Eye of the Storm

Chapters

Calm Before the Storm
Pyrocumulus
The First Bolt of Lightning
Stormbreak
Blue Lightning
The Dying of the Gales

Calm Before the Storm

Author's Note

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1o4HP_siTz3-Vzv4q0NvyWQ2ewykhpRMGyBt7juPFLU8/edit?usp=sharing

Greetings, friends! Please feel free to point out any spelling or grammar errors we have, but be gentle. It would be greatly appreciated. Also if you think there are any possibly totally unrealistic elements that could not possibly be canon and ruin the reading entirely, absolutely let us know.

~Jaya Ballard, Task Mage

PS: Don't sugarcoat anything. He's fat and he'll eat it.
~VintageRaven

Calm Before the Storm

“Cryss! Come on, you’re gonna be late!” The urgent shout, coming through a door and two flights of stairs met deaf ears, as the pony in mention, Crystal Cross, sat staring into a mirror with unfocused eyes, her normally well-kept two-shaded blue mane in disarray.

It was yet another morning for yet another day in school, the exact thing she did not need then or at any moment since about a month previous. Crystal was not having the easiest of times. Here she was, almost fourteen years old, a single child, and part of the Cross family: a noble bloodline, praised by many, known by all as being the premier medical unicorns in the entirety of Equestria.

She had been attending Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns for the past three and a half years, but, much to the disappointment of her family, the young Cross was struggling. After breezing through her first two years of basic knowledge with little to no effort, Crystal began courses in healing magic and anatomy, but there she began to see her problems. Within those subjects, she noticed she just never felt comfortable, did not understand things like she used to, and learned about half as fast as everypony else. On top of that, Crystal had not earned her cutie mark yet. No matter how many times her parents told her she was just a ‘late bloomer’, the creamy pink unicorn always got the feeling that she was on the wrong path.

Crystal cocked her head, the reflection mirroring her action. She sighed deeply, closing her eyes then letting her head droop. What the hay is wrong with me… Why can’t I succeed like I used to? To put it simply, she felt lost, though she was unwilling to admit it to anypony. It would only bring more suffering to her troubled life. Already, there were a multitude of other unicorns at school who were taking shots at her because she could not seem to uphold the family standard. In the struggle for fame and recognition, she was fighting an uphill battle, and losing. It was tarnishing the pristine reputation she had started with.

The loud rapping of a hoof on her door broke her depressed trance. Crystal stood, collecting herself. “Yeah mom, I’m coming!” Hefting her saddlebag filled with textbooks she loathed to no end, the pink unicorn trotted to the door, her magical glow enveloping the doorknob as she unlocked it, then opened the door, to be greeted by the irritated glare of her mother, Rose.
“Cryss, you simply cannot allow yourself to be late like this. It is incredibly unbecoming of you! What were you doing anyways?”

That was the question Crystal dreaded the most. There was no easy way she could break it to her parents that she believed healing wasn’t her path. So she did not. “I was… thinking. Planning out my schedule.” It was a lame excuse, and she knew it. Her schedule rarely ever deviated from a certain routine that had been set when she was much younger. Such was the life of nobility: doing the same boring things over and over again.

Still, her mother simply sighed, and started to make her way back down the stairs.“Then try to plan faster next time. Now get a move on; school is important.”

“Yes mother…” Crystal grumbled, following her parent down the stairs. Yet another day full of time wasted in something she felt no commitment to…and yet another day without breakfast. Starting strong already…
______________________________________________________________________________

“Hey! Cryss Crossed!” She heard the shout well before she saw who was shouting it, but knew exactly what would come next. Steeling herself, Crystal forged on into the main yard at the center of the School grounds.

“Come on, Cryss! You gonna respond, or have you gotten dumber since yesterday?” The taunt came from a crimson unicorn standing to the side of the entrance to the school grounds. His two friends snickered.

“I have nothing to say to you, Silver,” came her snapped reply. The medical student was not in the mood to deal with those foals on this in particular. ‘Those foals,’ meaning one Silver Star and his friends, the first of many who had taken to making her life unlivable because she received special attention due to her elevated noble status and family history.

Crystal kept walking. So did the three tormentors, surrounding her and keeping pace.

“Oooohhh! Blank-flank’s a bit salty! What’s a matter? Finally getting to you that you’re not worthy to even stand in your family’s shadow?”

Crystal twitched slightly. Regardless of how much she tried to ignore the harassment, sometimes their remarks got to her. She reached the stairs leading up into the main entrance hall, and there the bullies broke off, still shouting up to her.

“See ya in class, Cryssie!”

Another long day about to begin…
______________________________________________________________________________

The bell rang, and Crystal was ready to kill herself.Or somepony else. She hefted her saddlebags and left the classroom, her last straw of patience very close to breaking. After six and a half hours of being verbally jabbed at and not being able to fight back, plus all the work she had to do, the pink unicorn was desperate to escape to the confines of her own room. As she circled the stairs down the tower with all the other students, an older grey stallion stepped out into her path.

“Aha! Miss Cross! I was looking for you!” It was Professor Fraust, who had taught her since her Beginning Medical Magics course. A kind old pony, who, normally, Crystal would be happy to talk with, but not at that moment.

“Oh, hey Professor. What is it?” She replied, filling her voice with as much fake enthusiasm as she could muster.

“Well, there was something I’d like to discuss. Do you have a moment?” he queried.

Crystal sighed invisibly. No, I have neither the time nor the patience for whatever it is you have to say, old stallion. Now let me go so I can cry in peace… “Sure, I guess.”

Fraust led her into his classroom, shutting the door behind them. “Okay, so, Miss Cross, I’ve noticed a…oh, how to put this… It seems you have a slight lack of interest in class. I just don’t see you as engaged as the other students here. Not only that, but…well, I’ve noticed you are a rather slow learner. Now, granted, you’re a bright pony, easily smarter than many here, so I’m curious, is there something wrong? Something I can help you with?” The old stallion raised his eyebrows, smiling gently. They were noticing what was going on with her. It was becoming evident that she had no idea what she was doing, or what she wanted to do.

Forcing her lips into a smile, Crystal shrugged. “No, I…I don’t think so. I mean, maybe I’m just…a bit tired right now. I’m not sure. Could just be a few off-days. I’m sure it’ll get better though, but thank you.”

“You sure there’s nothing wrong? Remember, my doors are always open if you need assistance,” the Professor offered. He liked Crystal, not just as a student, but as a pony. She had always been energetic and ambitious, and so her recent obvious struggle seemed highly unusual. Of course he had only the best intentions with his questioning, and in any other scenario, Crystal would not have hesitated to tell the truth. But, due to her family’s reputation, she just couldn’t confide with anypony that she felt healing was really not her destiny.

“Yes, Professor, I think that I should be fine, given a few days,” she lied, but convincingly enough that the Fraust simply nodded.

