Summer was coming to an end in Ponyville, and with that came both the departures and arrivals of many activities. Ponies who had left town to vacation elsewhere in Equestria would soon be returning home en masse through the trains, and many festivals and games enjoyed by the villagers would be put on hold for some time until those events were permitted once more. With the coming of autumn, the weather teams of Cloudsdale had plans to lower down the temperature, while the ponies on the ground intended on having another successful Running of the Leaves soon.
And with the end of summer came the opening of schools, much to either the delight or despair of many young ponies. One such school that would open its doors soon would be the world-renowned School of Friendship, which brought creatures from all around the known world together to be taught and apply the lessons of companionship, love, hope, and magic. Though the light-purple building was unoccupied on this late summer morning, an orange unicorn stallion was making his way to the school from an adjacent purple crystal castle.
Sunburst's mind was bursting with cranial fireworks of various ideas as he walked around the castle to reach the bridge leading to the school. His saddlebags were filled with books and paperwork that he intended to show to Starlight, Trixie, and the rest of the staff when they arrived for their last meeting concerning the overall curriculum for the school year. He had been the vice-principal for less than a year --- though the beginning of fall would soon make it a full year --- yet Sunburst already had proposals in place that he knew would help expand and enrich the school's vision.
Though Sunburst knew it was irresponsible, he could not help himself from levitating one of his scrolls right in front of him to read, with him taking a quick break to make sure he made it across the bridge instead of falling into the lake separating the castle and the school --- saving him from ruining his hard work.
The unicorn could barely contain his excitement as the smile his lips curled gave away his inner feelings.
He had so many suggestions that he wanted to tell the others about when they arrived: the possibility of launching study-abroad programs to countries like Yakyakistan, Mount Aris, or the kirins' homeland; field trips to the newly allied nations of Farasi, Abyssinia, Orinithia, and the Diamond Dog kingdom; and even the construction of a scientific wing with a built-in observatory.
Even the scroll coated in an orange glow in front of his very eyes, listing in detail his goal of the school having additional sports equipment so that teams other than the buckball one could be formed, was enough to give Sunburst hope for all that this school could offer to creatures everywhere. Though the school was ultimately under Starlight's care, he figured that he could still add in his fair share of ideas.
"*Hoff* *Hoff* *Hoff* "
"Huh?"
The weak, yet audible sound surprised Sunburst --- nearly causing him to let go of his scroll above the lake.
"*Hoff* *Hoff* *Hoff* *Hak!* *Hak!* *Hoff!*"
It did not take Sunburst long to find the source of those strange noises, as it was right in front of his sights once he levitated the scroll to the side.
At the foot of the school's stained glass doors sat a pony dressed in a dark red hooded cloak that covered their facial features. The pony was huddled up against the doors with their legs buddled inwards, almost as if they were cold, or perhaps trying to sleep.
Concerned, Sunburst floated his scroll into his saddlebags and hastily trotted over to the school's entrance while keeping a keen eye on the uninvited visitor.
"Um, hello there --- I guess," the orange unicorn greeted awkwardly to the immobile pony. "I don't mean to be disturbing you, but you're not exactly meant to be on school property this early in the day. Are you here just to take a nap?"
Even with them being merely four meters away from Sunburst, the stranger was either unable or unwilling to respond. Though he could not exactly tell what it was, the appearance of this pony unsettled him greatly, as if their very being was meant to serve as a warning of some sort. Outside of the semesters, nocreature was out this early to gain entrance into the school. Was this pony truly a visitor or tourist wishing to catch a glimpse of the school, or were they just a traveler seeking to rest here for a while without permission?
Despite his non-confrontational nature, Sunburst continued to approach the pony, all while summoning a much sterner look to his face.
"Excuse me," Sunburst stated in a firm yet controlled tone. "I'm certain you're very tired, but unless you're here to see the school via a tour, I insist that you leave the premises."
"*HAAK!* *HAAK!* Ugh."
Having coughed up something fierce, the pony on the ground slowly raised their head up to see Sunburst, revealing themselves to be a brown unicorn stallion with a long grey mane underneath his hood. When Sunburst witnessed the pony's elderly, worn-out face, the vice principal was left in shock at what was evident.
The older stallion was pouring out clear, transparent bullets of sweat that ran down his face and soaked the outer edges of his cloak. Most of his body, from his legs to even his clenching teeth, shook ferociously as if the summer heat was absent from the air. Worst of all, from Sunburst's perspective, were the stallion's eyes. His red, veiny bloodshot eyes were deprived of any sort of moisture, like an oasis having been conquered by the desert heat. Whatever color the irises originally were were now replaced by a deep black shade.
Once the elder pony laid his eyes on the younger unicorn, he tried to summon whatever strength he had left within him to overcome his chattering teeth and form something coherent. Before he could be successful, Sunburst crouched down to his level --- the worry and panic on his face having overcome the slight annoyance from before.
"Oh, Celestia!" the orange unicorn exclaimed. "I didn't even think that you were hurt! Don't do anything! I'm coming back to get some help!"
Sunburst got back on his hooves, ready to embark back to the castle to alert Starlight of the stranger and help deliver him to Ponyville General. But before he could even start a trot, some type of force gripped onto his blue cloak and paused him in his tracks. He turned around in time to see the older pony holding on to his apparel.
"I... I thought... that they would be here. It's... what was shown... to me."
The older pony's voice was fragile and low, as if his vocal cords had been rubbed callously against the coarsest of sandpaper. Sunburst himself was surprised that the stallion could even muster enough strength to lift a hoof, let alone use his voice. But those details mattered very little to Sunburst. If he didn't get this stallion any help as soon as possible, things would likely take a turn for the worst.
"Sir, please," Sunburst pleaded, his breathing becoming as heavy and panicked as the pony he addressed. "You have to let me go. There's no time for this. I have ---"
"HAAAAAAKKK!"
The elderly unicorn let out one final cough. Saliva slowly yet surely made its way out of the corner of his mouth, and at that moment his body went limp, loosening his grip on the cloak. The cough was a very gruesome and unexpected one, as it even shook Sunburst to his bones and made his back hairs stand up.
"Time...*Wheeze*," the elderly unicorn started, "it's something... that is of very short supply... *Wheeze* for many creatures these days."
A faint blue glow emitted from the older pony's horn. At the same time, a blue aura illuminated around the satchel that the stallion was carrying. The flap of the satchel was opened up and a thick brown book was lifted out. The elderly unicorn levitated the book over to Sunburst's face, but the vice-principal simply looked at it with an uncertainty of how to handle it, all while the elder before him continued to breathe heavily.
"I don't understand what this is for," Sunburst said, looking at the stranger with lost, perplexed eyes.
"There's.... *Wheeze* something coming. I... I... hope I did enough. *Wheeze* It's up... to them now..."
The blue aura around the book began to flicker like a faulty light blub before it dropped in front of Sunburst's hooves. The orange unicorn looked over to the older pony to find him collapsed to the floor --- motionless and with an opened mouth where the last of his essence had left his body.
Sunburst, however, was unaware of this demise. Thinking that there was still time left, the unicorn made a plan up to hurry back to the castle and inform Starlight. But before he departed, he stared down at the brown book before his hooves, which was engraved with runic drawings on the front cover and had stick notes embedded in the pages.
What was supposed to be a day of enthusiasm for the future had become a day of passing and confusion.