War of the Wise and Ripped Fabric

Chapter 2

A Temporary Problem..

"Sorry sir, but you simply do not have enough bits for this!" The stallion at the stall said while trying to flag another customer over. But Starswirl wasn't going to let this go. He needed that satchel. "You can not deny me this! I'll give you three! And that's my final offer!" He shouted over the buzz and commotion of the Canterlot Workers District.

The salespony looked at him for a moment and laughed. He spat on the floor to his side and pawed it away. Kicking up some dust. "No means no! You best get going before I call the guards!" He said finally. Star cursed under his breath and slowly backed away. He scoffed once he felt he was in reasonable distance. No point spending a night in prison. But he still needed that satchel.

He perused about for another stall that might be selling another satchel for cheaper, but there was none.  'Another time' he thought before deciding it was the right time to leave. He sighed. 'Damn' He thought. The commotion and dust that was constantly kicked around in the District always got to him. It was a long and constantly busy street lined with stalls and merchants trying to sell their goods. He looked up at the dusty orange sky and noted that the sun was setting. He didn't want to waste anymore time out here.

He trotted off into a smaller street that branched off of the main road. It had a little less commotion but nonetheless had the same rushing feel to it. There were workers everywhere and he couldn't help but notice the small changes around him. More businesses sprang about, merchants came in and out and there was always, always somepony getting wrestled to the ground by guards outside of a tavern. He liked the business but he wasn't sure he agreed with the chaos it brought with it.

'I spoke too soon..' He thought. He heard shouting down the street and quickly closed the distance so he could see what the commotion was about. Outside of a small pub he favored, he saw a stallion pinned on the ground by two guards and another holding a spear to his face. Starwirl stood a few feet away, safe enough from the struggle and just took in the whole sight.

The guards were having a bit of a hard time. The stallion was obviously very drunk but strong and continued to wiggle around in their grasp. "I told you already twice damn it! I am God! Do you know what i'll- " His drunken banter was stopped as a guard hit him with the shaft of his spear. Hard. "Quiet down! Come now, let's hurry and get this one back to the Castle. I want to end this shift as soon as possible." He said. The other two guards nodded in agreement.  "This is getting really old." One guard said while struggling to lift the large stallion. "The third one this week, damn it.." Was all Star could make out as the guards walked away with the sleeping drunk mounted on their backs.

Starswirl shook his head and casually trotted into the tavern. He really did like this place but there was too much drama involved when it got filled. It was a dusty old place, filled with workers and guards alike. Ponies usually minded their own business but when Starswirl walked in, they all shot him a quick look before returning to their drinking. He simply ignored them.

He walked over to the bar counter and sat on a stool. "What he got." Star said while gesturing to the stallion next to him. The bartender nodded and turned to grab a glass bottle of brown liquid but stopped. He turned around. "Bits first" He said. Star groaned and rummaged in his old red satchel with patches on it. The small thing was starting to rip apart. He really needed a new one. He found the coins and threw them down on the counter. The bartender scooped them up and grinned. "Now you can start paying off the rest." He said while stuffing the coins in his own satchel.

Starswirl took in a deep breath. After holding it for about a minute he exhaled and realized that he forgot about that. "Wait just one second now.. What debt? I don't believe I've been here before." Star said with the best smile he could muster. 'Play it cool.' He thought. Just then he suddenly realized how hot it was and the dust was starting to make his eyes itch. The look wasn't working.

The bartender looked him straight in the eyes and shook his head. "Star. enough with the crap! You're in debt to every tavern from here to the Everfree! Don't you try to pull this shit with me!" The bartender shouted and suddenly the tavern got quiet. Star felt eyes all over him and he started to panic, He leaned in to whisper. "Listen, some day I'm going to be a famous master of the arts!" He said while still trying to keep his cool. He was sweating. "Please, just this once!" He pleaded quietly while leaning back in the stool. The bartender looked at him for a long time and then shrugged. He turned around to the wall lined with various glasses.

Those drinks were just calling for him. "Alright.. I got you this time." The bartender said as he turned around. "But I have to ask.. Why do you continue with the drink? You're too young to be throwing your life away like the lot of us." He said while gesturing around. A few big and dusty stallions nodded in agreement. "Just get me the drink already." Starswirl muttered and with that the commotion returned. He sighed. Starswirl closed his eyes and waited for the wooden tankard to be slid over to him.

