//------------------------------//
// 6 - Piarist 
// Story: Horse Of The Rising Sun 
// by TCC56 
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It took time for all of them to calm down again, but eventually Tempest stopped hyperventilating about windigoes and the locals came to terms at the existence of an outside world. Not entirely - but enough to function, at least. 

Scribble was dispatched to retrieve Brother Script - the Prioress explained in addition to being next in line for her role, he was their best chronicler and she wanted the coming conversation to be transcribed. But even in the handful of minutes she was gone, things went somewhat off the rails. 

"As in the real Starswirl the Bearded." Reliquary Heart wobbled in her chair, ready to faint. "I-- I'm sorry, I thought when you initially said it I thought that your name was meant as tribute to the ancient sage. That you're the--" She whipped her head around to her guard captain, glee and awe barely held in check. "Bit, this is the real Starswirl!"

Bit wasn't much help, though he seemed more confused and off-balance than anything.

Fortunately, Starswirl laughed it off. "You are far from the first to make that assumption, Prioress. I have had quite a few encounters since my return where ponies have had trouble grasping who I am. I only ask that please, do remember that I am a pony rather than a myth. The universe has taken care to remind me that letting my ego take control can be ruinous."

"And that you're real," Tempest added at her own expense, tongue firmly in cheek.

Starswirl gave her a smiling nod. "I am."

The locals didn't entirely get it, but also didn't comment more than a confused look. "We are incredibly fortunate that a pony like you has come to rescue us," the Prioress noted eagerly. "And an obviously equal hero in the Commander as well!"

Tempest shifted uneasily. "Actually, I'm less hero and more--"

"More legend," Starswirl interrupted. "Her adventures have mostly taken place outside of Equestria, but the Princesses are fortunate to have earned her respect and service."

Confusion was Tempest's first reaction - followed by a grateful look to Starswirl. He winked back at her. 

Bit paid less attention to that. "Princesses," he observed. "As in plural."

"Five," Starswirl clarified. 

The guard swayed on his hooves at the implications of that.

Fortunately, it was that moment Scribble and Script returned. Behind them, Reliquary's flickering rosy magic closed the door firmly. "Now that we're all here," she began, "Let me begin by saying that I want to keep what's discussed here secret for the moment. What you've told us already, Starswirl, is enough to cause untold chaos among the townsfolk. Perhaps even enough to have some attempt to go beyond the barrier - which would assuredly not go well without significant preparation and planning." She shook her head with a frown. "No, it's far better to remain silent for now and let them know once rescue has arrived. There will be trouble enough as we adjust. Causing more now won't benefit anypony." 

"I agree," Starswirl stated with a firm nod. "I presume that these three are your most trusted, Prioress?"

The Prioress smiled demurely. "You have no need to use a title with me - Reliquary is more than fine." Then she confirmed his question with a nod. "Bit Bridle is our captain of the guard. Brother Luminous Script is both our best scribe and is to be my eventual successor. And..." She chuckled quietly. "Well, calling Scribble my assistant does a dire disservice for how little I would accomplish without her."

The chipper young mare beamed widely at the praise.

Script raised a hoof. "Um, pardon me. I think I'm missing something important in this conversation."

Tempest decided it was her turn to explain. "Well--"

Instead, Bit interrupted. "He's the original Starswirl the Bearded from a thousand years ago. She's Tempest Shadow, Commander of the Solar Guard and hero of Equestria. The blizzard isn't actually endless and most of the world is fine, the five Princesses just had no idea we were here instead of being an empty ruin. And if I'm reading the Prioress right, now we're going to start discussing a plan to drive away the windigoes and rejoin Equestira." 

Script stood there, frozen in place as several world shattering revelations crashed into him at the same time.

Glancing over to Tempest, Bit shrugged. "Sorry. Script is better when you pull the bandage off and let him have one large breakdown instead of several smaller ones."

With the grace of a veteran in dealing with such breakdowns, Scribble's horn lit and formed an oil-shimmer globe around Script right as he started screaming. 

"He'll be back with us in a minute," she gingerly advised.

It was closer to three, but when the globe dissolved Script had managed to tone himself down to merely frazzled. Adjusting his robe, the chronicler cleared his throat. "Yes. Well, that's a lot to take in."

Bit and Scribble both burst into hysteric giggling. 

Prioress Heart let out a quiet, amused sigh. "Now that we're all here, perhaps we can get to the topic at hoof?" All of them sat now, filling the chairs of the little dining area in the huge solarium. "Starswirl, Commander Shadow. You are familiar with the world beyond the storm - if they were made aware of our situation, would they help us?"

"In an instant," Starswirl assured.

Tempest nodded in agreement. "They would probably take some time first to figure out how to help, but they would."

Script raised a hoof. "What do you mean 'how'?"

"Well..." Tempest paused for a moment, trying to be diplomatic about her phrasing. "Maybe they would drive off the windigoes, but the best way might also be to simply get everypony out. Windigoes need hatred, despair and disharmony to survive. With nopony here, they'll have to leave." 