“Alright then. Thank you for obliging me. I believe that should be all. Have a wonderful rest of your day, Miss Cross.” Crystal gave a small wave of her hoof, then headed out of the classroom.

By now, most ponies had already emptied out of the school, save for those participating in clubs or other activities, so the halls were blessedly clear. She made her way down the stairs of the tower and out of the school building, attempting for the most part to avoid social contact, which she successfully did. While the young medical pony had two friends whom she knew she could trust, there was still no desire to speak with anypony about her emotional state.

Making her way off the castle grounds and onto the public streets, Crystal slowed from a hastened trot to a calm walk, looking up at the city around her. Canterlot was a magnificent place, with high spired buildings surrounding the humble shops and apartments that littered the capital of equestria. In her mind, she called it home, but in her heart, something felt amiss, as if this noble city was not truly where she was meant to be, that it did not fully represent who she was. Just one more item she added to the mental list of her confusion.

The walk was short, and it was not much longer that she came upon the front steps of her family’s larger than average home. Crystal pushed the door open as quietly as possible, hoping to avoid any interaction with either of her parents, and began sneaking her way towards the stairs.

“Oh, hey Cryssie! I didn’t hear you come in! How was your day?”

Damn.

“Fine, like any other day. Nothing worth noting.” Crystal drearily responded to her mother’s question. Again, all she wanted was to escape to her room and enjoy the lack of company. Loneliness was golden.

“Do you have much homework?” asked her mother, as she walked into the room, dandelion yellow mane tied back in a tight bun. She had obviously just gotten home from work.

“Yes,” came Crystal’s blunt reply. The less she had to talk the better.

“Ah, okay. I’ll let you get to that, then.” Her mother smiled, turning to leave the room. “Oh, and Crystal, your father won’t be home till late, they were overloaded with paperwork because of that accident in the cloudsdale factories.” But Crystal did not hear. She was already up the stairs and in her room.

Closing the door and locking it, she dumped her saddlebags unceremoniously off to the side of her relatively unkempt room, then sat down on the edge of the bed to clear her mind. Her thoughts turned to those who relentlessly pursued her to make her life miserable.

All those things they say to me: about being a failure, about not being worthy… maybe they’re right. Maybe there really is no hope for me. I could be the weak link in my family; the dead branch on a tree of gold. And to think of all the hope everypony has for me, all the expectations for my life… My family wants to see me as a proper young filly, my teachers want me to excel past my capabilities, and those foals just want me out of the way. There’s no way under Celestia’s sun I could please them all…

Putting a hoof up to her face, she closed her eyes, shaking her head. No, no, I don’t have to please them all. I don’t have to do anything for any of them. I’m going to live my life as my destiny tells me, and so far, it’s told me… nothing… other than that I have homework. Sighing, Crystal stood up again. Pulling paper and her textbook from her bag, then sat down, readied a quill, and began to read.

Pyrocumulus

Author's Note

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1k1tk81rBlR8olmDFzmFY9TjApCdGY4QCJUCXeOfIWhk/edit

While decent first block of this story has been prewritten and edited, there may still be errors. Any feedback is greatly appreciated. In any form.

~ Jaya Ballard, Task Mage
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
It's hard to believe this guy is a native English speaker. His grammar would almost make a Nazi out of me. I had to correct this note alone four times.

~VintageRaven

Pyrocumulus

The pink unicorn jolted upright, eyes wide. As far as she could tell, she passed out while doing her homework. Speaking of which… Crystal looked around, as none of her work materials were in sight. However, her focus was stolen by a strange something outside: a half-light and a howling wind. Narrowing her eyes, she plodded over to her window, freezing in shock as she got a clear view.

A horrific sandstorm was raging outside. The sun, reduced to a dim white sphere in the sky, offered no true light. The world near ground was absolute chaos, with visibility reduced to barely a block. Crystal could barely make out a few ponies struggling against the wind to escape off the streets.

Turning away from the window, she yanked open her door, bolting out of her room and down the stairs. “Mom! Dad!” Her voice echoing through the dark household. No response. “Mom?! Dad?!” Fear was now settling into her voice. Still, the only sounds to be heard were the howling of the wind and the particles of sand blasting against the walls and windows. The young medical pony rushed to the door, nearly tripping over a rug. She peered outside through the front windows, only to be met with the same terrifying sight.

Gazing across the horrific scene, she at first saw no other signs of life: The streets looked empty, and there were no lights on in any of the shops. However, on a second glance, she noticed small amount of movement in the center of the street, which, after a few seconds, she registered to be a pony. Crystal’s focus shifted. The pony appeared to be limping, so she must have been injured, probably by the storm. She slowed to a halt, then collapsed, rolling onto her side. Crystal had no idea what to do. Her mind told her to help, but her instincts told her to stay back in safety. Observing the pony, she noticed she, no he, was an older stallion, his coat a familiar shade of grey…

The door slammed open as Crystal burst out, stumbling in the heavy wind. She squinted, turned her head with the gale, then forged her way through the stinging particles towards the collapsed pony. Upon reaching him, the medical pony gasped, her fears confirmed, as she stood above the sand scoured body of Professor Fraust.

Shock overtook her mind as she registered the state of her favorite teacher. Blood steadily streamed from his ruined eyes, small trails coming from his mouth and nose as well. His fur was matted and stained red in places, and the fluid had begun to pool beneath him. His breath was incredibly rough. It was obvious; he was dying. Crystal had no idea what to do and was too frightened to try anything. She took cautious steps backwards but stopped again, confusion paralyzing her. Her horn was glowing, yet she had no feeling of using magic.

Without warning, the winds began to slow, and the skies grew brighter; the storm seemed to be clearing up. Did… did I do that…? Crystal asked herself, incredibly confused, and, if possible, even more scared. Yet her fear turned to surprise, as a cold wind hit her back, and the grains of sand were steadily replaced by snowflakes.

What the ha- Crystal couldn’t finish the thought. A wave of sheer cold washed over her, forcing the breath out of her lungs. It felt as if even the air had frozen around her, which, considering a slight glimmer in the sky, it probably did to some level. Sucking in what air she could, the young unicorn winced as her lungs were stung by the frigid air. The world was now dead silent. Save for the few snowflakes falling from a crystal clear sky, there was no movement.

A sudden cacophony emanated from down the street as a multitude of windows shattered from the flash freeze. It had not yet occurred to Crystal that she should not actually be alive after such a change in temperature; she was more concerned with the stallion at her hooves.
Professor Fraust was definitely dead now. His body rigid from the cold, eyes glazed over, blood frozen into pools and streams of bright red ice. Oh Celestia… please don’t let me have been the one to have done this…

A tear slipped from the corner of Crystal’s eye, freezing as it soaked into her fur. She began to walk in a daze, heading down the empty street. The moisture from her breath froze in the air, glimmering as the droplets fell to the ground amongst the thin layer of snow. There had been no survivors. As she walked down the road, peering through the shattered storefront windows, she saw others: inanimate, rigid, their faces varying between pain, shock, and fear. It was too much for the young pony. She stopped, dropping her rump and head, eyes closed, and began praying to any deities that might still be alive for all this terror to end.

