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
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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…