ephors will want to meet us.”
Despite a dirty look, the pegasus did as he was ordered, and when the group arrived at the colony's gate there was an appropriately-large crowd gathered. Earth ponies, unicorns, and, of course, pegasi were massed before them. The lot of them gawked in awe- except for five graying pegasi stallions. Star Swirl wasn't quite sure what they were thinking. Their stony faces gave no hint.
Clearly these were the aforementioned ephors, as the copious amounts of regalia attested. Though if their odd demeanor bothered Celestia, she didn't let it show. Instead, she smiled amiably and said, “Greetings to you, good Sirs. It is an honor to finally meet the leaders of this age, or at least some of them.”
“Surely the honor of ours, holy Celestia,” the middle ephor said, stiffly. Star Swirl could sympathize with what the other pony was experiencing. He had probably expected the goddess to start issuing commands. “If... If I may be so bold, why is it you have come here? Why now?”
“That's not so bold at all, my little pony. In fact, it's quite sensible and I commend you for having the wherewithal to ask. Simply put, myself, Luna, and noble Star Swirl there need a place to rest for awhile. Our journey has been... harder than we expected.”
The ephor visibly relaxed. “Oh. Well, if that's all you-”
“Out of my way!”
A murmuring kicked up in the crowd as a tall, but not as tall as the alicorns, mare shoved past the throng. Had Star Swirl not remembered where he was, he might have called the newcomer dainty. That, and a glance at the scar across her forehead, as well as a second glance at her lithe and not-at-all-actually-dainty body, served to convince him otherwise. Or perhaps it was her armor and plumed helmet.
The mare bowed deeply when she arrived before the Sisters. “Hail, Beloved Sisters! Cumulonium is at your service.”
“We are most grateful for-”
“You blind fools!” The mare rounded on the ephors, seemingly unaware of having interrupted Celestia. “Have you completely missed the fact that they are injured?! Send word to the hospital, tell them to prepare for our arrival!”
“You do not order us to do anything, Fior di Battaglia,” growled the ephor's spokes-stallion.
Fior glowered at the rebuke, but relented all the same. “I apologize, I was overzealous. I will escort them there myself. Exploratores- Ad signa!”
At once, Piercing Dash and the pegasi with him fell in behind their leader, and, upon invitation, the Sisters flanked Fior on either side. Another shouted command set the whole troop moving. A few moments later the ephors shuffled off. Spectacle gone, the crowd started dispersing as well.
This left Star Swirl, quite forgotten, standing alone in the middle of the road.
Though not entirely alone, as it turned out. A fellow unicorn lingered. Her mane was styled in the latest courtly fashion- which meant it was a ridiculously ornate affair, replete with loops and braids, that evoked all of the worst aspects of a peacock- and she was wearing a finely-made saddlebag. A word, perhaps her name, was embroidered on it.
All in all she was rather plain, in Star Swirl's opinion. Additionally, she was staring.
“May I help you?” Star Swirl ventured.
“You were with them,” she mumbled, her eyes widening. “The Sisters. You found them...”
Star Swirl hesitated, but ultimately decided to nod. “I did.”
The mare must have realized his discomfort, because she recoiled slightly, bringing a hoof up and gasping. She shook her head and composed herself. “Goodness, that was more than a little rude of me. I beg your pardon, it has been a slightly... shocking day thus far.” She curtsied. “My name is Glamour, humble importer and purveyor of unicorn culture.”
“It's nice to meet you, Miss Glamour. I am-”
“Star Swirl the Bearded, of course,” Glamour interrupted with a smirk. “Sorry. It's just that I make a point of at least knowing the faces of those whom the Court takes an interest in and, well, you have a very iconic look.”
Star Swirl wasn't sure how he felt about being recognized through his association with the royals, but before he could protest Glamour began to inspect his apparel. “I'd heard you weren't one for dressing up,” she said while magically examining his hemline. “It's wonderful to see you've changed your mind on that point! Might I ask for the name of your tailor? They do excellent work.”
“I'd prefer if you didn't.” He tugged free of her aura.
“Oh. Alright, then. It's a sore point, clearly, so I won't force the issue,” Glamour said, crestfallen. Then she recovered. “Say, my store is nearby, and I was about to take my lunch. Would you let me treat you to a meal? It's the least I can do, especially for a hero like you.”
His stomach growled its assent, partly from how much magic he'd used and partly because it had been close to a day since he'd eaten. He had no choice but to acquiesce. Gracefully excited, Glamour led him to her emporium.
It was immaculate and meticulously arranged, and the building itself had an attached apartment. Star Swirl didn't go in that part, as it would have been inappropriate, but Glamour did and soon returned bearing a delicious-looking noodle dish. From the speed with which she retrieved it Star Swirl could tell it was something she had left over, but it smelled good either way. They ate in the storefront, and in silence.
Despite the lack of conversation, Glamour regarded Star Swirl thoughtfully throughout the meal. When she finished she stood up, walked over to a rack of hats, selected one, and returned with it suspended in her magic. She passed it to him. “I believe this would match your cape marvelously, Star Swirl, so I'd like you to have it. Free of charge.”
“I can't accept this, Miss Glamour.”
“Why not? It's customary to reward heroes.”
“But I haven't done anything heroic, really. I've barely done anything at all,” he protested.
“Can I let you in on a little secret? The reason I keep track of the goings-on of the Court, aside from my professional interest, is because I wish to one day become a noblemare myself.” Glamour levitated the hat to Star Swirl's head and gently prodded him over to a set of mirrors. “I know what you're thinking, and yes, it's a hard thing to accomplish. But it has been done before.”
Taking a moment to nod approvingly, Glamour continued, “My hard work won't amount to anything if Discord isn't stopped. He'll destroy everything in the name of chaos, nobility included. That's where you come in. You took it upon yourself to find our salvation and deliver it to us. You found the Sisters, and now we have a chance to defeat him.”
The hat did in fact match his cape. They both bore a starry pattern, and were essentially the same colors. If he didn't know better, Star Swirl could've believed the two items had been made by... her.
“You are going to beat him, right?