A History of Fire

by JohnnyFireFlame

Chapter 2: New Faces

Author's Note:

Second chapter done! Story telling is fun X)
What do you think of the journey so far? Feel free to tell in comments!

It was a long night’s sleep. Starswirl had woken up several times, not sweating but feeling cold. Even as it was still dark he got out of bed. His bedroom was in the same tower as his study and was in fact right on top of it. The room itself was nothing special; A single bed, a small bucket filled with water, a table with a small mirror over it, and a closet with mixed ropes. As he stood in the middle of the bedroom, he could see how the light and shadows outside in the city shifted, it was silent. A few voices yelled from the city below, and he could see from his window a light coming over the yonder of the lands and the mountains. Lighting his horn, he aided his fellow unicorn in raising the sun, letting its hot rays shine down all over the land. That power that all unicorns contained that they could aid in raising that body of fire was still a mystery to Starswirl. That study could wait till another day however, for now he had to figure out how to end this war without further bloodshed. As he wandered down to his study and took upon his rope he stopped as he looked to the middle of the room. The old stone tower creaked lightly as he just looked. Many times he had let his rage fly when he had no success from the history books, but never had he seen Clover react the way she did. “Maybe I am trying to win a battle I can’t even participate in…” He said lowly as he got a big pointy hat onto his head. From a small case sitting on the table he got a pipe along with some leaf. Lighting the pipe with a nearby candle, he sighed as smoke trails began to fly out. After getting parchments and quills into his pockets and saddlebag, he walked down the stairs of his tower. He walked carefully as the stairs were old and worn out after having many stepping on them, the torches on the walls were not lit, but looked rusty as they had hung there for a long time.

He sighed as he finally got down to the foot of the staircase and saw a small stream of chatty students walking to their classes. “Good morning Sir Starswirl.” Many greeted him, he simply smiled and nodded back at them as he kept smoking his pipe and watched them go by. He soon saw Clover walk among them, who quickly got out and trotted over to him. “Sir Starswirl…I…I uhm…” She gulped as she looked from him to the ground. He levitated his pipe with his magic, as he looked at her. “Clear your throat Clover, and show some backbone in front of the students.” He said in a clear polite tone as he put the pipe back to his mouth. Clover blushed and soon stood straight. She suddenly noticed how her mentor’s eyes once in a while shifted between her and the moving crowd behind her, but she chose to ignore it. “Sorry Sir. I just wish to apologies for my outburst yesterday Sir, I don’t know what got a hold of me.” Simply giving a low chuckle he raised his hoof and laid it onto her shoulder. “Such things should be worked with, my student, but feelings are not something to forsake. Sometimes outbursts like that can help yourself and others around you. For someone to see their own mistakes and faults, they sometimes need others to show them, as well as their own blessings and grace, that they cannot see within themselves. Remember that Clover, The Clever.” She blushed as he called her by the title the Council had given her. She was given that title from being one of the brightest pupils in the school, and being the personal student of Starswirl helped as well. He soon grabbed his pipe with his hoof and motioned down the hall with it. “Now, run along Student, get to your classes. Don’t want the other teachers to think you’re getting special treatment.” She nodded with more of a smile as he watched her rush down the hall, dropping paper and quills all over the place. She quickly grabbed it all and apologies to whomever she dropped something on and kept on going. He couldn’t help but give a hearty chuckle watching her as he put the pipe back into his muzzle and blew a smoke cloud. Even in the darkest hours of this war, small things like her made it all the more brighter.

“Good morning Starswirl.” Starswirl turned when he recognized the voice and saw the tall dark red stallion in his black rope. “Good morning Ashmane.” He said in a polite tone as he gave him a small nod in greeting. “So, any luck with finding a solution to this war yet, old friend?” Starswirl had nothing personal against Ashmane, but he hated the fact that he knew what made Starswirl tick, both good and bad. “It’s…underway.” He simply said as he blew another smoke cloud out. Ashmane simply smiled and it was clear that he was holding back a small laughter. “I see. Well I, along with many others, await your solution with baited breath. An end to this war cannot come sooner. Oh the pressure you must be feeling right now Starswirl…” “Enough.” Starswirl said bluntly. He knew Ashmane’s game and did not want to be a part of it. “All I can say for certain is that nothing in our history tells of a clear and official reason for why the war broke out. Nothing, but tales of hunger and desperation. And while I am working on finding a solution to this problem, I will ask you and the rest of the Council to remain patient. Understood?” He showed nothing but determination, as he smoked his curled pipe. “Of course...Starswirl the Wise.” Ashmane said in a more respective, but still sly, tone as he simply smirked. “So, I suggest that you return to your classes and attend to your students.” “Will do” Still with a smirk he gave a quick bow, turned and walked down the hallway leaving Starswirl looking after him. Something had always rubbed Starswirl the wrong way about Ashmane, but now he really felt like something was wrong. Deadly wrong.