"Hmmm." Their eyes went to Starswirl, who was stroking his beard. "That does raise an interesting question. Why are the windigoes here in the first place? Something must have attracted them." He, in turn, looked to the Prioress. 

She didn't answer - Script did. "Before, we thought it was all of Equestria. But in retrospect..." He paused to consider. "It was shortly after the Lunar Revolt. Princess Celestia sent many of the long-term wounded to us for care, as the House was equipped to handle many more patients than we had at the time and we were remote enough to keep them isolated during such a tumultuous period." His horn lit gold, picking up the teapot and pouring himself a cup. "But that meant there was a large number of angry, bitter Lunars in the House as well as a cadre of wary Solar guards to watch them, all with little better to spend their time on beyond anger, paranoia and despair."

"Which fermented to a windigoes' brew," Starswirl concluded thoughtfully.

Script's ears flattened. "That we were used to treating unicorns exclusively didn't help. Our ancestors weren't prepared to give proper care to many of the wounded. They did their best, but resources were stretched thin."

Grimly nodding, Tempest understood. "The Lunars didn't see a hospital. They saw a prison camp. And with Princess Luna banished to the moon, they didn't have any hope." Around her, the locals shifted uncomfortably at the name of the alicorn.

Reliquary raised her head and her voice. "In their defense - when the time came and we had the choice to band together against the storm or die, they stood with us and gave everything they could. We all have a little bit of Lunar blood in our veins and the division between Solar and Lunar are long lost."

Starswirl stroked his beard - Tempest had identified by this point it was a tell that his mind had wandered away from the conversation and on to something else. "That again raises my curiosity. How did you manage to survive and create that ingenious barrier?"

"We nearly didn't," voiced Script. "It took our ancestors two weeks before they realized the blizzard wasn't going away and that they had to do something before everypony froze. Fortunately one of them was my ancestor, Sunrise Storm!" Beaming, his back straightened and chest puffed out pridefully.

Off to the side, Bit groaned. "Here we go again."

Starswirl perked up. "Wait - would that happen to be Mystic Storm's son?" He laughed. "I remember that young colt when she was under my tutelage."

Scribble joined Bit in rolling her eyes. "And now Script's going to be even worse."

"He spent more time soiling himself than reading," Starswirl critically added. 

After a momentary pause, both Bit and Scribble broke out in a frenzy of laughter while the distraught Script buried his head in his hooves. 

The Prioress - managing to hold it back to merely an amused giggle and a wide smile - tried to resume the story. "Sunrise Storm was one of our patients when the windigoes arrived and a gifted magical researcher. Using some of the old texts about how unicorn magic could move the sun and moon, he created a shield spell that unified the efforts of several casters. According to the stories, the first casting exhausted nearly every unicorn in the town but it created a wide bubble that shielded us from the storm." She sighed, head shaking. "It was only afterwards that our ancestors found the presence of the windigoes as they pounded against the barrier. They assumed that all of Equestria had fallen to the creatures - a reasonable assumption with Nightmare Moon's rebellion so fresh - and we spent the next ten generations refining the barrier to its current state."

"And the power to maintain it for so long?" Starswirl leaned forward in his chair.

"Derived from the ancient sun-raising rituals and channeling the natural ley line conjunction of the valley to boost the casters." Script - still blushing with embarrassment for his proud ancestor - elaborated on that part. "As long as we've kept six unicorns feeding their magic into the spell and acting as conduits for the natural energy flow at all times, the barrier stays up. Technically it's actually the same casting as when we first erected it. We've just been switching off which ponies are providing the power."

"Originally," explained the Prioress, "We had the population to rotate out frequently. Today every adult in the town spends one six hour shift each moon to keep the spell going."

A shiver passed down Tempest's spine. "That must be taxing," she murmured.

Scribble nodded. "You can see what it's done to Prioress Heart. Her shift was yesterday and she's only just now able to walk again."

Almost violently, the Prioress clicked her tongue at her assistant. "I'm fine, Scribble. You act sometimes as if I'm a thousand years old instead of fifty."

Her assistant countered just as swiftly and firmly. "You slept for fourteen hours and you still can't stand without wobbling."

"Still," rumbled Starswirl as he changed the subject away from the budding argument, "The average pony body is not meant to channel that much power on such a frequent basis. I say that speaking as one who saw the sacrifices of just that sort of effort - it surely is a detriment to your people's health."

Hesitantly, Script confirmed it. "At the beginning when we had the population to only do it once a year or so, it wasn't noticeable. But you're right," he admitted. "As we've had to do our parts more frequently, it's had a negative effect on everypony's health. Nothing immediate but exhaustion! But, well. Life expectancy is shorter than it was in our ancestors' time."

"And you keep having to pull the barrier in," Tempest pointed out. 

By the Prioress' side, Scribble grimaced. "You heard me worrying about losing the blackberries, didn't you."