Seeming to respond with a mind of its own, her horn sparked up again with the sharp violet glow of her magic, and the snow ceased to fall. A warm breeze blew down the narrow road, rusling Crystal’s mane. Her head rose, eyes wide in amazement as she felt heat seep back into the atmosphere. Jumping to her hooves, Crystal felt the corners of her mouth rise with the temperature. Her coat was damp as the frost that had collected melted, but she did not care. It was all going to be okay.

The thud of a pony hitting a wooden floor snapped the medical pony out of her reverie. Rushing to the nearest shop, she found a young red stallion laying, unmoving, eyes wide. He was dead; the cold had just hit too fast, and his heart and blood had all frozen near instantly. Being thawed by the sudden rise in temperature did nothing.

This warmth… This isn’t right… It feels as if summer has come early… late summer… an unusually hot summer… What is going on? Turning her attention back outside, Crystal gasped. The sky had become a very bright orange red, as if it were sunset… except the sun was still at its zenith. It was still noon.

Fur now matted with sweat and damp from them melted snow, the pink unicorn stepped outside, fear returning as the world began to boil. Celestia, if this is your doing… please, make it stop. Desperation coursed through her as her nose was rudely greeted with the smell of smoke and the acrid scent of burning fur. A shop down the street had caught fire, engulfing the corpses within.

Crystal watched as the blaze began to spread, slowly at first, but accelerating as it consumed more and more flammable material. Crystal could only stand and watch in horror, now overwhelmed. A wave of fatigue washed over her; it was getting far too hot. The pool of blood under Professor Fraust began to sizzle on the searing pavement.

The lone survivor began to sway on her hooves, before finally collapsing, dizzy and lightheaded, as the world burned away around her. A spark, carried by the pyretic winds, landed on her flank, but she did not register it. Coughing from the smoke, the young unicorn felt all will to survive fade from her body. Closing her eyes, she let herself fall out of consciousness. Celestia… please… end me… don’t let me suffer anymore…

The First Bolt of Lightning

Author's Note

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fpNCKY8o9q_WmXtUpCcDmxNFht_z9vTpcy3gbRi2MeQ/edit

Happy birthday to my editor/co-author, VintageRaven! It is by his wish that I upload this today, as opposed to on my current schedule. And so here we are.

~Jaya Ballard, Task Mage

The First Bolt of Lightning

Crystal’s eyes shot open. Beneath her, she saw a blurry jumble of letters, and felt the cushion of a stack of papers. Through her groggy mind, she realized that it was all a horrible dream; she had fallen asleep at her desk doing homework. Again.

Sitting up, the medical student yawned, admiring the sunrise through her east facing window above the roofs of the rest of Canterlot. “Ugh… What a nightmare…” she whispered to herself. Yet it felt so real… Oh, the horror… Feh. It was just a dream. Nothing more.

Crystal grimaced, noticing a lot of her work was smudged because she had lain upon it, as well there was a bit of ink splotching on her cheek. Sighing, she stood, then plodded sleepily towards the bathroom. Closing the door, she turned the shower on cold, then stepped under the chilling stream.

Her thoughts drifted back to the dream, remembering all the deaths she had witnessed. And just stood by, too. Why did I do nothing to help all those poor ponies…? And Professor Fraust… She shuddered. I just watched him die… After everything I had learned in school. Even if it was just a dream, why couldn’t I have done something…? I hope this doesn’t mean anything about me…

Shutting out her thoughts, the young pony stood mindlessly in the frigid flow for a short while, trying her best to not think of anything. Eventually, she shut off the water, toweled off her wet fur, then spent a few minutes straightening and styling her mane. After all, one does not simply be a pretty pink pony without a nice mane.

Reemerging to her bedroom, Crystal collected herself, then her school stuff. She would have to deal with not having homework to turn in. But I guess there are worse things in life. Oh well. Opening her door, Crystal made her way down the stairs and into the dining room, her mother happily preparing breakfast in the kitchen.

“Well, look who’s up on time! Good morning, Cryssie!” came her mother’s happy greeting.

“Mreh…” Crystal grumbled, “Too early in the morning, I can’t give you a representative reply…” It happened to be a slight lie, the young pony was feeling perfectly awake, she just did not want to talk with anypony at the moment. Her mind was still struggling to process her dream.

“Sounds like you should have gone to bed earlier last night, then! You know rest is very important.” the jokingly condescending tone brought little more than irritation from the medical student.

“Yeah mom, I know…” she sighed, wandering into the kitchen, nabbing a bagel, then taking a seat at the table.

“You should really also eat more than just that. It’s best not to go to school on an empty stomach. You need to energy,” her mom continued to chastise.

“I know,” Crystal mumbled, “but I’m not hungry.” Her mother sighed, shaking her head. She entered the dining room with two plates of toasted bread, some jam, and coffee.

“I know I can’t make you eat, but I would if I could. “ She set the food items down, smiling, “At least your father appreciates the necessity of a good breakfast.” The smile wilted slowly off Rose’s face as she remembered what she had been meaning to talk with her daughter about that morning. “On a related note… your father and I, we had a bit of a talk with Professor Fraust… We uh… well, we’re concerned, to say the least. I know you’re a good pony; you’re smart, capable, and willing… but, your progress in school doesn’t seem to show it. And it worries us. Remember, there is plenty of help available for you, you just need to ask. We want you to succeed.” The off-red mare smiled lovingly at her now downtrodden daughter.

Speaking of which…

“Well, um… but, uh… In that case… I think I’ll be going to school a little earlier today, that way I can talk to Fraust and… I guess see about help.,” Crystal announced, quickly standing up with her small breakfast and starting to to move to her room. She had no intentions of seeking help… yet. Currently, it was just a ploy to escape the painful environment of her home. While she liked her father, he was a bit more obsessed of the family tradition, and thus hounded her more about school, hence why she had been drifting away from him as of recently. Not to say anything about her mother.

“Oh-! Um, okay then! Have a good day, Cryssie!” Rose called out to her daughter. She did not expect her daughter to say goodbye after returning from her room, which was a correct assumption. Crystal barely heard anyways; she was in her room, collecting her books and half done homework. Finally closing her saddlebags and lifting them onto her back, she stepped out, trotting down the stairs and out the door, off to begin yet another potentially horrible day.
______________________________________________________________________________

“You got here early, Cryss. What’s a matter, too embarrassed to face everypony else? Don’t think you’re good enough?” The harassment from Silver Star was unabating. Indeed, Crystal had arrived at school before most others, with the dual purposes of evading her parents and evading her tormentors. Unfortunately, the latter did not last forever, and during her second class of the day she was seated right behind them.

