//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 : Meetings and Accidents // Story: The Two Students // by RainbowSnow //------------------------------// The Two Students Author: RainbowSnow With thanks to my new editor: Aridifolia Chapter 1 : Meetings and Accidents Princess Luna walks along the Canterlot streets heading for the castle. She doesn't normally walk about in the day, but Princess Celestia has sent her to get a student. Actually two students. She asked her sister why she must go get two students, and Celestia just said, "You will find them to be very interesting, trust me. That and you are the prefect one to teach them; you will do a much better job than I." Luna will have to teach them about many things like magic, history, and many other important things for they are only in magic kindergarten. She has heard rumors of interesting students at the magic kindergarten, with much promise, for they are different in some way. These ponies, sadly, also have no family. They were found not too far from Canterlot in the Everfree Forest. Just sitting there quietly as the train went by. Luckily somepony saw them and stopped the train to retrieve both of them. Princess Luna thinks of this as she trots up the steps to the magic school. She opens the bright purple doors and enters the colorful hall. A unicorn teacher notices her entrance and bows. "No, no, as thou were. Art thy to lead us to the students?" Luna asks politely looking about the entrance hall at the pictures of history and great magic users. "Yes, right this way please," the pink unicorn says, her short yellow hair bouncing about. Princess Luna follows thinking of what may happen. “One is in here," she says nervously. They arrive at a room, a small room with black walls and the windows shut. A small, white coated filly sits in the middle of the room. The filly turns and looks at Luna, her yellow eyes glowing in the darkness. It is hard to make out anything other than her eyes and coat color in the darkness. "Is it supposed to be this dark in here?" Luna asks, a little nervous and confused. "No, she used magic to make it dark in there. We can't figure out how," The unicorn says, " it's impressive, but unnerving." Luna uses magic to make some light to get a better look in the room. The filly looks through her black and yellow streaked mane at Luna studying her. Luna can make out the small horn and......wings?!?! 'The students art Alicorns?!? Why would our sister want us to teach an Alicorn, let alone two?!' Luna thinks, 'Wait more Alicorns! Well....this is interesting, the growth rate of an Alicorn is much different than that of a normal pony. They must be very young, to still be this small.' The light Luna created slowly dims as it seems to get sucked into the shadows. " We see. We may be mare of the night, but thy art a mare of darkness." Luna says quietly, "Where is the other?" "This way," the unicorn says closing the door. They walk to the next door and as it opens, light pours out. In the middle of the room sits a small colt, an Alicorn.'A M....Male Alicorn?!? Today is full of surprises... isn't it?' Luna thinks.' and thou little one art a colt of light it seems.' The small Alicorn has a black coat, a radiant white mane, and gray eyes. "We will require a way to Transport these two, doth thou have anything we may use?" Luna asks, still pondering why she was chosen for this. "Of course we have a small cart, but we don't have anypony to pull it..." the unicorn replies. "'Tis alright, we shall pull it" Luna says. "Well...alright" the unicorn says, and goes off to prepare the cart. Luna looks to the small colt sitting in the room, he looks up at her, an interested look in his eye. He gets up and walks over to her looking up at her face as he bumps into her leg. The colt fall backwards onto his backside, still looking up at her. Just staring and wondering. Luna giggles. "Perhaps this shall not be that bad. Doth thou have a name young one? Can thou speak" she says still giggling a little. "Luc...is" the small colt babbles among with other things. "Did we hear thou say.... Lucis?” Luna asks the small colt. He just nods, a little fascinated by her flowing mane. "Then, Lucis thou shalt be. Come let us get thine.....sister?" Luna ventures, the colt gets up nods a little and waits for her to move. She begins walking down the hall, looking back to see if Lucis is following and indeed he is. They arrive at the room and open the door the shadows flow outward only to be met by Lucis' light. The room lightens to its normal state as the filly sees her brother. "And doth thou have a name?" Luna asks. The filly looks at her then at her brother, and back to her. “Umb...ra" she says through the baby babbles. “We see, Lucis and Umbra, fitting names for thy two indeed. We shall be taking care of thou two from here on out, ok?" Luna says. The unicorn arrives with the cart Luna uses her magic to harness herself in and place the two foals in the cart. "Thank you, shall we be off?" she asks the foals, as they gleefully prepare for the ride. "`We shall take that as a yes." The three Alicorns set off for the castle, where they will be staying and learning. A month later.... “Come on! You can do it, I know you can." Umbra says, "I can control my shadows already, so I know you can do it. Just try really hard!" "Well.....alright" Lucis says. The two are in the training room in the Eastern wing of the castle while Luna is off raising the moon. They are trying to practice so they can impress her. The two Alicorn were the size of 5 year old ponies now. Lucis concentrates as hard as he can, mustering every bit of strength he can manage. Just as he opens his eyes he begins to see a ball of light. "Hey look! I did it!" Lucis exclaims, proud of his accomplishment. As he says this the orb starts getting brighter and brighter. "Good job! It's amazing! Now can you dim it? It hurts." Umbra says closing her eyes. "I...I don't know how!" Lucis says, eyes widening on fear. "Agghhh! I burns!" He closes his eyes and turns away, only to find it floats in front of him wherever he looks. "Aggghhhhh it burns! Even with my eyes closed!" Lucis screams as it gets brighter. "Maybe I can help!" Umbra says as she tries to use her powers blindly. As she attempts to cover the light with darkness, it grows brighter and brighter. "It hurts soo much," Lucis sobs, "It won't go away! Make it stop!" "I can't!" Umbra says looking away still trying to put it out, "Wait, I think I got it!" The light flickers and fades as Lucis collapses to the ground crying. He lay there covering his eyes as tears fall around his hooves and down his face. "Are you ok?" Umbra asks quietly. "It...hurts...so...much!" Lucis cries. Umbra moves closer and sits next to him. The room seems eerily dark. "Can you open your eyes?" Umbra asks tenderly. "I...I can try...." Lucis sobs. As he removes his hooves from his eyes and opens them, Umbra begins to cry. "I'm sorry.....I'm so sorry. I made you do it. Its my fault your hurt..." she sobs. As she looks into a set of white foggy eyes with no pupils. “I....I can't see!" Lucis sobs, “I can't see! I can't see! I think I'm...blind!" "No.....I.." Umbra says as she cries as hard as she can, her body shaking with every sob. "What in Equestria is...oh dear" Luna says as she enters the room, seeing Lucis's eyes."What happened? Can thou see us?" "I'm...b..blind" Lucis manages,"What will I do now? What can a blind pony do? Nothing! Blind....blind....." "I told him to practice without your supervision....and he did. He..lost control of the light and burned his eyes!" Umbra confesses, looking from her brother to her teacher, her....mother. She looks away, anywhere but towards her, and finally from the shadowy bookshelves to the floor. "Help us, we must get him to his room." Luna orders, deciding now is not the time for scolding. She uses her magic to help Lucis to his feet and supports him as he feebly walks. Umbra just follows her crying brother, looking at the floor. I shouldn't have egged him on its my fault; now he will never see his wondrous light again. And it's all my fault. I have thrown him into my element, an eternal darkness. Umbra broods looking out the window at the crescent moon in the sky. Even the black of night is filled with beauty, the sky is filled with blues and purples. How could I have robbed him of such beauty? Luna looks back at her students, seeing the despair that has befallen them. We should have been watching them. We could have prevented this! Luna thinks. Why sister, why did you pick Us for this? What can We teach them you cannot? How shall we deal with this issue?