After having to apologies more then she had ever done in her life, Clover finally made it to her classroom. She gulped as she realized her short chat with Starswirl along with messing up with her paper on the way, made her come a few minutes late as the students half looked at her, and half at the teacher who was holding a chalk in her magic and looked at her. The teacher herself was a unicorn of light brown coat, grey colered mane and tail, with a red-ribbon bound scroll for a cutiemark. She was also wearing some edgy glasses, making her sky blue eyes look sharp. “Ahh, Miss Clover. I trust you do know that despite of your position you are still a pupil of this school?” “Ye-yes of course Madam Chalk. It won’t happen again.” “I will hold you to that Miss Clover, now Sit.” Gulping and giving a quick bow to Madam Chalk she goes down to her seat at the edge of the class. “What happened? Did the old horse hold you back again?” She looked to her side and saw an old classmate: A grass-green colt with earth brown eyes as his a bit spiky mane was all over his head; his tail was in a better fashion. His cutiemark was a single leaf falling with the wind. “No, he didn’t it was me who just messed up. And stop calling him an “old horse” Sprout…he’s not even that old…” “Well he seems that way, if not by looks just the way he carries himself around.” “Look, he is not old he is jus-“ “If you two are quite finished chatting Miss Clover and Mister Sprout. You have a lesson to pay attention to.” The both of them looked up as they saw Chalk standing there staring at them while the class had turned around to see them. “Sorry!” They both said as Chalk levitated a thin long stick and struck the wall. “THEN PAY ATTENTION!” Nothing else was said that lesson.

“Now my students!” Ashmane proclaimed as he stood with a small group of young unicorn in front of the dark metal door. “The ultimate lesson I have promised you, has come. And our teacher, lies within these doors. “ The group was a mix-mash of colored coats and cutiemarks. Soon enough a plain yellow one looked over the crowd and looked at the metal door. “But Sir Ashmane, that door is not referenced in any of the maps or books I’ve read about the school building. As far as I’ve read there is nothing in this section of the school, let alone a door.” Ashmane couldn’t hold back a small giggle as he looked at them all. “Well you see my students, the reason is-““It is an illusion” A young voice spoke from behind the crowd. “An optical illusion, wouldn’t you say brother?” Another voice, female seemingly as young, spoke out as well. As the group got split Ashmane felt his eyes going wide as he saw a rare sight, even for this high class school: Two young ponies were standing before him, yet not really. Grey and white stripes were covering their bodies, with horns standing out of their foreheads. Their manes were straight square cuts down their necks while their tails were also square and plain, traditional Zebra mane-wear. He had noticed that the students had shifty eyes while they were walking down the halls earlier and when they were in the classroom, but he couldn’t believe he hadn’t noticed them before. “Zebras…” He said lowly, in a surprised yet excited tone. “Zebra-Unicorn hybrids to be exact.” The female said. Ashmane blinked, he had whispered. How could she have heard him? “Rare, long story, no time to tell if you will show us our teacher.” The male one said with a slight smirk. After looking at the two for a small bit he noticed the strangest about them: Their cutiemarks. Their marks were the pale face of a pony. He saved that for later as food for thought as he saw the two of them come closer to him and the dark door behind him. As the male stared at it he smiled and looked at Ashmane. “Advanced spell, Sir. An illusion to deceive the mind of the observer, making them believe there is a big dark metal door. When in truth….” He said as he moved a hoof forward, touched the door and, to the surprised gasp of many of the students, passed right through it like it was pure air. “There is nothing. It’s true to everyone why you are a member of the Unicornian High Council.” The mare beside him nodded as many of the others did. “Tell me, what are your names?” The two looked at each other for a moment; their eyes stared into each other’s without blinking before looking back to Ashmane. “My name is Jin, this is my twin sister San” The male answered. San, the sister, nodded and gave a quick bow to Ashmane. “It is an honor for me and my brother to be under a stallion’s guidance as wise as yours Lord Ashmane.” The tall dark stallion could not help but feel honored, but he knew flattery when he heard it. “We will talk later, in private.” The twins nodded as his horn lit up, showing the underground tunnel behind it. “Now…shall we descend?” With that statement, the small group of ponies walked into the tunnel unsure what to be more surprised about; the hidden tunnel in the middle of the school, or the Zebra-unicorns twins.

Comments

[JohnnyFireFlame]

3942464 Thank you very much! I am glad that you enjoyed it.