Ignoring their words, she stared calmly down at the handout in front of her. It was a continuation from the previous day, an explanation on the methodology behind focused healing of internal injuries. Mostly anatomy, partly information on spells, and completely and utterly boring.

“Mister Star, please, face forward and pay attention. The back of the class can’t teach you anything,” snapped Professor Fraust, breaking his normally calm demeanour. Silver paused, grinning hatefully at Crystal.

“I think he was talking about you, Cryss Crossed,” whispered the red unicorn, before turning away. Fraust stared him down for a few moments before returning to his lecture.

Crystal, however, had zoned out. She found it hard to concentrate on the subject matter when all she could think about was the Professor, dying on the ground, blood seeping from his eyes and mouth. Or the Professor, a rigid, frozen corpse, coated in frost and blood. Or the Professor, his body now a pyre, blood boiling away from the heat, the horrid smell of his burning fur in the searing air.

What is wrong with me? Why am I having all these thoughts? I don’t want to remember any of this, I don’t NEED to remember it, it was just a stupid dream… Ugh, I just have to focus. School, school is what’s important. Just don’t think, it’ll be easier.

“…and so I will leave you to that and be back in just a bit.” She caught the last half of Fraust’s sentence, and saw him leave the room. Not really caring why, Crystal turned her attention back down to her textbook.

“Heh, I see you’re at least TRYING to learn, eh Cryss?” Silver remarked. “Well keep trying. But just think, no matter how hard you try, no matter how much effort you put into this work, you will never succeed.“ While she did not hear the remark, she registered it. And while the young Cross had tried so hard not to react to these insults in the past, for the first time, she felt something trigger within her. A primal instinct unlike anything she had felt before. Not a fight or flight, but something… stronger. Still, she kept her head down and continued to read.

“You know, Cryss, you may think that ignoring us will help, but it won’t. I hope you understand that you are a lost cause. There is nothing in this world that can stop you from failing as you are doing now. Accept it and move on, it will make things so much easier for the rest of us. Let me repeat that more clearly in case it didn’t get through that slow mind of yours: You. Are. A. Failure.” Crystal felt something snap. Not physically, not consciously, but she had broken somewhere. She heard nothing more than a high pitched tone. While seeing Silver’s mouth move, there was no sound, and she did not register that he was speaking. Her last conscious thought was to notice an acute pain in her flanks, then her eyes closed and she blacked out.

Stormbreak

Author's Note

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dBp1bn4f3YsjsS4BXnbwy4IiX54-XYRgc8yvTw0gZ2g/edit

So, this is sort of a climactic chapter... for now (hint-hint nudge-nudge). Also the main reason this story is tagged for gore, even if very low content. Suggestions for improvement always appreciated.

~Jaya Ballard, Task Mage

Stormbreak

“Cryss. Cryss? Are you listening to me- What they hay?” Silver had been rather enjoying himself up until then. It was not often that he had the chance to haze that poor excuse for a noble in class. However, as he delivered a rather well thought out speech on her lack of success, the young filly went into a daze, her eyes fluttered closed, before a bright orange glow lit up around her flanks.

Silver and his posse went silent, looking down to see a mark, her cutie mark apparently sear itself into her body. It looked to Silver to be a nearly black hurricane-like design with a gold star-burst in the center. “Huh. Seems you’re not as pathetic as you used t-”

The world ended. Or at least seemed to. There was an enormous crack as a lightning bolt struck the wall of the tower, blasting it apart. Ponies screamed, covering their eyes against the shrapnel. Silver, however, looked to Crystal again, mouth agape as he saw her eyes shoot open.

They were glowing a solid electric blue, her horn now ablaze with magic. She shot to her hooves, throwing her desk and chair aside with a blast from her horn. The the rest of the students were now in frozen in fear, most barely balanced against the gale force winds blasting through the steadily decaying wall of the tower.

Outside…well, nopony could see much outside. It looked as if they were within the center of a tornado, with stormclouds and debris swirling violently around the decaying structure. Another bolt of lightning struck, destroying a large portion of the mushroom domed roof, exposing the ponies more to the elements. The class screamed in unison as the chaos continued to unfold around them.

Silver was cowering under one of the few remaining desks in the class that had not been blown outside, watching Crystal in fear. Slowly, deliberately, not buffeted by the storm, she turned to face the rest of the ponies, malice and blinding magical light emanating from her eyes. The winds accelerated, reaching speeds that would have terrified even the strongest of pegasi. There was no escape.

Silver saw two ponies, mouths and eyes wide in terror, disappear through the open wall. Another pony was flung sideways into one of the remaining walls, his head nearly knocked off by a twisted piece of metal that had returned through the hole in the room. With his blood dripping off her coat, Crystal had an absolutely demonic appearance. But she was not stopping. The glow around her horn only intensified.

The crimson unicorn felt himself blasted with heat, then suddenly chilled beyond any natural temperatures. He cried out in pain as the snap freeze locked up his hind legs. Losing balance and grip, he was sent tumbling out from under his desk and into a crumbling wall, stunned, almost falling from the tower.

There was another strike of lightning. The roof was now completely eliminated, the room all but eviscerated, and ponies greeted with not but the chaos around them. There was no sight of blue sky; barely any light shone through the maelstrom.

Silver noticed an orange glow to his right, along with a piercing scream. Rotating, he saw a pony, one of his close friends, throwing themselves to the ground, his coat aflame. Training his eyes to the sky again, he began to see bright flashes of fire spontaneously appear as the air itself combusted. Then he himself cried out in agony.

With the roof gone, a downpour not noticed before was pounding the destroyed tower room. But, like anything else about the storm, this was no natural downpour. Because of the random and extreme fluctuations in temperature, the precipitation that fell covered the spectrum. The ponies were flailing about, thrown by the wind and now pounded by boiling rain, utterly freezing pellets of razor sharp hail, and everything between.

The lifeless body of one of Crystal’s friends went tumbling past Silver as he clung to the wall for his life. He saw multiple frostbitten lacerations as well as small third degree burns dotting her body before she were tossed out into the turmoil.

With no thoughts other than survival, the terrified young pony stared up into the storm, praying to Celestia, to Cadance, to anypony that he would make it out alive. A bright glow ignited in the clouds, but Silver never got the chance to see his hopes of savior smashed as the bolt of lightning, unnaturally charged by the demented storm, struck from the heavens, putting Silver out of his short lived misery.