The tankard he was waiting for slammed into the side of his face, effectively knocking him out of his seat and soaking him with rum. He quickly scrambled up off the floor and shook himself off. His mane went from light blue to navy. Everyone in the pub burst out into laughter. Even the guards were trying their hardest to stop their chuckles. "What the-" Another mug came sailing over the counter at him. This time he just barely avoided it with a side step but he stumbled a bit. "Stop, damn you! What's the problem!?" The bartender stared daggers at him. "What's the problem? The problem here is that you need to get a damn grip on yourself!" He shouted while pointing an accusational hoof.

The laughter started to die down a bit. "I'm allowed to drink as much as I please!" Starswirl shot back. The bartender quickly flailed another mug at him and this time it hit Starswirl square in the face. He stumbled backwards into a table of guards and the mugs on the table sloshed around and splashed some of them. They quickly got up and glared at Star. He got a grip on himself and was about to apologize before one the guards grabbed another mug off of the table and quickly flailed it at him. Another direct hit straight to the forehead.

He stumbled again and fell over, He tried to figure out what was happening. 'I have to get out of here!' More ponies gathered around taking turns tossing mugs at him. A lot of them missed and ended up hitting other ponies in the pub. He was drenched in alcohol and his head was in pain. Some of these hits would leave bruises and he hated bruises. Furious, he quickly got up and stared around at the tavern full of drunk stallions. "Damn it, do any of you not have sense?!" He shouted.

A drunk staggered up to the front of the multi-colored crowd and took a look at him. "Aye, you're a fool!" He announced. The laughter erupted and not a moment sooner the whole tavern was on the floor and in tears. Starswirl lowered his head and charged his horn. The laughter stopped and the guards quickly scrambled for their weapons. "Don't do anything stupid!" One of the guards said, sobering up. He lowered his weapon as a realization struck him. "Wait a minute, there aren't any offensive spells a little crap like you could toss at us! Only the princess can do dangerous magic!" He shouted while grabbing for another mug to throw at Starswirl.

Starswirl then did something stupid. He finished the charge in his horn, felt it tingle, and let off a volley of golden bolts at the guards but it missed and hit the table next to them. The table exploded in splinters and the pub got deathly quiet. They all stared at the burning husk that was once a table. One guard turned and just stared at him, jaw dropped. Starswirl quickly went from anger to mortification in a second. He stood completely still as if they wouldn't notice. 'How did I do that?' Was all he kept thinking over and over again.

Another moment passed and one guard fainted. There was an explosion of angry screams and mug tossing. Fighting erupted and soon stallions were charging, biting and tackling one another in random drunken, multi-racial violence. Starswirl was in a full panic and started hesitating. Two guards tumbled over in front of him, one trying to smash the others face into the wooden floor but was quickly turned over and pinned on the ground. Another group of stallions in the back pulled out small knives and started stabbing away at anything that moved. There was blood and alcohol everywhere.

Starswirl quickly turned for the door and dashed to it. He was charged from his side and smashed into the counter. A large drunk and furious gray stallion was trying to rip the horn off of his head. Starswirl started screaming and tried pushing the drunk away but he was too strong. He grabbed for anything on the counter and his hoof bumped a mug. He quickly grabbed it and slammed it into the stallions face. He then charged his horn and let off another volley without aiming. The golden bolts smashed straight into the wooden ceiling, collapsing chunks of it right onto their heads. Star stumbled over but quickly got up and looked over to see the stallion asleep on the floor. He felt something on his head but didn't have time to check.

His mane covered in alcohol, wood chips and dirt. He made a charge into the entryway door and smashed straight through.  He fell over as his leg got caught on something and he charged his horn in panic. He thought of the Grand Chambers and discharged the spell he was casting.

Everything went gold, and then white. He didn't have time to think as he felt a rush of cold air and fell on white stone. He quickly got up and stumbled over into a desk, knocking most of the glass contents off of it. A chorus of gasps went out and he gripped a glass cup. Something pushed him into the air and he couldn't move, The cup fell out of his hoof and onto the floor and shattered..

"What do you think you're doing?" said a powerful feminine voice through gritted teeth. Starswirl looked around him and sure enough, he was in the Royal Chambers. During a meeting. He smelled of alcohol, and looked horrible. He stared wide-eyed at the business ponies around the room and tried smiling but he winced instead. As he looked in a large oval mirror. he saw that he was floating in a hue of gold, and covered in a combination of things. He coughed some blood onto the floor and a mare fainted. 'I'll say.. This is very awkward'.