"Wouldn't want to lose those." Tempest winked at the scholarly mare, who's teal fur had turned more purple from her blush. "But my point is that the barrier is costing you more and doing less."

"It is," confirmed Reliquary. "Our best guess is that we have only another five or six generations before our numbers become too few. And that is likely what has fed the windigoes across the years. Though the fractures between the Solars and the Lunars healed, we have spent centuries in a dire situation."

Scribble's usually boisterous voice was hushed, throat tight. "Even once our ancestors established the fields, we've always been on the edge of running out of food. And when the seasons shift beyond the barrier, the cold is overwhelming."

"And we always thought we were alone and the world lost," Bit added solemnly. "If the rest of Equestria is full of life and hope like you say, then we're the one oasis of despair in the middle of it. The windigoes probably wouldn't leave because there's nowhere else for them to go."

With a clop of his hooves, Starswirl stood. "Well then it's a good thing we came, isn't it? This is an unexpected development but not an unmanageable one. Once word of the situation reaches the Princesses, you won't have to worry about maintaining the spell anymore."

The four local unicorns looked between each other with a mixture of confusion and concern. "Not to insult the Starswirl," Script eventually ventured, "But just how are they going to find out? You might have snuck in past the windigoes but if you try to leave they're sure to hunt you."

Dismissively, Starswirl ignored the concern with his usual confidence. "I'll simply teleport out. I was already prepared to return to the nearest village that way when Miss Shadow and I completed our study of the ruins we thought were here. I can easily do so now, catch the train to Canterlot and have Princess Celestia briefed before sundown."

"You can telepor-- Of course you can teleport, you're Starswirl the Bearded." Script buried his face in his hooves. "Why am I even asking that question?"

Bit reached over, patting the monk on the shoulder. 

As Starswirl chuckled, Tempest actually answered. "It's an uncommon spell but not unheard of. And I know what you're thinking - stop. Even if somepony here had known how to, it wouldn't have helped you. How would you know where to teleport to?"

"Indeed," Starswirl added. "All of you - and those who came before you - should be proud. You survived and kept your ponies safe for hundreds of years under conditions that would have taxed even the greatest of heroes. But now it's time for you to come home to Equestria."

Prioress Heart stood, chair scraping on the stone floor as she pushed off of it. Just as Scribble had accused, Reliquary wobbled slightly as she rose, though her frail weariness was overwhelmed by her determination. "I agree. I'm not certain what awaits us out there, but it must be better than living in constant fear that the windigoes will break through. We will never be able to thank you enough."

An earnest smile touched Starswirl's face. "No thanks are needed. I expect I should be ready to start the journey in a few days."

The ever-earnest Scribble jumped in. "Wait, why not do it now? Is teleporting something you need to charge up?"

"Not at all," intoned the sorcerer. "But it will give me fair time to peruse your archives for information to help Miss Shadow." 

Another chair scraped as Bit leapt to his hooves. "What?! Why would you wait? If we could get out now--"

Starswirl held up a hoof. "If I may?" He paused, making sure Bit (and the others by extension) would allow him to speak. "What the Commander said earlier is correct - it's very likely that once I contact the Princesses, they will decide that the best solution is to abandon the House until the windigoes get hungry and leave. Or at the least to ensure that nopony is caught in the fallout from the battle. That would mean leaving behind the collected knowledge of this place for months, possibly even years to be certain the threat is gone. We journeyed here to find healing for her horn, and I am loathe to come this close and abandon her quest." The old sage glanced at the faces around him - chief among them Tempest and her grateful look of relief. "You said yourselves that it would be generations before this town would be at risk. Surely you can spare three or four days so that we can complete our task."

The Prioress stepped forward, drawing beside Starswirl and facing her subordinates. "He is correct. The House of the Rising Sun was founded to help ponies like Commander Tempest. It is our solemn duty - passed down by our ancestors - to aid her. Doing so does no harm to us and even moreso we owe both she and Starswirl a great debt. I, for one, intend to work beside him to find what he searches for in our archives."

Instantly, Scribble's ears perked. "Oh! Is that an option? I'll help too! I mean, you'll need me and I would be honored."

Script loudly sighed. "I suppose that I'll be there as well. I know you can't complete a big task like this without me, Reliquary. And you'll leave my shelves disorganized." Of course, he was grinning as she said it - and there was a knowing wink traded between him and the Prioress.

"Well," Bit contributed, "I'm not really much good at research so I'll stick to what I do best." He offered a hoof out to Tempest. "Commander, presuming you're not the bookish type either maybe I can show you around? I'd love to hear a few war stories from somepony who's actually experienced life outside and you could probably teach my guards and I a few things."

Tempest hesitated. She looked to Starswirl - he nodded to her with a knowing smile. Her response was a sigh of relief and to take Bit's offered hoof. "I'm terrible at research and studying," she confirmed. "I'd be glad to help by staying out of their way."

All six shared a laugh and broke apart to their ways.