Princess Celestia was at an absolute loss as she orbited the sphere of violently rotating cloud. She had been preparing a speech for the ponies of the school when this anomaly began. It had absorbed Professor Fraust's classroom, whom upon seeing it, had both panicked and broken into tears. The Princess had no idea who or what could have started it, but right then, the only concern was that it was threatening the young lives of the students.

Only moments after that thought had occurred to her, a corpse was flung far free of the storm, spurring her into action. Celestia had caught the body of the young filly, set them body down, then launched herself up towards the tower.

All efforts to magically eliminate the maelstrom had been fruitless, and so she flew in circles, staring at the turbulent mass, completely unsure of herself. It was no natural storm, that much was obvious even from just looking at it..

The air around her felt saturated with chaos, but it was unlike that of Discord. This felt rancorous, uncontrolled, and violent. Still, Celestia almost would have preferred the storm be Discord’s; at least then she might have had an explanation for why she could not control it. Seeing no alternative, and it being her duty to stand up for her subjects in the face of adversity, Princess Celestia steeled her nerves, and dove into the maelstrom.

Breaching the outer wall of the storm, the alicorn was nearly thrown off her wings by the strength of the winds. It had been too long since she had flown in a gale like this. Forging on, she dodged and wove through all the debris being carried around the tower, which she figured could not possibly be in any decent shape. She was right. Breaking the inner wall of the storm, she had to quickly readjust her path to avoid slamming into the crumbling remaining wall, only to be promptly nailed in the head with a small stone which sent her crashing down.

Celestia slammed into the scarred wooden floor of the classroom, dazed. The number of remaining living ponies had dwindled depressingly low. Looking up Celestia saw the source: a young blue filly, two-shaded mane flaring in the winds, her eyes glowing a neon turquoise and her horn ablaze with magic.

Crystal Cross?! The daughter of the Cross line is the cause of so much chaos?!

Even through the storm, the Princess could tell Crystal was reaching her end, whatever that was. She seemed unsteady on her hooves and her coat was starting to smoke. But that was not what had Celestia the most concerned. There’s no way she could be alive with the amount of magic she’s using… this shouldn’t be possible, there has to be something else involved. The Princess felt a charge in the air, like everything around her was becoming electrified. Without warning, a blast of wind struck Celestia, causing her to slide backwards, dangerously close to the edge of the tower. An isolated vortex had spun up around Crystal, yet she remained unaffected. As smoke steadily trailed off of the the unicorn, a large cloud of it gusted to her side, then, to the alicorn’s wonder, coalesced into the shape of a pony. the figure stood mere feet away from the center of the maelstrom, staring at its “creator”. It wandered in an arc around the young pony, observing her as she continued channeling toward her death, not even bothered by the winds. In this moment, Celestia noticed something that, despite the harrowing circumstances, brought a small bit of warmth to her heart. So she finally has her cutie mark. But… what this could mean… Equestria would not be ready to take her… if she lives. Regardless of events, there is never a time where it’s nothing short of special for a pony to receive their cutie mark.

A strange hollow feeling brought the Princesses attention back to the smoky figure, which was now “looking” in her general direction, despite not having eyes. The alicorn shuddered. She felt as though this thing was staring into her, tearing out her deepest secrets and fears. “Go away…” she whispered, though unable to hear herself in the turmoil. In a final crack of red lightning, Crystal and the smoke pony disintegrated, their remains swept away by the gale, which moments later ceased entirely.

Winds blew themselves out, launching the debris they carried across Canterlot. The clouds dissipated into the atmosphere. The temperature stabilized. The hellish precipitation abated. There was nothing left to show the storm had ever been but a ruined classroom full of dead, injured, and terrified students, plus one alicorn Princess.

Standing unsteadily and generally uninjured, Celestia turned immediately to the remaining students. To ask if they were alright would be stupid. Instead, she directed her attention on the wall which held the door to the stairway down the castle. Focusing, she sent a pulse of magic into it, blasting it, and the debris in front of it, apart. “Fillies! Colts!” She shouted, amplifying her voice to old royal proportions, “Please, follow me! You are all safe now! No more harm will be brought to you!”

The surviving ponies whom could walk, crying from terror or pain, fell in behind Celestia. A few remained behind to watch over the gravely wounded until more help arrived. They somberly walked the spiral staircase down the tower, which save for Fraust’s room at the top, was perfectly intact.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, they were greeted en masse by worried parents, medical unicorns ironically enough, and concerned citizens. Celestia however, had one issue on the forefront of her mind. Weaving through the crowd, she found Rose and Star Cross whom had just arrived and were attempting to push their way through to the front.

“Your highness!” gasped Star, he and his wife kneeling. “We came as soon as we had heard! Please, where is Crystal?! Is she alright?!

“I couldn’t forgive myself if I let anything happen to her,” cried Rose. Shuffling, Celestia collected herself. It would take every ounce of her being to deliver this news. She had a personal connection to the Cross family for many generations as they had been more help to her than she could ever have hoped for, always able to be counted on in times of crisis. But never before had she had to break to any of them that they had lost a child in such a manner as this.

“Uh… Princess Celestia…?” Rose asked shakily. “Is… is everything alright…? Crystal’s okay, right?” Closing her eyes for a second, the Princess took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for the effort of delivering this harrowing news.

“Mister and Misses Cross… I- I regret to inform you that your daughter… Miss Crystal Cross... was lost in the events that unfolded this afternoon…” She sniffled a bit. “I am terribly sorry for your loss…” Dropping her head, Celestia closed her eyes. “I… There was nothing I could do.”

Rose erupted into tears, Star himself was almost there. He pulled his wife into an embrace, still staring at Celestia. The alicorn felt as if she had failed. Seeing these two ponies, whom she trusted above nearly all save her own family, break down like this, and knowing that she was the one to deliver the news, it nearly put her over the edge. Still, she held her resolve.

“There is... ehm... one thing I must tell you.” the Princess looked up, swallowing nervously. She had no idea how the devastated pair might take it. Rose looked up again, eyes red from crying. Her husband tried to remain stoic, but there was an obvious tremble in his voice.

“And that is what, exactly?” he half-snapped, foregoing all royal consciousness. Celestia be damned if his daughter’s life and death were the concern.

“Crystal…” Celestia began, unsure of how to phrase her words, “it is… the events of this afternoon were… they were her doing. It was her magic alone that caused the storm, and her magic alone that ended it, as well as took her life. I… I was in the anomaly with her, I watched it happen. Trust me, please, I tried my hardest to stop her… she just… Her magic was unlike anything I had dealt with in a long time, I couldn’t stop the storm… I couldn’t do anything to save your daughter.” She forced the final sentence out, then dropped her head again in dejection. It had been centuries since she had to admit she was unable to do something. Even worse was having to admit to parents that she couldn’t save their daughter.

Shock overtook the Crosses. Rose resumed her crying, while Star, holding his wife, stood completely stunned.

