How the Beard Became the Legend

by peacevic

Staging Point

Staging Point

Standing once again in the trading colony's market square, Star Swirl couldn't help but feel like a foal that had been shuffled off into a side room while the adults tended to more important affairs. What those affairs were, the mage could hardly guess- save that they concerned Discord and the simple-seeming satchel the Sisters refused to comment on.

So he waited, as he had been told to when the Sisters left him there, trying to pass the time with a bit of shopping. It wasn't turning out to be very, though. The clothes he already wore were more than ostentatious enough for his tastes, and there were only so many local delicacies his stomach could... well, stomach.

As he turned down yet another offered accessory, Star Swirl heard a familiar high-pitched cackle. “So, we meet again. Meet again.”

The unicorn pivoted around to see a certain three griffins. Snarling, he lit up his horn, calling the magic forth to smash the would-be abductors.

“Ah ah ah,” Goryanna tutted, her beak curling up in a smirk. “You don't want to start a diplomatic incident, do you?”

“What do you mean?! What incident?!” Star Swirl demanded.

“It's simple, Stormtaken. Godfrey, Gilbert, and I are the duly appointed emissaries of the griffins- by which I mean I decided I wanted to come visit.”

She held up a scroll bearing a very important-looking seal, one that Star Swirl didn't immediately recognize. Regardless, it seemed legitimate. “You three represent the griffins?”

“A sizable portion of them, at least,” Goryanna affirmed.

“And why would they griffins need to send envoys?” the mage probed. “Why now?”

“I'm very interested to find that out myself. The invitation was quite unexpected.”

Star Swirl wasn't entirely convinced of the bandit's sincerity, but- if she was in fact here by invitation- it wouldn't do to cause her injury. Even if she might deserve it.

Picking up on the unicorn's hesitation, Goryanna grinned again and said, “Now that that's settled, would you mind putting your horn out? The ponies are starting to stare.”

Reluctantly, and upon seeing that the pegasi around them were in fact watching the brilliant spectacle, Star Swirl dimmed his horn. A mild worry cropped up that the griffin would count this as a victory and, perhaps, the start of a trend.

Before he could quash the notion, a squad of armored pegasi landed nearby. They saluted the griffins. “Ma'am, Sirs,” a pink mare greeted. “We have been sent to escort you to the council chamber. If you would follow us?”

“Of course. Lead the way.” Goryanna sarcastically waved goodbye to Star Swirl.

The mare looked where Goryanna was waving and snapped out another salute when she recognized the unicorn. “Master Star Swirl! Excellent, we can take two horns with one... umm... Anyway, you have been invited as well.”

“That's good to hear,” was the sour reply.

She soldiered on despite his jab. “Unfortunately, we weren't expecting to come across you just yet, so you will have to wait here until a carriage arrives. The council is being held in the city.”

“Alternatively, he could come with me.” A white unicorn elegantly sashayed out of the crowd and flashed a disarming smile at the pegasi, which had the desired effect on all of them. Every one. “Such a sharply dressed stallion is always welcome to be my escort, and besides we've both been invited to the same party.”

“A pleasure meeting you again. Glamour.”

“And you, Star Swirl. So, is this arrangement acceptable?”

The pegasus mare swallowed hard and nodded. “That should... yeah. I mean- That will be fine.”

With another quick salute the pegasi lifted off, followed forthwith by the... dignitaries.

Star Swirl suppressed the groan that was elicited by the mere thought, a battle that was only narrowly won, instead gesturing for Glamour to lead the way. This she did, and as they walked the mage could certainly appreciate what had left those soldiers dumbstruck. Glamour wasn't as awe-inspiringly beautiful as his beloved- nor as poised or gracious- be she still possessed these traits in spades. Were he married...

Could he still say that, though? Was he really as committed as he'd believed? Noble goals only meant so much when weighed against his actions. The devoted husband and father hadn't spoken to his family in... a month? Two? Keeping track of the days while on the road had proved to be impossible.

Not to mention what his other self had done...

That was it. While they waited at Glamour's shop for the carriage to take them to Cumulonium, Star Swirl made a purchase. Amongst the various trappings of unicorn court life on the display was a smaller, simpler item, one that would be little more than a crystal ornament for most ponies. But for those with unicorn magic it was a sending stone.