He sighed and looked at the princess. "Sorry to intrude on such short notice, my dear princess! I hope you can find it in your warm and caring heart to pretend that this is not a real thing that is in fact happening in your chambers right now." And with that he smiled. It wasn't helping.

He felt the grip of her spell tightening around his neck and he started having a fit. She released the spell and he fell on the floor gasping for air. His lungs felt like dust. "The meeting will have to wait until a later date. I am very sorry for the inconvenience." Was all she said and the ponies quickly shuffled out of the room. One mare dragged the one that fainted across the floor until they were outside of the room. The door slammed shut.

"Starswirl The Fool, tell me now why I shouldn't kill you." Celestia said calmly. He coughed again and he got up and tried to walk over to the princess to bow, but fell over. His leg was cut up and bleeding. "I would bow, my lady but it seems I'm in pain." He said smugly. She didn't move and she didn't blink. "Sage." She said and a large dark green and red, elite's guard came barreling through the door with a spear at the ready.

He saw Starswirl and relaxed. "The problem, my lady?" He said in a deep and horrible voice. He sounded like a monster. He even looked like one with all the scars along his body. Cuts on his face and burns along his legs. A large green shield for a cutie mark. "You sir, look terrible." Star said while trying to stand. 'If only I could be here on better terms.' He was jostled out of his thoughts as the large green guard started marching his way over to him. Star quickly got up and started to back away. "Didn't mean it in an insulting manner! I was just speaking my mind." He said with a smile. Sage didn't do anything but breath in deep powerful breaths.

Just then Star realized how horrible he smelled. Alcohol, sweat and blood was a bad mix. "Quiet!" The Elite spat at him. "Now answer my question, why are you here? I'll not repeat myself." The princess said sternly. He looked at her and then back at the large beast in front of him. It was taller then the princess herself! "Well.. To put it simply, I stumbled into a bar, got into a little bit of a tizzy, invented a dangerous spell that allows me to channel anger into my horn and simply blast things to pieces. Then I started a riot because nopony has ever managed to see aforementioned spell be cast in history by a Unicorn. Not a god." He finished with a grin.

"I then ran out the door, thought about your lovely chambers and accidentally invented the very first long distance teleportation spell!" He finished with excitement. He sighed and pawed at the floor. "Only problem? Every guard should be looking for me-" A guard burst through the door, tripping over himself and soaking wet with sweat and rum.

He was taking heavy breaths. "You're Highness! There's a psycho run-" He stopped and saw Starswirl in the corner. Then he slowly turned his head and saw Sage. His eye twitched and he slowly turned around and walked out of the room, gently closing the large door behind him. There was a brief moment of silence. "As I-" A loud thud came from behind the door and muffled screams of a servant mares outside the door could be heard. "No, I will not calm down, God damn it! I quit! Let go of me!" The guard shouted in fury. Breaking glass and banging was heard outside the door..

"A Temporary Problem, no?" Starswirl said with a grin 'Huzzah!' He thought. The princess frowned. She stood still and then finally let out a long sigh, slumping over a little. "What to do with you Starswirl? You cause problems everywhere you go! What do you want from me?" She said in frustration. Star shrugged "A few bits, please? I'm rather poor and my spells haven't been selling so well.. Ever." He said simply. "Anything for my subjects" She muttered to herself. A small bag of coins appeared next to him and he smiled. "I promise you, I'll put this to good use!" He said while the small bag in his satchel. He turned to leave. "Starswirl!" The princess called out.

He stopped and turned around "Yes, Ma'am?" he said. Her posture straightened up again. "Stay out of pubs, and don't ever cast those spells again. Or you'll seriously regret it. Do you understand me?" She said with anger clear in her voice, but her face was emotionless. He scrubbed at the dry blood on his face with the satchel strap. "I can't promise you that." He said with a smile. He bowed and turned to leave again but she charged up a spell and he was sent outside of the castle, In front of the Great Gates. He fell face first out of the portal and quickly got up. The guards at the gate gave him an odd look. He returned it, bowed and ran off.

'That satchel is mine!' He thought over to himself as he raced through the busy streets of the Canterlot Worker's District.