“I… I don’t want to believe this. There is no way she could have… but… if you say she did, and you were there to see it… it is your word that stands.” he clenched his jaw, grimacing, and struggling not to cry.. “Please. Make sure her life is remembered. I don't care how, but I do not want anyone forgetting the goodness in her.” He fell silent once more. There was little else to say. “Thank you for… for coming forward to us. I think that we shall be off now. Thank you Princess.” Turning slowly, Star led Rose, both teary eyed, out through the growing crowd, away from the ruined school. Away from the loss of their beloved daughter.
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“Ponies, citizens of Equestria. We are gathered here in memoriam to honor the lives of those lost in the tragedy that took place within our beautiful capital city.

“One week ago, we faced a tragedy unlike any seen in centuries. An isolated event of pure and malevolent chaos overtook a classroom of my school. The students of Professor Lawrence Fraust were put through a very trying and painful ordeal. Many hurt. Many lost. Our hearts go out to the families of the victims; your foals will be remembered forever.

“And yet still, we persevere. Those who lived will keep on living. We will not dwell on these horrific events. It is always best to put the past behind you, for it can never be a gift like the future. Given time, we will continue our lives as we had, never giving disharmony a helping hoof. That is our way as a loving species. It is as we have been since the dawn of Equestria, and it is how we will be until the very end of time. And nothing, I repeat, nothing, will ever knock us down, or trample us over.”

Princess Celestia turned, stepping away from the podium, somber applause following her through the doors of the school. It had been one week since the disaster had passed, and the school was just preparing to open once again. Celestia was there to deliver a remembrance speech, to confirm to her subjects that everything would be alright. By then, news had reached all across the land, and many relatives had flocked to the city to console their families. Letting her strong poise slip, she looked back, seeing the crowd of ponies, both adults and children alike, standing silently as the names of the lost were read, wreaths hung in honor above the entrance.

The ceremony froze, silence overtaking the mourning ponies as Principal Lazara stuttered off the final name on the list. “Cry-Crystal Cross”. Celestia waited, worried by the response she knew was coming. By now, any surviving children would have doubtlessly told their parents what they had seen, and the knowledge that Crystal had been the one to create the storm would have spread across the city. A wave of mutterings washed across the crowd as ponies looked at each other in a mixture of confusion and anger.

“Why is her name on the list?”

“How dare they honor the death of the pony who so brutally and ruthlessly killed our children?”

“She killed my son… My Silver…”

Many looked in the direction of Star and Rose, as well as Brigid Cross, Star’s mother, the matriarch of the Cross family who was in Canterlot for the ceremony. They shifted uncomfortably, knowing that these events would stain their reputation for the long foreseeable future. Even Professor Fraust looked mildly agitated. He had always liked Crystal as a pony, but now she was gone, and her death was seen in a very negative light.

Principal Lazara stood, still holding the wreath bearing Cryss’s name. She was split, unsure whether to hang it or not. While not doing so would be of utmost disrespect to the Cross family, there was so much hatred amongst the crowd, and dealing with the emotions of nobility was never a task to be taken lightly. She felt a slight magical tugging on the wreath, and looking out over the group of ponies, saw Rose Cross, eyes closed, her horn lightly aglow. Releasing her mental grip in the wreath, Lazara watched as it was overcome with a silver glow, then hung on its hook above the entrance to the school. She saw Rose open her eyes, a tear slipping onto her cheek. It nearly broke the Principal’s heart. How it must feel for them to stand among a crowd who believed their daughter deserved no respect in death; it was an experience no pony should have to go through. Nodding to the Crosses, Principal Lazara continued on with the ceremony.
______________________________________________________________________________

The Princess shuddered. Her sleep had been plagued with dreams of that day, watching over and over again as the colts and fillies were sucked from the tower, beaten with rubble, struck with lightning. But worst of all were her memories of Crystal. She always manifested as a demon-like pony, bathed in blood, grinning with gleaming teeth and eyes that shone with piercing light. Or the strange smoky figure, a ghostly apparition in the chaotic nexus, which felt as though it had left a cold hoofprint on her soul. They were fragments of a scarred memory, and would have to wear themselves out. But now she’s gone…right?

The alicorn, despite what she saw, had doubts. In her millennia of life, she had seen magic, especially chaos magic, pull incredible feats, even more so when relative to the survival of it’s user. And so, while having witnessed Crystal Cross disintegrate right before her, Celestia considered, though in the back of her mind, that the young pony of chaos was still living. Somewhere, somehow, she may still be. And if she is… well… that will be decided when certainty is made.

Shoving the thought from her mind, Celestia walked through the halls of her empty school, attempting to get back on track. She was still the leader of Equestria, and thus she still had duties. Exiting a back door, the Princess spread her wings, and took off up over the castle.
______________________________________________________________________________

Death. Cold. Dark. Lost. Unformed. Power. Longing. Loneliness. Chaos. Life.

Blue Lightning

Author's Note

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MkeqitZAxzjHCnqMXp_W0JcsLIsgeNfsP_mRQT6ov5Y/edit?usp=sharing

As I said, my upload schedule is a little derpy and not too very regular. But trust me, it is coming along. There's a lot of testing and whatnot that sorta kills my life. Oh well. I'll still find a way to upload from the grave.

~Jaya Ballard, Task Mage

Blue Lightning

Ow. The first conscious thought in what might as well have been forever, as a pink unicorn came to. It felt like her entire body was on fire, and her stomach churned. Crystal hadn’t felt so miserable in… ever, once she had thought about it. Attempting to open her eyes, she found herself almost blinded by the light flooding in through her barely lifted lids. Nevermind, we can be in the dark for a little while longer. And so she lay on what felt like damp grass until her agony had slowly subsided to a dull pain, and she felt considerably less sick.

What… What the hay happened… and where the hay am I…? Crystal wondered, still being in no shape to answer either of her own questions. Struggling, she fought her hazy memory to try and remember what had happened. School. I was at school… and then my flanks started hurting… and now I’m here… ugh… life sucks… Deciding that the first order of business was to determine wherever ‘here’ was, the pink unicorn started the slow, agonizing process of adjusting her sight to the brightness.

As the world came into focus, her first sight was grass, followed by a lot of trees. She heard the wind blowing, rustling through the branches… though not any branches she remembered hearing. Turning her head upwards, Crystal began to worry. A lot.

Oh buck… this doesn’t look like Canterlot… not even close…

She lay in a small forested clearing, surrounded by tall, alpine trees which were dotted with pinecones. The sky above her was overcast, but not raining, although the condition of the ground below her said that it had.