He didn't use it, though. Some things weren't for an audience. Besides, there would be time enough after the council.

For such an insular tribe, the pegasi had shown a remarkable amount of foresight when they designed their council chambers.

The room- in fact, the whole building- was constructed of a strange cloud type, one that was able to support the weight of non-pegasi. A proper scholar could dedicate an entire research paper to the stuff, with one or two addendums on how it blended with the aesthetic of the rest of the city. More's the pity it was unlikely that the pegasi would allow any more unicorns to visit.

All of the delegates sat in an amphitheater with two rows allowing access to the seating, but that was not where the guards led Star Swirl and Glamour. Instead, they climbed a set of stairs to a relatively small balcony.

“Well, Ah'll be!”

Star Swirl was swept into a crushing country hug, leaving him barely able to choke out, “It's good to see you, Root.”

“You, too. Long way from the hot spring, ain't it?” the earth pony asked with a wink.

“It certainly is.”

“Where's Downward? Ah hope she was able to get better.”

“She's fine, it's just...” Star Swirl grimaced.

“Not somethin' you wanna talk about right now, huh? That's okay. Oh!” Root pointed to the two pegasi standing behind her. “Where are mah manners? This here's Sweet Care, and the stallion beside her's mah chaperone while Ah'm in the city, Piercing Dash.”

Star Swirl stroked his beard. “Strangely enough, I've met them before. This is-”

“Glamour,” the merchant introduced. “It's an honor to make your acquaintance. You simply must tell me this hot spring story.”

“Not to seem rude, but why are all of you here?” Star Swirl huffed.

“They told me I was supposed to represent the hospital,” Sweet Care murmured. “I guess since I helped during the Sister's stay, though I'm sure there has to be somepony more qualified...”

“Likewise for me, except for the merchants in town,” put in Glamour.

“I'm here to keep the earth pony from falling off,” Dash said, “ and to keep her out of anyplace off-limits.”

Root shrugged. “An' Ah'm not rightly sure what got me here.”

“Yes, well, that would be me.”

All of them turned to see a brown earth pony, sporting an hourglass cutie mark, leaning against the doorframe. It didn't take long for Star Swirl to recognize him. “You! You're that doctor from before!”

“Indeed I am,” the strange doctor confirmed. “I also rigged Miss Sweet Care and Miss Glamour's selections. I had a bit of pull when it came to who exactly received invites to this little pow-wow. Or I will, but that's neither here nor there.”

Dash flitted over to Star Swirl and asked, “You know this weirdo?”

“Not as well as I know you,” the mage quipped. Then he refocused on the physician. “Why would you manipulate these things?”

The pony trotted past the five and looked down over the balcony. “It seemed appropriate that all of you be here.”

“How come?” Root asked.

Instead of answering, the enigmatic stallion shushed them and pointed to the ponies below. “It looks like they're about to start.”

Star Swirl- the others as well- leaned against the rail to see. Down in the pit, Fior di Battaglia stood at a lectern, wearing all the trappings of her station. Behind her towered something covered.

“Councilors, the situation is grave. Thus far, we pegasi of Cumulonium have hunted Discord all across the land- and always we were but a wingbeat behind. We thought ourselves ready to end his reign of terror. We thought ourselves capable. It is only now, when he's fixed himself in one spot, that I have realized our folly.”

Two stallions (clad in the same manner as Dash) pulled off the cloth obscuring what was revealed to be a giant board. Detailed sketches were pinned to it, each depicting a different flavor of insanity. Dark, twisted caricatures of equines graced some, others bore hedge mazes or spiked trees. There were red-black stains on more than one sheet.

“We have not been idle while the Sisters were away,” Fior continued. “Even before they left, we dispatched our swiftest scouts to investigate the area Discord has claimed. This is their hard-earned information.”

“I was there,” Dash said softly, eyeing those blots. “It... wasn't pretty.”

Before Star Swirl could ask him to elaborate, Fior pointed at a few sketches. “As you can see, the land around that wretch's capitol has been transformed. Whatever trees once were are now blighted, and what's more three or so giant mazes have sprung up. They don't seem to truly be defensive, though, as they do not connect. They're just there.”

“'Just there'? Does he think this is some sort of game?” one of the assembled pegasi blustered.