Where the hay…

It now seemed at least twenty percent more urgent to get on her hooves and start exploring, because, as far as the young unicorn could tell, she was alone in unfamiliar lands. Steeling her resolve, Crystal rolled onto her stomach, stretching as best as she could. There was an incredible amount of tenseness in her muscles which made the unicorn wonder really just how long she had been laying there. Withdrawing her legs under her, Crystal pushed against the ground, straining to simply stand. Nearly all the way up, Crystal felt a sudden, intense dizziness, and so she dropped back to the ground, her legs feeling nearly useless once again.

Ugh… bucking… what the hay is wrong with me… why am I so bucking weak…?

She closed her eyes, letting the world spin in darkness around her. For probably twenty minutes, Crystal lay, not moving, not thinking, just trying to let her strength build back up. A cold breeze blew through the clearing, eliciting a shiver from the lone pony.

Eventually her mind felt more stable, and Crystal began considering trying to stand again. Alright… take it slow… I've got all the time in the world… Bracing her hooves, she pushed again, standing slowly and unsteadily. Once she had reached her full height, Crystal took a deep breath, then a shaky step forward. Alright… we didn't fall… this is good. Making progress… Feeling braver, the unicorn started walking, slowly at first, but, after a short time, eventually managed a circuit around the forest clearing. While much of her physical weakness felt gone, Crystal's mind still was fuzzy, and she could not do much more than think to herself.

*Sigh*. Okay. So, we can move once again. I probably need to find out just where the hay I am, and how the hay I can get some food. Only now did she realize how truly hungry she actually felt.

"I can tell you one thing: you're nowhere near Canterlot". The unicorn jumped, thrown completely off guard. She spun around, looking to find the source of the voice.

"Who are you?" She called out. "Show yourself!"

There was mischievous giggle before the voice, clearly identifiable as female, spoke up cheerfully. "I think, before asking who I am, you should consider where I am."

Crystal panned around again, hoping she would spot the pony hiding somewhere in the trees. Stopping, she thought about where it sounded like the voice was coming from… which was pretty much everywhere. It dawned on her.

“Are you… real?” Crystal felt like she was asking herself, which considering it was thought, she essentially was.

"Heheh, so glad you figured it out. As for if I am real… Well, real is a relative term anyways. We’ll get to that later. Call me Cinder."

Crystal’s mind was reeling. Having woken up nearly dead about an hour ago, she was not yet ready to consider the possibility that her mind was inhabited by somepony… something else. “Um… okay… Hi, Cinder… So, do you know where I am, or what happened to me?” It felt so wrong to be thinking to herself, but not herself at the same time, yet this… ‘Cinder’ responded, quite promptly.

“It’s… um… it’s complicated. Like, really complicated. Also I don’t know all of it.” The sound of that worried Crystal a lot, especially due to her situation. But she felt she could handle it.

“I don’t care how much you know, just tell me.” The unicorn demanded. Information was the most valuable thing she could get at that time, regardless of where it came from. Sitting down, she tried to clear her mind and focus on Cinder.

“Okay. So uh, just so we don’t start this off on too negative a note... uhh… you got your cutie mark!”

Crystal looked down to her sides, smiling as she saw the truth. At least one good thing had come of these events. Now nopony could call her a blank flank again. Of course, it still left her with the worry of figuring out what she was meant to do.

“Heh, so I did. But… that’s not all, is it?”

“Yes, okay, so, uh, the hard part… well… to put it bluntly, Crystal, you created a massive storm that killed or injured nearly everyone in your class and gave Celestia a run for her money as she tried to shut you down. Oh, and you damn near killed yourself, too. It was impressive just how much magic went through your body without vaporizing you, but you got really close. I sorta showed up when you were about to cease to exist and… gave you a bit of a nudge in the right direction, so to speak. Anyways, you turned into a cloud, everyone thinks you’re dead, but you’ve actually been here for the last thirty-six or so hours. Any questions?”

“Thirty-six hours!?” Crystal’s voice echoed around the forest clearing. “There’s no way I’ve been out for that long…” She wasn’t sure how to react, aside from with shock. If she hadn’t been sitting before, well, this definitely would have dropped her.

“I… killed other ponies?” Crystal’s voice was really hard to read. Cinder knew there was dismay, but that was not everything. She thought she detected confusion, surprise, and… maybe, just maybe even a bit of excitement.

“Yeah. You did. Not consciously, but you killed them.”

The unicorn shook her head in sad wonder. There was so much to remember, to learn, to do… She stood up again, then began pacing across the clearing, mind racing as it filled with more questions than Cinder would be able to remember to answer.

“Woah, woah! Slow down! Easy there, don’t get too caught up with all these questions. Look, what I can tell you right now is that you’re here, far away from other ponies, you brought yourself here, and you’re on the track to discovering your destiny. I can also tell you that the sun is going down, and here in an alpine forest, it gets cold at night.”

Crystal looked up, realizing that was the truth. The clouds above had tinged a bright red as if they were burning. It was quite beautiful, but hard to really focus on with everything else that was happening.

“If I were you, I would make a fire as soon as possible. And by that, I mean, right now. There’s plenty of tinder around here from when you arrived. Just grab a bunch of that and light it up.” Crystal started Cinder’s instructions, throwing some sticks into a pile, then stopped.

“Um… Cinder… I, uh, I don’t know how to light a fire…” the pink unicorn hoped her mental friend wouldn’t notice she was blushing. While it made sense considering her life as a medical pony, she still felt embarrassed upon realizing just how little of general magic she knew.

Cinder was slightly taken aback as well. “You… you don’t know how to create fir - wait. Oh, right. Medicine.” Crystal’s mind went silent as the other being tried to figure out how to explain the spell. "Alright, so, fire… is actually really simple. It’s just energy with fuel, so all you have to do to make it is find the right fuel and add energy. You’ve got the fuel, so just add energy. You can do that, right?” Crystal shook her head, frowning.

“They never taught us that kind of stuff. We just learned the basics of magic theory and then started to diverge into medicine.” She felt ashamed admitting that after all her work in school, all the harassment she had to put up with, she knew next to nothing.

“Oh... but that’s okay though,” consoled Cinder, sensing the unicorn's negativity. “I have a pretty good idea why they did it. If unicorns were taught to control absolute raw magic, they’d wipe themselves out before even finishing school. Your kind walks a dangerous path, wielding a power nearly inexplicable by any form of reason that has the ability to literally burn away the essence of your being if used incorrectly. But,” Cinder grew more serious as she spoke, “it means that you have a LOT to learn.”

Upon hearing that, Crystal’s ears drooped, and she looked away as if Cinder was right in front of her. “Oh… I’m no good at learning though. If you know anything about me, you’d see that. I hope you have patience, because… this may take a while.”

“And that is where I think you are wrong,” Cinder refuted. “Sure, you may not know how to do this right now, but remember what you’ve done. You have more magical talent than possibly any unicorn in Equestria. Don’t ask me how I know this. I’m pretty sure that something as simple as this should come naturally to you. All you need to do is try.”

Her hopes still down and mind abuzz, Crystal sighed, “Hmm, alright. I hope you’re right… So okay, how should I do this, then?” There were a few moments of thoughtful silence, then Cinder began her best to explain.

“Well, so it’s really just a focus thing. There’s not an actual spell I can really teach you due to how basic fire is. Just… try and feel the fire. Internalize it. Take any experiences you’ve had with fire, and try to feel them. Then project that feeling into power.”

At first, Crystal couldn’t think of anything. She had lead a fairly safe life; so aside from a very few instances and demonstrations, there was nothing… Except that dream…

Cinder noticed the change in the unicorn’s state of mind. “Hey, Crystal, something up? Bad memories or something? You gotta tell me. I may be in your head, so-to-speak, but I’m not really in your head.”

Crystal couldn’t respond. Her focus was scattered by the thoughts. Knowing now what she knew, the dream had a whole new meaning to her. “I’m a killer. I was supposed to be the opposite of this, but every sign up until now was telling me that was wrong.” This realization felt strange to Crystal, because she felt nothing at all. No fear, no remorse. No emotion, despite knowing she could and had killed other ponies. “And it came so easily… I almost wonder… Is this my destiny?”

Cinder had no idea what to say. Yes was neither the right nor wrong answer at the time, but she couldn't quite explain it in a way that would make sense to Crystal. "That is… up to you to discover.” The unicorn was disheartened by Cinder's vague response, but figured that maybe she was right. "Anyways", Cinder picked up, "Fire. You need it." Nodding to herself, Crystal took a moment to consider the strange advice she had been given. It had never occurred to her that magic might be connected to emotion, but upon thinking of it, it made more sense than anything else.

“Alright Cinder… I trust you.” Crystal let the memories she dearly hoped to avoid flood in. Her dream was vivid once again. She could smell the acrid, charred flesh, hear the crackling of the flames around her, feel the pain, the fear. Her horn lit, and she felt a rush of power though her being. Wait… What am I doing? No answer came.

There was a vague whisper of a thought in the back of her mind as Cinder gave a half gleeful and malicious “Oh, this is going to be so much fun...” before the sky tore itself asunder and a bolt of lightning struck directly in front of her, blasting the ground apart and throwing the young pony backward into the embrace of unconsciousness.

The Dying of the Gales

Author's Note

This here is the final chapter of what I guess is technically the prologue of the story, sorry that it's considerably shorter than the others. Between this chapter and the next, there is a bit of passage of time, and events will finally be catching up to what we know as "canon".

~Jaya Ballard, Task Mage

The Dying of the Gales

The unicorn awoke to the chirping of birds amongst rustling branches. A welcome sound, or at least, would normally have been, had she not actually remembered what had happened the previous night. Skipping straight past the groggy stage of waking up, Crystal jumped to her hooves, reeling in panic. Roughly five feet ahead of her, still emanating heat, was a still faintly smoking black scar in the ground, arcing jagged marks of seared dirt coming from the small hole left by the lightning strike.

“There’s no way… I… no. I couldn’t have… could I…?” Crystal had no words for what lay ahead of her. Luckily, something else did.

“Yes, Crystal. You did that. You, and your magic alone. But that’s not the question. Why didn’t you tell me?” Cinder spoke up, her thought carrying a tone of contempt and at the same time, worry. The unicorn knew exactly what was being questioned. Her dream. Cinder must have seen it all right before the spell.

“I… didn’t think it was going to be important! It was just a dream…” She felt dejection. Here she had cast the second most powerful spell in her life, completely unintentionally, and was being chastised for not explaining to her mentor what caused it. Wait, mentor? Is that who she is to me already?

“Crystal, something you really need to learn is that… Wait, no, I have a better idea. Try and do that again. You remember the feeling, right? Try and call the lightning again. But this time, without thinking of your dream.” The request seemed impossible to Crystal, and ended up being just that as she sat for nearly five minutes, struggling to even make her horn glow. “Can’t do it, can you? That’s exactly what I want to show you. Your magic is so closely entwined with your emotions that you become nearly inept when not feeling anything.”

This revelation made perfect sense to Crystal, but completely dashed her hopes. “So… then… what do I do about it? How can I ever hope to cast more powerful spells? I can’t live my whole life feeling pain and anguish and anger just so that I can do things!”

“And you don’t have to,” Cinder acknowledged. “Magic works in mysterious ways; ways that you will come to know and understand, all given time and practice. And I will be here to help you along as much as I am capable of. So you know what I want you to do as a first step in this journey?”

The unicorn was at a loss for words.

“Take a walk. Forget that you’re a unicorn, that you have magic. Don’t consider teleporting, or flight, or anything like that. All you want to do right now is walk. The only bit of this place you’ve seen is this now ruined clearing. There’s more to your world than just this. Go find it.”

“Uh, but Cinder, I… where do I go? Cinder? Are you still here?” Crystal was alone once again. Cinder had seemingly left, or at least gone silent. Shaking her head, the unicorn decided that, with nothing else to do, she might as well listen to the strange voice, and start walking.
______________________________________________________________________________

It was late in the afternoon when Crystal finally stopped, her hooves begging her to do so. In her silent wandering, she discovered she was in fact on an island. A small, alpine forested island with no land in sight from anywhere around the coast. It was probably about twice the size of Canterlot, and in a roughly horseshoe shape. There was a gradual slope up one half of the island which gave way to precarious cliffs and a crashing surf. The other half was roughly around sea level, with thick forestation and some random boulders and rises. Closest to where she had appeared, there was a short sandy beach littered with driftwood, though most of it rotten and wormholed.

Resting at the peak of the cliffs, Crystal looked out over her new home, sighing. It was so peaceful, so natural, and so lonely.

“Hey, not totally lonely, though. I’ll be here when you need me.” Cinder had returned, breaking the monotony of Crystals thoughts. “So, you know where you are now. And you understand that you’ll be here awhile.”

“A while?! Unless you can help me build a boat, I’ll be here forever!” the unicorn thought miserably. She thought she heard a giggle, but passed it off as only the sea breeze passing her ears.

“C’mon Crystal, let’s get back to the clearing. It’s probably best that you start your fire earlier on today. That way, you’ll have plenty of time to get it right.”

Sighing, her complaint seemingly going unheard, Crystal picked herself up and began trudging back down to the forest.
______________________________________________________________________________

Time passes. Minutes turn to hours turn to days turn to weeks turn to months turn to years until it all blurs together as simply “Life”. This is as Crystal knew it. WIth only the voice in her head to guide her, she lived, though some might even say thrived in her self-imposed isolation, learning, seeing, being. She was… until she wasn’t anymore. Crystal was no longer Crystal; but something else, something more. Something she would not know of until the day she was ready to return to the world. To truly and finally discover what she was meant to be.