“Most likely, though Discord is certainly playing to win. See these... things in the shape of ponies? According to the reconnaissance force, they are constructed of glass- or something similar to it- and there is an army of them, armed and armored from head to hoof. Not just ponies, either. Many other creatures are represented. Including griffins.”

The two males accompanying her shifted in agitation, but Goryanna remained still. Then attentions shifted to the other side of the auditorium when the grey ephor from before stood and said, “If this threat is as dire as you claim, then now is the time to send for Commander Hurricane. No slight to you, but we need a true leader in the face of all this.”

“Unfortunately, that is impossible,” Fior informed him, her tone making it quite clear that she did indeed regard his words as a slight. Many an equine soul thought themselves lucky they were not that stallion at that moment. “The Commander has been driven from the north and is now searching for a new place to settle, according to the messages we've received. No help is coming from that legion.” She turned away from him and to the griffins. “Which is why we've asked you here. Relations between us have been... strained for some time, but this is a problem that affects every nation and organization. We need your help, Goryanna. We need your numbers.”

The bandit queen leaned forward intently. “I'm no fool. I'm well aware of the threat that Discord poses- to everyone. But we're thieves, not soldiers. Give me a reason I shouldn't just go back to my mountains and hope he doesn't notice me.”

“We understand your concerns, Goryanna of the griffins,” Celestia intoned as she and her Sister walked through the doors. Many gasps were heard while they made their way down the aisle, and all of the pegasi bowed. Even the griffins seemed awed at the sight of the alicorns.

“It's the Sisters!” Root blanched. “Ah- Ah can't believe it!”

“Yeah, it's still hard to believe,” Dash agreed.

The Sisters reached the front of the room, and the eyes of all were just taking note of the saddlebag hanging off of Luna- that same plain bag from the forest. “We would never ask you to gamble your lives like this without a plan,” the smaller alicorn pledged.

“These,” Celestia announced, using her magic to open the bag and draw out six gems with a flourish, “are the Elements of Harmony. With these, we will finally defeat Discord and end this.”

“That is good news, surely, but what about the army? How will you reach him?” the ephor asked.

Luna frowned. “For lack of a better option, with a distraction.”

“Our forces shall assault Discord's capitol from one side,” Fior explained, “drawing his defenses away.”

“This will allow Luna and I to sneak past and unleash the Element's power on him.”

A muttering broke out amongst the assembly, so Fior stepped forward. “True, this is a risk. But we will not be alone. Star Swirl the Bearded, the pony who found the Sisters and a stallion of no small fame, will be fighting with us.”

Goryanna leaned back, a knowing smile splitting her beak. “Well that's it, then,” she said. “I have more than enough experience with that pony to convince me of his worth in a fight. I'm in.”

“So.” The mysterious earth pony turned toward the rest of the ponies on the balcony as the discussion below turned to logistics and timing. “You've heard about the danger. You know what's at stake. What will you do?”

Sweet Care was the first to speak up. “I want to help.”

“You?!” Piercing Dash exclaimed. “You're a nurse! What are you going to do?”

“I can't fight, but I can take care of the wounded. There's more than one way to help.”

“Ah'm with ya, Sweet Care. This fight is all of ours.”

Dash shrugged. “You can do what you want, I guess. As for me, I've been chasing this battle for a while. Of course I'll be there.”

“That bag seemed drab, perhaps the Sisters would like something a little more fetching? We should go offer our services,” Glamour suggested.

The three mares left excitedly, with Dash sighing and following after his charge. This left Star Swirl alone that doctor. “You brought them all here. You knew they'd want to help.”

“I had a suspicion.”

“How? How did you know about this council, and about Journey? Who are you?”

The stranger let out a rueful chuckle. “That, well... that's a whole jar of wriggling little worms, isn't it? Suffice it to say, I'm just a spectator.” He held up a hoof before Star Swirl could protest his declared neutrality. “No. I'm only here to watch. This isn't my problem to solve, it's yours.”

“But-”

“Star Swirl!” Luna called from below. “Could you come down here? We have some things we must discuss with you.”

“You should go,” the doctor-pony told him. “The next three days are going to be very busy for you.”

Star Swirl did as he prodded, reluctantly, an ache running through his chest.